sum the greater mixtape #4

Welcome once again! Don’t have a whole lot to say this week (I’m in beautiful Wisconsin for the next two weeks, visiting family), but as always, I’d love to hear your feedback and would appreciate you telling your friends if you like what you hear :)

As always, you can download the mixtape by entering your email at right.

Islands - “Switched On”

Montreal favorites led by Nick Diamond are back with their third record, Vapours. Their last two have been standouts, and Vapours lives up as well. Expect to hear more tracks find their way into STG mixtapes. In the meantime, get your fix here.

Vampire Weekend - “Horchata”

Pitchfork’s favorite prepsters are back with a new song about a drink that’s sure to be selling out en masse in my hipster/hispanic neighborhood. You can get the track for free on their website.

La Roux - “I’m Not Your Toy”

I had this record on my computer for many months before I gave it a chance. I dismissed it as cheesy french pop that sounded straight out of the early 90s. I was wrong. It’s also hilariously awesome, as evidenced by the video for this song.

White Rabbits - “Percussion Gun”

Brooklyn’s White Rabbits had a great debut record in Fort Nightly, and their latest It’s Frightening does everything you’d hope to push their sound further. Check out more here.

Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - “Know Better Learn Faster”

The first track released off the forthcoming sophomore release of the same name, “Know Better Learn Faster” is a more refined, more mature track than previous fan favorites “Bag of Hammers” and “Swimming Pools,” but that’s not a bad thing. Rumor has it, the next track may be coming to a blog very near you soon ;) Listen to more

Music Go Music - “Just Me”

Everything about Music Go Music oozes 70s, but it would be tough to pin a year — it’s part psychedelic, part epic rock, part disco, part bubblegum. So maybe the idea is to grow a beard and throw on some rollerskates? Either way, you can’t help but get into it. Dance along to their strangely endearing videos here.

tUnE-yArDs - “Hatari”

I’m always curious to know if people who haven’t seen tUnE-yArDs’ one-woman (Merril) show are down with the music in and of itself. It’s a bit tough on the ears as it was all recorded on a basic Sony voice recorder and mixed in open-source Audacity, but it really comes to life live. Yes, all those sounds are beautifully orchestrated, and yes, they’re all played by one person. She’s playing some abnormal spots on this tour (Poughkeepsie, NY and Bloomington, IN, for example) before heading out with Sunset Rubdown and Dirty Projectors (who are sure to help boost her notoriety) so catch her soon!

Girls - “Summertime”

This is probably the most straightforward song on the much-lauded Girls record, but that’s not a bad thing. The message is on point, as most great love songs are: “Summertime, soak up the sunshine with you.” Expect many great things to come from these San Francisco dudes. Hear some of their more adventurous songs here, and be sure to pick up their self-titled record.

Paul and the Patients - “Blogspot”

One of this week’s posts on the blog, Paul and the Patients are a great up-and-coming band from Brooklyn. I’ll let you read more here.

Death - “Politicians In My Eyes”

This band has one of the best stories in a long time, and the music to go along with it. Long story short, three brothers recorded an incredible punk record in the 70s, denied label offers that would’ve required changing their name, then gave up and played in very different bands until one of the members’ sons heard a track at a party in San Francisco recently, recognized his dad’s voice, and got his brother to dig the old tapes out of the attic. All the rest of us can say is THANK YOU!

Hesta Prynn - “Seven Sisters”

Okay, you may be sick of hearing me talk about Hesta Prynn by now, but I doubt you’re sick of her tunes. This track went up on the blog this week for free download, so have at it!

Mumford & Sons - “I Gave You All”

FINALLY the Mumford & Sons debut LP Sigh No More came out today. Well, at least in the UK. I caught these guys playing an acoustic set in my hotel lobby at last year’s SXSW (the true beauty of SXSW is catching shows in unexpected spots at unexpected times). I hadn’t really realized until I heard the whole record how reminiscent they are of Fanfarlo, though I prefer these dudes as their four-part harmonies are nothing short of breathtaking (sorry they’re not as prevalent in this tune). Listen to more here.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - “Home”

I’m not sure I will ever fully understand this band, but I’ve seen them at least four times this year and every time has been nothing short of incredible (though nothing will match the first experience in a cleared-out mexican restaurant in LA where the 12-ish person band took up half the room). They’ve established a very tight, cult-like following based around those live shows, and managed to sell out a number of not-small venues on their first ever tour last month. My best description is a hippie church revival (think So-Cal version of Arcade Fire). Be sure to catch them on their next tour (starting soon).

Little Dragon - “Feather”

These swedes have made the mixtape before, and it’s no accident they’re showing up again. Again, nothing too fancy, just simple beauty. Listen to more here.

Carl Sagan - “Glorious Dawn (feat. Stephen Hawking)”

Yes, two of the worlds’ greatest astrophysicists are now pop stars thanks to the folks over at Colorpulse. The song is a hit on YouTube, and you can get the MP3 (or FLAC for you audiophiles) here. Happy stargazing :)