His Name Is Cornel, and He Is Funky

1. Cornel West and Prince, “Dear Mr. Man�
In this unlikeliest of collabos, Prince wonders, “What’s wrong with the world today?� Problem 1: Insane purple-suited funk legends making songs with blowhard sociologists. [Pampelmoose]

2. The Crimea and Regina Spektor, “Raining Planets�
If you like this spacey slice of Pixies-ish indie rock (with an odd little poem from spooky Regina Spektor as an intro), you’re in luck: The Crimea have made their entire new album available for free at their official Website. [Faronheit]

3. Toadies, “Beauty School Drop Out�
It’s back-to-school time, which means the kids are out of the house, the college freshman are learning about booze, and covers from long-forgotten post-grunge bands are unearthed for thematic effect. [Covert Curiosity]

4, Department of Eagles, “No One Does It Like You�
Featuring one half of Grizzly Bear and a dude named Fred, Department of Eagles make scratchy, low-fi Casio-pop with hooks as big as arena anthems. [Music Is Art]

5. Papoose, “Fitted Hat Low�
Along with Saigon, Papoose is a next-big-thing rapper whose album seems perpetually on hold. In the meantime, he’ll keep burning up mix tapes and regretting his past associations with Busta Rhymes. [Gillmore Boy]
—Kyle Anderson