The Summer's 10 Best Music Mixes

Hot. Sticky. Exciting. There is nothing better than a season in the sun. Below are all the music mixes you need for an unforgettable and once in a lifetime kind of summer.

1. Strawberry Jam: Animal Collective- If you've never jammed to this CD, fix that. Fireworks is the quintessential summer anthem, with its mystical layers of music that infamously leaked all over the internet in the summer of 2007. Crank up the volume on #1 to put you in the mood for a tireswing into the local river. When everyone is falling asleep from the heat, hit Peacebone and start the party up again.

2. Building the Perfect Beast: Don Henley -- Boys of Summer. Done. "Your brown skin shining in the sun/ You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby." How are you going to put this on without dating a lifeguard at the community pool? But dig deeper into the album to find A Month of Sundays with all its rumblings of a summer storm. On top of all that, everyone has a Sunset Grill where you can sit back and applaud the dusk.

3 Sublime: Sublime -- Summertime by Gershwin finds new life in the smooth, lazy Doin' Time. Then it's time to break out the brats. What I Got goes great to the sizzle of meat on the grill. Don't forget to pop in the radio edit if gramma is droppin' in. There's nothing like lemonade with a Sublime

4 We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: Modest Mouse -- These guys know that summers are all about forgetting everything else. You won't find Float On here (ideal for a river innertube trip) but Dashboard fulfills all your wild summer forest bonfire dreams. Wait for Fire It Up: "When we find the perfect water/ We'll hang out on the shore/ Just long enough to leave our clothes there." This is the beach and pool band of every future generation.

5 The Mix tape -- Cheese podders of the world unite! Cassettes have gone the way of the dodo, but have no fear. The legendary mixtape is not dead but only changed into something rich and strange. First, make your own playlist called "M2L" (Memorial to Labor Day). Next, download the cheesiest music you can find. Start with Summertime by War, Cruel Summer by Bananarama, and Hot Child in the City by Nick Gilder. Use your considerable imagination. Rent a convertible, hit shuffle and blast your cheese to the world!

6 Irish & Celtic Music Podcast -- Then again, why not lay back and let someone else do the mixing? Start out with #97 - The best of 2010. Gaelic Storm and The Rogues will put some life into the lawn party or chill you out by the pool, along with a traditional Irish drink.

7 Back to Black: Amy Winehouse -- There is more to summer than the sun and the nights belong to Amy. Now that it's not all over the radio, you can let your rebel out for a midnight run with Rehab. Rock your hammock to the beat of You Know I'm No Good. The cool of the evening brings welcome relief and reflection. Take Saint Amy's hand and she will lead you to a midsummer's night dream.

8 Marches: John Phillip Sousa -- There is no Independence Day without the Star Spangled Banner. Think about your family for a moment. There is no better way to motivate a bunch of hot, lazy people than a good, loud march. Plus, watch faces light up when they hear The Liberty Bell (aka the theme to Monty Python).

9 Endless Summer: Beach Boys -- You know that Beach Boys are summer. Where would the boys of summer be without their California Girls (sorry, Katy Perry: no Gurls allowed)? Warmth of the Sun, Fun Fun Fun, "We've been having fun all summer long." Make sure you get a pressing after 1980 when they added Good Vibrations. In the history of the English language, no one has ever said, "Turn down the Beach Boys, you hooligans!"

10 Hello Nasty: Beastie Boys -- Yeah, I hated them too in the '80s. But after 22 million albums, time has been kind to the boys. Intergalactic inevitably kicks off some beach volleyball even with no beach, no net, and probably no ball. Yes that's Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain you can hear in the background. When the summer ends, you'll still be head bobbing to The Move, no matter how many times your friends tell you to stop.