This week’s mix features a remix (that “Home” song), reworkings (Metric, Jónsi of Sigur Rós), remixables (Wye Oak, Flight Facilities), and songs so damn catchy they already sound remixed (The Black Keys, Penguin Prison, New Young Pony Club). So if you’re like us, constantly starving for new tunes, digest the next ten piecemeal or all in one sitting after the jump.
1. Penguin Prison – “The Worse It Gets” This is your new dance party staple, on repeat. Penguin Prison’s ecstasy-popping melodies and vocal licks mix with synth-bass euphoria for an all-upper diet.
2. Edward Shape & The Magnetic Zeros – “Home (RAC Mix)” Brilliant prolific tweakers, RAC, give this ubiquitous folksy ballad the sundrippy reworking that the irresistible, lovesick lyrics (and whistles) are jonesing for.
3. Metric – “Black Sheep” Luckily for Emily Haines & Co., this track scrapped from Fantasies was salvaged and re-recorded for their role as a fictional band called The Clash at Demonhead in Edgar Wright’s upcoming Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.
4. The Black Keys – “Tighten Up” As the only song on their upcoming eighth, Brothers, produced by Danger Mouse (post-Broken Bells), it’s clear that the funky guitars and flipside denouement make for a soulful standout track.
5. Avan Lava – “The Easy Way” From Le Chev, the bassist of Fischerspooner, and singer Tom Hennes comes a genre-bending side project that isn’t afraid to hide their clear Prince influences. Their debut EP is available for free here.
6. Jónsi – “Time to Pretend” To compensate for MGMT’s underwhelming sophomore effort, the frontman for Sigur Rós turns 2008’s go-to hipster anthem, with just his keys and falsetto, into a mellow ballad.
7. Oberhofer – “Away Frm U” Brad Oberhofer combines the delicately layered shouts of Animal Collective, the drugged-out guitarwork of Real Estate, and the thrashy percussions of The Dodos into four minutes of blissful lo-fi giddiness.
8. Wye Oak – “I Hope You Die” The fourth track on Wye Oak’s newest release features Jenn Wasner’s Zooey-smoky croon and dreamy Mogwaiian instrumentation. Available now via Merge Records.
9. Flight Facilities – “Crave You” The Australian pair manages to create enough space around the congo beats, Giselle’s endearingly laidback vox, and a saxophone-soaked denouement to allow for (so far) two magnificent remixes.
10. New Young Pony Club – “Chaos” The London-based dance-punk fourpiece layer a gravy bass line with much darker musings from frontgrrl, Tahita Bulmer. Their sophomore, The Optimist, was released earlier this month.