Holy hipster. This Is Next is a Mack truck of a mixtape. VICE Records and MTV2 have come together like Voltron and put together one hell of a collection of the biggest hits from rock's left field. Seriously, we're talking Hummer-sized hits. The lineup reads like the guest list at an after party of a fantasy Glastonbury-meets-Intonation festival we wish someone would hurry up and organize already: Bloc Party, The Hold Steady, The Shins, Neko Case, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cat Power, Spoon, Sonic Youth and more. (Oh yeah, and the pretend festival would magically be free.)
And while these artists are both totally of-the-now, you can't help but listen and think, "Self, when I am old, grey and saggy will this be the definitive sound of my youth?" Will this album be just as significant as an artifact of our young lives as it will be a current Saturday night soundtrack? As everyone's favorite polar pixie Bjork said "possibly maybe."
Anyway, your new favorite mixtape hits shelves tomorrow, but those of you lacking in patience can stream the whole thing RIGHT NOW, only on The Leak. And check out videos by the "Next" artists on this episode of "Subterranean."