Sondre Lerche will be releasing 2 albums this year: the first one, the Duper Sessions (out March 21st), is being described as a “one-off jazz inflected pop” record, which means that it’ll be playing on the soundsystem the next time you’re in Starbucks. Your older, married sister will really like it, and will ask you if you’ve ever heard of this Sahn-DRAY Lurk-EE guy? Then, later in the fall, we are to expect Sondre’s “primitive rock record with punchy songs and a more aggressive sound.” I’ll hold out for that one, I think.

You never liked them, they suck, they’re all hype, blah blah blah, but still, this is me reminding you that the CYHSY vinyl came out this week.

As did that amazingly beautiful Vampyros Lesbos limited-edition 2LP. Forced Exposure has it for $16.50.

Did you really like that Richard Swift 2xCD that Secretly Canadian put out last year? Because did you know that the 2xLP of The Novelist/Walking Without Effort just came out on Velvet Blue Music? And, it also comes with a bonus CD of demos. Swift’s new full-length, Dressed Up for the Letdown, is out May 23rd.

On February 7th, 3 Beads of Sweat is releasing 2 discs related to seminal New Zealand band The Renderers. Mary Rose Crook w/ the Renderers: Ghosts Of Our Vegas Lives, is technically vocalist Mary Rose Crook’s solo album, and is dark and flowy, and Anti-Clockwise: Artificial Light, Brian Crook’s solo one, is a little more sparse and experimental. As I listened, I just kept thinking that both discs sounded, to me, very David Lynchian. It’s just that, for whatever reason, my mind just pulls up images of Agent Cooper walking along foggy roadsides when I listen to these. But you can judge for yourself: Mp3s are available here and here.

Did you know that Sunset Rubdown had a new one out? I’m not talking about Snake’s Got A Leg; there’s another one, an EP. Just came out 2 weeks ago on Global Symphonic. You can stream one of the tracks on the GS Myspace page.

And, mark yr calendars: just one day after the new Sunset Rubdown full-length on Absolutely Kosher is released, the May Sunset Rubdown/Frog Eyes tour begins:

5-3 – Portland, OR – Holocene
5-4 – Seattle, WA – Crocdile
5-6 – Victoria, BC – Logan’s
5-9 – Calgary, AB – Broken City
5-12 – Winnipeg, MB – Collective Cabaret
5-13 – Fargo, ND – VFW
5-14 – Mount Vernon, IA – The Orange Carpet in the Commons Building, Cornell College
5-17 – Northfield, MN – Cave, Carlton University
5-20 – Montreal, Quebec, El Salon
5-24 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
5-25 – Cambridge, MA – TT the Bear’s
5-26 – Hanover, NH – Fuel Rocket Club, Dartmouth University
(*Dates were swiped from More Cowbell)

And the inimitable John Ringhofer, aka Half-Handed Cloud (nee “Wookieback”), has a new one, Halos & Lassos, due March 7 on Asthmatic Kitty. He too will support with a tour (all dates w/ Liz Janes):

3-29 – Champaign, IL – Canopy Club
3-31 – Grand Rapids, MI – Calvin College
4-1 – Ann Arbor, MI – Halfway Inn
4-2 – Columbus, OH – High Five w/ Parker Paul and Create(!)
4-4 – Lexington, KY – Underlying Themes
4-5 – Bloomington, IN – TBA
4-7 – Indianapolis, IN – Big Car Gallery