Download Tracks of the Week

This week we're highlighting a stunner from The National, a sensational collaboration from Crystal Castles and Robert Smith and a band so fresh it probably needs another half-hour in the oven.

The National, Terrible Love. Download here.

There is a lengthy, pointless silence at the start of this clip for which we must apologise, but by God is it worth enduring for the song that comes afterwards. The National have featured on the Download Tracks of the Week before, but with Terrible Love they have very much earned a second mention. Terrible Love builds, builds and builds some more to the point where it sounds like the top of Matt Berninger's head is going to pop off if he keeps singing in baritone.

The National came out of Ohio over a decade ago but have really hit the big time with their latest album, High Violet. Here’s to ten more years if they keep managing to come up with tracks like this.

Listen here:

Crystal Castles, Not In Love ft. Robert Smith. Download from 6 December

Canadian electronic head-the-balls Crystal Castles have become known for their timely collaborations almost as much as they have for their work in their own right. That said, they have a reputation for cracking live shows, and this has seen them make it onto the bill at NME shows, among others.

Anyway, for what is the second of the band’s tracks to make it onto JOE’s Download Tracks of the Week they managed to dig up Robert Smith. That’s right, the chap from The Cure with the shit haircut. Anyway, he does well in fairness to him and his vocal, combined with some sensational production on Not In Love, has turned this into a track that you simply have to sit down and listen to.

Listen here:

Just Morale, Do Ya Like It.

The sandwich I had for lunch earlier has a Wikipedia page, a YouTube channel and an iTunes account, but UK rock and rollers Just Morale have somehow yet to get sorted. They have, however, managed to create a string of anthemic, turbo-charged indie rock monsters which they've loaded up onto their MySpace page that would bring to mind the likes of The Rifles and The Fratellis. It suggests that recognition by Wikipedia, and all the other trappings of fame and fortune, can’t be too far away.

In the meantime, however, we’ll have to wait for them to get a few clips up on YouTube and some tracks onto iTunes. Get the finger out!

Click here to listen.