Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Read about these cats in the latest Rolling Stone, and when I sampled I realized I had heard the song from the video below ("Home") just the other day on NPR's All Songs Considered. The band is led by Alex Ebert, the former frontman of the now defunct band IMA ROBOT (sidenote: it was at their concert that I met a young baby goose a.k.a. Ryan Gosling), although the sound is pretty far from Ebert's old gig. Sounds sort of like some Devendra Banhart-fronted Arcade Fire/Mamas & Papas family band? I don't know. Feels 60s commune-ish. Most reviews have found the album a little flat, but I like what I've heard so far, especially the song "Home," which sounds like a big band take on a She & Him tune.

Amazon Daily Deal: Julian Plenti Is...Skyscraper

Interpol frontman's solo debut is going for a few bucks over at Amazon. Recommended if you like Interpol (duh). Check it HERE.

New Modest Mouse Video: "King Rat" (directed by Heath Ledger)

This song has been floating around since about Modest Mouse's last album, but is set to appear on the new catch-all album No One's First, And You're Next, a comp of unreleased, b-sides, and rarities from the past decade. It gets the video treatment, courtesy of Heath Ledger and The Masses, a film/music company in which Heath was a partner.

The message seems pretty clear: whaling is bad.

Vinyl Alert: Air France limited pressing

Acephale Records is releasing Air France's first two (amazing) EP (On Trade Winds/No Way Down) on double 10" vinyl. Only 500 copies will be available with NO REPRESSINGS.

Pre-order here.

Blitzen Trapper: "Black River Killer"

BT is giving away this mp3 in the hopes that you'll buy the full EP that accompanies it (which comes with some extra tracks that were not on Furr). I posted the video a bit ago, but the song is too good to not to repost.

blitzen trapper :: black river killer

New Zach Condon/Beirut Instrumental Track: "The 11th Arrondissement"

Zach and Perrin Cloutier (both of the band Beirut) contributed this instrumental track to the soundtrack for upcoming Michael Cera meta-flick Paper Heart. It's short, but quite beautiful. You can stream it OVER HERE. You can also learn about the real 11th Arrondissement of Paris, which is also quite beautiful (yeah, I've been there before...no big deal), OVER HERE.

Back From The Dead

Sorry for the absence, y'all. I was in a dark place. I was like Frodo, trying to destroy the one ring in the fires of Mount Doom in the depths and the gloom of Mordor. For realz. But I'm back, and will be once again throwing news and music in yo collective faces.