The iPod is one genius son-of-a-bitch, and it’s forced other forms of music listening into early retirement.

Save for one contender: the scrappy mixtape. The bugger has been planning a revival, and after the better part of the decade, the mix has reemerged.

Leading the surge is Marissa Mele. Her philosophy: mixtapes bring smiles (that’s also the name of her blog). Have a listen to partial mixes posted on her site. If you like what you hear, she’ll burn you a CD and mail it to you, complete with an original handmade cover. No strings attached.

But if that’s not enough to satisfy your hunger for the almighty mix, join The Philadelphia Mixtape Exchange. It’s a completely nonexclusive club she founded for people who want to get together and — you guessed it — exchange and chat about mixes.

Go ahead and call it a comeback.

Available by e-mail order (mixtapesbringsmiles@gmail.com). To listen to mixes, go to mixtapesbringsmiles.com.

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