I have no idea who this guy is, but I want to be him. And, you know, I was thinking about spending this summer teaching myself how to play guitar. But after this, I have absolutely no hope. Seriously, he just ran through 100 damn riffs, without hesitation. How do you even remember all those songs, let alone play them without thinking twice? This dude packs in everything from Black Sabbath and the Beatles to Modest Mouse and St. Vincent. Thank you guitar god! Watch this video and share your thoughts below.

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10. Mastodon/Feist: Commotion/Black Tongue

Don’t pretend like you don’t want to hear Mastodon covering Feist and vice versa. Even if you only like one of these acts, you know your curiosity is wylin’ out to hear these tunes. Probably. Oh wait, you can just listen below!

9. Gorillaz: DoYaThing

You have probably already played “DoYaThing” — Gorillaz’ collaboration with Andre 3000 and James Murphy — to death since it dropped earlier this year. But now you can own the crazy-ass 13-minute version on vinyl. Why not, right?

8. St. Vincent: KROKODIL

No one outside of St. Vincent‘s circle has heard the studio version of “Krokodil” yet. This limited-edition single changes that. Also, we heard she gets pretty wild on here with her guitar. Rawk.

7. Flaming Lips: Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends

This would be higher on the list if the music we’ve heard from it was better and not just completely spaced-out psych-rock. While that’s certainly our thing at times, the Flaming Lips and their Heady Fwends got a lil’ too nutty on here. Bah, who are we kidding, this is rad. Also, you could get one of 10 vials of Ke$ha’s blood for, um…yeah.

6. Aretha Franklin/Otis Redding: Respect

Because I’m condescending and pretentious (sometimes), one of my favorite things is to tell people that Otis Redding actually wrote and recorded “Respect” before Aretha Franklin. Don’t just cop this to be a jerk, though. Cop it because you love one of the best songs of all time and need to hear it on wax.

5. Shabazz Palaces: Live At KEXP

This one’s for everyone. What better way to remember that Shabazz Palaces concert you went to than with a killer live recording? And if you haven’t seen them, get one hell of a preview with this limited vinyl release.

4. James Brown: There It Is/Pass The Peas

These two James Brown tracks, “There It Is” and “Pass the Peas”, have never been released before. What the hell are you waiting for?

3. Atmosphere and The Uncluded: Self-Titled

As if the picture disc itself isn’t ill enough to want in your collection, Atmosphere and the Uncluded (aka Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson) have thrown some previously unreleased music on here. Plus there’s a hidden poop story.

2. Afrika Bambaataa/MC5: Kick Out The Jams

If you somehow haven’t heard MC5′s classic/absurdly influential “Kick Out the Jams”, consider this your chance. Also, everyone should be listening to more Bambaataa, who here covers “Kick Out the Jams”. Plus, it’s a white 7″ with some splatter. Ill.

1. The Pharcyde: Bizarre Ride II The Singles Collection

This is easily the one thing you should be buying if your wallet is really hurting. This thing has it all for all the Pharcyde lovers out there, from previously unreleased instrumentals and a cappella tracks to colored 7″ vinyl singles to a freakin’ PUZZLE.

The cover art for St. Vincent’s Strange Mercy features a mouth gasping for air through some suffocating white latex, an almost sinister image of fraught with danger, desperation but also breathtaking beauty.

This contrast is at the heart of Annie Clark’s third album.  Her demur delivery belies devious lyrics and her sweet songs often subvert the idea of how a pop song should sound.  The catchy “Cruel,” for instance, sounds radio friendly until you listen to lyrics like “They could take or leave you/ So they took you, and they left you.”  Ouch.  Add Clark’s dissonant guitar (which is always awesome on the album) and you have further complicated the cuteness.

“Cheerleader” is the title for a peppy number, but the tone is decidedly dour.  ”I don’t want to be a cheerleader no more,” she sings over distorted drums and distressing rhythms, ultimately resolving into uplifting resoluteness.

On the double-edged “Surgeon”, she opens with almost helpless listlessness: “I spent the summer on my back. Above the tide. Staying just to get along.”  But the heartbeat-bass and sea-like synths pick up and soon she’s repeatedly begging for the “best, finest surgeon” to “come cut me open.”  It’s a scary, clinical way to look at love and love making, climaxing with a show-stealing, squealing solo from gospel keyboardist Bobby Sparks.

Back to the cover: St. Vincent’s first two covers feature Clark almost wide-eyed with innocence and ceramic delicacy.  This time, the cover (which may or may not be Clark herself, she dodged the question recently on NPR) is intense, personal and close to the subject.  She is no longer floating above her topics or over-embellishing melodies.  She’s no longer “acting” or asking for someone to “marry her.”  This time she’s in it, unmistakably pushing teeth through the record and deep into your memory.

4 out of 5 stars

4 out of 5

Hit the skip to watch the video for “Cruel”.