The 19 best songs I’ve heard in the last two weeks and fuck me if nearly everyone isn’t still channeling the 80s in some way. Even the Grizzly Bear track sounds like they’ve been listening to Japan (no bad thing, obviously). Also:

• album highlights from Bat For Lashes and Dinosaur Jr
• angular new wave
• melodic prog-folk indie rock (better than it sounds!)
• slippery punk-funkfuzzy, lethargic glam stomp psych pop.

Bat For Lashes ‘Marilyn’
Breathy-vocaled electronic 80s power ballad. Sounds like someone’s been listening to M83. No band thing.
[Bat For Lashes]

Grizzly Bear ‘Gun-Shy’
My current favourite from their brilliant new album Shields, easily their most accessible. There’s a real taste of Japan (the band) here on the fretless bass, rhythms and synths. But also unmistakeably Grizzly Bear.
[Grizzly Bear]

Pinback ‘His Phase’
Second track to surface from forthcoming album Information Retrieved (the subtly epic ‘Proceed to Memory’ was featured on In The Pharmacy 17). After an almost prog intro (and a coupla folky inflectionst) this turns into superior melodic indie rock with an insistant groove.
[Pinback]

Dinosaur Jr ‘Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know’
Openning track from new album I Bet On Sky. Stupidly catchy riff and a lovely guitar solo over  a simple piano phrase for the last 1min 45secs.
[Dinosuar Jr]

Ladyhawk ‘No Can Do’
Canadian band not to be confused with Pip ‘Ladyhawke’ Brown. This is old school indie rock that sounds like it could have come out in the alte 80s / early 90s.I can hear Husker Du, R.E.M., Gin Blossoms and a dozen other bands in here. A real grower.
[Ladyhawk]

Gap Dream ‘Generator’
Fuzzy-electronic-slowed-down-glam-stomp-psych-pop from the Cleveland, OH artist first featured on In The Pharmacy 3.1 way back in February.
[Gap Dream]

Punks On Mars ‘Showers of Pain’
Quirky angular new wave. From Mars.
[Punks On Mars]

Cymbals Eat Guitars ‘Hawk Highway’
Melodic indie rock from the Staten Island band’s john Agnello-produced forthcoming second album, Lenses Alien.
[Cymbals Eat Guitars]

The Coathangers ‘Merry Go Round’
Atlanta band with a taste for primal surf-garage-rock n’ roll guitars and slippery post-punk funk.
[The Coathangers]

Egyptian Hip Hop ‘Yoro Diallo’
Manchester electronic band with catchy poly-rhythmic afropop (the song takes its name form the respected Malian musician). Recommended if you like Yeasayer / Sinkane etc.
[Egyptian Hip Hop]

Rudi Zygadlo ‘Russian Dolls’
Heavy on the autotune with hints of Hot Chip from the Glasgow-based German producer.
[Rudi Zygadlo]

Nosaj Thing featuring Kazu Makino
Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino brings dreamy vocals to the Californian electronic producer’s glitchy electronica.
[Nosaj Thing]

Fear of Men ‘Mosaic’
Female fronted indiepop from Brighton.
[Mosaic]

Teen Daze featuring Frankie Rose ‘Union’
Canadian dreampop featuring vocals from the indiepop Zelig, Frankie Rose.
[Teen Daze]

Black Marble ‘Static’
Featured way back in January’s first In The Pharmacy Cloudcast with ‘Pretender’, this is another slice of Cure-indebted synth-goth-post-punk from the Brooklyn band.
[Black Marble]

The Soft Moon ‘Insides’
More Cure-influenced cold wave (and a bit of Clan of Xymox), this time from the west coast (San Francisco).
[The Soft Moon]

Eraas ‘At Heart’
Atmospheric, gothy post-punk from Brooklyn (their ‘Briar Path’ was featured on In The Pharmacy #15).
[Eraas]

Metz ‘Wet Blanket’
Superb noisy Canadian indie rock on Sub Pop.
[Metz]

FIDLAR ‘Cheap Beer’
Garage punk from Los Angeles.

[FIDLAR]