Weekend Round-up #25/4 - M.I.A, White Hinterland, Caribou + more.

Alan Wilkis emailed me earlier this week with his latest remix, this time of White Hinterland's No Logic. For those of you unfamiliar - White Hinterland is an American folk singer-songwriter and jazz pianist from Portland, Oregon who's third album Kairos came out in March of this year on the Dead Oceans label (also Nurses, Bowerbirds, Frog Eyes). Alan Wilkis, on the other hand, is a remixer from New York who for the last five years has been putting his creative synthesized spin on the likes of Phoenix, Yeasayer and The Very Best. Together they have created a wonderful, naturally flowing dance track which whilst bringing out the freak folk element to White Hinterland's music, also plays on the ambient dance themes and futuristic feel to much of her latest album 'Kairos'. This is definitely one to download, and both White Hinterland and Alan Wilkis are artists to keep close tabs on.

White Hinterland - No Logic (Alan Wilkis Remix) (MP3) from Kairos

Search Amazon.com for Alan Wilkis

Purchase White Hinterland's Kairos (2010) on Amazon.com

M.I.A announced this week that the follow up to Kala, still nameless, will drop June 29, 2010 in the US. The track 'Born Free' has also sufficiently swarmed the internet since its leak on Friday to justify posting it up here for you all to hear. The new song samples Suicide and, as any long-time fan of the Sri Lankan producer will know, presents a vastly different M.I.A to the one who released Paper Planes in 2008. 

M.I.A - Born Free (MP3) from the new album, due 29/6 via N.E.E.T

Buy Kala (2008) on Amazon.com

Another new track comes our way from London all-girl DIY punk trio PENS this week, who via Art Fag released You Only Love Me When I Tell You I'm Wrong this month. The sheer amount of blog-hate this band seem to get, its a wonder this band is still playing - full marks for perseverance? The new track marks more of the same from the garage punk band - with screechy bubblegum harmonies, overdriven guitars and uncontrollable feedback. Check out my review of 2009's Hey Friend What You Doing?

PENS - You Only Love Me When I Tell You I'm Wrong (MP3) via Art Fag

Buy Hey Friend, What You Doing? on Amazon.com, for a surprisingly good import price.

After picking up both JJ no2, and JJ no3 for £11 combined at Rough Trade East last Saturday, i've been somewhat obsessing over the Swedish dream pop duo of late. In a cover of a band that I still know nothing about, JJ released Ceo Birthday (of Semi Jeremih) this week. Its a classically influenced piano led track with the beautiful vocals we've come to expect of this band. In a similar style to some of the XX's covers, JJ have taken what sounds like an RnB original, and turned it on its head. If you haven't already, get yourself a copy of JJ no 3.

JJ - Ceo Birthday (Semi Jeremih Cover) (MP3)

Buy jj no 3 on Amazon.com

I introduced Caribou's new album Swim on the blog earlier this year, and although I haven't yet got myself a copy, i've watched the music world become more and more obsessed with Dan Snaith's new tunes. In keeping with my policy of buying the album as long as its available, and only downloading remixes and singles until I have it in my hands - I came across the Spirituals remix of new album track 'Sun' earlier this week, in anticipation of my next pre-order. I can honestly say I haven't heard many better remixes this year. This remix takes Snaith's bass-heavy psychedelic pop music and turns it into a glitchy dance track with an urban groove - mixing scatty beats against sampled psychedelia to create an all-encompassing dancefloor landscape. Remixes don't come much better than this - highly recommended.

Caribou - Sun (Spirituals Remix) (MP3)

Buy Caribou's Swim - out June 4, 2010, via Amazon.com

Finally, this week sees the break-up of the creators of one of my favourite albums of 2008 - Voxtrot. By no means are they giving it up straight away though, they've booked themselves in on a final US tour in celebration - sure to be an emotional road trip for all the die-hard Voxtrot fans out there. RIP.