Adapted by Ethan Hawke from his novel of the same name, The Hottest State is about a young actor from Texas who tries to make it in New York while struggling in his relationship with a beautiful singer/songwriter. It kind of sounds like an inverse Once and the soundtrack sounds very promising. Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Jesse Harris wrote sixteen original songs for the soundtrack and assembled an impressive group of artists to record his songs - including Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, Feist, The Black Keys, and M. Ward.

The Hottest State Soundtrack drops August 7 and the film opens nationwide throughout September. Below are three tracks from the soundtrack by Bright Eyes, Feist, and M. Ward. Additionally, please enjoy a new track from Jesse Harris’ new album. Also, check out the trailer for The Hottest State.

MP3:
From The Hottest State:
Bright Eyes - “Big Old House”
Feist - “Somewhere Down The Road”
M. Ward - “Crooked Lines”

MP3:
From Jesse Harris’ Feel
Jesse Harris - “Feel”

VIDEO:

Responsible for both helping to form the indie pop girl group The Pipettes and serving as their principal songwriter, Monster Bobby is also the guitarist for their all-boy back-up group The Cassettes. As a solo artist, Monster Bobby mixes electronic samples, offbeat songwriting and avant-garde intellectual influences for a decidedly different sound from the upbeat Pipettes.

The involvement of Ryan Morey (responsible for mastering Arcade Fire’s Funeral) on Monster Bobby’s debut full-length, Gaps, is a good reason to get excited. Another reason would be “The Closest Experience to That of Being With You Is the Experience of Taking Drugs”, which showcases his talent for solid songcrafting in a compact electronic-infused track.

MP3: Monster Bobby - “The Closest Experience to That of Being With You Is the Experience of Taking Drugs”

Sorry, sorbet. Adios, yogurt. Forget it, gelato.

This month is all about ice cream! July is National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month is National Ice Cream Day, which inspired Hypeful to put together a collection of ice cream-themed tracks that even the lactose-intolerant can enjoy. For additional ice cream music fun, check out the surprising quiz - “Discontinued Ben & Jerry’s Flavor OR Band I Found On MySpace”!

MP3s:
Hafdis Huld - “Ice Cream Is Nice”
Muscles - “Ice Cream”
New Young Pony Club - “Ice Cream”
Pissed Jeans - “I’ve Still Got You (Ice Cream)”
Soft Tigers - “Mr. Ice Cream Introduces”

After last week’s dismal releases, comes a bucket full of tasty new albums and plenty of great reasons to visit your local record store.

Buffalo Tom - Three Easy Pieces
MP3: “Three Easy Pieces”

Crowded House - Time on Earth
STREAM: Entire Album

Jesse Harris - Feel
MP3: “Feel”
STREAM: Entire Album

Interpol - Our Love to Admire
MP3: “The Heinrich Maneuver”
STREAM: Entire Album

Justice - †
MP3: “DVNO”
STREAM: Entire Album

Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
MP3: “Stars”
STREAM: Entire Album

Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
MP3: “Starz”
STREAM: Entire Album

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
MP3: “The Underdog”
STREAM: Entire Album

St. Vincent - Marry Me
MP3: “Marry Me”
STREAM: Entire Album

They Might Be Giants - The Else
STREAM: Entire Album

The #20 artist in our ambitious 120-part series - BETTER KNOW AN ACL ARTIST - are worth traveling to the festival by land, by sea, by dirigible. Not only are The Decemberists a musically talented band, they help expand our vernacular with words like dirigible. The twentieth installment is a profile of The Decemberists - the Fightin’ Castaways!!!

Read the rest of this entry »