Pitchfork

As far as the arts are concerned, the Art of the Mixtape wasn't a difficult one to master. For cassettes and CDs, it mostly came down to a set of semi-arbitrary personal guidelines, a little common sense, and, if you were truly dedicated, obsessive sequencing and hand-crafted artwork. The possibilities of near-limitless storage, however, have since changed the ground rules. In the past few years, the format has evolved to encompass sprawling homemade box sets, Acid-enhanced continuous mixes, and countless other variations. And yet, few have attempted to take truly ruthless advantage of the staggering capacity our iPods and hard drives provide.

Beginning today, Pitchfork intends to take this celebrated music geek custom a step further with the institution of a concept we've fantasized about for years: The Infinite Mixtape. Consisting of only the very best of our favorite new tracks, this endlessly expanding compilation kicks off with 21 free MP3s that've kicked our collective ass in 2006 so far. And again, that's just where it starts.

Of course, we recognize the challenge limitless capacity introduces: How to decide what not to include. Well, that's easy: Since the key to a great mix is potency, we're employing a strict no-filler policy, meaning rather than posting three tracks of garbage every day, we'll post just one addition every few days-- basically, whenever we hear something new that blows us away.

Yes, it's true that the fast-scrawled tracklists and dedication to thematic consistency that mixtapes once invited were always underrated crafts, but as far as we're concerned, the only principal that ever really mattered was cramming as much quality shit as you could into the space allotted by your chosen format. Elvis Costello was right: Not all good things come to an end.

[Note: Issues experienced this morning with certain MP3s not downloading have now been resolved. All MP3 links are now functional. Go crazy...]

#0001 > Boris: "Farewell"
[from Pink; Southern Lord]
Info: [Boris] | [Southern Lord]

#0002 > Band of Horses: "The Funeral"
[from Everything All at Once; Sub Pop]
Info: [Band of Horses Official] | [Myspace] | [Sub Pop]

#0003 > Asobi Seksu: "Thursday"
[from Citrus; Friendly Fire]
Info: [Asobi Seksu Official] | [Myspace] | [Friendly Fire]

#0004 > Figurines: "The Wonder"
[from Skeleton; The Control Group]
Info: [Figurines Official] | [Myspace] | [The Control Group]

#0005 > Meho Plaza: "The Beach"
[from Meho Plaza EP, Self-Released]
Info: [Meho Plaza Official] | [Myspace]

#0006 > Barbara Morgenstern: "The Operator (Single Edit)"
[from The Grass Is Always Greener; Monika]
Info: [Barbara Morgenstern Official] | [Myspace] | [Monika]

#0007 > I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness: "According to Plan"
[from Fear Is on Our Side; Secretly Canadian]
Info: [I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness Official] | [Myspace] | [Secretly Canadian]

#0008 > Sunset Rubdown: "Stadiums and Shrines II"
[from Shut Up I Am Dreaming; Absolutely Kosher]
Info: [Sunset Rubdown Official] | [Myspace] | [Absolutely Kosher]

#0009 > Neko Case: "Star Witness"
[from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood; Anti]
Info: [Neko Case Official] | [Myspace] | [Anti]

#0010 > Cat Power: "The Greatest"
[from The Greatest; Matador]
Info: [Cat Power @ Matador]

#0011 > Man Man: "Van Helsing Boombox"
[from Six Demon Bag; Ace Fu]
Info: [Man Man Official] | [Myspace] | [Ace Fu]

#0012 > Beirut: "Postcards From Italy"
[from Gulag Orkestar; Ba Da Bing!]
Info: [Beirut Official] | [Myspace] | [Ba Da Bing!]

#0013 > Petra Haden: "God Only Knows"
[MP3-only; Self-Released]
Info: [Petra Haden Official] | [Myspace]

#0014 > Destroyer: "European Oils"
[from Destroyer's Rubies; Merge]
Info: [Destroyer Myspace] | [Merge]

#0015 > Voxtrot: "Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives"
[from Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP; Cult Hero]
Info: [Voxtrot Official] | [Myspace]

#0016 > Mission of Burma: "2wice"
[from The Obliterati; Matador]
Info: [Mission of Burma @ Matador]

#0017 > Ladyhawk: "The Dugout"
[from Ladyhawk; Jagjaguwar]
Info: [Ladyhawk Official] | [Myspace] | [Jagjaguwar]

#0018 > El Perro del Mar: "Party"
[from El Perro del Mar; Memphis Industries]
Info: [El Perro del Mar Official] | [Myspace] | [Memphis Industries]

#0019 > Danielson: "Time That Bald Sexton"
[from Ships; Secretly Canadian]
Info: [Danielson Official] | [Myspace] | [Secretly Canadian]

#0020 > Belle & Sebastian: "Another Sunny Day"
[from The Life Pursuit; Matador]
Info: [Belle & Sebastian @ Matador]

#0021 > Camera Obscura: "Let's Get Out of This Country"
[from Let's Get Out of This Country; Merge]
Info: [Camera Obscura Official] | [Myspace] | [Merge]