Indie compilations, of all different varieties. The majority are broadly defined indie pop, some more gentle, some more synth, some (many) more atmospheric, etc. There is relatively little indie “rock,” although some of the compilations veer in odder, noisier, weirder directions. I’d say these compilations will seem quite obscure to mainstream music fans, and not so obscure to full-on indie fans.
For more recent compilations, find below streaming links and for older compilations find below cover images and brief descriptions of compilations in this category. You can also stream these compilations and find information about them on my Mixcloud page.
Abstract Artifact
April 2014. I put together this set of tracks for a friend in New Zealand. A fun hodgepodge of 70s/80s rock/power pop/art rock, with some recent (but not current) SF garage rock, interesting covers, a bit of semi-no wave, etc.
Go Call You Mine
November 2008. A compilation I made for friends who were getting married. Mostly indie pop lovesongs; fun and sweet, with an overall whimsical vibe.
Secret Temple
October 2014. Mysterious ethnic folk (mostly) from the 1960s and 1970s. Tracks from Estonia, Sweden, France, Germany, Greece, India, the UK, and the U.S., plus some Czech 1970s soundtrack music.
Innocent Bones
January 2013. This compilation was inspired by and includes a song from the soundtrack to an It Gets Better video a friend was involved in helping to produce. I think the overall feel of the compilation is beautiful, earnest, and melancholy, with notes of hopefulness. Click to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a few videos.
Sleeping Saints
January 2011. This compilation is a tribute to Trish Keenan of the band Broadcast, who died January 14 from swine-flu-related pneumonia. She once said this about her music: “Memories are waking dreams and dreams are sleeping memories, when you make music inspired by this process you begin to break down conventional form in the same way that dreams and memories never start at the beginning or finish at the end.” I hope and think this album of mildly experimental atmospheric pop would be to her liking. Click here to stream the comp and for links for more about Trish Keenan and Broadcast, and videos.
The Slow Turn: A Collection of Pop Waltzes
June 2010. This is a compilation of mostly indie pop waltzes. When used in a pop song, the waltz is a rhythm that communicates, to me, most often a feeling of resignation — the song goes round and round with no expectation of reaching a destination. It is effective to communicate nostalgia, a hopeless longing. At its most cheerful, it celebrates a contented present state of being. Regardless of the emotion being expressed, the waltz is always wonderfully in the moment of it. Because I have no technical comprehension of music, there likely are songs on here that are not truly waltzes, but they still seem to have the same spirit… Click here to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a couple videos.
Speak Low
October 2007. This is a compilation of slow, beautiful, atmospheric (mostly) indie pop. A mix of electronic and non-electronic sounds. No indie-folk vibe. Bands from — in addition to the Americas and England — New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, Spain, and Denmark. Click here to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a couple videos.
Happy Hours: A Music Compilation Dedicated to the Movies of John Hughes
August 6, 2009. I had been working on finishing this music compilation on and off for months when I learned that John Hughes died, and it occurred to me this is a good comp to dedicate to his movies. The songs have nothing to do with the films, but this is one of my poppiest and most accessible comps, and Hughes’ movies were most decidedly accessible pop—but smart pop that you could feel good about liking, that reached the mainstream without pandering to it. Maybe except when he changed the ending of Pretty in Pink. Many or most of these songs will be familiar to dedicated indie pop fans. The comp gets a little odder towards the end, but Hughes’ movies usually had moments of oddness too. Click here to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a couple videos.
Gentle Hour/ Gentle Heart
December 2009. This is a two disc compilation of lovely, mostly indie, gentleness. I perceive the first disc, Gentle Hour, as coming from more of a pop tradition than the second disc, Gentle Heart, which feels like it has more folk roots. There’s a lot of beauty on these two discs. Click the compilation titles to stream the comps, for the song lists, and for a few videos.
In the Mind’s Eye
2007. This atmospheric, mysterious indie compilation was a long time in the making. It features one of my all time favorite songs, David Mitchell and Denise Roughan’s “Jewel.” Click here to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a few videos.
Beginning to See the Light
November 2008. After President Obama won the election in November 2008, I made this compilation to celebrate and mark the occasion. It seems appropriate to share it now, on the eve of the vote to re-elect him. Let’s keep moving forward! Click here to stream the comp, for the song list, and for a few videos.
Wonderings 
I like having the descriptions and seeing the art work. You have been doing a lot of work on your site. Congrats on the results.