Band of the Week: Heathers

Amid all the loud, raucous music I normally find myself listening to I sometimes find the need for a little bit of a break with something quieter, calmer, and far more mellow. This week I got that in the form of Heathers, two young Irish ladies who make lovely music with just an acoustic guitar and their powerful vocals. I was turned onto the duo when I saw a 'Pink Couch Session' they had done with If You Make It a while back, but I really started pouring over their 2008 release Here, Not There a short time ago. This record is full of amazing tunes sung with their simple, unadorned, but emotionally captivating voices. Aside from that there is little more then the steady strumming of an acoustic guitar to keep the music company but there doesn't need to be anything more. It's stripped down music at it's most basic form and for some reason it absolutely connects with me. I honestly have no one to compare these ladies to right now, in a world where every record has AutoTune or some sort of other effect this is a completely refreshing sound. Take a listen to one song, watch the video below, download it at iTunes, whatever just make sure that you make some room in your day today for Heathers!
Heathers - "Margie"
Heathers - "Slices of Palama"
Heathers on MySpace
Bonus Video:

(video from the awesome If You Make It website!)

Questionable Corner: Goes Cube

Matt Tyson, the main man behind the incomparable New York City music blog Ear Farm, has long been a friend of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted. He was part of the original After the Jump gang, and like most of us New York bloggers he could be found fairly regularly at all the same shows we all attend. A few months ago news came down that Matt Frey was leaving Goes Cube and was going to be replaced by Matt Tyson and we were all thrilled for Matt. That said we wanted to find out what it was like for a successful music blogger to go and join one of the bands he has voraciously covered over the years. Maybe it would be worth it to finally get myself some drum lessons! Here's a chat we recently had with Matt and make sure to check out Goes Cube's latest record Another Day Has Passed and to catch them when they hit a town near you!

PTST: You just recently joined up with the guys of Goes Cube, how's it going so far? Have they in anyway hazed you or initiated you at all?
Matt: It's going really well. We did a three week tour a month ago that had us play something like 18 shows in 21 days - some strange shows, some fantastic shows, some in-between shows. Then we came home to play an incredible show at Union Hall to friends and family and now we're writing new songs and consistently finding ourselves humbled at the press that's been written about the band and the debut album (lots of great stuff from the UK in particular). As far as hazing, not really, since I'd already toured with the band before and was friends with them, I wasn't "the new guy" per se and didn't have to do anything ridiculous that the other two guys weren't doing as well. That said, if you know how to play me against myself, you can pretty much elicit some self-hazery. Which the guys did towards the end of the tour by daring me to shotgun a warm Budweiser that had been in the van for two weeks while we were stuck in traffic on the highway (I wasn't driving). Like Marty McFly being called "chicken," I downed the nasty beer, gagged, and sat there proud of myself as the guys laughed hysterically.

PTST: What made you want to join Goes Cube? What made them want you? Did you have to audition for the role?
Matt: First of all: the music. It's loud, punishing, abrasive, melodic rock with metal tendencies and it hits on so many styles and sounds I've always loved to listen to - joining a band with a sound so tailor-made for me was a no brainer really. Especially considering that David and Kenny (guitar and drums, respectively) were already close friends of mine. And I think, speaking from my perspective, that's a lot of what made them want me to join the band when the original bassist Matt Frey decided he was going to leave. Goes Cube was always as much about friendship as it was about anything else; so, having me join kept the band's focus of 'three close friends making music' intact. In terms of trying out, I wasn't asked to do a formal audition, but when I was asked to join the band I kind of forced an audition on David and Kenny. Basically, I wanted them to consider what was best for the band, and to make sure they thought I'd work for Goes Cube from a playing standpoint. So I learned some songs and practiced with them once before "officially" joining.

PTST: If you had never covered the band for Ear Farm do you think this opportunity would have ever revealed itself?
Matt: No way. First of all, I met Goes Cube because I was at an Art of Shooting show to cover it for Ear Farm and saw Goes Cube play right before them. I wrote about both bands, focusing on Goes Cube, and then got to know the guys after that. If not for the blog though, I'd have just been another dude who saw the band and loved them and I doubt we'd have all gotten to know each other otherwise. I'm actually pretty shy outside of speaking on behalf of Ear Farm (or now Goes Cube).

PTST: What type of bass are you playing these days?
Matt: It's a black on black Fender Jazz '70s reissue.

PTST: I know you toured with the band as a blogger before this. How is it different touring as an outside member of the press then it is to actually be in the band?
Matt: The main difference? No nervousness or pre-show jitters before each show when you're not in the band. The first time around I was just hanging out with Goes Cube and documenting the experience. This time I had lots of stuff to remember and perform each night.

PTST: How do you think your new role in Goes Cube will affect your position at Ear Farm? Are you gonna be posting exclusive Goes Cube material all the time?
Matt: I've decided not to post anything about Goes Cube on Ear Farm other than factual references to the band and disclaimer notes telling people I'm in the band. Definitely won't be doing exclusive Goes Cube posts on EF anymore... hopefully we'll be able to find other sweet music blogs to do that kind of stuff with (wink wink).

PTST: Did you consider just quitting your work on Ear Farm as a result of your new role?
Matt: Never. Aside from the fact that I'm very interested to see how this 'music site run by two guys (the other main Ear Farmer, Mike, is in the band Mancino) who are in active bands' experiment plays out, I kind of think there will always be an Ear Farm. I'd love for the site to be much bigger than just me and feature all kinds of contributors with varied tastes, but ultimately all Ear Farm started as was a place for me to write about the music that is a part of my life. I expect that music will always be a part of my life; therefore, so will some manner of Ear Farming.

PTST: Do you think other bands are going to wind up looking at Goes Cube as the band with the blogger in it now, or do you think they'll be looking to you to possibly plug their bands too?
Matt: Honestly, I'm not sure how well-known it is now that "the guy from Ear Farm" is in "that band Goes Cube," so I can't say. But I really hope it doesn't impact how other bands approach getting in touch with me and sending me stuff to checkout.

PTST: Is it gonna be tough to get your blogging buddies to pay for Goes Cube shows?
Matt: Between blogging buddies who (rightly) might want a spot on a Goes Cube guest list, and any of the many many musicians who've put me on their own guest lists... there are quite a few people who probably expect a free pass into a Goes Cube show at some point. Maybe I'll put all of the old Goes Cube songs in a hat and have people draw them out like deli numbers to see who can be on each show's list. "Goes Cube Song 46? Now offering a guest list spot to the person holding Goes Cube Song 46...."

PTST: If you could have joined any other band that you have ever covered who would have joined and why?
Matt: Mancino. No wait, Morrissey's band for the cash money and chance to stand on stage and play Andy Rourke bass lines while Morrissey is performing in front of me... shit! I get chills just from playing "Barbarism Begins At Home" on headphones at home, can't imagine actually playing in THAT band. But yeah, after that, Mancino for the very same reasons I joined Goes Cube.

PTST: I can't imagine that Goes Cube is your first band. What other band experience do you have?
Matt: Lots. I started my first band when I was 13 and we sounded a lot like Poison and wrote one original song about sneaking out of the house, going to a party, and getting in a fight. From there I played in bands in high school and college that ranged from rip-offs of The Cure to alt-country stuff to heady synth based stuff along the lines of Animal Collective meets Trans Am. When I moved to New York I answered a Craigslist ad looking for a keyboard player and ended up backing up a singer/songwriter for a few shows. After that didn't work out I decided to ease up on the 'being in a band' thing and just messed around on my own at home until I joined Goes Cube this year. Frankly, I didn't think I'd ever be in another working band until a few months ago.

PTST: What are you looking forward to as a member of Goes Cube?
Matt: Everything. Right now we're working on writing some new songs, so that's been pretty awesome and I'm really looking forward to getting these and future new ones recorded at some point because Dean Baltulonis (producer/engineer) does such an amazing job in the studio with Goes Cube. Beyond that, I really can't wait for more tours (hopefully one soon to the UK!), New York shows, writing more songs... heck, I'm even looking forward to practice tonight as it'll be the first one we've done as a full band in a few weeks. Honestly, I'm looking forward to all of it. It's a real privilege to get to be in a band you love, playing music you love, with close friends - that's not at all lost on me.

PTST: Are you guys gonna be hitting the road at all this summer?
Matt: Indeed, we'll be doing a quick run up I-95 to Portland, Maine and back. Two shows we're way excited about: playing The Middle East in Boston with Moving Mountains and playing the Empire in Portland with Clues and Marie Stella.

PTST: Are you on the new album at all, or will you have to wait to be a part of the next one?
Matt: I'm not on the album that was just released, Another Day Has Passed, all of the bass parts on that were done by Matt Frey. So in terms of hearing me play with Goes Cube, you'll have to come on out to one of the shows or just wait for our second album. Which, hopefully, won't be a very long wait.

PTST: What's next for Ear Farm?
Matt: Well, other than our normal posts and features... we're actively looking to expand our roster of contributors, about to roll out a slightly-tweaked redesign of the site, already looking towards putting on a sweet CMJ show, and considering other ways to get awesome music in front of smart people with good taste. Plus, a few other things too. Secret things! Stay tuned to Ear Farm in the coming months to find out...

Listen: Goes Cube - "The Only Daughter"
Goes Cube - "Song 57"

Upcoming Shows:
July 30th @ The Middle East Boston, MA
July 31st @ Empire Portland, ME
Sept. 26th @ Webster Hall New York, NY

Blast from the Past: Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American

Listening to Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American won't take you way back to the sounds of your childhood. It won't make you nostalgic for a time long gone and far from memory, but it will bring back the some of the earliest memories we have of this decade. It was a time where George Bush just looked like a silly choice for President, not someone that would for all intents and purposes ruin our nation. We were coming out of a prosperous run there for a while and though the popular music of the time leaves more then a lot to be desired there were a few minor bright spots before that New York resurgence really kicked in.

Obviously this is as emo an album as one can possibly, I won't sugarcoat it and I know I'm not supposed to like the album, but after hearing "The Middle" on WXRP the other day I felt compelled to listen to the record once again and of course one thing led to another led to this. Bleed American, now known as a self-titled album thanks to September 11th, was a top to bottom crowd pleasing record. It had hooks and tunes that could be sung along with by absolute morons and it had a music video with half naked people when music videos still mattered. It all added up to a really successful record, one that went platinum and actually got some pretty decent reviews across the board. Of course we were comparing it to the likes of N*Sync, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, and more.

My personal memories of Bleed American also run towards the MTV world as the band played a special $2 Bill show at Irving Plaza to celebrate the success that they were having. I managed to score tickets and passed one on to my little brother, even though he was already knee deep in the indie rock scene. My brother "lost" his ticket and it wound up being the first of many shows that I went to by myself. It was a freeing experience being at a show and not knowing anyone there. I could push to the front or stay in the back and wound up staying at the stage throughout a very solid show. It was a great time and I sung my heart out when "The Middle" and "Sweetness" were played.

Listening to Bleed American now I can still sing along with every word on the album, I'm not ashamed to say it my head has the lyrics glued in for good and I was really excited when it came on the radio the other day. Sometimes music reminds us of things and I have a lot of positive memories surrounding Jimmy Eat World even if most indie die hards would scoff at such a notion.
Jimmy Eat World - "A Praise Chorus"
Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
Jimmy Eat World - "Your House"
Jimmy Eat World - "Sweetness"

Tuesday's Recommended Release

For one reason or another there are certain songs and albums that demand to be a soundtrack for your summer. Whether they are big hits that are played on the radio all summer long or intimate tunes placed on a mix tape by a summer lover they will forever be etched in your memory as a huge part of the Summer of Whenever. After this year a lot of us will be looking back at the Summer of '09 with the music of Discovery playing in the background of all the great memories. The album screams summer, from its colorful cover right down to the summer electro-pop found all over the record.

Of course the story behind Discovery is almost as compelling as the pop music on the record. Started by Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend, the electro-pop project was supposed to be an outlet for the duo's R&B leanings while away from their full-time projects. It wound up taking the two three years to compile enough material for an album, but now that LP is playing on our turntables we're pretty excited about the three years of work these guys poured into this.

Kicking off with three fantastic tunes, "Orange Shirt", "Osaka Loop Line", and "Can You Discover?", the band immediately hooks itself into your regular listening with programmed beats meant to move your feet and synthed up vocals you can actually sing along to. It helps that "Can You Discover?" is a new take on Ra Ra Riot's classic "Can You Tell" to add a bit of familiarity to the project. But as we go deeper into the album we realize that none of this is a fluke, these boys genuinely know their way around a pop music and show it off at every turn.

Wes and Rostam didn't just stick to their own celebrity appeal either, bringing in Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) and Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors) in for two brilliant tracks. Ezra in particular uses his guest spot to have a bit of fun with AutoTune on a track that would not have been out of place on Kanye's 808's & Heartbreak. But the biggest celebrity nod of them all is the duo's cover of The Jackson 5's " I Want You Back", a slowed down version with some robot-o-fied vocals taking the place for Michael Jackson's smooth delivery. Obviously this tune was recorded and in place well before the tragedy of Michael's passing, but with the record hitting a week after it it seems perfectly timed to help realize the unifying reach of Michael's musical genius.

Summer is supposed to be a time for fun and excitement, music is supposed to make it that much better, and Discovery manages to come through with a fine summer soundtrack.

Discovery by PopTarts

(Editor's Note: Hey folks, in case you haven't noticed with this post I'm trying out something new with a SoundCloud widget. I think I'm gonna go with it all this week and if everyone likes it keep on with it. So let me know what you think, hate it, love it, indifferent, doesn't matter just leave me note telling me.)

This Week's Live Picks

Monday: Afro-Punk Fest @ Brooklyn Academy of Music 3pm FREE
If you were looking for a way to keep the holiday weekend going today you don't have to look very far at all. Day three of the Afro-Punk Festival will be going strong all day in Brooklyn and is headed up by the best musician of the whole fest, the incomparable Janelle Monae! Seriously folks, she may not be my normal cup of tea but she positively blew my mind when I saw her in Austin! Check it out!
Janelle Monae - "Many Moons"

Tuesday: The Secret Life of Sofia @ Cake Shop 8pm $7
It's always fun to get a chance to see The Secret Life of Sofia, but when they play smaller venues like the Cake Shop it makes it all the more fun. Considering last time they played they were at the way more spacious Bell House it may be time to check this band out in a small venue if I were you.
The Secret Life of Sofia - "Moon on the Sea's Gate"

Wednesday: The Sundelles, Little Girls, + Browns @ Cake Shop 8pm $7
Before the weekend takes over with a slew of free shows cough up less then a Hamilton to get in and see this three-headed bill! All of these bands will rock you out! Seriously.
The Sundelles - "So Long"
Little Girls - "Tambourine"
Browns - "Forgotten Son"

Thursday: Matt & Kim @ Pier 54 6pm FREE
Today Hudson River Rocks kicks off with a wonderful free show featuring Flosstradamus and Matt & Kim! Since Matt & Kim went and got themselves huge it's no longer possible to see them in cramped, super small venues with everyone going crazy, so the next best thing would be seeing them under a setting sun with everyone going crazy!
Matt & Kim - "Daylight"

Friday: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ South Street Seaport 6pm FREE
Week 2 of the Seaport Friday's brings us one of the best young bands in New York City these days, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. With their heartfelt, lovely pop tunes this is the type of show that will be perfect for the early evening backdrop of Pier 17. Zaza and Ribbons open the show.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Everything With You"

Saturday: They Might Be Giants @ Prospect Park 3pm FREE
Are you worn out from all these free shows yet? Hopefully not, there's still a couple more to go! Today They Might Be Giants head to Prospect Park to help Celebrate Brooklyn with a free show for the kids. I don't think you need a kid to show up though and that's good because even if they're playing their kiddie anthems They Might Be Giants are still a band worth seeing.
They Might Be Giants - "Lucky Ball and Chain"

...then Japandroids @ Pianos 8pm $8
A few months ago Japandroids were supposed to be hitting New York for the first time as the buzz band du jour. That tour got canceled due to surgery though and now they'll be playing a bunch of shows at venues way to small for them! Good luck getting in and surviving the pressing crowds of people.
Japandroids - "Young Hearts Spark Fire"

Sunday: Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, Ponytail, + Jemina Pearl @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2pm FREE
The pool may be busy turning back into a pool, but the Pool Parties will live on for another summer at a different venue! The folks that got us to show up at McCarren Park Pool week after week have shifted to the Williamsburg Waterfront and if you haven't already seen the lineup it may just be the best overall lineup they've ever given us. This week we get Matador staples Mission of Burma and Fucked Up, Baltimore upstarts Ponytail, and the former Be Your Own Pet front woman Jemina Pearl! Get there early to ensure entry!
Mission of Burma - "Fever Moon"
Fucked Up - "Son the Father"
Ponytail - "Celebrate the Body Electric"
Jemina Pearl - "Nashville Shores"

Here We Go Magic @ South Street Seaport 07.03

It may have come a month later then it normally does, but summer has finally arrived in New York City. The weather is finally warming up and after Jay Reatard's free show on Wednesday evening the South Street Seaport kicked off their annual run of Friday nights with a great free show from Here We Go Magic. Sure the 32oz. beers have gone up in price to $4.50 and the crowd may have sat through the entire opening set by Bachelorette, but it was still a summer evening on the Seaport's boardwalk and what a blast it was!

For me the big thing was hanging with friends and drinking 96oz. of beer, but Here We Go Magic made sure we did all that with some fantastic tunes. I spoke of their live set earlier this year, musically they are sharp as knives but on stage their music is so intricate that they have to focus on it and wind up just standing behind their instruments. That's a bit of a bummer, but the Seaport sound system has been improved by leaps and bounds, you could actually hear the vocal harmonies yesterday and the sounds provided were pretty fantastic.

It was a bit of a sleepy evening thanks to the muted sounds of the two bands, but it was fun to be under a lovely early evening sky and be outside enjoying some free music once again! Next week we get three bands, Zaza, Ribbons, and of course The Pains of Being Pure at Heart! Be there!

Top 20 Matador Albums of All-Time

For the past few years it has seemed like Matador Records and the 4th of July went hand in hand, with Matador artists normally taking over the wonderful, free River to River show celebrating our Nation's birth. This year instead of one of the brilliant members of the Matador stable we're being given Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band which while exciting and fun is far removed from the usual Matador excitement. Still, this being the 20th anniversary of Matador Records we thought now we would be a good time to look back at the very best records the label has put out. Hope you enjoy the list and please feel free to chime in in the comments as to your own favorite Matador Records!

20. Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life; Just last year Matador Records made quite a splash with a few of it's newest signees, bands like Times New Viking, Jaguar Love, and Jay Reatard. The best of the new class of Matador bands happened to be a crazed hardcore band whose name is normally not fit for print - Fucked Up. This band exploded onto the scene with the brilliant, loud, and blistering The Chemsitry of Common Life, an album that holds nothing back and wraps itself around you suffocating you as you bounce around to the sounds. It was often a bit overlooked and underrated last year, but I have no doubt that their next Matador release will once again blow minds. Give it another 20-years and this album will quickly move much higher up on this list, for now we'll use it as a great place to kick off the list.
Fucked Up - "No Epiphany"

19. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Now I Got Worry; There must be some debate out there as to which album was truly the Blue Explosion's best, but for my money this one wins hands down every time. It is the one album that comes closest to capturing the power of the Blues Explosion's dynamic, raucous live shows and one that keeps Jon Spencer's often campy posturing hidden underneath some ferocious, wailing guitar parts. This is a bluesy as anything the band ever did, but it also straight rocks thanks to those incredible guitars and the barked vocals of Jon Spencer. This is a great record for sure.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - "Dynamite Lover"

18. Cornelius Point; The sound style of Cornelius has always been cut and paste, using bits of sounds and genres to create and overlapping and cohesive sounding record. The funny thing is throughout a good portion of his records you can feel the whole cut and paste thing a little too much making the record feel like a collage rather then a whole. But on Point the Japanese artist put together his most seamless and whole record. It's a record that uses not only music, but sounds found out in the world as well as electronic sounds to create something rhythmic and full of pulse pounding beauty.
Cornelius - "Drop"

17. Matmos A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure; As good as the overall music on A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure is the whole concept behind the album really adds something to the overall enjoyment of the record. The idea that all the sounds pieced and played together were recorded in a number of operating rooms during nose jobs and liposuctions is pretty fucking amazing! That it came out sounding like a cohesive dance record instead of some hokey shtick is even more amazing, so a lot of credit must be given to the guys of Matmos for trying and succeeding at making this concept album. The record is pretty incredible even if you don't know the back story, but once you do it is doubly impressive in every way.
Matmos - "L.A.S.I.K."

16. Belle & Sebastian The Boy with the Arab Strap; When talking about Matador Records people generally start with one of two bands, either we name drop Pavement or we start sharing stories of why we love Belle & Sebastian so much. Fittingly these are the only two bands with more then one record on this list and here's Belle & Sebastian's first appearance. Most people hail The Boy with the Arab Strap as a fantastic album, Pitchfork and Arab Strap excluded, and it flat out is. This was the first album the band actually released here in the U.S. so for a lot of us it was our first taste of the Scott's and their mopey, yet addictive music.
Belle & Sebastian - "The Boy With the Arab Strap"

15. Stephen Malkmus Face the Truth; As a member of Pavement Stephen Malkmus has always faced unfair expectations in his solo work and his work with the Jicks. Over the course of a couple of albums, the self-titled record and Pig Lib, Malkmus got solid reviews that explained to people why these records weren't as good as what Pavement had done. It wasn't until 2005's Face the Truth that people started to realize Pavement weren't coming back and Malkmus' solo songwriting was brilliant enough on its own to be worthy of our attention. Yeah, this record is flat out better then his first two post-Pavement records but I think people should have given him more of a shot straight out of the box. Whatever, Malkmus is still doing pretty well in the world of music.
Stephen Malkmus - "Loud Loud Crowd"

14. AC Newman Slow Wonder; Carl Newman is one of those artists that have helped define the '00's and the indie rock sound that has become so prevalent during the decade. Whether he was doing it solo or as a member of The New Pornographers didn't really matter because you knew that no matter what Newman was gonna put his all into the songs he was writing and make something that sounds pretty above all. On Slow Wonder Newman showed that it wasn't all about the other moving parts in New Pornographers, the Neko Cases and the Dan Bejars, but that it was as much about Newman himself. The songs on this album are short, clear, concise, pretty, and instantaneous, it doesn't take long to be engrossed in the melodies and lyrics and once they are over they stay with you for a long, long time.
AC Newman - "Miracle Drug"

13. Pavement Brighten the Corners; I will freely admit to anyone reading that Brighten the Corners is my least favorite Pavement album ever made. It would also probably make my Top 100 favorite albums of all-time too. Pavement are just that good and there's no denying it. Yeah I'm spoiling a lot with that lead in all five Pavement albums will appear on this list and they all deserve to be here. When I started making this list (and the one for Merge that I'll post later this month) I thought about limiting each band to one album, but that was foolish. Pavement are the very definition of what it is to be a Matador Band, without them there's a very real possibility that the label would have folded early in the 90's or not mattered at all. Okay, that's probably an exaggeration but not by much.
Pavement - "Date With Ikea"

12. Pavement Terror Twilight; By 1999 most of the members of Pavement had turned 30 and started families. They had spread across the country and had already made a bunch of landmark albums, so after recording Terror Twilight the band decided that was it and called it quits. This year happens to mark the 10-year anniversary of the last album and I'm sure Matador will be reissuing it soon enough. Terror Twilight finds the band using better recording equipment and cleaner takes then ever before revealing everything there is to know about the band one last time before they left us. They continue to show us the wit we've come to love, they definitely rock, but it's all much prettier then it has ever been before. Of course if you heard Brighten the Corners you would have seen this all coming, the higher quality recordings and all, but it was still a bit shocking to hear and a little weird that it stands as Pavement's final statement.
Pavement - "Spit On A Stranger"

11. Mission of Burma OnOffOn; If you wanna blame a band for all the comebacks that have been going down the last few years I think you should probably point the blame at Mission of Burma. The Boston band called it quits way back in 1983 due mainly to Roger Miller's terrible case of tinnitus (wear ear plugs kids!) only to resurface for a tour in 2002. It was a massive success as fans of the band flocked to see their wild, loud shows and to see songs they had grown to love performed live just one time. Lucky for all of us the band has hung around since, touring and even recording new stuff for us all to digest. The pinnacle of this comeback has definitely been 2004's OnOffOn, and album that picks up perfectly where the band left off with their debut album Vs.. It's an album full of post-punk goodness from one of the early pioneers of the genre.
Mission of Burma - "Fake Blood"

10. The New Pornographers Twin Cinema; Canada has spent a good portion of the past decade dominating the world of indie rock. Their bands have perfected the sound that so many have come to love and they truly have owned the past ten years. The New Pornographers somehow manage to take that dominance once step further by putting together some of the finest pieces of Canadian music in one place. Led by AC Newman the supergroup features tons of talent including Neko Case, Dan Bejar, and more that work together to perform some of the most syrupy and addictive indie pop these ears have ever heard. Twin Cinema is definitely their finest hour with an album full of classic tunes each strong enough to be a single. The tunes are easy to sing-a-long with, follow in the style of so many that have come before, and yet are impossible to forget once you've heard them. These guys are the Yankees of Canadian indie rock.
The New Pornographers - "Twin Cinema"

9. Cat Power You Are Free; Before she got clean and started actually performing at her shows Chan Marshall was better known for not performing, or when she did doing so half assed but still barring her soul in the process. You Are Free was released right as Marshall was coming out of those self destructive times. It was an album that saw Marshall battling her demons very publicly and with unmistakable beauty. You Are Free sounds like a transformative album because in every it was for the artist known as Cat Power, people began to notice her for the music once again rather then the horror stories of disaster that had followed her for so long. If you look past the place holder cover records this wound up being the sophomore release for Cat Power, the follow up to the amazing Moon Pix and in almost every way it bettered everything about the debut. A lot of people might prefer The Greatest but You Are Free is the better, deeper record.
Cat Power - "Free"

8. Pavement Wowee Zowee; If you listen to the Pavement catalog will notice a lot of change and a lot of experimentation with sound. The band started out tinkering and toying with everything they could before straightening out for Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, an album a lot of people credit for breaking the band through to a bigger audience though not quite the mainstream. This was of course followed up with Wowee Zowee, a record that immediately reverted back to the spontaneous, experimental Pavement. Some people attribute the switch back as an aversion to success, and really what else could it be seen as? The band easily could have made another record that sounded like Crooked Rain, they didn't because they didn't want to make that record again. Instead they tinkered with their sound and played and must have enjoyed the fuck out of it, but somehow they made a really good fucking album anyway.
Pavement - "Rattled By The Rush"

7. Interpol Turn On the Bright Lights; New York at the turn of the century was a fun place to be for music fans. While the rest of the country fawned over nu-metal stars and boy bands we were treated to a renaissance of cool bands led by The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, Liars, and TV on the Radio. These bands are still cool, people will drop their shit if another Strokes album ever hits and people went ape shit for a really solid album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs earlier this year, but none of them had as impressive a debut as Interpol did. When Turn On the Bright Lights was released in 2002 there were battling sides of people calling them overhyped and people who absolutely loved the music. Listening to it now you can't help but realize that this band really were making some amazing music. Sure, they've never quite reached the same heights with any of their successive albums, but how many records do you own that are as good as this one?
Interpol - "PDA"

6. Guided By Voices Alien Lanes; Guided By Voices started their life with Matador Records with the unenviable task of trying to follow-up Bee Thousand, a record that still stands as probably the finest moment of their prolific existence. That said they did an admirable job with Alien Lanes, an album that continues with the lo-fi sound that had honed for years and Robert Pollard's biting lyrics. Obviously it must have been a little tough for Pollard and company to follow up Bee Thousand, especially when you consider they took almost a full year to put out their next album which is virtually unheard of for Guided By Voices. Still there's more then a handful of great tunes on Alien Lanes and I'm sure there's more then a few people that prefer it to Bee Thousand. I'm not one of those people, but I love this album anyway.
Guided By Voices - "A Salty Salute"

5. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville; Know what must suck? Making your debut album your best record. You set the bar insanely high, like so high you'll never be able to come close to it again. Then you spend the next decade trying to redefine yourself or change your sound a little bit only to realize people just wanna hear that first album that you made. Well fuck if that doesn't blow, but how awesome must it be to be able to say your first record is one of the great modern rock records. Yeah, Liz Phair's gotta deal with all that because she went and made Exile in Guyville before she made anything else but she also made Exile in Guyville so let's all remember that when we're talking about Liz. Not that her other albums are awful (some are), they're just not Exile in Guyville, not even close.
Liz Phair - "6'1"

4. Yo La Tengo I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One; For ten years Yo La Tengo worked as one of the underrated indie rock bands of the late 80's and early 90's. While other bands rode the grunge wave to new levels of success Yo La Tengo didn't quite get to ride the same wave but kept making good album after good album. Then 10-years after they first released a record the band went out and released I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One and created one of the finest indie rock records ever put together from start to finish. Then again I can probably say that about all of the records in this here top 10. Still this record showed off the depth and dexterity of Yo La Tengo like none of their previous records ever had. It had cover tunes, some of their finest originals, and truly no weak tracks from start to finish.
Yo La Tengo - "Green Arrow"

3. Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister; Ah the last non-Pavement spot on my list of Matador's best releases ever! Makes sense that it's going to the only other band with two albums on the countdown, and what a great album If You're Feeling Sinister is. Forget that Jack Black thinks it's "sad bastard music" and acknowledge all the beautiful pop pieces at play here. Listen as Stuart serenades us with his beautiful broque, and the amazing words written throughout this record. It's enough to make a boy or a girl or a boy/girl swoon. This is as good as indie pop could ever be, it is the true pinnacle of the genre and will never be topped. You folks can keep trying but you're just not gonna get there! Seriously!
Belle & Sebastian - "The Boy Done Wrong Again"

2. Pavement Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain; In their brief time as a band there was no shortage of changes for Pavement. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was probably the first big example of their willingness to redefined themselves from album to album. After the relative success of their debut album, Slanted & Enchanted, the band went and jettisoned their drummer (Gary Young), got rid of their lo-fi sound for a more refined production style, added Mark Ibold on bass, and percusionist Bob Nastonovich. Big changes for a band on just it's second record but all those switches made for a more straight forward rock album, one that would sell a couple hundred thousand copies and have an actual single for people to sing along with! It's a great record no arguments necessary, but I have to think that a lot of Pavement fans probably wonder what would have happened had they continued along the path of Slanted & Enchanted. True, they'd be a totally different band but would we like them more or less for it?
Pavement - "Cut Your Hair"

1. Pavement Slanted & Enchanted; For many people Slanted & Enchanted stands as the American rock album of the 90's. It is supposedly our answer to OK Computer only it came out 5-years earlier and directly influenced Radiohead's first two albums. Go figure. Whatever, while people at parties were playing albums by Nirvana and Pearl Jam and everyone was going ape shit over the new alternative sound Pavement were keeping alive indie rock with their lo-fi sound that anyone could have done. The thing is not everyone did, instead people aped the garage sound and started rapping over metal records, leaving a whole generation of kids that would idolize Pavement and grow up to take over the internets and the 21st centuries version of the music business. Okay, that's exaggerated but it's damn close to true and it is all because of this record. So....suck it Nevermind! (Just kidding, I love Nirvana too)
Pavement - "Fame Throwa"

Questionable Corner: The Radical Sons

So about two weeks ago I posted this interview with The Radical Sons in advance of their New York City shows. Well Blogger decided it would be a good post to delete despite me having permission to post the mp3's I did. Well even though I have been diligently saving all of my posts to re-up them once they're taking down I missed this one so it took me a little longer to get back up and I forget what my intro was. Whatever, the band e-mailed me about why it came down and seemed upset that it was taken down so it's going back up with this new intro! Please don't delete my post again!
PTST: You guys hail from St. Louis which isn't necessarily thought of as a musical hotbed. How did you guys come to form a band, and what led you towards the indie aesthetic as opposed to emo or alt-country or something more prevalent?
Radical Sons: I think the reason I was drawn towards indie rock was firstly because I really disliked the kids in school who were into the whole Nu Metal tough guy rap stuff. And I equally disliked the whiny emo stuff as well. I just didn't fit in with either category. I wasn't really into music until I was about 12. Within the course of a month I got into The Velvet Underground, Television, White Stripes, Nirvana, & a bunch of other great bands. Once I would get into one band I would immediately look up their influences and download that stuff. File sharing definitely played a major part in my music discovery.

PTST: How did you guys get together? Is this your first band?
Radical Sons: Radical Sons formed originally as The Overtones when we were like 15. I had wanted to start a band for a long time and had been using the Overtones name for a while for various projects with different kids I knew and just my home made demo stuff. We all met through mutual friends and began hanging out in the St. Louis loop skateboarding and recording shopping and other stuff like that. Around that time I decided to get serious about doing the band and asked those guys to join. About a year and half ago we decided to change the name to Radical Sons because things were getting more serious with the band and we all agreed The Overtones was a really lame name.

PTST: You guys are fairly young but you've already opened up for some pretty cool bands, who was the coolest band you've had the chance to open for so far?
Radical Sons: I would say the coolest band we played with was definitely Be Your Own Pet just because we went on to become really good friends with those kids and got to play with all their other bands after that show.

PTST: A lot of blogs are tossing around a lot of comparisons when talking about The Radical Sons, I myself likened you to The Velvet Underground and Television. Do you guys generally consider these comparisons to be accurate? Were these bands big influences of yours? What modern bands do you feel are influencing you guys right now?
Radical Sons: While we are totally into the whole velvets NYC 70's rock thing, that is definitely not the only stuff we are into. We are also super into weirder early 80's no wave noise stuff as well as old 50's doo wop records . As far as modern bands go I think Deerhunter is really doing some of the best stuff out there especially that new EP they just did (Rainwater Cassette Exchange). Bradford Cox is just a really great performer as well. I saw him with our bassist Geoff a few years ago during the Cryptograms Tour and he scared the shit out of us. He was in a dress, screaming, and crawling on the floor banging a guitar. I had never seen anything like that before or felt that way at a concert. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen. His solo Atlas Sound stuff is great as well.

PTST: Is there a St. Louis music scene that you guys are a part of? Who are your favorite bands from your hometown?
Radical Sons: The St. Louis music scene is weird. There definitely is a group of indie rock bands there and somewhat of a community, but so many of the bands who get really good get discouraged and just break up after a year or two. St. Louis is really overlooked by the national music blogs or magazines, so the bands who don't tour just get stuck in this rut of playing to the same people all the time at the same clubs and get bored. There is definitely a lot of great music coming form the city though. I would recommend So Many Dynamos, Jumbling Towers, & Cameron Matthews. Those are some of my favorites.

PTST: You guys are releasing your debut EP on St. Ives, how did you guys come to sign with them? How do you guys feel about being on the label so far?
Radical Sons: We played a show in Bloomington Indiana last winter and some of the guys from Secretly Canadian came out to see it and we got to talking with them about doing something with their St. Ives label. We jumped at the chance to do it because we are huge fans of past bands they have worked with. They have been great to work with and are a great label. We couldn't be happier with the way the record turned out. They will be for sale at our shows this week!

PTST: Are you guys excited to be playing up here in New York? Outside of playing your shows is there anything you're looking forward to seeing/doing while in New York?
Radical Sons: We love NYC and can't wait to just hang out with our friends who live up there. There is also always coo' shows to check out and we can't wait to see Girls, Paper Chase & Free Energy at Mercury. That will be great, we always love checking out the other bands we are playing with. Our only complaint with NYC is that most of the shows are 21 up. Besides that it is the best. So much musical history took place here and its a lot of fun to read stuff about the Velvet Underground, Ramones, Television, Cro Mags, etc, then walk around where that stuff happened.

PTST: After these New York dates there seems to be nothing left on your schedule, do you guys have any plans for the summer?
Radical Sons: After this tour our future plans are to start demoing some stuff for a full LP and then just keep setting touring and plugging away at Radical Sons.

Listen: Radical Sons - "I'm So Sick of the 21st Century"
Radical Sons - "Throwing Knives"

Jay Reatard @ Music on the Oval 07.01

The summer of free shows has finally begun. Today the folks at JellyNYC announced their new lineup of Pool Parties and last night Jay Reatard played a free outdoor show at Music on the Oval, a concert series that is put on at the residential neighborhood known as Stuy Town. It was a little weird walking into a space for a Jay Reatard show and seeing swarms of little kids and their parents lying in the grass waiting to have their faces melted by Jay Reatard, but there were young rocks and hipsters milling about waiting to take over once the show started as well, so I guess that put some of us at ease. Oh, they also had the Treats Truck and the Rickshaw Truck!

As for the music Jay Reatard went ahead and played for longer then I've ever seen him play, though he managed to play only a couple of tunes from his Matador Singles and absolutely nothing from his forthcoming new album. That was a little disappointing and the sound at Music on the Oval was pretty poor as well. Vocals were pushed way to far up in the mix, the drums were mic'd terribly, and they had bass problems throughout the first half of the set. That said, the energy of Jay and his bassist definitely carry the show to a better place despite all the sound places and a few people towards the front even tried to start a circle pit for a few songs.

It was a weird start to the summer concert season, but then what would you expect sticking Jay Reatard under a warm sun and in front of young kids! I hope the dude got paid well, because it was proof that the only place to see Jay Reatard is somewhere cramped, dark, and sweaty!

Just in case you wanna hear the set yourself NYCTaper did the honor of recording it! Check it here!

Band of the Week: Holiday Shores

You guys should probably get used to hearing a couple of fairly new names around these parts. The first of the names is twosyllable records a somewhat new Brooklyn label that is quickly making a splash by signing up buzzy acts like Bell, New Villager, and That Ghost to make an immediate splash on the indie scene. The other name you may want to know is their latest signee Holiday Shores, a Floridian band that revels like so many do in the lo-fi, reverb drenched sounds that are so prevalent these days. Yes, a lot of people are making sounds like these ones, but it doesn't mean they are all doing it well. Holiday Shores are definitely doing it right though.

Their trippy, poorly recorded sound is dreamy and full of ambient textures that make you feel like you're spending the holiday weekend on the beach. Their name is literal and considering what weekend is upon us it makes a lot of sense to spotlight them this week. Beyond those campy circumstances this band is truly fantastic. Their sound can range from dreamy and slow building to flat out rockers built on pop sensibilities that were stolen from years of listening to the best of the 60's pop rockers. It's the kind of music you can sit and chill to or totally freak out about, I'm kind of doing both right now.

Holiday Shores will be releasing their debut record, the positively amazing Columbus'd The Win. This record is full of tunes that will have you wanting more and more from the young band, and hopefully they will give in and feed us more of these wonderful sounds. Until then we have found a record that will soundtrack the rest of our summer and probably a good portion of our fall and winter!
Holiday Shores - "Phones Don't Feud"
Holiday Shores - "Edge Of Our Lives"
Holiday Shores on MySpace
Bonus Video!

Questionable Corner: Those Darlins'

Those Darlins have created quite a splash so far this year. With just a three song demo and a reputation as a crazy ass live band these three ladies from Murfreesboro, Tennessee quickly became a band to watch. Since then they have tour relentlessly and somehow found time to record their full length debut! The self-titled debut will be available on Tuesday July 7th and is a record you absolutely must add to your collection (it's already available on vinyl!). Oh and true to their reputation Those Darlins are still touring an insane amount including two shows in New York on July 9th and 10th. The rest of the tour dates are down below the interview so make sure you read the whole thing, download the first single from the new album, and buy your tickets to see Those Darlins when they stop at a town near you!

PTST: It seems like a lot of people, myself included, are really excited to hear your debut full length. How does the new record compare with your three song EP? Is there any change in the style or sound, or did you guys stick to what you were doing on the EP?
Those Darlins: The sound on the album is more varied and diverse than the EP which draws from a lot of classic country music. There are more influences represented such as 60's girl groups, garage rock and punk. We used a lot of different instrumentation with more backing vocals, string arrangements, and auxiliary instruments. Being a relatively new band, our sound has changed over the course of the recording sessions which took about 9 months to complete. We would travel to NYC for a few days and work on some songs and tour our way back so a lot of the new material was tested out on the road as we were thinking about how to communicate the music on record. During that time, we added drums as a permanent fixture in the live show and this changed some of the options we had on guitar, adding distortion pedals and a more amped up sound.

PTST: What made you choose to self-title the album? Were there any other titles discussed?
Those Darlins: Well, we had our hearts set on calling the album "In The Wilderness" for a very long time. And we kind of started making a general theme to go along with that concept. Since we had started in Tennessee and came to New York to record, a lot of the songs on the album kind of reflected that transition. It seemed perfect since we kind of grew up in the wilderness and the ironic thing was that NYC seemed more like the jungle to us. We did some instrumental noise jams to use or interludes, where we made up stories like 'we are lost on a deserted island, we're very uneasy, but not totally freaked out yet' and then we all played whatever we thought that would sound like. In the end we didn't focus on the wilderness concept as much, and instead focused on making a bold statement that represents us with our debut. We decided that naming it Those Darlins was a classic way of making a strong impression of ourselves and the music we created.

PTST: Back in March you ladies did a Daytrotter session with a few previously unreleased tracks, can we expect to see these on the new album?
Those Darlins: Yes. There’s a noisy version of "Who's That Knockin' On My Window" on the album, a stripped down version of "Glass to You", and one of our singles, "Red Light Love".

PTST: Everyone knows about Nikki, Kelley, & Jessi Darlin, but it seems that no one ever talks
about your fourth member, who is he? Does he get to use the Darlin moniker as his last name as well? What's it like for him to be the only dude in the van?
Those Darlins: Sherrif Lin is his OWN ENTITY! and thank you for asking about him! He is a great friend of ours and he was also our roommate at the time we were searching for a drummer. He is a songwriter, singer, and guitar player mainly, so we didn't initially even consider him for the job. That is, until one day our manager pointed out that he's a badass drummer as well, so we asked him to try it out and he's perfect! He is not the only boy in the van, we have our tour manager Captain Byron, and they constantly annoy the crap out of us. But at least they have each other to hold at night.

PTST: If you guys were on this side of the table, how would you describe the sound of Those
Darlins?
Those Darlins: Stand up comedy - with a twist.

PTST: Growing up what did you spend time listening to? Has that had an effect on the sound of
the band at all?
Those Darlins: We listened to a lot of 60's rock and roll, and were glued to the oldies station. Lots of pop groups and girls singing in sugary harmony. Later we got into louder rock and roll, more garage and punk. Eventually we found our way to the classic country. It definitely influenced us.

PTST: You guys have toured relentlessly recently, do you ever get tired of being on the road and just yearn for home?
Those Darlins: Nope! We all live together in the same house, so getting home from tour is like being on tour, except a slightly bigger space and not as interesting. We love touring, it is our life, and every town we go to, every show we play, there is an excitement about what may lay in store. It's the best job in the world. The only thing I miss about my home are my friends...and my bed. But I hardly even think of home until I get back and I remember it is there! I guess I'm a bit of a nomad by nature.

PTST: What have you guys been listening to on the road these days?
Those Darlins: We make mixed tapes. Lin makes great ones. Everything... Iggy and the Stooges, Joe Meek, Velvet Underground, The Byrds, Black Lips, King Khan (whether it be with the Shrines or BBQ), Stones, Richard Hell, Johnny Thunders, The Cascades, Red Sovine, The Shirelles, Hank Ballard, T. Rex, Beatles, Stones, and ON and ON and ON. We also like to listen to stand up comedians... like George Carlan, Mitch Hedburg , Woody Allen, and Eddie Murphy.

PTST: How do the folks at home feel about your music? Are you well supported back in Tennessee?
Those Darlins: Yeah, I think Tennessee shows a lot of support. Especially from the music scene in Nashville. There are a lot of bands in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Murfreesboro that have really been so helpful to us. The Basement and The 5 Spot have been really supportive of us, not to mention the High Tone in Memphis and JJs Bohemia in Chattanooga. Of course there are always a bunch that don't dig it, or don't get it but that goes with anywhere you live.

PTST: You spent a lot of time recording and playing in New York as well, do you consider it a sort of second home yet or do you feel like outsiders in the city?
Those Darlins: YES! We love New York! We spent so much time up there working on the album that we got surprisingly used to it. We do completely consider it our second home, and actually we have had serious withdrawals from not being there in so long.

PTST: While touring you have played with some awesome musicians, Dan Auerbach, The Avvett Brothers, etc. Who would you say is your favorite that you've played with so far?
Those Darlins: Its so hard to choose! O'Death was a fucking party. One of them peed in our washing machine. Deer Tick is such a sweet group of idiots. Drinks and prank calls. Dan Auerbach and Hacienda were cool guys and we learned about being on a longer tour and playing larger venues. It was awesome. We also just did a few dates with Elvis Perkins in Dearland. They are complete sweethearts. Wish we would’ve had more dates. CAN NOT WAIT TO PLAY WITH THE BLACK LIPS OR KING KHAN, BBQ and SHRINES. Seriously this shit needs to happen all ready!

PTST: Everyone knows that musicians get their fair share of groupies, but is it different for a
group that consists of three women? Do you get hit on wherever you play? Do you ever get sick of it?
Those Darlins: Well, I don't really know. Because I've never been a guy in a band...but I can guess - it's probably not that different. I mean, guys get chicks digging on them, and girls get guys digging on them and sometimes guys get guys digging on them and girls get girls digging on them. Maybe its different because when you are a young woman and some big creepy guys is breathing down your neck, you may feel a little more threatened than if some dude was getting hit on by some girl. This happens a lot. Old men love us and we love them until they push a big creepy grandpa hug on you. Yes this happens pretty much everywhere, and yes, we do get sick of it.

PTST: What do you most look forward to when you come home from touring?
Those Darlins: Jessi: My bed! And going to see my family if I have enough time off.
Kelley: Being reunited with my records, playing in the garden, and hanging out with my dog Chewie.
Nikki: Hanging in our "Adult Lounge" (AKA kiddie pool), shootin' BB guns!

Listen: Those Darlins - "Red Light Love"
Those Darlins - "The Whole Damn Thing"

Tour Dates:
7/7: Arlington, VA @ Iota Club & Cafe
7/9: NYC @ Mercury Lounge +
7/10: Brooklyn @ Southpaw **, ++
7/11: Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda's
7/13: Pittsburgh @ Club Café
7/14: Cleveland @ Beach Land Tavern
7/15: Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
7/16: Indianapolis @ Radio Radio
7/17: Chicago @ Schubas
7/18: Minneapolis @ 7th St. Entry
7/20: Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company
7/21: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Front Room
7/22: Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
7/23: Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
7/24: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
7/25: Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
9/18 & 19: Bristol, VA @ Bristol Roots & Reunion Festival

+ W/Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer) CD RELEASE PARTY
** W/So So Glos BROOKLYN RELEASE PARTY
++ W/We Are Country Mice BROOKLYN RELEASE PARTY

Blast from the Past: The Ladybug Transistor's The Albermarle Sound

When people talk about Merge Records the obvious bands are always spoken of; the Superchunks and Magnetic Fields and bands that have received loads of critical praise throughout the years, but few bands have released as many records for Merge as The Ladybug Transistor have. For whatever reason they often get overlooked for their Elephant 6 peers like Neutral Milk Hotel and are forced to toil closer to obscurity then they should have to. That said, they have managed to stick around for almost 15-years so maybe there's something to working in the shadows.

10-years ago the band released The Albermale Sound, a record that is as pretty and well put together as any of the records that tried to resurrect the days of A.M. pop radio as the 90's came to a close. Big sweeping sounds, lots of instruments, and pretty harmonies are the general sounds being put out here and they are quirky and cute and pleasing to the ear all at once. The Ladybug Transistor have spent a career trying to re-imagine the sound of a time long gone and have done a wonderful job to create something that sounds wonderfully familiar and welcoming.

The one draw back to The Ladybug Transistor's overall sound is the way the songs can weave together to create the feeling that you are listening to the same tune over and over again until the album comes to an end. Lucky for us and our short attention spans The Albermale Sound is only 35-minutes and for most of it the pleasing pop sounds keep us listening even if the song overlap a bit.

The Ladybug Transistor have made a career out of records just like this one, yet for some reason this one stands out for me though not by much. Obviously I tend to gravitate towards all the other more beloved and popular Merge bands but it's nice to know there are also band like these guys making lovely music for the label too.
The Ladybug Transistor - "Oriental Boulevard"
The Ladybug Transistor - "Six Times"
The Ladybug Transistor - "Like a Summer Rain"
The Ladybug Transistor - "The Swimmer"

Previous Merge 20th Blasts from the Past:
Neutral Milk Hotel's On Avery Island
Magnetic Field's Get Lost
Wwax's Like It Or Not
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's Madonna
Polvo's Today's Active Lifestyles
Butterglory's Rat Tat Tat