"Doesn't Matter (If You Love Him)" by Ital

Song: Doesn't Matter (If You Love Him)
Artist: Ital
Commentary: A nice combo, for me, of repetition and hooks. Would stand to benefit from some experimental techniques or something far out.

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Ital - Doesn't Matter (If You Love Him) from Planet Mu on Vimeo.

"Graveyard Shift" by Uncle Tupelo

Song: Graveyard Shift
Artist: Uncle Tupelo
Commentary: There are a lot of Uncle Tupelo songs I would want to post, but "Graveyard Shift" sums up their seminal style pretty well. As someone who enjoys the countless ways rock music and American folk tradition collide, I quite appreciate Uncle Tupelo.

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"El Touchy" by Luie Luie

"It is a wonderful idea for people to get together and touch."
Song: El Touchy
Artist: Luie Luie
Commentary: Don't be surprised if more music from Irwin Chusid's magnificent compilation, Songs in the Key of Z, show up here. Outsider music is fascinating. Luie Luie is really feeling it here; it's hard not to want to do El Touchy. Did you hear that ending?

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"Soup Boys (Pretty Drones)" by Heems

Song: Soup Boys (Pretty Drones)
Artist: Heems
Commentary:Himanshu Suri (of Das Racist) dropped a new solo mixtape last week and I like it better than his first, also of 2012. I like this track particularly, although I don't know what the drones thing is all about (Urban Dictionary has a lot of entries for 'drone'). The unmanned assassin ones? [Update: official vid now up. It was indeed the unmanned assassin drones in the video. Some are modest; some flaunt.]

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"Beware" by Death Grips

Song: Beware
Artist: Death Grips
Commentary: With two rad albums out this year, Death Grips is in the running for my favorite artist of the year. I also enjoyed the stunt of releasing NO LOVE DEEP WEB in opposition to the label's wishes. This track is raw (not to mention the video).

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"You Think You're A Man" by the Vaselines

Song: You Think You're A Man
Artist: The Vaselines
Commentary: Happy Election Day.

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"Malkaus" by The Panthers

Song: Malkaus
Artist: The Panthers
Commentary: A fine offering from the Sublime Frequencies Sampler, Vol. 2. Pakistani take on 60s rock and roll. Take over, Panthers!

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"Candylane" by Gonjasufi

Song: Candylane
Artist: Gonjasufi
Commentary: Groove-tastic jam. Probably an easier song into Gonjasufi's oeuvre, since it's not much of a showcase of the "timeless, incredible filth" that is Sumach Ecks' voice. (extra bonus if your youtube also suggests "White boy drops a sick beat" as a related video)

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"57821" by Janelle Monáe

Song: 57821
Artist: Janelle Monáe
Commentary: People kept telling me to check out The ArchAndroid, but my first 3 listens fell on ears that get bored with songs too reminiscent of "pop" music. I totally missed the genre-jumping genius of Janelle Monáe. My fav critic calls this song "one of the most poignant moments in the recording history of her generation" (Scaruffi). I don't rate music by its poignancy, so I won't argue.

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