Billy Bragg

Today's mix fodder is a sweet song by Billy Bragg, Tank Park Salute. Show your sensitive side and put this on your next mix.

Gillian Welch

Nice track from Gillian Welch's new album:


If you want something a bit darker and frenetic, try this gem:

I wish I could get a recording of this last video - I go back and watch / listen to it a lot, it is a really good rendition of that song.

Justin Townes Earle

It is extremely difficult to pick a couple of favorite J.T. Earle songs. I saw him down on the riverfront of Nashville a couple of summers ago and was blown away at his stripped down style. This is a nice version of Halfway to Jackson and even comes with an explanation to boot so I suppose it is a good start:

Justin Towne Earle - "Halfway To Jackson" Live At Paste from Paste Magazine on Vimeo.

His performance of the same era material at Amoeba in L.A. is pretty spectacular, too:


If you ever get a chance to drop in and see him, do yourself the favor. His material makes excellent mix fodder if you have room for some good storytelling.

Chris Thomas King

I just put this on this month's mix, right between Sean Rowe and a J.T. Earle song. Fits pretty well. You might remember it from Oh, Brother Where Art Thou, Chris was the guitar player they picked up at the crossroads.




I like the old-time sound more but if you're into blues Chris does a good job of it:

Sean Rowe

Sometimes you need something a little darker. I occasionally have a mix sort of hit bottom just past the halfway point to give myself someplace to build from. Well, ladies and gentlemen I present for your consideration the great baritone Sean Rowe:


If this doesn't give your listener pause, then you'll have to just go all the way and throw a Tom Waits track on there, I guess.

East River Pipe

Here's a guy that came up in the late 90's on Merge Records alongside other great indie artists like M. Ward and Spoon. East River Pipe is a sort of cool-down artist, but there's still something expansive about the tracks, I think it would pair nicely with a Jesus and Mary Chain track. Here's one of his more upbeat numbers:



Here's a track from his latest:


Also, head here and grab the track 'Baltimore' which isn't on an album anywhere that I can find but is one of my favorites.

M. Ward

I really believe that M. Ward is one of the best songwriters of our generation. I really can't figure out why he doesn't get more attention.

Here's are two great tracks, Roller Coaster and Chinese Translation:

Jim James & M. Ward at St. David's Church from Texas Music Matters at KUT on Vimeo.

And another of my favorites, Vincent O'Brien:


And you might recognize him as "Him" to Zooey Deschanel's "She":


Run, don't walk to explore M. Ward's entire back catalog, folks.

Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience is a fantastic duo (sometimes trio) that puts out beautiful, sweet folk-pop. If you want to show your sensitive side, you could do no better.



I have a couple of plastic discs with their songs on them from years ago. On one of them, in the liner notes it says "we really like going up into tall buildings where one can see a long way. if you have access to such a building and are willing to show us in, please contact us when we are touring your area." As a fan of tall buildings where one can see a long way, I really enjoyed that.

If you enjoy this but want something a little more pop with a slightly euro sensibility, check out The Whitest Boy Alive, who has the same frontman:

Bon Iver

Another artist I like to cherry pick - I really only like a handful of Bon Iver songs but the few I like I seem to *really* like. Here's one:

Bon Iver - Blood Bank [video] from MrMach7 on Vimeo.

He has a new album coming out tomorrow that is very Peter Gabriel-esque, check out Holocene on that (self-titled) record as well.

Mojave 3

Here's an older band that deserves a place among your chosen tracks. Mojave 3 had a very solid (if casual) pop release with Excuses for Travellers way back in 2000. If you need a blast from the past to put a final touch on your next playlist, give this one a try:



The frontman Neil Halstead has gone on to release some solo material since then which is also nice stuff to comb through:

Pearl and the Beard

My friend Hilda turned me onto this charming group last year. I saw them play at a tiny venue in Nashville where they were almost too loud for the room but everyone really had a good time.

Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.

Their 2009 effort God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson and their recent Killing the Darlings aren't really at this level of hilarity but it is a fantastic album nonetheless. They have a really endearing sort of living-room sing-a-long style that works well for them.

Yo La Tengo

Here's a band that has skirted accessibility for years. They always release high-quality stuff but it is a mix of catchy pop gems and noisy rock that I find myself prone to cherry-pick.

Yo La Tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 2 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Here are two great songs by Yo La Tengo, one old and one new. I've put Periodically Double or Triple on a mix and it worked well. Really enjoyable stuff.

The Rolling Stones

Obvious, of course. And my first choice for a mix is obvious, too - the iconic Gimme Shelter



Folks of a certain age will identify very strongly with this song, but I just think it is a rock gem and pretty much sums up the stones for me. Let it Bleed, needless to say is my favorite RS album.

Then again maybe you're looking for something a bit more uplifting. How about this one? This song stands up against any Bob Dylan track you were hoping to throw onto that mix of yours.


If you're not familiar with the Stones' canon, you need to get in there and give them a listen. They aren't ageless superstars for nothing.

They Might Be Giants

Ah, the inestimable They Might Be Giants. I don't know a man, woman or child alive that hasn't enjoyed a lovely TMBG song or two over the years. As such it is difficult to find a good song to include on a mix that your friend may not have heard or enjoyed, no? Well, ladies and gentlemen you know I'm here to help. Here's a fantastic track from their 2007 release The Else:

Dirty Projectors

We keep things dirty for another day with a song from a couple of years ago, Two Doves by Dirty Projectors. I really like this song on its own merits, but it appears to riff pretty heavily on These Days by Nico, which of course is a classic.



The "riff" is one of my favorite things in modern music. Take Gillian Welch's track "Elvis Presley Blues" - which is about Elvis but also riffs on some of his lyrics from All Shook Up, Run On, etc. as part of the song.



If you make a mix for a big nerd, the riff makes a powerful statement.

Dirty Gold

Well, summer is on us, isn't it? This was a big deal late last year sometime but you really won't do better for a little summer trinket than this pop gem.



Throw it at the beginning or at least in the first half before things cool off or get too serious.

Fleet Foxes

Well, this one might be a bit obvious but I really do like these guys. Here's their first big single from a couple of years ago.



And my favorite track off the latest effort.



So what is there to say about Fleet Foxes? They create some expansive songs, that's for sure. As such they are fantastic playlist fodder, something to provide you something big to chew on in the late middle portion of your mix.

The Rosebuds

Here's a band that has a new album and tour approaching right now. I just picked up the new one so I don't know it well enough to suggest anything from it yet but I was happy to see them resurface as I really liked them so long ago when they released this song:



A similar track came an album or two later which I also find really enjoyable:



If you see them touring this summer or pick up their new record, I also urge you to dig deep into their back catalog for these gems. After all, what mix isn't improved by an old or obscure track thrown in 2/3 of the way through as a pleasant surprise?