Single Survey 07-05-11: Bjork, 3OH!3, Patrick Stump, James Blake, and more

Every week, The Tune will publish a survey of the newest songs making their way around the internets and the music world in general. Despite the name, it is not just reserved for newly-released CD singles, but rather for any new songs from albums that have not been released yet. The songs will mostly be ones that have leaked/been published over the former week, but occasionally we will throw in little-known tracks from the last few weeks or months that never made it onto our survey. Again, the only condition is that the album has not been released yet. EPs and singles are okay. We are also introducing a new rating system for singles, one that is somewhat unique. Rather than rating the songs based on a 5-star scale, a thumbs up/down scale, or having no rating system (isn’t that annoying?), we will give them prizes not unlike sporting events: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Shit.

Here in July, we’re only a few months into this concept of an entire week’s worth of new songs in one place, with streaming links and our new rating system, so make sure to leave us some feedback and let us know what you think! You can comment at the bottom of the post or email us with the form on the right (and slightly down).

This week’s survey includes new, free MP3s from 3OH!3, Patrick Stump, Moonface, Surfer Blood, Björk, Mariachi El Bronx, Wu-Tang Clan, James Blake, Mastodon, Tennis, T.I., Chiddy Bang, and many more! This is one of our biggest Single Surveys to date, so take your time and make sure to listen to some of the unreviewed tracks at the bottom! If you’d like to write a review for any, go to our Staff page and apply to write for The Tune. Also, look for the red MP3 tag for free and legal downloadable songs!

Björk – “Crystalline” (Experimental) MP3

The Icelandic singer’s newest song, which has been tearing up the interwebs this week, clings and clangs its way through five minutes that are far more epic than you’d expect from a bunch of bells. In an oversatured music world, Björk always seems fresh and new, and that’s a feat in itself. Check out the insane Radiohead-ish drums near the end.

3OH!3 – “Robot” (Electronic/Hip-Hop) MP3

“If you’re born without a heart, put your hands up,” the Boulder duo spit on their newest single, which is somewhere between Devo, The Lonely Island, and a Katy Perry song recorded for Transformers. The song employs just about every gimmick in the book and the lyrics are ridiculously mindless, but hell, you’ll probably listen again. Especially if you’ve had a drink or two.

Patrick Stump – “This City (ft. Lupe Fiasco)” (Pop/Hip-Hop) MP3

Oh, Pete Wentz. You may look like a douchebag and occasionally act like one, but at least you wrote the witty, creative lyrics that marked Fall Out Boy as unique. Without you, your former singer Mr. Stump is left to elementary, stereotypical lyrics like “this city is my city/ and I love it/ and I love it.” Problem is, it sounds like a summer jam that pop radio might love, so we could be hearing it over…and over…and over.

Zola Jesus – “Vessel” (Electronic) MP3

Russian-American singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova caught our attention (and many others’) with her project Zola Jesus’ song “Night” last year, and her newest song continues the darktronica sounds of her previous albums. Danilova has a way of appealing to the dark sides of the soul, and “Vessel” is no different — a sharp knife of a song, calling out for you to wield it at every second as it builds from a lone stalker of a bass drum to an electronic murder in the final seconds.

Ryan Adams – “Empty Room” (Folk/Pop-Rock)

The North Carolinian singer/songwriter sounds a little more like Neil Young every day, and this one almost feels like a Nick Drake composition. It’s great to hear a guitar solo, even if it’s much shorter than the three minutes in which Adams contemplates his “empty room.” From a tour 7″ — count yourself lucky to hear it!

Sublime with Rome – “Lovers Rock” (Pop-Rock)

A sunny day at the beach with a beautiful girl — that’s exactly what this song feels like. Sublime (with Rome) are consistently putting out good songs a decade and a half after they were supposedly “done.” Keep tuned for an album review.

Moonface – “The Way You Wish You Could Live In The Storm” (Indie/Experimental) MP3

All of the titles of Spencer Krug’s (of Wolf Parade) upcoming 2011 release are kooky: even the album is title Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped. The music matches in eccentricity, featuring eight minutes of spacey scales and reverb-drenched vocals that sound like a surrealist painting on fire.

Au Revoir Simone – “The Boys Of Summer (Don Henley cover)” (Indie Pop) MP3

The definitive cover of the 1984 hit by The Eagles member has always The Ataris’ pop-punk version — at least in my book. But Brooklyn-based dream pop group Au Revoir Simone are challenging that assumption with a synthesized organ and monotone vocals that lend the track the breezy air of a long day completed.

Butch Walker & The Black Widows – “Summer Of ’89″ (Pop-Rock)

Last year’s I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart received a solid 4.0 from The Tune, and singer/songwriter Butch Walker doesn’t take a break. August 30 marks the release of The Spade, his sixth album in nine years, and the first single is part Bryan Adams heartland rock and part ’70s radio anthem. Butch always finds a way to sneak in hilarious lines, and this song goes “back to where I was a winner” like Charlie Sheen during the bridge: “steal a beer, gettin’ fucked by a girl twice my age, makin’ minimum wage.” Go grab it now.

Surfer Blood – “Hey Sandy (Polaris cover)” (Indie Rock) MP3

Hailing from West Palm Beach, this indie rock band’s new track (a cover of the theme song from the ’90s TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete) might as well be the city’s theme song.

Mariachi el Bronx – “48 Roses” (Mariachi) MP3

One of the oddest evolutions in music — ever — occurred when L.A. hardcore rock band The Bronx donned outfits, picked up traditional instruments, and created an alter ego entitled Mariachi El Bronx. The first album they released, 2009′s self-titled effort, was full of melodramatic fusions of rock songwriting and mariachi music like “Holy,” and “48 Roses” is better than anything on that disc. Even if you can’t imagine enjoying it, listen anyway — you might be in for a surprise.

DJ Khaled – “I’m On One (ft. Drake, Rick Ross, & Lil Wayne)” (Rap)

Blockbuster rap collabs can go either way — Kanye‘s “Monster” or this. You’d think between the four of them they could’ve created something with more force, more panache, more character. But there’s no charisma behind this beat.

James Blake – “Order” and “Pan” (Electronic) MP3s

Minimalist blurps, beeps, and buh-b-buhs highlight these two instrumental tracks from the increasingly popular dubstep producer. These tracks don’t present much crossover potential, however, likely increasing Blake’s reputation only in dubstep circles. And they aren’t exactly…immediately appealing.

Wu-Tang Clan – “Laced Cheeba” (Rap) MP3

Odd kung fu movie samples add little to this new effort.

Class Actress – “Keep You” (Indie Pop/Electronic) MP3

Synth hooks and an ’80s club feel keep the first single from this Elizabeth Harper project’s debut album moving right along, and though it feels a bit dated, somehow you’ll come back to it gladly.

Howling Bells – “The Loudest Engine” (Indie Rock)

The London rock group received some critical acclaim for their 2006 self-titled debut, but the 2009 follow-up Radio Wars went the way of the sophomore slump. Now the band is back with a third album, introduced by this Concrete Blonde/Jefferson Airplane mash-up that sits in a single corner of the aural spectrum and solemnly plays its parts.

Mastodon – “Deathbound” (Hard Rock) MP3
-cartoons + critically-adored cock rock = epicness that gives you cavities

The Knux – “Run (ft. KiD CuDi)” (Indie Rock/Hip-Hop) MP3
-this New Orleans duo knows hooks, and getting CuDi should draw attention

T.I. – “We Don’t Get Down Like Y’all (ft. B.o.B.)” (Rap) MP3
-you may not get down like us, but we’ll get down like you

Chiddy Bang – “Mind Your Manners” (Rap) MP3
-it’s a great week for rap, and Chiddy’s new single features a children’s chorus

Bassnectar – “Upside Down” (Electronic/Pop) MP3
-a dance song for the weightless, who can actually follow these instructions

Tennis – “Is It True? (Brenda Lee cover)” (Indie Pop) MP3
-a 1964 pop song is the perfect fit for the Denver indie duo to record on 4-track

Artist vs. Poet – “Mean (Taylor Swift cover)” (Acoustic Pop-Rock)
-the redeeming part of a Swift song is the vocals…but AVP whine their way through

Crystal Antlers – “I Slept In An Arcade (Black Randy cover)” (Indie Rock) MP3
-Beat L.A. is a cover album of songs that shaped L.A., like this brief Doors-y track

Patent Pending – “Douchebag” (Pop-Punk)
-power pop teen anthem sounds like Simple Plan dissin’ on you “drinking lite beers“

Major Lazer – “German Elefant Killer” (Electronic) MP3
-reggae electronica with some spoken word and some half-killer riffs

Duck Sauce – “Big Bad Wolf” (Electronic) MP3
-catchy house music for little piggies, complete with howls and menacing reverb

The Glitch Mob – “Warrior Concerto” (Electronic/Classical) MP3
-like an epic score for a martial arts movie done one pulsing synths

Mirror Mirror – “Interiors” (Indie Pop) MP3
-excellent indie pop with dreams of stadiums — just needs to be tightened up

Borden, Ferraro, Godin, Halo & Lopatin – “People Of The Wind, Pt. 2” (Ambient)
-shiny drone from five of the best

Slime – “Next Time” (Experimental)
-I’m not quite sure whether you’re supposed to laugh or cry over these woodwinds

Spoek Mathambo – “Put Some Red On It” (Rap) MP3
-South African rapper/DJ is putting out a release on Sub Pop

Future Islands – “Before The Bridge” (Indie Pop) MP3
-”do you believe in love?” these Baltimore artists ask like TV on the Radio

A Night in Hollywood – “Darling, This Is Just The Beginning” (Alt. Rock)
-a prequel to AFI‘s “Darling, I Want To Destroy You” musically and lyrically

Laetitia Sadier – “The Opposite Of Spectator” (Indie)
-soft, sensual guitar pop that is plenty soft yet not quite sensual enough

Shlohmo – “Just Us” (Electronic/Ambient)
-gorgeous underwater electronica — no electrocution risked

Cities Aviv – “Coastin’” (Rap)
-chill hip-hop with strings and horns

Vision of Trees – “Everything Awaits (Demo)” (Electronic)
-dark dance perfect for a creepy walk through the woods while swinging your hips

Abandoned Pools – “Marigolds” (Indie Pop-Rock) MP3
-synths and big choruses from a founding member of Eels

USF – “Close Your Eyes” (Electronic/Instrumental) MP3
-the sounds of a zoo’s worth of synths

Gem Club – “Breakers” (Indie) MP3
-tender, compassionate piano marks this single from a Sep. 27 debut as a must-listen

Cuckoo Chaos – “Jamb Song” (Indie Pop) MP3
-cuckoos got a groove, man…

CHLLNGR – “Haven” (Electronic) MP3
-what do you get when you combine scary with a haven? a chilling yet safe song

Inc. – “Millionairess” (Electronic/R&B) MP3
-I’m not quite sure whether Prince or Sade is invoked strongest

Chilly Gonzales – “Party In My Mind” (Rap/Experimental)
-Canadian rapper is weird…with bongos and an orchestra. It’s just too awesome.

The Hundred Days – “Sex U” (Pop-Rock) MP3
-dance rock from San Fran pulses like the ’80s

HTRK – “Eat Yr Heart“(Electronic) MP3
-this would be Björk‘s theme song if she were from Pluto

Devon Williams – “Your Sympathy” (Pop-Rock)MP3
-early ’00s singer/songwriter pop-rock, a few years too late, but still fun