To start things off we have LA act ††† (CROSSES). They really nail a particular strain of dark, gothic Robert Smith-y electropop. It’s pulls of a delicate balancing act between being catchy and moody at the same time.

St. Lucia turns Foster the People‘s track “Don’t Stop” into an awesome 80′s Billy Idol style 80′s hair rock track. by cranking up the chugging, distorted guitar riff. Hell there’s even a sax solo during the breakdown.

One of the premier French DJ’s of late Yuksek has produced a slew of hits over the past few year. Here, his song “Off the Wall” gets an edit from fellow countryman Brodinski, who chops up the song’s vocals to make a super hot beat.

Tu Fawning provides a brief respite with “Bones” the beautifully elegiac lead single from their upcoming sophomore album A Moment. The song is

From there we’re right back on the dancefloor with Codes’ remix of “Hooked.” It’s a pretty huge disco flavored house track – blasting an armada sized assault of distorted synths.

A real highlight on this Essentials playlist is L-Vis 1990′s remix of D’Angelo’s classic track “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” L-Vis 1990′s edit manages to retain the smooth sensuality of the original while giving it a little Night Slugs juke. One of the hottest labels in England right now, Night Slugs artists occupy a musical sweet spot between dubstep, garage and R&B.

Progressive South African musician Spoek Mathambo wraps things up with his energetic, funky track “Let them Talk.” Definitely an artist to keep an eye on Mathambo has been turning heads by putting African sounds and rhythms into new musical context and bringing them to a wider audience.

So get listening and enjoy the free music. Let us know which songs were your favorites in the comments.

Click HERE to check out past RCRD LBL Essentials Playlists

Vacationer - “Trip”

Practicing a laid back  take on a life and music, Vacationer‘s music espouses the qualities a good break from everyday life. Their song “Trip” exudes the exploratory, wondrous qualities of visiting a new place for the first time – the blend of soulful samples and nature field recordings creates a relaxing environment for you to slip into  for a few minutes and get away from everything.

Electric Guest - “This Head I Hold”

Los Angeles based duo Electric Guest is the brainchild of frontman Asa Tacone (younger brother to The Lonely Island/ SNL’s Jorma Taccone). Despite it being a newcomer to the scene, Electric Guest boasts some serious pedigree on their new album, courtesy of producer Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), and their funky indie-pop is as creative and catchy as you’d expect from music that bears his name.

White Denim - “Street Joy”

Austin rockers White Demin have been cranking out quality energetic guitar rock for a number of years now, but their new album D, their first on Downtown Records, takes their sound to the next level. The track “Street Joy” is an expert exercise in creating power through subtly and restraint. Quiet guitars, a lonely organ and singer James Patrelli’s plaintive vocals mesh to create a true sense of atmosphere.

Click HERE to see other Label of the Week Profiles!

Guxxi Vump kicks things off with dark, baroque edit of Lana Del Rey‘s “Born To Die.” The song’s atmosphere ratchets up the original’s somber undertones, emphasizing its string section and chopping Lana Del Rey‘s vocals to give them a haunting, somewhat deranged sound. The whole affair is set to a massive bassline that keeps the track punchy throughout.

Continuing the dark and dangerous theme, Alec Empire and Atari Teenage Riot team up to mess with NYC electro actSALEM. In a curious situation (perhaps emblematic of the self referential nature of electronic music), the track “Better Off Alone” is actually SALEM‘s remix of the classic eurobeat track by Alice Deejay. So, to recap – we have two artists, remixing a song that is a remix of another song. This drugged out, slow motion version of the original paints it in a whole new light though – giving the original track’s triumphant synth lines an ominous feel.

Following that, Nick Waterhouse switches things up with a classy big band style track. Full of soul, “Some Place” shows Waterhouse to be a powerful vocalist and talented songwriter who is bringing back a long undervalued style of music.

Beach Fossils serve up some perfectly executed dreamy indie pop with their song “Shallow,” and Kris Menace gives us another foreboding-yet-sexy dance track with his remix of Depeche Mode‘s classic “Fragile Tension.” Superhumanoids lay the 80′s pastiche on thick with “Geri,” which sounds like a bonus track to a Tears for Fears Greatest hits Collection. White Arrows wraps things up with their remix of Active Child‘s “Johnny Belinda.”

Forming in the fall of 2008, the label has arguably one of the most exciting eclectic rosters around, with the likes of Grimes, TOPS and Tonstartssbandht providing a well-crafted experimental take on styled pop music.

Arbutus continues to develop a scene and culture, with each member’s success contributing to the success of the whole. Individual talents combine for a stronger product and artistic identity.

Sean Nicholas Savage - You Changed Me
Taken from his December 2011 release ‘Flamingo, Montreal based Sean Nicholas Savage was the first ever artist released on Arbutus. Sitting somewhere between a mix of electro pop and eighties disco funk, Sean Nicholas Savage is truly one of a kind!

Click HERE for a free download of “You Changed Me”

TOPS - Turn Your Love Around

The Montreal based four-piece create highly addictive melodic pop songs. Recorded and reworked several times by the band at La Brique, the loft venue which serves as the creative hub for Arbutus Records

Click HERE for a free download of “Turn Your Love Around”

Tonstartssbandht – Shot To La Parc

Tonstartssbandht comprises of two Florida based brothers, that released a 12″ on Arbutus in 2011 and will be touring North America in the spring (with some shows at SXSW)- they also have two solo projects, Eola and Andy Boay respectively.
Click HERE for a free download of “Shot To La Parc”

Click HERE for more Label of the Week features and click HERE for more info about Arbutus Records on Last.fm.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

MP3.com Pick: Adele  “Rolling in the Deep”

Winner: Adele  “Rolling in the Deep”

Nominees:

“Rolling In The Deep”
Adele
Paul Epworth, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Mark Rankin, engineers/mixers
Track from: 21
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

“Firework”
Katy Perry
Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Sandy Vee, producers; Mikkel S. Eriksen, Phil Tan, Sandy Vee & Miles Walker, engineers/mixers
[Capitol]

“Holocene”
Bon Iver
Justin Vernon, producer; Brian Joseph & Justin Vernon, engineers/mixers
Track from: Bon Iver
[Jagjaguwar]

“Grenade”
Bruno Mars
The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers
Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans
[Elektra]

Click HERE to watch the Last.fm Presents exclusive live studio recording of “The Cave”

“The Cave”
Mumford & Sons
Markus Dravs, producer; Francois Chevallier & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers
Track from: Sigh No More
[Glassnote Records]

Record of the Year celebrates the achievement of an entire recording process. Many listeners don’t realize how much effort goes into getting a song to sound exactly the way it does on a recording – there is a long way between the artist sitting down to write a song and the actual finished product. There are many decisions that go into creating the sound of a recording – what instruments to include, how they are recorded, what sort of effects are applied – that determine really what kind of a song it will be. To wit, Katy Perry‘s song “Firework” could just as easily have been a punk song if it was recorded differently.

Without further ado, here are this year’s nominees:

“Rolling In The Deep”
Adele
Paul Epworth, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Mark Rankin, engineers/mixers
Track from: 21
[XL Recordings/Columbia Records]

“Firework”
Katy Perry
Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Sandy Vee, producers; Mikkel S. Eriksen, Phil Tan, Sandy Vee & Miles Walker, engineers/mixers
[Capitol]

“Holocene”
Bon Iver
Justin Vernon, producer; Brian Joseph & Justin Vernon, engineers/mixers
Track from: Bon Iver
[Jagjaguwar]

“Grenade”
Bruno Mars
The Smeezingtons, producers; Ari Levine & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers
Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans
[Elektra]

Click HERE to watch the Last.fm Presents exclusive live studio recording of “The Cave”

“The Cave”
Mumford & Sons
Markus Dravs, producer; Francois Chevallier & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers
Track from: Sigh No More
[Glassnote Records]

Each of these nominees are strong candidates in their own right, but for our pick we’re going to go with Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” It’s instrumental production creates a huge sound to compliment Adele’s powerful vocals.

Who is your pick for Best Pop Group Performance? Let us know in the comments!

Related: MP3.com Grammy Coverage

Electronic artist Silkie  kicks things off with his remix of the Scissor Sisters and Krystal Pepsy (aka Azaelia Banks)’s new collaboration track “Shady Love.” The song is an interesting meeting of the minds between two of New York’s most interesting artists. Scissor Sisters, a combination of electropop, rock and gay burlesque show, has brought what used to be an underground style of music into the mainstream with their amazing pop songs.

Azaelia Banks, at just 20 years old, has exploded onto the hip hop scene via a few singles that showcased her malleable rapping and singing skills. In particular, her song “212″ earned her huge critical praise for the variety of vocal styles she employs, as well as her in-your-face-rhymes.

Silkie’s remix gives the track some extra bounce and kick, but otherwise lets these stars do their thing.

Wild Nothing is the stage name of singer songwriter Jack Tatum. He first garnered attention with an awesome cover of the Kate Bush classic “Cloudbursting,” but as you can hear on his track here, “Nowhere,” he writes great songs himself too. It’s mellow, melodic indie pop done right.

Another New York artist, Matthew Dear, contributes his new single “In the Middle (I Met You There).” Dear has had an interesting career path as a musician, starting out as a producer of highbrow electronic music, he now dabbles in some singer/ songwriter territory – albeit still as an electronic producer. His unique style continues to evolve.

Check out the rest of the mix for more dreamy indiepop from Vacationer, some sweet shoegaze from Young Prisms, and more from If These Trees Could Talk and Elephant and Castle.

Cascine came into inception when Sandra Croft met Jeff Bratton in early 2011. In addition to Jeff and Sandra, Cascine also includes Jason Romanelli, Jason Kapiskosky and Lucy Bridger. All share the management, press, art directions and production duties of running the label.

There is a lot of emphasis on ‘family’ at Cascine. They work very closely with all their bands in every area of the presentation of their music. They cite the relationships formed from this have turned out to become one of the most fulfilling things about Cascine.

RxGibbs - Futures

First up on Cascine’s 2012 release schedule was Michigan based producer RxGibbs.  The title track from that six-song release is blend of lush electronics and minimal shoegaze, which in turn provoke yearnings for the summer.

Click HERE for a free download of “Futures”

Jensen Sportag - Everything Good

With a name apparently taken from a Danish tennis player, this Nashville, Tennessee based duo play a concoction of sleek R&B and woozy electro pop.  Pure Wet was released in Feb 2011 and their new album is expected summer 2012.

Click HERE for a free download of “Everything Good”

World Tour – Sparks

World Tour is Felix, Tobias and Merike. Breaking out of Northern Sweden, the trio make beautiful, textured dreamy pop. ‘Sparks’ became Cascine’s spiritual starting point for 2011. Little is still known about the trio but their debut EP ‘Believe’ will be released March 2012.

Click HERE for a free download of “Sparks”

Click HERE for more Label of the Week features and click HERE for more info about Cascine on Last.fm.

This year’s nominees for Best Pop Group Performance are:

“Pumped Up Kicks”
Foster The People
Track from: Torches
[Star Time Intl./Columbia]

“Paradise”
Coldplay
[Capitol Records]

“Body And Soul”
Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
Track from: Duets II
[Columbia Records]

“Dearest”
The Black Keys
Track from: Rave On Buddy Holly
[Fantasy]

“Moves Like Jagger”
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
Track from: Hands All Over
[A&M/Octone Records]

Picking a winner from this group is no easy task, it’s jam packed with some of the biggest names in music and each of them bring something different to the table. Foster the People have had an incredible break out year with their huge single “Pump Up Kicks.”

Amy Winehouse delivered an amazing performance with Tony Bennet with their cover of “Body and Soul,” and her tragic, untimely death this past year gives this entry and extra “X” factor.

Perennial favorites Coldplay  have managed to deliver for the umpteenth time on their new album Mylo Xyloto, whose single “Paradise” has been everywhere.

Early 00′s garage rock survivors The Black Keys have had an enormous year as well, following up on the success of 2010′s Brothers with El Camino, an album that adds a little T. Rex style glam rock to their sound.

“Moves Like Jagger” features two pop heavyweights in Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera. On star power alone, it seems like this track could win. The fact that it’s a great song to boot makes it another serious contender.

It’s a close call between all of these entries, but we’re going to have to go with Foster the People‘s “Pumped Up Kicks” for our pick on Best Pop Group Performance. The insane catchiness of the track combined with the huge breakout year the band has had gives the track an edge over the competition.

Who is your pick for Best Pop Group Performance? Let us know in the comments!

Related: MP3.com Grammy Coverage

The nominees for the Alternative Music category are always among the most interesting selections for the Grammys, because by definition “Alt” music is generally the kind of stuff that’s antithetical to winning major awards. By giving the genre its own category the Grammys are recognizing the growing popularity (and market share) of music that is considered outside of standard genre boundaries.

Without further ado, this year’s nominees for Alternative Album of the Year are:

Bon Iver - Bon Iver
[Jagjaguwar]

Codes And Keys - Death Cab For Cutie
[Atlantic/ Barsuk]

Torches - Foster The People

[Star Time Intl./ Columbia]

Circuital - My Morning Jacket

[ATO Records]

The King Of Limbs -Radiohead
[XL/ TBD Records]

This years nominees are a particularly strong field. Heavyweights likeRadiohead, Death Cab For Cutie and My Morning Jacket all turned out stellar albums in 2011, Foster the People had one of the biggest singles of the year with their smash summertime hit “Pumped Up Kicks,” and Bon Iver has established himself as one of the most exciting new artists around  with two critically acclaimed albums to his own name, plus his high profile work on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

It’s a tough call to make but we’re going to go with Bon Iver. Topping many people’s end of year lists, it is a truly special album that represents huge growth for the artist stylistically and technically. Having blown up just a few years ago with his surprise hit of a debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver is about as unlikely of an Grammy candidate as they come, but I guess that’s the point of the Alternative Music category!

Who do you think is going to win? Let us know in the comments!