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":