Girls – “Wild Eyes” (Vivan Girls)
Live at Cake Shop 6/27/09

Chet - “The Night The Night” CRACK and a thousand documentary filmmakers set off to find the real Michael Jackson. CRACK and a slough (slew?) of tasteless jokes arc in the air like sad toilet paper rolls. CRACK and everyone in the room looks down at their stomachs, to their 8-year-old stomachs and there in their hands is a vinyl of 'Bad' and not a shred of the last twenty years. You change the subject, force yourself to think about something else, people die all the time. And they do. And movies and art and music and money will be made out of all this. I love Chet tonight, it's a beautiful crackling excuse not to have an opinion on anything. [Pre-order]

Tune-Yards – “FIYA” (Live)

Beautiful, single-take video filmed during the Northside Festival a few weeks back. (h/t to McG)

I posted this yesterday, and then immediately took it down when I was tipped off that Merge was working hard to keep this a nice secret surprise for everyone next week. But seeing as how Stereogum just went ahead and let the cat out of the bag, I might as well repost.

Here’s the deal, it’s a new 3-track EP, and it’s coming out next Tuesday (6/30) on digital and CD, with the vinyl to follow in July. The tracks are “Got Nuffin’,” “Tweakers,” and “Stroke Their Brains.”

Bonus: go here to peep the design process for the sleeve, designed by Phillip Neimeyer of Double Triple.

Sonic Youth
Methane Studios, 2009