Mister Heavenly is a supergroup consisting of Honus Honus (Man Man), Nick Diamonds (Islands), and Joe Plumber (Modest Mouse). Though not an official member of the band (yet), while on tour supporting Passion Pit, Michael Cera played bass with the band. The group will have an album out via Sub Pop this year.

Download two (free!) Mister Heavenly songs via Paste Magazine.

Check the dates below and adjust your calendar if need be, I have a feeling these shows will be really good. I’m gonna try to catch both the Los Angeles (Troubadour) show and Costa Mesa (Detroit Bar), that way I don’t miss out on any of the aforementioned bands.

Braids – Lemonade

The song is 5 years old now, but if you haven’t heard it or if it’s been awhile, Do They Know It’s Halloween? is a must have addition for any Halloween playlist.

I’m not really sure who started the recent indie/hip hop fad, or if it’s even that new, but I know one thing…I enjoy it immensely.

Not that I dislike the genre, but I’m much more picky when it comes to the hip hop I like, and let’s be honest, mainstream hip hop is nothing to brag about these days. But as of late, there is an influx of hip hop artists embracing their indie music love. I’ve included a few of my favorite artists and tracks below, plus links to their websites. Definitely check out the websites, all of these artists have their mixtapes/albums/experiments available for free download.

Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino is the hip hop alter ego of Community’s, Donald Glover. Mr. Gambino has released three albums, one being a pair of mixtapes, from which the track below hails from. The I Am Just A Rapper mixtapes consist of popular indie tracks by Sleigh Bells, Animal Collective, The Knife, and more, with Gambino’s flow and lyrical skills slapped right on top…simple, yet effective. These mixtapes, and more, are available for free download here.

[mp3] childish gambino – my girls

Hoodie Allen

Hoodie Allen is a NY based rapper and songwriter, who’s been gathering quite a buzz on the blogosphere as of late. Hoodie’s most recent work samples a diverse array of artists from UK pop singers (Marina & the Diamonds) and indie rock staples (Death Cab for Cutie). The new mixtape, Pep Rally, is available for free download here.

[mp3] hoodie allen – you are not a robot

Rapdragons

I did post of Rapdragons not too long ago (here), but in case you missed it, Rapdragons is the hip hop duo of Nick Often and Greg Ward. Hailing from Baltimore, MD, the duo recently dropped the mixtape, Featuring Baltimore, which is a collection of hip hop tracks each sampling a different band from Baltimore, including Beach House and Future Islands. Featuring Baltimore is available for free download here.

[mp3] rapdragons – i went to her feat. seven (samples you came to me by beach house)