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Codeine reforms, plays Primavera Sound 2012

The best European festival is back in style: after announcing a second installation in Porto, Portugal in 2012, Primavera Sound has just announced the first acts who will play in both editions. Among them is Codeine, one of the quintessential American indie rock bands of the beginning of the 90s who are reforming – original lineup! – to play a series of selected shows in Europe next Spring and reissuing their back catalog. Guided by Voices (Barcelona only), Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Björk, Other Lives and Neon Indian are the other bands who’ll play Primavera next year. That’s quite an impressive early lineup, isn’t it?

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Penny Blacks, “Harbour” (selfreleased, 2011)

That awkward moment when you’re listening to a great album and realize no label, big or small, bothered to release it. Canadian songwriter Jason Ogden did it all by himself – or perhaps he didn’t, as his project Penny Blacks eventually grew to be a full 7-piece band – and selfreleased his first LP, Harbour, without any help from the big ones. The result is a stellar folk-rock album from a group of musicians who clearly look like they’ve been doing this for a long time now; although they’ve been compared to The Dears or Decemberists in the past I would place them somewhere between Americana acts Richmond Fontaine and Centro-matic – Ogden’s vocals definitely sound like Will Johnson’s, which is one of the best compliments you can give to anyone who sings in a band like this. Listening to Harbour while working on a cafe (like me, as I write these words) could be your favorite thing to do on these cold Fall afternoons. You can do it below on their Bandcamp – and buy the digital for a tenner if you like it enough.

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Girls, “Lawrence”

Girls’ frontman Christopher Owens proves he’s got his influences right by writing and recording a song dedicated to Felt’s frontman Lawrence. The limited edition, heart-shaped red vinyl containing the song “Lawrence” will be available next November 28th, the day before the guys/Girls hit Portugal for two concerts in Lisbon (29th, Lux) and Porto (30th, Casa da Música). You can listen to the song below already.

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Cliff Dweller, “Oil”

Amazing video/audio installation from “Ghosts of the Dust Bowl”.

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The Love Making Of An EP (MPD, 2011)

The Love Making Of is the new project by the Portuguese João de Almeida, the mastermind behind Elite Athlete. The instrumental, perfectly lovable debut EP is out now, through the wonderful MPD. Watch the video for “Chicanos” below, then stream and download (for free) the EP on Bandcamp.