Remix xl

She may be responsible for one of the ultimate cheerleader anthems, but Avril Lavigne's material is hardly suited to floor-filling dance routines, which makes this latest compilation from the Essential Mixes series seem rather superfluous. Indeed, perhaps mirroring her recent acknowledgment that she had to fight against record label interference to prevent her recent album, Goodbye Lullaby, from taking a more dance-led direction, these ten tracks are hardly a club-friendly affair…

Mixing well-read indie rock with joyful, Afro-pop-inspired melodies and rhythms, Vampire Weekend grew from one of the first bands to be championed by music bloggers into a chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning act that helped define the sound of indie music in the late 2000s and 2010s. After establishing the foundations of their bright, intricate style with 2008's Vampire Weekend, the band soon became hugely successful; they're the first indie rock act to have two consecutive albums (2010's Contra and 2013's Modern Vampires of the City) enter the Billboard 200 at number one. With each release, Vampire Weekend's music grew more diverse, incorporating ska, hip-hop, and '80s pop influences that nevertheless complemented their signature style. Similarly, the band weathered the loss of founding member Rostam Batmanglij to deliver some of their most polished and ambitious work with 2019's Father of the Bride, their third chart-topper.