This is beautiful – via SVB.

MP3: Beth Orton & Sam Amidon – Thirteen (Big Star)

Based on the two singles that I’ve heard, I would say that Brothers is going to be my favorite album of 2010. The album is due out May 18th via Nonesuch Records.

Stream New Singles:
The Black Keys – Tighten Up
The Black Keys – Next Girl

Image by Leslie Kalohi

In the past 20 years I’ve come across two bands whose unique sound and style have made a significant, lasting impact on me. One of these bands is Morphine, and the other is Clinic. When you listen to Clinic’s music you hear the band’s influences, ranging from The Seeds to Velvet Underground, but make no mistake: Clinic does not sound like any band that you’ve ever heard before. Their sound – distinguished, idiosyncratic, and mysterious – comes from frontman Ade Blackburn’s twisted, haunting melodies, and from vintage organs (notably the Philips philicorda), which they often pick up at garage sales or flea markets. Adding to the band’s mystique, its members appear in costumes and surgical masks during their performances.

Clinic was formed in 1997 by Ade Blackburn and Jonathan Hartley after the two split from their previous band, Pure Morning. They self-released several singles, which caught the attention of legendary radio host John Peel and Domino Records. In 2000, Domino released Clinic’s debut album, Internal Wrangler. This garnered immediate and international critical praise; it also won Clinic an opening slot on Radiohead’s Kid A tour. In 2002, Clinic released Walking With Thee, a brilliant album that earned the band a Grammy nomination. Since then they’ve released three more albums: Winchester Cathedral (2004), Visitations (2006), and Do It! (2008), each of which was more imaginative than the last.

Last month I caught up with Ade by phone to discuss a range of topics including their upcoming album, Spotify, and the band’s experience of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center.

Designed By Andy Mangold

Crayon Fields

Recently Announced Shows.

Bootleg
Tuesday, March 23rd: Titus Andronicus / Let’s Wrestle
Saturday, March 27th: Field Music / Learning Music

The Echoplex
Friday, April 2nd: Gram Rabbit / Andy Clockwise / Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians

Silverlake Lounge
Monday, March 15th: Crayon Fields – 8pm Show (Free)

Troubadour
Saturday, April 10th: Adam Green
Saturday, May 1st: Avi Buffalo

MP3: Crayon Fields – All the Pleasures of the World (Dan Block Remix)
MP3: Gram Rabbit – Kill A Man
MP3: Let’s Wrestle – Music Is My Girlfriend

MP3: TV On The Radio – Staring At The Sun [Diplo Remix]

Mexican Summer & Gorilla vs. Bear Parties
Friday, March 19th | Austin, TX
Klub Krucial (614 E. 6th St.)

Unofficial Day Party (Free):
12:00 Eternal Summers
12:45 Mountain Man
1:30 The Sandwitches
2:15 Woodsman
3:00 The Bitters
3:45 The Mantles
4:45 Dum Dum Girls
5:30 The Golden Filter
6:15 Best Coast

Official SXSW Evening Showcase:
7:00 The Young
8:00 Weekend
9:00 Pearl Harbor
10:00 Tamaryn
11:00 Real Estate
12:00 Memory Tapes
1:00 Washed Out

Phosphorescent
Album: Here’s To Taking It Easy (Due Out 5/11)
Label: Dead Oceans
Phosphorescent – It’s Hard to Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)