On Squirrel Flower’s new album, 'Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going', songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ella Williams, delivers her most transcendent and instantly classic record to date. It’s an album full of hope and beauty, with themes of staying in constant motion, electric love, and knowing when to leave, but also when to stick around.

After touring in support of 2023’s 'Tomorrow’s Fire', Williams remained on the road, following instinct over itinerary—passing through Gary, Indiana; Los Angeles; Putney, Vermont; Silver City, New Mexico; and Hudson, New York. Each stop became a site of creative renewal. She ended up recording the album at two locations: a makeshift studio in rural Wisconsin, and at Drop of Sun in Asheville, NC, featuring friends and collaborators such as Dimitri Giannpolous (Horse Jumper of Love), Sofia Jensen (Free Range), Clay Frankel (Twin Peaks, Hazel City), and many others along the way. Standouts like 'Reelin' and 'Highway Woman' showcase the push and pull of life as a musician; the constant need for embarking on a hero's journey in search of reflection and freedom. Others like 'Not Me' and 'Cleveland' are classic Squirrel Flower, but with a sharper and more concentrated writing style paired with some of Williams’ strongest vocal delivery of her career.

Mixed and co-produced by Alex Farrar (MJ Lenderman, Wednesday), 'Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going' is the sound of cosmic rebirth, looking behind to illuminate what’s ahead. “Pack your life and your guitar,” Williams sings on 'Highway Woman'. “You can change it as you go. You do not plan on dying.” 

TRACK LISTING

1. Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going
2. Cleveland
3. Not Me
4. Helicopters
5. Highway Woman
6. Reelin
7. Foot Thick Ice
8. Sick Tooth
9. Fought a Hornet
10. Surfin USA
11. Weightless, Untethered

'Shiverstruck', the latest album from IAN SWEET, finds songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jilian Medford at her absolute best. Produced and mixed by Ben Allen (Deerhunter, Washed Out, Belle and Sebastian), the record centers a deliberate return to analog instrumentation, with acoustic guitars, piano, strings, and live drums at the forefront. Medford’s writing is more confident, direct, and emotionally exposed than ever, with soaring, melodic tracks like 'Criminal Kissing' and 'Jilian' revealing a striking new dimension of IAN SWEET.

TRACK LISTING

1. 987
2. Criminal Kissing
3. Silver Screen
4. Jilian
5. Deadweight
6. Shiverstruck
7. Hired Gun
8. La La Love Me
9. Wildheart
10. Speed Demon

In 2016, with the blessing of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, Xiu Xiu released and toured the surprisingly successful album and concert, 'Plays the Music of Twin Peaks'. Out of respect and deference to the beloved series, the band decided to put the concert to rest in 2018.

After the recent and untimely passing of David Lynch, Xiu Xiu began to receive several high-profile requests to revive their interpretation of this iconic music. However, in wanting to always try to follow, honor, and continue to be inspired by the incredibly high bar of artistic challenge set by Lynch, Xiu Xiu is instead going deeper.

'Eraserhead Xiu Xiu' is a new live concert with an accompanying film and full-length album that uses field recordings, concert-specific homemade instruments, organ, modular synths, vocals, flashlights, electrical interference, and elements of musique concrète to express the bizarre emotionality, conflicted sexuality, relentless darkness, and singularly unsettled moonscape of this most incredible of midnight masterpieces.

The album itself is a masterpiece in sound collage and experimentation, with tracks like 'Tetra' and 'Sleep Synth' shifting from minimal auditory sensations to a clobbering, grotesque cacophony. The album’s closing track, 'In Heaven', is a beautiful rendition of Peter Ivers’ original composition, with Stewart’s delicate and soft vocals showcasing the elegance and wonder found in Lynch’s directorial debut, Eraserhead.

Eraserhead’s original sound design and score by Alan Splet and Lynch guide Xiu Xiu’s expanded interpretation, reflecting their influence as fans and musicians. The original film gives birth to Xiu Xiu’s visual lens, through which audiences are baffled and pummeled by the band’s imaginary unused auxiliary footage.

Is it a short-term art installation, an exploded tribute to a cinematic triumph, an epitaph to an idol via an entirely new work? Yes. Is it intense, odd, curious, and shrouded in the gloomiest of nights? Of course.

After all, it is Eraserhead.

TRACK LISTING

1. Viento
2. Sleep Synth
3. Tetra
4. Steampipe
5. Smashy Smashy
6. Ether
7. In Heaven

'Aethermead', the newest offering and 20th full-length album from of Montreal, finds the band revisiting sounds from their early years, while still pushing artistic boundaries with their iconic style of pop & indie rock. Celebrated for their unique and prolific output, frontperson and primary songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Kevin Barnes recorded the album at Brooklyn’s Honey Jar studios with audio engineer, Drew Vandenberg (Faye Webster, Toro y Moi), with basic tracking done live to a 16-track tape machine with Barnes’ longtime live band. “I wanted to capture a quick moment together and to make on-the-fly, spontaneous creative decisions,” says Barnes. “It felt very liberating and exhilarating to have to start and finish an album in a month’s time.”

The result shimmers with indie pop elements of their 2004 release, 'Satanic Panic in the Attic', as well as the raw, live energy of 2013’s 'Lousy With Sylvianbriar'. Inspired partly from a recent move to Brooklyn, NY and a yearning for community, the album marks a shift in Barnes’ daily routines, with the album’s title referencing a section of Prospect Park called the Nethermead, where Barnes walks their dog every day. “I started a meditation practice soon after moving to help me self-regulate,” says Barnes. “I began to imagine I was sending all my destructive and useless thoughts/energies into the ether.”

Barnes’ beautiful and melodic chord progressions are on full display with tracks like 'Already Dreaming', as well as the straight-up rock & roll banger 'Take The Form'. Other highlights include the loungey 'My Zhe Zhe', as well as the bluntly sexual lead single, 'When'.

From the breakthrough brilliance of 2007’s 'Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?' to a steady run of boundary-pushing releases, of Montreal have remained fearless sonic shapeshifters—equally at home crafting hook-laden anthems as they are exploring surreal, experimental textures. The band's prolific output has led to numerous late-night TV appearances—including The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon—and brilliant collaborations with artists such as Solange, Janelle Monáe, and Jon Brion.

On stage, they transform concerts into immersive spectacles of color, costume, and cathartic energy. The band has performed across the globe, gracing festival stages at Coachella, Primavera, Lollapalooza, Vive Latino and beyond, while also amassing hundreds of millions of streams worldwide. With a new tour on the horizon, of Montreal continue to celebrate their legacy while pushing boldly forward.

TRACK LISTING

1. Already Dreaming
2. Wanting on Air
3. Listen to Music and Cry
4. My Zhe Zhe
5. Take the Form
6. When
7. Hack it Up
8. Lacan in the Family
9. Having a Moment
10. From the Font of You
11. To Nothing’s Reward
12. Now We Cringe at the Thought
13. Dismissal Mosaics

When the idea of recording a 4th album came up (for the second time), American Football knew things were going to get darker. After touring a year’s worth of sold-out 25th anniversary shows around the world and releasing a covers album (featuring Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell & more), the quartet of Mike & Nate Kinsella, Steve Lamos, and Steve Holmes, linked up with producer / engineer Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, M83, Kurt Vile) to record what would become their most substantial record to date. Blending atmospheric textures with emotive, post-rock style catharsis, 'LP4' is unlike anything American Football have recorded thus far, yet it fits right in with their evolving and beautiful catalog.

Recorded during a 10-day retreat at Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, CA, 'LP4' finds the band intentionally walking into the abyss - themes of divorce, upheaval, and uncertainty are at the forefront, yet the band sounds more engaged and legitimized than ever before. Opening track, 'Man Overboard', showcases each member’s strengths - the un-matched style and jazz swing of Lamos’ drumming, the lyrical vulnerability and multi-instrumental mastery of both Kinsellas, and Holmes’ signature guitar work - all of it swirling together like a shoegaze tornado, the guitars and bass surging into something twisted and warped. Other standouts like 'Blood On My Blood' showcase the band’s unique use of alternating time signatures while 'Bad Moons' (the longest track the band has ever recorded) includes some of Kinsella’s most intense lyrics yet. The album also features additional guest vocals from Turnstile’s Brendan Yates ('No Feeling'), Wisp ('Wake Her Up'), and Rainer Maria’s Caithlin De Marrais('Blood On My Blood').

'LP4' is an ambitious artistic statement from a band who have continued to push the boundaries of genre and culture. It’s a gorgeous and elaborate album, one that takes its time to show you its beauty, while hinting at the darker parts that are trying their best to stay hidden.

TRACK LISTING

1. Man Overboard
2. No Feeling
3. Blood On My Blood
4. Bad Moons
5. The One With The Piano
6. Patron Saint Of Pale
7. Wake Her Up
8. Desdemona
9. Lullabye
10. No Soul To Save

Phantastic Ferniture are back with their jubilant garage pop, releasing not one but two singles - their very first recordings since their critically acclaimed 2018 debut album. Recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney, produced by Phan Fern themselves, and mixed and mastered by previous collaborators Tim Carr and Andrew Edgson respectively, tracks 'Change My Mind' and 'Dare to Fall in Love' immediately evoke everything about this band we have come to know and love. Julia Jacklin’s ability to write a catchy yet effortlessly cool vocal hook is evident on first listen, but it’s the magic that Phan Fern creates together that really brings the songs home.

TRACK LISTING

1. Change my Mind
2. Dare to Fall in Love

Hey Mercedes, formed from members of Chicago's emo band Braid, included Bob Nanna, Todd Bell, Mark Dawursk, and Damon Atkinson. They debuted with a self-titled EP (Polyvinyl Records ) in 2000 and followed up with extensive touring and two full-length albums: 'Everynight Fire Works' (Vagrant Records) in 2001 and 'Loses Control' (Vagrant Records) in 2003 along with two more EP’s: 'The Weekend' EP (Vagrant Records) in 2002 and 'Unorchestrated' (Grand Theft Autumn) in 2004. Dawursk left at the end of 2001 and was replaced by Mike Shumaker. After 359 shows and several releases, the band disbanded in April 2005.They played a reunion show in 2007 and celebrated the 15th anniversary of 'Everynight Fire Works' in 2016 with a remastered re-release and select live performances. In 2025, the band made their live comeback at Las Vegas's second annual Best Friends Forever Festival and will continue to play more shows in 2026. In 2026, Polyvinyl Records will reissue the complete Hey Mercedes catalog. With several EPs and albums currently out of print, this release will provide Hey Mercedes fans with the opportunity to obtain every Hey Mercedes title on vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Frowning Of A Lifetime
2. Every Turn
3. A-List Actress
4. Slightest Idea
5. Eleven To Your Seven
6. Que Shiraz
7. Our Weekend Starts On Wednesday
8. Haven't Been This Happy
9. What You're Up Against
10. Quit
11. Let's Go Blue
12. Save A Life
13. Everybody's Working For The Week
14. Wearing A WirE
15.The Promise
16. A Salty Salute

Hey Mercedes, formed from members of Chicago's emo band Braid, included Bob Nanna, Todd Bell, Mark Dawursk, and Damon Atkinson. They debuted with a self-titled EP (Polyvinyl Records ) in 2000 and followed up with extensive touring and two full-length albums: 'Everynight Fire Works' (Vagrant Records) in 2001 and 'Loses Control' (Vagrant Records) in 2003 along with two more EP’s: 'The Weekend' EP (Vagrant Records) in 2002 and 'Unorchestrated' (Grand Theft Autumn) in 2004. Dawursk left at the end of 2001 and was replaced by Mike Shumaker. After 359 shows and several releases, the band disbanded in April 2005.They played a reunion show in 2007 and celebrated the 15th anniversary of 'Everynight Fire Works' in 2016 with a remastered re-release and select live performances. In 2025, the band made their live comeback at Las Vegas's second annual Best Friends Forever Festival and will continue to play more shows in 2026. In 2026, Polyvinyl Records will reissue the complete Hey Mercedes catalog. With several EPs and albums currently out of print, this release will provide Hey Mercedes fans with the opportunity to obtain every Hey Mercedes title on vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Quality Revenge At Last
2. It's Been A Blast
3. Playing Your Song
4. Knowing When To Stop
5. Boy Destroyers
6. Unorchestrated
7. Lashing Out
8. Police Police Me
9. Oh Penny
10. The Switch
11. Absolute Zero Drive
12. Go On Drone 

Hey Mercedes, formed from members of Chicago's emo band Braid, included Bob Nanna, Todd Bell, Mark Dawursk, and Damon Atkinson. They debuted with a self-titled EP (Polyvinyl Records ) in 2000 and followed up with extensive touring and two full-length albums: 'Everynight Fire Works' (Vagrant Records) in 2001 and 'Loses Control' (Vagrant Records) in 2003 along with two more EP’s: 'The Weekend' EP (Vagrant Records) in 2002 and 'Unorchestrated' (Grand Theft Autumn) in 2004. Dawursk left at the end of 2001 and was replaced by Mike Shumaker. After 359 shows and several releases, the band disbanded in April 2005.They played a reunion show in 2007 and celebrated the 15th anniversary of 'Everynight Fire Works' in 2016 with a remastered re-release and select live performances. In 2025, the band made their live comeback at Las Vegas's second annual Best Friends Forever Festival and will continue to play more shows in 2026. In 2026, Polyvinyl Records will reissue the complete Hey Mercedes catalog. With several EPs and albums currently out of print, this release will provide Hey Mercedes fans with the opportunity to obtain every Hey Mercedes title on vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bells
2. St James St
3. The House Shook
4. Stay Six
5. Roulette Systems
6. Warms Chords
7. Own Up
8. We Lie Half The Time
9. Unorchestrated (Live) 

On Xiu Xiu’s new covers album, 'Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu Vol. 1', Jamie Stewart and Angela Seo pay homage to songs that have profoundly influenced them as music lovers and songwriters. This collection taken from the band’s ongoing Bandcamp subscription series, 'Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu', features tracks previously exclusive to Bandcamp, now available on vinyl and streaming for the first time. The album showcases Xiu Xiu's unique interpretations of iconic songs such as 'Psycho Killer' (Talking Heads), 'In Dreams' (Roy Orbison), 'Some Things Last A Long Time' (Daniel Johnston), 'I Put a Spell on You' (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) and many more. These renditions are a heartfelt "thank you" to the original compositions, while simultaneously serving as a deep dive into the musicality and greatness of these influential works.

TRACK LISTING

1. Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
2. Warm Leatherette (The Normal)
3. I Put A Spell On You (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)
4. Hamburger Lady (Throbbing Gristle)
5. In Dreams (Ray Orbison)
6. Sex Dwarf (Soft Cell)
7. Dancing On My Own (Robyn)
8. SPQR (This Heat)
9. Lick Or Sum (Glo Rilla)
10. Some Things Last A Long Time (Daniel Johnston)
11. Triple Sun (Coil)
12. Cherry Bomb (The Runaways)

Following the release of her debut album, 'Stay Alive' (2020) and its follow-up 'Hole In My Head' (2024), Emmy-nominated artist, author, musician, activist and Against Me! founder/songwriter, Laura Jane Grace, returns with her fourth full-length album, Laura Jane Grace in the Trauma Tropes - 'Adventure Club' - a powerful new statement featuring some of her most intense and thought-provoking work to date. 'Adventure Club' was recorded in Athens, Greece and made possible by a grant through the Onassis Air Program, "an artistic research, residency, and fellowship program that fosters artistic process and experimentation by bringing together creative practitioners from a variety of geographies and practices", which Grace was awarded a fellowship through.

The album features notable performances from outside collaborators known as the Trauma Tropes, including Grace’s wife, Paris Campbell (vocals), as well Athens based musicians Jacopo Fokas (bass) and Orestis Lagadinos (drums). On standout, 'Your God (God’s Dick)', Grace and Campbell belt out some of Grace’s most anthemic lyrics ever penned, with an a capella intro channeling the stadium power pop of Queen. On 'Wearing Black', Grace critiques the corporatization of and police presence at Pride events, with her signature punk ethos and raw, unabashed outlook on full display. 

TRACK LISTING

1. WWIII Revisited
2. Wearing Black
3. I Love To Get High
4. Active Trauma
5. New Years Day
6. Mine Me Mine
7. Your God (God’s Dick)
8. Fuck You Harry Potter
9. Poison In Me
10. Espresso Freddie
11. Free Cigarettes
12. Walls

On Birthmark’s latest album, Birth of Omni, songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Nate Kinsella delivers his most thematically dynamic and experimental album to date. The album highlights the gargantuan shift in perspective that comes along with becoming a parent, including core themes of identity, duality, sexuality, overwhelming responsibility, feminism, and fear of men. Over the course of the album’s ten songs, Kinsella takes the listener on a wild ride, full of emotions and inner thoughts. On “Rodney,” Kinsella enlists Shudder to Think’s Craig Wedren on vocals for a track that explores sexuality and desires, while “Boyfriend” touches on how things change between partners in a relationship while raising children.

In addition to Kinsella’s work with Birthmark, Nate also plays in two other bands with his cousin Mike Kinsella – American Football and Lies. He’s also collaborated with artists such as Tim Kasher, Joan of Arc, TTNG, and others. Kinsella’s work has been featured in outlets such as Pitchfork, Fader, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR, and many others.

TRACK LISTING

1. Snowflake In My Palm (Not For Long)
2. Butterfly
3. Birthday (Product Of Our Lust)
4. Rodney
5. Baby Woncha Come On Home
6. Boyfriend
7. Green Skies
8. Red Meadow
9. I’m Awake
10. Pretty Flowers

With his sophomore full-length album, Born Hot, Chris Farren paired polished, up-beat pop songs with lyrics full of self-examination and insecurity, all while developing a newfound sense of humor when it came to promoting himself. Stereogum called it “a tongue-in-cheek exploration of ideas of confidence and self-loathing," while The Atlantic featured it on their “Best Albums of 2019” list.

On his third full-length album, Doom Singer, Farren injects his latest work with a newfound sense of power and cohesion. Collaborating for the first time with outside drummer Frankie Impastato (Macseal), Farren's songs take on a whole new dimensionality, with Impastato's live drums bringing a fresh spontaneity to the tracks. Doom Singer marks another significant milestone in Farren's career as it is the first time he collaborated with a producer, multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte (Jay Som, Bachelor, Routine). Her masterful production experience adds a layer of sophistication to Farren's sound, creating a rich and multi- dimensional sonic landscape that takes his music to new heights. With Duterte's keen ear and meticulous attention to detail, the album resonates with a level of clarity and depth that showcases Farren's songwriting and vocal abilities in a whole new light.

Chris Farren’s music has been praised in outlets such as MTV, Stereogum, and The Atlantic, who describes his music as having “bright-eyed hooks, sparkly orchestration, and tight songwriting.” With numerous world tours alongside artists such as Jeff Rosenstock, The Gaslight Anthem, Laura Stevenson, and others, Farren has been building a dedicated following of fans who connect with his introspective lyrics and infectious pop sensibilities.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bluish
2. All We Ever
3. Get Over U
4. Only U
5. Doom Singer
6. Screensaver
7. First Place
8. My Beauty
9. Cosmic Leash
10. StatueSong

Mesmeric and kaleidoscopic, shimmering with electrified unease, Show Me How You Disappear is both an exercise in self-forgiveness and an eventual understanding of unresolved trauma. Jilian Medford’s third record as IAN SWEET unfolds at an acute juncture in her life, charting from a mental health crisis to an intensive healing process and what comes after. How do you control the thoughts that control you? What does it mean to get better? What does it mean to have a relationship with yourself? Recorded with Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Empress Of) and Andy Seltzer (Maggie Rogers), among others, Medford approached this album as a curator. She handpicked the producers that fit each song, which explains the range and experimentation showcased. Medford then recruited Chris Coady to mix and tie everything together into one cohesive piece. Dizzying and enthralling, Show Me How You Disappear is the sound of someone coming apart and putting themselves back together — the moment an old mantra, repeated into the mirror time and time again, finally clicks. To look at your reflection, and finally feel seen.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Favorite Cloud
2. Drink The Lake
3. Sword
4. Dirt
5. Sing Till I Cry
6. Dumb Driver
7. Get Better
8. Power
9. Show Me How You Disappear
10. I See Everything

On one special night, the band took to the bandstand in a tiny Tokyo club while the tape was rolling. The result is Fever 121614. With gems from throughout the band’s ridiculously deep back catalog, the 12-song collection that appears on both the LP and the video is Deerhoof at their rawest.

TRACK LISTING

1. Exit Only 
2. Paradise Girls 
3. Let's Dance The Jet 
4. Doom 
5. Fresh Born  
6. We Do Parties 
7. Buck And Judy  
8. Dummy Discards A Heart 
9. Twin Killers 
10. I Did Crimes For You  
11. There's That Grin 
12. Come See The Duck 

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin returned to the attic where they made their debut full-length Broom. Phil Dickey, Will Knauer, and Jonathan James spent up to twelve hours a day working on the songs that would become Fly By Wire. With James assuming the role of engineer, Dickey and Knauer wrote lyrics and guitar parts on a third floor windowsill and recorded vocals in the staircase. This laid-back approach to recording is clearly evident in the album’s warm, welcoming sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Harrison Ford
2. Young Presidents
3. Cover All Sides
4. Lucky Young
5. Ms. Dot
6. Loretta
7. Unearth
8. Bright Leaves
9. Nightwater Girlfriend
10. Fly By Wire

Stagnant Pools are Bryan and Douglass Enas, two brothers (21 and 22) from Bloomington, Indiana. With just one guitar and a drum kit, they make music which the Chicago Reader describes as “drone-heavy, slate-gray art-rock that should appeal to fans of Disappears, Joy Division, and Sonic Youth records from back when they were still actually scary.”

After a couple of DIY releases, the sibling duo spent one day in the studio recording their debut full length ‘Temporary Room’. With a tour van as a recent graduation present, and shows under their belt with EMA and labelmates Japandroids, they’re releasing ‘Temporary Room’ this summer and then hitting the road.

“A massive slice of punked-out sky-high shoegaze from the Bloomington brothers” - thenoiseis.net · “Stagnant Pools use a lot of distortion over pretty melodies to make something that sounds a little like a harder edged Interpol” - ohmyrockness

“A beautiful, swelling thing. Aided by both a beautiful, sweltering, heat-haze throb of guitar treatment and some deep, effortlessly melodic vocals” - musicfromagreenwindow

TRACK LISTING

Illusions
Dead Sailor
Jumpsuit
Solitude
Temporary Room
Stun
Consistency
Dreaming Of You
Frozen
Maze Of Graves
Alternate Ending
Waveland

After his last time touring the United States in support of 2009’s ‘Dear John’, Emil Svanängen AKA Loney Dear returned home to Sweden and began to play shows with chamber orchestras throughout the country. As such, he was forced to revisit his earlier material -- re-writing and re-arranging these older songs for performance on a grander scale. This experience had an indelible influence on the writing and recording of the appropriately titled ‘Hall Music’, an expansive record that finds Svanängen closer to creating the type of orchestral music he has always sought to bring to life on stage (whether he’s actually playing with an orchestra or not).

Above all, ‘Hall Music’ is a study in merging contrasts, an album of impossible pairings. The pacing is simultaneously fast and slow, with gently weaving harmonic structures propelled forward by quickly moving notes. The instrumentation is orchestral and synthesized; organic and invented. A church bell paired effortlessly with horns and an analogue keyboard.

Though at first listen it occupies your ears for just over a halfhour, it is an all-consuming sonic affair. This is intimate music that effortlessly fills vast, empty spaces -- in your head, in your room, in your life -- with a grip so delicate yet unyielding that you can’t (and don’t want to) escape it.

Drawing from both of the emotional states it joins together - joy and darkness – ‘Hall Music’ creates its own unique expanse -- one you’ll surely want to re-visit again and again.

TRACK LISTING

1. Name
2. My Heart
3. Loney Blues
4. Calm Down
5. Maria, Is That You
6. D Major
7. Largo
8. Young Hearts
9. Durmoll
10. I Dreamed About You
11. What Have I Become?

A template stolen from 80s proto emo / moog-induced power pop band The Cars and transposed into the noughties. With three-part harmonies and songs so catchy they should be illegal, "Summer Fling" is the Red Hot Valentines' second album and has that distinctive Polyvinyl label sound.

Aloha's second album takes post-rock a la Tortoise and Trans Am and adds emo stylings like the Promise Ring but then injects it with the prog time changes of a Midwest King Crimson. There's some sublime vibraphone and guitar interplay and the instrumental invention never fails to produce some of the most beautiful sounds and ensemble playing.

Featuring Bob Nanna of Hey Mercedes this 2xCD set is every song that Friction recorded, including many previously unreleased songs. All 32 tracks have been completely remastered and there's tons of photos, lyrics and complete liner notes. Included on the discs are the band's long out-of-print LP "Blurred In Six", all the 7"s and compilation tracks, as well as nearly a dozen tracks that were finished for a second album, but never released.