It’s spring, and time for the Sounds of Spring mixtape for this week’s Sunday 25 Mix. We spent some time picking the songs for this mix that consists of mostly indie, but some classic rock, music as well. There are a fair amount of tracks that are all or mostly instrumental, including songs from Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Fireflies, Afternoon Naps, and No Gold.
Other tracks are from artists new to us, including Fireflies, J. Irvin Dally and Therapies Son, and a few songs that don’t have a title that connotes springtime, but a sound that does – at least to us; for example “Mighty” by Lord Huron – it just has that great sunny spring afternoon feel to it.
Another example is the track “Coconino” from Ennui. While it is a region of the Grand Canyon in geographical terms, a county of Arizona in government terms, the Astronomical Society considers “coconino” as “the fruit of the coconut palm, consisting of a thick fibrous oval husk.”
And yet another example of a song that doesn’t represent spring by it’s title, but does with its music and lyrics is Animal Collective‘s track, “De Soto De Son,” from the album Campfire Songs. We’ve also included great songs from The Decemberists, Kaiser Chiefs, Modest Mouse, Jesus and the Mary Chain, Annuals, Frederik, The Vandelles, Pandit and many others.
And so we celebrate spring with this first part of a two or three part mixtape series of The Sounds of Spring, which will run concurrently as the weekly Sunday-25 Mix for the next couple to few weeks. Plus, you might want to listen to our other springtime mixes from past years before or after you listen to this one. We checked the older springtime mix posts and all of the MP3s are working, so enjoy – Songs of Spring Vol. I; Songs of Spring Vol. II; Songs of Spring – Celebrate The Days; Songs of Spring, Vol. II, and More Song of Spring.
You might also notice an old demo track (circa 1966) from The Kinks called “A Little Bit of Sunlight,” a song that was never officially released by the band. And this is definitely a demo, as you’ll notice from the lack of instrument fills and mastering. Also, check out Kaiser Chiefs‘ cover of The Move‘s 1967 hit single, “Flowers In The Rain,” which itself has a very interesting history, not to mention that the original was the first song played on the BBC‘s famous Radio One broadcast that launched in 1967. We hope you enjoy this mix as much as we have putting it together, and listening to it again and again.
[zbplayer]“Flowers in the Rain” – Kaiser Chiefs, unreleased cover of The Move
“Argyle Spring” – Afternoon Naps from Sunbeamed (2009)
“Kites” – Geographer from Animal Shapes (2008)
“Sun Room” – J. Irvin Dally from Sun Room 7″ (2011)
“April Skies” – Jesus & Mary Chain from Darklands (1987)
“A Little Bit of Sunlight” – The Kinks, previously unreleased demo (circa 1966)
“Rainin'” – Pandit from Pandit Demos (2010)
“Worms Vs. Birds” – Modest Mouse from Sad Sappy Sucker (2001)
“Sunlight” – Tuneyards from Bird Brains (2009)
“Rain Soaked Shoes” – Fireflies from Strange EP (2010)
“Coconino” – Ennui from Formation of Tides (2011)
“Sunshine” – The Decemberists from Billy Liar (2004)
“It’s Raining Again” – Supertramp from Famous Last Worlds (1977)
“Rites of Spring” – Fredrik from Flora (2011)
“Springtime” – Annuals from Such Fun (2008)
“Mighty” – Lord Huron from Mighty (2010)
“Sunlight” – Mean Creek from Hemophiliac (2011)
“Rainforts” – No Gold from No Gold (2011)
“Water Hymn” – Painted Palms from Canopy (2011)
“Touching Down” – Therapies Son from Over The Sea (2011)
“Lovely Weather” – The Vandelles from Del Black Aloha (2010)
“Lilac” – Blue Hawaii from Blooming Summer (2010)
“Butterfly” – Delicate Steve from Wonder Visions (2011)
“Tough Talking the Tulips” – BOAT from Setting The Paces (2009)
“Your Spring” – Hey Rosetta! from Seeds (2011)
“De Soto De Son” – Animal Collective from Campfire Songs (2010)
continued from above
Spring is about sunshine and rain showers, outdoor recreation and vibrant flowers, warmer and longer days, the budding of trees and shrubs, and some nights that can still be a bit cold. Springtime for many parts of the country, is the break between the brutal and unforgiving winter (for the northern central and eastern regions at least), and the oppressive heat and humidity that many areas of the country don’t necessarily look forward to each summer.
Spring, not surprisingly, is a favorite season for many people, and has some interesting similarities, yet stark differences, from her older brother, autumn, a time when there is relief from the hot, searing days of summer. But fall is also the predecessor of winter, the season of the year most people, even those in warmer climates – like the south and the west – dread. Exceptions are made by a few avid winter sports enthusiasts, and some folks who strangely love the winter, and we don’t mean because of Christmas. Winter nowadays, for many Americans, means ridiculously high gas and oil prices that is strangling many already stretched budgets.
But spring. Ahhh, spring. It remains the most glorious time of year, it is often all too brief, a time when when life is new, things start fresh again, the air is crisp and clear, the sunshine is warm, and not yet vicious; springtime is renewal, the season of the poet, the artist and the love maker.