Over the past week, it’s been really hot and then really wet and unseasonably cold in New York. The weather can’t make up its mind, but luckily we’ve already decided on the week’s ten best new jams, all oven fresh. We’ve got The Shins covering Squeeze, Wavves moving beyond acid, and fantastic releases from brand new acts like Everything Everything and Graffiti6. Whether you want to listen to them one at a time or all at once is up to you. Be sure to Right Click + Save As after the jump, or scroll to the bottom to download the entire mix.
1. Mt. Desolation – “State of Affairs” The most recent supergroup to fly across our radar is Mt. Desolation, consisting of members from the Killers, Noah and the Whale, Mumford & Sons, and Keane. Their first single is something borne of Enya and Keane, an alt-folk marriage that is sure to resonate with fans of all four bands.
2. The Love Language – “Heart to Tell” “Heart to Tell” begins with a Neutral Milk Hotel-like, jangle-pop intro, gives way to a consistently catchy melody, and ends much too soon. Driven by hopelessly romantic lyrics, Stuart McLamb’s soulful vocal chops and throwback vibe will resonate in your head until you’re primed for the full-length, Libraries (Merge), which comes out July 13.
3. Everything Everything – “Schoolin’” With a simpler but ultimately more purposeful whistle section than “Young Folks,” Everything Everything conjures a Destiny’s Child meets (fellow Mancunians) Delphic kind of rhythm that we can only describe as postmodern glam hip pop. (Sorry.)
4. Tokyo Police Club – “Wait Up (Boots of Danger) (DOM Remix)” When was the last time you saw a song title with two pairs of parentheses? In this reworking that combines two previously featured bands, DOM zooms in on the vocal licks and turns the kick of the TPC original into a starry-eyed punch coming in right at the perfect moments.
5. Tennis – “Marathon” This short-and-sweet gem from Denver duo Tennis introduces itself with an enjoyable volley of oohs and leads into a phantasmagorical pre-chorus that makes you wanna put it on vinyl and fully enjoy its lush soundscape.
6. The Shins – “Goodbye Girl” (Squeeze cover) Alongside such acts as She & Him and Dirty Projectors, James Mercer and co. are finally back with a brand-new cover of Squeeze, specially recorded for Levi’s Pioneer Sessions. It’s no Broken Bells, which means Mercer has taken the higher road and circumnavigated back to his inverted world roots.
7. The Steelwells – “This Dance Is Out Of Your Hands” Beautiful songwriting and precise orchestration make you want to take the lyrics of “This Dance Is Out Of Your Hands” to heart. There’s a country twang to the SoCal quintet’s genre-bending, folk-tronic pop that makes it accessible to just about anyone.
8. Graffiti6 – “Stare Into the Sun” This London-based duo boasts the talents of singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and former Janet Jackson producer Tommy D, so this track boasts some soulful pop hooks that just about mandate the invention of their own dance.
9. Wavves – “Post Acid” It if weren’t for Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound, we wouldn’t never heard this side of Nathan Williams, the infamously drugged out noise-pop luminary, who has stripped away most of his impenetrable layers of reverb and produced a thrashy punk anthem that could only have been birthed by a true king of the beach.
10. Mystery Jets – “Dreaming of Another World (Wooden Shjips Remix)” The newest single from the Jets’ Serotonin gets a psychadelectable washover that really just doesn’t leave your ear’s digestive system. If only the music video had the same otherworldly solo at the end. Go ahead and listen. We’ll just let your mind wander…
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