Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy

Black Sheep Boy, 2005 / Download

Notable Tracks: "In a Radio Song," "A Stone," "Song of Our So-Called Friend." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Bishop Allen, Frightened Rabbit, the National, Wolf Parade, the Wrens.

Braid - The Age of Octeen

The Age of Octeen, 1996 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Jimmy Go Swimmer," "The Chandelier Swing." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Algernon Cadwallader, Boys Life, the Gloria Record, the Jazz June, Street Smart Cyclist.

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

Ambivalence Avenue, 2009 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Jealous of Roses," "Sugarette," "Lovers' Carvings." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Black Dice, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Boards of Canada, the Books, Lucky Dragons.

Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby

Happy Nightmare Baby, 1987 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Rocket Machine," "She's a Diamond." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Dream Syndicate, Galaxie 500, Rain Parade, Pale Saints, the Telescopes.

Lots and Lots of Assorted Dan Deacon

I just posted about Whartscape, so here's a shitload of Dan Deacon to, like, augment that. Some of it is worth listening to (Bromst and Spiderman of the Rings are easily the most accessible albums), and some of it has a, well...questionable existence (like all 40 minutes of A Green Cobra is Awesome...). Regardless, enjoy.

A Green Cobra is Awesome vs. The Sun, 2003 / Download

Goose on the Loose, 2003 / Download

Silly Hat vs. Egale Hat, 2003 / Download

Meetle Mice, 2003 / Download

Twacky Cats, 2004 / Download

Porky Pig, 2004 / Download

Acorn Master, 2006 / Download

Spiderman of the Rings, 2007 / Download

Bromst, 2009 / Download

Whartscape 2009

The fourth annual Baltimore-area debacle known as Whartscape is on the horizon for July 10-12. Aptly describing something for once, Pitchfork stated that "Whartscape, the weekend free-for-all put on by Baltimore's Wham City label, include[s] Dan Deacon, Wolf Eyes, Ponytail, Celebration, Wye Oak, and damn never every B-more band with a semi-free schedule." So, if girls in headbands and boys in fake glasses from the Greatest City in America are your ideal companions, head over to the Wham City website to buy a ticket--it appears that they go on sale tomorrow. Only the $47 Mega-Pass guarantees your entrance to every Whartscape event.

In the interest of saving your eyes from the harsh neon glare of the lineup page on Wham City, here's what Whartscape 2009 has in store:

• Friday 7/10 DAY (Baltimore Museum of Art front steps): Andy Abelow, Lonnie Walker, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Living Things, Jared Paolini, Small Sur, Noble Lake, Lexie Mountain Boys, Child Bridge, Microkingdom, Jana Hunter, Wye Oak, Black Vatican, Lo Moda, Bad Brillance.
• Friday 7/10 NIGHT (Baltimore Museum of Art auditorium): Sherrywood Forest by Kevin Sherry, Lolas Play, Clarissa Gregory, Hooliganship, Showbeast, Mark Brown, Trockeneis, R.M. O'Brien, Alexis Gideon, Jimmy Joe Roche, Allen Cordell, Meredith Moore, Annex Theatre, Letters by Connor Kizer and Adam Endres, Sometimes by Dina Kelberman, Bedlam Theatre, Yoshi Sodeoka, Blue Leader, Nate Boyce, So Percussion, Dan Higgs, Cliff Evans, Mr Disesterstriss, Peter Glantz, Olaf Breuning, Celebration.
• Saturday 7/11 DAY (131 W. North Avenue, MICA parking lot): Art Department, Barkey, Bird Names, Boogie Boarder, Chandeliers, Creepers, MM/DD/YY, Funny Clown, Human Host, Litergy, Melissa Moore, Nuclear Power Pants, Pleasant Livers, Ponytail, Quiet Hooves, Sick Weapons, Silk Flowers, Talk Normal, Team Robespierre, Thank You, the New Flesh, the Woes, Vincent Black Shadow, Weekends, What Cheer Brigade Marching Band, Y2KEITH.
• Saturday 7/11 NIGHT (120 W. North Avenue): Adventure, BDRMPPL, Beast Master, C Spencer Yeh, Drip House, Ear Power, ED SCHRADER, Eric Hnatow, Gdfx, Golden Birthday, Hair Police, Janitor, Kokomo, Mark Brown, Married in Berdichev, Milton Melvin Croissant III, Neddle Gun, Plural MC, Romo Roto, Rotten Milk Band, Smarts, Soft Pink Truth, Spellcaster, Talibam!, Truth Serum.
• Sunday 7/11 DAY (131 W. North Avenue, MICA parking lot): AK Slaughter, Big Bear, Blood Baby, Child Bite, Crazy Dreams Band, Dan Deacon Ensemble, Dang, Despot, Dope Body, Double Dagger, Future Islands, Gary War, Killer Whale, Little Howlin' Wolf, Magnet City Kids, Microkingdom, Santa Dads, Seyjano, Teeth Mountain, the Degenerettes, Witch Hat, Wolf Eyes, Zomes.
• Sunday 7/11 NIGHT (120 W. North Avenue): Cars Will Burn, DJ Dog Dick, Grasslung, Height, Infinity Window, John Eaton, John Weiss, Jones JONES Jones, Lizz King, Lord Scrummage, Mickey Free, Mincemeat or Tenspeed, MNDR, Narwhalz (Of Sound), Nautical Almanac, Polygons, Rap Dragons, Schwarz, Shams, Smartgrowth, Teen Girl Fantasy, Video Hippos.

Stockpile your facepaint now--you'll need it for hipster summer camp.

Robert Lanham's Notable Attempt at Deconstructing Hipsterism

Robert Lanham, the author of the satirical Hipster Handbook, continues the social commentary in a more serious fashion with this article, "Look at This Fucking Hipster Basher":

"First and foremost, hipsterism is about stuff. It's the natural byproduct of a consumption-obsessed culture with a thriving middle class. The complete works of Johnny Cash on vinyl. An iPhone packed with apps. Thick-framed glasses without the lenses. Throw in an unwavering certainly that your tastes are superior to everyone else's, and you're on your way to establishing a hipster aesthetic. Future generations may not have the same resources to squander, but there will undoubtedly continue to be artistically inclined young people who define their identity and their aesthetic, by accumulating meticulously selected possessions.

The second element is pastiche, the hodgepodge blending of elements from pop culture to create a sensibility. Whether it be the goofy 'post-punk-electro-blog-house' labels associated with hipster music, or the entire film career of Wes Anderson, pastiche is essential to hipsterdom. And clearly, as our already overwhelming inventory of pop culture references continue to grow with the passing of time, pastiche will continue to flourish.

Finally there's irony, a knee-jerk way for hipsters to emotionally distance themselves from sincerely appreciating things. While the hipster's ironic sensibility has always been the subject of ire, pretending to be disaffected isn't exactly a novel concept among people who are 'cool.' The James Deans and Fonzies of the world never got the girl by gushing. Instead, they made them swoon by pretending they didn't give a damn."

As silly as the topic is, I find this to be really well-written. Read the rest here.

Wolf Parade - "Apologies to the Queen Mary"

Apologies to the Queen Mary, 2005 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts," "Modern World," "It's a Curse." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Born Ruffians, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Handsome Furs, Islands, the Walkmen.

Sunny Day Real Estate Full-Lengths

In celebration of their recently-announced reunion tour, here are all the Sunny Day Real Estate full-lengths. Enjoy.

Diary, 1994 / Download

Notable Tracks: "In Circles," "Song About An Angel," "Grendel."

LP2/Sunny Day Real Estate, 1995 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Red Elephant," "8," "Rodeo Jones."

How It Feels To Be Something On, 1998 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Pillars," "Every Shining Time You Arrive."

The Rising Tide, 2000 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Television," "Rain Song," "The Ocean."

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE REUNION!

I regret not posting about this sooner, because I've been personally (and obsessively) tracking the Sunny Day Real Estate reunion rumors via Perfect Lines for the past few weeks. Naturally, that's where I first saw this glorious, glorious news.

In addition, Billboard and Rolling Stone have both posted full tour dates, and Pitchfork and BrooklynVegan have also taken note. There are eleven or so dates on Ticketmaster, and it looks as if presales for at least a few begin tomorrow.

I'll be scooping up tickets to both the DC and Philly dates, if possible; Sunny Day is and was a band crucial to my, um, existence, so you'd better believe I'll be doing everything I can to catch this tour.

A Stunning Update from the Matablog...About Nieuwe Herring From Holland

For some reason, I couldn't find this funnier: there's a post over on the Matablog discussing herring, how to eat it, and where you can find it in New York. Enjoy.

Help Polyvinyl Save 10,000 Records From Destruction

Polyvinyl appears to be totally overstocked and, to solve the problem, they're doing a neat little thing where you pledge a certain amount of money and receive some goods. Twenty bucks gets you, for example, a Mates of State DVD and 8 CDs (AM/FM, Architecture in Helsinki, Hail Social, Joan of Arc, Kyle Fischer/Mike Kinsella/Caithlin DeMarrais, Mates of State, Of Montreal, Rainier Maria, and Saturday Looks Good to Me).

Polyvinyl is a solid label with great artists, so go help them out (and receive some awesome music for doing so).

Supergrass Dudes Start Cover Band With Radiohead Producer Nigel Godrich

The title says it all (via Pitchfork Daily News).

Beck Debuts Record Club With the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning"

Apparently, Beck's got some new project that he's calling the Record Club. The premise is that he and his compatriots pick an album, then cover it in its entirety in one day; they've kicked it all off with The Velvet Underground and Nico (via Pitchfork Daily News).

Sloan - "Peppermint" EP

The Peppermint EP, 1992 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Underwhelmed," "Pretty Voice." / RIYL (via Last.fm): The Constantines, the Flashing Lights, Matthew Sweet, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Thrush Hermit.

See Also: Navy Blues

Vermont - "Calling Albany"

Calling Albany, 2002 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Bells of Saint Alcohol," "Screw-On Shoes," "The World Doesn't Ask You." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Braid, Christie Front Drive, The Gloria Record, Jejune, Knapsack.

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - "Back In Your Life"

Back In Your Life, 1979 / Download

Notable Tracks: "(She's Gonna) Respect Me," "Party In the Woods Tonight." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Beat Happening, the Go-Betweens, Jens Lekman, Television, the Wave Pictures.

Recently In Pictures, 6/12-6/14

Heart - "Dreamboat Annie"

Dreamboat Annie, 1976 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Crazy on You," "White Lightning & Wine," "(Love Me Like Music) I'll Be Your Song." / RIYL (via Last.fm): The Cars, John Mellencamp, Loverboy, REO Speedwagon, Stevie Nicks.

The Cure - "Bloodflowers"

Bloodflowers, 2000 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Watching Me Fall," "There Is No If...," "39." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Bauhaus, Joy Division, New Order, the Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie & The Banshees.

Weezer Get an Online Radio Station

Rivers Cuomo & Co. (as well as the Eagles and Christina Aguilera) will get their own 24-hour, Clear Channel-sponsored radio station, beginning next month (via Pitchfork Latest News).

Rival Schools - "United by Fate"

United by Fate, 2001 / Download

Notable Tracks: "The Switch," "Good Things," "Used for Glue." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Handsome, Quicksand, Samiam, Small Brown Bike, Texas is the Reason.

Fugazi - "Red Medicine"

Red Medicine, 1995 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Birthday Pony," "Fell, Destroyed," "Do You Like Me." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Drive Like Jehu, Faraquet, Husker Du, Jawbox, Jawbreaker.

Joan Didion re: Joan Baez

"It is difficult to arrange to see Joan Baez, at least for anyone not tuned to the underground circuits of the protest movement. The New York company for which she records, Vanguard, will give only Manny Greenhill's number, in Boston. "Try Area Code 415, prefix DA 4, number 4321," Manny Greenhill will rasp. Area Code 415, DA 4-4321 will connect the caller with Keppler's Bookstore in Palo Alto, which is where Ira Sandperl used to work. Someone at the bookstore will take a number, and, after checking with Carmel to see if anyone there cares to hear from the caller, will call back, disclosing a Carmel number. The Carmel number is not, as one might think by now, for Miss Baez, but for an answering service. The service will take a number, and, after some days or weeks, a call may or may not be received from Judy Flynn, Miss Baez's secretary. Miss Flynn says that she will 'try to contact' Miss Baez. 'I don't see people,' says the heart of this curiously improvised web of wrong numbers, disconnected telephones, and unreturned calls. 'I lock the gate and hope nobody comes, but they come anyway. Somebody's been telling them where I live.'"

Didion, Joan. "Where the Kissing Never Stops." Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990. 42-60, 1967.

Sloan - "Navy Blues"

Navy Blues, 1998 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Iggy and Angus," "Keep On Thinkin'," "Suppose They Close the Door." / RIYL (via Last.fm): The Constantines, the Flashing Lights, Matthew Sweet, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Thrush Hermit.

Circulatory System - "Signal Morning"

The leak of Circulatory System's first album in eight years, "Signal Morning," is posted at Music to Take Drugs To.

Recently In Pictures, 6/10-6/12

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "The Tyranny of Distance"

The Tyranny of Distance, 2001 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Biomusicology," "Timorous Me," "Squeaky Fingers." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Beulah, The Dismemberment Plan, Jets to Brazil, Spoon, the Weakerthans.

Titus Andronicus - "The Airing of Grievances"

The Airing of Grievances, 2008 / Download

Notable Tracks: "Titus Andronicus," "My Time Outside the Womb." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Jay Reatard, the Thermals, Times New Viking, Wavves, Women.

A Place to Bury Strangers - "A Place to Bury Strangers"

A Place to Bury Strangers, 2007 / Download

Notable Tracks: "To Fix the Gash in Your Head," "I Know I'll See You." / RIYL (via Last.fm): Chapterhouse, Deerhunter, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, No Age.

The Posies - "Frosting on the Beater"

Frosting on the Beater, 1993 / Download

Singles: "Dream All Day," "Solar Sister," "Definite Door," "Flavor of the Month," "Coming Right Along." / RIYL (via Last.fm): The Lemonheads, Sloan, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, Velvet Crush.