PHW's March Mix


MP3 :: Bloodbuzz Ohio / The National (original post)
MP3 :: Magics / Disappears (original post)
MP3 :: Lear In Love / Frog Eyes (original post)
MP3 :: The Pendulum / Paper the Operator (original post)
MP3 :: Friendly Ghost / Harlem
MP3 :: Gay Human Bones / Harlem (original post)
MP3 :: Pink Graffiti pt. 1 / Secret Cities (original post)
MP3 :: Sleep Paralysist / Neon Indian (original post)
MP3 :: Stay Close / Delorean
MP3 :: Odessa / Caribou
MP3 :: Round And Round / Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti (original post)
MP3 :: Collector / Here We Go Magic (original post)
MP3 :: Third of Life / A Weather (original post)
MP3 :: Arkansas / Damien Jurado (original post)
MP3 :: Gills (Dry) / The Spend (original post)
MP3 :: Burden of Tomorrow / The Tallest Man On Earth (original post)
MP3 :: Twilight / Elliott Smith (original post)
MP3 :: Thank You Friends / Big Star (original post)
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[Stream] Harlem - Hippies


Though I haven’t gotten around to mentioning it yet on here, one album that I’ve been looking forward to is Hippies, the upcoming follow up to 2008’s Free Drugs from Harlem. Listen to why I’ve been excited about it right now - the whole shabang is currently streaming in its throwback garage-rock glory over at their myspace.

MP3 :: Friendly Ghost
MP3 :: Gay Human Bones
(from Hippies. Info here)
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Matt Singer releases CHARITY live album


Long time PHW favorite and all around generous guy Matt Singer has gone out of his way to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Live At The Warehouse is a double-length live album that is available as a “pay what you want” download, with ALL PROCEEDS going to help this very worthy cause. Side A of the album is available right now, with the “naughtier, more flamboyant” Side B coming out next week. Follow this link for more information on the recording, this one for more on the cause. Singer is one of my very favorite NY singer-songwriters and I hope you take a few minutes to look into this release. His song “Stacy J.” was one of my favorites of 2007, and last year’s excellent EP, The Drought, was Matt’s most accomplished set of songs to date.

MP3 :: Scary (live)
(from Live At The Warehouse. Buy/Download here)
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[video] Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union"


A More Perfect Union

Titus Andronicus MySpace Music Videos


Here’s the wintry official video for Titus Andronicus’ “A More Perfect Union” that‘s been going around since yesterday. Though significantly abbreviated from the album version, this song and video still kick all sorts of ass. If you haven’t yet checked out The Monitor, I have no idea what the hell you’re waiting for.

MP3 :: A More Perfect Union
MP3 :: Four Score And Seven (Part 1)
MP3 :: Four Score And Seven (Part 2)
(from The Monitor. Buy here)
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[video] Wilco - "Country Disappeared" (from La Blogotheque)

Wilco - Country Disappeared - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.



Noteworthy because:

A. Wilco do not make actual videos for their songs. Haven‘t in a long time. They only make DVDs.

B. There are quite a few video blogs out there now doing things similar to this, and La Blogotheque’s Take Away Shows are still one of the very best. Beautifully filmed.

C. This is better than the rather limp version from Wilco (The Album).
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[mp3] Frog Eyes - "Lear In Love"


Frog Eyes have released another sneak peak at their upcoming Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans, April 27). The more concise “Lear In Love” is just as promising but no less manic than the unhinged epic “A Flower In A Glove”. As usual, Mercer’s vocals (choking every bit of reckless emotion out of every syllable) and the guitars crash around like they are lost at sea during the perfect storm, but here he gets some help from the sweet harmonies of new band-member Megan Boddy. Lots of upcoming tour dates here.

MP3 :: Lear In Love
(from Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph. Info here)

Previously:

MP3 :: A Flower In A Glove
(from Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph)
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[mp3] A Weather - "Third of Life"


A Weather have recently released Everyday Balloons, an intricate and stately spin on chamber-folk that finds the Portland band incorporating a fuller band sound than 2008’s Cove. Listen to the hypnotic, light-as-air male/female harmonizing on lead-off track “Third of Life” or “Giant Stairs”, both of which show off how this band’s songs have a way of gently rising as though they were filled with helium on a breezy day.

MP3 :: Third of Life
MP3 :: Giant Stairs
(from Everyday Balloons. Buy here)
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[mp3] The Tallest Man On Earth - "Burden of Tomorrow"


Dead Oceans has released a second free song from The Tallest Man On Earth’s upcoming album, The Wild Hunt. Have a listen to “Burden Of Tomorrow” below, and be sure to pick up the album when it drops April 13 - this guy is one of the best folk songwriters to come around in years and both this new song and the previously heard "King Of Spain" suggest this could be one of the year's sleepers. Those who pre-order the new album will receive a digital copy immediately, and the first 175 to do so will also receive a free copy of the CD single for “King of Spain”, which comes with two exclusive b-sides. Tour dates here.

MP3 :: Burden Of Tomorrow
(from The Wild Hunt. Pre-order here)
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Previously:

MP3 :: King of Spain
(also from The Wild Hunt)
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[mp3] The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio"


After a captivating live preview of High Violet’s lead track, “Terrible Love”, a few weeks ago on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, today comes the second listen to the ridiculously anticipated new album from The National. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is now available to download, free of charge, on the High Violet website. Everything’s in place here - propulsive drumming, the ringing guitar chords, and Matt Berninger’s unwavering baritone has rarely sounded more intimate. "I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees", he sings, which doesn't quite sound as nice as when he was "carried in the arms of cheerleaders", but it's still a cool image. Get a perfectly decent 192 kbps version for nothing, or a 320 version + artwork for an email address. Here goes:

MP3 :: Bloodbuzz Ohio
(from High Violet. Info here)
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[stream] Teenage Fanclub - "Baby Lee"



Talk about a Big Star influence. Teenage Fanclub will be releasing their first album in five years this June and the first available listen, “Baby Lee”, has more than a little of the old Chilton-esque power-pop charm about it that was such a huge part of their appeal in the 90’s. The album’s called Shadows (artwork above) and will be proceeded a Baby Lee 7”. Have a listen here:

Stream :: Baby Lee
(from Shadows. Info here)

And here’s one from 2005’s Man-Made:

MP3 :: It’s All In My Mind
(Info here)
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[stream] The Gaslight Anthem - "American Slang"


The Gaslight Anthem have released the tracklist and cover art for their upcoming album, American Slang. The follow up to the breakthrough 2008 effort, The ‘59 Sound, is due June 15 and you can now stream the title track at both their myspace and facebook. With their power chord driven anthems, gruff vocals, and everyman-appeal, the Jersey band gets frequent comparisons to Springsteen and/or The Hold Steady, even if they sound like a more commercially viable Lucero. Nothing wrong with that if done well, and 2008’s “The ’59 Sound” was an undeniable gem. “American Slang” doesn’t quite reach the same heights, but fans of that kind of slick bar-band punk/soul should dig:

Stream :: American Slang (via myspace)
Stream :: American Slang (via facebook)
(from American Slang. Info here)
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[bootleg] The Replacements - How Did The Vomit Get Up On The Ceiling?


The recent death of Alex Chilton has led to a lot of reflection on the man’s career and his influence on the music landscape over the past 35+ years. Chilton’s connection to The Replacements and to Paul Westerberg has always been well documented, and Westerberg contributed this touching (and yes, funny) memorial piece to the New York Times over the weekend. Beyond being the subject matter of one of the band’s best loved songs, Chilton was brought in as producer during the early sessions for what eventually became Tim. Though the band ultimately went in another direction (Tommy Erdelyi of The Ramones, but not before laying down “Left Of The Dial” as well as long time “lost” classics “Nowhere Is My Home” and “Can’t Hardly Wait” with Chilton), the power-pop influence of Big Star became more evident on Tim’s follow-up, Pleased To Meet Me.

How Did The Vomit Get Up On The Ceiling? is a long traded collection of demos, rehearsals, outtakes, and b-sides from the “Slim” years (post-Bob Stinson, ‘87-’91, with Slim Dunlap on lead guitar), which focuses heavily on songs that wound up on PTMM or were not used for that album. The name actually comes from a classic bit of Mats' folklore. Apparently, after a particularly decadent evening, vomit was found on the 20 ft. ceiling of their dressing room, much to the dismay and befuddlement of the venue staff. One can only imagine, and even then. Just another night in the life of the era’s greatest rock & roll band I guess. More info here.

ZIP :: The Replacements - How Did The Vomit Get Up On The Ceiling? (135 MB)

Tracklist:

1. Intro - Interview snippet
2. Nevermind
3. Alex Chilton
4. Red Red Wine
5. Kick It In
6. Valentine (instrumental)
7. Run For The Country
8. Going Out Of My Head
9. Trouble On The Way
10. Make This Your Home
11. The Ledge
12. IOU
13. Nightclub Jitters
14. Can’t Hardly Wait
15. Learn How To Fail
16. Valentine
17. Skyway
18. I Don’t Know
19. Red Red Wine
20. Shooting Dirty Pool
21. Cool Water
22. Route 66
23. Tossin’ And Turnin’
24. Ought To Get Love
25. Kissing In Action
26. Outro - Interview snippet
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[mp3] Here We Go Magic - "Collector"


Luke Temple’s Here We Go Magic will be returning in June on a new home, Secretly Canadian, with a brand new album called Pigeons. The first single, “Collector”, is another one of those “give us your email and get the song for free” deals that has become rather popular of late. The song is an impressive assimilation of “Hallogallo”-inspired krautrock and relentlessly catchy indie-pop, and easily worth the modest cover charge. Follow the link:

MP3 :: Collector
(from Pigeons. Info here)
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[mp3] Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Round and Round"


Here’s a new one from Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, from the forthcoming limited edition 7” and download single. Full length 4AD debut to follow later this year.

MP3 :: Round And Round
(from the Round And Round 7”. Info here)

Or get it by joining the mailing list:



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R.I.P. - Alex Chilton



Sad news tonight, as word of the death of underground rock legend Alex Chilton is making it’s way around the internet. For those who may not know, Chilton was the leader of 60’s pop group The Box Tops (for whom he wrote “The Letter”), but is better known today by music enthusiasts for his seminal work in the 70’s power-pop band Big Star. His influence over the following generations of bands has reached far and wide, touching either directly or indirectly on pretty much every group who has attempted to combine rock and pop music during the past 30 years. Though “September Gurls”, a blueprint for power-pop perfection, is perhaps (rightfully) his best known song today (I heard it in the supermarket just a few weeks ago and thought that was kind of strange), here are two of my other Big Star favorites. All three Big Star albums are essential, but these both come from their desperate, devastating final record, Third/Sister Lovers, a sonic document of what a great band sounds like when coming apart at the seams.

MP3 :: Thank You Friends
MP3 :: O, Dana
(from Third/Sister Lovers. Buy here)
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And here’s a smattering of my favorite Big Star covers:
MP3 :: Thirteen (Wilco - from Big Star Small World. Buy here)
MP3 :: September Gurls (The Replacements, Live 1989)
MP3 :: O, Dana (Okkervil River - from the Overboard & Down EP)

And of course, a live version of The Replacements song named after the legend himself:
MP3 :: Alex Chilton (The Replacements, Live 1989)
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“In The Street” live on The Tonight Show


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[mp3] Secret Cities - "Pink Graffiti pt. 1"


Fargo’s Secret Cities have signed with Western Vinyl and will soon be releasing their a double A-sided debut 7”, Bright Teeth. “Pink Graffiti Part 1” is a subtly addictive bit of dream-pop that deftly mixes elements of lo-fi, folk, beats, and synths. It's an interesting mix of sounds, and I'm looking forward to what this band does in the future.

MP3 :: Pink Graffiti Part 1
(from Bright Teeth. Info here)
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[video] Earl Pickens & Family - "With or Without You"



Last year Earl Pickens & Family released a song-for-song cover of U2’s classic The Joshua Tree. What began a few years back as a one-off tribute show commemorating the landmark album’s 20th anniversary evolved into a full band project, and the resulting album was both an homage and a re-imagining of the album as a country classic. One of the highlights is their take on “With Or Without You”, which emphasizes the sadness in the lyrics with a stripped-down arrangement (that’s Bruce W. Derr on guitar) and some beautiful harmonizing between Earl and Jessie Yamas. Fans of the original album and/or country music should not miss out on this one.

Stream :: Bullet the Blue Sky / Where the Streets Have No Name
(from Earl Pickens & Family - The Joshua Tree. Buy here)
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Titus Andronicus - The Monitor


If you’re a fan of indie rock, 2010 looks to be a landmark year. Already Spoon, Frightened Rabbit, and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists have put out new records, and the coming months will see highly anticipated releases from, among others, The Hold Steady, Drive-By Truckers, The National, The Walkmen, Band of Horses, The Strokes, and The Black Keys. In any given year that’s full house of solid Top 10 contenders, but this is going to be a more competitive year than usual it seems. I’ll tell you what though, it’s going to take a lot to match what is easily the best rock album I’ve heard so far this year - Titus Andronicus’s shot at the brass ring, The Monitor.

Released this week, The Monitor follows the Jersey band’s critically acclaimed 2008 debut, The Airing of Grievances. A step forward from that solid beginning in every imaginable way, the new album is just a non-stop guitar-rock assault that mixes punk rock’s sheer force with horn sections, martial drums, E Street Band keys, and lead singer/songwriter Patrick Stickles’ angsty growl. Stickles has written a concept album that’s loosely held together by themes of missed opportunities and feeling out of place in this world. Though the album takes place in modern times, the backdrop of the American Civil War looms large in the song titles, artwork, and through a series of spoken word interludes drawn from, among other sources, speeches by Abe Lincoln and a Walt Whitman poem. Like Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ or Marah’s Kids In Philly, Titus Andronicus make it clear that this is a rock album in which a vividly depicted setting is crucial to the viability of its songs. New Jersey, long romanticized in song and pretty much nowhere else, is brought to life as an empty, soul-sucking place from which the only thing one can do is escape. So yeah, Born To Run for a new generation of disaffected youth.

Though never offering anything resembling an easily followed narrative, The Monitor was named after a great Union warship that fought to a veritable stalemate in the real Battle of Hampton Roads (there’s a song called that) against the Confederates’ equally impressive battleship, The Virginia. Rather than shame itself by surrendering, The Virginia blew itself up. The Monitor wound up sinking nondescriptly soon thereafter. The fates of these two ships act as a sort of metaphor for the theme of the album, as Stickles said recently, “These two terribly beautiful war-making machines, the best from each side, couldn't kill each other so they just killed themselves.” Sort of the anti-Romeo and Juliet.

Over-arching themes and historical connections aside, The Monitor works best as a fun, balls-to-the-wall rock record. Kicking off with the awesome battle cry “A More Perfect Union”, the album begins by throwing out references to Abraham Lincoln, “Born To Run”, Billy Bragg‘s “A New England”, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, John Brown, the friggin' Constitution of The United States of America, and, I’ve read that it’s in there but still haven’t heard it, The Dark Knight. They should sell this thing with some kind of decoder ring, as the deep and varied references just keep piling on (my favorite - “I’m going back to New Jersey, I do believe they’ve had enough of me” in 14-minute epic closer “The Battle of Hampton Roads”). Lyrically, Stickles reaches high, but much more often than not he hits his mark. I mean, “you ain't never been a virgin kid, you been fucked from the start” is rock & roll poetry of the highest order, no?

Named after Shakespeare’s earliest tragedy, a blood-filled story of revenge, Titus Andronicus has never shied away from violence, self-loathing, and revenge in their songs. The Monitor takes these bleak motifs and turns them into loud, glorious excuses to bang your head, play air guitar, and shout along. Working best as a series of cathartic anthems that will no doubt soon be shouted in unison by thousands of fans on upcoming tours, these ten songs barely let up over the 60+ minutes running time. I dare you not to get caught up in the impassioned cries of “rally around the flag”, “the enemy is everywhere”, “you will always be a loser”, and especially “it’s still us against them”. This is impassioned stuff, and if you trust my usual tastes around here, then don’t hesitate to buy this record. It's a goddamn masterpiece.

MP3 :: A More Perfect Union
MP3 :: Four Score And Seven (Part 1)
MP3 :: Four Score And Seven (Part 2)
(from The Monitor. Buy here)
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[video] The National - "Terrible Love" (live on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon)



In case you haven’t already seen this everywhere else today, The National busted out “Terrible Love” from their highly anticipated High Violet last night on Jimmy Fallon. You can check out the artwork and some behind the scenes video footage of the new album’s recording here. May 11 May 11 May 11 May 11 May 11 May 11 May 11.............
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[mp3] Disappears - "Magics"


Recent Kranky signees Disappears are soon to release their excellent full length debut, LUX. I’ve had this one on repeat for most of the week so far, and I’ve got to say, it’s some good, good shit. Brooding and heavily-reverbed, the band uses some choice influences (Wire, VU, Sonic Youth, The Stooges) to create a throwback, post-punk garage-psyche sound that’s better than just about everyone else out there right now doing something vaguely similar. Get started with “Magics”, whose scuzzed-out melodies and tense, repetitive buildup lead to some inspired guitar work over the back half. LUX is one to keep an eye out for next month - it comes out at the end of April.

MP3 :: Magics
(from LUX. Info here)
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[mp3] Neon Indian - "Sleep Paralysist"


Fresh off a stellar late night TV debut a few weeks ago, Neon Indian is releasing a new single through Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound imprint. Stylistically, “Sleep Paralysist” doesn’t stray from the glo-fi/chillwave/blip-pop/whatev template of last year’s debut, Psychic Chasms, even if it was co-produced by Grizzly Bear‘s Chris Taylor. Chances are if you dug “Terminally Chill” or “Deadbeat Summer” you’ll be pretty into this one too.

MP3 :: Sleep Paralysist
(free single through Green Label Sound. Info here)
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[video] Sparklehorse - "Little Fat Baby"



I don’t have anything to add to the discussion regarding the recent suicide of Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous. Though the band’s catalog was one that I always intended to get around to diving into, I just never did. There are plenty of worthwhile tributes out there this week remembering this talented and tortured artist, and I’m sure if you are interested you know how and where to find them.

“Little Fat Baby” is the one Sparklehorse song that I am well familiar with, having heard it on an Uncut compilation back around its 2001 release on It’s A Wonderful Life. Little did I know though, until tonight, that the song shares lyrics with a Vic Chesnutt song, whose own recent tragic end has led to my further exploration of his back catalog over recent months. From what I’ve read, “Little Fat Baby” is actually about Chesnutt, and wasn’t going to be released until he heard it and gave it his blessing. Guess he did. It’s a beautiful, weird little folk song that I’ve been listening to for the better part of the past hour. It should have been a gateway into the Sparklehorse catalog a long time ago. Better late than never.
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[mp3] MGMT - "Flash Delirium"


Besides the great “Time To Pretend”, I didn’t fall in love with MGMT’s debut like just about everyone else. But that song was an undeniably awesome synth-pop gem, and was more than enough to keep me interested in what comes next. So, what comes next? Well, I’m not exactly sure how to describe this one…"Flash Delirium" comes from their forthcoming sophomore album, Congratulations. And yes, those (congrats) are in order for putting out a song that not only goes in a new direction, but goes in about a half dozen of them at once. See if you can make sense of this, my head’s still spinning:

MP3 :: Flash Delirium
(from Congratulations. Info here)
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[stream] Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do


After first hearing "This Fucking Job" and "Birthday Girl" in the not so distant past, Drive-By Truckers have now set up a full album stream of their brand new record, The Big To-Do, on their official site. I'll let you decide of Patterson Hood was bullshittin' when he said it was their "hardest, most melodic set since disc two of Southern Rock Opera".

Stream :: The Big To-Do

(from The Big To-Do. Pre-order here)
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Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me


The last thing the internet needs is anyone else chiming in on Joanna Newsom’s ridiculously ambitious new triple album Have One On Me. But screw it. This is a collection of music that will be scrutinized, pulled apart, examined, and fawned over for most of the next 9 months until it ultimately ends up near the top of just about every year-end list that matters, so why shouldn't I throw in my 2 cents? After sifting through Have One On Me for about two weeks now, I can safely say that it deserves the accolades. I’m aware that that’s a pretty meaningless statement, but I was never able to say the same for Ys (though I have always loved The Milk-Eyed Mender). I always found Ys much more interesting from afar than captivating when actually playing out of my speakers. Have One On Me manages to accomplish both - its songs are artistically stunning and just endlessly inviting.

If you're one of the few still uninitiated, Have One On Me must surely seem like a daunting challenge. The best place to get your feet wet is, in my opinion, the gorgeous “Baby Birch”. I thought it from the first time I heard it (and apparently so did Rawkblog’s David Greenwald in his CMG review, which, besides all the Ryan Adams comparisons, is right on in most ways), but you kind of expect her to veer into “Amazing Grace” over the song’s opening 4 minutes. It’s that beautiful, and has the same sort of delicate, near-religious presence before it evolves into something else entirely (with electric guitars!). Joni Mitchell’s name has also been brought up in a few places as a touchstone, and I’m sure that’s true, though in all honesty I’m not a fan and can’t really speak to that. What I hear on rootsier songs like “Good Intentions Paving Company”, “Soft As Chalk”, “On A Good Day”, and especially “You & Me, Bess”, is a very strong connection to The Band and their integration of traditional folk and blues music. Obviously Newsom’s voice has nothing to do with Danko, Manuel, or Helm, but some of those melodies would sound fantastic from the Big Pink basement. Any of those songs would also be excellent entry points as well.

Though there are plenty of subtly complex arrangements here, it’s the simpler songs (“Jackrabbits”, “Ribbon Bows”, “81”, “Go Long”, etc.) that are often the most impressive. Newsom allows the piano to override her patented harp as lead instrument on a few songs, all of which are terrific and offer a pleasant respite. And as an album closer, “Does Not Suffice” achieves the impossible in that it equals The Milk-Eyed Mender’s perfect ending, “Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie”. Though far from an album made for everyone, if you allow yourself into the world this album creates, you’ll likely find that it’s a place you won’t want to leave for a long, long time.

(Buy Have One On Me here)
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[video] Joanna Newsom - "Soft As Chalk" (live on Jimmy Fallon)



A harp-less, perfectly-postured Joanna Newsom stopped by Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night to make some funny faces on camera and sing Have One On Me’s “Soft As Chalk”. Her performance is immaculate, the song beautiful, and it’s cool to watch her two-man side band deftly handle the song’s subtly intricate arrangement. Plus you get to watch a kind of pretty good commercial for the Dodge Lancer first. So there’s that, too.
***
*** For some reason the embed wasn't playing earlier. Click here to watch the video if it doesn't work for you.

(Buy Have One On Me here)
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[video] Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "One Polaroid A Day"



By now you’ve likely heard both the classic rock leaning “Even Heroes Have To Die” and the take-no-prisoners “The Mighty Sparrow” from Ted Leo & The Pharmacists soon to be released sixth album, The Brutalist Bricks. Both have been previously made available for free download by Matador and featured here, as well as lots and lots of other places. Well, Ted stopped by the Spinner studios recently to perform a couple of new ones, including those two, plus answer some questions about his bandmates, touring, his influences, and how his songs come to life. Here he is running through the kind of funky “One Polaroid A Day”, perhaps the most directly "catchy" new song of the bunch. The Brutalist Bricks drops next Tuesday, March 9 via Matador.

MP3 :: Even Heroes Have To Die
MP3 :: The Mighty Sparrow
(from The Brutalist Bricks. Buy here)
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Introducing: The Spend


I was recently turned on to the music of Chicago’s The Spend after receiving an email from singer/songwriter Matt Shaw with that myspace link I just passed on to you. After clicking I sat transfixed for about 3 minutes as I soaked in a mesmorizing, finger-picked folk song called “Gills (Dry)” that features some gorgeously-layered vocal harmonies. Shaw records on his own, and the songs on his recent record Mild Peril mostly fall into the hushed, reflective, somewhat ominous lo-fi folk genre that you sometimes hear from artists like Mark Kozelek or Damien Jurado (which, I guess with recent word of a new Jurado album on the way, makes this a very timely introduction). But he mixes these quieter songs with some occasional (and unexpected) electric guitar feedback and experimental sound collages (such as the haunting “Gills (Wet)”) to create a diverse listening experience that manages to maintain a specific mood throughout. Mild Peril is available on vinyl and CD through Shaw’s own Basic Satan label. Don’t miss out on this:

MP3 :: Mild Peril
MP3 :: Gills (Dry)
MP3 :: Gills (Wet)
(from Mild Peril. Buy here)
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[mp3] Damien Jurado - "Arkansas"


Here’s a very cool new song from Damien Jurado’s just-announced new album, Saint Bartlett. “Arkansas” mixes Jurado’s usual minor key, introverted indie-folk with a near-“Be My Baby” drum line and Beach Boys-inspired backing vocals. It’s the most immediate song I’ve heard of his since a few of On My Way To Absence’s better tracks, maybe longer. Saint Bartlett was produced by Richard Swift and drops May 25 via Secretly Canadian.

MP3 :: Arkansas
(from Saint Bartlett. Info here)
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[video] Roadside Graves - "Liv Tyler"



One of the young year’s best songs now has a video to match. Roadside Graves’ “Liv Tyler” gets a gorgeously shot video, which premiered today on Stereogum and traces the band and some of their friends on a sort of journey across their home state of New Jersey. Lead singer John Gleason had this to say about it: "We tried to make it simple and real, used only people we knew. The idea was to have a girl riding around NJ, visiting some of our family and friends, attempting to play with the theme of the song — which I guess is basically being freaked out that you may not truly know what the one you love is thinking, what and who they are thinking of … It’s not always you and vice versa." The song is from the soon-to-be-released EP You Won’t Be Happy With Me.

MP3 :: Liv Tyler
(from You Won’t Be Happy With Me EP. Info here)
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[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Stop Encouraging Us (Minneapolis, 1983)


Though the 6-week Mats renaissance I’ve enjoyed since the end of January has subsided (I pretty much didn’t listen to anything else for a while in there), I’ve still got a handful of bootlegs and rarities I’d like to share over the coming days/weeks. This show, nicknamed Stop Encouraging Us, is again from the 7th Street Entry in their hometown Minneapolis. It was recorded on June 24, 1983 and, like the recently posted show from Houston, is from the time period leading up to career peak Let It Be. This is a rough recording, another that might be for hardcore fans only, but it’s another thrilling look into what the best rock & roll band of their day was capable of when they weren’t just messing around (though a country version of “God Damn Job” covers that, if it’s what you’re into). Notable for a few reasons - “You Look Like An Adult” is an early run through “Seen Your Video” with very different lyrics. Unrecorded Westerberg originals “Why Flop” and “Punk Poop”. Covers of “Hey Good Lookin’”, “Temptation Eyes”, “I’m Eighteen”, and yeah, a very rough run through Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”. This ain’t for the faint of heart.

ZIP :: The Replacements - Stop Encouraging Us (90.6 MB)

Setlist:

1. Hayday
2. Stuck In The Middle
3. Takin’ A Ride
4. Favorite Thing
5. Take Me Down To The Hospital
6. Love You Till Friday
7. I Wanna Be Loved
8. Job Country (country version of “God Damn Job”)
9. Color Me Impressed
10. Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter
11. Lookin’ For Ya
12. You Look Like An Adult
13. Fuck School
14. Hey, Good Lookin’
15. Why Flop
16. White And Lazy
17. I’m In Trouble
18. Run It
19. Willpower
20. Ace of Spades
21. Otto
22. You Lose
23. Temptation Eeys
24. Buck Hill
25. Punk Poop (1977)
26. I Will Dare
27. Mr. Whirly
28. Gimme Noise
29. I Hate Music
30. I’m Eighteen
31. Kids Don’t Follow
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Previously:

[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - The Shit Hits the Fans
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Houston,TX 1983
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - It Ain’t Over ‘Til The Fat Roadies Play
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Murder At Maxwells
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Live at The Roxy, LA
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Shit, Shower, & Shave
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Simply Unacceptable, July 1985
[Live/Bootleg] The Replacements - Putting On The Ritz, NYC 1987
[Bootleg] Paul Westerberg - Unintentionally
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[video] Beach House - "Take Care" (via Baeble)


Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

Baeble Music is sharing a recent Beach House show from Brooklyn’s Bell House. Above you can view a spine-tingling version of “Take Care” from this year’s incredible Teen Dream, and then go here to see the entire 43-minute clip.

MP3 :: Norway
Video :: Silver Soul
(from Teen Dream. Buy here)
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Kill Rock Stars to Reissue 2 Elliott Smith Albums


Kill Rock Stars will be reissuing two Elliott Smith releases on April 6 - his 1994 debut, Roman Candle, and the posthumous 2004 album From A Basement On The Hill. This will be the first time Roman Candle is available on vinyl in the U.S.

MP3 :: Last Call
(from Roman Candle. Info here)

MP3 :: Twilight
(from From A Basement On The Hill. Info here)
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[mp3] Paper the Operator - "The Pendulum"


I’ve enjoyed the past several releases I’ve heard from Poughkeepsie, NY native Jon Sebastian. First, his power-pop band The Color Wheels released an ultra-catchy self-titled album back in 2007 that was particularly enjoyable in the way it looked at the world through an adolescent’s point of view. That was followed by the Solemn Boyz EP in 2008 as Paper the Operator, which hit with a bit more force, downplaying the pop aspect of his songwriting somewhat in favor of a more streamlined punk direction. The band’s latest album, Goodbye God, is a return to melody-driven pop/punk, though Sebastian mixes in acoustic instruments and synth-pop as well. My favorites at this point are the sun-streaked “I Get Around” and the playful “Days Of Thunder”. Viper Bite Records has provided the moody, charging electro-anthem “The Pendulum” as a free download, which, despite its brevity, is another great place to start.

MP3 :: The Pendulum
(from Goodbye God. Buy here)
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