Download Party!!!

My Valentine's Day present to you!

DeVotchka's "Mad And Faithful Telling" won't be out until March 18th, but download the single "Transliterator" from Stereogum for a taste.  This is the poppiest song on the entire album;  "Mad And Faithful Telling" (which sorta sounds like a subtitle to a modern Canterbury Tales, dontcha think?) marries traditional, rich elements with irresistible melodies and, as we've come to expect from these gypsy-punk-pop-mariachi folks, plenty of drama. Clinic's fifth album "Do It!" will come out on Domino on April 8th.  Why not download two singles from their website here?  I was disappointed with their last album "Winchester Cathedral" because it sounded exactly like their previous work.  But judging from these two singles, they are finally exploring new sounds without losing their characteristic creepy garage reverb. Finally, check out the "fake 7 inch" from The Cloud Room's website.  On the A side, a cover of Huggy Bear's "February 14th" with special guest Alison Wolfe of Bratmobile; on the B-side a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Memories". Yeah, sure, it's a over-commercialized silly holiday...and yet, Valentine's Day fosters the production of cupcakes with sprinkles, which means that it cannot be inherently evil.