Here's a new batch of free downloads from this week's new releases - plus a bonus preview of new MGMT. Enjoy!

The Besnard Lakes - "Albatross" - from The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar)

jj - "Let Go" - from jj no.3 (Secretly Canadian)

Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union" - from The Monitor (XL) 

MGMT - "Flash Delirium" - from Congratulations - out 4/13 (Sony)

The local media was out in force last night as crews from KOMO, KING, KIRO and Q13 FOX all converged on our West Seattle store to cover our Jimi Hendrix Valleys of Neptune Listening Party! Thanks to all for coming out - we had a great time, and hope you did too. KIRO will be airing their footage tonight at 6pm; here's a nice clip from Q13.

Sunny Day Real Estate to Record New Album in May?

Ear Candy brings us the good news that Sunny Day Real Estate is getting ready to record a new album in May. EC reports that KEXP DJ Marco Collins tweeted the news Monday night, saying that he received an e-mail from SDRE member Nate Mendel confirming the plans. Sunny Day reunited last year for a short fall tour of the states, which was followed by February performances in Australia. We'll let you know when more details become available.

Flaming Lips to Release Vinyl Dark Side of the Moon on Record Store Day

From the Flaming Lips website:  "Our beloved Flaming Lips are pleased to announce that the physical release of “THE FLAMING LIPS, ALONG WITH STARDEATH AND WHITE DWARFS WITH HENRY ROLLINS AND PEACHES DOING ‘THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON’ will be available for sale on Limited Edition vinyl beginning April 17th 2010, National Record Store Day. The CD version will go on sale on May 4."

The Lips' Dark Side was released digitally on iTunes in December 2009. Rollins was featured on seven songs and Peaches tackled Clare Torry's vocal gymnastics at the end of "The Great Gig In the Sky," which I really wish Hank would have done instead. 

R.I.P. Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse

Sad news, which most of you already know by now. Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse committed suicide over the past weekend. Linkous's story seems similar to Vic Chesnutt's, who took his own life last year. Both were respected, gifted songwriters who made prior suicide attempts during long battles with depression. Both were confined to wheelchairs (Linkous for six months after an overdose, Chesnutt for decades after a car accident). While I'm not qualified to comment on the man's music, as I am unfamiliar with it, the various accounts and tributes I have read make it clear that Linkous, like Chesnutt, was a uniquely talented songwriter, much beloved by his peers and his fans. Patti Smith wrote on her website: "Mark Linkous gave us so many dark and beautiful songs. They were dark like coal compressed into diamonds and they sparkled in the deep night like spattering morning stars."

Great Waves Win Sound Off!

Congratulations to Sammamish band Great Waves who won the Sound Off! competition on Saturday at EMP. The band describes their sound as "a unique blend of alternative rock and folk, that has been likened to everything from Allison Krauss to The Pixies," while others hear shades of the Decemberists and Arcade Fire in their music. Great Waves went up against Candysound and Hooves and Beak in the finals of EMP's annual underage battle of the bands competition. This year's winners get a performance slot at Bumbershoot, a live on-air performance on 107.7 The End, two days of recording studio time, gear, advice, and more.

D'Angelo Busted for Soliciting Sex

R&B singer D'Angelo was popped in New York's West Village on March 6 after allegedly offering an undercover policewoman $40 for oral sex. D'Angelo, who reportedly had $12,000 squirreled away in the SUV he was driving at time, was arrested and charged with solicitation. In a statement, he said he pleaded not guilty, intends to fight the charge and asks that people "let the justice system resolve the matter before jumping to any conclusions." Of course, we will honor his wishes, but c'mon, dude, 40 bucks? Oops...

Animal Collective Movie Screening in Seattle

In the wake of the Oscars, we have plenty of movie news in this edition of the Word. On March 30, Animal Collective and director Danny Perez will present two screenings of their movie Oddsac at the Egyptian Theatre. Described as a "visual album," Oddsac will feature new AC music and visuals, and members of the band and Perez will be on hand at the screening. Buy tickets here.

Neil Young Trunk Show Out This Month

Jonathan Demme's concert film of Neil Young's 2007 Chrome Dreams II tour will finally see the light of day this month. Filmed during two shows in Pennsylvania, the Neil Young Trunk Show will be screened in eleven US cities, including Seattle, where it is scheduled to roll at the Varsity Theatre on March 19. According to the press release, "There are delicately offered acoustic numbers like 'Sad Movies' and 'Mexico'; mesmerizing electric travelogues into the artist's psyche ('No Hidden Path'); searing, chaotic anthems including 'Like a Hurricane' and 'Cinnamon Girl'; and rarely performed pieces like 'Kansas' and 'Ambulance Blues' that provide glimpses of Young's less public persona."

Flaming Lips Planning New Film

Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne is beginning work on a new Flaming Lips movie, but on a somewhat smaller scale than 2008's Christmas on Mars, which took a mere seven years to make. Coyne tells Billboard, "My only goal was that I didn't have to build space station-looking sets every time I wanted to have someone say something, only because I built those sets myself every time we shot something for Christmas on Mars over the seven years we took to make it. This one is set in someone's house and in a back yard and in a slaughterhouse; all those are available to me right here, so I don't have to build everything this time." Coyne also revealed that he plans to get celebrities ("real actors") involved, and that he's currently in the process of begging Justin Timberlake to be a part of the flick. Man, just the thought of seeing JT bustin' moves in a slaughterhouse is totally making my day!

The Complete Spin, Now On Google Books

OK, so it ain't Creem or Crawdaddy or even Rolling Stone, but now anyone with an Internet connection can read every issue of Spin magazine for free on Google Books....and that's kinda cool! Check it out here.

To mark the occasion of the new Jimi Hendrix release, Valleys of Neptune, we are holding the first-ever (as far as we know) Jimi Hendrix March Madness Tournament! One winner will receive a very special prize courtesy of Sony/BMG! Here's how it works:

This tournament is similar to the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, which is commonly referred to as “March Madness." There are 32 classic Jimi Hendrix songs that will be divided into 4 divisions of eight “teams.” Each song will be ranked #1 - #8 in each division. 

In each head to head game, Easy Street Records owner Matt Vaughan will pick his favorite song between the two of them for the winner to move onto the next round.

Your job is to try and pick the same songs as Matt. The person who picks the most correctly will be declared the winner.

Round One: 

Song 1 will face off against song 8
Song 2 will face off against song 7
Song 3 will face off against song 6
Song 4 will face off against song 5

Round Two:

The “winners” will then move on, where the lowest seed left will play the highest remaining.

Round Three: (Divisional Finals)

The two remaining winners in each division face off against each other to make it to the “Final Four."

Round Four: (Final Four)

The two divisional winners on each side of the bracket will face each other, the winners will play in the finals for the “ultimate Hendrix tune."

Round Five: (The Finals)

The divisional winner from each side of the bracket will face each other for the championship.

Scoring: (64 total points available)

1 pt for each correct winner in the 1st round
2 pts for each correct winner in the 2nd round
3 pts for each correct winner in the 3rd round
5 pts for each correct winner in the 4th round
10 pts for correctly picking the winner

If there are two or more people tied at the end, we will randomly draw a winner.

NO purchase necessary to enter. Participants may fill out ONE bracket ONLY. If you fill out more than one bracket, you will be disqualified from the tournament.

Customers may either print out a bracket online or pick one up at either store anytime starting March 8th @ 9am. Return them to either store before closing time on April 5th (same day as the NCAA Men’s Finals).

Winner will be announced by April 7th. SONY/BMG will provide a grand prize TBD to the winner.

If you have any questions, please e-mail them to adam@easystreetonline.com

Too cool for school London shoegazer duo The Big Pink will be performing at Neumos on Friday, March 12 and we're offering up a pair of tickets for one lucky Easy Street fan. All ya gotta do is e-mail contests@easystreetonline.com and put "Frisk" in the subject line. We will draw a winner on Wednesday, 3/10. Good luck!

Keep your table turnin' with this new batch of featured vinyl. Give 'em a spin!

Hoquiam - S/T - Damien Jurado and his bro Drake keep it in the family and "mix the influences of garage music, folk music and art, in a house we built together." Only 500 copies, with handmade covers by the Jurado Bros.

Various Artists - Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 - A journey through Brazil's funky, freaky wild side, brought to you by the folks who gave us Psych Funk 101. Comes with oversized 48-page book and 3-D glasses to get your trip on!

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me - Or perhaps you'd rather have three, as Ms. N. throws down a triple vinyl box of her latest bag of quirks. Mesmerizing!

Afternoon Saints - The Shirley Jangle - Continuing with the "three" theme, this three-sided double album features Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo creating new adventures in sound with a bagpiper, a turntablist and a percussionist/electronics genius. Mixed and edited by Jim O'Rourke, The Shirley Jangle is limited to 500 copies.

Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II - Sweet vinyl remaster of this influential slab of psych-tinged country rock. Kurt Cobain loved it, you will too.

New Rekkid Alerts: LCD Soundsystem, Band of Horses

LCD Soundsystem have announced that their third, as yet untitled, album will be released May 18 on DFA/Virgin. In an interview with Pitchfork, bandleader James Murphy admitted to being embarrassed by the length of the new effort - a mere nine songs covering 65 minutes. In other Murphy news, he will contribute seven new songs to the soundtrack for a new Noah Baumbach film titled Greenberg. Pitchfork reports that these songs "sound nothing like LCD Soundsystem." The soundtrack is out on March 23 and the movie is due on March 26.

Band of Horses is all set to release their new album Infinite Arms on May 18, except they haven't decided on a label yet. According to Billboard, the band is being wined and dined by several major labels, so it's probably safe to say that they are no longer part of the Sub Pop stable. The album was produced by Phil Ek, known for his work with Built to Spill and Fleet Foxes.

Carissa's Wierd Reunion Show & Reissue News

Carissa's Wierd used to be hyped-to-the-high-heavens (hello, The Stranger!) in and around the turn of this century. After releasing three studio albums and developing a sizable cult following, they called it a day in 2003 and former members have gone on to greener pastures with acts like Band of Horses, Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone. 

Sub Pop sister label Hardly Art today announced they will release a Carissa Wierd retrospective compilation called They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave: Songs 1996-2003 on July 13 and follow that with reissues of the band’s three studio albums — Ugly but Honest, You Should Be at Home Here and Songs about Leaving - all out of print and never before released on vinyl or digital formats. The band also plans to reunite to play at least one Seattle-area show around the release of the retrospective. Whee!

Hardly Art Rewinds With Limited Cassette Releases

Great news for all you folks who still drive Trans Ams and Dodge Chargers! Hardly Art is jumping headfirst into 1970, as they are tapping GGNZLA Records to release a select number of Hardly Art titles on cassette. GGNZLA have championed the cassette medium for years, churning out releases by The Spits, Pharmacy, Butts and more. Now available on GGNZLA's website  - a two-sided cassette featuring both of the Dutchess & The Duke's releases as well a spooly version of the new album by Golden Triangle. The upcoming Unnatural Helpers album will also be given the C-90 treatment. Only 200 copies of each cassette will be issued, so dive in, ya hoarder!

More Record Store Day Releases Revealed

Earlier this week, we told you about the Sub Pop Soundgarden single coming out for Record Store Day. Now we get word that EMI is trotting out a "John Lennon Singles Bag" - a limited edition, numbered Kraftpak envelope packed with three 45 singles with repros of original artwork - "Mother," "Imagine" and "Watching the Wheels." The package will also contain a 24" X 36" poster, three postcards and a plastic 45 adaptor. Also coming from EMI (c'mon, sneer it like Johnny Rotten!)  - a limited 180-gram double LP gatefold edition of the Sex Pistols' The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle soundtrack.

Death Cab's Chris Walla Starts Label

Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla has started a new record label called Trans Records, which will be part of Warner Brothers' Independent Music Group. Anacortes's finest, The Lonely Forest, is the lucky first band on the roster. Walla plans to accompany them to the studio this spring to work on their Trans debut. Congrats to both!

Out and About This Weekend

Go to a show or ten. Here's a good start...

Thursday

SXSW Send-Off Party w/Grynch, Dyme Def, THEESatisfaction, Pearly Gate Music, and Thee Emergency - Tractor Tavern

Mavis Staples - Jazz Alley

Friday

SXSW Send-Off Bash w/Visqueen, Hey Marseilles, Mash Hall and Fences - Neumos

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Whigs, The Hounds Below - Showbox Market

Thao (from Thao With the Get Down Stay Down), Alaskas, Deception Pass, GGR - Vera Project

Skerdio (Skerik & Radioactive from Spearhead) - Tractor Tavern

Hoquiam (Damien & Drake Jurado), Mongrel Blood, Generifus - Cairo

Snoop Dogg!, Helladope - Showbox SODO

Shackleton, Daega Sound System - Nectar

Saturday

Hollow Earth Radio's Magma Festival 2010: Rich Jensen, Alex Kostelnik, My Printer Broke, Butts, Human Skab, Al Larsen, Tom Price & Friends, The Thrown Ups, Sleepy Workers, DJ Bruce Pavitt - The Mine (5113 Russell Ave NW in Ballard)

The Cave Singers, The Dutchess & the Duke, Feral Children - Showbox Market

Grand Hallway, Mighty Tiger - The Triple Door

Sound Off! Finals - EMP

Little Boots, Dragonette, Class Actress, Tiger Beat - Neumos

Snoop Dogg!, Helladope - Showbox SODO

KEXP Presents Audioasis Live Remote And Benefit Show: The Whore Moans, the Cute Lepers, Spinning Whips, Afternoon America, DJ Hannah Levin

Ratcity Rollergirl After Party: The Pack A.D., DJ Shalimar - The Funhouse

The Spooges (Stooges tribute band!), Criss Crass, Thankless Dogs - High Dive

North Twin (last show!), The Tripwires, Jeff Fielder - Sunset Tavern

Grand Hallway, Mighty Tiger - The Triple Door

Sunday

Sunday Bloody Sunset: Broshis, the Fuzz, Rat City Brass (Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass tribute band!) - Sunset Tavern

Sevendust, Drowning Pool, Digital Summer, the Flood - Showbox Market

Basia Bulat, Ivan & Alyosha, Haley Bonar - Tractor Tavern