Blame It on the Pop

Indeed.

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Merry Christmas!

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Tyler's 2009 Lists

Ok, so I'm gonna list off the 20 albums I enjoyed from this year and then follow it up with a list of my top 25 tracks from 2009. Only 20 albums because, honestly, I find it frustrating to find five more that I can truly say that I enjoyed and can listen the whole way through. I will go ahead and use those five I didn't use and replace them with a list of 2009's worst. Now I'm not gonna lie, there are some definite similarities among Ryan's, Kyle's, and my lists but that's what happens sometimes when you've come from the same musical womb. I was just gonna go ahead and name my lists "The Situation" but unfortunately somebody already has that nickname. Lucky dude.

20 Albums - "The Issue"

20. Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
19. The xx - xx
18. Weird Tapes - Get Religion
17. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
16. The Mercury Program - Chez Viking
15. Washed Out - Life of Leisure
14. Delorean - Ayrton Senna
13. P.O.S. - Never Better
12. Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky
11. Discovery - LP
10. Royksopp - Junior
9. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
8. New Ruins - We Make Our Own Bad Luck
7. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
6. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
5. The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe
4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
2. Passion Pit - Manners
1. Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care

25 Tracks - "The Dilemma"

25. Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart
24. The Big Pink - Velvet
23. White Belt, Yellow Tag - You're Not Invincible
22. P.O.S. - Never Better
21. Wild Beasts - All The Kings Men
20. Japandroids - Sovereignty
19. Delorean - Deli
18. Animal Collective - Brother Sport
17. Kid Cudi - Day 'N Nite (Crookers Remix)
16. Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer
15. Junior Boys - Hazel
14. The Mercury Program - Chez Viking
13. Discovery - Swing Tree
12. Manchester Orchestra - I've Got Friends
11. Washed Out - Feel It All Around
10. Royksopp - Happy Up Here
9. The xx - Basic Space
8. Passion Pit - The Reeling
7. The Most Serene Republic - Heavens To Purgatory
6. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
5. Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move
4. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
3. Phoenix - Lisztomania
2. Junior Boys - Parallel Lines
1. Animal Collective - My Girls

5 Worst Albums of 2009

5. Daughtry - Tougher Than You Want
4. Black Eyed Peas - Songs Made From Picking Samples From A Hat
3. Jonas Brothers - A Scarf And A Guitar
2. U2 - We're Even Sick Of Us
1. Green Day - We Had To Create Another Band Cause This One Has Turned Into Crud

Sorry, that wasn't funny, but Murry Krimus either way.

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The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer...

It's that time. And one of the best things about the Christmas Season is the music and the movies that go along with it. So enjoy, and check out my list of favorite Christmas songs and movies.

Also here's the new cheesy/awesome video for Julian Casablancas' cheesy/awesome track "11th Dimension".

Happy Holidays!

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Fikak! Best of 2009!

Musically, 2009 has been all over the place (in a good way). Lot's of really good acts, new & old, releasing records; lots of genre-less bands and (deserving) straight-up pop/rock bands breaking through at the same time. Bands giving away music and selling lots of records after doing so. Exciting stuff.

2009 has also resulted in Fikak! picking up another contributer (welcome, Kyle). So we've stepped up our game a bit: two "best of" lists a piece (Albums and Tracks). Enjoy, and feel free to rip them apart or leave your own list behind. Here's to 2009:

Ryan's Top 25 Albums of 2009

25. The Clientele Bonfires on the Heath

24. Julian Casablancas Phrazes for the Young

23. Imogen Heap Ellipse

22. Built to Spill There is No Enemy

21. Neon Indian Psychic Chasms

20. The Wooden Birds Magnolia

19. Delorean Ayrton Senna

18. The Very Best Warm Heart of Africa

17. Loney, Dear Dear John

16. The Raveonettes In and Out of Control

15. Real Estate Real Estate

14. The Appleseed Cast Sagarmatha

13. Junior Boys Begone Dull Care

12. New Ruins We Make Our Own Bad Luck

11. Bon Iver/Volcano Choir Blood Bank/Unmap

10. Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion

9. The xx xx

8. Memory Tapes Seek Magic

7. Discovery LP

6. Jeremy Enigk OK Bear

5. Mercury Program Chez Viking

4. Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

3. Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

2. Passion Pit Manners

1. Atlas Sound Logos

Kyle's Top 25 Albums of 2009

25. Baroness Blue Record

24. Built to Spill There is No Enemy

23. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

22. Jeremy Enigk OK Bear

21. Russian Circles Geneva

20. Silversun Pickups Swoon

19. DD/MM/YYYY Black Square

18. P.O.S. Never Better

17. Disappearer The Clearing

16. Modest Mouse No One's First and Your Next

15. Pissed Jeans King of Jeans

14. Bon Iver Blood Bank

13. Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca

12. Lymbyc Systym Shutter Release

11. Jesu Opiate Sun ep

10. The Dodos Time to Die

9. Japandroids Post-Nothing

8. Real Estate Real Estate

7. Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion

6. Billy Mahonie BM

5. Mercury Program Chez Viking

4. Pelican What We All Come to Need

3. Holopaw Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness.

2. New Ruins We Make Our Own Bad Luck

1. Califone All My Friends Are Funeral Singers

Ryan's Top 25 Tracks of 2009

25. "Happy Up Here" Röyksopp

24. "Heavens to Purgatory" The Most Serene Republic

23. "People Got a Lotta Nerve" Neko Case

22. "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer" A.C. Newman

21. "Can You Discover?" Discovery

20. "Airport Surroundings" Loney, Dear

19. "11th Dimension" Julian Casablancas

18. "Into the Mirror" Minus the Bear

17. "Plain Material" Memory Tapes

16. "Years" New Ruins

15. "Chez Viking" Mercury Program

14. "Moths Wings" Passion Pit

13. "Blood Bank" Bon Iver

12. "Mind Idea" Jeremy Enigk

11. "Island, IS" Volcano Choir

10. "Hazel" Junior Boys

9. "Walkabout" Atlas Sound (w/ Noah Lennox)

8. "Two Weeks" Grizzly Bear

7. "Stillness is the Move" Dirty Projectors

6. "So Far Around the Bend" The National

5. "Suicide" The Raveonettes

4. "Little Secrets" Passion Pit

3. "My Girls" Animal Collective

2. "So Insane" Discovery

1. "1901" Phoenix

Kyle's Top 25 Tracks of 2009

25. "Crying Lightning" Arctic Monkeys
24. "Substitution" Silversun Pickups
23. "The Sweetest Curse" Baroness
22. "Purexed" P.O.S.
21. "Day N Night" Kid Cudi
20. "So Insane" Discovery
19. "Military Madness" (Graham Nash Cover) Woods
18. "Woods" Bon Iver
17. "Be My Girl" Smith Westerns
16. "Trichromatic" Lymbyc Systym
15. "Other Ones" New Ruins
14. "Kind of Like a Big Deal" Clipse
13. "Crystalised" The xx
12. "False Jesii, Pt. 2" Pissed Jeans
11. "Rockers East Vancouver" Japandroids
10. "Island, IS" Volcano Choir
9. "Pool Swimmers" Real Estate
8. "The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion" Holopaw
7. "Bottle Breaks" Billy Mahonie
6. "Ephemeral" Pelican
5. "Deflated" Jesu
4. "Stillness is the Move" Dirty Projectors
3. "My Girls" Animal Collective
2. "Whale Song" Modest Mouse
1. "Bunuel" Califone

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Broken Bell's "The High Road"

The Shins' lead singer James Mercer and Dangermouse are doin' the Postal Service thing; they're calling themselves Broken Bells and they're releasing an album in March. "The High Road" is probably more reminiscent of Dangermouse's work with Beck than anything else he's done, but I definitely wouldn't lump this into the same category. You can get it for free here if you're okay with giving up your email address. Man, 2010 is gonna be a great year for music...

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Snap! Add Radiohead to the 2010 List...

You can read Ed O'Brien's entire rant at Dead Air Space, but here's the important part:

"The vibe in the camp is fantastic at present, and we head off into the studio in January to continue on from the work we started last Summer .. I am so genuinely excited about what we're doing, but for obvious reasons I can't divulge anything more.. anyway we all love surprises don't we?"

Rock!

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First Impression: Jónsi's "Boy Lilikoi"

Jónsi Birgisson, the lead singer of Sigur Ros (and Riceboy Sleeps), has a solo album coming out in March. Entitled Go, it evidently is going to be "very acoustic with numerous string arrangements" and sung completely in English. "Boy Lilikoi" is the first track that's been leaked, and it pretty much fits those criteria. It also kinda resembles Sigur Ros covering a Peter Gabriel song, which is, needless to say, totally awesome.

(Be patient; the track fades in pretty slowly)

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"Best of Before" '09

Well, it’s the end of the year and our best of ‘09 lists are coming soon, but there are always great things you find throughout the year that come from years past. It does tend to hinder the process of listening to the new things you should be listening to, but there’s really no getting around it. So this is my short “best of before” list of the year. Here are the top 6. Yep, we’re going with 6.

1. Roky Erickson – The Evil One

2. Alice In Chains - Dirt

3. Mission of Burma – Signals, Calls, & Marches

4. The Band – The Band

5. Harvey Milk – Life…the Best Game In Town

6. Chris Bell – I Am The Cosmos

Roky Erickson - I Think of Demons

Alice In Chains - Sickman

Mission of Burma - Academy Fight Song

The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Harvey Milk - Motown

Chris Bell - Better Save Yourself

And, on the same subject, here are two trailers for a couple music documentaries. The first one is about Roky Erickson and his life and the second is the story of Mission of Burma. They are both really great, interesting films that will give you a little history on these artists and will absolutely give you a greater appreciation and understanding of their work. Check it…

You’re Gonna Miss Me – Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVFLqzJB6qw

Not A Photograph – Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cE2Y8XJjq4

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Rollingstone's Top 25 Albums of the Year

In what appears to be a pathetic, labored last gasp, Rolling Stone makes a (failed) attempt to establish some indie cred with it's list of 2009's (supposedly) best albums: Monsters of Folk, Grizzly Bear, Bat For Lashes, Girls, Animal Collective, The xx, Neko Case, Dirty Projectors, Franz Ferdinand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, and Wilco all make appearances. But let's face it, RS is as out of touch as the Grammys and MTV, and no one needs to listen to the record they've anointed as the best of 2009...

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Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2009

Let the debate begin... I personally can't take issue with what's actually on the list (except the somewhat shocking absence of Volcano Choir's Unmap), but the rankings are a bit suspect - and that's putting it nicely. Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, The Very Best's Warm Heart of Africa, and Real Estate's self-titled album should have all probably been higher; Memory Tapes Seek Magic, Atlas Sound's Logos, and especially Passion Pit's Manners were far too low (#34?!?!). But how about Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, which was ranked at #6? Only months ago, it was rated as the 42nd best album of the decade by Pitchfork, well ahead of some classics like The Rapture's Echoes (#57), Sufjan Steven's Michigan (#70), The Microphone's The Glow Pt. 2 (#73), The Wren's The Meadowlands (#88), Jay-Z's The Black Album, (#90), Spoon's Girls Can Tell (#92), The National's Boxer (#110), and The Notwist's Neon Golden (#131). It happens to be ranked ahead of the Dirty Projector's Bitte Orca (#56 on the decade list) as well, which is somehow ranked 4 spots ahead of it at #2 on the 2009 list. I know Pitchfork has some kind of complex voting system amongst its entire staff, and that probably accounts for anomalies like this from time to time, but that still just seems a bit ridiculous to me. Also, the top 5 contains 3 albums that are, in my opinion, probably the 3 most overhyped albums of the year: The Flaming Lips Embryonic (#4), the aforementioned Bitte Orca, and Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion (#1). I actually think Merriweather is a great record, and will be ranking it very highly myself, but I'm definitely not putting it on the same pedestal so many others have this year.

We'll be posting our "Best of 2009" lists next Monday Tuesday, so be sure to check back soon...

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Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2009

Pitchfork posted the full list of it's top 100 tracks of 2009 today; go check it out here. Can't argue with the top 3, but the list includes songs from Junior Boys, Passion Pit, and Discovery that weren't even the best tracks from the albums they were released on. Where are "Sleepyhead" "Little Secrets", "Hazel", and "So Insane"?!?!?! Also missing: The Raveonettes' "Suicide", Royksopp's "Happy Up Here", and Neko Case's "People Got a Lotta Nerve".

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Dexter Season 4 Finale: The Bomb

Gotten away from the TV on here in recent months, but Dexter shouldn't be lumped in with anything else on the tube anyway. The season 4 finale, which aired last night, was one of the best episodes I've ever seen from any television show. Period. I'm not going to spoil anything for anybody, but it completely caught me off guard. And it wasn't just what happened; my own reaction to it was completely different than I would have expected. Absolutely awesome stuff. Some people are probably upset over it, and I don't know where they're gonna go from here, but with four seasons under their belt, the writers of this show are batting 1.000%. It also set a record: most watched episode of any show ever aired on Showtime. Say it with me: Best...Show...Ever...

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Enter Sandman

SANDMAN: At Your Service (Featurette) from Gatling Pictures on Vimeo.

Don't worry! This has nothing to do with Metallica. It is a preview of the new documentary from Gatling Pictures about the late Morphine frontman Mark Sandman. Sandman died of a heart attack on stage, while performing in Italy with Morphine in 1999. Morphine was an amazing and incredibly original band from Cambridge, Massachusetts in the 1990s. The lineup was Mark Sandman - 2 string bass/singer, Dana Colley - saxophone, and Billy Conway - drums. That's right, NO GUITAR! They had basically 5 studio albums, Cure For Pain being the most widely regarded as their best. It's an album everyone should own, so go buy it now. Well, enjoy the preview, it's about 7 minutes long and if this is your first encounter with Morphine and Mark Sandman, watch it twice.

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Hello Sir!

This is my first ever blog post. I don't really know how it works yet, so bear with me. Anyway, I've been really diggin' the instrumental stuff lately, especially after the new Billy Mahonie, Mercury Program, and Pelican this year. So, I've been on the search for more and I found it. The first is The Bronzed Chorus from Greensboro, NC. Their newest album is "I'm the Spring," pretty groovy stuff. The second is Antarctic from St. Augustine, FL. This album is fantastic! But it is self titled, and when your band is called Antarctic and your album is called the same thing, it becomes very hard to find information on the internet about your band. However, I found some really good information on polar ice caps and whatnot. Check 'em out. Eventually, I'll figure out how to post songs and things but for now...links! They're both on Hello Sir Records, so you can buy here...
http://www.hellosirrecords.com or check them out on Myspace...
http://www.myspace.com/thebronzedchorus
http://www.myspace.com/antarcticsounds

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Julian Casablancas' "11th Dimension"

Lead singer Julian Casablancas is the last member of The Strokes to release a solo album/side project. Definitely worth the wait. Despite the fact that he's constantly flirting with absolute cheesiness (especially with the drum machines), the risks almost always pay off. Bottom line: all 8 tracks that collectively make up Phrazes for the Young have the potential to be stuck in your head when you wake up in the morning. "11th Dimension":

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Atlas Sound's "Walkabout"

Deerhunter's Bradford Cox formed his solo project Atlas Sound so there would be an outlet for his ideas "that I can't make work with a five piece rock band." The result is something that at times sounds and feels a lot like Deerhunter, but with more pop-influenced hooks. Cox's second Sound album, "Logos," was released this week. On a sidenote, the gangly-looking figure on the cover is actually Cox himself. According to Wikipedia, he apparently suffers from Marfan's Syndrome. "Walkabout":

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Fikaked: New Radiohead & Weezer

Well, it's not what everyone was hoping for, but it's something new from Radiohead, so it's hard to complain too much. "These Are My Twisted Words" might actually be the most abstract, out there song they've released since Amnesiac. The band is offering the track as a free download (don't believe there's even the option to pay this time), and as part of the zip file you get a ridiculous amount of artwork similar to what you see above, along with some cryptic info. No real word on whether or not this is part of something bigger, so for now you'll just have to be content with the fact that you've got some new Radiohead to listen to:

Weezer have a new album coming out in October. Not holding my breath, but this advance track is the best thing they've released since "Island in the Sun":

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Fikaked: Volcano Choir, Jaydiohead, & MSTRKRFT

Volcano Choir is basically Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) plus his old band (Collections of Colonies of Bees). They have a record coming out in September called Unmap, and "Island, IS" is the first track to hit the internet. Sounds promising:

"Jaydiohead" is a mashup project similar to The Gray Album, this time featuring Jay-Z and Radiohead. The guy/s behind it call themselves "Minty Fresh Beats". The whole album, along with a newer ep (this thing has been around a few months, apparently) are available for free from the creator/s themselves here. Not sure what Radiohead thinks about it, but Jay-Z apparently likes some of it. You've gotta figure mashing together the best rapper in the world and the best band in the world is going to have at least a few positive results. My favorite track so far, "Wrong Prayer", is a mashup of Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong" and Jay's "Pray" (Thanks, Teddy!):

Another not so new track. I actually heard this for the first time when my wife was watching So You Think You Can Dance the other night. Turns out MSTRKRFT is actually one of the members of my favorite broken up death/dance/punk duo Death From Above 1979. Pretty shocked to find that out, especially considering that this track is a collaboration with John Legend. "Heartbreaker":

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Fikaked! Tracks: YACHT's Psychic City

This track has been out there for a while, but See Mystery Lights was just released this past week. YACHT seem to have the whole internet/blog buzz thing going on for them, but if you've never heard them, here's what Allmusic.com has to say about main man Jona Bechtolt: " (Bechtolt is) a musician and multimedia artist who embraces an eclectic but playful blend of electronics, acoustic percussion, and noises of all sorts." In Pitchfork's glowing review, they mention the names LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture. I definitely agree with the latter. As for "Psychic City" in particular, I hear an iPod commercial waiting to happen:

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Fikaked! Tracks: Radiohead's "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)"

As reported @ Pitchfork, Stereogum, etc., Radiohead have released a new track honoring Harry Patch, the last surviving British veteran of WWI who passed away a little over a week ago. Later in life, Patch became an adamant opposer of WWI and war in general. The song itself is a somber orchestral piece that is only recognizable as Radiohead because of Yorke's unmistakable vocals. You can get the track @ the band's website here, with all proceeds going to a British war veteran's legion. "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)":

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Fikaked! Tracks: Julian Plenti, Nurses, Fruit Bats, The Antlers, & Modest Mouse

Julian Plenti is actually Paul Banks, the lead singer from one of my favorite early '00s bands, Interpol. Definitely similar in a lot of ways to Banks' full-time band (i.e. the unique voice), but there are some obvious differences, too. Namely, Skyscraper is actually really catchy and poppy in some places. "Only If You Run":

Nurses kinda have the Animal Collective, weirdly-catchy psych-pop thing going on. "Technicolor":

In case you've never heard of Fruit Bats, they're a Sub Pop band that's been around for a while. They're from Chicago originally, but make southern rock that reminds me a lot of early Tom Petty. "The Ruminant Band":

The Antlers' Hospice was just named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork Media for being both "ambient and anthemic". If you're into Arcade Fire, chances are you're going to dig all or some of this. "Two":

You've probably already heard most of the material from Modest Mouse's newest release, No One's First, and You're Next, an ep that compiles 7"s, b-sides, and bonus tracks from the past 5 or 6 years (as they did with Building Nothing Out of Something, etc.). Worth getting ahold of whether you're a casual fan or a die-hard. "The Whale Song":

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Fikaked! Tracks: The Raveonettes, Thom Yorke, & The National

"Suicide" is one of the more upbeat tracks I've heard from The Raveonettes, and it really suits them. From their 4th album, In and Out of Control, which is due out October 6:

Download from Pitchfork (Right Click & "Save As").

Ciao My Shining Star is a compilation that was assembled to provide financial relief for Mark Mulcahy, the former frontman of Miracle Legion (who, amongst other things, is responsible for the theme song from Nickelodeon's Pete and Pete). Mulcahy's wife died suddenly about a year ago, making him the single parent of twin 3 year old girls. Over twenty artists contributed exclusive tracks, including Thom Yorke, The National, and Michael Stype. Yorke's "All For the Best" is another electronic track in the same vein as his Eraser material, and The National can't seem to put out anything that isn't completely awesome. Enjoy.

Thom Yorke's "All For the Best":

The National's "Ashamed of the Story I Told" (Polaris Cover):

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TGIF: Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead"

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Fikaked! Tracks: Delorean's "Deli"

Already posted one track from the Ayrton Senna ep last week. Thing is, pretty much all four five tracks are equally great. Here's "Deli". Enjoy:

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Fikaked! Tracks: The Dodos' "Longform"

Straight off of Dodos upcoming second lp Time To Die, due out September 15. Pretty easy to identify some immediate differences from Visiter; namely a full band sound and the pumped up production levels of (The Shins/Fleet Foxes producer) Phil Ek. It's still obviously Dodos and every bit as enjoyable, though:

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Fikaked! Tracks: Jay-Z, Imogen Heap, Megafaun, jj, Delorean, & Neon Indian

Another new track from the upcoming Blueprint 3, this one featuring Rihanna & Kanye. "Run This Town":

"Canvas" and "First Train Home" are two of the first tracks from Imogen's new album Ellipse to be released/leaked. The entire album comes out in late August:

"Canvas":

"First Train Home":

"Guns" comes from Gather, Form, and Fly, the second album released by Megafaun, which is comprised of several guys that used to play with Justin Vernon (also known as Bon Iver). Good stuff:

"Masterplan" comes from jj's first lp, jj n° 2. Not much is known about these guys, except they're Swedish, and they make pop music sorta reminiscent of old school The Knife:

First of all, Delorean is an great name. Second of all, their new ep, Ayrton Senna, is full of awesome synthy new-wave pop. "Seasun" is the first track off that album:

Pitchfork really said it best about Neon Indians "Deadbeat Summer". It's swervy, cheesy, bedroom lap-pop that sounds like it's being listened to on an unraveling tape. I'm not one for gimmicks, but this song, like the rest of the tracks from the Psychic Chasms ep, is too catchy to ignore:

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TGIF: Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait For The Others"

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Fikaked! Tracks: Memory Tapes' "Bicycle"

So evidently there are two "bands" named Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes that sound very similar and may or may not be a front for the same guy. Well whoever or whatever they/he/she/it is (are), they/he/she/it have come together (?) to form a new project named Memory Tapes. Kind of an eerily good mix of The Rapture's funky disco punk and M83s new-wave indie rock. I just hope they make more music:

Download @ The Yellow Stereo

Edit (7/27/09): Pitchfork has just posted an interview with Dayve Hawk, the mystery man himself, here.

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Track of the Week: Foreign Born's "Blood Oranges"

"Blood Oranges" is from Foreign Born's just-released (and favorably Pitchfork-reviewed) Person to Person. This track really sounds similar to Calla (one of my favorite bands from the early 2000s) but the rest of the album breaks from the "slow-core" trend:

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