So it's almost March, and still subarctic here on the Eastern Seaboard...but in the warm little heart of the internet, sweet new tunes are creating enough kinetic energy to fuel a small battleship, or even a battlestar. And so, in the grand tradition of every blog in the universe, I couldn't help but present to you: A WINTRY MIX! That's right, shitters - I've compiled a whole slew of new trax from cold weather ax. To celebrate...not living in California. Those pussies. And their pussy beaches.

1. Howling Hex – Catalytic Convert (Washington, DC - Low 33°) The notoriously secretive Neil Michael Hagerty follows up last year’s You Can’t Beat Tomorrow CD / DVD / Variety Show with the stunningly stripped down 1-2-3, a re-release of three vinyl-only limited editions put out between 2003 and 2004. This little ditty is all the right kinds of eccentric. BUY 1-2-3.

2. Make Up - Born On The Floor (Washington DC - Low 33°) Make Up frontman Ian Svenonius has a new outfit now, but this track, off the latest Make Up live release, is a reminder of their raw energy during performance. And speaking of - Weird War is playing tomorrow! BUY UNTOUCHABLE SOUND

3. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Young Shields

4. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone – Cold White Christmas (Chicago, IL – Low 30°) Woah, woah, woah – no one said you’re supposed to be happy. The guy who wrote “It’s Winter And You Don’t Love Me Anymore” knows from cold weather blues, and these beautiful, alone-on-a-train numbers have “depression party” written all up and down. Owen “Sackloth And” Ashworth used to live a tad too far west – Portland, Oregon – to be exempt from pussydom, but he’s since relocated to the Windy City. BUY YOUNG SHIELDS SINGLE; PRE ORDER ETIQUETTE LP 3/7/06.

5. Cat Power – The Greatest (New York, NY – Low 26°) This makes you feel wintry even in the summer. BUY THE GREATEST

6. J Dilla - Time: The Donut Of The Heart (Detroit, MI – Low 30°) Yeah, OK – so Dilla technically lived in LA at the end of his life – i.e. earlier this month. But this guy was a Detroit artist: he learned from Detroit native Amp Fiddler, worked with Detroiter Phat Kat, and his solo debut, Welcome 2 Detroit, was what launched him to stardom. And this spare, pensive take on the Jackson 5’s “All I Do Is Think Of You” shows why he’ll be remembered as a Detroit master. BUY DONUTS.

7. Chris Brokaw - Move (New York, NY – Low 26°) An indie-rockers indie rocker, Brokaw finally out with his own, totally solid solo effort this year. Perhaps this song is about moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn? BUY INCREDIBLE LOVE

8.Klashnekoff - Can't You See (London, England - Low 35°) Sweet a$$ grime from London's Hackney borough - but really closer to US hip hop than your average UK MC - and this track is included on Vice's latest Run The Road grime comp. BUY RUN THE ROAD VOL 2.

9. Basokin - Mulume Yeah, so they live in the Congo, and it's super hot there and yada yada - but I'd like to see some Los Angelans move to the Congo and build instruments out of scrapmetal from a junkyard and use it to make music like this. A follow up to last year's amazing Congotronics, Konono No. 1's founder Mawangu Mingiedi gathers some friends to cover his songs and create some new ones on Congotronics 2 - all with those crazy instruments. BUY CONGOTRONICS 2.

These New York City winters aren't bleeding me,

~Andrea