Monday, April 20, 2009

Wave Machines - Keep The Lights On

Disco, synths and dance influences seem to be flooding back into indie music this year - praise the lord - and a prime example is the new single from Wave Machines. one of the most hyped bands of the year so far, they've been described as "like Hot Chip dipped in Hot Chocolate" and, impossibly, "polished, accomplished, budget disco." Keep The Lights On is their third single and is available as a limited edition 7" vinyl (Rough Trade, £3.99) or as a completely free download from their website.

www.wavemachines.co.uk

The Streets – Trust Me

Here's a reason to jump on board the Twitter bandwagon, if you're a Streets fan that is. Mike Skinner has been posting free MP3s – as well as lots of chat and random musings - from his studio via the new microblogging platform. First up was a track called I love My Phone which the Guardian Music Blog jumped on for its “chipmunk vocals, crashing snares and text message bleeps.” Then came Trust Me, which is an endearing knockabout fusion of Massive Attack and Karel Fialka. Like everything on Twitter it's gone in seconds, so download while you can.

twitter.com/skinnermike

Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe

Not so much a download, but well worth a mention: digital distributor We7 has struck a deal to stream the new Depeche Mode album in its entirety on NME.com. If you go to the URL above you can click through every track, like the stripped down industrial opener In Chains, and the buzzing, dirty Wrong. It's covered in adverts – both visual and audio – but worth a go.

www.nme.com/news/depeche-mode/44025