• "Trust In Me" - The Jungle Book (Original Soundtrack), Sterling Holloway

In the middle of the forest, a snake-charm clarinet, then a sly rhythm to acccompany the movement of an animated python slithering his cartoon way around the song's seductive lyrics, moving ever closer to Mowgli... Of course, it's one of the best scenes in The Jungle Book. I don't know why Kaa, the snake, left the biggest impression on me as a child. In this song, you can just feel Sterling Holloway's python wrapping himself around the defenseless boy and see the cartoon snake's eyes begin to swirl... Sterling Halloway is also the voice of Winnie The Pooh, so you may see a stuffed bear in your mind's eye, in which case you might not be seduced at all! Read Buzzy Jackson's post about Hal Willner, the man behind the popular compilation albums, which feature modern interpretations of Disney classics.

• "Opposite Day" - The Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird

Today is "Opposite Day," a day where "youthful indiscretion now is suddenly the norm, good kids sprouting horns" -- and when "those that can't quite function in society at large are going to wake up on this morning and find that they're in charge." And the soundtrack to that day is appropriately whimsical, accompanied by whistles, strings, whooshing synthesizers that conjur science fiction movies, flying saucers crashing into the nation's capital and all sorts of chaos ruling the streets. Read Alson Levy's review of The Mysterious Production of Eggs.

• "Hello Everybody" - Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister, Pigeon John

You might not want Pigeon John dating your sister, but "Hello Everybody" is a good way to meet him. He's an affable fellow. Visit Pigeon John's Summertime Pool Party to get a better idea of this character. "Hello Everybody" has a breezy feel that sounds like a combination of Will Smith's "Summertime" and this summer's "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley -- though NOT as crazy.

• "Bonnie and Clyde" - Monsieur Gainsbourg Originals, Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot

No one ever really needs an excuse to include this duet on a mix tape, however, blogger Buzzy Jackson gave me a perfect one with her blog on The Hard Work of Effortlessness. This song was obviously inspired by the Warren Beatty/Faye Dunaway film, as it recalls the glamorous, golden-tinged mayhem of that romantic bio-pic. The combination of Bardot and Gainsbourg's voices also recalls other duos of the era, namely Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, her breathy voice wrapped around and anchored by his deep one.

• "Kick, Push" - Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor, Lupe Fiasco

A skateboard love song. A couple of rebels on the run from the cops just looking for a place to be. Reminds one in a weird way of Rebel Without a Cause, or the aimless adventure of the outlaw couple in Bandlands and the mini-radio-soap operas of The Shangri-La's (Remember (Walking in the Sand)). In every age, young love is mis-understood, a seventies horn sound swirls around the rap as the story unfolds and our hero and heroine keep hearing the same refrain, "I'm sorry there's no skatin here. -- So they kick push, kick push, kick push, coast." Speaking of Badlands, read Bucky Sinister's hilarious take on the film in his post, Are You There God, It's Me Accessory to Murder.

• "Chicago" - Come On Feel the Illinoise, Sufjan Stevens

Young Sufjan Stevens has made his way through the second of his planned 50 albums, each one about a state in the union. Come On Feel the Illinoise is about Illinois and this track about the fabled home to molls, gangsters, the Art Institute, the Lake and the like. Its tempo reminds me of ceaseless momentum - the rush of wind into opened windows, the road unwinding straight and flat ahead, gorgeous golden landscape flying by.

• "Opening Music" - The Wicker Man (The Original Soundtrack Album), Magnet

This is the opening tune to Robin Hardy's 1973 film, The Wicker Man. The sound of a prop airplane flying through the foreground, an ancient-sounding celtic tune, and then gorgeous flutes and bells help you to descend into the singular atmosphere of the film. Bucky Sinister, in his post This Old (Creepy) House, describes the film as a pagan crime drama musical. There really aren't many movies that can carry that description and still manage to create chills.

• "Coutances" - The Science of Sleep (Soundtrack), Dick Annegarn

Imagine two lovers meeting inside one another's dreams and riding a rough-hewn stuffed horse through a winter landscape. Imagine a one-second time machine, able to take you forward or back in time by just that amount or talking to your lover while he falls into the black hole of his dream, afraid to let go, but unable to resist as he becomes a "spaghetti man" sucked thin by the force of gravity. There is a little melancholy to every love story. Will your mate stay put once he or she has seen your true self? This song has that longing inside its chords and behind the singer's voice. Read The Science of Sleep review.

• "Edit" - Begin to Hope, Regina Spektor

At first I thought this song was a tango, but then realized that the beat was familiar because it's similar to Lalo Schifrin's classic Mission:Impossible theme, only slowed-down and made a bit melancholy. (Visit Schifrin dot com to compare -- I could still be way off, maybe it's more James Bond.) Nevertheless, Regina Spektor's "Edit" is obviously recalling something sixties (and filmic, otherwise why would it be in the mix?) -- with her references to The Beatles' Dr. Robert and Uncle Albert. This song swirls nicely to an end. Read Christina Nunez' review of Spektor's latest.

• "Jique" - Talk to La Bomb, Brazilian Girls

Blogger Christina Nunez writes, "If Brazilian Girls' first album was like a drunken, dreamy party, their second album sounds like that same party got drunker, meaner and moved to Germany." "Jique," the first song on the album embodies this feeling, the drums jump and skip and the gritty bass recalls David Bowie and Iggy Pop in Berlin circa 1977. Cross that with "woo woo" of a wailing woman that references the 1958 Zsa Zsa Gabor sci-fi flick Queen of Outer Space and you pretty much get the feel of this bi-lingual beauty. Read the full review of Brazilian Girls' Talk to la Bomb.