LHB’s Shorties (John Darnielle, Alela Diane, and More)

New York Magazine profiles John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and the complex relationship he has with his fans.

Mountain Goats fans tend to have an air of sadness about them, and because Darnielle sings so openly and candidly about his own difficulties, he connects with his audience on a level that few artists are able to reach (the band is called the Mountain Goats, plural, but the group—and the fuss over them—is entirely about Darnielle). Darnielle sings about what his fans feel but can’t articulate. He’s their hero, but he’s also their soulmate, the one person in the world who understands them. That’s why Stephen Wesley and the legions of fans like him can’t get enough of the Mountain Goats. And that burden is crushing Darnielle.

Decider Twin Cities interviews Asobi Seksu's Yuki Chikudate.

D: Do you find that certain songs or themes lend themselves better linguistically to Japanese or English?

YC: Japanese a really rhythmic, percussive language, so I think that it drives certain melodies really well. James [Hanna, guitarist] is fascinated with different languages, even though he’s really horrible at them. [Laughs.] He really is—it’s surprising how horrible his ear is for language. But he loves using them as texture. He doesn’t mind that I take over with the Japanese lyrics, even if he doesn’t really understand what I’m saying.

Paste's band of the week is Abe Vigoda.

The band's bouncier early songs were compared to Vampire Weekend, thanks to the band's shared mix of indie rock, pop and punk elements with melodic Afro Pop progressions. But Abe Vigoda is weirder, louder, and dirtier—and they don’t wear top-siders.

Amazon MP3 is offering the Prodigy's new 11-track album, Invaders Must Die, for only $1.99.

Nyctaper shares mp3s of Alela Diane's Saturday night New York performance.

- David Gutowski