Diplo may be without Stitch on his first solo album since 2004, but there are plenty of lazers to go around.  Just yesterday he released “Set It Off,” a raucous Moohmbaton beat from deep within the dancehall featuring Burlington-based DJ Lazerdisk Party Sex.  Way back in December, Diplo said Express Yourself would be out “in a couple days,” which he must have meant in very relative terms.  He’s finally announced the release of the six-cut EP for June 12th on Diplo’s own Mad Decent.  Both the song and album represent a microcosm of Diplo’s widely diverse interests – from nuggets of chopped up beats to New Orleans bounce music and riddims. Express Yourself promises something for everyone.

STREAM:  Diplo – “Set It Off” (Ft. Lazerdisk Party Sex)

It’s been a sad week for some of music’s greatest, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get some stellar tunes. Southern rockers The District Attorneys released their debut album Slowburner, and all-caps noise-makers HEALTH dropped “TEARS”. Ontario’s The Rest channeled early Radiohead, while Onuinu gave us his special brand of “Disco-hop”. Wrapping things up, Bay Area duo Midi Matilda proved just how catchy falsettos can be.

STREAM: The District Attorneys – “Madison Row”

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Former Fleet Foxes drummer Joshua Tillman just released Fear Fun on Sub Pop, his first album as Father John Misty. One of the highlights from the LP is “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings,” with its stripped down, reverb drenched arrangement and messianic refrain. It owes just as much to Phil Spector as it does Jeff Mangum. Although the video for the track is not a “three hour experimental film” as his website claims, it does feature a violent freak-out from Parks and Recreation‘s Aubrey Plaza that’s definitely worth seeing.

You can catch Father John Misty this Sunday, May 20th at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC. Tickets available HERE.

STREAM: Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”

NYT: Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, died of cancer yesterday at 63.

Pitchfork: The New York State Senate paused deliberations to honor late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.

Hypebot: Almost half of Americans think Facebook is just a fad. Better tweet that.

CoS: Watch the xx play a new song (presumably off their upcoming album) in London.

Rolling Stone: After the announcement that drummer Bill Ward would not tour, Black Sabbath promise to play reunion shows anyway.

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Tonight, Le Castle Vania, Viceroy, and Ghost Beach are taking over U Street Music Hall for All Things Gold 010, and we’re giving away TWO pairs of tickets. To enter for a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite childhood video game. We’ll pick our favorites and notify the winners.

ALL THINGS GOLD 010 | 5/17 | 9PM | U STREET MUSIC HALL | TICKETS HERE

STREAM: Le Castle Vania - Live At Escape From Wonderland

WaPo: The “Godfather of G0-Go” passed away at the age of 75. A true pioneer.

SPIN: 20 essential songs from the Lookout! Records catalog. There should be 20 Operation Ivy songs here.

Pitchfork: Here We Go Magic pick up a hitchhiking John Waters. Hilarity ensues.

Brooklyn Vegan: A guide to this years Bamboozle line-up. Quite dizzying.

PMA: Childish Gambino goes on a twitter rant and releases new song.

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The Atlanta-Athens corridor is a two-way musical train-track overloaded with talented cargo. Last month, The District Attorneys, a five-piece, hopped aboard with their full-length debut Slowburner. The DA’s, like their new record, embody what makes my beloved South so great—they are simple yet sophisticated, soulful yet rough-hewn. With that subtle sentimentality a la Alex Chilton and Big Star, but with a little more Stones-esque rock ‘n’ roll get-up and a splash of Yim Yames’ psychedelia, I think The District Attorneys are on their way to big things. But for now, Slowburner, with its foot-tapping “our-sound-in-a-nutshell” opening title track, plus reverb-ladened gems like “California Fire” and the dreamy “Cherry Glow,” has plenty for listeners to enjoy. Check out the tracks below, and hop on over here to procure the whole album if you feel so inclined.

STREAM: The District Attorneys – “Madison Row”

STREAM: The District Attorneys – “Cherry Glow”

Brooklyn rockers The Dig have given up a sneak peak of their upcoming sophomore album, Midnight Flowers, in the form of the deep and brooding “Red Rose In The Cold Winter Ground”. There’s piles of echo on top of the guitar and vocals at the start of the track, creating a cavernous, isolated feeling. A metronome-steady rimshot keeps a tick-tock pace as seconds slide steadily by, emphasizing the loneliness as the lyrics continue on about wandering in barren desolation. A second guitar chimes in, a splash of color against the grey, a sign of hope in the wilderness, offset by a deep, methodical kick drum. Rapid-fire snares flash onto the scene as tension builds and then fades into an extended outro.

The album will be officially available for purchase on May 29th, but the band will be playing an album release show at The Dunes in DC on May 19th.

STREAM: The Dig – Red Rose In The Cold Winter Ground

The upcoming album, SEESAW, from Ontario seven-piece The Rest is one that almost didn’t happen. After working on the full-length for over a year, a hard drive malfunction erased the entire nearly-completed record. Five months later – after a trip to a company specializing in airplane black box recovery – the group had its recordings back, which was quite a stroke of luck for both the band and our ears. The album’s third track, “Always On My Mind”, exemplifies all that’s best of the band with sparse, dissonant, jangly, guitars supported by a croon reminiscent of early Thom Yorke. The number builds slowly and methodically, sometimes fading to a near-whisper before exploding again into an all-encompassing blanket of sound. The fuzzy melodies are palpable, and while the term “shoegaze love song” might not make sense to some people, the repeated wail of “Baby you’re always on my mind” to the tune of a beautifully orchestrated cacophony of noise sure makes this 90s-raised heart race.

SEESAW will drop on June 12 and the band will unwrap a new song from the record each week on Bandcamp until release.

STREAM: The Rest – Always On My Mind

It seems like these days every drummer, bassist, or tambourine player in a Scandinavian band also has an surprisingly amazing side project of some form or other.  At least that’s the case with WhoMadeWho drummer Tomas Barfod. When not manning the sticks for the Danish electro crew, he’s making a name for himself as a House DJ under the pseudonym Tomyboy. Barfod’s prepped his debut full length, Salton Sea, and it is ready to drop on May 22nd with Friends of Friends. While his production is very solid, he is at his best when elevated  with the help of a few vocalist friends.  Sweden’s beautiful Nina Kinert lent a her services on “November Skies,” the second single released off the album. Kinert’s crisp vocals cut through the buoyantly poppy track and provide a catchy melody that I can’t seem to get out of my head.  Be sure to check out the full album next week.

MP3: Tomas Barfod – November Skies (feat. Nina Kinert)