THE SPIN MIX

Songs You Need to Download Now!

Go to SPIN.com for samples and links to these tunes, vid clips, and more

1 Santogold “CREATOR” Ex of Philly punks Stiffed, Santi White apparently had her life changed by M.I.A.’s Arular. And on this woozy monster groove, produced by Switch and FreQNasty, she gets her own mango pickle.

^{2 The Enemy} “^{YOU’RE NOT ALONE}” ^{These scrawny blokes look (and sound) like a U.K. hype band} from hell, except on this rousing, clenched-fist anthem about a plant closing in their native Coventry.

3G ₍3rand Ole Party “LOOK OUT YOUNG SON” Led by drummer/singer Kristin Gundred, this San Diego trio produced by Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett) is like a garage-blues school project from PJ Harvey’s firstborn.

4 ^Partyshank “^{PENIS VS. VAGINA}” ^{The DJ/producer duo of Party Sausage and I Will Shank You for a} _{Penny are like a Brit answer to Hollertronix—but stoopider, whiter, and with more toys.}

^{5 Dead Kids} “^{FEAR AND FLUORIDE}” ^{Squalling, pounding, and hip-huggin’, this post-punk U.K. quintet} estify about paranoid conspiracies and toothpaste and the future like good little Suicide and Prince fanatics.

^{6 Doug Martsch} “^{CRACKED AND CRAZED}” ^{An artfully rambling, love-scarred ballad—written by} director Devon Reed for the film The Bigtop—warbled with defiantly good-natured resignation.

^{7 Kano} “^{KIDS WIV GUNZ}” ^{Repurposing the stolid thump of a Gorillaz track (from Demon Days), the East} London rapper deftly bemoans the spell that firearms (and 50 Cent) cast on wayward youth.

^{8 Estelle} “^{AMERICAN BOY}” ^{The London rapper/singer/producer (shades of Lauryn Hill) coos about her} transatlantic crush over a sweet bourgie-disco groove from will.i.am that’s way better than his half-baked rap.

9S _A9ebastiAn “KILLING IN THE NAME OF SEBASTIAN” The Ed Banger–affiliated French DJ takes a Rage gainst the Machine classic and edits it into a slinky, disorienting, even more blood-boiling electro rallying cry.

^{10 The Black Ghosts} “^{SOMETHING NEW}” ^{That other guy from failed ’90s Brit-rockers Simian—} perky-voiced singer Simon Lord—returns with a Fender Rhodes–filled cut of yacht-rockin’ laddie soul.

^{11 Jackie Chain} “^{BLINDED BY THE LIGHT}” ^{Ridin’ a retardedly oversize Manfred Mann loop, this half-} white, half-Korean Alabama longhair raps about the diamonds in his pinkie ring, etc. America, fuck yeah!

^{12 Lykke Li} “^{LIT TLE BIT}” ^{The Swede of the month is a 21-year-old brunette whose tentative, tuneful} ove song is buoyed by wispy indie-tronic production from Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John.

13^1B

₁₉3lack Tide “SHOCK WAVE” Like a (much) more melodic Megadeth, these Miami skate waifs—ages 15 to —are a metal juggernaut so effortless they seem driven by an unseen force. And no growling or shrieking!

^{14 Anthony Hamilton} “^{DO YOU FEEL ME}” ^{A smoldering soul snapshot from the American Gangster} soundtrack, with Hamilton’s wail summoning late-’60s Stax, but with his own timeless, emotional edge.

^{15 Jim James & Calexico} “^{GOIN’ TO ACAPULCO}” ^{This track from the I’m Not There soundtrack} lacks the original’s craggy desperation, but the mournful horns and James’ flickering vocals do the trick.

Matthew Dear
“Don and Sherri”
Dear makes glitchy, spooky
songs about shady characters,
but this clip ignores the lyrical
narrative in favor of a striking
visual swirl: kaleidoscopic
city lights, jarring reflections,
eerie silhouettes, and
shifting shadows. Using
multiple cameras and
mirrors, directors Judy
Welfare and Jeremy Hollister
turn careless fun into sinister
foreboding, like a night out
gone horribly wrong.

Band of Horses “Is There a Ghost” Though it occasionally threatens to morph into an ad for Bed Bath & Beyond, Band of Horses’ latest exposes the emotional savagery that can ensue when a sleeping person’s favorite pillow is stolen. The final scene ends up as an indie-rock 300, but instead of a Spartan bloodbath, it’s a block full of teenagers and parents unleashing a torrent of feathers.

The Pack “In My Car” The practice of “ghost ridin’ the whip”—coasting in neutral, throwing your car doors open, and dancing on the roof—is both hilarious and dangerous, but these dudes push it to ridiculous extremes by cruising through outer space in a shiny white Chevy. They even create a goofy look-I’m turning-the-wheel dance to go along with the catchy novelty track.

Simian
Mobile Disco
“ Hustler”
Rappers and R&B singers
always misuse scantily
clad women in their
videos: All the honeys
ever do is dance and
get groped by members
of the entourage. R. Kelly
should take a cue from
Simian Mobile Disco, who
force their models to
gorge themselves on fatty
foods while striking
seductive poses. Good
luck keeping your lunch
down during the gravy-
assisted money shot.