The Presets - Ghosts

"Ghosts" is the second single from The Presets' upcoming LP Pacifica. The song opens with lush synths over a stuttering, frenetic beat. They are joined shortly by Julian Hamiltons' strong, clear vocals. His lyrics here deal primarily with the pains of aging and memory ("Oh, we've had a merry old time, but merry old times don't count for nothing"). A dreamy background chorus reappears throughout the song, giving the proceedings a kind of maritime vibe (some people have described the song as a modern sea shanty). Set sail and listen below.

Rapids - Cut Fast

Thundering drums, brash vocals and a general anarchic spirit are usually a recipe for success in rock music, and “Cut Copy” from Australia's Rapids is no exception. The song's greatest asset is its bassline, which is as catchy as anything you'll hear today and provides a strong foundation for the rest of the band to play around on. With their loose and blustery approach, Rapids will probably draw many comparisons to another garage rock four piece from Down Under, The Vines, but their sound is dynamic enough to resist easy labeling. The video – an artful, black-and-white depiction of a very unpleasant dinner date -- is well worth a look as well.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Dear Believer (Timmy the Terror Remix)

Timmy the Terror's remix of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' track "Dear Believer" takes a breezy folk tune and transports it to a decidedly new environment. Gone is the light acoustic guitar of the original, replaced instead with drum machines and a thumping bass. Jude Castrino's background vocals -- cut up and looped to incredibly beautiful and trippy effect -- are given more of an emphasis. The song sounds sundrenched and triumphant, like it has discovered new levels of confidence and ambition in TtT's hands. The narrator claims in the chorus of both versions that "reaching for heaven is what [he's] on Earth to do." In this remix, he seems a little closer to that goal.

Visitor - Coming Home

French producer Visitor is putting out a new EP, Coming Home, on September 10th, and to help promote the release, he has made a preview of the record's material available for your enjoyment. The songs have a desperate and romantic 1980s quality to it, with lyrics dwelling on the themes of lost love and regret. The album cover features Visitor's jagged, extra-terrestrial logo descending on a sleepy mountain suburb, which is appropriate: The music here feels like a collision between innocence and something more dangerous. 

Chris Malinkchak - These Dreams

French Express is back with another summer-friendly release, "These Dreams" by New York' Chris Malinchak. Former subway musician Damon C Scott (with whom Malinchak also collaborated on his 2011 track "No Secrets") provides soulful vocals over a sleek and hypnotic digital loop, reminding the listener repeatedly that they have "no excuses." Listen below -- this is the perfect cool refreshment for a hot summer afternoon.

Grace Jones – Williams Blood (Aeroplane Remix)

In advance of her headlining performance at the Lovebox festival in London this Sunday, the legendary Grace Jones has made the Aeroplane remix of her 2008 single "William's Blood" available as a free download. Though four years old, the track sounds every bit as vibrant and seductive as it did when it was mixed. Aeroplane's version is heavier and more urgent than the original, with more echo applied to Jones' rich and powerful voice. Give a listen below if you missed it the first time around.

The Knocks and Fred Falke - Geronimo

"Geronimo" is a collaboration between New York-based artist The Knocks and French producer Fred Falke. Bright, funky, pulsing, with an infectious hook -- trust me, you'll be singing the chorus in your head the rest of the day -- the track should feel right at home on any summer dancefloor. The EP also features remixes of the song by Lenno, Louis La Roche, and Aylen. All are well worth your time.

The Yes Way - Barcelona

The Yes Way are five piece indie rock outfit from Brooklyn. In a region so saturated with groups it can hard to distinguish yourself, but these guys have spent the past two years quietly collecting a band of supporters in the press. "Barcelona," the first single from their upcoming full-length, will show you why. With a jazzy, shuffling beat, a tinkling piano, distorted riffs, and eerie vocals all blended together seamlessly into a (highly listenable) whole, the song is an impressive demonstration of the group's unique aesthetic. The Yes Way are performing at the Mercury Lounge this Saturday with Shake the Baron. Listen below, then hop on over to their website to pick up tickets.

Keenhouse - Where I Belong

"Where I Belong" is the first single from Four Dreams, the long-awaited second album from L.A. musician Ken Rangkuty, AKA Keenhouse. The track opens with Rangkuty's light, breathy vocals over an endlessly winding bass melody. The lyrics set a suitably trippy mood: he at one point describes looking "where the skyline meets some noisy minds, a place that always stays the same," and that's about as lucid as it gets. The song invites you from its first second to sit back and let its music take you on a journey. Accept the offer. I promise you'll like where you end up.

Boerd - Velocity EP (Teasure)

Scandinavian producer Bard Ericson (alias Boerd) is releasing his third EP, Velocity, on August 14th, and has offered the world its first preview of the forthcoming material. The teaser below feature snippets from the record's four songs, spliced such that they fade into one another almost imperceptibly. Beginning with a cool liquidy groove, the EP's mood is placid to start, with the energy generally increasing with each new clip. The title track announces its presence around the three minute mark with some lively electronic sax flourishes, then quickly and cruelly fades out. You'll be tempted to circle that date two weeks from now on your calendar. This is a fast four minutes.

David Lynch's "Eraserhead" Soundtrack Vinyl Reissue

 
Sacred Bones Records announces a Deluxe Vinyl Reissue (to be released August 7th) of the soundtrack to David Lynch's classic film "Eraserhead". According to the press release, "the soundtrack will be released in a limited edition of 1500 and will feature a 16-page booklet, three 11-inch prints, a digital download, an a 7-inch single of Peter Ivers' "In Heaven" with the previously unreleased "Pete's Boogie". It's difficult sometimes to feel that marketers are not marauding classics for everything they are worth, but this particular LP feels lovingly put together, rolling out an ambitious set of interesting extras befitting of the man responsible for all this. 'Eraserhead', like many classics, was not completely lauded upon its release, but one thing was universally acclaimed: The sound production. Lynch, from his movie soundtracks to his other music pursuits, is an surrealist of the visual and the auditory, and the forthcoming LP, we anticipate, is sure to startle on vinyl. The film and its soundtrack have cradled the dreams of many. For example, Stanley Kubrick (not exactly an interpretative slouch himself) loved the film so much he screened the film to the whole cast of "The Shining" before filming. George Lucas, after seeing 'Eraserhead', wanted Lynch to direct "Return of the Jedi"(imagine that). H.R Giger--the man who created the incomparably frightening aliens in the film "Alien"(basically, a strange dude)--once said that Lynch was closer than himself in realizing his own vision for "Dune". David Lynch continues to be an artist that funnels into our minds, bodies, and, of course with this Deluxe Vinyl Reissue, our---*let's hope they're not severed on an idyllic lawn* ears.

RPR - It's A Blue World (feat. D-Ver)

RPR from Keep Shelly in Athens revisits an Ella Fitzgerald staple, with a little help from D-Ver. If this song could be a shade of blue, it would be, in true Ella Fitzgerald style, Azure. Drifting is perhaps the most choice word to describe the vibe on this record. Light, blue, and celestial. Like the best of Keep Shelly in Athens, it has an effortless manner, as if one could switch the blues of the sky with the blues of the ocean and no one would care a wink.

Fjazz - Embody

  

FJazz releases "Embody", complete with co-production from mix tape, murder (and scotch) and all around mix master favorite Krychek. The track is a strong confluence of the possibilities alt electronics and alt jazz can create when they form a straight line. The light, airy electro backbeat sets up the wandering saxophones perfectly, volleying them but always cushioning the breaks. It's fitting that the artwork above is pointilist: rarely have artwork and sound matched so well. Two seemingly disparate genres (electronic: a stereotypically taut, controlled sound, and jazz--the most improvisational sound) combine, and in their intricacies, reveal a new whole. To check out more, head here to listen to FJazz's "Sound Bending" EP.

2:54 - Sugar

2:54 release the joyously un-sweet 'Sugar'. This is good old fashioned guitar-snarl. Even it's lighter moments--those moments when salt threatens to turn into sugar--reveal a sense of tautness and something just about to be loomed. Around 3:26 there is a light, startling punk melody one imagines to be the opening of a top 10 summer hit---only for that very melody to be rushed back into the fuzz moments later in a virtuoso show of control. With the release of 'Sugar' and their strong cuts in the past, things are really looking up for the band : They'll be supporting The XX on select stops in their European Tour.

RAC - Something About Us (ft. Liz Anjos)

RAC celebrates hitting 20K fans on their Facebook page by releasing this gift--a cover of Daft Punk's Something About Us', featuring Liz Anjos. The remix is as if Daft Punk went Air. Dense layers, minimal explosion, and inescapable cool. Liz Anjos has an ideal voice for the rich dissonance of the mix. It is convincingly fatal and soliciting; such a dexterous voice that it can guide the song with little distortion to its own chords.

Bondax - Baby I Got That

Baby I Got That is the latest release from Bondax, the peewee production duo from the UK. Not even old enough to vote yet, the lads from Lancaster have nevertheless weaved together a collection of sounds of surprising maturity and sensuality. Blissful and irresistible in equal measure, the track will not see official release until August 26th. Listen to a rip from Irish DJ Annie Mac's radio program below.

Ben Mono and Idiotronic - 1992 (Justin Faust Remix)

Justin Faust's remix of Ben Mono and Idiotronic's 1992 presents you with a nice and understated groove. The harsh, Shao Kahn-type voice sample in the middle adds gravity and contrasts nicely with the clear, sleek character of the rest of the track -- but there is no great build-up or epic statement here. The track does comes in, does its job, and never overstays its welcome.
 

Digitalism vs Tommy Trash - Falling

Falling, a collaboration between Germany's Digitalism and Australia's Tommy Trash, builds steadily for its first 30 seconds before its beat drops and the music spirals rapidly and enthusiastically outward. Heavy, hypnotic, with hints of nostalgia (there is an 80s synth interlude around the minute and a half mark) the track more than satisfies its obviously grand ambitions. The official video is loaded with kaleidoscopic imagery, but with the music pulsing through the background that touch almost seems like overkill. Listen to the song and close your eyes. Your mind will do the rest.

Moonlight Matters - Come for Me

The official video for Moonlight Matter's banger Come for Me depicts featured vocalist Gustaph in his snazziest duds lounging inside a club alongside two very lithe female companions. In the feature's most memorable detail, disturbingly realistic fake eyes have been painted on top of the girl's eyelids, so that -- whether their eyes are open or closed or in the process of blinking -- they remain staring at you. The effect is, as you might imagine, creepy as hell. Gustaph occasionally dons the a geometric animal mask that adorns the single's cover as well, making him look uncannily like the boss at the end of the original Star Fox. Enjoy the visual feast below.

Living Colour - Cult of Personality (Virgin Magnetic Material Remix)

Virgin Magnetic Materials takes a message to the grassroots of the Nu-Disco demographic in their remix of Living Colour's 'Cult of Personality'. The track begins with a speech from one of the most undeniably inspiring personalities in history, Malcolm X. The segment of the speech that is sampled talks of a 'talk right down to earth, in a language that everyone can easily understand'. This statement takes a sinister turn when the twisted groove sets, and the singer (speaker) becomes an elevated something for everyone to project their ambitions, alleviate their horrors, and discharge their confusion. And, in the case of this one--dance.

Adele - Rolling in the Deep (Blackbird Blackbird Remix)

  
Blackbird Blackbird gives Jamie XX a serious rival for best remix of Adele's defining fuck-off, 'Rolling In the Deep'. Whereas Jamie XX's remix--full of hand claps and a set of trill chopped and screwed Adele vocal chords--is a raucous booster in spirit with the original, Blackbird's remix is for the sunken-eyes and the sallow-faced. 'Trip Hop' is one label for the remix, and the track does recall the cold, alluring mechanisms of the genre. Adele via a Beth Gibbons-esque aesthetic is not one we expected, but it's one in which we gladly accept and celebrate.

Drop The Lime @ Le Bain

Enter the Night is the latest release from longtime New York-based DJ/producer Luca Venezia's Drop the Lime project. Combining club beats with flashes of rockabilly -- a lot of the guitar parts sound like something Link Wray might have recorded -- the album is an eclectic and truly unique collection of sounds. We saw DTL celebrate the LP's release in style with a free show at Le Bain at the Standard Hotel in NYC last Saturday, where he was blending rock, club house, and tracks off his latest release in front of a lively crowd overlooking the manhattan skyline. Check out pics here.