New Year's Eve is a time of great festivity in America. So naturally, we've already started drinking. The early bird gets the worm (at the end of the Tequila, probably). But in case you aren't going to a swanky loft party in Times Square, or your friends BBQ, or a bar, then you might be interested in some music! It might be in a bar. After the jump, a list of NYE shows courtesy of P4k.

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It has come to our attention that Andrew WK may not be the same Andrew WK he was before. Quite literally.

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Although we're choking on the excess of lists floating around in the sea of cultural insistence, these Vimeo vids are really cool (read: subjective opinion). Here is some visual stimulation for your drunken egg-nog stupor as you plow through your liquor cabinet this week while wearing your underwear because Santa gave you six days off.

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Though they've harnessed themselves the namesake of renowned 60s/70s singer-songwriter Peggy Sue as their own, the three musicians featured in our latest session of the Guest Apartment sound nothing of the country sort. No, Rosa Rex, Katy Klaw, and Olly meddle in the kind of swarthy vocal harmonies, moody guitar morsels, and cut and paste percussive rhythms that nudge their English folk in to refreshing, bluesy directions. Nothing too smooth, nothing too glossy. Just an edgy sounding trio piecing together their homegrown sound, and winning over listeners with their own unique, endearing makeup in the process.

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Baeble gets to know English folk trio Peggy Sue in this exclusive interview.

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Stereogum has another listomania (love it), and its a collection of some of the best late night performances of the year, including my personal favorites White Rabbits, Phoenix, and Dirty Projectors. Check it out.

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In life, we all do stupid things when we are young. Some of these things include giving our group of friends nicknames like "The Greasers," "He-man Woman Haters Club" or "The Jedi Knights" (for nerds). Some of these things include giving ourselves nicknames, or writing our names with symbols, because childhood. Like Ke$ha. Obviously, anyone who puts a dollar sign in their name means BIDNESS.

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Hello out there! As you probably already know, there is no news during the mysterious void of cultural frozen carbonite known as "the last week of the year." The mall is shut down, Olive Garden runs out of salad and breadsticks, and you watch Back To The Future six or seven times because hey, it's on! So we're not getting any press releases.

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Christmas! A time for giving and eating and drinking and maybe getting a little trinket for yourself (or more drinking). A time for remembering all the good stuff we have in our little towns and villages, or if you live in New York City, a time for remembering how much we all actually hate it (or love it) when we pretend to love it (or love to hate pretending to what?). Um, look, the tree at Rockefeller Center in the 1950s! Anyway, I just wanted to say a few Christmas things.

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Stay with me on this one.

So obviously, The Script aren't trying to impress any stuck-up snots, so I'm not going to jump on a high horse and point my sword. And there is something to be said for making music that a) you love and/or b)14-year-old girls love. Because if its both, well then you will probably sell a lot of records and concert tickets, AND have fun doing it, so why not?

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It's Christmas Eve! Which begs the question, what are you doing sneaking away from your family/cats to visit Baeble? I hope you brought enough Egg-nog for everyone (me). Anyway, I knew you'd be stopping by, so I prepared a special night-before-Christmas MP3 for your listening pleasure. An homage to an old SNL sketch, featuring the it-man of New York City rock gone electro-pop: Julian Casablancas.

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Blakroc is a very cool idea. Yes. But it being mostly a vanity project with an impressive guest list doesn't help its street cred as groundbreaking, or particularly re-playable. The Black Keys provide some pretty cool blues-y background noise, Auerbach stretches his production cred, and the drums get a specifically bass-y boost with a snare you could use to cut brick. But there is more to a great hip-hop album than incredible drum equalizers and an entourage of great rappers. Unfortunately, this one is going to be fueled by combined star power, and nothing else.

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Guys, we are only human. Sometimes we make mistakes, like humans, or robots programed to act like humans. But we did not make any mistakes when we included The Happy Hollows in our top 20 songs of the year, or when we totally gave them the Baeble bump, or when we brought them into the Guest Apartment, or you get it. Why? Because duh, they are great! And now we have solid, concrete proof: commercials on National television. Take that, haters!

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I keep a close eye on the music circulating around the interwebs, but lately its been CRAZY out there with decade stuff. This one caught my eye as a few blogs were tossing it around with their finger-pointing towards the Silversun Pickups as having a great ten years. I totally agree! Grammy nods! Commercials! Money! Not to mention some pretty great songs, like this one.

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Sherwood, aside from apparently being the name of some enchanted video game forest (many confused Google image searches later), is a band that has a beef with technology. Taking a leaf out of the SNL Digital short book, the indie popsters decided that a 21st Century social taboo needed to be explored in a pseudo R&B fashion (natch). Thus we have "Birthday Text," a question posed by the band regarding the validity of a girl texting in lieu of calling on one's Birthday. That's messed up?

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You've watched the Guest Apartment and our Exclusive Interview with the band. Now you can make plans to catch Still Life Still live in the flesh for yourself. The timing of our latest GA sessions couldn't be better, especially considering all the news rolling out of the Arts and Crafts camp concerning the band, and the fuzzy vats of blissed out guitar they deliver live in the flesh. Come this winter, the band will be taking to the road in support of England's Wild Beasts (also a Baeble fav, btw). We can't think of a more exciting bill to wind around the country, and we got all the details on the tour for you below. Better snatch up those tickets.

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A Thousand Sharks Teeth, with its quirky orchestration, was always ripe for remixing. That is probably why My Brightest Diamond managed to get four different artists to make their own EPs of remixes. Each one has already been released; now the box set will be sold as one in January of 2010. For now, sink your sharks teeth into a free MP3 single from the Son Lux EP.

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"Greetings, soul fans!" Within the opening seconds of Daptone Records's first retrospective, Daptone Gold, one knows this will be a unique listening experience, especially coming at the end of the decade in which MP3s and iTunes were created. Daptone Gold is a 23-track compilation of classics, rarities, and previously unreleased tracks from some of the soul revivalist label's acts, such as Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Budos Band, and Lee Fields, among other soul, funk, gospel and afrobeat musicians.

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When first we invited Still Life Still to drop by the Guest Apartment, we did so, in all honesty, not knowing too much about the band, or their impressive debut album, Girls Come Too. Save the fact that they're part of the newest crop of Arts and Crafts artists, we were completely uninitiated to their sound...a great place to be actually, in that we found ourselves completely galvanized by their young age, Brendan Saarinen and Eric Young's melodic vocal pairings, and the heady bits of fuzz that permeates the bulk of their energetic, guitar driven rock and roll.

Where we found ourselves completely stunned....where the entire production team had their jaws hit the floor in one loud, collective crack on the ground, lay in the themes and central story lines that cycle through songs such as "T-Shirts". To put it bluntly, Still Life Still get off (so to speak) on penning songs about sex. The kind that's young, uncomplicated, easy, and hell...maybe even a little bit sloppy. When asked, they call it "true love...real love...love." But it's a sort of shocking love...which, come to think of it, is exactly what this session is as well. So have a look at our latest segment of the Guest Apartment. We imagine you'll call it love as well. - David Pitz

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Thank a new years eve pact for giving Still Life Still the motivation to begin taking their band seriously. Ever since the angsty, Canadian outfit have been on a promising trajectory. Here, we sit down with Brendan Saarinen and Eric Young in an exclusive interview when the band stopped by the Guest Apartment during a CMJ swing through NYC.

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The red staircase, the windows at the top, the door to the Guest Apartment... its not often you get to peek into the mythos of our Baeble house here in New York City. Luckily for you, Hurricane Bells came to play in our hood, and they made a little film documenting the experience. In the film you can see the inner working of sound checks, television monitors, gear hauling, and of course, the back rooms and hallways of our coveted house of music.

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Those moments include everything you hate about music. Trust me. But also Neko Case! So, you know, a mixed bag. Just like the year in moments![via The LA Times]

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Bear In Heaven finds an interesting middle ground between audible anguish and head bopping beats on Beast Rest Forth Mouth, a rhythmic collection of wiped out brain spasms set to Brooklyn's finest computerized guitars. At times like a slightly more archaic brit-pop band from the 80's, others like a futuristic phantasm, the spread of BRFM is impressive and appropriate; the suggestive titular allusion to the points of the compass suggests it should be a journey to the corners of the four members minds and back. Don't forget your jungle hat, we're going on an adventure with this one.

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ZOMG Broken Bells released a track for the price of an email today! Christmas! Yes! Thank you, Danger Claus.

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Killing in the name of Christmas.

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Owen Pallett has announced that he will no longer be using the name Final Fantasy for his musical work.

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Another stark, cinematic visual from the immense, creative mind of Karin Dreijer Andersson. To call Fever Ray a musical project at this point would be somewhat misguided. With what seems like a video for every composition from Andersson's stunning, self-titled disc, the co-creator of The Knife has presented her solo vision with such a prominent emphasis on audio-visual form, welding elegant scenery at almost every turn of her album's frosty, atmospheric pop music. In this, her video for "Keep the Streets Empty For Me" the artist offers very little joy to take stock of. Just a solitary girl meandering her way through a grey-scale, urban landscape. It's simple, mundane, yet exceptionally exquisite. Another wonderful video from the imaginative world of Fever Ray.

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In her stylish new video for "Trick or Treat", Peaches leaves little to the imagination when it comes to portraying tour bus mayhem after a banger of a show. Champaign straight from the bottle, an intimate tangle of sexy young things, and of course her ever-shameless lyrics ("Keep my clothes kinky and a hole in my sheet/Never go to bed without a piece of raw meat") are the main source of entertainment here. Perhaps the Canadian electro-star might want to consider filing for a little added security from here on out. After seeing this, everyone's going to want to get on that bus for the after-party.

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And now an alter ego, courtesy of a man who just can't seem to stop manufacturing them. From the prolific mind behind Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Swan Lake, we proudly introduce you to Moonface; the latest musical outfit to clutter Spencer Krug's creative wardrobe.

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I can't believe we made it! Our top ten songs of the year, oh boy. We had a lot of really awesome concerts and albums and stuff, and now you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a super-concentrated dose of super awesome songs! It is a mixtape so huge, it can only be played on a GIANT TAPE MACHINE! (or on your internet-music portable output device).

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Gentleman Reg has been a great addition to the Arts & Crafts roster; a very self-aware musician who writes fantastic tunes, Reg is probably one of the most underrated artists of 2009. I know Jet Black is the most overlooked album; it was a superbly compelling collection of carefully crafted songs, and it nearly blew me away with its dual listenability and momentum. But I've already said this.

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Our Friday MP3 gift to you is a doosey— a rare unreleased Elliot Smith track entitled "Cecilia/Amanda." A tragic example of the tortured artist, Smith was a revered songwriter and musician long before his untimely death. Since then his sizable back catalog has been anything but forgotten, and posthumous releases have abounded. New Moon, the last one, was a great double-disc of unreleased material. Now Kill Rock Stars plans to release a remastered Roman Candle, and in honor of the move of Smiths entire independent catalog to the label, they've released this free download. Check it out after the jump.

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When first we heard The Temper Trap, it came via the cool flicker of a film projector, splashing images of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt falling in and out of love in 500 Days of Summer. Curiosity then lead us to the Australian band's debut disk Conditions; an addicting, near perfect collection of pop songs that shamelessly shoot for the moon with their massive, arena ready sound And so calls were made, emails were exchanged, and wouldn't you know it? Come CMJ time the dashing young band were here hunkering down in the Guest Apartment. Talk about a whirlwind ride...for us and the band.

In our latest segment of The Guest Apartment, The Temper Trap pair down and showcase three tunes from Conditions in a way you've most likely never heard before. Here the dense textures and overall ambience of the album gets scrubbed away by a wash of acoustic guitars, sparse keyboards, and makeshift percussive surfaces. "Sweet Disposition" - massive on album - is entirely fragile here, with singer Dougy Mandagi's falsetto light as feather upon the instrumental breeze. "Fader", a monstrous song the band admits to writing because they didn't feel they had a pop song that would sell on record (pffft...riiiiight guys), is anything but a beast here. And "Science Of Fear" comes devoid of those DJ Shadow programmed beats that inherit Conditions. We admit, such subtraction from the formula might read a little strange on paper (or your monitor). But the result is a session that's nothing short of genuine from a band we're betting will enjoy a very massive 2010 indeed.

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The Temper Trap sit down with Baeble to talk about the making of their stellar, debut disc Conditions during their visit to the Guest Apartment in this exclusive interview with the monster, Australian pop band.

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New single, touring, and "a whole lot more" planned for 2010. Teaser video after the jump. Still no comment on the over saturation of "bear bands" on the market today. It's beginning to feel like 2008 never ended.

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It is great to see buzzy CMJ bands land deals and make moves; Gorilla Manor will see a release in February via French Kiss, and Local Natives can finally bust out of the LA scene and become an indie household name. Their early Yeasayer-ish chanting and collective feel have been turning heads in blog-town, and seeing them at the Aquarium Drunkard showcase was a pretty nice desert after a healthy helping of fellow LA-sters Happy Hollows. They are like a Yeasayer smoothie, and with the excitement of Odd Blood, there is going to be a big demand for their sound.

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This week we will spend each day counting down a category or two of BoB 09 as voted by you, leading up to the editors top ten songs of the year.

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When I hear the name "Pearl Jam" the image evoked is that of a lonely-but-determined protester standing on the outskirts of some immovable, unnamed, oppressive musical entity. Yet a decade on from the era that the Seattle-based band helped to pioneer, Pearl Jam is not only one of the few bands still standing, but they also belong to that tragically elitist society of bands circa 1990 who haven't lost band members to overdoses or cowered into hiatus when that unnamed entity cast its shadow over the grunge scene at the start of the millennium. With that shadow well past and rock music rising high above the ashes it reduced itself to, it comes as no surprise that Pearl Jam is right out in front with their ironically named album Backspacer.

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The 80's outfit have been pegged and hired by Virgin Galactic to play aboard their shuttle and become the first musical act to perform in space. I hope they play "True." You know what I mean. [via Gadling]

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This week we will spend each day counting down a category or two of BoB 09 as voted by you, leading up to the editors top ten songs of the year.

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You might remember Steve Schiltz as the singer/songwriting force behind veteran indie band Longwave. Well, he recently expanded his musical franchise, writing and recording a new solo album dubbed Tonight is the Ghost under the moniker Hurricane Bells. It was supposed to be a self-released...that is until Schiltz placed his album b-side "Monsters" on the New Moon soundtrack. Queue mass, teenage hysteria and Debby Gibson style mall performances.

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Skimming 'cross the ocean, whipping 'round the sky blue sky, tracking exotic landscapes by foot; this kitschy new, adventure video from Foreign Born traces a Wes Anderson/Steve Zissou sort of storyline as it plays through. Dubbed "Early Warnings in Unchartered Reaches", these chirpy Californian popsters give their summertime sound an appropriately breezy video. Well done lads!

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A tough week of news for the greatest rapper alive: Lil' Wayne may face up to a year of jail time when he is sentenced by a NY court after pleading guilty to gun possession charges. In other news, Rebirth leaked when Amazon mistakenly shipped 500 copies to fans who pre-ordered. [via MSNBC]

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Them Crooked Vultures are exactly what you would expect from a supergroup comprised of former/present members of Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and Led Zeppelin (kind of). By that I mean they rock pretty hard, write good songs, will sell lots of records and concert tickets, etc. Most "supergroups" form as a pass time for tired musicians who've exhausted their work with the bands that made them famous, OR by musicians who can't stick to one stream of output and need an outlet for the excess, and.. wait. That sounded kind of gross, let me rephrase. This band is more or less a recreational activity. TVC is not quite The Deadweather level of blow-your-mind significance, but its still pretty good. Just knowing the faces (Homme, Jones, Grohl), its tough to imagine it'd be obviously bad. In fact its exactly what you'd expect. Most of the record rocks really hard in the way you probably already heard it in your head.

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Adam Sandler probably thought he cornered the very lucrative market of Jewish holiday songs (one-upping Dredel-Dredel) but in an effort to avoid trying to spell any Jewish words I'm just going to say that Elizabeth and the Catapult are one-uping his tune with a twist: by focusing on what Jews do on Christmas. "Christmas With The Jews" includes movie going, talk of Chinese food, and even laughing at Christmas cards! Skating around the Jewey blues! Festive!

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Pudding! Hey guys, its mid-December here at Baeble and we want to make sure you get everything you want for the holidays. Hopefully that includes Baeble t-shirts and download cards! 'Cause Santa has a bunch of those to stuff down your stockings (huh?). All you have to do is show your friends what a good kid you've been by suggesting they watch the Baeble '09 Christmas Special with very, very special guest host Tim Fite (Sexy Leroy couldn't make it, sorry ladies). This year its easy to score free Baeble gear, all you need is two minutes, a few fingers, and a whole lot of love. What? I don't know what I'm saying

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So the no-fi movement is becoming a tad predictable, especially when it comes to making music videos on the cheap. Scratchy filters, blotted or busted color, haphazard band space performances, maybe some random b-roll spliced in for good measure...so many bands, so many similar approaches to the video aesthetic. Here's one more to throw in the pool, courtesy of Times New Viking.

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Panhandle punksters Holiday Shores give the cycloning hi hat rhythms and nifty guitar work a glitchy treatment in this, their video for "Edge Of Our Lives". Part urban montage, part performance, the images here are indeed spastic, changing leading man Nathan Pemberton's wardrobe time and time again, and ultimately culminating in a final, seizure inducing fit of light and image.

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The Yeah Yeah Yeah's front-lady is up for a Golden Globe and a Grammy for her work on the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack, proving that even the most irrelevant of awards can still sometimes get it (kind of) right.

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It's that demented time of the year again. You know the one. Symptoms include seeing all your co-workers get ripped on the company nog, make a scene of themselves at the holiday party, and end up canoodling your bosses' elderly secretary. Awkward...

If you've been keeping up with Baeble, you know how much we love making a big to-do over this festive time of year. You probably remember Obama Girl prancing around in her red velvet Santa Suit last year. How could you forget? This year we enlisted both a helping hand and some holiday cheer from one of our favorite local musicians/artists. Mr. Tim Fite! He'll be hosting our Best of Baeble, Holiday Clip show, airing in it's entirety one week from today! For now, enjoy a little teaser of the madness to come. It's sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Oh yeah, lay off the nog. It's for your own good.

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Are you sitting down? OK, good. There is another track from Odd Blood floating around the interwebs and its pretty dope, you guys. Don't freak out! It's going to be OK. Actually, its better than OK. 2010 just got real. Listen after the jump.

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This week we will spend each day counting down a category or two of BoB 09 as voted by you, leading up to the editors top ten songs of the year.

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Cool historical things are a great jumping point for music and stuff (especially for nerds like us), so naturally New Jersey screamers Titus Andronicus have hit on something (our excitement) with The Monitor. Its a concept album loosely based on the Civil War, with guest voice-overs from people playing period characters? We're sold. GET OUT YOUR MUSKETS!

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Folksy guitarman Langhorne Slim takes his jam band to new places with Be Set Free, the latest installment in the prolific band's menagerie of uplifting tunes. Being introduced to the band initially in the live setting set me up to expect a strong translation. I'm happy to say the colorful personalities of his band mates shine through the lush production and smile-inducing moments abound. The record has an interesting blend of nostalgic charm and bluesy wit, with its mostly traditional instrumentation and melodies you can sing along to before even hearing them; Be Set Free lives up to its name literally and figuratively.

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Punk rockers X are planning on four post Christmas dates, and bringing Arizona's Calexico along for the ride. Also included is a 12/19 gig at The Wiltern on their home turf of LA. Tickets have been on sale for a while, so if you're tardy to the party, act quick!

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When discussing the structural roots of Calexico's latest album Carried to Dust, drummer John Convertino gives a nice explanation as to why our latest segment of the Guest Apartment works as well as it does. "It was marking...going back to the way Joey (Burns) and I were doing things on some of the earlier records", explains Convertino, "where we would just sit down, just drums and guitar, and come up with the songs that way."

In this, our latest segment of the Guest Apartment, Burns and Convertino dash around the building, eying perfect places for performance along the way. For renditions of "Two Silver Trees" and "The News About William", that means unleashing a crisp, whisky stew of snare drum brushes, the bowing sway of a lone acoustic guitar, and Joey's melodious vocals in the usual GA setting. For a final encore however, the two climb to the peak of our residence, performing an awfully surprising (er, you might notice us scramble just a bit on the production side...they just sort of took off without any warning) take on "Bend to the Road" with the majestic, Manhattan skyline dutifully watching over. It's an absorbing performance, with two musicians treating us to precisely where this long, successful rock outfit hail from; a place of creative origin, in a way, where two masters lay the foundation of their music, without providing any reason for musical embellishment along the way. - David Pitz

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Joey Burns and John Convertino offer insight into the origins of their latest album, Carried to Dust in this exclusive interview with Calexico's founding members.

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The collaboration from Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) and James Mercer (aka that guy from the Shins) called Broken Bells is finally giving us a taste of what to expect. Hit refresh a few times and thank the sleuths at Stereogum.

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All we wanted for Christmas was one more wonderful trip to Philly for cheese steaks and maybe a beer or two. Not only did we get our wish, but we got to film two great acts in the process: Fanfarlo and Freelance Whales, who both put on a great show at Johnny Brendas.

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This week we will spend each day counting down a category or two of BoB 09 as voted by you, leading up to the editors top ten songs of the year.

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SOMETHING HAS GONE HORRIBLY WRONG HERE. Nickelback is the top group of the decade, according to Billboard Magazine. And Billboard Magazine just put the nail in its own coffin, made of 100% irrelevancy and sealed with tears. [via The National Post and also my suicide note]

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The Big Pink's A Brief History of Love is a deftly produced retrospective on the flawed and fragile state of romantic affairs; in the struggle for power, sexuality autonomy throws companionship to the wayside. Unlike like this messy and often combative "use or be used" ethos, The Big Pink discovers a synergistic listening experience in which classic guitars, electric beats and industrial noise mutually thrive.

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While you were busy looking for parking at the mall in order to elbow fellow shoppers for the latest watchamacallit, the world kept turning, things kept happening, and people kept quitting stuff. Let's talk about it!

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Jingle Bells, Batman smells y'all. Holidays! End of the year! This week we're starting part one of our ongoing two part series, Our Most Favoritist Top 20 Songs Of The Year mixtapestravaganza!. We're counting down our top twenty favorite songs... well its pretty self explanatory. So sit back, relax, and enjoy (the first half of) a concentrated shot of AWESOME. It's like, 200 proof, you guys. I got it from my Dad's study. Let's watch Twilight and drink everytime Kristen Stewart bites her lip (thanks Genna). See you next week, Baeblers! -joe puglisi

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Animal Collective creates music with specific seasons and moods in mind. "Summertime Clothes" off of 2009's Merriweather Post Pavilion is what comes to mind first (that song has a special place in my heart after surviving my first Brooklyn summer sans AC).

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Last week the Baeble staff went to check out a sneak peak of Sisterworld at a listening party with free beer, so naturally we don't remember anything but having a strong urge to get into fights, and drinking a lot of beer. It seemed like everyone was having a good time, ignoring the DJ set, and no one seemed to notice this first track start up until it ripped a hole in the conversation with the usual Liar ritual: noise, ferocity, scary places. But boy are we excited to own Sisterworld! You know, for fighting.

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The legendary DC band reunited for one night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to promote the reissue of 1994's For Your Own Special Sweetheart. Watch the performance and let your jaw(box) drop after the jump.

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These guys have been playing together for over three years, but 2009 proved to be their big break through, and it's not surprising. First, they got major attention at SXSW, and then proceeded to clean up at CMJ, not just for their beautiful harmony drenched music, but also for their tight, crystal clear performances.

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"I almost put myself in another dimension there...spaced the fuck out." That's A.A. Bondy's final account of his recent stop and stay at the Guest Apartment. He wasn't the only one falling through the wormhole over the course of his performance of three songs both new (from When The Devil's Loose) and old (American Hearts).

Leading with the appropriately titled "Slow Parade", Bondy performs here with a cool and measured stride, stroking his great guitar with an elegant push of the thumb, swigging age old pulls on his trusty harmonica, and letting the pebbles in his throat loosely tumble about to create that signature, gravely croon of his. Even when he sings of the trees dancing to his tunes ("I Can See the Pines are Dancing"), it's with the vision of a slow and stoic sway of nature in the mind's eye...nothing too chipper, nothing too over the top. To finish, it's a two year old tune that Bondy blows the dust off of. "There's A Reason" provides a final slow wonder, perfectly lazy in it's carouseling, 1-2-3 turn. Oh Bondy, oh Bondy. This Guest Apartment is an absolute beauty. We suggest you prepare yourself for the other dimension. - David Pitz

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In addition to giving us a slow-turning session of three songs to savor during his Guest Apartment session, A.A. Bondy's took some time to sit down and discuss his music and his latest album When The Devil's Loose.

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Don't Stop is right along the lines of traditional, radio ready, dance-heavy pop; reverberated, sequenced, and aesthetically pleasing in every way.
What Annie lacks in mold-breaking, she makes up for with extremely efficient songwriting. It is the kind of album that is familiar in so many ways, and yet, still is exciting on the first listen. Nearly every cut is polished and ready for everything from a dance floor to a daily commute. It's got versatility of function - a multi-purpose utility that defines pop as we know it, and its the reason it could be in clubs, in your car, or advertising Pepsi.

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Essentials for music snobbery include a love of really weird things, a strong dislike for any mainstream alternative rock band, and of course knowledge that Amy Winehouse basically stole the Dap Kings from their true mistress, a soulful sass-machine known as Sharon Jones. In anticipation of a Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings album next year, Ms. Jones is releasing a free MP3 of a Holiday tune she penned herself. Check out the details after the jump.

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This is my last post as a Baeble Music intern and I know everyone is as super sad as I am, but it's time to call it a day. Over the past semester I learned a few new tunes, saw some sweet shows, and met a bunch of cool dudes, and now it's time to hop on a plane and sleep it all off.

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The Christmas shopping season 2009 is shaping up to be the year that alternative celebrities finally embrace their repressed capitalistic urges and start marketing themselves beyond their chosen craft. The cast from Its Always Sunny gave us the Dick Towel, Weezer has slapped their name on the Snuggie, and now The Flaming Lips have bestowed upon us Silver Trembling Fetus Hanging Christmas Tree Ornament.

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I don't know what it means either, readers!

SMVWZZTP28NF

I hope all the phones in the world don't start ringing now. #internetocolypse

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PC LOAD LETTER is our forum for explaining technical troubles behind the scenes at Baeble. Or for smashing fax machines with baseball bats.

For those of you who come to Baeble via Firefox on a Mac running OSX, you probably know that we've been experiencing some serious technical difficulties with Flash. The simple version: Yesterday, Adobe finally fixed a bug in their Flash code that has been ruining Christmas (and every other day) for our players. The detailed story: The limit to the number of "Local Connections" in a version of Flash released a few months ago caused thousands (if not millions) of Flash Players in Firefox and on Macs running OSX to not work so good. Unfortunately, ours was one of them. We're innocent here folks! And not like OJ innocent. We are like Since we don't have a full time engineering staff to retool everything, we had to wait it out and wonder if Adobe would ever fix the bug.

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Here's a video that's as vibrant and colorful as the music that accompanies it. From Canadian electro outfit Junior Boys' third album Begone Dull Care (Domino), the visuals for "Bits and Pieces" offer some serious day glo oddity. Credit/blame director Stephanie Comilang for that. To be perfectly honest, there is not much to explain here. Just a bunch of goofballs mucking about to some seriously smooth electro grooves. Duuuudde...black lights are so cool.

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Unfortunately, they chose adjectives like "pretty boring," calling the record more groove based, and "recorded on the fly with mistakes and all." Start worrying. [via Paste]

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While she isn't busy hitchiking across the universe, or breaking Joseph Gordon Levitt's heart (because, you know, acting) or breaking our hearts by marrying Ben Gibbard (because, you know, life sucks), indie heartthrob Zooey Deschanel is making music with M. Ward as She & Him. The folk duo have confirmed the release of Volume 2, their second LP (natch) and the follow up to, yes you guessed it, Volume 1. If they are smart at business, they will put a blow up picture of Deschanel on the cover and pretend to auction off a date with her. Just kidding! But not really.

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The Fiery Furnaces play the part of cinematic historians in their comical, new video for "Even in the Rain". Here, Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger imagine the making of everyone's favorite motorcycle film Easy Rider. On-set outbursts, vicious personnel changes, squabbles with producers, directors, and even Mocha Joe (ok, he probably wasn't there)...Oh did Fonda, Hopper, Nicholson, and Rip Torn (?) have a time producing this cult classic.

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The world has a very important task for the greatest rapper alive.

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I apologize in advance for discussing any national televised broadcast that would allow Stevie Wonder to perform with The Jonas Brothers a**clowns.

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Yes, we are fully aware the Surf City EP came out last year, but watching a great band re-trend on the interwebs is inspiring! These NZ kids made wonderfully fuzzy rock that was excellent at the (open bar) NZ showcase at CMJ, and again and again on our stereos.

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We debuted our interview with rapper P.O.S. earlier today, and got some incredible insight into the artist and his passion. However, most of the crew immedietely realized we forgot to ask him an important question: what does P.O.S. stand for, anyway? Take your best guess right now! The results after the jump!

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One of the top acts of CMJ proved their worth, inked a deal with Glassnote, and plans to release their debut record in the states in early 2010. And although they sound like a upper west side furniture store, the only thing they want to sell you is their unique brand of folk-pop. No "Ottoman," or even Chairlift. More like Fleet Foxes, Crosby Stills, and even Kings Of Leon.

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Austin, Texas is home to lots of things: the debacuhery of Sixth Street, Cavender's Boot City, and of course, the illustrious Radio Room which earlier this year hosted dance-pop Canuck Sebastien Grainger. As we finally release our footage of the former Death From Above popster, we have a bunch of neato free signed merch to give to the fans. For complete instructions on how to obtain neato free stuff, and what is so neat about it, read on.

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Battling an appropriate glaze of red hot light, Sebastien Grainger sweats it out during this long overdue set from Saddle Creek's Showcase at the 2009 edition of SXSW last. Here, the former DFA 1979 drummer fronts a relentless band, flying through the kind of carefree and skuzzy set that'll probably have you feeling just a bit dirtier than you actually are. No need to worry though. We assure you you'll return to your former, purer self after 44 minutes of steam rolling, dance rock down in Austin. Keep a special eye on the Grainger's hysterical reaction to having the plug pulled on the performance. Yeah, not pleased...not pleased at all. Luckily, it can live on forever here at Baeble.

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It's that demented time of the year again. You know the one. Symptoms include seeing all your co-workers get ripped on the company nog, make a scene of themselves at the holiday party, and end up canoodling your bosses' elderly secretary. Awkward...

If you've been keeping up with Baeble, you know how much we love making a big to-do over this festive time of year. You probably remember Obama Girl prancing around in her red velvet Santa Suit last year. How could you forget? This year we enlisted both a helping hand and some holiday cheer from one of our favorite local musicians/artists. Mr. Tim Fite! He'll be hosting our Best of Baeble, Holiday Clip show, airing in it's entirety one week from today! For now, enjoy a little teaser of the madness to come. It's sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Oh yeah, lay off the nog. It's for your own good.

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Hot topic of interest of the moment: The Church has apparently sided with the East Coast in the ongoing (1990's) rap feud in America. The Vatican added Tupac Shakur to its official Myspace playlist, as well as the peace-and-love mongers Fleet Foxes, and less appropriate space-rockers Muse. Templar Knights Of Cydonia? [via The Daily Swarm]

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P.O.S. is experiencing quite a year. He dropped his impressive third full-length earlier this year (appropriately titled Never Better), and has spent the better part of '09 registering supreme accolade for his dynamic live show. Perhaps you caught his performance at the MTVU Woodie Awards last week? In this engaging interview with the Minneapolis based rapper, we catch up with P.O.S. - real name, Stefon Alexander - and talk about his lifelong pursuit of music, in its' many forms.

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Can't get enough of 10-15 second bursts of your favorite beats smashed together in a kaleidoscopic clusterf***? Well you are in the money (without spending a lot of it). Yesterday is was announced that Girl Talk is releasing his early work via the pay-what-you-will model, which often amounts to nothing. (Girl) Talk about savings! ...Please don't shoot me.

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Hospice is an album derived from and all about isolation, and thus comparisons to Justin Vernon's melancholic Bon Iver abounded (including from P4K). But I'd disagree terribly; The Antlers are the ugly side of Emma. While Bon Iver paints loneliness as a fragile tear drop or something pretty and weak, Antlers take it to more of a disturbing imagery kind of place, hard and desolate. Nearly every track is unsettling in one way or another; piercing silence, the smack of singer Peter Silberman's lips, uncomfortable chord progressions, and melodies that cry more than sing.

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The flamboyant front man for Of Montreal has begun work on a song for Ms. Fierce, according to his twitter (still no word from B herself about the subject, although she has expressed interest). We hope there will be funny hats involved! [via Paste]

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Cloud Cult's The Meaning Of 8 was perhaps the band's most successful album in their fifteenish years of eco-friendly music making. But the Minnesotans have many sides. Some bandwagon fans may be unfamiliar with 2004's Aurora Borealis, a more focused effort than previous works which would allow CC to become the band they are today. Stream the gritty "Breakfast With My Shadow" after the jump, as reissue details.

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Last week we told you about (and gave you, for that matter) the first single from Shout Out Louds' upcoming new record, Work. Look for it this February 23rd on Merge. Today the band provided us with some splendid visuals, servicing the accompanying video for your viewing pleasures.

Here the band meshes black and white, documentary grade studio work with livelier, general Pacific Northwest living (where they recorded). Leading with techy chatter (I'm guessing one of those voices belongs to producer Phil Eck), the band build into a song that eventually struts along with layers of guitars, pounding piano lines, and a chorus our own Joe P suggests could "power a two-bedroom apartment". Check it out.

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Don't forget kids, vote your little hearts out for the Best Of Baeble '09, the highest honor we can bestow upon anything. It's this years EGOT! The winner gets (an offer) for free pizza and a movie with the Baeble staff member/intern of their choice.

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The first single from Shearwater's new album has just been released, and it is an exciting taste of the year to come. "Castaways" is a lush sea shanty of sorts, informed by frontman Jonathan Meiburg's travels around the islands down under. This song inhabits a space of soaring grandeur, with complex progressions building beneath Meiburg's powerful vocals.

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Just over a year ago, from the ashes of the now defunct indie outfit Hockey Night, frontman Paul Sprangers and guitarist Scott Wells formed Free Energy. After collecting a few more bandmates and recording some demos, DFA records picked them up. That's right James Murphy's label for the disco inclined took a liking to this classic rock loving group of power rockers. While their debut album isn't due out until January, the EP Free Energy is a collection of the first few title tracks that the band has been riding since the summer. It's heavily influenced by the late 70's early 80's classic rock of bands like Tom Petty, AC/DC, and Thin Lizzy, you know fun, road trip inspiring tunes. Hey, they don't call it classic rock for nothing right?

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As if Monday wasn't already painful enough, you know, for just being Monday, we have more bad news from the world of Music; bus crashes, late musicians, cancelled tour dates, and the fact that the new Yeasayer album STILL isn't coming out until next year (despite our frequent prayers to higher powers). Put your coffee in the microwave and let's grit our teeth together.

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This week reminds me of a story. The other day my good friend, who is in no way actually my girlfriend (I know people say that when they write because want to be private or whatever) tried to tell me I don't understand what "deconstructed" means. Really? Who cares! All this quibbling over a plate of food! Personally, I don't WANT my taco deconstructed. I want to eat meat and cheese and bread AT THE SAME TIME. But enough about me! Who cares! Lets listen to some fantastic Friday audibles. T.G.I. time for me to shut up, right? OK.

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James Higgins III aka James Husband has a pretty sweet life as far as musicians go. Being a member of a band like Of Montreal and a big player in the Elephant 6 crew is the equivalent to having absolute indie music tenure. That kind of job security could drive a guy into seclusion on his days off, plant a garden, or take a nap. But Mr. Higgins has decided to over achieve. Not only has this multi-instrumentalist released a number of albums, LPs, and singles with his other band Great Lakes back in the earlier 2000's, but now he's got his very own solo full length A Parallax I.

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Good news from the forthcoming album watch: Formally thought to be broken up band Shout Out Louds have a new album in the works (ha), and first free MP3 "Walls" suggests their upbeat, energy infused pop is here to stay. Literally. You could power a two-bedroom apartment with this chorus.

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With its tight close ups on a shiny car, winding roads, and breezy bucolic scenery leading up to sunny views from Big Sur, the new Dodo's video is enough to make east coast city dwellers very slightly envious of life in northern California. "Longform", off their most recent album Time to Die is a more acoustic-y single from the duo recently turned trio. The video is nice, you know, pleasant. But there's no sign of The Dodos, just hazy vacation grade footage and, like I said, lots of pretty scenery.

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Oh boy... Billboard is reporting that The Arcade Fire is nearing completion of their follow-up to '07's Neon Bible and planning to tour this Spring, snagging top slots at Festivals later this Summer. Oh boy oh boy...

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Amidst the myriad of tween jokes, Burger King promotional tie-ins, and team talk, few can deny that the sensational second installment of the Twilight series is attracting a large audience. But it is important to remember that "sensational" does NOT mean culturally significant or compelling. That being said, although it seems gimmicky in hindsight to enlist several of the music world's most talented and promising acts to write original material for your OST to sell records, it is kind of cool in a "I'd never admit this in public" kind of way. Music blogs were all over the mysterious hidden track list and when the Death Cab song broke, it received unabashed (if not self-deprecating) attention from all of us. Now with the full record out, and the movie in theaters, I can honestly say that this isn't a bad record. However, an important note: it does not sparkle.

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Two days ago we debuted our super-fun Langhorne Slim Guest Apartment. We hope you checked it out. If you did, and you're hankering for more, you are in luck! Slim is taking his crew on tour, and we've got a free MP3 to prove it (it proves that you will have FUN). Check it:

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We'll forgive them. It was early. 10am early, which may not sound too extreme...save the fact that The Shaky Hands spent the previous few days navigating all three rings of the CMJ circus. It can wear a band down, and these Portland pack rats casually wore the week's fatigue on their sleeves. So the percolator was pressed in to action, some mighty strong joe was brewed, and spirits were slowly coaxed back to acceptable, mid morning levels.

In this edition of the Guest Apartment, we invite you to listen close...one can almost hear the caffeine slowly start to boil the band's blood over the course of this three song performance of cuts from the band's recently released album Let it Die. Leading with "Don't Fail Me Now", the band hit a light and lackadaisical note, sorting through clumpy toy piano, scratched-out acoustic upbeats, and the earthy rhythms of some well worn, hand percussion. "Already Gone" picks up the pace just a bit...we assure you singer Nicholas Delffs is absorbed by the music, not falling asleep to it. By "Caught in the Storm", it seems the good brew has done it's job. Note guitarist Jeff Lehman's dazzling solo...through a 6 inch, pocket amplifier. Call it a caffeinated kick of the Shaky Hands that inundates the Guest Apartment.

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When they arrived at the Guest Apartment for their sessions, it had sort of been a Side A kind of day for Portland's The Shaky Hands. By the time they left, it was almost certainly headed for Side B. Find out what the heck we're talking about in this exclusive interview with The Shaky Hands.

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Man, these kids just keep taking their clothes off! 2009 will be remembered as the year that Sigur Ros inspired no less than three different bands to get totally naked in a music video. The term NSFW has become as commonly attached to videos as artist names and album titles. Sheesh! Anyway, the vid for "Ambling Alp" is after the jump, and if you've ever taken LSD, then this will seem familiar to you!

Faceless horseman? Check. Heads detaching from bodies in weird silly-putty scenario? Check. Nudity in the desert? Check. Boxing mirror faced men with shiny tin foil hands? Check. We're not even scratching the surface here, folks. It makes about as much sense as the directors, Radical Friends. Figuring out their site is as easy as taking rocks from a baby and throwing them at things.

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'Tis the season for giving. Vanguard Records knows this, and they also know that one MP3 is a tired old giveaway. So they're giving away an entire holiday sampler of their artists for the measly price of an email. Go get it.

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Shawtyyyy! Hey guys I know your ears are still sore from the last time we met (TWSS, but I certainly hope not for real). But I noticed something important that everyone should know about rap. It can be pretty awful! And not just "I'm-a-member-of-a-popular-punk-band-and-want-to-rap-about-potaterrible" but also "nerd, nerd, Legend of Zelda, braces." I'm really not kidding around. Jump if you dare.

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Oh dear, 2009. In a world where Animal Collective can crack the top ten of iTunes (awesome!) and Susan Boyle can outsell everyone on the Billboard charts (huh?), NOTHING is certain. Discussions of making music free abound and despite years of education and prevention, piracy of music is still a problem. And although indie music has become more and more mainstream thanks to the ubiquitous nature of the net, we're still a slave to the monster in our closet: HYPE.

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Aziz Ansari gives us many things, and most of them are laughs. But sometimes he gives us sneak peaks of highly anticipated 2010 indie albums (huh?). Check out a spankin' new Beach House track courtesy of RANDDDYYYY! [via his Tumblr]

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As if it wasn't enough for 2009 to dominated by Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, the guys are going to slip in one last reminder that yes, they are the current kings of indie music.

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Taking a page from the book that Deep Purple wrote and Black Sabbath burned, Aussie rockers Wolfmother have pulled the electric guitar solo out of storage to breath hope into the shrinking worlds of acid-droppers and metal heads alike, that a new generation of hard rockers may be fast approaching on the horizon. Despite a new lineup and a significant lapse between albums, the band's recent release, Cosmic Egg promises to secure Wolfmother a place in the Hair Band Hall of Fame, hopefully without all of the drama that typically accompanies the distinction.

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Senator Chuck Schumer will have plenty of new, young supporters if he succeeds on this one. The NY State leader is attempting to save the troubled Jelly NYC Pool Parties by pressing state and park officials to find a permanent solution. [via Gothamist]

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December! Wow! We've got a few years before superpower nations China and Google go to war in late 2011, so let's take a three and get a cream soda. We've seen so many shows together, Baeblers! Now let's gather around the watercooler and talk about our favorite scene from Twilight: New Moon videos and records from 2009!

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Blak Roc drops today, and in honor of The Black Keys making a respectable rap record, we're rocking a track from the new album featuring Q-Tip, Billy Danze, and Nicole Wray.

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The latest hint of the new album comes in the form of a stream on Hot Chip's Myspace. Head over and check out first single "One Life Stand," not to be confused with your weekend college activities.

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Camera Obscura played Music Hall Of Williamsburg last week to a sold-out crowd. Luckily Baeble was there to capture the whole thing.

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He's pocketed his home town as his namesake, most likely so the world knows exactly where he's coming from. Langhorne; a tiny speck on the Pennsylvania map just north of Philadelphia. A town that's just like any other small town, save the fact that Langhorne Slim is a product of it's past. And what a product he is. A wily-eyed, 29 year old country folkie who's as free spirited (no, more!) as any musician who's previously stopped by the crazy, cozy confines of the Guest Apartment.

In our latest session, Mr. Slim (real name Sean Scolnick) leads an impressive group of malicious, melody makers (Malachi DeLorenzo on drums, David Moore on the Banjo, and Jeff Ratner on the stand-up bass) in a wicked set of songs from their recently released third album, Be Set Free (Kemado). Shaking the crusty old floor boards, climbing the apartment walls, and pouncing on the forgiving furniture...this here performance is inspired and bold; a hell-bent hootenanny that left us scratching our fat, befuddled heads as to where exactly the refreshing folks we just hosted hail from.

A "Land of Dreams", it seems. A place where that which gets you down doesn't get you down for too long. A place where satisfied break-up tunes like "I Love You, But Goodbye" (imagine "Don't Think Twice, It's All right", in a way) helps to tame the troubled mind. A place where a giddy, call and response romp - in this case "Cinderella" - provides an optimistic healing point. That place is Langhorne PA...or at least the places of the mind one of it's most genuine, former residents whisks his listener to.

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Curious about Langhorne Slim 's latest attempt to make a really great record? Check out Baeble's exclusive interview with Slim and his band as they stop by the Guest Apartment as part of a vigorous three song set of jams from Be Set Free.

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When Brazos visited Music Hall of Williamsburg, they were on tour with the freak-out White Denim, and the only thing they had in common was an origin in Texas. White Denim is full of edgy cracked out rock trips. Brazos require a bit more engagement. Like a thinking man's band, they turn famous poems into songs. They drift in and out of consciousness. They rumble and they float, sometimes at once. And they make it look exceptionally easy. Martin Crane wrote some wonderfully thickened tunes, easily accessible, and deep enough for elongated exploration. The Brazos is a river in Texas, which adds to the depth of metaphors for this collection of songs; winding and fluid.

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Can you name them all? Oh boy! Yesterday so many happy album related news items wiped the Monday misery right off our faces. Let's find out how many great things we have to look forward to after the jump (to 2010)!

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