1) Atlas Sound – “Te Amo”

Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox may look pretty frail (given that whole Marfan Syndrome business) but on this single from his upcoming Atlas Sound record Parallax, Cox wields his voice with unwavering confidence. Hopefully the record will sound just as warm and watery as this sugary tune, but we’ll just have to wait ’til November to find out.

2) No Joy – “He Cried” (Shangri-Las cover)

No Joy is surprisingly gentle with this Shangri-Las song. The Montreal-based duo may have a knack for face-obliterating shoegaze, but they showcase a tamer grunge sound on this cut. The cover appears on a 7″ split with Marnie Stern, which is in fact the first release from the fresh-out-the-oven label Associated Electronic Recordings. Listen to the original here.

3) Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”

Donald Glover is a very funny guy. He’s also proving himself as a really good rapper. On “Bonfire”, Donny once again proves that he’s got a way with words — both writing them and spittin’ them. November will see the release of his debut full-length Camp.

4) Breton – “Kensington System”

Here’s a damn good track from “art pop sonic and visual experimentalists” Breton. Never heard of them? Same. But who cares, this song is fucking awesome.

Well here’s a good start to your Monday morning. NYC cutie-pop group Twin Sister have put their debut full-length In Heaven up on Soundcloud for your streaming pleasure. Emphasis on the word “pleasure” – the ten song album is certainly stronger and more original then any of their earlier releases. Despite the band’s 1980′s tinge, In Heaven sounds surprisingly futuristic. Kudos to these youngsters for meeting – if not exceeding – the blog-o-verse’s daunting expectations of this record.

Listen above, and watch out my 2010 interview with two of the Twins here.

1) Justice – “Helix”

French electro duo Justice are just around the corner from the release of their second full length. After their incredible debut record † we’ve all been waiting anxiously for the follow up, which we now know is titled Audio, Video, Disco. We already posted the title track’s music video, and now here’s another oddly funky cut from the upcoming release.

2) Wavves – “Destroy” (ft. members of Fucked Up)

Wavves frontman Nathan Williams must be a pretty happy dude. Since completing his duties as a signee to Fat Possum, he’s started his own label called Ghost Ramp and has been subsequently dropping some excellent recordings. “Destroy” is a short-but-sweet slice of punk rock that features “members of Fucked Up” – not sure which ones, but Damian Abraham’s unmistakable growl is definitely in attendance – and is included as a B-Side on the upcoming EP Life Sux.

3) The White Panda – “Midnight Life” (Kanye West vs. M83)

Production duo The White Panda have just dropped this perfect mashup of Kanye West’s Graduation cut “Good Life” and the recently-posted M83 single “Midnight City. To say that these songs work together well is an understatement. Here’s hoping for many many more of these. [via Hypetrak]

1) BRAIDS – “Peach Wedding”

This song has been included into the Montreal quartet’s live set for almost a year now, but a recorded version hasn’t surfaced until now. The song will be included on a split 7″ with Purity Ring. Stay tuned for that on October 10.

2) Baths – “Exit The Mine”

Will Wiesenfeld, AKA Baths, recently uploaded this sentimental, piano-driven tune to his Soundcloud page. He created the track in an afternoon using only an iPad, and recorded vocals and piano samples with his iPod headphone mic. Pretty damn cool.

3) Hectic Zeniths – “Curtain”

This track from producer and high school math teacher Adam Morgan Prince is a compelling blend classical, pop, hip-hop, and dubstep traditions. “Curtain” is a dark three minutes, cloaked in piano and strings and taunted by beats bubbling up from under the surface.

1. Bon Iver – “Beth/Rest” (alternate version)

Seems like pretty much everyone has fallen in love with Bon Iver’s latest self-titled LP, but I think I’m one of the few who liked and appreciated the last song on the album, “Beth/Rest.” So, for all you haters take a listen to a newly arranged version of the song that Bon Iver performed for NPR’s World Cafe. Vernon replaces the 80′s sounding synth and sax with a piano. He also takes the opportunity to show off his lower register, which is rare. Listen to this song and a few others over at NPR.

2. Toro Y Moi – “All Alone”

The uber-dancey, funkified track “All Alone” is available for free in exchange for an e-mail at Spin. It will appear on Toro Y Moi’s upcoming EP, Freaking Out along with the previously released cover of “Saturday Love.” When talking with Spin about “All Alone”, Chaz Bundick said “I wanted the live show to be more upbeat, therefore we needed upbeat songs to play.”

3. Björk and Dirty Projectors – “On and Ever Onward”

The collaboration between Björk and Dirty Projectors makes too much sense. Both acts have become known for their experimental, eclectic music, so why not team up? In 2010, they worked on an EP together entitled Mount Wittenberg Orca. The record had a digital release in June 2010 but now it has a physical release due out October 11. If you missed the boat on this album like I did, check out this perfect piece of avant-pop, “On and Ever Onward.”

1) Wavves – “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl”

Last night, Nathan Williams and his band of stoners premiered a new song on MTV’s new show I Just Want My Pants Back. Apart from being a humorously odd shout-out to the Foo Fighters frontman, “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl” is a simple garage jam – the kind of catchy slacker rock that we’ve come to expect from Wavves. And the single has some pretty great artwork. No word from the Dave Grohl camp, but here’s hoping for a collaboration.

2) Atlas Sound: “Terra Incognita”

Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox has already released two well-regarded solo albums under the name Atlas Sound. His third will be dropping this November. “Terra Incognita” sounds pretty close to the rest of Cox’s output, which is to say it’s pretty good.

3) Tokyo Police Club – “Little Sister” (Queens of the Stone Age cover)

While in between albums, Canadian indie rockers Tokyo Police Club are keeping themselves busy with a Polaroid-sponsored cover song series. The challenge is daunting – ten days to cover ten songs from ten different years (2001 to 2011). They’ve already conquered Moby, Jimmy Eat World, Kelly Clarkson, and The Strokes – you can find all those on their Soundcloud page (“Since U Been Gone” rules) – and now they’ve taken on Queens of the Stone Age. Along for the ride is Australian singer-songwriter Orianthi, who is for some reason featured on the track. She kinda sucks but altogether the cover is pretty fun.

4) NO CEREMONY/// – “HURTLOVE”

Here’s another band who have no public information about them on the internet. Why? Who knows. I guess it worked for Cults. This piano-driven track is a sexy slice of delicious electro pie. Hopefully we get some more good tunes from this shadowy project.

Yes, you read that correctly. Recently New York City-based DJ Terry Urban put out The Carter’s Sabbath, a mashup album that pairs together songs by heavy metal legends Black Sabbath and the self-described “Best Rapper Alive”. Even more surprising? It’s pretty good too. Wayne’s gravelly voice and aggressive lyrical delivery works well with the British band’s thunderous guitar riffs and Ozzy Osbourne’s shrieks. The majority of The Carter’s Sabbath focuses on Weezy’s more recent material, which means we get songs including  ”John”, “Look At Me Now” and “Steady Mobbin’”, mashed up with Sabbath classics like “Iron Man”, “War Pigs” and “Paranoid”. My favourite is “The Million Dollar Writ” which takes – what else? - “A Milli” and slows it down with the haunting “The Writ” instrumental.

If you liked the Wugazi (Wu-Tang Clan x Fugazi) mashup album, this might be right up your alley. If only Rebirth had sounded like this. Listen to it below or download it for free over at Urban’s website here.

As an early kick-off for their fall tour, The Dodos have released a live album for download at the mere cost of an email address. The one-track MP3 is a high-quality recording of the duo’s May 13th live performance at Melkweg in Amsterdam, and clocks in over an hour long. Not only are you getting the download when you submit your email, but you’ll be entered into a contest to win free tickets to see them live. What a deal! Below is the magical widget that will make all your dreams come true, followed by the setlist. READ MORE »

1) Big Troubles – “Sad Girls [via p4k]

You’ve already heard Big Troubles’ first single, “Misery” and here is their follow-up single, “Sad Girls.” It’s another infectious tune that you’ll want to listen to over and over again. Lyrically, the song takes a negative outlook on love and the world with a comedic, light-hearted twist – just like the name of their upcoming album, Romantic Comedy.

“Love is in the air, but I don’t care because I don’t want to love anymore//And if I hear the word again, I think I’ll drill a hole in my head.”

2) Kurt Vile – “In/Out Blues”

Tour mates Kurt Vile and Woods have been selling a split 7″ at shows, featuring three songs from Vile and two from Woods. Included is Viles’ “In/Out Blues”, which shows off an even softer side than heard on his latest LP, Smoke Ring For My Halo. A hyper-minimal acoustic bass line with some some chill guitar riffs, topped off with Kurt’s relaxed vocals. Take a gander at the 7″ album artwork here.

3) PAPA – “I Am The Lion King”

PAPA is fronted by Darren Weiss, best known as the drummer for Girls. If you like that band’s sunny, nostalgic rock music you’ll feel right at home with this ultra catchy pop tune. PAPA’s EP A Good Woman is Hard to Find is out in early October.

2) ZZT – VULKAN ALARM!

Now get ready for some sexy dancefloor bangers. ZZT is in fact the collaboration between German electro legend Zombie Nation and Juno-winning Canadian DJ/producer Tiga. Over the past few years they’ve released a few tracks as ZZT: “The Worm”, “ZZafrika”, and “Lower States of Consciousness” (which has this hot ass Justice remix). We can expect a forthcoming album, apparently titled Partys Over Earth [sic]. There’s a music video for this track (which has been shrunk down above) simply showing a flaming car, which you can watch here.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of soul diva Betty Everett’s death. Despite nine studio releases between 1962 and 1975, Everett is still best known for the timeless single “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss).” Her music career began as a young girl singing gospel in church, and was concluded with her final public appearance on the PBS special Doo Wop 51 in 2000.

Listen to a fantastic playlist of Betty Everett songs here (use the bar at the bottom to navigate, for all you YouTube n00bs.)