So far, Twin Sister has released the year’s most affecting record, : the Color Your Life EP, which gently holds your hand, while guiding you through a melodic dream that was organically composed from within a blissful heart that collects orgasmic vibrations, pumps them into your lungs, and diffuses them into kitten-shaped, sun-soaked clouds, who circulate through your body, to the outer-reaches of your extremities, while purring inside your cochlea, fluttering omnipresent eyelashes, and exuding opiate smiles, before dissolving back into orgasmic vibrations and returning to your throbbing heart–if that sounds like I’m gushing in the surreal, it’s because I am gushing and it is surreal.

“Lady Daydream” is a marvelous three and a half minutes of the forevermore elegant twenty-nine and a half minute record (that’s almost as long as Is This It).

MP3: Twin Sister “Lady Daydream” (320kbps)

Get Color Your Life digitally, for free, or for money–but it’s worth owning on wax (or CD maybe).  Also rewarding, the Vampires with Dreaming Kids EP is free, an excellent live recording is free at NYC Taper, and some limited edition cassettes are floating around.

If I had to settle on one record from the first half of 2010, Color Your Life would be it–it’s only been available for, like, a month or two, and I’ve already listened to it at least twice as much as any other record this year, and I’m still overwhelmed by it’s breath.

Rangers‘ elevator-psyche has been one of my ‘go-to’ sounds as of late.  The bands’ new LP, Suburban Tours, is a consistent psychedelic tour through mundane Texan suburbs; it’s the Texan equivalent to New Jersey’s Ducktails and Julian Lynch (who also have releases on Old English Spelling Bee).

“Out Past Curfew” is a tight sprawl of crawling riffs that makes me yearn for a time ripe with the rebellious satisfaction of dropping a date off past curfew.  It’s the late night sounds blasting from my creaky old truck speakers as my faded headlights guide the way back home through residential streets; it’s the unavoidable smirk that crosses my face when I receive a sexy post-curfew message that’s symbolic of a job well done ; )

MP3: Rangers “Out Past Curfew” (263kbps/VBR)

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As the community has come to realize, Ariel Pink has long been ahead of its time.  Their music didn’t exactly gain due recognition until the recent wave of lo-fi buzz bands began name-dropping Pink as a major influence.

Even before signing to Animal Collective‘s Paw Tracks, and well before the recent signing to 4AD, Pink was setting the standard for lo-fi indie jams, and recording them at a prolific rate.

Now that Pink’s style has officially ‘paved the way’ for a talented group of peers, their sound seems to be taking a backwards step forwards–as in they’re looking backwards while moving forwards.

“Round and Round” is the lead single from the forthcoming Ariel Pink LP on 4AD, and it’s one hell of a jem.  As the song plays, I imagine myself recording a groovy home video–straight to the VHS tape on an old JVC camcorder–of a chill little house party; a gathering of friends from the past future and presence.  We’re all sipping martinis out of wolf mugs and discussing our favorite 70′s tracks.  “Round and Round” is playing on the stereo, and as it fades out we’re suddenly blasted with the chorus to TLC’s “Waterfalls”.  The cassette tape is a bootleg, apparently copied over an old grade school mixtape, and we all have a great laugh before rising and dancing to the song’s last 90 seconds.

MP3: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “Round and Round” (160kbps)

It’s the following afternoon now, and I’ve got my VCRs all wired together; I’m dubbing copies of the home video.  I’ll mail it out next autumn with the annual Christmas card, photos, and mixtape.

Here’s to making memories, one mp3 at a time.

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Ganjasufi‘s debut album/Warp debut A Sufi and a Killer is something I wish I discovered in a pile of dusty thrift-store records.  It’s fuzzy, soulful, and ‘timeless’, with more than a touch of quality production.  I haven’t had too much time with the whole album yet, but so far it’s displaying intriguing musical variety built around a singular deep vibe.

“Ancestors” certainly embodies Sumach Ecks‘ beautifully strained vocals, and, ahem, Flying Lotus’s high-level production.

MP3: Gonjasufi “Ancestors” (192kbps)

BTW, you might remember Gonjasufi from his appearance on Flying Lotus’s superb Los Angeles LP.

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Tomas Barfod‘s reinterpretation of Bon Iver’s “Re: Stacks” is house music for the broken hearted.  If Bon Iver helped pull a wave of collegians towards acoustic indie, then maybe this track’ll help introduce some Bon Iver fans to house.

“Re: Stacks” works surprisingly well when mixed with house-y loops and blips, and Vernon‘s voice is far more suitable to house than I would have imagined.

MP3: Bon Iver “Re: Stacks” (Tomas Barfod remix) (160kbps)

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“Blood Visions” [2006]

“Night Of Broken Glass” [2007]

“Fluorescent Grey” (Deerhunter cover) [2008]

“It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” [2009]

“Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (Nirvana cover) [2010] [via]

Jay’s death is being investigated as a homicide. Update: Cause of death.

Finally a Gucci Mane record/mixtape that flows relatively consistent quality through its entirety.  And of course it’s released while Gucci’s back in prison.

Reminiscent of Diplo using his leverage to elevate the careers of other indie-relevant/left-field hip-hop artists (see Piracy Funds Terrorism and Top Ranking), Diplo Presents: Free Gucci (Best Of The Cold War Mixtapes) sees Diplo crafting a tight 52-minute mix of (as the title suggests) material rooted in Gucci’s Cold War Series.  Featuring remixes from Diplo, SALEM, Flying Lotus, Memory Tapes, Zomby, and others, Free Gucci appeals to more than a few different types of hip-hop fans.

If you’ve been feeling Gucci’s rhymes and/or flow, but not feeling the entirety of his records/mixtapes, I’d recommend downloading Free Gucci.  It’s not quite brilliant, but it’s my favorite Gucci release yet, and it’s the best ‘starting-point’ if you have yet to give Gucci Mane a chance.

MP3: Download Here

Too bad Diplo included a few obligatory shouts-outs to himself and Mad Decent (as hilarious as “the crunkest DJ in the world” is).  Shout-outs always kill music’s romance for me.  At least they’re kept to a minimum here.

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On Xmas day this year the music-blogosphere was given an amazing present by the folks over at Underwater Peoples: a winter music compilation from the labels’ artists.  Following the fantastic Underwater Peoples Summertime Showcase, the Winter Review had a lot to live up to, and it seriously does not disappoint.

Much like the Summertime Showcase was fantastic for laying on the beach, in the sun, and reading a good book, the Winter Review is fantastic for laying on the couch, in front of the fireplace, and reading a good book.  My favorite tracks so far from the Winter Review are those from Julian Lynch, Pill Wonder, Ducktails, Fluffy Lumbers, Dana Jewell, Family Portrait, and Alex Bleeker, but the compilation plays nicely from end to end.  It’s actually stunning how well UP’s roster compliments one another.

“Restless” really kicks this compilation forward after Julian Lynch’s excellent, semi-ambient introduction, and is hands down my favorite Pill Wonder track to date.

MP3: Pill Wonder “Restless” (320kbps)

“These Days” should be reason enough to take a listen to the new Alex Bleeker & The Freaks 12″.

MP3: Alex Bleeker “These Days” (320kbps)

The output from Underwater Peoples since the labels’ conception has been consistently wonderful.  The label’s musicians definitely fill a niche in my listening habits.

Download the full Winter Review for free, for a limited time only, from Chocolate Bobka.  It’ll also be available on CD from UP.

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[album art]

As you’ve probably heard from various sources, Beach House‘s forthcoming Teen Dream LP is fantastic.  And this is true; my 20+ spins so far would indicate such.  It seems like 2010 will be the year that Beach House receives official “Alternative Tenure” (see “Beach House Theory of 2k10“).  And that’s good, because Beach House deserve to make millions on their Sub Pop contract.  Now show your savvy and introduce soon-to-be Teen Dream fans to the other beautiful Beach House albums, like 2008′s Devotion, which boasts the highest play count in my iTunes over the last 12-months.  Teen Dream does move at a slightly quicker pace than Devotion and 2006′s self-titled Beach House record, so it’ll probably become the most accessible entry point.

“Norway” is the lead MP3 from Teen Dream, and is one of the record’s many highlights (see also, “Lover Of Mine“).  Victoria’s ‘breathy’ backing vocals during the chorus give me the shivers.

MP3: Beach House “Norway” (211kbps//VBR)

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Pantha Du Prince‘s 2007 album This Bliss is one of my more enjoyed minimal-ish records of the past few years.  It’s simple yet intricate; it doesn’t demand your attention yet it still feels meaningful.

Thankfully, Pantha Du Prince is releasing a follow-up long-player called Black Noise this winter.  After reading Pantha’s own description of the album I feel inclined to share it:

“music slumbers in all matter; any sound, even silence, is already music. The mission, then, must be to render audible what is unheard and unheard of: black noise, a frequency that is inaudible to man. Black noise often presages natural disasters, earthquakes or floods; only some animals perceive this “calm before the storm.” Black noise is something archaic and earthy. The music on Black Noise balances precariously on the slippery threshold between art and nature, between techno and folklore, which lends it a certain spectral and intangible aspect.”

Earlier this week “The Splendour” — the lead single from Black Noise — ‘hit the blogosphere’ and quickly ‘made the rounds’.  However, there is another track from Black Noise floating around that ventures into riskier electronic territory than “The Splendour” and succeeds flawlessly, thus raising my hopes for the album to an unreasonable level.  That track is “Stick By My Side”, and it features aesthetically-irresistible vocals from Panda Bear.  If you haven’t heard the song yet you seriously have something to look forward to.

“The Splendour” features Tyler Pope (of !!! and LCD Soundsystem) on bass, and is a pleasing 6-minute continuation of Pantha Du Prince’s signature style, but it’s ‘got nothing’ on the aforementioned destined-for-hype collaboration with Noah Lennox.

MP3: Pantha du Prince “The Splendour” (96kbps)

UPDATE: Take a listen to “Stick By My Side”.

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