Men “Off Our Backs” JD Samson’s new post-Le Tigre project comes closer to the sound of that band’s remixes than proper album recordings — think the DFA remix of “Deceptacon,” rather than “Deceptacon” itself. With its staccato vocal rhythms and neon synth tones, “Off Our Backs” actually comes close to feeling like an English language variation on Yelle, but there’s a different sort of tension in the music. Whereas Yelle songs tend to be rather brash and direct, the structure of “Off Our Backs” suggests a series of emotional and intellectual tangents. Check out, for example, the way the song builds up to a chorus in its first minute only to defer on that pleasurable catharsis and pace around for a few measures before starting another verse. It feels a bit like wanting to say something very badly, but biting your tongue, not only out of tactful consideration, but to pause and think everything through. When the chorus comes around, it feels emphatic and true, as if the thought has been revised to the point it is totally incontrovertible.

Visit the Men MySpace page.

U.S.E. “All The World” Aside from changing their name from United State of Electronic to the far less dorky acronym U.S.E., Seattle’s greatest joycore party band have not changed all that much in the time since they released their debut album in 2004. “All The World,” the first single from their forthcoming sophomore record, is essentially the ultimate U.S.E. song in that it concentrates all of the band’s strengths into a single, concise four and a half minute blast of pop euphoria. It’s almost like ticking off a checklist:

Are there colorful synths and disco beats, kinda like a rock band version of Daft Punk? Check.

Is there a hook sung through a vocoder? You got it, bro!

Got any ultra-clean skyscraper-sized rhythm guitar riffs? But of course!

Is the chorus sung by a girl with an assertive, yet super-sweet voice? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Do the lyrics imagine a utopia full of dancing and limitless joy? Dude, it’s U.S.E.! Do you even need to ask?

They’re not breaking any new ground here, but I can’t imagine that anyone would actually want these people to change.

Visit the official U.S.E. website.

WFMU are nearing the launch date for their amazing Free Music Archive initiative, and are a throwing a party on April 4th in its honor. The Free Music Archive is an online music library curated by WFMU and select partners. The library features 5000+ tracks, all of which are available as high-quality mp3s– and it’s open to the public without restrictions, registration, advertisements or fees.

The FMA Launch Party will take place on 4/4 at the Bell House in Brooklyn, and the lineup is as follows:

8pm – Pink Skull
MP3: Pink Skull – “Unicorn Harpoon”

9pm – Catatonic Youth
MP3: Catatonic Youth – “Control My Gun”

10pm – Excepter
MP3: Excepter – “Kill People”

11pm – Thee Oh Sees
MP3: Thee Oh Sees – “The Freak Was Clean”

Paste's artist of the week is Wavves.

Twenty-two-year-old surf-punk wunderkind Nathan Williams, who performs as Wavves, is an unlikely candidate for the voice of a generation. But with guitar notes as ragged as his asymmetrical bangs, and with themes of apathy, financial hardship and general malaise recurring throughout his pseudo-eponymous sophomore album, Wavvves (out now on Fat Possum), what better way to soundtrack the recent economic downturn than with his static-soaked collages, recorded lovingly—and for free—on GarageBand in a backyard shack?

Billboard interviews Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament about the recent reissue of Ten.

QualityBootz shares mp3s of unreleased live concerts.

The New York Times reports that a musical based on Green Day's American Idiot album will debut September 4th in Berkeley.

Bob Dylan is offering a free MP3 download today of "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" from his new album, Together Through Life (out April 28th).

Idolator collects online reactions to Blender shutting the doors of its print publication.

PopMatters' Crazed by the Music blog ponders what Blender's print demise means for the music industry.

Enter the latest Largehearted Boy giveaway and win six of Continuum's 33 1/3 books on seminal albums.

Tommy Sparks – “She’s Got Me Dancing”

Directed by the incomparable Eric Wareheim (in case you couldn’t tell).

SubPopYou may know The Vaselines as the Scottish band who existed just long enough to release a couple of EPs, one album, and exert a huge influence on one Kurt Cobain. I actually knew them better as the band that Eugene Kelly was in before Eugenius, but that’s neither here nor there. For many years, the The Way Of The Vaselines: A Complete History compilation from SubPop has been the first (and last) stop for those seeking to learn more about the outfit, but come May 5 there’s going to be a new final word. That’s the day they’ll replace the venerable compilation with Enter The Vaselines, a new double-CD/triple-LP collection that remixes much of and remasters all of Way and throws in a pile of unreleased extra material. Full tracklisting at Exclaim!.

Also on the reissue tip, dearly departed Guelphies Royal City are set to be compiled by the good folks at Asthmatic Kitty They’ll release Royal City on June 23, a collection of a dozen previously unreleased tracks that has been rumoured for over four years. Better late than never though, right? Magnet is also on board with the nostalgia, paying tribute to their second album Alone At The Microphone.

MP3: Royal City - “My Brother Is The Meatman”

Exclaim! reports that R.E.M. are giving the deluxe reissue treatment to their sophomore album Reckoning, planning a live release of their 2007 “Dublin working rehearsals” which preceded the release of Accelerate and getting to work on the follow-up to said record. No timelines for any of the releases has been provided, though.

A track from the new Bob Dylan album Together Through Life is available to download from his website through midnight (Eastern Daylight time) tonight. The album is out April 28.

A few radio sessions available to stream - NPR with M Ward, who is at the Phoenix on April 27, and MPR welcomes AC Newman and another one with The Broken West.

Richard Swift – “Lady Luck”

I love this song.

MP3: Richard Swift – “Lady Luck”