“You are the music while the music lasts.” -T.S. Eliot
Atoms for Peace – “What the Eyeballs Did”
There’s something eerily Cramp-ish about the B-side to the upcoming Atoms for Peace 12” (out November 19th via XL). Maybe it’s the track title, or Flea’s wobbly-yet-persistent bassline, or the fact that I’ve still got Halloween on my mind, but I swore Lux Interior was about to start howling about killer eyeballs. Then Thom Yorke’s wailing falsetto reminded me that poor Lux is no more (R.I.P.) and that this isn’t The Cramps. But that’s not to say “What the Eyeballs Did” is disappointing—because it’s not. Yorke is building off the skittish beats of The Eraser and letting his bandmates carve the soundscapes. Symphonic chords rise and fall to pulse off the aforementioned bassline—ostensibly the creative work of Nigel Godrich and Flea respectively. Yorke’s vocals are mostly indistinguishable, peeking out of the mix for a line or two before diving right back into the murk. -Jon Hadusek
Crystal Castles – “Affection”
The core components of “Affection” are that of a standard electropop song: rat-a-tat beats, oscillating drones, reverb-drenched vocals, and synthetic keyboard riffs. It’s Crystal Castles’ arrangement of these elements that extricate the duo from the massive amount of electro/dance producers using the same aesthetics. Singer Alice Glass never lets us hear what she has to say; her words are garbled by sound effects, though her voice still hits low notes, high notes, unsettling notes, and electronically altered notes. That’s Crystal Castles’ shtick. It’s weird—scary, even—but you can still dance to it. “Affection” is the latest cut from the group’s forthcoming LP, (III), which is out November 12th via Casablanca/Fiction/Universal Republic. -Jon Hadusek
Dragon Inn 3 – “Up in the Business”
Dragon Inn 3 is the side-project of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin frontman Philip Dickey. Alongside his sister Roni Dickey and friend Brook Linder, Philip Dickey formed Dragon Inn 3, and the trio’s first single, “Up in the Business”, is an anachronistic synth jam straight off the soundtrack to an ‘80s flick. In fact, the band is calling its debut EP Ghoul School, and the album cover says “original soundtrack of the major video picture.” The warm and gentle “Up in the Business” bounces along like it just graduated high school and it’s elated and in love and ready to take on the world (read: Lloyd Dobler). Roni takes lead vocals; the hints of twee in her voice are both cute and melodic. Fans of M83 (especially Saturdays = Youth) will appreciate the nostalgic vibes. -Jon Hadusek
Four Tet – “Lion” (Jamie xx remix)
Four Tet and Jamie xx must be pals. The two continue to remix each other’s work (check out previous remixes of “VCR” and “Angels”), and this time Jamie xx sliced and diced Four Tet’s “Lion”, cutting the track from nine minutes down to four. The original’s snappy drums remain, but the dense textures, wistful piano, and bass drones are all xx. The end result is a far moodier, more succinct piece of downtempo electronica. -Jon Hadusek
The Gaslight Anthem – “Skinny Love” (Bon Iver cover)
The Gaslight Anthem aren’t exactly folksy balladeers, but damned if they don’t turn in an excellent take on Bon Iver’s acoustic smash “Skinny Love”. The cover, taken from the upcoming Black Friday Record Store Day exclusive Hold You Up EP (due November 23rd), gets a little grittier in the vocals. Brian Fallon pours his heart out, even dropping in a Springsteen-y grumble-growl for good measure. Whether it was the Halloween season that inspired this impression, another strong take on this already legendary melody sits so right with the crunching leaves. -Adam Kivel
Ill Bill feat. El-P – “Severed Heads of State”
Underground rap honcho Ill Bill and the ever-productive El-P came together for the anarchic “Severed Heads of State”, and boy is it a doozy. When Bill suggests that we “play dungeons and dragons on mushrooms and acid,” it’s like, jeez, how can we not torch storefronts and flip cars. But seriously, it gets darker from there, calling out Americans as “ignorant mutants for nukes.” The bass heavy rampager later sees El-P noting that “nothing’s promised but static and dirty conscience.” The track comes from Ill Bill’s upcoming The Grimy Awards, due January 29th via Uncle Howie. -Adam Kivel
Kendrick Lamar – “The Jig Is Up (Dump’n)”
Kendrick Lamar is super appreciative of the love being thrown towards his Top Star LP, good kid, m.A.A.d city. To prove it, he dropped yet another new cut, the J. Cole and Canei Finch produced “The Jig Is Up (Dump’n)”. The track is beyond fresh, referencing the fact that the album debuted number two on Billboard, but still referencing his tough reputation: “drive past, guns blast, shooting up the charts too.” The bass-banging beat leaves plenty of room for Lamar to look at where he came from and how far he’s gone. -Adam Kivel
The Ruby Suns – “Kingfisher Call Me”
Every time you blink your eyes, The Ruby Suns work another wrinkle into their indie pop workings, and this time we’re looking at electronic staples like sub-bass wobbles and angelic synth flushes. On “Kingfisher Call Me”, frontman Ryan McPhun musically evokes the icy fjords of his new home (having moved from sunny New Zealand to Oslo, Norway), but the uplifting lyrics (the chorus urges you to “dry your eyes” and follow your own lead) keep things from freezing over. The song comes from The Ruby Suns’ upcoming fourth LP, Christopher, which is set to be released January 29th via Sub Pop. Download your mp3 copy below in exchange for an email address. -Adam Kivel
Soundgarden – “Non-State Actor”
It’s nice to have Soundgarden back because—let’s face it—Chris Cornell’s solo career hasn’t been too fulfilling. The grunge stalwarts will drop King Animal, their first album in 16 years, on November 13th. “Non-State Actor” is the second track we’ve heard off the record, and it’s a political one (apt timing, eh?). “We’re not elected/ But we will speak,” Cornell growls as Kim Thaylil lays down a riff that’s equal parts Deep Purple and Rage Against the Machine. Note the gravel in Cornell’s voice; after the chorus, he lets loose the grungiest of screams (and it can only be described as grungy). In the past, this scream would’ve been a moment for Cornell to test the highest registers of his voice. I wonder, can he still hit those blissful high notes? -Jon Hadusek
Thee Oh Sees – “European Son” (The Velvet Underground Cover)
The stream of San Fransisco garage acts completely busting up classic Velvet Underground tunes keeps on coming, all for the compilation The Velvet Underground & Nico by Castle Face And Friends (due November 6th via Universal Music and Castle Face Records). This week’s dose comes courtesy of the ever-bustling Thee Oh Sees, their take on “European Son” opening like a straight sampling of the iconic bass riff before jumping into a recorder-laden noisefest. Add in some random bubbling tape delay on the vocals, some sleigh bells, and a total disinterest in returning to the melody, and you’ve got yourself seven-and-a-half minutes of brain-scraping goodness. -Adam Kivel
