Author Archives: Jon

I sort of winced inside when I heard cassettes are making a comeback. If there’s ever a medium short of the 8-track tape that could quietly fade into the ether, it’s cassettes for me. I literally became a skilled surgeon way back when the tape would spool out and wrap around the gears in the tape deck. Never again, I swore.

So, lo and behold, imagine my surprise upon hearing Domino Records has a flexidisc set paired with its own zine on shelves for Record Store Day 2012. The flexidisc too is a relic of that past, but if I can lay it flat on a turntable and drop a needle on it—all the better. And did I mention the superb design and packaging that accompanies Domino’s RSD2012 flexi set? No? Take a gander:

Some background: Smugglers Way is Domino and Ribbon’s first ever limited edition zine made exclusively for Record Store Day (April 21st) featuring FIVE individual, multi-colored flexi discs of EXCLUSIVE, UNRELEASED songs from Dirty Projectors, Real Estate, Cass McCombs, John Maus, andVillagers. The zine comprises 24 pages of original art and prose from Domino and Ribbon artists.

Read More »

Apparently there’s some big Day this coming Saturday around which we’ve been foisting vinyl upon the collective masses for 10 weeks now, and we’ve got a bunch of stuff this last, 10th week that we’ll be offering up as a bit of a fireworks finale to the whole shebang.

Auckland, New Zealands’ The Naked and Famous released their debut LP Passive Me, Agressive You in 2010 on their own Somewhat Damaged label, and we’ve got a copy of the glorious picture disc edition to award one of you.

To say Passive Me, Agressive You was a bit of a success in the band’s native New Zealand is a bit of an understatement, it seems. In 2011, the band garnered six nominations at the New Zealand Music Awards for Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Best Alternative Album and the People’s Choice Award.

They were also nominated for the NZ On Air Best Music Video and won the MAINZ Best Engineer Award and the MAINZ Best Producer Award.

Read More »

It’s our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the brand new tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices want you to be hearing. We post, you download.

Prinzhorn Dance School – I Want You
Deadhorse – No Particular Night Or Morning
Johnny Headband – Over There
Hoots & Hellmouth – Why Would You Not Want To Go There?
LAST DAYS OF 1984 – River’s Edge
Lands & Peoples – I Tried
Anna Ternheim – The Longer The Waiting (The Sweeter The Kiss)
Two People Playing Music – Beehive
Hands – Come To Know
Pure Bathing Culture – Ivory Coast

TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
The Pale Corners – REM

The Sanctuaries – Soft Crime
Sylvie Lewis – The Song I Sang Before I Met You
Junior High – PSA
Anna Vogelzang – One & Only
Air Traffic Controller – Blame
Diamond Rugs – Country Mile
Ólafur Arnalds – Everything Must Change
Portugal. The Man – All My LIght (RZA Remix)
Anthony da Costa – St. Therese
Deer Tick – Born At Zero

30 more FREE TRACKS after the jump!

Read More »

Turns out some musicians are that into vinyl, they’re just giving ‘em away. Case in point, NYC’s Neil Nathan who recorded and pressed his recent release The Distance Calls to vinyl, and in exchange for your email, he’ll ship the thing to you. Free.

As if that’s not a bit over the top, Neil’s just released a brand new video for LP track, “Better be Goin’” which “is a Sci-Fi adaption of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Wolf and the 7 Little Goats.”

“The video was Conceived and Directed by Robert Fernandez-Ferreira whose award winning short film Una Calle Sin Salida, showed at last year’s Cannes Festival and was art directed and animated by Andreas Alesik, visual effects lead on Cowboys & Aliens and Super 8. Intro sound design is by Dave Barnaby, sound effects editor on Captain America: The First Avenger.

The song was produced by Bobby Harlow and features musicians from The Dead Weather, Queens of The Stone Age, Detroit Cobras, and The Go.”

Read More »

We’re a conscientious bunch around here, let me tell you. Last week while we were merrily keeping time with Portugal. The Man and set the debut for their exclusive TVD video premiere for Friday…we pulled the plug on the proceedings. Curious, hm?

Well, not so much. Given the convergence of both Passover and Easter and perhaps many a long weekend already under way, it seemed the smarter thing to do to would be to hold off on that exclusive debut. For now.

Shot and directed by Graham Baclagon, we’re delighted to premiere “Let You Down” acoustic version #2, from Portugal. The Man’s The Satanic Satanist. Their 2011 release In The Mountain In The Cloud is still available to win on vinyl.

It’s our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the brand new tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices want you to be hearing. We post, you download.

Dive – How Long Have You Known
Trixie Whitley – A Thousand Thieves (Nowness Mix)
Charlene Kaye – Animal Love I
Michael The Blind – Another Circle of Fifths
Star Slinger – Bad Bitches (ft. Stunnaman & LIL B)
Johnny Headband – Over There
Emperor X – Raytracer
Unicycle Loves You – Garbage Dump
Giant Giant Sand – Forever And A Day
Maps & Atlases – Fever

TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
Possimiste – Clockworkbird

Karen Dalton – Katie Cruel
James Apollo – Two By Two
Mornin Old Sport – Katie
Pure Bathing Culture – Ivory Coast
Dot Dash – Learn How to Fly
Ólafur Arnalds – Allt varð hljótt
Alexander Tucker – Window Sill
IAMDYNAMITE – Stereo
Catcall – Paralysed
Mux Mool – Cash 4 Gold

40 more FREE TRACKS after the jump!

Read More »

Last September when we announced the debut of the trailer for Brick and Mortar Love, ”the story of John Timmons, owner of the legendary record store ear X-tacy, as he struggles to find a way to keep his store open and his dream alive after twenty-five years in the rocky, music retail industry,” we had every reason to believe—as did the makers of the doc—that the Louisville, Kentucky mainstay would have found a pathway toward survival. We were both wrong.

“It REALLY sucks and it will continue to suck and I think most people don’t realize what we have lost,” director Scott Shuffitt told me in an email.

“I was pretty much finished editing the film when John finally announced that the store was going to close. There was a gathering outside the store a day or so after he announced, so I took the cam and ended up adding about two or three minutes to the end of the film.”

Read More »

I swear I can often hear a collective groan when we announce a ticket giveaway in just one select TVD city, be it DC, NYC, NOLA, or LA, or wherever. Sure, we’d like to be inclusive but it’s tough to blanket each and every region, of course.

That is, until Portugal. The Man week, this week. Mindful that more than a few of you have been shut out from ticket contests, P.TM have come up with a rather comprehensive ticket giveaway for their week with us.

Touring in support of 2011′s In the Mountain in the Cloud, Portugal. The Man embark this week on a trek across the country, and we’ve got an opportunity for three of you to win a pair of tickets—to any stop on the tour!

Here’s how it will work…

Read More »