Here’s the first official video from The Avett Brother’s new record, I And Love And You, which is certain to be featured on Sound on the Sound’s favorite records of 2009.

Unlike their previous release, the devastating Emotionalism, there’s an air of hoepfulness to The Avett Brothers new melancholy tunes. Though the record isn’t out until next week, you can stream the album in it’s entiritey now over at NPR. We recommend you do so right away. Since my first listen on Monday, I’ve probably listened to the record in full 10 times. Stand outs include the title track, which you can hear on the delightful video and well, basically the whole first half of the album. Though I’m particularly fond of “Kick Drum Heart.”

Monotonix ::: photo by Abbey

Monotonix took to their Myspace today to announce that they’ll be releasing a new record this year. Tentatively titled Where Were You When It Happened the album will be :

8 songs, some of them played at recent tours, and most of them will be played in upcoming summer tours and festivals.
30 minutes long. short and sweet. gets pretty fast and fun sometimes and pretty slow and heavy at other times. we like it. hope you will too.

Even more exciting than a new Monotonix record is the promise of a supporting tour. The Tel-Aviv trio of perfect insanity will be releasing their album come August in the UK and September in the US and the rest of Europe.

Hopefully that means we’ll all be seeing a sweaty Ami screaming in our face very soon.

The Whore Moans ::: photo by Abbey

Best news of the week just came in the form of a Whore Moans bulletin! Even though we still can’t get enough of their debut Watch Out For This Thing, we only have to wait one more month for the band’s second album — Hello From the Radio Wasteland! But you don’t have to take my word for it–here’s what the Whore Moans themselves have to tell you about it.

Hello everyone! This is Jonny of what is certainly your most favorite band ever, or you just haven’t heard us yet, The Whore Moans. I’m writing to let you know that our new CD is completely finished and is ever so close to being in your beautiful, soft, grubby little mits!
   We are so pleased to present to you “Hello From the Radio Wasteland!”
    The official release date in Seattle is the 25th of November. On that day it will grace record stores all the across this fare Emerald City.
However! That’s FOR SUCKERS!!! Why (oh why!) would you degrade yourselves in eyes of your friends, the general populace of Seattle and your god (whomever they might be) by purchasing a  fantastic record at a store on the 25th of November when you can get that same monumental album 3 days earlier at what is sure to go down in history as one of the greatest Rock n’ Roll galas ever concocted by man or beast! You guessed it The Whore Moans’ Record Release Extravaganza!
   Thrills, chills, and death defying pills await you all! That’s right ladies and gentlemen. Come one come all. We’ve toiled, sweat, and broke our backs to put as much of ourselves as possible on to this disc, and we are really fucking happy with the results. The Whore Moans’ Record Release Extravaganza! The evening of November 22nd at the ever prestigious King Cobra! Oh what fun will be had! Joining us to celebrate the evening will be the insane, the profane and the grossly over talented likes of Wild Orchid Children, and the smoothest pack of bastards you’ll ever have make love to your ear holes (with music), The Hands. Dress is formal to extremely formal, to extreme bondage wear, to extreme bear suits. (bear suits are strongly encuraged) Also don’t be late for we have plenty of fun and surprises in store for you all!!

We Wrote The Book On Connectors  is unleashing their first full length album, Ride It Like A Turbo Horse , which is sure to be fun and frisky, like all that is WE related. The above delight is the first glimpse of the album’s art-work.

We guarantee you won’t want to miss the band’s album release show–November 15th at the High Dive, where they will be joined by equally merry-making  A Gun That Shoots Knives and M. Bison.

This makes me very very very happy:

Recording, Day 4

Nothing like a cold and the promise of a cup of hot Tang to make a Saturday afternoon feel like the best day of yr life. Day 4 at Avast, the old Ironwood, basic tracks are done, drum and bass. 36 clocked hours of playing guitar. Blisters, callouses, the like. 2 bottles of Old Crow, 1 Jameson’s, 1 Hornito’s, 196 beers and counting. Breakfast burritos with mounds of avocado, cheese, mushrooms and Tabasco. The sound of a B-3 Hammond reaching from one room to the next. Song after song. To name a few. Goodbye. Time is Right Now. Cold November. Say Nothing. Do You Still. Tequila Sunday. Whidbey Island Blues. Tuireann. The New One. Blood Relations. Walk Away. And one more to to make it an even 12. Do you hear what I hear? I listen to the thunder. And it sounds like the Maldives. The new album is coming.

Love, The Maldives

First, it’s new stuff from my favorite Wrangler Headbangers. Secondly, the first three songs listed I am completely obsessed with and are just about my favorite songs out there right now. Thirdly, the proper amount of liquor and breakfast burritos seem to be involved in the endeavor. I can’t wait to hear the new recordings!!!

photo by Josh from Slackfest 2008

So far, declaring AGTSK one of our favoritest bands has not cursed the band. In fact, they’ve continued their prolific song writing, releasing, and performing schedule since the night we first laid eyes on their costumed glory.

A Gun That Shoots Knives is preparing to unleash another great EP on Seattle in September, “The Future of Love.” However, you can get a delicious taste of the goofy greatness to come on the band’s Myspace Page. They uploaded four new songs to the page today, which if you catch as many AGTSK shows as I do, will be old favorites by now.

I was especially excited to see a proper metal version of “Drunk as Hell” make the cut for this album. Stubby can growl with the best of them and I love it–plus props to AGTSK for realizing the riff in that song–if only made a little heavier is a sick metal riff.

The band will be hosting a number of shows in the coming months to celebrate the release of the record. Of course, as with all A Gun That Shoots Knives news, we’ll let you know all about it.

Mason Jennings doesn’t play music to be cool. He plays because he has something to say.

For his newest release In The Ever, in record stores today, Jennings took to the Minnesota woods and home recorded much of the content. In a recent current.tv self-interview, he talks about the new record, we get clips of a few of the new songs, and he addresses the thinking behind “I Love You and Bhudda Too,” calling it wordplay and more of a nursery rhyme than an article of his own personal belief. One listen to his catalog of records from the past few years though, and one can easily find a pattern of overt lyrics about brotherly love and social consciousness.

While this album does have it’s share of unconventional songwriting, something that it’s fair to say has been somewhat hit and miss over the last few albums, Mason’s voice and singing style are naturally unconventional, and thus it’s tough to hold him to the same standard. His voice is low yet he’s become completely unafraid of his higher registers and is singing high for much of this record. Both “Fighter Girl,” and “I Love You and Bhudda Too” feature some unusual playfulness at his high end. And In the Ever, just as I wanted, does have a live version of “Your New Man” on it. Yes. I love that song and haven’t been able to find an mp3 anywhere.

In the past couple years you may have seen Mason opening for Modest Mouse (who’s Issac Brock put out his last record) or Jack Johnson (who’s Brushfire Records is putting out this record), or headlining his own tour with Ferraby Lionheart along for the ride. In 2008, he just rode through Seattle with a sold out show at the Showbox, will be touring Europe with Jack Johnson and G Love in June, and will be playing Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. It’s looking to be a good year for Mason Jennings.

For the next week you can listen to In the Ever at Spinner. Yes, the entire album. Or snag an mp3 below.

MP3: “Fighter Girl” - Mason Jennings from In the Ever

Myspace: Mason Jennings

Fellow Seattle music lovers and writers Nada Mucho, have been hard at work creating a compilation cd of the sounds and songs of the “Seattle Underground.” They’ve rounded up a number of great local acts to contribute a previously unreleased or a new recording of an old favorite for the album. The album is due out on July 1st on Global Seepej Records, but we’re just so excited about it we had to share the track list with you.

1.       Bienvenidos! (sound snippet)
2.       At the Spine – Meteorite (2008 remix)
3.       The Tea Cozies – Tranciting
4.       Head Like a Kite – Noisy at the Circus
5.       Hazelwood Motel – Break Myself in Two
6.       The Lonely Forest –You Move
7.       Pufferfish – Rest Stop (Hello Zero Demo)
8.       Amateur Radio Operator – Strobe Light
9.       Chris Klepac – Beelzebub’s Tale to His Grandson
10.     The Wastelanders – Pride & Strawberry Wine
11.     WhoTheHells – Run with an Axe
12.     Iceage Cobra – Baconface Sweepstakes
13.     Eastern Grip – Boots
14.     C-Leb & A-Bro – Early Summertime Blues #1
15.     The Endeavors – On the Mouth
16.     Spaces – Flatland
17.     Katherine Hepburn’s Voice – Out Like This
18.    Elder Mason – The Revival

Even if this is the only thing that happens:

Courtesy of the love-to-hate/hate-to-love Pitchfork comes news of a National box-set featuring a documentary about the making of the bands genius release Boxer and a special EP. The movie will be released May 20th and comes with what the band is calling The Virginia EP. The EP features12 tracks from the band including demos of some of your favorite Boxer tracks, a couple Daytrotter recordings, assorted B-Sides and a Bruce Springsteen cover.  I, for one, can’t wait!!