The time has come for the great end of the year list-a-thon to begin! We here at the Mixtape obviously love to compile lists and mixes. Here is my mixtape of favorite jams and unbelievable tunes from the past year. Creating this "tape" was extremely difficult as I've been constantly going back and forth between certain songs, their positions, and exactly the right number to include. I started with 50+ songs and have been slowly cutting that number down over the past few weeks. Look for other members of the Mixtape to be dropping their compilations as well in the coming weeks.

I'LL MAKE YOU MINE 06
1. "Roscoe" by Midlake {mp3} [BUY]
Just around 10 seconds in you know this is a song that you will want to listen to for sometime to come. A perfect tempo with wonderful swirling melodies that get things started off on the right foot.
2. "Brownstown" by Beaten Awake {mp3} [BUY]
My good friends started a new band this year and honestly wrote some music that I would be crazy about no matter who I knew. Rocks me to the floor everytime.
3. "Don't Ever Change" by Pink Nasty {mp3} [BUY]
A possible vote for best sing along of the year. Seriously try it out with that boy or girl that means the most to you while riding down the road. Or if you happen to be alone (wink wink!) sing both parts like I do!
4. "Hold Up" by GirlTalk {mp3} [BUY]
I was never really into the whole mash-up craze until I heard this crazy dude from Philly. I've been shaking that laffy taffy while playing some sweet air-guitar to the weez all year.
5. "Phantom Limb" by The Shins {mp3} [BUY]
The Shins somehow showed up at the last minute to drop a wave of glorious pop into your ears. I seriously hear something new creeping in the water everytime I listen to it.
6. "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers" by The Dears {mp3} [BUY]
A love song for everyone of us that struggle to stay off that frozen path. A call to a heart that laughs and cries and yells as yours does. Lightburn has never sounded so romantic and beautiful.
7. "Fiction" by The Concretes {mp3} [BUY]
Even though In Colour was an uneven album I really felt that what made the Concretes amazing in the first place was brought to fruition with "Fiction". The plateau the song reaches brings a wicked chill everytime.
8. "Cheated Hearts" by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs {mp3} [BUY]
Show Your Bones was a bit underrated this year in terms of exposure yet anything but in terms of musical force. Like many albums it was tuff picking a track. The line "I think I'm bigger than the sound" really lays it all out for me.
9. "Little Things" by Lily Allen {mp3} [BUY]
Allen writes about what she knows. As lame as she may believe that to be it makes for a song that speaks to those memories we all have. Man relationships are rough.
10. "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" by The Decemberists {mp3} [BUY]
Colin Meloy has done it. An epic song that takes us through a tale of labored love, Meloy moves us to both care and project as we cascade through the most beautiful arrangement The Decemberists have ever created.
11. "When I Am Gone" by Sparrow House {mp3} [BUY]
Keeping lo-fi alive Sparrow House easily delivers one of the best songs this year. Staring at regret and how we can't change facts Jared Van Fleet let's us know that we are all just children. Amen.
12. "Melt Your Heart" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins {mp3} [BUY]
Nothing is ever as good as it was except for Jenny Lewis. This song is almost a year old yet still gets me everytime. Lewis has honestly, just possibly made the best record of the year.
13. "Warmest Part Of Winter" by Voxtrot {mp3} [BUY]
This is one of my Mother's favorite tracks of the year as well as mine. While the boys did put out a stellar ep it's really this rarity that takes the cake.
14. "Our Hell" by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton {mp3} [BUY]
While most attention is usually given to the "other" women of BSS Emily Haines is the one wearing the crown this year. This work of crawling piano haunts as it's adjectives stab at our actions and pursuits.
15. "Glad To Be Scattered" by Track A Tiger {mp3} [BUY]
"Thanks for not asking what you really want to know" is the line that hooked me into Track A Tiger. Being subtle is an art form and this song perfects it as it glides along with the most classic drum beat available.
16. "Penny On A Train Track" by Ben Kweller {mp3} [BUY]
Holy Sh*t this song rocks!I recommend it for either the shower or road trip.
17. "You Only Live Once" by The Strokes {mp3} [BUY]
The Strokes seem to get a bad rap these days which is a damn shame. This first track off First Impressions of Earth turns the guitars up and shows The Rolling Stones how it's done in 06.
18. "Conventional Wisdom" by Built to Spill {mp3} [BUY]
Like a wicked speed up Neil Young on really good pain medication.
19. "Marker In The Sand" by Pearl Jam {mp3} [BUY]
Featuring one of the best chorus parts this year, "Marker" is everything Pearl Jam set out to be. A rock and roll band with a purpose. The last minute is absolutely fantastic as the organ floats above the choir.
20. "I'll Make You Mine" by Rainer Maria {mp3} [BUY]
This song alone puts Rainer Maria out at the top of their game. They will be missed.
21. "Fraud In The 80's" by Mates of State {mp3} [BUY]
I remember hearing this song about this time last year as the album leaked three months early. From the first note this is a relentless almost dance song of sorts that shouts anthems like pledges of undying love. Don't get me wrong, I love most of the duo groups out right now, but Mates will always be tops.
22. "Someday Baby" by Bob Dylan {mp3} [BUY]
It's Dylan, I don't know much to say past that, that hasn't been said a million times over.
23. "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura {mp3} [BUY]
Played a thousand times this summer on the old ipod, this is what teen pop should really be all about. Hopefully in small pockets of the world it actually is.
24. "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John {mp3} [BUY]
In my mind the hit single of the year that over half the country never heard. I've always been a huge fan of whistling but then Victoria Bergsman starts laying down the vocals and the sh*t hits the fan.
25. "Get Myself Into It" by The Rapture {mp3} [BUY]
Driven to make all the indie hipsters shake their asses, The Rapture deliver a song that breaks it down simply, get yourself into it.
26. "Three More Days" by Ray LaMontagne {mp3} [BUY]
Ray LaMontagne has that wraspy worn vocal approach that sounds both experienced and true. This song in particular convinces you that he's giving it everything he's got just to bring it home too. Recalls the best of both Van Morrison and Sam Cooke.
27. "Woke Up New" by The Mountain Goats {mp3} [BUY]
How much a part of someone you really are is a subject well covered by Mr. Darnielle. This song nails the perplexity of where and who after someone so dear is gone.
28. "Mistress" by Sufjan Stevens {mp3} [BUY]
There seems to be no escaping Mr. Stevens, and that's just fine by me. My favorite song off The Avalanche, "Mistress" has that perfect match of banjo and horn that very few can deny.
29. "Atoms For Peace" by Thom Yorke {mp3} [BUY]
I loved how no one knew about The Eraser until about a month before its release. Thom Yorke strives to evolve and build upon himself with this record. "Atoms" demonstrates how Yorke has really made more from less.
30. "The Greatest" by Cat Power {mp3} [BUY]
Ending with my first favorite song of the year "The Greatest" is just about in its own category. The lax yet driving swoop of the drums filled with a piano line that somehow explains almost any feeling bring this song to a level of perfection. I will never get sick of it.

Songs for 06 vol. 2
"Crazy" Gnarls Barkley
"The W.A.N.D" Flaming Lips
"Strange Apparition" Beck
"Just Got To Be" Black Keys
"The Book I Write" Spoon
"Biggest Star" The Elected
"Parade" Heypenny
"We're From Barcelona" I'm From Barcelona
"Springtime Can Kill You" Jolie Holland
"Become The Enemy" Lemonheads
"Tearing Up The Oxygen" Maritime
"Consolation Prizes" Phoenix
"Pull Shapes" The Pipettes
"Wolf Like Me" TV On The Radio
"From The Devil Himself" Viva Voce
"Mr. Tough" Yo La Tengo

Whew! I will also be compiling my best albums and films very soon!

Posted by justin at 10:33 PM