- The Appleseed Cast -- "Woodland Hunter (Part 1)"
A mix should open with a song that is easy to listen to without context. A mix should open with a song that melts your face. This song does both, so it's first.
- Mates of State -- "Fluke"
The second song has to keep the energy of the first but re-direct the mix's direction somewhat. "Fluke" is high energy -- it busts out hard on the third beat -- but it's bouncier than "Woodland Hunter." When this notoriously cute indie couple played "Fluke" at a Friday Night Rock show last year, Professor Emeritus of Rock Rizwan Mahmud aggressively humped the crowd, which is probably a good result for a mix too.
- The Go! Team -- "Huddle Formation"
At this point in a mix, I tend to stop paying close attention. Third song criteria: it can't be by Nickelback and it has to have a good beat to keep the energy high. This is a good place to throw in a song a little farther off the beaten path. The Go! Team isn't exactly the road less traveled, but Dartmouth's music proletariat doesn't know that anyway.
- Ghostface Killah --- "Jellyfish (Feat. Cappadonna, Shawn Wigs & Trife)"
Ghostface's album "Fishscale" is my favorite of 2006.
- Destroyer -- "3000 Flowers"
This transition from "Jellyfish" to "3000 Flowers" will not be smooth, but it's necessary. This mix does not need two rap songs in a row.
- Talking Heads -- "Once in a Lifetime"
A good mix principle is to balance unexpected shifts with continuity. When I first heard "3000 Flowers" I was compelled to listen to "Once In A Lifetime" immediately afterward, so here it is again.
- Gnarls Barkley -- "Transformer"
"Crazy" is a great song, but "Transformer" is off the hook. Every mix needs an exclamation point. No mix should be seven songs long either, but ink is like, super expensive, guys.
