Mixtape Diaries, Vol. 5
I’m currently in the middle of making a new mixtape for my music blog, Green Bananas. This is the fifth in a series of diary-style blog posts documenting the mixtape-making process.
Here are the previous entries:
February 9, 2026
Back at it:
“Valleys” could work third.
Trying “We’ve Been Had” third.
I think “Become Someone Else’s” actually might transfer into Walkmen better.
This can roll into “Manhattan,” perhaps. Which can roll into “Magnetized.” This was all an effort to get into “Love Takes Miles” a little earlier, but now it’s sitting in the 7 spot. But maybe it will work.
I think I’m close to getting this chunk down. I just need the connective tissue between “Magnetized” and “AUATC.” This feels like the right way to go.
Going back to the Bucket to see if anything I moved past might be a good fit.
Created Echoes 5 to do some more wild experiments with the sequencing. Going to keep Echoes 4 locked where it is so I can come back to it if the experiments fail.
The opening to “Magnetized” might just be too jarring. Going to try to lose it and see if anything else smoothly flows into “Love Takes Miles.”
Maybe moving “Wings” up to the three spot? Nah, doesn’t really work.
Maybe moving “Love Takes Miles” back up to after “AUATC.” That snapped a lot of things into place. This all fell into line very quickly.
Ah! “The Lottery Song” — It just hit me after listening to “Northern Sky.” That piano sound. And it’s very “us-against-the-world.” Thought it might already be on a mixtape, but it’s not. It was in the bucket for a different mix. Going to explore there for more songs.
Does Emmitt Rhodes have a home on this playlist? Gut is saying no.
February 10, 2026
“Manhattan” must be on here. Looking for a spot. Find it after “Plastic Soul,” which seems to run into “Become Someone Else’s” relatively seamlessly.
Walkmen could slide ahead of it. Tone would probably be cleaner that way.
Could run Jens near the end to pick it back up again. In fact it could be the closer. That little piano flourish at the end is great.
Pulling Beach House in after “I’ll Come Running.”
The fade in and out on “Take Care” is pretty substantial. I think that’s why I keep finding it hard to slot into the middle of the mix. But “Take Care” is the closer on Teen Dream, so I don’t want to repurpose it there.
Maybe it should go after “Little Eyes.” That song feels quiet, but the drums hit harder than you think.
Yes! It’s actually a great fit. They almost seamlessly transition. I didn’t see this earlier, but it’s great because it plays “Take Care” as a pick-me-up and not a downer.
“Precious Sight” doesn’t seem to not work after this.
I’m now sitting at 1 hour 1 min. The odd man out here is “Valleys (My Love).” It could slot in with “Lottery Song” or “Me & Magdalena” but I’m not sure it’s adding anything.
I also feel like I’m missing something. I always pull in something new at the last minute. The finishing touch. Right now it’s looking like it’s going to be something that’s 3 minutes or less.
For fun, I asked ChatGPT “which song doesn’t belong here” and it told me:
Most of these artists live in the same indie / singer-songwriter / soft-alt universe — Bon Iver, Yo La Tengo, Beach House, Cat Power, The Walkmen, Jens Lekman, Whitney, etc. Even the older inclusions (Nick Drake, Harry Nilsson, Brian Eno) are canonical touchstones for that scene.
The one that sticks out is: “Me & Magdalena” – The Monkees
Why?
- The Monkees are historically a 1960s manufactured pop TV band.
- They’re the only act here primarily associated with mainstream bubblegum pop rather than indie/alternative lineage.
- Even though that particular song (written by Ben Gibbard) fits sonically, the band identity breaks the pattern.
Everything else comfortably sits in the indie/folk/alt continuum. So: The Monkees track doesn’t belong.
There really isn’t a wrong answer to this question, but this is the wrong answer. Or at least it has the wrong reasons. The AI is locked in on some perceived pattern of “band identity,” but that is irrelevant to me. Moreover, it doesn’t matter if they’re primarily associated with “bubblegum pop” when the song in question falls squarely on the AI’s identified
indie/folk/alt continuum.”
Continuing the experiment, I asked ChatGPT what it thought about the sequencing. It actually offered some insightful feedback:
1–4 (Wet → Bon Iver → Cameron Winter → Wings) Nice opening stretch. Intimate, slightly modern indie. It eases in well. “Wings” gives a subtle lift without breaking tone.
5–7 (Mondo Cozmo → Cat Power → The Walkmen) This is your most mid-tempo pocket. It’s solid, but it slightly flattens dynamically. Three songs in a similar emotional register. You might consider swapping one of these later to create contrast.
8 (Brian Eno) Great placement. A tonal reset. “I’ll Come Running” works like a clearing of the air. Smart pivot.
9–11 (Yo La Tengo → Beach House → Richard Hawley) Beautiful run. Probably the strongest sequence on the list. It deepens the mood without getting heavy.
12 (“Northern Sky”) Perfect late-album glow. This feels like the emotional thesis statement. Honestly, this could even be your closer.
13–16 (Nilsson → Monkees → Jens Lekman → Whitney) This is where it loosens up a bit. Nilsson adds charm. Monkees lightens things. Jens keeps it clever. Whitney is a gentle fade. It’s pleasant — but after “Northern Sky,” the emotional arc feels like it already resolved. The last four feel like a postscript rather than a destination.
If this were mine, I’d consider:
- Moving “Northern Sky” to 16 as the closer.
- Or trimming one of the lighter late tracks to give the ending more gravity.
- Or shifting Jens earlier to break up the mid-album sameness.
Overall: Mood cohesion: 9/10 Dynamic range: 6.5/10 Emotional arc: strong, but peaks slightly early.
What’s the intended vibe — morning, dusk, heartbreak, road trip, something else?
So, it does kind of feel like “Northern Sky” more or less resolves the mix. It’s not necessarily the only ending for this mixtape, but it certainly could be one ending for this mixtape.
The three songs that follow “Northern Sky” do seem like a bit of an afterthought. This is a common trap with a mixtapes. You carelessly tack on a couple songs to the end and the whole thing kind of falls apart in the third act. It’s not always apparent while you’re making a mix. Sometimes I don’t see it until I get some distance—a year or two later.
One thing that really helps here is limiting mixtapes to 60 minutes. Technically, some cassette tapes could hold 90 minutes. I used to limit myself to 80 minutes for some reason. But the last 20 minutes of the mixtapes routinely became their own little coda.
I don’t know if that’s what’s happening with this mixtape. But it’s certainly possible. Going to try and take sometime to let it simmer.
Had an idea ➝ “Become Someone Else’s” running right into “Coffee In The Morning.” So, opening with “Lottery Song” into “Me & Magdalena” into Jens. Then we pick up where the mix currently starts.
Eh. I don’t love it. It might technically flow together, but it’s not the right tone for the opener.
I think I’m missing an ingredient. It’s not just the AI—I don’t want to let it get in my head—but this is a feeling that I normally get when I’m shaping the corners of the mix.
Going back to the Bucket and sorting by Duration. Need something short and sweet here to give it a little kick.
- Maybe “Pale Horse” by Truman Sinclair?
Between February 11–18
Some thoughts on the theme:
- It’s about love in the shadow of power.
- Power imbalance
- Love as the greatest weapon
- Small lives in the shadow of bigger things
- It’s not not about New York
- Keeping the light
- Making the small things big
February 18, 2026
Digging for songs for my Music League—which is a topic for another time—and rediscovered “Where’d All The Time Go?” by Dr. Dog, which incorporates a little bit of that sound I’m looking for here.
February 19, 2026
Not sure “Where’d All The Time Go?” is going to have a home here. It also makes the mix a minute too long, which is not a huge deal. I think I need something to elevate the end of the mix and this doesn’t seem to slot in there.
February 27, 2026
At the end of the mix, I always need one final ingredient. There’s always one missing song. And I think I may have found it. “Strange Powers” by Magnetic Fields must be the answer.
This might be the missing ingredient. I think I didn’t consider it earlier because I thought I had already used it before in a previous mixtape. But it seems I haven’t.
It’s got all the ingredients I need to tie this thing together. It’s got that dreamy quality. It’s about dreaming. It’s about New York. And it’s also about Vegas.
This is important because it bolsters the closing movement of the mix. I’ve come to agree with GPT that the end of the mix does feel a little tacked on. Here’s where it currently stands:
- “Northern Sky” — Nick Drake
- “The Lottery Song” — Harry Nilsson
- “Me & Magdalena” — The Monkees
- “Become Someone Else’s” — Jens Lekman
“Northern Sky” does feel like a natural ending for the mix. If it’s going to continue beyond that, it has to be tied more organically into the rest of the mix. It can’t be a substantial departure. The songs from Nilsson and the Monkees don’t necessarily feel like a major departure, but they need a little more grounding.
The Vegas reference in “Strange Powers” now ties into the Vegas reference in “The Lottery Song.” And now this thread of “down on your luck, us against the world” is a little more prominent.
Problem ➝ I don’t think “Strange Powers” fits in the back end of the mix. The start and ending of the song are too jarring. I think it most naturally fits after “We’ve Been Had” and before “I’ll Come Running.” The transition into “I’ll Come Running” was always kind of an afterthought. So this might make it come off as a little more organic. Moreover, it now creates a block of three New York songs:
- “Manhattan”
- “We’ve Been Had”
- “Strange Powers”
And instead of the Vegas references being loaded up together in the back half, this earlier Vegas reference is now a little foreshadowing. Maybe “The Lottery Song” will seem a little less jarring now.
Scheduling update ➝ The Valentine's deadline has come and gone. The good news is that, while it sounds like it came from Robert Ludlum, it was actually self-imposed. Moreover, this mix now has a more prominent thread about fortune and luck. It may not feel so out of place around St. Patrick's Day.
I think all this needs now is a title, a cover, a write-up, and another listen or two.
Wait! I’m working on tidying up an old Mixtape Diary entry. I listen to “Many Years Later” by Green-House, which has long been on the cutting room floor. And what does the algorithm greet me with? “Oolong” by Omni Gardens.
This is much closer to something I would consider including here. It’s less sonically harsh than “Many Years Later.” And it even has a little tape delay in there. Is this worthwhile? Or is this just the siren’s song?
There’s also a little time travel element to this. Like, this is occurring over generations.
Shower.
During a shower listen, I reconsider “Overlord” by Dirty Projectors.
Could this song rescue the ending? It keeps getting stuck in my head. It could work in his mix. It is a satire of fascism—which is just the kind of imposing force that might be keeping the collection of lovers in this mixtape down. The song is beautiful enough to fit the mix, too.
I think my issue with it is that at no other point in this mix is a voice given to the oppressing force. It’s vague, but certainly there. Would “Overlord” by the moment where Jaws first appears on screen?
Perhaps if this mix had otherwise established a more third person point of view. But everything is really very first person. I’m not sure how I feel about adding this voice to the story.
But do not underestimate the power of the shower. This wasn’t my only breakthrough. “Overlord” appears on Dirty Projectors’ double-album EP5, which I never really gave enough attention to. But this time around, I come across “Lose Your Love,” which is really grabbing my attention. Could be a great fit.
I already know it probably won’t fit at the end. However, it could push me to lose either “Lottery” or “Magdalena,” and that might do enough to ease up that feeling of departure. One song is a flourish. Two songs is a statement.
Before I start tinkering and messing around, here’s Echoes 6.
Creating Echoes 7.
New playlist. Now I feel a little more free to play around.
“Lose Your Love” would fit pretty well between “Wings” and “Plastic Soul.” It could also play after “Plastic Soul” and run right into “Manhattan.”
I cannot figure out where “Oolong” would fit here.
Meandering through some music again. Hearing “Born Under a Bad Sign” by Richard Hawley and wondering if that’s a more appropriate selection than “Precious Sight,” which I currently have slotted in the 13 spot.
And suddenly this mix is coming unwound.
Wondering if it should end on “Northern Sky.” If I’m dropping “Magdalena” — which seems more likely than losing “Lottery” — then I only have to fold “Lottery” and “Become Someone Else’s” earlier into the mix.
The catch: the easiest way to end a mix is to throw some quieter, slower, more contemplative songs at the end of the mix. It’s not an ending, so much as it’s the slow fade. I don’t love doing this if I don’t have to. But maybe that’s what this mix is calling for. ✱
More on mixtapes: