Back in October, the National bassist Scott Devendorf said the band was going to take its time with the follow-up to 2013's Trouble Will Find Me and allot “a longer period for the songs to gestate and grow.” But that apparently didn't mean we wouldn't hear anything from them. The Brooklyn indie rockers surprised everyone this week with the unexpected release of "Sunshine on My Back" – a holdover from Trouble featuring guest vocals by Sharon Van Etten.

The song leads off this particularly collaborative installment of Mandatory Music which also includes an unreleased Elliott Smith cover by Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield and the first single from the upcoming album by FFS (which is Franz Ferdinand and Sparks).