Over the years, I’ve made it a habit to put together a mix tape/CD/download/stream [delete according to era / preference] to celebrate Easter, the vernal equinox, the coming of spring, and all that good stuff.
So, here is this year’s one, compiled using the foolproof methods of, a) walking around my local area on sunny afternoons with my mp3 player set to shuffle, b) picking songs with a connection to the preceding song, and letting good old fashioned mixtape alchemy to the rest.
As is traditional for these spring comps, proceedings begin on a positive note with a few upbeat numbers, but this year, things swiftly descend into anxiety and uncertainty… gee, I wonder why?… concluding with a lengthy stretch of galactic melancholy.
Just to be absolutely clear, the Doves who perform track # 2 are NOT the impossibly boring Mancunian indie band of the same name, but were actually recording in Nigeria circa the early ‘70s. Other cuts meanwhile take us to Cambodia, South Africa, several distinct areas of London, pre-revolutionary Persia and some of the more welcoming corners of North America, with a few additional bits of eerie English suburban weirdness peeking through the curtains from time to time.
Also includes socio-political angst expressed via the means of a 12 minute cover of a David Crosby song. You’ve been warned.
For better or for worse, the folky / pagan feel which often imbues these comps seems to have taken a year off, and as you will note, the image on the cover is taken from William Peter Blatty’s film ‘The Ninth Configuration’, which I spent some time pondering (“watching” doesn’t quite seem the right verb) over the new year. Mainly chosen just because it’s such a great visual pun on the title, nothing deeper than that intended, and warmest regards to the holy Elevators for originating the phrase & concept, as always.
EASTER EVERYWHERE 2026:
Fogroom & Dolly Dolly - Clock Tower
The Doves - Flying Bird
Korng Phnao & Pan Ron - Pnhaeu Samnieng
Twink - 10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box
New Age Steppers - My Whole World
Weak Signal - Names
Bardo Pond - What Are Their Names?
The Heartwood Institute - Shepperton
Yugen Blakrok - The Grand Geode [feat. Sa-Roc]
Ron Eliran - Sky Dust Drifter
Googoosh - Talagh
Tara, Brooke & Nathalie - Vale
Belbury Poly - Time Scale
Yo La Tengo - Miles Away
The Bevis Frond - God Speed You To Earth
There are two ways to listen to this comp - I’ve uploaded it to my old Mixcloud account for streaming here, and have uploaded a .zip of mp3s for download here. Enjoy.
Meanwhile, wishing you all a happy Easter holiday (assuming you’re having a holiday), and hoping the coming spring brings sunshine, positivity, feelings of sacrifice and rebirth and so on, the way it was supposed to before we post-industrial humans started tinkering with it.