Frank YangGiven the unrelenting heat that defined the first two days of Pitchfork 2010, a forecast of rain for Sunday wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world and indeed, we got an impressive flash thunderstorm around noon – perfectly timed as I was still holed up in the hotel room. Unfortunately, said mini-monsoon didn’t actually wash away any of the heat, it just made it more humid. Awesome.

I don’t imagine the heat was bothering Best Coast, hailing as they do from the sunny climes of southern California. Their early afternoon slot on the B stage was pretty good proof that the festival schedule had been set some time ago, because if it had been put together in the last few weeks, the buzz around them and their forthcoming debut Crazy For You – out next week – would have warranted either a larger stage or later set time or both. As it was, the trio packed the field in front of the Balance Stage and delivered a set whose delivery wasn’t especially remarkable, but stripped of the lo-fi, garage-friendly production that has been one of their main talking points, it was evident that their songwriting smarts were for real. Great, hooky throwback pop however it’s marketed. They play Lee’s Palace on September 25.

Photos: Best Coast @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
MP3: Best Coast – “Something In The Way”
Video: Best Coast – “When I’m With You”
MySpace: Best Coast

Over at the Aluminum main stage, Girls were late getting started as girls often are, with frontman Christopher Owens looking dazed and maybe confused. Though their debut Album was one of 2009’s biggest records, their live show got only middling reviews, which was approximately what I thought when I saw them at SxSW last year. You couldn’t go so far as to say that heavy touring had turned them into a lean rock machine, but they did sound fuller and more assured than they once did, if still kind of sloppy. Like their fellow Californians in Best Coast, their jangly pop gleamed in the sunlight where it couldn’t hide behind the fuzz but rather than dispense with the noise and static entirely, the just saved it up for an epic and unexpected shoegaze-worthy guitar squall in the coda of “Hellhole Ratrace”. Wakey wakey.

Photos: Girls @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Girls – “End Of The World”
MP3: Girls – “Laura”
MP3: Girls – “Lust For Life”
Vide: Girls – “Hellhole Ratrace”
Video: Girls – “Laura”
Video: Girls – “Lust For Life”

If it had been the pre-Teen Dream Beach House coming up next on the Connector Stage, then the Girls wake-up call might have gone to waste. But the band circa 2010 is quite a different beast, having given their hazy dream pop enough energy and substance to not only keep an audience awake but enthralled. Their music may have originally been built for dark rooms in the wee hours of the night, but their ever-growing popularity seems to keep forcing them out onto outdoor stages – the last two times I saw them was in front of huge audiences lolling about in broad daylight. And such will again be the case on September 7 when they play the Molson Amphitheatre.

Photos: Beach House @ Connector Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Beach House – “Zebra”
MP3: Beach House – “Norway”
MP3: Beach House – “Gila”
MP3: Beach House – “Heart Of Chamber”
MP3: Beach House – “Master Of None”
Video: Beach House – “Walk In The Park”
Video: Beach House – “Silver Soul”
Video: Beach House – “Used To Be”
Video: Beach House – “You Came To Me”
Video: Beach House – “Heart Of Chambers”
MySpace: Beach House

Over at the Balance Stage, I managed to finally rectify a four month-old wrong in catching Local Natives, whom I’d missed at SxSW something like eight times. And the Los Angeles quintet was as impressive a live beast as I’d been told, with them reproducing the complex harmonies and rhythms of Gorilla Manor with even more energy than on record. It almost felt as though they themselves were being propelled by the music and while they lost control early on, with the drums clearly falling out of step with the rest of the arrangements, they quickly got hold of the reins again and didn’t misstep again. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when they play the Mod Club on October 19. Baeble Music is streaming a complete live Local Natives show recorded at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.

Photos: Local Natives @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Local Natives – “Sun Hands”
Video: Local Natives – “World News”
Video: Local Natives – “Airplanes”
MySpace: Local Natives

After a brief break from the day’s programme to hydrate and cool down in the media tent, it was back to the Connector Stage where St. Vincent was patiently waiting for the sturm und drang of Lightning Bolt over on the main stage to dissipate. And you couldn’t ask for greater polar opposites than Lightning Bolt and St. Vincent; the change over from their set to hers was like having a post-apocalyptic landscape morph into an animated fairy tale forest. It doesn’t seem like a year since I saw St. Vincent last, but indeed its been and while this show felt very similar to that one, I’m tempted to say that they sound and feel more like a cohesive band than just Annie Clark and some backing players. And while most of the set showcased the more delicate/pretty side of St. Vincent, their set-closing “Your Lips Are Red” indulged her noisier inclinations, building into an instrumental cacophony that those Lightning Bolt fans across the field would have appreciated.

Photos: St. Vincent @ Connector Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: St. Vincent – “Actor Out Of Work”
MP3: St. Vincent – “The Strangers”
MP3: St. Vincent – “Now Now”
Video: St. Vincent – “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood”
Video: St. Vincent – “Actor Out Of Work”
Video: St. Vincent – “Jesus Saves I Spend”
MySpace: St. Vincent

I have to confess my tweet prior to Major Lazer’s set was a bit disingenuous as I wasn’t completely ignorant of what Major Lazer was about. That’s because when their debut Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do came out last year, it was accompanied by one of the most annoying and incessant PR campaigns in recent memory. So while I couldn’t help know that it was a faux-cartoon hip-hop/dancehall project by DJs Diplo and Switch, I pretty much refused to pay it any more attention than that. Not that that knowledge would have prepared me for their live show, which was pretty much all party and spectacle. With Diplo on hand to lay down beats, live MC Skerrit Bwoy and two dancers led a ridiculous assault on the senses with faux sex, crowd surfing, dragon dancers and I don’t even know what else. It was something to see if not comprehend.

Photos: Major Lazer @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
Video: Major Lazer – “Pon De Floor”
Video: Major Lazer – “Hold The Line”
Video: Major Lazer – “Keep It Goin’ Louder”
Video: Major Lazer – “Zumbie”
MySpace: Major Lazer

Choosing between Sleigh Bells and Big Boi was a tough one, and while I’m sure some are shaking their heads at the decision, I opted to go for Sleigh Bells over at the Balance Stage. Their debut Treats has been a bit of a guilty pleasure, with its ridiculously loud production and unrelentingly chipper vocals, and I was curious to see how the Brooklyn duo pulled it off live. And the answer was a qualified “pretty well”. On the downside, they seemed to be taking full advantage of their moment in the hype spotlight, starting a good 15 minutes late, setting up the stage with prop guitar amps and using a lot of prerecorded tracks. The only live elements were Derek Miller’s guitar, though good luck distinguishing what he was actually playing from what was on tape, and Alexis Krauss’ vocals, which largely made the previous points irrelevant. Though the diva persona she affected on stage was at odds with her sugar buzz cheerleader vocals, their set was delivered with so much energy and volume that you probably couldn’t form a coherent enough thought to care. I was only able to stick around for a couple songs as the crush of media was being rotated through the photo bit in waves, and anyways I didn’t want to be late for an appointment with a certain legendary band. The Detroit News, NOW, The Weekly Dig and Prefix have Sleigh Bells interviews.

Photos: Sleigh Bells @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “Infinity Guitars”
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “Crown On The Ground”
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “A_B Machines”
MySpace: Sleigh Bells

And finally, at the end of it all, there was Pavement. Following a bizarre introduction where Drag City’s Rian Murphy pretended to be a washed up radio shock jock (I only found out for certain it was a gag after the fact, but it was fun to have an excuse to yell profanities at a stranger), the reunited indie rock forebears took the stage to a riotous response and promptly messed up their first song. Okay, it was barely a false start but it definitely set the tone for a show that would be less about big rock moves or a barnburning festival finale than just playing the songs everyone wanted to hear and having a good time. And they started with “Cut Your Hair”, possibly so that anyone who just wanted to hear the hit could go home early, and continued through their entire catalog front to back, one classic track after another, like an amble down a shady memory lane. And while it would have been impossible to play everyone’s favourites in the 90 minutes allotted, they did make the most of the available time by forgoing the ceremony of an encore to squeeze in as much as possible, personal highlights including “Shady Lane”, “Stereo” and “Spit On A Stranger” (I like the s-songs?). And while the reasons for their reunion were more financial than personal or artistic, it really looked as though they were having fun, Stephen Malkmus sporting a subtle but genuine smile (and no handcuffs), Mark Ibold on bass happily bobbing up and down, a (presumably) ironic “Fuck Pavement” t-shirt hung over Steve West’s kick drum and Bob Nostanovich doing what Bob Nostanovich does, which was a lot more than I thought – many of the vocal parts I thought were Scott Kannberg were in fact their invaluable utility player.

There’s been a lot of talk about whether Pavement will or even should continue after their reunion tour is over and the cheques are cashed, and as great as it was to see them and finally hear these songs live, I find myself falling in the “walk away” camp. They and their sound is so intrinsically tied to the ’90s college/alternative rock boom that they sound out of time and place when compared to the bigger, more aggressive sounds of contemporary acts. And I don’t think I’d want to hear them try to keep up or catch up… Pavement had a nearly perfect artistic arc from Slanted & Enchanted through Terror Twilight and this victory lap has introduced their legacy to a new fans and reaffirmed it to old. I think it should be left at that.

Photos: Pavement @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
MP3: Pavement – “Rattled By The Rush”
MP3: Pavement – “Heckler Spray/In THe Mouth Of A Desert” (live)
MP3: Pavement – “All My Friends”
MP3: Pavement – “Greenlander”
Video: Pavement – “Major Leagues”
Video: Pavement – “Carrot Rope”
Video: Pavement – “Shady Lane”
Video: Pavement – “Father To A Sister Of Thought”
Video: Pavement – “Stereo”
Video: Pavement – “Painted Soldiers”
Video: Pavement – “Cut Your Hair”
Video: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
Video: Pavement – “Range Life”
Video: Pavement – “Here”
MySpace: Pavement

Pitchfork – of course – has lots of coverage of their own party including interviews with many of the performers.

So that was my first Pitchfork Festival, and I would recommend it for anyone looking to do a festival without drowning in a sea of humanity. Yeah, there’s not really anyone on the lineup that you couldn’t see touring any other time during the year but seeing these acts test their mettle in front of much bigger crowds than their accustomed to is a different experience. On top of that, it’s quite a well-run fest, not too big and not too small (approximately 18,000 people), well-priced and located and with there’s a good selection of food and vendors and a poster and record fair that I wish I was able to spend more time at. In short, I had a great time. I’m not prepared to commit myself to attending next year – or any festival, for that matter – but if I get the itch to hang out in dusty photo pits while sweating my ass off for a weekend again, it could do the trick.

Check out my Flickr set from the fest for audience shots in addition to artists, though there’s not a lot of LATFH action – people looked disappointingly normal. And my best discovery of the festival? The Arnold Palmer – that is some tasty stuff. Thanks, Matt Picasso!

A return to non-‘Forky stuff tomorrow.

Bao NguyenOne more appropriately-named act and they could have billed it as, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”; instead, the Phoenix will have to settle for hosting Girls, Dum Dum Girls and Leisure (would it kill them to change their name to “Leisure Girls”?) on April 9. Not bad, considering that Girls were one of the breakout new bands of 2009 with the fuzzy, lo-fi pop of their cryptically-titled debut Album and Dum Dum Girls appear set to follow in their footsteps with their just-released first record, I Will Be.

Tickets for the show are $16.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Girls” in the subject line (though that’s probably sure to go straight to the spam folder) and your full name in the body. Contest will close at midnight, April 7.

Philadelphia Weekly and Exclaim interview Dum Dum Girls.

MP3: Girls – “End Of The World”
MP3: Girls – “Laura”
MP3: Girls – “Lust For Life””
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “D.A.L.”
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La”

Josh EustisHaving quite successfully reaped the benefits of the “give it all away for free” ethos with their debut album In Her Gentle Jaws, given away as a free download from their website starting in late 2007 before making available for sale on CD and vinyl late last year, Brooklyn synth-rockers The Depreciation Guild have announced plans to release their sophomore effort Spirit Youth on May 18, presumably in “yeah you have to pay for that” physical form from the get go.

If it’s anything like In Her Gentle Jaws, though, it’ll be worth the price of admission – the debut was a splendid bit of dreampop whose Nintendo/Famicom-powered 8-bit aesthetic was so much more than a gimmick. It’s not clear if “Dream About Me”, the single released last Fall, will appear on the album but assuming it’s a reasonable barometer of where the band are now, they seem to be favouring a more organic, guitar-based approach – perhaps not surprising since a goodly amount of time and touring has elapsed since the debut was recorded. The blissful pop sensibilities remain, however, even if the wonderful Mario-gaze textures are dialed down, so I remain keen to hear the new record, regardless of what toys or technology went into its creation.

In advance of the record’s release, The Depreciation Guild are hitting the road supporting Serena-Maneesh, including their April 2 date at The Great Hall in Toronto. Spinner has an interview with the band.

MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Dream About Me”
Video: The Depreciation Guild – “Dream About Me”

Hey Interpol fans – how badly do you want to see them live again? Enough to shell out to see them open up for U2 on their Summer tour, including the July 3 Toronto date at the Rogers Centre? Really? Wow.

And people must really be missing themselves some Strokes – demand for the April 2 Julian Casablancas show has been such that it has been moved from the Phoenix to the Kool Haus.

The Hold Steady have announced that they’ll release their fifth studio album entitled Heaven Is Whenever on May 4. Recorded without recently-departed Franz Nicolay, it promises to be more guitar-heavy than their last few albums. Check out the official press release for some quotes from Craig Finn and Tad Kubler about what to expect from the new record.

Stuff New Zealand talks to kiwi emigre Dean Wareham.

Exclaim checks in with Ted Leo, who will release The Brutalist Bricks come March 9.

Sonic Scoop interviews producer Phil Palazzolo about how work is progressing on Nicole Atkins’ new album.

Nada Surf have released the first MP3 from their forthcoming covers album, if i had a hi-fi, which will go on regular sale June 8, after being available during their on Spring tour which begins March 25 and hits Lee’s Palace on March 29.

MP3: Nada Surf – “Electrocution”

The Line Of Best Fit interviews Holly Miranda.

NPR is currently streaming the whole of Joanna Newsom’s new triple album Have One On Me – all two hours of it. I picked up the triple vinyl yesterday, but don’t know if/how I’ll absorb it in time for the March 13 show at The Phoenix. Hell, I don’t think I’ve fully processed her first two records. And if you were wondering, Vetiver guitarist Kevin Barker will be opening that show up.

Stream: Joanna Newsom / Have One On Me

NPR has a World Cafe session with Fruit Bats, slated to play the Horseshoe on March 24. A Daytrotter session with the band just went up a couple days ago as well.

RCRDLBL has got an MP3 from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s forthcoming Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, out March 9, available to download. Colorado Springs Independent also has a quick interview. They’ve got two local shows coming up – April 1 and April 11, both at The Phoenix.

There’s also a track available from The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s new album Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?, for which they’ll be appearing at the Phoenix on June 2.

MP3: The Brian Jonestown Massacre – “Let’s Go Fucking Mental”

Girls are giving away a b-side to their new single “Morning Light”, a cover of Skeeter Davis’ “End Of The World”. They’re at The Phoenix on April 9.

MP3: Girls – “End Of The World”

Wayne Coyne talks to Spin about the origins of The Flaming Lips’ name. As Summer tour dates in support of Embryonic trickle out without anything up here in the 416, I wonder if they think Toronto has forgotten they’ve yet to make good on their promise to make up their aborted V Fest 2006 appearance. Because, y’know, we haven’t.

eMusic talks to Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, who recorded an Interface session for Spinner. They are in town for a show at Lee’s Palace on April 1. Update: The Interface session seems to be an old one, circa Rook… but still great.

Blurt talks to Midlake leader Tim Smith. They’re at the Mod Club on May 21.

AZCentral talks about the album format, Spoon, the vinyl resurgence and Record Store Day (April 17 write it down) in no particular order. Or in that specific order.

The Daily Herald profiles Justin Townes Earle, in town at the Horseshoe on March 1. The giveaway for passes to the show ends tonight!

Doron GildThere’s a lot of New York in Eyelid Movies, the debut album from the duo of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel known as Phantogram, and while the pair do indeed have Empire State license plates on their cars, they don’t hail from a Brooklyn bedsit or East Village walk-up, but the town of Greenwich way upstate – as close to Montreal as it is to Manhattan.

But you couldn’t tell that from just listening to the record – Its synthetic dream-pop owes a lot to bands who hail from Gotham, recalling in particular recent Blonde Redhead, though poppier and dancier than that trio. The similarities lie in their borrowing ideas liberally from a wide range of styles, incorporating meaty synth textures, cut-and-paste sampled hip-hop beats and guitars that are as inclined to jangle as drone and tying them together with a devotion to melody and Barthel and Carter’s contrasting vocals – hers dulcet and emotive, his rougher and anguished. It’s a combination that makes for an interesting yet accessible listen that’s honest in its influences while crafting its own identity.

Eyelid Movies is out February 9, and is currently streaming in its entirety at NPR. They set out on an east coast tour this week that stops at the Drake Underground in Toronto on February 20. Bloginity.com has an interview with Josh Carter.

MP3: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”
Stream: Phantogram / Eyelid Movies

PitchforkTV has a fancy video session with Beach House while Daytrotter has posted an audio session you can download for your very own. Not wanting to feel left out, Grand Crew points out they’ve got a complete show from last Summer in Paris to watch. The San Francisco Chronicle also has an interview with the duo, whom you can see at the Opera House on March 30.

Pitchfork talks to The National’s Matt Berninger about their new album, which is due out in May and has yet to be titled. They are at Massey Hall on June 8.

Filter has a two-part interview with The Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt, while Exclaim reveals that one of his upcoming projects will be performing a live score to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea – the 1916 silent film, not the Kirk Douglas-powered Disney version. Also newsworthy is the fact that 69 Love Songs is being reissued as a set of six 10″ LPs limited to only 3000 editions. You can pre-order it now with delivery coming around the April 20 release date. The Magnetic Fields are at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre next Monday evening.

MTV gets The Shins’ James Mercer to clarify statements made to NME about the band’s hiatus and his current involvement in Broken Bells with Danger Mouse, whose self-titled debut comes out March 9. Short version – Broken Bells now, Shins next year. Probably. Here’s their first video.

Video: Broken Bells – “The High Road”

JamBase converses with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats.

If you missed the free download of The Denton Sessions from The Guardian this weekend, it’s up for grabs at the Midlake website and the interview at The Guardian is still up. Their new album The Courage Of Others is out today.

Spinner talks to Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg about The Golden Dossier booklet which will accompany The Golden Archipelago on its release come February 23. They play Lee’s Palace on April 1.

NPR is streaming a live show by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists on the World Cafe last week. Their new album The Brutalist Bricks is out March 9.

And moving onto the concert announcements portion of the post – Snailhouse and Evening Hymns team up for a show at the Tranzac on March 25, admission $10 at the door.

MP3: Evening Hymns – “Broken Rifle”
Video: Snailhouse – “Salvation Army”

Jon Langford will team up with his Sadies for a show at the Horseshoe on March 26, tickets $13.50.

It’s ladies’ night at the Phoenix on April 9, when Girls and Dum Dum Girls roll in as part of a Spring tour. Girls are still riding last year’s Album while Dum Dum Girls’ debut I Will Be arrives March 30.

MP3: Girls – “Laura”
MP3: Girls – “Lust For Life””
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La”

The Album Leaf will set out this Winter and Spring on a North American tour in support of their new album A Chorus Of Storytellers, out today, and stop in at Lee’s Palace on April 28 – tickets $12.50, Sea Wolf support.

MP3: The Album Leaf – “Falling From The Sun”
MP3: Sea Wolf – “Wicked Blood”

Let’s Wrestle – discussed previously – have been added as support for Quasi’s upcoming east coast tour, including the April 18 date at the Horseshoe. Let’s Wrestle’s debut In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s gets a North American release on March 23 while Quasi’s American Gong is out February 23.

MP3: Quasi – “Repulsion”
MP3: Let’s Wrestle – “We Are The Men You’ll Grow To Love Soon”

Anyone who’s ever asked exactly what is meant by “gypsy punk” would do well to be at the Sound Academy on April 20 when Gogol Bordello and DeVotchKa come to town. Gogol’s live Live From Axis Mundi came out last year while DeVotchKa’s last release was 2008’s A Mad And Faithful Telling, though they haven’t been to Toronto since June 2006 – far, far too long.

MP3: Gogol Bordello – “Wonderlust King” (BBC Sessions)
MP3: Gogol Bordello – “Troubled Friends” (Gypsy Punk Sessions)
MP3: DeVotchKa – “Transliterator”
MP3: DeVotchKa – “Along The Way”

Sigur Ros can easily sell out Massey Hall, but for frontman gone solo Jonsi to schedule two (2) nights at the Sound Academy – April 30 and May 1 – to perform numbers from his solo album Go… well it’s ambitious. To say the least. The album is out March 23. Either they’re expecting it to be a hit or want their fans to have lots of elbow room.

MP3: Jonsi – “Boy Lilikoi”

Cameron WittigI only discovered Low circa 2001’s Things We Lost In The Fire, which I think is right around the time the slowcore heroes began expanding their sound and the long-time faithful began to peel off. And if the (relatively) faster tempos and broader sonic palettes were anathema to them, they were manna to me – which is why my favourite of their records, 2005’s unapologetically loud and dynamic The Great Destroyer was the final straw for some. If they’d stuck around, though, they’d have found the last Low record – 2007’s Drums & Guns – to be a return to their quieter ways, albeit aided by loops, samples and seething anger.

Frontman Alan Sparhawk hadn’t suppressed his more rock-out tendencies, however – simply sublimated them into his side project, Retribution Gospel Choir. Their 2008 self-titled debut was compact, loud and sludgy and quite possibly everything that 20th century Low fans were against. The appropriately-titled follow-up 2 offers more of the same, with the emphasis on “more”. 2 is more dynamic, more anthemic and more guitar-heroic than the debut – still chock-full of distorted riffage but also loaded up with some seriously fierce soloing.

It’s never been a secret that Sparhawk was a killer guitarist, but here those skills are front and centre, though not at the expense of the songwriting – as always, it’s impassioned, melodic and more than a little pissed off. Those former Low fans I mentioned earlier will want to stay far away but may want to pay more attention when the next Low record comes out – it’s hard to imagine Sparhawk hasn’t gotten all the rock out of his system, at least for the time being, and the follow-up to Drums & Guns won’t be whisper quiet.

2 is out on Tuesday, January 26. Retribution Gospel Choir is touring through the Winter and Spring and will be at the Drake Underground in Toronto next Monday, January 25. The Cleveland Plains-Dealer has a conversation with Alan Sparhawk.

Update: And I’ve now got a couple pairs of passes to the show to give away, courtesy of Collective Concerts. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to sing in the Retribution Gospel Choir” in the subject and your full name in the body, and get that in to me before midnight, January 23.

MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Video: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
MySpace: Retribution Gospel Choir

Drowned In Sound talks to Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg about their new album The Golden Archipelago, which will be released on February 23. Matablog has details on their upcoming Spring tour, which includes a Toronto date April 1 at Lee’s Palace, and the special dossier that will be released with the record. And they’ve also got a second MP3 from the album to tide you over the next month.

MP3: Shearwater – “Black Eyes”

Daytrotter has got a session with The Rosebuds.

Germany’s Aufgemischt interviews Beach House, who’ve been premiering new videos from Teen Dream each day this week – and for one day only – at Gorilla Vs Bear, leading up to next Tuesday’s record release. And don’t worry about the ones you’ve missed, as all of the videos – they made one for each track of the album – will be available on the DVD that accompanies the CDs and LPs of the album. The record is currently streaming in its entirety at NPR and they play the Opera House on March 30.

Stream: Beach House / Teen Dream

BRM interviews Nick and Tristan of Headlights.

The New York Post and NPR interview Spoon. They’re at the Sound Academy on March 29 and will also appear on this year’s edition of the Starbucks-sponsored Sweetheart Valentine’s Day covers compilation, now available at iTunes US – details at Pitchfork.

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips talks to Drowned In Sound.

The Quietus interviews Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. Realism is out on Tuesday and they play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on February 8.

Matablog has posted a new MP3 from the Girls debut Album, in case all those year-end lists weren’t quite enough to convince you. You can also grab the file from them in lossless FLAC format. If you swing that way. Blurt talks to the guy from Girls who kinda looks like a girl, Christopher Owens.

MP3: Girls – “Laura”

Bring Back The Boombox has an interview with Oh No Forest Fires on the almost-eve of their final show. They call it a day after a final blow-out at the Horseshoe this Saturday night.

Rolling Stone interviews Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler.

Under The Radar chats with Neko Case.

Those of you unable to make either the Dinosaur Jr in-store at Sonic Boom tomorrow evening or the show at the Phoenix later that night can try and console yourselves with this NYC Taper recording of their show in New York from Saturday night – there’s also an interview over at JAM.

And Dinosaur Jr are one of the case studies in this PopMatters piece about the reunions of ’80s alt.rock legends and why they should be celebrated.