Revisiting Autolux's 'Future Perfect'

Over at Aquarium Drunkard there's a feature that's been running for several weeks entitled 'Decade'. I'm honored to be part of the series that highlights the best albums of the past ten years, and also to revisit one of my favorite bands ever, Autolux. Hit the AD link above.

The Greencoats: 'Honey' Video

Gothenburg, Sweden noise-pop troupe The Greencoats dazzled yours truly with their Spring EP last summer. The standout garage rock/shoegaze burner "Honey" takes off at light speed and never slows down -- check the incredible drum fills and levels of fuzz. Catchy as fuck too.

Order the Greencoats' Spring EP over at TOMT Recordings.

The Greencoats: "Honey" - Directed by Tobias Martinsson:

Surfer Blood: 'Swim (To Reach the End)' MP3

If you think a Guided by Voices/Boston collaboration was never possible then you're right, but Surfer Blood's "Swim (To Reach the End)" is pretty damn close. Anthemic guitar chops, reaching vocals and dense, scratchy guitars outline this track. Unfortunately, there's also some Weezer-infused catchiness in here, which isn't bad as long as you only think of Pinkerton.

|||Surfer Blood: "Swim (To Reach the End)" MP3|||

Pre-Order Astro Coast, coming january 19th, over at Insound.

Warpaint sign with Rough Trade

Congrats to one of L.A.'s finest bands. Warpaint has signed to Rough Trade. Catch them before it gets too expensive:

11/30: Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
12/1: Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA
12/2: Standard Hotel/Zero Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA

A Place To Bury Strangers: 'In Your Heart (Cereal Spiller remix)' Stream

This Cereal Spiller remix takes A Place to Bury Strangers' sonic assault of guitars to the cleaners. Instead of finding a way to make "In Your Heart" soar with new colors, the remix basically offers fans a soundtrack to Jazzercise. I really do love remixes, when done right, but this actually tastes like cereal when what I really hoped for was a Barbeque.

Other inner-nets

Passion of the Weiss wrote a great piece on Nosaj Thing over at Resident Advisor.

Stereogum sheds some light on the forthcoming Magnetic Fields album, Realism. Last year's Distortion was excellent.

Months after Visitation's release date, Pitchfork gives Division Day a lukewarm review. Since when is the band channeling "emo"?

Chromewaves tackles The Mary Onettes' Islands.

Loads of live music options via You Set the Scene.

Another free covers EP via ISO50.

Band of Horses play Club Nokia tonight

Never been to Club Nokia, but tonight I'll get to experience the mega LCD screens and slick logos that tag the entire strip revolving around the Staples Center/L.A. Live. Band of Horses, who have made a couple of great records this decade, are playing a one-off gig with L.A.'s Warpaint as support tonight.

The group's last release was 2007's Cease to Begin. A new full-length is in the works for early 2010. Tickets are still available here.

Band of Horses: "The Funeral" - Directed by Matt Lenski:

Serena-Maneesh sign to 4AD

According to the label's website, Norwegian noise addicts Serena-Maneesh has inked a deal with 4AD. The group will see it's sophomore album released in March of 2010. More news and details as this develops.

Serena-Maneesh: "Drain Cosmetics" - Directed by Christopher Alexander Holm-Glad:

Gentle Friendly: 'RIP Static' MP3

Not all U.K.-based groups are consumed with recreating rock jams a la Kings of Leon and Razorlight. Gentle Friendly push a bit of tension into this churning, fizzy-lifting drink of a jam called "RIP Static". The quick speak-and-spell vocals align with repetitive hums and electronic fuzz, giving the song wings. I like that the duo can write catchy songs without sacrificing their expansive sound.

|||Gentle Friendly: "RIP Static" MP3|||

The band's debut album, Ride Slow, can be purchased at Upset the Rhythm. You can download "Clean Breaker" too.

KidRockers & Laura Ann Masura benefit on Sunday

Anyone have a kid I can borrow for 2 hours? I would love to see SSPU and The Henry Clays play acoustic at KidRockers tomorrow afternoon.

Also, a slew of great local bands are plugging in to benefit Laura Ann Masura. Only $12! Check the details below:

Asobi Seksu: The Reality of Touring

This is a good read. For bands out there who think being on an indie label, getting great press and album reviews funds a career of touring and everyday living, think again. Dream-poppers Asobi Seksu have been offered a great U.K. tour slot that will require lots of dough to offset costs since the U.S. dollar is so weak, and they need your help. Read this article to find out more about the trek and the business.

Check this out:

Grizzly Bear: 'Ready, Able' Video

Interesting claymation video for Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest standout "Ready, Able". Most clips of the quartet are pretty fascinating, yet disturbing on some level. But the sparkling instrumentation kind of leaves you hopeful, even though the creatures multiply and become scarier.

Grizzly Bear: "Ready, Able" - Created by Allison Schulnik:

Other inner-nets

Aquarium Drunkard continues his 'Decades' feature with My Morning Jacket's At Dawn (2001).

Warpaint has been added as the opening act for Band of Horses at Club Nokia this Monday, 11/9. This is also the venue's 1st anniversary.

P4K interviews Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor.

The Decibel Tolls reviews Fuck Buttons' Tarot Sport. The duo play next Wednesday at The Echo.

Fluxblog reminds us how great the Micachu & the Shapes album is, definitely one of this year's highlights.

There's a Neighbors remix of Vetiver's "More of This" over at MBV.

The Raveonettes: 'The Chosen One' MP3

Here's a bonus track called "The Chosen One", taken from the Raveonettes solid In and Out of Control sessions. Just as you'd expect, the tune doesn't stray far from the album's candy-coated noise-pop vibe boasting catchy melodies and rubbery guitar lines. It's fuzzy in the softest way, but also sounds cool as it allows the listener to really focus on Sune Rose Wagner's vocals.

|||The Raveonettes: "The Chosen One" MP3|||

Tour schedule:

11/5: VANCOUVER, BC – VENUE
11/6: SEATTLE, WA - NEUMO’S #
11/7: PORTLAND, OR - DOUG FIR LOUNGE #
11/9: SAN FRANCISCO, CA - BIMBO’S #
11/10: COSTA MESA, CA - DETROIT BAR #
11/12: SOLANA BEACH, CA - BELLY UP #
11/13: LOS ANGELES, CA - HENRY FONDA THEATRE #
11/14: POMONA, CA - GLASSHOUSE #

# w/Crocodiles

Spiritualized: 'Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space' Black Edition

Feast your eyes on this. Farrow Design, the company who designed the original pill-style version of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, has created three special 'black editions' for the band's forthcoming reissue. Sony will be re-issuing the album on November 16th.

The legendary album, originally released in 1997, comes equipped as a 'Special' and 'Collector's' edition. The Special Edition boasts two bonus CDs of outtakes, a capellas and remixes, and is housed in pill-style box packaging. The Collector's Edition (shown above) is a larger pill-style box comprised of 12 mini-CDs housed in an oversized blister-pack, much like the classic limited edition from 1997, only black.

This may seem a bit confusing. But just order the one above and you'll be fine, or wait for news of a vinyl version, which has to be coming shortly after. Who the fuck wants "12-mini CDs" anyway?

Pogo: 'Alice' MP3

I've been meaning to post a track by Australian artist Pogo but the choices have been hard. Ultimately, "Alice" is my favorite and captures all of the dreamlike qualities of the original Disney classic while turning it upside down.

This kid looks like he's not a day older than 13. Maybe they pass out mushrooms and prescription pills to middle-schoolers in the land down under? I bet his parents were frightened when he showed them the video clip.

|||Pogo: "Alice" MP3|||

Bibio: 'Bones & Skulls' Stream

Compared to about 90% of this year's album output, Bibio's The Apple and the Tooth, which is essentially a remix album with a handful of new tracks, is amazing. Most of the material found here is taken from this year's stellar Ambivalence Avenue. However, the new songs are absolutely timeless and beautiful while the remixes inject a swinging, dub-like electronica that accentuate the original tunes and highlight Wilkinson's playful vocal melodies.

You can also hear Wilkinson tinkering around a bit more with rhythm as the new jams signal a slow curve away from his straightforward Boards of Canada influence, which he so graciously accepts. I almost like this disc as much as the original template.

|||Bibio: "Bones & Skulls" Stream|||

Purchase Bibio's The Apple and the Tooth at BLEEP.

Candy Claws: 'The Sun is My Girl' MP3

For fans of Caribou and the Beach Boys comes the sun-drenched electronica of Candy Claws. Everything here is treated and sculpted around a basic pop structure that submerges and rises from the ocean. It's akin to nautical-themed music for hipsters, or just those who want to trip out on something different and imaginative. Acoustic guitars and a myriad of percussive instruments provide the backdrop for some really cool vocal effects -- and plenty of other sounds I simply cannot identify. Kids are so tricky these days.

|||Candy Claws: "The Sun is My Girl" MP3|||

Stream their newly remastered gem, In the Dream of The Sea Life, over at IndieCater Records.

Moonrats: 'Boasting Ghost' Stream

L.A.'s Moonrats wander into Acetone territory on the foggy pop of "Boasting Ghosts". The ride cymbal drives the train with precise hits of fuzzy bass reinforcing the kick drum. Sparkly silhouettes of keys also bubble up during the chorus with added value guitar. It's a relaxed and coma-inducing affair from a band that I always considered to be quirky, but the feel of this track hits home perfectly. I wish they'd make a full album of cuts exactly like this.

|||Moonrats: 'Boasting Ghost' Stream|||

Oneohtrix Point Never: 'Physical Memory' MP3

Take a seat for this one. Oneohtrix Point Never's "Physical Memory" is like stepping into a digital world with no boundries or physical shape. The music is expansive as star-like synths hum, buzz and rotate endlessly. The Fader described this track as "the sea digitized, waterfalls digitized, air vapor digitized, seals digitized, fire digitized, caves digitized, baths digitized—the sound of natural power harnessed by technical man and molded into to thick atmospheric relaxation." Couldn't have descibed it any better than that.

|||Oneohtrix Point Never: "Physical Memory" MP3|||