SEE & HEAR: Boards of Canada - "Reach For the Dead"

With a group like Boards of Canada, atmosphere is everything. The elusive, mysterious Scottish electronic duo of Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin will release their fourth studio album, Tomorrow's Harvest, on June 10th in Europe and June 11th in the U.S. via Warp. It marks the duo's first release of new music in seven years. They just shared a Neil Krug-directed music video for the album's first single "Reach for the Dead," which you can catch below. It's a sweeping journey through valleys, desert, and abandoned structures. Matched with the soothingly eerie soundtrack, it feels rather lively despite each shot capturing rather lonely, forgotten corners of the world.

The sequence that starts around 3:26 is pure magic and visually mesmerizing.

LISTEN: The Zolas - "Knot In My Heart" (Nacey Remix)

Having a music blog as a hobby is one of the many great pleasures in life, but, as it is a hobby and not my full-time gig, I miss a lot of great music. Take for example The Zolas. I've seen their name around the web a fair amount over the past few months, but I've never truly listened to them until now. And what do I have to thank for that? Well, a remix of all things. And if you've followed Mixtape Muse over the past 7 years, you know I'm not the biggest fan of remixes. But this excellent Nacey remix of the band's great single "Knot In My Heart" has turned my ears towards The Zolas. The original's avant-pop is morphed into an enrapturing electro sound that's just ever so slightly chilled around the edges.

Holy Ghost! Debut New Single "Dumb Disco Ideas"

Photo by Harry McNally

Holy Ghost!'s excellent self-titled debut album (and my #8 album of 2011) is one of the few releases of the past few years that I've continued to return to. It's got pop appeal, fantastic production, and beats to keep you dancing for days. Needless to say, their next album is highly anticipated around these parts.

The NYC duo just released their new single "Dumb Disco Ideas" from their forthcoming sophomore album, Dynamics. Accompanying the song is a time lapse video of the band's gear set up on a rooftop deck. As day turns to night and night back to day, the band's lightboxes illuminate to the beat. The song itself is an eight minute disco-funk epic that might as well soundtrack your nonstop day/night party.

Hear "Dumb Disco Ideas" below.

"...Like Clockwork" Queens of the Stone Age Reveal More New Music

For those who may not have heard, Queens of the Stone Age are set to release their long-awaited follow up to 2007's Era Vulgaris on June 4th via Matador. The new album, entitled ...Like Clockwork, is the band's sixth full-length and features a number of guests including longtime collaborator Mark Lanegan, former bassist Nick Oliveri, Alex Turner, and Dave Grohl. Earlier today, the band revealed a colorful, dark animated video for a new song called "I Appear Missing." See and hear the track below.

LISTEN: Hey Anna - "Dance Until Three"

MP3: Hey Anna - "Dance Until Three"

Shortly before my grandfather passed away a number of years ago, he gave me a collection of cassette tapes featuring big band and pop songs from the World War II era. A lot of the groups featured on these compilation tapes were girl groups, the kind with the sweetest, most golden harmonies -- to the point that they sounded just a notch above angelic. Outside the fact that their harmonies were immaculate and they were the epitome of charming, their songs were infectious. Way before auto-tune and modern day recording magic, these ladies were crafting pop perfection during a rather depressing period of history -- so, of course, their sound was all the more rewarding and welcomed.

I always wonder what these girl groups might sound like in a modern context, but outside of the mainstream pop paradigm. With "Dance Until Three," I feel like Hey Anna are the embodiment of that dream, filtered through an indie pop lens.

LISTEN: Brass Bed - "I'll Be There With Bells On"

MP3: Brass Bed - "I'll Be There With Bells On"

"I'll Be There With Bells On" is a raw but polished, jangly but melodious song that's sure to open the book on a great summer. Scrappy, earnest, joyous, and all-around lovely. It's like ice cream melting in the summer heat, or like finding out that the cute girl in your office likes you, too. This is the sound of a new beginning, foreshadowing the best days on the horizon.

LISTEN: Lunar Maria - Beginnings

Camera shy.

Lunar Maria is the new project from Bluejay's Matthew Livick. And while it recalls the sound of that band to an extent, this solo venture illustrates the impressive scope of his artistic vision as he both wrote and performed every part on Lunar Maria's debut, a 2-song EP entitled Beginnings, which was released yesterday. It's an anthemic, electrifying set of electro pop that leaves little to be desired.

The EP's second track "Roger" is like Passion Pit, Peter Gabriel, and Talking Heads hanging out with its layers of synthesizers framing wily guitar riffs and progressions. Take that for what you will as I haven't slept much recently -- so I may be crazy -- but I can say with certainty that it's slick, fun, a pinch abstract, and quietly profound to make for a strong debut.

Livick is donating every cent earned on the release to The Trevor Project. Grab/hear the whole thing below.