Sir Lucious Left Foot -- Now Streaming

Big Boi's forthcoming LP has leaked, and in response he is streaming the whole thing on his Myspace. He also sat down with Pitchfork a couple of weeks ago to rip this fresh freestyle over Crystal Castles in a barber shop. It's pretty freaking cool.

Due to a dispute between Jive Records and Def Jam, the only song featuring Andre 3000 will likely be blocked from appearing on Sir Lucious Left Foot because it would bear too much resemblance to Outkast. Ohhh record companies, no wonder no one likes you.

Big Boi - Lookin' For Ya (featuring Andre 3000 and Sleepy Brown)

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well - Ready For The World (Twins Remix)



More Brooklyn sounds for your ears. How To Dress Well is not just another band with a name that makes researching them impossible. They also play shows, like this one on August 13th, and release 7"'s on Lefse Records like this one. The group refers to their minimalist electro-falsetto style as "lo-fi Shai"--we have no idea what that means. Someone should also tell them that their album covers are scary. Check them at their blog.

You And I

Washed Out - You and I (Featuring Caroline Polachek)

This is just amazing. The 80's-synth chillwave beats of Washed Out are perfectly complemented by the soft beauty of Polachek's voice. It's kind of shocking that this collaboration didn't happen sooner. While her song with Flosstradamus, "Big Bills," featured her in a more central and emotive role, her vocals on "You and I" are basically too good to not be singing verses. For being in a band with only one album, she's been on some really great tracks; don't forget TV on The Radio employed her once on 2008's Dear Science.

"You and I" is Washed Out, just ten times better than what Washed Out was before.

Warpaint--Tonight at Knitting Factory

Warpaint - Billie Holiday (free download)

"Los Angeles' mystical Warpaint weave majestic, haiku-like guitars, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia/shoegaze, the haunting intimacy of folk, and rock's primal heaviness." 

If you don't hear Cat Power, you don't know Chan Marshall. And if you know Chan Marshall, please ask her to start writing her own music again.

With My Back To You

Wolf Gang - Back to Back (free)

Ah, that would be the life: simple responses
to big worries. I could yell at my food to tell it
I was coming to kill it and I'd let people know I loved them
by hitting myself, purple splotches blossoming on my chest like clouds.

-- Nate Pritts

Twenty Miles Out

Deer Tick - Twenty Miles (free download)

An ever so slight departure from the alt-country-folk mash of most Deer Tick songs, "20 Miles" succeeds where the group's other songs consistently fail. The grating yell of singer John McCauley is dry,  add to that mostly acoustic arrangements and his voice can even become irritating. However, the one-bar guitar line of "20 Miles" perfectly complements McCauley's hoarse yawl. The circular melody and eighth note plucking ironically move forward, instead of stagnating like so many of Deer Tick's other songs.

From Arcade Fire Comes "The Suburbs"

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

In a song they sound like they never left.

Delorean Playing NYC This Weekend

Delorean - Grow (buy)

The Barcelona four-piece, not to be confused with the Marty McFly time-travelling wheels, is playing two shows in NYC this weekend. Tonight is Pianos, tomorrow is Glasslands. Their latest is a mix of dance-able synths and guitar--stop me if I've said this before. It's another entry into the glo-fi sound that is the biggest trend since mashups. The sound is highly seasonal, which may or may not be why over the course of a nine-song LP it becomes stale. Singles such as "Stay Close" and "Grow" aren't substantially different from the last few tracks, but by the time you get there it feels tired. The incomprehensible looped background vocals of "Grow" feel nice, but however you think of Delorean, they are more Cut Copy and less Toro Y Moi. Hear the excellent "Seasun" here.