Franz Ferdinand - What You Meant

At first I thought Franz Ferdinand's sophomore record was a disappointment and then i thought it was really good. "Do You Want To"'s bitchy poppiness overshadowed the whole record until I decided to give it another try. "What You Meant" is, like 10 out of the album's 12 songs, a potential hit single.

franz_ferdinand_-_what_you_meant.mp3

Stephen Malkmus - Wow-Ass Jeans

September sucked until i realized that the first three episodes of the new season of the o.c. were available for illegal download and that arrested devellopment, nip/tuck and lost had started again. Phew.
"Wow-Ass Jeans" is one of those Japanese bonus-track / European b-side types of songs, and it's a great Stephen Malkmus pop/pot piece, with cryptic lyrics and awesome, catchy melodies. He whistles, too.

stephen_malkmus_-_wow_ass_jeans.mp3

The Decemberists - The Bandit Queen

An exerpt from the fourth side of the vinyl edition of Picaresque, in which we find the Decemberists trapped in a dusty bar on the west coast in 1892. As usual, it sounds charming.

the_decemberists_-_the_bandit_queen.mp3

Arab Strap - Stink

An exerpt from Arab Strap's forthcoming The Last Romance, and probably the best song on the album.

arab_strap_-_stink.mp3

The Fall - I Can Hear the Grass Grow

Twenty-nine years later, Mark E Smith and his band release a damn fun record. I know "fun" isn't necessarily what people tend to associate The Fall with, but they've managed to fill Fall Heads Roll with the youthful, exhuberant energy that could be found in the band's early recordings. Awesome.

the_fall_-_i_can_hear_the_grass_grow.mp3

Elliott Smith - Thirteen

I can't wait to see Elliott Smith box sets pop up, complete with demos, unreleased tracks and so on. It might take a while and i'm glad to find two covers in the Thumbsucker soundtrack. "Thirteen" used to be one of Smith's live favourites and his affection for the song can be heard on this simple recording : Big Star's brilliant song became one of his most moving pieces.

elliott_smith_-_thirteen.mp3

Castanets - A Song Is Not the Song of The World

Fuck Devendra Banhart and his fellow grave robbers. Castanets' Raymond Raposa writes today's folk music, filled with bile, shitty jobs and dirty Greyhound bus trips. His new record (First Light's Freeze, asthmatic kitty) feels like a fresh, euphoric breath of poisoned air, and a bum's acid laugh at the Lost Boys' masquerade.

castanets_-_a_song_is_not_the_song_of_the_world.mp3

The Black Heart Procession - Exit Out

Here's an unreleased Black Heart Procession instrumental, seven minutes long, cinematic and gorgeous, from the Shanti Project vol 3 compilation (also featuring pieces by Arab Strap and Califone). According to the touch and go website, the band's fifth album should be released before the end of the year.

the_black_heart_procession_-_exit_out.mp3

Amandine - Stitches

An exerpt from Amandine's brilliant This Is Where Our Hearts Collide, delicate and subtle alt. country / folk from Sweden. "Stitches" sounds like the great Magnolia Electric Co. song Jason Molina forgot to write.

amandine_-_stitches.mp3