Scott Morrow

Video Premiere: Polyrhythmic pop and abstract beauty in Allison Miller’s “Early Bird”

Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom: No Morphine, No LiliesAllison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom: No Morphine, No Lilies (The Royal Potato Family, 4/16/13)

She might be best known as the drummer for Natalie Merchant and Ani DiFranco, but Allison Miller is an accomplished artist in her own right, standing out in a crowded NYC jazz scene with her compositions and skills behind the kit. Her sophomore album with Boom Tic Boom — a group that includes pianist Myra Melford, violinist Jenny Scheinman (Bill Frisell), and bassist Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) — is another such testament.

The Breeders

Q&A: The Breeders’ Kelley Deal on the 20th anniversary of Last Splash

The Breeders: LSXXThe Breeders: LSXX (4AD, 4/23/13)

When The Breeders released the classic Last Splash in 1993, the band still was congealing into a new state. Begun as a side project by Pixies bassist Kim Deal in 1990, the rock quartet was transitioning to being a primary focus, and twin sister Kelley Deal had joined the band just a year prior, taking the place of guitarist Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses) despite limited six-string experience.

Together, however, the Deal sisters made something special that capitalized on their vocal-and-guitar interplay. Aided by their history, Last Splash was a minimal, quirky rock gem. (“Do You Love Me Now?” dates back to 1970s, when the teenage Kim and Kelley played cover songs in bars.)

Rabbits to rodents: Jim Jarmusch announces series of Sqürl EPs

Following his recent collaboration with experimental lute player Jozef Van Wissem, screenwriter/director and guitarist Jim Jarmusch is making more music rounds with his band Sqürl, formerly Bad Rabbit — a trio that originated to score The Limits of Control. With the new name in tow, the band will release the first of a series of new EPs on May 21 via ATP, featuring more psychedelic dirge rock.

Get lost in Ten Kens’ hypnotic, vaguely sexual video for “Gently Used”

Ten Kens: Namesake special editionTen Kens: Namesake special edition (5/21/13)

Toronto’s Ten Kens has occupied artsy post- and alt-rock since 2006, fluctuating between airy moodiness and post-punk aggression. Now, with a slightly heavier bent and a skew towards dark psychedelia, the band is giving a special, international release to Namesake, its 2012 album, with four bonus tracks.

Hardcore on hardcore: Call of the Void covering His Hero is Gone

Call of the Void: Dragged Down a Dead-End PathCall of the Void: Dragged Down a Dead-End Path (Relapse, 3/19/13)

Released last month, Call of the Void’s debut LP announced it as a new breed of sludgy, grindy, acrimonious hardcore. Now, with this cover of “Headless/Heartless,” the band has paid tribute to one of the genre’s cult icons, His Hero is Gone, whose descendents include Tragedy, Severed Head of State, and many others.

Pick up the cover on the digital deluxe version of Dragged Down a Dead-End Path.

Raging solos, Bonham-esque beats, and white-robe canvases in Life Coach’s “Fireball” video

Life Coach: AlphawavesLife Coach: Alphawaves (Thrill Jockey, 4/16/13)

Also the title of Phil Manley’s first solo album, Life Coach is now a (mostly instrumental) rock duo comprised of the Trans Am / The Fucking Champs guitarist and former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore.

The duo’s first album, out today, features a helluva jam as its lead single, as Manley lays down a wicked groove that’s topped by a raging rock solo from Isaiah Mitchell (Howlin’ Rain, Golden Void). Meanwhile, Theodore — a distinctive drummer in his own right — calls to mind John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and John Stanier (Battles, Tomahawk, ex-Helmet) with his propulsive beats. Enjoy the live-action video as projected landscapes paint the boys’ white-robe canvases.

“I hate your fucking tattoos”: Watch Coliseum get busted in “Bad Will”

Coliseum: Sister FaithColiseum: Sister Faith (Temporary Residence, 4/30/13)

“I need some bad will,” repeats Ryan Patterson, guitarist/singer for hardcore-punk outfit Coliseum, at the climax of his band’s new video. Filmed at an impromptu outdoor performance that gets shut down, the black-and-white video concludes with Patterson being handcuffed and put in a cop car, but not before he expresses some major disdain:

“I hate your band. I hate your voice. I hate your words. I hate your fucking tattoos.

I hate your god. I hate your greed. I’ll hate anything you’ve got, and I hate your smirking face too.”

Legendary producer Nile Rodgers on working with Daft Punk

In the third part of Daft Punk’s “The Collaborators” video series about the making of upcoming album Random Access Memories (Columbia, 5/21/13), legendary producer and disco guitarist Nile Rodgers talks about his reciprocal experience working with the French duo and plays a lick or two of new material.