bread 'n butter

Oh man, oh man, oh man. Just when I felt like Black Tambourine's self-titled career retrospective (released earlier this year on Slumberland) was starting to fall out of my rotation, here comes a FREE DOWNLOAD of early demo versions to remind me just how good these songs really are. Technically, these are just earlier mixes and not different versions of the songs, but hearing them in their rougher, cassette-ready form just reaffirms that the few songs that made up Black Tambourine's complete recordings are pure indie-pop gold.

The time is nigh, folks. I got the test copy of Newer Stations in the mail and it sounds... well, it sounds like the album (which you should have downloaded for FREE by now), but on cassette. Imagine that.

The tapes should be ready to ship out through mail order next week, so get your pre-orders, or regular orders, or whatevers, in now! We only printed 100 tapes. They will also be available at upcoming NYC UFOs shows, which you should not miss.

If you'd like to read some very nice things that some very nice people had to say about Newer Stations, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and, in French no less, here.

YES. MORE PLEASE. The line "How you doin'? My name is Lil P-Nut. Would you like some tater chips, bubblegum or a freeze cup?" pretty much sums up everything I love about this.

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You can't go wrong in my book with Guided By Voices covers.

Eternal Summers - A Salty Salute (GBV cover)

Stream Superchunk's Majesty Shredding in it's entirety at NPR!

Now can someone please explain that album art to me? Caption writing contest begin's NOW.

Justin Gage runs one of the best music blogs on the internet. Aquarium Drunkard, like any music blog, may not always post exactly what you want to hear, but everything that does make it on the site is always well researched, well written, and just generally well put together.

Last year, AQ posted L.A. Burnout - a mix "made up of the sounds floating around Los Angeles in the late ’60s and ’70s; a faded aural imprint of the canyons, beaches, wildfires, neighborhoods, late-nights and early mornings of a bygone L.A." In the age of .zip file mixes, the Drunkard does it best, and this one is no exception.

The follow-up to L.A. Burnout - L.A. Burnout 2: Still Burnt - carries on the tradition. This is the best possible soundtrack for your Labor Day weekend!

Also, check out Justin's Mondo Boys mixtape collective!

Tomorrow will be one year to the day that Navajo Bixby graced us with two incredible, sun-bleached, hypnotic pop songs - "Many Ways" and "Moonlighting".

If you remember, both of these tracks fit precariously under the chill-wave/beach-pop tag, exhibiting an overt grasp on the psychedelic, the tropical, and the repetitiously catchy, while bordering on an entropic atonality that made each track sound a little... weird, and frankly, more interesting than anything else you can call "chill-wave." Well, Navajo Bixby is back, and with one more member to call their own!

"Down Under" picks up where we left off last summer, like a time machine that can only be programmed for summer... the bouncy rhythms are still there, the hooks, the haze, the beach ball, floating waves, sand-in-your-toes spirit... it's all still there. It's like they never left us!

Navajo Bixby - Down Under

Ty Segall may not have been mentioned on these pages before, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a big *blip* on our radar. You could fill a book with the number of times he's been mentioned on RSTB and that's enough of an endorsement for this guy.

Melted is less of a barn-burner than Ty's previous works. There are even a few slow jams on here, and that's what really sets this album apart. The change in pace, along with a little step up in fidelity, really helps Ty et al. find their groove. And let's face it, every lo-fi garage album needs a little groove with it's fuzz and hiss.

Ty Segall - Finger


Ty Segall - Sad Fuzz


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so, 'holy hell' came out a few days back. i don't have it yet because im really lazy and just keep streaming the whole thing over and over and over again here. but, it's QUITE good and i promise i will buy it really really soon. like probably wednesday, at the free show marissa is playing in mccarren.

also, have you heard her patsy cline cover? i think approximately 1,170 of the 1,175 plays the track has chalked up on myspace, can be attributed to myself... so i'm gonna guess you haven't yet. just thought i'd let y'all know that little gem exists. you're welcome.

I don't think I've been this excited over a bootleg since someone gave me a burned copy of a Dave Matthews concert I attended in high school... Don't tell anyone I said that...

Royal Headache are an Australian garage band which could warrant comparisons to Eddy Current Suppression Ring... if they sounded anything alike besides Australian accents. They sound more like an Aussie King Khan & BBQ Show.

Either way, this bootleg showcases the bands amazing raw energy and incredible hooks despite the fact that it's, um, a shitty bootleg.

Check it out here.

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Cannot wait for this upcoming Pure Ecstasy full length on Acephale.

▸ Aloe Blacc & the Grand Scheme cover Billie Jean, by MJ

i don't really care about MJ one way or another, but at the moment, i do care about aloe blacc... and this cover is fantastic.

This interview Screaming Females did for Dirty Laundry just makes me want to love them and give them all big, awkward J. Mascis hugs. I'm not sure why the interviewer is dressed up like a Droog... but the band's completely unassuming nature totally offsets her top hat. Way to go, Band. I fully support your nonchalance.

Neighbors call Northhampton, MA home. Their early demos (available on their MySpace) show the bands fondness for their Northeast forebears - showcasing a laid back slacker-rock vibe with just enough pop sensibility and bright guitar hooks to keep you from getting lost in the haze.

Neighbors' self-produced new track "Any Other Time" ramps up the pop hooks and pushes back the haze a little more, showing that these guys have the chops to write songs that walk that thin line between blasé indie-rock and immediately accessible pop-rock.

Neighbors will be touring this summer to support their new EP which will be available at shows and... RIGHT HERE... YUP! That's right. We're puttin' out a tape suckas. Get ready, more details to come!

Neighbors - Any Other Time

▸ Mark Ronson featuring MNDR & Q-Tip - Bang Bang Bang

Numero Group put together this exclusive mix for Self-Titled Magazine. If you're already a Numero Group fanatic you might know most of these songs. If you're not already a Numero Group fanatic, well then, you need to get right with your God my friend.

A Fundamental Experiment is a benefit LP for Sudden Oak guitarist, J.M.W., who took an unfortunate spill off a rooftop last October. He's apparently doing OK after a long rehabilitation. Not unlike many people you probably know, J.M.W. was "semi-bohemian line-cook" with no insurance, who now is having trouble finding work and has a lot of medical bills to pay.

This all seems like pretty bad news - and it is - but here's the good news. To help their friend out, the afflicted's friends and bandmates have put together this benefit compilation featuring some awesome musicians like Julian Lynch, Matt Mondanile (Ducktails, Real Estate), and Sun Araw, to name a few. Each artist has contributed a Neil Young cover to the record. I'm assuming this means that J.M.W. is a pretty big fan of ol' Shakey.

READ MOREAs Morrissey said, "Shoplifters of the world unite... and then grab all your friends who are huge Neil Young fans and want to help out a great cause and buy a copy of A Fundamental Experiment. You wanna argue with the Moz? I'm not arguing with the Moz...

Julian Lynch - Sedan Delivery


Matt Mondanile - Look Out For My Love

For the price of just one e-mail address (you can use your old hotmail account) The Budos Band are giving away a free mp3 from their forthcoming album.

Budos Band III is due 8/10 on the always impeccable Daptone label.

This is just an ad for an iPad incase. I don't really want an iPad, nor do I want an incase for the iPad that I'll probably never buy. But I do love me some Oh No, and if he says I should buy it, I just might buy it.

Also, apparently Madlib is a total jerk of a big brother. Who knew.

What is with Dirty Projectors doing crazy-good Bob Dylan covers? Will their follow-up to Rise Above be a reinterpretation of Desire?

First was their cover of Empire Burlesque standout, "Dark Eyes," and now they're doing John Wesley Harding's "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine."

This isn't your normal Dirty Projectors fare, but it's nice to hear them doing something less, ummm, acrobatic... They do the whole acoustic guitar and impeccable harmonies thing very well.

Dirty Projectors - Dark Eyes


Dirty Projectors - I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine