Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Old Money

Read my review of Omar’s new solo album for Stones Throw here. Sure, it sounds kinda like Mars Volta, sure he jams hard and long. But for all that, it’s not half bad.

Bon Iver – Blood Bank (Jagjaguwar)

Bon Iver’s new EP, Blood Bank (Jagjaguwar), has won me over. From the amazing title track to the Vocoder-soaked “Woods,” this is good music. Read my review here.

John Forte Out of Prison and Making Music

Seven years is a long, long, long time. Especially in prison. Ex-Fugees cohort, John Forté, was recently released after serving a seven-year bid for possession and attempted cocaine distribution. Guess who commuted his sentence last November? That’s right, W.

He hasn’t wasted any time, getting back into the game with a new column at The Daily Beast and recording new music with Talib Kweli and Kanye West. Check it out here:

“Homecoming” John Forte + Talib Kweli from The ICU on Vimeo

New Albums – 1/27

I’ll be posting weekly updates on album release dates from now on. So, for tomorrow, here’s what’s up:

Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand – Domino/Epic
The boys are back. Check it out, they filmed some of this at Spaceland.

Magnetic Morning – A.M. – Friend or Faux
Swervedriver meets Interpol.

Goblin Cock – Come With Me if You Want to Live – Robcore
Rob Crow’s metal.

Eliot Lipp – Peace Love Weed 3D – Old Tacoma

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – Old Monkey – Stones Throw
Mars Volta dude’s solo album.

Loney Dear – Dear John – Polyvinyl
Swedish dude.

Franz Ferdinand’s Tonight: Franz Ferdinand Streaming Online

Curious about the new Franz Ferdinand album? It’s not out until Jan. 27th, but right now you can stream it for free on their MySpace page.

Tone Loc – Loc-ed After Dark (20th Anniversary Edition)

Holy shit, it’s been 20 years since Tone Loc and “Wild Thing”! If that doesn’t make you feel old, you’re young. In celebration, Delicious Vinyl is releasing a special edition of this classic album on Jan. 27th. And yeah, it’s classic. Six bonus tracks are included: “On Fire (OG 12″ version)”, “Cheeba Cheeba (OG 12″ version)”, “I Got It Goin’ On (Remix)”, “The Homies (On Tilt Mix)”, “Wild Beat,” and “Funky Beats.”

If that ain’t enough, Delicious Vinyl will be releasing a slew of 20th Anniversary albums this year, including Masta Ace, Brand New Heavies, and Young MC. Keep your eyes open.

Tone Loc – “Wild Thing (Moguai Remix)”

Jason Lytle – Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti-)

Remember Grandaddy? Sure, you do. Well, main daddy Jason Lytle has been holed up in Montana for the past few years, but don’t think he’s left music behind. In addition to appearing on the new M. Ward album, he’ll release a record of his own this May on Anti- called Yours Truly, The Commander. The tracklist:

1) Yours Truly, The Commuter
2) Brand New Sun
3) Ghost Of My Old Dog
4) I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)
5) Birds Encouraged Him
6) It’s The Weekend
7) Fürget It
8) This Song Is The Mute Button
9) Rollin’ Home Alone
10) You’re Too Gone
11) Flying Thru Canyons
12) Here For Good

Crystal Antlers – Tentacles (Touch and Go)

Touch and Go announced the April release of the new Crystal Antlers album, Tentacles. The tracklist:

1) Painless Sleep
2) Dust
3) Time Erased
4) Andrew
5) Vapor Trail
6) Tentacles
7) Until the Sun Dies (Part One)
8) Memorized
9) Glacier
10) Foot of the Mountain
11) Your Spears
12) Swollen Sky
13) Several Tongues

Animal Collective on Tour

Animal Collective are heading out on tour this May in support of their latest, Merryweather Post Pavilion (Domino). I actually just got this record, and I haven’t heard it yet, so I got nothing to say about it. So on to the dates:

05/11 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
05/13 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
05/14 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
05/15 – Montreal, PQ @ Metropolis
05/16 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
05/18 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall
05/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
05/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
05/25 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
05/26 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
05/27 – Big Sur, CA @ Henry Miller Memorial Library
05/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern
05/30 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
05/31 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
06/01 – Albuquerque, MN @ Sunshine Theater
06/02 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theatre
06/04 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
06/05 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs
06/06 – Oxford, MS @ The Library
06/08 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
06/09 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
06/10 – Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone

Curumin – Japan Pop Show (Quannum)

Brazilian-born musician Curumin’s latest for Quannum does samba, funk, and mediocre hip-hop fine and dandy, but does it have legs? Read my review here.

Origami Ghosts on Tour

Seattle’s Origami Ghosts will release their new album, Short Momentum, on February 3. Their violin and guitar-based indie rock recalls the best of the ‘90 (and owes a great deal to Modest Mouse), but is wholly their own. Tour dates below following this video which is really not indicative of how good their record is:

01/30 – Seattle, WA @ The Highdive
02/01 – Portland, OR @ The Makeout Room
02/03 – Arcata, CA @ Big Pete’s Pizzeria
02/04 – San Francisco, CA @ The Makeout Room
02/05 – Chico, CA @ Cafe Coda
02/06 – Stockton, CA @ The Blackwater Cafe
02/07 – Merced, CA @ The Partition
02/17 – Albuquerque, NM @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
02/19 – Austin, TX @ Beerland
02/21 – Dallas, TX @ The Mountain House

Matt & Kim – Grand

Matt & Kim’s new album, Grand (Fader Label), is surprisingly good, given their maniacal smiles and unstoppable joy they exhibit in pretty much everything they do. I resisted their appeal until now, but my icy heart has been melted. Read my review here.

Flying Lotus/Busdriver Inauguration Song – “He Will”

Some more inauguration musical celebration, this time courtesy of Flying Lotus and Busdriver. This is better than anything aired on HBO yesterday. Download here.

Q-Tip – “ManWomanBoogie” Video

Q-Tip’s got a new video for a track off his latest, the excellent The Renaissance. “ManWomanBoogie” finds Tip riding the train giving an impromptu performance, but it’s really the song itself that’s the reason to check this out. His rhymes trade time and space with a funky bassline as Amanda Diva sings the hook.

Q-TIP – New Music Video – Man Woman Boogie

Junk Science Celebrate Obama

Looking for yet another way to celebrate tomorrow’s inauguration? Check out Junk Science’s “Running Shoes,” off their soon-to-be-released A Miraculous Kind of Machine (Def Jux). Honestly, the tribute is kind of nebulous, but listen to it and decide for yourself.