Some of us out there long for the days of lo-fi, before everything was digital and silky-smooth, when tape hiss roared in the background and the vocals were scratchier than anything a real human voicebox could create, and guitars were crunchy and ugly—you know, the time when the technology of recording music was so unrefined it lent the music a spontaneous kind of character, roughing up the sounds rather than prettying them. For years, those of us who missed the days before Danger Mouse flocked to deliberately lo-fi acts like The Mountain Goats, The Moldy Peaches' Kimya Dawson, and M. Ward, before all of them decided the lure of 21st century recording was too much to ignore. But the good news is, there's a new hero on the lo-fi block: Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking write catchy rock music that just so happens to be covered in a delightful veil of recording ugliness. They have garnered praise throughout the music community for their tunes, and their loud, unpolished studio work brings to mind DIY punk and the days of audio cassettes melting in the front seat of your car. And you can witness their refusal to go pretty tonight at Emo's....

Another day, another long list of long list of web-darling music acts and their attendant corporate sponsors....

White Shoes & the Couples Company are rumored to be coming in from Indonesia (via) for SXSW 2008. The band, formed in 2002, is inspired by Indonesian films of the '70s and retro disco beats, as well as classic '30s jazz. They recently signed to Minty Fresh, and we predict 2008 as their break-out year, provided they roll into town with a couple of good shows booked....

Inclement and hardly seasonal weather drowned our hopes of seeing Yo La Tengo with Times New Viking at Stubb's this weekend, and though we were disappointed, we weren't really too anxious to be standing outside in the muck, either. Although there is no word currently on a reschedule date, we're keeping tabs on the situation and will update ticket holders (and our contest winner) as soon as we know anything official. In the meantime,......

Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew, known throughout the world as Yo La Tengo, are one of the most beloved and respected groups in the history of indie music. Their music is timeless, atmospheric, and provocative. The best combo to ever blend innovative psychedelia and post-punk pop. Ira Kaplan is one of the all time guitar greats. He is easily up there with legends such as Kevin Shields, J. Mascis, Pete Townsend, and......