sum the greater mixtape #12

Howdy!

Welcome to a brand spankin’ new year full of wonderful music that we’re more than happy to bring you. In the spirit of spreading the love, we’ve decided to try something new. See that playlist up there? It’s got “Embed” and “Share” buttons on it, so you can share it allllllll over the internets. Plus, when you and your friends click the “download mixtape” button in the right column of the blog, you’ll instantly get all the mp3s for free. How does that sound? Good? Ok, let’s party.

<3 / ∑>

1. Douster - “King of Africa”

I love what Radioclit is doing in bringing African sounds to the dance halls of the world, from their work in The Very Best to the Saga Africa EP this track comes from. How can you go wrong with a brilliant remix of the theme from The Lion King? Makes me want to dance every time.

2. The Very Best - “Get It Up”

More tribal/dance hall fusion from Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya, this time with the help of M.I.A. and Santigold.

3. Yeasayer - “ONE”

This is very quickly becoming my favorite track on Yeasayer’s new album, Odd Blood.

4. Vampire Weekend - “Cousins”

I was admittedly a bit concerned that “Horchata” was a sign that the rest of the new Vampire Weekend record, Contra, was going to be contrived and just plain annoying, but I’m happy to tell you it’s not. This track brings almost a surf-punk feel to the table, and the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint (though it doesn’t blow you away either). You can stream the whole record here.

5. Darwin Deez - “Radar Detector”

New York’s Darwin Deez describes himself as “indie rock with a side of calisthenics,” and that description seems pretty apt.

“you and i buy star maps and drive my car around los angeles / you and i buy star maps and ding dong ditch a televangelist”

6. Ellie Goulding & Starsmith - “Sleepyhead” (Passion Pit Cover)

Ellie Goulding is pretty much a lock at this point for breakthrough artist of 2010, with help from stars like Lily Allen, but that in no way means we should stop enjoying every beautiful sound out of her mouth. I really enjoy this cover precisely because it feels more organic than the original, and that’s something of a departure for the girl who is generally known for electronic-heavy dance tracks.

7. Dirty Projectors - “Ascending Melody”

This song, along with another, was on the blog this week as a free download. It was recorded at the same time as Bitte Orca, but didn’t fit the storyline of the record. It has everything you’ve come to know and love about Dirty Projectors (the somewhat jagged girls’ voices, the jangly guitar interspersed at somewhat awkward intervals) plus a kinda funky breakdown.

8. Rogue Wave - “Good Morning”

I hardly recognized this as Rogue Wave the first time I heard it, and it’s taken a few listens to sink in, but there’s no denying it’s a quality track.

9. Free Energy - “Free Energy”

Yes, this song was written in 2009, not the 1970s. Yes, it still rules.

10. Wolf Gang - “The King And All Of His Men”

London’s Wolf Gang brings an undeniable catchiness to this and their other singalong-ready tracks. Appropriately, there are undertones of Queen mixed in as well. Tune into a few other tracks as well here.

11. Screaming Lights - “Champagne Socialist”

More catchy (but slightly heavier) brit-rock? OK! More here.

12. Old Canes - “Little Bird Courage”

Lawrence, KS has to have one of the most consistent small-town music scenes in America. Old Canes continues in that tradition. Lead singer Chris Crici is also in Appleseed Cast, who are well worth your time. More here.

13. Meeting Of Important People - “Brittney Lane Don’t Care”

I “leaked” this mix to my friend Britti (real name “Brittany Layne”), who immediately picked up on this track and was baffled by their ability to write a song about her without knowing her. So, er, this one goes out to Britti.

14. The Golden Filter - “The Hardest Button To Button” (The White Stripes cover)

Yes, I do very much love The Golden Filter, but perhaps most impressive about them is their ability to break the mold of electro/disco/dance-rock and cover/remix pretty much any song known to man and truly make it their own. Big things coming from this band.

15. Truman Peyote - “New Wife New Life”

Not quite sure what to make of the fact that they’re “sold out” of a CD-R release of their first record, but there’s no denying this band’s potential. This track is like a dance version of a sea chantey. How can you go wrong?

16. Boy Omega - “Black Metal Fairies”

They’re from Sweden. If you follow this blog, that’s pretty much all you need to know.

17. Monarchy - “Gold In The Fire” (demo)

Okay, so maybe the whole second half of this playlist was dedicated to a desire to find myself late at night in a deep, dark, underground London dance hall. Anyway, you can keep the party going with more Monarchy here.

18. Oh, Mountain - “Bear’s Beat”

Arguably the best interlude in recent memory. Don’t listen to me, just breathe for a second.

19. Fyfe Dangerfield - “When You Walk In The Room”

You may (but probably not) recognize Fyfe from The Guillemots, but he’s breaking out on his own in style with his debut LP, of which “When You Walk In The Room” is a shining example of the mix of pop and soul. Tune in here.

20. Sister Suvi - “American”

Sister Suvi will go down as the practice grounds for the brilliant bands that now are Tune-Yards and Islands. We love the ashes of the band, so how could we not love the (unfortunately now-defunct) band?

“I’m an American / I want to rip you to shreds just to make sure you love me”