Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (Drag City) "Well, I could tell you about the river, or we could just get in" seems to typify Bill Callahan's mood throughout his official solo debut, Woke on a Whaleheart. The album's first track, "From the Rivers to the Ocean", introduces us to Callahan's new take on an old vibe by showcasing little pieces of everything he'll bring to full bloom as the album unfolds. As Callahan......

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.......

In the words of our close friend Stephen Colbert, "George W. Bush: Great President, or The Greatest President?" Exactly. According to Google, the answer, apparently, is neither. We're not sure how long this will remain the case, but if you go to Google right now and search "failure," you will get a link to the government page for the White House and W. Guess the cat's finally out of the bag. And we have......

Citing "health reasons," Matador announced today that Cat Power's entire upcoming -- and highly anticipated -- national spring tour has been cancelled. Along with the Memphis Rhythm Band, Chan Marshall - aka Cat Power - was preparing to embark on a month-long US trip, starting in Memphis and ending up in Austin for the start of SXSW. Billboard reports: Days before it was set to begin, Cat Power's spring U.S. tour has been canceled......

Trailer from the Bloc Party Documentary/Concert DVD, "God Bless Bloc Party" [mov] Be Your Own PET - "Let's Get Sandy" [ram] Richard Ashcroft - "Break The Night With Colour" [stream] Shelby - "The Golden Boy," created by Austin's Super!Alright! [view] Downloads [mp3] Cat Power - "The Greatest" [mp3] Clearlake - "I Hate That I Got What I Wanted [mp3] Clearlake - "No Kind Of Life [mp3] Film School - "Pitfalls" [mp3] Pansy Division -......

We know this comes terribly late, but we had to let you know about tonight's fantastic show at The Parish, with Nic Armstrong and the Thieves opening for Scout Niblett. Nic Armstrong and the Thieves' debut LP, The Greatest White Liar, immediately calls to mind 1960s British rock bands - think Beatles, Small Faces, and the Yardbirds. Armstrong himself possesses the same sort of haunted, raspy voice much like Dylan, Elliott Smith, or early-Rolling......

Spoon - Gimme Fiction We had already told you that Spoon was getting national attention (again), but it seems like everybody was excited about Gimme Fiction hitting stores today. If you order Spoon’s newest album online, you will get a free 4 song EP plus a chance to win an autographed 7” single of I Turn My Camera On. Waterloo Records also has the EP available while supplies last. The critics have nothing but good......