Like LeBron James, we at FP aspire to the status of global icons.  But, like LeBron James, it is also our mission to put our hometown on the map.  Luckily we run a music blog, and our hometown is Brooklyn, which has more bands than Jamaica’s got mangoes.

Shortwave Sunshine is one of these bands, and (like borough-mates MiniBoone and Ava Luna), they happen to be one with our attention.  Formed in 2008 in the land of Truth or Consequences, they chose to migrate east and are reaping the rewards.  Their debut EP The Breakers can now be downloaded for pennies, and they will be playing a CD-release gig at Lower East Side institution The Living Room on June 1.   Their warm, whimsical guitar rock (reminiscent of New Jersey’s Real Estate or, more distantly, the great Galaxie 500) as well as their album art (pictured above) suggests that June 1 is in fact the perfect day for release:

Shortwave Sunshine – The Breakers (a flood)

Shortwave Sunshine – Stuck In New York

And now, on to musical goodies from a jam-packed week:

*As reported on Frontier Psychiatrist, the soundtrack from the new movie Twilight: Eclipse (we understand it involves vampires) will feature numerous indie luminaries.  Among them are Vampire (hehe) Weekend, whose contribution is brand-new and streaming below.

Vampire Weekend – Jonathan Low

Also see the band’s new video for the song “Holiday,” a fairly accurate representation of how Columbia University alumni spend their weekends:

Vampire Weekend – Holiday

*As reported everywhere earlier this week, Canadian collective Arcade Fire announced that its third full-length, entitled The Suburbs, on August 3 via Merge Records. Additionally, the band made public its first single (the album’s title track and B-side “Month Of May”), streaming below:

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Arcade Fire – Month Of May

*Bay-Area producer Madlib and the enigmatic MF DOOM, together known as Madvillain, have made available their first track since 2004′s Madvillainy, considered by some to be the best hip-hop record of the previous decade.  The song comes to us via the Adult Swim Singles Program, which will have a free new song for us every eight weeks from artists including LCD Soundsystem, Will Oldham, and up-and-comers Washed Out and Cults.

Madvillain – Papermill

*Beck, St. Vincent (the #3 woman in indie rock…with a bullet) and Liars have been busy covering each song from the classic INXS album Kicks one by one.  The latest entry, “Never Tear Us Apart:”

*Sick new dub-inspired mixtape (available for free download) from dancehall team Major Lazer and synth-poppers La Roux.  Busy week for Major Lazer’s Diplo, whose role in the life of one M.I.A. was discussed at length in the New York Times.  A sampling of the mixtape below (major bass warning):

Major Lazer and La Roux – Bulletproof (Nacey remix featuring Matt Hemerlein)

*The Tallest Man on Earth covers Paul Simon:
The Tallest Man on Earth – Graceland (Paul Simon Cover)

*And there was new stuff from Flying Lotus, Klaxons, Wavves…just way to much to be covered in this space.  Luckily, you have the whole weekend (the most Indy weekend of all) to sift through the week’s music.  Enjoy!