Oops.

Hey friends. Our server is down for the week, which means all mp3s are temporarily unavailable until then. Also, you may have seen some posts appear this week with inactive mp3s: I will repost them next week when the server returns and we can pretend this never happened. Deal?

Thanks for your patience!

Bill Callahan and the enveloping gloom.

MP3: Bill Callahan - Faith/Void

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from the Matt Giordano, who sent in this post in perfect conjunction with my recent Smog/BC kick. Extremely enjoyable? Fuck yeah!

It's been a while since I've gotten an album that I am initially floored by. Perhaps it's the gloom that envelops New York for nine months of the year, but this album fits perfectly with it all. Perhaps, though, it's the album itself—dare I say it...perfect? With Bill Callahan one expects quality, but this record exceeds that highly set bar. Beautifully arranged and calm, with his voice as steady as ever. This is the best album I've heard in the first few months of this year—and it could also be Bill Callahan's best work.

Get Loney.

MP3: Loney Dear - Airport Surroundings
MP3: Loney Dear - I Got Lost

Frequent contributor Matt Giordano pointed out a little while back that it was insane how this blog hasn't posted anything about Loney Dear's newest record "Dear John", which came out this past January. It's true: it's insane. I think that he's our most posted artist (or close to) and we've gushed over this music so many times. We haven't been sitting on it: I know that I've had the vinyl at my home since it's release and am really into it. Let us forgive the mistakes of the past and make nice on internal promises: here it is, at long last, the "Dear John" post.

Every review I've read has pointed out how sad this one is, and yes that's true. Your mood will drop at least 10% when giving this a spin, but hopefully your taste will be sharpened and you will notice how precious this record is. It's Loney Dear's most everything: sad, focus, cohesive and fully realized music. That doesn't matter: it's every bit as exciting and infectous as this was when you first discovered it. Don't give up on this just yet, as is the curse with early year release dates, give it a listen with fresh ears. It'll work wonders.

The mighty return of Montt Mardié.

MP3: Montt Mardié - Bang, Bang (Echo In Warsaw)

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from the Matt Giordano, who might like fine carpeting. Do you? Fuck yeah!

After an excessively unneeded "Best of" compilation (the three new songs are killer and serve as a segue to this) which took from two albums, Montt Mardié's proper label delivers us his third album. Out on the 9th April via Hybris, Skaizerkite finds Montt bidding adieu to the big band leanings of his first two albums in favor of a more refined, yet still luchly arranged, sound. The pop is turned up a few notches, and if you could call this anything it would be his arena-rock album. I expect the shows in support of this to be equally triumphant and huge.

The Best Song Ever: Give Him A Great Big Kiss

MP3: The Shangri-Las - Give Him A Great Big Kiss

Golly, I wish I was on top of great music in my high school years, because "Give Him A Great Big Kiss" by the Shangri-Las has all of the instructions of landing a bad ass woman: shades, be tall and be good bad, not evil. Then you can dance close all night long and make her wanna shout "L U V!".

If you dig this (and why wouldn't you), seek out anything by one of the best girl groups of all time.

Bonus:

Pow! Pow! Ow! (A closer look at Gun Outfit)

MP3: Gun Outfit - Troubles Like Mine
MP3: Gun Outfit - The Valley

Holy shit, I wanna party with Gun Outfit! I posted on their 7 inch last year and loved it a ton, and now they're back with "Dim Light", 8 songs that rip through and rule just as much as the 7 inch if not a little more. Real relaxed and gnar, just how everybody loves it.

Don't miss this one from PPM, cd comes with the 7 inch songs for your digital obsessions and materials. Fuck yeah!

Nite Jewel, you burned my eye.

MP3: Nite Jewel - What Did He Say

Man, how I wish Nite Jewel's "Good Morning" lp was better than it is. Still, it's pretty okay and there's a couple of rippers like "What Did He Say" (mp3 above) and "Artificial Intellegence" (radical video below). Maybe I'll plant it and hope it grows...

Women Women Women

MP3: Women - Shaking Hand

I was certainly a casual observer of Women before I saw them live last week with Abe Vigoda, now I am a convert. Digging the album, but REALLY digging "Shaking Hand". What a fucking ripper eh?

FUCK YEAH: Children round 2.

MP3: Children - Power Spirit

What the fuck: We haven't done a 'FUCK YEAH' post since October. That is weak, though it isn't my fault as music has been particularly vagina-like for a good bunch of months now. In fact, 2009 hasn't really delivered anything worth jamming hard at all... until now.

Children are the most exciting new band ever. I wanked off about their "Death Tribe" one track lp back in July of last year and had been anticipating anything and everything from them since. Here it is: Kemado delivers "Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World" on May 12th and we are frothing at the mouth until our hands can grasp it.

In the meantime, "Power Spirit", the first teaser from the lp will be rocked as loud as technology will allow repeatedly until ears bleed and minds burst wide fucking open. It is on.

Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World (Kemado Records)

Release Date: May 12, 2009

Tracklisting
1. Advanced Mind Control
2. Nuclear Bummer
3. Power Spirit
4. Hard Times Hangin . . .
5. Subterranean Cities