I’ve been holding back tears for about two weeks, ever since Yeasayer announced a summer tour and failed to schedule a stop in DC. Fortunately the Brooklyn boys, who have been sitting silent since debuting “The Devil and the Deed” on Conan a year ago, have been dropping hints left and right on Twitter about new music. This week, they more than made good on those hints (sigh of relief, as lying on Twitter is akin to lying in church in my book) by sending out free CDs of the track “Henrietta” to fans on the mailing list. Since Yeasayer soundtracked my graduation back in 2010, I’ve been wondering what I would have written in their yearbook, and I’m pretty sure I would have gone with the simple and effective NEVER CHANGE. “Henrietta” proves they haven’t yet.

STREAM: Yeasayer – “Henrietta”

Onuinu (pronounced “On you in you”) is Portland’s newest up-and-comer, Dorian Duvall. “Happy Home,” off his debut LP Mirror Gazer, weaves the shimmery strands of disco through heady hip-hop beats to create a unique friendship bracelet of a genre he likes to call “Disco-Hop.” Upbeat and laid back at the same time, just like a steamy summer night. “I hope you’re around when I’m in town,” he repeats like something out of a dream, and unfortunately his visit to my town will have to stay in my dreams for now, since his tour with YACHT this summer stays almost exclusively in the southernmost states of our great country. Catch the dates here, and start summer early with “Happy Home,” below.

MP3: Onuinu – “Happy Home”

Andy Hull’s solo project, Right Away, Great Captain, is coming to a close after more than five years. In his previous two albums, The Bitter End and The Eventually Home, Hull spun the tale of a cuckolded 17th century sailor, returning home to confront his unfaithful wife and her lover–his brother. His impeccable storytelling continues into the first song off The Church of the Good Thief, “Blame.” The song sounds particularly Mumford and Sons-y–certainly appropriate for the storyline’s heavily charged homecoming, but it will be interesting to see where the rest of the album goes as things start heating up. If you haven’t been following the Right Away, Great Captain odyssey, don’t fear–you have a whole month before The Church of the Good Thief is released and the trilogy’s long-awaited ending is revealed. Learn your lessons from that time one LOST spoiler wasted those hours spent squeezing in 2/3 of the series and get caught up now.

Stream: Right Away, Great Captain – “Blame”

Oh, girl. I know what it’s like–lost in a digital world with only your moleskine, bullied by older, cooler girls with sloppy eyeliner–sometimes the only thing to do is retreat into a garage, construct a cardboard robot complete with a headdress that would make Chief Powhatan himself “how” with delight, and take control of the streets. Such is the premise of Cut Copy’s new video for “Take Me Over,” directed by Ryan Patrick. The video stands in stark contrast to that of Fleetwood Mac’s impeccable “Everywhere,” from which “Take Me Over’s” hook is borrowed. Or perhaps this is an update from 1987; rather than fantasizing about riding ponies and living as a countryside princess, perchance girls today just want to kick some ass. Or maybe we’re finally getting a glimpse into the world beyond that weird door.

STREAM: Cut Copy – “Take Me Over”

Tom Vek‘s playing with my heart. Like the time my high school sweetheart tearfully but decisively broke up with me before leaving for college, I assumed 2005 would be not only the year I fell in love with Tom Vek but also the last time I ever heard from him. So when he reappeared out of the woodwork in 2011 with Leisure Seizure, I hesitated to re-open my heart to him, lest he evaporate into my OC-tinged nostalgia again. But less than a year later, he’s back again with the a shimmery new track called “You’ll Stay.” I’ll go out on a limb and say he hasn’t spent the past year on planning out the accompanying video, which is certainly not the most ambitious venture we’ve ever seen, but the tune itself will remind you why you fell in love in the first place.

Leisure Seizure is out now on Island Records.

Stream: Tom Vek – “You’ll Stay”

Some artists write songs with only one goal in mind: to make you dance. If there were an olympic event for making people want to jump around like some jump-roping puppy, Parisian group Nameless would take home the gold with “Angelina.” The almost shamelessly catchy chorus explores the universal struggle of getting snubbed on the dance floor, but like their relentless riffs, they’re not giving up any time soon. It’s a bit cheesy—maybe don’t listen to the lyrics if you’re not into that. Regardless, it’s fun as hell, and sometimes that’s all you need.

MP3: Nameless – “Angelina

Nothing about Clock Opera is effortless. If there’s anything bad to say about frontman Guy Connelly, it’s that he tries too hard, but in the same way Grizzly Bear tries too hard—the perfection throughout some songs is so striking you actually feel weighed down by how much effort went into crafting them. Like eating ice cream prepared with liquid nitrogen, you find yourself asking, “it’s good, but is it so good it was worth all the trouble?”

After listening to their new album, Ways to Forget I’d say yes. Calling it a “new album” is misleading; many of the songs have been floating around since as early as 2009. Now they’re finally coming together for the first time, like childhood friends who spent their college years on different coasts, counting down the days until they could graduate and share a flat in a foreign city with some pals they each picked up along the way. And while strong characters living together don’t always work out, the huge personalities of each track on Ways to Forget bring out the best in one another; like learning a new language, the intonations and crescendoes become predictable in an exciting way rather than growing old

Chose your own adventure: If you’re not familiar with their older songs, you can backtrack a bit with our coverage of “Lesson No. 7,” “Belongings,” their SXSW performances of “Once And For All” and “A Piece of String” and our interview with band. If you’re already acquainted with these excellent tracks, I recommend focusing your attention on Man Made, a night cruise in 5th gear, and “Move to the Mountains,” the soundtrack to your journey off the couch, out the door, and into the life you’ve always wanted. I got pretty stoked on the chorus of “The Lost Buoys,” as well, but I’m generally hesitant to recommend anything that “gets really good when the synths kick in.”

If you’re big into lyrics, Connelly’s obsession with impermanence and inescapable transience might strike you as heavy-handed, but again, nobody promised you subtlety. Stream the album below courtesy of Hype Machine. Ways To Forget is out now on Universal Island.

STREAM: Clock Opera – Ways To Forget

There are about 5 different states and one district that can claim hometown status to Jukebox the Ghost, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say what really matters is where a band meets and begins forming the foundation of their sound, even if they’re transient college students at the time. With that in mind, DC’s Jukebox the Ghost has suddenly announced a whole heap of good news, including a new album and summer tour dates. “Somebody” kicks off the upcoming album Safe Travels, and it’s about to become your summer crush. As in, get out of the pool, go grab a seat across from it on the trampoline, and cross your fingers the bottle spins straight to this song, because there’s no way it’s getting out of your head before the leaves start falling in September. And there’s no reason it should—Jukebox the Ghost is coming to 9:30 Club in June with our BFFLs Savoir Adore. Life just works out sometimes, you know?

And if all this isn’t enough, make sure to catch our interview with the GW boys here.

MP3: Jukebox the Ghost: “Somebody”

He might not be dapper, but this cartoon can dagger. Major Lazer, the souped-up, one-armed, 80′s-style animated soldier alter ego of Diplo and Switch, switches gears from his usual cage-dancing jump-offs to a slower, more heartfelt anthem with “Get Free,” featuring vocals from Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman. The collaboration highlights what both sides do best; the DJs’ irresistible hooks coupled with Coffman’s detached wailing creates a post-apocalyptic odyssey of a track, a vibe their video plays off as it follows Lazer from piles of dinosaur bones to open space, where he’s destined to shoot lasers into the nothingness alone. It’s new territory for the suddenly introspective reggae warrior, but it suits him. All soldiers reach this point eventually, no?

Anyway, if you’re lucky enough to be Eurotripping this summer, you can catch the duo on their EU 2012 tour. Otherwise, want to go halvsies on this little slice of Lite Brite heaven?

MP3: Major Lazer – “Get Free”

Thundercat is the guy everyone you want to hang with wants to hang with. He’s played bass for such diverse artists as Snoop Dogg, Suicidal Tendencies, Jessica Simpson, and most recently teamed up with Flying Lotus to release a solo album, The Golden Age Of Apocalypse. He cites drummer Tony Williams as inspiration for the decision to dabble in vocals, saying, “If Tony Williams can sing on his album, eff it! I can sing on my album!” Right on, Thundercat.

His new video for “Walkin’” takes his insane eclecticism even further. Because the next logical step after you’ve worked with everyone in music is to branch out to other industries, he casts porn star Havana Ginger as his leading lady. Although, I only gathered her occupation from the surprisingly informative youtube comments, so I can’t confirm that’s actually her trotting along beside him. For all I know, it’s the person in the horse mask, or the person with lazers for eyes. Because it’s essentially the music video version of this picture. Enjoy.

STREAM: Thundercat – “Walkin’”