I just wanted there to be one post on the internet this week that used the words “Vampire Weekend” without using the word “backlash.”

Wait a second… DAMMIT!

Anyway, here’s a song I haven’t posted before, from their just-released-this-week disc:

::: Vampire Weekend - M79 :::

(If you imagine Molly Ringwald and/or Ducky dancing to it, it becomes even more enjoyable. But then again, I’ve never tried that before; it might work with *any* song.)

Remember I pointed out several weeks ago that Jakob Lodwick was working on a new, music-related project? I met up with Jakob this week and we had some good conversation, and he filled me in on his concept. And today, Jakob has now publicly disclosed some info about the project, Normative (you can go read his summation here). In short, Jakob’s goal is to nothing less than to craft a true, all-new, Record Label 2.0 model– and we know that means he’s got a very tough trail to blaze ahead of him. But he’s a tenacious one, and he’s certainly pulled off a few things in the past, so I think his project is something we should all keep our eyes on.

FYI, I think Catbird Records, we’re on the, like, “Record Label 0.6 Model.”

The new mix has been posted. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m gonna start cross-posting the mixes here as entries so that Hypem and Elbows can get at them too.

It Still Rains - George Washington Brown
College Town Boy - Dent May
Dimes Make Dollars - Lilys
Your Reverie - Kelley Stoltz
Glue Girls - SSLYBY
White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
Foam Hands - Destroyer
Gila - Beach House
Skinny Love - Bon Iver
What You Lie To Me - Nathan Lawr
Torn Blue Foam Couch - Grand Archives

Grab the podcast/stream over on the mix page.

“…hands down, the best use of fossil fuels.”

- Courtesy of The Stranger

I’m tracking for Destroyer 2008 tour dates, but there’s just very little to report so far, full list after the jump. Just kidding, there aren’t any of those fucking “jumps” here at the Catbirdseat. Here’s your full list of dates:

04-16 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
04-17 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
04-18 Detroit, MI - Pike Room
04-19 Toronto, Ontario - Lee’s Palace
04-20 Montreal, Quebec - Club Lambi
04-22 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg (tix on sale 2/2)
04-23 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (tix on sale 2/2)
04-24 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
04-25 Washington, DC - The Black Cat
04-26 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
04-27 Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
04-28 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
04-29 Nashville, TN - The Mercy Lounge
04-30 St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room
05-01 Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
05-02 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
05-03 Denver, CO - The Walnut Room
05-13 Edmonton, Alberta - Starlight
05-14 Calgary, Alberta - #1 Royal Canadian Legion Hall
05-16 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
05-18 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
05-19 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
05-20 San Diego, CA - Casbah
05-21 San Francisco, CA - Independent
05-23 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
05-31 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Commodore

On a related note, Hello Blue Roses are supposedly playing a “few shows” sometime around Feb/March, including one @ Glasslands (Brooklyn) on Feb. 16th.

And by the way, here’s your Merge @ SXSW 2008 Showcase info:

Fri, Mar. 14th @ The Parish:
Destroyer
She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M Ward)
Radar Bros
Shout Out Louds
Wye Oak

For your Mondayular enjoyment: two semi-precious music videos, plus, as a special bonus because I love you, the Reggaeton-flavored IO Digital Cable commercial that comes on 9 billion times a day and makes me want to eat my own head.

Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1 (Dir. Ace Norton)

The Little Ones - “Ordinary Song” (Dir. Terry Timely)

COME ON, MI GENTE, LETZ GET ONLINE!

We have a Catbirdseat exclusive remix of Arcade Fire track “Black Mirror” (the song that just got it’s own special video site at rorrimkcalb.com). Check it out: 

::: Black Mirror (Arcade Fire) - Catbird Remix :::

Just discovered that there is a new, 100% free digital Jason Anderson album, titled On The Street, available for download over at ECA Records. Download it here (thx to BMR for the tip-off).

ECA mentions that Jason has forthcoming albums for K and States Rights, which reminds me, I should tell you that States Rights is FINALLY going to release Jib Kidder’s All On Y’all. It’s being preceded by JK’s All On Y’all: Da Mixtape, which can be had for $5, or via podcast.

We’ve all seen the sleeve faces by now, but what about b3ta’s Extending Album Art? Some pretty awesome stuff there.

And dudes, not enough of you are clicking on my fake BlogAd (i.e. Sufjanbeat Magazine) — I need 1,000 clicks on there before I’ll start considering actually publishing that magazine.

Anyway… ok, so. I’ve finally started going through my backlog of thousand emails dating back through December, and am now going to start posting things I’ve been meaning to post:

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele are ostensibly part of a Lounge Revival revival, but I’m glad I gave him more than a cursory listen, because the songs are actually pretty damn good. I’d say the guy has a lot more in common with winsome modern tunesmiths like Jordan O’ Jordan and Jacob Borshard than he does Combustible Edison or Black Velvet Flag. Download Dent May’s EP for free at Dent May dot Com.

Pittsburgh’s Ball Of Flame Shoot Fire seem to have ticked every single checkbox on the List Of Things That Makes For An Enjoyable Indie Band In The Latter Part Of The Aughts (including “Elongated, Semi-Redundant, Silly Name”). I suspect that if these guys can just get the word out, they will become staples of many an indie playlist.

Dramafuckingrama are playing “Everything Everything” on the Ellen show right now, WTF?

Pacific Northwestern Catbird pal Ben wrapped up 2007 over at the Bend Bulletin with a DOUBLE-download album called Near/Far, with one album featuring all local Oregon bands, and one album featuring national bands — it’s, like, 150 megs of free music, all neatly zipped up for your downloading convenience.

Our friends over at Friendly Fire have a new release out this week from a band called the Whitsundays. They’re actually Canadians circa 2008, but you’d be totally forgiven if you assumed they were Brits circa 1967.

::: The Whitsundays - It Must Be Me :::

With bands like Times New Viking and Psychedelic Horseshit drumming up renewed interest in the Columbus, Ohio music scene, it’s a good time to point out the ongoing output of stalwart Ohio label Old 3C. For many years now, Old 3C’s been documenting that Central Ohio sound, putting out classic releases by bands like Great Plains, Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, and Log, and they’re still goin’ at it. The recent big news is that all of the Old 3C releases can be had from Amazon MP3 for a mere $5.99 per.

We haven’t heard from Will Stratton in, like, years– but he just let me know he’s wrapping up his second album, and is, for now, graciously offering up a free download of his Collected Outtakes And B-Sides.

Well, here’s one way to get re-excited by your gigs and gigs of MP3s: try “riding” your songs* with Audiosurf. What the hell am I talking about? Examples: ELO - “Mr. Blue Sky”, Feist - “Inside And Out” (Zzzzz), Guns & Roses - Chinese Democracy (full album).

[* “I Ride The Songs That Make The Whole World Sing,” ha.]

Criminy, it’s been a hell of a long time coming, but the new Envelopes album, Here Comes The Wind, is almost upon us, and thank god for that. You can download a full-album streaming widget here. The album sounds fantastic– mash up the B-52s, Talking Heads, and the Pixies, make them excitable Swedish kids, and you’ll have it. Good shit.

Spirit of Orr just released Broken Horses, a collection of early Moviola rarities (and a good companion piece to Dead Knowledge), mostly recorded during the latter years of the 20th Century. Only 300 copies of this one, so grab one while you can.

Nick Lowe’s FOOKINGREAT 1978 album Jesus Of Cool is getting the deluxe 30th anniversary reissue treatment from Yep Roc. It’s 20+ tracks (plus bonus MP3s for pre-orders), CD and special limited-edition LP versions. Comes out 2/19.

::: STREAM: Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool :::

BMR is doing something a lil’ different: he’s giving away his entire discography, one song at a time. It’s just like one of those oeuvreblogs, but this one’s from the artist himself. Very cool idea.

Pitchfork has the official MP3 for Frightened Rabbit’s “The Modern Leper,” from their forthcoming full-length for Fatcat, Midnight Organ Fight (4/1).

Matador just signed Jaguar Love, a band comprised of former Blood Brothers and J Clark from Pretty Girls Make Graves.