Slow Drag With Josephine

[mp3] Elvis Costello: "National Ransom"

Elvis performs a gem for AOL from his fantastic new album National Ransom, out now.

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New Cloud Nothings: "Understand it All"

Could Nothings clean up their sound, but keep the same janglely garage-ethos of their previous work. As much as one can say this with such a warped vocal track, this new track really reminds us of the core values of many early Elvis Costello songs when he was still angry and punk. There's a sweetness here that can't be denied, and shit man, this song is just really fucking catchy. Their self-titled record comes out on Carpark Jan 25th!

Cloud Nothings - 'Understand At All' by nmemagazine

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Drop This: Elvis Costello + T-Bone Burnett = New Album

Photo Credit: www.strictlybluegrass.com

Hey, SXSW is over, but don't cry in your PBR's just yet. There is still music to be had.

This via Billboard:

Elvis Costello teams up with producer/music extraordinaire T-Bone Burnett, creating his first acoustic record since 1986.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane drops June 2 on Hear Music. Billboard reports that the record will hit heavy on "American roots music," which is just fine with us. We're looking for a Costello version of Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer here -- that would be dreamy.

Look for tour dates coming soon. Also, tracklist after the jump.
Here is the "Secret, Profane Sugarcane" track list:

1. Down Among the Wine and Spirits
2. Complicated Shadows
3. I Felt the Chill
4. My All Time Doll
5. Hidden Shame
6. She Handed Me a Mirror
7. I Dreamed of My Old Lover
8. How Deep is the Red
9. She Was No Good
10. Sulfur to Sugarcane
11. Red Cotton
12. The Crooked Line
13. Changing Partners

Phantom Planet Isn't Missing, New Album Out Today

It feels like forever since Phantom Planet was relevant, and by all accounts, it has been. The band disappeared after 2004's underwhelming self-titled album, but miraculously, they've made a substantial comeback this year, first surprisingly signing to Fueled By Ramen, and then announcing a joint tour with the likes of Panic At The Disco and Motion City Soundtrack, all leading up to today's release of Raise the Dead. If it seems like a calculated effort to win back the fanbase that the band achieved with "California", the indelible theme song from The O.C., it may very well be. Having heard the album, though, let's push all marketing efforts to the wayside, because the resulting work is actually way more than half-decent. There's something for everything to like, as it feels like the logical midway point the band skipped between 2002's Costelloesque The Guest and the forced garage rock album that followed it up two years later. It doesn't feel contrived; rather, it's a natural collection that finds the band comfortably playing their brand of jagged pop while avoiding the temptation to jump on any particular trend.

You can hear the entire record over at Phantom Planet's Myspace, where it's currently up for streaming.

Now if only Jason Schwartzman would rejoin the band...

-Andrew Daniels