Let's Do Some Rounds

Funtime OK has some really great Xiu Xiu covers, side-bands, etc. mp3s. The Catbirdseat has a new Xiu Xiu song from their new album La Foret, which will drop July 12th via 5 Rue Christine.

Xiu Xiu-Bog People
And here's the cover art for that new album (click for a larger picture):

The always brilliant You Ain't No Picasso has some stuff by Text Adventure, including a link to download their entire EP. Worth checking out.

Brooklyn Vegan likes putting pictures of ugly rockers on his page.

Pitchfork gives the new White Stripes a 7.3. I may've given it a higher decimal but the seven seems good. I wondr what they'll have to say about X&Y? We'll probably see tomorrow. They are way behind the rush of reporting Mr White's new marriage. Most likely because they read all of the good mp3 blogs over the weekends to take the news they're reporting. Or something.
They did get a nice top 10 list from my favorite rockers Sleater-Kinney.

I didn't go see Brght Eyes/The Faint last night, much to my chagrin after finding out Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was playing guitar with Oberst on tour. I never knew it! What is he doing out in public? he and Karen and Brian need to get their crap straight and make a new album already.

Okkervil River

I'm just about sure everyone has already heard from and about Okkervil River. I had some friends who were in love with their last album Down the River of Golden Dreams, but I just didn't think it was so great. So I forgot about them until they released this year's Black Sheep Boy. Needless to say, it's fantastic (otherwise why would I be wasting my time with them?) Their haunted country tunes come out in full force underneath in this concept album about a family's dirty little secret. It also didn't hurt that they toured this spring with my favorite band The Decemberists.

Okkervil River-For Real
Okkervil River-Black
Okkervil River-Westfall
Okkervil River-Okkervil River Song (not a vanity song a la Louis XIV; a song about their namesake, a Russian children's story)

It's official: I think I'll never see Sufjan in concert.