52 Weeks of Mixtapes
Week 1
Welcome to 52 Weeks of Mixtapes, my second music series for The Low Major.
One of the things I learned throughout The Daily Spin was that it’s incredibly hard to muster the commitment to listen to an often hour-long album day in and day out - and it definitely got to the point where it became an exhaustive slog. Not only that, but there are a ton of really intriguing songs that we never had the chance to look at because they were singles, remixes, edits, or otherwise not included on the records that we observed.
I still love music, though, so for 2024, I’ve decided to look at it differently.
Every Sunday, I’ll publish a mixtape of music centered around something - a feeling, a time, a person, a place. We’re running on vibes here. Each playlist cover will be a photo or an edit that’s my own work. This shit’s organic.
Two (self-imposed) rules for this project:
Each mixtape will never be more than an hour - usually in that 45-60 minute space, long enough to run with it, but I’m not gonna brute-force any level of length. Quality over quantity, as they say.
I’m also going to try to avoid reusing artists within the same mixtape and tracks within the same month. Sometimes songs are good enough that it’d be silly to not touch on them again, so you might see some old friends.
I’ll link to the playlist, talk a little bit (like, one sentence) about each track, their ordering and why they were included, and that’ll be all. Pretty simple, and hopefully enjoyable for you.
to end and to begin
the eternal march of time and the bittersweet nature of moving forward
1 | After Midnight | Phoenix feat. Clairo | 3:08
Feels right to open with a song about new beginnings, upbeat rock that no one does like Phoenix. Clairo is a stunning feature here as well - she’s always been fantastic as an addition.
2 | PATTERNS | NASAYA feat. Sara Diamond | 3:49
Synths that almost feel like they could have come off an old deadmau5 album back vaporized melodies, island-tinged funk that gets you grooving.
3 | Note to Self [Rostam Remix] | Jim-E Stack feat. Empress Of | 2:53
Though it never really goes buck-wild, the production on this is alluring enough that it’s been in my heavy rotation for most of the last year - and the vaporized sound here fits perfectly.
4 | Changing | Bay Ledges | 2:50
Bedroom pop with beachy feel? Sign me up.
5 | Sign | VHS Collection | 4:20
About as big-room poppy as this mix gets, Roosevelt-lite production about longing and companionship that just hits at all the right places.
6 | All Yours | APRE | 2:54
Twinkling pop that falls into melancholic synth-rock - folks, we are yearning tonight.
7 | Sympathetic Vibrations | Bad Sounds | 3:37
I’m such a sucker for a little funky tune that relies really heavily on percussive production to propel the song forward - add some choral effects on the vocals and I’m all in.
8 | Yesteryear | Cosmo’s Midnight | 3:40
Energetic tune for knocking out some of the resolutions, a personal favorite when I’m trying to shake some of the cobwebs loose.
9 | Changing of the Seasons | Two Door Cinema Club | 3:43
It wouldn’t be a mix of mine without a little FIFA music, and this one’s just about perfect, loss and moving forward hidden within classically-Two Door electropunk, with a chorus that’ll get you singing to boot.
10 | Over and Over | Hot Chip | 5:48
Switching gears a bit here and moving into electronic rock, sawing synths and ceaseless noise - around the… interesting robotic interludes, you get this really delightful call-and-response
11 | Step By Step - 12” Version | Braxe + Falcon feat. Panda Bear | 5:23
One of my favorite songs from last year comes back, the French Touch meeting yacht rock in a way that grabs my soul with indomitable force. Basic loops backbone a fantastic little vocal performance from Panda Bear, but the real shine is the instrumental interlude that builds into the final climax of the song.
12 | Good Old Days [Classixx Remix] | JR JR | 4:28
Tropical touch on an old classic, transformative without ever being reductive.
Felt right to kick off this project and the new year with a reflective and forward-looking playlist, the sort of music I turn to when I’m trying to pull myself out of a bit of a funk or a trying time.
I hope you enjoyed. See you next week!