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From the Job Board
Coolfer — The Beggars Group is recruiting for IT Support in New York City. Here's an excerpt from the full post: We need an enthusiastic Apple support who is not afraid of Windows, who can handle hardware and software roles with calm efficiency and isn't fazed by networks, servers or printer issues. We have a high percentage of mobile staff, so laptop to smart phone, desktop to router, you will deliver. Full post here. More great music industry jobs at the job board. Hiring? ...

Job Board Feature: Apple IT Support, Beggars Group NYC
Coolfer — The Beggars Group is recruiting for Apple IT Support in New York City. Job Hunting? More great music industry positions at the job board. Hiring? Post your job today. It's fast and easy! ...

today: gorilla vs. booze
gorillavsbear.net — ... DJs will be spinning between sets, and we'll have a ton of free stuff to give away (t-shirts, cds, vinyl, etc.) for the early-comers, courtesy of Beggars and ...

News: Pitchfork's Guide to Record Store Day
Pitchfork Media - Today — ... Malkmus and Matador will serve up the "Cold Son" 10", Vampire Weekend whipped up that "A-Punk" 7", and Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M., Built to Spill, and the Black Keys each have their offerings as well. What's more, Merge will issue copies of a free split 7" featuring exclusive tracks from Destroyer and Wye Oak to participating stores, and Beggars will also make available a Breeders 7", ...

New Long Blondes Video - "Guilt"
Stereogum — ... 5/19 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott 5/20 - Montreal, QUE @ Cabaret Du Musee 5/22 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Place 5/23 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 5/24 - Chicago, IL @ Logan Street Auditorium 5/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry 5/28 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's 5/30 - Vancouver, BC @ Richards On Richards 5/31 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir 6/02 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 6/03 - Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse 6/04 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour Couples is out 5/6 on Beggars . Posted at 10:02 AM in ...

New Department Of Eagles - "No One Does It Like You" (Album Version)
Stereogum — ... had this to say about the album, although it fits the track pretty perfectly, too: Fred and I had license to try some things that I could never get away with otherwise, but we still went for the lushness and and attention to sonic detail that Chris [Taylor] and I always want out of a recording. Try it: Department Of Eagles - "No One Does It Like You" (Album Version) (MP3) If you want to compare, the demo's here . In Ear Park is out 10/7 via 4AD . Preorder here and you'll get a free "No One Does It Like You" 7", with a b-side of ...

keep me in mind
gorillavsbear.net — In case you somehow missed this the other day, Rough Trade is now "officially" streaming "Keep Me in Mind," one of the Strokes-iest (and best) songs from Little Joy's awesome self-titled debut LP. You can also now pre-order the record on vinyl here for 12 bucks. ****************************************** ...in other Beggars-related news: shempi 12" RATATAT's latest 12" -- for ...

New Department Of Eagles - "1997" (New Song, Stereogum Premiere)
Stereogum — New Department Of Eagles - "1997" (New Song, Stereogum Premiere) thumbnail icon: New Department Of Eagles - "1997" (New Song, Stereogum Premiere) It took Grizzly Bear's Dan Rossen and his non-Grizzly songwriting partner Fred Nicolaus a good five years to sculpt their second full-length In Ear Park . With "1997," however, they're already one track into a third LP. So maybe there won't be such a long wait this time, all Dan has to do is finish recording the next Grizzly Bear album and not go on tour for like two years again. Here the duo set up in a DUMBO studio for a live take on a non-album cut, of a ...

I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza: 2008's Top Albums
I Rock Cleveland — More than any other year of I Rock Cleveland's Year End Extravaganza Bonanza, the 25 albums compiled in this list represent both the albums which I've personally enjoyed the most, and the albums which I hold in the highest critical regard. There are no consensus picks (Sorry, Fleet Foxes), no popular picks (Sorry, TV on the Radio, I really, really tried this time), and no My Morning Jacket (Sorry dudes, your album was pretty much awful). Instead, you'll find 25 albums of rock, pop, and folk which soundtracked my year, and hopefully, soundtracked much of your year as well. If not, well, let's say you've got some ...

Alela Diane
Some Velvet Blog — ... got into music at an early age growing up in Nevada City, California. In 2003 she self-released her first collection of songs and spending time in San Francisco, then Portland, and in 2006 she released her critically acclaimed album, The Pirate's Gospel!. Next month, Alela releases To Be Still on ...

Free and legal MP3 from Alela Diane (sharply-written, sung with poise, presence, and melisma, plus plaintive fiddle)
Fingertips — "White as Diamonds" - Alela Diane      Alela Diane (born Alela Diane Menig) is associated with the so-called "psych folk" and/or "New Weird America" movements, but as with the previously featured Marissa Nadler, similarly associated, there is nothing freakish or discomfitingly idiosyncratic about this young California-raised, Oregon-based singer/songwriter. On the contrary, "White as Diamonds" strikes me as solid as a genuine folk song, with the added benefit of a great--if ...

Oh Yeah and did we mention new Elvis Perkins
Some Velvet Blog — ... Recorded and produced by Chris Shaw, Perkins and his band sound like Street Legal era Dylan on the album, all warm and organic and natural with some great new songs like "I Heard Your Voice In Dresden," the bluesy "I'll Be Arriving," and this here tune called "Shampoo." The sound of this record is like these guys just set up in the studio, someone pressed play and they just went to town. Love the bass and organ sound on this album, and naturally, Perkins' fine storytelling. Shampoo - Elvis Perkins In Dearland ...

Free and legal MP3 from Elvis Perkins in Dearland (cryptic, powerful, uniquely instrumented dirge)
Fingertips — "Shampoo" - Elvis Perkins in Dearland      What may seem like a throwaway, the twiddly gathering of odd-ish creaks and whistles we hear in this song's opening 25 seconds or so, is in retrospect an intriguing hint of the powerful agglomeration of sound that Perkins and his idiosyncratically-named band pump out as this one ramps up. Among the instruments the group plays are upright bass, saxophone, pump organ, harmonica, harmonium, trombone, banjo, and clarinet. (This is not your father's rock band.) ...

Free and legal MP3 from Little Joy (delightful, islandy world pop with a wondrous melody)
Fingertips — "No One's Better Sake" - Little Joy      A delight from beginning to end, "No One's Better Sake" rolls along with a shuffling, organ-infused island beat and a casual sensibility that belies how beautifully this little song is put together. What we have here is that rare pop composition that is constructed around a full 16-measure melody--listen and you'll see how the entire verse is an unfolding melody (from 0:18 all the way to 0:54), even as the song's gentle, world-pop sway implies a simpler melodic ...

the xx
gorillavsbear.net — [photo] Our friends at Beggars recently sent over some extremely promising new demos from four 19-year-olds from South London called The xx. The group recently signed to Beggars imprint Young Turks, and these wistful slow-jams are basically the exact opposite of all the noisy lo-fi stuff I've been posting lately. The Womack & Womack cover is especially recommended: mp3: the xx :: teardrops (womack & womack cover) the xx :: stars (bedroom demo) The xx's first 7" will be out soon, with a debut full-length to follow in ...

Micachu
The Catbirdseat - Indie Music, Culture, and Commentary — ... Jewellery is out 4/7 on Beggars/Rough Trade. We’ve got a full album stream of Jewellery over at MBV. ...

The Rockometer Attacks a Giant Stack of New Music Part II
I Rock Cleveland — The Pains of Being Pure At Heart The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Slumberland) Pick a band, any band from Disc 1 of Rhino Records The Brit Box, their four cd set chronicling UK indie, shoegaze, and Brit pop, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart will pretty much sound like that band. The Smiths, The Shop Assistants, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Sundays, and The Primitives all make valid reference points. Maybe not so much The Happy Mondays, Primal Scream, or The Charlatans, but...you get the point. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sound so much like their UK ...

The National: So Far Around the Bend
So Much Silence — If you haven’t picked up the Dark Was the Night compilation, you’re sleeping on potential album of the year material. I hit you with a few of my favorite songs from the compilation last month via a streaming widget. But to further convince you of this album’s greatness, Beggars/4AD is offering the National track, So Far Around the Bend, as a free download, which makes sense seeing as brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner curated it. The National | So Far ...

The Rockometer Feat. The Thermals, Wooden Shjips, 1990s, and The Howlies
I Rock Cleveland — ... like the worst trip you've ever been on, or the best, depending on your drugs, or lack thereof. And the beat goes on, and on, and on and on. Eight, ten, or twelve minutes may have been only four, but who's counting? When you're lost in the beat, and you're lost in the feedback freakouts, and you're free of the shackles of the pop song, time is but a relative thing. 8/10 MP3: Wodden Shjips - Motorbike 1990s Kicks Rough Trade/Beggars Group US Democracy in action is a wonderful thing -- people lining up ...

Free and legal MP3 from the Veils (engaging, well-conceived rock'n'roll)
Fingertips — "The Letter" - the Veils      Finn Andrews and company return with an assured piece of rock'n'roll theater: engaging, well-performed, and rewardingly dramatic, featuring a full-fledged, recurring instrumental motif the likes of which has all but disappeared from the 21st-century rock scene. I'm talking about the ringing guitar line that opens the song; at least, I think that's a guitar--the sound is slippery and intriguing, and even though you can sing the melody easily back to yourself, you ...

"Arming Eritrea" by Future of the Left
I Rock Cleveland — Subtlety isn't a word normally associated with an Andrew Falkous led band. First with McLusky and now with his current band, Future of the Left, Falkous has always been one to invite confrontation, rather than avoid it, and his music often had just as much bite to it as his incisive lyrics. Sharp? Yes. Instinctive? Yes. Spiteful? Oh god, yes. Subtle? As long as you consider waving with the left hand before coming across with a right hook to the brain a subtle move, then, yes, subtle. And so, Future of ...

Sat Sapienti 5: Future of the Left
undomondo — Our man with the brows Andy Falkous and his sardonic noise rock outfit from Wales is back soon with their second album. This is one of the best indie rock has to offer this year, so don’t sleep on it. Album soon to be released on 4AD/Beggars Group. BTW: tag those albums that’ll be sure to make your best of 2009 lists as #essential09 on twitter, so that everyone can see. image creds The Hope that House Built in the end everybody wins as long as we remember there’s a reason for ...

I Know My Own Worth, I'm An Adult
Music For Robots — ... a sack full of oranges -- never breaking the skin but causing internal bleeding. The vocals could cut hanging beef. I dare you not to get swept up around the 1:45 mark, when the song hits its swirling apex before charging even faster, squatting over your chest and bludgeoning you with fists and spit. Then it's back to the beginning, with Andy Falkous writing another modern day nursery rhyme. The new album, Travels With Myself And Another, is coming out this June on Beggars. I can't recommend it enough. ...

The Rockometer feat. Sunn O))), The Horrors, British Sea Power, and Many, Many More
I Rock Cleveland — Who knew being unemployed and having loads of free time could be such an impediment to writing? Many of these reviews were scheduled to be published weeks ago. With apologies, the latest installment of The Rockometer. ...

The Rockometer Vs The Review Stack Vol III feat. Oneida, Wilco, Dinosaur, Jr, and More, Much More
I Rock Cleveland — Who knew I had so many records in the virtual review stack. And who knew I had so many words in me. I think we can finally call an end to my recession induced writer's block. ...

Free and legal MP3 from Basia Bulat (charming shot of rustic exuberance)
Fingertips — "Gold Rush" - Basia Bulat      Eager youth and venerable tradition is a compelling combination, and a perpetual argument against sourpusses who rise with foolish predictability, in every generation, to proclaim that good music ended at some lamented moment in the receding past. Good music never stops arriving; good listening frequently grinds to a halt, however.      "Gold Rush" is a particularly charming amalgam of the old and the new. The old registers in the exuberant, rustic vibe ...

The Rockometer: Drummer, Times New Viking, AA Bondy, Zola Jesus, Om, and The XX
I Rock Cleveland — Drummer Feel Good Together Audio Eagle Members of the Akron, Ohio supergroup Drummer have played in such local favorites as Beaten Awake, Houseguest, Party of Helicopters, and The Black Keys. Those outside of NEO may not be familiar with the first three groups mentioned, but the Black Keys are the face of the Akron/Cleveland rock scene and the Keys' drummer, Pat Carney, plays bass on their debut Audio Eagle release, Feel Good Together. That being said...this isn't a Pat Carney vanity project, vocals are handled by Beaten Awake's Jon Finley, and there isn't a trace of The Black Keys' ...

Moving Pictures: "Whole New Way" by The Horrors
I Rock Cleveland — Originally, available on the Japanese import version of their second full length, Primary Colours, The Horrors' "Whole New Way" recently got a studio re-tweak courtesy of Rodaidh McDonald, a 7" single, and a video. And while the video itself offers little in the way of groundbreaking performances (Think any number of clips you saw on 120 Minutes from the early '90s where an English band wanders around a desolate landscape, lip-synching along the way, pausing occasionally for a glamor shot, or two), the song continues the band's transformation from ...

Contest: Girls Prize Pack!
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted — Early this year we were so sure we had our year end list all planned out. The Antlers, Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, and Grizzly Bear had all stood us on our heads with their fantastic albums that had us wooing and cooing with each successive listen. But as the year has worn on there have been new surprises, bands that weren't known of prior to this year, bands that stepped up their game, and bands that came from nowhere to truly wow us with their music. Out of all of this none have sent our pre-ordained year end list into a tail spin like Girls' fantastic debut LP Album. ...

Moving Pictures: "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend
I Rock Cleveland — ... that Ezra and Co. are a lot like you. They listened to the same punk and new wave bands you did, and they know how to lay down quite the happening groove. VIDEO: Vampire Weekend - Cousins Contra, the follow up album to Vampire Weekend's much talked about self-titled debut, will be out January 12th on Beggars Group/XL Records. Contra's first single, "Horchata," is available now as a free download from the Vampire Weekend website. Vampire Weekend XL Records ...