The Monks - "We Do Wie Du". Jason passed on this track of sloshed and lurching surf-rock, from 1966's Black Monk Time. After being discharged from the army, five bored G.I.'s took to wearing cloaks and monks' pates, playing rock music for 6 hours at a time in Hamburg clubs. The product is a lumbering and beat-heavy song, thumping drums and a frankensteinian organ line. "We do / it all / all the day." Doo-bee-doo-bee-dooing backup singers, a precursor to Pelle Almqvist on main vox. Like real-life Leningrad Cowboys, or simply guys in black clerical duds, trying to find some bluesy American soul among the drunken german hipsters. Loose, wet, disoriented, and very glad. [buy]

Tranquility Bass/Low - "Over the Ocean (Low Owl Remix)". A truly remarkable remix of Low's "Over the Ocean," off of owL, an album of such things. What makes the Tranquility Bass track so noteworthy is that it's such a enjoyable, full-fledged song - not just a few bars of mormons-with-dancebeat, repeated ad nauseum. At first it recalls Four Tet, knocks and pats, clicks and brief synth flowers. The vocals - Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk - lap and overlap in more interesting ways than anything that Low's done on its own. "Over the ocean," they sing. We hear water. Then - horns! Melodic, coordinated, spirited horns, a mellow fanfare for the stutterflow reappearance of vocals. Tranquility Bass find room for dynamics and progress, new sounds that flutter out of familiar patterns. It's exciting, enjoyable, and totally surprising - who knew Low could be so much fun, so reassuringly human? Who knew that a laptop guy on an island off Washington state could better the work of slowcore royalty -- and by stripping away the slowcore! Who knew- Aw, forget it it; let's dance! (Tuwa again - thanks!) [buy]

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Mewsic's a new mp3blog with a dose of fine&strident politics, as well. Check: Selfish Cunt and Bran Van 3000.

Pop (all love) has posted a brilliant track by "A Girl Called Eddy," aka Erin Moran. It's called "Golden" and it's like Jesse Sykes + Jem, smoky country songwriting and then a stormfront rise of guitars. Bowled me over on first listen - utterly unexpected, altogether great. (While you're there, grab the second leaked song off the held-back Fiona Apple album, "Better Version of Me." You will not regret it: punchdrunk love!)

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see you all on monday! more exclamation marks!