The Gaye Blades - "Don't Get Married"

Atlanta brethren Gentlemen Jesse Smith and Jared Swilley of The Black Lips split songwriting duties on The Gaye Blades debut LP, released last September. It's a classic affair that puts grimy pop and punk finishes over highly melodic 1950s-inspired rock 'n' roll. As far as I can tell, the album only exists on vinyl pressed via the good folks at Norton Records, but it's well worth the near bargin bin pricing at just ten bucks. Smith's sweet power-pop chops and Swilley's antagonistic streak lend a nice one-two punch to the flow of the record, which also includes a superb cover of country singer Sanford Clark's "Still As The Night." Heads up to the great Get Bent for the introduction.

Buy the LP from Norton Records.

The Gaye Blades - "Don't Get Married" (from The Gaye Blades)

Best of 2011: The Songs

50. Yelle - "Safari Disco Club"
49. Body Language - "Social Studies"
48. Bleached - "Searching Through The Past"
47. Craft Spells - "After The Moment"
46. Future Islands - "Crish (Javelin Remixxx)"

45. Nurses - "Trying To Reach You"
44. Cheerleader - "Dreamer"
43. Radiation City - "The Color of Industry"
42. Lower Dens - "Deer Knives"

41. Ganglians - "Sleep"
40. Cut Copy - "Alisa"

39. Blouse - "Shadow"

38. FIDLAR - "Wake Bake Skate"
37. Eleanor Friedberger - "My Mistakes"
36. St. Vincent - "Cruel"

Black Lips - "New Direction"

Holy hole in a doughnut, this new Black Lips record is delectable. On the Mark Ronson-produced Arabia Mountain, the group's punky psychedelic garage rock is as tightly wound and sharply honed as ever, coming in the form of an intravenous injection headed straight for your bloodstream. You can now stream the entire album over at Grooveshark. Last week, Rolling Stone also released another of the album's tracks as a free download—the irresistible foot-stomping and hip-shaking "New Direction." Snag it below, along with the previous album treat, "Modern Art."

Arabia Mountain is out on June 7th, but you can pre-order it now over at Insound.

Black Lips - "New Direction" (from Arabia Mountain)
Black Lips - "Modern Art" (from Arabia Mountain)

Black Lips - "Modern Art"

"K-hole at the Dalí / Seeing the unknown / Well it might have been a molly / 'Cause my mind's being blown / Take the escalator to the next floor / Such a strong sedator, now I can't find the door."

"Modern Art"—the first single from the Black Lips' forthcoming Mark Ronson-produced Arabia Mountain—boasts a hilarious narrative courtesy of Jared Swilley about taking what he thinks is ketamine (k-hole) or ecstasy (molly) at the already psychedelic Salvador Dalí museum in Spain. Just barely over the two-minute mark, the fearsome and catchy "Modern Art" sharpens the band's already hard-hitting brand of garage rock and even makes it a little dancey. Thank your Mr. Ronson?

Black Lips - "Modern Art" (from Arabia Mountain)

Arabia Mountain is out June 7th via Vice. Watch the video for "Modern Art" after the jump.

Streaming/Fondling: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Crystal Stilts, Holy Ghost! & Black Lips

Welcome to another edition of Streaming and Fondling, where we post amazing songs that you can't have (yet). This edition of teases includes brand spanking new jams from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Crystal Stilts, Holy Ghost! and The Black Lips.

Natural Child - "The Jungle"

"Living in our boxcar laid up in the jungle. Thought I was a God, but now I'm feeling humble. Making lots of money, give it to the children. Making lots of children, now we got a village."

There's something incredibly endearing about Natural Child's "The Jungle"—a scuzzy, garage-rock and possibly psychedelic-fueled country sing-along about living in a boxcar in the jungle. The Nashville band exhale equal amounts of fiery swagger and stale beer into its Southern fare, creating a wonderfully eclectic world where punk rock and country music stand toe-to-toe in a perfect swaying boozy harmony. This young and brash Replacements-recalling trio—who opened for the Black Lips on a recent tour—also have a flare for the loud and heavy, as on the propulsive bass-led track "Nobody Wants To Party With Me." MP3s and vinyl are available to purchase at the band's label, Infinity Cat. Fuck, this band's good.

Natural Child - "The Jungle" (from Scion A/V Garage's Strange Boys/Natural Child 7")
Natural Child - "Nobody Wants To Party With Me" (from Bodyswitchers)
Natural Child - "Dogbite" (from 7")