What do you do with songs you adore but can’t file anywhere? That was the inspiration for Sam's 2026 birthday mix. He shares with Matt everything from TV themes that outshine their shows, soundtrack deep cuts that became life markers, long builds that earn their intensity, and genre-bending grooves that defy labels.

We start with Benjamin Clementine’s Nemesis and the power of a great intro to set tone and memory, then shift to Regina Spektor’s reminder not to confuse sugar with love. A Nike-era earworm from Crystal Fighters and Puscifer’s Grand Canyon showcase how movement and mood can make a song feel cinematic. Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Possess Your Heart proves the four-minute intro isn’t excess—it’s obsession rendered in sound. Passion Pit reframes a Smashing Pumpkins classic into a floating, nerve-steadying cover, while Anderson .Paak’s Till It’s Over blooms from grayscale to neon like a perfect post-work reset.

Meg Washington’s How to Tame Lions hooks by tone and clever wordplay even when meaning stays elusive. Del Castillo lights up the room with blistering Spanish guitar, conjuring old west horizons without a single frame of film. Lorde’s A World Alone lands a painfully true line about growing up online. Mr. Scruff’s Get a Move On becomes the exact soundtrack to your morning routine. And Zero 7’s Likufanele closes with a hypnotic chant that turns focus into flow.

If you enjoyed the ride, share the episode with a friend, subscribe for more curated mixes, and leave a five-star review to help us climb to number one by episode 200.

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/sam-sam-birthday-2026-mix/pl.u-9DX3du7dDK4b

1. Nemesis - Benjamin Clementine
2. SugarMan - Regina Spektor
3. Follow - Crystal Fighters
4. Grand Canyon - Puscifer
5. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie
6. Tonight, Tonight - Passion Pit
7. ‘Til It’s Over - Anderson Paak
8. How To Tame Lions - Meg Washington
9. El Corrido De Don Lulai - Del Castillo
10. A World Alone - Lorde
11. Get A Move On! - Mr. Scruff
12. Likufanele - Zero 7

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This week's Mixtape Rewind takes us back to season 2 where we started off looking at second albums from artists. We pull from a wide spectrum—Bowie and Springsteen, Weezer and George Strait, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino and AJR, Vampire Weekend, All-American Rejects, Foo Fighters, and Kanye—to map the patterns behind sophomore success. The result is a guided, story-rich playlist that shows how voice, risk, and timing can turn “album two” into the real breakthrough.

We start with liftoff—David Bowie’s Space Oddity—then punch into the live-wire storytelling of Springsteen’s Rosalita. From there, the conversation pivots to reinvention: Weezer’s Pinkerton, once dismissed, now revered for its raw edge; George Strait’s grounded homesickness that proves classic country doesn’t need novelty to resonate; and Macklemore’s Thrift Shop, which became a phenomenon by celebrating thrift finds instead of luxury culture. You’ll hear how Kacey Musgraves’ Biscuits distills social wisdom into wry, singable lines, and how Childish Gambino’s 3005 pairs melodic pull with a search for purpose that gives the hook real weight.

We dig into narrative and craft, too. AJR’s Netflix Trip turns The Office into a memory map for growing up, while Vampire Weekend’s Horchata blends intricate arrangements with playful rhyme in a way that feels both brainy and breezy. Rock anchors the back half: All-American Rejects deliver a straight-shot hook with Dirty Little Secret, and Foo Fighters’ Everlong crystallizes the band’s identity as they evolve from a one-man debut to a full-force collective. We close on Kanye’s Gone, a late-album standout from Late Registration that proves the deepest cuts often hold the longest fuse.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/78UWWKd8DuntJfsrnJRWEn?si=Jw_1rDNCQkGJFe1PONg-6A

1. Space Oddity by David Bowie
2. Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen
3. The Good Life by Weezer
4. I Can’t See Texas From Here by George Strait
5. Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
6. Biscuits by Kacey Musgraves
7. 3005 by Childish Gambino
8. Netflix Trip by AJR
9. Horchata by Vampire Weekend
10. Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects
11. Everlong by Foo Fighteres
12. Gone by Kanye West

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New year, clean slate, and a mixtape that refuses to play it safe. We kick things off with ASAP Rocky’s Helicopter, a three‑minute charge from Don’t Be Dumb that sets a confident tone for a tightly curated run through surprise genres, sharp writing, and risky ideas. From there, we veer into Band of Heathens shifting into country textures, then drop into Iron and Wine’s porch‑warm melancholy and Anna of the North’s neon‑lit take on love bombing—two songs that hold the tension between wanting connection and protecting your heart.

We swing the mood with Gorillaz and Sparks on The Happy Dictator, a sing‑along satire that skewers savior posturing across politics and boardrooms. Then Baz Luhrmann’s team reassembles Elvis “DNA” into Wearing That Nightlife Look, all horns, gospel lift, and prime‑era presence. For a different kind of high, Illenium teams with Ryan Tedder on With Your Love, an EDM‑pop crossover built on sturdy songwriting and cathartic drops. We keep it playful with Chinese American Bear’s No No Yeah Yeah, a bilingual indie pop hook that’s all sunshine and earworm, before turning the amps back up with Silversun Pickups and their familiar, satisfying alt‑rock grit on The Wreckage.

Juliana Hatfield offers a gentle anthem for choosing yourself with Harmonizing With Myself—finding rhythm in solitude and reframing pain—then we take a bold detour into French rap with Ninho and Freeze Corleone, where flow and cadence carry the emotion beyond language. Finally, Logic bends format with The Ballad of Rooster Jenkins, a long‑form narrative that spends seven minutes building a world before the beat lands, proving story can still command attention in a skip‑happy era.

Tap play, follow our Song of the Day for daily gems, and share this mix with a friend who needs a fresh soundtrack.

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/sam-2026-january-new-music/pl.u-e2kEmIWl941Y

1. Helicopter - A$AP Rocky

2. High on our Supply - The Band of Heathens

3. In Your Ocean - Iron & Wine

4. Waiting for Love - Anna of the North

5. The Happy Dictator - Gorillaz featuring Sparks

6. Wearin That Night Life Look - Elvis Presley & Jamieson Shaw

7. With Your Love - Illenium & Ryan Tedder

8. No No Yeah Yeah - Chinese American Bear

9. The Wreckage - Silversun Pickups

10. Harmonizing with Myself - Juliana Hatfield

11. Dictionnaires - Ninho & Freeze Corleone

12. The Ballad of Rooster Jenkins - Logic

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Visit us at https://www.superawesomemix.com to learn more about our app, our merchandise, our cards, and more!