The most anticipated record of the year dropped today – Kanye West‘s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Ever since Mr. West debuted his 30-minute film, he’s been getting praises from other artists left and right. La Roux‘s Elly Jackson was impressed by Kanye’s choice in collaboration, to the point that she hails his latest as ‘amazing,’ ‘massive,’ and ‘a great hip hop record.’

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We are back with more MP3 deals from Amazon.com. We’ve found you a number of great albums on sale for only $5.00! In an effort to mix things up we have a variety of picks from things fun and dancey to more experimental music that may take a few listens to fully digest. Two of our BeatCrave Favs, La Roux and Sunset Rubdown, managed to make their way on this week. If you are a fan of Wolf Parade, you should definitely give Sunset Rubdown a listen, as both bands share the singer Spencer Krugg. There are also albums from Devendra Banhart, Les Savy Fav, Toyko Police Club, and Little Dragon. Happy shopping!

Take a look at the MP3 albums on sale right now….

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2009 was a great year in music, and we hope you enjoyed what it’s brought you. There’s been a wealth in reissues and limited edition releases, but new full-lengths will always be a thrill for music fiends like us.

So we count down the best albums of the year. Although there have been some great EPs and singles, this list includes only full-length albums that have been released in the US. Check our top 20 out below and let us know what you think!

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It’s that time again! We need you to vote for your favorite BeatCrave Fav for the month of July!

Each week we put up a poll of our favorite bands and let you vote. Our three top bands ready to go head to head for a chance to win our best of the month spot are…

The the soulful folk sounds with classic rock undertones of Humanlab (listen here), the colorful duality of British electro/synth-pop duo, La Roux (listen here), and the sultry vocals peppered with traditional folk sounds by 5-piece band, Cosio (listen here).

Don’t forget that the winner of this poll will receive a feature at the end of the month! Be sure to vote below…

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The Mercury Music Prize shortlist nominations are in, and indie artists have taken over! Usually dominated by mainstream artists, 2009′s shortlist nominations include some of our favorite artists.  The dreamy Bat For Lashes is nominated for her prolific Two Suns, Florence and The Machine (tomorrow’s BeatCrave Fav) is nominated for her powerful album, Lungs, our favorite androgynous duo, La Roux (and another one of our BeatCrave Favs) is nominated for their self-titled album, and of course, Glasvegas is in the mix!

The Mercury Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Each year 12 artists are chosen and are heavily promoted for their nominated album and one artist wins the glorious amount of £20,000. The Mercury Prize has a reputation for “being awarded to outside chances rather than the favorites,” but we couldn’t be happier with the short list nominees this year. See the list with all 12 artists below!

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First off, can someone explain to me why Sugar Ray is still making new records?!! Putting the old and no-longer relevant aside, we move to the old and  still worth our attention. This week 70-year old English singer-songwriter Ian Hunter has a new album dropping as well as 61-year-old America singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. These two prove, talent gets better over time. Bubble-gum pop/R&B singer Jordin Sparks, of American Idol fame, also has an album coming out this week and if anything, her amazing voice should inspire you to give her album a shot.

Here is a full list of albums coming out July 21st:

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We’ve picked out favorite artists of the week. Now it’s your turn to pick yours!

Is your favorite pop perfectionism with shouty-vocals of Other Girls (listen here)? Is it the colorful British electro/synth-pop duo, La Roux (listen here)? Is it the five-piece power-pop/punk band, Hey, Monday (listen here)? Or do you prefer the amazing dance-punk noise of Foals (listen here)?

The number one voted artist will receive a special BeatCrave feature at the end of the month. So support your favorite band and vote for them in our BeatCrave Fav Poll!

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British electropop duo La Roux (French for “the red-headed one”) is a colorful musical partnership, fronted by Elly Jackson and backed by composer/producer Ben Langmaid. With components of androgyny and a relative man-behind-the-curtain sensibility, La Roux has rhythmic feel akin to The Eurythmics, at times channeling David Bowie, if for the most part on account of alluring aesthetics. Their sound consists of rave-y and synth-y themes, making the urge to dance unavoidable, but at the same time incorporating matters of the heart – the most essential difference between the flavor of the week and the chance at achieving longevity.

While it is obvious the eighties are back, La Roux beholds a flexibility displayed even within their genre of choice. We are pleased in that La Roux is not limited to one size, fitting some. Their first single, “Quicksand”, was released last December; their self-titled debut was released earlier this year, and with a slew of tour dates added by audience demand, it seems that is is us here at BeatCrave who are the last to jump on their non-stop glammed-up train. If you as excited about them as much as we are, you know what to do – vote for them in Friday’s poll!

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