Once January is snoozed away, the first half of the year is a very busy time for new music. Hence, as we roll into February labels and artists are now releasing singles, videos and assorted miscellany (cover versions, tracklists etc).

MGMT has released the tracklist for Congratulations, the follow-up to its super surprise smash debut. They’re obviously pretty excited, having stuck up a countdown timer on their website. It was produced by Peter ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember of Spacemen 3 and mixed by Dave Fridmann, so expect lots of guitar feedback and distortion.

Erykah Badu is one of the most captivating artists working today. She may have earned an early reputation as a tame neo-soul singer on Baduizm, but she is today respected as an uncompromising and tough artist. Her New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) of 2008 was a rewarding listen, even if its dense and cerebral style took a few spins to understand – except for the sugar-hit of 'Honey'. She is now poised to drop its follow up New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), which seems set to push into more personal concerns than the strident political tone of Part One. ‘Window Seat,’ the first single, was officially leaked via Badu’s Twitter account over the weekend. It can be got directly here. In line with the expected shift to a subtler, analogue sound this track features ?uestlove on drums. See:



Joanna Newsom (or, rather, her label Drag City) has begun streaming 'Kingfisher,' the third track to be heard from her forthcoming album, Have One on Me. Newsom is never one to be afraid of duration and endurance, so 'Kingfisher' rollicks for nine minutes before the musicians can take their ease. Hear it on the Drag City site – link is over on the right. Press releases insist on calling the new album a triple LP, which is pretty confusing and wilfully archaic. What you need to know is that the album runs for a touch over two hours. Those with a harp allergy should stay well back from this one. Avoid record stores from the 23rd of February, if this applies to you.

Vampire Weekend, for all the discussion of their African cribbing, also pack quite a bit of punk and ska into their sound. So it’s no huge surprise to hear them perform a rough and ready cover of Rancid’s ‘Ruby Soho’ for the BBC. Make up your own mind – as the Rancid fans have been doing: “I LOVE Rancid, but this is absolutely horrible.” “ugh PUKE PUKE PUKE, worst cover ever, EVER. I have never hated anything so much in my entire life. what a bunch of fairyqueens.” Etc.



And one more divisive thing before we go. Wild Beasts are, depending on your viewpoint, a shit hot art-rock band or an insufferable bunch of arch wankers. (Me, I’m quite fond of them in small doses – but I’m an insufferably shit art-rock wanker.) Recent visitors here, they may have done alchemistical things with some audience members and/or writers. In this creepy clip, for ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancin On Our Tongues’ the band levitates or floats or drifts as horses gallop – and the voices do a bit of both.