Painted Hills

New favorite!  Check out the new project led by Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks).  It's psychedelic, cosmic Americana at it's best.  You can stream the new record over at Parasol.

RIYL: Gram Parsons, Neil Young, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield

22-20s Re-formed AND Touring

So apparently I had no clue 22-20s were back together AND touring.  How did I not know about this?!  Download their FREE EP HERE.  Tour dates posted ala tbd Records (Radiohead, White Rabbits, Port O'Brien).  Jeeze.  Made my Tuesday...


22-20s - Bitter Pills from tbd records on Vimeo.

Sun Kil Moon Announce New Album

YES!!!!!!!  Head over to Pitchfork for the low-down...

TOR and Sufjan Stevens Remixes

This is SO GOOD!  Download it here.

Gram Parsons vs. The Eagles

I now feel vindicated.  Maybe it was all those guitar lessons in junior high...  My teacher Chuck, a Vietnam vet prone to flash-backs, made me learn one too many Eagles songs.  And to get around copyright issues he made his own tabs and renamed the song titles things like "Western Auto" instead of "Desperado."  At any rate, I despise The Eagles.  I also just found out one of my all time favorites, Gram Parsons did too.  In the biography Twenty Thousand Roads which my friend just let me borrow (which is awesome), Parsons refers to The Eagles as a "plastic dry fuck."  Gram you potty mouth!  But so right on.  Don't be surprised if you see an essay here one day soon about how terrible The Eagles are/were.  It's science...

Dubh

Just downloaded the super chilled out Insurrection EP from Jonny McEwen AKA dubh.  This is what I want to wake up and fall asleep hearing. You can grab it here for a donation.  Highly suggest it...

RIYL: Boards of Canada, Hammock, Fur

The Tallest Man On Earth

Ok, new favorite.  Head over to Pitchfork for a review of the Dead Oceans release, The Wild Hunt.

RIYL: Dylan, Deer Tick, A.A. Bondy

PS - Don't miss The Tallest Man play Hailey's in Denton on May 1st!

Merle Haggard

Head over to NPR's First Listen to check out the Okie From Muskogee's new album I Am What I Am...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Are Back...

YES.  One time I fell asleep listening to Lift Yr Skinny Fists and woke up scared I was dying.  It doesn't get and more epic/dirty than Godspeed.  Head over to Pitchfork for the run-down...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Return

Deer Tick – “20 Miles”

On June 8, Deer Tick release their third album, entitled The Black Dirt Sessions.  Get a preview courtesy of Stereogum:

Deer Tick – “20 Miles”

Surfer Blood Remix

Surfer Blood - Twin Peaks (Golden Ages Remix) - For more head over to Stereogum.

Blue Giant

...reason #342 I wish I lived in Portland.  This is the best band I've heard in a long time.  Go here and listen to the song Blue Sunshine.  Psychedelic country that conjures up Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers. You can order their Target Heart EP at BuyOlympia.com on vinyl or CD and get a free instant download of it.

The Golden Age Full Length

If you liked the Calla Lily EP from The Golden Age head back over to Mr. Furious Records and download the entire full length record for FREE via zip.  I can't believe Rob is just giving this away.  It's so good it feels like stealing...  

1. Dirty Fighter
2. Endgame
3. Folks Who Know
4. Jealous Love
5. Lucky You
6. Home Is A Hotel
7. The Plants You Forgot To Water
8. Behind Your Knees
9. Claremont
10. I Did Not Die Well Back Then
11. Where Are You Now?

Black Prairie Daytrotter Session

Head over toDaytrotter and download a wonderful session with Black Prairie.

What a Death Metal World

This rules. I couldn't help myself.

The Golden Age

Head over to Mr. Furious Records and check out The Golden Age, my friend Rob Hawkins' project.  The new self-titled record will be out this Saturday.  In the meantime you can download the Calla Lily EP for free.  It's glorious.

Upcoming Releases

4/6
Black Prairie: Feast of the Hunters' Moon [Sugar Hill]
Jónsi: Go [XL]

4/13
Freelance Whales: Weathervanes [Frenchkiss/Mom + Pop]
MGMT: Congratulations [Columbia]

4/17 - Record Store Day
The Album Leaf: There Is a Wind [Sub Pop]
Beach House: Zebra 12" [Sub Pop]
Bon Iver/Peter Gabriel: Split 7" [Jagjaguwar]
The Flaming Lips/Stardeath and White Dwarfs: The Dark Side of the Moon [limited edition vinyl release]

4/20
Merle Haggard: I Am What I Am [Vanguard]
Willie Nelson: Country Music [Rounder]
Roky Erickson With Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil [Anti-] [U.S. release]

4/26
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "Round and Round" b/w "Mistaken Wedding" [4AD]

4/27
Acid Mothers Temple: From 0 to Infinity [Important]
Avi Buffalo: Avi Buffalo [Sub Pop]
Mono: Holy Ground: NYC Live With the Wordless Music Orchestra [Wordless/Temporary Residence]

5/4
The Flaming Lips/Stardeath and White Dwarfs: The Dark Side of the Moon [Warner Bros.] [CD release]
The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever [Vagrant] [U.S. release]

5/11
The National: High Violet [4AD] [U.S. release]
Phosphorescent: Here's to Taking It Easy [Dead Oceans]

5/18
Band of Horses: Infinite Arms [Brown Records/Fat Possum/Columbia]
Woven Bones: In and Out and Back Again [Hozac]

5/25
The Cure: Disintegration [Three-disc reissue] [Polydor/Universal] [U.S. release]
Damien Jurado: Saint Bartlett [Secretly Canadian]

Head over to Pitchfork for a full run-down through summer...