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Let your Indie flag fly with this Spring playlist
Indie fans deserve love too. The oft overlooked genre has tons of music that fits the M.O. of spring: lying around and going out. Here are some of our picks to complete your spring indie playlist. Check them out after the jump. more 
Fleet Foxes avoid sophomore slump with Helplessness Blues
It has been nearly three years since Fleet Foxes kicked itself into the spotlight. After much delay, the Seattle folkies’ second full-length album, Helplessness Blues, hit stores yesterday. While it’s no radical departure from their first, self-titled album, Helplessness Blues sounds more stunning. more
Pac Div drops promising, innovative EP
Pac Div, a Southern California trio made up of two brothers, Like and Mibbs, along with longtime friend BeYoung, started rapping in high school and dropped their first mixtape in 2006. They epitomize the ‘Backpack Rapper’ stereotype in hip-hop and deliver music that is perfect for everything from cruising in the car to partying hard to just an afternoon of casual listening. They have opened for the likes of Nas and Ludacris while receiving props from hip-hop legends like Talib Kweli and ?uestlove. more
It seems James Murphy’s worst fears and hungry musicheads’ dreams have both come true: LCD’s third offering, This Is Happening, leaked early this week and was subsequently streamed on the band’s website. And in case you haven’t already listened yet, it’s a doozy. More on Murphy after the jump. more
jj brings good vibes and Balearic beats to sophomore record
jj, the reclusive Swedish duo from the increasingly popular Balearic beat genre, have emerged with their second record in eight months, jj no. 3. Opener “My Life” continues from where the last album’s quiet closer left off, featuring a plaintive piano melody. All is serious until the cheesetastic 2000 techno hit “Around the World” is quoted, reminding us that we are listening to jj. more
Flush with Twilight cash, Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor has started his own label, Terrible Records. Any and all hipster business ventures probably deserve pause, but on the strength of one their first signed artists, the Brooklyn-based pop-outfit Class Actress, at least Taylor knows how to have fun. more
One Life Stand is the latest piece of Hot Chip’s portfolio and their first full-length since 2008′s excellent Made In The Dark. Clockwork Orange synthesizers open the album on “Thieves in the Night,” the bouncy reassurance that Hot Chip’s knack for clever dance tunes has carried over into this decade. It features the signature sound of the band, with a kinetic beat and a sound that is both inviting and menacing. Although this opener puts a sweet taste on the tongue, the unimpressive “Hand Me Down Your Love” and the sure to be polarizing auto-tune of “I Feel Better” separate it from the next redeemable track. The opening three tracks are an unfortunate exercise in big hits alongside big misses, a problem that sometimes threatens to derail One Life Stand, out Feb. 1. more
Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut album has been popping up on a ton of decade’s-end “best of” lists lately, so it’s natural that we’ve all been expecting big things from the Ivy League four-piece on their second at-bat. And, for the most part, they deliver. more
Beach House creates a Teen Dream with signature vocals and surprising percussion
As Beach House fans might expect, rich velvety sounds abound through a gauzy haze in Teen Dream, the latest from Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. The record, which drops Jan. 26, represents a turning point in Beach House’s career. Their trademark warm and woozy vibe is still here, just injected with some new life in some of their most active percussion to date. This surprising addition shines through on tracks like “Lover of Mine,” which sounds like disco on opiates. Others, such as “10 Mile Stereo,” gallop by on fast tempos. This newly expanded sound permeates the record, but won’t disappoint fans of their earlier work.
Victoria Legrand’s silky vocals and driving organ, cornerstones of Beach House’s high-appeal sound, still carry their songs. Offering everything from catchy melodies to lazy-river mantras (see the excellent three punch combo that opens the album) Teen Dream‘s ten tracks show off the band’s ever-increasing songwriting capabilities. It’s not for the impatient, but Teen Dream will reveal its rewards once you submit and allow the shimmer to wash over you.
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