Disquiet

You have to work for this free MP3. The Warp Records “micro-site” for the new Harmonic 313 (aka the long-running, moniker-happy, and prolific Mark Pritchard) EP is a set of color-coded word problems, after the fifth level of which you are rewarded with a free MP3, “Problem 7.” Check it out at harmonic313.com/wordproblems. If you imagine a bunch of pixel-graphic characters having their own little after-hours party inside the shell of an old arcade game, then this is what it would sound like. The track opens at the end of a video game, with some sudden bursts followed by an 8-bit death march, and then the tune itself kicks in. The track is great, a slow-stepping bit of beat-driven nostalgia, equal parts Timbaland and Super Mario. (Thanks for the tip, Shawn.)

By Marc Weidenbaum