Move Mix: 04/03
1. Phoenix - "Lisztomania"
"Think less, but see it grow" sings Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars, and though he isn't talking about his band's philosophy, he might as well be. Phoenix play simple, scrubbed-clean pop-rock, the equivalent of the twinkle and flash off a tooth in an Orbit Gum commercial. "Lisztomania," the first single from the band's upcoming album, is lithe and breezy but slightly arty, with lounge-disco guitar plucks and whirling keyboards snuck underneath the pile of hooks.
Listen at Hype Machine
2. Lil Wayne - "Comfortable"
If "Comfortable" had been made a single, it might've been Tha Carter III's fourth Top 10 smash. In any event it's a perfect summer rap song— lush, bright and effervescent, one of the best ever displays of Wayne' soulful side.
3. New Boyz - "Your a Jerk"
"Jerk" refers to the new-new dance craze out of the Bay Area, wherein you... well, you basically just pogo around and flail your limbs. "Your a Jerk" is a post-"Laffy Taffy" anthem, all snaps, clicks, beeps, tin-foil drums and a helium-powered sample. Like basically every dance anthem of the decade, "Your a Jerk" is incredible.
4. Gucci Mane - "Wrist Gliss"
Ask anyone who matters about Gucci and they'll tell you one thing: he's the hottest rapper in the South right now. Last year he played the mixtape circuit like Wayne, flooding the market with both weeded-into-briliance verses and some of the best fully formed songs of the year, and he's parlayed that into buzz so loud that MTV News went down to ATL to run a report on him. "Wrist Gliss", produced by frequent Gucci collaborator DJ Speedy is dark and ominous, with creeping electric guitar chords and Gucci rapping in his haunted, raspy growl— in another mindstate, but totally in control and confident.
5. Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire"
Japandroids are two guys from Canada who want to be No Age but can't get the Wolf Parade out of their system. "Young Hearts Spark Fire," a punchy bar-rock song trapped beneath fuzz and feedback, is at its core about growing up and being worried about it, but instead of dwelling, Japandroids thrash and party: "You can keep tomorrow, after tonight we're not gonna need it." Still, the dread creeps in: "We used to dream, now we worry about dying/ I don't wanna worry about dying."
Listen at Pitchfork
6. The-Dream - "Kelly's 12 Play"
"Kelly's 12 Play," the final song on The-Dream's remarkable new album Love vs. Money, is about one thing: having sex while listening to R. Kelly's 12 Play. Dream uses the conceit to lead us through his bedroom ("Now, I'm looking through my CD collection/ Girl, last time it was right behind Confessions") and through his mind ("I'm finna stunt like my daddy up in here/ Girl, you got my lips hanging off your ear"), all while Tricky Stewart's beat whooshes around like a spinning disc. And though Dream's got his girl, he never lets us forget where his priorities lie: "Clean my CD, check for scratches."
7. Teedra Moses - "Be Your Girl (Faeda's Soulful Remix)"
Faeda is a producer working in the UK's funky house scene, which combines the synths and pianos of house music with the funk percussion of the Caribbean. The "Be Your Girl" remix is far from the scene's high-water mark (there are lots), but it's both a good introduction and a gleaming, beautiful production, with supple electric pianos notes locking into an unstoppable groove.
Listen on MySpace
8. Junior Boys - "Hazel"
"Hazel" is the bombastic first single from the Junior Boys' forthcoming moody, chilled-out and quite great new album Begone Dull Care. Like their kinda semi-hit "In the Morning", "Hazel" is buzzing, bouncy and confident, with a synth line that's even hookier than the actual chorus.
Listen at Hype Machine
9. T-Wayne - "He Raps, He Sings, It's T-Wayne"
Wayne and Pain have been doing this song on their tour all year, but the recorded version lets us hear the beat cleaned up, and it's spaciousness is the exact sort of thing that Wayne always murders when he follows his fluid flow wherever it leads him. It's one of the best and least belabored verses he's spit in a while, totally non-sensical but totally controlled: "I made bling bling/ yup, ching-ching/ And these sirens make a rapping nigga wanna sing." And if you didn't know T-Pain could rap, well, "Karaoke"
10. blink-182 - Dammit
Blink are one of the best bands of our generation, and we've been listening to "Dammit" a lot lately, because you know, "I guess this is growing up." Yup.
Watch at YouTube