Pixtape is our roundup of the best new downloads from the month of December. Happy holidays!
1. Anika “I Go to Sleep”
Produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead, the debut album from Anika was released only this month and is topping “Best of 2010″ lists all over the place, perhaps because its variation challenges the whole way through.
Download track via Stones Throw
2. Ghostface featuring Black Thought “In tha Park”
Black Thought just thought he’d drop in and remind you of a few things.
Download track via Okay Player
3. Tokimonsta “Park Walks”
A split release with gear head Mike Gao for All City’s LA Series, this layered cut brings the funk in that laid-back southern Cali way.
Download track via XLR8R
4. Beach House “I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun”
Beach House topped many year end lists for the release of their Sub Pop debut Teen Dream, and this track is a subdued extension just in time for winter.
Download track via Gorilla vs Bear
5. Blessed House “Testament”
When it comes to hip-hop, it’s clear Europeans (and maybe Canadians too!) know how to start a party better than we do these days.
Download track via Kick Kick Snare
6. Birds of Avalon “Invasion”
Time warp of a track, complete with psychedelic ’70s riffs and big hooks that get stuck in your head.
Download track via Knox Road
7. Two Wounded Birds “Night Patrol”
Surf rock from the UK at its best when it’s dark and brooding.
Download track via RCRD LBL
8. R.E.M. “Discoverer”
Oh hey, remember this little Athens band that made it big beginning in the ’80s? They’re back, and it’s not necessarily an amazing track, but definitely interesting to hear in the mix with all the contemporary bands they likely influenced.
Download track via The Awl
9. Diane Birch & The Phenomenal Handclap Band “This Corrosion”
The singer-songwriter joins forces with cast of The Phenomenal Handclap Band to cover the 1987 Sisters of Mercy single. It’s funky, earthy (in a good way) and worth checking to hear the difference in approach.
Download track via Soundcloud
10. Various holiday mixes
If you’re celebrating Christmakwanzakah or simply in the holiday spirit, there are plenty of mixes to play when the occasion calls. Feeling dubby? Check out 77 Klash & Cobra Krames’ Dubstep Dickens. Want something a bit more traditional, but not too square? Glass has one featuring everyone from Eartha Kitt to Slow Club.
TOPICS: Pixtape