new beach house :: "play the game" (queen cover)

Beach House's hazy and haunting cover of Queen's "Play the Game" was inexplicably left off of the physical release of the recent Dark Was The Night charity compilation, only to be later tacked on as an "album only" bonus track that can only be had at this point by purchasing the entire thing from iTunes. Or, you could just take a listen at the duo's myspace page.

Beach House will play a number of great bills at SXSW, including the Blackberry Showcase with Grizzly Bear, Peter Bjorn & John, Dinosaur, Jr. and more at Cedar Street Courtyard on Friday, March 20.

mp3:
beach house :: master of none
grizzly bear :: he hit me (the crystals cover)

***************

new ghostface + mf doom!

...on the theme song for the new Grand Theft Auto. Produced by Oh No. Awesome.



[via]

******************

grouper to open for animal collective

...but not in TX. Weak. All Animal Collective + Grouper dates here. Anyone got extras for that Big Sur show?

UPDATE: Looks like the second half of the tour (including both TX dates) gets Black Dice.

mp3:
grouper :: heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping

******************

gorilla vs. bear x sirius/xm :: blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dum Dum Girls, the Mayfair Set, DOOM, Vivian Girls, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

******************

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: feb. 26

01. yeah yeah yeahs :: zero
02. phoenix :: 1901
03. VEGA :: well known pleasures
04. cassie + lil wayne :: official girl (CFCF remix)
05. the mayfair set :: desert fun
06. the bitters :: warrior
07. the splinters :: splintered bridges
08. white denim :: let's talk about it
09. jeremy jay :: love everlasting
10. nite jewel :: weak 4 me
11. the XX :: teardrops
12. SALEM :: redlights
13. dum dum girls :: brite futures
14. dum dum girls :: yours alone
15. the mayfair set :: already warm
16. burial :: archangel
17. 2000F & j kamata :: you don't know what love is
18. DOOM :: lightworks
19. DOOM :: that's that
20. j dilla :: walkinonit (phaseone remix)
21. dead prez :: hip hop
22. lykke li :: after laughter (wendy rene cover)
23. wu-tang clan :: tearz
24. DOOM :: angelz (feat. tony starks)
25. pete rock & cl smooth :: T.R.O.Y.
26. the golden filter :: hide me
27. weird tapes :: the heavens
28. quiet village :: free rider
29. memory cassette :: body in the water
30. woods :: the dark
31. eternal summers :: fall straight back
32. dum dum girls :: jail la la
33. vivian girls :: lake house

******************

pre-order Veckatimest on vinyl

Here.

mp3:
grizzly bear :: two weeks (live on letterman)

*******************

new kid cudi :: "sky may fall" (produced by kanye west)

Here's a new Kanye West-produced Kid Cudi song, taken from Cudi's upcoming album, which Kanye calls "a classic in the making!" The bad news: you have to watch this Transformers trailer to hear it. Is it just me or does this track feel a little awkwardly misplaced amidst all the explosions and revenge and Shia Labeouf?



**********************

premiere: bodies of water | "dear boy"

Our good friend Justin Gage, proprietor of Autumn Tone Records and founder of L.A.'s best music blog, has recruited some of the finest bands from his hometown of Los Angeles to cover the twelve songs that make up Paul McCartney's classic 1971 solo release, RAM. The ambitious, not-for-profit compilation project, appropriately titled RAM On L.A., features stellar, inspired contributions from Earlimart, Radar Bros., Le Switch, Amnion, the Broken West, and more, including this perfect rendition of McCartney's "Dear Boy" from one of my own favorite L.A. bands, Bodies of Water.

mp3:
bodies of water :: dear boy

The not-for-profit RAM on L.A. compilation will be released as a FREE, high-quality download next week at Aquarium Drunkard. Listeners are encouraged to make donations to No More Landmines, a cause that "helps and empowers communities around the world by removing the threat of landmines and unexploded weapons."

*******************

brite futures

Alright, last Dum Dum Girls-related post for at least a minute, but she continues to put out such consistently exquisite and irresistible fuzzed-out hits at an uncanny rate, and honestly, it's all I've been listening to lately (well, that and the new DOOM promo I just got in the mail). This charged-up new song, which will appear on an upcoming 4-way split 7" due out soon on Art Fag, showcases the kind of subtly amazing harmonies that Ms. DDG seems to nail every time:

mp3:
dum dum girls :: brite futures

The split 7" also features Dum Dum Girls' fellow Southern California residents Crocodiles, and two UK groups, PENS and Graffiti Island, and will include cover art by Amelia of PENS (who's also responsible for Wavves' rad cassette cover). Stay up on Art Fag's myspace for more info.

********************

elsewhere:



Speaking of DOOM, Nah Right has another new track from the aforementioned promo for Born Into This: the Dilla-produced "Lightworks," in which the former MetalFace gets down over a classic Donut.

********************

mp3: new phoenix :: "1901"

Phoenix has made the instantly catchy new single from their upcoming record available for free download at their website, just in time for spring (70+ degrees in Dallas all week, holler). The band's new LP, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is out May 25.

mp3:
phoenix :: 1901

*****************

elsewhere:

We remain floored by the Mayfair Set's remarkably warm and haunting lo-fi pop, and the group now has two new songs on myspace that are every bit as amazing as the two songs we talked about last week. Also, check out an interview with Dum Dum Girls (the West Coast half of the bicoastal Mayfair Set), and download her perfect "Jail La La" here.

*****************

new Burial!

Hyperdub founder and dubstep luminary Kode9 played an hour-long "hyperdub label showcase" on BBC Radio late last night/early this morning. In addition to spinning some super tight unreleased new stuff coming soon on the label, dude inconspicuously dropped the world premiere of a couple new untitled and unfinished Burial tunes into his set. According to Kode9, they'll appear on Burial's new LP, due sometime this year. Listen here; first one starts right around the 1:32 mark, and the second one comes in at about 1:40:30.

[via]

****************

day n nite

Here's the new, So Me-directed clip for Kid Cudi's stoner's anthem lament (and one of my favorite songs of '08), "Day n Nite." I didn't see anything wrong with the first (unapproved) version, but Cudi definitely wasn't a fan. And apparently he knows best, because this one is definitely better:



******************

mp3: new vivian girls | "lake house"

New track from Vivian Girls, taken from The World's Lousy With Ideas 8. In related news, the girls recently recorded a 7" on an island in England and they liked Twilight the book better than Twilight the movie (via Twitter).

mp3:
vivian girls :: lake house

[via]

*******************

you god it

Vibes is a new Not Not Fun "all-star band," fronted by Amanda from Pocahaunted. Amanda says their rad debut cassette release You God It is intended "for all lovers of soul, soul funk, funk, funk rock, classic funk, and outsider funkadelics." If you're into groups like Pocahaunted, Sun Araw, Ducktails, and the like, there's pretty much no way you won't love these hypnotic garage soul jams. Edition of 100, of which the label is sold out, but you might still be able to find it places.

mp3:
vibes :: honeycomb

[via the ever-enlightening RSTB]

*******************

st. vincent :: actor

st. vincent | actor

Actor out May 5 on 4AD.

******************

photos: lykke li | live at dallas' granada theater

More photos of Lykke Li :: Live in Dallas after the jump...

*******************

















[polaroids/live shots by david | holgas by me]

*******************

gorilla vs. bear x sirius/xm blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features brand new music from the Mayfair Set, Bosque Brown, Woods, the Bitters, Weird Tapes, Dum Dum Girls, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

******************

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: feb. 19

1. dum dum girls :: jail la la
2. dum dum girls :: baby don't go (sonny & cher cover)
3. peter bjorn and john :: lay it down (the golden filter remix)
4. woods :: the dark
5. eternal summers :: fall straight back
6. christmas island :: morning sunshine
7. the mayfair set :: desert fun
8. the mayfair set :: already warm
9. the bitters :: warrior
10. yeah yeah yeahs :: pin
11. VEGA :: well known pleasures
12. CFCF :: crystal mines
13. friendly fires :: paris (aeroplane remix feat. au revoir simone)
14. lost valentinos :: serio (weird tapes remix)
15. memory cassette :: last one awake
16. memory cassette :: body in the water
17. zombi :: spirit animal (edit)
18. bodies of water :: dear boy (paul mccartney cover)
19. harlem :: south of france
20. white denim :: wet sand
21. wavves :: no hope kids
22. raekwon :: back from the slums
23. oh no :: heavy
24. amadou & mariam :: sabali
25. amanaz :: khala my friend
26. little girls :: what we did
27. dum dum girls :: yours alone
28. girls :: hellhole ratrace
29. bosque brown :: went walking
30. the shivers :: beauty
31. animal collective :: no more running

******************

photos: WAVVES in Europe

wavves

WAVVES is in the midst of his (their) first ever European tour, and our good friend Pete Ohs is along for the ride, shooting for some secret upcoming film project he's working on. Pete is also documenting Nathan Williams' trip for us via Polaroid machine; here are some of his shots from the first leg of the month-long tour:




digging in prague


live in dublin


a list, by wavves


streets of prague

More photos of WAVVES' European tour after the jump...

*******************


schwanger?


held up in irish customs


dublin


merch table :: munich


guiness :: belfast


amsterdam


live in munich


backstage :: vienna


???



*******************

solid gold

Secretive disco-pop duo the Golden Filter have put out their first physical release via Dummy Mag's fledgling record label. In a distribution model that we can all get behind, the "Solid Gold" single is available for purchase in physical form as a vinyl 7" here (b/w new song "Favourite Things"), or you can buy a DJ-quality bundle of the single + 4 remixes from Beatport, or you can download it all for free in standard quality mp3 format here.

mp3:
the golden filter :: solid gold

The 7" is extremely limited, and -- despite the shitty exchange rate -- can be had for under 10 bucks, shipped to the U.S. In related news, check the group's awesome photo blog, and make sure to catch them at Gorilla vs. Booze III during SXSW.

********************

the mayfair set

The Mayfair Set is the new collaborative project from Brooklyn's Blank Dogs + L.A.'s Dum Dum Girls, apparently named after a 1999 Adam Curtis-produced BBC documentary series. They haven't released anything quite yet, and their myspace page is only about two weeks old, but the group was nice enough to send over these tracks from their upcoming 7", due out very soon on Captured Tracks. We are totally in love with both of these songs, which combine Blank Dogs' dark, Joy Division-like baritone with DDG's bright, shimmering, '60s informed vocal melodies to create a warm sound that is at once haunting and hopeful.

mp3:
the mayfair set :: desert fun
the mayfair set :: already warm

Look for a 12" EP from the Mayfair Set in the near future on Troubleman.

******************

the bitters + woods

2009 has been an overwhelmingly great year for exciting new music so far, and it seems like an unfairly disproportionate amount of it is being released via Brooklyn label Captured Tracks. In addition to releases from Dum Dum Girls, Blank Dogs, the Mayfair Set (seriously, listen to this band now), Little Girls, Christmas Island, the Procedure Club, Brilliant Colors, etc., come these two amazing new 7"s from Woods and the Bitters:



The Bitters is the new project of Ben Cook (of Fucked Up) and Aerin Fogel, "formed pissing on tigers and wintry road trips to elven hollows, maintained being/drinking bitter(s) about the average human lifestyle..." In addition to this driving, seedy jam -- which will appear on their upcoming Captured Tracks 7" -- The Bitters have releases coming soon on Tic Tac Totally, Art Fag, Sacred Bones, and Plastic Idol, as well as a split cassette with Little Girls. Highly recommended:

mp3:
the bitters :: warrior

*****************



This near-perfect lo-fi pop gem from Woods has been in my head for about 72 hours straight at this point, and I think this is actually the b-side (double a-side?) from the group's upcoming 7", which bodes well for everyone involved. The band has upcoming dates with Real Estate, Times New Viking, and Blank Dogs, and you'll also be able to catch them at their handful of shows during SXSW.

mp3:
woods :: the dark

*****************

sxsflesh :: dallas

Dallas' Parade of Flesh is bringing a handful of SXSW showcasing acts to town on March 22 for the inaugural all-ages South By South Flesh festival at the Lounge in Deep Ellum. The lineup includes WAVVES, Women, Abe Vigoda, the Ohsees, the Coathangers, Vampire Hands, and and more (check the set times here). Tickets are on sale here for only 10 bucks, and Parade of Flesh has also hooked us up with a few tickets to give away. Email us at gorillavsbearcontests@gmail.com if you want a pair, and try to stop by on your way home from TX.

mp3:
women :: black rice

*****************

serio

[photo]

I can't say that I've ever heard the original version of this song from Australia's Lost Valentinos, but I'm willing to bet that it wasn't this bizarre and awesome before Weird Tapes got a hold of it:

mp3:
lost valentinos :: serio (weird tapes version)

***********************

elsewhere:

The second enthralling and slightly disturbing video from one of the best albums of 09 so far. Directed by Martin de Thurah:

baby don't go

As I mentioned last month, we've been smitten lately with Dum Dum Girls' "blissed out buzzsaw" of irresistible girl group harmonies and insanely catchy, fuzzed-out noisepop gems. "Jail La La" is without a doubt one of the songs of the year so far, and her dreamy, reverb-soaked new cover of Sonny & Cher's 1965 hit "Baby Don't Go" confirms that DDG can also nail a heartbreaking slow jam. Definitely more blissed-out than buzzsaw:

mp3:
dum dum girls :: baby don't go

Take a listen to Sonny & Cher's original here. Order Dum Dum Girls' 12" EP from Captured Tracks, and look for her debut LP soon on Hozac Records.

**********************

elsewhere:



Lykke Li comes to TX this week, with a stop at Dallas' Granada Theater on Wednesday evening, and at Antone's in Austin the following night. Looks like the Austin show is already sold out, and only a few tix remain for Dallas, but you can still win tickets here until tomorrow afternoon. Denton's own Sarah Jaffe opens both shows.

official sxsw 2009 showcase schedule

girls

The schedule of official SXSW 2009 showcases is now up. I'm still digesting the whole thing, but here's a handful of recommended SXSW-hosted mp3s, culled from their massive list of free jams. Feel free to leave your band/showcase recommendations in the comments...

mp3:
miami horror :: don't be on with her
VEGA :: well known pleasures
the golden filter :: solid gold
girls :: lust for life
sunset :: zombies
fight bite :: swissex lover
beach house :: gila
alela diane :: white as diamonds
cause co-motion! :: i lie awake
yellow fever :: hellfire
pains of being pure at heart :: come saturday
jana hunter :: blue and silver bonded
the black lips :: katrina
passion pit :: sleepyhead
bosque brown :: this town

*************

video: here we go magic :: "tunnelvision"

(via p4k.tv)

mp3:
here we go magic :: tunnelvision

*******************

spirit animal

We may or may not tend to get a little cavalier at times with our use of the word "epic," but this sprawling, ominous, and undeniably cinematic 14 minute track from Pittsburgh duo Zombi is massive in every way. Can't wait to get my vinyl copy in the mail. Via the always-on-it purveyors of proggy, retro-futuristic Italian horror soundtrack-disco, xxjfg. Here's a 5-minute-long edit of the track:

mp3:
zombi :: spirit animal (edit)

[buy]

******************

elsewhere:

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show aired today at noon Eastern (and will re-air at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features new music from Little Girls, Bodies of Water, Wavves, Ariel Pink, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

******************

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: feb. 12

1. girls :: lauren marie
2. girls :: morning light
3. wavves :: gun in the sun
4. white denim :: heart from us all
5. the golden filter :: hide me
6. jeremy jay :: love everlasting
7. nite jewel :: weak 4 me
8. nite jewel :: artificial intelligence
9. here we go magic :: tunnelvision
10. harlem :: caroline
11. dum dum girls :: catholicked
12. little girls :: what we did
13. vivian girls :: girl don't tell me
14. no age :: sleeper hold
15. bodies of water :: dear boy (paul mccartney cover)
16. amnion :: long haired lady (LOVE IS ALL) (paul mccartney cover)
17. grizzly bear :: knife
18. raekwon :: back from the slums (wu ooh)
19. j dilla :: nothing like this
20. j dilla :: walkinonit (phaseone remix)
21. q-tip :: move
22. ancient crux :: in teen dreams
23. ariel pink's haunted grafitti :: can't hear my eyes
24. angel deradoorian :: grey teeth
25. jana hunter :: babies
26. holy shit :: written all over your face
27. adrian orange :: while you live
28. white denim :: wet sand
29. grouper :: heavy water/i'd rather be sleeping
30. panda bear :: guys eyes (live on ma fama)
31. animal collective :: guys eyes

****************

announcing: gorilla vs. booze III

[larger image]

Here are the details for our third annual gorilla vs. booze day party in Austin, TX, during the week of SXSW '09. We'll be back at one of our favorite bars in town on Thursday, March 19, with an incredible lineup of some of my favorite bands in the world (if you're unfamiliar with any of these groups, check the playlist at the bottom of the post). No RSVP or wristband required, but the place is pretty tiny and tends to fill up fast, so get there early.

***************

Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Peacock | Austin, TX
Free | NO RSVP | Free Beer

Vivian Girls (Brooklyn)
White Denim (Austin)
WAVVES (San Diego)
The Golden Filter (NYC)
Girls (San Francisco)
Here We Go Magic (Brooklyn)
Harlem (Austin)
DJ Sober (Dallas)

***************



More info coming in the weeks leading up to the party. In the meantime, download some mp3s from the bands playing the show after the jump...

*******************

GORILLA VS. BOOZE III:

mp3:
vivian girls :: where do you run to
white denim :: sitting
wavves :: gun in the sun
the golden filter :: solid gold
girls :: hellhole ratrace
here we go magic :: tunnelvision
harlem :: south of france

*******************

sea snake

drexciya

For the latest installment of Harlem's increasingly weird and awesome Covers of the Month Club, the dudes offer up their version of "Sea Snake," from Detroit techno legends Drexciya. According to the band:

"we are late on everything. our van broke down. all the dishes are dirty. curtis is drunk. but we finally got to finish our cover of the month! its a cover of sea snake by drexciya. drexciya is this awesome techno band that wrote songs about an underwater sea community populated by aliens and pregnant slaves thrown overboard on the way to america."

mp3:
harlem :: sea snake (drexciya cover)

********************

thrills

I briefly mentioned the murky, lo-fi noise-pop of Toronto's Little Girls a couple weeks ago, and the group has since made us aware of a couple of impending releases that you should know about. There's a 7" coming soon on Captured Tracks (home of Blank Dogs and Dum Dum Girls), with a 12" called Thrills to follow on Mexican Summer (Ariel Pink, Marissa Nadler, etc). "What We Did", which will appear on the 12", is laced with a gloomy, almost sinister nostalgia that seems to haunt all of his/their work:

mp3:
little girls :: what we did

[more little girls here]

***********************

unrelated:



Today marks three years since J Dilla's tragic death at the age of 32, and his influence hasn't waned a bit. St. Louis' Phaseone continues his streak of stellar remixes with this subtle take on Donuts standout "Walkinonit."

mp3:
j dilla :: walkinonit (phaseone remix)

***********************

elsewhere:

Here's the dreamy new video for School Of Seven Bells' "Half Asleep." The clip was directed by ex-Polyphonic Spree thereminist Toby Halbrooks, further establishing SVIIB's Dallas connections (Ben Curtis used to play drums in Tripping Daisy):



***********************

animal collective x alien workshop

Skateboard enthusiasts Animal Collective recently lent two of the best jams from MPP to the newest Alien Workshop skate video, MIND FIELD. The legendary Jason Dill gets down to "In the Flowers," and as seen below, Jake Johnson's scene is cut with some sweet vintage found footage to the sounds of "My Girls." Not the first time a skate session has been scored by Panda Bear, and hopefully not the last:



[purchase MIND FIELD on DVD]

********************

live wavves

(photo)

WAVVES played their first NYC shows over the weekend, and our friend NYCTaper was in the building for night one (see below). The NY Times was there Saturday, and writer Jon Caramanica throws out superlatives like "thrilling" and "dynamic" and, uh, "spectacular," in his gushing review. The Fader reviews Caramanica's review here. Download the whole Market Hotel show here.

mp3:
wavves :: to the dregs (live at market hotel)

*****************

photos: monotonix + the strange boys | live in austin

Our friend and photographer Pooneh Ghana caught Friday night's Monotonix/Strange Boys show in Austin at Red 7. Pooneh offers up this brief but all encompassing review: "Some girl up front totally busted her face open, and Monotonix played part of their set up in a tree...Strange Boys were awesome as well!" Photos of the insanity after the jump...

mp3:
the strange boys :: heard you wanna beat me up

*****************************


















[more photos of Monotonix + the Strange Boys :: Live in Austin at pooneh's flickr]

*****************************

we shot jr + gorilla vs. bear sxsw day party

nite jewel

We have a bunch of SXSW-related announcements coming in the next couple weeks, including the lineup for our third gorilla vs. booze day party, as well as the massive lineup for Hot Freaks III. First up: we teamed up with our friends from We Shot J.R. for their day show this year, and we couldn't be more excited about this intense lineup. More details coming soon, but for now:

We Shot J.R. x Gorilla vs Bear SXSW Day Show

Friday, March 20th | Quack's

FREE

Pre (UK)
AIDS Wolf (montreal)
Jeremy Jay (los angeles)
Ducktails (jersey)
Los Llamarada (monterrey)
Nite Jewel (los angeles)
Fight Bite (denton)

*******************

mp3:
jeremy jay :: love everlasting
ducktails :: beach point pleasant
nite jewel :: what did he say

*******************

mp3: new grizzly bear | "cheerleader"

This track has been floating around for a minute under the working title "2HUD," which references the fact that it was the second song the band "recorded while on the hudson last spring." If you love this one as much as us, you might be interested to know that the official title, straight from Ed Droste (via twitter), is "Cheerleader." Some other extremely vague new album info that Ed has offered up on twitter: there's a song called "About Face," and the album title "begins with the letter V." Also, the somewhat cryptic and awesome update, "It's neverending story without Falcor (except when Victoria sings I get a falcor dream vibe)."

mp3:
grizzly bear :: cheerleader (live)

*********************

weak 4 me + sirius blog radio

Our weekly Sirius XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on the new Sirius XMU. This week's episode features new music from Dum Dum Girls, Raekwon, Black Dice, the Golden Filter, and Nite Jewel, who just announced the release date for her awesome full-length debut. Good Evening comes out via Human Ear Records on March 17. She also announced a few assorted live dates with Glass Candy, Grouper, and Dum Dum Girls, as well as a very special SXSW show on March 20.

mp3:
nite jewel ::weak 4 me

********************

You can listen to Sirius/XM Blog Radio online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...

********************

gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: thursday, feb. 5

1. animal collective :: in the flowers
2. the zombies :: leave me be
3. arthur russell :: close my eyes
4. the shivers :: beauty
5. memory cassette :: body in the water
6. dum dum girls :: dream away life
7. dum dum girls :: hey sis
8. crystal stilts :: the dazzled
9. vivian girls :: tell the world
10. black dice :: glazin
11. raekwon :: ooh wu (feat. ghostface and method man)
12. ghostface killah :: buck 50
13. spank rock :: put that pussy on me (diplo tonite remix)
14. the golden filter :: hide me
15. VEGA :: well known pleasures
16. lykke li :: dance dance dance
17. white denim :: paint silver gold
18. love is all :: ageing has never been his friend
19. wavves :: so bored
20. nite jewel :: weak 4 me
21. glass candy :: geto boys
22. ariel pink's haunted grafitti :: can't hear my eyes
23. vivian girls :: never see me again
24. grouper :: false horizon
25. fight bite :: swissex lover
26. amanaz :: khala my friend
27. grizzly bear :: colorado
28. fever ray :: keep the streets empty for me
29. j dilla :: walkinonit (phaseone remix)
30. j dilla :: last donut of the night

********************

bicicleta

"Bicicleta" is the latest stellar mix from Devlin of Spankrock. Featuring T. Rex, Animal Collective, a Willie Hutch smooth jam, Neil Diamond, our girl Selda, and more, this one will appeal to fans of the trippy, out-there excursion that Devlin took on his perfect mix for We Make It Good that we posted a while back. Full tracklist here.

mp3:
devlin :: bicicleta mix (29 mb)

*************************

mp3: new black dice | "glazin"

I've been listening to the noisy and chaotic new Black Dice record a lot over the last week or so, and I'm still no closer to making any sense of what's going on, nor do I have any real grasp on how I feel about it yet. One thing I do know: the first promo mp3 to surface from REPO is for my favorite song from the LP, "Glazin," which is probably the record's most upbeat, immediately accessible (maybe even remotely danceable?) track, as well as one of its best:

mp3:
black dice :: glazin

*****************

wu ooh

raekwon :: dallas, TX

I've had this track -- taken from one of this year's most anticipated records (and last year's, and the year before that) -- on repeat since the radio rip surfaced the other day, but I was holding off on posting until a decent quality version surfaced. Anyway, here it is, and it's the best Wu-related thing I've heard in years, Ghostface solo joints excluded (Weiss seems to agree). Method Man sounds like he's back on his Tical-era game, and more importantly, that beat is haunting my mind.

mp3:
raekwon feat. ghostface & method man :: wu ooh

*****************

look forward to the sun

Our good friend Will Abramson (of Keys 2 the City fame) hooked us up with the premiere of this clip of WAVVES playing new song "To the Dregs" live at Different Fur Studios in San Francisco. Look for this song to be released soon on 7" via PPM. Shot by Will and Nate Chan (of Takeaway Shows) for their new project, Yours Tru.ly (coming soon):



WAVVES plays a few shows on the East Coast this week before embarking on his first European tour. He'll be in TX in March for SXSW.

***********************

elsewhere:


ariel pink's haunted grafitti

In perhaps the most inspired pairing of '09 (SO FAR), Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Vivian Girls have announced a joint tour in April, including a stop in Austin on the 10th and Denton on the 11th. Check all the dates after the jump...

mp3:
ariel pink's haunted graffiti :: can't hear my eyes
vivian girls :: blind spot

***********************

ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI & VIVIAN GIRLS

Thu-Apr-02 New York, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri-Apr-03 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda's
Sat-Apr-04 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
Sun-Apr-05 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Mon-Apr-06 Knoxville, TN Pilot Light
Tue-Apr-07 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Wed-Apr-08 New Orleans, LA The Parish
Thu-Apr-09 Houston, TX Walter's on Washington
Fri-Apr-10 Austin, TX The Mohawk
Sat-Apr-11 Dallas, TX Hailey's
Mon-Apr-13 Phoenix, AZ Modified
Tue-Apr-14 Tucson, AZ Plush
Wed-Apr-15 San Diego, CA Casbah
Sun-Apr-19 Indio, CA Coachella Music & Arts Festival

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animal collective x paper route gangstaz

This one's a bit of a stretch, but as usual, the Hood Internet pulls it off, combining "Bama Gettin Money" with some "Taste" and "My Girls." Thanks to Joel for the tip.

mp3:
animal collective vs. PRGz :: animals collecting money

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dry grass & shadows

Alela Diane performs To Be Still standout "Dry Grass & Shadows" (accompanied by her father on mandolin) in this new "Dumbo West" session. Shot at the Funky Church, in Alela's hometown of Portland, Oregon. Directed by Mark Hoffman.



Alela's "Dry Grass & Shadows" is iTunes' free single of the week. Her new LP, To Be Still is out February 17 on Rough Trade, but will be available tomorrow as an iTunes exclusive.

video :: air france | "no excuses"

The third video from one of the best records of '08, Air France's No Way Down: