With record early-ness, I bring you Realish 2013, my favorite songs of the past year. It was an annus mirabilis in music, an embarrassment of riches, so making the mix was especially fun (and fast) this time around. As always, each side fits exactly on an 80-minute CD. As always, the first side is a bit faster (party time), the second a bit slower (chill time).

How to get it

If you are a bittorrent user, you can download the mix here. In fact, you can download all the Realish mixes going back to 2001 here. (Bittorrent is the bomb. And it’s easy. Just install this program and go to town.)

Alternatively, you can download the mix directly (from my Dropbox account) here.

If downloading makes you nervous, I can always email you the zip file. Just drop me a note. (Email address over on the right.)

Continue reading The 2013 mix is here! →

The 2012 mix — my take on the best music of the year — is finished! And rather early this year, if I do say so myself. It was a fantastic year for music, which made things a bit easier.

The best and fastest way to get the mix is to download it via bittorrent, here. If you live in the dark ages and haven’t gotten on the bittorrent bandwagon yet, you can download it directly, as a .zip file, here. (Right-click and choose “save target as,” or whatever.)

Thanks to a friendly volunteer, the sets are also available as Spotify playlists: side one, side two. (It’s missing one song, which Spotify apparently doesn’t have.)

If you are really in the dark ages and prefer to listen to CDs, well, that’s just good sense, because CDs sound way better than lossy, tinny mp3 files. Just let me know your address and I’ll mail you one. (You can email me at realish at gmail dot com.)

If you’d like to download mixes from years past, going all the way back to 2003, you can do so, via bittorrent, here. If you don’t bittorrent you can download directly, 2011 and 2010.

The mix is meant to be heard as an album. Song order matters. As always, the only thing I ask of you, dear listeners, is that you listen to it all the way through, in the right order, at least once, before it becomes a bunch of scattered singles in your iTunes library.

Here’s the set list:

Continue reading The 2012 mix is here! →

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 via Dropbox (check the menu at the upper right).

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.

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 from Dropbox. 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:

Continue reading The 2010 mix is here! →

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 via Dropbox (click the menu and choose “download as .zip”).

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:

Continue reading Realish Mix 2009 is here! →

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.
2. Click this link.

Done!

(Previous years’ mixes can be found here.)

If you prefer, you can download the mix directly via Dropbox.

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:

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 via bittorrent, you can here. You’ll need a bittorrent client (like this one).

If you don’t feel comfortable using bittorrent (which is, I promise, fast, easy, and free), you can download the mix directly from Dropbox.

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.

Enjoy.

The 2006 mix is here! It’s good. You want a copy. I want to give you a copy. Let’s work together.

Here are some ways you can get it:

1. The Old-Fashioned Way: Snail Mail

If you still enjoy listening to actual, physical CDs — say, in your car or home stereo system — I will happily mail you one. As always, I spent quite a bit of time putting it together, and my heart swells with pride at the thought of you carrying it with you through the years, showing it to your children, having it placed in your coffin next to you, that sort of thing.

Just email me your physical address — realish [at] realish.com — with the subject line, “Dave, man, you rule. Really.”

However. If you’re a modern sort, and listen to music only on your iPod or other mp3 player, and intend to rip the CD immediately to your computer, let me urge you: don’t. The music will then have been encoded and compressed and re-encoded and re-compressed, leaving you with crappy, low-quality files.

You deserve better. You deserve high-quality mp3s. If you just want mp3s, please see delivery methods 2-5, below.

Continue reading 2006 mix →

The 2005 year-end music mix is here. Wo0t!

If you would like a copy of it on CD, for yourself or a friend, email me at realish [at] realish.com.

If you only plan to rip the CD onto your iPod, don’t. Some of the songs were encoded from mp3, and if you re-encode them to mp3, they will sound like crap. You can get the high-quality mp3s directly.

To download the entire mix as one big zip file, go here. [UPDATE: this link no longer works.]

To download the mix via bittorrent (encouraged), you’ll need a bittorrent client. A very easy-to-use, easy-to-set-up client can be found here.

Once your client is set up, just go here, click “download the torrent,” and tell it where to save the mix.

If you happen to be a member of the Oink bittorrent community, you can also download the mix here. [UPDATE: This link no longer works either.]

[UPDATE: You can now download the mix directly via Dropbox.]

If you run into problems or have any questions, email me. And of course I’d love to hear your feedback about the music.

Enjoy!