Serena-Maneesh – “I Just Want To See Your Face” From their forthcoming LP S-M 2: Abyss In B Minor, due out 3/23 on 4AD.

Matrix Metals – “Flamingo Breeze, Part 4″

of Montreal @ Highline Ballroom 1/26/2010
Suffer For Fashion / Mingusings / Forecast Fascist Future / Du Og Meg / Lysergic Bliss / Disconnect The Dots / Spike The Senses / And I’ve Seen A Bloody Shadow / Plastis Wafers / St. Exquisite’s Confessions / Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse / Teenage Unicorn Fisting / An Eluardian Instance / Oslo In The Summertime / Every Day Feels Like Sunday / A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger / She’s A Rejecter // For Our Elegant Caste / I Want You Back (with Solange)

First off, this is what you want to see, right?

Video: Solange Knowles & Of Montreal - "I Want You Back" (The Jackson 5)

Moving on.

As you can see in the setlist above, this brief tour is not a try-out period for new material as I had expected. There was one new song in the show, a groovy rock number provisionally titled “Teenage Unicorn Fisting,” but this was pretty much a catalog showcase featuring big hits along with a handful of deep cuts. The presentation was relatively stripped-down, and they cast aside the programmed percussion in favor of live drums for the entire set. In addition to Solange Knowles once again teaming up with the band for a cover song, Susan Sarandon popped up onstage during “St. Exquisite’s Confessions” to spank some pig-men. You know the old show biz saying: “If you can’t get a horse, get Susan Sarandon.” of Montreal - “Plastis Wafers”

I’ll be honest: I was vaguely dreading this show. I was aware that it was a totally irrational thing, but I’ve actually taken the band’s music out of rotation in recent months to get away from its emotional content, and I’ve had this strange paranoia about the next OM album not being as good as the last few. (This is very unlikely!) I lucked out with this show. Not only did the self-imposed OM hiatus make me even more excited to hear the songs in the moment, but the band were kind enough to not perform the handful of songs bogged down with too much personal baggage for me to handle at the moment. (It’s not as though I asked, but either way: Thanks!)

“Plastis Wafers” was the big revelation of the night. It was leaner, tighter, faster, funkier. This could be a matter of projection for me, but it seemed much sadder than usual. What had once sounded like pure desire now felt more like hopeless desperation. When Kevin sang “You are such a fucking star,” it was like admiration mixing into resentment. The song sounded like an elegy for something that was dead, or dying. “It’s so painful when they amputate the ego.” No kidding, man.

Buy it from Amazon.

Frank YangIf Alan Sparhawk is looking to avoid Neil Young comparisons with his Retribution Gospel Choir work, you wouldn’t know it. Taking the stage at the Drake Underground on Monday night, the Low frontman was almost a tribute to Shakey boasting an impressive pair of muttonchop sideburns complimenting his black, P90-equipped, Bigsby-ed Les Paul. Okay, you’d probably never catch Neil dressed as classically dapper as Sparhawk and his bandmates, but sartorial concerns aside, you don’t have to look to hard for at least one source of inspiration...

Photos: Retribution Gospel Choir @ The Drake Underground – January 25, 2010
MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Video: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Stream: Retribution Gospel Choir / 2

Drive-By Truckers will be hitting the road in support of the March 16 release of The Big To-Do, and are opting to do multi-night stands in smaller rooms this time around. They’ve also let loose the first MP3 from the new album and will be the subject of a new documentary film entitled The Secret To A Happy Ending, which will begin screening at festivals starting next month.

MP3: Drive-By Truckers – “This Fucking Job”

Wolf Parade will return to active duty with a short eastern Canadian tour accompanied by We Are Wolves, possibly timed around the release of their third album which is rumoured to be complete.

MP3: Wolf Parade – “Language City”
MP3: Wolf Parade – “Call It A Ritual”

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released a new video from It’s Blitz!.

Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Skeletons”

Holly Miranda is featured in video sessions at Yours Truly and PitchforkTV, while The Guardian declares her their “New band of the day”. The Magician’s Private Library is out February 23; here’s another track from it.

MP3: Holly Miranda – “Waves”

Clash labels The Antlers “one to watch for 2010″, which is interesting considering they’d have a pretty hard time topping their breakout 2009.

Editors have offered up a track from their latest album In This Light And On This Evening to download.

MP3: Editors – “Papillon”

Despite what was promised just last week, The Radio Dept.’s third album Clinging To A Scheme will NOT be coming out in March. Instead it will be out in April. The 21st of April, to be precise. That’s right, an actual firm date. Firm until they move it, anyways.

And Jonsi tells Spinner that contrary to previous reports, there will be no new Sigur Ros record out this year, or in the foreseeable future. So enjoy his solo record Go when it hits on March 23, because that’s all there’s going to be for a while.

Sharon Van Etten – “Love More” on (Weathervane’s Shaking Through Vol. 1)
(via Yvynyl)

Well, it’s finally here: the first new release week of 2010 that will leave your wallet crying out in agony. There’s really an avalanche of big releases this week, including Beach House’s highly-anticipated Teen Dream, not to mention new albums from Four Tet, Fucked Up, Los Campesinos!, Magnetic Fields, and Alan Sparhawk’s Retribution Gospel Choir to name just a few…

Animal Collective – Campfire Songs

Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own
MP3: Basia Bulat – “Go On”

Beach House – Teen Dream
MP3: Beach House – “Norway”

Buraka Som Sistema – Fabriclive 49

Citay – Dream Get Together
MP3: Citay – “Careful With That Hat”

Clipd Beaks – To Realize
MP3: Clipd Beaks – “Blood”

Four Tet – There Is Love In You

Fucked Up – Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2008
MP3: Fucked Up – “Neat Parts”

Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

Gigi – Maintenant

Henry Clay People – For Cheap or For Free

Infinite Body – Carve Out the Face of My God

Joan of Arc – Don’t Mind Control

Los Campesinos! – Romance Is Boring
MP3: Los Campesinos! – “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future”

Magnetic Fields – Realism

My Brightest Diamond – Shark Remixes
MP3: My Brightest Diamond – “To Pluto’s Moon” (Son Lux Remix)

Scout Niblett – The Calcination of Scout Niblett
MP3: Scout Niblett – “The Calcination of Scout Niblett”

Oh No Ono – Eggs

Pit Er Pat – The Flexible Entertainer
MP3: Pit Er Pat – “Water”

Quail Lungs – Dumb DaDaDum

Red Krayola – Five American Portraits

Retribution Gospel Choir – 2
MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”

Royal Trux – Untitled

Slow Six – Tomorrow Becomes You
MP3: Slow Six – “The Night You Left New York”

Tindersticks – Falling Down A Mountain
MP3: Tindersticks – “Black Smoke”

V/A – Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010
MP3: Love Collector – “First 48″

Vinyl / Vinyl Reissues

AFCGT – AFCGT
MP3: AFCGT – “Two-Legged Dog”

Beach House – Norway
MP3: Beach House – “Norway”

Dukes of the Stratosphear – 25 O’Clock
MP3: Dukes of the Stratosphear – “My Love Explodes”

Dukes of the Stratosphear – Psionic Psunspot
MP3: Dukes of the Stratosphear – “Brainiac’s Daughter”

Gang Gang Dance – God’s Money

Girls – Laura
MP3: Girls – “Laura”

Home – Seventeen
MP3: Home – “Photographed With Ease”

Moonface – Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums

Small Black / Washed Out – Split

J Tillman – Wild Honey

John Vanderslice – D.I.A.L.O.

Volcano, I’m Still Excited – Volcano, I’m Still Excited