- Fine Young Cannibals / Wolf Parade (1 week @ #1)iTunes Myspace
- My Drive-Thru / NERD w/ Santogold and Julian Casablancas iTunes Myspace
- You On The Run / The Black Angels iTunes Myspace
- L.E.S. Artistes / Santogold iTunes Myspace
- Love Me Already / Black Kids (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- White Winter Hymnal / Fleet Foxes iTunes Myspace
- The Modern Leper / Frightened Rabbit iTunes Myspace
- Call It A Ritual / Wolf Parade iTunes Myspace
- GfC / Albert Hammond Jr. iTunes Myspace
- Drivin’ Down The Block / Kidz In The Hall iTunes Myspace
- Pot Kettle Black / Tilly and The Wall iTunes Myspace
- No Social / The Shortwave Set iTunes Myspace
- Glitter & Gold / Cheap Time iTunes Myspace
- I Woke Up Today / Port O’Brien iTunes Myspace
- Sequestered in Memphis / The Hold Steady iTunes Myspace
- Burn You Up Burn You Down / Big Blue Ball iTunes Myspace
- Eraser / No Age iTunes Myspace
- Teen Creeps / No Age iTunes Myspace
- Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) / Black Kids iTunes Myspace
- Discipline /Nine Inch Nails iTunes Myspace
- Oxford Comma / Vampire Weekend iTunes Myspace
- You In Color / The Black Angels iTunes Myspace
- Evil Urges / My Morning Jacket iTunes Myspace
- Crawl / Kings of Leon (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- Get Better / Mates of State iTunes Myspace
- Heretic Pride / Mountain Goats iTunes Myspace
- Something Is Not Right With Me / Cold War Kids (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- Hurricane Jane / Black Kids iTunes Myspace
- Time To Pretend / MGMT iTunes Myspace
- You Were Too Old For Me / PAS/CAL (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- I Told Her On Alderaan / Neon Neon (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- Chemtrails / Beck iTunes Myspace
- Orphans / Beck iTunes Myspace
- Id Engager / Of Montreal (NEW) iTunesMyspace
- ’88 / Cool Kids (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- Rat is Dead (Rage) / CSS iTunes Myspace
- The Ark / Dr. Dog (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- In The New Year / The Walkmen (NEW) iTunesMyspace
- The ’59 Sound / The Gaslight Anthem (NEW) iTunes Myspace
- Kansas City / Sneaky Sound System (NEW) iTunes Myspace
Dance no more, whole lotta newbies, and even more kids storm the 'tape.
NERD, Santogold, and Julian Casablancas' little dance party at the top is over. "My Drive Thru" managed half of the summer on top which isn't too bad for a song that is primarily supposed to sell shoes. The run may not be over, but for this week, Wolf Parade's "Fine Young Cannibals" (it drives me crazy...woot woot) is numero uno. 80s references aside, the song's main appeal is its multiple grooves that seem to dance in and out of one another. One of Wolf Parade's strengths is the band's ability to craft subtly insistent riffs. They aren't loud or thrashy, but within a certain guitar or keyboard piece lies the energy contained in more overtly hard rocking songs. Wolf Parade just choose to let the energy contained within bubble just near the top of the lid; threatening to pour over, but never quite achieving boil.
A gaggle of new songs enter this week. For the uninitiated, a gaggle on the mixtape is exactly nine. I talked about the kids taking over last week...the Black Kids. Well, Cold War Kids show up to the party with the first single from their upcoming Loyalty to Loyalty, out on September 23. The Cool Kids make their premiere entrance with "'88," a little shoutout to twenty years ago when, not so coincidentally, I was a cool kid myself. Yeah, that's a lie. But I knew one or two cool kids and once in a while they would talk to me.
More new and returning acts enter the Mixtape this week. New Kings of Leon, The Walkmen, and Of Montreal tracks are highlights this week while Sneaky Sound System, Dr. Dog, Gaslight Anthem, and PAS/CAL all spend their first week on the 'tape.
Speaking of newbies, twenty of the week's forty songs are from artists who are experiencing their first song on the chart. That's a lot of new acts and a lot of new musical blood. It's what I live for. The mix of tried and true butting up against the brand spanking new is what keeps The Mixtape an interesting and unpredictable place to find new music. Cheers to that.
