Mix: Minéral

A short one.

00:00 VINCENT GALLO - I Remember When
02:48 DEVENDRA BANHART - First Song for B.
05:27 KURT VILE - I Wanted Everything
08:34 JULIAN LYNCH - Mercury
13:15 ATLAS SOUND - Kid Klimax (acoustic)
17:44 EKKEHARD EHLERS - Nie Wieder Schnell Sagen

Minéral (mix) by ljud

Mix: September Songs

I'm really pleased with this one. It's bliss.

00:00 BENOÎT PIOULARD - Sundown, Sundown (Lee Hazlewood cover)
03:38 DEERHUNTER - Microcastle (Mellow version)
06:32 GIRLS - Headache
10:19 JULIAN LYNCH - Andaza
13:02 WOODS - Rain On (acoustic radio session)
16:50 FRANKIE ROSE - Where Do You Run To? (demo)
19:46 BEST COAST - Up All Night
23:50 ATLAS SOUND - Attic Lights
27:34 THE RAVEONETTES - Oh, I Buried You Today
28:52 YES - Sweetness
33:12 KURT VILE - Heart Attack

September Songs (mix) by ljud

Mix: Géographie Intime

Summers pass so fast. Picture by Arvida.

00:00 LITTLE DRAGON - A New

03:07 MEMORY CASSETTE - Surfin'

05:48 JJ - Things Will Never Be the Same Again

09:17 COLD CAVE - Life Magazine

12:09 NEON INDIAN - 6669 (I Don't Know If You Know)

15:23 LITTLE DRAGON - Feather

19:58 TAKEN BY TREES - Watch the Waves

23:57 MASHA QRELLA - You Won't Be There (edit)

Géographie Intime mix by ljud

Mix: No Love Lost, David

It's raining, all of the time. (Version II is up.)

00:00 THE GENTLEMAN LOSERS - Spider Lily
03:46 BETTYE SWANN - Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye (cover)
07:30 TAXI TAXI - Heart
11:32 THE EVERLY BROTHERS - Let It Be Me
14:04 PATTY WATERS - Why Can't I Come to You?
16:51 SPARKLEHORSE & VIC CHESTNUTT -
Dark Night of the Soul (edit)
19:22 THOMAS WAYNE AND THE DELONS - Tradegy
21:25 FEIST & BEN GIBBARD - Train Song
24:20 GROUPER - Disengaged (edit)
27:51 LEMONHEADS & LIV TYLER -
Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye (cover)

No Love Lost, David (version II) by ljud

Mix: All Night Drug Prowling

Late night listening. I'm actually really pleased with this one.
Not technically, but the mood is exactly what I was aiming for, and I often end up compromising my mixes. Not this time, though. Download for higher quality.

00:00 PINK REASON - Thrush
06:35 RELIGIOUS KNIVES - The Streets
12:10 FABULOUS DIAMONDS - Untitled II
16:02 MOUNT EERIE - Basement Instrument
18:34 ILYAS AHMED - Earn Your Blood
23:43 PSYCHIC ILLS - Fingernail Tea
29:31 CLIPD BEAKS - Smoke Me When I'm Gone (edit)
33:53 MAGIK MARKERS - Don't Talk In Your Sleep
38:23 PINK REASON - Motherfucker

All Night Drug Prowling (mix) by ljud

Mix: I Woke Up One Morning In May

Just some random songs I've been listening to lately. Enjoy!

00:00 THE NERVES - When You Find Out
01:56 LAZY SMOKE - There Was A Time
03:32 THE BEETS - Why Should I Live If I Won't Fit?
05:24 WOODS - The Dark
07:30 DEERHUNTER - Rainwater Cassette Exchange
09:50 SPARKLEHORSE & JULIAN CASABLANCAS - Little Girl (edit)
14:20 CONOR OBERST - Big Black Nothing
17:55 REDS, PINKS & PURPLES - Almost Everything Under the Sun
19:54 JAPANDROIDS - I Quit Girls

I Woke Up One Morning In May (mix) by ljud

Mix: On Isolation

I made this during the winter, in Sollefteå. I haven't posted it because it's bleak and rough around the edges. Audio quality is 128k (stream) or 192k (download), as always. Dedicated to my younger brother.

00:00 MACHINEFABRIEK - Porselein (edit)
06:13 NORDPOLEN - Reglerna Har Ändrats
12:43 ASS - Escape from New York (Main Theme)
15:10 LONEY DEAR - Under A Silent Sea (edit)
18:57 HUSH ARBORS - Rue Hollow
22:05 JASPER TX - Bending Spoons
28:44 JOHNNY CASH - I See A Darkness (with Will Oldham)

On Isolation (mix) by ljud

Mix: Oh Graveyard You Can't Hold Me

More damaged rock and lo-fi noise-pop. Tracklist:

00:00 BLACK LIPS - Take My Heart
02:41 ANGRY ANGLES - You Fell In
05:25 WAVVES - Here's to the Sun
07:46 THE STRANGE BOYS - This Girl Taught Me to Dance
10:48 CRYSTAL STILTS - Love Is A Wave
12:41 BLANK DOGS - No Compass
15:19 THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - Contender

Oh Graveyard You Can't Hold Me (mix) by ljud

Mix: Another Northern Downer

Smoke dope and act like illiterates.

00:00 ARIEL PINK - Can't Hear My Eyes
03:05 GARY WAR - Eye In the Sky
07:08 WOODS - Rain On
10:34 PEAKING LIGHTS - All the Good Songs Have Been Written (edit)
14:13 ATLAS SOUND - Recent Bedroom
17:45 LOTUS PLAZA - Whiteout (edit)
21:37 WAVVES - Weed Demon
24:15 JAY REATARD - No Time
26:38 THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - Happy When It Rains (demo)

Another Northern Downer mix by ljud

Mix: No Solace In Sleep

On the subject of memory, time, and the submerged pop song.

00:00 TIM HECKER - Borderlands

04:32 BELONG - Late Night (Syd Barrett cover)

07:54 MACHINEFABRIEK - Stukje 15 (excerpt)

08:03 LOTUS PLAZA - Quicksand

12:58 PSYCHIC ILLS - (Inauguration) I Knew My Name

23:19 FENNESZ - Hunting High and Low (A-ha cover)

No Solace In Sleep mix by ljud

Mix: Late Night Whiteout

So, it's been a long hiatus, but I have at least two new mixes coming up this month. The first is another damaged rock'n'roll thing:

00:00 THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - Skunk
02:38 SIC ALPS - Message from the Law
05:10 WHITE DENIM - Shake Shake Shake
07:43 THE ICARUS LINE - Gets Paid
10:55 RAVEONETTES - Attack of the Ghost Riders
13:24 KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES - Torture
16:29 Y. JERUSALEM - We Ain't Coming Back
19:23 SOULS SHE SAID - Spanish Eyes

Late Night Whiteout mix by ljud

Takedown

Alright. Seems my Best of 2008 post was taken down tonight. Fair enough. I don't think I'll bother to do it all over again. In fact, I think that's it. Mixes from now on, maybe once a month. Update: Tracks removed, some new mixes are coming.

Mix: So Bored

Hopelessly disjointed and broken. More info soon. Maybe.

00:00 THE GO! TEAM - Panther Dash
02:37 TIMES NEW VIKING - No Sympathy
05:20 SIC ALPS - Put the Puss to Bed (excerpt)
05:43 WAVVES - So Bored
08:52 A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - Missing You
12:39 SOULS SHE SAID - Rub the Sleep Out (2nd version)
15:29 DEERHUNTER - Oh, It's Such A Shame (Jay Reatard cover)

So Bored (mix) by ljud

Some updates

Since I've been having some trouble with copyright infringement warnings, I've decided to go with a streaming option instead. Mixes will be downloadable, still. Thanks to Daniel for showing me SoundCloud.

Mix: It's Been Almost A Year

Tape hiss, static and delay. This mix is dedicated to my friend Jorge Cardoso. Thank you for the conversations.

00:00 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The River (live)

11:34 CHARLES BUKOWSKI - To the Whore Who Took My Poems (edit)

13:15 VINCENT GALLO - So Sad

15:29 MOUNT EERIE - Human (edit)

18:42 LOREN CONNORS - An Air

20:03 JEFF ALEXANDER & BONNIE BEECHER - Come Wander with Me

21:42 THE BREEDERS - Istanbul

24:38 DEERHUNTER - Vox Humana (unmastered)

27:09 MARK TEMPLETON - Amidst Things Uncontrolled

32:05 KURT VILE - Slow Talkers

35:04 DAVID SYLVIAN & FENNESZ - A Fire In the Forest (edit)

It's Been Almost A Year mix by ljud

Sorry for the lack of updates...

...will update soon. Got three mixes coming up, and something else. Changes, perhaps. Might take me a little while as I'm currently moving to another town/era. Ok bye!

Mix: Fashion Fever

Going to keep this brief and to the point, just like the music. Here's the most upbeat and energetic mix I've ever done - a slew of garage, punk, rock and blues. Tracklist:

00:00 CHEAP TIME - Glitter & Gold
01:57 NOBUNNY - Church Mouse
04:08 SNAKE FLOWER II - Talk About It
07:36 SOULS SHE SAID - Rub the Sleep Out (first version)
09:17 JAY REATARD - An Ugly Death
12:56 THE GUN CLUB - For the Love of Ivy (edit)
15:38 HALF-PINT & THE FIFTHS - Orphan Boy
17:59 NO AGE - Cappo

Total running time: 20:44. Download it here (24 MB, 160k).

Seven Songs

"List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to."

Seems Blogglegum Cage has tagged me for the Seven Songs thingy, and even if time is scarce these days I can't keep from doing it.
Of course, I got all sentimental. Some of the songs are old, but recently rediscovered. Alright, here are my seven songs:

1. Paavoharju - Italialaisella Laivalla (edit)
Amazing song, stunning album (Laulu Laakson Kukista). Pick it up if you see it in any stores. Spot reserved on my top 10 of 2008.
2. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
The soundtrack for any summer day. Flawless song. Also the favorite band of my mother's.
3. Deerhunter - Agoraphobia (edit)
New song. Can't get it out of my head. Beautiful lyrics. Hope they play it when I catch them live next week. Won't ruin Microcastle by posting the whole song. Buy it when it comes out.
4. Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
Life's ill, sometimes life might kill. I listened to this for almost everyday when I lived in Stockholm, around the time it was released. Still waiting for a follow-up.
5 . Grouper - Disengaged (edit)
Breaks my heart every time I hear it. So good. Immense album.
6. Loney, Dear - The City, The Airport
Trying to mend self after some harsh years in Stockholm. Moved back home. Took long walks. Played videogames. Spent hours in airports. Listened to this song.
7. Brian Eno - Golden Hours
Winter in northern Sweden. Late night drive with my father. Heavy snowfall. Golden Hours on the radio. No talking. Fond memory.

I tag: Low Light Mixes, Inverterad, Demoniazed, Raven Sings the Blues, Pascal's Country Sounds, Hydrogen Café, and Anna.

Alva Noto - Live 2008-05-08

Carsten Nicolai visited my hometown in northern Sweden a few weeks ago for the MADE festival, where he performed his new album unitxt. The album is set for an official launch at an upcoming Raster-Noton event on May 30th. While the few copies of unitxt he had brought with him immediatly sold out, he was kind enough to give me a copy of the Aleph-1 album (released on Ideal a few months ago), which was very generous of him. Of course, it was also a joy to see Alva Noto perform live, even if I thought the volume was too low. Boomkat are running a campaign for the new album, so head over there and have a listen.

Download Alva Noto - u 70 (only 112k).
Download Aleph-1 - 1 c a a 01x.

Mix: Blown Out to Sea, I'm Never Coming Back

I watched Deep Water today, a documentary based on the true story of Donald Crowhurst and the 1969 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race around the world. I was deeply moved by it. I'm not going to give anything away, but if you haven't seen it I suggest you rent or download it immediatly. I highly recommend it.

Having mentioned that, I was going through some files a few days ago, and I stumbled over my very first mix, aptly named after a song by Gothenburg musician Dag Rosenqvist. Composed and curated between 2004 and 2007, several versions has emerged. Since the original files were still left on the drive, I arranged them as the original three-part version suggested, and merged them together. The initial inspiration for the mix came from seeing the cover of Laura Veirs Carbon Glacier album, which promted me to make a mix with a maritime theme and a glacial feel, well suited for slow winter days. I know it's summertime and that I got the seasons all wrong for this one, but here it is anyway, flaws and all:

00:00 SET FIRE TO FLAMES - Esquimalt Harbor
01:45 MÚM - Hú Hviss (A Ship)
02:52 ANDREY KIRITCHENKO - Optical Illusion
06:09 ALVA NOTO & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - Iano
12:38 PORN SWORD TOBACCO - Eudaimonia
14:29 DEAF CENTER - Eloy
16:40 MURCOF - Reflejo (edit)
21:32 AARKTICA - Elena
25:50 ALVA NOTO - Spray
27:02 PORT-ROYAL - Flares Pt.3
32:53 MACHINEFABRIEK - Somerset (edit)
37:32 GOLDMUND - Door of Our Home

Total running time: 40:56. Download it here (56 MB, 192k).

Mix: When the Sky Comes Down...

...It Comes Down on Your Head. (version edit)

00:00 ILYAS AHMED - Black Midas
05:12 M83 - You, Appearing
08:47 SPIRITUALIZED - Death Take Your Fiddle
11:52 SOLO ANDATA - Live in Melbourne (excerpt)
15:16 BARK PSYCHOSIS - From What Is Said to When It's Read
20:32 THE FUN YEARS - Electricity Is a Scarce Commodity (edit)
24:18 BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - Howl
28:37 SAM AMIDON - All Is Well

Total running time: 33:02. Download it here (45 MB, 192k).

Mix: Heart Like An Airport

Here's some music that kept me company at a few airport terminals last week. It's pretty straightforward, with a slight shoegaze feel to it.
I went through the Airport Symphony set (from the lovely Room40 label) in hope of achieving a more ambient aesthetic reminiscent of the title, but had to settle for an intro. Have fun.

00:00 DALE LLOYD - Airs for Beacons, Signals for Ports (edit)
02:35 THE MEETING PLACES - On Our Own
06:01 VIDEOHIPPOS - Bear Fight
08:24 BON IVER - Skinny Love
12:09 SLEEPY JACKSON - Acid In My Heart
15:36 THE RADIO DEPT - Pulling Our Weight
18:55 THE STROKES & EDDIE VEDDER - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
21:29 DEERHUNTER - Strange Lights

Total running time: 25:07. Download it here (34 MB, 192k).

Mix: I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

The title for this mix was originally a lot more depressing, but it was obviously over the top. I hope this is more subtle. It also had a nasty opening sequence by Kemialliset Ystävät, but I figured most people would be put off by it instead of intrigued, so I removed it. And while we're on the subject, the mix had a slight summer influence too, but in a more repressed way than the Looking for the Sun mix. It's a little self-indulgent - I guess my winter depression is coming on, or something. Existential angst. It'll pass, but this won't help:

00:00 DESTROYER - Your Blues (edit)
02:11 ATLAS SOUND - Words from the Wall (version II)
05:17 COCONUT RECORDS - Summer Day (with Kirsten Dunst)
07:20 JASPER TX - Summer
12:33 DAVID SYLVIAN & RYOJI IKEDA - World Citizen
18:29 ELLIOTT SMITH - Everything Means Nothing to Me
20:49 THE LEGENDS - I Want to Be Like Everybody Else
23:30 EL PERRO DEL MAR - Do Not Despair
26:36 EVERLY BROTHERS - I Wonder If I Care As Much
29:20 THE GENTLE WAVES - Falling from Grace

Total running time: 33:07. Download it here (45 MB, 192k).

Mix: Looking for the Sun

I don't know how this came to be, but here's a summer mix for you.
It might have something to do with the fact that I've been seeing some of that elusive Swedish sunlight these last couple of days, which is rare at this time of the year. So, here's a mix about longing. For summer.
A few months early, or late, depending on your perspective. Tracklist:

00:00 ATLAS SOUND - Malmö
02:35 AIR FRANCE - Beach Party
05:27 BONGWATER - Free Love Messes Up My Life
07:41 SEABEAR - Teenage Kicks (Undertones cover)
10:19 NOBODY & MYSTIC CHORDS OF MEMORY - Softer Sail
13:57 SUN - Mosquito
18:43 STUDIO - No Comply

Total running time: 24:23. Download it here (34 MB, 192k).

Mix: Auditory Bliss

It seems a lot of visitors are coming here from Low Light Mixes and such, so I'll post something a little more in that ambient, warm drone vein, if only to satisfy a few. Mixing drones and ambient music is not as demanding as other genres. There's no need to actually time anything, they all just collide gracefully, at glacial speeds - hence the tracklist not being more specific regarding the time frame. I actually passed out listening to a drone once, due to lack of sleep and something close to an auditory overload. It was nice. That track is embedded here as well. The mix was originally an effort to offer healing, therapeutic sounds - for plants and hearts, so to speak. Does well in early mornings or late evenings. Picture courtesy of my younger brother, Lars.

~00:00 GARETH HARDWICK - Lost In the Memory
~13:20 KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN - Track3a
~18:40 STARS OF THE LID - Slight on the Childproof
~23:30 NIKOS VELIOTIS & DAVID GRUBBS - The Harmless Dust pt.2
~34:40 MWVM - Context Where?

Total running time: 42:51. Download it here (59 MB, 192k).

Best of 2007

10. STUDIO - West Coast / Yearbook 1 (Information)
I'm not particularly impressed by the obvious 80's influences, you can call it Balearic or whatever, I don't care, but this Swedish duo is actually very talented, and their sound is equally impressive. They're also responsible for some of the best remixes of recent times.
Download track: Life's a Beach! (edit) and Self Service (short version). Visit MySpace.

09. BJ NILSEN - The Short Night (Touch)
I don't know what to say about this album.
I guess you have to hear it. The Short Night is composed of intricate and beautiful layering of location recordings, weather, radio, tape machines, filters and generators. Exceptional.
Download tracks: Black Light and Finisterre (excerpt). Visit homepage.

08. CHROMATICS - Night Drive (Italians Do It Better)
Chromatics set the bar high with their Shining Violence release earlier this year, and even if Night Drive resembles a collection of their best moments rather than a brand new album, it's still nice to have them on one single LP. Now, if they only had included In the City as well, they would've come full circle.
Download tracks: I Want Your Love and Night Drive.
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

07. JASPER TX - In A Cool Monsoon (Pumpkin Seeds In the Sand)
Gothenburg-based artist Dag Rosenqvist released a number of records and EP's this year, but I have to say this one is the most compelling. In A Cool Monsoon leaves most of the drones behind in favour of melodies through live instrumentations. A haunting, incredibly beautiful record.
Download track: Bending Spoons. Visit MySpace.

06. STARS OF THE LID -
And Their Refinement of the Decline (Kranky)
Released as a triple vinyl set or as a double CD, And Their Refinement of the Decline is a demanding listen. At first I thought I'd find this boring, but it's actually interesting all the way through. Sure, by the second disc you've already filled the acoustic drone quota, but it's so delicately done that it's hard to criticize such a monumental body of work.
Download track: Apreludes (In C Sharp Major).
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

05. NO AGE - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
The founders of Wives sat out to compose the most beautiful noise pop record ever, and succeeded. Consisting of four EP's, the first half of the album is noisy, with short bursts of pop sensibilities drenched in stabbing guitars and reverb, hooks drifting in and out of static, while the later part consists of longer songs with focus on layered feedback and guitar.
Kind of complicated, but equally rewarding.
Download tracks: My Life's Alright Without You and Sun Spots.
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

04. BLACK LIPS - Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo (Vice)
I had no previous experience of The Black Lips before I got my hands on this. Needless to say, I was blown away. Turns out it's the best live album I've ever heard! Recorded in Tijuana, this insane session features psychedelic, energetic punk rock songs, fuelled by tons of tequila and blow, performed amidst dive-bar regulars and hookers fingering themselves onstage.
Download tracks: M.I.A. and Not a Problem.
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

03. PANDA BEAR - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Loops, chanting, samples of splashing water and subways. Made my summer. Makes me want to visit Lisbon. And New York. Feel-good album of the year, no doubt. Simply amazing. If you haven't picked this one up yet, I suggest you do so. Absolutely essential.
Download tracks: Take Pills and Bros (edit).
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

02. BEN FROST - Theory of Machines (Bedroom Community)
A concept album of sorts, this is an absolutely incredible piece of work. Distortion, shimmering drones, distressed guitars and drums compressed into stabbing, concrete sounds. Demanding and unforgiving, it makes for a truly special listening experience. Best electronic album of the year, hands down.
Download track: Theory of Machines.
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

01. DEERHUNTER - Cryptograms / Fluorescent Grey (Kranky)
I got this in February, and in March I knew which album was going to top my list for this year. Simple as that. Describing Cryptograms is difficult, but frontman Bradford Cox does it best in his own words: "I’ve always thought of Deerhunter as a punk band, a drone punk band. The whole concept behind Deerhunter is to create an ambient garage band, a band that could create garage rock and ambient music simultaneously." Make sure you give this one a try, because it's the most important record of the year. Fluorescent Grey, the EP released a few months after Cryptograms, is also recommended.
Download tracks: Cryptograms and Like New (from Fluorescent Grey).
Visit MySpace. Buy it on Itunes.

Best Reissue: Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (Factory/Rhino)
One of my favourite albums remastered, on lovely vinyl. Essential purchase. Now, I just want to see that movie, too. If it ever comes this way. Sometimes it sucks living in Sweden, I'll tell you that much. If you've somehow managed to ignore this album up till now, give it a try. It's really something.
Download track: Disorder (remastered).

Worst Purchase of the Year: Marcus Schmickler with Hayden Chisholm - Amazing Daze (Häpna)
It could've been In Rainbows (even if I didn't pay that much for it), but I have to go with this one. I love the Häpna label, but this gives me a headache everytime I try listening to it. Bagpipe drones, each over 20 minutes long?
I should have known. Here's an excerpt of the most tolerable of the two tracks: Infinity in the Shape of a Poodle (for Björk Gudmundsdottir).

That's it. Overall, 2007 was a good year for music. Feel free to post your own top-10 (or whatever) in the comments section, or albums that are strangely missing from this list. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Best of 2007 - Honourable mentions

Okay, so before presenting the Best of 2007 list, here's a couple of albums that didn't make the cut, but came very close. Amongst others, in no particular order:

Christian Fennesz & Ryuichi Sakamoto - Cendre (Touch)
Cendre is unrelentingly fascinating and beautiful - a stunning piece of work, though I prefer Sakamoto's work with Alva Noto. To me, this was too much of a tease - I was expecting a new solo album by Fennesz by the end of this year...
Download track: Haru.

Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold (Echo)
Gothic pop, of some sort. I'm not going to drag it out, I have included songs from it on more than one occasion in various mixes, so I suggest you look this one up. Download track: Horse and I
and What's a Girl to Do?

Gavin Bryars with Alter Ego and Philip Jeck -
The Sinking of the Titanic (Touch)
I had a fever a few weeks ago and I listened to this while trying to get some sleep. Possibly the worst hour of rest I've ever had. Clocking in at 72 minutes, this is an immense experience, recorded live at the 49th International Festival of Contemporary Music at the Venice Biennale.
Download track: The Sinking of the Titanic (excerpt).

Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
I didn't like the last Burial album, but I find this to be so much better, because of the vocal emphasis. Heavily influenced by two-step and UK garage, crafted from dub and spectral samples. Pretty depressing, but also very special indeed.
Download track: Archangel and Near Dark.

Pelican - City of Echoes (Hydra Head)
Yes! This is the way to go. If Sonic Youth was a metal band, I'm pretty sure this is how it would sound. I applaud Pelican for stepping away from the doom-laden records they've put out before.
Download track: City of Echoes.

Mix: I Love You Golden Blue

This is a sentimental Christmas mix of sorts, dedicated to my friends, but first and foremost a tribute to my home town, Obbola. Bless you, backwater town, and thank you. Tracklist:

00:00 BILL FAY - I Hear You Calling
02:53 ATLAS SOUND - So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
05:36 ELF POWER - Grand Intrusion Call
08:47 BEIRUT - Postcards from Italy
12:59 DOMOTIC - I Hate You For Ever
16:39 THE HIDDEN CAMERAS - Mississauga Goddam (edit)
21:54 SUFJAN STEVENS - Sister Winter

Total running time: 26:56. Download it here (37 MB, 192k).

Mix: Summer In Jibāl, Winter In Iraq

I just finished reading excerpts from Al-Mas'ūdī's The Meadows of Gold and Book of Admonition, and it (along with the Sub Rosa compilation Persian Electronic Music 1966-2006) inspired me to produce this. Functioning as a complement of sorts to my other Mid-East inspired mix, Our Weight In Oil, this one is definitely more ambient and abstract by comparison. Tracklist:

00:00 THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA - Dawn
03:52 ALIREZA MASHAYEKHI - Mithra, Op.90 (edit)
08:54 GULTSKRA ARTIKLER - Arrial - Farewell Again (remake)
13:16 GEIR JENSSEN - Camp 1.5: Mountain Upon Mountain
14:45 LOREN DENT - Empires and Milk

Total running time: 22:04. Download it here (30 MB, 192k).

Mix: Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs

This mix has absolutely nothing to do with the Texas City disaster (April 16, 1947) pictured above. It is, however, a slew of rock songs that (in this exact order) managed to simmer through the primarily ambient and experimental folders of my mp3-player as I hit random while taking a walk in Stockholm. So I guess this mix pretty much made itself, and it made me feel like it was self-destruction time again. Better stick to birds chirping and warm, comforting drones... Tracklist:

00:00 THE ICARUS LINE - Losing Touch With My Mind (cover)
05:39 WOODEN SHJIPS - We Ask You to Ride
10:27 NO AGE - I Wanna Sleep
13:13 DEERHUNTER - Lake Somerset
16:54 BLACK LIPS - Boone (live)
18:59 AUDIONOM - And You Said I Was the Only One

Total running time: 21:56. Download it here (30 MB, 192k).

Mix: October Language

I made this mix to make it through the graveyard shift. There's a lot of crooning going on in there, you know, men singing. Something heartfelt and overly emotional to listen to when I'm working, just to romanticise doing manual, monotonous labour and feeling miserable by the conveyor belt in the middle of the night. Enjoy ; ) Tracklist:

00:00 STARS - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Final Fantasy remix)
04:32 BEIRUT - Nantes
08:19 BEACH BOYS - Don't Worry Baby (stereo version)
11:02 JENS LEKMAN - I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You
14:45 LONEY, DEAR - Le Fever (live)
18:18 JOSÉ GONZÁLES - Killing For Love

Total running time: 21:23. Download it here (29 MB, 192k).

Mix: Not All Who Wander Are Lost

I originally wanted this mix to consist of synthesizers and female vocals, with a kind of wind-swept, monochrome feel. The basis for this was the Kate Bush cover (by the ever competent Chromatics) and the song "Over and Over" by British 80's group Disco Inferno, held together by the voice of Liz Harris (Grouper). The result comes close enough. Best listened to late at night. Tracklist:

00:00 ROLAN VEGA - Painted by Children
01:12 BAT FOR LASHES - Horse and I
03:56 GROUPER - Hold A Desert, Feel Its Hand (edit)
06:50 CHROMATICS - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)
12:42 DISCO INFERNO - Over and Over
16:24 LAVENDER DIAMOND - I'll Never Lie Again
19:48 DEVENDRA BANHART - My Dearest Friend

Total running time: 21:58. Download it here (30 MB, 192k).

Mix: Last Walk Around Mirror Lake

This is for my grandparents, both gone within a year. I can't help but think about the last time I visited them, and it breaks my heart.
It was so obvious that it was the last time we would see each other.
So, I guess this is the sound of my heart breaking:

GREG HAINES - Snow Airport
MICHAEL CASHMORE & ANTONY - The Snow Abides (edit)
CHRISTIAN FENNESZ & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - Oto
MICHAEL CASHMORE - My Eyes Open (edit)

Total running time: 16:22. Download it here (22 MB, 192k).

Mix: Sailing to Byzantium (v2)

New month, new mixes. This one had a more obvious maritime feel in the beginning, but spiralled out of control and it ended up including Sabbath again. Also, more Atlas Sound. But you can't get enough of those two, so I guess there's no harm done. Tracklist: (version edit)

00:00 LIARS - Sailing to Byzantium
04:02 THE DRAGONS - Amplified Emotion
07:36 ANGELS OF LIGHT - Black River Song
10:44 VETIVER - You May Be Blue
15:20 A MOUNTAIN OF ONE - Our Eyes
18:31 ATLAS SOUND - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (cover)
22:44 BLACK SABBATH - Planet Caravan
27:02 THE CURE - Sinking (demo)

Total running time: 31:54. Download it here (42 MB, 192k).

Mix: I Only Want to Be With You

Stayed up late last night and worked on this. I wish I could've stuck to the plan and included songs by Dusty Springfield and the Beach Boys, but they simply did not fit in. This is dedicated to a very special girl... Tracklist:

00:00 ONE SECOND BRIDGE - One Second Bridge
02:14 BRADFORD COX & LOCKETT PUNDT - Quad
04:58 ASS - Guidelines for Bespoke
10:12 ATLAS SOUND - River Card (unmastered)
13:31 BAT FOR LASHES - The Wizard
17:45 FENNESZ - Tree
20:04 THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - I'll Be Your Mirror
22:12 LONEY, DEAR - In With the Arms

Total running time: 26:55. Download it here (31 MB, 160k).

Mix: Summer Salt & Subway Sun

I put this together while hungover, trapped in my apartment on a sunny day. I was thinking about Stockholm, and the beach, both of which I haven't visited this summer. The mix somehow ended up having a slight stoner feel to it. I guess Sabbath's to blame for that. Well, and Spacemen 3. Jams run free. Rock on. Tracklist:

00:00 SOL SEPPY - One Two
03:48 THE AMERICAN ANALOG SET - Born on the Cusp
07:16 SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - Black Wall
12:43 CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS - Twig Harpoon
17:14 SPACEMEN 3 - Come Down Easy (demo)
21:20 THE ZOMBIES - Leave Me Be
23:24 THE GENTLEMEN LOSERS - An Empire of Coins
24:55 TARWATER - The Watersample
30:15 NEIL YOUNG - Dead Man Guitar Solo 2
32:10 BLACK SABBATH - The Wizard

Total running time: 36:32. Download it here (42 MB, 160k).

Mix: Our Weight In Oil

I am in no particular way interested in Eastern music, or World music for that matter, but some songs have a certain feel, and it would be a shame not to explore it further. So this is a mix with a Middle Eastern theme, although it doesn't necessarily feature any songs from that part of the world. Go figure. Also, it's just roughly stitched together. Don't fall asleep. Tracklist:

00:00 GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA - Deportation/Iguazu
04:46 SEAWORTHY - Map In Hand pt.6 (edit)
09:39 Radio Cairo
10:00 A HAWK AND A HACKSAW - Europa (edit)
11:35 SIR RICHARD BISHOP - Zurvan
18:17 GEIR JENSSEN - Camp 2: World Music on the Radio
21:18 HUSH ARBORS - Wooded Reel
24:29 Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Qu'ran chant)
25:17 MATT ELLIOTT - Our Weight In Oil

Total running time: 28:58. Download it here (26 MB, 128k)

Mix: Some Songs

Most mixes presented here will be ambient or instrumental, but this mix actually has singing on it. Not really a mix, but some songs in some order. Tracklist:

00:00 MOKIRA - I Was Her May 15th 1995
03:52 DEERHUNTER - Hazel St.
07:40 BENOÎT PIOULARD - Alan & Dawn
10:28 JAMES BLACKSHAW - Running to the Ghost
16:36 PAAVOHARJU - Valo Tihkuu Kaike Läpi
20:29 SONGS OF GREEN PHEASANT - Pink By White
25:44 ATLAS SOUND - Unicorn Rainbow Odyssey (Mark Sultan cover)
29:31 BRIAN ENO - Golden Hours
33:25 PANDA BEAR - Take Pills
38:38 KING CRIMSON - Moonchild (edit)
41:02 ASOBI SEKSU - Thursday

Total running time: 45:14. Download it here (41 MB, 128k).