Tinashe - All Hands on Deck(video)

Tinashe is still reppin her 2014, awesome, LP Aquarius, even as she has just released a whole new set of songs on her latest EP. All Hands On Deck is a minimal tRap + B sortof tune, with a slinking synth lead underlaid with icy sleaze. Probably one of my favorite tunes from 014, AHOD surfaced in a post-Fancy, pre-BBHMM world, fitting nicely into the current Popisphere. This track deserves more play. Oh yeah, also this video is insane. Redefining risque storage container steppin. Feel it:

Sunflower Bean - 2013 (video)

Psychedelic Jangle spanglers, Sunflower Bean, are on some kind of roll and ain't no one kickin em off. Just saw their write up in The Voice (worth reading) and so its time we mention them here. Like the love child of Felt, Vivian Girls and possibly Spacemen 3, SB are genre mashers of the highest pedigree. Spinning weaves of intricate, chorus laden guitar, beneath bewitching basslines and hair-raising drum clatters, this is the type of shit I'm tryina hear. Vocally comparative to other C86ers, Sunflower keep their psychedelics grounded with focused pop melodies and harmonies. Check this out, right now:

Broken Social Scene - Golden Facelift (video)

The end of last year saw the release of several significant songs, one of them being this previously unreleased track from Broken Social Scene. This somber ballad lies somewhere between New Order and maybe Sonic Youth, climaxing in an epic clatter of yelps and distortion. Fittingly the clip features a reel of beautiful shots of life around the globe, juxtaposed with some of the most terrible things to have occurred in 2014. Its hard to look away, even during that yucky eyelid scene. Check it out, this one sucks you in:

Panda Bear - Boys Latin (video)

Panda Bear's new single is a phasing Psych track, centred around a Dark Wave bassline and PB's recognisable harmonies. The tune has a slightly melancholic tinge to it, and therefore the video as well contains wisps of sadness, woven among its frames. Its a mesmerising animated clip, reminiscent of the colour pallet and landscapes displayed in Bjork's Wanderlust. A young man traversing the swampy in-lands of a coastal Somewhere is entranced, and then ensnared by some bewitching salt water anemone. Soon our hero is plagued by psychedelic skin lesions that only seem to lessen when he learns to accept the new sorry state of his body. There's a universal theme here that seems both otherworldly and all too familiar, and by the end all is well. Dig it:

The Drums - I Can't Pretend (video)

The best track off of The Drums latest record, Encyclopedia, got a clip back in October, but somehow I missed it (Oops!). As a duo, The Drums have given themselves more space to expand their ideas and sonic conceptions. Encyclpoedia is a far reaching album, with I Can't Pretend as its pinnacle Pop achievement. Its a track thats up there with some of their best, and therefore gets one of their best videos. The boys are shot in technicolor environments (aquariums, summery backyards, the old railroad tracks) where they meander about, with a chic complacency. Nothing really happens and yet you can't look away. Fish are always fun! And so are bubbles! Check it all out right here:

Mary J. Blige - Right Now (video)

Mary J has partnered with Disclosure and company, to re-up the mojo on her latest record and the results totally rule! The original Duchess of R&B, breaks it down UK style, with this twisted dance groove. Turns out MJB's soul-infused croons work perfect with Dub-leaning, Throw-back-House tunes, from across the pond. Were you looking for one last juicy club banger before the year ends? This is it. "All New, Zane Lowe Prem-e-uh on Radio 1!" (Similar to F For You, but like diff.)

Princess Chelsea - No Church On Sunday (video)

Weirdo clip of Princess Chelsea inhabiting the hyper-surreal realm of a TrapperKeeper.

Johnny Marr - Dynamo (video)

One of the first Johnny Marr singles that seems quite listenable, gets the video treatment. Dynamo, like most modern Marr work is straight forward guitar pop, the difference here is that the chorus actually has a hook to it. Its hard to tread on someone like Marr, who stands alone as an untouchable god among men when it comes to song-writing. Yet, his most recent efforts have seemed slightly slipshod, or at least not up-to-snuff. Like many elder Rock statesmen, we expect the very best, and very rarely get it. With Dynamo we do not get anything Smiths-like or even Electronic-like, but more a soaring anthem in the vein of The Verve or Smashing Pumpkins. There's a 90s Brit-pop theme to this song and it works. Marr is no crooner, but he can still carry a tune, letting the hook lie in the harmonies to an effective degree and of course his 6-string shredding is nothing to yawn at. So here you are, Dynamo:

Belle and Sebastian - The Party Line (video)

Belle & Sebastian have released one of their catchiest singles in years and now there's a video. The Disco leaning, Saint Etienne indebted dance track has a wonderfully shot clip of some pretty young things out on the town. Its super fun to be young and hot (in the 1970s), until that dude you're mad into ends up with another chick! (Ughhhhh). Mondo bummer, but hey this be B&S, and not some other BS.

Bored Nothing - Ice-Cream Dreams (video)

Psychedelic, Garage Rock, 90s fuzz, and Modern Schlitz - genres adjectives that seem apropos to this posting. Getting stuck in an Ice-Cream Dream seems like it would really suck... at least for me cuz ice cream upsets my stomach these days. For Bored Nothing, he somehow is incapable of escaping such dreams, and so lives a perpetual nightmare. It seems like the worst existence and yet somehow he endeavors to put out a tune or 2, when hes not haunted by the specters of frozen dairy. On the real, this is a nice jam that I would totally put on a playlist for the Fall.. if I was working on one.

The Ocean Party - Head Down (video)

Jangle-lovin guitar boys, The Ocean Party strike an Autumn pose with their latest tune. Head Down is a repetitive, lead driven number, that parallels something written by someone like Real Estate. If you've been starved of chorus heavy guitar this is absolutely for you. Like a slushy that freezes your brain on a windy day, Head Down is some heady shit. I've never been to a party on the ocean, but if I did I wouldn't mind if it sounded like this jam. Check out these guys' new album, out this week.

Ariel Pink - Picture Me Gone (video)

Mr. Pink's latest is a Darkwave, bass-heavy, ballad; chronicling a bizarre past relationship kept hauntingly present through the omnipotent lens of modern technology. The video is fittingly off putting, with 3 women (men?) clad in rubber masks, going about their lives (smoking through their eye-holes, ice skating etc). We gain a glimpse at each woman's true desire, but what really comes of it? I guess when you think about it we're all wearing the visage of a forlorn woman. At the end of the clip one of the characters begins to pull off their mask, only to be cut off by the end of the song - does she ever actually remove the mask? Do any of us?? Picture me blond.. I mean gone..

Yumi Zouma - Alena

New Zealand Soft Pop conduits, Yumi Zouma, explore a danicer realm with their latest single, Alena. The fluttering guitar lines are not so much abandon, as they are put to the side here, while room is made for some swollen string patches and bouncy piano chords. Its very easy on the ears and reminds me a little of Air France. Elements of House, Disco, and Dream Pop are stewed together in this crock:

Twerps - Back To You (video)

Australian Indie rawkers, release this sunny, guitar pop, head bobber. Reminiscent of The Chills, Talulah Gosh, and Felt, Twerps are Indie purists; delving into the late 80s, and early 90s and having a good time while doing it! Back To You clocks in at just 2mins and 30 secs, the length Pop songs should be!

Slowdive - Silver Screen

Look Back In Anger: I had the pleasure of entering a portal of pure bliss this past Saturday, when I witnessed a performance by the recently reunited Slowdive, in New York City. One of the greatest sources of inspiration musically and creatively as a whole, Slowdive has had a massive impact on my life. These days the the trappings of the Shoegaze sound are everywhere to be found, inhabiting the most prevalent of Indie Rock, as well as the most obscure. It makes perfect sense that a band like Slowdive would reboot at a time like this, yet its odd to think that a relatively minor musical movemonet, that remained relevant for about 5 years, has had such deep impact on today's sonic stratosphere. There's no point rehashing the in's and out's of the scene that celebrated itself, when its merely a Google search away. It is worth noting that a group like Slowdive could be classified as Shoegaze royalty. They endured virtually zero chart activity in the US through their span of the 90s, and on Saturday night they played a sold-out show to 3000 people. Tonality-wise there are at least a dozen other modern and past acts who could accurately be compared to Slowdive, but few come close in dealing such devastatingly powerful blows via their song-writing. When the twinkling of the first few chords of Shine finally reaches a crescendo, one can almost feel that sun beating down in a mystical meadow. When the slide of the guitar bends back on itself in The River Man, you can picture the film to which it belongs. The greatness of Slowdive comes not only from their understanding and warping of Pop songs, but from the full spectrum of sensations that are evoked in each of their songs. Here's a demo cut of one of their early recordings of the Silver Screen. The quality here is rough, but song is top notch, touching on their earlier noisier roots:

Liars - I'm No Gold (video)

There's no need to run through the litany of excellent Liars videos, but here's another one we can add to the list. I'm No Gold is a cut from their latest LP, Mess - and its as psychotically golden as one would expect. Singer, Angus Andrew, is the shirtless, revolving, primordial man, overwhelmed(/overjoyed/overcome) by his boundless hair. It's almost grotesque and I'm not sure why... something to do with the lighting and me feeling uncomfortable with toplessness, but I digress! This vid rulezzzz :P Check it now and have this horrid visage stapled into all ur nightmares:

Minus The Bear - Invented Memory

Minus The Bear blend their own batch of blue-eyed soul, with this, a new song from their upcoming LP. After a few slight missteps in the recent past, MTB seem to be attempting to retouch certain elements of their beloved early works, while also delving into newer territory. Invented Memory is an odd yet effective shift between Peter Gabriel-esque R+B and Steely Dan level rockin. The familiar mathlete level guitar work is well on display, as is a very crisp layer of production. It's a song and sound not typical to the 'Indie scene,' and yet nothing The Bear has done has ever quite fit any sort of trendy mold. They've been in the game for some time now, and instead of collecting dust they continue reconstruct themselves - highly refined, if you will...

Les Sins - Why

Chizzy Chaz B of Toro y Moi, recalls his dancier side, with this brand new track from his Les Sins proj. Not unlike the bouncy, cloudy, progressions found on cuts off Causers Of This, Chaz slips us a Nouveau Disco roofie, to ease us into the right mood. The type of track that let's everybody move the party off the roof and back into the club. It's Fall y'all, club bangin season. Get into it:

The Drums - I Can't Pretend

New Drums single. Affected affection on display in this sparkly, straight forward tune. Dig:

Ariel Pink - Put Your Number In My Phone

Reaching back to the 70s, Ariel Pink's new single is a warm, lovesick ballad about meeting the right chick. Sounding like a modern day, psychedelic swirly of The Carpenters and Steely Dan, Pink hits all the right notes with this homage to carpe diem. Dig: