New Clientele - "I Wonder Who We Are"

"I Wonder Who We Are" is the fakeout opening track on the Clientele's forthcoming fourth album Bonfires On The Heath. "Fake out" because just when you think they've gone upbeat cheery, we get the smeary, languorous late-October title track, the beautifully harmonized scarecrow and bat-lined "Harvest Time," a couple songs with "night" in the title, etc. In other words, don't let what you're about to hear give you the wrong impression: Outside the psych-rock nugget "Sketch" and the funky "Share the Night," the London band's God Save The Clientele followup is just as slow-release dusky as past material. If not more so. Of course, even sunnier tracks are subtly detailed and stitched with shadows. Get happy, downcast romantics.

Bradford Cox's Thoughts On Atlas Sound's Logos

Outside of all those free downloads and EPs, Atlas Sound is following Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel with the second proper full-length Logos. According to a note from Cox written on July 4th, the 11-track collection's more in the spirit of Microcastle than his past Atlas Sound work.

My last album was a bedroom laptop type thing. Very introverted. Logos is an album that was recorded all over the world. It's not about me. There are collaborations with other musicians. The lyrics are not autobiographical. The view is a lot more panoramic and less close-up. I became bored with introspection. This was also the case Deerhunter's Microcastle LP, which was written during the same period.

He continues, including a mention of past leaks, Logos' compositional process, and background info on how Noah Lennox and Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier ended up contributing.

With "Sweet Dreams," Beyoncé Revolutionizes The "Single Ladies" Music Video Industry

Her latest video is totally different from "Single Ladies" in at least two ways! She's a video genius.

New Calvin Harris Video - "Ready For The Weekend"

The video for Calvin Harris's "I'm Not Alone" featured the Scottish electro singer-songwriter as a knife-wielding mad scientist surrounded by female dancers/test subjects (and, for some reason, a kid with his teddy bear). In "Ready For The Weekend," the title track from his forthcoming second album, the dancing girls don red leotards to match Harris' magic red mirror/portal, red shirt, red furniture, etc., until they change into blue and yellow zip-up bathing suits, expanding the palette and multiplying endlessly, just in time for the weekend.

New Jenny Lewis Video - "See Fernando"

For someone as videogenic as Jenny, her last videos for "Black Sand" was remarkably blah. We didn't even post the studio-set clip she made with Elvis Costello for "Carpetbaggers" because it, too, offered little by way of something you should actually take time out of your day to watch. "See Fernando" is the cure though. It's nice to see Jenny not flanked by Elvis for a chance (words I never thought I'd type about Elvis). The vid's styled like the trailer for a silly 1960s secret agent caper with lots of costumes and goofy action. It is very amusing! And there are lots of great hats! Jenny Lewis loves hats! Worth a watch.

Sufjan Stevens Readies Run Rabbit Run Remix Record

It's not a collection of new material. Entirely. Some time ago, Bryce Dessner approached Stevens about re-arranging his 2001 electronic song cycle Enjoy Your Rabbit for the New York string quartet Osso, who contributed string arrangements to Illinois and My Brightest Diamond's Bring Me the Workhorse. Stevens was into the idea, Dessner commissioned them for his Music Now Festival, and over the next year various New York-based composers (Michael Atkinson, Olivier Manchon, Maxim Moston, Nico Muhly, and Gabriel Kahane) went to work reinterpreting the Enjoy tracks. (As those familiar with Enjoy know, the songs are based on the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. So, no, Run Rabbit Run is not about John Updike.) The pieces premiered in April 2007 at Music Now in Cincinnati. After that, the decision was made to release them as a single collection. The thematic cover art's by Bryce and Aaron Dessner's older sister, Jessica. She based her art on Matt Morgan's Enjoy Your Rabbit illustrations There's an interesting story behind the collection, so take a look at the pretty picture and then dig into the text.

Dirty Projectors @ The Troubadour, West Hollywood 7/8/09

After spending some much needed time recuperating after having their lives flipped over, Dave Longstreth's troupe of mind benders have resumed the good work of spreading their Bitte opus to understandably packed houses. Last night's sell-out hit our photographer Andrew Youssef as "one of the top shows of the year," and as you know, dude sees a lot of shows. The merch table had cassettes, the setlist featured a mix of Orca, Rise Above, and New Attitude. Opening the night was a well received set from local instrumental crew What's Up. But mostly this post is just a reminder that you should see Dirty Projectors live, soon and often.

New Julie Doiron Video - "Consolation Prize" (Stereogum Premiere)

The mildly electric, very catchy "Consolation Prize" was the first song we heard from Julie Doiron's I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, her official followup to 2007's Woke Myself Up. It immediately reminded me of something from Love Tara. Partly, I guess, because she's backed on the album by old Eric's Trip partner Rick White, who takes care of bass and keyboards (she's still on guitar, voice). But mostly because it felt more tattered, less guarded. Speaking of which: The video for the track features drummer Fred Squire as an evil dentist, Doiron as one of a few tortured patients, and a giant struggle to save a magical golden tooth. Not what we expected, but now that we've seen it...

New Malajube Video - "Luna"

Francophonic BTW Malajube rung in their Tromp L'oiel followup with the fittingly titled Labyrinthes earlier this year with a live take on album standout "Hérésie" and a murderous video for "Porté Disparu." Now a day after getting another Polaris Prize nomination, the band returns with this video for the relatively catchy and not particularly labyrinthe "Luna," a swinging, piano-driven pop tune in which one of the lyrics is definitely "Luna." It features a despondent, high-diving heroine whose fantasies of synchronized swimming are rudely interrupted by a lifeguard doing his job. Bastard.

New Toro Y Moi - "Blessa"

Toro Y Moi is 23-year old Columbia, South Carolina multi-instrumentalist Chaz Bundick (good porn star name). He's been at Toro y Moi in one form or another since 2001, and recently signed to Carpark, who plan to release two full-lengths in 2010. As a warm up, the label's putting out a two-song single, each track representing one of the collections (as well as one track can represent many). The gauzy A-Side "Blessa" is perfect for a breezy summer afternoon, some kind of Animal Collective-via-bedroom J Dilla. The B-Side's called "109," which might as well stand for degrees. For now, here's "Blessa."

Quit Your Day Job: The Rayographs

At the beginning of the year, we said UK trio the Rayographs were a band worth watching. As mentioned then, guitarist/vocalist Astrud Steehouder conjures Grace Slick (or, to get more contemporary, Mira Billotte working with the Breeders) amid the band's dark psychedelia. They had a great first 7" then. There's a great second 7" out shortly. (Speaking of which, that first "Hidden Doors"/"Gold Light" single is up on iTunes as an EP with an extra track, "The Sea.") We'll have to wait a bit longer for a full-length debut -- they're recording it this summer -- but I have both of the new songs after my conversations with Steehouder and bassist/vocalist Jessamine Tierney about what they do for work: Tierney organizes drama/media/music projects at the Roundhouse and Steehouder's involved in music and DVD distribution/licensing. When we first spoke about doing the interview she said her contract was ending in a month ("Maybe I could start busking..."), but turns out said contract "just kept being extended," so she's still employed. Good news, but hopefully someone comes to their senses soon and signs the band so they can tour outside Europe, release that record, and take an extended vacation.

New Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - "Blanchard"

Mazzy Star are still together and close to finishing their fourth record, but since 1996's Among My Swan vocalist Hope Sandoval has been productive on her own, releasing an album with the Warm Inventions in 2001, and another now in 2009, along with a host of contributions to artists you love (Air, Chem Bros, Jesus & Mary Chain, etc.). The Warm Inventions are Hope and Colm Ó Cíosóig (who went from ex-My Bloody Valentine drummer to just plain old My Bloody Valentine drummer after that band's recent reunion), and the followup to their debut Bavarian Fruit Salad is titled Through The Devil Softly and is out this fall. The first MP3 to surface is the softly howling, heavy-lidded "Blanchard," Hope's voice sounding tenderly narcotic as ever.

Progress Report: Lou Barlow

NAME: Lou Barlow
PROGRESS REPORT: Releasing his 2nd solo LP, Goodnight Unknown, "deconstructing" his songs for live performance

Releasing your sophomore solo record might be nerve-wracking, unless you'd already released a ton of other LPs with Sebadoh, Sentridoh, Folk Implosion and Dinosaur Jr. For songwriter and serial project-starter Lou Barlow, finally slapping his birth name on an album (2007's Emoh) was a way to cut down on the clutter and start over, or at least get back the feeling of starting over. "The idea of using my name for the Emoh record was a desperate attempt to simplify after the confusing amount of side projects and bands I've had," he says. "It seemed my discography was working against me."

New Ducktails - "Parasailing"

Real Estate's Matt Mondanile continues exploring his blissed-out abstract/expansive sides in Ducktails and Predator Vision (a trio with another Real Estater Etienne Duguay). As the former, he has a new split with fellow Ridgewood New Jersey resident, Julian Lynch. (You might remember Lynch's, "Banana Jam Pt.1" and/or "Droplet On A Hot Stone" from Underwater Peoples' Summertime Showcase sampler.) For his contribution, Mondanile follows up the recently posted "Landrunner" with the airier, slowly unfurling "Parasailing." It's backed by Lynch's "Topi" and "Garden 2." Rounding it out, Real Estate frontman Martin Courtney did the cover art.

Bowerbirds Do Three In A Park In Vienna

Raleigh, North Carolina's lovebirds Bowerbirds have given us one of the year's best songs in "Northern Lights." Download it. That track's sadly absent from this string of live clips, although there's still plenty of gentle balladry herein to spend some time with. Here the band plays and sings while walking and frolicking in Austria for a session filmed by They Shoot Music. Yes, it sounds like a Take Away Show, and yes Bowerbirds have already done one of those. But that was drawn from the old, and these from the new -- the band's worthy, earthy love-folk LP Upper Air.

New Jay Reatard - "Wounded"

The forthcoming Watch Me Fall is Jay Reatard's proper Matador debut. As mentioned when we posted the frantic pop fatalism of "It Ain't Gonna Save Me," making an album for a specific label's inspired some soul searching on the part of the Memphis garage punk. Still, the promo cycle must go on: The second Watch Me Fall track comes complete with catchy acoustic guitars, an immediate snotty vocal line, and all kinds of jittery weirdness. I also wouldn't kick you out of the room if you spotted Ween in the higher pitched breakdowns or later enunciations.

Nump (Feat. M.I.A) - "Legalize My Medicine"

M.I.A. does verses on the chilly NORML-approved "Legalize My Medicine," the first single from Nump's Student Ov Da Game. It's not about Robitussin, peoples. Listen, download, and puff with a passion at Siccness (via Urb).

New Japancakes (Feat. Orenda Fink) Video - "Behind The Mountains (Stereogum Premiere)

We last saw Orenda Fink in the Lynchian, dreamily menacing video for "Permanent Scar," the lead track from the self-titled debut by O+S, her project with Scalpelist (aka Cedric LeMoyne of Remy Zero). Taking part in another collaboration, "Behind The Mountains" features her guest vocal turn with longstanding Athens instrumentalists Japancakes. It comes complete with Japancakes first ever video, an ethereal trek into some glittery, ribboned fairy realm created by director Ryan Berg. Visually Orenda's joined by Whitney Able, Kelly Boehmer, Shannon Malone, Elizabeth Hendrix, Laura Slade, and Kinsey Packard, but she's the only one actually singing.

New Terry Lynn & Johan Hugo - "Need To Find"

You know Johan as Radioclit, which is basically the very best DJ name. And you know Radioclit from The Very Best, the collab project Hugo has with Malawi's Esau Mwamwaya. This project pairs the UK-via-Sweden producer with Kingston's Terry Lynn, an ascendant voice in dancehall circles. The two have partnered on a new five-track album It Was Written, commissioned by Red Stripe as a celebration of "the worldwide influence, importance and appeal of the rhythms and pulse of Jamaican music." After a few spins I find myself repeating "Need To Find," which sounds like Ludacris's "Roll Out" bass line, stoned and rolled up into some textured, electro-fied reggae and Terry's soulful vocals. You'll find that, along with the lead single "Jamaican Girls," right here:

The 'Gum Drop XCV: Hear Chad VanGaalen's Black Mold, Win A Motorola Rival A455

Black Mold is the electronic project of 2009 Polaris Finalist Chad VanGaalen. Debut LP Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz (out 8/11 via Flemish Eye) is a collection of instrumental sounds created mostly via acoustic instruments, bells, vintage analogue/hand-built modular synths, etc. See, for example, the lovely, otherworldly cello explorations of opener "Metal Spider Webs." It premiered in this weeks' Drop. While we had him, we asked Chad about the song and the project. He let us know, among other things, about where he goes to "smoke tweezoids" and "trip out on potato bugs" and that he once "had a dream where Santa had a toy train coming out of his vagina loaded with toys." Take a look/listen.

This week we also offered the chance for three winners to take home a new Motorola Rival A455, "a loaded messaging machine that helps you out-thumb your friends."