Short and sweet this week, my rock and roll darlings. Dig in.

The New Fucked Up Video Is Fucking Unreal.
No bullshit. No hyperbole. No more talking. Just watch.

It’s Nice And Cool Down Here In The Video Vault
Fucked Up ain’t the only band around here with a totally kickass new video. Alela Diane just dropped her video for “Desire” and it is “non-unwatchable.” Check it out now.
And then when you’re done checking out the video, check out Alela at a club near you. Did I mention how awesome it is that she’s hitting the road with Fleet Foxes soon?

June 23   Birmingham, AL   Bottletree
June 25   Austin, TX   Stubb’s
June 29   Los Angeles, CA   Echo
June 30   Oakland, CA   The New Parish
July 1         Big Sur, CA   Henry Miller Memorial Library
July 2       Grass Valley, CA   Center For The Arts
July 17     Minneapolis, MN   State Theater*
July 18     Kansas City, MO   Uptown Theater*
July 19     St. Louis, MO   Pageant*
July 21     Denver, CO   Fillmore Auditorium*
July 22     Salt Lake City, UT   Red Butte Garden*
July 23     Boise, ID   Knitting Factory*
July 24     Troutdale, OR   Edgefield*
*supporting Fleet Foxes

SBTRKT Is Coming
Mystery Brit SBTRKT is hitting our shores for some NYC engagements but if you can’t make those, you CAN stream his album – which comes out next Tuesday – over at Hype Machine. Yea man. Dig it.

Welcome To The Funhouse
We’d like to cordially welcome The Young – who have signed the papers bearing the ubiquitous Matador logo – into our dysfunctional yet very loving little family here at 304 Hudson and beyond. First I’ll tell you that this band is really, really good. And then I’ll shut up so you can read more about it here.

Have You Heard The One About The New St. Vincent Album?
Yep. It’s coming. And it’s pretty mindblowing. Check out the verbiage along with the amazing video of St. Vincent covering Big Black right now. Let’s get the train-a-rollin’.

Road Hogs
Summer means a few things. First, the grills are hot and the beers are cold. Second, Mike will be a sweaty, out of breath mess until September. Third, the Mets will come close to, but won’t eclipse, a .500 record. And last and most importantly, the rock bands take to the road. Check out our awesome bands in your town.
Tour dates here and here.

Hot Distributed Product
Check this business. We just got a shipment of the new self-released Guitar Wolf LP. Holler at Dave or Helen and tack a few on your orders.

Survey Question:
Would you rather drive the van from The A Team or the General Lee?
I gotta go with the Lee but that’s cause I’m secretly a redneck.
This guy couldn’t make up his mind.

RIP Big Man.

Speaking Of Fucked Up
No, in fact I wasn’t speaking of Fucked Up. But I should have been. Everyone else seems to be.
This album is getting some of the most insane reviews we’ve read in a long, long time. Some amazing highlights below. Get the net. It’s your scene. It’s gotta be, babe.

Spin: “The most epic punk album ever…It’s one  of the most overly complicated hard-rock records of the past ten years. It’s also one of the best.”

Pitchfork: “A convincing demonstration of what can happen when a band works without limitations.” 8.6 Best New Music

Rolling Stone: “Fucked Up’s real appeal is simple: guitars, three of ‘em, though it can seem like thirty…they sustain eighty minutes of rousing noise-swirl powerage, like Husker Du’s Zen Arcade re-imagined by anarchist Yetis.”

Washington Post: “Few albums this year will ask for more of your time, but none will return as much on the investment…A behemoth on multiple levels.”

Rocksound: “An absolute monster of a project, with sublime levels of intricacy.”

NME: “Their diverse, dimensional and multi-layered tale of love lost, found and endured reflects a band defined by tumultuous relations and the evolution of their fanbase. We dare you to hold them back.”

Buzzgrinder: “This record is superb from front to back.”

Chicago Tribune: “An exhilarating, engulfing sound.”

The L Magazine: “has few precedents in hardcore or indie and effortlessly sustains itself for 78 minutes.”

Austin Chronicle: “a postapocalyptic punk love store of epic ambition – a masterpiece.”

Austin American-Statesman: “folds into everything from the Kinks to My Bloody Valentine to Sham 69.”

BBC Music: “One brilliant rock song follows another, defiantly leaden in construction but stalwart in performance. Rarely does such simple rock sound so satisfying.”

Alela Diane To Support Fleet Foxes On The Dusty Highway
So get this awesomeness; Spin-approved Must Hear Artist Alela Diane is confirmed as main support for my bearded brethren, megabros Fleet Foxes on their July run of dates. We couldn’t be more excited for this. Well, we could but that would involve resurrecting Jerry for a Dead reunion.
No. Not really.

07/17/11 Sun -    Minneapolis MN    @    State Theatre
07/18/11 Mon -    Kansas City MO    @    Uptown Theater
07/19/11 Tue -    St Louis MO    @    Pageant
07/21/11 Thu -    Denver CO    @    Fillmore Auditorium
07/22/11 Fri -    Salt Lake City UT    @ Red Butte Garden
07/23/11 Sat -    Boise ID    @    Knitting Factory
07/24/11 Sun -    Troutdale OR    @    Edgefield

Tyler Killed The Radio Star
Dude is clearly not satisfied with a meager 12 million views on his Yonkers video so what does he do? He drops his next video – for the track “She” – on a Friday evening and racks up a million plus views in two days. Watch in now. What’s it up to? Bonkers.

From The Safari-and-Hardcore Inspired Offices Of Matador Records
Subhead 1: What The Hell Is A ‘Jick’ Anyway?
Clearly you’ve heard the fist MP3 from Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks upcoming Mirror Traffic (out 8/23).
Wait. WHAT? You haven’t? Really? No. Like. Really?
What are you waiting for. Download the song here.

Subhead 2: A View Of Thurston Moore’s Inner Sanctum
Last month Le Blogotheque filmed Thurston Moore and Samara Lubelski playing songs from Demolished Thoughts in Thurston’s NYC apartment. It’s one of the more intimate and gorgeous sessions you’ll see. Watch it.

Subhead 3: Back To Work, You Crazy Scots.
What do Belle and Sebastian, ice cream men, waste managers, road workers, dental technicians and butchers have in common? Probably nothing (though that’s strictly speculation. I’m sure you can find a white-coated, pavement-laying, debris-clearing rock and roller with a sweet tooth SOMEWHERE if you look hard enough). Find out for yourself after you watch the ridiculously entertaining video for “Come On Sister” right here.

Blonde Redhead
You may remember five paragraphs ago when I made mention of the fabled American Highway. Good cause we’ve got more tour action coming your way. NYCers Blonde Redhead are taking it to the streets and coming to a rock club near you. Dig it, mahn. Dig it.

6/26/11 Sun -     Seattle, WA  @  Neumo’s
6/26/11 Mon -    Portland, OR  @  Doug Fir Lounge
6/29/11 Wed -    Oakland, CA  @  The New Parish
6/30/11 Thu -     San Francisco, CA  @  The Independent
7/1/11 Fri -          Los Angeles, CA  @  Echoplex
7/2/11 Sat -         Los Angeles, CA  @  El Rey
7/3/11 Sun -        Big Sur, CA  @  Henry Miller Memorial Library
7/18/11 Mon -     Chicago, IL  @  Millennium Park
7/19/11 Tues -    Chicago, IL  @  The Bottom Lounge

More Tours? Yes. More.
And as always, we’ve got so many bands out on the road it can make your head spin faster than their tires.
Check out who’s coming where HERE and HERE.

What’s Mike’s Favorite Queens Of The Stone Age Song Title?
You’d already know that it’s “You Got A Killer Scene There, Man” if you followed us on Twitter.
@matadordirect