I haven't made a general purpose mix in a while (two mixes I need to make sometime in the not-so-distant future are a hillbilly boogie mix and a "Encyclopedia of the Human Voice" mix). When I last made general mixes instead of themed ones, I larded them with world music tracks that were usually the only good tracks on an album that otherwise had kinda same-y stuff on it.

If I were making a grab bag tape now, I'd put the German version of The Beach Boys "In My Room" on it. The Wondermints are also on my deck a lot. But, really, I don't have a lot of general mix ideas because I've been too frickin' broke to buy CDs for too long a time and never have gotten the hang of the various peer-to-peer clients.

ooh this is always a tough one and I know if I did it again in a week i'd have a different list but off the top of my head, here goes:
Nick Cave - Bring it On
David Bowie - New Killer Star
David Sylvian - The Heart Knows Better
Adult Net - Incense and Peppermints
Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Cheap Trick - Downed
Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
Hooverphonic - This Strange Effect
This Mortal Coil - Drugs
Aerosmith - Chiquita

since i just got back online for real... here's the tip of the tongue on the top of my head...
Supreme Beings of Leisure - Catch Me
DJ Spec Eminem/Orb Without Me/Toxygene (linked from my site?)
dinah washington - Is You is or is you ain't my baby (rae and christian remix)
and... well, everything on the School of Rock soundtrack, it's killer

the track order is escaping me...but...

-dance disaster movement... 1st track off their latest.
-motorhead "ace of spades"
-des_ark ... can't remember the name.
-clearlake "almost the same"
-ocelots "one-eyed king"
-outrageous cherry "everyday i fall in love"
-faust & dalek "t-electronique"
-y pants "that the way boys are"
-current "the basis (for a serious conversation)"
-the french horns "45s" (i think.)
-tom recchion "a complex shape in the sky"
-twin atlas "washing away" (?)
-glass candy "brittle women" (the newest version from their "love love love" album.)

there were a few other tunes... can't remember exactly what tho.

m.

Something like...

Coldcut: Music for No Musicians
Plaid: MANYME
Express Rising: Chalkies
El-P: Iron Galaxy (inst.)
B. Reitzell & R.J. Manning: On the Subway
PiL: Order of Death
Boards of Canada: Happy Cycling
Kevin Shields: Are You Awake?
The Cure: A Forest
Air: Alone in Kyoto

Not quite right, but... melancholy, techie, smooth. Like being bummed out, sick, and hard at work on a Mac with a bunch of terminal windows open.

I don't like to use the same songs from mix to mix, in case I want to travel with nothing but my mixes.

That said, "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" by Ruben Blades is one I truly love. From a pretty good collection of XTC covers, but hearing a latin-beat version is truly wonderful.