Kyle Meredith rounds up the week’s best music.

Grimes – “Genesis”

Claire Boucher, the gal behind the mask called Grimes, was already set to have some buzz going into 2012.  After an EP and plenty of blog attention, the stage was set for the hype machine to roll even just a smidge.  And then she hit an indie jackpot.  After a release date was already set, the train halted to announce her signing with 4AD, the label responsible to folks like St. Vincent, Pixies and more.  Needless to say, this is all it took to catapult “Genesis”, the first single from the upcoming Visions, to the most blogged of the week.  It’s catchy, Asian influenced, trans-pop doesn’t hurt either.  Even if you don’t know the words, you’ll find yourself humming this one all week.  

The xx – “Open Eyes (Demo)”

2011 may have been a quieter year for these trip-hop revivalists, but it was a bit of a monster for Jamie XX.  “The shy one” remixed everyone from Adele to Gil Scott-Herron winning him the spot as one of the go-to DJ’s to get yo’ junk re-tooled.  Now with the day job back in motion, it’s all business.  The xx leaked this first demo out last week causing a flurry of chatter, even though we know Open Eyes will sound completely different once it’s finished.  

La Sera – “Please Be My Third Eye”

All in all, this week’s main battle is between two Vivian Girls (one current, one ex).  First up is La Sera, the new side project from Katy Goodman.  As with any Vivian/Dum Dum/etc. outfit, you should know to expect that 50’s girl-group-goes-punk sound that we’ve all fell in love with, and “Please Be My Third Eye Is No Exception.” 

Frankie Rose – “Know Me”

The other side of the coin is Frankie Rose (the ex Vivian/Dum Dum).  Know Me was the first song to await our new year ears and started the whole deal off with a lush, melodic attack on our pop brains.  Her full, Interstellar, arrived quicker (Feb 21), officially throwing the gauntlet down.  Game on, sister. 

Big Time Video: Iron & Wine – “Godless Brother In Love ”

Remember that day you spent with a big group of your friends?  The one that lasted a whole weekend and every moment was pure, innocent energy.  Luckily, someone got it all on camera and used Sam Beam as the soundtrack.  Amazingly, it’s just as perfect as I remember.