The Moviola fellas sat down with Dusted this week to talk about their favorite records. Also, earlier in the month, Mr. Muzzle Of Bees experienced what I suspect a lot more folks could experience if they just slowed down and took some time to really sit back and listen to some music: he realized that Moviola’s Dead Knowledge is a really great record.

I haven’t seen much mention of this: on 8/20, Rough Trade is releasing the EP Four Songs By Arthur Russell, featuring 4 covers of the avant-garde cellist slash disco producer, by Jens Lekman, Vera November (aka Verity Sussman of Electrelane), Taken By Trees (aka Victoria Bergsman), and Joel Gibb. This thing must have been sitting in the can for awhile, because I think Lekman was talking about this like 2 years ago.

I stumbled across Mean Beard Recordings this week (a label ostensibly run by members of a certain hirsute horde). Their first release is a 7-inch by (deservedly) hyped purveyors of pop trifles, Tokyo Police Club, for their new song, the impossibly catchy happydance rave-up “Your English Is Good (stream).”

Pitchfork has chimed in on gracelandic prep-poppers Vampire Weekend, and say what everyone else says: this really shouldn’t work, but it does. The band actually has a physical release available now, as well as a 7-inch for A-Punk / Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. The single costs $12 (no, that’s not a typo), but look at it this way: you’ll probably be able to sell it on eBay for 3 times that in another year or two.

And please stop sending me links to Tay Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain”, thanks.