Das Racist

These zooted brown weirdos can really rap

Commercial (Produced By Teengirl Fantasy) by Juan Guitaro

Les Sins

This is Toro Y Moi's nice little electronica side project. Reminds of some Daft Punk with the looped samples. Check out the hilariously synced up video (ft. Eddie Murphy and Rick James) for "Toss & Turn" at the bottom.

Les Sins "Lina" by carparkrecords

Les Sins "Youth Gone" by carparkrecords

Games- Strawberry Skies

Best Single of the Year

TRON Legacy and the Daft Punk Enthusiast

With each passing second, Daft Punk fans across the nation eagerly wait to get high, put on 3-D glasses and watch Tron: Legacy while bobbing their heads to the soundtrack's tense electro beats. The buzz on the internet, fueled by the masses that are craving new Daft Punk content, is palpable to say the least, and rightfully so-- Daft Punk rocks. There is one glaring issue with all of this anticipation though; it's a fucking SOUNDTRACK! Let me preface my comments by saying that there have obviously been some legendary soundtracks throughout movie making history and that in no way should Daft Punk's efforts be discounted. But, at the same time, I've sat down and listened to the entirety of Daft Punk's latest work and by no means could it be considered a stand alone LP. The tracks are clearly crafted with the movie in mind, and without this visual aspect the score falls pretty flat. Granted, when Daft Punk's soundscapes collide with 3-D lasers, futuristic motorbikes and Jeff Bridges, I'm sure I'll be wet with excitement, but that's only a glimpse of what the fans want. We crave/need another Daft Punk LP. Think about how much attention this soundtrack and movie has received purely because our beloved robot masterminds are working on the project. There is clearly still a huge market out there for Daft Punk and I can only wonder why the starved fans haven't been able to listen to a new hot single, a leaked sound clip, at least Something!? Putting this into context, their last proper album was Human After All which was released in 2005 (Alive 2007 was a mash-up album, not new content). It's been nearly six years since Daft Punk has filled our robot ears with sweet electronic music from the future. I am just like everyone else, I want to see Tron and I want to dance to Daft Punk, but until we receive some actual new content we will be left waiting and wanting. Maybe they have something stored up for us? Maybe they are secretly working around the clock? OR Maybe they can't match the mastery of Discovery? Maybe they are Human After All....

Stilyagi by Juan Guitaro

Savannah Howl (remix)

Can't go wrong with Twin Shadow and Hard Mix....

Savannah Howl (Hard Mix Remix) by Juan Guitaro

Shabazz Palaces

Shabazz Palaces by subpop

Mind Drips

Official video for Neon Indian's "Mind Drips", this trippy song clearly deserved an equally trippy music video. As for some insight: Created by Lars Larsen. The first music video to utilize “an analogue video synthesizer” called the LZX Visionary, which “manipulates and creates images in the same way a normal synthesizer does for sounds.”- GvB

My House

Hercules & Love Affair - My House by Freeman PR

New Hercules and Love Affair LP, Blue Songs due out sometime early next year in the U.S.

Curren$y freestyling over Gold Panda's "Heaps."

Found this ole' Justice remix jem digging through Ed Banger's past compilations.

Vicarious Bliss - Theme from Vicarious Bliss (Justice rmx) by Juan Guitaro

I Think I Better Let It Go

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over" (Radio Edit) Premiere by modularpeople

The Smith Westerns- Weekend by Juan Guitaro

Cut Copy

Third LP, Zonoscope, due out Feb 8

Ain't no woman like the one I've got

Instant Funk

Twin Shadow-Forget

Whole streaming Twin Shadow LP, Forget. Been keeping this one on repeat

She Likes My Moves

Twin Shadow- I Can't Wait

Twin Shadow's new LP, Forget, is Funksman approved

Twin Shadow - I Can't Wait by Juan Guitaro

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.

Business Casual

03 Night By Night by Juan Guitaro

Fuck You

Sweet Memories

Damn good track utilizing vocal samples from The Four Tops' "Same Old Song", a personal favorite that hits the right note in this electronic re-imagining. Check out more from Hard Mix.

Hard-mix-memories by Juan Guitaro

Shabazz Palaces

Newly signed to Subpop, Shabazz Palaces got that old- school hip hop with that new indie twist. Simple, yet catchy beats, patient flow, takes me back to the days of Tribe.

Blastit... by subpop

Shabazz Palaces - 32 leaves dipped in blackness making clouds forming altered carbon by Juan Guitaro

Guest Review: The Suburbs

I've read many reviews on "The Suburbs" and this is hands down the most well-written and thoughtful one I've come across. Our guest columnist, we'll call him Esteban, cuts to the core of this classic American album. Enjoy

When I first heard that the Arcade Fire’s new CD was titled “The Suburbs”, and was purported to be “themed” (for lack of a better word) accordingly, I was admittedly skeptical. I often find that albums that attempt to confine themselves to a certain topic can end up vanilla, boring, and most of all, forced. However, Arcade Fire’s album is a welcome and shining exception, one that pleases as much for its “theme” as for its musical prowess.

“The Suburbs” has been touted as one of the biggest releases of the summer, and as such, I’m sure many people have heard of its basic premise of lead singer Win Butler’s remembrance of his childhood growing up in the outskirts of Houston. However, this description seems only adequate at best and downright misleading at worst. The album is much less descriptive of a specific set of experiences at a given place than an entire set of experiences that have occurred to various generations throughout America. In fact, the vibe that I get from the album is that it has much more to do with the process of growing up than it does one specific location. Butler weaves a rich tapestry of emotions that mimic the ebb and flow of generations leaving their hometowns before ultimately returning. The album starts out almost condescendingly, with Butler eager to escape his suburban life, and continues with an (almost guilty?) victorious feeling. As the songs continue, however, the mood shifts to almost fearful of the future before becoming progressively more nostalgic and even longing for the old days.

To accommodate the wide range of emotions and experiences that Butler lends his voice to is not an easy task, and I think accomplishing that is what distinguishes the music of “The Suburbs”. On a strictly musical note, I would have to say that “We Used to Wait” is among the most satisfying of the tracks on the CD. It is a taut, relentless track that in my opinion is the most interesting on the album. Probably my favorite compare/contrast to it would be LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” because of both songs’ constant, staccato pianos. Where LCD uses the piano as more of a subtle yet extremely important background for other instruments to execute an entire-song long buildup, Arcade Fire uses the piano as its overbearing focal point that other drums, guitars, and voices are structured around. And yet with these differences, both songs end with only the same exact piano introduction that they begin with.

While there probably aren’t any true individual masterpieces on the album, as a whole they work together to become a sum much greater than the parts. Probably my favorite example of the tightness of the album is the palpable difference in mood between the first and last tracks, “The Suburbs” and “The Suburbs (continued)”. In the former, when Butler sings “Sometimes I can’t believe it, I’m moving past the feelingss again”, he gives the impression that he “can’t believe it” because he’s enthralled to be finally gone and rid of the suburbs (and the youth that he associates with them). Conversely, in the final track, which shares almost the same name and exactly the same lyrics, Butler seems to be in disbelief that his childhood (and with it, his glory days) are gone. To truly appreciate this change, however, it’s necessary to set aside an hour and listen to the album straight through from start to finish. The transitions of the emotional feel of one song to the next will literally walk you through an entire story of growing up in America, and will no doubt have you reminiscing on your own youth.

The Suburbs by Juan Guitaro

SUMMER CAMP - Round the Moon from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

tcope1962: in 1985 or so i was in San Fransico driving around when a white drop top VW pulled up beside me with the top down and the most beautiful black woman in the world had this song blasting it was instant love than the light changed and she was gone. I can still see her in my mind.

Big K.r.i.t.

Just Touched Down by Juan Guitaro

Union City Blue

The Suburbs

This track reminds me of a more woozy, more desperate heart of glass from Blondie. I've been spinning the new Arcade Fire album all day and I have to say it's been pretty damn good.

Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Juan Guitaro

Walk In the Park is Over (Drake x Beach House) by Juan Guitaro

60's/70s compilation put together by none other than DIPLO

Pomp & Clout Mix Series, Volume 1: Diplo – Chasing The Dragon by Hypetrak

psych italian rock

Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes- The Love I lost

Twin Sister-All Around And Away We Go

Memoryhouse- To the lighhouse (MillionYoung remix)

To The Lighthouse (MillionYoung Remix) by Juan Guitaro

El Guincho- Piratas De Sudamerica vol. 1

Summertime

New Cut Copy- Where I'm Going

Cut Copy -- Where I m Going by Juan Guitaro

She's Gone

Chromeoooo

Chromeo's new LP Business Casual is due out on August 17th just in time for some end of the summer parties. " I can't tell you why" might have slipped though the cracks for some, others might have heard it a bunch, but I like the track and I think it's a nice warm-up for Chromeo's upcoming return.

She Must be somebody's baby

Tennis- South Carolina/ Marathon

Oh man, great summer tracks from the Denver husband and wife duo, Tennis. "South Carolina" and "Marathon" use great catchy melodies with some nice jangly garage guitar to craft blissful pop. The emotive lyrics are also well on point making these songs worthy of multiple repeats.

South Carolina by Juan Guitaro

Marathon by Juan Guitaro

Expo 86 Streaming

Wolf Parade's third full-length LP is streaming from their myspace page now. CHECK IT OUT!

New Cut Copy

Pitchfork Cut Copy Article- New Album slated for January

Arcade Fire

"Ready to Start"

RTS by a435927

"We Used to Wait"

Used by a437915

Ratatat-->Mahalo

Only listened to the new Ratatat LP a couple of times through, and while it's definitely good, the electronica duo aren't really trying anything new out here. I'd even say it's a tad more ambient than before, I wish it was a little more engaging.

Check the Script Me and The God's getting ripped

Come with me

Fucking wild music video from one half of the Tough Alliance (Eric Berglund). "Come With Me" really gets better with every listen. It's the first single off his upcoming LP White Magic under the moniker ceo.

Leaving Everywhere

Toro Y Moi is part of the same "chillwave" genre as Neon Indian and Washed Out as music critics have ubiquitously mentioned the trio together (I continue to do so here), but this track, "Leave Everywhere", marks a clear departure from such a sound. Chad opts for more organic instruments and a straighforward composition, complete with a chorus and everything. His LP, Causers of this illustrates the difference between the two styles, although I still highly reccomend picking it up. This summer, "Leave Everywhere" sounds like the perfect track.

LCD the summer beast

The new LCD Soundsystem album, This is Happening, is truly excellent from start to finish. A hiccup here and there, but as a whole this thing rocks, props to James Murphy.

Bright Lit Blue Skies

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Bright Lit Blue Skies by Juan Guitaro

Wolf Parade- Expo 86

Wolf Parade - What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)bypitchfork

Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressurebypitchfork

That TREE

Congratulations

New MGMT LP, Congratulations, got released on their website after it got leaked. I only listened to a few tracks, it's definitely different, and pretty theatrical, but I dunno, I gotta check out the whole thing first.

Harlem Hippies

April 6th, mark it, Harlem's new album is gonna be really good...

Harlem gay human bones by Juan Guitaro

Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti

Pure 70s's Am Gold

Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round by Juan Guitaro

Go Outside

Relatively unknown band, hot track nonetheless... hit the link for a listen

The Cults- Go Outside

I wanna get hurt!

Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

Let nostalgic visions wash over you....

Gil Scott- Heron (Old and Young)

Gil Scott- Heron has just dropped a new album on XL after 16 years of absence from the music landscape. The album, I'm New Here has been received well by the critics, and it's great to see a legend back on the scene after years of being a junkie.

I Think Ur A Contra

This album seems a little out of place here in the freezing morbid east coast winter, but after a couple of spins through it's starting to shine some rays of light. I like how the songs explore some open space allowing details to creep in with every listen. Similar subject matter to the first album here, but more stylized down the rabbit hole they were traveling through early on. All the influences are still present (Afro-pop, Graceland), but with a Vampire Weekend twist that we may learn to recognize as a sound all on it's own. Check out some of the new tracks on myspace, and pick up the album!

Vampire Weekend

JJ

JJ on heavy rotation....

Free Gucci

Sick new mixtape featuring Gucci Mane remixed by Diplo, Memory Tapes, and Flying Lotus to name a few. Not a huge fan of Gucci, but with every listen I give the guy more respect and am definitely surprised by his lyrical abilities. Hit up the MAD DECENT LINK for the free download.