Month: April 2014

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for another weekly dip into the pool of music news, interviews and videos that I like to call This Week In Music! Yes, in addition to the normal Pick Your Poison mp3s and Soundcloud streams, I like to toss out links to a bunch of other music-related content that I’ve found interesting or worthwhile over the course of the week. I encourage you to check some, if not all of these things out, particularly if you’re looking to waste some time. There’s plenty to see, read and hear:

Jack White is going to attempt to create the world’s fastest released record for Record Store Day

Music Video: Hamilton Leithauser – 11 O’Clock Friday Night

Courtney Love has reunited the mid-90s Hole lineup

Music Video: Sharon Van Etten – Taking Chances

Stream Enter the Slasher House, the debut album from Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks

Watch Nine Inch Nails perform “Sanctified” on Austin City Limits

Owen Pallett explains the “genius” of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” using music theory

Music Video: Cloud Nothings – I’m Not Part of Me

Watch Beck perform “Blue Moon” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

YouTube Audio Stream: Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal

Once you’re done with that set of distractions, let me offer up another set via some song downloads and streams. Don’t miss tracks from 1,2,3, Douga, Hillman Lighthouse, In the Valley Below, Street Joy, Vensaire and Walrus. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Beaty Heart, Brody Dalle, How to Dress Well, I Have A Tribe, Lucius, Stagnant Pools and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra.

1,2,3 – Leave Me in the Sky With the Lawnchair

A Band Called Quinn – Forget About It

Douga – Kids of Tomorrow

Duologue – Memex

Hillman Lighthouse – Twenty-Nine

Holy Ghost! – Bridge & Tunnel (a/just/ed Remix)

In the Valley Below – Peaches

Niia – Generation Blue (Ricky Eat Acid Remix)

Quasimo – Loving You (Vedran Remix)

Seaver’s Express – A Different Gravity

Street Joy – Laurel Hill

Unlike Pluto – Fud

Vensaire – Song Six

Walrus – Bulash

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Did you have a fun April Fools Day yesterday? How many pranks did you fall for? Anything classic? For me personally, the day is all about being on guard. Actually that’s kind of every day for me, thinking that most things I encounter are fake, or at the very least elaborate jokes. Of course I also try hard not to fall into repeated skepticism, particularly when a fair number of people are being genuine 364 days of the year. But considering the amount of viral advertising we encounter on a daily basis, where a photo or video or story planted on our favorite website is actually just an elaborate commercial for a company or product, the skepticism feels a little justified. Still, part of me actually likes April Fools Day, mostly to see what others come up with. I’ve attempted a couple of April Fools pranks on this site over the years, and none of them really ever work out. So thank goodness for a company like Google, who this year incorporated Pokemon into their Google Maps program. Or Wilco, who did something genuinely funny on Twitter. Sure, it’s obvious and kind of expected, but the entertainment value counts more than anything else. The only double take moment I had all day was when one of my Facebook friends posted about the baby she gave up for adoption a few years ago because she wasn’t ready to be a mother. I hadn’t seen that friend in a few years, and she does like to sleep around, so it stood to reason that it could have been true. I let myself believe it for just a minute, before noticing the date and laughing to myself. Almost got me. That was fun. I hope you got a laugh or two, and maybe even a little outrage that you fell for something yesterday. Let’s do it all again next year, as is tradition. No foolin’, today’s Pick Your Poison is pretty great. Don’t miss songs from Cause & Affect, Donovan Blanc, Early MOrning Rebel, Faces on Film, Frances England, Pool, Seaweed Meadows, The She’s and Wild Ones. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Cut Copy, La Peste, Lone, Shannon and the Clams, Strand of Oaks and Turn to Crime.

A.Skillz and Nick Thayer – Drop the Funk

Cause & Affect – Operation 60

Donovan Blanc – Minha Menina

Early Morning Rebel – Shallow Breath

The Evening News – Rules Made Clear

Faces on Film – The Rule

Frances Cone – June

Frances England – Fall Out of the Sky

Pool – Lipstick

Royale – Cosmonaut Romance

Ryan Smith – Better Days

Seaweed Meadows – Money Train

The She’s – My Secret to Keep

Wild Ones – Paia

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We’ve hit another Tuesday, where I’m once again pleased to bring you a quick rundown of artists with brand new music coming out this week. The hope is to either inform you about what’s out there, but also to maybe even remind you if one of your favorite artists is putting out something new and you simply forgot about it. So without further ado, here’s your list for this week: A.J. Ellis, Band of Skulls, Black Pistol Fire, The Body, Cloud Nothings, Dan Croll, Dillon, Fairweather, Horace Andy, HTRK, Inventions, Jamaica, Joan As Police Woman, John Cage, Kaiser Chiefs, Mac DeMarco, Manchester Orchestra, Meyhem Lauren, Nathaniel Rateliff, Nickel Creek, Pure X, RAC, S. Carey, Saintseneca, Small Black, Thievery Corporation, Timber Timbre, The Used, White Hinterland and Wild Ones. If you’re so inspired please pick some of these records up via your favorite digital or physical retailer! Now let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, where you can discover even more hot new music. Some key tracks you’ll want to give attention to today come from Black Girls, Drake, Fiance, The Honey Trees, Universal Thee and #XI. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Bob Mould, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (ft. Matt Berninger of The National), Courtney Barnett (covering The Lemonheads), Esben and the Witch, Icona Pop and Woman’s Hour.

Anastasia Markov – Sarah Won’t Cry

BeatauCue – Kyllan (Belarbi Remix)

Black Girls – Buyin’ Time

Drake – Draft Day

Fiancé – July

Glenn Jones – From a Forgotten Session

The Honey Trees – Siren

Join the Riot – Louis (Unplugged)

Lucky Once – Amnesia

Paris Carney – Run and Hide (ft. D-WHY)

Quick Quick Obey – Hold Your Breath

Ray & Remora – Gold Soundz (Pavement cover)

Universal Thee – Bear in the Hospital

#XI – Lovecraft (ft. Sundays)

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