So, I took a week off and have now returned with totally fresh jams for your Friday afternoon. 

Wait, did you guys even notice I was gone? No? And now that I am back, you are kind of sad to see me? Well, fine. I see how it is, man you guys are unappreciative. Do you think I just do this for my own megalomania  to satisfy my own twisted ego? Yes? Well well well, I see how it is. 

Regardless, I am bound by my sense of duty and a 100 year contract I signed with the blog's founder back in the 2nd grade to deliver you new music, so here it is, jerks. I really wanted those fruit snacks. How was I supposed to know it would lead to this?

Toro Y Moi – “So Many Details:” Moving further away from the chillwave of his earlier work, Toro Y Moi appears to be going in a soulful direction. “So Many Details” is a longer piece of electro-soul with a slow building groove and shimmering melody. The song ratchets up the intensity at the half-way point as the vocals become more forceful and the angry tone of the song starts to become more prominent.

Naomi Punk – “Burned Body:”  A “crunchy” grunge inflected rock song with echoes of Ty Segall, “Burned Body” is this week’s heaviest pick. The a-side to a limited 7” single, the track lurches forward, driven by the distorted guitars and crashing drums. Captured Tracks will be giving the Olympia band’s full length debut a wider release in November.

Sufjan Stevens – “Ding-a-ling-a-ring-a-ling:” Has anyone stopped to think of the sheer volume, over the course of his career, of Sufjan Stevens’ holiday recordings? At this point, it is a sizable part of his discography. Teasing out his holiday box set, Stevens has released a romping, very short, woozy song that heavily emphasizes the rhyme scheme of the title.

Purity Ring w/Danny Brown – “Belispeak II:” And in this week’s most unexpected collaboration, Purity Ring teamed up with Danny Brown for a rap sequel to “Belispeak.” “Belispeak II” speeds up the original, to excellent effect, and features Brown rapping one of his strongest contributions to date.

Local Natives – “Breakers:” Finally, a brand new track from Local Natives, who recently announced a follow up to Gorilla Manor. The track revolves around a series of building moments, alternating between quiet and catharsis  going back to quiet each time. This pattern dominates each section, from the lush opening to the swirling chorus, each preceded by calm hints of what is to come. At the center of all this is a light, almost percussive, guitar melody that moves the track forward at each point.