Remember your favorite mix CD? The one with the cutesy title you wrote by hand with a Sharpie and that seemed to work for any occasion with its perfect flow of music and genres from one song to the next, its track selection painstakingly chosen so the delicate vibe you created was maintained all throughout?
Look no further than Stereogum's Cruel Summer 2011 Mix. Leave it to the British music 'zine to find some of the freshest tracks to beat the heat, ranging from electro-pop and experimental rock to hip-hop.
Click here to download the free 25-track compilation. Check out some of my favorite (recommended) discoveries from the mix — those that have been on non-stop rotation since penetrating my iPod — below.
HEEMS, "WOMYN aka HITCH (DEMO?)"
Figures that one of the Das Racist members would make up playful lyrics like, "Yo women, they like to take showers. And when they let you take them with em', it's really awesome." The whole track is set to a mellow old-school beat.
Purity Ring, "Loftcries"
Dreamy and tripped-out electronic music with some light and breathy female vocals. Alter your state of mind and fall into this one. Great for the long hot daze.
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2011.