The lead track from their recently released album The Monitor get sliced in half (album length - 7:10, video length - 3.35) for the accompanying visuals...though, we don't much miss the embellishments (that was sort of our complaint with the album to begin with). Here Titus Andronicus makes camp in what we presume to be the snow covered, backwoods of the Garden State. It's excellent, battle ready imagery to accompany the song, though the Claire Carre directed images seem decidedly more Revolutionary War era than Civil. Either way, America rules, and so does Titus Andronicus.

Diane Birch gives her gleeful little single gleeful little video. Word is this clip for "Valentino" is a one-take wonder. You don't say! But what about editing? Certainly some of this was worked out in post? Yeah, I know...we're cynical. But as "Valentino" plays through, our suspicious minds are eventually put to ease. This video is far too cute to let the non-believing have their say.

Really, team Palin NEEDS to make this harder for us. Using an old interview of LL Cool J to promote her new show without J's knowledge is NOT helping any conservative cries for cutting her some slack.

The Worst Record of All Time V: The one that most will leave out of the canon because Rocky doesn't have a big fight in the ring at the end and we've already covered racial issues, as well as America versus the Russians, so really where are we going with this anyway?

They must have some deal with Wheel Of Fortune. The lineup has been "announced" as spaces with only the letter "o" filled in. Check it out and see if you can guess any of them.

This isn't the first time we've mentioned this. During his stop by the Guest Apartment, Justin Townes Earle's shared his thoughts with us regarding his friend and touring partner, Joe Pug. "With Pug we have a chance for something really special". It's plain to hear and see, of course. But it was Earle's choice of wording that really summed up the potential of the young, Chicago songwriter. He chose the word "we": that's you, me, everyone...

A few weeks later we had the pleasure to welcome Pug himself to our West Village digs. Here, with a quick performance and a little candid conversation, Pug reveals both the songs and the persona that are guiding him along. In regards to song, performances of "Unsophisticated Heart" and "Not So Sure" (from his latest album Messenger) absolutely glow, with vocals and lyrics pinpoint for the viewer's soul. On the personality side of things, we met a musician who comes across as genuine, passionate, hard working, and a bit mystified by his good fortune.

We're not. This is a prizewinning exhibition of extraordinary talent, and it's yours with our latest episode of the Guest Apartment.

Abandoning their repetition of numbers for bass clarinets and brilliant orchestral swoons, These New Puritans have crafted a record of both haunting progressions and unsettling beauty. It has always been tough to mistake them for "light listening" but now more than ever they've written songs like cement shoes in the sea of intensity. The beginning of Hidden sounds more like a 20th century opera than a rock record, but TNP quickly switch gears into a rhythmic pulsation worthy of the legends of Brit-rock, complete with ominous low-tone verse and a riff that sounds both brutally primitive and futuristic. Think cave-men with moonraker lasers.

You crazy for this one, internet! The XX album gets a rap makeover on The Notorious XX. Own it after the jump.

The eclectic Irish band Two Door Cinema Club released their debut album Tourist History earlier this month in the U.K., and fortunately for our American ears, a 4/27 release date has been announced for the U.S. Citing Passion Pit, Phoenix, and Manchester Orchestra as their influences, in tracks like "Undercover Martyn" heavy with hooks, you can see (hear?) it. In fact, Passion Pit themselves remixed that very track earlier this year, and they will be on tour with Phoenix in late April. Today, however, we give you the mp3 of their third single, "Something Good Can Work".

Young rap fans ask "who is Bob Dylan?", world ends.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow has had its fair share of change since its original inception in 2006. The band has undergone so many shifts in lineups that this writer admittedly had a tricky time matching names to faces onstage (and extends her personal apologies if anything is off!) It was only last year that the band posted a request for a new singer on Brooklyn Vegan. Since then, the sextet has welcomed a new soprano and base player into the fold, and with that, released a brand-spanking new EP, with a tour to boot.

Band Of Horses have confirmed the first track off Infinite Arms (5/18), "Compliments", will be released as a digital single on Thursday (4/1). It will beg the question, does "return to raw studio form" mean more or less boring? Time will tell! I really like "The Funeral", so if its like that, then good.

photo by Sarahana for Brooklyn Vegan. Check out more photos HERE.
Zooey Deschanel, dressed in black, was unable to avoid hecklers as they probed her with various, idiosyncratic questions last night at the She and Him show. Deschanel might have more admirers than most front ladies, soley based on her status as both musician and actress (often the love interest, often quite lovable). So it was no shocker that a few doting fans found her stage time to also be the perfect time to ask about anything and everything. (Mostly) free of interrogation, M. Ward just chuckled his way through the set, which included lots of songs off their latest record Volume Two.

This Is Happening, according to DFA. Murphy has finally "danced his way onto the cover of his album." Yes. We "luv it"?

The band or the balloons; that's about all there is to focus on in this straight shootin', Ted Leo video. A washed white room provides the scene, and a little playful camera work distort the perspective from time to time. Other than that, it's the band performing 'til the bubble final bursts. Jack Ferry directs.

A fairly straight forward indie folk song, it's the dissonant vocals that give Inlets' "Bright Orange Air" a certain haunting feeling (we told you 'bout it earlier this week). The accompanying video adds a little something to the overall mood. It's hypnotic and multi layered as its' subject takes a nocturnal row into an almost mosaiced world. Says directors Benjamin and Stefan Ramirez Perez, "We first filmed an actor on a rowboat in the studio and then rotoscoped the character and boat, slicing it up into different layers." Sounds really painful! Hooray for healthcare reform!

"Flash Delirium" is streaming on their site. It is weird. Not Gaga weird, or Yeasayer trippy, but just weird. See what I mean.

Frightened Rabbit is a hard band not to like. Like an irony-free U2, before Bono put on the shades, they're perfectly guileless, sincere in their desire to convey the pain of lost love and isolation. On their third album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, these Scottish boys proudly stick out like a sore thumb. Armed with guitars, bass and drums, they buck the current trend toward overly orchestrated chamber pop, bombastic neo-prog and cut-up glo-fi.

We buzzed this yesterday: From the face-pounding kineticism of their first EP to the introspective swipes of Elephant Shell, Tokyo Police Club is a band that continues to diversify its rock portfolio while somehow still sounding like themselves. "Breakneck Speed" , off their forthcoming LP (this summer) is the same deal; a song that is both static and dynamic. Grab the track (for the price of an email) and watch a new preview of Champ after the jump.

The financial woes continue: beloved local station Brooklyn Radio shut down last week due to a shortage of funding. But now there is hope! An overwhelming amount of support has jump-started the station. But he needs a business partner! See how/if you can help.

Adam Baker has drastically revamped his six piece pop outfit to a sound he is more keen on producing... and it shows in both quality and creativity. The Sweet Sister EP abandons the quaint organic threads of Such Fun for a partly sci-fi electro-exploration, one which ironically sounds like it was more fun that its predecessor to record and mix. The resulting collection is a mix of classic foot-stomping pop and the futuristic lazer-sharp noises that made Odd Blood such a triumph. It is great to hear a band from Raleigh that sounds like alt-country from the year 3000.

The illustrious soulful Langhorne Slim is playing an intimate show at City Winery in New York City on Wednesday night (3/31), and you (plus a friend) can snag some free tickets courtesy of Baeble's easy-to-win contest. All you need is a Facebook and a little luck.

In case you missed it last week (like I did), MGMT is going to play SNL on 4/26. While most of you are probably rolling your eyes, I think you should reconsider your sarcasm, because Congratulations is really great! Seriously! Stop being a bully! Here is my lunch money! In other news, a cryptic countdown on their site would suggest a moved up release date. We'll see in ten hours!

photo by Benjamin Lozovsky for Brooklyn Vegan. Check out more photos HERE.
The timing of Spoon's Friday night engagement under the golden dome of Radio City Music Hall is pretty fascinating. Sure, there's the "who would have thunk it?" factor that accompanies any band of their profile headlining (and selling out) such a prestigious venue. But more interesting is the album that brought Spoon to town. Transference: the band's weirdest outting to date.

Another song has surfaced, this time streaming only on the Vulture blog. Join the discussion of "genius bar rockers" versus "too old to be discussing the underbelly of houseparties". One thing is for sure: they don't have too many problems rocking, as the title would suggest.

Photo By Dan McMahon
Ten years into a career, Ramble John Krohn - aka RJD2 - is still rolling out records; his latest, The Colossus serving as yet another progressive step forward for the Philadelphia based producer and musician. A follow-up to his first truly solo effort ('07's The Third Hand), The Colossus walks a different sort of line this time. In his words, it's an "overview" effort; one that takes stock of the various working approaches (live instrumentation, samples, guest vocals, solo spots) he's taken to recording over the years. The result is a big, creamy blast of soulful music, ripe with head nodding beats, pocket horn sections, flawless rhythmic passes, sweet and sultry electric piano, and a variety of guest vocals and rhymes. Quite simply, these are tunes that are fresh, and street ready...perfect for packing with you as you tame the big bad city by the horns. Subways, busted alleys, suicidal cab rides...The Colossus is your soundtrack. A big, bold piece of music that'll put the pep in your step.

Recently, we had the opportunity to bang some emails back and forth with RJD2. It was a revealing correspondence; one that details Krohn's approach to The Colossus, his move into more independent realms, and his gratitude for having 10 long years of music making behind him. - David Pitz

Avoid skateboarding too hard before tours, you guys! Band 101. From DB: "I wanted to play the shows anyway like in a bed or something but the doctors didn't think that was a great idea." Perhaps we should be wishing him luck the traditional way, (sans idiom) from now on.

The eclectic arranger/drummer/master of textures is taking his work to a deeper brood with Tommy, his fifth studio LP. Some might recognize the stylistic calling cards of Dosh from last years Noble Beast, the Andrew Bird LP which featured a few Dosh-creations. Not only that, but Dosh has been touring with Bird since 2005. Might explain how he wound up as a guest vocal on one of the MP3s today.

A derivative work from an unlikely sector (let's just say it involves a Jewish wedding), big news about the "cloud", and another artist is the victim of some sticky bandits. Shake off those Monday morning doldrums with a strong cup of Baeble, or something!

So, LCD System has a thing for the drunk girls, eh? That's what the first snippet to leak from James Murphy's still untitled, new album (due out May 18th via DFA/Virgin) suggests. It's titled "Drunk Girls", of course, and packs the kind of bop all the kids look to Mr. Murphy to provide. It's slightly less clubby than I remember LCD, though certainly gleams with enough disco glitz to set the bod into motion.

Every music lover in Brooklyn with a moustache or a mullet came out to the Bowery Ballroom on Tuesday night relishing the surreal sounds of The Clientele as the band begins to wind down their busy tour schedule. Playing a variety of tunes spanning their decade-long career, the foursome delivered a show that was as much about the ambiance as it was about the music.

So you guys, I've been thinking. Lots of things in the world don't make sense... Glen Beck, professional wrestling, how The Black Dahlia got made, etc. At least professional wrestling can be explained as soap operas for boys and The Black Dahlia was nominated for an academy award (cinematography, which it lost). What have you got, Beck? Anywayz gangstas and lady gangstas, don't want to get political or whatever. But my point is that I realize "Thank God It's Mixtape" doesn't make sense. I get it. But it doesn't matter, because it is kind of funny! Someone earlier in the week asked me why it isn't TGIF Mixtape and I promptly took away their ice cream. Keep that in mind.

Almost twenty years after the Hardkiss brothers ruled the scene in Northern California, Scott Hardkiss continues to retool his own breed of acid techo and breakbeat by remixing his own derivative works. Technicolor Dreamer, his branching out from beat-smithing to full blown song construction landed last summer, and like any good DJ, a remix album was probably in the works before the record even dropped. Fast forward to March 2010 and no surprises, Hardkiss has assembled a list of legends you've probably never heard of to contribute: Joe Claussell, DJ Phunkae, Lisa Shaw (who appeared on the original track) and more.

When I saw The National open for Modest Mouse open for REM that pretty much sums up the situation, as far as notoriety in my brain. Fast forward to today and High Violet is extremely anticipated (by us) as the medium between anthems and introspection. First single "Bloodbuzz Ohio" certainly backs up that stake, a charming chug-along which uses simple elements to create an atmospheric effect... but you already know how well they do that.

As far as day parties go (ours excluded), you couldn't nail it harder than the incredible double bill by Terrorbird/Force Field, who had both Real Estate and Neon Indian (as well as Choir Of Young Believers, Toro Y Moi, Oh No Ono, Those Darlins, and more!) playing a free show at Red 7 last week. A few beers in and the sound didn't suck nearly as much! Just kidding, it was still pretty bad. But the bands were great!

There are minor key artists and major key artists. Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse is a minor key artist. His dark keyboard trickery and subtle groove consciousness informed records by Beck and Gorillaz, and produced one certifiable game changer, 2006's St. Elsewhere, the first Gnarls Barkley album. "Crazy," that album's breakthrough single was one of the decade's best. Danger Mouse's artistry and Cee-Lo's gospel-tinged, powerhouse vocals, created a hybrid that sounded like nothing else at the time.

The multi-faceted festival just might be the most important combination of music and multimedia in our current festival calender. If Kevin Drew really thinks the internet is killing music, he came to the wrong party. SXSW has become the destination to celebrate the marriage of the two, for better or for worse.

Too bad Sub Pop's experimental folk act Blitzen Trapper didn't exist in the mid-ninties, when their dual endorsement deal with Trapper Keeper could have earned some ancillary income for their already lucrative at-least-one-release-a-year-and-tour-until-we-die mentality (ideas!). For now the only Blitzen Trapper Keeper will be the one I made in ninth grade.*

Oh, buzz bands. I know this is a terrible story, but it is kind of funny when the venue/host AGREES ABOUT THE BOOING! Put Salem in the boo box, there is room in there, right Glenn? [via The DS]

Photo of Timber Timbre by David Pitz
It being our final night in Austin, we wanted to go for broke with our evening plans. So we huddled outside The Parish and ran into David from Arts & Crafts, who took us around the service entrance to bypass the (for some reason) incredibly tight security all over the venue. We got there at 7:45, and the place was empty. But the lineup was super great, so we put down some bills, got some drinks, and enjoyed. Among the denizens: Still Life Still, Timber Timbre, and the Canadian clusterf*ck Broken Social Scene.

A short Jay-Z documentary (15 minutes). Presented by Absolut, with limited commercialization of Jay Z drinking Absolut and telling you how cool it is (did I say Absolut enough, sponsors)? Video below.

It isn't very often that entire components of rock can be omitted or ignored for long periods of time without sounds pretentious or lacking in thought. It also isn't very often that a band can get away with calling their sound "high-fiving each other" for forty minutes. There are barely any vocals on Fang Island, the self-titled debut from the Brooklyn band formed at a Rhode Island art school. Some might be expecting the next big thing, some might expect a dud. But Fang Island is a different class of criminal, cleverly crafting a subtle statement on the more bombastic sides of glam, classic rock and metal with art-punk which boarders on masturbatory. And for all their cautious development of a specific kind of sarcasm, they are rewarded with an album that is almost like one big, awesome punchline. The good kind.

The boys from France has offered up a free live album. Download Live From Syndney for the cost of waiting, because everyone is downloading it right now AND IT IS TAKING FOREVER! Mcjoy.

There is something about mildly unsettling chord progressions and alternative modalities that are kind of mind-melting-ly great. It explains the Kid As of our generation and subsequent brain-liquefying efforts into putting the schizophrenic subconscious into an audible form. Thus Inlets answers our unknown need to have a guy with an acoustic guitar and a fragile voice sound like our Id telling us to resurrect the dead. Intriguing and weird, endearing and a bit ominous. In short, pretty great. This is not your typical Brooklyn fare. Put that tropical chillwave bullsh*t down and let's get weird

Snarky but informative Tumblr Pitchfork Reviews Reviews is taking a break from taking down the juggernaut music critics for Pitch Madness, a 64 act "tournament" bracket custom made for indie bands. So if you have no idea why everyone is talking about Kansas or Cornell, you can at least discuss the merrits of Joanna Newsom vs. The Flaming Lips. Make your own.

They may sound like a steam-punk band that plays on hot water-powered guitars, but these New Jersey rockers are no more period than Titus Andronicus (who earlier this year rode a magical train to the Civil War while still making references to modern highways). The theme is still Americana, whatever the case... The Gaslight Anthem has announced the tracklist and the first single for their forthcoming album, American Slang.

Sea Of Cowards has a first single, "Die By The Drop". Watch the video here and wonder if the rumors (of them either beating the life out of each other or 'doing it'.. or both?) are true. Rock!

Lots of excitement in Canada collective-land as Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning prep their next big 'Scene release, Forgiveness Rock Record, perhaps an apology for putting out so many solo albums without getting the crew together for a big one (since 2005). Needless to say, anticipation is bubbling at this point. Rumors of guest spots are abounding.

Ever wonder how well you can get to know someone in ten minutes? In searching for fresh ideas, our ambitious production intern embarked on an evening-long journey to profile an artist from all angles, via questions and performance in one overlapping, concentrated, integrated segment he dubbed "The Moment". In the first installment, he spent the moment with Icelandic singer/songwriter Lovisa Elisabet Sigrunardottir, better known to us as Lay Low. Following the narrative arc of her music rather than any chronology, Reuben Meltzer (our intern) treks around the Lower Easy Side asking candid questions, superimposed over raw footage of Lay Low's intimate performance at Rockwood Music Hall.

It's all but confirmed through diligent Google News searches stemming back to an interview via Exclaim.ca. It is supposedly due in June on Sub Pop and "not a fussy electronic record." Whoa, down from that warehouse roof, hipster! It will be OK!

Usually collaborative audio-visual projects don't have a compositional component that can stand alone, and thus deteriorate into nonsensical faux-art as far as the music is concerned (which coincidentally, when said quickly, sounds like "fart"). Not the case when pros like Danger Mouse are involved. The Dark Night Of The Soul project with revered mindf*ck director David Lynch and alt-rockers Sparklehorse was shelved by EMI last year, much to the dismay of internet trolls who already had the record on their hard drives. The collection of songs is, to say the least, really, really good, and features guest spots with superstars like Casablancas and The Flaming Lips.

The influential Ohio station switched its format to alternative in the early eighties, took itself entirely to the internet in 2004, and proclaimed itself the future of music (and for a long time, it was). Now their funding has dried up, and they are suspending live broadcasts. More at their website.

To the pleasures of both Brooklyn hipsters and their parents, retro-rockers She & Him once more dig out the letter jackets, beehives, and Brylcreem to deliver their sophomore record Volume Two. Magically transporting us back to a time when cigarettes were cool and drive-in movies were the best place to misbehave, the duo returns two years out from their debut Volume One, narrowly avoiding the brink of themselves becoming only a happy memory.

He really figured out the best way to use this brave new technology... without showing his genitals or wearing a Chewbacca mask.

The Do is French/Finnish vocalist and guitarist Olivia Merilahti & multi-instrumentalist Dan Levy. Together they take doo-wop, jazz, country, Americana, folk, and a mess of anything and everything you can think of and put it together in one big eclectic arrangement. If you're having trouble imagining it, think of She & Him if they were from Europe and you'll pretty much have it. The Do might have a bit more grit, though.

For those of you who remember my tirade on the real life rock-and-roll version of Spam, here is a closer look at their song about Southern values. But isn't Nickelback Canadian?

Photos by Henry Linser. For more shows, check out our photo section
Warm weather, freshly made fajitas and cold tall-boys of Lonestar were among the additions to our lineup of ten awesome acts playing the Scoot Inn. Together, they made for an incredible day of sun-soaked music and fun. After the jump, check out some pictures from last Thursday at the Baeble SXSW day party, held on the east side of I-35 at one of Austin's oldest beer joints.

Whatever part of Heaven Is Whenever (new album!) Craig Finn was talking about as less anthemic isn't evident on first single "Hurricane J" (hooray!). Listen at Pitchfork.

Photos by Benjamin Lozovsky @ BV
When you see lo-fi synth/electronic artists live, you know the experience will be different than the recordings you've grown to love. The real question is whether this will be a disappointment or a happy surprise.

Thankfully the recent Pictureplane, Small Black and Washed Out show at The Mercury Lounge avoided the former. It seemed a somewhat motley bill: glitchy dance, a bedroom-synth band and electropop producer. Yet much like their music, there was a sincerity to the evening that resonated more than any drum machine.

The south by WAY south festival hosted by Todd P in Monterrey, Mexico has been plagued with problems; bus delays and customs issues, not to mention lots of band cancellations. Todd P, now in direct control, seems to have things organized. Read more at the Village Voice blog, as recounted by the staff via festival attendee and VV reporter Zach Baron.

Despite some of the critical eyes our young intern has for post-punk, something tells me he will really dig the unbridled energy of this latest buzz band to pop up out of Brooklyn. Nothing says "let's mosh" like a band that describes their sound as high-five-ing each other over and over. No false claims here, Fang Island have produced a high octane debut. Check out viral track "Daisy" after the jump.

The music industry has more leaks than the Titantic (an apt metaphor, coincidentally) so it is no big surprise than Congratulations is all over the torrent-sphere. However, the graceful MGMT have responded to some dirty filesharing by posting a high-quality stream at their website. Quote the band: "We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn't make any sense to anybody but us". Oh, musicians. Quick, go form a polarizing opinion!

It is hard to talk about The Morning Benders without reaching for their roots in the sunshine state. Their music seems drenched in the mostly care-free, sun-soaked Pacific coast; an aesthetic combining both a ludicrous life of luxury (miles of beach) and the spirit of American exploration (historically speaking). If bearded, guitar-driven Americana sits in the Grain Belt, on a cold day in Wisconsin, it wishes it could be the smooth scrapes of the Beach Boys sand-and-surf sound.

Hey sports fans! While the world was freaking out over college basketball, the music industry was holding its own March madness in the mean heat of Austin, on 6th Street, South Congress, and everyone in between. We forgot our sunscreen, so we're pretty toasted, but we had a blast walking around and soaking in the sights. More on our adventures in Austin and our day party on the blog this week, with pictures and recaps. -joe

The Do (pronounced The "Doe") is a Finnish/French band that dabbles in Americana -tinged pop. If that doesn't throw you for a bit, then what should surprise is that they're good at it too. Singer and guitarist Olivia Merilahti and multi-instrumentalist Dan Levy bring a bit of European smoothness with a southern twang, and it's as interesting as it is pretty.

In honor of DFA putting out their latest James Murphy produced rock record (Free Energy), check out this (supposedly) LCD Soundsystem track from the Greenberg soundtrack. Who knows if it will make an appearance on the as-of-yet untitled follow up to Sound Of Silver in May, but who cares? It's nice to hear some of the stuff Murphy has been working on while couped up in his mansion studio. SPOILER ALERT: it sounds a lot like the rest of the Murphy score, and a lot less like the LCD of yore.

Zounds, the third album by Australian 5-piece Dappled Cities, opens up rattley and electronic and instantly brings to mind a pretty extensive collection of other post-punk revival bands, especially Interpol. They have the same limp-wristed guitar, sleepy disco drums and dark synth as Interpol and their vocals are pretty astoundingly similar too. The similarities stand out especially in track 2, "Answer Is Zero".

Band Of Horses have announced that starting in May they'll be going on tour with Pearl Jam. They'll be doing arena and stadium shows up until the release of their new album Infinite Arms. Check out dates after the jump.

Possibly knowing pre-historic 90's emo is the revival-genre-du-jour or because they had a warehouse they needed to clear out, Polyvinyl is re-releasing the first five Braid albums. After the jump take a listen to Braid's "Movie Clock Star", off their album The Age of Octeen

James Murphy has confirmed that the LCD album dropping in May will be the final one for the ever-popular dance act. Murphy: "It just seemed like perfect we'll (the band) make this the last record and we'll do exactly what we want and go out happy." [via Prefix]

Class Actress' new video for "Journal of Ardency" is pure sex. Not in the gratuitous way, but in a claustrophobic, sensual mess of fingers and legs and hair kind of way. Incidentally that's exactly what this entails: a montage of fishnets, tussled hair, lips, necks, and fingers under a red filter. It fits in pretty nicely with the dark, shifting Ratatat -style synths accompanying singer Elizabeth Harper. If you're looking to get up close and personal with Class Actress follow the jump and check out the video.

Cartoons are incapable of committing real crimes, right? Decide if "Stylo" ripped off Eddy Grant's "Time Warp" for yourself, but keep in mind Gorillaz are going to pay penalties in Monopoly money. [via The Daily Swarm]

As the lines between emo and pop-punk continue to blur, Free Energy offers up a full-length debut that somehow manages to balance the best of both worlds. Consistently edgy with minimal infusions of angst, Stuck on Nothing joins a host of other staples in a punk rock scene that has become a cultural, if not commercial, mainstream.

This isn't our first rodeo kids, Baeble has been to the fabled land of Austin before to capture the action. In between beer soaked bouts of wandering and fraternizing with fellow festival frolickers, we took a few minutes to nab some pretty stellar shows of SXSW past. After the jump, our five favorites lurking in the Baeble archives. Get pumped.

Speaking of punk, the infamous Iggy Pop-fronted trio The Stooges will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Detroit; marking the 17th inductee to also be from Motor City (since 1986, when the Hall opened). [via Freep]

Things we take for granted in America: the ubiquity of 24-hour places to buy beer, the ability to exist in totally different cultures simply by driving from state to state, and our bloated, excessive music industry. Our bravado often leads to ignoring our little brother in musical output, the UK, who arguably favor quality over quantity. For every five Black Eyed Peas-ish acts that America excretes, there is probably something equally as popular and infinitely more respectable happening in England. One such band got its start at a University in 2003 (the "best place to start a band"), and has since has two records debut at number one on the English charts. Impressed? You should be, although the name Editors probably doesn't ring too many bells in the midwest. At least one guy was a big fan at Kimmel last month, because he pretty much knows all the words, not to mention plays a mean air drum.

This something odd about the way music ages. Listening to Pavement's newest compilation, Quarantine the Past, the band that comes to mind the most is Weezer. But regardless of the way history plays with our perception, Pavement is a classic. Their album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is still listed as the influence for most modern emo and indie rock bands.

Your new best friends at NPR set up a week-out preview of She & Him: Volume Two. Go find out just how insufferably cute Zooey Deschanel is/why M. Ward won't take off his glasses in that video.

Actress Kristen Stewart does seem to keep appearing in the context of the music world, first as a catalyst for Vampire jokes while discussing the Twilight: New Moon OST, and now a starring role as the iconic punk-chick Joan Jett in the upcoming film The Runaways, alongside Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie (another member of the band the movie is named for, for those punk-illiterates out there). The movie hits theaters on 3/19 (Friday), and in honor of the release we've got some cool Runaways stuff to give away. Check out the prizes (and pics) after the jump.

Cinematic music videos don't always come out quite right. Many bands try, but few can really nail the right balance between a short film and a showcase for a band's sound. The new video from Plants and Animals though is as captivating as it is accurate to the vibe the band creates on their track "The Mama Papa." The video takes place in a French restaurant in the 30's, and involves a dinner theater musician telling a story to the audience. It's weird and oddly cool in the same way the song attached to it is.

Looking for dancey post-punk? Deluka might be right up your alley. On their new track "Cascade", the leather clas, four-piece mix up electronic back-beats, disco guitar, infectious hooks and the perfect amount of glam. The video for it is great too, giving a nice personal feel to the band, and offering a peak at what they're like on and off the stage.

Some stray thoughts about Lady Gaga's new video for "Telephone" featuring Beyonce.

• "What?"
• "I knew that was what women's prison was like."
• "Lady Gaga does a lot of f**king drugs."

Before you click through to check it out, we warn you its NSFW. Not safe for work in the sense that there's profanity and minor nudity, but also not safe for work because if your co-workers saw you watching it they'd probably ask you, "what in GOD'S name are you looking at?"

The latest video from Yeasayer has some crazy plotline going on... morphing heads, epic futuristic board games with diamonds, and a warehouse party that looks more like a scene from Battlestar Galactica? Maybe? Or cage dancing? I don't know.

Road Trip! In a pretty slick ride too. That seems to be part of the loose premise surrounding the Port O'brien's new video for "Leap Year". There are a few other vagaries mucking about this Threadbare stand out, but I'm guessing only the band and directors Ben Chappell and Aaron Brown really know what's going on. Of course, we suggest you take a crack at it by watching after the jump.

Brooklyn's Neon Indian recently put out an exclusive track through Mountain Dew's Green Label sound. Produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, it's picking up right where Neon Indian's debut, Psychic Chasm left off.

Check out the single after the jump.

A cool and dusty New York troubadour, his vocals rich with sweet and sour tones, his acoustic pairing sparse and simple. His hair's a splash of lackadaisical style, a few black and white stripes peaking out of his nicely worn leather coat. His guitar? A possible relic.

Adam Green molds an absolute vision of city dwelling cool. In style and art alike, it's like he's huffing on the fumes of those who came before him ( think Cohen, Reed, Byrne, etc). Perhaps a bit far flung, but if he wasn't in the Guest Apartment during this session, visions of him perched on the edge of a bed in the sunny mid morning serenading the beautiful curves of a female form pressed in silky sheets might seem appropriate. Perhaps...

Lucky for us (unfortunate for him) Green was in the Guest Apartment, sharing a few songs from his sixth solo release Minor Love. Here in the pink hue of our residential haunt, Green's stark songs reveal the wild imagination that drive his music. Cool, charismatic, a bit macho; Green's got a weird charm to him, and it shines through the inventive poetry of songs like " Breaking Locks", " You Blacken My Stay", and "Cigarette Burns Forever".

Adam Green fled New York, placed himself somewhere in the Hollywood Hills, and recorded an album about romantic dysfunction. Here he talks in length of the story behind his latest album, Minor Love.

Titus Andronicus are a garage band with an above average intelligence. They aren't just the dudes who listened to way too much My Bloody Valentine and wanted to experiment with feedback. They've proven their smart.

On their second and newest release The Monitor, though, it feels like they're over-doing the big concepts. They've taken the shoegaze, post-hardcore, indie rock vibe they had and stretched it out, both style-wise and in average track time.

It is that time of the year! Cold beer, warm weather, and cramming millions of people* onto Sixth Street for the best music festival south of the boarder-ish. SXSW is home to many a party, but we're pretty confident that ours is the irish cream in your spiked coffee (Thursday morning specifically). Here are ten reasons why.

It takes a special kind of cojones to name yourself after a specifically populated and contested area of New York City when you clearly hail from Austin, Texas (and get away with it). That being said, it takes a double kind of special to make lo-fi sound fun and sprightly instead of lazy and sloppy. There you go, two reasons why Harlem made a significant buzz at SXSW last year. Now they are prepping their second album for an early April release, and they sound just as lazily precise as they did before.

Last Friday two guys who "aren't folking around" (I know I read that somewhere) played the Bowery Ballroom. Both stellar musicians, both with great work out there, and one who has a very conspicuous name when compared to this editor.

You crazy for this one, world! After the jump, photos from the Justin Townes Earle /Joe Pug show.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are a household name in alternative rock. Ten years after their first release comes their first album for Matador Records, The Brutalist Bricks. It's a strong, shimmery collection of songs, but at the same time, the band is starting to show their age.

So, Daft Punk is doing the score to the upcoming Tron sequel. And with the imaginable amount of buzz circulating around the internet there's been a lot of websites claiming tracks from film's score have leaked, most being fake.

But a new trailer out today has a small chunk of their score, a huge amount of detail that's been kept under wraps for the most part and just a ton of other really neat stuff.

Check out motorcycles, light suits, old Jeff Bridges and Daft Punk's overture after the jump!

Pigeons is out 6/8, via Secretly Canadian and Luke Temple's brain. He was pretty great in the Guest Aparment, so we'll be letting it poop on our cars, or something! [via Pitchfork]

There is only so much you can do with a drum machine, piano, acoustic guitar and an affinity for five part harmonies. You could make an excellent show choir routine in Ohio, maybe? But the always eccentric Brooklyn band Dinosaur Feathers have managed to make me eat my foot on this one. Fantasy Memorial, their first, is an incredibly expansive record bubbling with their staple raw materials; a surprising melting pot of fantastical arrangements, tropical panache, and bits of 1960's flair. "Why did Dinosaur Feathers write a song about Vendela Vida?" asks popular NY-snoot publication The New Yorker. Good question. Here is a better one: where can I see them play it? Because it is great.

The infamous videomongers have decided that EMI is no longer for them, according to a newsletter that just went out to the fans. Looks like they will be paying for their own treadmills and warehouses full of cause-and-effect machines.

Gorillaz refused to let Katy Perry on the Plastic Beach because of her relations with Russel Brand. Um, thanks Russel Brand? [via The Daily Swarm]

SXSW is a self-aware clusterf*ck of an event. Aside from being a drunken sloppy mess of half-showered music lovers looking for the next free drink, literally HUNDREDS of parties are happening simultaneously. Hundreds of bands are shuffling around the Texas town, playing an exhaustive schedule and looking for as much exposure as possible. Sorting through those ridiculously long lists on websites like Austin360 can be quite a hassle... so I did it for you! If you paid a million dollars (approximation) for a badge, good for you! But what a waste! There are more free, badge-less events than you can possibly attend, so lets talk about some of them.

I know she is married to lead singer Thomas Mars, but if she turns the epic two-part Phoenix construction into another sh*tty movie with Kirsten Dunst, I'ma be pissed. [via Paste]

The Besnard Lakes third album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, begins with "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 1: The Ocean," followed immediately by "Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 2: The Innocent." Despite their more than a mouthful titling tendencies, the roughly nine minutes of this combo opener are the highlight of the album and almost worth the price of admission.

It's not a stretch to call Minus The Bear the kings of math-rock. And although they're not the mathiest in the world, but they've always done a darn good job mixing math, prog, emo and 90's post-hardcore into some pretty palletable stuff.

The latest video from Yeasayer has some crazy plotline going on... morphing heads, epic futuristic board games with diamonds, and a warehouse party that looks more like a scene from Battlestar Galactica? Maybe? Or cage dancing? I don't know. Go see the amazing video over at Pop Justice, whose writer clearly doesn't "get" it (read the post, agree with me).

At first having Spin break this news seemed like a bad idea, but it sounds VERY different than their old stuff (in a good way). Go check it out on their website for the download.

Characterizing Gorillaz is kind of like defining 'umami,' the mysterious fifth "taste" that westerners qualify with "meaty" or "savory". Sure we know it when we eat it, but it has no basic element can it be compared to (it doesn't exist like salt or sugar). The Japanese seem to have a better handle on it (or at least an earlier one, hence the proper name). Funny that Damon Albarn also takes on a mysteriously eastern flair (a personal interest), with his Monkeying around on the side and his anime obsession. Gorillaz are the most successful virtual band according to the Guiness Book of World Records, and that is no simulation. The music has evolved from a simple Blur offspring to something much more futuristic and electronic in nature, spawning orchestral interludes, narratives, and easter eggs for music fans and comic book nerds alike (of which I am all of the above). In short: Gorillaz has become Albarn's own personal dynasty.

This sequencer machine ACTUALLY READS LEGOS! What else do you need from life? [via The Daily Swarm]

Though they're entirely composed of classical musicians, somehow, someway, the Portland Cello Project seem a perfect fit for this little indie sphere of ours. Perhaps its' their flirtation with pop concentrated song structure, or maybe their spirited takes on Elliott Smith, Outkast, and Pantera. The band also recently collaborated on a wonderful album for Kill Rock Stars with two songwriters: Thao Nguyen and Justin Powers...which, by the way, is what lead us to film this set at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.

On tour with Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, PCP's performance reveals a classically trained group of pop enthusiasts, incredibly versed in holding their rock-minded audiences' attention with songs that easily cross-over into their world. Here, PCP present a set ripe with emotion; tension, drama, tenderness, you name it. It's a gathering of cello players that, on this night, spoke to everyone in attendance; especially when adding songwriter Powers to the mix towards the end of their set. Here's your first chance to have it speak to you.

The Youtube sensation/best digital short ever to grace the SNL skit-list got a live performance with support from The Roots. So yeah, it was kind of awesome. Watch it after the jump.

Denmark's Choir of Young Believers have released their 3rd single, the floaty and dreamy "Claustrophobia". The track features Jannis Noya Makrigiannis front and center surrounded by synth strings, stomping drums and a haunting reverb. The production on the track is real simple, but with a good amount of layers to keep it from getting boring.

Although he claims it will be filmed in "normal settings" like a backyard and slaughterhouse (huh?), it will still probably be really, really weird. It shouldn't take too long to make (Christmas On Mars took seven years), and Coyne is rumored to be courting Justin Timberlake to star. [via Pitchfork]

Linda Carlsson performs under the stage name Miss Li and the chances are very good you've heard her and not even known it. Her music has been featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, an episode of Weeds, a Volvo ad, and most recently an iPod commercial.

No flash flood can save him today! [via TMZ]

The Rage Against The Machine guitarist will help compose the rest of the movie's score (in addition to the signature AC/DC anthem). Is there any chance of this movie being bad? (answer: probably not). [via Metal Insider]

Summer of last year the wishes of loyal Format fans was granted (in some capacity). Nate Ruess, lead singer and one of the songwriters of the band struck out on his own with a few friends (Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Andrew Dost of Anathallo) to form a new group called fun., and after teasing us for months and months with the demo "Benson Hedges" on their Myspace, released Aim and Ignite on August 25th, 2009. I spent a few long car rides with it, let's put it that way.

I look forward to reading it out loud in the Dizzee Rascal voice. I wonder if he will mention that time a little site called Baeble filmed his show? [via Billboard]

The Columbia-Oxford-prep turned California collar poppers were back at home on SNL this week. They were quite fortunate to be joined by Zach Galifianakis, the most anticipated host of the season (in this humble writers opinion). The show was hit-and-miss (the usual) but Zach was TBS very funny and VW put on a great performance (twice), so all in all very nice! It wasn't hard to predict the two songs the band would play, yes you guessed it, so after the jump watch "Cousins" and "Giving Up The Gun".

Raaaaaaaandy has declared war on Justin Bieber. Observe/giggle:

It's safe to say that jj'snewest release jj no. 3 might be one of the most insane albums of 2010. The Swedish duo's newest effort opens up with a track called "My Life" which for the most part is the refrain from rapper the GAME's song My Life until the last verse which segues into the chorus of ATC's "It Goes Around the World" (the song with the nah-nah-nah's in it).

The Phenomenal Handclap Band's "Baby" was recently remixed by Scotland's DJ Architeq. The result is definitely interesting, but at the same timee definitely different. The remix trades the smoky horn line opening of the original for something darker and synthy. What is interesting, though, is how natural DJ Architeq's version sounds once the vocals come in. Working with a really infectious dub groove that slides and creeps, it provides the perfect backdrop for singer Daniel Collas's repeating chorus and the harmonies the rest of the band peppers in throughout.

Fair warning: we suspect our event will leave you feeling worn down, bloated and/or hung over, partially deaf, and a little woozy. But really...it wouldn't be a very righteous SXSW Day Party without the combination of these kinds of consequences, would it?! Considering the bands we've enlisted to play (oh...and there are more to come!), we're thinking our FREE afternoon at the Scoot Inn on Thursday March 18th will put you through the ringer . Come on. You know you want it! Info above and below, with more band announcements to follow. - David Pitz


Baeble's SXSW Day Party - Thursday March 18th, 12 to 6PM
The Scoot Inn (1308 East 4th Street) - Austin Texas
Bands Scheduled To Perform:
Holy F*ck
Timber Timbre
Jaguar Love
Javelin
Bear Hands
Dappled Cities
These United States
Seabear
The Happy Hollows

NO BADGE REQUIRED - FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
****RSVP on Facebook
OR RSVP to rsvp@baeblemusic.com*****

Photos from the White Slab. MHOW Photos Unavailable. See more of these and other photos HERE

Shout Out Louds played a sold-out show in Williamsburg and a tiny, secret gathering on the Lower East Side this week. We were there for both!

You know that scene in the sci-fi movie when the hero ducks into an underground club to elude the authorities? He's searching for his hacker friend who can clear his name by "jacking into the mainframe" to find the real psychopath bent on world destruction. He pushes through the sweaty, heavily made-up, fetish friendly crowd who are busy dancing hedonistically to some band playing super aggressive, fist-pumping synth-rock.

ANECDOTE: When I was like ten or twelve, I used to go to day camp every summer, and remember very vividly riding the bus and listening to a bootleg CD-R of Gorillaz and wanting to learn how to play guitar and I knew every word. Now I am including their album like ten years later on a mixtape I write every week, and I guess what I'm getting at is we grow up quick! Cherish those Blow-Pops, because soon they will become an innuendo and then you know you're one step closer to worrying about politics and accredited universities and standardized testing, and then credit card debt and dry cleaning and mortgages (ew). Good thing we still have the lottery! And Gorillaz! I'll have one music please, hold the Ke$ha.

A special segment of the Guest Apartment this week starring Israeli superstar David Broza and legendary sideman GE Smith... The pair were kind enough to visit us last month while Broza was in town working to help set up up his latest recorded release. Titled Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt, the album is built upon some long lost, poetry Broza inherited from Townes Van Zandt sometime after he passed in '97. Restructuring the prose and building the songs around it would take several years to flesh out, though I think you'll find the wait well worth it. In the end, what's apparent is that these songs, though removed from the tradition of the country folk legend, fit ever so gracefully upon the wings of Broza's international flare. In this re-imagined format of the Guest Apartment, Broza and Smith discuss the roots of the project, what it means to be a part of Van Zandt's towering legacy, and perform a few songs along the way. It's an incredibly unique session, and it's an honor to have it on Baeble.

A slice of new music here, courtesy of New Zealand, instrumental trio Kerretta. Their video for "The Square Outside" marks the band's introduction ahead of what will be their assault on SXSW, as well as a full US tour to boot. Like what you hear/see? Check out the slate of dates below: - David Pitz

In Citizen Cope's new video for "I Couldn't Explain Why", the soulful hippie crooner gives viewers a taste of the road...an interesting perspective indeed. The visuals offered here consist of a classic mash up of live performance, back stage hijinx, fan interactions, studio sessions, and long, endless stretches of pavement that link it all together.

Landing somewhere in between vintage complexity and intelligent Williamsburg bar-rock, Field Music comes out of their hiatus feeling as fresh as ever with Measure, a new benchmark but by no means far from their usual marks. Clocking in at 70 minutes with twenty songs, it's not light consumption.... but the journey through the modes never seem stale, even though they often apply circular logic to their music. Each track has something to unfold, whether instrumental, orchestral, or simply sonic bliss, these guys know what they are doing.

You don't have to believe it yet, but you will. Big Echo isn't kidding about the big; ten wonderfully succinct tracks of pure shimmery Californian bliss, both to mellow the mind and engage the ears. Take a few minutes to soak in the new one from The Morning Benders, we've got the full album stream after you be jumping.

Many of you have been following the ridiculous story of Lil' Wayne, who has escaped jail almost as many times as John Dillinger at this point. First he needed an obscene amount of dental work, then the courthouse lit on fire. Coincidence? We're not suggesting that someone poisoned his drank, but we ARE suggesting that someone started a blaze (ha!) in a government building on purpose. And knowing Weezy's fans, and knowing the date (which has been made public), we predict it will happen again.

Catch him and his backing band the Grogs as they tour around America in support of his latest, What Will Be, released last year. If you get to meet him, best not to ask about that whole Natalie Portman thing. [via CMJ]

Everyone thinks they can be a folk rock artist, especially today when the startup costs of recording a lo-fi rock record are really negligible. That is why the pool is full of schlock, lazy, repetitive schlock. But occasionally, something surfaces that is still shiny and mesmerizing, and Peter Wolf Crier is that token. Inter-Be, their affecting, charged record, breathes new life into an often overwrought genre.

Must be a slow news day. [via Pitchfork]

As many of you know, I'm not a huge fan of Ke$ha. Her use of a dollar sign, lyrics about dental hygiene mixed drinks, and secretly boning her teachers don't sit well with me, and I find her off-the-wall demeanor and simplified preoccupations a real quandry of popular music's obsession with bare knuckle descriptions of sex, drugs, and not washing your hair.

In case you missed this car-chase-centric video yesterday, go check it out on Youtube (embedding disabled?? Have we learned NOTHING?). Guest starring donuts, and also Bruce Willis. ["Stylo" (Plastic Beach)]

It wouldn't be a video without a NSFW kind of moment...which comes early in Owen Pallett's new video for "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt". Wonder if that's Lewis there...the one getting cigarette smoke blown up his arse? Talk about a nicotine fix! Later, the computer game shuffle of looped violins and vocals gets met with some lickity split splicing of images both surreal and of the everyday variety. It's a pretty wicked video. What Pallett is getting at, however... Who the heck knows?!

For some reason this seems like a perfect song for Vampire Weekend to apply their specific aesthetic to, minus the California transplanted Upper-West-Side Soweto or whatever dumb label the media attaches next (whoops! guilty!). Seriously, the schism in lovers/haters has gone too far, just let the guys come into their own sound! Stop crying Paul Simon/Afro-pop! Let's just go with, "hey this sounds like Vampire Weekend." Great song, good cover, what's not to like? RZA does NOT guest star in this one (get it? Tennis).

Beach House conjure up visions of a sandy escape from reality, a boozy muscle relaxing day on the ocean, or just a vacation from the stresses of everyday life, taxes, and credit card debt. Whether you have all these (or different ones), sit back and crack open a cool, refreshing concert that leaves you as mellow as a lime garnish and a rim of salt. Tell some friends, and you could win a seriously sunny prize pack with three bits of signed merchandise! Jump in, the water is fine.

Photography by Lyndsey Matthews. Check out more photos from this show and others HERE.
When Beach House announced they'd be tearing the plastic wrapping off their latest and greatest release Teen Dream with a record release soiree at Bell House in Brooklyn, a wild ticket nab ensued, with too few tickets being made available (I'm told less than half of the 350 capacity venue went to the general public) to the rush of fans waiting to greet the band, and their fascinating new album. Teen Dream represents a high water mark in the band's career, after-all, and fleshed out in public, it's easy to hear why.

First there are the songs; "Lover Of Mine, "Norway", "Take Care", and "Walk in the Park", to name a few. Teen Dream finds the intimacy of previous albums Devotion and the band's eponymous effort still lingering for those who find it. But somehow, someway, Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand expand upon their own musical tapestry, introducing more instrumental elements, while tightening construction. Legrand's mysterious poetics that accompany the songs, remains the same.

With our latest concert release, that intimacy is appropriately compromised (just a bit)...the band adding a drummer to help whirl their woozy sound around the Bell House's open configuration. Packed warm and tight on a cold, January evening, the sold out audience inhaled the band's music like some miraculous gas. It would blanket the crowd, seep in to their blood stream, and ultimately make it's way like some happy kick to the heart and head. What a feeling...what a band.

"When the words were uttered we knew that we had a world in which the songs that we started writing would exist in, and the ones that would follow would be a part of as well". That's how Victoria Legrand explains the revelation that accompanied the naming of Beach House's latest and greatest record Teen Dream. In this exclusive interview with Legrand and collaborator Alex Scally, the band discuss the energy that spawned Teen Dream, as well as their hopes for how it's eventually perceived.

Joanna Newsom, the love-it-or-leave-it harpist, released her third full-length album last week relatively unannounced. Though most of the songs on this two-hour-long three-disc record stretch well beyond the two-and-half-minute mark of most pop songs, the material here is more accessible than any of Newsom's previous work.

A math-wiz has broken down Pitchfork's often arbitrary, yet very coveted ratings system. Devotees will recall we discussed this in December regarding Black Kids, and now you can see graphs about it! [via Part Time Music]

Knowing their penchant for tomfoolery when it comes to ingenious music videos, i.e. their synchronized dancing (both on foot and treadmill) and their use of ridiculous marching band tactics, it is no surprise that a "no-embed" policy on their coveted videos was a no-no for fans. They explained. Now that their label has wised up, they've tried to make it up to us with a crazy busy machine-like system that runs for the entire song. Sure it's derivative, but it's still fun to see them build an incredible moving factory of fun, no matter where the idea came from. Check it out after the jump.

Trying to nail down what it is exactly that works about Oberhofer's music is king of like putting together a puzzle of sorts; pop catchyness, a tough to nail down sincerity, and a lo-fi cool factor that seems to transcend itself. Give it a listen, see for yourself.

At the risk of disconnecting entirely, many have followed the dangerous path of Merriweather Post Pavilion and tried to make a record of tape loop sounding psych-synth that sits pretty on the line between pleasant noise and catchy pop. Some have failed miserably. The advantage has often gone to people who, like Animal Collective, came from a place of mystery to begin with (and a loyal fan-base of their babbling nonsense). The Ruby Suns don't come from such a place, rather they've warped their well-known psych-pop to read more pop-psych... as in a little more backwards, a little more obscured.

Brothers, their sixth studio LP, will see the light of day (so to speak) on 5/18, via Nonesuch Records. "Mostly recorded at the famed Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama and mostly produced by Auerbach and Carney themselves", with one track by produced by Broken Bell's Danger Mouse. [via Pitchfork]

Teaming up with Polyphonic Spree and another band TBD, to travel with the non-profit organization Invisible Children, Yeasayer plan to raise awareness about the rebel mistreatment and abuse of children in Uganda. You can donate to send them there, to learn more about the conflict and (in partnership with La Blogoteque) document the journey.

The most spastic pop skirmishes coming out of Sweden these last couple years seem to be flying from the yelp and howl of Josephine Olausson, and her equally smashing band mates in Love is All. In the band's grainy music video for "Kungen" - the first song from their soon to be released, third album - the gang go medieval on your ass, parading around their snow draped kingdom, sporting stylish Where the Wild Things Are headgear, and "ba ba ba"ing their little hearts a way. It's a pretty nifty track, with a freewheeling visual to boot.

The band will release their newest, slice and dice collection of songs dubbed Two Thousand and Ten Injuries on March 23rd via Polyvinyl.

The tradition of beautifully shot, Shout Out Louds videos continues with the band's latest visual from their recently released album Work. Here, Adam Olenius and the rest of SOLs touch on the stage fright I imagine accompany many a band making the sometimes awkward, promotional sweep of television. Shout Out Louds Super!

Man, NPR is KILLING IT with these advance streams! First Gorillaz, and now the Danger Mouse/James Mercer super group. Making Monday just a little bit more bearable. go get some Broken Bells.

Alan Palomo is a real nice guy, we've discovered. So we're pleased to hear about his presence at SXSW, as well as the news that he will (hopefully) put out a new record this year. The assumption/guess comes from the potential first single from that record, a new release that will hit the internet on 3/10.

That my phone call interrupted Adam Olenius hard at work in the middle of an icy, Swedish afternoon is not surprising. It is an aptly titled album dubbed Work, after all, that has he and his fellow band mates in Shout Out Louds mighty busy these days. When I ring him, the principal songwriter for the band, along with guitarist Carl von Arbin, is at home piecing together various elements of artwork for the Australian release of their new set of songs. Crackling across the phone line, Olenius sounds appropriately careful and deliberate when considering my trans-Atlantic inquiries. A few answers trail off into the fuzz, suggesting Work - the album - might be a bit too fresh for many definitive, personal conclusions at this point. These things require time and reflection, after all. But what's clear is the mindset Work - the process - represents amongst Olenius and his band mates; something satisfying, something deliberate, something that is certainly worth doing.

Not necessarily relevant music news BUT I thought it was important for all you cool kids who know the meaning of being different by conforming and you cool girls who think you have a hot apps and have lost at least eight of these things. FULL DISCLOSURE: I have an iPhone. So good thing ATT plans to ramp up their game to avoid last years network issues. [via Gigaom]

Trans-Continental Hustle, their fifth studio album, will be released on 4/27 via American Recordings.

The Gorillaz piloted LP has surfaced in full as an NPR stream. Go get your toon on, electronic stylo.

_{Picture by Richard Perry/NY Times}
At Carnegie Hall on Friday night the 20th installment of the Tibet House's concert series. This year's performers included Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, singer/songwriter Regina Spektor, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop.

"We Are The World" got some well needed disaster relief, the artist formally known as the artist formally known as a symbol debuted a new song, and so did Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke... with his new band, Atoms For Peace (three in fact). [Pictured Above: Eisenhower's infamous "Atoms For Peace" speech, the arms-for-progress trade proposed to the UN in the 50s that Yorke is obviously referencing... KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!]

Twang is a hard thing to fake. In a world populated by pop country and jam band outfits it's tough to get enough soul in around production to make it sound right. Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck knows a thing or two about natural sounding country and about the bits and pieces that go into real southern rock. His first album, Pride was something introspectic and intimate and featured Houck on duties for all the instrumentation.