Welcome back, kiddos! Most music industry folks turned off their laptops over the holiday break, meaning we didn’t have much new music to fill our last two weekly mixtapes. But with everyone now back online and our inbox once again overwhelmed with quality new sounds, we return the first Friday of a January 2011 with a mix that’ll surely make up for the last two weeks. Below, you’ll find this week’s best new singles and remixes, Cover Me‘s favorite new covers, and a batch of mp3s from up and comers you just might want to check out. Contributing artists include Monotonix, Akron/Family, Justin Townes Earle, Kurt Vile, Cut Copy, and more, so go and enjoy your latest soundtrack:

NEW Singles:

• “Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?” by Acid House Kings
• “So It Goes” by Akron/Family
• “My Father’s Eyes” by Ben + Vesper
• “Who’s In Control?” by British Sea Power
• “All Those I Know” by Eric & Magill
• “Sea Salt” by John Vanderslice
• “Harlem River Blues” by Justin Townes Earle
• “Jesus Fever” by Kurt Vile
• “What Took So Long” by The Moondoggies
• “Before I Pass Away” by Monotonix
• “How Dark It Is Before The Dawn” by Starlings, TN
• “Gawad Teriamo” by The Sway Machinery
• “It Goes Down” by Tape Deck Mountain
• “Been Caught Stealing” by Yip-Yip

COVER Me Songs:

• “Truman Sleeps” (Philip Glass Cover) by Carlo Castellano
• “Wrong Piano” (Vic Chesnutt Cover) by Cowboy Junkies
• “Factory” (Bruce Springsteen Cover) by The Deep Dark Woods
• “Ventura Highway” (America Cover) by Fort deClare
• “I Keep Mine Hidden” (The Smiths Cover) by Janice Whaley ft. Thomas Lennon
• “Kid A” (Radiohead Cover) by Kitzu
• “Too Afraid to Love You” (The Black Keys Cover) by My Drunken Haze
• “Manic Depression” (Jimi Hendrix Cover) by Noa Babayof
• “Runaway” (Kanye West Cover) by Wonder Bear
• “The Bright New Year” (Bert Jansch Cover) by Yair Yona

Remixes GALORE:

• “Take Me Over” (Thee Loving Hand Remix by Tim Goldsworthy) by Cut Copy
• “Living in America” (Remix) (feat. Gucci Mane) by Dom
• “Reluctance” (The Tallest Trees Remix) by Keegan DeWitt
• “The Things That You Notice” (Max Tundra Remix) by Marnie Stern
• “Fruitcake” (YACHT Remix) by The Superions
• “On Breathing Water” (Kelly Wyse Remix) by X-Ray Press

Something to CHECK OUT:

• “Ignition Slated For Eight” by The Asteroid #4
• “Geisha’ Means ‘Open-minded” by Carol Bui
• “Light Into Branches” by Christopher Willits
• “Don’t Believe In You” by Derby
• “No Romance” by Mind Spiders
• “I’m Da Bes” by Shunda K
• “You Don’t Have To Drive” by Sleeping In The Aviary
• “The Kite” by The Sound Of Growing Up
• “Eager For Your Love” by Tristen
• “Equestrian” by U.S. Royalty
• “So What” by Ursula Rucker
• “We Are The Goer” by We Are Hex

mp3 support via BrooklynVegan, Cover Me, My Old Kentucky Blog, Pitchfork, Spinner, and Stereogum