Caught in the Net - Peaking Lights up your life

Peaking Lights

This week saw the physical release for the first time in the UK of the excellent Peaking Lights album 936. Aaron Coyle and Indra Dunis, the Wisconsin pair behind the experimental electro group, first released the record in

March through the interesting LA label Not Not Fun. Last week, the duo filled their website, 936.fm, with 10 hours of constantly streaming music dug out from the far reaches of their eclectic record collection. This week the website has a procession of remixes of tracks from the album by the likes of Adrian Sherwood, Dam-Funk, Patten and D'Eon. But don't forget the main event: 936 is a great, moody record full of weird dub sounds, psychedelia and electronica – get it online, on CD, vinyl, whatever floats your boat.

A few tracks more

Saint Bartlett, the indie-folk meets alt-country album by the US singer-songwriter Damien Jurado, was one of the highlights of 2010. He returns in February with the follow-up record Maraqopa. Jurado has showcased "Nothing Is the News", the first track to emerge from the record – it's a free download at ind.pn/s5ACZz. It follows a similar line of attack as Saint Bartlett – Jurado's ghostly bass vocals are certainly intact – though to my ears it seems a little more expansive, with a spaghetti Western feel and more aggressive guitar lines.

He's not a believer

There's no avoiding it: we're entering the Christmas run-in. And the starter's pistol has been fired from an unlikely hand; that of Gruff Rhys. This week the ever-busy solo artist, collaborator and Super Furry Animal announced details of a new Christmas EP to be released on 19 December, on vinyl and digital formats. The record is titled Atheist Xmas, so you would be safe to assume it won't be your typical Christmas offering. True to form, the first track, "Slashed Wrists This Christmas", is streaming at ind.pn/shq0BN. It's a downbeat piano and organ-led affair, with mournful lyrics that tackle depression and suicide.

Harry's tribute to Chicago house

The Brooklyn-based DJ Harry Bennett, feeling in generous mood, uploaded a three-part mix – clocking in at almost three hours – chronicling the evolution of American house music, specifi-cally in Chicago, in the 1980s. It's available at soundcloud.com/dj-harry-bennett. The whole project has been made with CCC Editions, and there are more details at ccceditions.com/. "Continuing the creative curatorial spirit of Harry Smith's 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, this anthology presents the legacy of American acid house in three themed mixes," they explain. "Each mix contributes to the recognition of this musical subgenre, originating in late 1980s Chicago, as itself a rich strain of folk music."

l.ryan@independent.co.uk