This happened. And it was awesome. Spectrals were really great last night, by the way. Stoked for their LP which I think will be coming out soon.

mp3: Spectrals – Keep Your Magic Out Of My House
mp3: Best Coast – Sun Was High (So Was I) (Acoustic)

This is kind of an eclectic mix of songs that I’m really not sure work altogether, but April’s been one of those kind of months. I always write this, like, every other month, but I spent half of it in America, and half over in England, so it’s kind of weird. Enjoy.

01 Earl Sweatshirt – Dat Ass
02 Lil B – Think I’m Based God
03 Burnt Ones – Sunset Hill
04 Shannon & The Clams – You Will Always Bring Me Flowers
05 Balkans – Troubled and Done
06 Sonny & The Sunsets – Teen Age Thugs
07 Carnivores – Darker Days
08 Monster Rally – Island on Fire
09 Acid Glasses – Polnara Setera
10 Best Coast – So Gone (Daytrotter Session)
11 Swampmeat – Guns & Knives
12 Catholic Spray – Beast In The Bushes

mp3: Nu Rave Brain Wave x April 2k11 Mixtape

I love doing year end roundup coverage and I’m still waiting to put up the bands to watch list, so I thought we’d highlight some of the great bands we discovered over the past year. Some of them made our 2011 bands to watch list, some of them didn’t, some of them aren’t even NEW but rest assured they all rule. As per the usual, you can download a great mp3 from each of the bands at the links.

The Strangers Family Band
Les Rallizes Denudes
Best Coast
Happy Birthday
Neverever
Caitlin Rose
Eternal Summers
Wild Palms
Harlem
Exlovers
White Fence
Spectrals
Cloud Nothings
Hey Sholay
The Invisible Hand
Fair Ohs
Monster Rally
Family Trees
Silver Machine
Tennis
Hot Spa
Fergus & Geronimo
The Jim Jones Revue
Superhumanoids
Jeffertitti’s Nile
Mind Spiders
Shimmering Stars
Young Sinclairs
Son of Rams
Guards
The N.E.C
Balkans
Velvet Davenport
Dominant Legs
The Splinters
Unouomedude
The Vaccines
The Babies
Ducktails
Las Robertas
Heavy Hawaii
Francois & The Atlas Mountains
Myelin Sheaths
Pete Drake
Mess Folk
Black Mekon
Man The Hunter
Navajo Bixby
Wetdog
Demon’s Claws
Cheveu
French Kissing
Whatever Brains
The Castillians
Bass Drum of Death
Dead Ghosts
Swampmeat
Sonny & The Sandwitches
Fanzine
Crusaders of Love
Wombs
Moonhearts
Bleeding Knees Club
Straight Arrows
Hello My Name Is Red
Sauna Youth
School Knights
Tree Hopping
The Meanest Boys
Friends
Ghost Outfit

And due to high demand you can download a track from each artist put into a zip folder right here.

I know all of my readers know the score: I’m from California (where it was 85 degrees yseterday) but currently in Brighton (where it’s balls cold all year long). And it’s the holidays, so I’m fleeing this cold arctic winter place for the milder climate, but I thought I’d pay tribute to England via a mixtape. I hope England appreciates the 10 minutes of effort I put into this (hey, I had to open up Photoshop and put text on the picture, okay?). But first, let me say that listening to cold, gloomy, depressing, “winter-y” songs when it’s cold is a fool’s game. The best way to keep warm when it’s disgusting outside (well, the sun is currently out but it’s still frigid) is to listen to the most summery songs possible. Now, do it:

01 The Barbaras – Summertime Road
02 Best Coast – Sun Was High (So Was I) (Demo)
03 Dead Ghosts – I Want Your Love (Live Tape 12″ Version)
04 The Strange Boys – All The Kings Are The Same
05 King Tuff – So Desperate
06 The Growlers – No Trees In The Desert
07 Chuck Berry – Oh Baby Doll (1957 Single Version)
08 The Beets – I Wish I Knew How My Life Should Be
09 The Beach Boys – Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Acapella)
10 Woven Bones – Your Sorcery
11 Sweaters – You’re My Sexual Friend (Mothering)

mp3 | Nu Rave Brain Wave Mix – Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)

We all know that sometimes (infrequently) I live abroad in England, but nothing will ever change my innate Californianess. However, I am forgetful and I have to fully disclose that I completely forgot to apply to get my expatriot ballot or whatever they call it, for the California state vote on November 2nd. That DOESN’T MEAN that I can’t haphazardly in a daze create a playlist based around my favorite Proposition, #19 and urge you to vote Yes on Prop 19 if you too have the greatest blessing of being born in or living in California. We also all know that I don’t try and give off the impression of intelligence when I write this blog (have you ever read it?) so I won’t give you my reasons behind wanting Prop 19 to pass, but just know that not only am I informed, but me/my friends/my state would benefit greatly from the passage of this Proposition. That alone is reason enough for you to vote yes, no? Find a mix of my 12 favorite (and totally not just whatever jumped out at me while hastily browsing iTunes) songs that are either 100% about weed or mention it/other drugs. ENJOY. Free Drugs ;-)

01 The Growlers – Drinkin’ The Juice Blues
02 Crusaders of Love – Good Time All The Time
03 Bob Dylan – Rainy Day Women #12 & #35
04 King Tuff – Sun Medallion
05 Black Lips – Drugs
06 Best Coast – The Sun Was High (So Was I)
07 Wavves – Weed Demon
08 The Strange Boys – Drugs Iggy Drugs
09 Black Lips – Dirty Hands
10 Adam Green – Drugs
11 Black Lips – Stoned
12 Ella Fitzgerald – When I Get Low, I Get High

mp3 | Nu Rave Brain Wave’s ‘Yes on 19′ Mix

Spectrals aka Louis Jones, is a ginger man from Heckmondwike, Leeds. Let us not forget that we’ve been loving this dude’s crazy amazing 50s/60s jams for months and months and it’s finally paid off. After the release of his recent 7″ Peppermint, he’s bringing out the Spectrals Extended Play via Moshi Moshi. It came out a couple days ago, October 12th, digitally and will see the light of day beautifully, I’m sure, and physically in January 2011. I still haven’t given this the proper million listens it deserves (too much music, too little time) but you need to check out a cut from the EP. It’s as awesome and woozy and A+ as you can imagine.

Track Listing ::
Spectrals – Spectrals Extended Play
1. Dip Your Toe In
2. Chip A Tooth (Spoil A Smile)
3. Peppermint
4. Put Your Crystal Ball Away
5. 7th Date
6. I Ran With Love But I Couldn’t Keep Up
7. Bonus Jam

Spectrals, along with NRBW favorites Sex Beet are going to be supporting California’s Best Coast on their November UK Tour. Check them out or die at the following dates:

29 Nov 2010 Ruby Lounge w/ BEST COAST & SPECTRALS Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
30 Nov 2010 Glee Club w/ BEST COAST & SPECTRALS BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM
1 Dec 2010 The Scala w/ BEST COAST & SPECTRALS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

mp3 | Spectrals - Chip A Tooth (Spoil A Smile)

The 2nd of October is a special day every year. Ghandi and Nat Turner were born on this day. Peanuts was first published on this day. But most importantly, it was the day I was born. And this year, I’m going to be celebrating 22 full years on this earth. Honestly, I never thought I’d make it this far, but I did! This all said, I think October 2nd is going to be one of the best days for live music all year. Don’t believe me? Look whats on:

• Matador 21 will be taking over the Palms to present Pavement, Sonic Youth, Harlem,Kurt Vile and more over this surely Lost Weekend. Tickets are long sold out, but it’s sure to be one of the craziest weekends of music all year.
• Scion, Vice, and Garage bands all over the world are bringing some of the best up-and-comers and current buzzbands are bringing themselves out of the basement and into Laurence, KS for another Scion Garage Fest on October 2nd for a small, free, 21+ festival. The fest will bring Happy Birthday, Best Coast, King Khan & The Shrines, The Oh Sees, Cloud Nothings and Sex Beet to your grateful, waiting ears. And best of all, all you have to do is RSVP. Oh and get to Laurence.
• Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band will overtake the Greek Theatre in Los Feliz with uber special guests: RZA, tUnE-yArDs and Lady Gaga on October 2nd. Pick up tickets before they sell out ASAP.

Um, where will I be? Probably some dismal pub in cold, fucking England.

mp3 | Best Coast - Boyfriend
mp3 | Pavement - Shady Layne (LIVE EUROPATURNÉN MCMXCVII)
mp3 | Happy Birthday - 2 Shy

It’s getting very, very close to FYF Fest this year, and while most of these bands have been playing LA for quite some time over at the Echo/Echoplex/Spaceland, this still seems like a super dope event that, if I could, I would be attending. On this basis alone, I have concocted a schedule in which you can see the festival through my eyes. Though, why you would want to do that, I don’t know. Consider it our preview and listen to our recommendations and you’re guaranteed a good time.

12-O’clock Hour
Definitely get to the festival before 12:15 so you can catch England’s awkward, noisy lads, Let’s Wrestle 12:15-12:40 @ Sequoia Stage. Having seen them earlier in the year at Bootleg Theatre, I can tell you that earplugs are necessary, but their finely crafted pop songs sung in a completely distant, awkward tone really rule. Leave Let’s Wrestle a few minutes early to catch uber-buzzy, The Magic Kids 12:35-1:05 @ Oak Stage. Their debut album just dropped via True Panther and I’m loving their 60s pop, completely hook laced tunes.

1-O’clock Hour
You’re a complete fool if you miss The Growlers 1:20-150 @ Redwood Stage. You’ve been reading this blog long enough to know that I consider them to be the best band in the world and they have written some of the most perfect songs that I’ve heard. The kind where you hear it and go “Oh, I love this one!” after every single song. If I need to sell them to you any more, I’ve got an awesomely special post coming up which will introduce you to the best band ever.

2-O’clock Hour
The 2pm hour is a complete toss up. Well, no, I’d go see The Blow 2:15-2:45 @ Sequoia Stage. Khaela doesn’t tour very much, and I haven’t been able to see her since SXSW 2008, but her album ‘Paper Television’ is basically one of the best things ever. A truly intimate portrait of a tender, sweet singer with an incredible outlook on life and love. Although she won’t (probably) make this into the song-writing workshop that it was back in 08, where you could get a visual into what was going through her head as she wrote these songs, she won’t disappoint. Her voice is crystal clear and incredible live. If I wasn’t busy seeing that, I’d catch the weeded out Best Coast 2:15-2:45 @ Oak Stage.

3-O’clock Hour
PR’s Davilla 666 3:10-3:40 @ Oak Stage are guys I’ve been meaning to catch for ages now and just haven’t. Selling point: their on In The Red. That’s pretty much as strong of a recommendation I can give to a band I’ve never heard, but they rip, I’m sure.

4-O’clock Hour
I’m hoping Wavves 4:00-4:30 @ Oak Stage lacklustre performance at the Glasshouse a few weeks ago was just that — a one off. I’d still mosey down and try and catch his newly minted pop-punk, mall-rat stuff in the hopes that he’d play old timey stuff.

5-O’clock Hour
Ew! Super toss-up! I’d probably spring to go see The Soft Pack 4:50-5:25 @ Redwood Stage mainly because they’ve never, never disappointed live (and seeing them like 10 times would make me an expert, right?) and their album released earlier this year was excellent. The last set I saw on Valentines day ruled. LA pride, baby. However, The Oh Sees 4:50-5:25 @ Oak Stage were great at KSCR Festival down at USC earlier in the year, so that wouldn’t be a haphazard choice, either.

6-O’clock Hour
Off

7-O’clock Hour
Off

8-O’clock Hour
Off

9-O’clock Hour
Off

10-O’clock Hour
I have no clue how Panda Bear 10:20-11:15 @ Oak Stage sounds live, but Person Pitch has been on my stereo a lot this year and I’d wait my ass around FYF for four hours of boringness to see this cute little bear perform. Seeing ‘Carrots’ live would be an excellent highlight to the festival…

11-O’clock Hour
And finally, I’d probably stay for a little bit of my favorite weirdo hobbit Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti 11:10-11:50 @ Sequoia set. His new album didn’t strike a super chord with me, but I love his old stuff.

mp3 | Best Coast - Our Deal
mp3 | Magic Kids - Superball
mp3 | The Growlers - Soul of Coral
mp3 | Wavves - Post Acid

The 2010 Fun Fun Fun Fest happens  November 5-7 at Waterloo Park in downtown Austin, TX. With a lineup that almost reaches the maximum heights of FYF Fest, you’d be a fool to miss out on Woven Bones, Wavves, Ariel Pink, Best Coast, Magic Kids, etc.

Pick up your tickets here.

mp3| Woven Bones - I\'ve Gotta Get

If you, like a ton of angry London hipsters, missed Best Coast (isn’t it more fun to say Bestcoastyy?) last night at Cargo or don’t have a wrist band for their show starting, oh about 5 minutes ago at Rough Trade East – cheer up, for they have announced details of another London gig.

Best Coast will play the Scala in London on the 1st of December. Tickets will go on general sale on Friday 6th August, click here for them.

mp3 | Best Coast - Our Deal