LHB’s Shorties (Golden Boots, AC Newman, and More)

Tucson Weekly profiles Golden Boots.

If Golden Boots' music was difficult to classify before--they call themselves "alt-alt-country"--such a pursuit is made far more difficult with the release of The Winter of Our Discotheque. The band has always traded in a sort of warped take on Americana, simultaneously organic and psychedelic. But this time around it would appear that the mixing of the record became at least as important as the basic recording process. Added to the basic recipe of skewed, twangy folk-rock is a plethora of interesting new sounds and genre dabbling. A synth here, some dubby, delay-treated drums there. A touch of reggae here, a noise freakout yonder. And those are just a few of the elements that are identifiable.

Paste interviews A.C. Newman about his new solo album, Get Guilty.

Paste: How is everything going in your world, Carl?

Newman: I’ve been home for a while, relaxing in a way. You know, my record just came out, so I’ve been doing stuff connected with that. I’ve also been writing and working on demos for the next New Pornographers record. Anytime I’m able to work at home, I don’t really consider it work. Being able to sleep in your own bed is key. When I’m on tour, that feels like work.

Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats talks to the Santa Barbara Independent about his two bands.

“When I got the job with The Shins, I had a lot of people say to me, ‘Congratulations, man,’” Johnson recalled. “I was sort of like, ‘Why? What did I do? I just got hired in somebody’s band.’… There was kind of this idea that people were like, ‘Well now you don’t have to do that Fruit Bats thing anymore. Good for you! You’re off the hook!’ It was this American idea of, as long as you’re on TV … It’s not really just about creating stuff. It’s sort of about visibility, or whatever. I absolutely love being in [The Shins], but I like writing my own music too—it’s really fun.”

Music Radar offers a flow chart to explain heavy metal band names.

In the Guardian's music blog, My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way explains how the comic Watchmen changed his life.

Daytrotter's Thursday session features in-studio mp3s from Husband & Wife.

Audiolife is a new online service where musicians can sell CDs, digital downloads, and merchandise in the same place with no upfront fees.

Ear Farm gathers Super Bowl predictions from indie rockers.

- David Gutowski