Friday Bears: New Raveonettes - Into The Night

Yesterday, The Raveonettes released the lead single from their new EP, which is set for release April 24 on the band's label. You listen to the cheery shoegaze pop single "Into The Night," below.

New Jack White video - Sixteen Saltines

The second track (and still only the second track) we've heard from Jack White's hyped up solo debut, the video for "Sixteen Saltines" was released earlier today. The video sets one of those sort of Children of the Corn settings - children running the show, becoming destructive, and a little magical. Watch below, and grab Blunderbuss album April 24 on Third Man Records.

Thursday Bears: Last adds to Pitchfork Music Festival

As usual with Pitchfork Music Festival, a large amount of late-adds have been etched onto the July 13-15 billing. Included with the previously mentioned big names of Vampire Weekend, Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Hot Chip are a solid class of additions, which are:

Wild Flag, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Beach House, Real Estate, Dirty Projectors, Atlas Sound, Big K.R.I.T., Nicolas Jaar, Cults, Chavez, Oneohtrix Point Never, Youth Lagoon, King Krule, Dirty Beaches, Lotus Plaza, Lower Dens, Milk Music, The Psychic Paramount, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Outer Minds, and A Lull.

Familiar with Bears and Bullets and summer music festivals? Well, if you aren't, whatever acts play Pitchfork Music Festival cannot play Lollapalooza. That being said, while there are a few very solid acts I'd like to be able to see (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Atlas Sound, among others), the lineup doesn't take too much away from what Lollapalooza could end up being - which, by the way, will be revealed at midnight, Tuesday. Stay tuned for that.

Three-day passes for Pitchfork Music Festival are sold out, but single day tickets are still available. Check which acts are playing which days here.

Wednesday Bears: Albums of the Month - March 2012

Albums of the Month - March 2012

After hitting a snag in January and seemingly going through the motions last month, March exploded. Quality albums from big names like Odd Future and Tanlines, alongside some unknown entities really made gave a lot of optimism for the remainder of 2012. Number one may not be a surprise for some of you, but the month gave us a lot of unexpected gems. Here are my favorite three.

3.) The Men - Open Your Heart

Distilled and aggressive, Open Your Heart (Insound) spills out half chaotically, half practically. The New York four-piece's sound goes through like aging punk veterans, still stout enough to seem destructive, but fluid enough to displace garage punk's DIY side. It's hard not to love The Men here, who find a median to blend all the laborious elements of clever alternative rock without flipping over a boring pass. In effect, the record sounds like it could be from anywhere between 1987 to 1995, but maybe that's part of the brilliance here - reverence without falling over itself trying to sound like Husker Du.

2.) Chromatics - Kill For Love

Luckily, we were able to hear all of Kill For Love a little before the month actually ended, so that qualifies it for the list. Blippy and atmospheric, Chromatics find their niche in Euro post-wave, with subtle instrumental effects coursing over harmonizing romanticism. It's what gave the band a good amount of hype long, long ago in 2007 with Night Drive. The long delay, however, allowed the group to create a huge amount of material - 90 minutes in fact on the new double-album - full of bright, electric, indie pop that remains startlingly consistent.

1.) The Shins - Port of Morrow

If you follow me on Twitter, this can't be a surprise. There wasn't any album scheduled for release before April of this year that had nearly as much of hype as The Shins return after a five-year absence, especially after the release of the heavy favorite lead single "Simple Song." The reformed James Mercer project sounds affectionate, although slightly less experimental than the group's previous three albums, but is so perfectly crafted and polished that there isn't any desire for it. Mercer sounds more genuine than he ever has on Port of Morrow (Insound), crafting blissful harmony between his usually impeccable song-writing. Particular cuts like "It's Only Life" stand out, and will be one of the sweetest damn songs you'll hear all year. The delay may have been too long for original material, but if all that time means we get something this good, then it'll always be worth it.

New Willis Earl Beal video - Monotony

Another soulful, under produced, simplistic cut from Chicago native Willis Earl Beal's Acousmatic Sorcery was given the aptly cost-efficient video treatment. "Monotony" stars Beal as a disguised newspaper distributor on a day that I can only assume was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Check out the video below.

New Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. video - We Almost Lost Detroit

Earlier today, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. released the video for their Record Store Day 12" "We Almost Lost Detroit," a pretty astounding love-letter to the duo's native city. Watch the somewhat awkward video cuing city-natives alongside below.

New Father Jon Misty - Nancy From Now On

I was generally a fan of J. Tillman's work, in and outside of Fleet Foxes, and the same is pretty true under his Father John Misty moniker. The echoed, subdued folk-pop of "Nancy From Now On" follows up the first single "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Slings" from his upcoming album Fear Fun, which is due out May 1 on Sub Pop. Listen to the new track below.

Tuesday Bears: Japandroids - Jack The Ripper (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover)

Featured as a B-Side to Japandroids' supremely excellent single "The House That Heaven Built," the Vancouver duo recently covered Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds noir smash "Jack The Ripper." Listen to the cut below and don't forget to grab Celebration Rock June 5.

New Lotus Plaza - Monoliths

Lockett Pundt's (Deerhunter) second go-around as Lotus Plaza has proved to be otherworldly. His new LP Spooky Action at a Distance is already exceptional from what I've heard, but "Monoliths" may be the best of the new work. Listen to the single below and grab the new album today via Kranky Records.

Monday Bears: New Bass Drum of Death - I Wanna Be Forgotten

With a co-headlining tour with DZ Deathrays, garage duo Bass Drum of Death will be offering "I Wanna Be Forgotten" alongside a DZ single as a split 7". You can stream the song below.