Connecting The Dots: Thom Yorke's Eraser and Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak

Kanye West fascinates me like no other figure in pop culture. I am always curious about his incredibly strong design sensibility, which pervades his ALL-CAPS RANTS on his blog (currently featuring only art and captions since its reboot), and which frankly led to his inability to keep his mouth shut about the brilliance of Beyonce's video during the Taylor Swift "Imma let you finish" incident. Equally captivating is his sense of self and sense of faith, which show up in his public life and image ("I am not a gay fish!") and in the inner conflict he reveals in his music. Most of all, though, I am enthralled by his artistic sensibility, which merges the two, joining deliberate design with raging ego. Kanye is pretty sure it is his job to be the voice of a generation, and he is creating art to serve that purpose. In stark contrast, Coldplay's Chris Martin is noted for his desire to be the leader of the biggest band in the world, and writes music in a calculated manner in order to broadly pull in fans until his band is the new Beatles or U2. Kanye isn't writing the music he thinks will make people love him - he is writing the music he feels called to make, and he knows that the generation he represents will love him for it. In this sense, his confidence and ego are what prevent him from falling into the trap of crowd-pleasing, and allow him to create honest music, music that is emotional without being emotionally manipulative.

As such, I was fascinated when given a glance, of a sort, into Kanye's head. The above picture was part of a series commissioned by the Grammys to promote their 2009 lame-fest. The idea of the series was simple: create the artist's portrait out of the titles of songs that have influenced their lives and artistic careers. Kanye's display obviously has significant breadth and depth, but I am going to perform a highly scientific analysis of it based on statistical breakdowns involving two primary categories: Whether the font size is big enough to read, and whether an artist has more than one song present in the portrait. Interestingly enough, The Police make the list with two ("Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take"). Hip hop innovators Run DMC ("Rock Box", "King of Rock" and "Walk This Way"), A Tribe Called Quest ("Can I Kick It", "Scenario" and "Bonita Applebum"), Wu-Tang Clan ("C.R.E.A.M.", "Protect Ya Neck" and "Triumph"), and Nas ("If I Ruled The World", "One Mic" and "Black Republican") all nab three references. Topping the chart with four? Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke ("The Eraser", "Analyse", "Black Swan" and "Skip Divided"), all from his solo album, The Eraser. As shocking as this may seem, it should be less so in light of the fact that these portraits came out immediately after the release of Kanye's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak.

808s & Heartbreak was a polarizing album. Kanye, a superstar producer and at this point equally prestigious rapper, had created an album in which he only sang, leaning heavily on the crutch of Auto-Tune throughout. If this wasn't a big enough adjustment, his subject matter abandoned bravado and cultural commentary to focus on betrayal and loss (Kanye had been dumped by his fiancee and lost his mother in a short period preceding the album's creation). Finally, the beats weren't Kanye's typical club bangers - they were, as promised by the "808" series drum machines referenced in the album's title, minimalist creations, carved out of electronic sound.

At this point, it begins to seem logical that Kanye would have viewed The Eraser (Thom's solo record, in which he relied solely on synthesized beats as his backdrop) as a primary influence in his own album's creation. Sure, there had been other well-known albums with primarily electronic backdrops (notably Postal Service), but Kanye, viewing himself as a superstar, a cultural icon, is above that. If he is going to take significant cues from somebody other than a founding father of hip hop, it's going to be the frontman from the greatest rock band on earth. As artistic responses go, 808s & Heartbreak was definitely interesting. It still sounded nothing like The Eraser and was very different than all of Kanye's previous work, giving it a unique flavor. The level to which he experimented, from the vulnerability of his singing to the literal deconstruction of his own song on "Bad News" to the sci-fi metaphors of "Robocop", is fairly uncommon for an artist of his stature. In fact, the last time I can remember an artist coming from heights like "Harder Better Faster Stronger", throwing out the book and completely reinventing their sound? That would be Radiohead, coming off the technophobic pinnacle of 90's Brit-Rock with OK Computer and giving it all up to become a 21st-century experimental electronic band on Kid A.

Finally, I should mention that the picture above is Thom's very own Grammy portrait. While I will draw no conclusions so significant from this one, I may as well give you a little breakdown of what I see. Elvis Costello ("Alison", "Pump It Up" and "Veronica"), R.E.M. ("Fall On Me", "Man On The Moon" and "Losing My Religion"), DJ Shadow ("Midnight In A Perfect World" and "Six Days") and The Verve ("Bittersweet Symphony" and "Lucky Man") all get multiple billings. The headlining spots, font size-wise, go to David Bowie ("Ashes to Ashes"), The Rolling Stones ("Tumbling Dice"), Madvillain (the duo of MF Doom and Madlib, with "Meat Grinder") and, biggest of all, Bjork ("Unravel"). Interesting stuff, check it out below.

Thom Yorke - Skip Divided
Kanye West - Robocop
Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph
A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It
Nas - If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)
DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World
David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes
Rolling Stones - Tumbling Dice
Madvillain - Meat Grinder
Bjork - Unravel

Featured Scene: Glo-Fi

The indie music scene has been a mish-mash of genres and subgenres and "genre-defying" musical statements lately. It can be hard to keep a handle on them, as many of these trends disappear as quickly as they arrive. While few artists are willing to pigeonhole themselves and categorically limit themselves to the strictures of a genre, there are certain defining characteristics that help us (it is human nature to want to label and classify everything we interact with - essentially labels are "shortcuts" for our brain that keep us from having to understand a thing in all of its levels of complexity and nuance each time we re-encounter it).

Glo-Fi is one of the names (my personal favorite) given to a fairly unique subgenre spawned last spring. Also known as "Chillwave" and "Hypnagogic Pop", trademarks of the genre include lo-fi (low fidelity) production, quasi-new age melody/80's references, and a hazy, dreamlike production feel. The production mix often puts the vocals in a similar range to the instruments, lowering contrast and creating a relaxed vibe. Below are tracks from a few of Glo-Fi's early success stories - consider this a sampler of a genre in infancy and see which parts of it tickle your fancy.

Delorean - Seasun
Delorean - Big Dipper
Delorean hail from Barcelona, and their debut four track EP, Ayrton Senna, emerged last May and kicked off the sound of summer 2009. "Seasun" was my #4 track of 2009, riding glorious repetition into the sunset.

Neon Indian - Terminally Chill
Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer
Neon Indian bring a jouncy feel to a synth-based electronic backdrop, and they may well be Glo-Fi's answer to MGMT. Sure, the synthetic sound is far more relaxed and subdued, but the same inherent desire for that moment of pop bliss still pervades. "Terminally Chill" made it to #22 on my Best of 2009 countdown, but "Deadbeat Summer" would have been an equally worthy choice.

Washed Out - Feel It All Around
As gauzy as it gets, Washed Out is the culmination of the meme of relaxing music. It functions simply to wash over you with oozing melody and dream-like vocals.

Toro Y Moi - Thanks Vision
Toro y Moi is behind the Glo-Fi curve on release dates, as he missed the party last summer. Causers of This just hit record shelves a week ago and "Thanks Vision" is an excellent summation of his sound, vocals deeply ensconced within layers of pulsing, fluid melody.

Small Black - Despicable Dogs
Small Black - Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix)
Small Black (now on tour with Washed Out) garnered notice from the lo-fi, dynamic squeal of "Despicable Dogs." If the original is a bit under-produced for you, try Washed Out's remix, wrapped in a shoegaze-haze that sounds like it belongs on the Lost In Translation Soundtrack.

New Music Monday!

It is that time of week again. It is MONDAY and it is a time when you need something new. Your classes aren't new. Your job isn't new. Your lack of sleep and subsequent coffee addiction aren't new. This music, however, is BRAND-SPANKIN-NEW. Check it:

The Morning Benders - Excuses

The Morning Benders - Promises

The Morning Benders are a young, talented chamber-pop group from San Francisco who I discovered when they opened for Daydream Station favorites Grizzly Bear at Seattle's Moore Theater in October 2009. Since then, they've picked up a key new member, poaching Grizzly Bear producer Chris Taylor for their own uses. Their sophomore effort, Big Echo will be out March 9 on Rough Trade, and lead single "Excuses" exhibits soaring highs that make them the 2010 music scene's response to the nineties' classic Brit-pop anthems.

Active Child - Body Heat (So Far Away)

Active Child - I'm In Your Church At Night

Active Child, the subject of my first "Featured Artist" column (here), is gearing up for a proper release, leaving behind the world of 7" singles and cassette tapes. In anticipation, here are two more tracks I've dug up, showcasing his layered falsetto croon over shuffling, icy electro-percussion.

The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together) 

The New Pornographers' Master of Awesome, A.C. Newman, treated us this morning by tweeting out the lead track from their upcoming release Together (available May 4 from Matador). Not much to say - more sugar-high indie pop.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - The Mighty Sparrow

Veteran axeman brings the classic Buzzcocks/Ramones punk ethos here, keeping the lead single from The Brutalist Bricks (due March 9 on Matador) to a tidy 2:37 and stringing hooks and bridges together into a non-stop climax.

Booka Shade - Regenerate

Electro-soundscaper returns, offering "Regenerate" as a preview to his upcoming release More! (due in May). After trendsetting on 2006's Movements, setting the bar for a couple of years of electronica, he failed to impress on 2008's The Sun and The Neon Light. "Regenerate" is an ambient but shapeshifting piece, showing Booka still has finesse and range.

Broken Social Scene - World Sick

The seminal Canadian indie super-collective returns with their first material as a group in five years. What have they been up to in the meantime? Oh, just monstrously successful side careers for members Feist, Stars, and Metric, among others. A seven-minute epic, the song hints that the group is more focused on art-rock exploration than replicating the successes of the aforementioned members' big hits.

Phantogram - When I'm Small
New York up-and-comers made my top 10 of 2009 with "Mouthful of Diamonds" and just released their debut full-length, Eyelid Movies (a Bunuel/Dali Un Chien Andalou reference?) on Barsuk, possibly my favorite record label. Check out their sound on "When I'm Small," showing that they can go soft and loud, but they'll always have that dreamy trip-hop vibe.

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
Surf-rock hasn't been this cool since Tarantino reclaimed it for the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Simple sentiments recorded lo-fi over handclaps and, well, surf guitar.

Janelle Monae - Tightrope (f/Big Boi)
R&B artist/Motown throwback Janelle Monae is finally getting a full album release this spring and "the female Andre 3000," as she is often called, teams up with mentor Big Boi (Outkast everywhere!) on this funkalicious track.

And So I Watch You From Afar - The Voiceless

And So I Watch You From Afar - Set Guitars To Kill
New entry on the post-rock scene, for lovers of Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai and their ilk. "The Voiceless" feels like a worthy, if slightly derivative, tribute to EITS, while "Set Guitars To Kill" lives up to its name and sets off sparks with multi-guitar crunch and fret aerobics.

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work

Young electro act take their cues from acknowledged influence The Whitest Boy Alive, Erland Oye's dance project and pump out up-tempo yet delicate synth-pop.

Technology and Music: An Attempt to Forecast The Impact of Continual Innovation and Cloud Computing

Whither the future of digital music?

This question has been on my mind a lot lately. I see a few primary truths that dominate the current scene and immediate future:

#1: CHANGE WILL COME
The record labels haven't yet figured out the most effective way to take advantage of the digital music revolution. They are not good at change, but they recognize that change is on the way and will be forced to open their doors to experimentation and adaptation. One good example are Hulu-equivalent music downloading sites, FreeAllMusic.com and Guvera.com, who have two major labels on board (Universal and EMI) and allow you to download a limited selection of major pop chart singles and album tracks for free after simply viewing an advertisement (one song per day, per user). This model could easily take off in a scenario where other major labels join up and they collectively analyze the profit model for ad revenue from music downloading. It may not look like the most appealing option to them (as compared to the iTunes Store where consumers pay a traditional retail price), but the labels can't underestimate the impact it will have on music piracy. Nobody streams TV shows from crappy rip-off websites if those same episodes are available on Hulu - you choose the smooth stream, high quality, and you put up with the advertisement. People who are too frugal or (like me) go through enormous quantities of music will embrace an above-board music downloading model that enables you to give back to artists and labels without hemorrhaging money.

#2: ALL ROADS LEAD THROUGH APPLE
There will be massive innovations in the storage, access routes and interface with digital music over the next few years. However, the iPod and friends are so important to the average user's current interaction with digital media that a music storing and playing application will only be a viable market competitor if it can sync with your iPod. Apple is notoriously selective about which programs can sync with (or become apps on) their devices, and this functions, intentionally or not, as a vicious strategy to maintain monopoly for their entire suite of media programs and devices.

#3: HARDWARE IS GETTING EASIER
Netbooks already have a significant market (11% of the current laptop market,* though only 15-20% of netbook sales are directly cannibalized from lower-end notebooks,** with the rest being secondary computing devices), and the iPad fills a similar niche for the purposes of this analysis. If anything, the current set of web-focused devices are over-powered for the coming revolution. Google has announced plans to set their Google Chrome Operating System (currently in testing) as the default for certain new netbooks which will have virtually no on-board hard disk storage, operating on the cloud computing principle. All of these devices are small and portable enough to move around and link up to speakers, and beat out your current laptop because they will literally click on at a moment's notice (like your TV) and give you full web and media access.

#4: MINING CLOUD CITY (BESPIN OR BUST, BABY)
Cloud computing seems inevitable, and awesome. Google is absolutely building for this concept, and I see no reason they will fail. Pieces of the puzzle are already in place (Google Docs, for example) and the Google Chrome Operating System will sync perfectly with the Google Chrome Browser to make your machine an internet portal. An internet portal will be all you need when all of your files are stored online and all of the programs and applications that access those files are actually websites, or even applications integrated into the browser experience. There are already hints at this - while perusing AlternativeTo.net's set of links to free online or shareware equivalents for any program you consider essential, it becomes clear that an online equivalent of iTunes that also stores your music for you is quite plausible. Item #2 becomes relevant again here, however. Apple seems unlikely to license new competitors to their iTunes/iTunes Store music player and sales behemoth - if you are playing your music elsewhere, you won't have one-click access to their store. Hence, don't count on your iPod syncing to any cloud computing-style music application until Apple produces their own.

#5: LAGGING LAND LINES
All of this talk of cloud computing and streaming your media collection is wonderful, but most of us, even in major cities, have a frankly mediocre internet connection. The rapidfire advances emerging in other sectors are not being mirrored in our Internet Service Providers. In most locations, your ISP is your phone or cable company. These are behemoth corporations with terribly slow customer service and troubleshooting that have no real incentive to improve so long as they maintain monopoly-like holds on the "high-speed internet" markets. Enter (surprise!) Google. Google has announced plans to run an experimental broadband network in several cities around the United States. For years, Google has been buying up "dark fiber," impressively fast fiber-optic lines build during the late 90's internet bubble. In certain cities (sorry, no list yet) they will offer themselves as an alternate ISP with home internet connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second (100 to 200 times faster than your current broadband internet connection)!*** Their test offering is designed to show customers what a truly modern network connection would feel like, spurring growth across the industry and making our country a feasible place to run the kind of web-dependent computer infrastructure we are being promised. When you can download a full-length HD movie in 3-4 minutes, worrying about whether your music will access and stream smoothly from an online storage site will seem archaic.

WHAT TO EXPECT
I think we will see low or no-storage netbooks coming out with the Google Chrome OS within the next couple of years. Initially, I think there will be some problems when it comes to making your suite of applications and technology work together. Chrome will most likely have a built-in media player designed to access your files stored online, but there may still be size restrictions on your online media storage. Apple products, including the iPod and iPhone, will most likely not be allowed to sync with that player, preventing you from easily updating your newest playlists and favorite tracks. If I had to find a stopgap measure, I would be tempted to invest in something like the Iomega 34337, a 1TB External Hard Drive that also functions as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) Server, which will store all of your media files and stream them across your home wireless network so that your storage-less web portal device has a library to draw upon. With 3G capability becoming a feasible network plug-in on almost any device, you should soon be able to set your NAS device on your desk at home and go anywhere in the world (within the 3G network) while still accessing your media.

If this article reads like I'm a bit of a Google fanboy, that's a risk I'm willing to take. Their desire to open-source everything and innovate in every available arena makes me hope that an iPod equivalent device will actually take some market share and we'll no longer have to worry about Apple's buy-in for every new idea. The possibilities are virtually limitless, so keep your ear to the streets for more news on Google's ISP, the Chrome OS, and more details about the first signs of viable cloud computing. Your digital music experience is about to evolve, and soon enough you'll be happier with where you get it, how you store it and the interface that allows you to play and distribute it.

*Figure from a recent DisplaySearch study.
**Estimates from HP CEO Mark Hurd and IDC analyst Richard Shim
***Source: Faster, Faster by Farhad Manjoo on Slate.com, 2/18/1020


Fine, here's a killer new song from a hot San Francisco band for you, just as a reward for reading to the end. Don't cheat.
The Morning Benders - Excuses

Featured Artist: Local Natives

Every once in a while, I will highlight an artist/song/music scene that you need to know about. I will restrain myself to sharing only that which I cannot keep to myself. Today, I am compelled share with you Local Natives, a fantastic new band out of the Los Angeles area. Please read more about their debut album, Gorilla Manor, and scroll to the bottom to download a couple of sample tracks for yourself - they are just breaking onto the scene and news of their talent will travel fastest by word of mouth. Then, you can buy their album, play it over and over, and give it to all of your friends!

Local Natives' sound derives from a number of significant recent indie touchstones. The vocal harmonies, occasionally stretched across tastefully open spaces, call to mind My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes. Less concerned about showcasing the limits of his voice than Seattle's ever-evanescent Foxes, their lead singer isn't afraid to break from the melody and snarl a line or two like Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock (see: the three-minute mark in "Sun Hands"). The band's single biggest strength, however, is their schizophrenic instrumentation that somehow always shuffles its way into a winning climax. The sheer amount of variation calls to mind recent work from Dodos, but with their vocals even better integrated into a fervent sonic ebb and flow. Their songs take on an Arcade Fire quality of barely-restrained emotion in the verses and cathartically cascading choruses as soon as a bow crosses strings (hey, I'm the first to admit I'm a sucker for the use of violins and cellos in pop/rock).

As debut albums go, this one is impressively promising. Among the comparisons I've made, in fact, it holds up remarkably well. While it may not join Arcade Fire's Funeral in the breakout album pantheon, their songwriting is certainly ahead of Dodos on Visiter. And although their sound may be a bit less focused than the Fleet Foxes' self-titled LP (an impressively cohesive statement of Northwest style, from harmonies to flannels), their evolution as a band has already surpassed what My Morning Jacket achieved on their first couple of albums. If anything, Gorilla Manor tantalizes, showing avenue after avenue that Local Natives could successfully pursue.

Gorilla Manor is out now (officially released Tuesday, 2/16/10) and available from the iTunes Store for $7.99 or Amazon.com for $10.99, an excellent deal either way. I am re-posting the two tracks I linked to in my most recent new music post below, and adding another favorite of mine, "Camera Talk." "Airplanes" truly does recall Arcade Fire with its yearning strings, though his petulant cry of 'I want you back' could appear a tad emotionally sophomoric compared to a dark, brooding fascination with all things funereal. "Sun Hands" is a vocal workout, showcasing the band's range. "Camera Talk," meanwhile, builds gorgeous instrumental layers and vocal harmonies across a two-faced rhythm section that alternates between propulsive rock drumming and glimmering keyboards until the two join forces and crescendo unforgettably.

Local Natives - Airplanes

Local Natives - Sun Hands

Local Natives - Camera Talk

New Music Monday!

I bequeath to you the newest and the shiniest music floating around the blogosphere. Take these jams for a test drive and let the whole neighborhood feel the bass.

Local Natives - Airplanes

Local Natives - Sun Hands

L.A. newcomers Local Natives grab at elements from a lot of my favorite groups - "Airplanes" exudes a yearning, orchestrated quality that recalls Arcade Fire circa debut masterpiece Funeral, while "Sun Hands" recalls recent indie hit-crafters such as Fleet Foxes, Yeasayer, and Dodos. The composition is rich and varied enough to feel derivative of none of the above, and the full album, Gorilla Manor, will get a proper release tomorrow via Frenchkiss Records. I promise a follow-up review of the full album if it lives up to the advance singles - sophisticated indie is becoming a lost art with the advent of feel-good electro-pop.

Toro y Moi - Thanks Vision

Toro y Moi - Low Shoulder

Toro y Moi hail from South Carolina and bring a remarkable level of subtlety and variation to their electro-tinged, world-juxtaposing songwriting. "Thanks Vision" literally pulses as though the radio dial were slipping in and out of place, the needle were dancing on the vinyl, or the song were inhabited and powered solely by your heartbeat. They seem discontented to simply ride out their initial groove for the full duration of any song, ensuring a varied if slightly ADD listening experience that references musical styles from across the globe. Their new album is called Causers of This and came out Febrary 2, 2010.

The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire

Swedish dream-pop vets come back for a new album riding a blissed-out vibe and sending in vocals so distant they feel like the gloomily literate musings of The Clientele's Alasdair MacLean. 

Cold War Kids - Audience

The scoop on these guys is that they try really, really hard. They song-write in an all-or-nothing manner and emote all over the place, resulting in some brilliant moments on their debut EPs but coming up short on subsequent releases. "Audience" marks their return to the short form, emerging from the new Behave Yourself EP and hinting at a new level of restraint (though not as catchy as their earlier peaks).

Major Lazer - Sound of Siren (f/ M.I.A. and Busy Signal)

Newly leaked track from uber-producer Diplo's group features his best buddy M.I.A. rocking the reggaeton vibe.

Tape Deck Bros - The Dance of the Dead

Tape Deck Bros - Science Fiction

Tape Deck Bros' aspirations appear simple - write songs that sound like Daft Punk. They love to open with an icy British voice and then ride a funky electro-groove, dishing up raspy bass for "The Dance of the Dead" and synth pitter-patter on "Science Fiction."

The Golden Filter - Solid Gold

The Golden Filter - Hide Me

The Golden Filter have been putting out singles and remixes for 18 months and have generated enough hype to secure a record deal. Expect Voluspa (release date: April 26, 2010) to serve up more of the re-hashed 80's vibe, replete with breathy vocals.

Goldfrapp - Rocket

Goldfrapp - Rocket (Richard X One Zero Remix)

Goldfrapp finally returns, and they're clearly willing to keep on experimenting. Sort of. Lead single "Rocket" has garnered the same comparison everywhere - Van Halen during his synth phase. It's hard to tell whether it in any way surpasses or comments on the aforementioned sound, or simply borrows it out of convenience. The remix stretches it out with an echoing italodisco take, focusing on her heartbroken cry, "It's never coming back." We'll see how Goldfrapp's comeback fares soon enough.

Thom Knows Best

Thom Yorke has been a busy guy lately. In addition to his charitable interests (currently environmentalism and saving Haiti - no objections here) he apparently still is pursuing a career writing, recording and performing music. If you blinked, you may have missed a short period last fall when a flurry of new material emerged, notably four solo Thom singles and two Radiohead songs (mp3s below). In that same time frame, Thom also put together a new band for the purpose of performing his solo material (no indication yet that he plans to record with them) that included a few ho-hum names like Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's go-to producer) and Joey Waronker (drummer for R.E.M. and Beck) and threw a pair of impromptu L.A. live shows. No big deal.

Thom is also in the process of throwing down a new album with those Radiohead chaps (recording started in December), but of course any interesting information regarding release date, content or anything beyond mere likelihood of existence is impossible to corroborate. I can give you a few other morsels to anticipate: Thom will be recording a cover of Peter Gabriel song "Wallflower" for an upcoming PG covers album, contributing guest vocals to Flying Lotus song "...And the World Laughs With You" on upcoming (5/4) mindfuck Cosmogramma, remixing a track for Liars on the bonus disc of their upcoming (3/9) release Sisterworld, and contributing three original songs to the soundtrack of the Tibet documentary When The Dragon Swallowed The Sun (also featuring compositions by Philip Glass and Bjork) which debuted February 5th at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Below are the releases from last fall, plus Thom's remix of masked madman MF Doom and a track from his 2006 solo LP The Eraser.

Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage (from The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack)
Thom Yorke - All For The Best (from Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy)
Thom Yorke - Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses (A-side from Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses Single)
Thom Yorke - The Hollow Earth (B-side from Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses Single)
Radiohead - Harry Patch (In Memory Of) (Charity Single for the British Legion)
Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words (from Radiohead distribution site W.A.S.T.E.)
MF Doom - Gazzillion Ear (Thom Yorke Remix) (from Gazzillion Ear EP)
Thom Yorke - And It Rained All Night (from The Eraser)

New Music Monday!

Here are some marginally fresh words, barely-recycled beats and tupperware-worthy tunes. Make of them what you will (but if it's a paella, or even a jambalaya, share, because that sounds really good).

Everything Everything - My Keys, Your Boyfriend

It's tough to even pick a genre with which to peg these guys. A Manchester crew with an impeccable sense of arrangement, they overlay quick rhythms and vocal harmonies relentlessly for almost four minutes of pop bliss. Bands they remind me of (mostly due to their desire to construct rhythm for pop music in a completely non-traditional manner) are the Dismemberment Plan, who dropped a couple of tempo-abusing classics right around the millenium, and Minus The Bear, who wrote a collection of songs on the Menos El Oso LP that had the same jittery, hook-filled vibe. I haven't been able to get it out of my head for a week.

Jonsi - Go Do

I linked to the first advance track from the solo album of Jonsi Birgisson (lead singer of Sigur Ros) here. Now we've got the second, and it feels a bit more like we're back in Sigur Ros territory. For those of you familiar with the Icelandic sound sculptors, that's a good thing. If not, give it a thorough listen, as he inundates the song in sinfully rich atmosphere.

North Highlands - Sugar Lips

North Highlands are a young Brooklyn band crafting deftly arranged, dreamy psych-pop. Fans of Animal Collective, Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear will want to take notice - "Sugar Lips" is a yearning composition with an impressive hint of technical chops and it will only sound better as they mix it in a real studio and bring it to a festival near you in the coming years. Full Disclosure: I played Little League baseball with the drummer, but there's plenty to like here besides Jasper's hipster haircut.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

Advance single from the Southern Gothic indie vets. It sounds exactly like BRMC - propulsive rhythm and distorted guitar, replete with vaguely threatening vocals.

Sleigh Bells - Ring Ring

I've pumped these guys and girls for all the hype I'm worth (not much yet, I know) and they just keep on making me look good. "Ring Ring" shows a softer side with melodic chops while maintaining their trademark sound (best described as "Oh shit! Are my speakers broken?"). Gorgeous.

David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Please Don't (f/Santigold)

Upcoming concept album from the Talking Heads frontman and 90's repetition-gurus Fatboy Slim centered around Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines. Lead track features sassy Santigold doing what frankly sounds like a Gwen Stefani impression. Back me up here? Though if Gwen ever croons about Nixon, I'd be surprised.

Yeasayer - ONE

New album from the psych-indie troupe hits all the right notes. I linked to the excellent "Ambling Alp" and "Madder Red" here, but "ONE" is just as worthy of your ears. A nice change of pace from their last album, moving in a slightly more accessible direction but retaining their unique aesthetic.

Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek - Just Begun (f/Jay Electronica, J. Cole and Mos Def)

All-star cast of rappers headlines the single from the upcoming Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek) album Revolutions Per Minute, pre-released as part of the Static Selektah The Re:union Mixtape. Well worth a spin, as these are some of the purest emcees producing music at this point in time.

Hot Chip - Hand Me Down Your Love

Hot Chip feature their sensitive side almost exclusively on new release One Life Stand. Listen to the advance tracks I've already featured here. While it feels like a shame to have a new Hot Chip album without a monster dance single, "Hand Me Down Your Love" maintains a stomping groove and wistful sensibility throughout.

Erykah Badu - Jump Up In There And Stay There (f/Lil Wayne)

Erykah Badu's advance single may feature a short cameo from super-rapper Lil Wayne (he trails only Kanye West in the egomania sweepstakes, but he's the hardest-working man in hip hop today), but it's all about the vibe that she's flaunting. She seems to be grooving in a distinctly Prince-like manner, and it suits her to walk in his extravagant shoes for the duration of this slinky, velvet-soul number.

Beach House - Used To Be

Recent release Teen Dream is already a favorite for Best Album of 2010 across the blogosphere. Lead single "Norway" made my year-end top 20 (get it and other advance tracks I featured here) and "Used To Be" continues to show the evolution of Beach House into a slightly dreamier Grizzly Bear counterpart. Victoria Legrand strews her gossamer vocals atop the chiming keys and strings, and this is the definition of what an album track should be on a brilliant record - completely filled with the atmosphere that pervades the album, but able to stand on its own melodic innovation.

Yes Giantess - Tuff N' Stuff

For all those out there who have given up any hope of resisting the mind-bogglingly catchy current electro-pop trend, Yes Giantess drop some synth squiggle worthy of MGMT's catchiest riffs, chant with unbridled enthusiasm, and slather the song's build-up with a raspy backdrop. They descend into utter cheese in the middle, but bring the heat back up right as you're thinking about relegating them to romantic sop status.

Monarchy - Black Is The Colour Of My Heart

Monarchy fall on the icier side of the electro genre, forgoing the chipper exuberance of the above Yes Giantess track for a tone of indulgent regret. I'm not sure what it says about my musical taste that this song has caught me - the melodic arrangements are so predictable that I fear Maroon 5 + any House music producer could have created this - but with deadly smoothness and crystalline groove, you can embrace the extra cheese and just get down.