It’s easy to lose track of music’s current events in the summer.  Lucky for you, we’re ready to help catch you up. Blogs never take a vacation, so for those of you who might have actually spent some time outside instead of on the internet this summer, this is what you missed. For those who remained plugged in, I am sorry.

– Telepathe, “Chrome’s On It”
If Cassie had extra-terrestrial DNA and bled neon colors, this is what her music would sound like.  Where you’d expect drone mechanics, they give us something deliriously hooky. Attribute the wonder to their mutual love of synthesizers and Hot 97, the helping hand Dave Sitek lent, or bizarrely expressionless faces—it doesn’t matter.  Pop sensibility and all, they aren’t cute—and it doesn’t even matter.

– TV on the Radio, “Golden Age”
We all know and love TV on the Radio. Once fascinating in their stark, yet beautifully dark melodies, they’ve mixed things up just enough for their upcoming album. Funky and lush, their new LP should be just sweet enough to set the school year off right.

–David Byrne & Brian Eno, “Strange Overtones”
Each brilliant on their own right, when collaborating, David Byrne and Brian Eno are untouchable. And they seem to have sealed their legacy as a creative team, conquering the past and present with relevance and harmony. Byrne may wryly sing that “These beats are 20 years old,” but who cares? They are undeniably refreshing—these guys couldn’t be out of style if they tried.

–T-Pain featuring Lil Wayne, “Can’t Believe It”
Something tells me that T-Pain and Lil Wayne (T-Wayne, if you will), are seeking a slightly different route to legend status than Byrne/Eno. Rather than gracefully navigating the ever-changing musical landscape, they just create a totally new one.  Circus freaks and strippers galore, this first single off T-Pain’s forthcoming collaboration, Thr33 Ringz, stakes claim in a shining future for the pair. And one things for sure, the future sounds better in auto-tune.

– Discovery, “Orange Shirt”
Two pastel sweater clad, indie-prep favorites, Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, throw what sounds like “a little T-Pain on that shit.”  The result? Synthy and sweet.

– Chester French, “She Loves Everybody”
More Ivy League (Harvard, this time around) kids making beats in their basement and waves on the Internet.  Blogger Kanye West noticed, as did Pharrell, ultimately snagging this retro-pop duo. With a new record deal and a new marriage for Maxwell Drummey, one half of the duo, you should probably keep an eye out for them—literally.

– T.I. featuring Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne “Swagger Like Us”
Jay-Z “can’t wear skinny jeans cuz [his] knots don’t fit,” so sorry, kids—Hov’s just not that into your slim slacks. But don’t turn your back just yet! How about that gritty “Paper Planes” sample? At least he liked Pineapple Express. But real talk: sure, with these four on one track, they should be hitting it out of the park.  Regardless, that gritty the sample kind of bangs, and with that much swagger, who can complain?

– The Game featuring Lil Wayne, “My Life”
Most Altruistic Rapper in 2008: The Game. To Kanye West: “And since you helped me sell my dream, we can share my momma now.” Awwwwww.

– Jay-Z, “Jockin’ Jay-Z”
I was fully convinced for most of the summer that the world had forgotten music beyond “A Milli.” And then I heard it: “Jockin’ Jay-Z! Jockin’, jockin’ Jay-Z.” Kids on every street corner seemed to be singing this hyped up chorus. Viva la Blueprint 3.

– Young Jeezy, “Vacation”
Too soon?