Hausu — "Leaning Mess" (via Stereogum ) Ólafur Arnalds — "Old Skin" (via Filter) pacificUV — "Russians" (via Noisey ) Gun Outfit — "Lau Blues" (via The Fader ) Pharmakon — "Crawling on Bruised Knees" (via Sacred Bones Records) Foot Village — "This Song is a Drug Deal" (via Kinsman and Meng) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Singer/composer, Gemma Ray , has released Down Baby Down , which consists of compositions and instrumentals mostly influenced by film scores and drive-in era rock arrangements.  A trailer featuring snippets of the release is available below as is the track, "Baby Goes Bad." All info comes courtesy of Seriés Aphōnos/Bronze Rat. Watch/listen to a trailer of Down Baby Down , a new album of 'fantasy soundtracks' by Gemma Ray, available to buy now on vinyl and download now on vinyl and download on Seriés Aphōnos /Bronze Rat. Recorded in a few days at Candy Bomber (housed in the former CIA headquarters wing of Berlin’s intimidating Tempelhof Airport) with Thomas Wydler (of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ) on drums, Rory More on organ, and Wilhelm Stegmeier on bass, it is 30 minutes of largely instrumental compositions coated with choral enhancement and ominous vocal motifs. Gemma herself takes care of all vocal, guitar, piano, clavioline, glockenspiel, melodica and...

Dunedin enthusiasts, behold: The Bats and Snapper reissues from Flying Nun and Captured Tracks, which will be both be out for Record Store Day! Links, tracks and info come courtesy of Enabler PR. The Bats: "My Way" CAPTURED TRACKS & FLYING NUN TO REISSUE THE BATS & SNAPPER   HEAR " MY WAY " FROM THE BATS & " BUDDY " FROM SNAPPER" BY NIGHT & SNAPPER AVAILABLE FOR RSD ON 4/20 Captured Tracks & Flying Nun are pleased to announce two amazing reissues from the Flying Nun vault this Record Store Day. Snapper , led by Peter Gutterdige , the Dunedin band that made dense, dark & spaced out pop jams & also set for release is the debut album, By Night , from influential New Zealand band, The Bats . HEAR: THE BATS - "MY WAY" HEAR: SNAPPER - "BUDDY " The first EP from Peter Gutterdige ( The Clean , Chills and Great Unwashed ) lead Dunedin band Snapper to re-issue their eponymous albu...

Sic Alps ' new 12" single, She's On Top , was announced today, but I've not found anything online to sample.  So, this post will have to serve simply to inform and not to entice.  When seeing the word "pop" associated with a band like Sic Alps, it communicates to me the common evolution of bands who owe their identity to distortion, feedback and rocky fidelity.  Over the last few albums, Sic Alps has grown to be more melody-driven and accessible, (not to their detriment, mind you), while maintaining what makes them distinct amongst the "garage revivalist" influx that seemed to run aplenty over the last ten years.  Looking forward to hearing how they decipher "pop." The album will be out via Drag City in May.   All info comes courtesy of Rarely Unable. SIC ALPS RELEASE THREE SHARDS OF VIVACIOUS POP ON A NEW 12" Orange Sunshine! Blue Diamonds! Black Potatoes! Sic Alps are back! and they have burst onto the scene in a posit...

A tour schedule from Nefarious Industries band, arbogast , arrived along with this live video of the band's performance at the Ultra Lounge in Chicago.  The math and metal behind this band is on full display with this rendition of the song "blasfamous" from their 2012 debut, I . For those in the Philadelphia area, arbogast will be at the Kung Fu Necktie in early April with Carved Up , who are also a really good live act.  All info comes courtesy of Earsplit PR. arbogast: Chicago Trio Prepares To Tour The Northeast US Next Week Chicago’s rampant trio arbogast is preparing for an upcoming East Coast run of tour dates in support of their diverse debut full-length, I , recently released by Nefarious Industries. A hometown show on April 1st begins the trek, followed by shows in Columbus, Philly, NYC, Long Branch, Asbury Park and Pittsburgh over the first week of the month. Liberate arbogast’s forty-three minute manifesto I RIGHT HERE . A new live video for the “bl...

Papier Tigre 7" Sick Room Records/Africantape Released: 4.1.13 Appealing to the math rocker raised on Slint or Shudder To Think , Papier Tigre 's upcoming single possesses the splintering chords, thudding low end and vocal harmonizing perfectly suited for 45 RPMs.  The militaristic tap dance of the A-side, "Personal Belongings," allows for interesting builds and retraction of volume, culminating in a chunky mass of fuzztone and a howling six-string. 7" by Papier Tigre   "The Difficult Age" opens up with a momentary shot of intensity and dials back into a slowed stream of low level guitar phrasing, melody at play before the song shifts into loose distortion.  Some of the chords employed recall Fugazi or Jawbox , those back and forth guitar swipes could either qualify as perfectly discontent or effectively out of tune.  It's an evocative release, but Papier Tigre puts a distinctive spin on it, (excuse the pun), crafting two very good s...

Ensemble Pearl s/t Drag City Released: 3.19.13 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead