New Zealand is on the come-up, at least in my little bubble. A solid World Cup appearance, a perfect TV show, and a string of really great releases (Cut Off Your Hands in '08, Fat Freddy's Drop in '09, and now Stornoway). Not to mention them Ring Lord movies. Modest, maybe, but there's a positivity about all of the above that I find charming.

I woke up with this feelgood little foot-stomper in my head, which I think guarantees me a good day.

Here Comes The Blackout...! by wtbroome

Don't miss "Zorbing" either. Horns!

Ha. I have been holding off on posting because I wanted to commemorate my 100th with an epic 4-mix release party extravaganza. Turns out, I had a bunch of drafts lying around, which Blogger counts as posts, falsely inflating my total to that tantalizing #99. I just realized this and find it comically appropriate. Nine months later, I am still running a shoddy operation.

So, instead, I bring you... Post Number Ninety-Four!!!

Fortunately, my value as a collector of music and mix-maker exceeds my talents as a member of the digital community. Until I can figure out how to make these available online (like I said... but soon!), have a look, and track down something new. It's been another fine year so far...

Volume 1

Flying Lotus - Auntie's Lock / Infinitum (Feat. Laura Darlington)
Baths - Lovely Bloodflow
Foxes in Fiction - 15 Ativan (Song for Erika)
Tanlines - Z
Teen Daze - No Regrets
Delorean - Grow
Atlas Sound - Washington School
Twin Sister - Phenomenons
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Falling Over
Autolux - Spots
Caribou - Leave House
Black to Comm - Hotel Freund
White Hinterland - Icarus
Holly Miranda - Waves
Nosaj Thing - Lords
Thom Yorke - FeelingPulledApartByHorses

Volume 2 (aka Yosemite Sam's Jammy Jamz: Urban Influences)

Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me
Gonjasufi – Change
Wavves - Baseball Cards
Big Boi - The Train Part II (Sir Lucious Left Foot Save The Day) [Ft. Sam Chris]
Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (feat. Kanye West & Common)
Janelle Monáe - Neon Valley Street
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (feat. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon)
Major Lazer & La Roux - Colourless Artibella
Raekwon - The New Wu (feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)
Erykah Badu - Turn Me Away (Get Munny)
Fat Freddy’s Drop - This Room
Caetano Veloso - Base De Guantanamo
Zinja Hlungwani - N'wagezani My Love
LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
Ludacris & Shawnna - How Low Can You Go?
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
Panda Bear - Slow Motion

Volume 3

Spoon - Trouble Comes Running
Stricken City - Tak O Tak
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Local Natives - Who Knows Who Cares
Dr. Dog - Shadow People
Harlem - Tila And I
Male Bonding - Year's Not Long
Islands – Vapours
Dirty Projectors + Björk - On and Ever Onward
Au - Ida Walked Away
The Soft Pack - Move Along
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Bright Lit Blue Skies
The National - Anyone's Ghost
Beach House - 10 Mile Stereo
MGMT - Siberian Breaks
Vampire Weekend - Diplomat's Son
FanFarlo - Ghosts

Volume 4 (my fave at the moment)

Cotton Jones Basket Ride - I Was Stoned By The Choir
Jolie Holland - Fox In It's Hole
Laura Marling - Made By Maid
Stornoway - Here Comes The Blackout...!
Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - Try
Kings of Convenience - Mrs. Cold
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Drying of the Lawns
Julian Lynch - Ruth, My Sister
Christian Scott - The Last Broken Heart (Prop 8)
Grizzly Bear - A Leader Always Carries a Stick
Sleeping States - Gardens Of The South
Broken Social Scene - Highway Slipper Jam
Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery
Monsters of Folk - Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)
The Morning Benders – Excuses
Medications - Brasil '07
Joanna Newsom - Baby Birch

The biggest surprise from the Outside Lands festival this weekend, Mr. Hawthorne had me dancing, laughing, and singing even before I sank my first Heineken. I loved every minute.

Motown-bred and Motown-styled but always with a wink and a smile. Which, as a white guy with a less-than-perfect voice, is really his only option. Somehow, he makes it work. Sheer force of personality, I suppose.

He finished with this jam, my favorite, and had everybody within 100 yards testing out their falsetto. In fact, I was singing it in line for the port-o-potty, and the kid in front of me turned around to finish the verse. Two guys, waiting for a portable toilet, trading falsettos. Doesn't happen every day.

Just Ain't Gonna Work Out by mecarro