“Bayberry Lane” is the first single off m4w, the second album from Uncles, a Queens-based band comprised of Will Schwartz, Dan Bateman, Tom White, and Graham Watson. The song tumbles peacefully along, shifting through a somber tone before culminating in a sincere, satisfying peak.

I cant’t seem to track down when m4w was released, but you can stream the album over on Uncles’ Soundcloud.

Just to get this out of the way, I don’t think I have much kind to say about Lil B. My first exposure to him was through Clams Casino and when hearing the track he did for Lil B with and without vocals…I vastly preferred the version without his rapping. This song tumbles down the same route; the beat is amazing and while Stunnaman does a good job, the moment Lil B starts, the quality drops. While I didn’t intend for this to just be a slam on Lil B, I guess I’ve never really been called to voice my opinion on him. Instead, focus on the head nodding, glitchy clatter that Star Slinger brings to the table and enjoy.

M83 – Midnight City

I do love this song, despite a few major complaints.

1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and much of M83′s catalog in general suffers from a bit of Manic Pixie Dream syndrome. The faux vintage haze of idealism gets under my skin after a while.

2. That fucking sax solo. I think this single is amazing, right until the worst trend of 2011 slaps me in the face…and still it deserves a place on the list.

‘Midnight City’, when it works, showscases the spacey soundtracks to adolescent daydreams they’ve nearly perfected over the years. Despite the melodrama, the highs are dizzyingly high. See also: Kim & Jessie.

Sabrepulse – Close To Me

Probably the best man in Chiptunes, expanding his sound into a more polished realm. Worthy of repeat. Click the graphic above and buy the album. Keep some money in his pocket so that he can continue to evolve his sound. Plus, the download comes with a few great remixes.

Yuck – The Wall

Nostalgia for the 90′s doesn’t really appeal to me, as I suffered through most of the highs and lows of that decade. Despite leaning heavily on the playbook of many early 90′s staples, Yuck manages to create something simultaneously forward looking and seeped in the right notes of the past.

Phantogram – Don’t Move

Eyelid Movies was one of my very favorites of 2010 and this cut off their newest EP holds great promise for what’s to come. Shaking off a touch of the gloom, “Don’t Move” remains moody, yet catchy and just the right tempo for swaying along.

The Joy Formidable – Whirring

This song reminds me, in all the good ways, of the stomp and harmony of Pretty Girls Make Graves, all while offering a meatier, layered guitar sound. Ritzy Bryan’s pummeling coo floats perfectly above the noise, just as Leona Marrs & Andrea Zollo’s voices did in PGMG.

Eric & Magill – You Make It So Good

I don’t usually find this kind of indie-psych-folk at all appealing, but there’s something amazing tucked into this hypnotically mixed song. The spiraling blend of vocals and crisp drums just sinks in perfectly. However, I can’t make heads or tails of the video.

Stream All Those I Know on Eric & Magill’s bandcamp

I’ve always been on the fence about pairing Flylo’s layered snares, shuffling percussion and heady madness with any MC, but I do love to be wrong. Blu’s monotone drive fits well up against the controlled chaos of both the track and kinetic clip.

Video is by RUFFMERCY, who did the animation for another equally interesting video to accompany the Blu/Flylo collab “BNG”. Check that out here.

The most popular of all Frank Zappa songs has been given the chiptune treatment and well, it works. I don’t honestly know if I’d ever thought of an 8-bit cover of anything Zappa, but the bouncy melodies work perfectly. Credit is given to Super Zappa Brothers and bonus points for their resisting an easy Princess Peach pun.

TPC released video for the original version of the song, which focuses less on the band and more on a rather ragtag bunch of dogs charging about the neighborhood and sneaking into a backyard pool. What better than the marriage of dogs and indie rock? By purchasing the single through the band’s website for a price of either $1, $5 or $10 you get the video, remixes by RAC and DOM and 100% of your money goes to the ASPCA. Get a videos of dogs jumping into a pool, good music and help save future dogs. Win-win…er, win.

RAC have allowed you to stream their great remix, so check it out:

Gone are the guitars and live drums, replaced with some electro synths and a head-nodding beat. The new sun drenched, almost tropical feel is something I never could have possibly conceived of working, but like with most RAC remixes…they manage to make magic.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention their RAC’s Nintendo vs. Sega remixes. Their version of the Super Mario theme is amazing enough, slapped with a sick Justice style compressed beat and some squiggly synths.

Hell, I’m listening to all the tracks as I write and remembering how fucking fantastic they are. You can download the whole EP via the player above. Sonic’s level music was always far funkier than was probably appropriate for a hedgehog. A perfect example: this shockingly good Lady GaGa vs. Sonic mashup. (download link on the youtube page)

And that’s how you abstractly connect Tokyo Police Club to Lady GaGa.

It’s said in the about page of this website that chiptunes is one of the genres to be talked about within these virtual pages. Sadly, I think it’s been about 2 years since any such mutterings have happened. To rectify that, I went poking around the recesses of my mp3 collection and found a lovely little fraction of a cover of The Beach Boys’ ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ by Anamanaguchi. Though only about 30 seconds, it’s a pitch perfect chiptune rendition of a radio staple. If you do a little research on the band, you’ll see that their love of Brian Wilson & Co. is much publicized.

ANAMANAGUCHI – WOULDN’T IT BE NICE (BEACH BOYS COVER)

Though barely a full cover, I think that’s how it got released ages ago. The band’s 8bit Collective page back in 2005, but the mp3 has been lost in the stratosphere. I’m pretty certain this is where I grabbed it from back in the day. More recently, they posted up a cover of a track by sunshine and bong-hits So Cal noise punks Wavves track ‘So Bored’. Their rendition keeps the forward propulsion and adds the chiptune sheen that is a trademark of all their songs. Definitely recommended.

ANAMANAGUCHI – SO BORED (WAVVES COVER)

Anamanaguchi is also in the habit of giving bits of their music away to the fans. You can find the above track and a bunch more over at their 8bit Collective page.

This summer, the band has also gotten together a free singles program. Every two weeks they’ve been releasing a new free A & B side download. They’re off recording their next album, but awesomely finding the time to release tidbits of interstellar chip-rock to brighten our summer. Each single comes with original art and the psychokinetic gif above (from the first week’s single Airbrushed) features the work of Paul Roberston.

Robertson is an amazing animator and illustrator who specializes in the 16-bit retro style. Some of his amazing early shorts include Kings of Power 4billion% and my favorite Pirate Baby’s Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006. Go watch the shit out of those before even finishing this post. Most recently, Robertson was lead animator on theon the PSN/XBOX Live game adaptation of the (should have been a hit) film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. He was even nice enough to release some sprites from the game on his blog.

In possibly one of the best pairings since peanut butter and bacon, the game was scored by Anamanaguchi. Though they’re tossing about the word ‘flop’ in regards to the movie, reception of the game has been exceptionally positive and the score is a big part of that.

The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World video game soundtrack was released on August 24, 2010 via ABKCO Records. You can purchase it digitally from iTunes.

ARIEL PINK’S HAUNTED GRAFFITI – REMINISCENCES

I was terribly skeptical of this album with all the press that proceeded http://arielpinkshauntedgraffiti.com/">Ariel Pink’s newest release, but it’s a twisted charmer. ‘Reminiscences’ will most likely be what you will listen to on the not-yet-built space elevator up to the Frank Zappa memorial that will orbit the moon. Or, maybe…during the local forecasts on the Weather Channel in 20XX.

A man can dream, can’t he?

BREAKFAST MOUNTAIN – FUTURE GUNNZ (MAY LING REMIX)

I already gave him a write-up just over a month ago, but this one track seems to just stick out the more I revisit Hooooded Plus*. A multitude of cascading synths, headnodding electro beatsand cooing, halfway there vocals…what more do you need?

He gives his album away for free. You’ve got few excuses as to why it’s not on your HD already.

DAEDELUS – MAKE IT SO

While not new by any standards, Daedelus’s ‘Make It So’ is still a fantastic song by an equally good performer. The track is is a perfect example of the casual, beat heavy beauty that he seems to produce so consistently. I had the chance to catch him ages ago at LA’s best weekly event Low End Theory and he performed, as per usual, in a charmingly odd suit with his Monome pointed out toward the crowd for an extended mix of beat stylings from the last 3 decades. His live sets are always worth the price of admission.

Also worth checking out is the XXXChange remix of ‘Make It So’ hosted over at RCRDLBL:

CANDY CLAWS – SUN ARROW

The syrupy thick layers of sound in any given Candy Claws song seems to leave them dumped with a ton of bands buried under the banner of the new and quickly reviled genre de jour that is Chillwave. There’s something more in their work in their music though; the lush vocal pairings of couple Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf flow perfectly with an shockingly well mixed array of sounds. While I think much of the Chillwave genre arrives at the muddy and distant sound out of organized chaos, everything on ‘Sun Arrows’ seems to be aligned perfectly…as Candy Claws most likely wants it.

A highly recommended song and album. Do check out the just released album Hidden Lands:

Attachedhands have \this awesome video for ‘shape/mode’ their contribution to the Post*Records compilation Fucking Friends Forever. The filtered wash of disconnected video clips created by Discovery of Magnetic North sits perfectly along side the pulsating, shimmering track. I’ve also got an mp3 of the track for download here at TTM:

ATTACHEDHANDS – SHAPE/MODE

1991, another Post*Records roster member, has just released an interesting cassette on the label. The Florida guitar and drums duo mash out a blisteringly odd mix of raw thrash, rock and noise. Check out Side A of the tape, which features the songs: ‘Winter Olympics’, ‘Total Fucking Freedom’, ‘Fireblood’, ‘With Wings’ and ‘Bobby Whitehouse’.

1991 – SIDE A

Pick up the cassette with a full digital download for four bucks at the website.

Ever listened to Phantogram and just said, “Well, I like this…but it’s just too darn sad?” Alan Wilkis has the cure for you with this remix, giving you a window into a parallel universe where singer keyboardist Sarah Barthel became the lead singer for CSS instead of Lovefoxx. The crystalline tone of the original is tossed in favor of party synths and a 80′s electro breaks. As much as I love Phantogram’s take on things, I’d probably be down with them just as much if the whole album was like Wilkis’s remix.

PHANTOGRAM – MOUTHFUL OF DIAMONDS (ALAN WILKIS REMIX)

Check out Alan’s soundcloud for a whole lot more quality remixes and originals.

For good measure, here’s a live version of the original ‘Mouthful of Diamonds’ live on KEXP

Some songs are just born singles, perfect little gems that set up house without asking and don’t leave when asked, no matter how kindly you insist. Norway’s Casiokids’s recent release “Finn Bikkjen” is exactly one of those songs: a prefect mixture of melody, beat, and, my own personal audio aphrodisiac, a fat analog synth lead. The ice cream on top is a reverbed, vocal line with a soft melody and sung in a language I can’t understand, which for some reason only makes me love it more. The song undulates from spacier bridges to the uptempo synth-laden chorus that never fails to have induce some sort of contented nodding along. Quite simply, electropop at its finest.

Casiokids – Finn Bikkjen

This, in combination with their last single “Fot I Hose”, another bouncy, synthy tune leads me to feel nothing but anticipation for whatever they choose to record next. Beyond their odd inclusion in the Fifa 2010 soundtrack, I guarantee more exposure for them this year as they’re supporting Hot Chip on tour this February:

12 – Glasgow – O2 Academy
13 – Edinburgh – Picture House
15 – Nottingham – Rock City
16 – Leeds – O2 Academy
19 – Manchester – Academy
20 – Birmingham – O2 Academy
21 – Southampton – Joiners
22 – 
Bournemouth – O2 Academy
23 – Bristol – O2 Academy
24 – Norwich – O2 Academy
25 – London – Camden Barfly (Headline Show)
26 – London – Brixton Academy

In the US, you can’t purchase their singles through iTunes, but you can grab the Moshi Moshi label compilation. It features “Fot I Hose” and the b-side “Verdens Største Land” along with tracks by Au Revoir Simone, Samuel & the Dragon, and The Very Best. To download the compilation through iTunes click the cover to the right.

The 7″ singles for both “Finn Bikkjen” and “Verdens Største Land” are available direct from Moshi Moshi Records.

Today, for some reason, Grizzly Bear was on my mind. While driving around some back roads, I was listening to my favorites off Veckatimest, mulling over the evolution in songwriting from Yellow House to today. The album is certainly one of my favorites from last year and “Two Weeks” still stands as both a killer single and video.

Sitting in my inbox almost summoned by my daylong binge I found this newly minted live Grizzly Bear track. Recorded for Austrailia’s Triple J Radio, the band covers “Boy From School”, one of the finer tracks off Hot Chip’s 2006 album The Warning. The song is given the standard, but wonderful Grizzly Bear-ification: the tempo is slowed, everything is doused in a healthy amount of reverb and the vocal harmonies snake around each other like bacon wrapped around a steak. (In general, this blog is short on vegan friendly metaphors) It’s a lovely interpretation of an already good song, and even if it’s just some under the radar promotion for Hot Chip’s upcoming One Life Stand, I’m ok with that.

Grizzly Bear – Boy From School (Hot Chip Cover)

Please check out Triple J’s website to hear more of the interesting stuff they have to offer.

The Warp debut by Glaswegian Ross Birchard is certainly one of the most interesting albums that 2009 has dropped in our collective laps. Butter is a beautifully chaotic swirl of influences: L.A. glitch-hop, smears of Warp’s spacier back catalog, and at its weirdest there’s charmed allusions to 1970′s prog/experimental masters The Mahavishnu Orchestra. It’s a wonderfully experimental affair, something far more worthy of the Warp branding than the label’s current top seller Veckatimest.

Trying to pick a song to feature here was a bit of a challenge. On the whole, Butter is a long and twisted affair, a bit exhausting to listen to from front to back. It’s strangely uneven too, with some songs congealing more than others, though that is often the byproduct anything so experimental. Still, it’s still one of the best this year has brought forth.

When I first took a pass at the album, the track that kicked my ass the hardest was ZOo00OOm, because…well, I’m a sucker for a killer synth lead. Amidst the hard stomping ghost of an electrified Dilla beat and the fluttering Casio bleep accompaniment is a hard synth that creeps out an almost cheesy sci-fi sounding melody. It’s one of the more linear and charmed tracks on the album; equal parts head-nodding wonky goodness as well something to put on at high volumes to scare the piss out of your cat.

Hudson Mohawke – ZOo00OOm

Seriously though, I’ll throw $20 bucks on the table for whoever can get Outkast back in the studio and have Hudson Mohawke produce the album. Fuck, that would be epic.

Also epic – the Butter album cover:

Butter was released by Warp Records on October 27th 2009