Here’s “Sore,” a gorgeous new one from ARMS played live on a pink couch and a likely candidate from the band’s forthcoming sophomore effort. I believe they played this one when I caught ‘em at SXSW, an afternoon as crisp as fresh lettuce and equally good for you. The band’s reverb-soaked self-titled EP is out now, for free; keep an eye out for a remixed companion set.
Any friend of Elliott Smith is a friend of mine. Charles Latham’s “Come Clean” recalls Smith circa Either/Or — that’s definitely Elliott on the drums, right? — if a bit less haunted. Though the music’s brighter, Latham carries anxiety in his warble, considering a warm world splashed with cold blood. “You picked the perfect words to say those ugly things,” he sings, but Latham’s music is anything but.
Jim Guthrie’s 2003 Owen Pallett-arranged classic Now, More Than Ever — Rawkblog’s 33rd best album of the decade — has grown increasingly vital as Jim continues to stubbornly not make new albums for us to listen to. Luckily, 3 Syllables Records has reissued the set on 180 gram vinyl (with two bonus tracks) and on CD (with 12 (!?) bonus tracks). Unluckily, 3 Syllables Records is on the other side of the ocean and the exchange rate sucks. Buy it anyway (because you need to, seriously) right here.
Editor’s Note: During their time at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival in Orange County a few weeks back, husband-and-wife Rawkblog contributors Phil and Jennifer Larsen Merkow took a break from the block-rockin’ beats to catch a few minutes with Do LaB executive producer Jesse Fleming. They talked about LIB, Do LaB’s happy relationship with Coachella and bringing the organization’s scene around the world. Might as well jump! Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Darling’s “Hungry Bees” is the most riffy track on the band’s self-titled debut, a rough-hewn tune that recalls both the Promise Ring and Elliott Smith’s forgotten Heatmiser (which is to say, Fugazi). A decade ago, the song could’ve gotten lost in a sea of equals — today, the band’s angsty, ungimmicky approach to pre-MySpace emo is a remind that emotion (sorry, Juliana Theory) isn’t dead. Get your first listen to “Hungry Bees” below; the band’s album is due July 6, a day after they’re playing a Rawkblog-sponsored album release party at Spaceland.
Los Angeles chamber-folk favorites Pepper Rabbit play what’s sure to be an inspired show at Spaceland tonight with the U.K.’s Peggy Sue, who will make you think less of Mercury Rev and more of Neko Case and Laura Marling. [Pepper Rabbit photo by David Greenwald]
Crystal Castles’ surprisingly 120 Minutes-ready clip for “Celestica,” the best track from their second self-titled full-length. Kinda makes me miss The Cranberries.
Jim Guthrie’s 2003 Owen Pallett-arranged classic Now, More Than Ever — Rawkblog’s 
Summer Darling’s “Hungry Bees” is the most riffy track on the band’s self-titled debut, a rough-hewn tune that recalls both the Promise Ring and Elliott Smith’s forgotten Heatmiser (which is to say, Fugazi). A decade ago, the song could’ve gotten lost in a sea of equals — today, the band’s angsty, ungimmicky approach to pre-MySpace emo is a remind that emotion (sorry, Juliana Theory) isn’t dead. Get your first listen to “Hungry Bees” below; the band’s album is due July 6, a day after they’re playing a 
Los Angeles chamber-folk favorites Pepper Rabbit play what’s sure to be an inspired show at Spaceland tonight with the U.K.’s Peggy Sue, who will make you think less of Mercury Rev and more of Neko Case and Laura Marling. [Pepper Rabbit photo by David Greenwald]
