Brahms

I may sound like a broken record mentioning another promising band out of Brooklyn, but that's not gonna stop me from sharing Brahms with you. They've opened for Dirty Projectors, Passion Pit, Neon Indian, et al, so it looks like they're on fast track to Pitchfork adoration. Good for them I say... as long as they can live up to it. They only have demos at this stage, but they already sound pretty full formed. My favorite is Brought it Out which you can download for free at rcrdlbl.com. A second track Toward the Ghost is also available.

Hot Chip

For those who like their dance music a little bit quirky there exists London's Hot Chip. A lot of people seemed disappointed by their last release (Made in the Dark), which I will attribute to their giving up on it too early... it's definitely a grower. Right now I'm listening to their new single (via Hype Machine), for just the second time, and it's grown all over me already. It's called Take it In and I suggest you do what they say. Their new album One Life Stand is scheduled for a February 9th release on Astralwerks.

Suckers

Please welcome the newest buzz band from Brooklyn. Their self-titled EP has four songs which seem to progressively outdo each other. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah fans will surely dig this. I hear heavy Modest Mouse influence and a not too subtle vocal likeness to David Byrne. Also, I'm not surprised to hear that the set was produced by one of the guys from Yeasayer, since similarities abound. In my book, these are all very good things. I couldn't pick a favorite track, so went with the one that has a video. Enjoy.

Spoon

In the world of indie rock, news of a new Spoon album is about as big as it gets. Big news everyone! Transference is slated to drop on January 26th, and, lucky for us, the first single is already out there in the blogosphere. Hear Mystery Zone on Hype Machine.

Yeasayer

Last year I picked up a used copy of Yeasayer's debut album All Hour Cymbals after hearing one or two of their songs on internet radio and reading a lot of positive press. It has turned out to be one of my favorite releases of the past few years. If you haven't heard it, I implore you to do it now. The good news here is that they have set a date to drop their sophomore full length. Odd Blood will come out on February 9th of next year on Secretly Canadian. They have yet to preview any of the tracks yet, but you can listen to Tightrope, their contribution, and one of the highlights from the Dark Was the Night compilation (which you should own for two reasons, it's excellent and it's proceeds benefit AIDS).

Tightrope - Yeasayer

ADDENDUM:

The new single is out!

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Frightened Rabbit

Here we have a band from Scotland who a year ago were but a blip on my radar. They showed up on enough 2008 year end lists for me to finally give them some real attention and their album The Midnight Organ Fight turned out to be one of my after-the-fact favorites of the year. So word of a follow up (which will actually be their third) album is welcome news. It won't be out until next Spring, but the first single (and it's b-side) are already streaming on their label's website, Fat Cat Records. Go have a listen.

Devendra Banhart

The quirky Venezuelan/American will release his newest studio album on October 27th and the first single Baby is now online. His popularity has been growing steadily over the course of his five LP's, and I see the trajectory continuing in an upward direction with What Will We Be, his first on a major label (Warner/Reprise).

Hear the new song on Myspace.

Twilight: New Moon

I have no reason to recommend this film, but take one look at the song list for the soundtrack and tell me you don't at least want to get a burned copy from your little sister.

01 Death Cab for Cutie: "Meet Me on the Equinox"
02 Band of Skulls: "Friends"
03 Thom Yorke: "Hearing Damage"
04 Lykke Li: "Possibility"
05 The Killers: "A White Demon Love Song"
06 Anya Marina: "Satellite Heart"
07 Muse: "I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)"
08 Bon Iver and St. Vincent: "Rosyln"
09 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "Done All Wrong"
10 Hurricane Bells: "Monsters"
11 Sea Wolf: "The Violet Hour"
12 OK Go: "Shooting the Moon"
13 Grizzly Bear: "Slow Life"
14 Editors: "No Sound But the Wind"
15 Alexandre Desplat: "New Moon (The Meadow)"

The Death Cab song has a link to the video on mtv.com.

The xx

This London group blend R&B and indie pop to end up with a dreamy, sexy debut album that really should be heard by a lot of people. I wasn't sold the first time a streamed a track, but after a couple of listens it's growing on me like a rash. I suggest finding time to give the entire record a spin. Goes well with wine.

xx by The xx

The Big Pink

Compared to last year (Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Bon Iver, etc), uber-hyped debut albums seem to be coming in slower in 2009. Look for this band to start making up for that. They'll appeal to MGMT fans, sounding like a glammy '00's My Bloody Valentine on the first single Velvet. And they've definitely got the hooks... listen to Dominos once and you're sure to be hearing the chorus in your head all week. I'm excited to hear the whole album, which comes out September 22nd.

Delorean

It's been cooling down around these parts of late, but the Summer jams just keep on coming. Barcelona's Delorean (not to be confused with these guys, please!) have put out a perfectly sun-drenched tune called Seasun as part of the new Aryton Senna EP (it's namesake is a Formula one driver, if you were wondering). When I hear it I picture myself back at Space in Ibiza dancing in the sand on a hot August morning.

Their Myspace page has this and other fine cuts streaming for your enjoyment. I tried to buy the EP the old fashioned way (at something called a record store!) but it's looking like a pretty hard to find item. Am I gonna have to download?!

Volcano Choir

You may or should be a Bon Iver fan. This is a project that pre-dates For Emma, Forever Ago and will hopefully garner a decent fraction of the attention served to aforementioned album/artist. Pretend it's already Autumn and click here to listen.

jj

This mysterious Swedish group craft blissful indie pop perfect for late summer days. Pitchfork has a few of their tracks available for streaming and if you go to their label's website, sincerelyyours.se, you can download the mp3 of the track From Africa to Málaga for free. You might want to mix up a daiquiri and pull up a sun lounge for optimum enjoyment.

Monsters of Folk

Heard the new supergroup featuring Conor Oberst, M. Ward, Jim James? Hop over to their Myspace and you can hear three songs from their upcoming self-titled album (out 9/22). One of them is actually a folk song! Check here to see if they're coming to your town when they take their show on the road.

Sondre Lerche

If the term Chamber Pop doesn't mean anything to you, go here to familiarize yourself. Then go to Stereogum and have a listen to an excellent example of this particular sub-genre. If you're anything like me you'll be cast under the spell (yet again) of Sondre Lerche's newest single, which is the title track from his forthcoming record, Heartbeat Radio. Bring on the tour info Mr. Lerche.

Raindrops Remixed

Basement Jaxx continue an almost perfect decade-long run of great singles with their latest Raindrops. I rarely get my hopes up that remixes will do much to improve a song and I can't see any of these getting more iPod spins than the delicious original version, but I'm making this post to share with you the widget below which "mixes the remixes" creating a rather addictive tool for sampling the goods. Click on "Play With It" and join in the fun. Notice that it even has a fade out when you press stop.

FULL SCREENhosted by playlive.fm

While I'm here, I'm going to share with you a few remixes that, for me, do improve on the original. Suggestion: Turn down the lights, and turn up the volume.

Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Emperor Machine Remix)

Björk - Earth Intruders (Spank Rock remix)

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (DFA Remix)

Discovery (that's the name of the band)

A group made up of one Vampire Weekender and one Ra Ra Rioter? Yes please! This isn't exactly a new project but they're getting renewed attention thanks to the announcement of an official release which will hit stores on July 7th. Four of the tracks are streaming at their website. It's all the indie-synth-pop bliss you could hope for with such a duo.

And speaking of Vampire Weekend, they're in the studio working on a follow up to their thoroughly enjoyable self-titled debut. While I find it hard to believe that anyone reading this blog hasn't heard VW, it is plausible that Ra Ra Riot slipped under your radar. Change that right now... Dying Is Fine is an excellent example of their orchestral rock goodness. I'll be seeing finally catching them live when they open for Andrew Bird next month.

Florence & the Machine

I'd like you to meet Florence Welch from old London town. The video for her debut single Raise It Up should serve as a good introduction. It may be a little too ready for top 40, but I get the feeling this girl might really have something to offer. She certainly has a good set of pipes. I hear a little influence from many of my favorite ladies, though she comes off sounding like no one else. I like Dog Days too. Her album Lungs is out Oct 13th, or much sooner (July) if you're a downloader, or British.

Grizzly Bear

This is probably the last blog on earth to feature a post about the new album Veckatimest. I was one of the few that actually waited until after the official release date to really give it a listen. It didn't take me long to fall head over heels. This is seriously good stuff. Don't believe me, or the rest of the blogosphere. Just listen for yourself to the sublime single Two Weeks. Then, don't hesitate to seek out the rest of the record. I'm labeling it essential.

A Different Kind of Dancing

One thing I do a lot in my life is dance. Yes, there's the foxtrotting and the cha cha cha-ing, but then there's also a fair amount of the kind more commonly seen under the flashing lights at your neighborhood discotheque. Here are a few brand new songs I'd love to hear while dancing "off the clock".

Simian Mobile Disco - Audacity of Huge

Basement Jaxx - Raindrops

Junior Boys - Hazel