So. Sixty degree days. Semi-regular sunshine. Tiger’s game this Wednesday afternoon. Spring game this weekend. Things are looking up, at least seasonally speaking, which certainly calls for some mix tape love on behalf of the halcyon days we’re currently swimming in—god knows, living in Michigan, they’ll be gone sooner rather than later.

Anyhoo, to make the cut, songs had to be on the short side (≤ 3 minutes), instrumentally adventurous (but not obnoxiously so), and obviously chock full of blithe. Extra points were awarded to tracks referencing sunshine, rabbits, or Denard Robinson; points deducted for even passing allusions to snow, winter, or the Fall 2011 catalog from the University of Michigan Press (seriously, ARGH!!). These criteria in mind, I began pulling potentials and quickly realized I could save mucho tiempo by just drawing directly from the Elephant Six catalog—definitely my go to soundtrack for the not quite t-shirt weather I’ve so longed for the last three months. While I’m a pretty big fan of most of the bands falling under the patchwork umbrella of the E6 collective, I decided to stick with what most would consider the label’s Big 5: Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples (in Stereo), of Montreal, Beulah, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Familiar as these guys are to certain members of Team Slayer, I tried spicing the set up with some deeper cuts to (hopefully) keep things fresh—this is a Spring Mix after all….