Get Spooky, Get Groovy - My Official 2011 Halloween Mix

Not to pop my own Dracula collar, but I thought last year's Halloween Mixtape was quite solid, from the movies quoted to the sequencing. Not wanting to disappoint my newfound tradition, I felt a little daunted this year...

Thanks to a long night and two full bags of candy, I've put together my finest collection of Hallowe'en anthems yet, primed for later tonight or the weekend, wether you're prepping your gory zombie costume or drinking Four Loko to feel like an actual zombie.

Citizen Insane's Halloween Mix - Vol. II


Tracklist:

1. Zombie Zombie - Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free
2. The Misfits - Spinal Remains
3. Big Bad Wolf - Duck Sauce
4. Queens of the Stone Age - Burn the Witch
5. Crocodiles - Stoned to Death
6. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
7. Jay Reatard - Nightmares
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
9. Joy Division - The Kill
10. Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
11. Boy 8-Bit - Black Satanic Mysticism
12. Burnt Ones - Bury Me in Smoke
13. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
14. The Misfits - Ghouls Night Out

Alternate download link: MediaFire

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MP3: Balam Acab's "Video Games" Remix

So, am I now on the bandwagon even if it's via a remix-side car? I haven't been a fan of Lana Del Rey from the beginning--the music and video for "Video Games" were more boredom inspiring than, I don't know, blog worthy--but Balam Acab's recent remix is sincerely great, bringing out the best in Rey's pigtailed crooning. Acab's effort, along with Jamie Woon's treatment, has gotten me as hooked as Chris over at GvsB.

Cover me in backlash honey and feed me to the hipster bears...

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Balam Acab Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Jamie Woon Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games

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Just Pretend I Posted This Quick Mixtape Yesterday...

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
Right-Click + Save Link As:

Ganglians - Evil Weave
DOOMSTARKS - Victory Laps (Madvillainz Remix)
Weekend - Hazel
Julianna Barwick - Vow (Diplo & Lunice Remix)
Radiohead - Lotus Flower (SBTRKT RMX)
REO Speedwagon - Keep on Loving You
Toro y Moi - Freaking Out
Case Studies - You Folded Up My Blanket Like We Were Already Lovers

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MP3s: "Sometime" & "Corvalis" by Dive

Sometimes when you're an up-and-coming band with a mere 7" piece of vinyl to your name, it's hard to get attention from bigger indie publications, let alone the blogosphere hype machine. You know what helps? Being the guitarist for an already (modestly) succesful indie rock outfit.

While I'd like to suggest that Dive--the new side-project from Beach Fossils' Z. Cole Smith--is merely getting press for the reasons above, this Sometime 7" deserves every play your iTunes counts.

If you listen to Beach Fossils (which you should be), you'll know what to expect from Dive, though Smith swaps out the Fossils' suburban, drinking-from-the-hose, summer sounds for slightly darker, more nocturnal motifs; think Bernard Sumner on a winding, midnight drive. Thankfully, the guitar jangle and wispy melodies remain, making Sometime just as strong a release as this year's What a Pleasure EP.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Dive - Sometime
Dive - Corvalis

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How to Dress Well Covers Elite Gymnastics and Vice Versa

Pop quiz: Who remembers those dual EPs from Elite Gymnastics? Y'know, the ones that dropped in July? And what about How to Dress Well's Just Once EP? Of course, you all do.

Well, How to Dress Well decided to cover the Elite G'z ("Here in Heaven") and the hip duo returned the favour by remixing "Suicide Dream 2." Both tracks feature How to Dress Well's ethereal vocals and while the cover is expectedly haunting, the remix adds some much-appreciated pep. Friends helping out friends, you guys.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Remix)
Elite Gymnastics - Here, In Heaven 3 (How to Dress Well Cover)
Elite Gymnastics - Here, In Heaven 2
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2

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MP3: Tennis Covers The Zombies' "Tell Her No"

I became relatively enamored with The Zombies' 1968 sun-kissed opus, Oracle and Odyssey, over the summer and I'm probably a better music writer for it (that and "Time of the Season," man). While I've only recently dug into the Britpop band's brief--as in two--album discography, I've always had an appreciation for "Tell Her No."

I can close my eyes and still hear it through the tinny speakers of my aunt's '90s, white Chrysler Imperial, her aged voice singing along to the sounds of her youth while the hot, burgundy leather stuck to the backs my legs and the smell of settled in cigarette smoke battled the open window's fresh air.

So of course, when Tennis--a band already approved here--covers the track, I'm all over it. The nautical couple's take is pretty straightforward, if not a little too bland and/or destined to play overhead next time you're at Urban Outfitters. But since they stuck to the basics, the cover is winsome and worth a download, if not also a mild golf clap.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Tennis - Tell Her No
The Zombies - Tell Her No

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It's October, It's Autumn and It's Time For Another Mixtape

The weather lately has been a little bizarre. September reared its ugly head and Brooklyn got all sorts of chilly, then just a few days ago, it's 80° in the city. Now, my short-wearing will likely extend into November (Michigan blood), but that won't stop the leaves from turning or my appetite for pumpkin pie and football from spiraling out of control. Below is a collection of songs I threw together for the season-changing occasion, but don't expect any jubilant bangers--this October mix is a more somber affair...

Citizen Mix Vol. VIII - Fall's a Comin'


Tracklist:

1. Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross - White Sun
2. My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise
3. Death Cab for Cutie - Company Calls Epilogue
4. Big Troubles - Misery
5. Woods - Down This Road
6. Real Estate - It's Real
7. Black Glove - That's All Midnight (M83 x Gucci Mane)
8. WU LYF - L Y F
9. The Gangsters - Best Friend
10. Radiohead - A Punch Up at a Wedding
11. The Replacements - Answering Machine

Alternate Download Link: MediaFire

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This Weekend in Pandering Party Music...

Sure, posting songs like these betray my affinity for genres like 90s indie rock, dubstep, 80s D.C. hardcore, IDM or chillwave, but I refuse to apologize for my adoration of a solid party tune. Whether or not you'll be playing any of these tracks depends on what kind of party you're throwing this weekend, but each should find a home on playlist near you...

There's the catchy-clubiness of Rihanna's "We Found Love," the southern growl of T.I.'s "I'm Flexin'," the seedy bass of Big Sean and Nicki Minaj's "Ass" and--in a startling turn--the pitch-shifting coolness of Jamie Woon's "Video Games" remix.

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Rihanna - We Found Love
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Jamie Woon Remix)
Big Sean (feat. Nicki Minaj) - Dance (A$$) [Remix]
T.I. - I'm Flexin' (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)

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It's My Birthday and So I've Started Blogging Again...

I don't think I could've foreseen just how radical my birthday this year was going to be... I'm right in the middle of a Detroit sports renaissance, I got to achieve my childhood dream of hangin' out with some penguins and friends from all over the States are going above and beyond in awesomeness.

To ring in this special occasion, here are five songs arbitrarily related to today...

What up 24 / I see you

Right-Click + Save Link As:

Neil Young - Old Man
Mudhoney - Twenty Four
T.I. - 24's
Dom - Happy Birthday Party
Jeremih - Birthday Sex (Show Me Love Mash-Up)

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