This video for "Eraser" by No Age was debuted on MTV last night, so one might assume that they're getting back into the whole "music" thing. But judging by the comments left by some of their viewers, I think they'd much rather just watch more reruns of Jackass.

Hey, whatever floats your boat. I think this video is pretty cool, and I dig No Age, and I'll be rocking out at their show tomorrow night at Emo's. As I told you before, this is an exciting live band to watch even if their recorded output doesn't strike you, because they break out into some intense moments that will quickly grab your attention. The Austin Chronicle agrees.

• No Age - "Cappo"
• myspace.com/nonoage
  

They'll be hitting the inside stage along with Abe Vigoda, Infinite Body, and The Strange Boys, who just released a new 7'' via In The Red with the ol' Big Joe Williams cover "Baby Please Don't Go" as the b-side. In The Red will also be releasing The Strange Boys' Jay Reatard-produced debut album soon.

• The Strange Boys - "Baby Please Don't Go"
• myspace.com/thestrangeboys
  

While we're on that note, Jay Reatard released another single last week that promptly sold out, but he's also got a collection of limited edition 7" vinyl releases (post Blood Visions - pre Matador), which are all remastered and come with a DVD containing live footage. In The Red says it's the most "fancy pants package" they've ever been responsible for, so it must be worth it. Here's the b-side to the new single.

• Jay Reatard - "You Mean Nothing To Me"
• myspace.com/jayreatard
  

This is a belated heads-up, but the Kadane Brothers, who led the indie rock band Bedhead to quasi cult status in the 90's with a handful acclaimed albums, will be performing at Emo's tonight. In their heydey, before disbanding in 1998, the brothers worked with Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, etc.) and were label mates with fellow Texas music bretheren The Butthole Surfers. Post-Bedhead, they formed The New Year.

Their sound was/is often compared to certain shades of the Velvet Underground, though they were labeled as "slowcore", which they apparently were never too enamored with. I don't think these guys ever received the recognition they deserved for the music they created throughout much of the 90's, though they did attract a loyal fanbase. If you missed out on Bedhead, you can catch up via the various links & info provided here, and by reading the album reviews at insound, like this one:

"It's not the style of music Bedhead makes that's unique, it's the band's approach to that music. The five members are masters of making an emotional connection through an approach that is careful and deliberate. At the heart of the band is an indie rock sound that can be traced back to the most pleasant material of the Velvet Underground. A trio of guitars lays down unexceptional, strummed accompaniments; vocalists employ a reserved sing-speak; the drummer maintains a lazy pulse. However, with Bedhead these elements are so perfectly executed that the music seems to play itself."

from WhatFunLifeWas:

• Bedhead - "The Unpredictable Landlord"
  
• Bedhead - "Living Well"
  
• Bedhead - "Powder"
  

The Kadane Brothers are at Emo's tonight with Crystal Antlers, who are also playing at Trailer Space Records (w/The Strange Boys) and on the Lamar Bridge at 2 a.m. More info on those shows is here. Crystal Antlers do intense, expansive lo-fi rock that some folks are gushing over. I'm still reserving judgement, though this track "A Thousand Eyes" from their self-released EP is treating me well.

• The Velvet Underground - Melody Laughter" (Live)
• The Link
  

I have steadily been adding good local links into my sidebar, so I figured I would let you all know about them. Austin is the top blogging market in the U.S. (followed closely by Portland, San Francisco, Seattle,) so it is no surprise that there are so many blogs in Austin worth taking a look at.

I have put together a list of the local blogs that I frequent along with a brief description below, and if you have a link that you think should be included in this list be sure to let me know. Most of these are obviously music-centric, and will add some quality padding to your bookmarks folder.

Alphabetically:

• Austin360 Music Source

Always a handy resource, with show reviews, previews, music news & more.

• Austin Hip-Hop Scene

One of the few local spots to get your hip-hop fix.

• Austin Sound

Extreme lovers of local music, offering reviews, interviews, and mp3's for your downloading pleasure.

• Austin Sound Check

Keeping tabs on good musical happenings in Austin, constantly updated.

• AustinSurreal

Mostly Austin, mostly hip-hop, mostly events, digs photos.

• Austin Town Hall

Well-rounded blog with good album reviews & show information, bonus points for comedy.

• Austinist

Informative previews on local shows, interviews, music, art, film, politics & more

• Big Diction

On a "mission to consistently provide thoughtful content with an emphasis on local Austin, as well as national music, sports, film and current events through thinly veiled cynicism and contempt."

• Both Sides of the Mouth

A quality destination spot for sweet indie music complimented by thoughtful reviews and custom art.

• Burnt Orange Juice

Music blog operated by staff of The Daily Texan.

• Cannibal Cheerleader

Good live show reviews, photos, and video production to boot.

• Covert Curiosity

That's me, an mp3 blog covering whatever I happen to be listening to at the moment.

• Cubik Musik

Electronic music curated by a fine Irishman, covering all sorts of electro.

• Earache!

Music blog operated by staff of the Austin Chronicle.

• East Austinite

Telling you what to do on the east side, including music, food, and events.

• Electronic Austin

Covering good electronic music from all over, all the time.

• Flux-Rad

Informed commentary on various subjects, including music.

• Funeral Pudding

Mostly indie, run by a live music aficionado.

• Ian Loves Music

Lovingly reporting on fun times had on behalf of music in Austin.

• Little Boys' Choir

Mostly indie, from a fellow with a good taste in music.

• Party Ends

A musical outlet run by a couple of guys who like to party, and do it often.

• Recycled Love Songs

Good commentary on lots of music with updated information on local concerts.

• Salad Days Music

Covering a good mix of music from all over the map.

• Side One: Track One

Jam-packed with content on various artists, and plenty of goodies for the ipod.

• Sonic Itch Music

Lots of music news, concert picks, original photography, and informed reviews.

• Sounds Like Austin

Covering live music in Austin.

• Switchburn

A video team that documents all kinds of bands in a live setting, and gives it to you to see.

• The Corner

All about telling you about things you should know about.

• The Sound of Marching Feet

Keeping tabs on new music and good bands coming to town.

• ultra8201

Concert recommendations, new music, video, and plenty of downloads.

• Woof In Stereo

Healthy live concert reviews & more.

Rags:

• Austin American Statesman
• Austin Chronicle
• Austin Daze
• Austin Music and Entertainment
• Misprint Magazine
• Soundcheck Magazine
• That Other Paper

Records:

• Antone's Record Shop
• Backspin Records
• Cheapo Discs
• DJ Dojo
• End of an Ear
• Friends of Sound Records
• Music Mania
• Sound on Sound
• Trailer Space Records
  
• Waterloo Records

More:

• Austin City Limits
• Austin, TX Showlist
• Do512.com
• Fun Fun Fun Fest
• SXSW

...and here's a few minutes of local ambience from Ghost of the Russian Empire, a foursome who have been described as a "Radiohead-influenced alternative rock group with a pinch of My Morning Jacket and just a dash of psychedelia." Sounds to me like there's just a dash of Eels in there as well...

• Ghost of the Russian Empire - "Nov 2070"
• Ghost of the Russian Empire - "August 1914"
• myspace.com/ghostoftherussianempire

The awesome folks at Daytrotter put up an exclusive session they recorded with Spoon today, featuring four live studio tracks that includes a nice Paul Simon cover.

If you're still unaware of Daytrotter you really need to jump on the boat. Their practice of hosting weekly recording sessions with a vast array of artists, and then offering the songs for free download complete with illustration and commentary, makes it one of the best music resources of the web. Good enough to be labeled heir to the throne of John Peel, and winner of Billboard's 2007 music blog of the year.

Check out two of the four songs Daytrotter recorded with Spoon, and click here to read the full article. When you're done take a look at their session archives for more.

• Spoon - "Peace Like a River" (Paul Simon)
• Spoon - "The Ghost of You Lingers"
• myspace.com/spoon

Here's a quick hit list of things to see and do in Austin for the next few days. If I had more time I'd go into a lengthy description of why you need to see and do these things, but for now this will have to do. You can get more descriptions, info, tix & etc. for all of these events right here. Go Lakers.

Tonight

::Firewater puts on a "world-punk" showcase at Emo's.

• Firewater - "Borneo"
• Firewater - "Feels Like The End of the World"
• firewater.tv
  

::Frog Eyes & Evangelicals do de Ville.

• Evangelicals - "Skeleton Man"
• myspace.com/evangelicals
  

::Leatherbag taps Golden Bear for his backing band at Stubb's.

• Leatherbag - "It's Over (I Ain't Young Anymore)"
• leatherbagmusic.com
  

Tomorrow

::Black Joe Lewis warms up the crowd for Mates of State at Stubb's.

• Black Joe Lewis - "Gunpowder"
• Black Joe Lewis - "If There's a Will"
• myspace.com/blackjoelewis

Sunday

::Ume does it Grand Ole Party style at Mohawk.

::The beloved duo of Amy Annelle and Ralph White, otherwise known as Precious Blood, open up for The Strange Boys at Emo's.

• Precious Blood - "Can't Feel At Home/Hell Broke Loose In Georgia"
• Precious Blood - "Farewell To Grand Isle"
• myspace.com/preciousbloodmusic
  

Monday

::Thao brings her bag of hammers to Stubb's, and Jenny Lewis brings Rilo Kiley.

• Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - "Bag of Hammers"
• thaomusic.com
  

Having a bit too much fun one night getting loosened up for the Clinic show, I was terribly late in getting to the venue which meant I missed out on the opening act Mark "BBQ" Sultan. One of the Canadian-born garage rock veteran's first bands found a way to get blacklisted from the entire Montreal music scene on account of their wild live shows, which can't be an easy feat.

Sultan went on to perform and record as a solo artist under the name BBQ, before reuniting with an old bandmate to form the "two-man party-machine" known as the King Khan & BBQ Show. Still out there doing their thing, BBQ performs solo and Khan's 12-piece psychedelic soul band has an album coming out later this month. If you're into Jay Reatard, Black Lips, Demon's Claws, or any other form of blistering garage rock, (like me), check these guys out.

Here's a bunch of stuff to get you started...

• Mark Sultan - "We're Sinking"
• Mark Sultan - "Mortal Man"

• BBQ - "Debra Lee"
• BBQ - "Hang On"

• King Khan & His Shrines - "I Wanna Be A Girl"

• marksultan.com
  
• king-khan.com
  

I found this little ditty while snooping around for news on Beck's new one. His 10th album, the Danger Mouse-produced Modern Guilt, should be released any day now.

He's got a new band and will be doing some touring this summer, including a couple of dates with Band of Horses. He will of course bring his show to the ACL Fest, so be prepared to make a decision to see that or the duo of Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. You have been warned.

• Beck - "Nausea" (XXXChange remix)
• myspace.com/xxxchange
  

.....and here's a b-side from some late 90's dark/romantic comedy called A Life Less Ordinary:

• Beck - "Deadweight"
• beck.com
  

Edit:

Modern Guilt will be released on July 7, 2008 in the UK and Europe, and on July 8, 2008 in North America.

1. "Orphans"
2. "Gamma Ray"
3. "Chemtrails"
4. "Modern Guilt"
5. "Youthless"
6. "Walls" (featuring Cat Power)
7. "Replica"
8. "Soul of a Man"
9. "Profanity Prayers"
10. "Volcano"

Here's a couple of tracks from The Joggers, who come to town in April with Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. They're a four-piece from Portland who came together in 2001, releasing two acclaimed albums and an EP in that time. Joggers are Darrell Bourque (vocals/bass), Murphy Kasiewicz (vocals/guitar), Jake Morris (drums), and Ben Whitesides (guitar/vocals).

Their sound combines pop with elements of classic rock, math rock, indie rock, maybe even just a touch of garage/punk rock. What do all of those elements have in common? You guessed it, rock. Joggers do lots of angular, quirky guitar interplay that is surrounded by intricate drum parts and three-to-four part harmonies, as all members sing parts at various times. They only have three guitars, but at times it can sound more like five or six.

"Their sharply hooky guitars, moody-yet-bouncy melodies, and shouty, slightly nasal vocals recall both the French Kicks and, especially, the Walkmen." -eMusic

"It's a huge, exhilarated mess, a clash of sounds, starts, and stops that's nearly impossible to chart; traditional notions of synchronicity aren't relevant, and nobody's doing the same thing at the same time. They might be necessarily complex, but the Joggers' compositions aren't sloppy, impenetrable, or gratuitously harried-- it's just rich, purposefully disjointed fun, entirely cringe-less and consistently surprising. All without the matching vests." -Pitchfork

Here's two from a tour-only cd they had with 'em, plus two from their debut.

• The Joggers - "Talking at Keith"
  
• The Joggers - "Long Distance Runaround"
  

via Solid Guild

• The Joggers - "Neon Undercarraige"
  
• The Joggers - "I'm Not Convinced"

• myspace.com/thejoggers

Bodies of Water are a Los Angeles quartet comprised of two men and two women who put a gospel spin on Mamas & the Papas-style harmonies, resulting in intense American gospel-folk. I became a fan after hearing their debut album last year, but they have a new album being released this summer that knocks the first one right out of the park.

To call it anthemic would be an understatement, some of these songs sound like they were written for 100,000-person strong revival. Unlike their debut, the instrumentation on A Certain Feeling holds its own ground up against the "choral hugeness", which is tempered enough that you don't break out into a full body sweat before the album is over. It is their first effort for Secretly Canadian (Jens Lekman, Songs: Ohia) who report:

"The strains that one can hear running through all of Bodies of Water's music are fully exhibited here; instantly familiar melodies, rich harmonic color, expansively deft arrangements, and compositions that ebb, flow, and double back on themselves in cathartic synchronicity. Though no two songs sound entirely similar, it's a cohesive collection that comes out feeling like the anthemic prog/gospel/psychedelic/kraut-tribal movie score that Ennio Morricone and Phil Spector never got around to collaborating on."

• Bodies of Water - "Under The Pines"
• myspace.com/bodiesofwater

Au is led by multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland, and the music they create is loosely defined as experimental pop. If by "experimental" you mean unique, beautiful, operatic, creative, surprising, accomplished, stimulating, and a slew of other worthy adjectives. For the follow-up to Au's acclaimed self-titled album, Wyland called upon the Portland music scene to assist him.

Verbs is filled out with contributions from nearly thirty collaborators, a list which includes members of Yellow Swans, Parenthetical Girls, A Weather, Gulls, Evolutionary Jass Band, Ah Holly Fam'ly, all Portland-based bands. He attracted a few additional multi-instrumentalists like himself and also brought in featured vocalists to accompany his swirling arrangements, which "resulted in a strange and singular snapshot of a very particular corner of the Portland's famously sprawling musical community."

With a 20+ person choir, piano, horns, woodwinds, strings, and even some banjo all packaged together with an almost classical music feel, odds are you've never heard anything like it. Verbs is an impressive album regardless of what style of music you're used to, and if you can step outside of your normal boundaries you just might get lost in it.

• Au - "RR vs. D"
• Au - "The Waltz"
• au-au-au.com

This weekend I made an effort to sit down and listen to a bunch of albums that I have been meaning to get around to. I would much rather hear an album in its entirety, all at once, than to skip around or listen to it in parts. So if I can't do it all at once I'll usually wait until the time is right. I had gotten all the way through three albums and had another a few more staring me in the face when the debut album from Aspen Woods came up in the rotation. I took one look at it, saw that most of the songs were around eight minutes long, and immediately said there's no way I can focus on something this big right now.

Once I got around to it I knew within the first few songs that it wasn't daunting at all. All of the songs on the album are long, most around eight minutes, but they always feel like they're constantly going somewhere, moving with a subtlety that keeps everything smooth. The album takes a while to unfold, but it's pretty good once it does. I have seen it labeled psychedelic shoegaze, which is better than it sounds. It kind of sounds like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club got together with the Black Angels and decided to make a shoegaze album. Much of it was recorded live, which gives everything a good feel and keeps the large spaces together. An enjoyable listen if you've got the time, and a solid debut. Aspen Woods are from Bristol, UK.

• Aspen Woods - "Get Happy" (cover)
• myspace.com/aspenwoods

Exhibits X, Y, and Z of why the radio doesn't grab my attention as much as it once did. I'll just burn stuff like this to a disk and it will stay in my car for months. What is it, exactly? Three "micromixes" by three of the gents from Animal Collective. Panda Bear, Geologist, and Avey Tare to be exact.

They string together close to an hour's worth of their favorite tracks, and I bet a good deal of it will be new to you, which is probably the best thing about it. I found these over at the Deerhunter blog, whose forthcoming album Microcastle is in heavy rotation around here. More on that later...

• Geologist Micromix

1. Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
2. Phil Collins - I'm Not Moving (Idjut Boys Edit)
3. Big Cherry - Come in Bonzo
4. The Byrds - Dolphin's Smile
5. Mamas and the Papas - Snowqueen of Texas
6. The Honeycombs - I Can Tell (Something's Up)
7. Music Makers - United
8. J Dilla - Bye
9. Home - The Bogeyman
10. Thin Lizzy - Little Girl in Bloom
11. 13th Floor Elevators - May the Circle Remain Unbroken
12. Bjorn Olsson - Minnesstund

• Avey Tare's Micromix

1. Alabama Sacred Harp Singers - Rocky Road
2. Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (First Version)
3. Disco Inferno - It's A Kid's World
4. Public Nuisance - Please Come Back
5. Replacements - Within Your Reach
6. Misfits - Brain Eaters
7. Prince Far I - Joshua Dub
8. Talk Talk - I Believe You
9. Dettinger - Untitled (Track 6 from Intershop)
10. Rodriguez - Sugarman
11. Moby Grape - 8:05
12. Spacemen 3 - We Sell Soul
13. Kate Bush - Army Dreamers
14. Thin Lizzy - Randolph's Tango

• Panda Bear's Micromix

1. Mogollar - Katip Arzuhalim Yaz Yare Boyle
2. Davey Graham - Both Sides Now
3. Thin Lizzy - Honesty Is No Excuse
4. Amy Winehouse - Love Is a Losing Game
5. Sugababes - Push the Button
6. Sparks - My Other Voice
7. Lindstrom - Arp She Said
8. Daft Punk - Make Love
9. Erykah Badu - Soldier
10. Thin Lizzy - Sitamoia
11. The Zombies - Leave Me Be
12. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

• myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband
  

If your hip-hop tank is on empty like mine is, make a few trips to Emo's next week to find the cure. On Monday night the "Fresh Rhymes and Videotape" tour comes to town with a roster that includes underground legends Dilated Peoples, one of hip hop's leading producers The Alchemist, RJD2 collaborator Aceyalone, and Kanye West's soulful protege 88-Keys. They kicked off the tour at Neumo's in Seattle earlier this week, apparently in fine style:

"Dilated Peoples’ infectious fusion of lyrical acrobatics and buoyant beats has always struck me as a dish best served piping hot to hyped audiences rather than cold on a CD to drowsy listeners. The trio’s intense repertoire—bullet-quick deliveries zipping and zapping over superhero-sized beats—always feels like a phantom limb on disc. The music, in other words, isn’t the entire point; it’s part of a larger whole that’s noticeably missing when pumped through your iPod."

"The pieces came together last night, with Dilated confirming my view (or were they reminding me of theirs?) shortly into their nearly two-hour long set. They dropped “Pay Attention,” from 2001’s Expansion Team, which includes the briefest of history lessons: “First came the live show, then came the record.”

You can see this tour for yourself on Monday night (6/9), which is a pretty good way to start the week. Get more info/tix here.

• Dilated Peoples - "Hardhitters" (Ft Black Thought)
• Dilated Peoples - "Worst Comes to Worst"
• dilatedpeoples.com
  

On Wednesday it gets even better when everyone's favorite rapper/producer/actor and Wu-Tang Clan CEO, the RZA, comes to town for his first Austin performance in....a long time. Ten years after he first conceived his alternate personality - Bobby Digital, he has returned to form with a brand new album on deck and a big summer tour to match.

Digi Snacks will hit the shelves on June 24, featuring live instrumentation from the Wu-Tang Clan-affilated funk/soul group Stone Mecca, who will also join in as his live band on tour. On that note Bobby D says "When you've got a band, you've got fucking 10 to 20 outputs, therefore you've got more ambiance. More sound delivers control. If the band is hip-hop enough, and have enough hip-hop soul in them, it sounds good." As with any RZA appearance, you can expect to see a few special guests once the mics are turned on. This one is going down Wednesday night (6/11), and you can get more info/tix here.

• RZA - "U Can't Stop Me Now" (Feat. Inspectah Deck)
• myspace.com/rza
  

If you want to check out either one of these shows, Dilated Peoples or RZA, just send an e-mail to covertcuriosity@gmail.com with Emo's in the subject line and I'll add you to the list. Be sure include your full name and let me know which show you wanna see.

For grins here is one of my personal favorite RZA moments, from the film Coffee and Cigarettes:

Datarock are a group of Norwegians in jumpsuits who play tongue-in-cheek, 80's inspired dance music that will knock you straight out of your Reebok Pumps. Almost two years after I first blogged 'em I'll finally get a chance to see them do it live.

Fresh off a fun-filled performance at Coachella (see above), the dance-pop stars will take over Stubb's in support of Ladytron. The show is going down this Friday (6/06), and if you're into fun you should check this one out. There's a ticket giveaway here if you like to have your fun for free.

• Datarock - "Princess" (Morgan Z Remix)
• datarockmusic.com

Legendary guitarist Bo Diddley passed on today at the age of 79. One of the pioneers of rock & roll, he developed a sound that would later be reproduced by everyone from Buddy Holly to U2, working in music for over 50 years and gaining induction into the rock & roll hall of fame in 1987.

He began his musical career playing on street corners with friends, and his first recorded song became a #1 R&B hit. He was one of the first American musicians to have women in his band, and also was one of the first people to set up a home recording studio. One of his notable quotes is "I wanted to do my thing, I didn't want to do something I heard somebody else do."

If you've never listened to much Diddley, The Essential isn't a bad place to start. You can read the news of his passing here.

• Bo Diddley - "The Story Of Bo Diddley"
• Bo Diddley - "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover"
• Bo Diddley - "I Can Tell"