Iron & Wine “Flightless Bird, American Mouth (01/05/2009)” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Okkervil River “Pop Lie (01/07/2009)” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Also: (Okkervil River “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” Video)

Approach Influenza as a series which serves to help give insight as to where music is born; these are the thoughts, influences and the inspirations directly from the mind of the artists. Here, the guys from Chin Chin break down the circumstances that led to the creation of the first single from their forthcoming album The Flashing, The Fancing.

Chin Chin “GG and the Boys” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace)

Also: (Chin Chin’s Top Five Musical Moments of 2008)

Claw Like Things only formed last fall, but are already on their second EP, and have a weekly gig booked for January at the Nomad. A band coming up so fast must have something to them, and Ladders Of Opportunity doesn’t disappoint the presupposition. Claw Like Things harness the ideals of their influences (Bowie, Gypsy Jazz) on an EP that reads like a concept album. The theme? Welcome to the downfall. Present-day anywhere, where people are poor, struggling, with no shelter to be sought. Who better to tell the tale than a band out of Minneapolis, a region ripe with nostalgic rock and MCAD alum living in collective slums. For them, this is better than living like the other side (see “Civil”), and Minneapolis already has more than its share of yuppie rock. The six-track EP focuses upon melodic and lyrical content, both of which sound all too familiar, yet not precisely what was heard before. “The Monster Comes Alive” and “Present Resident” are evenly bleak and up tempo, poking fun at the slummy conditions in downtown and home. The aesthetic follows that of gypsy music, for the passing down of knowledge, and adapting to the times.

Claw Like Things “Monster Comes Alive” (mp3)
Claw Like Things “Man From a Frozen Lake” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace)

Bodies of Water “Under The Pines” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Also: (Five Questions with Bodies of Water)

(MySpace)

Also: (The Very Best in Four Takes on the 10 Best Songs of 2008)

Glasvegas “Geraldine (01/05/2009)” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

Also: (Glasvegas “Glasvegas” Review) (Glasvegas “Please Come Back Home” Video)

Recorded for Cokemachineglow’s ridiculous brilliant Fantasy-Podcast, Madison’s Pale Young Gentlemen give M.I.A. the I-never-saw-that-one-coming treatment with their rendition of “Paper Planes.” Making mention of the inspiration behind the cover, percussionist Matt Reisenauer noted, “We chose the song because it samples ‘Straight to Hell’ by The Clash, which Mike and I have been singing since he bought Combat Rock in the 8th grade. It just seemed right.” In 2008 “Paper Planes” saw both a rebirth and a death-by-overexposure, and while this version might not be enough to completely revive an interest in hearing Kala ever again, its aftertaste is far more refreshing than that left by hearing it exclusively on pop-radio stations and Pineapple Express commercials the past six months.

Pale Young Gentlemen “Paper Planes” (mp3)

(Official) (MySpace)

Also: (Influenza with Mike Reisenauer of Pale Young Gentlemen) (Pale Young Gentlemen, Murzik & Grandpall Jookabox @ The Nomad)

(Official) (MySpace)

How can a band named Gay Witch Abortion stir any more controversy? Simple. Take forever to release an album, then make one and call it Maverick. That word, and the initials ‘RNC,’ aren’t taken too kindly to by folks in these parts. Maverick could be considered the protest soundtrack to the Republican National Convention, setting a tone reminiscent of Trans Am’s Liberation, an album released in a post-9/11 Washington D.C. Envision protesters marching on the State Capitol to “Down With Giants,” then getting run down and tear-gassed by the “Action Cop.” In keeping with post rock form, Gay Witch Abortion minimizes the human element behind the guitar and drums. Songs with vocals used as experiments in sound. The lyrics don’t matter, what does is the final product, what each song builds into by the end of its progression. Some songs are easier to digest, like “Unblinking Sun,” that sounds just as the song’s title suggests. But this kind of rock isn’t about making it easy on the listener. This is art rock, music that forces the listener to intellectualize what’s going on, without providing any answers.

Gay Witch Abortion “Action Cop” (mp3)
Gay Witch Abortion “Wavey Graves” (mp3)

(MySpace)