On its second single for Too Pure, this Kent-based band peels away the dreamy indie-pop sheen of its earlier work and reveals an affinity for indie of the American persuasion. The feedback-coated noodling will be recognizable to anyone who has bothered to listen to a Sonic Youth record lately. To match, Matthew Simms does a pretty spot-on Thurston Moore impression as well. But It Hugs Back thankfully reins in some of SY's more indulgent impulses so that "Cars" never ceases to be a song, even as it ever-so-artfully unravels. Credit the slack yet steady rhythmic counterpoint supplied by bassist Paul Michael and drummer Dimitri Sudell. Thanks to them, "Cars" hardly idles even when it crosses the six-minute mark. Not the most original creation, to be sure, but proof that sometimes a familiar embrace is enough.

The Mountain Goats sound more like a full band than ever on latest album Heretic Pride, but being a rapid-strumming singer/songwriter means you can play your newest songs without having to teach them to the rest of the guys. During the Mountain Goats' recent show at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, John Darnielle took the stage solo to play "Sign of the Crow", a song he says he wrote "in a motel room in Alaska about three weeks ago." It's the kind of detail-rich vignette this guy's been churning out ever since his boombox days, drawing connections between "the pleasures of the flesh", "the pleasures of the spirit", and "the bodies of the faithful" as he describes French troops in a Franciscan abbey. And porno. Darnielle's acoustic-guitar chord progressions here aren't the most interesting he's ever done-- then again, there are only so many combinations, and almost everybody uses this one sooner or later-- but the chorus delivers the money shot: "Of the several things that you have to do today/ You're gonna regret one/ This generation asks for a sign/ It's never gonna get one." The Boston Phoenix was there to take the video; you can also see a solo cover of Rodney Crowell's "Ain't Living Long Like This" and a full-band "Heretic Pride" over on their site. Here's hoping Darnielle feels better after having to cancel the Mountain Goats' Australian tour due to "personal medical reasons."

"If you don't love me, let me go," The Decemberists' Colin Meloy sings on "Engine Driver", originally from Picaresque (Pitchfork's #26 album of 2005). On the right days, it's my favorite lyric in the catalog of a guy who often seems to get more acclaim for his nautical epics, Victorian imagery, or occasional 10-dollar words. This version from Meloy's forthcoming live solo album sees Meloy laying the song bare, just voice and acoustic guitar, plus some lovely audience participation. The song's talk of county linemen always puts me in mind of Glen Campbell; the opening, slightly dissonant guitar chords put me in mind of something else. But whether live or in-studio, solo or full-band, Meloy's plaintive, writerly plea remains very much his own, and it's one of his finest pop songs.

Stream:> Colin Meloy: "Engine Driver" (Live)
[from Colin Meloy Sings Live!; due 04/08/08 on Kill Rock Stars]

"Strange family fond of slow-mo dance moves and French electro-house," what the hell happened to you? Maybe I'll put an ad up in "Missed Connections." Whatever the reason, Justice are the subjects of yet another fan video-- this one directed by Daniel Bloomberg and inspired by †'s "Phantom Pt. II". This version goes back to the French duo's Kanye-enraging roots with more pranks in the style of Justice's MTV Europe Video Awards-winning clip for "Never Be Alone". This time: food fight!

[original track from †; out now on Downtown]

Nowadays it'd be called a mashup or sound collage or "culture jamming," but when the first 12" from Double Dee and Steinski dropped in 1985, it was hip-hop. Illegal Art's forthcoming compilation of Steinski's work, What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective, collects a significant body of the cut-and-paste wizard's work, including an entire second CD devoted to 2002's essential illegality Nothing to Fear: A Rough Mix, but older heads will geek over the stuff on disc one, from the Kennedy-assassination deconstruction "The Motorcade Sped On" to the Television Mix of Steinski & Mass Media's Jackson 5/Bush I-warping "It's Up to You"-- and, of course, the frequently-bootlegged "Lesson" series.

Double Dee and Steinski's classic "The Payoff Mix," aka "Lesson 1"-- denoted on the original Tommy Boy 12" as a "Mastermix of G.L.O.B.E. and Whiz Kid's 'Play That Beat Mr. D.J.'"-- is a bit overlooked by many hip hop heads in light of the other song on that single's A-side, the legendary and groundbreaking "Lesson Two (James Brown Mix)". (One notable exception: rock critic Dave Marsh put "The Payoff Mix" at #213 in his 1989 list of the 1001 Greatest Singles, oddly sandwiched between the Diamonds' "Little Darlin'" and Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl".) But there are still moments of inspired juxtaposition and b-boy comedy: along with the requisite snatches of break standards like the Incredible Bongo Band's "Apache" and Herbie Hancock's "Rock It", Double Dee and Steinski throw in loops of Culture Club's "I'll Tumble for Ya", Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", cheesy dance instruction records ("heel, toe, heel, toe"), and Humphrey Bogart's "play it, Sam" dialogue from Casablanca. It's one of the earliest bridges between old-school and sample-era hip hop, and once Steinski transitioned from spliced-together analog tape into actual digital sampling, his club-friendly subversion would get even wilder.

MP3:> Double Dee and Steinski: "The Payoff Mix"
[from What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective; due 05/27/08 on Illegal Art]

The School hold class outside in the video for "All I Wanna Do", the Cardiff, Wales-based septet's recent single for Spanish indie-pop label Elefant. Like the group's "Let It Slip", which we posted last year in demo form, "All I Wanna Do" is a swaying, winsome tune with some of the Phil Spector lushness of Lucky Soul, the Belle & Sebastian-style modesty of Camera Obscura, and the airy, girl-group vocals of both. Something about the lilting melody and lyrical theme here also brings to mind Kirsty MacColl's 1979 Stiff Records single "They Don't Know"; like that song, the School's latest glows with the crush-like euphoria of new love, helped by production from Ian Catt (Saint Etienne, Field Mice, Trembling Blue Stars, Stars). All singer Liz wants to do, in case you couldn't guess, is "hang around with you." The David Smith-directed clip follows umbrella-toting young couples around South Wales as they frolic by the pier, watch the ships come in, buy ice cream, and other stuff guaranteed to make the grumpier among you blanch-- at least until the ending, where I did. An EP featuring "Let It Slip" is set to follow, according to the label, along with a full-length album later this year.

[from the "All I Wanna Do" single; due 04/14/08 on Elefant]

It's hard to believe that Los Angeles art-punk duo No Age is just now about to release their first proper album (last year's fine Weirdo Rippers was actually a compilation culled from a series of vinyl-only EPs). "Eraser", the second track on their forthcoming Sub Pop debut Nouns, was just posted to the band's MySpace; it's a major highlight, and it also might be their most accessible song yet. Introduced with chiming acoustic guitar, an undercurrent of fuzz, and a bright tambourine, "Eraser" turns into a textbook example of the band's buoyant noise-pop aesthetic and then it's over before you know it. They know how to leave you wanting more, which is where the On Repeat part comes in. Thanks to Nathaniel Higgins for the tip.

MP3:> No Age: "Eraser"
[from Nouns; due 05/06/08 on Sub Pop]

Photo by Staphane Gallois 

The first track from Ladytron's upcoming album Velocifero is heavy, almost punishing: a fat, grinding synth churns away somewhere underground; drums hammer like a punch machine stamping out sheet metal; and the singing, in Bulgarian, sounds like a series of strict orders that must be obeyed or else.

MP3:> Ladytron: "Black Cat"
[from Velocifero; due 06/03/08 on Nettwerk]

Fred Schneider's going to need a car that seats about 220 to fill up the Funplex with revelers. It's a little scary how little Kate Pierson has aged since she was roaming around the world-- she's about to turn 60 for god's sake-- but otherwise this clip for the title track from the band's first record in forever is goofy fun. 

[from Funplex; out now on Astralwerks]

Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

The latest music blog sensation is a mysterious French woman with a penchant for extreme lo-fi. OK, actually, The New York Times ran a story today about a recording of the human voice made in 1860 (well before Thomas Edison's famous sound experiments) that has just now been made audible. In brief: French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville created a device called a phonautogram that converted sound waves into lines on paper; researcher and audio historian David Giovannoni and his team found a way to transform the notation of one of these recordings, of an unknown (likely) woman singing "Au Clair de la Lune", back into sound. The playback sounds like something Philip Jeck excavated from the bottom of a landfill, which is to say, pretty wonderful, if you happen to like noise. The Times has the full story and the track.

MP3/Stream:> "Au Clair de la Lune"