September has already been a great month for new music. The offerings in its final week are no exception, and that makes this the perfect moment to bring your regular Flavorpill Mixtape back from hiatus. The new edition features big meaty hooks, future dance anthems, and willowy, whispery songs for fall days — not to mention new offerings from old favorites Gang of Four and No Age — all coming up after the jump. Don’t forget: You can download each track by employing the classic combination of Right Click + Save As or scroll to the bottom of the post to listen to the mix straight through.
1. Duck Sauce – “Barbra Streisand”
The first single from the upcoming album by Kanye West producer A-Trak and DJ Armand Van Helden, “Barbra Streisand” is both ridiculously catchy and outright ridiculous. It’s three parts Chromeo and one part Phil Spector — the peppery “oo”s will have you singing this on the subway.
2. The Octopus Project –“Fuguefat”
The Octopus Project love two things: sweet, bublly pop and experimental minimalist music. “Fuguefat,” a single off their upcoming sophomore album Hexadecagon, combines Steve Reich’s obsessively repetitive percussion with a sweet synthesizer beat. It’s like what might happen if Terry Riley worked with The Human League.
3. No Age – “Fever Dreaming”
“Fever Dreaming” is a departure from No Age’s traditional low-key distortions á la Nouns, a rollicking stunner of a song that seems like it would be more at home in prime CBGB’s era than nestled snugly in the Sub Pop catalog. It’s fast, it’s fierce, and it’s teetering on the brink of a total meltdown.
4. Gang of Four – “Never Pay for the Farm”
“Never Pay for the Farm” comes from Content, Gang of Four’s first release of new material in 16 years. The whole album doesn’t drop until late January, but from what we can make out from this new single, all the angular, hooky post-punk goodness is on its way back.
5. Yelle – “La Musique (Lorenz Rhode Remix)”
Delicious, bubbly French pop served up with a club-kid twist, this Yelle track has us dancing around and pretending to understand the lyrics. Check out the wonderfully mid-’80s Michael Jackson breakdowns in the first two minutes.
6. Lower Dens – “Blue and Silver”
Gorgeous, dreamy guitar fuzz coupled with Jana Hunter’s quiet incantations make this song feel both spacey and sweet. “Blue and Silver” would be an ideal song for a late night drive or, say, a visit to the aquarium. Lower Dens’s first album, Twin-Hand Movement, came out in July, and the band is currently touring their way around the country. They’re also set to headline Flavorpill’s unofficial CMJ day party October 23rd at Southpaw, so you know they have our endorsement.
7. Soars – “Figurehead”
A self-described “dreamgaze” band from Pennsylvania, Soars make the sort of dense, guitar-heavy music you might expect from kids who grew up on My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. Not that that’s a bad thing–“Figurehead” is pretty and sleepy, but it also has some underlying bite and a little bounce, with touches of Love is All around the edges. We’re looking forward to hearing the rest of their stuff, and we won’t have to wait long: their self-titled album comes out today.
8. Grass Widow – “Shadow”
This all-girl San Francisco psych trio released its first LP, Past Time, in August and has been touring along the East Coast with the likes of Babies and Beach Fossils. They’re sort of the anti-chillwave: smeary, jangly guitar filled with lush harmonies and sing-alongs, reminiscent of early Sleater-Kinney.
9. Florence + The Machine – “Dog Days Are Over (Yeasayer Remix ft. Gilbere Forte)”
We thought we were sick of this song, until we heard this remix. Gilbere Forte brings a cool swagger to the chorus, changing it from a “belt it out in your car while driving” song to a “dance around while you’re getting ready to go out” song. Or maybe it’s just both? Regardless, it’s worth a listen.
10. Deerhunter – “Helicopter” (Diplo + Lunce remix)”
In Diplo’s steady hands, this Deerhunter song loses none of its quiet melancholy, but that mood is stretched out and emphasized, thanks to the added bells and whistles (literally). It’s a smart treatment of an already-good song. We particularly like the hand-claps towards the end.
Image: Indian Summer by Jose Lampreia. Buy the photo at Etsy.