Neon Indian's Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed

In case you missed it last year, Neon Indian's chillwave classic, Psychic Chasms, has been reissued/remastered. While I still can't wrap my mind around remastering the intentionally lo-fi album, the LP is being packaged with Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed, a group of remixes from acts like Toro Y Moi, the Antlers, YACHT, Javelin, DNTEL, and Bibio.

I've been pimping Neon Indian for awhile now and Psychic Chasms is one of my favourite releases from the past few years, but this remix record is so good, good enough to stand on its own. Each aforementioned artist (plus a few more) brings something new to the table, pumping fresh life into Neon Indian's now year-old, hazy, electronic jams. I've posted some highlights down below.

P.S. Both albums are now available digitally at your web-vendor of choice, but if you want a physical copy, you're going to have to wait until the end of the month via FADER Label.

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Should've Taken Acid With You (Body Language RMX) - Neon Indian

Ephemeral Artery (The Antlers Fresh Breath Remix) - Neon Indian

Psychic Chasms (Anoraak Remix) - Neon Indian

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Preview Trent Reznor's Social Network Score

The Social Network is coming out next week and, from what I'm reading, it's pretty awesome. Equally awesome is the fact that Trent Reznor (and friend Atticus Ross) scored the film. Reznor's soundtrack doesn't drop until the end of the month, but a five-track sampler is available right now.

Remember, this is a film score by Trent Rezor, so as long as you're expecting brooding, electronic instrumentals in a NIN-lite vein, you won't be disappointed.

Grab the mini-album here. Test drive one of the tracks down there.

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Pieces Form the Whole - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

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Highlife Deliver the Afro-Pop with "F Kenya Rip"

Highlife, the new-ish Afro-pop outfit fronted by Sleepy Doug Shaw (of White Magic/Gang Gang Dance), is dropping a new EP next week on The Social Registry.

The record's fantastic first single, "F Kenya Rip," is a bright, breezy jam that's appropriately Franco-sounding with an added dash of Animal Collective. Add the tropical tune to your end-of-summer playlist immediately.

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F Kenya Rip - Highlife

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Diamond Rings to Release Album Made of Candy

A little more than a year ago, Toronto's Diamond Rings put out the last great pop-song of (that) summer. The track, "All Yr Songs," proved that the glammy-scenester knew his way around pop hooks and kitschy 90s romance. When I got my hands on his upcoming LP, Special Affections, I poured myself a bowl of marshmallows, slapped on some bracelets, and relived the Zach Morris/Kelly Kapowski/AC Slater love triangle. The bubble-gum record hits every synthesized, romantic mark and makes you wanna live-out a photo-booth montage.

Look for the debut album come October 26th on Secret City Records.

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All Yr Songs - Diamond Rings

You and Me - Diamond Rings Removed by request

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The Citizen Insane's Hip-Hop Round-Up

So while I've been busy with this whole Ivy League thing (casually brushes off shoulders), I've neglected to mention some of the recentish hip-hop/rap I've been listening to. Here's a rundown of what I forget to mention since sometime in mid-July...

- Kanye West has been releasing tracks once a week for awhile now. Some are great ("Monster feat. Jay-Z, Bon Iver, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj") and some are just okay ("Good Friday"), but you can grab 'em all by going here. The real homerun is "Runaway," the track that slayed the VMAs. Grab that at the bottom...

- Wale dropped a new mixtape in July and it's a return to good form after his awful, awful major-label debut. Grab it here.

- Despite being a few months old, I'm still playing the new Cool Kids mixtape nonstop. Pick it up here if you haven't yet.

- The ever-prolific Gucci Mane released a new mixtape a couple of weeks ago. It's predictably solid, so if your hard drive could use more Gucci, you can donwload it here. Mr. Burr also has an LP right around the corner, The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted - You can find the first track down below.

- I thought the latest Bun B album was decent enough. Full of lovable guests (Drake, Gucci, Jeezy...), the record doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it has its charms and could soundtrack a night or two of drinking. Get it here.

- The Game really, really surprised me with the quality of his latest mixtape, Brake Lights. The samples are all over the place in the best way (I'm looking at you, Sufjan Stevens sample) and his flow is so good, it actually sounds like he's trying. Snag it up by clicking here.

- Freddie Gibbs is slowly, surely working his way up to the top of my favourite rappers list. He dropped a mixtape and an EP at the end of July/Beginning of August and they're both must-hear efforts. Get the mixtape by clicking here. Get the EP by clicking here.

- What would a round-up of mine be without a Lil Wayne mention? In five days (Sept. 27), Mr. Carter is releasing an EP, on his birthday, from behind bars. Awesome. I've got the first two singles down below. Both feature Drake, one is awesome ("Right Above It"), and the other is called "Gonorrhea." The track's biggest takeaway? Weezy wants you to be STD-free: "Wish I never met ya / Wouldn't wanna be ya / Pussy ass nigga / I don't want your gonorrhea."

- And finally, let's just take a moment to recognize the ridiculous/catchy/entertaining "Teach Me How to Dougie." I'm sure my own horrible rendition is only a few weeks away from showing up on YouTube...

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Runaway (feat. Pusha T) - Kanye West

Lil Friend (Bun B) - Gucci Mane

Gonorrhea (feat. Drake) - Lil Wayne

Right Above It (feat. Drake) - Lil Wayne

Teach Me How to Dougie - Cali Swag District

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Tensnake Want's Everybody to Dance... Now

For those of you who have their fingers on the pulse of electronic music trends, this recent 90s resurgence isn't something new. But for the rest of you, it may come as a surprise that ancient 90s house jams are becoming pretty chic.

Even if #90sDance wasn't already trending, this new Tensnake remix is hot.

The German producer has already thrown some original works into the revivalism pile (see his Coma Cat EP), but his remix of Azari & III's "Reckless (With Your Love)" is better than everything you've heard on any Jock Jam CD.

Taking cues from Snap! and La Bouche, Tensnake's remix brings back everything you remember about the electro-dance boom -- For me that's turning up the radio in my mom's Chrysler Town & Country, wearing a pair of L.A. Lights and a Charlotte Hornet's Starter jacket.

Re: The ending... Yes, that familiar sample jogging your childhood dance memory is C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now."

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Reckless (With Your Love) [Tensnake Remix] - Azari & III

Coma Cat - Tensnake

Need Your Lovin' - Tensnake

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TJ Slept on the Spectrals 7" (but You Shouldn't)

Around this time last year, the Leeds, England solo project known as Spectrals released a self-titled 7" on Captured Tracks. I recently got my mitts on it and yeah, it's great. Tapping into the then hyper-explosive genre of lo-fi indie rock, both "Leave Me Be" and "Suit Yourself" sound familiar, but those creeping 50s rock/doo-wop influences add depth to the pedestrian cuts. Plus, it's impressive that the musician effectively recreated Spector's wall of sound in his bedroom.

EDIT:// Sprectrals also released another single and contributed tracks to a split 7" this year, both of which I'll be getting ASAP.

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Leave Me Be - Spectrals

Suit Yourself - Spectrals

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Radio Dept. Release New Single, Get Political on Us

I really dig the Radio Dept.'s latest effort, Clinging to a Scheme. The Swedes and their Pet Sounds-by-way-of-The Smiths sound produces some of the best indie-pop these hip ears have heard all year, without getting too sugary or twee.

With their new LP just five months old, the trio has dropped a fresh, unrelated single, "The New Improved Hypocrisy." Bonus: it's political. The track is a critique of the Swedish government, who are holding elections this Sunday.

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The New Improved Hypocrisy - The Radio Dept.

Heaven's on Fire - The Radio Dept.

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Radiohead Release Fan-Shot Concert Film, Fo' Free

So in late August last year, Radiohead played a show in Prague. This normally wouldn't be news (unless you live in Prague), but a bunch of fans used Flip cameras to bootleg the show. Thom & Co. backed the amateur concert film, supplying the video with soundboard recordings of the performance.

You can download entire experiment, called Prague DVD, for free in every format imaginable or watch specific songs via Youtube.

Download it by clicking here.

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