Exciting things are in store for us music lovers this summer, and this week’s mixtape offers a little appetizer of the veritable feast of records to come. News filtered down that both Grizzly Bear and Hella are working on new material –and we have the untitled Hella track to prove it, plus a handful of cool collaborations like Robyn and Rye Rye, and LA Vampires meets Ital. Right click + “Save As” to get each track or scroll to the bottom to download the whole mix.
1. “Super Mom” by The Very Best
In honor of Mother’s Day last Sunday, The Very Best dropped not just a song but a whole mixtape, available for free on their website. Some of the other tracks include mash-ups featuring songs by Kate Bush and Cee-Lo.
2. “Wildfire” by SBTRKT (ft. Little Dragon)
Enigmatic South London producer SBTRKT has a self-titled album coming your way this summer. In the meantime, we’re trying to puzzle out his identity from this electro-pop-leaning number.
3. “Things Fall Apart” by Zomby (ft. Panda Bear)
London dubstep producer Zomby is equally as mysterious as — though less bemasked than — SBTRKT, and he (she? it?) too is coming out with a new album this summer, Dedication. Check out the darkly whimsical track, featuring the vocal stylings of our own Panda Bear.
Noisy shredmasters of yore Hella are on their way back with another album, and they have a challenge for their fans: make a video for this track and upload it on YouTube. The prize is unlimited awesomeness
5. “Never Will Be Mine” by Rye Rye (ft. Robyn)
The second single from Rye Rye’s long-awaited, long-delayed debut album features vocals from Robyn’s “Be Mine.” We’re crossing our fingers that the album shows up sometime this summer for maximum outdoor party jam potential.
6. “Streetwise” by LA Vampires Goes Ital
Ex-Pocahaunted member Amanda Brown’s new project LA Vampires joined forces with Daniel Martin-McCormick, a.k.a. Ital, for this floaty, exuberant dance track.
7. “Up on the North Shore” by The Sea and Cake
Chicagoans The Sea and Cake are back this week releasing their ninth album, a six-song collection that falls somewhere between an EP and an LP. “Up on the North Shore” is its first single, a bouncy, slick number to get your day started right.
8. “Mr. Blue Sky” by Mayer Hawthorne (ELO Cover)
Mayer Hawthorne is releasing an EP of covers this week, Impressions, including numbers by Jon Brion, Chromeo, and, obviously, ELO. We love the addition of the jaunty keyboard before the outro.
9. “Jay Time” by White Denim (Hard Stuff cover)
Speaking of good covers, this rip-roaring take on Hard Stuff’s 1970s jam “Jay Time” make us pretty excited for the White Denim album D, out later this month.
10. “Hannah” by Freelance Whales (Ra Ra Riot remix) (click through to download)
Ra Ra Riot and Freelance Whales make a good team, remixing this sweet, electro-boppin’ little ditty into new levels of catchiness. And did we mention that buying the EP it’s on benefits victims of the tsunami in Japan? Everyone feels good.