It's the Supersound

What a delightful surprise! Indie-pop legend Saint Etienne premiered their brand new single “Tonight” today, taken from their first full-length album in 7 years, tentatively titled “Words And Music By Saint Etienne”. The effervescent tune is produced by Tim Powell (Xenomania) and mixed by Richard X – two of the best British contemporary electro-pop whizzes. According to Bob Stanley:

“Tonight is about the anticipation of going to see your favourite group. For some reason, I imagine this show is at the Forum in Kentish Town. The whole album is about the power of pop, how it affects and shapes your life.”

Well, that’s your new pre-concert soundtrack sorted out then.

STREAM: Saint Etienne – Tonight

Download the track free for a limited time.

You can also hear a sneak peek of another new track called “I’ve Got The Music” on Soundcloud (skip to the 1.16 mark). The prospect of a new St. Etienne album full of pop magic is rather exciting, isn’t it? Bob, Pete & Sarah, we are so glad to have you back.

cinematic // psychill

Ancient & modern, acoustic & electronic, sacred & sensual, ethereal & worldly… Joshua Penman’s Akara project collapses dualities and guides the listener into a state of aural samadhi with a sonic ceremony called Extradimensional Ethnography. Composing a team of classical musicians, and sweetened by Femke Weidema’s heavenly chanting, this transcendent album is an absolute must-have for fans of globally-flavored grooves with a psychedelic touch. (review by Travis Nobles)

Mystical dancefloor symphonies.
Akara – The Far Shore
Akara – Gelfling
+ Purchase/Visit

That Lana Del Rey songs are quite tricky to remix doesn’t stop everyone from trying. A slew of mixes for her new single “Born To Die” came gatecrashing at once the other day, and I waded through the good and not-so-good to cherry pick a select few. What I like is that every remix from this package tries a different style. DJ Kris De Angelis‘ hard-edged club take is probably the most straightforward of the bunch. Gucci Vump‘s version utilizes the strings and vocal loops with some nice drumwork – it’s all about the 1:06 moment for me. Leo Zero went for an excessive balearic vibe, while Hackman (aka Jack Steadman of Bombay Bicycle Club) opted for a blog-baiting treatment with pitch shifts and those chunky house piano chords that are so in right now.

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die (Kris Di Angelis Remix)

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die (Gucci Vump Remix)

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die (Hackman Remix)

Also available are reworks from Gemini, Lil Silva, Two Armadillos, Marcus Intalex, and we haven’t even heard the mixes from Damon Albarn, Clams Casino, and Woodkid & The Shoes yet. The latter’s preview is up on Amazon and it already sounds potentially amazing.

Since this madness is not likely to end anytime soon, let’s push it further! What sort of novelty genre remix do you want to hear from her? Hmm… I’d love for Quiet Village to get back and give her a luxurious exotica massage. A full-on lounge or David Lynchian one could work, and a trip-hop take can be wonderful if done right. You’ll never know, since my favorite mix of “Video Games” is an actually awesome drum-n-bass mix by Jakwob & Etherwood.

“Born To Die” is also currently iTunes US’ Free Single of the Week. She’s literally inescapable.

Stream all her remixes on Soundcloud.
Buy her music.
More on Lana.

We’ve seen enough fakes but the real thing has dropped with the official Coachella 2012 Lineup! This year will be the first time the event works over two weekends with the identical lineup.

Although not as good as the fantasy lineups and mocks that have dropped recently the festival still revels in its ability to pick up an astounding run of artists.

A breakdown of electronic and dance acts over the dates

Friday April 13 and 20

• Swedish House Mafia
• M83
• Amon Tobin
• Madeon
• SebastiAn
• Datsik
• SebastiAn
• Neon Indian
• Breakbot
• Feed Me
• R3hab
• La Riots

• David Guetta
• Kaskade
• Miike Snow
• Sebastian Ingrosso
• Sub Focus
• Martin Solveig
• SBTRKT
• Flying Lotus
• Jacques Lu Cont
• Borgore
• Destructo

• Justice
• Avicii
• La Roux
• Girl Talk
• DJ Shadow
• Calvin Harris
• Nero
• Modeselektor
• Dada Life
• Porter Robinson
• Santigold
• Flux Pavillion
• AraabMuzik
• Zedd
• Noisia
• Morgan Page
• Gaslamp Killer
• Housse De Racket
• Villa

Nicola Roberts‘ new single “Yo-Yo” is officially out today in the UK, and those who pre-ordered can get their hands on an exclusive b-side – her solo version of Girls Aloud‘s poptastic b-side “Memory Of You”. It’s very nice of her to open up the vault and offer the fans what’s probably the closest thing to a Xenomania-produced Nicola track to date. Admittedly, although I used to expect and hope for this kind of sound for solo Nicola (ethereal, floaty, wistful disco-pop), I wouldn’t change a thing about “Cinderella’s Eyes” album campaign – from the consistently gorgeous artwork to the charmingly shoddy promo videos, and even her newfound fondness for caterwauling as well. It’s a shame the public didn’t quite latch on to her ginger brilliance, but “Cinderella’s Eyes” shall remain one of the most amazing underperformed gems of 2011. Check out the track below, and watch the video for “Yo-Yo” after the jump.

STREAM: Nicola Roberts – Memory of You

Buy the single.
More on Nicola.

London-based AlunaGeorge is the latest on my list of favorite up-and-coming pop acts. Even though their new single has been knockning about since last summer, I only discovered it recently. “You Know You Like It” is a sexy, slinky piece of post-dubstep R&B, a firecracker loaded with infectious hooks that will get stuck in your head for days. Aluna Francis’ voice is a cool mixture between Santigold and Martina Topley-Bird, and to me they sound like a modern-day Moloko, which is always a good thing in my book. 2012 will see the release of their debut album, so hopefully they’ll have some more ace tunes up their sleeves. I highly recommend them if you like Little Dragon, Katy B… or have a thing for boy/girl electro duos. They’ve also been doing some high-profile remixing work, including one for Lana Del Rey which you can download right below.

MP3: Lana Del Rey – Born To Die (AlunaGeorge Remix)

Watch the video.
Buy the single.
More on AlunaGeorge.