This week was the perfect cool-down week from the insanity of previous weeks, with the new Passion Pit, Purity Ring and Fang Island albums being released within a short span. I don’t know about all of you, but my head was spinning with all of the brilliant music released that week, so after several hundred obsessive listens, I thought it a good time to relax this week with our new tracks.
So today, here’s a nice, broad mix of new tracks released within the past week.
On Sunday, Animal Collective launched their radio show, featuring their newest single, a mix of their favorite current tracks and a couple of new instrumentals from Panda Bear, one of the side projects of Noah Lennox of AC. Here’s two of those tracks, one sadly only a minute long, but the other, “Principe Real,” a nearly 5-minute funk fest.
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St. Vincent is blowing up radio stations and music blogs with her upcoming collaboration with David Byrne, with “Who” quickly becoming one of the top played tracks on indie stations everywhere. The pair’s album, Love This Giant, is slated for a Sept. 11 release, and the newest single, “Weekend in the Dust,” is just as funky and jazzy as the last (I’m sensing a funky vibe in this week’s tracks).
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There’s a duo in Denver called Gauntlet Hair, who master in a low-fi, pop/rock/eerie slow jam sound that is really hard to explain and better left to your ears to judge for yourself. It’s very hooking, though, that much I can say. Check out “Righteous Black” below.
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Blonds is releasing their debut LP soon and have so far seen success with the album’s first single, “Run,” but the band has also taken a liking to covering popular tracks on stations today, one of which is The Dirty Projectors’ “Gun Has No Trigger.” Blonds’ cover is a much more retro, Amy Winehouse-esque vibe with an epic chorus connecting each haunting verse.
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New Bloc Party! There’s not much to say except for “I’m freaking excited.” I love Bloc Party and you all should too, especially because “Octopus” blew up so much and was the top track on elbo.ws for, well, forever. “Day Four” is the newest off the upcoming album Four, and it’s a slow tempo, vocally-featuring, beautiful track. Dig it.
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Last but not least, new Crystal Castles. “Plague” is the name. There’s not much to say again, except new Crystal Castles, y’all. It’s classic. It’s fitting. It’s something else. Listen up.

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