Gold Panda Released Yet Another Great Bonus Track

Gold Panda recently dropped a new single onto the interwebs, but not without context--"MPB" is a leftover from last year's Lucky Shiner sessions.

Since that album is the strongest thing Mr. Panda's done yet (and "You" is still quite excellent), I thought I'd give 'em a victory lap and host the new tune alongside the rest of Lucky Shiner's bonus tracks...

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Gold Panda - MPB
Gold Panda - You

Bonus Tracks...

Gold Panda - Casio Daisy
Gold Panda - Greek Style
Gold Panda - Rush Job

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MP3s: A Pylon Cover + Remix + Favourite

In 2008, I got my hand's on Pylon's Gyrate LP for the first time. As a big B-52's fan, I was pretty blown away by the New Wave, art-rock on display and heard how big an influence Pylon had on Fred Schneider and co. (not to mention the rest of Athens, GA).

I (obviously) still spin the record to get my dance-pop kick, so I was pleased to learn of the new single DFA put out: a double-a-side cover by Deerhunter and remix from Calvinist. Both are natch and as a bonus, I'm hosting a favourite Pylon jam, "Feast on My Heart."

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Deerhunter - Cool
Pylon - Yo-Yo (Calvinist Remix)
Pylon - Feast on My Heart

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Download Now: Beach Fossils' What a Pleasure EP

So, I've got to apologize--I've been sitting on this record for way, way too long. Beach Fossils' latest effort is an EP of eight easygoing, Top-Sider tunes and man, is it good.

While "Cayler" and the title-track are obvious standouts, the EP is varied (and brief) enough to warrant repeat front-to-back listens. Especially in warm weather. Preferably on a boat with a cooler of cold friends.

MediaFire Link:

Beach Fossils - What a Pleasure EP

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Beach Fossils - Calyer
Beach Fossils - What a Pleasure

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Teen Inc. (Barely) Rename Themselves, Drop a New Song

Way, way back in 2010, there was this Prince-inspired band I blogged about named Teen Inc. Then, they only had a mere 7" to their name, though that 7" was admittedly rad. Well, more than a year later, the L.A. duo have renamed themselves "Inc." and let out the first track off their forthcoming EP, 3.

The good news: "Swear" is as strong, if not stronger than their previous single, keeping all the keytars, wonky bass and Paula Abdul drum beats in place, while refining their Purple One influences.

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Inc. - Swear

Previous MP3s...

Teen Inc. - Fountains
Teen Inc. - Friend of the Night

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First Rate People - "Someone Else Can Make a Work of Art"

Here's the latest single from Toronto's First Rate People. I've been blogging these guys since the beginning and while "Someone Else Can Make a Work of Art" isn't as strong as "Funny Games," the track's perfect for putting on a mixtape for a lady you like.

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First Rate People - Someone Else Can Make a Work of Art
First Rate People - Funny Games

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Download Now: Mount Kimbie's New Carbonated EP

Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers was an LP I slept on for most 2010, but having now listened to it ad nauseam, I can easily call it one of last year's most underrated records.

So then, you could imagine my pumped-up-ness when I got my hands on the dubstep duo's new Carbonated EP half a week early. While the release is a mere six tracks long, the three original cuts are up to snuff (especially the title track) and remaining three remixes aren't half bad--though not as good as James Blake's re-work from last year's Maybes EP

MediaFire Link:

Mount Kimbie - Carbonated EP

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Mount Kimbie - Carbonated
Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix)

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MP3: Night Manager - "Pizza Party"

Since summer's now in full swing, I planned on posting that new Best Coast jam (apropos, no?) currently spinning over at the 2011 Adult Swim Singles Program, but it seems I've found something a little better*.

"Pizza Party" is a confusingly titled, fuzzy gem from Brooklyn's Night Manager. And though it's more shady than Best Coast's usual fare, the reverb, riffage and harmonies more than make up for it. It's something Robert Smith might play on the iPod while you rub sunscreen on his back at the beach.

*But actually, the Best Coast, How to Dress Well and Ford & Lopatin tracks streaming there are solid. You can download them all (and future releases) by clicking here.

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Night Manager - Pizza Pasta

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Lisztomania - The Top 15 Records of 2011 (So Far)

Lisztomania - Because everybody loves lists...
As you've probably read elsewhere, we've reached that just-about halfway mark in the year (and the official start of summer, whoo) so it's time for every music publication to rattle off their favourite records of the the past six months. As is my due blogging diligence, I'm throwing my hat in the ring, keeping my list to a stout 15.

An exercise like this can be a weird one though. A Stereogum commenter put it well when he wrote, "These lists are snapshots in time, snapshots take time to develop. We’ll see what more exposure brings come winter time."

It's hard to accurately rank albums I've spent so little time with and who knows where or if they'll show up on my year-end list--plus, there's that looming issue of albums I haven't even heard yet. Regardless, here are the LPs I've been spinning nonstop since I first got my ears on them...

- 2011's Top 15 Albums (So Far) -
15. Woods - Sun & Shade
14. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
13. SBTRKT - SBTRKT
12. Julian Lynch - Terra
11. Ducktails - Arcade Dynamics

10. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
09. White Denim - D
08. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
07. Zomby - Dedication
06. Wild Beasts - Smother

05. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
04. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
03. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver*
02. Pure X - Pleasure
01. James Blake - James Blake

*Includes the album's three bonus tracks.

Like the list? Click on each album title for its respective download link.

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MP3: Bon Iver - "I Can’t Make You Love Me/Nick of Time"

I haven't been able to comment at-length on the beautiful new Bon Iver record, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, but it seems if you have a pulse and internet access, you've already read about its expansive greatness.

While I'm still putting together my review, people are clamoring for more Justin Vernon and their prayers were answered the other day when "I Can’t Make You Love Me / Nick of Time" popped up online.

The track, a two-part Bonnie Raitt medley/cover, is the b-side to Bon Iver's "Calgary" single. You've probably already heard it on your friend's Tumblr, but now you can take the MP3 with you. EDIT:// The links were broken, but they've been fixed. Download away.

I can't make you love me if you don't / I can't make your heart feel something it won't

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Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me / Nick of Time
Bon Iver - Calgary

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Album of the Week - SBTRKT by SBTRKT

You know what's a trend I can totally get behind? Gentrified dubstep. Allow me to qualify that. Of course, I'm not referring to race, income, et al., but rather the mainstream re-modification of this rather specific genre of electronic music.

Dubstep has by now developed a relatively concrete template--it may be hard to describe to friends in one sentence, but you know it when you hear it--so much so that if one departs from its standards, they must be re-labeled "post-dubstep" or "witch-house" or some other genre that the collective press has yet to stupidly* name.

But as dubstep continues to grow up and out of the underground, artists like Jamie Woon and SBTRKT are co-opting its styles and praxes, stripping away all the warble, murkiness and grime and re-purposing said conventions for mass, pop appeal.

"Is 2011 turning out to be the year UK bass music goes semi-mainstream?" asked Pitchfork's Jess Harvell in an April review of Jamie Woon's Mirrorwriting. With the release of SBTRKT's self-titled debut right around the corner (June 28th), alongside Woon's output and the championing of James Blake, she may be onto something.

SBTRKT's record, which I've already spun several times between Sunday night and now, runs all over the place stylistically speaking; there's something for everyone. And while the LP is delivered in broad strokes, it's more than "generic UK garage."

Don't get me wrong, the lo-fi output of Burial, Zomby, Benga, Mount Kimbie or Kode9 define dubstep, but not everyone has an ear for a track like "Endorphin." Even if you do, do you always have the patience/appreciation for it? Wouldn't you rather just dance? Honestly, it's refreshing to hear London bass in a much more glossy, digestable form and SBTRKT delivers just that.

I could complicate things further by throwing around genre terms like funky, 2-step, drum & bass, four-on-the-floor, grime, ambient, or breakbeat, but the takeaway here is to cheers an album that captures UK electronic music in an easy-to-swallow 40 minutes, not to pick SBTRKT apart influence-by-influence; its originality exists in its straightforward delivery.

*Can we honestly not do any better than "Chillwave" or "Witch-house"?

MediaFire Link:

SBTRKT - SBTRKT

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SBTRKT - Wildfire
SBTRKT - Something Goes Right
SBTRKT - Right Thing to Do

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MP3: Holiday Shores' "Spells" Sounds Like Summer

The debut LP from Florida's Holiday Shores doesn't drop 'til September, but the record's first single, "Spells," is all kinds of summer-night goodness. Reminds me of Neon Indian-meets-The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Put this one on next time you take your baby to the boardwalk.

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Holiday Shores - Spells

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MP3: Brand New Radiohead - "Staircase"

Wait, where did this come from? Seemingly out of nowhere, Radiohead have graced the internet with a brand new track this morning. Titled "Staircase," the song's in line with the band's most recent King of Limbs sound--heavy on rhythm, repetition and smooth bass lines--though I may like it more than just about any other cut from that record. Well done, sirs.

The video above is part of Nigel Godrich's From The Basement web performance series, which will host Thom Yorke and co. for the third time on July 1st. And while they'll probably be playing most of King of Limb (and "Staircase"), fingers crossed for a least one more new track. Grab a HQ MP3 down below...

I walk down the staircase / Magnetic pull / Back to the other place / That I cannot go

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Radiohead - Staircase

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MP3: Regal Safai - "Only"

In which Bristol continues to pump out excellent post-dubstep/electronic music...

Regal Safari hail from the UK where myriad artist are now taking to their Bandcamp pages to put up electronic rapture for your listening pleasure. And while some of it's quality production--seriously, what is in the water (read: laptops) over there?--my ears are starting to feel the glut of homemade, Ableton-driven music, reminding me of the lo-fi boom of '09.

Whatever the case, Regal Safari seem to be one of the good guys and I've had "Only" on heavy rotation for a few days now. With succinct sampling and a slack aura, the cut manages to stand out among such redundant peers.

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Regal Safari - Only

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MP3s: How to Dress Well's New "Just Once" EP

Yesterday afternoon, bedroom R&B revivalist How to Dress Well put up a new EP on this Bandcamp page. You could stream it for free, download a copy for a few bucks and/or pre-order the physical release.

Well I'm glad I acted when I did, because HTDW has since put an end to all the streaming and downloading business; pre-ordering is now your only option.

Along with being good, the EP is also pretty unique. Just Once is "comprised of 4 orchestral versions of HTDW tracks - a one-time-only approach to HTDW's sound." So what you're getting is three stringed re-imaginings of songs from last year's Love Remains (my second favourite record of 2010), as well as one new song, "Suicide Dream 3." Get 'em while you can...

EDIT:// Tracks removed by request.

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How to Dress Well - Decisions (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 1 (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2 (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 3 (Orchestral Version)

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MP3s: Domo Genesis - "Boss' Life" + "Cashmere"

Domo Genesis has always been the fourth best act of Odd Future, leagues behind Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and Mellowhype. As the group's resident stoner, it surprised no one that his contribution to OFWGKTA was the Rolling Papers mixtape. That ramshackle effort, despite being appropriately hazy, didn't quite match what Domo had done with guest spots and on Radical.

But it seems the spotlight on Tyler has forced his cohorts to elevate their own talents. And so, backed a Dr. Dre beat, Domo releases one of his best songs yet. Between "Boss' Life" and April's "Cashmere," I'm actually looking forward what he does next--which is apparently the Under the Influence mixtape, despite no official announcement or release date.

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Domo Genesis - Boss' Life
Domo Genesis - Cashmere

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Balam Acab and What Makes Perfect Hangover Music

There are those mornings where you wake up before your alarm goes off, eat granola for breakfast, and run three miles before work. Then there's those morning where the only things that sound good to you are aspirin and a meal from the greasy spoon known as Main Street Cafe--that is, two eggs sunny-side-up, crispy bacon, rye toast and hash browns. And water. Lots of water.

While a hangover isn't required to enjoy Balam Acab, the soft, droning nature of his production is a potent antidote for the dozen times you heard "Party Rock Anthem" the night before.

Balam Acab is the nom de guerre of Alec Koone, a 20-year-old Pennsylvanian whose music carefully samples voices, compositional fragments and instrument snippets to combine them with semi-distorted beats, creating dreamlike, languid arrangements. The results are sobering, even when you haven't been drinking the night before.

"Oh, Why" is the first glimpse from his forthcoming record, Wander / Wonder, and it's just as strong as anything off last year's See Birds EP.

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Balam Acab - Oh, Why
Balam Acab - See Birds (Sun)
Balam Acab - Regret Making Mistakes

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MP3: "Senator" by Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

I know what the senator wants / What the senator wants is a blow job
If you're anything like me, you're sick, sick, sick of all these politico sex scandals--they're a nauseating press headache of mundane proportions (ahem, Weinergate). And so, a golf clap for Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks. "Senator" is the first single off their forthcoming record, Mirror Traffic, and its release is pretty timely, espeically with lyrics like those above.

Nice to hear Malkmus maintain his tounge-in-cheek, Pavement* roots and the jam-band lumbering of The Jicks hasn't sounded better. Mirror Traffic is Beck-produced and due out on August 23rd, but Pavement fans around the globe will surely torrent a leak much, much sooner.

*For those with fingers far removed from the pulse, Stephen Malkmus was the former front-man of Pavement, the greatest band you should already be listening to.

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Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Senator

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Is This a New James Blake Track? + The Lindesfarne Single

My adoration of James Blake has been well documented on this blog, even before the musician released his astounding self-titled LP earlier this year. Since I've long devoured everything the wunderkind has produced so far, I'm waiting with eager ears to hear new material and I finally might have it.

The unknown, untitled track is a BBC radio-rip, and while no author has officially been named, it bears so many Blake mainstays, including a sampling of his own voice. Too good to be true or right on the money? Let's hope it's the real deal, not some clever remix.

In related news, Blake's dropping his "Linesfarne" single next week, which includes a singular edit of the Bon Iver-echoing "Linesfarne I & II" from his album, condensing the two songs by a minute. The 7" is a double A-side, with LP-opener "Unluck" on the flip. Download 'em all below.

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James Blake - Untitled
James Blake - Lindesfarne (Single Version)
James Blake - Unluck

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MP3: The New Active Child/How to Dress Well Collab Kills

I'm a big fan of Active Child's debut EP and an even bigger one of How to Dress Well's debut LP--both made it pretty high on my Best of 2010 lists--so when I heard they collaborated on Active Child's new single, mind = blown.

"Playing House" is a pretty huge departure from the bedroom aesthetic of Curtis Lane, opting for a full-frontal R&B assault. Not sure if that's solely due to How to Dress Well's input, but I'm already clamoring for more; this track is a straight jam.

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Active Child - Playing House (feat. How to Dress Well)

From 2010's Curtis Lane EP...

Active Child - When Your Love Is Safe

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Bobby's Latest Is as Good as Anything I've Heard So Far

Bobby is a seven man (well, five men, two women) outfit hailing from Massachusetts and man, they're pretty good. "Ginger (Water Birth)" is their latest track to seep online and man, it's pretty great.

The plucky "Soft Spores" and aptly-sleepy "Groggy" have been floating around the web for a while now, but "Ginger (Water Birth)" is the best thing I've heard from the band so far--gentle keyboards and traded vocals make for repeat listens. Download 'em.

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Bobby - Ginger (Water Birth)
Bobby - Groggy
Bobby - Sore Spores

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Jamie xx Officially Released "Far Nearer," Adds a B-Side

Remember when I blogged Jamie xx's "Far Nearer" back in March? Well earlier today, Jamie put out the track officially in all its finished glory and with an almost-as-good B-side, "Beat For."

"Far Nearer" is still the track of summer 2011, pairing nicely with burgers and beers, linen pants and cotton dresses, or sandy car rides home from the beach. Although, his Adele remix is a close second...

RELATED: The instrumentals from Jamie xx's Gil-Scott Heron collaboration, We're New Here, have made it onto the interwebs and are absolutely worth downloading: MediaFire link.

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Jamie xx - Far Nearer
Jamie xx - Beat For
Adele - Rolling In the Deep (Jamie xx Remix)

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Beirut's "East Harlem" Single Is So, So Much Win

You've got to hand it to Beirut, after keeping a low profile for two years, Zach Condon and co. up and drop a new single and the interwebs are ablaze.

For good reason though, "East Harlem" is the kind of rustic folk the band's always done best--the faded Polaroid colours of times past, the kind that make you wanna share beers with an old friend or waltz with an old flame. Fingers crossed the new song means a new album. The band has announced a new album, The Rip Tide, and it's due out August 30th.

UPDATE: The single's B-side has been released and "Goshen" is one of the most soft-spoken, gorgeous tracks Beirut's done thus far. You can download it below.

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Beirut - East Harlem

Beirut - Goshen

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MP3s: That New jj Single Is Pretty Good, Download It

At this point, you're either a fan of jj's hip-hop referencing schtick or not, though it's hard to hate on breezy Swedish electro-pop, especially in the summertime.

The duo released a new single out of nowhere last month and its A-side, "No One Can Touch Us Tonight," holds up pretty well to the rest of the band's chill discography.

Related: "Ecstacy" is still a jam.

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jj - No One Can Touch Us Tonight

jj - Ice

jj - Ecstasy

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A Little Bit of Housekeeping...

Last month, I graduated with a Masters from the Columbia School of Journalism. While it was an awesome event in every true sense of the word, the days leading up to it were extremely hectic and so have been the days after--the oldest of three, I also tackled younger sister’s college graduation, as well as little bro’s high school graduation. Yes, all these things made me feel old (23 going on 40, amiright?), but most importantly, they sucked up all of my free time.

Alas, I’m graduated and while I have been and will be doing a lot of celebrating and traveling this summer--what’s up Kalamazoo--I’m also (very, finally) freed up to blog.

Come back frequently y'all, I'll be blogging like it's my full-time job (because now it is).