DB Mix Series 12 - Animal Magic

It's the 16th day of the month and it's been three months since the last DB Mix was posted, so we've got two killer new mixes for you! Read on to be seduced by the sounds of DB Mix Series 12 – Animal Magic!

For those unfamiliar with these music challenges—my cousin Bryan and I alternately choose a concept, we each choose the allotted number of songs (from our MP3 collections), make a playlist, share with each other, then I mix the playlists, design the album art, and share with everyone! You can check out the previous DB Mixes here.

The concept this time was chosen by me—22 songs with animal names in the titles. The rules I set were as follows: 

- Any kind of animal is allowed—mammals, birds, insects, fish, etc.

- Each animal name can only be used once.

- Scientific versions of names of animals are allowed, as well as common names, slang, and foreign names.

- Any genre of music is allowed and soundtrack/score songs are allowed, as are songs from singles/EPs.

- Use of the word “animal” or “mammal” or “bird” or “insect” or “fish” (etc.) in a song title is allowed once.

- No use of Peter Gabriel’s “Animal Magic” (a great song from his second self-titled LP), as it was to be the title of this series.

To recap our main rule—we never tell each other which songs we are going to pick, so the other's mix is always a surprise. We happen to have a lot of the same artists/songs in our respective (and large) music libraries and we often share artists/songs, so sometimes we choose the same songs or artists for these mixes.

Though it wasn't required, Bryan's mix includes artists that also have animal names in them—Bush Tetras, Eels, Danger Mouse, and, if you want to count it, Greg Hawkes (of The Cars fame). As animal artists go, my mix also included Hawkes (the only identical artist and song that we both used), as well as Radio Birdman. The only similar animals that we both used were llama, shark, lion, and snake. Bryan started his mix with a song that uses the word "animal" and I ended mine likewise. Bryan used one song from a score and I used two. As always, it's fun when each mix is unique and when we both choose a few artists and/or songs that the other is unfamiliar with. Hopefully there are some new-to-you tracks in both our mixes as well—please enjoy and share!

To download the MP3s and cover art for both comps, go here: https://tinyurl.com/dbms12am