You’ve Been Drafted By The United States

El-P & Ghostface “Hide Your Face (Remix)” – This is yet to be released, but this inspired team-up feels like some kind of wonderful holiday gift to us all from the hip hop gods above. Ghostface brings out the very best in El-P, who holds his own with Ghost on his verses and delivers an excellent track built around a filthy funk guitar riff. Like the best songs off of Supreme Clientele, this song feels indestructable and extraordinarily confident; sort of like a superhero doing a pimp strut.

Mia Doi Todd “Casa Nova” – If I didn’t like this song, it would be very easy to mock it. “Stuffy folk girl goes on an island cruise!,” etc. But the song works, and the tension between Todd’s austere folkie aesthetic and the mellow ska horns results in something quite pleasant and unexpected. The production on Todd’s record is amazingly crisp and clean, enough so that I think I’ll be using it for reference the next time I go shopping for stereo speakers. (Click here to visit Mia Doi Todd’s official website.)

Elsewhere: Newish mp3 blog Popadopolis has the album version of M.I.A.’s “Bingo.” It’s really great, though it’s somewhat difficult to divorce this song from the “Big Pimpin'” beat in my mind.

And: Pitchfork’s Top 50 Singles Of The Year is probably the best year end list that you’re going to see in any high profile publication this season. Not only does it have Annie’s “Heartbeat” at #1, but it features several artists and songs that have been featured on this site over the past year.