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Isn't the economy grand? Christmas is bound to be smaller for just about everyone this year, what with the present/pending financial apocalypse, and "creative" (read: cheap/free) gifts will be popping up under trees and in stockings and wherever it is that Hanukkah presents show up. So for those of you making cards and cookies and wrapping used books to give to your loved ones, here's an idea: a good, old-fashioned mixtape.

Now granted, the term mixtape is pretty old-fashioned to begin with, and a hand-labeled cassette probably won't get any actual use (a cassette will most likely elicit a nostalgic grin from anyone over twenty-five and a "what the crap is this thing" look from the under twenty-five set), but if you are game, Ground Control has a few suggestions. Whether it's metal, punk, hip-hop or cardigan-clad indie rock (or dance, folk, pop, etc.), the following mixtapes have one thing in common--they're all filled with some of the best songs of 2008. And hell, we'll even get your mixtape started with an absolute ton of mp3s to download. So what are you waiting for?

Mark Ziemke
1. “I Wasn’t Made for Fighting” – Woodhands – Heart Attack – [band] – [mp3]
2. “Nowheres Nigh” – Parts & Labor – Receivers – [band] – [mp3]
3. "The Geeks Were Right (Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix)" – The Faint – [band] – [mp3]
4. “Tyrants” – Black Mountain – In The Future – [band] – [mp3]
5. “Ghost Town” – Shiny Toy Guns – Season of Poison – [band]
6. “Jump in the Pool” – Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires – [band] – [mp3]
7. “Move (Cut Copy Remix)” – CSS – [band] – [mp3]
8. “Girls & Boys” – The Subways – All or Nothing – [band]
9. “SFO” – French Miami – French Miami – [band] – [mp3]
10. “Magick” – Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cardinolgy – [band]
11. “Happens To Us All Otherwise” – Bound Stems – The Family Afloat – [band] – [mp3]
12. “Mercury” – Bloc Party – Intimacy – [band] – [mp3]

 Aaron Autrand
1. "Oboes Bleat and Triangles Tink" – Say Hi – The Wishes and the Glitch – [band]
2. "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" – Annie – I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me Single – [band]
3. "I'm Innocent" – Murs – Murs for President – [band]
4. "Tessellate" – Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell – [band]  – [mp3]
5. "Against Privacy" – Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty – [band]
6. "Donde Esta La Playa" – Walkmen – You & Me – [band]
7. "Sister Saves" – Aushua – No Harm Done – [band] – [mp3]
8. "We Made Our Way, We Amtrakked" – Pas/CAL – I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke and Laura – [band]
9. "Working Part Time" – The Henry Clay People – For Cheap or For Free – [band] – [mp3]
10. "The Opening Title Sequence" – Wale – The Mixtape About Nothing – [band] – [mp3]
11. "Crazy All Over Again" – Starpower – The Petting Zoo – [band] – [mp3]
12. "Lost Wisdom" – Mount Eerie – Lost Wisdom – [band] 

Press McGee
1. "Black Patch War" – Common Market – Black Patch War – [band] – [mp3]
2. "Illuminated Red" – The Accidental – There Were Wolves – [band] – [mp3]
3. “Oh Man” – Sybris – Into the Trees – [band] – [mp3]
4. “10 Song” – Bruiser – Rightbeforethestopahead – [band] – [mp3]
5. “Buried Alive” – Motorhead – Motorizer – [band]
6. “The Rat” – Dead Confederate – Wrecking Ball – [band] – [mp3]
7. "Song to Bobby" – Cat Power – Jukebox – [band]
8. "The Hollows" – Why? – Alopecia – [band] – [mp3]
9. "Ready (Brand New Day)" – 9th Wonder & Buckshot – The Formula – [band]
10. "White Winter Hymnal" – Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – [band] – [mp3]
11. "Bare Feet on Wet Griptape" – Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane – [band]
12. "Mr. Pitiful" – Matt Costa – Unfamiliar Faces – [band] – [mp3]

Ollie Mikse
1. “Don’t Wanna Be Right” – LaGrecia – On Parallels – [band]
2. “AMERICASPREMIERFAITHBASEDINITIATIVE” – Dillinger Four – C I V I L W A R – [band] – [mp3]
3. “Days Of Last” – Fucked Up – Chemistry of Common Life – [band]
4. “Rangement” – Drag The River – You Can’t Live This Way – [band]
5. “Midnight Man” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! – [band]
6. “Oxford Comma” – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend – [band] – [mp3]
7. “Get Some Sleep” – Lemuria – Get Better – [band] – [mp3]
8. “Jus’ Folks” – Bananas – New Animals – [band]
9. “Severance” – Paint It Black – New Lexicon – [band]
10. “The Johnny Carcinogenic Show” – Billy Bragg – Mr. Love & Justice – [band]
11. “Anna is a Stool Pigeon” – Tom Gabel – Heart Buns – [band]
12. “Lupe’s Fault” – OnGuard – This Has Its Price and That Price Has Been Paid – [band]

Bill Adams
1. “The One With ‘Kid’” – Local H – Twelve Angry Months – [band]
2. “Hard Feelings” – The Constantines – Kensington Heights – [band] – [mp3]
3. “Rum & Tequila” – The Tom Fun Orchestra – You Will Land With A Thud – [band]
4. “Cheap & Cheerful” – The Kills – Midnight Boom – [band]
5. “When It’s Blackout” – Black Lungs – Send Flowers – [band]
6. “Salute Your Solution” – The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely – [band] – [mp3]
7. “Entertainment” – Rise Against – Appeal To Reason – [band]
8. “Autoclave” – The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride – [band]
9. “Same Thing” – The Flobots – Fight With Tools – [band]
10. “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” – Los Campesinos! – We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed – [band]
11. “Grave Situation Pt. 1” – The Burning Hell – Happy Birthday – [band]
12. “Vigilante” or “My Guitar, My Undoing” – Priya Thomas – Is Blood Heron – [band]
13. “Great Expectations” – The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound – [band]
 ***Bonus Track “Can’t Hardly Wait” (electric outtake) – The Replacements – Tim (reissue) – [band]

Nicole Beckley
1. "Salute Your Solution" – The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely – [band] – [mp3]
2. "Juno" – Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell – [band] – [mp3]
3. "No Sunlight" – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs – [band]
4. "Dawn of the Dead" – Does it Offend You, Yeah? – You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into – [band]
5. "You Want the Candy" – The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust – [band]
6. "Geraldine" – Glasvegas – Glasvegas – [band]
7. "Gamma Ray" – Beck – Modern Guilt – [band] – [mp3]
8. "One Month Off" – Bloc Party – Intimacy – [band]
9. "Crimewave" – Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles – [band] - [mp3]
10. "Little Bit" – Lykke Li – Youth Novels – [band] – [mp3]
11. "Graveyard Girl" – M83 – Saturdays = Youth – [band] – [mp3]
12. "Sex on Fire" – Kings of Leon – Only By the Night – [band] – [mp3]

Tracy Nunnery
1. "Crying" – TV on the Radio – Dear Science – [band] – [mp3]
2. "Wasting" – CruelBlackDove – Full Powers EP – [band]
3. "Discipline" – NIN – The Slip – [band] – [mp3]
4. "Bleed" – Meshuggah – ObZen – [band]
5. "Don't Lie" – Monsters Are Waiting – Ones and Zeroes EP – [band]
6. "Ara Batur" – Sigur Rós – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust – [band]
7. "Echinacea" – Bell – Bell EP – [band] – [mp3]
8. "Graveyard Girl" – M83 – Saturdays=Youth – [band] – [mp3]
9. "Undone" – Bauhaus – Go Away White – [band]
10. "We Carry On" – Portishead – Third – [band]
11. "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" – The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead – [band] – [mp3]
12. "Seven Nation Army" – Nostalgia 77 – The Garden – [band] 

Chase Domergue
1. “Remember When (Side B)” – The Black Keys – Attack & Release – [band]
2. “Separate & Ever Deadly” – The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement – [band]
3. “Kim & Jessie” – m83 – Saturdays = Youth – [band]
4. “Shempi” – Ratatat – LP3 – [band]
5. “No Regrets” – King Khan & the Shrines – The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines – [band]
6. “Only You” – XX Teens – Welcome to Goon Island – [band]
7. “A Little Bit Cooler” – The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale – [band]
8. “Ezekiel Eats Red Hoodie” – The Bloody Beetroots – I love the Bloody Beetroots – [band]
9. “Volcano” – Beck – Modern Guilt – [band]
10. “Shout Me Out” – TV on the Radio – Dear Science – [band]
11. “Take It or Leave It (The Strokes cover)” – Arctic Monkeys – Covers Mixtape – [band] – [mp3]
12. “Dr. Carter” – Lil' Wayne – Tha Carter III – [band]
13. Honorable Mention: “Parisian Goldfish” – Flying Lotus – Los Angeles – [band]

John Barundia
1. “Put On” – Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West – The Recession – [band] – [mp3]
2. “Sleeper Hold” – No Age – Nouns – [band]
3. “Got Money” – Lil Wayne ft. T–Pain – The Carter III – [band]
4.  “Viva La Vida” – Coldplay – Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends) – [band]
5. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)” – Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce – [band]
6. “Blind” – Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair – [band]
7.  “The Feature Heavy Song” – Wale ft. Bun B & Pusha T – The Mixtape About Nothing – [band] – [mp3]
8. “Far Away” – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours – [band]
9. “Robocop” – Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak – [band]
10. “Ottoman” – Vampire Weekend –  Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack – [band] – [mp3]
11. “While You Wait For the Others” – Grizzly Bear – Morning Becomes Eclectic – [band] – [mp3]
12. “In The New Year” – The Walkmen – You & Me – [band] – [mp3]

Jenny Wittman
1. “Talk Like That” – The Presets – Apocalypso – [band]
2. “The Rip” – Portishead – Third – [band]
3. “Kids” – MGMT – Oracular Spectacular – [band]
4. “The Four of Us Are Dying” – Nine Inch Nails – The Slip – [band]
5. “The Hungry Ghost” – The Cure – 4:13 Dream – [band]
6. “Up!” –  M83 – Saturdays=Youth – [band]
7. “Gobbledigook” – Sigur Ros – meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust – [band] – [mp3]
8. “A & E” – Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree – [band]
9. “Gamma Ray” – Beck – Modern Guilt – [band] – [mp3]
10. “Impatience” – We Are Scientists – Brain Thrust Mastery – [band]
11. Stork & Owl – TV on the Radio – Dear Science – [band]
12. “L.E.S. Artistes” – Santogold – Santogold – [band]

Scott Schultz
1. "You Want the Candy" – Raveonettes – Lust, Lust, Lust – [band]
2. "Big Sea" – 5ive – Hesperus – [band]
3. "Blue Day" – Darker My Love – 2 – [band] – [mp3]
4. "The Sinking" – Crystal Stilts – Alight of Night – [band]
5. "Old Enough" – The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely – [band]
6. "Feed Your Mind" – Marty Wilson Piper – Nightjar – [band]
7. "The Misbegotten" –The Charlatans UK – You Cross My Path – [band]
8. "Ghosts" – Ladytron – Velocifero – [band]
9. "Hold on to Yourself" – Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! – [band]

Augustine Arredondo
1. “Tyrants” – Black Mountain – In The Future – [band] – [mp3]
2. “Nowheres Nigh” – Parts and Labor – Receivers – [band] – [mp3]
3. “Unattainable” – Little Joy – Little Joy – [band]
4. “House On the Borderland” – Electric Wizard – Split with Reverend Bizarre – [band]
5. “Tight Fit” – Cheap Time – Cheap Time – [band]
6. “Eraser “ – No Age – Nouns – [band] – [mp3]
7. “Crimewave” – Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH – Crystal Castles – [band] – [mp3]
8. “Machine Gun” – Portishead – Third – [band]
9. “Orcus’ Avarice” – Ancestors – Neptune With Fire – [band]
10. “Poor Jackie” – Man Man – Rabbit Habits – [band]
11. “Hexe” – Elder – Elder – [band]
12. “Today’s Lesson” – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! – [band]

Jennifer Nies
1. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" – Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant – [band]
2. "Walking on a Dream" – Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream – [band] – [mp3]
3. "Breaking It Up" – Lykke Li – Youth Novels – [band]
4. "Brown Trout Blues" – Johnny Flynn – A Larum – [band]
5. "Nobody Lost Nobody Found" – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colors – [band]
6. "You'll Find a Way" – Santogold – Santogold – [band]
7. "Gobbledigook" – Sigur Ros – meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust – [band] – [mp3]
8. "White Winter Hymnal" – Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant – [band] – [mp3]
9. "Unattainable" – Little Joy – Little Joy – [band]
10. "We Are the People" – Empire of the Sun – Empire of the Sun – [band]

Kyle Lemmon
1. "Blue Ridge Mountains" – Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes – [band]
2. "Graveyard Girl" – M83 – Saturdays=Youth – [band] – [mp3]
3. "Red and Purple" – The Dodos – Visitor – [band]
4. "Blind" – Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair – [band]
5. "Poor Jackie" – Man Man – Rabbit Habits – [band]
6. "Gobbledigook" – Sigur Rós – med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust – [band] – [mp3]
7. "Lights and Music" – Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours – [band] – [mp3]
8. "Dr. Carter " – Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter III – [band]
9. "Never Stops" – Deerhunter – Microcastle – [band]
10. "Moorestown" – Sun Kil Moon – April – [band]
11. "Dancing Choose" – TV On the Radio – Dear Science – [band]
12. "Eyne Road" – Toumani Diabaté – The Mandé Variations – [band]

Simon Cardoza – "I'm Not Poor No More" mix tape
1. "I'm Tired of Being A Man" – Manhattan Murder Mystery – 4 Song Demo – [band] 
2. "Chemtrails" – Beck – Modern Guilt – [band] – [mp3]
3. "Electric Feel" – MGMT – Oracular Spectacular – [band]
4. "Never Stops" – Deerhunter – Microcastle – [band]
5. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" – Black Kids – Partie Traumatic – [band] – [mp3]
6. "Violet Hill" – Coldplay – Viva La Vida – [band] – [mp3]
7. "Knights" – Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles – [band]         
8. "Oxford Comma" – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend – [band] – [mp3] 
9. "Loose Talk" – One Trick Pony – Full Of Life – [band]               
10. "Monumental Life" – The Movies – Based On A True Story – [band]  
11. "Long Division" – Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs – [band]
12. "Something Is Not Right With Me" – Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty – [band] – [mp3]

Kamron Ahmed
1. “Electric Feel” – MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
2. “Love Lockdown” – Kanye West – 808’s and Heartbreaks – [band]
3. “Jerk it” – Thunderheist – Jerk it EP – [band]
4. “Day N Night” – Kid Cudi – Day N Night EP – [band]
5. “Precinct” – Stanton Warriors – Stanton Warriors Sessions Vol III – [band]
6. “Dancer” – Woodhands – Heart Attack – [band] – [mp3]
7. “Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom)” – N.E.R.D – Seeing Sounds – [band] – [mp3]
8. “New Emissions of Light and Sound” – Sasha – The Emfire Collection (Disc 2) – [band]
9. “1967 Poem” – Junkie XL – Booming Back at You – [band]
10. “Precinct” – Stanton Warriors – Stanton Warriors Sessions Vol III – [band]
11. “Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Edit)/Bonus Beats/Needy Girl (acapella)” – DJ Medhi/Stanton Warriors/Chromeo – Stanton Warriors Sessions Vol III – [band]
12. “Ghetto Sing for Me” – Rude Kid – (Promo) – [band]

Raymond Ahner
1. "Dethroned" – Death Angel – Killing Season – [band]
2. "Eastern Woman" – Orchid – [band]
3. "Crooked Head" – Fucked Up – Chemistry Of Common Life – [band]
4. "More News From Nowhere" – Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! – [band]
5. "Nuke The Cross" – Toxic Holocaust – An Overdose Of Death – [band]
6. "Buried Alive" – Motörhead – Motörizer – [band]
7. "Black Crow On A Tombstone" –  Satyricon – The Age Of Nero – [band]
8. "More Than Meets The Eye" – Testament – The Formation Of Damnation – [band] – [mp3]
9. "Who Do You Trust" – Black President – Black President – [band]
10. "Narcotic Sea" – Saviours – Into Abaddon – [band]
11. "Death Only 2008" – In Slaughter Natives – [band]
12. "Wolf Down The Earth" – Gorjia – The Way Of All Flesh – [band]

Chelsea Lin
1. "Kids" – MGMT – Oracular Spectacular – [band]
2. "Cape Code Kwassa Kwassa" – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend – [band]
3. "Greener" – Tally Hall – Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum – [band]
4. "Lights Out" – Santogold – Santogold – [band]
5. "Tonight" – Lykke Li – Youth Novels – [band]
6. "Pot Kettle Black" – Tilly and the Wall – O – [band] – [mp3]
7. "Never Miss a Beat" – Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads – [band]
8. "I Will Possess Your Heart" – Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs – [band]
9. "Crack the Shutters" – Snow Patrol – A Hundred Million Suns – [band]
10. "Help Me" – Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony – [band]
11. "Valerie Plame" – The Decemberists – Always the Bridesmaid: Vol. 1 – [band]
12. (Honorable and Embarrassing Mention) "Hot N Cold" – Katy Perry – One of the Boys – [band]

Jon Pruett
1. "See/Saw" – Jay Reatard – Matador Singles 08 – [band] – [mp3]
2. "Tell the World" – Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls – [band] – [mp3]
3. "Everywhere There" – Sic Alps – US E.Z.  – [band]
4. "Wrapped Up" – Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Primary Colours – [band]
5. "Celebrate the Body Electric" – Ponytail – Ice Cream Spiritual – [band] – [mp3]
6. "No One Does It Like You" – Department of Eagles – In Ear Park – [band] – [mp3]
7. "Flume" – Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago – [band]
8. "Foam Hands" – Destroyer – Trouble in Dreams – [band] – [mp3]
9. "Another World" – Antony & the Johnsons – Another World EP – [band] – [mp3]
10. "Hologram Buffalo" – Brightblack Morning Light – Motion to Rejoin – [band] – [mp3]
11. "Buenos Matrimonios Ahi Fuera" – El Guincho – Alegranza – [band]
12. "The Manly Vibe" – Endless Boogie – Focus Level – [band]

Matt Dupree – “Breaking Up With Indie” mix tape
1. “Shooting Stars” – Bag Raiders – Turbo Love – [band]
2. “Cold Shoulder (Basement Jaxx Remix)” – Adele – Cold Shoulder – [band]
3. “Thou Shalt Always Kill” – Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip – Angles – [band]
4. “Meddle” – Little Boots – Electrotash – [band]
5. “You'll Find a Way” – Santogold – Santogold – [band]
6. “I Wasn't Made For Fighting” – Woodhands – Heart Attack – [band]
7. “We Are Rockstars” – Does It Offend You, Yeah? – You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into – [band]
8. “Little Bit” – Lykke Li – Youth Novels – [band] – [mp3]
9. “Sidewalk” – John Dahlback Winners & Fools – [band]
10. “3 Little Words” – FrankMusik – Frankisum EP – [band]
11. “Reckoner Lockdown (Kanye West vs. Radiohead)” – DJ Earworm – [band] – [mp3]