Out: Superman Revenge Squad's "We're Here For Duration... We Hope!"

We've followed closely the career of Croydon, England-based songwriter Ben Parker for the last couple years, and we see no reason to cease utilizing our bully pulpit to herald this startlingly talented artist. Mr. Parker's most recent project, Superman Revenge Squad, has just made available its second long-player; you can purchase via Paypal the sophomore set We're Here For Duration... We Hope at the Superman Revenge Squad site right here. It's only three pounds sterling with shipping included, and it includes a track titled "I've Been Listening To The Rollins Band." Seriously. A live version of lead track "A Good Idea" from the new set is streaming at the SRS MySpace right here. Three pounds is a small sum to pay for new material from the fellow who wrote the top serious awesome track "A Footnote" with his old combo Nosferatu D2. Not to mention the excellent material that has come since. Here are a couple tracks to get you in the shopping mood. We interviewed Parker here in October.

Nosferatu D2 -- "A Footnote" -- Nosferatu D2
Superman Revenge Squad -- "I'm Gonna Go To Bed And When I Wake Up I'm Gonna Be Someone Else" -- Superman Revenge Squad
[right click and save as]
[buy Superman Revenge Squad music right here]

The Warlocks: Through The Looking Glass The Hard Way

We didn't know anything about The Warlocks -- except wasn't that name the original name for the Grateful Dead? -- until hearing the L.A.-based quintet's absolutely sublime tune "Dreamless Days" on WMBR a couple years back. Since then -- and since buying Heavy Deavy Skull Lover, from which "Dreamless Days" was taken -- our affinity for the band has grown steadily. The Mirror Explodes, The Warlocks' sixth record, is available in the UK today and will be released in the U.S. on Tee Pee Records tomorrow. The opening track "Red Camera" begins like a dangerously overdriven version of the title track to Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See, but then floats into dark electric curtains of white noise and feedback. The record is not uniformly weighty: the ballad "There Is a Formula To Your Despair" is distinctly more gentle, although perhaps only a little less narcotic. The Warlocks launch a two-week UK tour July 14, after hitting Paris July 10; U.S. dates have not been revealed. Download "Red Camera" below.

The Warlocks -- "Red Camera" -- The Mirror Explodes
[right click and save as]
[video]
[buy Warlocks records from Newbury Comics right here]

YouTube Rodeo: Telekinesis' "Awkward Kisser"

Mannequins are generally underused in indie rock videos. Or just any rock videos really. This track, more reliant on persistent percussive piano than the previously publicized and satisfyingly crunchy guitar-led anthem "Coast Of Carolina," shows Telekinesis' Michael Lerner to have a much broader range than we assumed based on that first preview single. "Coast Of Carolina" made us think, oh, we don't know, insert good lo-fi band name here. But "Awkward Kisser," makes us think Ben Folds, and not because of Mr. Lerner's eyeglasses. Merge Records released Telekinesis' self-titled full-length debut April 7. Buy it from Merge here. Local-ish fans can see Telekinesis at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Mass. June 12.

"Summer" Here Kids!

That’s a Grandaddy reference, yeah? More importantly, we’ve been green-lighted with a handful of other blogs to offer you an MP3 of the much-discussed-here forthcoming single “Feels Like Summer.” So have at it! [UPDATE: Or don't! The band's UK label would prefer you download this elsewhere] [Re-UPDATE: Everything is sorted! All is right with the world again! Gimme Indie Rock!].

Johnny Foreigner -- "Feels Like Summer" -- Album Number Two

Johnny Foreigner's Dynamite "Feels Like Summer" Now Streaming

So yeh, remember the planned first single from Johnny Foreigner's as-yet-untitled album numero dos? The one called "Feels Like Summer?" The one what we don't know any additional details about (wink wink wink, winkety winkety wink)? Well, it is now streaming at the Birmingham, England-based noise pop superlatives' MySpace dojo right here, and it is mammoth. The brief track of stray slack is boisterous, sloppy, glorious and poignant all at once. Compositionally not terribly different from the live bootlegs we've got kicking around, but the gang chant "Some Summers!" and the lone vocal from bassist Kelly Southern at the close are compelling embellishments to the arrangement. Sure, releasing a song titled "Feels Like Summer" at the close of the academic year and with the eponymous season upon us seems a bit calculated, but what, did you think the band would issue a Christmas single now? Puh-leeeze. Initial word was that the "Feels Like Summer" single would be out sometime this month, but as there appears to be no online retailer that will let you pre-order the platter, we're guessing it could be next month before you get your anxious paws on this. In case you either a) live under a rock or b) do not live in the UK, you should know that Johnny Foreigner commences 17 days of tour dates this very evening in Sheffield, England with Tubelord supporting. Peruse the full tour dates here.

More On Morr's Kiwi Homage Comp Not Given Lightly

Speaking of blog items that mysteriously go missing at :: clicky clicky :: (wait... what?), voracious readers may recall we briefly posted an item a month ago that addressed in turn a new Rumble Strips song ("London," a real snappy one, that) and a planned Morr Music compilation featuring covers of the best in classic '80s and '90s New Zealand indie rock. Well, we now have more information about the latter, which appears to be available to order now. According to an email just in from Morr, the 34-track set is titled Not Given Lightly (A Tribute To The Golden Giant Book Of New Zealand's Alternative Music Scene). The storied New Zealand scene, of course, built its reputation on such notable acts as The Chills, The 3-Ds, The Bats, The Clean and so forth, whose music influenced -- among others -- American indie legends Yo La Tengo and Pavement and countless others.

Like Morr's excellent 2002 Slowdive tribute collection Blue Skied An' Clear [review here], a second disc of Not Given Lightly will contain new and exclusive material from Morr luminaries Lali Puna ("I Like Rain"), B.Fleischmann ("Not Given Lightly"), ISAN ("Harmonic Deluxe") and others. Not Given Lightly is available on 3 LPs or 2 CDs priced at 20 and 18 Euros respectively. Want to hear samples from the comp right now? Snippets can be streamed at the A Number Of Small Things page for the collection right here. We haven't an MP3 to share from Not Given Lightly, but here is a video of It's A Musical's wonderful cover of Tall Dwarves' "All My Hollowness To You." And what the hell, here is Future 3's version of Slowdive's "Alison" from Blue Skied An' Clear.

Future 3 -- "Alison" -- Blue Skied An' Clear
[right click and save as]
[buy Blue Skied An' Clear and Not Given Lightly from Morr/ANOST here]