Artist	Song
R.E.M.	Finest Worksong (Mutual Drum Horn Mix)
from Eponymous Did R.E.M. record "Finest Worksong" with the horns in mind, or was it a cynical touch by some producer when it was time to release the single? It reads as a brilliant move, though, 22 years later.
Sonic Youth	Reena
from Rather Ripped I'm of two minds about "Reena"--such a simple song for Sonic Youth--but the fact that I can't get it out of my head two years on settles it for me.
Yo La Tengo	Moby Octopad
from I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One Ditto "Moby Octopad," which is less a song than an extended riff, but no less brilliant for that.
The Long Winters	Scared Straight
from When I Pretend to Fall "Scared Straight," on the other hand, is a song, and a flipping brilliant one. And the horns alone are worth the price of admission.
The J.B.s	Hot Pants Road
from Pass the Peas: The Best of the J.B.s The horns also provide a great segue into "Hot Pants Road," which makes a very nice segue into "I'll Take You There."
The Staple Singers	I'll Take You There
M. Ward	Helicopter
from Transfiguration of Vincent A nice little singer songwriter set--"Helicopter," Paul Simon's "Beautiful," "Cello Song"--follows.
Paul Simon	Beautiful
from Surprise Neatly captures the joy, excitement, and panic of the arrival of a new child, wrapped up in a little parable about adoption.
Nick Drake	Cello Song
from Five Leaves Left Misleadingly lovely melody with lyrics that wouldn't be out of place in Poe.
Field Music	It's Not the Only Way to Feel Happy
from Field Music The psychosexual set.
Big Star	Thirteen
from #1 Album Big Star have gone on record as saying that this whole album was written from the point of view of a teenager, which makes this ode to young love touching rather than creepy.
My Morning Jacket	Hopefully
from At Dawn (2001) A tender love song.
Antony and the Johnsons	Fistful of Love
from I Am a Bird Now Only Lou Reed could set up this song, a paean to alternative sexuality by the great Antony.
Tindersticks	No Man in the World
from Can Our Love... The lyrics for this suggest the song should really be followed by "Love --> Building on Fire," but the music is a slow burn of its own in a completely different direction.
Tim Buckley	Happy Time
from Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley Anthology Did Tim Buckley ever write a more joyful song about the life of an itinerant songwriter?
Neko Case	People Got a Lotta Nerve
from Middle Cyclone We always hurt the ones we love, especially when we don't acknowledge how wild they really can be.
Van Morrison	Sweet Thing
from Astral Weeks Possibly the greatest song of all time. How did I miss out on "Astral Weeks" for all this time?
Pernice Brothers	Number Two
from Yours, Mine and Ours A simultaneously wistful and angry love song with a happy melody.

Comment:

The aftermath of a big flood feels like the right time to publish my first mix in about six months. Happy time is one part of a two part mix. This time, I might not ever get around to part two, because it's the downside of this mix, and I'm enjoying the happy side too much.

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