Viva la Mix! #9: Downloads from Mos Def, Animal Collective, Iron & Wine and Nadja

Share:

Last week was a ridiculously big one for music fans for two reasons: Vecktimest and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But for those of you wearying of all the Grizzly Bear/Phoenix hullabaloo, Flavorpill’s got a new roundup of lower-profile but equally awesome MP3s, only one of which happens to involve either of the aforementioned artists. (Cut us a break. It’s a remix.) Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself — we update every week.

1. Scott Walker – “30 Century Man” Legend Scott Walker is a genuinely singular presence, tugging heart stings while simultaneously exploring the dark underbelly of the classic crooner. [Download MP3] via Pretty Goes With Pretty

2. Patten – “Version (Test Mixxx)” With its echoing robotic vocals and hyperactive, alarm-pitched synth lines, Version (Text Mixxx) sounds essentially like someone accidentally initiated the self-destruct sequence at a space-rave. [Download MP3] via No Pain In Pop

3. Mos Def – “Casa Bey” This preview from Mos Def’s upcoming album helps make amends for everything he’s subjected us to so far with his post-Black On Both Sides output. [Download MP3] via Rcrd Lbl

4. Night Control – “Good Looks” Unlike the other bedroom-recorded projects making their rounds, Night Control is surprisingly unconcerned with excessively lo-fi posturing. Songs like “Good Looks” prefer to rise above their sonic limitations rather than wallow in them. [Download MP3] via No Pain In Pop

5. Bowerbirds – “Northern Lights” “Northern Lights” is just begging to be exploited by some teen soap-opera for a season finale montage, it’s that good! [Download MP3] via Rawkblog

6. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks (Fred Falke Extended Remix)” Everybody is arguing over whether Vecktamist or Merriweather Post Pavillion will eventually be crowned the best album of 2009, but c’mon guys just chill out and dig on this awesome remix by Fred Falke, which, honestly, is the best thing you’ll hear all year. [Download MP3] via Let’s Sexy Fighting

7. Fang Island – “The Absolute Place (Yeasayer Remix)” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating takes the epic coda to Fang Island’s 7 minute original, and remixes it into a brilliant 3 minute song. [Download Mp3] via Stereogum

8. Iron & Wine – “Love Vigilantes” When acoustic musicians do covers of songs from pop-leaning genres like dance music it usually ends really badly, but every once in awhile someone doesn’t do it all tongue-in-cheek and just wants to bring attention to a really great New Order song. [Download MP3] via What’s Wrong With The Mainstream

9. Clues – “Remember Severed Head” Clues is the latest project from Alden Ginger, the other ex-Unicorn, who delivers songs the vaguely recall his former band, which is sure to please anybody who was ever disappointed by Islands and their anti-sounding-like-the-Unicorns M.O. [Download MP3] via The Needle Drop

10. Animal Collective – “Bleed” (Live) This recently debuted track is a welcome return to the experimental meanderings of pre-Sung Tongs-era Animal Collective, where similarly oddball tracks were as much a part of the bands repertoire as their melodically inclined material. [Download MP3] via Stereogum

11. Nadja – “Only Shallow” Nadja impressively approximates the famously pedal-mangled guitar tones of “Only Shallow” with their fantastically droney update of My Bloody Valentine’s classic Loveless opener. [Download MP3] via Pitchfork