How To Dress Well‘s Total Loss still stands as my favorite album of 2012, so whenever any new piece of music comes out with Tom Krell’s name attached you can bet that my eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. I was particularly excited to hear about his recent pairing with dance music mastermind Jacques Greene on “On Your Side.” Though the track takes Krell a bit out of his comfort zone, Jacques’ delightful uptempo garage house beats and How To Dress Well’s luscious R&B falsetto fit together perfectly. Stream it below.

Jacques Greene’s On Your Side EP comes out June 3rd.

STREAM: Jacques Greene – “On Your Side (Ft. How To Dress Well)”

Francis Farewell Starlite is a bit of a renaissance man. He has production credits on Drake’s “Karoake,” is a fantastic singer/songwriter with three albums under his belt (including the incredible It’ll Be Better), scored the film Robot & Frank, and last, but not least, is a fantastic dancer with skills reminiscent of the late James Brown and Michael Jackson. With talent like this you can only imagine how painful these past two years have been without any new material from Francis and the Lights, but pain be gone because yesterday Francis released a brand new single titled “ETC.” Once again we find him honing in on his unique sound mixing early-’80s lite-funk with R&B and piano pop. Stream it below.

STREAM: Francis and the Lights – “ETC”

Our favorite noir-poppers in Lovelife are back with a sultry new track, “Every Minute.” The song will appear on the BK/London outfit’s upcoming split with tour-mates The Neigbourhood. It’s a match made in monochrome heaven. Stream it below.

STREAM: Lovelife – “Every Minute”

Abel Tesfaye has unveiled the eponymous track from The Weeknd‘s upcoming LP, Kiss Land. Clocking in at just under eight minutes long, “Kiss Land” is a sprawling, multi-layered version of the R&B we’ve come to love from Tesfaye. Stream it above.

LA producers Bixel Boys are back at it again, re-opening the vault for their glitzy new remix of Robin Thicke’s delicious “Blurred Lines.” The duo kept the core of the song while transforming it from a dance-between-the-sheets track to a dance-floor appropriate model by adding some shrill highs and a quicker bassline. The result is another disco-leaning remix from the Boys, who seem eager to corner the market.

Warning: Topless models and sheep sold separately.

STREAM: Robin Thicke – “Blurred Lines (ft. T.I. & Pharrell) [Bixel Boys VIP Edit]

Mikky Ekko is best known for writing and appearing on Rihanna’s hit single, “Stay,” but out of view from watchful eyes Mikky is strategically plotting his full-fledged debut on the scene. His latest track “Disappear”  – along with previous releases “Pull Me Down” and “Chained” — show Mikky’s desire to not only gain name recognition but also earn the respect of his peers as an incredible singer, songwriter and producer. A blossoming layer of ambient sounds flourish underneath Mikky’s undeniably luscious voice. It all makes for a track worthy of everyone’s ears. Stream it below.

STREAM: Mikky Ekko – “Disappear”

Remember the moment in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze when Shredder, previously thought to be dead, punches his hand through the rubble in the NYC trash dump and eight-year-old you was like “OH SHIT SHREDDER IS STILL ALIVE!! AHHH!!” and then your Mom yelled at you for using a bad word? Mariah Carey pulled a Shredder-punches-his-hand-out-of-the-rubble this weekend. We all thought she was gone. But oh good sweet lord, she is back.

And what a way to come back! It’s almost like she’s been waiting on some gold-gilded throne for the past few years, Nick Cannon feeding her grapes, biding her time until R&B made its return and the Queen could reign again. She drafted in Miguel, one of the new great hopes of the genre. She titled the song “#Beautiful,” because she knows how to use hashtags and is in with the kids these days and she’s fucking Mariah Carey and can do whatever she wants. The song is three minutes and 22 seconds long and features little more than Mariah and Miguel saying someone is beautiful. And you know what? That’s enough. Don’t you dare question Mariah. Don’t even think about questioning Mariah.

STREAM: Mariah Carey – “#Beautiful (Ft. Miguel)”

After an extended period of silence, Jamie Isaac will be putting out a proper release this year in the form of his debut EP, I Will Be Cold Soon. Last April Isaac gave an interview for DIY in which he stated that he wanted to take 2012 to, “solidify further how [he] wants [his] music to evolve.” Based on “Softly Draining Seas,” he spent that time well. Complete with percussion that brings back memories of LCD’s “Dance Yrself Clean” and piano chords/vocals that would make even James Blake pause and applaud, “Softly Draining Seas” is a beautiful piece asserting Isaac’s impending arrival. Stream it below.

STREAM: Jamie Isaac – “Softly Draining Seas”

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when Neon Gold Records speaks, the world should listen. Well they have spoken, this time about a single from ASTR called “Operate.”

Hailing from the always musically impressive New York City, ASTR has emerged onto the blogosphere with ferocity, employing elements of indie R&B and hip-hop in a style not too unlike that of Until The Ribbon Breaks. It’s hard not feeling like the coolest thing since sliced bread when “Operate” blasts through your car speakers with the windows down. Download it below.

MP3: ASTR – “Operate”

Hiatuses are as much about new beginnings as they are ends. Such is the case with Bodi Bill‘s Mariechen Denz & Alex Stolze, who went on to form UNMAP after the dissolution of their alma mater. The Berlin four-piece, which also includes Matthias Geserick and Thomas Fietz, has already captured and charmed audiences with their distinctive indie R&B sound. Their latest single, “When To Lead And When To Follow,” hits you from the get go with a moody, soul infused force that’s both majestic and haunting. This one shouldn’t go unheard. Download it below.

UNMAP’s “When To Lead And When To Follow” will see release on May 10th via German label Sinnbus.

MP3: UNMAP – “When To Lead And When To Follow”