Soundtrack your Thanksgiving dinner this year with this set of perfectly thankful tracks. Mogwai | Thank You Space Expert Over seven minutes of atmospheric, space-age shoegazy stuff, perfect for that short rest you plan to take on the sofa after dinnerzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz… The Dolphins | So Long and Thanks for All the Fish Farewell, Planet Earth! Not just yet, though. Not until after Thanksgiving demolition, erhm, we mean dinner, with the Vogons. Dido | Thank You We still can’t sort why she allowed a certain American rapper to blend this reflective, detail-filled pop gem with his own overwrought rhymes – give this one a proper listen on its own. Gotye | Thanks for Your Time A wry ode to “customer care” that we can all relate to. Alanis Morissette | Thank U Morissette had an epiphany or two about her life a while back, and shares them with you and yours in song. The Whigs | Thank You A tad forboding in the chorus for a moment, but in general a sweet (for The Whigs) message of love to a significant other. Bombadil | Thank You And finally, true musical appreciation for the ones who matter in your life. Really. You might actually want to pass this one...

Nick Heyward | Kite Perfectly buoyant and kite-worthy, complete with Beatle-esque trumpet trills, this is the ideal track for those rare warm breezy March days. Coldplay | Prospekt’s March No, it’s not technically the month, but it’s still got a moody, storytelling feel like chilly March rain running down a windowpane. David Tomlinson | Let’s Go Fly a Kite If you didn’t listen to this as a kid, then all the more reason to now – and if it doesn’t make you skip across a field, your feet must be in cement shoes. U2 | Kite Bono and The Edge get all kinda pensive (that’s normal) and… country. This is a rare diversion from U2 arena rock, and an interesting one. Modest Mouse | March Into the Sea Yes, this one is also about the wrong sort of March. But just listen to those tinkling synth-chimes! Don’t they sound like raindrops? Brooklyn Bridge | Your Kite My Kite Super ’60s happy peppy shiny peace man harmony pop. It’s sooo groovy. The Beatles | Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! Also groovy – The Beatles, of course – with this ode to a circus festival poster that John Lennon found in an old shop. Any additional songs you think should be part of this PyxMix?  Add them in the comments below, and check back on March 20 for our “Spring Songs” PyxMix. ______________ Get this PyxMix for your very own! Just click on the song titles to purchase.  ...

The Decemberists | January Hymn The Decemberists help “keep the winter at bay” with this folksy track, a capsule of youthful winter days. David Gray | January Rain Modern-day troubadour Gray couples a chiming guitar riff with perfect cold-rain-reminiscent instrumentals. Dean Martin | June In January (1995 Digital Remaster) A vintage classic: that dastardly ol’ snow and ice just don’t matter when Dean Martin’s in love. Pilot | January “January!  Don’t be cold, don’t be angry to me!” The Avett Brothers | January Wedding Old-timey bluegrass-pop in which (presumably) one of the brothers is a-gettin’ hitched. In January, ‘natch. Owl City | January 28, 1986 A lovely tribute to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, graced with icy synths. Sleeping at Last | January White The Midwest knows about snow – just ask this Illinois band. They also know a little about taking advantage of each January as a fresh start. Five Times August | January Song (2009) He met her on New Year’s Eve. But will they make it to Valentine’s Day? Dun dun dah. Any additional songs you think should be part of this PyxMix?  Add them in the comments below! ______________ Get this PyxMix for your very own! Just click on the song titles to...

The Shins | Wonderful Christmastime The Shins redo this quintessential holiday classic in a way that’s not only uniquely arranged, but also way more peppy than the band is on any other given day. They must really like Christmas. John Lennon and Yoko Ono | Happy Xmas (War is Over) This anti-war meets Christmas song from the brainy Beatle actually spoke out against the Vietnam War, but in such a passive/festive way that it’s become a holiday standard, and has been re-recorded by the likes of The Alarm, The Fray, Sarah McLachlan, and The Polyphonic Spree. Owl City | The Christmas Song Owl City, aka Adam Young, quietly records his sweetly-executed indie-pop albums in his Minnesota basement surrounded by icicles – and they hit the Billboard charts with much-deserved bangs. His Christmas song is equally as innocent and charming as the rest of his tunes. Julian Casablancas | I Wish It Was Christmas Today Hey, look, it’s Lower East Side singer Casablancas’ own Christmas single – although it’s one he borrowed from Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, and the rest of the SNL holiday crew. The original lo-fi track has been expanded into a NYC-rockin’ pop gem complete with buzzy guitars and singalongability. Blondie | We Three Kings Three cheers to Blondie for taking an obscure Christmas carol and turning it into this basement-cool version – and the music vid features the band performing live in the middle of a chilly, winter-barren forest. The Killers | A Great Big Sled Recorded back in 2006 as the band’s holiday single, the track was accompanied by “home videos” of the band members celebrating Christmas. As for the song itself, it features lead singer Brandon Flowers in a youthful mood, praising the simple delights of a day in...

Ed Sheeran | Autumn Leaves Float down/like autumn leaves – unabashed musical poetry from the talented singer-songwriter. Big Star | September Gurls Big Star is known for big musical hooks, and few are catchier than the several running through this buoyant, September-perfect track. The Shins  | September The title suits, right? Do we really need an excuse to listen to more Shins? The Helio Sequence | October And the same for you, “October.” U2 | October This evocative, lovely piano piece sounds like it’s going to remain instrumental – until Bono chimes in at the end with the perfect seasonal verse. Yo La Tengo | Autumn Sweater Some of the best things about fall are sweaters, boots, scarves, and excuses to kick about in piles of leaves listening to songs like these. The Vines | Autumn Shade II The leaves make patterns, The Vines make music, and this unplugged version is one of their prettiest. Gorillaz | November Has Come Sometimes you just get so busy, a month arrives and departs before you even notice. The White Stripes | Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground If you like your songs-about-autumn full of rawk, then this one’s for you. Manic Street Preachers | Autumn Song When you hear this autumn song / remember the best times are yet to come – a positive sentiment for what many consider the “saddest” season. The Avett Brothers | November Blues Plaintive and folky, this one’s a fitting listen for those highway drives through leafless fall forests. OK GO | Last Leaf Another pretty, singular track, this one’s performed simply on acoustic guitar, and delicately captures the changeover of seasons alongside a romantic plea for return. Any additional songs you think should be part of this PyxMix? Add them...

Aqualung | Brighter Than Sunshine Buoyant and lifted by both its who-cares-about-the-rain-we’ve-got-love lyrics and tinge of electronica, this pretty number by the music nerd propels along setting a perfect mood for those sunny afternoons right after the rain stops. Keane| Sunshine From Keane’s standout Hopes and Fears album, this track’s music twinkles like morning sunlight, while the lyrics sing of finding your place in the world, with the band’s typical but welcome vocals (by Tom Chaplin)   and a lovely twist of minor tones. The Beatles | Good Day Sunshine The Beatles are in love and it’s a sunny day, and that’s quite enough to write a nice song about. Wouldn’t you agree? A-Ha | The Sun Always Shines on TV If it’s gloomy inside, never fear, are the encouraging words from Norwegian popsters A-Ha, who have influenced everyone from Coldplay to the aforementioned Keane – you can always put the TV on because somewhere it’s bound to be sunny. Oasis | Turn Up the Sun From Oasis’ 2005 Don’t Believe the Truth set arrives this underrated, typically-Oasis track sending away another Northern England winter with the Gallagher brothers’ pleading to turn up the sun, as is everyone’s right. Right? The Raconteurs | Yellow Sun What better way to start a song about sunshine than “Yellow sun shining in the afternoon“? Raconteurs definitely know what they’re doing with this kinda zany, ’60s influenced number. Libertines | Don’t Look Back Into the Sun Modern skiffle makes an appearance on our list with the intro for this Libertines number, which quickly gets punky and cautions the listener to move forward instead of back toward old mistakes (or retina-burning lights, for that matter.) Doves | Catch the Sun A similar sentiment is offered by Doves, who suggest...

The Beatles | Here Comes the Sun If you don’t feel the beckoning of spring while listening to this, then we need to have a talk. Pharrell Williams | Happy Sure, it was technically released back in November – and it’s from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack – but it would be difficult to find a song more effervescent than this one to welcome spring in with all the windows open and your entire neighbourhood dancing along. Electric Light Orchestra | Mr. Blue Sky Okay, okay – we’re admitting we didn’t know much about this song until we… heard it on a commercial. Yeah, we know. But once we found this classic gem, with its buoyant tune and ascending vocals – not to mention those lyrics (“Sun is shining in the sky/there ain’t a cloud in sight”) – it won our winter-weary ears over.  (Watch a spectacularly animated video for Mr. Blue Sky here!) Noah and the Whale | The First Days of Spring Troubled romance? Cancelled vacation? Got the sniffles? Whatever’s wrong with your life, Noah and the Whale suggest administering a good dose of spring skies to make it all better. You can still pout if you choose, but at least you’ll have something cheery to listen to. Head Like a Kite | Daydream Vacation Dave Einmo crafts unusual yet familiar electro-pop music reminiscent of the sounds of Morcheeba, but more jittery. So – Morcheeba on caffeine. Morcheeba on caffeine, in the springtime. If Morcheeba was a guy. Yeah, that’s it. I’m From Barcelona | Always Spring Bubbly and folky, I’m From Barcelona sings a welcome sentiment that’s appropriate in the spring, and reassuring any other time of year – “Somewhere it’s summer/somewhere it’s always spring.” The Ladybug Transistor | The Great...

Keane | “Snowed Under” The song that gave Keane’s Hopes and Fears its title, this is a pretty little slice of life in song as singer Tom Chaplin walks through a chilly landscape. Coldplay | “Violet Hill” Everything about this evocative track by Chris Martin and crew scribes an image of trudging through a dark winter’s day in an earlier age. Simon and Garfunkel/The Bangles | “Hazy Shade of Winter” A cool (ha!) winter mainstay. Take your pick – classic ’60s harmonies, or classic ’60s harmonies via ’90s girl-band power pop. The Dream Academy | “Life in a Northern Town” Something about the way the refrain in this song is sung will immediately remind you of barren, gray small-town sidewalks and swirling winter winds. Matt Pond PA | “Snow Day” From his Winter Songs EP (‘natch), you’ll find yourself mentally following Pond’s foot tracks in the snow while listening to the audio version of same. Sarah McLachlan | “Song for a Winter’s Night” Mournful and pretty, this McLachlan classic (“the snow is softly falling/the morning light steals across my windowpane/where webs of snow are drifting”) is perfect for winter travel that takes you far from home. Nick Drake | “Northern Sky” Drake’s hesitant, pensive vocals are an ode to life in a cold locale, but the arrival of Drake’s love is likely to help at least a bit (“Would you love me through the winter… but now you’re here/brighten my Northern Sky”) White Stripes | “In the Cold Cold Night” Who else but the inimitable Jack White could wail in such a fashion that it sounds like he’s literally been left out in the cold? Poor fellow. Fleet Foxes | “White Winter Hymnal” A slow, chiming, strummy march of a tune, the hypnotic verses...

Kaiser Chiefs | Flowers in the Rain The Chiefs’ exclusive cover version of this song by Birmingham, England ’60s band The Move  is choppy, peppy, and a tiny bit punky. Now throw on your Doc Martens and go for a May stroll, wouldja? Travis | Flowers in the Window A sunny, breezy literal ode to those springtime days when flowers seem to be popping up everywhere from parks and highway medians to windowboxes – sung with charm and sincerity, this one’s impossible to resist. Oasis | (What’s the Story) Morning Glory There are several different Gallagher-fueled stories behind the meaning of this song, but in the spring, it doesn’t matter much – take a little time to wake up, wake up, and just focus on that happy, flowery beat. Mazzy Star | Blue Flower By “blue” flower, Mazzy Star means sad flower (are you surprised?)  – but this pretty song about not being cool enough to be with your crush is perfect for the odd melancholy spring evening, pining away after lost loves. The Foundations | Build Me Up Buttercup A little classic retro flair for our list, The Foundations sing of rejection, too – just in a much more cheerful fashion.  This one’s especially great if you have a convertible or sunroof – it’s so old now, it’s actually cool to blast it out of your car again. Eels | Flower Speaking of sad, E of Eels sings an image of flowers in a hailstorm as a metaphor for the world crushing pretty things. Erhm – well – the song itself isn’t as depressing as we just made it sound. Really. Regina Spektor | The Flowers Russian-American singer-songwriter Spektor is holding on to flowers from an old boyfriend on this track (as many...

Thom Yorke | And It Rained All Night Riding in the rain, on a train, with Radiohead’s frontman, musically pondering how a simple change in the weather can wash a City clean. Travis | Why Does It Always Rain on Me Don’t worry, Fran Healy, it’ll be okay. Your future will always be bright, because you’ll keep writing gorgeous, perfectly-honed Britpop songs like this one. Echo and the Bunnymen | Ocean Rain So many watery metaphors woven into one shoegazy, cloudy song about hurricanes, troubled relationships, and the ship they rode in on. The Beatles | Rain It actually sounds a bit too jolly for an overcast day, but according to The Beatles, when it starts to rain, everything’s the same. Garbage | Only Happy When It Rains It’s not the most chipper rainy-day song in the world – actually, it’s more about a stormy mood than about a rainy day – either way, it’s darned catchy. Peter Gabriel | Red Rain This song immediately conjures up a pensive, weather-warning mood, from the dark storyline to the burbling synths that keep the pace. Any additional songs you think should be part of this PyxMix?  Add them in the comments below, and check back in May for our Flower Songs PyxMix! ______________ Get this PyxMix for your very own! Just click on the song titles to purchase....

INXS | “Dancing on the Jetty” A sharp, propulsive, and yes, synthy ’80s ode to late nights on the Pacific shore, dancing your cares away. Slim Dusty | “Waltzing Matilda” The must-have Aussie folk ballad, sung by the Aussie musical legend with the perfect swagman’s name. The Pogues | “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” Matilda the song made appearances in plenty of other Aussie-related tracks, including this war song as covered by The Pogues. Crowded House | “Four Seasons in One Day” Gorgeous tune written about the weather-fickle city of Melbourne by this great half Aussie, half-Kiwi band. Men at Work | “Land Down Under” The bubbly tune that introduced Americans to vegemite also paints a colorful image of other Aussie legends. Snake Gully | “South Australia” Complete with fiddles and accented vocals, this traditional track is fun, especially if you dance to it. Trust us. The Shins | “Australia” Okay, it’s not specifically about the country, but the title and lyrics still evoke big travels across Aussie-sized vistas of land. The Triffids | “Wide Open Road” This band from Perth wrote this one about  a familiar, kangaroo-festooned  stretch of Aussie highway. Manic  Street Preachers  | “Australia” Australia via the Manics as a restorative retreat: “Sleep for a while and speak no words in Australia…” The Go-Betweens | “Cattle and Cane” Strummy modern folk-pop ditty about sugar-cane farming in the land down under. Yothu Yindi | “Treaty” World/tribal music meets radio pop in this song about Australia’s indigeneous Aboriginals. Hugh Jackman | “I Still Call Australia Home” Yes, it’s corny. Yes, it’s from a Broadway musical. But it’s sincere, and dammit, it’s sung by...

OK Go | This Will Be Our Year OK Go’s cover version of this old Zombies song is as zingy and zippy as a Rube Goldberg machine. Regina Spektor | My Dear Acquaintance [A Happy New Year] With its retrofied sound and simple, pretty, piano-graced melody, this is an instant indie classic. U2 | New Year’s Day Serious subject matter transformed into a message-song that’s jubilant and arena-ready. Harry Connick | What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? Sinatra for the modern age, Connick’s take on this standard is an appealing and authentic one. Rufus Wainwright | What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve Pseudo-Sinatra not quite your style?  Get modern with Wainwright’s piano-based version. Death Cab for Cutie | The New Year A new year’s track for you emo kids, with nifty lyrics on the end about map-folding as a means of transit. The Go Find | The New Year Danceable electro-pop peppy enough to make your shoes go dancing without you. Just sayin’. Graham Colton | New Years Resolution This under-the-radar singer-songwriter croons you a heartfelt new year’s breakup song. Thievery Corporation | Resolution Since this is an instrumental, there’ll be no bossy electronica band telling you what to do this year, thank you very much. The Kinks | Better Things Actual good-fortune-to-you wishes from the archetypal English Mod rockers themselves. The Beach Boys | Auld Lang Syne Hey, it’s supposed to sound old-school!  Be grateful we didn’t pick the Mariah Carey version. R.E.M. | It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Given that 2012 is being largely hyped as the year of Doom, who better to sing us out than R.E.M.? Any additional songs you think should be part of this PyxMix?  Add them...