Realish

The 2011 mix is here!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by realish

The 2011 mix is done! I was going to apologize for it being “late,” but since my last post like this was a year and a day ago, I guess this is the new normal.

The best, fastest, most reliable way to get it is via bittorrent, here. You can also download past years’ mixes, all the way back to 2003, here. (If you don’t have a bittorrent client, get this one.)

If you live in the past and don’t do bittorrent, you can download the mix as a single zip file here. (You might need to right-click and choose “save link as” or some such.)

If you live even farther in the past and want the mix on CD, well, I salute you! Email me your address and I’ll mail you one. Really! I enjoy making them and will be sad when the year comes that no one wants one…

As usual, my only request is that you listen to the whole thing through, in order, at least once. In this day and age, no one respects song order any more, but it matters, damnit! Also, get off my lawn.

Let me know what you think.

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

The 2010 mix is here!

Posted on January 19, 2011 by realish

It’s even later than usual, but this year’s mix is done!

By far the fastest, safest, and easiest-on-my-bandwidth option is to download the mix via bittorrent. It’s easy: install this program (or this one if you’re on a Mac) and go here. Voi la.

Alternatively, you can download the mix as a single zip file here. All files are high-quality mp3s.

I always make actual CDs for anyone who wants one (a dying art form), so send your address to realish at gmail if you’d like one. Really, you too!

If you’d like previous years’ mixes, you can find them, going all the way back to 2003, here.

The only thing I ask in return for making the mixes is that you listen to them all the way through, in order, at least a few times before they become random singles scattered throughout iTunes. Order matters!

And on that note, here’s the 2010 track list:

side one

aloe blacc – i need a dollar
jenny and johnny – big wave
band of horses – compliments
josh ritter – change of time
girl talk – this is the remix
big boi – shutterbugg
gigi – alone at the pier (f rose melberg)
best coast – the end
miniature tigers – rock n’ roll mountain troll
ariel pink’s haunted graffiti – round and round
rogue wave – permalight
the bad plus – super america
mumford & sons – little lion man
the moondoggies – lead me on
the avett brothers – spanish pipedream
the ruby suns – cranberry
yeasayer – madder red
dr. dog – i only wear blue
delta spirit – bushwick blues
the ouija birds – the traveller
fang island – sideswiper

side two

trampled by turtles – wait so long
arcade fire – sprawl ii (mountains beyond mountains)
black mountain – the hair song
the secret sisters – why baby why
ceelo green – fuck you
sarah jaffe – before you go
sarah harmer – silverado (f neko case)
jesca hoop – four dreams
band of horses – blue beard
the national – bloodbuzz ohio
mountain man – animal tracks
mark ronson – bang bang bang (f q-tip & mndr)
free energy – bang pop
freelance whales – we could be friends
dan reeder – maybe
mimicking birds – pixels
blitzen trapper – the tree (f alela diane)
janelle monae – dance or die (f saul williams)
bad books – you wouldn’t have to ask
rural alberta advantage – don’t haunt this place
ratatat – neckbrace
phosphorescent – hej, me i’m light

As always, I would love to hear what you think.

Posted in music | 15 Comments

2010 mix is in the works

Posted on January 13, 2011 by realish

Yes, all of you who keep asking, there is a 2010 mix coming. The last half of this year has been a whole series of tech disasters, so things are pushed back (er, even more than usual), but the mix should be ready to go in a week or so.

Posted in personal | 1 Comment

Realish Mix 2009 is here!

Posted on January 12, 2010 by realish

The mix is done! Hallelujah. (Only two weeks late this time.)

As usual there are several ways to get it. Me, I prefer old-fashioned CD (see #3) but I’m told you kids enjoy iThis and iThat.

1. Download it via bittorrent (fastest).

2. Download it directly.

3. Get it on CD (“compact disc” — ask your parents about it). I’m happy to send you the double disc if you send me your address. Really. Just send me your address. Don’t feel like you’re imposing, or you don’t really know me, or whatever whatever. This is part of my life-long quest to rebalance my karma. (I was kind of a dick when I was younger.)

Why prefer a CD? Well, I put quite a bit of thought into song order and the unity of the sides, and occasionally edit the songs to make them flow together better. All that is lost when each of 46 songs becomes a single in an mp3 library. Really, it’s meant to be heard in a car, at high volume, on a road trip. Other listening scenarios are suboptimal, but what can you do?

I’d love to hear your feedback.

UPDATE: A track list has been requested, so a track list shall be provided:

Side I
01. fun.: At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)
02. Florence And The Machine: Kiss With A Fist
03. Vinyl Life: Hot Sauce
04. Julian Casablancas: 11th Dimension
05. La Roux: Bulletproof
06. Wild Light: California On My Mind
07. The Avett Brothers: Slight Figure Of Speech
08. Grizzly Bear: Two Weeks
09. Monsters of Folk: Say Please
10. Pearl Jam: Got Some
11. Metric: Sick Muse
12. Little Boots: New In Town
13. Chali 2na: Get Focused
14. Blitzen Trapper: Silver Moon
15. Wilco: Bull Black Nova
16. Phoenix: Lisztomania
17. Mayer Hawthorne: Maybe So, Maybe No
18. Kid Cudi f. Kanye West & Common: Make Her Say
19. Manchester Orchestra: Tony The Tiger
20. Pink Mountaintops: Execution
21. Discovery: So Insane
22. General Elektriks: Helicopter
23. Owl City: Fireflies
24. The Budos Band: Bonus Track

Side II
01. Regina Spektor: Blue Lips
02. The xx: Islands
03. The Avett Brothers: Laundry Room
04. Deer Tick: Friday XIII
05. Todd Snider: Money, Compliments, Publicity (Song Number Ten)
06. Monsters of Folk: The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me
07. The Octopus Project: Wet Gold
08. Bat For Lashes: Daniel
09. Neko Case: This Tornado Loves You
10. Lightning Dust: History
11. Animal Collective: My Girls
12. K’naan: America
13. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: Home
14. Drug Rug: Coffee In The Morning
15. Iron & Wine: Stolen Houses (Die)
16. Frida Hyvönen: Sic Transit Gloria
17. Dawes: Bedside Manner
18. Here We Go Magic: Fangela
19. Phosphorescent: Pick Up The Tempo
20. Regina Spektor: Laughing With
21. Harper Simon: Ha Ha
22. The Cinematic Orchestra: Arrival of the Birds

Posted in personal | Tagged music, realish mix | 11 Comments

2009 mix in process

Posted on January 6, 2010 by realish

For those who have asked, yes, I’m hard at work on the 2009 mix. I should be done within a week. Stay tuned!

Posted in music | 3 Comments

Reading too much punditry these days

Posted on March 15, 2009 by realish

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2008 mix: a horrible thought

Posted on January 13, 2009 by realish

1. Most people downloaded the mix rather than asking for CDs this year. It appears the long-foretold mainstreaming of digital music is finally upon us. (Of course, now I’m stuck with a stack of CDs.)

2. Most people seem to use the execrable iTunes.

3. When you import the mix into the execrable iTunes, it completely scrambles it — won’t play it in order. And of course, song order is crucial.

Damn you iTunes.

Posted in personal | 2 Comments

2008 mix

Posted on January 7, 2009 by realish

The 2008 mix is here, a bit late but no worse for wear. You can see the set list here.

As always, the easiest way to get it is to download the torrent. It’s a two-step process:

1. Install this program. (Or if you’re on a Mac, this one.)
2. Click this link.

Done!

(Previous years’ mixes can be found here.)

If you prefer to download it the old-fashioned (read: slow) way, you can do that here.

And finally, as always, if you’d like a CD send me your address and I’ll mail you one. (Really, even you.) I’ve got a stack of CDs and a stack of padded envelopes — don’t let them go to waste. I need the good karma.

Meanwhile, this is how to fight with a lightsaber:

Posted in personal | 4 Comments

other people’s children

Posted on October 27, 2008 by realish

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2007 mix

Posted on January 20, 2008 by realish

It’s a few weeks late, but the Realish Mix 2007 is here. I’d love to give you a copy.

If you want to download it, you can here.

To download it, you’ll need a bittorrent client.

If you’re using a Windows machine, download and install this one. If you’re using a Mac, try this one. Feel free to contact me if you run into trouble.

If you don’t feel comfortable using bittorrent (which is, I promise, fast, easy, and free), you can download directly: set list, playlist side one, playlist side two, side one files, side two files.

If you’re old-fashioned and want a CD, just send me your address and I’ll drop one in the mail. “Even me?” you ask. “But I barely know you.” Yeah, you too. Think of it as me paying general karmic debts accrued during my unfortunate 15-30 years. I have a stack of CDs, a stack of envelopes, and a book of stamps. Just say the word.

Contact me at realish ]at[ gmail ]dot[ com.