Yo La Tengo – “Ohm”

The first song off Yo La Tengo’s new album, Fade. A six-minute krautrock groove that slowly builds and then slowly goes away. One of the best tracks on the album.

Talk Normal – “Lone General”

The first and standout track from Talk Normal’s 2012 album, Sunshine. The album slipped under my radar until recently, but it’s a solid effort. A lot of percussion, a lot of layered vocals. Part tUnE-yArDs, part Explode Into Colors, always fascinating.

Titus Andronicus – “Waking Up Drunk (Spider Bags Cover)”

You could make a March Madness bracket for depressing couplets from this song. “Waking up drunk makes me happy / and lately you just bring me down” versus “waking up drunk makes me happy / and I’m about as happy as I can be.” “If you’re gonna be so ill tempered / I don’t know why you’re still around” versus “I was drinking when I met you / and I’ll be drunk you when you leave.” “I know more about my future / than I do about my past” versus “If you got something that you wanna tell me / you better make it fast.” Then there’s the number one seed: “A woman is just a memory / from which the bottle gives relief.” It’s a sloppy, angry, angsty, teenage-style ode to alcohol and sadness. Do with it what you want.

The Strokes – “One Way Trigger”

The brand new single from The Strokes. From their upcoming album, Comedown Machine, due out on March 26. The new single has a lot of synths and a lot of classic Strokes-y sounds.

How To Dress Well – “& It Was U (Elite Gymnastics Remix)”

How To Dress Well’s Total Loss was one of the best reviewed albums of 2012. It got all kinds of silly genre identifications, like neo- or post-R&B. Elite Gymnastics takes one of the standout tracks and makes it a little dancier.