Thao and Mirah feat. Tune-Yards

Singer-songwriters Thao (of the Get Down Stay Down) and Mirah release their self-titled debut on April 26, via Kill Rock Stars. Recorded over two weeks last summer, the album was produced by Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards: check out her trademark percussion on opening track Eleven, which she co-wrote and guests on. Splendid stuff.

Thao and Mirah – Eleven (ft. tUnE-YarDs) by snipelondon

Siphon Away by Altrice

Following last week’s news of a split Four Tet/Daphni vinyl release, fans of Caribou’s Dan Snaith may want to head over to his Soundcloud page. For a limited time you can download Altrice’s dark reworking of Caribou’s Swim – entitled Stem – in its entirety, for free! Go on, what are you waiting for?!

Altrice – Siphon Away by snipelondon

Ye Ye by FourTet/Daphni

Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden and Caribou’s Dan Snaith (under the alias Daphni) are set to release a split vinyl, according to Pitchfork. Though no release date has been confirmed (‘soon’ apparently), Pinnacles/Ye Ye will be available via Hebden’s Text Records.
Stream Daphni’s early Detroit house channelling Ye Ye, below.

Daphni – Ye Ye by Caribouband

Come Outside by Melodica, Melody and Me

Brixton’s Melodica, Melody and Me release second single Come Outside (feat. Nick Pynn) April 4, on Everybody’s Stalking. Catch their brand of soulful folk-pop at Jamm, Brixton, April 7.

melodica, melody + me – come outside by everybodysstalking

Country Dumb by Josh T Pearson

Considering the rather tragic demise of Josh T. Pearson’s previous band, Lift To Experience, in the early noughties (check out this month’s Mojo for the full, sorry tale), it’s perhaps unsurprising that he’s spent the past decade in something of a musical/emotional black hole. Having recently returned from Paris to his native Texas, he’s set to release his debut solo album Last Of The Country Gentlemen March 14, on Mute. “New single Country Dumb is a powerful; yet vulnerable lament to lost love and should, fingers crossed, set the tone for the whole album. According to The Times, ‘not since Leonard Cohen has an artist emerged who can evoke such extremes of human emotion through the device of a simple musical performance’. Catch him at the Union Chapel, May 11. Download a piano version of Country Dumb for free, here.

Josh T. Pearson – Country Dumb (piano version) by snipelondon

Animal by You say France and I whistle

Refreshingly free of pretension and horny as hell – ‘you’re a sexy motherfucker’ – You Say France And I Whistle last week entertained the waifs and strays at Milan Fashion Week, performing a one-off show for Costume National. The Swedes new EP, Angry Boy, is a delicious collection of sugary indie-pop. Download a track from the record, Animal, for free from the band’s website.

You Say France And I Whistle – Animal by snipelondon

Milk It by the Palpitations

South London’s The Palpitations release second single Milk It/Love Is True (That’s Why It Hurts) on March 28th, through CLUB.THE.MAMMOTH. Danielle, Davey, Nicolas and William make the sort of menacing, bluesy, indie-rock so beloved of The Duke Spirit. Big guitars, clattering drums, tales of misguided, romantic posturing: ‘You used to walk to mine and stay up late/Watching movies, hoping you’d get laid/But I would always fall asleep/You’d tell yourself it was sweet’, spits Danielle.

Head over to the band’s website to download a free Bobarella remix.

The Palpitations – Milk It by clubthemammoth

Follow MPFree editor Tom Jenkins at TomJenkinsLDN

Laws Of Gravity by Rubik

Today’s MPFree is another slice of ace, 80s inspired, Scandinavian pop music, this time from Finland’s Rubik. Current single Laws Of Gravity starts calmly enough: Artturi Taira’s falsetto twists and turns over a tumbling drum track, before synth strings signal the arrival of a monster chorus – ‘soundtrack to the final scene of an 80s teen movie’ type monster chorus. Basically, if this had been released in 1984 Simple Minds wouldn’t have had a career.

Debut UK album ‘Solar’ is released May 2nd, via Fullsteam Records. Stream Laws of Gravity below.

Rubik – Laws Of Gravity by snipelondon

Follow Tom Jenkins on Twitter at TomJenkinsLDN

Only Mountain: The Remixes by Take

Part of the experimental ‘Beat Scene’ emerging from America’s West coast, producer TAKE this week releases a remixed version of his acclaimed 2010 debut, Only Mountain. The record loses none of the eclectic, free-flowing form of the original, described by one gushing LA Weekly writer as “a rolling pot of old school IDM, ‘90s R&B percussive elements, dubstep bass-derived doom and ethereal melodies”. Standout tracks include the Mono/Poly remix of Quartz For Amber and Griffi’s bumpin’ version of Paper Garden. Only Mountain: The Remixes is available now, via Alpha Pup Records. Today’s MPFree is TAKE’s own re-working of album opener Begin End Begin.

Take – Begin End Begin (Take Remix) by snipelondon

Follow Tom Jenkins on Twitter at @TomJenkinsLDN

Ghost by Montée

Oslo’s Montée release their second album, Rendition Of You, on April 15th. Mixed in London by Eliot James (Noah And The Whale, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club), the record will be available via Oslo Records/Cosmos. In celebration, today’s MPFree is the infectious pop-funk of Ghost. Head over to the band’s website to stream a re-working of the track, plus new single Faith.

Montee – Ghost by snipelondon