Thank god it's mixtape! I mean Friday. Whatever, same thing. All that matters is that it's the weekend and we have 10 new tracks to kick it off. This is the third volume of my mixtape series, and may just be the best one yet. Along with some amazing new talent, we have songs from some well established indie rockers, such as Cursive, Immaculate Machine and Swan Lake. See if you can get that song by the Whip out of your head. Have a good weekend! -Greg Lozoff

You may not be familiar with the name Kelly Pratt. You may, however, be more familiar with some of the projects he's worked with. Only some little bands that you may have heard of, like the Arcade Fire and Beirut.

Hey guys. I just wanted to let all of you out there know that Baeble now has our very own Twitter page. This means that you now have another way to keep up to date on everything that is going on over here.

If you are anything like me, you are salivating at the thought of a new album from Norwegian electro-pop duo Royksopp. Hang on a little bit longer and you will be rewarded, as the band is set to release their third full length, entitled Junior.

There is some good news on the horizon for all you Akron/Family fans out there. Approximately one month from now the band will release upon the world their newest LP, entitled Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free on Dead Oceans Records.

Taking over the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Baeble trained our cameras on a poppy foursome from Brooklyn dubbed The End of the World. No, their sound is not the stuff of an apocalyptic variety...unless of course you prefer to go out in a blaze of anthemic indie rock. Oh you do? Ok. Then yes, The End of the World spit fire-and-brimstone. Happy reckoning people...

When a band called The End of the World pens an album called French Exit, it's fairly obvious the folks behind it have the cessation of things squarely on their mind. Drummer/vocalist Stefan Marolachakis and guitarist Benjamin Smith named their second full-length recording after the not so polite term meaning "to leave without saying goodbye." It's a sour sort of sentiment for sure, but one that's draped over most of the narratives that inhabit the recording, nonetheless.

"It seems like there is a sort of private club that everyone who likes Los Campesinos! is a part of"

February 14th...Valentines Day. What better way to celebrate then to sit down with one of my favorite bands and have a chat. So in one of the little nooks on the balcony of the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, I met Neil (guitarist) and Gareth (lead singer), two of the seven members of the UK indie pop outfit, Los Campesinos! We talked about issues ranging from their newest album to Kurt Vonnegut, to throwing up by football pitches, along with the insecurities we all feel about how all good things will eventually come to an end.

photo by Jason McDonald

For the last few months, we've been tracking the misadventures of an internet star in the making across a host of digital platforms. He goes by the name Kid Catastrophe, but I'm guessing you know him as Chris Archibald; front-man for PA-based quartet Illinois.

When Orly Bendavid looks to the world for inspiration, the 26-year-old sees plenty staring back. "Bartenders, scantily clad pop stars, writers, boyfriends, colleagues", explains Bendavid. "Anyone that inspires me, moves me, makes me love them, makes me hate them, or gives me any kind of long lasting emotion...I can't ignore them. I have to write about them". So she did.

Well it's Friday again, and what a better way to celebrate then with my second ever T.G.I.Mixtape. On Volume 2 you will find even more great songs, mostly from new artists who are just emerging onto the scene with debut albums. But there are a few songs here from more established artists as well, giving you a nice balance of old and new to kick your off your weekend. So whether you want to sit back and relax or get up and dance, the choice is yours. Just listen and enjoy, one way or another.

You've most likely caught wind of the sexy/sleazy promo pics circulating the web ahead of Handsome Furs' sophomore effort, Face Control. Well, in this week's edition of A Rush To Judgement, we've decided it might be a good idea to stop drooling over the married, Montreal duo, and actually get down to listening to the album a couple weeks ahead of its' March 10th release on Sub Pop.

Nothing gets me more excited than music for a cause. On the latest War Child compilation, 16 of today's hottest artists have contributed covers of songs requested by the original artists in order to raise money for children affected by war.

There ain't no better bunch of flower punks out there than Atlanta GA's Black Lips. In honor of next week's release of 200 Million Thousand on Vice, we're re-releasing one of our favorite concerts from this past summer. It's the Black Lips live at McCarren Park Pool, and it's a doozy of a performance. Watch it now and you can register for the chance to take home an autographed copy of the band's newest album as your reward. Simply follow the steps after the jump.

With the amount of albums that are released each year, timelessness is a quality that is rarely found in much of today's music. If in fact you're lucky enough to stumble across such a record? Well, it's generally a wonderful thing. Which is what makes The Black Lips' latest album, 200 Million Thousand (Vice Records), so refreshing. Timeless, it seems, is something these boys had time to focus on when they wrote and recorded it.

The Black Lips seem to be the new top headline makers of the indie music scene. Whether it's recording with King Khan, filming movies, or playing shows in India and subsequently being forced to flee the country, it seems every week there is something new and noteworthy to mention in regards to the Black Lips. The band has wowed us in the past with their grungy garage rock and is ready to impress once more with their newest album, entitled 200 Million Thousand (Vice), days away from hitting stores. In support of the album's release, the Black Lips are once again hitting the road on one of their infamously lengthy tours throughout the months of February, March, April and May.

New Decemberists albums are always a wonderful and exciting thing. While their discography is large enough to be able to listen to their music and never get sick of them, whenever that new album is about to drop a sense of overwhelming joy sweeps over me because I know that for the next few months I will have something amazing to listen to. There is no need to worry that the music won't meet your expectations or that the new album will sound just like the last. The Decemberists have been known for their ability to produce music that is not only consistently good, but new and exciting, while maintaining that uniquely Decemberists feel.

Matt Ward has always kept the kind of celebrity company that would one day make him...well, a celebrity himself. Folks like Jim James, Conor Oberst, Norah Jones, and Neko Case have always flocked to the Portland singer/songwriter, and for good reason. For nearly a decade Ward has churned out an impressive catalogue indeed. End of Amnesia, Transfiguration of Vincent, Transistor Radio, Post-War; Ward has spent the century thus far assembling an alluring blend of backwoods folk, rock, and pop on an incredibly consistent basis.

Do you love mixtapes? If so you are in luck. We are proud to announce a new weekly feature on Baeble called T.G.I.Mixtape. Basically, every Friday we will be putting together a mixtape to last you through the weekend, full of great songs, both old and new. This is really the best way we can help spread the word about music we love and give you some new tracks to listen to at the same time.

For our inaugural T.G.I.Mixtape, boy do we have some hot music for you. Most of these songs haven't even been released yet. And be sure to check in every Friday for a whole new batch of great music. Enjoy!

Best bar band in America: For the last few years, that title has fallen squarely in the court of the mighty Hold Steady. But is their vibe truly that of the dive's? Does Craig Finn's nerdy banter really resemble the rough and tumble demeanor of the average bar keep? Is the spirit of the crazy man muttering to himself in the corner alive and well in an album called Stay Positive? If by chance the band fails to tap into the kind of tunes that send the perfume of stale beer and even staler piss drifting by your nose, Dayton OH's Heartless Bastards are here for you. One listen to their third LP The Mountain will plop you right down on the ripped, worn, and warm bar stool of the mind's eye.

If you checked in with us last week you would have seen the first edition of a new feature on our site called 'A Rush To Judgement'. Basically, we review albums weeks before they are due to be released to give you guys a little heads up on what to expect. In our first edition, we reviewed Mirah's upcoming release, (a)spera. This week we have reviewed Metric's new LP, Fantasies.

Here at Baeble, we don't need to be sold on just how well the songs from Delta Spirit's '08 album Ode to Sunshine translate live in the flesh. Actually, we've spent the last couple months doing the selling ourselves. You might recall we ventured all the way to Texas to catch the band last Fall, coming back with a flawless performance for the site in tow.

When asked what her strongest, most unshaken belief is, Carolyn Berk, front-woman of the dreamy synth-pop outfit, Lovers, answered quite fittingly; "Love". Through all the sadness and heart-break that we hear in her music, this love she believes so strongly in is ever present, giving each one of her songs their raw emotionality. Songs like "Perpetual Motion, Perpetual Sound" and "Saint Jude" are utterly tragic, yet possess the ability to pull you in and not let go.

It's not every day the opportunity to witness a classically trained opera singer arises. It's even a rarer treat when that talent is packed nice and neat inside the confines of modern rock music. Except, that's precisely what My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden does. Adding interest and intrigue to it all, Worden capped it all off with a saucy string quartet when she came to perform at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge.

Classical music for the masses. This is what Shara Wardon, more commonly known as My Brightest Diamond, brings to us on her latest album, A Thousand Shark's Teeth (Asthmatic Kitty). Don't get me wrong; this isn't music your grandfather will listen to. It is simply music that is overflowing with lush and intricate instrumentation resulting in an album that is not only remarkable, but also a musical gem.

photos by Maureen Pitz. See more photos HERE.
You could tell what kind of a show it was going to be 3 hours before the doors even opened. Outside, a few stone cold kids stood shivering on line. Their hope? Get through those restrictive doors by any means necessary. A sold out show meant not all of them would make it. But if by chance a few did, a fantastic night of music featuring Brooklyn's own Beirut and Inlets awaited them.

Here's a nice slice of life that'll carry you through the weekend at hand if you let it. We've noticed the name Dent May cropping up here and there as of late...so much so, we figured it was time to look him up.

How does one create that perfect pop song? Is the recipe merely a catchy beat and simple lyrics that everyone can sing along to? Perhaps it's just the right marketing? Or is there more to it than that? If you compare Lily Allen's new album with some of the other pop albums out there right now you will get your answer.

Though there's nothing too incredibly complicated about what Toronto's Constantines did when they took to the Music Hall of Williamsburg's stage, that doesn't mean there exist many bands out there who can match their seriously slick bit of straight-laced rock and roll chops.

When Canadian cult-rockers Constantines released Kensington Heights last April, the reaction it spawned was that of a subtle shocker. Three albums deep (Constantines, Shine a Light, Tournament of Heart), the perpetually, "always-on-the-verge" outfit could lay claim to an impressive linage of blue-collar kind of fare. But this - the album that signaled the band's jump from Sub Pop to Arts and Crafts - was something...different.

Canadian indie-rockers, the Constantines (Arts & Crafts), are taking the show on the road throughout the months of March, April and the beginning of May. Joining them along the way are fellow Canadians the Weakerthans, who will be playing on every date.

If you haven't heard about the Black Lips' adventures (or misadventures) in India then you must be living under a rock somewhere. News of their trip has been all over the major music sites and while there have been many rumors about what exactly went on, the truth is about to surface.

Like fellow Minnesotans Atmosphere, rapper P.O.S. (Product of Society, Piece of Sh!t, Promise of Skill, whatever it is he feels like) delivers a stylized brand of hip hop that pulls upon alternative realms of influence as it tears its' way through the listener. The swaggering beats, the urgent banter; P.O.S. - real name Stefon Alexander - means nothing but business the moment he strides to the mic. Of course that's just the sort of thing one should expect from a fellow who found his first musical love in the form of punk and hardcore music.