Amon Tobin makes up half of a new project called Two Fingers; Witch goes on tour with Earthless; Dan Deacon posts a preview of his new album; Converge and Supermachiner each has a new album for ‘09; Kronos Quartet is giving away 50 pairs of tickets for its performance in France this month.

Read about these and 10 more news bits in our weekly roundup. (more…)

Fusing Indian music, 1970s film noir, and psychedelic sounds into heavy acoustic and electric rock, Portland’s Grails tops a lengthy list of great albums out this week. Earthless, Young Widows, Jolie Holland, Fucked Up, and East Coast Avengers are just a handful of our editors’ other picks.
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As soon as I entered Austin’s Encore Records, I should have surrendered my credit card at the door. Whose great idea was it to leave me unattended in a record store for six hours? The Austin, Texas independent music retailer (and DVD rental location) has one of the country’s best selections of metal and hardcore, as well as an impressive selection of music from local artists. Of course “local” in these parts means Roky Erickson and Scratch Acid, but that’s a story for another time. (more…)