Happy November, and welcome to this week’s installment of the Flavorpill Mixtape. Up for grabs, we have new tracks from N.E.R.D., Kanye West, Fang Island, Violens, and oh so much more. So bundle up, remember to Right Click + Save As (or go on down to the bottom to download it all in one go), and enjoy!
“Patterns on the Wall” by Fang Island (ft. Andrew W.K.)
This Joe Buzzell cover — full of power chords and some serious party rock soprano — is from Fang Island’s upcoming limited release 7″. The addition of Andrew W.K.’s hammering faux frat metal inflates the song to arena rock proportions. It sounds more like Queen than most bands who release albums with handmade packaging.
“The Joy” by Kanye West (ft. Pete Rock, Charlie Wilson, Kid Cudi, and Jay-Z)
Well, it’s official: the Kanye West-Jay-Z collaboration album is hitting shelves early next year. The goodies from West’s camp just keep on coming, and the latest jam to emerge is “The Joy,” a song that slows it way down. We particularly like the Curtis Mayfield sample, not to mention J. Hova’s verses. Bring on the joint project, y’all!
N.E.R.D.’s new album, Nothing , just came out on Tuesday, and it’s chock-a-block with the kind of tracks that you put on at a party to get the dance floor going. The group is as slick and masterful as ever, and the hooks will get lodged far into your cerebellum.
“The Beat and the Pulse” by Austra
The first single from songwriter Katie Stelmanis’ project Austra, “The Beat and the Pulse” has dozens of aural reference points: the eerie vocals echo The Knife, and the detached pulsing beat feels distinctly New Orderish. To top it off, there are keyboards that gently collide with distant bells, making a track that ends up being as dark as it is danceable.
“Photojournalist” by Small Black
Fresh off Small Black’s debut LP New Chain , “Photojournalist” showcases the hypnotic, swirling indie pop that Small Black specializes in. It’s soaked in synthesizer with melodies that swirl and hum like a codeine dream, wandering and wobbling right up to the finish.
The Chicago-based 1900s are a garage pop septet in the truest tradition; a band that sounds like it has religiously consumed the contents of every Nuggets compilation. “Babies” is effortlessly catchy, straight-ahead pop-psych without any fuss. It’s off the band’s new album, Cold & Kind , which just debuted this week.
“Violent Sensation Descends” by Violens
Though this track begins with nightmarish organs and banshee echoes, it quickly merges into a sweetly layered pop song, something like the Arcade Fire as interpreted by the Old 97s. This New York neuvo-new wave group is coming out with their first album on October 8.
The new Matt and Kim album, Sidewalks, came out this week and offers up more of the band’s beloved sunny, clear-eyed indie pop. “Cameras” is a feel-good, bouncy track — we’d be shocked if the year ends without it being used as a power anthem in a comedy movie somewhere.
This duo falls into the general camp of the dark shoegazer wave that’s been swelling over Brooklyn lately. The song is as fuzzy and atmospheric as, say, Best Coast, but with something more jagged in it. We’re looking forward to see what emerges from this group.
“Since We Last Met” by Banjo or Freakout (NDF Cover)
London Bedroom pop maestro Banjo or Freakout takes on DFA newcomer NDF in this song, mellowing out the original song and infusing it with a signature blend of dreamy percussion and drifting melodies.