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Brendan Canning Would Like You to Dance
1. Brendan Canning, “Hit the Wallâ€
For Broken Social Scene leader’s new solo album — in keeping with their new cost-saving editorial policy of having LOLCats judge albums instead of actual writers — Pitchfork should probably have just run a photo of a kitten with the text “I’M IN YR IPOD, MAKIN YR BOOTY SHAKE.†[KEXP Blog]
2. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, “Astral Facialâ€
Malkmus debuted this excellent new song at last weekend’s Siren Festival on Coney Island. Thankfully Stereogum has an MP3, which makes us feel a lot better about our decision to stay at home with an air conditioner. [NYC Taper via Stereogum]
3. The Pretenders, “Boots of Chinese Plasticâ€
On this track from the Pretenders’ forthcoming ninth album, Chrissy sings about boots that “look fantastic,†but would probably give you lead poisoning if you actually tried to wear them. [Sheena Beaston]
4. Calexico, “Two Silver Treesâ€
Calexico sound a little more like NewYontreal on this new track, with some electronic effects and an insistent guitar freshening up their aesthetic. [Culture of Me]
5. The Flaming Lips, “Medley†(The Who cover)
The sound isn’t great on this recording of the Flaming Lips covering “Medley†from Tommy from VH1’s Rock Honors show fêting the Who. About the only thing you can hear for sure is that people are having a much better time than you were last weekend. [Hypeful] —Ehren Gresehover