Hey everyone. Here’s a short, relaxing mini-mix for the stressful winter season. Doty and I put this one together, enjoy!

1. Sexy. From their new album, Up Here. We got a chance to see ’em in Vermont a few weeks ago, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. This track is a sultry, soulful ballad that’s more like a warm blanket than a jam. Enjoy

MP3: Soulive – “PJ’s”

2. Two world famous UK DJ’s making awesome music. From 1999’s Epv, I really think this track was destined to find me. I’m not really sure I can vouch for the rest of their music, but this song is pretty much as cool as they come. Ambient lounge grooves, with vocals from Yvonne Webbley.

MP3: Amalagamation of Soundz – “Enchant Me”

3. This album is still shrouded in mystery to me. Although these guys have come out into the public eye, relatively speaking, their music is both personal and universal. There’s something about a pounding beat and dreamy guitar tones that really does it for me. Perfect for early in the morning, or late, late at night. Their debut album came out quite recently, but if you are keen enough, you can track down all sorts of demos, b-sides and side-projects from these guys. Start at We’re Tapes.

MP3: Memory Tapes – “Swimming Field”

4. Her first album in 8 years, Hope Sandoval’s Through The Devil Softly breaks new ground as well as staying true to the idea that was born in Mazzy Star and was realized on Hope’s album Bavarian Fruit Bread. This song, the third track, winds its way into the listeners subconscious and finds a dark place to hide. I’m always haunted by Hope Sandoval’s angelic voice and amazingly intimate lyrics.

MP3: Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions – “For the Rest of Your Life”

5. If you haven’t taken the time to put on your headphones and listen to The Flaming Lips new record Embryonic, do it. It’s an amazing journey from start to finish. In my opinion, this album is not meant to be split up into “singles” and stand-alone tracks, but for the sake of relaxation, here’s a track that features the percussion of a lit match and the psychedelic awesomeness of vocoders, mellotrons and harps. I love The Flaming Lips.

MP3: The Flaming Lips – “The Impulse”

6. I used to listen to Tarika’s album, Son Egal, as a kid. It came out in 1997, and I rediscovered it almost 10 years later. Apparently, in 2001, TIME magazine listed Tarika (Along with Radiohead, U2, Portishead, Sigur Ros and Ziggy Marley, among others) as one of the “10 Best Bands on Planet Earth.” Yeah. Pick up Son Egal or any of their other work if you can.

MP3: Tarika – Sonegaly

7. This 10 minute 20 second masterpiece comes from The Cinematic Orchestra’s unbelievable soundtrack to Dziga Vertov’s 1929 experimental documentary Man With A Movie Camera.  You can see it in part’s on YouTube, but the soundtrack is amazing enough to stand on its own. This song is just a bite of one of the many extreme moods expressed in the score. Check it out.

MP3: The Cinematic Orchestra – “The Awakening of a Woman (Burnout)”