Vivian Girls and the Beets: “Nightmare of Sound” Tour Video

A promotional video shot by Beets’ artist Matt Volz for the Beets current tour (only a few more shows w/Vivs remain– the Beets pick up with Catbird family members Air Waves in Austin on 9/17.)

Best Coast – “Angsty” Rose Quartz goes to bat for Best Coast after a quasi-takedown by CMG. Check out both sides and soak them in, but don’t forget to listen to this track, from the Where the Boys Are cassette, and make up your own mind, too.

HEALTH – “Before Tigers” (CFCF Remix) The remix comes from Montreal’s CFCF; the original comes from HEALTH’s new album, Get Color, out 9/8 on Love Pump United.

Frank YangFor a while early last week, it looked like fate wasn’t going to be satisfied with just making the Summer leading up to this weekend’s Virgin Festival Ontario at the Molson Amphitheatre miserable, but it was going to apply the proverbial final kick to the groin by dumping upwards of 40mm of rain on the fest on its first day. Mercifully, the forecast improved incrementally each day and by Friday, it was looking like the rains would fall overnight and miss the festival entirely. By no means did this preclude the possibility of locusts descending during Franz Ferdinand’s set, but at least it would be dry if they did.

Thankfully, sun was the order of the day for the most part, and even if the cloud cover hadn’t broken then the festival’s first act – Mates Of State – would have done their best to warm up the sparse early birds with their general adorable-ness.

MP3: Mates Of State – “My Only Offer”

I’ve accepted that I like Grizzly Bear as much as I’m ever going to – which is not nearly as much as most, not even their much-fawned over new record Veckatimest – but I’ve always enjoyed seeing them live and just seeing four talented individuals work, today being no exception.

MP3: Grizzly Bear – “Cheerleader”

I had to double-check past lineups to verify that this was indeed Sloan’s first appearance at a V Fest, which surprised me considering their “elder statesmen” stature in the firmament of Canadian music. They played through a set made up of hits from throughout their career, a solid reminder that they’ve written some of the best pure pop songs this country has had to offer in the past 15 years or so.

MP3: Sloan – “I’m Not A Kid Anymore”

Felix - “Death To Everyone But Us” Lucinda Chua’s vocal performance on “Death To Everyone But Us” brings to mind the anxious cadences of Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins, but she’s far less exuberant and much more taciturn, coming across rather like someone trying to spit out everything she needs to say as quickly as possible to keep herself from holding back or getting interrupted. I picture her eyes darting around the room, briefly fixing on every odd detail but never making eye contact. Even still, she’s trying to tell you something important — she’s mad at you, she loves you, she’s confused by you, she never wants to be without you. It can be so incredibly difficult to say these things, so nerve-wracking to upset the balance of a positive relationship by mentioning all the things you hate about that relationship. The vocals are all anxiety, but the arrangement is airy and graceful, hinting at self-assurance without necessarily signaling confidence and courage.

Buy it from Kranky.