It’s Friday, and we’re back with another installment of our regular roundup of downloadable MP3 goodness from around the web. This week brings a pretty eclectic haul of tracks — there’s a Cat Power remix that (whisper it quietly) is better than the original, along with new Matmos (hooray!) and new tracks from Thee Oh Sees, Nü Sensae, and Paul Banks. There’s also a cut from what might be our favorite sneaky under-the-radar release of the last couple of months (the debut from Brooklyn band ERAAS), a whacking great 20-track Chemikal Underground sampler, and more. In other words, there’s plenty of interesting sounds awaiting you after the jump, and since they won’t cost a penny or land you an RIAA lawsuit, as your attorneys we advise you to start downloading immediately.
Cat Power — “Cherokee” (Nicolas Jaar remix) It might be sacrilegious to say so, but we actually prefer this remix to the original — Jaar’s remix strips back the instrumentation to a ghostly synth track, giving the song a vaguely gothic, Dead Can Dance-y kind of vibe. See if you agree with us — the track is available via Stereogum.
Matmos — “Very Large Green Triangles” Yay for new Matmos! This track comes with weird vocal percussion, a biblical-sounding choir, and — according to the SoundCloud page where the track is hosted — “incase headphones and Ganzfeld goggles, the exact perceptual circumstances of the original test subjects who participated in the Ganzfeld experiment, along with a certificate signed and numbered by Matmos.” We’re not quite sure where the triangles come into it, though.
Thee Oh Sees — “Flood’s New Light” Thee gazillionth Oh Sees album is imminent, and here’s a new track from it — a pyschedelic garage stomp driven by a killer bassline and a marching beat. Get it here.
Nü Sensae — “100 Shades” We mentioned earlier in the week that the Nü Sensae album was getting pretty much constant rotation on our stereo — if you’ve not got the record yet, we suggest you at least grab this track and add it to your iTunes ASAP. It’s available via RCRD LBL.
Paul Banks — “The Base” According to the press release at Matador, ever-so-serious Interpol frontman Paul Banks’ new album is “personal and epic, catchy and serpentine.” We’re somewhat mystified by that last adjective, but hey, at least he’s not calling himself Julian Plenti (and insisting on being interviewed, Chris Gaines-style, in character) anymore. Anyway, you can download “The Base” here.
Lindstrøm — “Rà-àkõ-st” This cryptically titled track is from the second Lindstrøm album of 2012, an as-yet-untitled record that will be a whole lot better than Six Cups of Rebel, if this track is anything to judge by. It also demonstrates that someone needs to make a cheesy sci-fi horror film and get Lindstrøm to do the soundtrack ASAP. In the meantime, you can download “Rà-àkõ-st” here.
ERAAS — “Briar Path” And speaking of horror film soundtracks, this track could totally have walked straight off such a record. It’s from ERAAS’ upcoming debut album, which we’ve heard already and which we like very much indeed. If you enjoy spooky atmospheric tunes with earth-moving basslines, we suggest you download this track forthwith — you can do so right here.
Moon Duo — “Sleepwalker” Labels that can’t seem to put a foot wrong at the moment include: Brookyln imprint Sacred Bones, who’ve been chunking out a constant stream of goodness for the last couple of years. Their streak remains unbroken with Circles, the upcoming record from Moon Duo — this is the first single from that record, and it reminds us, curiously enough, of Pulp’s “Party Hard,” of all things. Is it just us? Get it here, anyway.
Dean Blunt — “Palace Pavilion” This is a new track from one of the two shadowy individuals behind the band that was formerly and may still be known as Hype Williams. You can get it via The Quietus, who describe its arrival at their offices as follows: “[Hype Willams’] spiritual advisor Denna Glass has once again emailed to inform us that another new track from the upcoming album is on Soundcloud.” We are all for bands with spiritual advisors, and we are all for new material from said bands, even if this is really just a minute-long piano doodle.
Various Artists — Chemikal Underground sampler And here’s something to make your weekend better — 20 tracks from the back catalog of excellent Scots indie institution Chemikal Underground. Among other things, there’s Mogwai’s mighty “Mogwai Fear Satan,” tracks from label mainstays Arab Strap and The Delgados, and a song by Roky Erickson. Get it here.