This week marks our 30th mixtape. We may not be getting all “XXX,” Roman-style, but we have managed to narrow the week’s choicest mp3s down to our ten favorites. Keep your eyes peeled for new material from the Arcade Fire, Maximum Balloon (Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio), and some long-lost cousins of Phoenix. Right Click + Save As individual songs, or scroll to the bottom to get the entire mixtape, after the jump.
1. Breakbot – “Baby I’m Yours (Siriusmo Remix)” Replacing the original track’s keys with some Mark Ronson-level brass, German DJ Siriusmo ups the ante with a remix of Breakbot’s recent single. The reworking results in some serious throwback action from the cheery horns, soulful pipes, and grand-finale runaway solo.
2. French Films – “Golden Sea” Like The Drums‘ transatlantic penpal, this five-piece from Finland is riding in on a wave of surf. What does this have to do with movies about smoking at cafés? With sounds this appealing, who really cares?
3. The Arcade Fire – “We Used to Wait” Like an answer to the Dandy Warhols’ “We Used to Be Friends,” the Fire are back with yet another cut from their full-length The Suburbs, due out August 3. This one has a bit of a newer wave feel to it, and we really can’t wait to hear more.
4. Hungry Kids of Hungary – “Scattered Diamonds” These four Ozzies know how to craft a perfectly breezy retro-pop gem, as if Ezra Koenig stole the mic from Thomas Mars playing “Consolation Prizes” and then Dr. Dog came over for a quick check-up.
5. Baths – “Hall” Twenty-one-year-old wunderkind Will Wiesenfeld has more than just looping, sun-baked melodies up his wizard sleeves. His structured falsettos weaving in and out of the Flying Lotus-shaped haze are a welcome addition to his able, psychedelicate production.
6. Chief – “Night & Day” Like Band of Horses pow-wowing with Local Natives, Chief traverses both coasts to create folktronic pop that covers a diverse range of genres within each individual song. In “Night & Day,” they start off at a slow, oohing cantor that progressively grows into a gloriously mellow jam.
7. Trophy Wife – “Take This Night” With a voice like Hot Chip and a bass-driven groove that smacks of satisfaction, this Oxford trio whips out the electronic string arrangements to conjure up something more than just another summer staple.
8. Harlem – “Be Your Baby” Harlem are an Austin three-piece who make lo-fi escapist jams that make a beeline from your speakers to your brain. Every time the chorus comes back for more, it’s another reminder to check out their album, Hippies.
9. Maximum Balloon – “Tiger (ft. Aku of Dragons of Zynth)” Dave Sitek has surely been the most prolific member of TV on the Radio since they announced their year-long hiatus. Apart from lending a hand to Aziz Ansari’s alter ego, Raaaaaaaandy, Sitek has busied himself with a guest-studded solo project, and “Tiger” just happens to feature a friend of his from the Coronation Thieves days.
10. Polock – “Fireworks” If Spain’s Polock incorporated a little more input from their bass drums, the output would have been a dead ringer for Phoenix. Lucky for us, they are constantly treading similar territory, from the enjoyably Feist-y beginning all the way to the glorious denouement.
(via)