Buck up, guys! It’s March now, otherwise known as the season of MTV Spring Break and stomachaches from excessive Cadbury Creme Eggs. It’s also time for a new abundance of sweet, jangly pop and weird dance-punk and… well all music, really. We’ve got new tracks from the Strokes and Lucinda Williams, plus some fresh ones from up-and-comers Icona Pop and Sonny & the Sunsets. Right Click + Save As to download them one by one, or nab the entire mix at the end.
What is it about Sweden? All that cold weather and lack of sunlight does something that produces great dancey indie pop. Icona Pop falls neatly into this category, manufacturing echoey, synthesizer-heavy songs with the relentless harmonic tension of a Shirelles number. Watch out for their record on March 21st.
“Arrow-Pierced-Egg-Man” by Mike Watt
Oh, Mike Watt, we missed you. Ex-Minutemen member and Stooges stand-in Watt hasn’t had a proper album out since 2004’s The Secondman’s Middle Stand…until this week, that is. “Arrow-Pierce-Egg-Man” is off Watt’s new offering, Hyphenated Man, and it has the all the wanton exuberance that we know and love so well from the punk frontman.
“Meet Me in Miramas” by Matthew Friedberger
Matthew Friedberger is one half of the frenzied pop duo Fiery Furnaces, but lately he’s been going solo. Friedberger’s recorded eight solo albums, to be released serially throughout the year, all based on different instruments. “Meet Me in Miramas” is the debut single from his guitar album. You can subscribe to his series here.
“You’re So Right” by the Strokes
Angles, the upcoming Strokes album, has started leaking digital scraps of tunes prodigiously, and “You’re So Right” is the second full song that’s escaped thus far. Unlike the earlier “Under Cover of Darkness,” “You’re So Right” goes an unusual route for the Strokes, less rapidfire garage rock and more floaty, Radiohead-esque jamming.
“Slowdance [How to Dress Well Remix]” by Matthew Dear
On April 5th, Ghostly International will release an EP of electropop artist Matthew Dear’s new offerings, including an album version of “Slowdance” along a huge haul of remixes. How to Dress Well provided this offering, a concentrated dose of lo-fi injected into the heart of the track.
“100 Other Lovers” by Devotchka
This week, soundtrack maestros DeVotchka release their new album, 100 Lovers, another moody, sprawling map of strongs and jabbering flutes. “100 Other Lovers” is the first track off the album, and set up the rest of the LP nicely with its luscious and cinematic melodies.
“I Wanna Do It” by Sonny & the Sunsets
San Francisco rockers Sonny & the Sunsets just released their sophomore EP, and it has enough bottled good will to banish all those early spring clouds. “I Wanna Do It” is whimsical and jangly, all loops and squiggles and no hard edges.
Alt-country queen Lucinda Williams’ new album, Blessed, is a gorgeous, introspective offering. “Blessed,” the title track, is steeped in the emotional weight and pure power of Williams’ voice. It’s maybe her best song since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
“Panda and the Freak” by The Baseball Project
Baseball-obsessed indie rock supergroup The Baseball Project are back with a new album about all things MLB this week. “Panda and the Freak” is a single they released to preview the album and celebrate the playoffs. We particularly love their lyrics: “He looks like Bruce Lee, if Bruce Lee was a buffalo.” Awesome.
“Eleven” by Thao & Mirah [ft. Tune-yards]
We’ve been big fands of K records singer-songwriter Mirah for a while, so it’s great to see her team up with Thao of Thao With the Get Down Stay Down for an upcoming album. Eleven features the crazed percussion breakdowns of Tune-Yards to boot, plus some impressively energetic thumb piano and flute loops.