Frank pointed out that Hayden’s new record,
Elk-Lake Serenade, will be out May 11 on Badman in the U.S. I saw Hayden
about 8 years ago, with Butterglory, I think. That was cool.

And out April 20 is the second single from the new The Mountain Goats record.

Tracklist:
1. Letter From Belgium
2. Nova Scotia
3. Attn All Pickpockets

So AMC isn’t just using the songs of bigger-name
indie rockers like The Pernice Bros, Ted Leo, and Sondre Lerche. They’re also
tapping unsigned artists to score
their promo spots. The current promo they’re running features a catchy, jangly pop
song by an NY singer/songwriter named Ken Webb.

On a similar note, here’s an article
about the increasingly frequent use of indie rock in commercials. Most interesting tidbit from the article? There’s
actually a company that will suggest tracks to ad agencies who don’t have any
cool kids on the payroll.

Further, here’s a little nugget via stereogum: songtitle.info, a site that keeps track of all the songs being used in commercials.

I’m still not quite sure what to make of the fascinating spectacle that is Frog Eyes,
but in any case, folks should note that Absolutely Kosher is currently taking orders for the limited-edition Frog
Eyes “tweener”, Ego Scriptor, an 11-song disc featuring 7 previously released Frog Eyes tracks, plus 4 tracks from the upcoming
The Folded Palm, all performed acoustically by frontmadman Carey Mercer. Limited to 1000.

The “official” video for “Float On” is up over at modestmousebootlegs.com. They’ve got it in real, mov, and wm.

Check out 2 tracks from The Minus Story’s upcoming record, The Captain is Dead, Let The Drum Corpse Dance, out April 6th on Jagjaguwar.

Isaac and co. have been very prolific of late. Add to the list of recent/upcoming Modest Mouse releases
Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again, a live disc recorded in Orlando Feb. 14 & 15 2004. Available online at, get this, modestmousebootlegs.com. Free poster with every order. If you
preorder along with Good News, you can get ‘em both for $20.

Fluxblog has a track from the Fiery Furnaces upcoming record, Blueberry Boat. Go grab it while you can.

Jon points out that there’s a new demo up over at the Mason Dixon site. Check it out: “The Sky Over Oklahoma“.

And today’s a pretty good day get out the record store. The new Iron & Wine is out, as is the new Blonde Redhead, and the new
dios full-length. Also, for those that missed it the first time around, the Britt Daniel/Bright Eyes split re-release is officially out today, too.

SXSW is over. It’s 14 hours a day on your feet, plus beer, for too many days. Plus music.

These were good shows that I saw:

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, Portastatic, The Rosebuds, Destroyer ft/Frog Eyes, Andrew Bird, The Constantines, Communique, The Oranges Band, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, The Wrens, Manishevitz, John Vanderslice, The Bigger Lovers, Matthew Caws, John Roderick, Joel RL Phelps and The Downer Trio, Sally Crewe and The Sudden Moves, Britt Daniel, and The Decemberists.

Many thanks to friends, old and new: Alison, Eric, Justin, Cory, Tim, Amanda, Dan, Becki, Charles, and Kate. Plus Jay and everyone else who listened to my spiel on the porch that night.

The Mags‘ new album must have leaked, since gramophone’s got a track, “I Don’t Really Love You Any More“.

Apparently, Wilco’s new one, A Ghost Is Born, has gone leaky. Gramophone’s got a track up for now, “At Least That’s What You Said“.

And let me just say that the Destroyer live show, featuring Frog Eyes as the backing band, is *insane*. Worth checking out, especially if you’re already a fan of Your Blues, as it’s a drastically different take on those songs.

Tour Dates, which I stole from Pitchfork:
03-19 Austin, TX - 33 Degrees (SXSW)
04-26 Edmonton, Alberta - Sidetrack Cafe
04-27 Calgary, Alberta - Night Gallery
04-28 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Amigo’s
05-01 Moorhead, MN - Ralph’s Corner
05-03 Madison, WI - Catacombs
05-04 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
05-06 Toronto, Ontario - Lee’s Palace
05-07 Ottawa, Ontario - Babylon
05-08 Montreal, Quebec - El Salon
05-10 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
05-11 Arlington, VA - Iota
05-15 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
05-18 Bloomington, IN - Second Story
05-23 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
05-26 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill (w/Mountain Goats)
05-27 Redding, CA - Serendipity Coffee House (w/Hand Clap Orchestra)
05-29 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe

My “official” business at SXSW has now wrapped, and music starts
today. I’m going to echo tim’s suggestion: The Wrens at 5, grab some dinner, and then to The Parish, hopefully, for Portastatic, The Rosebuds, Destroyer, and Richard Buckner.