Wide-eyed and wacky, like Kate Bush crossed with a bush baby, Polly Scattergood appears on the scene and demands attention. Her name is no pseudonym, and it's strikingly appropriate. Despite her pretty blonde porcelain-doll appearance, the girl is merrily prancing a tightrope between being lovably scatterbrained and completely looney tunes.

When it was released in '02, Iron and Wine's stunning debut The Creek Drank the Cradle planted a modest, wooded image of a stay at home folk singer; one that, if like me, most fans have had trouble shaking over the years.

Who's in the mood for some new music? Here at Baeble we are always on the hunt for great new tracks and on the latest volume of our T.G.I.Mixtape series we have some brand new songs that will make your head spin. This week we have new singles from Norweigen pop star Annie and Royksopp, as well as songs by The Decemberists and Fever Ray. Be sure to play this one all the way through to the end as we may have saved the best song for last this week. Have a great weekend! -Greg Lozoff

If you get Lightning Dust confused with Lightning Bolt via absentminded typo, you might be frightened. Lightning Bolt wields an abrasive blitzkrieg of screeching noise rock that threaten to crash into your house and leave nothing unshattered. Lightning Dust is the quiet aftermath, the rays of sunlight glittering on the broken glass that used to be your living room. Tragic but somehow pretty.

Remember the first time you dimmed the lights, sat back with a bag of Doritos, and watched with wide-eyed wonder as The Wizard of Oz synched up near-flawlessly with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon? Even if you're a few decades too late to find that truly fascinating, there are a ton of other pseudosoundtracks out there to blow your mind.

Rainwater Cassette Exchange is kind of like Microcastle lite. It goes down easy, it's worth many listens, and it's dependably Deerhunter of the late aughts. But it's not quite a revolution of their sound, or at least an indication, and that's what I was hoping to hear.

If you were digging on 808's And Heartbreak like some of us here at Baeble, then this mashup viral video might be worth checking out. Don't worry about your obscurity cred, we won't tell anyone you liked it.

That post Memorial Day Weekend haze has finally passed. And with it brings the realization that sweet, sizzling, Summer is here. Around these parts, that generally means its' time for us to work...like really hard. It's our busy season, after all, with no shortage of bands rolling through our metropolitan kicking grounds. Already we're lining up full-concert releases from the likes of Busdriver, Cursive, Harlem Shakes, Sean Bones, and Sebastian Grainger. And out and about kind of folks can certainly expect to see our cameras capturing plenty of bands at some of NYC's finest venues, indoors and out, as the season progresses.

Supplementing Here We Go Magic's performance in Baeble's Guest Apartment, this exclusive interview with Luke Temple and Mike Bloch details the band's motivations for recording their self-titled debut, the different approaches such a new, collective effort spawns, and a few hopeful wishes for the future.

Though he's wielded plenty of hocus pocus with two previous solo releases, Luke Temple's latest project - the miraculously titled, Here We Go Magic - is perhaps one of the whimsical songwriter's broadest, recorded explorations to date.

The Do is a charming, jazz-classy French and Finnish duo named after the "do" note bookending the musical scale. Their dreamy pop comes led by folky female vocals, courtesy of Olivia B. Merilahtin, and brings with it a timeless sort of feel.

The first words that come to mind with a title like Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix might be something like haughty, lofty, or far-fetched; after all, why would a pop rock band from Paris channel the forefather of Austrian classicism? Why not March To The Phoenix, channeling great French composer Hector Berlioz?

Pink Mountains are professors at the Canadian indie school of listless grandeur, with contemporaries Arcade Fire, Stars, and the much grittier Black Mountain Collective, of which the Pinkie's were born so many years ago. For fans of this type of epic songwriting, this might be your next squeeze.

Suckers have a way of getting into your head and staying there a helpful quality for any new band trying to burst out of the teeming Brooklyn indie rock scene. Their lazily anthemic song It Gets Your Body Movin' has already nabbed a coveted spot on Pitchfork's Best New Music, not to mention the attention of Yeasayer's Anand Wilder (who produced their EP, along with Chris Moore of TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame).

Well it's Friday once again and that means it's time for another edition of our T.G.I.Mixtape series. I don't know about where you are, but here the weather is finally starting to feel like summer. And what better way to celebrate the warm summer air than with some new tunes! On this week's mixtape we have brand new songs from A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Deastro, The Do and many more. Enjoy and have a great weekend. -Greg Lozoff

When I saw Gang of Four in 2005, I'm not entirely sure what bassist Dave Allen was doing because I was too busy trying to avoid the microwave shards flying into the audience as a result of frontman Jon King whaling on it with a baseball bat. Apparently, Allen was thinking that it was about time for a side project, because a year later, he formed Faux Hoax with Menomena's David Seim and Tracker's John Askew.

Meet Sharon Van Etten; a lovely, acoustic musician who comes to us by way of Jersey, Tennessee, and, most recently, Brooklyn New York. Word is this wispy chanteuse made the most of her musically supportive upbringing, playing anything placed in front of her, auditioning for every choir and/or musical she could find, and eventually penning her own tunes.

photos by Lyndsey Matthews. See more photos HERE.
Parties at The Delancey keep getting better, with free beer hour and great bands like not-so newcomer spaz rockers Woodhands, an unassuming looking (donning a Trekkie shirt?) but entrancing duo from Toronto, Canada.

They say good things come in threes. They also say Oneida is fascinated with patterns and repetition to the point of obsession. Whatever the reason, their latest project, announced in 2008, is a trilogy of records known as the Thank Your Parents series.

If Animal Collective stirred a collective wig-out last winter with a melodic cast of dance-driven rock that tapped in to the more primordial side of their listeners, then Passion Pit are here to reclaim the genre for the heart. Though isn't that what one would expect from a musical project started as a Valentine's Day gift for lap top tweaker Michael Angelakos' girlfriend?

We know you've been loyally rocking our video of The Whip's performance at McCarren Park Pool from last summer for a while now. We still can't get enough of it ourselves. In honor of that show, and a recent interview we did with the band, we're giving away a pair of Autographed 12" Singles to two lucky fans, courtesy of our friends at Razor and Tie.

Don't bother looking around Baeble for another concert quite like this one. This late night performance from electronic dub step duo EOTO at NYC's Sullivan Hall is an absolute one of a kind.

Some bands were built for a natural settings. Given singer Justin Ringle's wispy, back of the throat falsetto, Sam Cooper's delicate plunk on a grainy sounding banjo, Nathan Crockett's rousing fiddle playing, and the collective, three-part harmonies all three dole out, you'll find Portland's Horse Feathers to be one such group.

Baeble music sits down with Justin Ringle, Sam Cooper, and Nathan Crockett of Horse Feathers to discuss how the band found folk music, the writing process, and how the current lineup works together.

Our man Murdoch is still kickin'...musically speaking. It's a nice little thought, isn't it? Three years removed from Belle and Sebastian's last record, The Life Pursuit, Stuart Murdoch is preparing to unveil a new project, dubbed God Help the Girl.

Save for a few isolated examples, when a band's inspirations are easily cited they often get pigeonholed as imitative and unoriginal. Why There Are Mountains is one of these isolated instances where the quality of the album's composition easily outweighs the transparency of the bands' influences. In the case of Cymbals Eat Guitars, going with what's worked in the past makes for all sorts of wonderful. Progressivism is kind of overrated anyway.

The latest Take-Away Show involves Canadian experimental rocker Patrick Watson, who normally fronts the band of the same name, wandering around Paris and banging on stuff with backup from The Wooden Arms.

horse feathers
Despite its' obvious folk traditions, current day New York City can be one maddening place for artists that work in more buttoned up kinds of means. It's a big and busy place, this city, and the endless daily racket often finds its' way into places it's frankly not suppose to. Check out our frustrated review of Blitzen Trapper's recent foray into the Bowery Ballroom, for example. Still, there are a number of choice spots where an appreciative hush can be expected; Joe's Pub being one of them. For this, Horse Feathers and Joe Pug should truly count their blessings.

Happy Friday everyone! On the latest volume of our T.G.I.Mixtape series we have some of the hottest songs that are out there these days. We know you've heard of Regina Spektor and St. Vincent but have you heard of Neon Indian and Timbre Timber? And have you heard the latest from Elvis Perkins, Bowerbirds and Regina Spektor? If not you are going to love this mixtape. There is a lot of magic on this one so take your time with it. And above all, have an excellent weekend! -Greg Lozoff

Some things just aren't very fair. You're probably pasted to your computer monitor, sneaking peaks of Baeble when you have a free moment from the piles of work arriving at your desk. And we're throwing painfully classic images of fun in the Brazilian sun at you...though we're blaming Little Joy, of course.

Development is the catalyst for warring among music fans, especially when it's mistaken for regression. Some are afraid of change, or cling desperately to a band's original sound with closed minds and plugged ears. I'm certain these types of fans will tar and feather Mama, I'm Swollen. However, that does not make it a bad record; just one that popular music critics will label as 'emo' and throw to the dogs, and fans will moodily swill nonsense about it's departure from previous success Happy Hollow. Cursive takes a rather pessimistic tone with this one ('Sad Hollow' if you will), but I certainly wouldn't lump them in with the angsty eyeliner crowd; this sounds to me more like a mid-life crisis for the indie rock veterans. Considering the shelf life of artists these days, once a band turns fourteen, they are allowed to be a tad bit reflective and moody. Growing up is tough for everyone.

On a recent trip to NYC, a decimated version of Sweden's Loney Dear found some time to cram on to a couch somewhere in Manhattan to play a couple songs for Baeble's Guest Apartment series.

Though Loney Dear's Emil Svanngen has always weaved bits of synthetic and electronic elements into his music, his '09 effort Dear John employed a more deliberate approach than ever. In an interview with Baeble, Emil shares how his fascination with the possibility for texture influenced the album, as well as his shift from personal topics to a style of songwriting that more closely resembles storytelling.

Here at Baeble we're always trying to dream up new ways to bring you loads of live, exclusive performances from some of today's most exciting artists. While we're extremely proud of the concert experiences we offer you on the website, today's most talented musicians are able to wow their fans in a variety of settings. With that in mind, we're proud to announce a new intimate performance setting dubbed "The Guest Apartment".

Though she first established herself as an actress, Caitlin Crosby is making the transition to her first love of music. The LA singer/songwriter is currently sporting her exuberant new album Flawz, and recently took some time to sit down with Baeble to share her passion for songwriting.

Monahans didn't always flash the pop chops they have now. Instead, there was a time when the Austin based band labeled themselves Milton Mapes, leaning hard on the kind of musical aesthetic inspired by cowboy boots and Lone Star beer in the process. But in '07, Greg Vanderpool, Roberto Snchez, Britton Beisenherz, and Jim Fredley changed their songwriting process from the old singer-songwriter-with-a-band model to a more collaborative effort. Naturally, a new namesake, and album, Low Pining, soon followed.

Volatile Jersey grown band Titus Andronicus are a misleading bunch. There is singer Patrick Stickles' sweaty, food trap of a beard. And there is also Bassist Ian Graetzer's clean cut take on fashion. There is the swirling muck of noise that is their much beloved debut The Airing of Grievances. And there is the reckless melody that lies within it.

When mighty creative forces unite, everyone wins...especially when it's in the name of an excellent night of music. Which, coincidently, is exactly what Rachael Ray, Watch Entertainment, and The Orchard delivered when they united Harlem Shakes, Sean Bones, and The Cringe on Pianos' tiny stage this past Wednesday.

Happy Friday! It is time once again for the next volume in our T.G.I.Mixtape series. On our 13th mixtape we have some amazing talent from all different parts of the world. The weekend is just a few hours away. So if you're feeling stressed why don't you just relax, kick back and listen to some tunes. Have a great weekend. -Greg Lozoff

photos by Chris Gayomali. See more photos HERE.
Alison Mosshart of the Kills exhudes so much sex appeal it's indecent. That night, she took the stage unassumingly, donning a combo of skinny jeans and a simple, white dotted blouse with her head held low. She took periodic swigs from a water bottle and averted the spotlight as if to purse, "Not yet, guys. Give me a second." But, as the Kills' other half (guitarist Jamie Hince) trotted up and began strumming at his first, bluesy notes, I couldn't help but get the feeling that what I was about to witness would be something entirely different from what was in front of me.

Most music lovers who exist in the collegiate world are familiar with their respective campus a cappella groups, existing as all male, female, co-ed, and even religious centric. In places like universities with a strong arts program or a bunch of dramatic theater majors, they can act as a surrogate football team; attracting students of all ages to rally and support every show, treating members like star quarterbacks or slam dunkers (without ever having to score a goal).

North Carolinian band The Love Language sure know how to party. What starts with the band getting down all alone to their vintage brand of chirpy pop, ends in one hum dinger of a birthday party.

First time contributor Allie Miller crammed into NYC's Webster Hall a few nights back, taking in sets from Luke Top, Chairlift, and Peter Bjorn and John in the process. She filed the following report.

Though The Horrors are, quite honestly, horribly image conscious, their latest video "Who Can Say" is certainly a nice piece of film.

It's summer in the city! Well not quite yet, but it sure feels like it. Warm weather, flowers blooming, birds everywhere and a hefty amount of pollen to make sure we aren't getting to much enjoyment out of it all. So to complement the nice weather we have our latest volume of our T.G.I.Mixtape series for you. We hope you enjoy this as much as we have enjoyed sifting through all the wonderful music flowing through the office these days. Greg Lozoff and David Pitz