“The Grizzly Man,” the latest leak from Kidz in the Hall sampling Veckatimest’s “Two Weeks,” is set for a free release due December 8 (in two weeks, heh heh) titled Professional Leisure Tour. The “EP” will feature 13 new tracks, including the Grizzly Bear sampler. It will be shortly followed by the band’s official 3rd full length, Land Of Make Believe, due early next year on Duck Down Records.

Not that I doubted Kidz in the Hall, but this came out a little better than I expected. I’m surprised Mickey Factz didn’t get to this one first. Definitely prefer this to that Lil Wayne/Grizzly Bear Soundmen mash-up.

I <3 indie samples. (Via 2dopeboyz)

Download audio file (The%20Grizzly%20Man.mp3)

“The Grizzly Man” by Kids in the Hall

After hearing a few live recordings of Vampire Weekend’s “Cousins” and watching it performed in a movie theater in Long Beach earlier this month, I had quickly deemed it a new favorite from the band’s upcoming Contra. The video is vaguely reminiscent of the “A-Punk” clip (though I can’t remember any 10 foot penises drawn with pink chalk in that one), and sort of makes you realize how many corresponding qualities the two tracks possess. So, this song is so good, it’s just silly.

Many in the music world continue to actively “hate” Vampire Weekend for being “totally over-hyped” and “ranking higher than Pulp on Pitchfork’s Best [something or other] list,” but, considering the fact that the band has yet to release a song that isn’t pure aesthetic perfection, you have to question the judgment of those dummies. We’ve heard nearly all of the sophomore, and it’s just as good as 2008’s Album of the Year. Sorry folks, the band is that good.

Sometimes, that can happen.

“Have you been listening to hip hop this year? If not, we’ve got good news. The gangsta persona is finally dead, and these are the kids who killed it.” -GQ (Via Nah Right)

Ernest Gonzales (AKA Mexicans With Guns), previously poprokking with a remix of AnCo’s “My Girls” earlier this year, has himself another bloggable track with his take on A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s “Shy.” The bi-continental experimental pop band recently released their beautiful watch-the-sunset-to-me sophomore record, Ashes Grammar, and Gonzales’ version brings out the songs best qualities in a mix that rivals the original.

Listen: A Sunny Day in Glasgow “Shy (Ernest Gonzales Remix)”

The first draft of this post, titled, “My Poproks 20 Best Songs Since 2000,” is from this past March. 8 months, 1,000 edits, and 3,000 miles later, it officially exits the abyss of blogFAIL that is My Poproks “drafts” section. Making lists is hard! I will never complain about another ‘Blank Songs of Blank’ list ever again (that’s a lie. I mean, did you see that NY Mag Brooklyn Top 40? It was gross). Seriously, though, you’re gonna hate this list.

Some fun facts:
-The year represented the most is 2004
-The year represented the least is 2001
-The artist mentioned the most times is a gay fish (eh, one last time!)
-This list murdered my soul

60. Robbie Williams “Feel” (2002)

Download audio file (01-feel.mp3)

59. M83 “Don’t Save Us From the Flames” (2005)

Download audio file (02-dont-save-us-from-the-flames.mp3)

58. Sleater-Kinney “Jumpers” (2005)

Download audio file (04-jumpers.mp3)

57. Kid Cudi “Day N Nite” (2008)

Download audio file (07-day-n-nite.mp3)

56. Death Cab For Cutie “A Movie Script Ending” (2001)

Download audio file (02-a-movie-script-ending.mp3)

55. Lil Wayne “Let the Beat Build” (2008)

Download audio file (14-let-the-beat-build-produced-by-kanye-west-and-deezle.mp3)

54. Moby “In This World” (2002)

Download audio file (02-in-this-world.mp3)

53. Estelle Feat. Kanye West “American Boy” (2008)

Download audio file (03-american-boy.mp3)

52. Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather “Stop Me” (2007)

Download audio file (03-stop-me.mp3)

51. Phoenix “Long Distance Call” (2006)

Download audio file (04-long-distance-call.mp3)

50. Jamie T “Calm Down Dearest” (2007)

Download audio file (03-calm-down-dearest.mp3)

49. Bright Eyes “First Day of My Life” (2005)

Download audio file (06-first-day-of-my-life.mp3)

48. Talib Kweli “Get By” (2002)

Download audio file (15-03-get-by-feat-anny-dobson-chinua-hawk-kendra-ross-vernetta-bobien-william-taylor-nina-simone.mp3)

47. LCD Soundsystem “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” (2006)

Download audio file (09-new-york-i-love-you-but-youre-bringing-me-down.mp3)

46. U.N.K.L.E. feat. Ian Brown and Mani “Reign” (2003)

Download audio file (1-09-reign.mp3)

45. Bon Iver “Flume” (2008)

Download audio file (01-flume.mp3)

44. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead “Another Morning Stoner” (2002)

Download audio file (02-another-morning-stoner.mp3)

43. Beirut “Nantes” (2006)

Download audio file (02-nantes.mp3)

42. Animal Collective “My Girls” (2009)

Download audio file (02-my-girls.mp3)

41. The Walkmen “The Rat” (2004)

Download audio file (02-the-rat.mp3)

40. Child Rebel Soldier “Us Placers” (2007)

Download audio file (us-placers.mp3)

39. Dangermouse “99 Problems (Remix)” (2004)

Download audio file (05-99-problems.mp3)

38. U2 “City of Blinding Lights” (2004)

Download audio file (05-city-of-blinding-lights.mp3)

37. She & Him ”Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (2008)

Download audio file (she-him-why-do-you-let-me-stay-here.mp3)

36. Lupe Fiasco feat. Jill Scott “Daydreamin’” (2006)

Download audio file (09-daydreamin.mp3)

35. Peter Bjorn and John “Young Folks” (2006)

Download audio file (03-young-folks.mp3)

34. Justin Timberlake “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around (Interlude)” (2006)

Download audio file (06-what-goes-around-_-comes-around-interlude.mp3)

33. TV on the Radio “Staring at the Sun” (2004)

Download audio file (02-staring-at-the-sun.mp3)

32. Gorillaz “Kids With Guns” (2005)

Download audio file (03-kids-with-guns.mp3)

31. Grizzly Bear “While You Wait For the Others” (2009)

Download audio file (10-while-you-wait-for-the-others.mp3)

30. Vampire Weekend “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (2008)

Download audio file (04-cape-cod-kwassa-kwassa.mp3)

29. Broken Social Scene “7/4 Shoreline” (2005)

Download audio file (03-7_4-shoreline.mp3)

28. The Streets “Blinded by the Lights” (2004)

Download audio file (04-blinded-by-the-lights.mp3)

27. Interpol “Untitled” (2002)

Download audio file (01-untitled.mp3)

26. At the Drive-In “One Armed Scissor” (2000)

Download audio file (03-one-armed-scissor.mp3)

25. Feist “1234″ (2007)

Download audio file (09-one-two-three-four.mp3)

24. MGMT “Kids” (2007)

Download audio file (05-kids.mp3)

23. Phantom Planet “California” (2002)

Download audio file (01-california.mp3)

22. Kanye West “Stronger” (2007)

Download audio file (03-stronger.mp3)

21. Gwen Stefani “Hollaback Girl” (2004)

Download audio file (03-hollaback-girl.mp3)

20. Sia “Breathe Me” (2004)

Download audio file (03-breathe-me.mp3)

19. Rihanna feat. Jay-Z “Umbrella” (2007)

Download audio file (01-umbrella-feat-jay-z.mp3)

18. Arcade Fire “Wake Up” (2004)

Download audio file (07-wake-up.mp3)

17. Radiohead “2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)” (2003)

Download audio file (01-225-the-lukewarm.mp3)

16. Britney Spears “Toxic” (2004)

Download audio file (06-toxic.mp3)

15. Coldplay “A Rush of Blood to the Head” (2002)

Download audio file (10-a-rush-of-blood-to-the-head.mp3)

14. Outkast “Ms. Jackson” (2000)

Download audio file (05-ms-jackson.mp3)

13. Arcade Fire “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” (2004)

Download audio file (01-neighborhood-1-tunnels.mp3)

12. Sufjan Stevens “Chicago” (2005)

Download audio file (09-chicago.mp3)

11. Sigur Ros “Svefn-g-englar” (2000)

Download audio file (02-svefn-g-englar.mp3)

10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps” (2003)

Download audio file (09-maps.mp3)

9. The Streets “Turn the Page” (2002)

Download audio file (01-turn-the-page.mp3)

8. Wilco “Poor Places” (2002)

Download audio file (10-poor-places.mp3)

7. The National “Fake Empire” (2007)

Download audio file (01-fake-empire.mp3)

6. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” (2006)

Download audio file (02-crazy.mp3)

5. M.I.A. “Paper Planes” (2007)

Download audio file (11-paper-planes.mp3)

4. Broken Social Scene “Lover’s Spit” (2002)

Download audio file (11-lovers-spit.mp3)

3. Kanye West feat. Jay-Z “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” (2005)

Download audio file (13-diamonds-from-sierra-leone-remix.mp3)

2. Outkast “Hey Ya” (2003)

Download audio file (2-09-hey-ya.mp3)

1. Radiohead “Everything in its Right Place” (2000)

Download audio file (01-everything-in-its-right-place.mp3)

And there’s the guitar again… December 15? (Via illRoots)

Everyone is really excited about Clipse’s upcoming Til the Casket Drops. I remember getting excited when I first heard “Kinda Like a Big Deal” blasting on Hot97 New York ago…cause, the track is perfect. But that aside, everything else that has leaked from the record has been RoomTemperature97 (sorry).

Even with The Neptures producing half the record (including “Door Man,” the latest leak, streaming below), tracks like “All Eyes on Me” and “I’m Good” have left me jonesing for “Mr. Me Too.” Maybe Hell Hath No Fury is just too hard a record to follow-up, but I’m not feeling the new Clipse stuff. Just me?

Til the Casket Drops is due December 8. I mean, I’m getting it anyway.

Download audio file (Clipse%20-%20Door%20Man.mp3)

“Door Man” by Clipse

Even though it’s still pretty unfunny in that special SNL brain-freezing sort of way (and Beyonce still should have won her VMA), Taylor Swift’s SNL monologue was actually kind of adorable. “We have a great show, Kanye West is not here.” Ouch.

Damn.

Volcano Choir’s Unmap is more a listening experience than a pop record. Justin Vernon and Collections of Colonies of Bees’ odd and unexpected collaboration comes at the height of Bon Iver’s success (shortly before the band announced an indefinite hiatus), and is a complete change of direction from the melodic, acoustic ballads of his previous two releases.

On Unmap, Vernon is able to compliment Collections of Colonies of Bees’ instrumental math-pop with unbelievable effectiveness, and completely different from how he would his work as Bon Iver. The songs are steady and mesmerizing, though there are hardly any solid structures or melodies to hold on to.

Unmap has a lot of rising rhythms and repetitive vocals, but, unlike most other records with either of those things, there is no climax. The rhythms and the vocals just are. Most of the tracks play like a film score, with endless, humming keyboard notes and rumbling floor toms, with Vernon’s voice drifting in and out of the songs as needed. With the exception of “Island IS” (which sounds like it could be on a TV on the Radio EP), the entirety of Unmap only has about 5 actual lyrics, all of which are completely irrelevant. This is the kind of record that you listen to in silence.

Despite a majority of vague instrumentals, as the title explains, these painfully beautiful and enigmatic tracks aren’t lost; they’re simply unmapped.

Download audio file (02-seeplymouth.mp3)

“Seeplymouth” by Volcano Choir

I’m trying to figure out how Jay-Z managed to perform last night in Berlin with U2 for the MTV Europe Music Awards, and then got himself to Manhattan by this morning to ride in the Yankee parade and do “Empire State of Mind” at City Hall. Dude is everywhere.

Anyway, the above performance was part of a free mini-concert U2 put on for about 10,000 people in Brandenburg Park to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Someone call The Fiery Furnaces, cause this is bogus.