Noooooo! The Constantines‘ Tournament of Hearts will be the final release from Toronto’s Three Gut Records. While I’m sorry to see one of my favorite labels go, I have to give them props for putting it all to rest when the time felt right. Full story here.

Count up your krona: here’s this comp, Oh, You’re So Silent, Jens, combining Jens Lekman’s Maple Leaves, Rocky Dennis, and Julie EPs, along with non-EP tracks “F-Word” and “The Wrong Hands”.

Let the mp3blogs of the world crap themselves! StG has a new Wolf Parade track up.

We were all wondering: “Featuring Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers) and members of The Battles, Bonaparte showcases female vocals a la an eccentric Blondie with touches of 80’s new wave.”

You can preorder Xiu Xiu’s La Foret from Acuarela right now, and receive it weeks before the July release date. Acuarela list members even receive a .50 Euro discount. What is that, like, a dollar? 5 dollars? I don’t really know, but, where I come from, a discount is a discount.

You know, sometimes you need your Hot Hot Heat/Rapture/Communique- style dancey shit sung in French. Yes, it’s only
once in a *greeeeaaaaaaaat* while, but anyway, case in point:
Malajube. I can’t seem to stop listening to their newest, Le Compte Complet (especially the song “Le Metronome”). The problem is, I can’t find any full mp3s around for you to check out, so be resourceful, and go out and find that shit yourself.

On July 12th, Merge is releasing a 7″ of that Arcade Fire Six Feet Under song “Cold Wind” (b/w “Brazil”). Clear vinyl.

And while we’re on the subject, Buddyhead reports that “Some kid found a jacket that belonged to the singer of that weenie canuck band, The Arcade Fire at Coachella. So the dude put it up on ebay and the singer freaked out…”

Buddyhead update days are good days.

I’ve been listening to it since Mid-April, but it was only recently that I realized how much I love the latest Herman Dune record, Not On Top. I’ve been listening to it at least once a week for quite a while now. If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to check it out. The Jackson Heights EP, which is a companion to Not On Top just came out this week.

From Not On Top:::: Little Wounds :::
::: Good For No One:::

From Jackson Heights:

::: Jackson Heights :::
::: Evil Umpire :::

Jagjaguwar reports that Okkervil River is finishing up a new EP, tentatively titled The Black Sheep Boy Appendix, featuring more “Black Sheep Boy”-related songs.

It took me about 3 listens, but I really, really, dig that new Vanderslice. Mark your calendar for August 23rd, that’s the official release date for Pixel Revolt.

I always get irked when I see some poor schmuck paying way too
much for stuff on ebay. Latest case: hey dude, you don’t have to
pay $30 for those “rare” Spoon 7-inches. The “rare” discs in question are the “30-Gallon Tank” 7-inch, which is available from Peek-a-boo for $3.50, and the “Anticipation/Headz” 7-inch, which is also available from Peek-a-boo for $5.00. Furthermore, that “Anticipation” disc was just recently repressed, so you should actually be able to pick it up almost anywhere (i.e. Insound). Plenty of other Spoon singles and EPs can be had via the 12xu shop and the Merge store.

And speaking or Merge, holy crap! The first Teenage Fanclub US dates in like, 5 years or something:

07.18 * Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
07.20 * Washington, D.C., @ 9:30 Club
07.22 * New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
07.23 * New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
07.25 * Toronto, ONT, @ Mod Club Theatre
07.26 * Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
07.27 * Chicago, IL @ The Metro
07.29 * Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
08.02 * Vancouver, BC, @ Richard’s On Richards Cabaret
08.03 * Seattle, WA @ Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room
08.05 * San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
08.06 * Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory
08.07 * Los Angeles, CA @ The Knitting Factory
08.08 * Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern

Also, hey, if you live along I-70 between Illinois and CA, and you want to
hook Unbunny up with a show
or a house party, or even a showing of House Party, then drop ‘em a line.

As promised, more Destroyer stuff over at Popsheep.

From Xiu Xiu’s La Foret, out July 12 on 5 Rue Christine:

::: Bog People :::

And I guess since the NYT said that Coldplay blows, suddenly everyone else isn’t afraid to say it?

June mix, woohoo. Thanks to Cole for this month’s banner. There are a few bands on the mix I haven’t mentioned before:

The Layaways I’ve been meaning to mention for months, sorry about that. Jason Spaceman says they “have the shoegaze and blissful dreampop down the way it should be”. You can get more tracks here.

And the final track in the mix by is “House Fire” by SSLYBY, aka Springfield, Missouri’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.
Their latest release, Broom, is very good, and is available from Generic Equivalent Records. “House Fire” is actually a free download from that album, and since I got it a few weeks ago, I’ve listened to that track on repeat almost constantly. SSLYBY will be recording their next album with The Mommyheads’s Adam Cohen, which to me sounds like a damn fine idea.

In non-mix-related news:

Zoilus poited out this weird Buckner/Jon Langford album, Sir Dark Invader Vs. The Fanglord “recorded at Sally Timms’ apartment, Chicago, 2002″. Out on Buried Treasure Records.

And Jennifer pointed out that Popsheep has early, rare Destroyer mp3s up(!) With more to come(!) Gulp(!)

Also, finally, details on the new Nada Surf record: it’s called The Weight Is A Gift, and should be out September 20th on Barsuk. Tracklist, FWIW:

1. Concrete Bed
2. Do it Again
3. Always Love
4. What is Your Secret
5. Your Legs Grow
6. All is a Game
7. Blankest Year
8. Comes a Time
9. In the Mirror
10. Armies Walk
11. Imaginary Friends

Here’s this free Ep you can download from Cincinnati band The Spectacular Fantastic. It’s mostly indie-poppy, with a somtimes slight countryish twang, although they’re definitely channeling classic Teenage Fanclub on at least 2 of the tracks (”60 Cycles“, and “Winds Of Change” (I’m not even going to make a Scorpions joke here)).

Did you know that Mr. Magpie, he-of-the-different-area-code over at Chromewaves.net, just keeps adding to the list of freely-downloadable albums from his label, the latest being Georgia’s Nothing New?

I just got an email telling me that Daniel Johnston’s rare early recordings are being released on your favorite Online-Music-Store-Type-Deal, starting May 31st. I’m not sure exactly how the releases are going to work; poke around The Orchard website and see if you can figure out exactly who’s releasing what and when. I’m just posting the list of releases as my brain parsed it:

Continued Story/Hi How Are You (1985) (iTunes Exclusive)
Don’t Be Scared (1982) (Napster Exclusive)
Frankenstein Love (1992) (iTunes Exclusive)
Live at SXSW (1990)
The Lost Recordings (1983)
The Lost Recordings II (1983)
More Songs of Pain (1982)
Respect (1985) (iTunes Exclusive)
Retired Boxer (1984) (eMusic Exclusive)
Songs of Pain (1981) (Real/Rhapsody Exclusive)
The What of Whom (1982) (iTunes Exclusive)
Yip/Jump Music (1983) (iTunes Exclusive)

All this, and Daniel Johnston ringtones too. I shit you not.

I also just got an email reminding me that A Good Band Is Easy To Kill, that Beulah DVD, is coming out August 2nd, and is pre-orderable for a damn reasonable $12.50, shipping included. JV fans should note that they’re saying he’s all up in the DVD, too. JV fans should also note that the Pixel Revolt advances have gone out.

So, did the TMU Devendra/Jana Hunter split disc come out, or no?

Blank Stare, the DVD distribution division of Secretly Canadian, is becoming a full-service DVD imprint. The first major release will be the documentary “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music”, which features Pedro the Lion, Danielson Famile, and all those other Jesus-y type indie-rockers.

And sorry, but the new mix is running a little behind. Probably be up there tomorrow.