New Find: Little Gold

Little Gold - "Bird's Eye" - Le Loft Rooftop from DUKE STREET on Vimeo.

[mp3] Little Gold: "Completely Fucked!"

We're fairly surprised we haven't caught wind of Little Gold until last week, but we're glad we did. Little Gold comes from a solid background rooted in songwriting, and purveys a sufficiently fuzzy, yet clear-minded brand of rock, that initially brings to mind our Nashville friends Cheap Time (where's that record guys?). Besides being a former member of Woods, Christian DeRoeck has crafted some fine tunes for a new 7"on Heart Break Beat Records. You can grab one above. Lookin fwd to catching these guys around the hood. Dates after the jump.
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8/13 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks (w/ Plushgun)
8/14 Chicago, IL @Hideout w/ Lower Dens *
8/16 Minneapolis, MN @ The Medusa *
8/17 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews *
8/18 Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge w/ Bandit Teeth *
8/19 Memphis, TN @ The Dairy w/ 3D Acid Glasses *
8/20 Chattanooga, TN @ Discoteca *
8/21 Louisville, KY @ Skull Alley w/ Wand, State Champion *
8/22 Lexington, KY @ Al's Bar w/ Wand *
8/27 Houston, TX @ The Warsaw #
8/28 Austin, TX @ Hole in the Wall #
8/30 Albuquerque, NM @ Burt's Tiki Lounge #
8/31 Tempe, AZ @ Bike Saviours #
9/01 San Diego, CA @ Tin Can Alehouse #
9/02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell #
9/04 San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern #
9/05 Portland, OR @ Valentines #
9/07 Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern #
9/16 Cleveland, OH @ The Happy Dog #

* with Inoculist
# with Lovey Dovies

Sharon Van Etten Take Away Show

Take Away Show #109 _ SHARON VAN ETTEN (long version) from vincent moon / temporary areas on Vimeo.

[mp3]Sharon Van Etten: "Love More"

Sharon Van Etten was made for Take Away Shows. One almost feels like, with someone with that much talent, you could put her in the most awkward of situations and she would still sound amazing. So, really, pairing her up with Vincent Moon was a no brainer. Yet, Moon has been slowly taking interest in other projects, and personally making fewer Take Away Shows. It's a testament to Van Etten's talent, that Moon choose her for his most recent piece, filmed in Red Hook in February of this year. It begins with Van Etten driving down the BQE towards Red Hook, passing, both Van Etten's and my own, favorite place to view the city -- that stretch as lower Manhattan juts out of the East River just as you're driving under Brooklyn Heights. As Van Etten performs in a cold riverside park in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, it's clear how far she's come in just a short amount of time. Her voice and tone are more mature, darker, less sweet, but no less powerful and moving. Sharon's music becomes a beautiful backdrop, to what really is, at its core, another marvelous short film by Vincent Moon. In the end, I don't know who I'm more impressed with -- all I know, is that I love it. Sharon Van Etten's new record, Epic comes out on Ba Da Bing on October 5th. She's also touring with our other favorite Marissa Nadler. Dates after the jump.

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Saturday, Aug. 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Bushwick Starr w/ Mike Visser
Wednesday, Sept. 8 - Washington, DC @ DC9 w/ Marissa Nadler
Thursday, Sept. 9 - Charlottesville, VA @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar w/ Marissa Nadler
Friday, Sept. 10 - Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Festival at the Pour House w/ Marissa Nadler
Sunday, Sept. 12 - Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone w/ Marissa Nadler
Monday, Sept. 13 - Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light w/ Marissa Nadler
Tuesday, Sept. 14 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 w/ Marissa Nadler

Stark Presents: Futurebirds and Blair

STARK ONLINE PRESENTS: FUTUREBIRDS AND BLAIR
Wednesday, July 28th at Cake Shop

[mp3] Futurebirds: "Johnny Utah"

We here at Stark are thrilled to be presenting one of our favorite new bands to watch, Futurebirds, alongside a Stark-staple, the always fantastic Blair, tomorrow at Cake Shop. We caught Futurebirds' all out country-rock salvos at Mercury a few months back. These Athens, Georgia natives have returned to NY again with their fantastic debut record Hamptons Lullaby freshly released on Autumn Tone. After hitting New York, The Furutrebirds will set out on an extensive run with the equally amazing Dead Confederate whose new album Sugar drops August 24th. We recently caught up with several Futurebirds via phone from a highway Sbarro somewhere in the middle of Ohio. We discussed the Athens sound, pretty girls, touring, and of course, country music. Read the convo after the jump.

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We noticed, just from the first few minutes of your live set, that it's a good deal different and louder than your more nuanced recordings. What's the thought process behind that?
Payton: There is definitely a different thought process that went into making the record and EP than goes into playing live. Live, you get a little more time for spontaneity – and a lot less time to think about things when you go on stage -- which can be a good or bad thing honestly. We have a great time on the road and playing live. It’s interesting seeing how different a show can be from the night before – the crowd – the city – being in the studio was fun though – not to discount that at all – it’s just a totally different thought process.

What are the best and worst things about being from Athens, GA?
[The question is put to the rest of the band, sitting around the Sbarro dining table. There is a muffled voice in the background, some shouts, some laughing, it's not clear where the answer comes from, nor its precise wording - but we believe the quote resembles: "The best thing, well, there are a lot of pretty girls in Athens - they stay young - and we just keep getting older and creepier too!" More laughs and self deprecating jokes ensue before the conversation returns to its original course...]

Well, the one good thing is there is not really one Athens sound. There are all kinds of genres that are coming out [of Athens]. It’s helpful that you're not under one label. When people hear you’re from Athens they know you’re coming from a rich musical culture, but don’t have one distinct Athens sound.

[Brannen takes the phone]
How is NY different than most places you play?
New York, there is so much going on everywhere – it’s like being a kid in a candy shop – we were all sort of caught off guard – we all love it there. Athens and NY crowds are about the same really, both are pretty open to all sorts of different musical styles.

At your last show we noticed a pretty unique audience consistency, a lot of pretty girls, decked to the nines, in heels - not your usual Mercury Lounge crowd. Are all your audiences like that?
Haha well, there are a lot of girls that used to live in Athens and moved up to New York for work, and they like to come out and support.

Is it going to be like that on Wednesday?
I’d like to think so haha we’ve been looking forward to this date for awhile now.

Do you guys have any weird band influences? Does anything odd come up on in the van on the radio now and again?
Well, we change it up on certain trips, definitely some random stuff on random channels. We have XM and it stays pretty much locked on the country channel though. A lot of Gillian Welch and Rolling Stones. We've been really into the new Big Boi – that might be a weird one coming from us.

What's the Futurebirds road life like? Parties every night? Yoga in the morning?
Haha - usually depends on how the night goes – go out, or go home and take easy – sometimes you think you're gonna take it easy and you get back to the hotel and just end up going out.

Good road stories?
Well the other night we stopped at a gas station, somewhere in the middle of Indiana outside the Lincoln Lodge – and I was out in the cornfield – snapping corn out in the middle of the field – I just really wanted some fresh corn. I cooked it up last night, and it was great haha.

What’s next? [Carter takes the phone]
A little bit of writing – we got a few weeks off in the beginning of August – after these shows w/ Dead Confederate which are going to be awesome. I think we have three weeks off – then go out again – we’re thinking of setting up a homemade studio somewhere because our writing process is such where someone will have an idea for a song then when we all start adding in different ideas so it helps a lot to start recording. Definitely a lot of pool parties – down time. I'm watching second season of The Wire – Dennis and I are moving into a new apartment when we get back that's in the same complex as some of the Dead Confederate guys, so that should be a good time. We're all kind of livin in different places, but not that far away from each other which is nice. After being in a suburban for weeks on end though, you can definitely use some time away from each other haha.

Cleanse Your Palate

[mp3] Dax Riggs: "No One Will Be A Stranger"

Are you tired of that same old revebry beach rock? Do you leave shows feeling jaded an unsatisfied? Are you ready to end it all every time you hear a song from The Beets? Well folks, for a limited time, YOU can be the proud owner of a record that will wash away all those horrible lo fi nightmares and leave your skin feeling smooth and refreshed at the same time! Thank goodness for the folks at Fat Possum who are offering you the new Dax Riggs album for the special price of (probably) $9.99! Riggs' beautifully simple, southern blues rock-infused garage tunes go down as easy as a Jameson on the rocks, and leave you with no pesky morning after hangovers. We at Stark love you so much, we're offering a free song from Dax's NEW album Say Goodnight To The World, which comes to you, the unfortunate plebs who don't have it in your player already, on August 3rd. Catch Dax at a city near you! See those dates after the jump!

"Cut."
"Sorry Jim, did you think that line about the plebeians was a little harsh? Fuck it, no one reads this rag anyway. I'm gonna slate this fucker."

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JUL. 30 FRISCO, TX LOCHRANN’S

JUL. 31 LITTLE ROCK, AR JUANITA’S

AUG. 1 MEMPHIS, TN HI-TONE CAFÉ

AUG. 5 AUSTIN, TX THE MOHAWK

AUG. 6 HOUSTON, TX WALTER’S ON WASHINGTON

AUG. 7 NEW ORLEANS, LA ONE EYED JACKS

AUG. 9 BIRMINGHAM, AL BOTTLETREE

AUG. 10 ATLANTA, GA THE EARL

AUG. 11 CARRBORO, NC CAT’S CRADLE

AUG. 12 WASHINGTON, DC DC9

AUG. 14 NEW YORK, NY MERCURY LOUNGE

AUG. 15 NEW YORK, NY MERCURY LOUNGE

AUG. 18 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP

AUG. 19 GRAND RAPIDS, MI THE INTERSECTION

AUG. 20 CHICAGO, IL EMPTY BOTTLE

AUG. 21 ST. LOUIS, MO THE OLD ROCK HOUSE

SEPT. 8 SAN DIEGO, CA CASBAH

SEPT. 9 LOS ANGELES, CA SPACELAND

SEPT. 10 LOS ANGELES, CA SPACELAND

SEPT. 11 SAN FRANCISCO, CA CAFÉ DU NORD

SEPT. 14 PORTLAND, OR DANTE’S

SEPT. 15 SEATTLE, WA THE SUNSET

SEPT. 18 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 7TH STREET ENTRY

SEPT. 21 DES MOINES, IA VAUDEVILLE MEWS

SEPT. 22 COLUMBIA, MO MOJO’S

SEPT. 23 OXFORD, MS PROUD LARRY’S

SEPT. 24 JACKSON, MS HAL & MAL’S

Postelles: "White Night"

[mp3] The Postelles: "White Night"

We were going to post this new video for its crisp morning punch, and holy shit a hook, until we recognized the svelte female lead as an old friend from an era ago, and someone we took in the epic MGMT McCarren show with a few years back. Small world. Nevertheless, here it is - The Postelles' "White Night" -- and while it's not the newest, nor the best song we've heard this week, it will cure that "2:30" feeling and goes down as refreshing as a cucumber in cool summer cocktail. (Seriously people, cucumber in drinks is freaking amazing).

Rai Knight - "New New"

[MP3] Rai Knight - "New New"

Another steal from the ever so magical Neon Gold Records Blog (it is like crack.)_Katy Perry can go ahead and take her huge cans down the winding roads of candy land. Yeah, "California Girls" has that infectious hook, but when you listen to it, you are simply uncool. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit...(you'll understand that more later.) Want to be that cool person this summer? Blast this fresh track, "New New" from Detriot's Rai Knight.  This tune does the body good. Incorporating a great backing beats equipped with repeating horn blasts, Rai Knight manages to craft a bouncy, highly-dancable pop tune driven by a crisp vocal sound. Plus, she curses throughout the entire song, and I love to fucking curse. While the track isn't the most groundbreaking in the pop realm, it shows promise and is good to put on at work and have people ask, "yo, who's this?"

New El Guincho!

[mp3] El Guincho: "Bombay"

It seems were locked into a good bout of summer doldrums as the heat (and work) wavves press on. With the beach on our horizon - vacation in less than two weeks yall - we were ecstatic when a new El Guincho track popped up in our box yesterday. While the beats are dialed down a tick from the grand heights of his fantastic debut Alegranza "Bombay" (the title inspired by Pablo’s choice of gin that night) is no less joyful or exuberant. Laced with a pop-addled nostalgia laid atop steel drums riffs this tune is perhaps better suited to a late-afternoon cocktail more than a late-night cumbia-infused dance raver. Either way we'll take it. The new album Pop Negro drops this fall on XL. From the press release:

["Bombay] deals with “when something in your life suddenly changes and everyone around you tells you that you've changed a lot, that you're not the same anymore. But it's the circumstances that really makes you look different, it's how they look on you in the new context that distorts their perception.”

‘Bombay’ was tracked in four different studios, in Berlin, Madrid, Gran Canaria and Barcelona and was mixed by Jon Gass (Grammy nominated mixing engineer who among others, worked on Babyface and TLC’s game changing R&B).

Like the recent covers EP, Piratas De Sudamerica, there are no samples involved, Pablo creating all the sounds himself.

Splinters/Sandwitches New 7"s

[mp3] The Splinters: "Blood on My Hands"
[mp3] The Sandwitches: "Makes Me Sick"

Caught these new tracks this morning from two of our favorite San Fran bands, Splinters and The Sandwitches, both have shown up here on Stark in the past. You can order these bands' limited edition Makes Me Sick + Blood on my Hands singles on color vinyl here via Southpaw Records. Enjoy. (thx)

Ólöf Arnalds: TICKET GIVEAWAY TONIGHT

A true treat for a Monday, we have two guest list spots to giveaway to see Ólöf Arnalds TONIGHT in NY at special show at ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL. The 4th person to email me at starkny at gmail gets the spots. This will be one of Rockwood's rare ticketed show, and will not be free like most are at this intimate venue. This show should be fantastic, as Ms. Arnalds tends to play larger venues. She was a special guest of Bjork (on her new single) and the Dirty Projectors at their famed Housing Works show last year. We'll see you folks at Rockwood tonight!

It's been several years since the initial release of Ólöf Arnalds' breakout record Við og Við, which was reissued stateside and followed by a very successful smattering of tour dates which brought the Icelandic Arnalds to the forefront of the US critical consciousness. Yet, all the success and touring meant an inevitably longer wait for new material. Several weeks back, One Little Indian announced the release of her new album Innundir Skinni (Sept 14) produced by Sigur Ros’ Kjartan Sveinsson and Davíð Þór Jónsson and featuring contributions from Björk, Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed) and the always amazing Shahzad Ismaily (Tom Waits, Bonnie "Prince" Billy). See her cover Arthur Russell's "Close My Eyes" after the jump.

Ólöf Arnalds - Close My Eyes (Arthur Russell cover) from lofi.tv on Vimeo.

Siren Music Festival 2010: We Will be There!

Alarm bells are ringing Willie! No, that's just the sound of the FREE Siren Music Festival in the near future, i.e. tomorrow. That's right, Saturday, July 17 the Village Voice is putting on their tenth annual Siren Music Fest out at good 'ole Coney Island. For some, it means waking up at 11:00AM, rallying the troops, dare we say having a cocktail, then grabbing an hour long F-train out to the home of Nathan's hot dogs and The Cyclone to be cliche. What brings us there? A fantastic line-up of indie's finest and up-and-coming artists, but also the promise of some free beer, sunglasses and some awesome industry company. For some at Stark, this will be our maiden voyage to Siren so keep a keen eye/nose on the horizon for some large straw hats, Nikon cameras dangling from neck and the sweet smell of Banana Boat SPF 70.

This year's line up includes: Matt and Kim, Ted Leo, Holy Fuck, Suffer Blood, Harlem, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Ponytail, Screaming Females, Dom, Wye Oak and more! For more information follow @sirenfestival or check out the link above.

So instead of going to the gym or sleeping late only to justify waking up when it is brunch/drinking time, join us on the island....whhhawwwwwwwww. Bwah.

Vetiver and Fruit Bats Do Yours Truly

Vetiver & Fruit Bats from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

[mp3] The Fruit Bats: "The Ruminant Band"

[mp3] Vetiver: "Everyday"

From San Francisco's YoursTruly, Andy Cabic of Vetiver and Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats trade guitar lines and harmonies on the Bobby Charles classic “I Must Be In A Good Place Now” in a 100-year-old cabin on the grounds of the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery. Awesome.

New Cut Copy: Where I'm Going

There aren't many details yet regarding the forthcoming Cut Copy record, but yesterday we did get a taste of the new single "Where I'm Going" which you can grab below. The Australian dance-pop band's last effort has been the soundtrack to many a Stark party, and may or may not be responsible for the destruction of several coffee tables due to aggressive dancing.

GEMMA RAY TICKET GIVEAWAY

The 4th person to email us at starkny@gmail.com wins two tickets to see Gemma Ray TONIGHT (Monday) at Joe's Pub at 9:30pm. "Ray "has a truly impressive feel for vintage pop flourishes" (Spin). She recently released It's A Shame About Gemma Ray (Bronzerat), an all-covers album that includes unusual selections by composers from George and Ira Gershwin to Sonic Youth to Lee Hazlewood to The Gun Club. Ray's versions often bear little resemblance to the originals. Instead, they're reinventions of songs, taken from her memory." See the full (and impressive) track list after the jump.

'It's A Shame About Gemma Ray' Track Listing (with artists version that inspired Gemma):
"Ghost on the Highway" - Gun Club
"Bei Mir Bistu Shein" - The Andrews Sisters
"Swamp Snake" - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
"SUD" - Obits
"Only To Other People" - The Cookies
"Lock My Heart" - Jimmy Eaton and Terry Shand
"Rosemary's Baby vs. Drunken Butterfly" - Kryzstof Komeda & Sonic Youth
"Rather Be Your Enemy" - Lee Hazlewood
"Touch Me I'm Sick" - Sonic Youth
"Just Because" - Lloyd Price
"Looking the World Over" - Memphis Minnie
"Everyday (Rollercoaster)" - Buddy Holly (Hardin/Petty)
"I'd Rather Go Blind" - Ellington Jordan, & lyrics by Etta James but
credited to her partner Billy Foster (for tax reasons).
"Crush on You" - George and Ira Gershwin
"Bolt on the Door" - Gallon Drunk
"Hey Big Spender" - Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields

Sleeping Bags / Mystery Claws

[mp3] Sleeping Bags: "Cantaloupe"

The other day we were sent over a great new track from the forthcoming Sleeping Bags/Mystery Claws 7" coming out August 16th on Jodie & Victor. While the true identity of Sleeping Bags will remain a mystery for now at least, Mystery Claws is made up of Matt Kivel, music critic and co-songwriter for Stark fave Princeton, and filmmaker/musician Julia Bembenek. Sleeping Bags "Cantaloupe" is a fantastically distorted post-rock affair; a maze of guitars and melody with a buried (but excellent) vocal performance buoying the track and sufficiently whetting our appetites for more. The video for Mystery Claws' "Phony Checks" (after the jump) is so fucking simple it's brilliant. While it captures every music geek's wet dream -- showing how awesome your record collection is -- (insert eye roll) it also shows us that, indeed, Mystery Claws, have a pretty baller record collection. Well done.

Phony Checks - Mystery Claws from Easter Everywhere on Vimeo.

KITTEN!

[MP3] KITTEN - "Kill The Light"

Sorry to say, but we have been sitting on this one for a bit too long. Ask yourself this: what would Gaslight Anthem sound like with a (15 year old) female singer? We present to you, LA's KITTEN, who are currently signed to Atlantic Records. Not much to go on, other than we are still awaiting the announcement of a debut LP or EP, but whet your appetite with the above MP3. We know there are going to be a lot of happy folks out there simply due to this band's name. KARP.

Happy Saturday!

Friday Jam: "Clawing Out At The Walls"

[mp3] Dominant Legs: "Clawing Out At The Walls"

The tunes on San Fran's Dominant Legs' debut EP Young at Love and Life (Lefse 8/17) have been floating around for a good bit of time now -- but that doesn't really matter to us today, nor should it matter to you. Sit back, dab the sweat beads and enjoy the infectious as shit melodies of the above tune. Dominant Legs will be playing in NY and LA w/ The Mystery Jets this September. Dates and cover art after the jump.

DOMINANT LEGS

09/14 New York, NY Mercury Lounge *
09/15 New York, NY Mercury Lounge *
09/17 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour *
* = w/ Mystery Jets

New David Dondero "Wherever You Go"

[mp3] David Dondero: "Wherever You Go"

We've always known David Donero as a songwriter capable of great heights, but plagued with a nagging inconsistency. He's one of those artists you just hope will drop that amazing cover to cover record you know he has in him - the talent is there, the voice, the writing - yet, for some reason, he can't seem to break through the barriers in his writing and the industry that have kept him at bay for many years. He's a songwriter's songwriter -- Dondero makes you listen, makes you analyze, and on this track, makes you wait about a minute before playing the song. That's a jokey jab, at what is after the first few listens, a strong first offering from #Zero with a Bullet Donero's new album dropping 8/13 on long-time home Team Love. Here's to hoping this is Dondero's break through, but if it's not, David Dondero will remain a terrific songwriter, with many worthwhile highs interspersed through his catalog, and someone we will always pay attention to and cover for albums to come.

Keegan DeWitt: Nothing Shows

[mp3] Keegan DeWitt: "Say La La"

Staying on the Daytrotter theme, acclaimed film score composer Keegan DeWitt is set to release his new EP Nothing Shows July 13th exclusively through Daytrotter's Record Barn. This will be Daytrotter's first release, and will be available digitally through his site and physically at shows. The EP is mix of well-crafted, introspective, singer-songwriter material interspersed with upbeat, summery, tropical-beat driven songs (see mp3 above), which, to us, stand out far more than the quieter tracks. DeWitt currently resides in Nashville but is originally from Portland. It will be interesting to watch the two sides of this artist battle it out over the coming year.

Drive By Truckers on Daytrotter

Check out the DBT Daytrotter Session HERE

In keeping with our current trend of posting on our secret and not so secret all time faves, here is a fantastic Daytrotter Session done by the Drive By Truckers. Comprised of new material from their most recent release, The Big To-Do (ATO) these Georgia natives need no real introduction and or musical taglines/description; you know, we love. PS -- Mike Cooley's image should never be captured via photo, let alone cartoon caricature -- he's too cool for both.

Enjoy this before the rolling blackouts shut down your world!

Gaslight Anthem: "American Slang"

Merely continuing our obsession with The Gaslight Anthem, we have the new video for "American Slang" off of the recently released record of the same name on SideOneDummy. (VIA)

New Dent May: "That Feeling"

[mp3] Dent May: "That Feeling"

Last week came news that GVB's Forest Family Records will release a new 7" from another longtime Stark staple Dent May. The ukulele wielding Southern crooner, has rare flair for crafting loungey spring and summertime jams best consumed with a cool mint julep, or something equally delicious and intoxicating. GVB reports that May's upcoming Paw Track's LP will be due sometime "next year-ish" so for now, we'll revel in two new tracks on the 7".

Happy Fourth of July Fu****rs

[MP3] Bob Dylan: "Chimes of Freedom" (Go buy it, Americans don't steal music)

Don't edit me! I am an American! Which brings us to our next point -- what does it mean to be American? We'll tell you what it means via a list of the Top 10 Best Things That Also Happen to Be American And Kinda Have Something To Do With Music -- after the jump. Man do we love a good American flag.


Top 10 Best Things That Also Happen to Be American And Kinda Have Something To Do With Music

10) Hot Dog Rock!!
9) Sleevelessness
8) Drinking Freedom Light
7) Anything Gaga does (especially getting street meat)
6) Lissie
5) Zip Car service
4) Any sort of headband or head adornment, preferably of neon coloration
3) THIS
2) Intense, "No Icing!" campaigns. Inquire with @starkonline about pamphlets
1) USA! USA! USA!

New Sharon Van Etten: Epic

[mp3] Sharon Van Etten: "Love More"

Some great news across the ole' blog wire yesterday, perennial Stark favorite Sharon Van Etten will release her new album Epic via Ba Da Bing on October 5th. Her debut record Because I Was in Love was a hushed and subtle affair that packed a huge punch, making its way into my top 5 records of '09. Sharon's talents and reputation have spread throughout the industry leading to noteable collaborations with friends The Antlers and to Bon Iver and The National covering the above song (from Epic) last year. While we love getting the occasional pitch from her on Ba Da Bing artists, here's to hoping that with Epic Ms. Van Etten will be able to quit the publicist day job and enjoy the fruits of her more than abundant talent.

Perfume Genius

[mp3] Perfume Genius: "Mr. Peterson"

Perfume Genius' debut album Learning (out now, Matador) is outstandingly refreshing and organic while at the same time, startlingly confessional. It's rare these days to hear such a stripped down album both in terms of the sonic quality and in terms of the subject matter. Seattle’s Mike Hadreas conveys raw emotion through the keys of the piano in a way that is at once immediate and arresting without ever sounding overtly cliche or obvious. While we're still working our way through the full length, our immediate reaction to the record was so strong, it was too hard not to write about it on the spot.

New Ólöf Arnalds and The Books Vids

Ólöf Arnalds: “Innundir Skinn”

The Books: "A Cold Freezing Night"

We're extremely excited for Ms. Arnalds' new record “Innundir Skinn” coming September 14th.

the Books - A Cold Freezin' Night from Paul de Jong / Nick Zammuto on Vimeo.

The Books' brand new video from their album The Way Out (7/20 on Temporary Residence Ltd). "They've spent years going around to thrift stores, picked up Talkboys (recording device made famous in 'Home Alone') and made this song out of random kids' recordings."