Ed Droste Talks Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest: Pitchfork has the first in what’s sure to be a long string of Ed Droste Veckatimest interviews as we approach the album’s May 26 release date. Luckily it’s also a good one and Ed’s as approachable as ever, so go read. (P.S. Grizzly Bros, I hope — for your sake — that the album’s really good or a lot of people who comment on Internet forums are going to be very snarky. But they’ll probably be that anyway.)

Related: More Grizzly Bear

Like too many albums, Empire of the Sun’s debut is front-loaded — extremely so. Luckily, there’s enough awesome in the release’s first 20 minutes to carry the whole thing, a burden tracks such as title track “Walking on a Dream” and “Standing by the Shore” shoulder with aplomb and synth hooks. The duo goes straight for kitsch: their album cover is an absurdist bit of ’80s futurist fantasia, and the songs don’t deny the aesthetic. “Walking on a Dream” sounds like Phil Collins soundtracking Miami Vice by way of 2008: slick, sincere and, um, erect.

Walking On A Dream closes with “Without You,” which finds singer Luke Steele (also of The Sleepy Jackson) contorting his nasal croon into Robert Smith-like positions. It’s a gem in and of itself, but next to the first half’s pulsing excitement, it’s also another in a sea of neo-synth ballads. It probably sounds great on a yacht.

Empire of the Sun – “Walking On A Dream”: mp3

(Empire of the Sun MySpace)

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2008: We knew ye well. Click below for more of last year’s best music.

Mickey Rourke not doing Iron Man 2: Really. Bummer. The current rumor mill says Marvel’s not coughing up enough dough for actors such as Mickey and Samuel L. Jackson — can’t say I’m happy about that. (P.S. I saw Watchmen last night!!11one!1)

A relatively reliable source reports that Touch & Go, the venerable Chicago indie label that’s played home to such luminaries as the Butthole Surfers, Shellac and Ted Leo, is going catalog-only — no new music. See guys, this is what happens when we stop buying albums (and the economy craters). At any rate, best of luck, T&Gers. Update: According to DeRogatis, the label will eventually continue on with new releases, but right now, will stop doing distribution for a host of other labels including Merge (!), Drag City and Kill Rock Stars. Bad, bad news. Check out Pitchfork for a solid top 25 of the label’s formidable discog.

Ted Leo – “Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?”: mp3

(Touch & Go Records)

Ted Leo photo by David Greenwald

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Click below for more News + Links.

Colin Meloy in 2005 / photo by David Greenwald

The titular track of the Decemberists’ forthcoming Hazards of Love — purportedly a concept album Gothic in more of a musty castles and wailing deaths kind of way than a Hot Topic one — sounds more like the Decemberists than the band has, well, since they signed to a major label. I interviewed frontman Colin Meloy in summer 2007 for Entertainment Weekly and the first thing he said, to the publicist connecting us, was, “How long is this interview?” “I have down 30 minutes.” “I thought it was 15.” He was eloquent and respectful enough in the interview proper, but after that exchange, I couldn’t help getting the feeling that the band I’d seen play some four years earlier to a half-empty pizza place full of lonely pre-Garden State indie kids at UCLA had up and become sloppy rock stars. It didn’t help that 2006′s The Crane Wife was the lone stumble of the band’s hot streak of a discography. But now, sweet relief. “Hazards of Love” and the previously released-on-MySpace “The Rake’s Song” find the band sounding hungry and purposeful again, even as they find their footing on new ground (ground that doesn’t sound like Fleetwood Mac). As the decade ends, perhaps one of its formerly best new bands will be so again. Knowing Mr. Meloy, there’s probably a song in a story like that.

The Decemberists – “Hazards of Love”: stream

Previously: Bootleg: Colin Meloy at The Zoo, 8.10.05

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2009: Nothing but glory. Click below for more or visit the 2009 Album Release Calendar for a full listing of this year’s music.

(All photos by David Greenwald)

As expected, Andrew Bird put on a fantastic performance at KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic today — the perfect concert for a rare rainy day in Los Angeles. If you missed it, it should be up on KCRW soon. Many more photos after the jump — as always, click any photo to open a hi-res gallery. Read the rest of this entry »

Thesaurus aficionado and formidable folk songsmith Andrew Bird will be on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15 this morning, presumably doing a few tunes from his beautiful new album, Noble Beast. I’ll be in the studio and hopefully they’ll let me take some photos — you’ll be the first to know, obv. You can listen in on KCRW.com if you’re not a local.

I wrote about Noble Beast for my day job the other day, calling it “a more balanced effort [than 2007's Armchair Apocrypha], an album that shows off all of his musical sides as well as his magnificent wordplay.” Other than wishing for more rockers (as usual), it’s a fine addition to his catalog; “Anonimal” blends lyrical experimentation and sideways chamber-pop to make for one of his most inspired, impassioned moments, and the rest mostly follows suite. On the off-off-chance you don’t know what you’re getting into here, 2003′s near-flawless The Mysterious Production of Eggs remains his mission statement.

Andrew Bird – “Oh No”: mp3

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Click below for more new jamz, or visit the 2009 Album Release Calendar for a complete rundown on this year’s music.

Grizzly Bear unveiled their album art.

New Jamz: The Main Drag, Camera Obscura and Elliott Smith(!).

In the news: Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore are getting married, Iron & Wine is releasing a rarities comp and M.I.A. had a kid.

And we launched this brand-new Rawkblog.net address. Woo!