The Best Song Ever: Monster Mash

MP3: Bobby 'Boris' Pickett - Monster Mash

Once a year it is a holiday novelty song, but the rest of the time "Monster Mash" is an amazing and effective pop song.

It's always good when a nipple makes the cover.

MP3: The Weeknd - Wicked Games

Is it correct to assume that since there is no third "e", the emphasis placed back on the first syllable resulting in the pronunciation of the "weakened"?

Let's all talk about how great True Widow is.

MP3: True Widow - Skull Eyes

Holy shit, I don't know how everyone isn't going apeshit over how great this record is: "As High as the Highest Heavens and from the Center to the Circumference of the Earth" is brand new from Texas-trio True Widow, and it's entirely bad ass.

Sludgegaze? Shoedrone? Labels and genres are silly. Cop this on vinyl now from Kemado Records.

The Best Song Ever: I'm So Young

MP3: The Beach Boys - I'm So Young

Seeing as how vocal harmonies peaked in the 1960s (bar Huey Lewis' "Naturally"), it's no real surprise that Wilson clan was going to be the feature of this post. Also, it kind of coincides with the announcement that "Smile" will see it's officially. Bereft of bias, this song is fucking amazing, with, it's even better. Enjoy.

FUCK YEAH: ZZZZZZ

MP3: Zond - Choam
MP3: Zond - Face In Grey

How do you describe the sound of Melbourne, Australia’s Zond? Easy: you don't. You just take in the sweat, the fog, the dirt, the piss and the goddamned evil and you will love it.

Kemado just issued Zond's self titled LP in the States (between this and the release of Beaches on their Mexican Summer imprint the company is killing it in Aussie badassery) on some pretty impressive and sexy vinyl wax: 500 pressed on fold-over raw craft paper with metallic silver print sleeve. Cop it.

HOT TRAXXX: Into Black

MP3: Blouse - Into Black

Great song from Portland's Blouse, it feels like a dream. The a-side to the 7 inch out now on Capture Tracks.

Video: Bizness

MP3: tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

New video for the first tUnE-yArDs' single "Bizness", from April 19th's "w h o k i l l". I've heard it all, it's really great. Enjoy the clip.

David Bowie Fridays: Conversation Piece

MP3: David Bowie - Conversation Piece

Enjoy.

FUCK YEAH: Who do you think you are?

MP3: Clockcleaner - Blood Driver
MP3: Clockcleaner - NSA

Philadelphia's Clockcleaner just had their seminal 2006 debut "Nevermind" issued on vinyl for the first time from the good folks at Fan Death Records and the world is much better for it. Certainly the band has only improved since it's release (their last ep on Load especially is a gigantic highlight), but for a starting point it's pretty right on and way better than most anything else. So yeah, it's more punk than sludge but that's fucking great, so check it out and snag yourself a copy.

HOT TRAXXX: Formerly Games

MP3: Ford & Lopatin - Emergency Room

Seems like the HOT TRAXXX posts are dedicated to bands who change their names to prevent any possible lawsuits: Ford & Lopatin used to be Games. Now they're not. Is the lesson to always choose a unique and complicated band name? Probably, yeah.

But I digress: Games were always on the lips of my peers, but I hadn't heard them myself until a friend gave me a mix tape he made with them on it. The same mix tape from a friend that produced this. Of course it stood out because it was the only song like it on the entire playlist, but it didn't hurt that it was also really, really good.

So they changed their name, created a label called Software under the umbrella of Mexican Summer and are releasing their debut full length "Channel Pressure" come June 7th. That's the cover art above, and this song (like what you see up there) is out of this world. Love that 1980's view of the future!

New Bill Callahan: Baby's Breath

MP3: Bill Callahan - Baby's Breath

We were pretty much dying to get any kind of audible glimpse into Bill Callahan's forthcoming "Apocalypse" album, and today the Drag City gods were kind enough to it's worshipers to deliver the goods.

"Baby's Breath" is the 2nd song on Callahan's coming April 19th LP, and of course: it's amazing. Was there any doubt of that? BC has been getting better with every album and 2009's "Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle" more than cemented his status of perfect songwriters.

So yeah, I know this song was going to be awesome and no shocker it's better than that. Awesome isn't even a good enough word for this, and I can't wait to hear more from this opus of the American badlands.

HOT TRAXXX: Fire Night

MP3: Cliffie Swan - Fire Night

Welcome to a new feature! Everyone loves new features right? Well, I think they're pretty cool at least. HOT TRAXXX is essentially kin to "The Best Song Ever", except it features more current music (re: under 5 years old? I don't know yet, you know we like to keep shit loose here) and are digested further by us in our personal lives, maybe we've been listening to a song a lot? We should check our iTunes play count? Whatever, before it gets nuts: just party on!

Cliffie Swan used to be called Lights until that got crazy confusing. During that time, back in 2009, they put out a record called "Rites" on Drag City. It always feels weird re-tagging already released music with a new band name, but seeing as I got into them post-Lights, I figured I'd give it a shot. Anyway, this song (and video) rule a whole fucking ton.

PLUS! Relevant news: member Sophia Knapp released a new 7 inch single today for "Nothing to Lose", also on DC. Get that here: http://www.dragcity.com/products/nothing-to-lose. I bet it's awesome. Anyone have a download?

FUCK NO: Commercial Trap

MP3: Wiz Khalifa - No Sleep

I still find it a strange phenomenon when, once an emcee signs with a major label, they most likely proceed to release an album of party rap—each song purposefully purports itself to be an anthem. Hooks and cheese (and not the money colloquialism) are turned up to eleven, lyrical content tends to focus on simplistic themes and dire rhyme schemes, and the beats are always danceable to some extent. I guess I'm just more surprised that there's such a minimal effort to counter the trend. It's mostly likely purely a marketing move, but Wiz Khalifa has easily succumbed to that even more on his awful new album "Rolling Papers"; one can hope he can earn a living from the singles this record produces, because he surely has no integrity left for subsistence.

New Cults: You Know What I Mean

New song from Cults' upcoming debut LP in May: Only listened once, but it sounded pretty righteous. Real breezy, like a nice spring afternoon or something. Check it out.

Green Scene

MP3: Colleen Green - Dance the Night Away
MP3: Colleen Green - Y Do U Call Me?

My pal Allison turned me onto Colleen Green's music and comics recently and boy am I glad. The sweet comics can be found here, and the 2 songs featured today are from her new 7 inch "Green One" out now on Hardly Art. It's 4 songs and they all rule, so get one!

FUCK YEAH: You shall die by your own evil creation!

MP3: Birds of Maya - Heavy on Sunday

Birds of Maya are from Philadelphia, and they perform some pretty drenched rock and roll. This song, the near 23 minute closer to last year's "Ready to Howl", will take real good care of you. This is what you put in your belly on a Friday night.

See you next week.

David Bowie Fridays: The Width of a Circle

MP3: David Bowie - The Width of a Circle

Enjoy.

FUCK YEAH: That woman is possessed!

MP3: Earthless - Demon Lady

A while back I posted Danava's song from their split with Earthless and Lecherous Gaze and it ripped! Today I bring you "Demon Lady" by the aforementioned Earthless who rule quite a lot. Serious buy this split, it brings the fun back to the concept and the whole thing jams hard. Fuck yeah!

All Doggs Go to Heaven.

MP3: Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, & Nate Dogg - Oh No

Horrible loss to the music community with the death of Nate Dogg. He could certainly hold his own, and was without a doubt the king of hooks. To think of all the summer anthems without Nate on the chorus is very depressing. Today, a song and a video, both the most important ND appearances to me. Ripped for his RIP.

Bleached but not ruined.

Los Angeles' Ooga Booga store has been a great mail order resource for years and I am happy to see they've entered the record label business. Their first release? The debut 7 inch from Bleached, featuring Jennifer (Cold Cave, Mika Miko) and Jessie (Mika Miko) Clavin. It's limited to 500 copies on black wax and from the song "No Friend of Mine", it sounds pretty fuckin' ripped too!

Buy yours here!