The Never Ending Mix Transforms.

You may have noticed that the NEIMT has been dormant since October. That's for two reasons.

The first is because of the daunting task of compiling an NEIMT Best of the Aughts collection (mixes #43, 44, and 45 linked below). There was so much good music that we explored in the 00's that is it criminal how many great songs have to get left behind whenever it gets incapsulated in as little as 60+ songs. But these last mixes are a great selection of NEIMT favorites as well as some extra guilty pleasures that, while never spotlighted here before, are definitely worthy of "best of the aughts" status. I hope you enjoy them.

The second reason, due to variety of reasons, it has become increasingly difficult to find the time to put these curated collections together every month. I always said the minute that operating the NEIMT became a "chore", it would be time to reinvent it. So these "best of the aught" mixes are going to be the last of this kind.

I am happy to announce that the Never Ending Mix will undergo a transformation starting very soon. The new format will bring some new voices into the mix and will also more interestingly deliver on the moniker Never Ending Mix.

Until then, enjoy the final mixes.

#45. We Aught Not

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Download the Mix as a 131 MB Zip File.
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The tracklist is as follows:

01 Do You Realize?? by The Flaming Lips /
02 Kissing the Lipless by The Shins /
03 Come On! Feel the Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens /
04 Imitosis by Andrew Bird /
05 Cold Cold Water by Mirah /
06 I, Manface by Man Man /
07 Leaf House by Animal Collective /
08 Offcell by Pinback /
09 Staring at the Sun by TV on the Radio /
10 Evergreen by Fiery Furnaces /
11 Amsterdam by Peter, Bjorn and John /
12 Abattoir Blues by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds /
13 Monkey by Low /
14 Unmade Bed by Sonic Youth /
15 Pyramid Song by Radiohead /
16 Comfy in Nautica by Panda Bear /
17 Ashes of American Flags by Wilco /
18 Lua by Bright Eyes /
19 Killing for Love by Jose Gonzalez /
20 God? by The Dodo's /
21 The Book of Right On by Joanna Newsom /
22 Don't be Afraid, You're Already Dead by Akron/Family /

#44. You Aught Too

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Download the Mix as a 104 MB Zip File.
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The tracklist is as follows:

01 Banquet by Bloc Party /
02 Mass Romantic by New Pornographers /
03 Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand /
04 Hearts of Oak by Ted Lead and the Pharmacists /
05 The Rat by Walkmen /
06 Hi-Lites by Hot Snakes /
07 Hyacinth Blues by Constantines /
08 Formed a Band by Art Brute /
09 Mr. Your on Fire Mr. by Liars /
10 Don't Think Lover by A Place to Bury Strangers /
11 Book of Flags by Q and Not U /
12 My Shadow by Jay Reatard /
13 Soul Jacker Pt.1 by Eels /
14 The Return of Evil Bill by Clinic /
15 7/4 Shoreline by Broken Social Scene /
16 Send Jolly to Raleigh by Des Ark /
17 Blue Orchid by White Stripes /
18 Cough Coughing by Menomena /
19 Don't You Evah by Spoon /
20 Float On by Modest Mouse /
21 Wake Up by Arcade Fire /

#43. For Aught Sake

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Download the Mix as a 124 MB Zip File.
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The tracklist is as follows:

01 DANCE by Justice /
02 Over & Over by Hot Chip /
03 Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz /
04 Chewing Gum by Annie /
05 LDN by Lily Allen /
06 Ooh La La by Goldfrapp /
07 Jesus Walks by Kanye West /
08 Fix Up Look Sharp by Dizzee Rascal /
09 99 Problems by Jay Z and DJ DangerMouse /
10 Galang by MIA /
11 All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem /
12 Hey Muscles I Love You /
13 Crazy by Gnarls Barkley /
14 Kilo by Ghostface Killah /
15 Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake /
16 Work It by Missy Elliot /
17 Grip Like a Vice by Go Team /
18 Play Your Part (Pt. 1) by Girl Talk /
19 Atlas by Battles /
20 Joy by Fout Tet /
21 The Crystal Cat by Dan Deacon /

#42. Sometimes Sad, Always Beautiful.

The object featured in this month's cover is probably the most beautiful object that I own. It's also a piece of garbage. I found it in Yelapa, Mexico, which is an old fishing village off the coast of Puerto Vallarta that you can only get to by boat. It sits adorably on a steep cliffside wall and walking through it is like walking back in time. I happened upon a woodturners outdoor studio and right there was a whole pile of these beautiful objects — just sitting there, looking all modern and striking. Turns out they are the waste pieces leftover after the woodturner rough cuts a bowl shape out of a block. The throw away object is so pure and simple yet incredibly breathtaking.

Through my wife's limited spanish, we were able to ascertain that Javier, the woodturner, was at his ranch up in the mountains and would not be back anytime soon. But there was no way I was going to leave without this piece of wood. We gave some neighborhood boys 10 dollars to give to Javier in exchange for one of his waste pieces. They looked at us like we were absolutely out of our minds. I have no idea if Javier ever got his 10 dollars, but I thank him everyday regardless.

I am not exactly sure what this has to do with this month's mix. It's a mix that captures some of the most beautiful songs I have come to know in my lifetime plus a bunch of others that hit just the right note for these late Fall days. Days full of beauty yet telling of the coming freeze. Each song has an underlying sadness the belies its gorgeousness. Just like my chunk of wood. Despite being the most beautiful thing ever, is still just a piece of trash.

Enjoy.

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Download the Mix as a 108 MB Zip File.
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows:

01 More Than Ever by Bedhead / 02 Some Summers They Drop Like Flys by The Dirty Three / 03 Imperial [108 B.P.M.] by Unrest / 04 Memphis by Babe the Blue Ox /
05 Start a War by The National / 06 My Door is Always Open by Noah and the Whale /
07 Sorry by Wind-Up Bird / 08 Steve Albini's Blues by Songs: Ohia / 09 New Drink for the Old Drunk by Crooked Fingers / 10 The Party by St. Vincent / 11 How I Blew It With Houdini by Long Fin Killie / 12 Dinosaur Act by Low / 13 A Minor Place by Bonnie Prince Billie / 14 Don't Become the Thing You Hated by Destroyer / 15 On Fire by Sebadoh /
16 Gloriette by David Grubbs /

#41. The Cow of Interrupting.

As someone who takes the music generating and appreciating enterprise very seriously (almost too seriously) the very existence of "funny" music has at times been hard to coexist with. Most often I try equate music with art. A masterpiece song is every bit as creative and genre bending as something like Picasso's Guernica. Funny art & music seems to be not only to be having too much fun to be "art" but also seems to be also making fun of those of us that would dare to be serious. Art is serious business damnit! There is no room for funny. Just like there's no crying in baseball.

Right?

But why so serious? Shouldn't we consider humor as a real an art form as anything? Sasha Baron Cohen, Arrested Development, Office Space, It's Always Sunny, etc... These things are genius in their use of humor and I would suggest that they should someday be in the Museum of Modern Art next to Warhol's Brillo Box sculpture.

Over the years there has been a gently accumulating cadre of songs that dare to bridge the space between serious music and seriously funny. It's probably the hardest creative thing to accomplish. It's such a tenuous balance. Too much one way and the whole thing falls flat. Roll your eyes and forget it.

So this mix, comprised mostly of long obscured or classic tracks, is my attempt to put together a set of songs that successfully straddle that line. Good music? Check. Humor? Check. Art? Well I'll let you decide.

Enjoy.

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Download the Mix as a 88 MB Zip File!
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows:

01 The Ice of Boston by The Dismemberment Plan / 02 Gangsters and Pranksters by Pavement / 03 Fume by Beck / 04 My Pal the Tortoise by Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 / 05 Sofa King by Danger Doom / 06 What's Up Fatlip? by Fatlip / 07 Sheep Go to Heaven by Cake / 08 Peaches by P.U.S.A. / 09 Experimental Film by They Might Be Giants / 10 Fake David Bowie Song by Liam Lynch / 11 Take the Skinheads Bowling by Camper van Beethoven / 12 Bananas and Blow by Ween / 13 Jesus Was Way Cool by King Missle / 14 Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues by McLusky / 15 Bitchin' Camaro by The Dead Milkmen / 16 Ape Suit by Steel Tigers of Death / 17 Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe by Whale / 18 I'm Fricking Awesome by MC Paul Barman / 19 Beef Jerky by Cibo Mato / 20 I Wish (Wicked Remix) by the long forgotten Skeelo / 21 Where'd The Cheese Go? by Pizza Hut Marketing & Ween

#40. Love You Long Time.

Well, here we are, once again in the middle-end of the summer, where the days just seem to stretch on forever. The muggy heat of our mid-west homestead starts to wear a little thin and dreams of the crisp fall leaves of October start to feel more and more real. Still, I realize it's important to enjoy the drawn out aesthetic the days take on here in the apex of august. But that got me thinking...

Music used to be long. Think Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and all the other white haired guys beginning with Bs. They didn't value the three and a half minute mark.They probably believed that if you're going to pour your blood, sweat and tears into creating and performing an amazing piece of music, well then it better damn well be around a little while. It better not be fleeting.

To honor all of these thoughts, this months's mix is dedicated to music with a slightly longer time code than the usual pop nugget. These are songs that demand you stick around a little while and slowly absorb what they have to say. In fact I would argue that their length is precisely what the songs are "about". They just wouldn't quite work as effectively if they were cut down in size. They require a little patience, so I encourage you to stick 'em out for their full-lengths. Preferably in the evening, with the windows open and a cold beverage in your hand.

While most songs are clearly not adherent to any kind of pop song structure, I also tried to focus on songs that weren't too abstract and ambient. Those are too easy to make hella long. All these songs, even the more abstract ones, have distinct beginnings, middles and ends (which is a general requirement I carry to consider something a "song"). I also focused on songs somewhere in the vicinity of 8 minutes to 15 minutes long. There is lots of great stuff in the 20 plus category but that just wouldn't work in the NEIMT format.

And yes, you may have noticed that this is NEIMT #40. Wow. We are over the hill. Well fret not my dear readers. We have no intention of calling it quits anytime soon. In fact, we are going to be starting a new set of themes that should give at least the next years worth of mixing a little kick in the pants. Stick around. Tell your friends.

Enjoy.

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Download the Mix as a 172 MB Zip File!
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows:

01 Didn't We Deserve a Look at You the Way You Really Are by Shellac / 02 Gamera by Tortoise / 03 SZ2 by Battles / 04 The Ascension by Glenn Branca / 05 The Only Moment We Were Alone by Explosions in the Sky / 06 Mt. Eerie by The Microphones / 07 Angular Momentum by Hovercraft / 08 Reconstruction by Matmos / 09 Svefn G Englar by Sigur Ros / 10 Something Spooked the Horses by Zoviet France / 11 Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun by M83 /

#39. Even Less than the Sum of the Parts.

The culling together of all the covers from last months mix was so plentiful that another mix was a foregone conclusion. In fact that hardest part was getting it down to just 20. But alas it is here.

I am aware and apologize for July's mix arriving in early August, but the summer just does that. Too busy travelling, relaxing and whatnot to get the mix out on time. I am determined to NOT let the year be one mix short however. So look for things here at NEIMT headquarters to get caught up in August.

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.

Also check out the original covers mix published in April of 2005. It's a classic set and worth checking out. Go there now!

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Download the Mix as a 107 MB Zip File
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows:

01 Tonight You Belong to Me (classic) by Nancy Sinatra / 02 Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads) by Nouvelle Vague / 03 Going Underground (The Jam) by Buffalo Tom / 04 Turning Japanese (The Vapors) by Liz Phair / 05 Hounds of Love (Kate Bush) by Futureheads / 06 Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson) by LCD Soundsystem / 07 Toxic (Spears) by Mark Ronson featuring ODB / 08 I Against I (Bad Brains) by Massive Attack and Mos Def / 09 California Uber Alles (Dead Kennedies) by Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy / 10 Burning Down the House (Talking Heads) by Tom Jones and the Cardigans / 11 Digital Love (Daft Punk) by Alphabeat / 12 Let's Dance (Bowie) by M. Ward / 13 Ripple (Grateful Dead) by Jane's Addiction / 14 Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) by Chris Cornell / 15 I Wish I Was Him (Noise Addict) by Kathleen Hanna / 16 Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) by Patti Smith / 17 Cactus (Pixies) by David Bowie / 18 Feeling Good (Nina Simone) by The Eels / 19 (Etta James) by Man Man / 20 I Started a Joke (Beegees) by Faith No More /

#38 Cover Me, and I'll Cover You.

This being the middle of summer and all, I thought it would be a good time to let our hair down over here at NEIMT headquarters. And the result of this flying, fluttering hair is the release of yet another all covers mix.

Cover songs, especially of the "wink-wink" variety, are the greatest guilty pleasure in all of music. They are pure high-fructose corn syrup. All sugar high and no substance. But why should that keep us from enjoying them? Especially, in the middle of a hot, muggy summer in which taking yourself too seriously can lead to serious injury.

So dear reader, I hope you enjoy this cotton-candy filled concoction. There are a whole lot more of these cover gems to fill at least a couple more mixes. So tune back in soon for the potential of part 2.

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Download the Mix as a 134 MB Zip File
Now using sendspace to deliver these massive files. Email me if the file expires.

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The tracklist is as follows:

01 Hot in Herre (Nelly), Jill Sobule / 02 Gin And Juice (Snoop Dogg), The Gourds / 03 No One Knows Feat Domino (Queens of the Stone age), Mark Ronson / 04 911 Is a Joke (Public Enemy), Duran Duran / 05 Crazy In Love (Beyonce), The Magic Numbers / 06 Academy Fight Song (Mission of Burma), REM / 07 Your Daddy Don't Know (Toronto), The New Pornographers / 08 Walking the Cow (Daniel Johnston), TV on the Radio / 09 Heroes (Bowie), The Magnetic Fields / 10 Jump (VanHalen), Mary Lou Lord / 11 All is Full of Love (Bjork), Death Cab for Cutie / 12 Army Of Me (Bjork), Liars / 13 Close To Me (Cure), WHY? / 14 Isolation (Lennon), Lee Renaldo / 15 All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem), John Cale / 16 Quicksand (Bowie), Dinosaur Jr. / 17 Ex Guru (Fiery Furnaces), David Byrne / 18 Temptation (New Order), Jeremy Warmsley / 19 War Pigs (Black Sabbath), Cake / 20 Nuclear War (Sun Ra), Yo La Tengo /

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*BLAST FROM THE PAST* Also check out the original covers mix published in April of 2005. It's a classic set and worth checking out.
See the original post. Download the '05 Mix.

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