Mix Tape of the Day: April 20, 2015 - Psychedelic Rock

This is a subtle mix for subtle people.  And before you you go, "Hey, what about the Doors?!" don't worry, they're coming soon.

1. Time of the Season - The Zombies (1968)

2. I Know There's an Answer - The Beach Boys (1966)

3. Sunshine Superman - Donovan (1966)

4. Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock (1967)

5. Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane (1967)

6. 2000 Light Years from Home - The Rolling Stones (1967)

7. All Along the Watchtower - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)

8. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly (1968)

9. Crimson and Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells (1968)

10. Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf (1968)

11. (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult (1976)

12. Champagne Supernova - Oasis (1995)

13. Pink as Floyd - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2013)

Mix Tape of the Day: March 15, 2015 - The Ides of March (but actually the Beach Boys)

Originally, I was going to do an Ides of March mix.  But there is only one great Ides of March song.  So the rest of this mix is just Beach Boys, because it's Mike Love's birthday.

1. Vehicle - The Ides of March (1970) Too bad the Ides of March didn't hit it as big as they should have.  This is some great funk music right here.

2. Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys (1962) And now for something completely different.  Classic surf music.  I find it funny that surf music is a genre thanks to bands like the Beach Boys.

3. Surfin' U.S.A. - The Beach Boys (1963) Despite mostly stealing it from Chuck Berry, I consider this to be the definitive Beach Boys song, surfin' all over the place.

4. Little Deuce Coupe - The Beach Boys (1963) The Beach Boys released so many albums in 1963 and 1964 that there were bound to be some repeats.  I just couldn't imagine albums being produced like that nowadays.  Anyway, this one was one the Surfer Girl album and then made it as the headliner for the very next album.  Weird.

5. Fun, Fun, Fun - The Beach Boys (1964) This is my favorite song to play on my joyrides.

6. I Get Around - The Beach Boys (1964) Thanks to The Muppet Show, I can only picture Miss Piggy leading a biker gang of pigs singing this song.  Hogs on hogs.  Heh.

7. Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys (1964) Finally, a love song that isn't about surfing or cars.

8. Help Me Rhonda - The Beach Boys (1965) "Help Me Kimmy?"

9. Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys (1965) The Beach Boys had their share of covers, but this was the one that they really claimed as their own.  It is a Beach Boys song now, no doubt about it.

10. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys (1966) We've already featured "Wouldn't It Be Nice" on a previous mix, but that song paired with this one made Pet Sounds the best Beach Boys album of all time.  Two of the greatest love songs ever on the same album!  But I give the slight edge to this one.  It's one of my top 20 songs of all time.

11. Sloop John B - The Beach Boys (1966) And I'm really fond of this one.  It's a bit different from the usual fare and you can use it as the soundtrack to any difficult life moment.

12. Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys (1966) And here's "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys.

13. Kokomo - The Beach Boys (1988) I already had "California Girls," on a previous mix, so we must fill this space with "Kokomo."  If you hate this song, I'm sorry.  But you're also wrong.  It's the best post-1965 Beach Boys song, according to America.

Mix Tape of the Day: March 3, 2015 - Girls Day

Today marks the Japanese day Hinamatsuri, in which girls are celebrated with a traditional Doll's Festival.  And so, of course, I rounded up 13 songs that have the word "Girl" or "Girls" in the title.

1. Girl - Beck (2005) Let's be honest, this song is the reason I wanted to have a "Girls Day" mix.  Reminds me of the carefree days of being a teenager.  It was also a very cool person's ringtone for a while and I hope it still is to this day.

2. My Girl - The Temptations (1964) And of course, I had to feature this classic song.  This is one of those songs that just seems like it needs to exist in the world in order for the world to make sense.

3. My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars (1978) After "My Girl," "My Best Friend's Girl" seemed only natural.  I just really like the Cars' sound and this one just sounds the coolest.

4. American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) Only Tom Petty could have a song about a girl that's cooler than the Cars'.

5. Just a Girl - No Doubt (1995) Finally, a song about "just a girl."  But with Gwen Stefani at the helm, you can tell she's being a little facetious.

6. Girls - The Beastie Boys (1986) Speaking of ironic portrayals of girls, here's "Girls."

7. California Girls - The Beach Boys (1965) Need a more specific subset of girls to sing about?  Apparently the ones from California are pretty cool.

8. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys (1984) Oh, are you British?  Well then, how about those West End girls?

9. Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (1983) Well, at any rate, girls just want to have fun.

10. Absolutely (Story of a Girl) - Nine Days (2000) Haha, this song.  Remember this song?  '90s kids, amiright?

11. Crazy for This Girl - Evan and Jaron (2000) Didn't get enough 2000 teen nostalgia?  Never fear.  Dawson's Creek will never truly go away.

12. Get the Girl Back - Hanson (2013) Finally, I was able to include this recent Hanson song that no one talks about on a mix! It's great! Listen to it!

13. Young Girl Talking About Herself - Parry Gripp (2008) While mocking teenagers in the early days of Youtube seems like shooting fish in a barrel, this song is really catchy and I sing it to myself all the time.  That Parry Gripp is a genius.

Mix Tape of the Day: February 24, 2015 - Twitterpated

Spring seems to have hit us early here on the east coast, and it seems as if young love is blossoming all around.  And so, to make a dent in all of those love songs out there, I've decided to celebrate that spring feeling of being "twitterpated."

1. A Teenager in Love - Dion and the Belmonts (1959) The '50s and '60s are prime territory for songs of this nature.  I wanted this mix to be mostly upbeat, but I couldn't skip over this ode to young heartache.

2. I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos (1959) Thanks to Buffy, this song scares me, but with like feelings of love.  So, classic Buffy feelings.

3. Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys (1966) Such optimism, such hope, such innocence.

4. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison (1967) Yeah...this takes me back...to before I was born.

5. Hello, I Love You - The Doors (1968) Sometimes you just fall in love at first sight.  It's rare, but it happens.  That's what twitterpatin' is all about, isn't it?

6. Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer (1997) Now this just makes me want to be a kid again, falling in love for the first time.

7. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5 (2002) Back when Adam Levine wasn't everywhere, he was singing some lovely first love tunes.  Fun Fact! I listened to this song once while standing on someone's corner in the pouring rain.

8. Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional (2003) Written about a magnificent date, this song captures that wonderful feeling well.

9. Everytime We Touch - Cascada (2005) Wow, it seems like this song has been a part of my life for longer than it has.  It is one of my favorite dance songs, and that is high praise coming from me.

10. Here (In Your Arms) - Hellogoodbye (2006) And when you're through dancing, you just want to be near the other person.

11. That's How You Know - Amy Adams (2007) If you weren't a fan of Enchanted by the time this song rolled around, this was the one that got you.  It's presented as being completely ludicrous, but you can't help but want it to be true.

12. I Choose You - Sara Bareilles (2013) One of the other rare Sara Bareilles songs I actually like.  Like all songs on this mix, it's just happy and pleasant.  No need to be super critical or pessimistic.

13. I Think We're Alone Now - The Birthday Massacre (2008) The original is a classic, as is the Tiffany cover, but my money is on this version.  It's just amps up the adrenaline that one associates with new crushes.