Step By Step They Walk Into The Discotheque

My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site. This week: Eagle & Talon, Mr. Lif, and an amazing pre-release jam from Viva Voce.

Annie “The Crush (And The Left Handed RICHARD X mix)” – Though I did immediately like the tune, the original mix of “The Crush” didn’t do too much for me, mainly because I didn’t feel as though I needed Annie to make straight-ahead indie rock records. Let’s be honest – there’s no shortage of rock bands in the world, but there’s only a handful of consistently good-to-great dance pop acts at any given time, and believe me, that’s a frustration I deal with every week doing this site. This mix by And The Left Handed Richard X is more like it, keeping up the spirit of the Anniemal album while doing justice to the song’s twee indie-isms, making the track more like an electro’d up approximation of Darla-ish indiepop rather than a straight-up pastiche. (Click here to buy it from Juno.)

Also: I am DJing tonight with The Creature. There is no cover charge if you mention The Creature at the door. They will be giving out free cans of Sparks (you know, the hipsterish drink that is one part energy drink, one part booze, one part flesh-searing chemicals) from 10-11 PM. The party starts at 10 PM at Sapphire, 249 Eldridge St., between Stanton and Houston. If everything goes according to plan, I will start around 11:30 or so.

Elsewhere: Thom Yorke in conversation with Jonny Greenwood at SF/J.