Girls - "Laura"

The critically acclaimed and much-adored Girls debut Album has earned comparisons from Elvis Costello to Roy Orbison. But another apt influence is Gordon Gano, the great former lead singer of the Violent Femmes. Like the often frenzied and self-aware Gano, Girls frontman Christopher Owens wields an expert voice comprised of a perfected slop and slur technique with which, in his narrative as an eccentric and outsider, he uses to speak to and for the kids.

Girls - "Laura" (from Album)

New Blood Feathers: "Don't Know You At All"

Celebrating their signing with Philebrity—a label spawned from a Philadelphia blog—the Blood Feathers have released the first single from their forthcoming November release, Goodness Gracious, along with four bonus tracks. For a limited time, grab all five songs here for free. With two swinging guitar rhythms juxtaposed in the left and right speakers, the single "Don't Know You At All" is a can't miss funk- and soul-friendly dose of foot-stomping rock and roll.

Blood Feathers - "Don't Know You At All" (from Goodness Gracious)

Digging For Covers: The Jags beef up Cat Stevens

British power-pop band the Jags (pictured in this terribly awesome press photo to the left) only played for three years —from 1978 to 1981—but in that time they released a couple great songs, including "Back of My Hand" and this great rendition of Cat Stevens' classic "Here Comes My Baby."

The Jags - "Here Comes My Baby" (Cat Stevens cover)

Dead Man's Bones - "In The Room Where You Sleep"

"You better run / You better hide." The new track from Dead Man's Bones is a rhythmic tornado of hand claps, bass, organ and general creepiness. Paired with "My Bodies A Zombie For You," actors Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields have now leaked two highly original and quality tracks. God bless their zombie-filled hearts. (Photo by La Underground)

Dead Man's Bones - "In The Room Where You Sleep"

Chromeo - "Night by Night"

Synth-pop enthusiasts and 80s revivalists Chromeo are back with a new single—"Night by Night." The song—from the duo's forthcoming full-length, due next summer—is a dance-friendly bit of funk with a nice vocals to talk box ratio. Chromeo also has a DJ Kicks compilation set for release later this month, featuring a handpicked batch of disco and funk jams along with the band's own hilarious cover of the Eagles "Let Me Tell You Why." Just plug your email under "free mp3" to get the Eagles cover.

Chromeo - "Night by Night" (link fixed!)

Review: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer of Fear

The music created by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson isn’t easy to define. Or pigeonhole. He is without a doubt unlike any other contemporary artist, due largely to his voice. Like a vintage guitar amplifier, it’s an unpredictable instrument capable of channeling great emotion, with words emerging from the songsmith’s mouth quivering, shaking, in whispers and primal screams. An electrifying tool, that paired with nontraditional song structures, often seems to reveal the bare bones of the artist's soul.

TV On The Radio guitarist and singer Kyp Malone says of Robinson: “Like a lot of good music his songs feel like they are filling a predetermined space, like the ether was just waiting for him to connect the dots and give voice to them."

Malone produced the young musician’s sophomore record, Summer of Fear. The album is similar in style to its predecessor, but delivers a more refined sound and confidence, as if Malone brought a freshly sharpened batch of tools to work with. Previously tinny drums are more full-bodied; guitars take new and larger shapes; and most importantly, Robinson’s voice gets company. The stark contrast of sunny female vocals along Robinson's side brings an added emphasis to his own ragged words and results in some of the album’s brightest moments, including the choruses in “Death by Dust” and “Summer of Fear Pt. 1."

Much of the songs on Summer of Fear begin with the strum of a muted guitar, like quiet brushes of rhythm before the cataclysm of sound. “Trap Door” builds slowly in this fashion, growing louder from verse to chorus and bridge. Only after the climax of the second chorus, Robinson bridges to a new chorus with an even greater intensity: a coda in which the narrator reveals one can sink even lower than the “proverbial” bottom by way of a trap door. It’s a perfect pairing: absurdly dark lyrics over a polyphony of uplifting melodies.

Robinson’s imagery is nearly always dark (“It’s a hard enough time just trying to hang myself,” “love is a feeling you might not find with murder on your mind”) but paired with his playful use of words, rhyming, and sentence structure, the music somehow evolves into passionate and hopeful collages of sound.

The most immediately accessible track off the album is the up tempo “Death by Dust,” a song seemingly about young people’s difficulty in confronting and expressing emotions (“With our tongues tided tight to teeth / Hanging twenty years of flesh on a shoulder of sand”) and the cathartic capability of music: “When you’re young and the dust gets in your lungs / We steal songs that you had sung.” String arrangements explode over the final chorus amidst pounding drums and Robinson’s scratchy howls. Lyrically, nothing ever seems to be quite right in the world of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson or his characters, but sonically, there are few records that have made this quality of a racket.

Rating: Eternal happiness, throat lozenges, and the top spot in a few end-of-year lists.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - "Death by Dust" (from Summer of Fear)

Throw Me The Statue - "Waving At The Shore"

Like the Cure's "Close To Me" before it, Throw Me The Statue's "Waving At The Shore" is a blissfully uptempo and catchy track based around a simple keyboard motif. And like much of the Cure's catalogue, that expertly delivered simplicity is destined to make it a classic.

Throw Me The Statue - "Waving At The Shore" (from Creaturesque)

Playlist: Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice

Thomas Pynchon's new novel, Inherent Vice, is a brilliantly lighthearted mastery of detective noir. Set in Los Angeles in the 1970's, it's a time capsule decorated with remarkable detail by the period's fascination with drugs, a crumbling counterculture, and its popular music. The novel's protagonist—private eye extraordinaire Larry 'Doc' Sportello—is, cinematically speaking, a pairing of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade and Jack Nicholson's Jake Gittes with Jeff Bridges' The Dude: Sportello is street saavy, but he doesn't do much investigating without first lighting up a joint.

The New Yorker appropriately quote's the genre's master Raymond Chandler in its review: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean." Pynchon's Sportello fits into this dictum as an everyman of his era: perpetually stoned, an avid fan of both Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and John Garfield, and susceptible to the charms of popular music, whether it's Roy Roger's "Happy Trails To You" or the The Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

Here's a playlist derived from songs and bands that appear in the novel:

Rolling Stones - "Something Happened To Me Yesterday"

Chantays - "Pipeline"

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - "I'm The Urban Spaceman"

Archies - "Sugar Sugar"

Roy Rogers - "Happy Trails To You"

Trashmen - "Surfin' Bird"

Tommy James & The Shondells - "Crimson and Clover"

Thunderclap Newman - "Something In The Air"

Surfaris - "Wipe Out"
Dominico Modungo - "Volare"

Buy the book at Amazon or your local independent book store.

Julian Casablancas - "11th Dimension"

Even the Strokes' Julian Casablancas is getting hip to the current wave of electro-pop that's been taking pop music by storm (see: Cut Copy, Passion Pit, MGMT). Casablancas' solo debut, Phrazes For The Young, is due out October 20th Stateside via Cult/RCA. The album's first single, "11th Dimension," is a potently catchy and synth-friendly dance number that owes as much to Daft Punk as it does to the Strokes. Watch a preview for the record here.

Julian Casablancas - "11th Dimension" (from Phrazes For The Young)

The Drums - "Saddest Summer"

Yes, summer is finally over. But if you listen to Florida's The Drums, it won't ever feel like it. Meshing the Factory Records sound of quick rhythmic guitar licks and programmed drums à la New Order with lush harmonies and a fascination with surf culture, the group has released it first EP, the aptly titled Summertime!—out now on Twenty Seven Records.

The Drums - "Saddest Summer" (from Summertime!)

Review: Deer Tick at the Kennedy School

Deer Tick may be the greatest bar band in the world. And one of the best up and coming rock and roll groups. They aren't hip and they aren't of the moment: it's classic whiskey-fueled and sweaty head-banging guitar soul. Led by singer and finger-picking devotee John McCauley, Deer Tick played three high-energy sets of originals and covers, including cuts from the Replacements ("Can't Hardly Wait"), Tom Petty ("Breakdown"), John Mellencamp ("The Authority Song") and Ritchie Valens ("La Bamba").

Mick Jagger once said, "Everything we do is derivative." On Wednesday night, it seemed McCauley couldn't agree more. Wearing a black Thin Lizzy t-shirt, he and his band tore through some of the favorite songs of their youth while delivering their own equally inspired originals. From the anthemic "oohs" of "Ashamed" to the Chuck Berry-inspired "Straight Into A Storm" and an a cappella set-ending version of "Diry Dishes," it's clear that Deer Tick—now assembled as a five piece—are a confident group storming the gates of success.
Whether it was dexterous guitar player Andy Tobiassen slashing through accompaniments and solos; the steady hands of rhythm guitarist Ian O'Neil and bassist Christopher Ryan; or Christopher's burly and bearded half-brother Dennis displaying chops on the drum kit and delicacy on his vocals; the band proved to be a remarkably capable bunch—and McCauley's songs are all the better for it.

Heavily sipping a glass of whiskey, McCauley joked about the popularity of some of his songs, including at one point comparing the listens per month of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" to his own "Song About A Man." But after performing the track, the comparison wasn't so far-fetched. McCauley may not have written his own epic sweeping ballad yet, but the accomplished and young lyricist has time on his side. And with his band of rebel rousers helping him shake things loose along the way—as when Tobiassen kicked McCauley from on top of an amp down into the drum kit during the encore-closing "With A Little Help From My Friends"—it's clear that their journey towards greater success will be one well worth watching—and keeping a close ear to.

Deer Tick - "Ashamed" (from War Elephant)
Deer Tick - "La Bamba" (live Ritchie Valens cover)

Listen to Deer Tick's recorded version of "La Bamba", available as a 7" tour-only single, here.

Navajo Bixby: spacey psychedelic summer pop

A blender of tropicalia, Afro-pop, surf rock—and yes, plenty of spacey psychedelia—is what you can expect from Navajo Bixby, the project of New Jersey's Judd Hower. So far Hower has released two excellent demos—"Moonlighting" and "Many Ways"—both steeped in the sunshine of another era. Check for updates on the band via its Myspace or label, London's No Pain In Pop.

Navajo Bixby - "Moonlighting"

Navajo Bixby - "Many Ways"

10 Most Underappreciated Songs of the Decade

1.) Josh Ritter - "Thin Blue Flame" (from The Animal Years)

Nearly 10 minutes in length, Ritter's masterpiece is a "Stairway to Heaven"-caliber achievement with Jimmy Page's guitar licks exchanged for 700-plus words of poetry. Traversing a war-torn world and a host of Shakespearean, Biblical, and science-oriented images, Ritter finds solace in a ray of hope: "So I stopped looking for royal cities in the air / Only a full house gonna have a prayer."

2.) The Walkmen - "Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me is Gone" (from Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone)

With Hamiltoin Leithauser's Thom Yorke-like howls and the thick reverberations of pounding drums, organ and guitars, the Walkmen lay their claim on the world of popular music with their first post-Jonathan Fire*Eater album: mature, esoteric, and unpredictable.

3.) M. Ward - "Vincent O'Brien" (from Transfiguration Of Vincent)

It's hard to choose from M. Ward's catalogue: there's not one false step. However, this slow rollicking build-up of muted guitars, drums, and a riffing piano is one of the artist's most immediately convincing, due largely to its poetic simplicity: "He only sings when he's sad / And he's sad all the time / So he sings the whole night through / Yeah, he sings in the daytime too."

4.) Marah - "Round Eye Blues" (from Kids in Philly)

A pre-9/11 war song that escapes for moments into the imagery of a hard working James Brown and Little Richard and the rhythm of "Proud Mary" and "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay." The Bielanko brothers have never sounded so soulful and harnessed their love of Springsteen so sincerely.

5.) Peter & The Wolf - "Safe Travels" (from Lightness)
Set by a chorus of sighing voices and the light-hearted up-stroke of an acoustic guitar, the song's tone is an otherworldly one—simultaneously eery and soothing. With the addition of Red Hunter's calm near-spoken word voice, it's also impossible to forget.

6.) Exploding Hearts - "Sleeping Aides and Razorblades" (from Guitar Romantic)
Power-pop makes its triumphant and convincing return with the debut from this tragically short-lived Portland quartet. Here, the band delivers one of the all-time great break-up songs: "Well, I felt so bad when I heard that song / You know it's been such a long long time / It's a little offbeat and it ain't in tune / You know, it's just like this heart of mine."

7.) Tangiers - "I Wanna Go Out" (from Never Bring You Pleasure)

From the furiously fast thumping of drums to the tightly delivered power chords and slurred vocals, everything about this Tangiers song screams "release!" Whether you're carving down a wave or a concrete mountain, speeding down the coast or hurriedly throwing back a few, this is the song you'll want playing.

8.) El Ten Eleven - "My Only Swerving" (from El Ten Eleven)

For an entirely instrumental duo, Los Angeles's El Ten Eleven is remarkably expressive. Never more so than this cinematic blend of tremolo-infused riffs, popping double-bass notes, synthesized arpeggios, and orchestrated crash of cymbals.

9.) The Fruit Bats - "When You Love Somebody" (from Mouthfuls)

With the constant thud of a bass drum and smile-inducing hand claps (think The Beatles' "Two of Us"), this organ-built 60s-tinged pop song is treachorously addictive and often prone to repeated listening. If there's one reason to start listening to the Fruits Bats, it's this.

10.) Martha Wainwright - "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" (from Martha Wainwright)
This song may be directed towards Wainwright's neglectful father—folk singer Loudon Wainwright III— but this passionate stranglehold has the strength to kick more than one ass. And ass-kicking has never sounded so righteous and brutally poetic: "I will not pretend / I will not put on a smile / I will not say I'm all right for you / When all I wanted was to be good / To do everything in truth."

David Bowie's "Heroes": The Covers

TV On The Radio - "Heroes"

Magnetic Fields - "Heroes"

Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge - "Elephant Love Medley" ("Heroes" appears at 2:02)

Videos (Youtube links):

Nico - "Heroes (live)"

Blondie - "Heroes (live)"

Oasis - "Heroes (acoustic)"

Arcade Fire - "Heroes (live)"

Wallflowers - "Heroes"

Asobi Seksu go acoustic for Rewolf

The big guitars and vocals fans are accustomed to hearing from Asobi Seksu will be toned down for the duo's forthcoming acoustic album, Rewolf. Set for release on November 10th, the album features 9 alternate versions of previously released tracks and a cover of Hope Sandoval's "Suzanne," all recorded live at the late Olympic Studios in London.

Asobi Seksu - "New Years (acoustic)" (from Rewolf)

Interview: Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums

Like fellow funk and soul revivalists Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Fitz and the Tantrums make music that's a throwback to another era. Only Fitz and his quintet are less gritty funk and more Motown and pop-infused soul. Yes, this music is made for dancing, but it's also made for shamelessly singing along to. Like the title of the band's debut states—Songs For A Breakup, Vol. 1—these songs are energized by the heartbreak and wrongs casued by love. Not regular people love. Effortlessly cool and blues-drenched soul love; the kind of narratives popularized into anthems by groups like the Supremes ("You Can't Hurry Love") and Temptations ("Ain't Too Proud Too Beg").

Fitz spoke with Everybody Taste about the inspiration behind his debut with the Tantrums, his childhood experiences with music, and the band's upcoming tour dates with Flogging Molly.

How did you first get into music? What was the first song that made you want to play?
Well as my mom likes to say I came out of the womb singing. It was never something I got into it just always was. My parents are not musicians but HUGE music lovers. The catch though is that my dad only let there be classical music playing when he was around. That actually turned out to be an amazing blessing and education... to this day when i hear classical music it takes me back to being a kid watching my dad close his eyes and be swept away by those amazing works. But when he left the house or we were driving with my mom then we got to rock out!! Off the Wall [by Michael Jackson] was the most important record to me. My brother gave me his copy and I listened to it over and over.

What was the first instrument you learned?
We had a piano at home and I taught myself how to play chords so I could sing and write songs. I actually got that piano back as an adult and I started to take piano lessons. That was amazing and tranformative because it finally gave me the ability to really write the kinda of songs I wanted to do for this record.

First concert you attended?
First concert? Hmmm, U2

Were you in bands growing up?
No, I was always too shy. I went to a high school for the performing arts and always hid in choir. It was only when I grew up that I got the confidence to finally put a band together and play the songs I had been writing in my cave.

I understand Songs For A Breakup, Vol. 1 was inspired buy a church organ you bought from your ex-girlfriend's neighbor. That's an unusual string of circumstances. What was it about the organ's sound that was so inspirational? Had you played the organ before?
When I got the call from the Ex for the organ I just jumped at the chance. It took me all day frantically calling over town to find a piano mover who could do it that day. They were loading into the truck as the sun was going down and when they put it into my living room it was night! I had never played an organ before but I was so inspired by this massive thing sitting there blasting out these loud as fuck! amazing old organ sounds that I wrote the the first track "Breakin' The Chains of Love" right then and there. My poor neighbors!!

Your sound is obviously inspired by a lot of 60's Stax and Motown records. Were there particular artists you had in mind when cultivating the sound?
Aboslutley... I'm a huge Otis Redding fan, Aretha of course, early Hall and Oates. I am obsessed with great songwriting and I think that era is simply the best. Once I got into recording—when I worked in the studio for this producer—and really got into the way records sound, then that era just blew my mind even more.

What was the production process like? The songs on the record, especially "Breakin' The Chains of Love" and "Winds of Change", have a very rich and almost aged texture to them. Were they recorded live?
Well I didn't have any money to make this record. All I had was this piano and this organ taking up half my living room and this old beat up mic. I couldn't record live with only one mic so I was forced to build the songs layer on top of layer. Recording each instrument one by one. My living room is hardly an ideal place to record with wood floors and plaster walls, but I decided I would just make the sound of that room part of the character of the record. I would plop the mic in the middle of the room... pretty far away from the organ or piano. What ened up happeneing was that it helped give the songs life and a fullness, that now I couldn't imagine having recorded this record anywhere else.

How did your band come together? And who came up with the Tantrums as the name?
Well, when I was done recording the EP I called James King who played on the album to see if he was down to start playing live. I asked him to recommend a drummer. I called John Wicks AKA "the Captain". He brought in Ethan P-Boy Phillips on bass and J-Ruz on keys. James said we had to call Noelle scaggs for back ups and literally in less than a day the band was formed. I feel blessed to play with these guys because everyone is so talented and it has made for an amazing live show.
As far as the name goes, I wanted something that captured the spirit of what we were trying to do. My name is Fitz and when I came up with the Tantrums it was perfect because I have been known to have a few of those in my lifetime!!! This record has attitude and definitely some anger about being hurt so it just worked for me.

"We Don't Need Love Songs" is an incredibly deep and soulful track, probably my favorite off the EP. It's also well positioned as the closing track, somewhat signaling that you're moving past the breakup. Will there be a Vol. 2 or is there a full-length of a different subject matter somewhere in the future?
Thanks! I am really glad that is your favorite because its is definitely a favorite of mine. No other song puts me in the zone when we are playing a show more than that song. There IS a vol.2 in the works right now. I am feverishly trying to finish it between tour dates. There is going to be an evolution to the full length. But I have always been unlucky in love so there are more songs that deal with regret and the realization that sometimes it's you that's the problem and not them and that is sometimes a bitter pill to swallow.

It's hard not to like the bright and danceable sounds on Songs For A Breakup Vol. 1, but it seems like an odd pairing to be opening for Flogging Molly. How do you think your music will mesh?
Ha! Well I'll let you know how it goes but I think, no I know, that Flogging Molly's fans are real music lovers and they are incredibly loyal to Flogging Molly. We were really honored that they asked us to go on tour and I think that their fans are gonna give us a chance to win them over. These days people have very eclectic musical tastes and they respond to great music and a great show and we are gonna give them both.

My last question is something I ask at the end of every interview. If your band, Fitz and the Tantrums, were an animal, what would it be?
A raccoon. They look cute from afar, but get close and they'll tear your eyes out!!! Ha!!!!!!!!

Fitz and The Tantrums - "We Don't Need Love Songs" (from Songs For A Breakup, Vol. 1)

Dead Trees: share new demo, "Loretta" video

Portland, OR quartet the Dead Trees play good ole-fashioned rock and roll: it's loud, smartly crafted, hip-shaking fun. The band is set to tour the States this September and October with the Rosewood Thieves. Check here for tour dates. For now, catch the group's video for "Loretta" and listen to "Rayna"—a demo from the band's follow up to 2008's King of Rosa.

Dead Trees - "Rayna" (demo)

Dead Trees - "Loretta" (from King of Rosa)

A.A. Bondy - "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing"

"This is the leaving of another love / This is the howling at the moon / These are the arms you fell into / I am a fire and I must burn today."

On "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing"—a rare but welcome uptempo track from the folksy roots songwriter A.A. Bondy— bittersweet self-harmonized vocals and a catchy guitar lick prove to be both a poetic and addictive combination.

A.A. Bondy - "I Can See The Pines Are Dancing" (from When The Devil's Loose)

Interview: Caleb Moore of Lands and Peoples

As I was surfing the interweb a few days ago I stumbled upon a project titled Lands & Peoples over at IGIF. Within moments I was blown away. It was like being transported to some sort of sonic world with fields of reverb-drenched guitars, swirling synthesizers, and a voice often floating around on waves of harmony. Forget Marty McFly and the DeLorean; put on your headphones and Baltimore's Lands & Peoples will take you to the future themselves. Yes, it's that good. There isn't much coverage on the group, so I sent over a few questions to frontman Caleb Moore. He discusses the trio's origins, touring experience, and his plan to release a cassette tape "split."

Basically all I know about the band is that you reside in Baltimore. How long have the three of you been playing together? How did Lands & Peoples come about?
We've been playing as a 3 piece for about 6 months now-- this project started as a myspace page for me to put up random sound textures and collages that I was recording in my bedroom. The name is from a series of old history/travel books; I really admire the overall aesthetic of the artwork and photos in the books, and the tone of the writing is really brash and not PC-- which makes it funny to read too.

Do each of you have assigned roles in the band (percussion, singing, guitar, etc.) or is it more of an instrument-trading free for all?
We all trade instruments and work from as many angles as possible.

What's the songwriting and recording process like? The songs on your EP are incredibly lush and texturized. Is everything built from a particular instrument?
As most bands will tell you, the songwriting/recording process is different every single time-- but basically we have 2 good mics and Logic Pro. The ideas and songwriting come into play in completely random ways, and there is not one central instrument. I would say however, that we have definitely been favoring reverby guitars and droney looping lately.

Did you record the EP yourself? I only ask because some of the sounds, especially what I think is a guitar around 2:11 in "Bad Habits", have such a uniquely engaging and distinctive tone and timbre.

Thanks! Yes, we recorded and mixed the entire album our selves. It has not been mastered.

What's the touring been like? How's the response been from crowds?
Responses were pretty varied, but in general I think people dig it.

Is it difficult to produce any of your songs on stage? "Isabella" is such a quiet and sparse song, especially near the end. It must require the audience to keep near silent to hear those great harmonies.
I'm personally much more comfortable on stage when the audience is quiet, because I feel like they're actually paying attention and if they're doing that, then we must be doing something right. Also, it's really fun to improvise. We've been playing louder stuff lately, and I think that's where we're headed-- louder and more assured.

Who did the video for "Cars Like Waves"? There's some pretty incredible imagery in there, especially of the man facing the lone tree on opposite ends of the screen. Where did all that footage come from?
Thanks again, I did that while I was on unemployment and had nothing else going on. The footage is all from the "Peringer Archive" on archive.org-- a great, free resource for video art!


I watched a few of your live performances on An Hour of Kindness. A few of those songs are unreleased. Is there a plan to release a full-length down the line?
Yes, absolutely. We're also planning on releasing a cassette tape "split"-- the twist is, we're buying up old mix tapes and re-using them, and so the B-side of these tapes are going to be completely random, weird stuff: such as "Stress Free Forever: Subliminal Therapy for Women", Frank Sinatra, bible tapes, etc, etc..

Favorite band/record at the moment that's not your own?
Atlas Sound - Logos

This album has completely entranced me to the nth degree. It's sublime, and already in my top 3 for this year.

My last question is something that I ask at the end of every interview. If your band, Lands & Peoples, were an animal, what would it be?
A sexy, super friendly siamese cat.

Lands & Peoples - "Bad Habits" (from Lands & Peoples EP)

Buy the EP here for just $5.

White Denim - "Syncn"

There are a few new White Denim songs floating around the internets in anticipation of their forthcoming third full-length, Fits, due out in October in the States. The dark and eerily soulful "Syncn" is one of those songs. Sung entirely in falsetto, the song reminds me of the darker, earlier days of the Rolling Stones when they were churning out tracks like "Paint It Black" and "Mother's Little Helper." Add a few "La la la's" from Iggy Pop's "Passenger" and you have one hell of a good song.

White Denim - "Syncn" (from Fits)

The Moderate - The Rest Is Up To You

DC-area rock group The Moderate recently released their first full-length album, The Rest Is Up To You. With influences spanning the likes of guitar pioneers Built To Spill to the rollicking and countrified sounds of southern rock, The Moderate are a young group oozing with talent and brimful of potential. Led by North Carolina singer and lead guitarist Jim Dempsey, the quartet favors strong narrative storytelling, sharp rhythms, and intricate guitar play complimented by the occasional but always welcome blow from Ian Burke's saxophone. Make sure to catch the band live as these songs are meant for the stage, always building into dizzyingly pleasant mixtures of harmony and electricity.

The Moderate - "Ex-lovers, Enemies" (from The Rest Is Up To You)

Buy: AmieStreet,

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Pharcyde - "Drop" (directed by Spike Jonze)

After reading yesterday's New York Times' article on director Spike Jonze and his forthcoming adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are, I decided to check out a few of Jonze's earlier forrays into film, including his various skateboard and music videos. One of his most artful creations is of Los Angeles hip-hop group Pharcyde performing "Drop"—backwards.

Pharcyde - "Drop" (from LABCABINCALIFORNIA)

Avett Brothers - "Laundry Room" Live on NPR

The Avett Brothers played an amazingly heartfelt and raucous performance on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series back on June 10th. Especially compelling was the quartet's rendition of "Laundry Room," a song from the upcoming Rick Reuben produced record I and Love and You. The recorded version—currently available on the I and Love and You EP—is nice, but nowhere as wildly picked and fervishly harmony-drenched as this rollicking piece of hillbilly soul. Watch, then listen again and again.

Set list: "Laundry Room," "Down With The Shine," "Bella Donna"

Avett Brothers - "Laundry Room" (from NPR's Tiny Desk Concert)