Tune in to WNYC tonight to hear a Grizzly Bear acoustic session

Those who have been happily snapping up all of the recently reissued Monks material (thanks to Light In The Attic), there’s one more item you need to add to your wishlist: German label Red Lounge Records is on the verge of releasing a 7-inch featuring a cut from a mega-rare Monks’ one-sided acetate from ’67. The “Pretty Suzanne (Mega-Fuzz Freak Beat Version)” b/w “Monk Time” is due out any day now, so watch the Red Lounge Myspace for updates.

St. Vincent @ Webster Hall, 5/20/2009
The Strangers / Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood / Now, Now / Actor Out Of Work / The Party / Oh My God / The Bed / Save Me From What I Want / Black Rainbow / Marrow / Just The Same But Brand New // Marry Me / Your Lips Are Red

If you have been to enough concerts, you become familiar with the dynamic of the audience and the singer during small talk moments: They say something, the audience claps or laughs accordingly, and the space between the songs is filled up, nothing more to think about. Annie Clark is a friendly, funny person on stage, but last night, it seemed as though the audience collectively didn’t know what to do when she addressed us. Awkward pauses, bad jokes from weird dudes in the back, lots of nervous laughter — at some points, it felt like the entire room was on a bad first date with someone way out of our league.

Clark and her band of top notch multi-instrumentalists were excellent, but they did not entirely find their groove until about halfway through the show. They were tight and well-rehearsed, but some songs early on came across as a bit tentative, as though they had not yet settled into the best way to perform the arrangement in concert. This was apparent on “The Strangers” and “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood,” in which Clark sang both her lead and backing vocals, which overlap slightly on record. It wasn’t unsuccessful, but it was less than ideal — she may be wise to eventually have another woman on hand to handle the secondary parts. Her male vocalists were superb, though — the extended outro of “The Party” was totally gorgeous, and they added the necessary weight to the chorus of “Save Me From What I Want.”

“Save Me From What I Want” marked the part of the show when everything totally clicked together. Not coincidentally, these were the more groove-oriented songs — “Save Me” popped with a smoothly funky bass line, and additional melody and texture from pizzicato violin and saxophone; “Black Rainbow” was transformed into something of a stomp without sacrificing its lovely, delicate tune, and “Marrow” had a burning intensity that made me want to start a petition begging Clark to write more songs like it.

St. Vincent - “Marrow” When Annie Clark sings phrases like “save me” and “help me,” she never sounds as though she is making herself vulnerable to appeal to other people, especially not in a sexual sort of way. It comes across more like self-directed exasperation, as though he’s freaking out about getting herself caught in one trap or another. “Marrow” is about as hysterical as the preternaturally composed Clark gets, but its groove is smooth and gliding even when the song is tense and violent. The arrangement reminds me a bit of Trent Reznor’s work circa The Fragile — that perfect marriage of immaculate production, super-tight musicianship, potent anxiety, and unapologetic funkiness.

Buy it from Amazon.

Patrick Wolf is streaming his new album, The Bachelor, at MySpace.

ABC News' Amplified blog is streaming the new Viva Voce album, Rose City, in its entirety.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel profiles Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis.

According to the Telegraph, University of St. Andrews professor compares Morrissey to the greats in literature.

The academic argues that Morrissey is the greatest lyricist in the history of British popular music, and compares him to literary luminaries such as Samuel Beckett, Philip Larkin, John Betjeman and Oscar Wilde.

The Guardian has news of the Blur "comeback compilation" CD, Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur.

As a reunited Blur prepare for a string of comeback concerts, the band have also brought together 25 of their favourite Blur songs, to reunite on a, er, CD. Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur will be released on 15 June, a fortnight before their first comeback gig.

ipickmynose interviews John Vanderslice, then takes a stroll through his garden with him.

See also interviews Vanderslice.

Album covers recreated with MS Paint.

The Village Voice interviews St. Vincent">St. Vincent's Annie Clark.

What else inspires you?

I would say I'm as inspired by film and visual arts as I am by music; and sometimes more so. For example, [in my song] "Save Me From What I Want"--Jenny Holzer, the visual artist, wrote a really beautiful piece called "Protect Me From What I Want" and I was really inspired by her work. And "Black Rainbow" is the title of this really beautiful fireworks display where the fireworks all went off in the shape of a rainbow.

Rolling Stone also profiles St. Vincent.

Sounds Like: “You know when music is so elegant it sounds like the clouds are parting and feathers are falling from the sky?” Clark tells Rolling Stone. “I’d juxtapose that with something really gross.” For example, on the opening technicolor ballad “The Strangers,” Clark adds a high-hat that comes in just behind the beat to make the song sound seasick. Whether shredding on a guitar with a wall of feedback or letting her choirgirl voice carry the song, St. Vincent’s music is always seemingly on the verge of ecstasy or disintegration.

The Line of Best Fit interviews members of Grizzly Bear.

Tortoise – “Prepare Your Coffin”

New Destroyer 12″, “Bay of Pigs” b/w “Ravers” due from Merge on 8/18

I’m sure more details about it will be posted on the Merge site shortly…

It’s going to be “Bay of Pigs” b/w “Ravers” and I’m assuming this comes in *advance* of the new full-length that was previously mentioned for ‘09 (unless of course this 12″ is the sole “new release” he’s been working on). Whatever the case, I’ve already heard from my sources that the new material is amazing.