Best Coast Wants to Soundtrack Yr Sandcastles

I've blogged about Best Coast too many times to remember and all the hype, 7"s, and EPs finally bear LP-fruit this summer when she releases her first full-length record, Crazy For You.

The album drops July 27th via Mexican Summer, but until then, you can build sandcastles to the sounds of the freshly minted "Boyfriend" or the previously released "Our Deal."

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Boyfriend - Best Coast

Our Deal - Best Coast

Hey Kids, Them Thermals Are Back With a New LP

The Thermals continue to impress with their sheer solid-tude. Seriously, have these guys put out a bad record?*

The dynamic duo (+ touring drummer) have their fifth LP readied for release this September. It's titled Personal Life and the first single, "I Don't Believe You," promises chugging guitars, anthemic choruses, and plenty oh ooh oooh!s... y'know, standard Thermals fare.

* That really awful Canadian Olympic song notwithstanding.

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I Don't Believe You - The Thermals

Hot Doesn't Run On Cold (Katy Perry vs The Thermals) - The Hood Internet

Dara Puspita Want to Play Your Beach Party

Are you a fan of Indonesia in the 1960s? What about Dick Dale-infused tropical garage-pop? And all-girl groups? Then Dara Puspita is the band for you!*

The obscure, ultra-hard-to-track-down, pop band has been around since, well, the 60s, but their material had been near-impossible to find until Sublime Frequency released Dara Puspita 1966-1968 -- a 26-track-long anthology of psych jams -- earlier this year.

Whether its this summer or the next time you find yourself at Typhoon Lagoon, Dara Puspita is essential beach party listening. Download three highlights below or grab the whole (sold-out) LP by clicking here.

* My best Vince from ShamWow! impression.

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Believe Me- Dara Puspita

A Go Go - Dara Puspita

Pusdi - Dara Puspita

Listen to The-Dream Sound a Whole Lot Like Prince

I've never been a big fan of The-Dream's crooning, auto-tuned style of R&B. It's just not my thing. At all. But apparently the ATL singer/producer has a more-than-mild Prince obsession -- we're talking solid, early 80s Prince -- This is awesome. This is definitely my thing.

I first heard The-Dream cop the Purple One's sound back in 2007 with his "Fast Car" single and now he's done it again with "Yamaha."

If the allusions of "Fast Car" were somehow veiled (though I'm unsure how they could be, everyone's heard "Little Red Corvette" and "When Doves Cry," right?), "Yamaha" is spilling over with Prince-isms. There's the twinkling synths, spastic drum machines, and, of course, oozy sexuality. It's a near perfect throwback to The Kid.

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Yamaha - The-Dream

Fast Car - The-Dream

Aeroplane Broke Up: So Who Gets Music Custody?

So imagine you're a DJ duo from Brussels, Belgium. You're well known on the interwebs for your proficient remix work, plus a couple of singles and 12"s, eventually scoring a record deal over at Wall of Sound.

With monster blog hype backing you, you decide to...

A. Stay together, support the record, and bath in the critical acclaim
B. Play the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2011
C. Go on a European tour with Delorean and The xx
D. Break up

If you guessed D, then you would be Aeroplane. The acclaimed electronic outfit has decided to call it quits*, just as their debut album is set to drop in September.

However, the record's first single, "We Can't Fly," is fantastic -- pure new-disco, with a pinch of reggae and a dash of Talking Heads aka a summertime gem. Check it out down below, in both extended and radio edit forms, and take sides in the divorce**.

* Apparently, only one member decided to call it quits and the "band" will go on without him. While that means Aeroplane haven't technically broken up, you can't fire half your chefs and expect the same kitchen...

** You cannot take sides in the divorce.

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We Can't Fly (Radio Edit) - Aeroplane

We Can't Fly (Extended Mix) - Aeroplane

Minks Sound a Lot Like the Cure (A Good Thing)

Listening to the new-ish deluxe edition of Disintegration, I caught myself wondering why more indie outfits aren't paying more direct homage to Robert Smiff and company. Then, I very legally downloaded the entire Cure discography. After that, I stumbled upon Minks, and their Funeral Song 7", and all had come full circle. Ahhhh.

The a-side, obviously titled "Funeral Song," sounds like a group of kids from Brooklyn broke in The Cure's recording studio and threw together their own jangly goth pop using borrow sounds and equipment. It's good, even if the chorus goes a little something like, "So long summertime / I'm not coming back." Then again, pairing bummer lyrics with uptempo music is exactly what their influence would want.

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Funeral Song - Minks

(Same) New Dr. Dre, This Time Mastered

Well apparently Dr. Dre was also annoyed by the "New Music Cartel" tags, because today, Nah Right released the no-DJ-tags, "finished" version of Dre's new "Under Pressure" collaboration with Jay-Z.

If you missed it the first time (when I blogged it last week), this is the version you'll want.

Note: It sounds pretty much the same. You win some, you lose some...

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Under Pressure (feat. Jay-Z) *Mastered* - Dr. Dre

Citizen Insane Has a Case of the Mondays

Most Mondays, I post a handful of MP3s that I've had on heavy rotation. Some new tunes, some old tunes, all good tunes.

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Carry On - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Tighten Up - The Black Keys

Papermill - Madvillain

Baltimore - Tennis

Collector - Here We Go Magic

Bulletproof (Zinc Remix) - La Roux

Trey-dio Departmentz (Trey Songz vs The Radio Dept.) - The Hood Internet

Girlfriend - Ty Segall

Let's Go Surfing - The Drums

I Saw a Light - Spoon

It's Father's Day - A Few Songs for Dad

When I was in the seventh grade, I had no idea what good music was. My CD collection consisted of Green Day's Insomniac, Weird Al's Bad Hair Day, and Savage Garden's self-titled debut. I was obsessed with MTV's TRL and whatever music they were peddling -- I can distinctly remember begging my mom for an unedited copy of Limp Bizkit's Significant Other -- and I couldn't even comprehend how to use Napster.

I eventually grew up and my tastes thankfully changed, but one of my most formational music moments happened during that school year. Two words: "Black Dog."

I remember getting picked up from basketball practice in my dad's black GMC Yukon. We were driving and some Zeppelin song was playing on 94.7 WCSX, Detroit's Classic Rock Station. Now, for years my dad had been quizzing me on "classic" rock music -- who was playing on the radio or what the name of the song was -- and I would consistently not know the answer. Apparently though, that night was the last straw.

"You've never heard "Black Dog"? You've never heard of Led Zeppelin?!"

I remember him veering off of Haggerty Rd., pulling into a conveniently close Best Buy. I remember hurrying inside and wading through the CD isles until we found the L's. I remember him flipping through that band's catalogue until he found a copy of Early Days: Best of Led Zeppelin Volume One. I remember him struggling to open the disc's heavily sticker'd jewel case. I'll never forget him cuing the album to track nine and saying, "Son, this is 'Black Dog.' Led Zeppelin. Never forget."

Today, I'm honoring pops by posting "Black Dog" and a few other foundational tracks. Here's to you Dad, I never forgot.

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Black Dog - Led Zeppelin

Detroit Rock City - Kiss

Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger

Father and Son - Cat Stevens

New Blonde Redhead, "Here Sometimes"

Whoa, Blonde Redhead have been together since 1993. In indie-rock years, that makes them ancient (indie-rock years function like dog years, duh). Despite totally being old enough to be my parents*, the shoegaze-y trio have delivered the goods with each new release and their forthcoming yet-to-be-titled LP will probably be no exception.

I first heard of the gang something like four years ago. I was on vacation, snowboarding in Colorado, when I met some high school senior. She must've been impressed by the Minor Threat and Pixies stickers on my board, because we struck up a musical conversation on the tram. Being a few years older and in college, she was obviously outgunned ("Wait, you've never heard of Sufjan Stevens?!?"), but she was able to enter at least one new band into my music lexicon: Blonde Redhead. I bumped into her again back at the hotel and before we parted ways, she slipped me her burned copy of Misery Is a Butterfly. Cool girl. I don't remember her name.

Anyways, here's their latest single, "Here Sometimes." It's a little more electronic and trip-hoppy than the band's usual efforts, but a solid listen. It's also an excuse to to post a few standout tracks from the band's 17-year-long catalog...

* Pretty sure that's not not accurate.

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Here Sometimes - Blonde Redhead

Violent Life - Blonde Redhead

23 - Blonde Redhead

Equus - Blonde Redhead

Magic Kids Want to Sing About Summertime

So, do you consciously name your charming summertime single "Summer" with the explicit purpose of getting a little extra attention from the blogosphere? If so, then well played Magic Kids.

These Tennessee indie pop honeys have a full-length dropping at the end of August, titled Memphis, and "Summer" if our first listen of what's to come. The cut is sweet twee mixed with '60s sunkiss'd bliss and if its any indication, their LP should be an end of summer treat.

Summertime is for sweethearts, indeed.

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Summer - Magic Kids

Haiku Review: The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth

Haiku Review of The Tallest Man on Earth's The Wild Hunt

Sparse and lonely picks
His voice is the instrument
Dylan lives on here

Notes: Hands down, the year's best folk album. Wild Hunt takes all the charms of his near-flawless previous efforts (2008's Shallow Graves and his 2006 self-titled EP) and inexplicably improves upon them.

The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson) has perfected his take on Dylanesque songwriting and with it, created a record that is as immediate as it is intimate. Cooked using his powerful, croaking voice and an acoustic guitar almost exclusively, Wild Hunt is an incredibly sparse, personal experience -- and this album is an experience. His songs may be mere retellings of the everyday, but the romantic urgency in which he delivers couldn't make his words sound more real, more beautiful.

You can download some exemplary tracks down below, but really, this LP is designated vinyl listening...

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You're Going Back - The Tallest Man on Earth

Troubles Will Be Gone - The Tallest Man on Earth

Graceland (Bonus Track) - The Tallest Man on Earth

Tennis Release Another Song, Score Now 40-Love

This past Sunday, I blogged the charming Denver duo, Tennis. Their infectious indie pop has earned them some well-deserved attention on the blogosphere and to celebrate the husband-and-wife tandem, here's another seafaring track, "South Carolina."

The track comes from the group's new South Carolina 7". The wax is limited to 300 copies and you can pre-order it here or just download all three of their maritime-pop tunes down below.

Note: "Marathon" is the catchiest song of the summer.

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Marathon - Tennis

South Carolina - Tennis

Baltimore - Tennis

New Dr. Dre Featuring Jay-Z, "Under Pressure"

Dr. Dre's delayed-forever "comeback" album, Detox, is still a long ways away from seeing the light of day (2011, maybe). However, the headphone salesman decided to wet our appetites when he delivered* "Under Pressure" unto the internet's doorstep.

Featuring Jay-Z and sampling Kraftwerk (FTW), the track is... solid-ish. This is big news particularly because Dre announced the single's release way back in April and he wasn't lying.

Hopefully this inspires more kept promises and we'll finally get to hear Detox (It probably won't).

"I'ma treat every day like the weekend."

* EDIT:// Forgot to mention the numerous (and fucking annoying) "New Music Cartel Dot Com" tags. They're there because this track is an unfinished leak. Here's what Dre had to say about it: "I want to set the record straight for everybody who's been waiting to hear my music. The song that's on the internet is an incomplete song that I'm still working on. When it's ready, you'll be hearing it from me."

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Under Pressure (feat. Jay-Z) - Dr. Dre

Oops, Forgot to Post That New Kanye

So late last month, a new, unfinished, Kanye song leaked onto the interwebs. It's title: "Power." You probably heard it already. It is fucking fantastic.

After the internet exploded (because, OMG, new Kanye), Mr. West released a mastered version of the single, and boy did it sound better in high quality. That first week of June was all about the return of Kanye, his forthcoming LP, Good Ass Job, and the "terribly genius 'fuck em'" that is "Power." The accolades were deserved -- the song is a banging return to form and that "21st Century Schizoid Man" sample made me revisit my In the Court of the Crimson King vinyl.

I figured not everyone got their hands on the finished track and since I post good music here, I decided to host the MP3. Summer 'tis the season of jams and this is one of the best.

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Power - Kanye West

First Rate People Are a Little Less Mysterious

It's been four months since I last blogged about Toronto's First Rate People and their groovy debut single, "Girls' Night." Here's what I had to say...

Sounding like a mash-up of the Tom Tom Club and Stars, First Rate People's “Girls’ Night” is my newest pre-game jam. It’s back-and-forth guy/girl vocals, dribbling-over, heavy bass, an over-produced beat, and twangy guitars, could easily score your amateur mixology or that ugly-duckling/swan montage from She’s All That. [... But] the true charms of “Girls’ Night” are buried in that breezy melody.

When trolling Hype Machine for new tunes, it's easy to find something you like and even easier for some freshmen band to slip into the cracks of your hard drive, collecting dust until you end up forgetting about them altogether, barely noticing their 5.9 MB blip of disc space.

This is (hopefully) not the fate of First Rate People. Calling "Girls' Night" infectious just about sums it up and that I still have it on heavy rotation says something about the band's staying power.

While they have only one other track on their Myspace, a full-length album was reported to be right around the corner, so I decided to do a little digging. Here's what I found:

Their debut LP will be titled It's Never Not Happening. It's seven songs long. The tracklist is down below. The emo-ish album art looks like this. The band looks like this.

Luckily, I stumbled upon three new tracks that are in excellent condition (320 kbps) -- Album opener "Orion," the folky, heartbreaking "It's Never Not Happening (Pt. 1)" and disco-pop-anthem "Charlie Kaufman." Grab them (alongside "Girls' Night" if you haven't yet) while they're hot.

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Girls' Night - First Rate People
Orion - First Rate People
It's Never Not Happening (Pt. 1) - First Rate People
Charlie Kaufman - First Rate People

Every Song on This Mix Is Good, I Swear*

Most Mondays, I post a handful of MP3s that I've had on heavy rotation. Some new tunes, some old tunes, all good tunes.
* Even the Christina Aguilera track (which was produced by Switch, for those keeping score at home). I know, right? Maybe M.I.A. hooked her up with some of those truffle-flavored French fries...

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Elastic Love (feat. M.I.A.) - Christina Aguilera

Red Lights - Holy Fuck

Bright Lit Blue Skies - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Black Sheep - Suckers

Ride (Andre 3000 Remix) - Ciara

Come With Me - ceo

Suffocation (Memory Tapes Remix) - Crystal Castles

Access Granted - Emeralds

Personal OG - Freddie Gibbs

Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone - The Walkmen

Tennis Is Not Only a Sport, but Also a Band

It's Sunday. Some of us had a late night yesterday. I'm not pointing fingers or counting shots of tequila, but not all of us are feeling a hundred percent. And it's 3:00. In the afternoon.

Hungover or not, we can all agree that Tennis is a winsome little band. Made up of a husband and wife duo hailing from Denver, this is their story:

The idea for the project began one day a couple of years ago when Alaina made fun of Patrick for playing tennis in college, which is an elitist rich man’s sport. A year later the two fled their hometown Denver to spend eight months sailing and exploring the North Atlantic coast. During their adventures they began writing music together documenting their experiences. (Via Underwater Peoples)

Alongside their quaint beginnings is a knack for infectious pop. The group has two three songs on their Myspace, one of which is the fantastic "Marathon," a charming chronicle of some of the more nerve-racking moments of their maritime journey.

Tag the tandem as seafaring, poppy, cute, catchy, and hangover-approved.

EDIT:// Grab all three nautical MP3s down below

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Marathon - Tennis

Baltimore - Tennis

South Carolina - Tennis

Wavves Cleans Up His Act, Drops Post Acid

In a sort of recent interview with indie demigods P4k, Wavves' Nathan Williams discussed his forthcoming record, King of the Beach. He talked about how it was recorded in an honest-to-God studio and how it sounds "clean as a whistle," meaning, the tracks on King of the Beach have been stripped of their typical Sebadoh-ish, lo-fi charms.

A few days ago, Wavves had Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound imprint release the first track off said record, "Post Acid." Is it cleaner? Yes. Can you actually hear Williams' voice? Yep. Is it good? Definitely.

While I'm bummed to see Williams abandon the lo-fi trend he helped re-popularize, it nice to hear actual talent behind all the tape hiss and guitar fuzz -- it's almost like vindication for all the blog backlash he's received. Plus, "Post Acid" still sounds very much like the Wavves you know and love, three chords and all. And it's not like it's that clean...

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Post Acid - Wavves

Previous MP3s...

To the Dregs - Wavves

Summer Goth - Wavves

So Bored - Wavves

MNDR: When Indie Electro Meets Mall Pop

So based on the title of this post, you might be expecting something that sounds a little like this. Sadly, MNDR isn't Robyn Sparkles, but her totally-80s inspired brand of power-pop is quite radical.

MNDR (aka Amanda Warner) hails from Brooklyn and she released her debut EP this past April, titled E.P.E. While it's not exploding with ass-shaking riddims, it's radio-friendly pop that's as danceable as it is catchy.

EP opener "C.L.U.B." might appear appropriate for a sweaty, poorly-lit basement, but it's better tailored for 10:00 PM, when you and your friends are half dressed, trying hard to get drunk in seconds flat, and prepping for your Saturday night. After that first track, you might as well let the record spin out and continue taking shots of Burnett's because the following three are just as good if not better.

Download "C.L.U.B." and the Best New Music'd "I Go Away" down below or grab the whole EP by clicking here.

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C.L.U.B. - MNDR

I Go Away - MNDR