Summer may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the steady stream of delectably seasonable jams will be drying up any time soon. In addition to impressive Interpol and Neon Indian covers, this week’s mixtape features fresh cuts from of Montreal, The Ting Tings, and up-and-comers like White Arrows and Egyptian Hip Hop. Don’t forget to Right Click + Save As.
1. Miss Banks – “Slow Hands (Interpol Cover)” Like something pulled from Thom Yorke’s The Eraser , Azealia Banks fuses expertly choreographed blips and exaggerated emotion. Her rapturous reimagining of this Interpol staple proves that we won’t be getting sick of Banks’ antics anytime soon.
2. Rae Spoon – “You Can Dance” Vancouver’s Rae Spoon wields a divine voice, boosted by some bass-tastic beats, courtesy of Berlin sound wizard Alexandre Decoupigny. “You Can Dance” unravels into a folktronic anthem that is, at once, expansive and inviting.
3. of Montreal – “Enemy Gene” With Janelle Monae riding shotgun, Kevin Barnes further provides further evidence that his tenth full-length, False Priest, will be nothing short of legendary. It’s funkadelic pop, passing through an organic R&B filter, and the result is just supreme.
4. The Naked and Famous – “Punching In A Dream” Just like the last track we featured from this NZ five-piece, the lyrics to “Punching In A Dream” are dark matter, but Alisa Xayalith’s earnest vocals lift the electronic flourishes to a new level of weightlessness. The chord progression will make you hum along without even realizing because it’s so deceptively glorious.
5. MillionYoung – “Local Joke (Neon Indian Cover)” The wunderkind responsible for this incredibly blissed-out take on Neon Indian, Mike Diaz, wraps a permeable blanket of haze around the original that cushions the bass drum kicks but still allows the syrupy reverb to ooze right through your speakers.
6. White Arrows – “Coming or Going (RAC Mix)” With LA’s White Arrows providing the canvas, the RAC produce yet another refreshing “remasterpiece.” Don’t be surprised when you hear this remix in the ninth episode of this last season of Entourage. Just be surprised that you’re watching it, in the first place.
7. Egyptian Hip Hop – “Moon Crooner” Half hidden underneath the thrashy brashness of Manchester’s Egyptian Hip Hop is a heartsick immediacy that suggests what Black Kids might sound like if they grew up listening to The Horrors. “Moon Crooner’s” danceable synth lines and Alex Hewett’s swoon-inducing croons are perfect for a midsummer night.
8. The Bird Day – “Gonna Beg You” This Buffalo duo sound a little like a joint birthday party for Oracular Spectacular-era MGMT and PNAU/Empire of Sun. “Gonna Beg You” is a collective of good vibrations that amounts to more than just the sum of its parts.
9. The Ting Tings – “Hands” Admit it: you loved the Ting Tings two years ago (even after their ubiquitous Apple-branded single). Mixed by the disco-god himself, Calvin Harris, the two Britpop duo enter a whole other realm. There’s a little sprinkle of Yelle in “Hands” that we are definitely welcoming with open arms.
10. Bag Raiders – “Way Back Home” After their recent single, “Shooting Stars,” earned raves throughout the blogosphere, Sydney’s Bag Raiders are back with something even more epic. “Way Back Home” sounds like Depeche Mode traveling forward in time (and space) and crashing headlong into a younger Cut Copy.
Download the mix all at once here.
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