While I’ve been keeping It’s Not Me, It’s You in consistent rotation, I have to admit it doesn’t have the same impact on me as her debut. The dour disco vibe of this new record pales slightly as compared to the juxtaposition of her acerbic wit and sprightly post-ska pop from Alright, Still. Even so, the girl still manages to sound charming on her new single, “22”, despite moaning about obvious topics like societal misogyny.

When you think of Playboy’s target demographic, do Dinosaur Jr. fans come to mind? Well, maybe. Anyway, the reunited trio sat down for a performance and chat piece for a new feature on Playboy.com. The guys discuss their unanimous love and respect for The Cure, which was already evident in their monstrous cover of The Cure’s classic “Just Like Heaven” two decades ago. J, Lou, and Murph talk up Robert Smith’s weird wardrobe and mad ping pong skills before launching into an acoustic version of the aforementioned tune. This interpretation differs wildly from both the original and Dinosaur Jr.’s own cover, as J sort of free-style solos over the intro while Lou holds the fort down with standard chord changes. Murph just seems to shake some rattles, but it all makes for a delightfully weird clip. Playboy hasn’t figured out embedding yet, so you can view it here.

Supposed to be a return to the sound of the early days, which is good for fans who haven’t really dug the last couple records as much as, say, Suburban Light. Hard to believe it has been a decade since that record was released.

Stereogum has an mp3 teaser.

AC4 is a new hardcore band that features Dennis Lyxzén and David Sandström of Refused. That news right there puts my ears at full attention, as Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come is easily one of the best punk rock records I’ve ever heard. Seriously, if you don’t own, quit reading this and go get it. Needless to say, this band has some mighty shoes to fill. I’d be hard-pressed to dabble anywhere near Refused territory if I were these guys, but Dennis Lyxzén is hardly one to shy away from a challenge. The Swedish quartet has a full-length in the can on Ny Våg Records. There are no less than 15 videos of the band playing live on YouTube linked on their MySpace page, if you want a bigger taste. From what I’ve watched so far, it’s straight-up old school hardcore. Far less refined than latter day Refused but promising nonetheless. Getting excited. [via Punknews]

AC4 LP/CD tracklist:

Detonate
Where Are The Kids
I Wanna Go
The Same Fight
Assassination
Fuck The Pigs
I Can Do It

Won’t Bow Down
It Catches Up
My Condition
Pigs Lose
Over In A Second
Let’s Go To War
Coptown
This Is It

I saw this a few weeks ago and forgot about it until K sent me a link via Quarterlife Party. Good Mogwai song (“Autorock” from the underrated Mr. Beast album). Odd juxtaposition with Lance Armstrong and Nike, though. Don’t get me wrong- the music certainly fits the visuals; it’s just strange to think of Mogwai and Lance Armstrong and Nike and bed together, so to speak. I guess the money makes the pain go away.

Dinosaur Jr. has recalled part of the European pressing of its latest record, Farm, because it is too loud. What? Is there such a thing as “too loud” in the world of Dinosaur Jr.? Apparently, it was a mastering issue, which raised the volume of the sound 3db’s. I just can’t get over the fact that one of the loudest bands I’ve ever seen has a problem with its record being too loud.