Holy cripes, there are some damn good songs on that new Home record. I assume you’ve already checked out their amazing “Juicy Ass” in the Catbird April Mix, and now Jagjag has just posted another great one:

::: Home - Bubble :::

And swing over by the Secretly Canadian site to download the new Chad Van Gaalen-animated video for The Impossible Shapes’ “Florida Silver Springs” from the recently reissued Tum. Be patient; it’s 27 megs and they don’t have ‘Fast Start’ enabled.

Has anyone else seen this? This site, ItIsMusic.org is some kind of massive database of downloadable mp3s on the internet. It’s mind-boggling how much is in there, from popular stuff, to obscure stuff, to *really* obscure stuff. A few samples:

Destroyer

Hemstad

The Close Lobsters

The Only Ones

And there’s like 40 Fiery Furnaces tracks.

Of course, the whole thing seems of dubious legality, but then again, I doubt that they’ll get into any trouble, as they’re not actually hosting the files.

But whatever…

Go start your searchin’ and say goodbye to your Friday afternoon.

Sunset Rubdown’s Shut Up I Am Dreaming is out next week on Absolutely Kosher. Insound’s got a track:

::: Sunset Rubdown - Stadiums and Shrines II :::

*And* the Sunset Rubdown/Frog Eyes tour kicks off next week too. I can’t believe these shows aren’t selling out across the board. For instance, the Mercury Lounge show on 5/22 still has tickets available. What’s the matter with you people, do you need the deal sweetened? How’s this: Beirut has just been added to that show. Don’t pass this one up.

I never thought this day would come. But yes, it’s true. I am actually going to watch The OC this week. All because I just got word that Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s “Oregon Girl” is going to be on the show this week! Woo-hoo, way to go, guys!

And anyway, the OC can’t possibly be as painful to watch as that Love Monkey show.

You know that band? Be Your Own Pet? They’re a bunch of eighteen year-old kids that play noisy, punky little pop songs. Know what they sound like? A bunch of eighteen year-old kids that play noisy, punky little pop songs. What, did you think that was a bad thing? Sheesh, get your head outta your ass. It’s good to do that every once in awhile, to free your ass up for shakin’.

::: Be Your Own Pet - Fire Department :::

Their EP, Summer Sensation just came out last week on Ecstatic Peace; their full-length’s due June 6th.

A few weeks ago, I directed you to go over to Jordan Geiger’s Myspace page to grab his new demos (from his forthcoming solo release on Jagjaguwar). But now Jagjag’s made ‘em even easier to get, by conjuring a special page, with monthly-updated JG demo tracks right there on the page for direct download. Did I mention that I highly recommend these?

::: Jordan Geiger - Baby For J :::
::: Jordan Geiger - I Do Not Understand :::

Carl’s off working on his EMP paper, so I’ll be providing you with your Pallettwatch for the week.

We all know that Final Fantasy’s He Poos Clouds is out next month, but there are a few other releases coming as well, both on Tomlab. Tomlab’s Alphabet Series N 7″ will be Final Fantasy’s “Hey Dad” b/w “Lysine,” and there’ll also be 7″/CD single for “Many Lives -> 49MP.” The 3 b-sides for that one will be “knocked-off bastard sons” according to Owen. No idea on the release dates for either of those.

And last I heard, the It’s A Disaster 7″ featuring “What Do You Think Will Happen Next,” “Many Lives -> 49 MP,” and “Honour The Dead, Or Else,” was still supposedly coming out, but now that I think about it, two different 7-inches, both featuring “Many Lives,” seems a little bit weird, doesn’t it? So, maybe stop holding your breath for that one.

New site Good Hodgkins has a crapload of old Wrens Meadowlands demos/alternate versions up for download. Go get ‘em.

I finally managed to get through a good portion of the huge backlog of CDs on my desk, whew. Here are some of the ones I dug. They are, in order: bloopy, strummy, sunshiny, spazzy, folky, and uh, “Elf Power-y”

The Submarines - Declare A New State!

::: Peace and Hate :::

Grumpy Bear - Songs From The Abattoir

::: Luis Bunuel :::

The Heavy Blinkers - The Night And I Are Still So Young

::: Filtered Light :::

About - Bongo

::: Strike You As The Enemy :::

Joy - Devil’s Blues

::: Tiger’s Paws :::

Elf Power - Back To The Web

::: An Old Familiar Scene :::

What’s that you say? You need more ukelele bedroom pop? Jacob Borshard can oblige.

::: Jacob Borshard - Vincent and Theo :::

If that track tickles you (and I suspect it will), Jacob’s got a whole album’s wortha songs for download right over here.

Hey, our pals at 75 or Less have a new release out, from Providence’s Six Star General, who kick it old-school, as in the school of Boyracer, Silkworm, Shellac &c. And a mere $4.50 will get it in yr mailbox.

It’s been dark for awhile over at It’s Meaningless, the Magnetic Fields tribute site, but there are stirrings. A few new tracks have been posted, including a swell, twee cover of “I Think I Need A New Heart” from Portland’s thebrotheregg.

2 drunken Swedes + 1 very resilient drum machine.

I tell you, in 4 years, I’ve *never* seen a response to a track like the response I’ve seen since posting Beirut’s “Postcard’s From Italy” a few weeks ago. If you guys really are lovin’ it as much as you’ve been telling me, then I urge you to go, at once, to the Badabing Records Ordering Page and pick up Beirut’s new disc, Gulag Orkestar, which has just now become available. Only 10 bucks, postage included.

Said The Gramophone currently has 2 other tracks up from Gulag Orkestar.

And note that Beirut will be playing his first the Knitting Factory show, opening for Irving. Not to be missed.

One new release this week I forgot to mention is the Slender Means Society’s freshly-pressed CD version of the Parenthetical Girls (((GRRRLS))) album. Originally done as a vinyl-only release of 500 in 2004, the new, remastered edition contains both versions of the album (there were 2 mixes; one by The Dead Science’s Jherek Bischoff, and one by Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu); Version “O” (Bischoff) is standard CD Audio, and Version “X” (Stewart) is MP3-only. Which I guess would probably suck for you if you didn’t have a computer.

::: Parenthetical Girls - Here’s To Forgetting :::

Also of note: Parenthetical Girls’ new record, Safe As Houses is due out on Slender Means in June.

Almost exactly a year ago today, I posted Lewis & Clarke’s “Bare Bones and Branches;” today, I’m gonna point you to this recent live session they did on WPRB. A year later and that song still seems to be able to wrap those steel guitar strings in around my heart and squeeze:

::: Lewis & Clarke - Bare Bones and Branches (Live) :::

There are 3 other tracks available there too, you know.

Jagjaguwar made mention of some recent Okkervil River recordings that just blew them away (being that they “matched the carefree spirit of…The Basement Tapes and…Exile On Main Street“). Will Sheff says “I don’t know…” about releasing them, but Jagjag says “we’ll just see about that…”

Also, Black Sheep Boy and the Appendix are getting the double-disc treatment for Europe by Virgin.

There’s a couple of notable releases this week. The new Fiery Furnaces is finally out. If you somehow missed downloading almost every single track from various mp3blogs, Fat Possum has 3 tracks for you, including my personal favorite:

::: Waiting To Know You :::

It’s okay, don’t worry. We’re *all* in love with Eleanor; it’s fine.

And Absolutely Kosher is kicking out those “now double-album” re-releases of Frog Eyes’ The Bloody Hand (w/ Blue Pine’s Seagull Is On The Rise) and Pitchfork’s 9.1-rated The Golden River (w/ Blue Pine’s Emboldened Navigator and the Seagull Dots).

It’s okay, don’t worry. We’re *all* in love with Carey Mercer; it’s fine.

And hey, the indie rockers out there that are growing thin-of-hair and long-of-tooth may want to make note that there’s a new Red Krayola record out on Drag City and a new Nothing Painted Blue record out (soon? now?) on Shrimper.

Finally: Are you serious??? Really??? THIS is the video for the Silver Jews‘ “Punks In The Beerlight?” Well, that’s just nuts.