Hello, Flavorwire music fans, and welcome to our mixtape for this week. We’ve got some tracks fresh off the SXSW trail from the likes of up-and-comers Cults and Texas sweethearts White Denim, plus some mellower installments from rabblerousers of yore Thurston Moore and Pusha T. Right click + “Save As” to download or scroll down to the end to get the entire mix.
1. “Benediction” by Thurston Moore
Sonic Youth frontman and patron saint of noise rock Thurston Moore is releasing another solo album, Benediction, in May. The title track is a lovely, mournful pop ballad, something you might expect from early Lou Reed or Beck in one of his blue phases. (Beck, by the way, produced the whole album, so that explains that.)
2. “You Know What I Mean” by Cults
One of the biggest buzz bands of the year to date, Cults have the spirited, echoey sound of a Phil Spector number on codeine. “You Know What I Mean,” which the band debuted last week, has the slow-clapping, candy-sweet construction of any number of oldies favorites — we detected a little Supremes in there and a little of the Crystals.
Right before he’s set to drop a whole new album on Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. label, Pusha T released a whole mixtape for free: Fear of God, which you can download in full here. “Cook it Down” is more of the cocaine-slinging, slightly haunted rhyming that we saw in his previous release “My God,” and the rest of the tape features some real heavy-hitters: the likes of 50 Cent, Pharrell, and Kanye West.
4. “French Countryside” by Psychedelic Horseshit
We weren’t totally sure what to expect from a band named “Psychedelic Horseshit” – -is it self-mocking or maybe a really badass name for a metal band? — but it was nice to hear that “French Countryside” is a lo-fi, jammed out slice of pure weirdness. It’s from the bands upcoming album, Laced, which is hitting stores in May.
5. “Rooftops” by Wiz Khalifa [ft. Curren$y]
“Rooftops” is another teaser from Khalifa’s new album Rolling Papers , which is arriving imminently to the delight of our eardrums. It features fellow rapper about to make it huge Curren$y, an artist we forgive for his Ke$ha-like intentional misspelling out of respect for his uncanny ear for melody.
6. “Anvil Everything” by White Denim
Gorilla vs. Bear seems to have a serious crush on this Texan group, naming them the best band at SXSW for four years running. You can hear why on their new track “Anvils Everywhere” — it manages to be pop-infused and edgy at the same time, a sort of arena rock track for the kids smoking in the parking lot outside the show.
7. “Forever in Armitron” by BOAT
Frustrating to Google but rousing to listen to, Seattle’s BOAT has a new album out this week, Dress Like Your Idols . They’re two parts Oxford Collapse to one early Built to Spill, and they have an incredible album cover (pictured above) to boot.
8. “Shake, Shake, Shake” by Antimagic
Brooklyn dance duo Antimagic make boogie music for the post-indie pop landscape. They don’t have quite as much teeth as a band like The Knife, but they’re nowhere near “Teenage Dream,” either. “Shake, Shake, Shake” gives off a sort of laid-back Liquid Liquid vibe. Throw out that cowbell and just sway.
9. “May Seem Macabre” by Peter, Bjorn, and John
Peter, Bjorn, and John, a.k.a. the soundtrack artists to the summer of 2006, are releasing their new album next week. Tracks like “May Seem Macabre” — darker and heavier than “Young Folks” — have been floating around the internet for a while, but NPR just gave fans their first legit sneak peek. You can stream the whole album here.
10. “Emergency Room” by Ford & Lopatin
Mad synth scientists Joel Ford and Daniel Lopatin (formerly known together as Games) are releasing their debut album Channel Pressure this June. “Emergency Room” reminds us of “She Blinded Me With Science” in the best possible way –all the sound effects, none of the cheese.