Haven’t done much due diligence this week. That said, I can recommend releases from Ryan Adams, Crooked Fingers and Look Mexico. Other than that, I’ve got no clue. The bonus tracks for the Yuck reissue are good, too. Don’t know if they’re worth buying the entire record again, though.

Anybody have opinions on the new stuff from T.W. Walsh, Björk, Absu, Ben Lee, Rocket From the Tombs and Andrew Bird? Haven’t heard enough from any of them to form a meaningful opinion.

Also, the William Shatner artwork is epic. Hint hint, Jay.

See this week’s new releases.

:: Better get your copy of Fucked Up‘s Year of the Ox 12-inch reserved now!

:: Johnny Marr wants to pat himself on the back for inspiring you to go vegetarian.

:: An unreleased Leonard Cohen documentary from 1972 will finally see the light of day at the Green Man Festival next month.

:: Aquarium Drunkard wants you like the new record from Menomena, which is a very noble desire.

:: Jaguar Love/Blood Brothers frontman Johnny Whitney released an acoustic solo EP, and each copy features one-of-a-kind, handmade artwork.

:: Every Time I Die has a web show now, and it’s called Shit Happens. Is the title a clever statement about the band’s last record? ZING!

:: Our pals Look Mexico have a handful of shows coming up at the end of August for all of you Floridians out there.

:: Random tracks that don’t suck:

:: Neil Hamburger opening for Faith No More?!?! So Williamsburg is good for something, after all…

:: Poor old Lilith Fair. They’ve had to cancel 10 dates so far. Looks like no hairy armpit ladies want to see fourth-wave feminists sing mediocre songs.

:: Did you got an orange copy of Look Mexico‘s To Bed to Battle, then you’re a lucky little turd.

:: Trent Reznor is making music for a Facebook movie. Perfect fit, right?

:: The bassist of Madina Lake was hospitalized after trying to break up a domestic dispute. The extent of his injuries haven’t been released, but by all accounts they are very severe.

:: A Coheed and Cambria novel has been released, eh? Sounds like the worst proposition since Twilight.

:: Want to talk at Steel Train today? Be sure to ask about famous girlfriends.

This Murder By Death video reminds me of that one animated Look Mexico video. Not sure why, since the style and story are completely different. Cartoon water, I guess.

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

In Austin airport My shoes got a substance test Was just veggie oil

Layovers should not Be longer than the flight time It seems quite backwards

Now I am boarding The tiniest of jet planes I’m a bit displeased

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

On our last tour — much in tune with our general everyday luck — we busted our fuel filter on the way to our last gig before this year’s Harvest of Hope. We had almost made it through an entire tour without a single vehicle problem. For us this would be a mind-blowing feat, because we’ve never made it through tour without something going wrong.

Anyway, the importance of my writing about this is not to dwell on the negative aspects of touring. We are very used to that… in fact I’d go as far as to say that we are immune to it. Instead, rather, I’d like to focus on a simple act of kindness that resulted from our chronic bad luck.

The red truck you see above belongs to one of the greatest, most impressive people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. We needed a ride to a Napa store 10 miles away in Clinton, N.C., in order to purchase a fuel pump. But unfortunately there was no taxi service available or friendly pedestrian in sight. The store was about to close within an hour of our unfortunate mishap. If we couldn’t get there before closing time we would have more than likely missed our show the following afternoon at Harvest of Hope, a show that we re-routed our entire last week of tour to play.

Read more about Look Mexico’s angel in North Carolina.

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

See Look Mexico’s photos from the road.

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

On this tour we’ve run into our friends from the Philly band Hop Along more than a few times so we decided to test our interview chops from the other side and talk with their guitar player/vocalist Francis Quinlan on behalf of Buzzgrinder. Here we go.

You recently released a three-song 10-inch and are currently out on the road supporting it. How many dates do you have left?

I think we have six including today.

Where are you headed?

We’re going to Birmingham today then headed to Nashville, playing The Rabbit Hole, then Bloomington, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philly and maybe Brooklyn but that one hasn’t been booked yet… We’re kind of figuring it out. I’m usually really lazy with booking, I feel like it’s always right around the corner and I should have got on it sooner.

Are you looking forward to any of those in particular or did any of the past dates stand out?

I don’t know, we played a pretty sweet BBQ yesterday. It was a really, really small show but people were receptive and they fed us, and then we had ice cream… I shouldn’t really make that my reason. We sold out in Baltimore at Hexagon, it was really cool and we probably played our best. We were just talking about this, we can’t really pick a favorite. Every night has something about it that is really appreciated. Austin, the day where we had two shows was pretty wild. Free pizza every day. Four days of free pizza.

Read more of Look Mexico’s interview with Hop Along.

Look Mexico released a new album today, To Bed to Battle. And not only did the band allow Buzzgrinder to stream the whole thing, but the guys were also kind enough to take over posting duties for the day. That means we get to continue recovering from SXSW while they have to work.

It’s late March in Austin (and everywhere else as well), and SXSW has drawn to a close. Only a few hours ago the streets were teeming with throngs of thrill-seeking hipsters and assorted music lovers. Now they sit serene and empty, enjoying the perfect weather. The day before yesterday I was stuck on 7th Street, stuck behind the wheel of our veggie bus, miming all of the guns and explosives I wanted to use on the festival-goers who were blocking every intersection.

Now I’m sitting on Matt’s couch with Patrick drinking a couple of mostly frozen Modelo Especials that somehow made it through the weekend unconsumed. Maybe it’s a byproduct of the delicious Mexican food we ate, but on the drive home I started to ramble about the likeable and like-minded people I’ve met during the time I’ve been in Look Mexico.

They’ve helped restore a sense of humanity that I’ve lost over the past few years of serving tables. I believe that what they’re doing, the music and art that they’re creating, and the way they’re influencing other people is meaningful and important. Feeling like I’m part of that community has renewed my confidence that I made the right choice when I joined this band instead of going to grad school or getting a “real” job.