MP3: Vic Godard – “Blackpool”

Back in 2001/2002, the brilliant Vic Godard collaborated with acclaimed author Irvine Welsh on an ill-fated musical production, titled “Blackpool.” Plagued with problems, the show unfortunately came and went very quickly (only 6 performances), but the songs have proven to be longer-lasting. And thus has Vic recorded and released the new Blackpool EP– 4 songs from the “burlesque and gaudy, vaudevillian, dirty” Blackpool production. Pick it up directly from Vic via his Myspace.

And keep an eye out for the new Vic Godard full-length, We Come As Aliens, later this year.

Destroyer – “Archer on the Beach” b/w “Grief Point” 12″ is due out 11/2 from Merge.

“Archer on the Beach” is a meditation on the need to grapple with the 20th century in one’s own special way and with style, this time through singing quietly, through repetition, and through leaving lots of space between words, as well as finally learning to love crowds and nature.

“Grief Point” is the first recording Bejar made after deciding never to record again. It is a one-time exploration of the self-explanatory world, recorded in an office and on the street. Inspired by the writings of Michael Herr and the production design of Dean Tavoularis, the words occasionally obsess over the need to make certain things that don’t need to be made, while the music—written, played, and produced in its entirety by Loscil, aka Scott Morgan—tackles wholly separate issues. “Grief Point” was, at one point, the working title of a song called “Bay of Pigs.”

Pre-order the record here, and see also: Loscil’s “The Making of Grief Point,” featuring Bejar (from Loscil’s latest, Endless Falls).

Loscil – “The Making of Grief Point” (ft. Dan Bejar)

From Endless Falls, out now on Kranky.

SSLYBY‘s new record Let It Sway is now streaming in its entirety over at MBV– go check it out!

(It’s not out until next Tuesday, but is up for pre-order with instant MP3 download right now).

MP3: Kelley Stoltz – “I Don’t Get That”
From the forthcoming album To Dreamers, out 10/12 on Sub Pop.

MP3: The Capstan Shafts – “Quiet Wars”

From the brand-new, Matt Lemay-produced Revelation Skirts; due out 8/24 on Rainbow Quartz.

MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Love More”

Yes! Sharon Van Etten has a brand-new full-length in the can– it’s titled Epic, and it’s coming out 10/5 from Ba Da Bing.

MP3: Spur – “Mr. Creep”

Drag City continue their successful run of unearthing and resurrecting overlooked and forgotten gems from musical purgatory. Their latest rescue, in conjunction with Galactic Zoo, is the super-rare late ’60s/early ’70s Spur of the Moments LP, by Belleville, Illinois psych-pop outfit Spur (also known for a time as “The Unknowns”).

If “Mr. Creep” is indicative of just what sort of stuff this records holds, I’ma be grabbing it forthwith.

You can read more about the reissue here.

MP3: Apollo Ghosts – “Coka-Cola Admen”

From their latest, the Polaris Prize-nominated Mount Benson. The band is kicking off a tour any day now– and hey NYC: they’ll be at Bruar Falls on 7/23, with the excellent Big Troubles, the excellent Lame Drivers, and the excellent Doug Gillard of GBV.

MP3: Unbunny – “Landslide”

From the new LP, Moon Food, which you can stream in its entirety on Bandcamp, or pick up on disc here from Parasol. ALSO, there are apparently a few copies remaining of Unbunny’s limited-edition Record Store Day 7″ (ft. “Cell Phone” (alt) b/w “Winning Streak” (alt)). And, of course, you can still grab a copy of Catbird’s limited Black Strawberries LP, too, if you somehow still haven’t picked it up yet.