New Trail of Dead: "Bells of Creation"

Trail of Dead's new vinyl EP, Festival Thyme, will be released tomorrow. I think anyone who has been a fan of this band previously should take note because this song absolutely kills. If this song is any indication, I think I'm really going to enjoy the post-Interscope period.

Listen to "Bells of Creation" on their MySpace page.

Video: Jeff Mangum & Julian Koster - "Engine"

...and then Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster played the Neutral Milk Hotel song "Engine" in the middle of the room to close out the set. Flashbulbs and cellphones lit the way and in the age of the internet and instant gratification we can all revel in the moment it must have been for everyone in Pittsburgh and hope for the comeback to end all comebacks. [Vegan | Fork]

Video: My Morning Jacket - "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2"

• My Morning Jacket
• New Music

Video: Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines"

From the new album, The Stand Ins.

A.V. Club Interview with Tunde Adebimpe

AVC: Adam Drucker [mastermind of Oakland band Subtle] recently mentioned that something may be brewing between the two of you and Mike Patton. What can you say about that?

TA: What I can say is that the three of us are indeed working on a project that I'm thinking will congeal toward the end of the year. It came from an idea that Adam had, to have the three of us basically mess around vocally and see what comes of it. That's as much as I can say, but I'm psyched about it. It's going to be so fun.

Read the full interview

Beck & MGMT @ United Palace Theatre, 10/9/08

The kids like MGMT. United Palace was practically full when I stepped in a few minutes into MGMT's set. I found their debut album to be hit or miss (first half vs. second half) but I thought they were pretty damn good last night. They perform as a 5 piece band and it definitely brings out more depth in the songs than the recorded material. As for Beck, if I wasn't such a big fan of his I would probably lay into this show a bit more. The set list was good but man did he plow through the songs. It just seemed like he was going through the motions and really only acknowledged the crowd twice to say thanks for coming. I expect a bit more from eight albums and a $50 face value than a 70 minute show. That said, aside from a solid set list, the backing band was great and I really liked the bit with the headphones. Modern Guilt was a nice surprise for me this year, I think right now it's my fourth favorite Beck album (after Sea Change, Odelay, and Mutations), and those songs fit in very nicely last night. Overall, I can't really see myself buying a ticket to one his shows again and I'm ok with that as long I'm still digging his studio output.

Set list (via):
Loser
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Minus
Soul of a Man
Mixed Bizness
Nicotine & Gravy
Que Onda Guero
Ghettochip Malfunction/Shake Shake Tambourine/Clap Hands
Devils Haircut
Think I'm in Love
Modern Guilt
Orphans
Walls
Missing
Chemtrails
Golden Age
Lost Cause
Where It's At

Encore:
Gamma Ray
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
new song
E-Pro

Iran

A few weeks ago, while taking in all of the greatness that is TV On The Radio's latest masterpiece, Dear Science, I managed to come across Kyp Malone's other band/project, Iran. I don't really know how I missed this previously because from what I've heard thus far, it's excellent. Their first album came out in 2001 and the 'Fork gave it a 9.6. Now they have a 3rd album coming out and BV has posted the first track. Sitek is, of course, producing.

From MySpace:
Fans of experimental noise-popsters Iran know that seeing them is even rarer than catching a glimpse of the reclusive Jeff Mangum, but those fans will soon have cause to celebrate. Sort of. The quartet of singer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Aites, guitarist Kyp Malone (also of TV on the Radio), guitarist/bassist Peter Hoffman (The Mendoza Line), and guitarist Aaron Romanello (Grand Mal), are planning to release an as-yet untitled album sometime this year. Produced by David Andrew Sitek (another member of TV on the Radio), the album is being recorded at Gigantic Studios in Tribeca and will be released through Narnack Records. Speaking with Pitchfork by phone last Friday, Aites described the new album as "very hi-fi", and "more structured" and "fully fleshed out" than their previous two outings, Iran and The Moon Boys. He also said it's more lyric-based (in the vein of The Moon Boys), with material sounding "louder and grimmer." They're also planning a single release for "Buddy", but have no firm release date for that either. They do, however, have some track titles:

I Can See the Future
Buddy
I Already Know You're Wrong
Airport '79
Baby Let's Get High One Last Time
Digital Clock and Phone
Where I'm Going
Cape Canaveral / Buddy Reprise
Can I Feel What?
Evil Summer