Lincoln Eddy 
Wax Fang: The Blonde Leading the Blonde single (Don’t Panic, 4/30/13)
Wax Fang is a bit upset about the state of music. Opening their new single with the words “It’s not what you do; it’s who you know,” Scott Carney and Jacob Heustis move into a rollicking critique of an industry working as a factory to pump out musical cash cows.
Imaginary Cities: Fall of Romance (Votiv, 5/28/13)
Formed in Winnipeg as a between-sets jam session, indie-rock group Imaginary Cities is releasing its second album, Fall of Romance, May 28 on Votiv. The group, which includes Rusty Matyas (The Waking Eyes, The Weakerthans), has a laid-back, cinematic feel that suits singer Marti Sarbit, who sounds comfortable whether performing balladry or a cabaret-style lament.
Founded by Jack White, Third Man Records has, since its inception, focused on a high-class brand of the unusual. Whether this means releasing a strange, single record from enigmatic Mildred and the Mice or very special vinyl editions of past work from The White Stripes, Third Man has created its own unique place in the world of record labels and stores.
Now, on April 20 (Record Store Day), Third Man is going to prove that everything old is new again.
Friend Roulette: I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head (Goodnight, 4/23/13)
Concussions are not a pleasant experience. Orch-pop outfit Friend Roulette seems to know this, as its new record expresses with its sympathetic title. In the video for the single of the same name, the band pairs pulsing woodwinds, wailing horns, and swirling strings with a psychedelic world that makes for an unsettlingly vague but colorful experience.
Head here to pre-order I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head on iTunes, and head here to see the band’s upcoming concert dates, including its record-release show at New York’s Mercury Lounge on May 23.
The National: Trouble Will Find Me (4AD, 5/20/13)
The Tribeca Film Festival opens today with a slate of films that run the gamut from drama to documentary to horror. One of these films, Mistaken for Strangers, is from first-time director Tom Berninger. If that last name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the metalhead younger brother of The National front-man Matt Berninger.
Norway’s Shining, which gave a name to its genre with 2010 album Blackjazz, has a new record coming out May 28 on Prosthetic. Entitled One One One, the album includes the recently unveiled riff-rocker “I Won’t Forget” (see the sci-fi music video here).
Now the band has made stems available for download and is holding a remix competition of the single. The three best versions, picked by front-man Jørgen Munkeby, will be posted on the band’s social-media sites, and each winner will receive a Shining button-up, the “Blackjazz Rebel,” pictured below. So download that application, send it back to the band, and get to cutting.
Scale the Summit: The Migration (Prosthetic, 6/11/13)
Did you grow a beard in hopes that one day you’ll enter Valhalla to drink and fight forever? Or only read JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or HP Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulhu after discovering that even the gods of metal worship at their altars? Have you been to more festivals with “hell” or “blood” in the title than sporting events?
Then enjoy the five minutes of glory that is “Odyssey,” the premiere track from Scale the Summit’s new record, The Migration. And after you reattach your face, go pre-order it from Prosthetic, Bandcamp, or iTunes.
Electronic musician (Chris) Clark is releasing tracks cut from his 2012 album Iradelphic as a free download. Grab ’em to help him avoid self-described solipsism.
Say what you will about Metallica’s propensity to put its name on things, but this actually looks pretty awesome.
The band has teamed up with Stern, a leading manufacturer of pinball machines, for a Metallica-themed cabinet. Featuring 12 different songs, including “One,” “Master of Puppets,” “Creeping Death,” “Battery,” “Enter Sandman,” and “Fade to Black,” the machine will come in three different editions: Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition. Some of the features? An electric chair with a “shaking, writhing ‘Sparkey’ figurine,” two different ball-eating snakes, and a ball-smashing hammer. It sounds appropriately metal.
Check out another image and a teaser below. More info and how to order one here.
The “pay what you want” distribution model hasn’t panned out like many had hoped, and early adopters such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails are changing their tune.
Owen has debuted a new track. On it, Mike Kinsella ponders the old question: nature vs. nurture vs. alcoholism?
Andrew WK is singing for Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg on an upcoming tour, so the duo sat down and discussed the life’s essential questions, like chickpea fights and flinging dung.