Phoenix—Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"1901" [MP3]
Most people know Phoenix by now after their song "Too Young" made a prominent appearance in Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation. This song is pretty much just as a catchy but with enough New York rock attitude to easily best an actual New York rock band. Buy this album
Micachu & The Shapes—Jewellry"Golden Phone" [MP3]
East London's Micachu is a new young talent who seamlessly blends electronic dance music and R&B with gorgeous vocal arrangements. Though she has been asked to compose music for the London Philharmonic, you're more likely to hear this track on a dancefloor than a concert hall. Buy this album
Grizzly Bear—Grizzly Bear"Cheerleader" [MP3]
A brand new track from indie rock's most anticipated release of the year, Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. We always knew that Ed Droste was a great songwriter, but with each new release he is becoming one of our favorite singers. Sublime. Buy this album
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne—Dark was the Night"Knotty Pine" [MP3]
A natural collaboration for the benefit compilation Dark Was The Night, Dirty Projectors seem like the true inheritors of the art rock throne, a genre that David Byrne practically invented. Rather than two separate voices trying to outdo one another, the band and the legend meet on common ground and create something organic and unforgettable. Buy this album
White Rabbits—It's Rabbits Frightening"Percussion Gun" [MP3]
Produced by Britt Daniel of Spoon, this is the first song off the second album by White Rabbits, an indie rock band from Missouri who now live in Brooklyn (natch). It's a heavily percussive track that relies on pounding tom toms and scratchy guitar, with ethereal vocals floating over the top. Resist the urge to keep this one on repeat and move on to the next song. Buy this album
All MP3s are for sampling purposes only. Please go out and buy the artists' records. If anyone would like for us to remove a track, please email us at feedback@refinery29.com.
Foreign Born—Person to Person
"Vacationing People" [MP3]
We wish we had a live version of this song because this just sounds like it would sound HUGE live. We love the stuttery drums and the vocal harmonies. Buy this album
Camera Obscura—My Maudlin Career
"French Navy" [MP3]
Essential roadtrip music. Windows down, singing to yourself, just living in the moment. The string and horn arrangements take this song from just a sweet song to a whole new level. Buy this album
Fever Ray—Fever Ray
"Seven" [MP3]
This one kind of reminds us of Bjork. Atmospheric electronic music with idiosyncratic vocals over the top. It's no surprise that this is the solo debut from The Knife's lead vocalist. Great daydream music. Buy this album
Bat For Lashes—Two Sons
"Daniel" [MP3]
No, this is not a cover of the Elton John song (thought that would be cool). It's merely an epic electro-pop song that packs more emotion into four minutes than we knew was possible. Buy this album
The Dream—Love vs Money
"Put It Down" [MP3]
Taking time away from making countless hits for all your favorite R&B stars, The Dream does his own thing on this track. It's got those great Prince drums, sexy vocals, and, unlike most modern R&B, it has the courage to take chances and do the unexpected. Buy this album
All MP3s are for sampling purposes only. Please go out and buy the artists' records. If anyone would like for us to remove a track, please email us at feedback@refinery29.com.
Telepathe—Dance Mother
"So Fine" [MP3]
We love these two ladies. Their new album is excellent and this is the standout track. It's a heavy electro track with a half time chorus that we can't get out of our heads. Buy this album
Crystal Stilts—Alight of Night
"The Dazzled" [MP3]
The laconic beat, the jangly guitar--is there anything we don't like about this track? At four minutes, we guess it could be even longer because we can listen to this all day. Buy this album
Asobi Seksu—Hush
"In the Sky" [MP3]
If we were to invent the perfect video game, this would be the music that played when you completed the final level. It's dreamy music with angelic vocals that pats you on the back and says, congratulations, you've made it. Buy this album
Yeah Yeah Yeahs—It's Blitz
"Hysteric" [MP3]
We'd be upset that the YYYs have abandoned their unhinged rock rhythms for something more pop if their new album weren't so good. And, let's be honest, we'd listen to anything Karen O sang even if she decided to start a mariachi band. Buy this album
St. Vincent—Actor
"The Strangers" [MP3]
The saintly-monikered Annie Clark fittingly starts off this track with sacred-sounding choral arrangements. From there the track gets weirder, mixing samples and vocals to create music that really doesn't sound like anything else out right now. Buy this album
All MP3s are for sampling purposes only. Please go out and buy the artists' records. If anyone would like for us to remove a track, please email us at feedback@refinery29.com.
Animal Collective—Merriweather Post Pavilion
"My Girls" [MP3]
We gushed effusively when we reviewed Animal Collective's new record recently, so we'll keep this short and to the point: this is one of our favorite songs ever. Buy this album
Here We Go Magic—Here We Go Magic
"Fangela" [MP3]
This would be perfectly beautiful if it were just a simple folk song, with only guitar and vocals. But what really makes this song special is everything else going on in it, both acoustic and electronic, and how perfectly it all meshes together. Buy this album
Beach House—Used to be 7"
"Used To Be" [MP3]
It's been fun to follow Beach House because we've loved them since their first album and we feel that with each new release they take huge strides. The vocals get better and better, the melodies are instantly memorable, and now that they have a drummer there is an added texture that takes them from being merely great to one of the best bands touring right now. See them if you get the chance. Buy this album