Gorilla vs Bear

Department of Eagles' new LP In Ear Park has been on repeat around here over the last few days, and apparently Ed Droste is into the record too (although he might be a little biased). The new album version of "No One Does It Like You, which we've blogged numerous times over the last year or so in its various incarnations (hell, the rough demo version was one of my favorite songs of last year), is amazing, and hints at the warm, nostalgic glow that Fred Nicolaus + Daniel Rossen have cast all over In Ear Park:

mp3:
department of eagles :: no one does it like you

In Ear Park was recorded by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, and is out October 7 on 4AD. Pre-order now and receive the No One Does It Like You 7" (pictured above), which comes complete with Rossen's great JoJo cover on the B-side.

mp3:
daniel rossen :: too little too late (jojo cover)


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Previously:

mp3:
department of eagles :: in ear park

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Awkward...but helpful, if you weren't sure what the Walkmen are...



Watch it here.

(via)

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Also, I found this clip of the band playing "In the New Year" in some dude's basement. No further information on when/where this video was filmed, but man, I can't wait to see the band play their new stuff live in October...



mp3:
the walkmen :: in the new year

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st. vincent, ostensibly preparing for Fun Fun Fun

Also, motherfucking Kool Keith! Yes. GvsB is unbelievably psyched to be a media sponsor of Austin's FFFFest for the second year in a row. Other highlights include Deerhoof, Bad Brains, Atmosphere, Islands, and the list goes on...Our good friends over at Austinist have the incredibly diverse full lineup.

mp3:
st. vincent :: now. now.

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One of the bands I was already pretty psyched about seeing at next month's Monolith Festival is TVOTR, and the first jam from their upcoming Dear Science LP (streaming over at their website) only adds to my excitement. The first thing about "Golden Age" that grabbed me is that filthy-ass bassline, but after reading a couple writeups on the track, I've yet to see anyone mention that it sure sounds like that's Kyp singing lead on this one, not Tunde. Then again, I'm wrong a lot. Anyone? [EDIT: it's definitely Kyp.]

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VEGA is the brand new project from Alan Palomo, ex-Ghosthustler frontman, and the kid mostly responsible for that group's small but impressive body of twinkling '80s Euro synth-pop jams. He's off to a swimming start on this first VEGA joint, which will be released in 12" format on new Austin/NYC label Vogue College Records. For me, Palomo's work sits head and shoulders above most of the run-of-the-mill "blog house" (WTF is bl0g house?) that's cluttering up the electro-blogosphere, thanks in large part to his self-assured, unstoppable signature vocal delivery, his legit retro-futuristic production steez, and most importantly, an uncanny and consistently tight pop songwriting sensibility. Alan hooked us (and our homies at Discodust) up with this, the cinematic and unabashedly romantic first single:

mp3:
VEGA :: all too vivid

Look for future VEGA contributions on upcoming projects from Todd Edwards, as well as the upcoming Miami Horror EP.

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unrelated:


blaqstarr + rye rye

Elitaste has an exclusive new track from Blaqstarr.

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white denim

After releasing their stellar Workout Holiday LP in the UK to unequivocally glowing reviews, then proceeding to tear up clubs all over Europe, TX's White Denim is finally set to release their self-produced Exposion LP here in the states in November on Austin's young Transmission label. I might've gone on enough about how much I love these dudes over the last couple years, so let's just say that Exposion fully embodies this band's raw power and earnest, soulful approach, and is undeniably one of the best records that will be released this year. Here's the album's glorious closing anthem:

mp3:
white denim :: sitting

Exposion arrives November 3 on Transmission. The band will play both the Monolith and ACL festivals in September before heading abroad for the Iceland Airwaves fest in October.

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unrelated:

Our weekly GvsB Sirius radio show airs today at noon + midnight EST on Left of Center. New stuff this week from High Places, Fight Bite, The Cool Kids, Harlem, and more. You can listen right here, for free. Full playlist for this week + some mp3s after the jump...

gorilla vs. bear sirius blog radio :: august 18

1. The Walkmen :: On the Water
2. White Denim :: Sitting
3. Harlem :: South of France
4. Arch M :: 21st Union
5. Grouper :: Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
6. Burial :: Shell of Light
7. El Guincho :: Fata Morgana
8. J Dilla :: Last Donut of the Night
9. Air France :: Collapsing at Your Doorstep
10. Gang Gang Dance :: House Jam (xxxchange remix)
11. Terror Bird :: Shame is on Your Side
12. The Knife :: Silent Shout
13. Women :: Black Rice
14. Adrian Orange :: While You Live
15. Chairlift :: Planet Health
16. Quiet Village :: Free Rider
17. RATATAT :: Mumtaz Khan
18. Mujava :: Township Funk (edit)
19. The Cool Kids :: Pennies
20. Department of Eagles :: No One Does it Like You
21. Chad VanGaalen :: Willow Tree
22. Panda Bear :: Untitled (Song for Ariel)
23. High Places :: From Stardust to Sentience
24. Fight Bite :: Widow's Peak
25. Tenlons Fort :: Ghost on a Hill
26. Kleerup feat. Lykke Li :: Until We Bleed (cello version)
27. Sufjan Stevens :: Redford
28. Sufjan Stevens :: Vito's Ordination Song
29. Fight Bite :: Swissex Lover

Thanks to the commenter who alerted me to Bradford Cox's updates on the Deerhunter blog, including a new virtual 7" that features a pretty, but perversely dark, little pop ditty called "Holiday." The real news, though, is Bradford's response to a kid who apparently raided his Mediafire folder (which Bradford mistakenly left unprotected) and leaked the demos from Atlas Sound's upcoming Logos LP, as well as Deerhunter's Weird Era Cont., which was the "surprise" that Cox hinted would be included with the physical release of Microcastle. Oh, and there were apparently some childhood photos of Bradford in there too. Ouch. The Weezy-quoting Cox has some choice words for the offender(s), which he drops in a pair of uncomfortable and intensely personal blog posts. Lost in all this, of course, is the fact that "Holiday," although fucked up and a little scary, is actually a really good song:

mp3:
atlas sound :: holiday

UPDATE: In a post titled "Logos (R.I.P.) 2007-2008" that has since been removed, Bradford posted a link to download Logos and basically says he's going to scrap the album altogether: "Fuck this shit. I can just make another album. It's not finished and now it never will be."

A beautiful new Black Cab Session, in which B-more's Beach House plays a stark acoustic version of Devotion standout "Heart of Chambers; no further description required:



(this new player they're using might take a minute to load, but it's well worth it)

I already mentioned this thing briefly about a month ago, but Ariel Pink's weird-as-all-hell rarities compilation ODDITTIES SODOMIES VOL. 1 is available now here on black/pink vinyl. Or, for a little more $, you can order straight from Ariel, and get a one-of-a-kind handmade cover like the one pictured above, crafted by Geneva Jacuzzi. While the compilation -- made up mostly of demos and outtakes, with a few unreleased jams mixed in -- probably isn't an ideal starting point for non-fans, I personally can't get enough of this guy's haunting and often unexpectedly affecting experiments in lo-fi AM pop.

mp3:
ariel pink :: suicide notes

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Here are a couple more of those custom covers...view them all here.

"When kids are jumping on the bed playing tennis rackets like guitars. We are the music that is playing in their brains."--Harlem, on Harlem


harlem likes turtles (photo)

It's been a minute since I felt compelled to talk about a new Austin band, but I'm really digging what I've heard from Harlem and their limited debut LP, free drugs;-). These dudes bust some super infectious, instantly endearing throwback garage-pop in the vein of the Black Lips, Strange Boys, and other assorted In The Red bands, but their own description of their sound (see above) couldn't be more perfect. The duo starts their U.S. tour tonight in Austin (Denton house party tomorrow night!), so go see 'em and grab a copy of their record before that thing sells out and ends up going for some absurd $$ on ebay.

mp3:
harlem :: south of france

(mp3 via austin sound)

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unrelated:


michael k. williams in the road

Some rad new stills from the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road surfaced here last week. As a huge fan of the book, I was a lot skeptical that the film would succeed in capturing McCarthy's impossibly bleak post-apocalyptic imagery, but based on these new shots, looks like they might've nailed it.

In which Detroit native Chuck Inglish devotes nearly an entire verse to '89-90 Bad Boys metaphors. I had that shirt too, dude:

mp3:
the cool kids :: pennies

(zshare link via nah right)

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related:

The Cool Kids are playing a FREE show next week at Dallas' Granada Theater, along with Flosstradamus, Ricky Blaze, and TX's own the Party. Click the flyer to RSVP:

hot chip x threadless

The dudes at Threadless recently held a contest to design a glow-in-the-dark Hot Chip t-shirt (with the theme being "Made In The Dark," of course) and that skull-and-fairy-emblazoned joint you see up there was the winner. Our friends at Cornerstone hooked us up with one (and some other stuff) to give away. Unfortunately, it's widely known that I'm the worst in the world at contest ideas, so how about you just leave your favorite current Olympian in the comments, and I'll pick one winner based on a set of as-yet-undetermined criteria. Winner gets one t-shirt, a copy of Hot Chip's rare Normal 7", and a $50 Threadless gift certificate.

mp3:
hot chip :: made in the dark

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In related news, today's the last day to enter the Threadless Loves Democracy design challenge. Winner gets 2500 bucks and a grip of other stuff. Go here to enter.

The Walkmen just posted up a bunch of new tour dates on their website, including October dates the Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues (ugh) in Dallas and the Parish in Austin. Their new record officially comes out next week, but you can still get it now for a $5 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and this little guy. You & Me really is one of the best records of the year, so you should do that.

mp3:
the walkmen :: the new year

alegranza

If you were one of the 100 or so lucky enough to catch El Guincho's debut U.S. performance at gorilla vs. booze during SXSW '08, then you know the kid's live show is a one-man technicolor tropical baile beach-party. However, it's been tough to track down an actual copy of his record, complete with that glorious cover art, until now: Mr. Díaz-Reixa is set to re-release his BNM'd Alegranza LP on XL/Young Turks on October 7. Here's the record's sunny first single, all remastered and possibly somewhat de-sampled:

mp3:
el guincho :: palmitos park

pre-order Alegranza here