This, the 20th(!) mixtape in the Flavorpill series, is an homage to bands nicely pulling off the art of the Revival. Embrace the familiarity, and right click + Save As the 10 tracks after the jump — or cut a corner and download the mix in its entirety. And as always, let us know what you think.
1. Stars – “Fixed” Less political than In Our Bedroom After the War and more electronic than the Sad Robots EP, Amy Millan’s solo vocals squeeze through your speakers and tap into your forgotten nostalgia for some good ol’ Stars circa Set Yourself On Fire. Now where’s Torquil Campbell’s song?
2. Thee Oh Sees – “I Was Denied” From the hum-along guitar riff to the singalong chorus, “I Was Denied” is the perfect reverby summer cocktail. When you think it’s over, it just keeps on chugging along.
3. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks (ft. Intuition)” LA rapper Intuition gives us a reason to bring back this mindblowing song, which showcases his ability to thematically and sonically match Ed Droste’s backseat vocals. In a sense, he’s like a more culturally relevant Mike Shinoda.
4. Crookers – “Cooler Couleur (ft. Yelle)” Yelping over ze Crookers’ video gamey pyrotechnics, French popstarlet, Yelle, imbues it with her colorful lyrics that come off as bouncy and cyclical. Exactly what that compact disco in your room needs.
5. Generationals – “When They Fight, They Fight” This song is a revival in the sense that it’s from last year. We love the Beach Boys surf guitar and beach girls harmonizing so much we felt like unearthing it and spinning the dust off.
6. GROUP – “Colours” With the frantic bravado of Modest Mouse, Christian Zucconi takes his cue and Isaac Brocks out with his own pair of thrashy vocal licks and folky guitar chords.
7. The Drums – “Baby, That’s Not the Point” Riding the endless wave of hype and Smiths comparisons, the Floridian four-piece wears their love for ‘60s girl groups on their sleeves with this 2-minute ditty that channels the Moz in the best way imaginable.
8. The Dirty Diamonds – “The Right Direction” With a call and respond ending the caliber of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” The Dirty Diamonds explode into a monster ballad. It’s akin to the Supremes but even more endearingly like The Drums, almost like a long lost sister.
9. Toy Horses – “But What About the Future” Sounding like a ragtime, more consistently acoustic The Wombats, the Welsh duo rounds four minutes up with pop culture references like the Rugrats, Doctor Who, and Stephen Fry (the “clever fucking guy,” as they say). It’s ephemeral saccharine in a single-serving packet.
10. Noah and the Whale – “Last DJ” Taking on Tom Petty’s original in the name of BBC 6, Charlie Fink continues, unaccompanied, with his nu-folksy vox over lamenting acoustics like a distress signal. But a very subdued distress, like tears of happiness.