Category: pick your poison Page 92 of 141

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: Merchandise – Totale Nite

Music Video: Vampire Weekend – Diane Young

Watch Queens of the Stone Age perform an hour-long set for “Live on Letterman”

Music Video: The xx – Fiction

The reissue of The Smashing Pumpkins’ The Aeroplane Flies High will feature 90 bonus tracks

Watch Divine Fits perform 2 new songs on “Conan”

Music Video: The Lonely Island – Spell It Out

Watch Savages’ intense performance of “She Will” on “Fallon”

Drummers Zach Hill (Hella/Death Grips), Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney/Wild Flag) and Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden) have teamed up to form DRUMGASM

Stream a new Beck standalone single called “Defriended” via YouTube

Stream a new song from Charli XCX called “Interior” via YouTube

Watch Thom Yorke perform “Rabbit In Your Headlights” on solo piano at a rehearsal space in Los Angeles

Once you’re done exploring those distractions, there’s a bunch more below for you song-wise. Don’t miss tracks from The Delta Mirror, The Durian Brothers, GO/NO-GO, Royal Forest, Strangers Family Band, The Swiss and White Lies. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new stuff from Boys Noize, Editors, Forest Swords, Jenny Hval, Jonathan Radio (of Foxygen) and La Luz.

Barcelone – Stones

The Big Sun – PANTS!

Daft Punk – Doin’ It Right (Flirtphonic Remix)

The Delta Mirror – Undeveloped Unreturned

The Durian Brothers – Angstbirne

GO/NO-GO – Desperate Romantics

Hailer – Anyway I Can

Lake Island – Grindstone

Norman Bassey – El Fiebre

Royal Forest – Everyone Who Knows You

SLDGHMR & You Love Her Coz Shes Dead – I Just Want You To Know

Strangers Family Band – Hang Onto A Dream

The Swiss – Connect

What Model Citizens – Coming for Me

White Lies – Getting Even

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I realize I’ve talked a bit about Nine Inch Nails practically once a week for the last 2-3 weeks, but I promise that today will be the last day I make any mention of the band for at least a month. See, because in spite of the fact that we were told a new NIN single “Came Back Haunted” would be coming down the pipeline on Thursday morning/afternoon, like so many things in the internet age it leaked a bit earlier than that. Okay, so like 12-14 hours earlier than expected. Tech savvy as the band are, once it was out there in relatively low quality streaming format, they immediately uploaded a high quality version of it to Soundcloud, and it is featured below as part of today’s Pick Your Poison. I’ve had the opportunity to listen to it a handful of times so far as I work to get a handle on exactly what is going on in the track and what it reminds me of. Way back before there was any sense that NIN would actually be coming back and recording new material, I recall Trent Reznor saying that if he were to bring the band back, he’d like to try something new and unlike anything he’d done before. In a sense, it’d be a new band under the same old name. Technically speaking he did that when it was announced that people like Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction) would be part of the new touring lineup. Yet Avery has officially bowed out now, upon realizing that there was going to be a massive tour and he wouldn’t have time for other pursuits. Belew was part of the band during their recording sessions, though he’s decided to not go out on tour either. While I do think that we’ll be hearing some “different” versions of classic NIN songs on the upcoming tour, part of me was hoping that maybe any newly recorded material would also be different than anything the project has done before. “Came Back Haunted,” to me, feels like a retread of the old NIN, like what would happen if Pretty Hate Machine were recorded today. It has a good beat, is dancey and features synths, but thinking about it so did a single like “Only” off the With Teeth record from several years ago. Really after reflecting on it I think it collects elements from the band throughout the duration of those first 20 years and squeezes them into one song. For somebody like me, hoping to have something truly fresh and unique, it’s easy to chalk the new song up as a disappointment. Yet I also loved this band for the duration of its existence and have heard everything that Reznor has ever put together. Compared to that massive catalogue of songs, “Came Back Haunted” actually feels like it’s in the upper echelon already. Instantly likeable and a reminder of how great this band was and still can be. Reznor has said in a recent interview that the upcoming album Hesitation Marks (out on 9/3) is “fucking great.” If the rest of the songs on it are as good as this first taste, he’ll have told the truth. Now then, let’s take care of today’s Pick Your Poison business. Tracks earning my thumbs up today come from CFCF, Hourglass Sea, Metaform, Night Drive, The Petticoat Tearoom and Sun Rai. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, there’s the aforementioned new NIN song, along with some other great stuff from Angel Haze, The Dig, Lorde and The Silent Comedy.

CFCF – Camera

Dawn of Midi – Nix

Hourglass Sea – Another World

Kraak & Smaak – The Future Is Yours (Futurizm Remix)

Linda Draper – Shadow of a Coal Mine

Metaform – Letters to the Void

My Gold Mask – Some Secrets (California Wives Remix)

Night Drive – Drones

OURS – Pretty Pain

The Petticoat Tearoom – Love Isn’t Gone

Singleton – Drown

Strangeheart – Five Two

Sun Rai – San Francisco Street

Thumpers – Innocence (ft. Gaggle)

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Oh hey! It’s Tuesday, which means another set of new releases are now available to pick up via your legal retailer of choice. Not sure if one of your favorite artists is putting something new out this week? Here’s a list of artists so you can check: Ben Folds Five, Big Black Delta, The Builders and the Butchers, Camera Obscura, Capital Cities, City and Colour, Eleanor Friedberger, Filter, Future Bible Heroes, GRMLN, Houndmouth, Jon Hopkins, Naam, The Olms, The Parson Red Heads, Portugal. The Man, Quadron, Queens of the Stone Age, Rogue Wave, The Spinto Band and The Torches. There’s some strong material in that bunch, so make sure you check into some of these albums. If none of that satisfies however, perhaps a new song in today’s Pick Your Poison will instead. Don’t miss tracks from Bells Atlas, Boldy James, Cancellieri, Hani Zahra, Johan Hedberg, Midnight Faces and We Are/She Is. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Ensemble Economique, Hey Champ, The Night VI and Pillar Point.

Banana Beach – Mobile Homes

Bells Atlas – Incessant Noise

Boldy James – Chirps

Cancellieri – Higher

Constables – Ludovico

Ebony Bones – Mystery Babylon Balloon

Hani Zahra – Roll Roll Roll

James Bay – Move Together

Johan Hedberg – Nackamasterna

Midnight Faces – Holding On

Monophona – Shades of Grey

Skyjelly – Julius

Steel Phantoms – Matt LeBlanc

We Are/She Is – And the World

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Oh, Boards of Canada, what will you do next? These last couple months have certainly been strange ones involving the Canadian electronica duo. Honestly, I had no idea they had such a following, but when a handful of people discovered random vinyl records placed in stores around the world this past Record Store Day, people flipped out. Sure, it’s been 7 years since they’ve released anything, and absence certainly can make the heart grow fonder, but arguably they haven’t released a great album since 2002’s Geogaddi. I mean, The Campfire Headphase was decent in 2005, and the EP that followed it a year later was even weaker, but I guess there’s always been the hope that they’ll finally find that sweet spot created on their 1998 debut Music Has the Right to Children. Anyways, the random vinyl records were really short and had some number sequencing with them, all of which eventually led to a password on the BoC website where we learned there was going to be a new album called Tomorrow’s Harvest, set for release on June 10/11. As we’ve crept closer to that release date, there’s been a music video unleashed, a listening party at an abandoned water park in the California desert, and earlier today they finally streamed the full album exactly once in a live broadcast on YouTube. I listened to most of it as it streamed live (I hope you did too) and thought that it’s largely been worth the hype and will satisfy long-time fans. If you’ve got a different opinion on it, I invite you to share that with me in the comments section. Okay, let’s get to today’s Pick Your Poison, shall we? There’s some dynamite tracks today from The All-About, Casey Turner, Dirty Streets, Jack Wilson, Run the Jewels (Killer Mike and El-P) and No Ceremony’s remix of The 1975. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from AlunaGeorge, Arthur Beatrice, Icona Pop, Lone and Travis Bretzer.

The 1975 – The City (No Ceremony Remix)

The All-About – Whatever, Happy Birthday

Blåtime – Leave, Go

Casey Turner – More Than Gold

Dirty Streets – Stay Thirsty

The Dry Ones – The Harp

gHSTS & gUITARS – wATER

Honeyslide – Drippin’
Honeyslide – Sugar Routine

Jack Wilson – Masterplan

Leonard Friend – Gatorade & Tylenol

Moonrags – Down Days

Run the Jewels – Banana Clipper (ft. Big Boi)

Touché – Bad Dreams (Midnight Magic Remix)

Tropic of Cancer – The One Left (Von Haze Remix)

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Happy Friday! We’ve made it to the end of the week, and boy am I relieved. It felt like things moved much faster this week, but perhaps that’s just due to the holiday on Monday. Whatever, I’m just glad that there’s another couple days off right ahead. Before we get to that though, let’s talk one last weekend-starting edition of Pick Your Poison. There’s some strong tracks today from Alright Panther, City Society, Emma Heartbeat, Hazy Mountains, Vandaveer and Young Readers. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Austra, Filligar, Fuck Buttons, Heliotropes and Jacuzzi Boys. Have a great weekend!

Alright Panther – Waltz

City Society – Speaking of You

Desert Stars – With the Bears

DiMi Marc – Every Night (ft. dFresh)

Emma Heartbeat – I Do Bass

Fabienne – Smokescreen

Hazy Mountains – Asleep

The Horse’s Ha – Dying Tree

Neils Children – Trust You

Sundays – World We Own

Vandaveer – Omie Wise

Virginia Wing – Red Sails

Yonderboi – Come On Progeny

Young Readers – Homesick

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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 – When A Fire Starts to Burn

Pitchfork has announced a new site dedicated to film called The Dissolve

Watch: A Takeaway Show with Majical Cloudz

Learn more about The Weezer Cruise, setting sail in mid-February 2014

Download the free Brass Tactics EP from David Byrne & St. Vincent

Music Video: Glass Candy – Beautiful Object

Stream a new Braids song “In Kind” via YouTube

Check out some short clips of behind the scenes rehearsal footage from Atoms for Peace

Hear four new Boards of Canada songs as streamed live in the California desert

Popmatters attempts to list the Top 10 lyrics from The National

Besides that set of distractions, there’s a whole bunch of tracks lined up for you today as part of Pick Your Poison. I’m happy to recommend songs from Caviare Days, David Yow, FMLYBND, Jenny Gabrielsson Mare, Jumpel, The Post Nobles, Stripmall Architecture and Vial of Sound. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream tracks from Charles Bradley, Elliphant, Matthew Dear and Professor Green (ft. Miles Kane).

Caviare Days – When the Light is Breaking (ft. Ebbot Lundberg)

Dancing Heals – Something

Daughter – Still (Minorstep Remix)

David Yow – Thee Itch

E321 – They Call Us Human

FMLYBND – Electricity

IBQT – Never Gonna Let U Go

Jenny Gabrielsson Mare – The Black Lodge

Jumpel – Flight

Krill – Purity of Heart

Naomi Greenwald – Stay (Rihanna cover)

The Post Nobles – Summer Toons

Stripmall Architecture – Unbreakable

Vial of Sound – Ghost Ditch

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From time to time, when the mood suits me or I’ve really got little else to write about, I like to put a little spotlight on an upcoming show happening in the Chicagoland area that could be interesting or worth your time/money. And so today let’s talk for a minute about a triple bill of Chicago artists happening one week from today (June 5th) at Lincoln Hall. Opening the show at 8pm will be Belleisle, a pretty straightforward pop/rock band that’s been around since 2011 but hasn’t done much until recently due to an extended break that was taken last year because of family obligations. But they’re really getting back into the swing of things in 2013 and are working on their debut album, which should be out in the fall. In the meantime, you can hear some of their rough demos on their Soundcloud page. For this show at Lincoln Hall, they’ll be bringing a brass section with them, which should add a bit of extra seasoning to their current Wilco-ish sound. The meat in this show sandwich is CELLRS, who have been around the local Chicago scene since 2010 but have really started to pick up steam in the last few months now that they’ve expanded to a three-piece with the addition of a drummer. They’re a lo-fi rock band with energy to spare, and it really comes out in their live shows. Don’t believe me? Check out the band performing their song “Whisky” at the Double Door back in April. Pretty good stuff. Headlining the night will be Sons of the West, a high energy rock band with a bit of a bluesy edge to them. They’ve played shows all over town, have been paying their dues and rightly earned some attention nationally as a result. Their new EP I Will Never Be Your Friend (A Shot in the Back) is available on Bandcamp to download for cheap, or you can just stream the songs if you’re interested to know what they’re all about. This entire bill is pretty strong as far as local Chicago bands go, and tickets are an affordable $8. You can buy them in advance here. Fair warning, it’s also a 21+ show. If you’re of age, I absolutely encourage you to attend as it’s a great way to kick off the summer concert season. Now then, onto today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some strong tracks from Coloured Clocks, Emily Bell, Ferns, Outsides, Qurious, Tahiti 80, and This Is Thunder. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream 2 songs from Disclosure including one remix by Toro y Moi. Also stream stuff from Gold Panda, The Mantles and Sonny & the Sunsets.

Coastal Cities – Entropic (Juveniles Remix)

Coloured Clocks – All the Time

Emily Bell – Hey Baby

Ferns – Impulsive

The Glass Delusion – David Bowee

Kameronessi – Trinkets & Stars

Mat Hunsley – Know I Am

No Middle Name – Feels Like the 90’s Again

Outsides – Seesaw

Poor Things – Ice Cream

Qurious – Gears

Tahiti 80 – Bang

This Is Thunder – Humming

United Ghosts – Unhypnotized

Young Aundee – Young Tuesday (Yaz cover)

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And we’re back. Hope your Memorial Day was grand if you’re from the U.S. and celebrated. I got some much needed R & R and am ready for the rest of the week. Speaking of which, we’re already at Tuesday, which means it’s time to run down the list of artists releasing new music this week. I try to do this as a reminder and notification to everyone in case something from an artist or band you like is coming out and you forgot or weren’t aware. That said, look for new stuff from the following artists: Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, Alice in Chains, Animal Collective, Baths, CocoRosie, Eisley, Emily Bell, Feathers, Hooded Fang, Kae Sun, King Tuff, Last Good Tooth (featured below!), Laura Marling, Mount Kimbie, Paperhaus, The Pastels, Roomrunner, Tesseract, This Is Thunder and The Veils. I haven’t heard all those albums, but I can definitely tell you there’s at least a couple great new releases in that bunch. Perhaps I’ll have an album review of one or two of them if I can scrape up the time. Anyways, if you’re less of an album person and more of a singles person, maybe Pick Your Poison will be a great source of discovery for you today. Let me advise you to have a listen to tracks from Black City Lights, Dancing Years, Estrangers, Joey Bada$$, NO CODA, Tessa Rose Jackson and The Tranq. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from CHVRCHES, HAERTS, Joan of Arc, Scout Niblett and Barbarossa covering Junip.

Amplify Dot – Paperwerk

Black City Lights – Give It Up

Brother K – Twentyslashtwenty

Dancing Years – Borderline

Estrangers – Cape Fear

Joey Bada$$ – Word Is Bond

Last Good Tooth – Problems Leave Out of Mouths

Marvel the GR8 – Stella Rosa

NO CODA – Holy War

Philip Riley – Please Leave

The Sea The Sea – The Winter Parade

Tessa Rose Jackson – Stepping Stone

The Tranq – My Heart is a Yo-Yo

Turn Off Your Television – Between the Lines

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Happy Friday! Or as many might refer to it, happy start to a 3-day weekend! Yes, Memorial Day is Monday, and that means everyone takes the day off to sit outside in the sun, grill and drink plenty of alcohol. It’s a rite of passage, really. I’ve got a jam-packed weekend ahead of me, filled with more things than I know what to do with. But I hope you’ve got some time on your hands to jump on Netflix this Sunday for the premiere of the new set of Arrested Development episodes. Yes, all 15 episodes will premiere at once, and you can catch them all on Netflix in whatever order you’d like. Or jump between them too. Like the three seasons that aired years ago, this new collection of episodes has more threads and callbacks going through it that make it so brilliant and rewatchable. So many people have become fans of the show since it went off the air, though I’m proud to say I was there from the very beginning and watched most of the episodes live. Had all the people who are now fans of the show done the same, perhaps it wouldn’t have been cancelled. Still, I’m just glad there’s enough people to justify them making more, even if it was tough to wrangle the cast together and some of the scenes had to be shot on green screen and edited together later. Will it be as good as we all remember? There’s only one way to find out. Now before you check out for the long weekend, let me toss some Pick Your Poison tracks your way to maybe spice up your BBQ. Enjoy tracks from AM & Shawn Lee, Angel Haze and Iggy Azalea (covering Jay-Z and Kanye West), Beach Day, The Guru, Melvins, Mile Me Deaf, Mister Lies and Young Readers. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream a bunch of great new cuts from Andrew Cedermark, Boards of Canada, Disclosure, Quadron (ft. Kendrick Lamar) and The Field’s remix of Sally Shapiro. Have a great weekend, and we’ll be back on Tuesday!

AM & Shawn Lee – All the Love

Angel Haze and Iggy Azalea – Otis (Jay-Z and Kanye West cover)

Beach Day – Stay

Daft Punk – Doin’ It Right (Unlike Pluto Remix)

Dida – Don’t Go

Eli Mardock – Everything Happens for the First Time

fLako – What’s That Calling Me

The Guru – Go Easy

John Nagle – Blank Space

Melvins – Dr. Mule

Mile Me Deaf – Brando

Mister Lies – Magichour (ft. KNOWER)

Paper Lions – Philadelphia

TKTTSM – Eyeyeye (NAOAN Remix)

Young Readers – Boxcar

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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:

Download Class of 2013 artist Ryan Hemsworth’s 7-track Still Awake EP for free

Music Video: Charli XCX – Take My Hand

Watch Daft Punk get their own F1 racecar

Music Video: Boards of Canada – Reach for the Dead

Watch the trailer for the upcoming Washed Out record Paracosm

Music Video: She & Him – I Could’ve Been Your Girl

Watch the 15-minute short film for the upcoming Queens of the Stone Age record …Like Clockwork

Music Video: The Lonely Island – Diaper Money

Watch Grimes accept a Webby Award

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington is the new frontman for Stone Temple Pilots

Besides that set of distractions, there’s a whole bunch of tracks lined up for you today as part of Pick Your Poison. I’m happy to recommend songs from Amanda Jo Williams, Broken Water, Emma Louise, Milk Music, Overseas, Quickbeam and Sombear. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from Airbird & Napolian, The Cairo Gang, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Jacques Greene (ft. How to Dress Well) and There’s Talk.

Amanda Jo Williams – Holster, The Gun It Hangs in There

Bestial Mouths – Earth

Broken Water – Web

Dream Panther – Chutes and the Latter

Emma Louise – Backseats

Francis and the Lights – ETC

Harness Flux – Room Service

Milk Music – Beyond Living

More Like Trees – Chilly Water (ft. Linden Jay Berelowitz)

Overseas – Old Love

Quickbeam – Grace

So Fresh – Eye Class (ft. Kazi)

Sombear – Love You in the Dark

Woody Pitney – You Can Stay

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Have you heard about this situation with rapper Tim Dog? For those who don’t know, Tim Dog was popular in the early 90s thanks to his hit track “Fuck Compton.” Since that time, he’s gone the ways of your MC Hammer’s and your Kriss Kross’s and vanished from the spotlight. I guess his money has all but run out recently, or he wants more, because in 2011 he was convicted of defrauding a number of women through an online dating scheme and ordered to pay $19,000 in restitution. Well, good ‘ol Tim Dog must have really not wanted to pay that money, because he was reported dead back in February. People mourned his passing and there was even a funeral. But then a couple weeks ago something strange happened. Nobody could produce a death certificate. There were no details about where he died or where he’s buried. Seems odd, right? Well, prosecutors thought so too, and have asked that an arrest warrant be issued for Tim Dog because he failed to make his legally required payments. It’s their belief he faked his death so he could get out of having to pay off the debt. If it does turn out that he’s actually still alive, it’d certainly make for one of the more impressive scams in recent memory. Then again if he’s never found maybe he really is dead. Or really really good at faking it. Here’s a report from WREG-TV in Memphis that has all the details on the hunt for Tim Dog. You know what’d really be great – if they put Dog the Bounty Hunter on the case. Dog vs. Dog. Just a thought – somebody get on that though. Okay, now let’s deal with today’s Pick Your Poison. There’s some strong tracks from City Light, Heaven, The March Divide, Pure Bathing Culture, Sheen and Therese Aune. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Case Studies, Diahrrea Planet, Exwife, Longboat and Standish/Carlyon.

City Light – Sweet Death

Desert Noises – Mercury (Kathleen Edwards cover)

Fialta – Photographs

Heaven – Colors in the Whites of Your Eyes

Humfree Bug Art – Back at the Start

Ian Place – Should Have Known

Is Tropical – Dancing Anymore (Spectral Park Remix)

James Blake – Retrograde (Mist Glider & Tree Remix)

The March Divide – So It Goes

Pure Bathing Culture – Pendulum

Seven Lions – Fevers (ft. Minnesota and Mimi Page)

Sheen – Lovelust

Therese Aune – Chameleon

XOV – Ku Klux Klan (Acoustic)

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Welcome to Tuesday. Shall we do the same thing we do every week at this time? Of course! Here’s a rundown of the artists unleashing new records upon the world this week: Attic Lights, Beaches, Daft Punk, Dirty Beaches, Emma Louise, Jesse Ruins, Linda Draper, Majical Cloudz, Man or Astro-Man?, Morning Bell, The National, Saturday Looks Good to Me, Scout Niblett, Shannon and the Clams and Wooden Indian Burial Ground. Good stuff. Also good is today’s Pick Your Poison, with key tracks from Algernon Doll, Bypassers, Hello Gravity, Jay Arner, Ms. Henrik, Pressed And and We Are Temporary. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Joe Goddard (of Hot Chip), Pharmakon, Smith Westerns and Swimming Lessons.

Algernon Doll – Anti-them

ArtClassSink – Face the Day

Bypassers – Some Nothing Song

CRUSHES – Love Is Lost

Hello Gravity – Golden

Holy Other – Held (Fort Romeau Remix)

I’lls – Speak Low

Illusions Fate – Own You

Jay Arner – Midnight on South Granville

Ms. Henrik – Mark

Pressed And – Bored on a Lam

Self Taught – Way Back Home (Remix)

Silent Rider – Skinny Love (Bon Iver cover)

We Are Temporary – Satellites

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Somewhat sad news to report today, particularly if you’re a fan of classic rock. A keyboardist, producer, solo artist and founding member of The Doors, Ray Manzarek passed away earlier today at the age of 74. The cause of death was complications as a result of bile cancer, for which he was receiving treatment at a medical facility in Germany. Manzarek’s classic keyboard work is probably best remembered in some of the biggest Doors hits, including “Light My Fire” and “Hello I Love You”. Take away his keyboard/organ parts and those songs lose all sense of meaning and quality. Let’s not forget he also had to deal with the incredible ego of Jim Morrison on a regular basis, making him a saint in many ways as well. The good news though is that Manzarek lived about 42 years longer than Morrison did, which resulted in some great creative output including a revival of The Doors in 2002 with guitarist Robbie Krieger, though legally speaking they weren’t allowed to tour under the band’s name. Still, they played Doors songs, and seemed to have some fun with it. Anyways, Manzarek was a rock legend in his own right, and his presence will be missed. Now let’s get to this week-starting edition of Pick Your Poison. Focus tracks today come from Badlands, Bernard et Bianca, Egyptian Sports Network, Le Fever, Smallpools and Stay Positive. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Destruction Unit, Escort, Laura Marling, vacation, and Katie and Allison Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) covering a Grimes classic.

Badlands – Sleeping Beauty

Bernard et Bianca – Karelia

Cosmic Suckerpunch – Glad You’re Here Now

Doctor P – Neon (A Purple Heart Remix)

Egyptian Sports Network – Leo in Cyan

Hourglass Sea – Richard III

La Historia – If I’m Walking

Last Good Tooth – Problems Leave Out of Mouths

Le Fever – White Hearts

N8 ST9 – Light Up Myself

Sep V – Zer0ne

Smallpools – Dreaming

Stay Positive – Leipzig

Strangeheart – In Another Life (8th Grader Remix)

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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 the new song “Kiss Land” from The Weeknd via YouTube

Download two new songs from Liars in exchange for your email address

Music Video: Queens of the Stone Age – If I Had A Tail

Check out the trailer for Franz Ferdinand’s upcoming album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

Stream a new song “You Took Your Time” from Mount Kimbie ft. King Krule via YouTube

Google is launching a new music streaming service

Music Video: Mikal Cronin – Change

Stream a new song “Forever” from Julianna Barwick via YouTube

Watch TV on the Radio perform a new song called “Mercy” live at ATP

Stream “I Fucked My Aunt”, a new song from The Lonely Island ft. T-Pain via YouTube

Okay, now let’s talk today’s Pick Your Poison. I’m pleased to recommend tracks from BEACH, Boyfrndz, Camera Obscura, GRMLN, Hani Zahra, Honeymoon, Pinegrove, Saltland and WhoaBear. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream new songs from The 1975, Atlas Genius (covering Daft Punk), The Dodos, Mayer Hawthorne ft. Jessie Ware and Solange ft. Kendrick Lamar.

ArtClassSink – Face the Day

BEACH – Ibuprofen

Boyfrndz – Water Weight

Camera Obscura – Fifth in Line to the Throne

Dead Stars – Fractured

Gallant – Please? (Vignette)

GRMLN – Do You Know How It Feels?

Hani Zahra – Cannibal Crime (Wait Wait Wait)

Honeymoon – Sure Stuck

Pinegrove – V

Saltland – Treehouse Schemes

SFV Acid – PT Sex

Splashh – Today (Fade Away)

Stereodyssey – In Clouds

WhoaBear – Rock Em Up!

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