Locrian “Dort Ist Der Weg b/w “Frozen In Ash” 7” FSS Released: 9.2011 Chicago’s very underground noise metal juggernaut Locrian has been progressing with every album, cassette, split single and 7” they’ve been churning out since 2009’s Drenched Lands . The band (whose buzz relies on the combined efforts of André Foisy , Terence Hannum and Steven Hess ) has been developing musically, not straying too faraway from their horror/freakshow environments but incorporating more and more composition into the framework. Their new 7,” “Dort Ist Der Weg”/”Frozen In Ash” confirms this development, but unexpectedly. The single begins with a cover of Popol Vuh ’s “Dort Ist Der Weg,” its treatment a very Melvins -percussive and artfully post-punk approach.  Lovely, near-droning vocals soften the band’s loose and jagged construct, which is set at a perfect trudge. “Frozen In Ash” takes the band’s expansive, sonic guitar loops and builds a rhythmic folk instrumental overtop. Acoustic s...

MTV has been a shitty, shitty adult, which probably makes sense. I was born before 1981, before MTV launched, but I don’t really remember life without it. As we’ve recently “celebrated,” (wretched, maybe), the network’s 30th year in existence, I’ve been spending the past couple days in my own head collecting the various MTV memories I’ve accrued. We all have them, don’t we? Weren’t you ever engaged by the channel’s spectacle? Sometimes so taken with the imagery and (even) magic of it all that the music seemed secondary? In some ways, it was. Part of the reason most 70s bands couldn’t survive in the 80s from an integrity perspective was that the climate just became more and more plastic and superficial. Once bands had faces, talent became less important. But, that’s a discussion for another time and it’s an exhausted observation anyway. Let’s stick to the nostalgia. A kid in a friendly suburban neighborhood where teenagers were prevalent would get exposed to MTV. Van Halen ...

Mogwai Earth Division EP Sub Pop Released: 9.13.11 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Thrill Jockey’s Wooden Shjips put out a video for the song “Black Smoke Rise,” which is featured on their upcoming album, West . First of all, I love the Cinema Of Transgression feel of the video. The song itself could be seen as counterpart to The Black Angels and Crystal Antlers , that Blues Magoos / ?uestion Mark organ and the floating psych guitar riffs that seem to generate more air than notes. Still, “Black Smoke Rise” has the type of groove and persistent rhythm that I personally love in music like this. Plus, I like the drone-fetish of the vocalist’s delivery. It fits well. West is out September 13th. Wooden Shjips - Black Smoke Rise from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Not sure what words of wisdom I can apply to such self-explanatory news, but just know that Dinosaur Jr. ’s first three albums are being reissued by Jagjaguwar on vinyl. Keep the music pure for the purists, right? I guess I can keep my Bug cassette in its wrapping after all. All info is courtesy of Jagjaguwar: Dinosaur Jr.'s First Three Albums Back on Vinyl This October  Dinosaur Jr. at the Anti-Club, Hollywood, CA, 1987 by Joseph Henderson By now, you know the story: J Mascis , Lou Barlow , & Patrick “Murph” Murphy , meet in Amherst, MA. J, Lou & Murph start a band. Said band goes on to rip through the musical landscape and prove to be the genesis of the “alternative rock” archetype. Over the last 25+ years, Dinosaur Jr. have influenced a countless number of bands, both peers and protégés, by wailing their classic union of melodic bass, seething drums, virtuosic guitar shredding and listless vocal delivery through the iconic Marshall stacks. Jagjaguw...

In celebration of the upcoming "Power of the Riff" shows, the Southern Lord label has compiled a twenty-track mixtape for free download to prep many ears for the 5-show event. For the rest of us confined to the east coast, we can at least enjoy the compilation. All links and info are courtesy of Earsplit PR: In preparation for THE POWER OF THE RIFF 2011, with five West Coast shows announced to take place later this month, Southern Lord is giving away a brutal 20-track mix tape featuring artists set to appear during the upcoming melee! The free download includes tracks from ALL PIGS MUST DIE , BAPTISTS , EYEHATEGOD , PENTAGRAM , BLACK COBRA , PELICAN , NOOTHGRUSH , WINTER , TRAP THEM and more, as well as a collection of flyers from all of the upcoming TPOTR shows. GET IT HERE ! THE POWER OF THE RIFF 2011 Mix Tape: 01 ALL PIGS MUST DIE "Pulverization" 02 BAPTISTS "Good Parenting" 03 EYEHATEGOD "Jack Ass in the Will of God...

Appearing last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , tUnE-YarDs got to perform her single, “Gangsta,” with Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots . A cool performance ensued. Check out the clip. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead