Received a copy of the Jay-Z Construction Set in the mail today. Will update you when my Black Album / Astral Weeks bootleg is complete.

Prompted by this ilm thread, have been relistening (quite a lot) to the new Destroyer record. The horrible thin fakeness that came through on my speakers is dampened when listening on headphones, and there's room to appreciate the lyrics and indeed the music. It's coming across as quite a beautiful album, as well as a funny, mad one. Some of the arrangements are complicatedly lovely - layer upon layer of synthesized sounds, each flat enough to lie smoothly over the other.

Have also discovered Frog Eyes. No idea how I missed The Golden River, but it's great disjointed indie rock, with a fiery-eyed Bowie at the head (the vocals are also extremely reminiscent of Montreal's Wolf Parade). I'm really wishing the Destroyer/Frog Eyes tour was passing through the city.

i = super excited about the upcoming Jolie Holland record, and you should be too. Her debut was gorgeous, and from the sound of "Old Fashion Morphine", Escondida will be another linen-soft sliver of dusty bluegrass. hooray!

now then

Pipas - "No Suspires Mas". Discovered via the fantastic Anti-Hit List, who recommended the light and easy "Jean C". Indie pop rather terrifies me at this point - I get so many freakin' indie pop records in the mail to review, and so many of them are damnedly uninspired. Thank god, then, that a band like Pipas comes along, recording music so effortlessly great that a sunny day comes climbing through the window, even in the depths of winter. Sure to be a hit for anyone who enjoys kids like The Lucksmiths, or even a beachcombing Belle & Sebastian or Isobel Campbell. While I can't understand this song, I still come very close to singing along. It's the way that I wanted to feel at the party after high-school graduation. It's the sound of golden, twinkling stars.

CocoRosie - "Terrible Angels". Touch and Go never ceases to impress me with its ear for idiosyncratic talents. Rachel's, Dirty Three, !!!, Nina Nastasia, Enon, Black Heart Procession, TV on the Radio, and now CocoRosie. They're like Rosie Thomas crossed with Jandek, which is an analogy almost impossible to comprehend. Pink and black women's voices, doubletracked and gentle, bleeding over the scrape and snip of metal, decapitated samples. Devendra Banhart's bluesy twin sisters, caught in an AM radio. I can't decide if it's beautiful of creepy or both - but it's as compelling as anything I've heard this year. (more here.)

Still looking for heads-ups on the best of the new mp3-blog crop. If you've got a site that you think I might like, please do make yourself known!