I don’t do spring mixes. I have my reasons. I’ve only made one in my whole pantheon of seasonal mixmaking, and although I think it turned out to be pretty awesome, I wasn’t happy with it. Why? One reason: spring mixes steal songs from summer mixes. It’s hard enough to find 15-20 happy-go-lucky songs in my catalog each year, without having to seek out another 15-20 songs for springtime too! I’d be tapped out too quickly. And since the Summertime mix is “what I do,” I’ve opted to stay out of the spring mix game.

And spring music is very hard to find, and harder to discern from summer music. To me spring music is bright and acoustic, maybe some mandolins and plucky pianos tossed in, and is has to be soft, with some hope and a pinch of melancholy. It’s still cold out so the music can’t be too warm and fuzzy, and we’ve just gotten out of winter so there has to be a slowness to it. But the sun is shining and everyone’s starting to feel a bit frisky, so love songs are in, as are songs that have to do with that free-and-easy feeling. Harmonies are good, but you have to watch out you don’t veer into Beach Boys territory, which is decidedly summer. Steel guitars and lyrics about grass are good too. But again, the worry is that the songs you pick are spring songs, not summer songs. Spring songs also sometimes sound like autumn songs, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.

I realize there aren’t many people on the planet really thinking about these things like I am, but I don’t have anything else to do.

So. Despite the issues raised, a few things have provoked me to make a spring mix this year.

1) I’m having a great spring so far. And it’s not even spring yet, really.

2) I love the sound of spring songs, when I do find them. The song style outlined above is so killer.

3) I already have all my of King of Summertime songs picked out. That’s right, KoS2k8 is already locked and loaded. And it’s damn good if I do say so myself. So I’m not worried about stealing songs away from that mix.

4) There’s this band, Fleet Foxes, that I desperately want to introduce to you, and they have two beautiful songs about spring. They take the two opening tracks on the mix.

So, without further ado – you know, I hate it when people say that, but since there’s really been so much ado already, it is necessary this time – I give you The Sky Is Clear the Air Is Cold. (no comma necessary, thx.)

The Sky Is Clear the Air Is Cold

1. Fleet Foxes, Sun Giant
2. Fleet Foxes, Ragged Wood
3. The Grateful Dead, Uncle John’s Band
4. Greg Brown, Spring Wind
5. Gram Parsons, A Song for You
6. Hem, Half Acre
7. The Avett Brothers, Swept Away (Sentimental Version)
8. Eddie Vedder, Rise
9. Beirut, The Penalty
10. Golden Smog, Pecan Pie
11. Bob Dylan, Billy 1
12. Rod Stewart, Tomorrow Is Such a Long Time (written by Dylan)
13. She & Him, Got Me
14. Taken by Trees, Tell Me
15. The New Pornographers, My Rights versus Yours
16. Peter Case, Some Bright Mornin Blues

This mix and all the others are in the Music Vault!