► Listen to Lost in a Maze

The banana orchards are fruitful this season, my friends. We’re back again with another great mixtape. This one is courtesy of my friend Jaron Widman.

In addition to being an exceedingly talented human, Jaron is also a proper music geek. He is thinking deeply. His is reading liner notes. He is analyzing lyrics. He knows which guitar was plugged into which amp on which take and why. Obviously, he has great taste.

I gave him little instruction and a totally blank canvas. In turn, he produced a thoroughly considered and slightly sinister masterpiece of vintage psychedelia. It’s not officially a Halloween mix, but it kind of accidentally became one. This was originally scheduled to publish next month, but it’s too good not to put out now.

Take it away...

Liner Notes by Jaron

The idea for this mix came from the first few lines of “My Friend Today” by The Left Banke: “Lost in a maze / cold are the days / blaming the names / aiming the blames.”

I love psychedelic music from the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, especially the very introspective stuff from bands like The Left Banke, and it struck me how the idea of being lost in a bad psychedelic trip isn’t that different from the idea of excessively ruminating and losing yourself in a maze of your memories.

I tried to create the feeling of that kind of maze here on this playlist—the twists and turns, the confident strides into the unknown, the anxiety and introspection as you realize you are lost, the hope that you can escape, and the slow realization that you are indeed stuck. Forever.

It’s eerie and unsettling and a bit nightmarish, which makes this a great companion mix for the Halloween season.

All of the songs were released between 1967–1972, I believe, and are from artists that flew below everyone’s radar. Hope you enjoy!

► Listen to Lost in a Maze

Tracklist:

1. If I Knew You Were The One - Richard Twice

2. Ritual #1 - The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band

3. Za Za Za Zilda - Zior

4. Elevated Observations? - The Hollies

5. Jusqu’à ce que la force de t’aimer me manque - Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes

6. My Friend Today - The Left Banke

7. No Silver Bird - The Hooterville Trolley

8. Beyond The Clouds - The Poppy Family

9. I Read You Like an Open Book - The Tages

10. Rose - Fifty Foot Hose

11. The World Might Fall Over - Monomono

12. Friends - Barefoot Jerry

13. Fly - J.K. & Co.

14. Peace Of Mind - Blue Cheer

15. Negra estrella “Tiny Sparrow” - Picnic

► Listen to Lost in a Maze

If you enjoyed the unsettling Halloween parts of this mix, check out:

• ☊ Vamps - Sunken and funky bone-chillers for Halloween.

• ☊ Hydes - A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

If you’re more interested in eclectic deep cuts, check out:

• ☊ The Asterian Luna - A soundtrack for the Astro Age.

• ☊ The Asterian Antares - More smooth sounds for the Astro Age.

• ☊ Waxwings - Good migrations.

• ☊ The Unsung - Spotlight on the world’s cult crooners, lost lounge acts, and forgotten voices from Anayat Fakhraie.

More writing from me:

• Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• Edward Sharpe is not “stomp clap hey ho” music

• Born to Run at 50 and the album Springsteen nearly released instead

Subscribe now

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

► Listen to Goners

Liner Notes

Goners is a mixtape with a homespun sound about the outward bound.

It’s warm and worn-in. A home away from home. Small towns and big sounds. New songs and old souls. Philly and Jersey.

The bygones have gone by. They’re getting gone. They’re going away. Getting wasted. Wasting away.

The dead ends. The dead leaves. The dead leave.

Cut the record and run. Leave tracks. Make a scene.

► Listen to Goners

→ Most of the songs on Goners were released in 2026. And many were released within the past couple of months. Nothing is older than 2020. The mix highlights some of my favorite up-and-comers and was built around murderer’s row of musicians known as Historic New Jersey: Star Moles, Rubber Band Gun, Sam and Louise Sullivan.

Tracklist:

1. Avalon – Sam and Louise Sullivan

2. Anywhere – Ratboys

3. Overdog – Star Moles

4. Jerry Race Car – Rubber Band Gun

5. Miffed It – Way Dynamic

6. In The Morning – Improvement Movement

7. Plum – Widowspeak

8. Kick Stones (The Boys) – Westside Cowboy

9. Matter of Taste – Tyler Ballgame

10. Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon) – Julia Jacklin

11. Never Go Away – John Andrews & The Yawns

12. New Slack – Michael Nau

13. Further Down the Road – Sylvie, Marina Allen

14. Spiraling – Tōth

15. Back to the Wind – Whitney

16. unlearning everything – Martin Luke Brown

► Listen to Goners

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy:

• ☊ The Bend — Jangling fall-weather indie rock dipped in dreamy emotionally raw honey.

• ☊ Departures — Lost in transportation.

• ☊ Waxwings — Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

For more fall weather music, check out:

• ☊ Hydes — A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

• ☊ Sways — Modern nineties sounds for the fall.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

For more between-season songs, check out:

• ☊ After Ours — Bittersweet sunsetters for the end of the summer.

• ☊ Common Wealth — Intimate indie music about the ordinary in love, luck, and city life.

More writing from me:

• Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• Edward Sharpe is not “stomp clap hey ho” music

• Born to Run at 50 and the album Springsteen nearly released instead

Subscribe now

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

► Listen to Wedding Season: Part One

Liner Notes

It’s Wedding Season. That season of life when everything is up in the air—the flights, the flowers, the friendships, the future.

Heads are in the clouds.

It’s the people and their promises. The hapless romantics. Big questions and big answers. The vision and the indecision.

They’re making big moves. They’re making big mistakes. They’re buying rings. They’re having flings.

It’s the desire and the doubt. The one. The wonder. The one that got away.

They’re running to the altar and running for the hills. They’re running the numbers and running up the tab.

They’re pairing off and paring down. Getting down and settling down. Throwing up and growing up. They’re going big and going home.

It’s old souls. It’s new suits. A lifetime commitment. A rented tuxedo.

They’re in it for the love. They’re in it for the likes.

Love is in the air—beware. The bells are ringing. It’s Wedding Season.

► Listen to Wedding Season: Part One

Tracklist:

1. Rill Rill – Sleigh Bells

2. Tell Me – Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

3. Let’s Think It Over – Pat Thomas & Marijata

4. I’m So Happy Now – Willie Wright

5. You Need Love – Ebo Taylor & Uhuru-Yenzu

6. This Is What Love Looks Like! – Carlton Jumel Smith and Cold Diamond & Mink

7. Tender Defender – Vulfpeck feat. Theo Katzman

8. Do What You Wanna – Ramsey Lewis Trio

9. Sexy Lady You – Wild Fire

10. Do Me – Jean Knight

11. Stories?? – The Chakachas

12. Never Be Another You – Lee Fields & The Expressions

13. Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby Does – Ted Lucas

14. Take Yo’ Praise – Camille Yarbrough

15. Hung Over – The Martini’s

16. Get Up Off Your Knees – David Axelrod

► Listen to Wedding Season: Part One

For more exuberant dance music, check out:

• ☊ Hot Bops - A dance mix from Kathleen Martinelli.

• ☊ Luster - Sparkling synth-pop gems for love and summer.

• ☊ Everything And The Kitchen Sink - Dance yourself clean with Little Fish

For more worn and warm soul music, check out:

• ☊ The Beatles In Color: Part I - Black artists covering The Beatles.

• ☊ The Beatles In Color: Part II - Black women covering The Beatles.

• ☊ Common Wealth - Intimate indie music about the ordinary in love, luck, and city life.

More writing from me:

• ⌾ Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more about music and other things on my blog Clipping Silver.

  

Subscribe now

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

▶︎ Listen to Common Wealth

Liner Notes

Common Wealth is warm and worn, humble and human. It’s old-fashioned. Romantic realism. Out of time and out of reach.

It’s between dreams. Between seasons. Not still winter, but not yet spring. You’re awake, but your arm’s still asleep.

It’s grounded, but airy. Atmospheric, but concrete. Tenderness on the block.

It’s about the mundane logistics of love. The laundry, the coffee, the stairs. Your shoelaces. It’s about running on empty and running away together. Going the distance and having nowhere else to go.

It’s about luck and life. Fortune and fortunes. The strange forces that shape us. The powers that be and the powers that belong to us.

It’s about the castles and the keep. The things we keep close. And the things that keep us going. The things that are kept from us. And the things that can’t be taken.

It’s about taking care and taking chances.

It’s not not about New York.

▶︎ Listen to Common Wealth

Tracklist:

1. Coffee In The Morning — Wet

2. AUATC — Bon Iver

3. Love Takes Miles — Cameron Winter

4. Wings — Foxwarren

5. Plastic Soul — Mondo Cozmo

6. Manhattan — Cat Power

7. We’ve Been Had — The Walkmen

8. Strange Powers — The Magnetic Fields

9. I’ll Come Running — Brian Eno

10. Little Eyes — Yo La Tengo

11. Take Care — Beach House

12. Northern Sky — Nick Drake

13. The Lottery Song — Harry Nilsson

14. Me & Magdalena — The Monkees

15. Born Under A Bad Sign — Richard Hawley

16. Become Someone Else’s — Jens Lekman

▶︎ Listen to Common Wealth

For more cozy music, check out…

• ☊ Departures — Lost in transportation.

• ☊ Waxwings — Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

• ☊ Den — A wintry mix from Lucas Ballasy.

You should also listen to…

• ☊ The Bend — Jangling fall-weather indie rock dipped in dreamy emotionally raw honey.

• ☊ Tonics — Bright and bitter post-punk pop and new wave to break your cabin fever.

More from me:

• I’ve been writing a series of diary-style blog posts documenting the process of making this mixtape. Read Volume 1.

• Great video essays examining The Beatles creative process

• Data: Everything I listened to in 2025

• Born to Run at 50 and the album Springsteen nearly released instead

• Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

We begin 2026 by looking back at 2025. It’s a storied tradition here at Green Bananas, like the Olympics—which is to say that it’s something we do once every four years.

The question is: What’s one song from 2025 that you think everybody should hear?

Our answers are below.

▶︎ Hear our Selections from 2025.

“Taxes” by Geese

If you don’t write about Geese and/or Cameron Winter as part of your 2025 year-end list you actually lose your blogging license. That said, this song is truly a piece of magic. An anti-gravity spell. An exhale you didn’t know you were holding. Ironic how an album called Getting Killed can make you feel so alive. (Joe Petro)

“Godlike” by Twen

I can’t believe this band is as under-the-radar as they are (for now). Criminally catchy stuff. (Kathleen Martinelli)

”Muck” by Annie DiRusso

All hook and the age-old question, is it worth it to make it complicated? This song is highly encouraging of having a crush, and you’ll find yourself singing it in the shower all week. After all, things may be garbage but maybe the muck is worth it for one more kiss. (Sarah Hansen)

“Can we talk about Isaac?” By Rachel Chinouriri

Everybody is going on and on about Olivia Dean and CMAT and all these other up-and-coming European pop stars, but can we talk about Rachel? (Joe Petro)

“blade bird” by Oklou

The loveliest song of the year, imo. Sad, sweet, perfect. (Kathleen Martinelli)

“Lost Time (extended)” by Lucy Dacus

the absolute opposite end of the yearning spectrum, instead asking why didn’t we leap earlier? The outro is the best part of this song that could be a one act play-- layers and layers of the tiny things we love and that break our heart about the person we are in love with. Mary Oliver said “attention is the beginning of devotion”, and giving in to devotion is risky but rewarding. (Sarah Hansen)

Previous year-end picks:

• Selections from 2021

Here are 2025’s mixtapes:

• ☊ The Bend - Jangling fall-weather indie rock dipped in dreamy emotionally raw honey.

• ☊ Tonics - Bright and bitter post-punk pop and new wave to break your cabin fever.

• ☊ Spangled - Blistering guitar-charged anthems for Independence Day.

It’s cold out there, here’s some music for the weather:

• ☊ Departures - Lost in transportation.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

• ☊ Den — A wintry mix from Lucas Ballasy.

And some more writing from us:

• 2025 in review by Kathleen Martinelli

• 2025 in Music by Sarah Hansen

• The Instagram account that got me through 2025 by Joe Petro

PLAY

Liner Notes

The Bend is about how it started and how it’s going.

It’s about moving forward and looking back. The distance you’ve traveled and the distance you’ve created. The arc of time and the arc of people. What moves on, what remains, and what we’re left with.

It’s about nature and nurture. Growing up and growing gardens. It’s about the fall and the ways we fall. The ways we tend and mend, and turn and tangle.

It’s about witches. It’s about whiches. It’s about changes and switches. The masks that we craft, the faces we’re given.

It’s about beginnings and endings. Birth and rebirth. Death and reflection. It’s about childhood and motherhood and the meandering bridges between.

The Bend is about the infinity of femininity.

→ Listen to The Bend

Tracklist:

1. 90 In November – Why Bonnie

2. Pressure To Party – Julia Jacklin

3. Babies Are a Lie – Pip Blom

4. Yards / Gardens – Kate Bollinger

5. Juniper – Katy Kirby

6. Joseph – Bad Bad Hats

7. Headrush – Georgia Harmer

8. Much Ado About Nothing – Waxahatchee

9. Strange Girl – Laura Marling

10. Vampire Empire – Adrianne Lenker

11. Colossus of Roads – Hurray for the Riff Raff

12. Survivor’s Guilt – Haley Blais

13. Witches – Alice Phoebe Lou

14. Spring – Angel Olsen

15. Orlando in Love – Japanese Breakfast

16. Lost – Soccer Mommy

17. Hot & Heavy – Lucy Dacus

18. Eulogy for You and Me – Tanya Davis

→ Listen to The Bend

For more fall weather music, check out:

• ☊ Hydes — A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

• ☊ Sways — Modern nineties sounds for the fall.

• ☊ Departures - Lost in transportation.

• ☊ Waxwings — Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

• ☊ Den — A wintry mix from Lucas Ballasy.

More writing from me:

• Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• I’m blogging more regularly at Clipping Silver.

• Dodger Stadium is TOO LOUD

• Edward Sharpe is not “stomp clap hey ho” music

• Born to Run at 50 and the album Springsteen nearly released instead

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Spangled is a collection of songs to play in that pocket around Independence Day when your summer is really starting to heat up.

It rips, rattles, and bursts. It’s hot, wet, and messy. It’s glistening with blood, sweat, and beers. It has volume, vigor, velocity. It’s fuzzy—like last night. Distorted, but sharply defined. And it demands no additional feedback.

You are the young and the restless. The wild and the willing. The free and the brave. You’re not just amped. You’re plugged into something bigger than yourself. You’re building something great. Cutting your losses. Turning up the gain. You’re positively charged—surging through the scorcher as the voltage surges through you.

▶︎ Listen to Spangled

Tracklist:

1. This Summer - Superchunk

2. Teenage Blood - Apex Manor

3. Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady

4. The House That Heaven Built - Japandroids

5. Adam Raised a Cain - Bruce Springsteen

6. It All Means Nothing - Screaming Females

7. Aluminum Park - My Morning Jacket

8. You Take Time - Bleached

9. Old Boy - Brick + Mortar

10. Lust For Life - Iggy Pop

11. I'm Shakin' - Jack White

12. Bottled In Cork - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

13. Be Brave - The Strange Boys

14. Lonesome - Dr. Dog

15. Wild In The Streets - Garland Jeffreys

16. Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper

17. I'm the Man Who Loves You - Wilco

▶︎ Listen to Spangled

More energetic and propulsive mixes:

• ☊ Woodward: Organ-ized noise for the return of summer and society.

• ☊ Punch Ups: Crunchy drummed up summer punchers.

• ☊ Get Light: Shimmering springtime strummers.

More summer soundtracks:

• ☊ Luster: Sparkling synth-pop gems for love and summer.

• ☊ The Balm: Tropical tunes with digital dimensions.

• ☊ After Ours: Bittersweet sunsetters for the end of the summer.

• ☊ Hot Bops: First and foremost, it's a dance mix. (Kathleen Martinelli)

• ☊ when the road calls: groovy, floaty, synthy, dreamy soul for groovy, floaty, synthy, dreamy souls. (Dans Karagannis)

More writing from me:

• ⌾ Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

Thanks for listening.

As always, the writing, artwork, graphics and music collected on this website were generated by organic human intelligence.

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

●

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

It’s a new year and it’s a new you. You’re not just under the weather, you’re buried in it. Ten inches of snow. Two inches of rain. Slush. Ice. Sheets of sleet.

It is cold. It is not chill.

You could be anywhere, but you’re here. Somewhere between Saturday and some day. Stranded. You are both an island and thousands of miles from one.

You need stimulation, invigoration, refreshment. You need a shot in the arm. You settle for a shot at the bar.

This is the tonic.

▶︎ Listen to Tonics

Tracklist:

1. Orange Juice - Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures

2. We Need a Bigger Dumpster - Cheekface

3. Davey Crockett - Hinds

4. Saturday - Remember Sports

5. Desert Island - The Magnetic Fields

6. Someday - The Strokes

7. Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash

8. Chaise Longue - Wet Leg

9. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - The Slits

10. Goodbye Girl - Squeeze

11. Still Want You - Brandon Flowers

12. Tenderness - General Public

13. Heart Of Glass (Special Mix) - Blondie

14. Time to Pretend - MGMT

15. Dancing Queen - ABBA

16. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths

17. This Is the Day - The The

▶︎ Listen to Tonics

If you’re feeling stuck and want to get your body moving, check out:

• ☊ Hot Bops - A dance mix from Kathleen Martinelli.

• ☊ Luster - Sparkling synth-pop gems for love and summer.

• ☊ Punch Ups - Crunchy drummed up summer punchers.

• ☊ The Balm - Tropical tunes with digital dimensions.

• ☊ Everything And The Kitchen Sink - Dance yourself clean with Little Fish

If you got really into the Bob Dylan movie, check out:

• ☊ Waxwings - Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

More writing from me:

• ⌾ I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover for McSweeney’s

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

The party is over. And so is the summer.

There is sand in your hair. There is sand in your shoe.

The sun is down. And so are you.

You threw parties, threw punches, threw fits, and threw darts.

Your summer break ended up breaking your heart.

You stirred your drinks. You stirred your souls.

You spilled your guts. You spilled your drinks.

The floor is sticky. And so is the sole of your shoe.

The seasons are turning. The kids are still yearning.

The new day is dawning. The kids are still longing for their aloe vera cream.

The hardest part is parting.

But wait until tomorrow. The summer was sweet, but so is the sorrow.

Your heartstrings sound somber.

Your hair, a shade blonder.

You leave and you wander.

You can’t move beyond her.

There was sand in the sofa. There is sand in your loafer. 

The bottles are empty. And you know you are, too.

Easy listening is not always an easy listen.

These are the soft sounds of hard times—our times.

And our times are through.

This is After Ours.

→ → → Listen to After Ours.

Tracklist:

1. The Party’s Over - Peggy Lee  

2. J’Aurais Voulu - Françoise Hardy  

3. Open Your Window - Harry Nilsson  

4. Sidonie - Brigitte Bardot  

5. Chove Chuva - Jorge Ben Jor  

6. When It’s Time to Go - Buddy Fo & His Group  

7. Tangerine - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass  

8. Can You Tell - Margo Guryan  

9. Let Me Pass By - Peggy Lipton  

10. Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) - The Beach Boys  

11. I Haven’t Got Anything Better To Do - Astrud Gilberto  

12. Cannock Chase - Labi Siffre  

13. Not The Lovin’ Kind - Lee Hazlewood  

14. Cherish - Nina Simone  

15. Didn’t Want To Have To Do It - The Lovin’ Spoonful  

16. Theme from "The Sand Pebbles" (And We Were Lovers) - Andy Williams  

17. If He’d Love Me - Nancy Sinatra

▶︎ Listen to After Ours

For more eclectic easy listening, check out:

• ☊ The Asterian Luna: A soundtrack for the Astro Age.

• ☊ The Asterian Antares: More smooth sounds for the Astro Age.

If you’re gearing up for the fall, check out:

• ☊ Departures - Lost in transportation.

• ☊ Sways - Modern nineties sounds for the fall.

• ☊ Hydes - A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

• ☊ Waxwings - Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

• ☊ In My Room - Dan Svizeny’s lo-fi highlights.

If you’re still holding onto summer, check out:

• ☊ The Balm - Tropical tunes with digital dimensions. 

• ☊ Punch Ups - Crunchy drummed up summer punchers.

• ☊ Woodward - Organ-ized noise for the return of summer and society.

• ☊ Get Light - Shimmering springtime strummers.

• ☊ Hot Bops - A dance mix from Kathleen Martinelli.

More writing from me:

• ⌾ Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

And remember: We are the mixtape makers. And we are the streamers of streams.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Luster is a mixtape for summer.  

It’s about reflections of light and reflections of self. 

It’s about the intimate and the infinite. 

It’s about flinging off commitments and committing to flings.

It’s scintillating. It’s radiating. It’s sound waves. It’s body heat.

It’s bright lights. It’s late nights. It’s attraction in action. 

This is Luster. 💎

▶︎ Listen to Luster

 Tracklist:

1. Humility - Gorillaz feat. George Benson

2. Feel The Way I Want - Caroline Rose

3. Eleanor - Hot Chip

4. SPORTS MEN - Haruomi Hosono

5. Want You In My Room - Carly Rae Jepsen

6. Baby Let Me Kiss You - Fern Kinney

7. When I'm With You - Sparks

8. Shadows - Future Islands feat. Debbie Harry

9. Hang With Me - Robyn

10. Boys - Sky Ferreira

11. Drunk Girls - LCD Soundsystem

12. 2am - Foals

13. Johnny And Mary - Robert Palmer

▶︎ Listen to Luster

More summer bops:

• ☊ The Balm: Tropical tunes with digital dimensions. 

• ☊ Punch Ups: Crunchy drummed up summer punchers.

• ☊ Woodward: Organ-ized noise for the return of summer and society.

• ☊ Get Light: Shimmering springtime strummers.

• ☊ Hot Bops: First and foremost, it's a dance mix. (Kathleen Martinelli)

• ☊ when the road calls: groovy, floaty, synthy, dreamy soul for groovy, floaty, synthy, dreamy souls. (Dans Karagannis)

More from me:

• ⌾ Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

And remember:

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Get Light is a mixtape for the springtime. 🌱

It’s a collection of shimmering strummers, loose and lively, bright and buoyant.

It’s stripped-down, but wound-up. It’s modern, but nostalgic. It’s nod to the blog buzz bands of the early 2000s as well as their spiritual precursors and successors. 

It’s grounded, but uplifting, designed to generate thrust, propulsion, and rapid forward momentum—not unlike the blog buzz bands of the early 2000s. ⚡️

It’s about rebirth, rejuvenation, refreshments. Cold ones. Sweaty glass. Bubbles. Ice. Electrolytes. Iced tea and lemonade. 🧊

So, go. Take off. Go forth and flourish. Lay down burden. Get light. 

▶︎ Listen to Get Light

Tracklist:

1. Thoughts Have Turned - Flo & Eddie

2. Everybody Come Outside - Pomegranates 

3. Hraka - Finn Riggins

4. Oh Mandy - The Spinto Band

5. Kissing the Lipless - The Shins

6. Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground

7. Nobody But Me - The Human Beinz

8. We Belong Together - Vampire Weekend, Danielle Haim

9. I Turned My Back on the Written Word - Generationals

10. The Steps - HAIM

11. All My Friends - The XYZ Affair

12. Magheeta - My Morning Jacket

13. Bottled In Cork - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

14. These Days - Dr. Dog

15. Sister Cities - Hop Along

16. Fade to Black - Born Ruffians

▶︎ Listen to Get Light

More music like this:

• ☊ The Balm: Tropical tunes with digital dimensions. 

• ☊ Onset: Looking back east from the west.

• ☊ Sways: Modern nineties sounds for the fall.

More from me:

• ⌾ Some comedy for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

And remember…

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Finally, the future. 

We stand here in the embodiment of our finest Space Age aspirations, where futurism and modernism are one and the same.

Floating cars. Warp drives. Matter replicators.

Elegant, chic, and peerless, The Asterian Antares is settled at the base of Mars’s Utopia Planitia. This next-century modern resort and research outpost is the highlight of the planet’s Northern Lowlands.

Like the Luna, its sister site on the Moon, this Asterian property beckons as your cosmopolitan gateway to the cosmos.

The Asterian Antares.

They could have just named it “Mars,” but it seemed so accessible—and if resorts on Mars are one thing, they’re not “too accessible.” So, to keep an air of mystique about the place, the hotel was named after Ares, the Greek counterpart to Mars.

To keep an air about the place, the hotel was built inside of a googie-inspired geodesic ecodome. The building’s sweeping and uncluttered exteriors pop against the stark Martian landscapes and the atmosphere inside the space is akin to the atmosphere of space itself: ethereal, frictionless, beautiful.

Latin for ‘of the stars,’ Asterian Hotels also offer extraordinary access to famous celestial bodies—which is to say that this Martian mainstay boasts a lengthy list of impressively cultured celebrity clientele.

A vibrant hub for artists and intellectuals, The Antares has single-handedly transformed the red planet into the well read planet. The Asterian Antares invites you to step into the cosmic unknown with eclectic music, exclusive clientele, and sophistication.

The Asterian® — Where more is timeless.

▶︎ Listen to The Asterian Antares

Tracklist:

1. The Call - Bobby Christian

2. Homage - Mild High Club

3. Cosmic Bloom - Dumbo Gets Mad

4. Star Treatment - Arctic Monkeys

5. Aftershook - Frankie Cosmos

6. Bones - Alexandra Savior

7. Hand It Over - MGMT

8. Anywhere In Spacetime - Bruno Pernadas

9. Soul Brother - Dalton

10. Shimmy - Midnight Sister

11. Şinanay - Kit Sebastian

12. Le bracelet - Alain Goraguer

13. Canto De Ossanha - Dorothy Ashby

14. Foggy Town - Alessandro Alessandroni

15. Ride a White Horse - Sven Libaek

16. The End of Love - Dominic Frontiere

17. Steppin’ Out - Electric Light Orchestra

▶︎ Listen to The Asterian Antares

If this eclectic batch of space age easy listening music was your cup of tea, then you will surely enjoy its precursor: The Asterian Luna:

For more winter and holiday music, check out:

• ☊ Muddled Through: Sad accompaniment for your unaccompanied Christmas in quarantine by Joe Petro.

• ☊ Christmas Pervert Mix, Vol. 1: A naughty list by Matt Gunn.

• ☊ Den: A wintry mix by Lucas Ballasy.

• ☊ The Unsung: A spotlight on cult crooners, lost lounge acts, and forgotten voices by Anayat Fakhraie

More writing from me:

• ⌾ I wrote a little comedy piece for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

2023: Wrapped

That’s all for this year. Here are the four, quarterly, seasonal mixtapes from this year:

• The Beatles In Color: Part II

• The Balm

• Departures

• The Asterian Antares

Stay tuned for more dispatches from the future and other Asterian properties across the galaxy.

Are you an interesting person who would like to contribute to this mixtape club? If so, then get in touch in the comments.

Leave a comment

And remember…

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Departures is a collection of buzzy, ambient songs for the fall that drift between the digital and the analog; the West and the East. 🏯

This mixtape is about distance. It’s about leaving and loneliness. It’s about locations. It’s about Asia and it’s about Japan. 🇯🇵

It’s about getting lost in translation. It’s about getting lost in transportation. 📡

It’s about parting and departing.

It’s about airports. 🛫

It’s about flight. It’s about flights.

It’s about terminals. It’s about the terminal.

▶︎ Listen to Departures

Tracklist:

1. Autumn Sweater - Yo La Tengo

2. Monk - jan and naomi

3. Unlikely Japan - Wilco

4. We Will Become Silhouettes - The Postal Service

5. Kyoto - Phoebe Bridgers

6. Planetary Ambience - Japanese Breakfast

7. Send For Me - The National

8. Go Home - Angel Olsen

9. The Fear - The Shins

10. Million Miles - TV On The Radio

11. Fēnliè (分裂) - Faye Wong

12. Return - Brian Eno

▶︎ Listen to Departures

If you vibed to this, you might also vibe to:

• ☊ Sways — Modern nineties sounds for the fall.

• ☊ Hydes — A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

• ☊ Waxwings — Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

More writing from me:

• ⌾ I wrote a little comedy piece for McSweeney’s called I’m Your Three-Year-Old Interior Designer and This Is Your New Home Makeover.

• ⌾ I write more comedy like this on Clipping Silver, my other even less-exclusive Substack.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

The Balm is a collection of songs that are as digital as they are tropical—which is to say, not totally, but mostly. 🌴 1

This mix is balmy and palmy in every sense. Its tropical sounds are soothing and eccentric. It’s airy. It’s aromatic. It’s pleasantly warm. Cold beer. Hot nights. Loose shirts. Bermuda shorts. Casios on the beach.

The Balm is the sound of people, sounds, and worlds coming together—not with a collision, but with congeniality. It’s the music of different cultures being palmed back and forth. The Balm is not an explosion, but a handshake. 🤝

Ghana to France, Brooklyn to Barbados, the Netherlands to Nigeria, Massachusetts to the Mediterranean, California to the Caribbean. 

It’s new wave by the waves. 🌊

It’s British music inspired by Jamaica and Jamaican music inspired by the British.

There are songs in broken French about Brazilian women in London.

There is tropical Japanese music sharing space with an iconic dancehall riddim that was built entirely upon a keyboard preset programmed by a Japanese woman in 1981.

The Balm is your salve. Spread it on.

▶︎ Listen to The Balm

Tracklist:

1. Seaside Woman - Linda McCartney

2. No Golden Throat - Lizzy Mercier Descloux

3. (Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star - Bill Wyman

4. Under Me Sleng Teng - Wayne Smith

5. Darkroom - Paul McCartney

6. You’ve Got A Woman - Lion

7. Shimendōka - Haruomi Hosono

8. meet me in brooklyn - Yaya Bey

9. Miraculous Weekend - Peter Ivers

10. Redondo Beach - Patti Smith

11. Don’t Let Me Down - Marcia Griffiths

12. Will You Promise - Ebo Taylor

13. Don’t Huzzle for Love - The Apostles

14. Ride on Baby - William Onyeabor

15. I Love Hot Nights - Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers

16. Gentle Persuasion - Doug Hream Blunt

▶︎ Listen to The Balm

More music like this:

The weather is warming up and we have mixtapes for that. ☀️ Here are some for spring and summer. 

In fact, handy seasonal icons have been added to the site’s menu bar for your browsing convenience. 🙄

Here are two more mixtape that might pair well with The Balm: 

• ☊ Woodward — Organ-ized noise for the return of summer and society.

• ☊ Punch-Ups — Crunchy drummed up summer punchers.

Even more to see:

• Our pal Dan Svizeny released a new Cough Cool record. It rocks.

• I wrote a little2 satirical piece on the blowback the Cleveland Guardians are receiving after their name change.

• I wrote about USA Baseball’s desperate need for a brand makeover. (Officially UniWatch endorsed.)

If you enjoyed these units of content, please consider telling a friend, acquaintance, or burgeoning artificial intelligence.

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There are more sounds coming soon. Always more sounds. And remember:

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

About a year ago, we published The Beatles In Color, which was a collection of Beatles songs covered by Black artists. This is The Beatles In Color: Part II, which is a collection of Beatles songs covered by Black women. 

Like last time, these songs are transcendent, compelling, and often superior to the originals. And like last time, this mix could have gone on for hours. 1

Unlike last time, there is no essay exploring the connection between The Beatles and the Black artists who inspired them—but you can read one of those here. 

And so, the revolver revolves and we once more gaze into the depths of the glass onion. 🪞💫

▶︎ Listen to The Beatles In Color: Part II

Tracklist:

1. Aretha Franklin - The Fool on the Hill

2. Diana Ross & The Supremes - Got To Get You Into My Life

3. Big Maybelle - Eleanor Rigby 

4. Barbara Lewis - Yesterday

5. Esther Phillips - And I Love Him

6. Roberta Flack - Here, There and Everywhere

7. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Let It Be

8. Doris Troy - Get Back

9. Ella Fitzgerald - Savoy Truffle

10. Ike & Tina Turner - Come Together

11. Shirley Bassey - Something

12. Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun

13. Shirley Scott - Because

14. Sarah Vaughan - You Never Give Me Your Money

15. Carmen McRae - Carry That Weight

▶︎ Listen to The Beatles In Color: Part II

For more music like this, check out:

If you enjoyed these units of content, please consider telling a friend, acquaintance, or that guy next to you at the DMV.

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And get in touch in the comments if you’re an interesting person who would like to contribute to the club.

Leave a comment

Until next time, carry the good word.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

The year is 3022. Or 3023. Or even 4023.

The point is that we’re in the future. The distant future. The future we were promised. The future of the past.

Elegant, fashionable, and singular, The Asterian Luna is your intragalactic and omnicultural doorstep to the cosmos. 

This next-century modern hotel-slash-moonbase sits effortlessly atop the Promontorium Archerusia, a lunar mountain ridge that offers breathtaking and exclusive panoramic views across the Seas of Serenity and Tranquility.

The building’s creamy interiors are a stark and modern complement to its dramatic yet minimal neo-googie architecture. And the atmosphere inside the space is as ethereal and frictionless as the atmosphere of space itself.

Residence at this lunar lodge provides unrivaled moonviews and earthrises. Latin for ‘of the stars,’ Asterian Hotels also offer extraordinary access to the stars—and not just those luminous spheres of plasma held together by their own gravity. This icon of the Astro Age boasts a lengthy list of impressively cultured celebrity clientele.

A cosmic hub for music, art, and fashion, the vibrant culture at The Asterian Luna is shaped by the people who stay there. Modern, but classic. Eclectic, but cohesive. Cool, but also hot.

The Asterian® — Where more is timeless.

▶︎ Listen to The Asterian Luna

Tracklist:

1. Aline - Jarvis Cocker

2. U.F.O. - Jim Sullivan

3. Tropic Breeze - Sam Fonteyn

4. Città vuota - Mina

5. Tahitian Sunset - Martin Denny

6. There’d Better Be A Mirrorball - Arctic Monkeys

7. White Sands - Alessandro Alessandroni

8. With a Sense of Grace - Kit Sebastian

9. Like an Obligation - Shintaro Sakamoto

10. La Puerta - Frankie Reyes

11. Are These My Jets - EL VY

12. San Salvador - Tamba 4

13. Si tu m’aimes demain - Iliona

14. Comment te dire adieu - Françoise Hardy

15. Center of Gravity - Yo La Tengo

16. Femme Fatale - The Velvet Underground & Nico

17. Natascha (Main Theme) - Peter Thomas Sound Orchester

18. Gostar do Mundo - Sessa

19. Calibre - Lô Borges

20. A New Career in a New Town - David Bowie

▶︎ Listen to The Asterian Luna

‘Tis the season! The season for our annual holiday mixtape. But instead, this year you were treated to the soundtrack to a fictional moon-based hotel. My gift to you. But of course, we have mixes for everything here at Green Bananas.

For more winter and holiday music, check out:

If you enjoyed these units of content, please consider telling a friend, acquaintance, or random stranger in line behind you at Walgreens.

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And get in touch in the comments if you’re an interesting person who would like to contribute to the club.

Leave a comment

Did you know that there are other Asterian hotel properties all over the galaxy? Stay tuned for future dispatches from the future. 🚀 🚀 🚀

Happy holidays.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Sways is a mixtape for the fall. 🍂

The dream of the nineties is alive in it.

It’s that crisp sound. The one that bounces or shimmers. The one that sways between something baggy and bright to something crunchy and grungy. 

Sways is a collection of modern songs that capture this sound counterbalanced with the songs from the nineties that invented it. 

To sway is to come and go, to lean or careen, to wave or waver. It is to influence or impress, to work on. It is to pulsate, fluctuate, or oscillate.

To sway is to rock. To sway is to roll. 

▶︎ Listen to Sways

Tracklist:

1. Write A List of Things To Look Forward To - Courtney Barnett

2. I’ve Been Waiting - Matthew Sweet

3. Glass Jar - Tristen

4. Hearts - Blair

5. Handle with Care - Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins feat. Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst, and M. Ward

6. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville - R.E.M.

7. Until You Came Along - Golden Smog

8. Allison Road - Gin Blossoms

9. The Dirt - Waxahatchee

10. Trauma Jules - Jenny O.

11. Masterpiece - Big Thief

12. Wide Open Spaces - Soccer Mommy

13. Motion Sickness - Phoebe Bridgers 

14. Walkman - Bad Bad Hats

15. Gasoline - HAIM feat. Taylor Swift

16. Strong Enough - Sheryl Crow

17. Star Witness - Neko Case

18. Red Vines - Aimee Mann

▶︎ Listen to Sways

For more fall weather music, check out:

• ☊ Hydes — A fall weather mixtape about keeping up appearances.

• ☊ Waxwings — Songs about people just passing through by people who were just passing through.

• ☊ The Unsung — Anayat Fakhraie’s spotlight on the world’s cult crooners, lost lounge acts, and forgotten voices.

• ☊ In My Room — Dan Svizeny’s highlights of lo-fi.

This mix is ideally enjoyed while wearing a lightweight jacket. When it gets a little colder, we’ll be back with something new. ❄️

Subscribe now

Until next time, share if you care and subscribe so you don’t miss a sound. Big things coming. Big things.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Here are some songs to help you seize the summer. These are punchy and crunchy tub-thumpers. They are percussive and propulsive. Punch Ups is an ascending and unrelenting sonic wallop of pounding drums for pounding the pavement. 🥊

▶︎ Listen to Punch Ups

Tracklist:

1. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush 1

2. Bike Dream - Rostam

3. Unconscious Melody - Viet Cong

4. A World Without Love - Peter And Gordon

5. When You Walk In the Room - The Searchers

6. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend

7. Falling In Love With Myself - Sparks

8. Water - Ra Ra Riot feat. Rostam 2

9. When I Needed You - Carly Rae Jepsen

10. Soul No. 5 - Caroline Rose

11. Floating Vibes - Surfer Blood

12. Nobody Dies - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

13. Song Against Sex - Neutral Milk Hotel

14. Bad Believer - St. Vincent

15. Look Sharp! - Joe Jackson

16. Daft Punk Is Playing at My House - LCD Soundsystem

17. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) - Talking Heads

▶︎ Listen to Punch Ups

If you’re looking for more summer music, check out:

• Woodward by Joe Petro

• Hot Bops by Kathleen Martinelli

• Everything And The Kitchen Sink by Little Fish

• Dan Svizeny just released Summer of Love 3 over on Weekend Guide 🌴

Housekeeping:

• 🗓 Green Bananas will be shifting to a more seasonal — 🌸 ☀️ 🍁 ❄️ — release schedule.

• 🤫 The secret’s out! All previously published mixes are now public and searchable on Spotify.

That’s all. Until next time, share if you care and subscribe below so you don’t miss a sound. Big things coming. Big things.

Share

Subscribe now

Stay safe. Stay sane.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

It’s officially Hot Kate Bush Summer or something and everybody is talking about it. ☀️🎵

The story: this season of Stranger Things prominently featured Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” 👟 and now it’s the only thing anybody wants to listen to.

Personally, we’re thrilled about it. 🎧

So, whether this is your introduction or just another time around the block, here is a collection of songs spotlighting Kate Bush and the sounds and singers she influenced.

While Bush League spans several decades of this woman’s work, it should not be considered anything more than an aperitif. 🥃 It could have easily been much longer and more expansive—I mean, it doesn’t even feature Big Boi!

▶︎ Listen to Bush League

Listen → Bush League 

Tracklist:

1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush

2. Warsaw - White Sea 1

3. Amanaemonesia - Chairlift

4. Hang On Me - St. Vincent

5. I'm Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill - Grouper 

6. The Dreaming - Kate Bush

7. Slip Away - Perfume Genius

8. Big God - Florence + The Machine 2

9. Bertie - Kate Bush 3

10. Gwan - Rostam

11. Indestructible (Acoustic) - Robyn

12. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush

What better way to celebrate Independence Day weekend than with more free mixtapes:

• Woodward by Joe Petro

• Signals by Kyle DeLash

• Hot Bops by Kathleen Martinelli

• Everything And The Kitchen Sink by Little Fish

Until next time:

Subscribe now

Stay safe and stay sane.

Joe

▶︎ PLAY

Liner Notes

Try as one may, it seems impossible to escape the notion that the songs collected here may have nothing more in common than one shared syllable. However, while your mileage may vary, there is no denying that the songs collected here may also be a perfect fit.

Be that as it may, critics may well question the devil-may-care manner with which this mixtape appears to have been compiled. Whatever the case may be, we may as well let the chips fall where they may and, come what may, Green Bananas may live to fight another day.

▶︎ Listen to May, As Well

Listen → May, As Well

Tracklist:

1. Maybellene - Chuck Berry

2. Come What May - Elvis Presley

3. Maybe Lately - Miracle Fortress

4. Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly & The Crickets

5. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

6. Maybe - N.E.R.D.

7. Mayor Of Simpleton - XTC

8. Maybe - Janis Joplin

9. Mae - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Band

10. Maybe I’m Amazed - Sandie Shaw

11. Maggie May - Rod Stewart

The slow slide into warmer weather is over. Memorial Day Weekend is here. If you’re looking for some unabashed cookout/poolside music, look no further than:

• Mixtape: Woodward by Joe Petro

And here are some other great choices for spring/summer:

• Selections for Springtime

• Signals by Kyle DeLash

• Hot Bops by Kathleen Martinelli

Until next time…

Stay safe. Stay sane.

Joe