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The late night talk show shakeup at NBC has produced a number of interesting things, and certainly having Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in the “Tonight Show” slot is one of them. Conan O’Brien was in the post-“Tonight” slot for 16 years before being promoted up to the big leagues and taking over for Leno. It’s only taken Fallon five years to achieve the same thing. That has less to do with overall readiness and more to do with circumstance. NBC gave Conan seven months as “Tonight Show” host before forcing him out to bring Leno back due to plummeting ratings. Will Fallon fare better? Arguably yes, mostly because he’s extremely likeable and friendly with just about everyone, and does a lot less absurd and generally weird stuff than Conan did and still sometimes does. He is, in a word, a moderately safer choice than Conan, though I’m expecting a lot of the older demographics who watched Leno might not be as excited to watch Fallon with his games and technology-centric bits. Will the younger audience that watched him on late night follow him to the earlier time slot? I guess we’ll find out next week. Personally, I’m more interested in seeing how Seth Meyers is going to do as the new late night host. While I loved his work on “SNL,” it’ll be interesting to see how that translates into a talk show. Also, Fallon was a big sketch and music guy, while Meyers is…not, so I’m curious if he’s going to try that, or will leave that to the supporting players. Speaking of supporting players, Fred Armisen was just named the late night band leader, and he’ll be bringing members of Les Savy Fav, Girls Against Boys and Beyonce’s backing band with him. I feel like that’s a truly inspired decision, particularly given Armisen’s versatility. He’s done some great musician characters on “SNL,” including the great Sex Pistols parody Ian Rubbish, and has also played in (and with) a number of bands over the years. The only time I’ve seen Armisen in person was when he performed solo as the opening act for a Wilco show. He later came out and played drums with the band. So he’s got the chops to lead a band, and will probably be a huge help in doing comedy/character bits both for and with Meyers on the show. We’re two weeks away from Meyers’ first show, so here’s hoping it goes well. Now then, let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison. Great tracks today come from Chalk and Numbers (covering the Misfits), Mike Dillon, Ryan Hobler, Sweet Valley and Trophy Scars. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Angel Olsen, Beverly (new Frankie Rose project), Iggy Azalea (ft. Charli XCX), Kelis, Klaxons, Walter Martin (ft. Karen O) and Windy & Carl.

Affairs – Contact

A.J. Ellis – Prove You’re Not A Number

Chalk and Numbers – Angelfuck (Misfits cover)

Gardens – Haze

IndianRedLopez – No Longer Dying

Jim Kroft – Hooligan Army

Mike Dillon – All Walks of Life

OBaH – New York Is On Some Shhh (Video Dub Mix)

Ryan Hobler – Got A Ways to Go

Smalltown DJs – See Thru (ft. Lisa Lobsinger)

Sweet Valley – So Serene

Trophy Scars – Hagiophobia

Urban Cone – Humanity

Vincent Liou – Moon & Sun

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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:

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood will score Paul Thomas Anderson’s film Inherent Vice

Watch St. Vincent appear on Comedy Central’s “@Midnight”

YouTube Audio Stream: Lily Allen – L8 CMMR

Watch the trailer for the forthcoming Owen Pallett album In Conflict

Watch Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon play “Holocene” with The Roots on “Fallon”

YouTube Audio Stream: The National – Learning (Perfume Genius cover)

Watch Broken Bells cover The Beatles’ “And I Love Her” live on “Letterman”

YouTube Audio Stream: Beck – Waking Light

Music Video: Angel Olsen – Hi-Five

Burial posted a photo of himself along with a long note about new music

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 Arc Rev One, Double Duchess, The Lowest Pair, Mount Pressmore, Penguins Kill Polar Bears and Rigbi. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Bear Hands, Kitty, Lowell, Mas Ysa, Natural Child and Those Darlins

Arc Rev One – Sala Daeng

Camille Michelle Gray – Baby Better Run

CMBSTN – My Friend

Double Duchess – Nocturnal

The Lowest Pair – Living is Dying

Marvel the Gr8 – Sippin’ (le Coupe Remix)

Mount Pressmore – Vice Presidential Material

Penguins Kill Polar Bears – Scarce

The Plastic Pals – The Final Remedy

Quixotism – U Know Best

Rigbi – Take the Blame

Royale – Out of Season

ScHoolboy Q – Man of the Year (MAV Remix)

Ten Ton Man – Chunk of Change

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Class of 2014 update! It’s only been a week since I announced the 10 artists I’ll be keeping a close eye on all year, and most everyone is moving and shaking already. First up, Sam Smith. He wound up being a special guest at Taylor Swift’s show at O2 Arena in London, and performed his single “Money On My Mind” with her. If that’s not a sign he’s got big things ahead of him, I don’t know what is. Kelela also got people continuing to buzz about her by releasing a new track called “The High,” which you can find in the Soundcloud section below. It’s slow burning and beautiful. Hardcore punk band Perfect Pussy have their debut album Say Yes to Love out on March 18th, but you can hear a new song called “Big Stars” as part of this Mixcloud session. Skip to 1:15:00 to hear it! Additionally Perfect Pussy frontwoman Meredith Graves wrote a tour diary and gave some life tips for Elle Magazine. That’s got to be a big boost for the band, right? This has also been a big week for Mas Ysa, who released his debut EP Worth on Tuesday. You can stream the whole thing on Spotify right now, or buy it from your favorite music retailer. I’ll have my review of it up on the site soon. Last but not least there’s GEMS. If you’re a fellow Chicagoan, I encourage you to join me this upcoming Friday, February 7th at 9pm to see GEMS play a 21+ show at Subterranean. Tickets are free if you RSVP via Red Bull Sound Select, so do that and discover more about this band I’m continuing to predict big things for in 2014! Speaking of which, some of the bands featured in today’s Pick Your Poison might just be the next big thing as well, so don’t count any of them out either. There’s some strong tracks today from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The High Wire, Macedo, My Body Sings Electric, NOMADS, Run Things, Sea Lion and Touching Bass. In the SOundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from (the aforementioned) Kelela, Bleeding Rainbow, Miguel, Owls, Pattern Is Movement and The Presets.

Another Dead Clown – Akashic Field

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today (Randy Newman cover)

The High Wire – Still

The Honey Trees – Nightingale

KIVEN – In the Fire

Macedo – 17

My Body Sings Electric – New Friends

NØMADS – Free My Animal

PawnShop kings – Fall Apart

PLOY – Talk

Run Things – Dumb in the Sun

RVBRA – Oki

Sea Lion – Sanna’s Song

Touching Bass – Soulection

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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: Afterhours, Augustines, Bombay Bicycle Club, Broken Bells, Diamond Youth, Gardens and Villa, Jamestown Revival, Jeremy Messersmith, Juan Wauters, Marissa Nadler, Mark McGuire, Nicole Atkins, Peace Creep, Scott H. Biram, Snowbird, The Chain Gang of 1974, The Tower of Light, Wild Moccasins, Xiu Xiu, XO and Young Fathers. 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 Clouder, Empires, Little Racer, Milagres, SOmeday I Will Miss You and True. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Chad VanGaalen, Editors, Ellie Goulding ft. Angel Haze (covering James Blake), Ex Hex and Yellow Ostrich, among others.

Clouder – Lost in Reverie

Empires – How Good Does It Feel

Gallant – Forfeit

Gentle Friendly – Autumn Nite

Kraak & Smaak ft. Janne Schra – Love Inflation (813 Remix)

Little Racer – Dancing

Mainland – Shiner

Milagres – Sunburn

Phia – Do You Ever? (Edward Francis – Runaway Hearts Remix)

Side Saddle – Don’t Wait for Him

Someday I Will Miss You – Hold On

Starar – Unbelievable

Tashaki Miyaki – Cool Runnings

True – It’s Not the Wind

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Since this is a music site and not a sports site, let’s talk for a quick minute about some things that happened this past Super Bowl Sunday that aren’t related to the big game. Though maybe I should mention that sports-wise I didn’t particularly care which team won the game considering I dislike both the Broncos and Seahawks. One has Peyton Manning and the other has Pete Carroll, neither of which are my favorite people. Still, congrats to the Seahawks on their blowout victory. But back to the things not so related to football. Let’s start with the halftime show. Bruno Mars is not my cup of tea, but he was entertaining enough that I didn’t want to change the channel when he was performing. Besides, I was more looking forward to seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers get held to a single song (“Give It Away”) and pretend to play their clearly not plugged in instruments along with it. You could call that controversial, but the reality is that almost every single Super Bowl halftime performance is pre-recorded and features pantomimed instruments. Honestly if you think they can bring a huge stage out into the middle of a football field, plug everything in, soundcheck, and then perform a handful of songs all in a 20 minute span, that’s a pipe dream. I heard a few people were upset because Flea clearly didn’t have his bass hooked in and it took away from the “reality” of the performance. Sit back, relax, and enjoy seeing artists you like getting some good exposure with a semi-fake set. Beyond that halftime “controversy,” apparently some people are upset because American music icon Bob Dylan narrated and appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler. He also allowed his song “I Want You” to be used in a yogurt commercial. The issue is that Dylan has pretty much always been an anti-establishment outsider, so now he’s apparently selling out. As a long-time Dylan fan, my reaction is twofold. First, he’s an elder statesman at this point, and has earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants. Second, I think that the more Bob Dylan that can be injected into popular culture, the better. The guy has an incredible catalogue, and if some kid hears his songs in a car or yogurt commercial and gets inspired, the world will be improved because of it. As much as he is a legend, he’s also felt like a secret that many don’t know or fail to fully appreciate. Whether he’s selling out or not, there is that notable upside. Anyways, that was my Super Bowl Sunday. Let’s talk Pick Your Poison Monday. Tracks worth your time in the set below come from Bart Davenport, Carl Creighton, Erik Hassle (ft. Vic Mensa), No Valley, Pony Boy and Zoo Brother. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Curtis Harding, Lakker, Major Lazer (ft. Pharrell), Yuck, Baio’s remix of Broken Bells and Hands’ remix of Vanaprasta.

Bart Davenport – Dust in the Circuits

Carl Creighton – Baby Doll

Dillon – You Cover Me

Erik Hassle – Talk About It (ft. Vic Mensa)

Fantôme – Scream

Hillman Lighthouse – Change Your Mind

James Vincent McMorrow – Cavalier (BUDO Remix)

Life Leone – Is This Love

Midwestern Accent – Sunbleached

No Valley – Charlie Don’t Surf

Paces – Julian (ft. Erin Marshall)

Pony Boy – Happy Ever After

Sampology – Show Me

Zoo Brother – Fourth of July

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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:

Stream Arcade Fire’s live session on Triple J Radio in Australia

Music Video: Chromeo – Come Alive (ft. Toro y Moi)

An attempt to rename the Paul’s Boutique street corner as “Beastie Boys Square” has been rejected

Stream A Place That Doesn’t Exist, a new EP from Willis Earl Beal

Watch Lorde cover James Blake’s “Retrograde” live in concert

Watch Class of 2014 artist FKA twigs perform “Hide” in a cave

YouTube Audio Stream: Wye Oak – The Tower

Watch Katy B cover Arctic Monkeys’ “One for the Road” live on BBC Radio 1

Listen to The National’s Matt Berninger on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast

Watch St. Vincent’s Annie Clark demonstrate how to do a “rainbow kick” in soccer

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 Cayetana, Crookers, Kurt Von Stetten, Major Lazer, Ought, Phebe Starr and Slow No Wake. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Creative Adult, Jimi Goodwin (of Doves), Sally Seltmann, Solomon Grey, The Whigs and Withered Hand.

Cayetana – Hot Dad Calendar

Corea Blue – There Was A Time

Crookers – Heavy

Host – Belltower

Jake Leg – Candid

Jim Rooney & Peter Rowan – Blue Ridge Mountain Blues

Katy B – 5AM (Mat Cant Remix)

Kurt Von Stetten – Cashier Girls

Major Lazer – Smooth Sailing (ft. Mr Williamz)

Ought – Waiting

Phebe Starr – Tonight (Steed Lord Remix)

Saint Motel – Ace in the Hole (Wize Remix)

Slow No Wake – Everyone Needs Someone

We Came From Wolves – Paradise Place

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Jack Name is an interesting character. If that seems like a fake “name,” you would be correct. John Webster Adams is the man behind the moniker, and he’s been making music for awhile under a bunch of different psudonyms, mostly because he can. Jack Name is the latest of these, and his record Light Show came out a little over a week ago on Ty Segall’s God? Records. It’s fitting that Name is signed to Segall’s label considering that Segall himself has a bunch of different music projects and bands under different monikers too. Name’s new album also sounds a fair bit like Segall’s recent Sleeper album, which traded in his loud fuzz rock ethos for acoustic psychedelia. Of course Light Show is a bit more than that, and has rather large ambitions on the whole – it’s by and large a rock opera. There’s a plotline about a dystopian Los Angeles of the future where everyone is under strict orders to live and behave in a certain way that keeps everybody peaceful and in line. Of course somebody has to come in and disrupt all that. It’s a whole thing that’s best explored when you’ve got some serious time to focus on the record. Beyond the Segall reference I can also hear bits of Deerhunter, Thee Oh Sees, Brian Eno and of Montreal floating around in the ether as well. If that sounds appealing, I encourage you to not only check out the album, but go see Jack Name on tour. My fellow Chicagoans, he’ll be at the Empty Bottle this upcoming Tuesday, February 4th, playing a show with Dent May. Tickets are only $8 in advance and you can buy them here. As winter rages on, trust me when I say that going to see some live music can go a long way towards kicking the snowy weather blues to the curb. Also helping matters is your daily dose of Pick Your Poison. Great tracks today come from Ava Luna (covering Icona Pop’s big hit), Forsthays, Jasmin Kaset, Lucky Once, Okapi Sun, and The Soon-Another. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Habibi, Jamaican Queens, Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra and Yumi Zouma, among others.

The 1975 – Chocolate (Oli Slack Remix)

Ava Luna – I Love It (Icona Pop cover)

DJ Alchemy – I Am A Real Person

Forsthays – Gravity

Jasmin Kaset – The Salesman

Lucky Once – Photograph (ft. Nicole Bonura)

MartyParty – Anthem of the Masses

My Gold Mask – Battles (Mr. Kitty Remix)

Okapi Sun – Johnny Kiss

Profecy – Find Your Way

The Soon-Another – Empty Space

Twintapes – Fast Forward (Jon Estes Remix)

Unlike Pluto – Snule

Walter Meego – Through a Keyhole (Le Castle Vania Remix Pt. 2)

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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: Above and Beyond, Actress, Amy Ray, Drowners, Dum Dum Girls, The Gaslight Anthem, Gem Club, Habibi, Holy Wave, Hospitality, I Break Horses, Laura Cantrell, The Lawrence Arms, Leif Vollebekk, Morgan Delt, The Pack A.D., Pontiak, Quilt, Sleepy Sun, Supreme Cuts, Tara Jane O’Neil and The Autumn Defense. We’re still a bit early in the year and many of the new releases are a bit spotty, but if you’re so inspired please make some purchases 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 Bright Light Bright Light & Ana Matronic (covering Pet Shop Boys), Copper Lungs, Gavin Turek, Johnny Foreigner, Modern Rivals, Tim Larson, UUL (ft. Elliott Smith) and The Western. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Banks, Chvrches (covering Bauhaus), Cloud Nothings, Incan Abraham, Inventions, N.A.S.A. ft Karen O, and Shift K3Y.

Bright Light Bright Light & Ana Matronic – West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys cover)

Charlie Greene – Man on Fire

Copper Lungs – How Long?

Del Venicci – Contagion

Gavin Turek – Remember

J’mapelle Bob Waddle – Claws They Claw

Johnny Foreigner – Le Sigh

Kryder – Tarzan (Original Mix)

Made Violent – Wasted Days

Modern Rivals – The Dead Leaves

Shmu – Royals (Lorde cover)

Tim Larson – Chasing It

UUL – The Record (ft. Elliott Smith)

The Western – Tiny Creatures

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The Grammys happened last night. I don’t know if you watched them, but if you want to share your thoughts on the ceremony feel free to do so in the comments. Personally I saw bits and pieces of it, really more flipping over during commercials for other shows I was watching at the time, hoping to catch at least part of a performance that was worth seeing. Last week I lamented about my general dislike for the Grammys and how they often give out awards to artists based on popularity rather than artistic merit. For that main reason, I tend to not watch every year, though they were making it tough on me this year thanks to some interesting performances and artist collaborations. In terms of this year’s winners, I’ll admit it was pleasing to see Lorde win some awards, though her lack of a nomination for Best New Artist was clearly a mistake. Vampire Weekend walked away with a trophy too for their latest album, and seeing as how it was my favorite of 2013, I couldn’t complain about that. What I absolutely could complain about was the complete snubbing of Kendrick Lamar. His good kid, m.A.A.d. city record was Top 3 for me in 2012, and to see it get completely ignored in favor of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis as well as Daft Punk got me pretty upset. Hell, even Macklemore knows that Kendrick deserved to win Best Hip Hop Album, to the point where he texted Kendrick to tell him so. Speaking of Kendrick Lamar, his performance was one of, if not the best of the entire night, somehow even managing to elevate a shaky band like Imagine Dragons into something moderately impressive. Daft Punk did a nice job with Stevie Wonder, Pharrell and Nile Rodgers as they got everybody dancing to “Get Lucky.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr also performed together, but it’s a shame they didn’t play a Beatles song, choosing instead to do something off Paul’s most recent record New. What I was most looking forward to was the closing performance from Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Lindsey Buckingham and Dave Grohl. Titans of rock and roll, there was no way they couldn’t deliver quality. And they did for the most part, until somebody decided to air the closing credits and a couple of ads while they were right in the middle of their song. They showed all of the full performances except for that last one? Seems pretty unfair, and Trant Reznor rightly took to Twitter afterwards to complain. But I think that sums of the Grammys as a whole – not only this year, but most years. Almost everything that’s great or has artistic merit gets the proverbial shaft in favor of things people want to buy more, be it music or ad time. Okay, I’ve said my piece. Let’s try to not do this again next year, shall we? As far as today’s Pick Your Poison goes, allow me to recommend tracks from Caleb Hawley, Champ, Franklin, Glass Spells, Baths’ remix of Grizzly Bear, Little Earthquake, The Mirror Trap and Party Dolls. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Actress, ceo, Elephant, The Hold Steady, Liars’ remix of Moby and September Girls.

Appletop – Madonna in Love

Caleb Hawley – Would You Even Try?

Champ – Burnt Alive

Clinical Trials – Devils (Demo)

Franklin – Fears

Glass Spells – I Feel It

Gracy Hopkins – Nevermind

Grizzly Bear – Will Calls (Baths Remix)

Little Earthquake – Planets

Magic Touch – You (ft. Octo Octa & Newbody)

The Mirror Trap – Future Lionheart

Party Dolls – Indigo

Tove Lo – Out of Mind (WEKEED & Creange Remix)

The Valery Trails – Starsong

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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:

Mogwai are getting their own whisky

Watch Arcade Fire cover INXS’ “Devil Inside” live in Australia

Music Video: Disclosure – F For You (ft. Mary J. Blige)

Vivian Girls have announced they’re breaking up

Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry has written a review of Warpaint’s self-titled album

Beats Music, a new music streaming service from Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor (among others) has officially launched

Music Video: EMA – Satellites

Watch Vampire Weekend perform “Hannah Hunt” on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Music Video: Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots

YouTube Audio Stream: Beck – Blue Moon

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 Aashton, BLSHS, Hona Costello, Red Sleeping Beauty, Scott H. Biram and Strange Names. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Axxa/Abraxas, BLUFFING, Metronomy, OFF!, Pile, Pyramid and White Sea.

Aashton – Craig

Barcelone – Game Over

BLSHS – Blushes

Cillie Barnes – Veranda (RAC Remix)

Daft Punk – Lose Yourself to Dance (DeltaFoxx Remix)

The Fire and I – Double Kamikaze

Hona Costello – Sunrise

Moullinex – To Be Clear (Kraak & Smaak Instrumental Remix)

Nick D’ and the Believers – Find a Little Love

Red Sleeping Beauty – Just for Fun

RMLDL – Bilingual

Scott H. Biram – Slow & Easy

Strange Names – Ricochet

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Frankie Rose has built up a nice little career for herself, first playing a variety of instruments with a variety of different bands (including Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls and the now-defunct Vivian Girls), and then starting her own band which went from Frankie Rose and the Outs down to simply Frankie Rose thanks to some lineup shifts. She’s released three albums over the last five years, with 2012’s Interstellar marking a shift in sonic direction from a lo-fi garage rock sound to synth pop. That was clearly a wise decision, as the response to it was overwhelmingly positive. Last year’s Herein Wild continued that trend, and though it wasn’t as well received, there’s still plenty to love about it. The real tragedy is how underappreciated she has been and continues to be. Every band she’s been in has improved due to her presence, and her solo records keep falling into the category of “overlooked” for whatever reason. How are people missing out, and why isn’t she more popular? Her live show certainly isn’t an issue either, as I’ve seen her perform three times and thoroughly enjoyed each one. At this point maybe it’s best to think of Rose and her music like we’re in on some sort of secret that only a small group of us truly understand. At the same time, perhaps it’s best that we not keep this secret to ourselves. Introduce her to your friends and family first, maybe using her cover of the Damned’s “Street of Dreams” as a good entry point. Of course, “Sorrow” is also a good option. Then maybe take a step backwards and download a super catchy single like “Know Me” to really get hooked. If you, dear reader, aren’t familiar with Miss Rose’s body of work, this is a good starter guide for you as well. Once you get the catalog down, go see her perform. This upcoming Monday she’ll be rolling through Chicago for a show at Schubas. Tickets are a meager $10, and can be purchased here. Show up and support her so she’ll keep making great music for years to come! I can only hope that some of the bands featured in today’s Pick Your Poison wind up with careers as excellent as Frankie Rose’s. Don’t miss tracks in this set from Aziza and the Cure, Canon Logic, Drake, Kyle Bent, My Gold Mask, The Rebel Set, Tree and The Wet Secrets. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bad Suns, Beat Culture, Diane Coffee (covering Washed Out), Kimono Kult and White Hinterland.

Akouo – Last Time

Aylu – 1996

Aziza and the Cure – Walked Away

Canon Logic – IBOK

Drake – Trophies

Hayley Reardon – Numb and Blue

Kyle Bent – Main Goal

My Gold Mask – Battles

Rafi eL – Dolor

The Rebel Set – Drop Out

Sun Glitters – Melted Into Vi (ft. Diverting Duo)

Tree – Uh Million (ft. Taylor Outlaw)

The Wet Secrets – Nightlife

Young Girls – Vigilante

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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: Against Me!, Alcest, Bad Suns, Bill callahan, The Black and White Years, Damien Jurado, Girl Trouble, Graham Colton, Holly Herndon, Iced Earth, Jack Name, Jeremy Jay, Los Lonely Boys, Miwi La Lupa, Mogwai, Pangaea, Reverend Horton Heat, Sweet Soubrette (featured below!), Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Ty Dolla $ign, Warpaint, Wild Cub and Young the Giant. We’re still a bit early in the year and many of the new releases are a bit spotty, but if you’re so inspired please make some purchases 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 Arc Rev One, The Dead Heads, John the Conqueror, Long Distance Runners, Mainland, Preston Lovinggood, Sweet Soubrette and Teengirl Fantasy. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Bishop Nehru, The Coathangers, Eagulls, The Notwist, Mac DeMarco and Tycho.

Arc Rev One – PSM5000

Belladonna – If I Was God

The Dead Heads – Believer

Gabriel Conti – A Dance With the Stars

John the Conqueror – Waking Up to You

Long Distance Runners – Can’t Breathe

Mainland – Savant

Marina & the Diamonds – Primadonna (Mist Glider Remix)

Preston Lovinggood – Natural

Satchmode – Collide

Sweet Soubrette – Burning City

Teengirl Fantasy – TonBase

Yuri’s Accident – Lights (On Her Eyes)

Yuzima – Black Graffiti

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So the Grammys are this Sunday, and before the ceremony I wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about it. Basically, I’ve mentioned my disdain for the Grammys before. They get things right about 10% of the time, with the other 90% devoted to a popularity contest rather than any sort of artistic merit. I mean, just look at the Album of the Year category, which features Sara Bareilles, Daft Punk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. Only Kendrick’s album seems worthy of that nomination, and I have little to no expectations that it will win. Of course 2011 was a landmark year, seeing as how voters actually got it right by handing the Album of the Year award to Arcade Fire (and prompting millions to ask, “Who is Arcade Fire?”). So largely for reasons of personal indifference and disdain for most of the night’s winners, I don’t watch the Grammys. This year though, they’re trying their hardest to tempt me into tuning in. Again, most of the nominees and winners don’t concern me, but they’re advertising performances from people like Daft Punk with Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar with Imagine Dragons and Paul McCartney with Ringo Starr. If someone wants to watch the ceremony for me and then edit it down to just the performances and awards that I really want to see (probably 20-ish minutes total), that would probably be most satisfying. Otherwise I’m stuck watching 3+ hours of sheer nonsense hoping that something I really want to see will happen next. So what I want to say, in a nutshell, is damn you Grammys for putting together enough of a decent lineup to make me want to watch. You’re evil geniuses. Where the real and potentially future Grammy winners can be found are in the Pick Your Poison posts. Let’s get this week started right with tracks today from Andrew Foster, Anna Rose (covering The Stooges), Engloria, Keep Shelly in Athens, Passenger Peru, Rainbow Jackson and Warm Soda. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Bibio, Charli XCX, Elephant, Sam Smith, Volcanoes and Youth Lagoon.

Andrew Foster – Personal Legend

Anna Rose – Gimme Danger (The Stooges cover)

Celine Neon – Cycle

Engloria – White Noise

Great Hare – Rock n Roll Dreams

How to Dress Well – Teenage Spaceship (Lil Star Dweller Remix)

Keep Shelly in Athens – Old Time Glory

Mary Ryan – Find You

Moons – Bloody Mouth (Kauf Remix)

Oiseaux-Tempête – La Traversée

Passenger Peru – Dirt Nap

Rainbow Jackson – Nightcrawler

Warm Soda – Young Reckless Hearts

xSDTRK – Chaos

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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:

Music Video: Disclosure – Grab Her

Arcade Fire, Karen O, Pharrell and Owen Pallett all received Oscar nominations for their music

Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Efrim Menuck talks about the band’s Polaris Prize win on the “Kreative Kontrol” podcast

Watch Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden create a beat in 10 minutes using Michael Jackson’s Thriller

Watch Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon sing a “Born to Run” parody song about Chris Christie

Music Video: YACHT – Plastic Soul

Watch ex-Sonic Youth member Kim Gordon in an episode of HBO’s Girls

Music Video: Real Estate – Talking Backwards

Read Beyonce’s essay on gender equality

YouTube Audio Stream: Lily Allen – Air Balloon

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 Gambles, HeadShy, Milagres, Ponyhof, Qiet, and Shy Boys. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream cuts from Childbirth, Eternal Death, Jenny Lewis, Mas Ysa, School Language, Teen Daze and Twintapes.

The Boxing Plot – Geist

Gambles – Winter

HeadShy – The Light That Guides the Blind

Kosha Dillz – Wavy

Love at First Sound – Nothing’s Changed

Milagres – Jeweled Cave

Moduloktopus – Motherlove

PANES – Choice Errors (Lee Gamble Remix)

Ponyhof – Tiger (ft. Will Butler)

Qiet – Little Window

secLuse – Lawless

Shy Boys – Bully Fight

Tosca – Looking (Unreleased Tour Version)

Wet – No Lie (Noah Breakfast Remix ft. Spank Rock)

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