Musician and black belt Lou Reed has been into the "healing arts," like Tai Shi and meditation, for a while. But he's traditionally kept those interests separate from his music. Well, that was then.

"Wind Coda", now streaming on Lou's MySpace page, is the first track available from his upcoming album of instrumentals titled Hudson River Wind Meditations. Nevermind that the wind off the Hudson River is nothing to meditate on-- we're just surprised to see Reed finally sharing a label (and presumably, prime real estate at Whole Foods registers) next to Oprah faves Deepak Chopra and Dr. Weil.

Designed as background music for healing bodywork and meditation practice, "Wind Coda" is little more than processed bell tones and white noise, but when played on headphones, we were surprised to find it did seem to have a soothing effect, allowing us to enter into the blissful, healing state of eternal boredom.

Stream: > Lou Reed: "Wind Coda" [MySpace]
[from Hudson River Wind Meditations; due 04/01/07 on Sounds True Records]

My Latest Novel's "The Reputation of Ross Francis", from their debut album Wolves, leads two lives. It begins as a charming, literary folk song, and ends in a swell of violins and church hall echo loud enough to snuff out candles. The subject matter works two ways, too: While the main thread tells the tale of a liar who lies about his lying to get past the gates of heaven, it also explores regret and salvation-- as the song grows louder, the protagonist begs to be given another chance at goodness.

MP3: > My Latest Novel: "Track"
[from Wolves; out now on The Worker's Institute] | [ORDER]

Clinic recite foreboding incantations on this B-side to UK single "If You Could Read Your Mind". A single fuzzy guitar saws over the tribal beat, breaking intermittently for menacing chants uttered atop windchimes. It's hard to make out what's being said through the dense echo, but words like "spirits," "angels," "lord," and "crucified" emerge, as possible references to biblical figure Bartholomew's call to apostleship-- although sonically, it more readily invokes bloody martyrdom. St. Bartholomew was flayed alive before ultimately being crucified upside down, but it's hard to tell whether Clinic are on God's side here.

[from the "If You Could Read Your Mind" UK single; out 2/07/07 on Domino] | [ORDER]

We also ran the video for "If You Could Read Your Mind" earlier this month, but you know what, we might as well post it again 'cause wtf:

We were pretty big fans of Vitalic's "Poney Pt. 1" video last year, which took the art of extreme slow-motion to new heights with shots of jumping, panting, shaking dogs of all breeds. The result was both a physics lesson and cute overload. Of course, we didn't stop to think about how applying the same effect to different species might have the opposite effect.

The video for Warp Records artist Clark's latest single, "Ted", directed by 1stAveMachine, is equally mesmerizing but for totally different reasons: Call us specist, but watching these alien-like insects flare and retract their body parts is just revolting, their steel-plated exoskeletons creepily fluid and mechanical at the same time. Naturally, their movements are edited to keep time with "Ted"s own pulsing beat, and yup, it fits: here are doughy, soft, human hands eliciting synthetic sounds from machines, while robotic, mech-like insects writhe and slither.

There was plenty to dance to on Booka Shade's Movements (the #50 entry on Pitchfork's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2006), but "Darko" was one of the disc's more cerebral tracks-- one that proved just how much they could blur the line between dancefloor-ready and headphone-ready without readily fitting either mold. And while the Darko Remixes II 12" that this track is taken from features versions by heavy-hitters Tiefschwarz and Radio Slave, lesser-known Le Grand Noir turn in the most effective reworking, crossing the t's, dotting the i's, and dragging the original like a hesitant friend onto the floor.

It takes a good two minutes to get off the ground, swapping out the original's introductory rubbery organ whoosh for a more ominous beat-- but just when you expect a straightforward upshift, it lets out a lightning scream of guitar, and the original's understated beat becomes a monster, evoking one breathless moment where the doors fly open, the lights flood the room, and everyone moves.

MP3: > Booka Shade: "Darko (Le Grand Noir Club Mix)"
[from Darko Remixes II; out now on Get Physical] | [ORDER]

Some of the video models The Game insulted when he released Doctor's Advocate are, six months later, starring in his latest video. In "Wouldn't Get Far", the Game (along with guest star Kanye West) calls out the ladies by name, saying, "...wouldn't get far/ If they kept their legs closed." It's also got Pop Up Video-style bubbles for additional commentary, like calling the girls "clueless" and warning "...if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile." Hey, at least some of them turned down the invitation.

Kanye's brief guest appearance is the video's best moment, dropping nerd wisdom like, "Since they all fall in my Palm I'll take a Treo" (always charming). Of course, his greatest contribution is his organic production work, a welcome break from the cold, invasive synth-n-drums recipe on the rest of the album. [via Nah Right]

Alex Kapranos has a little trouble with the pacing of this song, which Franz Ferdinand wrote for the forthcoming film Hallam Foe, which is based on Peter Jinks' 2001 novel of the same name. "Hallam Foe, Dandelion Blow" calls for something halfway between singing and speaking, but Kapranos sounds best singing fast and strong. Reverb-drenched guitar and piano are the only instruments for most of this track, and sadly, Kapranos sounds a bit naked without more aggressive backup.

Franz's accompanying blog entry says, "Sexual tension, voyeurism, dark humour, Scotland and death are themes of the film-- all of which seem good ingredients for a song by the Ferdinand." But the lyrics are also uncharacteristically sentimental, and lines like, "When you leave/ You're a dandelion blown on the breeze," aren't exactly indicative of something more sinister lurking underneath.

Stream: > Franz Ferdinand: "Hallam Foe, Dandelion Blow" [MySpace]
[from the Hallam Foe soundtrack; out later this year on Domino]

Cam'ron's talking a lot and saying nothing new on this track from Kay Slay's new Sign of the Times mixtape, which isn't to say he doesn't have a few nice lines (witness: "We celebrities with guns: shooting stars" and "Piss on your tombstone/ Write on it, 'Told you so'"). The problem is, the guy writes lines like these in his sleep; even his flow here makes it sound like he needs to be woken up to stay on the beat. So when we hear his threats to "shoot the wake up and dead the funeral," it sounds like he's on anger autopilot. Killa Season was a disappointment, and if Cam'ron wants to recapture our imaginations like he did on Purple Haze, he should loosen up and stop trying so hard to look hard. His buddy Jim Jones couldn't rap if he had Rakim's playbook, but at least "We Fly High" was fun.

Stream: > Cam'ron: "Dead the Funeral" [via XXL]
[from Kay Slay's Sign of the Times mixtape]

Times were hard for noise-rockers the Mae Shi in 2006, as they saw the departure of lead singer Ezra Buchla, and found themselves a casualty of the 5RC label's closure. But steadfast as ever, the remaining members auditioned new singers through their website, eventually bringing on Jonathan Grey. That's not the only change. Even though the band doesn't know when they'll release their next album, nor what label it'll be on, it sounds like they've been working hard to reinvent their sound. On "Run to Your Grave", from their upcoming album (to be called 7XX7 or PWND, according to the band's website), they eschew schizophrenic, two-minute assaults for a shockingly pop-friendly sound.

"Run to Your Grave" is a great surprise for anyone that's liked-- or even been turned off by-- the Mae Shi's jagged, fragmented albums. There are still unrestrained, crazy-ass drums, and tiny keyboard riffs that dip in and out of the mix, but this is, at its heart, a big, whistle-ready, catchy-as-shit indie rock track-- a great one. In fact, the feel-good sing-along vibe almost makes you forget it's a song about the inevitability of death, decay, and final judgment. Conveying a sense of joyful abandonment in the face of doom, it's prime end-credit fodder for a high school zombie romance. If you're gonna abandon self-referential schizo-prog for pop structures and consonance, this is the way to go.

MP3: > The Mae Shi: "Run to Your Grave"
[from their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album; release date and label TBD]

The name immediately makes you think they're an alt-country band-- even their old moniker (The Brokedown) had a dusty pick-up truck feel. But while there are some twangy touches on their first single "Down in the Valley"-- lead singer Ross Flournoy stretches his vowels over the verses, and the song references old West miner legends-- the Broken West prove themselves more power-pop than Parsons brothers, working in bruiser jangle, singalong choruses, and humming organ. "I hide my feelings like the Dutchman hides his gold," Flournoy sings, referencing the band's 2004 EP, The Dutchman's Gold, "but no one feels the darkness down in the valley tonight."

MP3: > The Broken West: "Down in the Valley"
[from I Can't Go On, I'll Go On; Out Now on Merge] | [ORDER]

Since when could cuteness be so elegant? Miami trio the Postmarks layer Tim Yehezkely's fey vocals with the sophistication of French pop, the glamour of 60s lounge, and the heavenly teenage symphonies of the Beach Boys-- that's like a strawberry ice cream cone miraculously coated with creme brulee! Christopher Moll (See Venus, timewellspent) and Jonathan Wilkins fill out a sound that evokes the Softies as produced by Air.

Yes, New Orleans production duo Hercules have experimented with similar ingredients, but the Postmarks' "Goodbye" gets the tooth-tingling recipe just right. In the video, directed by Radical Friend, a miniskirted femme takes a taxi through a modish, earth-toned scene of dogs, mannequins, fire fighters, fruit stand vendors, and sailors. "Don't leave a key underneath the mat for me," Yehezkely sings, bathed in luxurious horns. Tahiti 80 producer Andy Chase mixes. Hello, "Goodbye"!

The Peter Bjorn and John U.S. invasion made a stop at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" yesterday. Gorilla Vs. Bear found a clip of their performance-- and knowing NBC, it'll be removed in a day or so. But for now it's great to see how PB&J turn a talk show appearance into something resembling a spot on American Bandstand or Ready, Steady, Go!: Peter Morén's whistle solo and Victoria Bergsman's shy, head-down vocals are great television, especially when she finally meets his eyes for the chorus. The band's snappy vintage suits and Ms. Bergsman's Peggy Moffitt-esque haircut also lend it a classic 60s feel. Turn off the color knob on your TV (er, laptop) and it could be The Ed Sullivan Show.