Deastro – “Vermillion Plaza” From Deastro’s Moondagger, out 6/23 on Ghostly International.

Yesterday, Pitchfork premiered the MP3 for Passion Pit’s “Moth’s Wings.” We posted the track here shortly thereafter. Moments ago, we got a takedown message from someone claiming to represent Sony Music France, saying “please remove these copyrighted files.”

I am not removing the track.

The track was clearly authorized as a promo track by Passion Pit’s US label, Frenchkiss, as evidenced by Pitchfork’s posting of the track, and by the top news item on frenchkissrecords.com, urging people to “go download it.”

Sony Music France, if you do indeed have a problem with this track appearing on the internet, you need to work it out with Frenchkiss. This is not a “blogs illegally leaking tracks” issue, this is an “antiquated and unworkable music rights” issue. It’s a “2 labels with a common interest not communicating with one another” issue.

Here at MBV, we respect ownership rights, and we respect artists and label’s wishes. In this particular case, it seems that Sony Music France is the one not respecting them.

This is a fairly light week, relatively speaking. Releases of particular note, though, include Crocodiles’ Summer of Hate, which we’ve got streaming all week, Japandroids’ Post-Nothing, which Insound has the vinyl exclusive on (it’s vinyl and digital only), and a few great new vinyl reissues of some classic albums, including Pulp’s This Is Hardcore, Townes Van Zandt’s Live at the Old Quarter, and two seminal Flipper albums. The sad news this week is that the vinyl reissues of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and Isn’t Anything have been delayed.

A Camp – Colonia

Acid Mothers Temple – Interstellar Guru and Zero

Crocodiles – Summer of Hate
MP3: Crocodiles – “I Wanna Kill”
STREAM: Crocodiles’ Summer of Hate here at MBV all week

Rivers Cuomo – Live At Fingerprints

Bob Dylan – Together Through Life

Great Northern – Remind Me Where The Light Is

The Green Pajamas – Poison In The Russian Room
MP3: The Green Pajamas – “Any Way the Wind Blows”

Holy Sons – Drifter’s Sympathy
MP3: Holy Sons – “Drifter’s Sympathy”

Merzbow – 13 Japanese Birds, Vol. 4

Moderat – s/t
MP3: Moderat – “A New Error”

Thee Oh-Sees – Help

Wilco – Ashes of American Flags DVD

Vinyl/Vinyl Reissues

Flipper – Generic

Flipper – Gone Fishin’

Japandroids – Post-Nothing
MP3: Japandroids – “Heart Sweats”

My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything (Delayed)

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Delayed)

Pulp – This Is Hardcore

Townes Van Zandt – Live at the Old Quarter

The Phoenix New Times profiles singer-songwriter William Elliott Whitmore.

It’s impossible to mention William Elliott Whitmore without talking about his voice. Its deep, weathered ache sounds as though it were rescued from a well four score ago, only to wander the earth in muddy boots with a banjo strapped to its back. Raised on gospel and schooled in the blues, his limber basso wends through dark emotional alleys like a spiritualist seeking to enlighten. Indeed, the first soul it saved was Whitmore’s own.

Decider Denver interviews Pansy Division's Jon Ginoli.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival has announced its 2009 lineup.

PopMatters examines how female singer-songwriters have reclaimed the murder ballad as their own.

The Midnight Cafe shares mp3s of live recordings from a variety of music genres, included are shows by Liz Phair, Fleet Foxes, and much more.

M. Ward visits The Current studios for an interview and live performance.

Daytrotter features in-studio mp3s from Cut Off Your Hands.

David Stewart

Mirah - "Generosity" Mirah has again learned to prowl. (A)Spera is a great album, years late. Elsewhere there's kora and mbira, vocal twists that recall the Cocteau Twins, but on "Generosity" it's simple building blocks: drums, strings, electric guitar, cloud voices. Acknowledgement and refusal. Trees growing leaves and losing them, levees filling and breaking and being re-laid, faces cracking open into tears & smiles. [buy]

Roxy Music "Pyjamarama" A long-distance love-song that doesn't sound like one, that sounds like running down a spiral staircase together, your pockets full of peaches. And peaches don't fit very well in pockets, so there'd be lots of laughs and trips and falls. Oh if only more music like this came in tins, flatpacks like sardines, no expiry date, easy to throw into your luggage and crack open at lonely times - sitting by the hotel-room window with sun streaming in, no one to trip down a fire-escape with. [buy]

Marnie Stern “The Package Is Wrapped” One of my favorite things about Marnie Stern’s music is that her lyrics very often express this unshakable certainty that we have the power to change our habits, rework our minds, and improve ourselves. It’s not hippie dippie babble, either. When she sings about rearranging her mind or grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat, it comes from a place of knowing how hard it is to do just that, and the intense focus and discipline required to fundamentally shift one’s way of thinking and living. This subject matter is an inspired and appropriate match for her music, which overflows not only with excitement and energy, but this feeling of anxiety and impatience. That’s part of why her sentiment feels so true — she’s psyching herself up, grappling with neuroses, pushing herself to the limit, and all the while there is this powerful yearning for the end result that comes through in every note. Ultimately, the desire to triumph drowns out every other feeling and thought, and it’s just amazing. I don’t know how anyone could hear this without getting a jolt of adrenaline, or feeling overcome with ambition.

Buy it from Amazon.

Amanda SchenkThe Sadies have no shortage of experience in the role of backing band, having worked with the likes of Neko Case, Robyn Hitchcock and Jon Langford in addition to carving out their niche with their unique blend of country, rock, punk and psychedelic influences. John Doe has no shortage of experience fronting bands, most famously with Los Angeles punk legends X but also with country outfit The Knitters, to say nothing of his impressive solo career. So that the two parties would opt to work together on a record initiated, as Doe recalls, by “a drunken promise or threat” seems like a match made in country heaven.

Stream: John Doe & The Sadies / Country Club
MySpace: John Doe & The Sadies

Reuters talks to Steve Earle about his forthcoming Townes Van Zandt tribute record Townes, due out May 12.

Clash interviews Jason Lytle, whose new solo record Yours Truly, The Commuter is out May 19.

Billboard verifies that Wilco will release their new album on June 30. Unconfirmed is that the record, the band’s seventh, will be self-titled. How meta would that be - Wilco the band releases Wilco the album which contains “Wilco The Song”.

Chairlift has an Interface session with Spinner.

British Sea Power will release their new album, a soundtrack for the 1933 documentary film Man From Aran, on May 18 and there’s now an MP3 from the soundtrack and a trailer for the film. The band are already at work on their fourth proper studio album - Noble gives NME a progress report.

MP3: British Sea Power - “Come Wander With Me”
Trailer: Man From Aran