While I was away, one of my favorite records of all time turned up on eMusic. Listening to it again right now, how can I be silent? Hear ye, hear ye: download The Mountain Goats’ All Hail West Texas right now.

Three name records came in today for the hipster kids, but unfortunately none of them are very good.

There are two robots, made of cardboard, dancing badly, behind the two girls. Despite the fact the girls are singing and bouncing, gripping a guitar, a bass, the robots, the taped-together robots have everyone’s attention. Because whilst the two girls called their band Robots In Disguise, everyone’s wondering if the two robot suits really are [...]

Maybe it’s the change in seasons or maybe I’m just feeling particularly dour lately, but for the last week or so all I’ve wanted to listen to is metal. I’ve been kind of a passive fan for a while — my tastes skew black and Satanic, but short of keeping tabs on the stuff that [...]

Following up from my dubstep post the other day, eMusic HQ was graced with a promo of the new Burial album today. In a word: gorgeous.

I had written off the lil’ buck years ago, but — summabitch — Phil Elvrum has finally made something worth listening to again: Mount Eerie Pts. 6 & 7, which arrived today. Ever since the first Mount Eerie record four years ago, Elvrum — who used to record as the Microphones — has turned farther [...]

Oh. You thought I wouldn’t mention the 18-minute Villalobos mix that graced the site this week with its presence?

There’s an EP that just went up by a trio called Plants and Animals titled with/avec that’s begging for your attention. Four breezy songs — each with parts so distinct that they might more accurately be tabulated as eight — delicate and gorgeous, muted and serene, that have had me transfixed the past couple of [...]

So, yeah, I went to Iceland.

If you love the smooth dubbiness of Studio’s languorous guitar lines on their debut CD West Coast, I think I may have another pick for you…

Drum roll please: The first selection for eMusic’s brand new, sure to be stimulating book club is…

The last great Tuesday of the year for new indie releases is a real beauty: Yeasayer, Blues Explosion, Black Dice, Vampire Weekend and many more.

 
A morbid day on 17dots, looks like every post mentions death in some fashion.  Not to break the trend, Paul Raven - bassist for such bands as Ministry, Prong, Killing Joke, Godflesh, Murder Inc. and others was found dead of an apparent heart attack on Saturday in Geneva, Switzerland.  I listened to this music a [...]

After long battling complications from kidney disease, Lance Hahn leader of influential punk band J Church passed away yesterday in Austin, TX. He was 40 years old. I think I first met Lance in 1992 during Bratmobile’s first trip to San Francisco. His support and love of women’s musicians soon made him a comrade in [...]

“Just pretend that I’m dead,” said Robert Wyatt, on stage at London’s Purcell Rooms last week. “That way you won’t miss the tours and the albums will come as a nice surprise.”
Wyatt had chosen to speak, rather than play, in support of his new album Comicopera, citing ill-health and “just being tired.” Instead he answered [...]

My CMJ Friday was Buzz Band Day, with very mixed results.

Saw two more bands this weekend after taking Friday night off from CMJ (the scratchy throat had progressed into full fledged coughing and misty eyes).

Right, yes, CMJ!

The Affair
Despite being out and about for something like 14 hours yesterday (with at least twelve of them spent at label meet-and-greets in bars), I only saw four bands play, two of them worth noting.

Just a quicky to point out this Swayzak single that arrived today includes a remix by Apparat. How can you go wrong? Both artist’s styles are pretty apparent even though the remix bears almost no resemblance to the original track. I only checked out the samples on the other remixes, but it [...]