I swear I listen to music outside of mash-ups

I just happen to be digging them really hard atm. And who can blame me (...), today's mash-up artists spin together some incredible hybrids - take for instance Taylor Swift's super charming country-tinged voice treated slightly to suit U2's soaring, uber-emotional 'With or Without You.' Indeed, some mash-uppers use their powers for good, not evil.

I'm constantly impressed by the quality of music that's released each year - that artists can maintain a creative flow over the course of years, and even decades (as the Flaming Lips show us, entering their 4th) and continue to please fans along the way. What also impresses me is the imagination of mash-up artists who capitalize on complementary qualities between completely unrelated songs, that, when you first hear them together, make you say "Wow, hand - meet glove." They just fit. That's a talent in my book.

Enough of that - highlights of this end-of-year mixtape, courtesy of team9 (www.team9.net), check it out:

- An Animal Collective song actually meshing with another (hint: Missy Elliot, Phoenix :D)

- A nigh-unrecognizable mash-up with my old favorite, the Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven"

- Chromeo's newest sex-jam "Night By Night" teaming up with Lily Allen for an added bit of sex (we're talking Chromeo here, no matter what you do to a Chromeo song, that shits gonna make you wanna bone to the bpm)

Anyways, follow the link if you dig what you hear, dl that shit, and hop on over to www.team9.net for more goodness. Remember: always sample it before you buy it - I purchased WarioLand: Shake It completely under the influence of the cool commercials. Long story short: I hate that game, but wasted my time beating it anyways. That's a completely different story though. Just don't buy that fucking game.

Oh yeah, Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!