The Glitch Mob – Animus Vox.mp3

The Glitch Mob – Between Two Points feat. Swan.mp3

With all of the pop music I have been listening to lately (TNP have taken over my world), I was pleasantly caught off guard when I came across this premiere LP from the DJ/producer conglomerate group The Glitch Mob. I found that their pseudo-downtempo and persuasive beats will penetrate your brain and slowly melt it away with a tenacious wall of sound and palatable, dance-friendly bass lines. Furthermore, their ostensibly minimalistic approach is a surprising suasion, one that always seems to win me over, no matter the genre. The only shortcoming l can see is they they might be nailing the niche-genere too well; in that if you don’t like the first song of theirs you hear, you will probably not like the rest. So give TGM a try, you may be pleasantly surprised. The full album, due out May 25th, is available to stream after the jump.
theglitchmob.com – myspace – twitter – the jump»

Ellie Goulding – Wish I Stayed.mp3

Ellie Goulding – Salt Skin.mp3

As anyone following me on twitter already knows, my infatuation with Ellie Goulding is anything but subdued. I first picked up her debut EP from Neon Gold back in October and have never looked back. Today marks a new chapter in her indubitably bright future with the release of her first full length LP, Lights, on Polydor Records. There is no doubt in my mind that this album will be at the top of my favorites at the conclusion of this lap around the sun.
elliegoulding.co.uk – myspace – hypem – twitter – amazon – itunes

Die Antwoord – Enter the Ninja.mp3

Die Antwoord – I Dont Need You.mp3

Die Antwoord’s mematic rise to interweb popularity in the past three weeks since their release of their video for Enter the Ninja has been nothing short of entertaining. Showcasing some iconic imagery and a strong production value to boot, it is easy to see that their success was not haphazardly achieved. All cultural relevance aside, the South African troop’s music presents a strong case for admirable entertainment at face value. I am not typically a large proponent of rap based entities, however, I found most of the tracks on $0$ (out ’soon’) surprisingly listenable and largely enjoyable. Weird is the new normal.
dieantwoord.com – myspace – hypem

Pretty Lights – Sunday School.mp3

I have just been introduced to Pretty Lights and am currently enjoying their entire discography which is available for download at their site. Sunday School is the recently released promotional track off of their next album, Passing By Behind Behind Your Eyes, which will available (also for free) on October 6th. Be sure to check the tour dates after the jump for a show near you (45 cities).
prettylightsmusic.com – myspace – facebook – twitter – the jump»

Islands – Heartbeat.mp3

Islands‘ third full length album, Vapours, is due out one week from today and an album preview is available (via widget after the jump). I am still digesting this latest installment of the post-Unicorns eccentric indie-pop troup (including the re-absorbed Jamie Thompson) but so far I am liking what I hear. So far they have earned some bonus points for using vocoder/autotune in the Heartbeat track (acoustic version video here).
islandsareforever.com – myspace – hypem – amazon – itunes – the jump»

Sound of Arrows – In the Clouds.mp3

Sound of Arrows – M.A.G.I.C..mp3

Some super catchy and full-sounding synth pop from Sweden. The Sound of Arrows released their first 12″ vinyl In the Clouds on Neon Gold last Tuesday. These tracks are a great anthem for the last sunny/warm days of summer.
thesoundofarrows.com – mypace – hypem – amazon – neon gold

The XX – Crystalised.mp3

The XX – Shelter.mp3

Finally! I awake from my hibernation. My lurking. I thought it would never end. Nothing would stir my apathetic summer lull. Everything was meh. I was losing faith. That all changed today. Today I heard The XX.

This first album from The XX, a quartet of nineteen year olds from southwest London, is the best album I have heard this summer by far. With minimalism, not for minimalism’s sake; rather the precise exercise of simplicity and restraint hyper-intensifies the articulately hand-crafted electro/pop hooks. At the same time, droning, noodling, complementing guitars drive throughout; the kind you may remember from Interpol, but without the lo-fi annoyances. Every note, lyric, and bass blip filling the soundscape is crisp and hauntingly sublime.

As new tools have ushered in a swath of opportunities for copypasta artists, it is surprisingly refreshing to finally hear something this original and creative. John Doran writes for TheQuietus.com “[The XX] have achieved that most noble of things for a band. They sound like themselves and prove that even though all the sounds have been synthesized and manufactured, creatively the game is still wide open for the taking.” (great article btw). If you listen to one new album this summer make it The XX’s psudo-self-titled album XX.
thexx.info – myspace – hypem – amazon – itunes – rough trade

Deastro – Parallelogram.mp3

Deastro – The Shaded Forests.mp3

Deastro – Michale, The Lone Archer of the North Shore.mp3

Daestro’s unique synth-soaked electronic pop caught me off guard when I first listened to “Parallelogram” and subsequently tore through all other available tracks on hypem. I had heard “Light Powered” back when Ghostly Swim came out last year and I was reasonably impressed, but this new material blew me away. Crank the volume and blow your mind. Moondagger is Daestro’s second full length and first full-band debut due out June 23rd.
ghostly.com/daestro – myspace – hypem – amazon

Heidi Happy – O-o-oh.mp3

Heidi Happy – Home.mp3

Hailing from Switzerland, Heidi Happy’s simple melodies are heartfelt and elegant. Throughout the album, vocal harmonies and sweeping strings mesh in a melting timbre of bliss. Her sophomore album Flowers, Birds and Home is definitely worth a listen.
heidihappy.ch – myspace – hypem – amazon

Metric – Gimme Sympathy.mp3

Lots of links in this post, but its all compensatory. I actually want to post “Gimme Sympathy”. But I haven’t applied my reverse engineering skills to the below widget. Sorry Top Spin, it was too easy…

Metric’s forthcoming full length Fantasies is set to be released April 14th. Tracks released so far (promo and pre-order) include Help I’m Alive and Gimme Sympathy. Judging by these two and their corresponding acoustic versions, the album looks like it will be extraordinary. I haven’t been this excited about such a straight forward, driving song like Gimmie Sympathy for a while. Check after the jump for videos and the widget.
ilovemetric.com – myspace – hypem – amazon – itunes the jump»