I received an email not too long ago from Vomitrocious Media about musician Dylan Ettinger and his new album, Lifetime of Romance .  His single, "Wintermute," should garner some attention from those turned on by old school throb of synth pop or artsy interpretations of dance groove, Ettinger's dark arrangements interesting enough to spin in your head for a few days.  Not safe for work due to boobs and butts. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Olympia, Washington's Broken Water are releasing their new album, Tempest , on May 29th.  An Alterna-pop band in the tradition of Sonic Youth and My Blood Valentine , expect distortion and reverb, expect broken chords or lush harmonies.  Their two singles, "Underground" and "Drown," run the gamut of the 90s muse and might excite those sensory "remember when?" sections of the brain.  Considering Yuck 's current run in the nostalgia market and the subsequent "moving forward vs. moving backward" debate, Broken Water wear their sound well and legitimately. All info comes courtesy of Hardly Art. HEAR BROKEN WATER'S "UNDERGROUND"; WEST COAST TOUR KICKS OFF NEXT FRIDAY MP3 - " Underground " MP3 - " Drown " If you live on America's sun-kissed western coast (or nearby southwesten markets), give thanks to your sinister, Lovecraftian gods, because beloved Olympia shredders Broken Water are headed y...

In remembrance of a friend.  I'll miss you.  Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Simone White 's "In the Water Where the City Ends:"  Could just be that it was one of those days.  Could just be that I needed to hear something soft and sweet.  Maybe you do, too. Simone White's new album, Silver Silver , released today.  All info comes courtesy of Terrorbird Media. Simone White's hypnotic new LP Silver Silver out on Honest Jon's this week; listen to a new track up at CMJ   new Fol Chen -produced album Silver Silver features a more expansive, textured direction with guest spots from Andrew Bird , Thao , and Victoria WIlliams . Simone White performs in NYC and Europe this month. LISTEN: Big Dreams and the Headlines (via CMJ) LISTEN: What The Devil Brings (via SPIN) WATCH: In The Water Where The City Ends "The Los Angeles-based singer Simone White has a voice like ether. It's sweetly airy and hypnotic. Hearing it can pull you under to a strangely beautiful, glittering world where nothing seems real." - Robin Hilton...

The band's name is a Social Security number, 185668232 .  The new album, which is apparently out in December of 2012, (on my birthday as it would so happen), is called pRODUCT pLACEMENT .  It's intended to run an ambitious 36 tracks' worth of this experimental strangeness.  This track is called "bODYfILTER."   <a href="http://185668232.bandcamp.com/album/product-placement-2012">pRODUCT pLACEMENT [2012] by 185668232</a> Beware cover:  cock in a sock. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

"Last night, I took a 14 hour flight to Sydney, Australia from LA, embarking on P.E.'s 80th tour in 25 years. I just landed to 65 texts with the news. Adam and the Boys put us on our first tour 25 years and 79 tours ago. They were essential to our beginning, middle and today. Adam especially was unbelievable in our support from then `til now, even allowing me to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I consider myself a strong man and my father says be prepared to lose many in your post-50 path of life. Still, I'm a bit teary-eyed leaving this plane. R.I.P. Adam aka MCA." — Chuck D It's going to be difficult to imagine life without The Beastie Boys . News of Adam "MCA" Yauch 's passing wasn't the easiest to absorb on Friday afternoon, nor was the realization that the seemingly ever-present Beastie Boys had suddenly ceased to be.    HeI've felt compelled to listen to nothing but the Beastie Boys for days now, both for the sake ...

Inzinzac   Gun Muffs Child Abuse Ruins (Alone) Kung-Fu Necktie Philadelphia, PA 5.2.12 I shook Tatsuya Yoshida ’s hand just before he got the bottle of water he’d requested from the bartender in broken English. Up to this point, I’d been sitting at the bar at Kung Fu Necktie, enjoying a glass of Yards and the company of friends. Yoshida’s warm-up for soundcheck was enough to keep my attention off of the Flyers game (they lost), his every automatic motion resultant in arrhythmic battery, precise and complex. After every quick lapse into percussive onslaught he would inquire, “Sound okay?” The show hadn’t even started and it was already money well spent. Yoshida performed Tuesday night as Ruins (Alone) , another iteration of his Ruins project which is normally a two-manned operation either based in guitar or saxophone, (or some other instrumental permutation I may have missed). For this version, Yoshida ran solo, the music parts of his act supplied by a small lapto...