This is cross-posted from Tiny Mix Tapes. I tell ya, it’s damn near impossible to stay on top Burning Star Core news considering Yeh’s prolificism (is that a word?). I don’t even try. Anyway…

Minimalist psych overlord, violin ripper, darling of Wire Magazine, and owner of Tony Conrad’s entire catalog (myspace.com/cspenceryeh) C Spencer Yeh (of Cincinnati’s {{Burning Star Core}}) is teaming up with {{Borbetomagus}} founder and Wolf Eyes buddy Don Dietrich and snare shredder Ben Hall of {{Graveyards}} for high-fives and to scald a few scalps with their new noise supergroup called {{New Monuments}}.

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For those who were absent last time… the Super Swingin’ Mix is, like, a fuckton of MP3s in a single post focused on a particular genre or theme. The songs sequenced are meant to be listened to, ya know, as a mix. Hence, it’s recommended that you enjoy each song in order without commercial interruption. So you should hit Apple + T (or Ctrl + T for you, egad, PC users) on that shit, throw some D’s on that bitch, and keep the MP3s on this page rockin’ whilst you browse whatever it is you browse on the Internets. Rotate thy volume dial clockwise. Tinnitus for days. Today, you guys are getting nine blockbusters - a veritable kaleidoscope of face melters. Nine! That’s one more than eight psychedelic rock bangers to jolly you up and lubricate that brain. Nobody keeps it hype like The Decibel Tolls. Nobody. Pass that Electric Kool Aid.

Now… I have to say that I’m decently pumped for this weekend’s Flugtag. Thanks to the seven useless years (seben jahren!) of German I took throughout school, I can tell ya that Flugtag, directly translated, means “fly day.” What Flugtag really is, though, is the most amazingly, exultantly dumbtarded event ever, which is why I’m stoked for it. Though I had aspirations to participate, it’ll be just as rowdy to observe. You see, this Saturday, September 6th, hundreds will converge onto North Avenue Beach (here in Chicago) to watch their peers launch makeshift flying machines off a 30 ft. ramp into Lake Michigan. Yes, flying machines.
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If I had a bunch of money, like, if me and Jim Kramer went into a hedge fund and it went ballistic or somethin’, I would buy a lot of stuff. I’m materialistic. Having shit is aces. I would get a Telecaster, a Sea-Doo jet ski, a sitar, a shit-ton of Wii games, and an anti-gravity tank. The latter would be the most important and most difficult to obtain, as it would be tough fitting an anti-gravity tank in a city apartment - so that item would be coupled with a storage space west of the city somewhere. I would invite friends over to the anti-gravity tank, which I would dub La Nave Espacial. It would act as the perfect gathering place for birthdays, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs, retirement parties, weddings, funerals, et al. It would also serve as a great complement to both Allegories‘ and Asteroid #4’s latest jam canons. (more…)

This is cross-posted from my Tiny Mix Tapes news article. Oh yeah, forgot to mention… I’m a contributor to TMT now. Look for Kenny Bloggins, FTW:

The latest chapter in the saga of the internet’s leaky faucet and Thunderdome of publicity stunts features a rather unusual, rather awesome story from Mogwai.

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I’ve been violently cranking Religious Knives as of late. I saw them once with, I think, Wizzardz (a Lightning Bolt side project). Or maybe it was Zodiac Mountain. I don’t remember. Either way, Religious Knives is boss, and reminds me of one of my forgotten favorites - Loop. More on that in a bit. (more…)

**For maximum effect, please read the opening paragraph with the inflection of a radio theater narrator circa 1955 or so**

When we last left our heroes, Kenny Bloggins and friends were destroying the paradigm of lame and old hat record reviews with a critique of Microcastle in real-time, before your very eyes. After careful consideration and a positive response from readers, the real-time review is back for another go with Weird Era Cont. Keep your dial locked to this station for keen adventure that can only be described as 23 skidoo! For you listening at home, feel free to follow our friends’ frolic on Last.fm. (more…)

Inspired by the Deerhunter blog debacle that unfurled before everyone’s eyes in real time last week, I’d like to review the new Deerhunter stereophonic delight Microcastle also in real time. Microcastle is available now on iTunes, and will be realized in the third dimension on October 28, courtesy of the smartest people alive - Kranky Records. Mashin’ play… (more…)

For your consideration, The Decibel Tolls is unveiling a new album rating system that will not only demonstrate an album’s creativity, musical or cultural importance, relevance, or otherwise, but also make reading album reviews fun again. This blog refuses to use the cliched “how many stars did it get” method, or the completely arbitrary number-with-decimal-point system, wherein Pitchfork reviewers are somehow able to judge an album’s vitality within a scale of 100 metrics (0.0 to 10.0). (more…)

As people who know me personally are aware, the music venue where I worked (booking and promoting) for 2.5 years was torn down in my old stomping ground of Lexington, Ky. It feels like a death in the family. Not only did I basically live there for that period of time (I had groceries in our office, I often slept there), but it was such a critical stepping stone in my life that offered connections, experience, and memories during such a vital, transitional phase in my life. It was called The Dame, and it was laid to rest on August 19. The club’s manager, Nick, has been trying to relocate the business, but the prospects are looking dismal.

Thanks to Backseat Sandbar for this horrendous photo:

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As promised earlier this week, here are two classic My Bloody Valentine shows conveniently ZIP archived. These were sent to me by a DT reader and fellow shoegaze ripper. For giggles and shits, compare these recordings with the new MBV v2.0 bootlegs from London, found here. Virtually no difference, which is quite refreshing. Lookin’ at… lemme see… one month and four days until the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown Chicago is leveled. It will be horrible. The National Guard might get called in. (more…)