Instant Playlist - May 17 2012

The Walkmen
Heaven (Fat Possum)
Did you hear that hilarious clip the Walkmen posted last month, of them butchering a few U2 songs in the studio? Listen to this soaring number and you’ll figure out why they were in a "Sunday Bloody Sunday" mood.

St. Vincent
Krokodil (4AD)
It’s anyone’s guess what has Annie Clarke so pissed, but judging by this amped-up volley of distorted fury, her way of dealing with it is akin to primal-scream therapy.

My Bloody Valentine
Good for You (Sony)
There’s going to be a new My Bloody Valentine LP, a mere 21 years after the last! And this is not from it; it’s an old, previously unreleased track, which proves that MBV’s noise-rock castoffs are better than most band’s singles.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Oh Susannah (Reprise)
Partly a version of Stephen Foster’s "Oh! Susanna" and partly a slapdash cover of "The Banjo Song" by the Big Three, this mostly just sounds like Neil and the Horse jamming in a barn. Which is probably exactly what it is.

Twin Shadow
Five Seconds (4AD)
"Five Seconds" would have been axed from the soundtrack of an ’80s teen flick for being too angsty. Old enough to remember when all pop music sounded like this? You’re too old to listen to Twin Shadow. No exceptions.

Leeroy Stagger and His Band
Message of Love (Rebel Tone)
Not a cover of the Pretenders classic, but instead a ghost-swept country rocker guaranteed to make you feel like you’ve got a friend no matter how coal-black the clouds overhead are.

Sister Crayon
Ain’t No Sunshine (Manimal Vinyl)
Thanks to American Idol, this Bill Withers chestnut has been trampled to death by a stampede of shitty singers in recent years. Sister Crayon’s downbeat, atmospheric take on it doesn’t even try to be a soul song, and that’s why it rules.

HEALTH
Tears (Rockstar Games)
Like trip-hop crossbred with shoegaze, this dark and swirly track sounds tailor-made for sweltering nights of deceit and betrayal. Those are bad, but the song is good.

Beach House
Lazuli (Sub Pop)
Over a blistering prog-metal guitar riff and a double-kick blast beat… Psych! It’s Beach House, and you know what that means: a dreamy pop tune with more reverb than Mazzy Star’s entire discography.

Nü Sensae
Swim (Nominal)
No idea what Andrea Lukic is screeching about—it sounds like she’s drowning more than swimming—but holy hell, does Daniel Pitout ever deliver a clinic in punk-rock drum thunder.