Perfect For This Time of Year

Just about this time every year, on the cusp of October and running pretty much through the entire month, I find myself turning back to this record. It's happened to me without fail for the past 3 or 4 years, and I can't tell if it's subconscious or not.

Built to Spill's Keep It Like A Secret came out in '99, and I'm a little frustrated I didn't come across it till around 2005. Stupid. I guess back in 1999 I was still listening to 99 Jamz here in Jackson, MS, which was great by the way. Also, of note are some of the Grammy nominees from 1999: Brandy & Monica, Celine Dion, Goo Goo Dolls, Shania Twain, Backstreet Boys, Eagle-Eye-Cherry, and Shawn Mullins, to name a few. How many more times can I say "99"? I digress. Anyhow, it's a great album for opening the windows to your home, car, or office (if allowed), and play the whole way through. Some of you readers will probably say, "Oh, but his voice, I don't like his voice", to which I'll say, "just shut up and give it a few spins with the breeze." For your listening pleasure "The Plan" and "Carry the Zero" have been added to the playlist. Buy the whole thing if it feels good. Let us know what you think. What's your favorite album for fall?

On October 6th they will be releasing a new album entitled There Is No Enemy.

Avett Brothers Free Stream

I and Love and You HERE! Free and complete.

In Case You Missed It...

The Avett Brothers performing "I and Love and You" on Letterman 9/28

New Video: Dead Gaze - "Back and Forth"

DEAD GAZE - Back and Forth (the video) from DEAD GAZE on Vimeo.

Free Music

Since free music is all the rage and cheap music is almost as good, I am continually scouring the internet in search of the best and the brightest musical acts that are also free or cheap. Obviously spinner is one of my favorite locations to check out new releases, but there are other options out there as well. Here are some of this weeks free listens:

1) Head on over to daytrotter and pick up four free songs from one of my favorite twangier acts Dead Confederate. While you are there, scroll through the archives and find hundreds of free songs from some great artists.

2) Spinner's popularity among artists is obviously taking off as more and more CD's are posted each week. This week choose from over 35 free new releases including releases from: Pearl Jam, Amy Millan, Islands, David Gray, Girls, and many more. Check them out here...

Diggin' This Track

Tip of the cap to my boy Samo for showing me this track. It was featured on his Summer Sequence II mix that's available for download below the playlist. Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle is a collaboration between French actress Emmanuelle Seigner and the band Ultra Orange. Ultra Orange had two records out in France before teaming up with Seigner, and the song "Don't Kiss Me Goodbye" garnered some attention after it was featured in the soundtrack for the Academy award nominated flick The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Check it out below.

Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle - "Don't Kiss Me Goodbye"

Releases of Note 9/22

Monsters of Folk album drops today. I've heard that there are better songs on the rest of the record after hearing the less than extraordinary single "Say Please". For a nice little Q & A with the band head on over to Paste Magazine. In support of the record's release today, Monsters of Folk will also be performing on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien tonight.

Kitty Snacks Issue # 2

From co-creator David Swider:

We are pleased to announce the release of Kitty Snack issue two on
Tuesday, September 29. Kitty Snacks is a small literary magazine
maintained in Oxford, Mississippi and showcases writers and artists
both unknown and known. The second issue features short fiction,
poetry, interviews, drawings, and a cover designed by Len Clark of
Legendary Shark Press. Some of the writers featured are current
Grisham writer-in-residency John Brandon--his first novel Arkansas was
published by McSweeney's last year--Mississippi native and author of
Big World, Mary Miller, New York writer and author of Farewell
Navigator, Leni Zumas, author of the short story collection Tunneling
to the Center of Earth, Kevin Wilson, as well as work from Suzanna
Best, Jimmy Chen, Phil Estes, Howie Good, Savannah Louise, Ben Segal,
Josh Burwell, and many more. This issue also contains interviews with
several documentary filmmakers such as the director of Sherman's
March, Ross McElwee, director of the Silver Jew's documentary Silver
Jew, Matthew Robison, and the director of the Arthur Russell based
documentary, Matt Wolf.

To celebrate the release of the second issue there will be a party at
Southside Gallery on the Square on Tuesday, September 29 at 8 p.m. The
party is open to the public and will be the first place to get a copy
of issue two. There will be readings by some featured and some
non-featured writers as well as short films and beer. You can browse
the art in Southside too. Admission for the event is ten dollars.
Included with admission is a limited copy of the magazine, a raffle
ticket featuring many great items from around Oxford and elsewhere,
and booze. An after party is scheduled at Ajax diner right down the
street starting around 10 p.m. which will be open to the public and
free. The afterparty will feature music by Dent May's country outfit
Cowboy Maloney's Electric City and Oxford's very own mega lo-fi
experience FLIGHT. After the release party copies of issue two may be
purchased at Off Square Books or online.

Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack...WTF?

from p4k...out Oct. 20th

1. Death Cab for Cutie - "Meet Me on the Equinox"

2. Band of Skulls - "Friends"

3. Thom Yorke - "Hearing Damage"

4. Lykke Li - "Possibility"

5. The Killers - "A White Demon Love Song"

6. Anya Marina - "Satellite Heart"

7. Muse - "I Belong to You(New Moon Remix)"

8. Bon Iver & St. Vincent - "Rosyln"

9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Done All Wrong"

10. Hurricane Bells - "Monsters"

11. Sea Wolf - "The Violet Hour"

12. Ok Go - "Shooting the Moon"

13. Grizzly Bear - "Slow Life"

14. Editors - "No Sound But the Wind"

15. Alexandre Desplat - "New Moon(The Meadow)"

New Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos!, Spanish for "peasants" or "country people", are a group from Wales who broke out last year with their well received track "You! Me! Dancing!" that turned up on a lot of best of, year end lists for 2008. They're in the process of mixing a new record, but it likely won't be out until sometime next year via Wichita Recordings. For now we can just chew on this new track.

Los Campesinos! - "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future"

Monsters of Folk

Monsters of Folk, the supergroup containing Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward, is set to release their self-titled album this week. Amazon, however, is offering it in advance for only $3.99. Go here to purchase, but the offer ends today!

Rubik - Da Da Bandits

One more new release of note, Rubik, the finnish indie outfit previously posted about here, has released it's debut LP Da Da Bandits. You can stream the full album for free here but there is no need. This is one of the best albums of the year and is a release I have been anticipating for several months now. The song "Wasteland" is available on the last post, but check out "Goji Berries" below!

Rubik - "Goji Berries"

Don't forget! SANDERS BOHLKE this Friday at the Auditorium.

In Case You Missed It...

Phoenix performing "1901" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien 9/15

In other TV news, The Flaming Lips will be the first band to ever debut an album on www.colbertnation.com. They will also perform on The Colbert Report tonight. Also, Yeah Yeah Yeahs will perform on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien tonight.

Chad VanGaalen B-sides

The B-sides from Chad VanGaalen's latest release Soft Airplane have just been made available for free by going to his website here. Take a look at our previous write up on VanGaalen here. I recommend you check out his song "Willow Tree" which has been moved back up to the top on the playlist, and below you can listen to one of the B-sides.

Chad VanGaalen - "Did You Find Peace?"

Releases of Note 9/15

The Dodos - Time to Die

"Fables" has been added to the playlist.

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Full stream here. "Pursuit of Happiness" featuring MGMT and Ratatat has been added to the playlist.

Also, Phoenix will be performing on The Tonight Show w/ Conan O'Brien this evening.

BlakRoc

What if one album featured Mos Def, RZA, Raekwon, Q-Tip, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monch, M.O.P.'s Billy Danze, Jim Jones, the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, and....The Black Keys? Would you listen? I sure as hell am listening and find this shit to be pretty dope. This new project is pioneered by the Keys, hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, and MC Jim Jones and these dudes are calling themselves BlakRoc. All the collaborators on the record have formed the label BlakRoc to release the album scheduled out on November 27th. Check out the first track available from the record which features Mos Def singing over a Black Keys riff, Jim Jones' nasty flow, and the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach providing the cryptic, backing "la las". Click here to see a little video tease job. I'm excited.

BlakRoc - "Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)"

New Video: Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait For The Others"

Love this song. Enjoy.

When the Devil's Loose

Go now. Go to eMusic, Amazon, iTunes, or wherever you go to purchase your music and get A.A. Bondy's newest album When the Devil's Loose now. Think Josh Ritter, Ray Lamontagne, Jeff Buckley. Ballad folk with a twist of Felice (Ian Felice of The Felice Brothers played along in the album). Simple melody with solid lyricism to sway to, drive to, or cry to. You can stream the album in its entirety here or listen to a selected song below. Get this album!

A.A. Bondy - "A Slow Parade"

In Case You Missed It...

Dirty Projectors performing "Cannibal Resource" live on Letterman 8/31.

Sanders Bohlke: New Single EP + New Interview

Our boy Sanders Bohlke has a new EP single on iTunes featuring the tracks "Somewhere" and "The War". He also has plans of releasing it on 7" vinyl single very soon. Click on his name to head over to his MySpace page to stream the new tracks and then head on over to iTunes and buy 'em. Here is a new interview and good write up on Sanders from PopDose that explains how artists these days can keep the ball rolling with a decent management team, a little TV hustle, and no record label.

You can catch Sanders live on the following dates:

Sept. 11th - Proud Larry's - Oxford, MS

Sept. 12th - Mississippi Picnic at Elysian Park - Los Angeles, CA

Sept. 18th - The Auditorium - Jackson, MS

Double Check Your Head

I'm sure you all remember Max Tannone, maybe not his name, but definitely what he put out in the past few months. He's the dude behind all the Jaydiohead mashups that we've posted on the blog in the past and now he's showing some love to the Beastie Boys. He made this project in support of the Beastie Boys recent reissue of their Check Your Head album. The concept is simply the Beastie Boys are mashed up with themselves, rapping over tracks sampling their own instrumentals, with all the vocals and sampled elements coming from Check Your Head. If you know me at all, my personal fav is obviously "3's What'cha Want". Check it out.

Free stream/free download available at www.doublecheckyourhead.com