You may remember reading about the Twitter-riffic dissolution of Jay Reatard’s band a few weeks back or even about the time he asked the Cola Freaks to join him shortly after that. Though we heard whispers about this in a bar late last week but were quickly distracted by a beer, Pitchfork reported yesterday that Wavves’ Nathan Williams has recently adopted a new backing band: bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes, formerly the rhythm section behind Reatard. Please note: these two are not to be confused with members of Reatard’s earlier band The Reatards. They are however, featured prominently in audiovisual evidence up top, a recent YouTube clip of the new three-piece shaking the stage at a recent show in Mexico City.

The vacancy in Williams’ lineup came as former drummer/wild man Zach Hill mangled his hand while playing drums recently. If you’ve ever seen dude hit a drum, that should make some sense. From his mouth to your brain:

so last week in los angeles at wavves practice i somehow mangled/broke/exploded my left hand while playing drums.it was immediately apparent that my injury was a little serious. after stopping practice i was unable to make a fist and my lacerations wouldnt stop bleeding. i visited a clinic and found i had two small fractures. one to the knuckles and one on my pointer finger plus some tweaked ligaments(unable to grip). this isnt a first for me but unfortunately the timing of its forced me to NOT be joining nate on the upcoming european wavves tour. bummer! the entire wavves tour will still go down as scheduled with some friends filling in and backing nate. they’re gonna handle it! hit up the shows! on the upside i should be straight in the hands within a few weeks and will be spending this period working on the new marnie stern album and finishing up my next solo release etc,etc,etc! PEACY P

Earlier this month we wrote about Jay’s bandmates calling it quits on him mid-tour and the Twitter-shots that were fired in retalliation. Well, Jay once has a rhythm section once again, and can commence touring as soon as next week. The new crew consists of Anders Thode (bass) and Jacob Elving (drums), both of the Cola Freaks. While it takes persons of a certain disposition to join a band called Cola Freaks, it would still seem as though their lives are about to get a lot more interesting. So if you see them on the street, give them a hug or a cup of coffee or something, and be glad they’ve saved Jay’s next stop in your town from cancellation. (Via: Matablog)

Pick L.A.: you win No Age. D.C.? Jay Reatard or Mew. Oakland? Rain Machine. New York City? Could be Jay, Kyp or Bad Lieutenant. It’s like a new unique experimental rock act at every corner. Jay even found a new rhythm section for the occasion.

Black Francis and Co. are embarking on a nine-city U.S. jaunt (right after their European dates that kick off the Doolittle Tour) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their classic album Doolittle, and apparently thought it would be a worthwhile notion to spread the celebration around. Below are the dates and a confusing system of asterisks to differentiate opening bands.

11.04 Los Angeles, CA  @ Hollywood Palladium ^
11.05 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium %
11.06 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium *
11.08 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater *
11.09 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater ^
11.10 Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Theater %
11.12 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre *
11.13 Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre ^
11.14 Eugene, OR @ Hult Center *
11.16 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore ^
11.17 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
11.19 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom #
11.20 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom ^
11.21 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom ~
11.23 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom #
11.24 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom ~
11.25 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom *
11.25 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (late show)
11.27 Boston, MA @ Wang Center ~
11.28 Boston, MA @ Wang Center *
11.30 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall ~
12.01 Washington, D.C. @ Constitution Hall @

^ with No Age
% with Black Gold
* with Rain Machine
# with Bad Lieutenant
~ with Jay Reatard
@ with Mew

(Via: P4K)

And sadly we live in a world where even proclaimed-punk personalities are releasing statements via Twitter. Says Jay… ” “Band quit! Fuck them! They are boring rich kids who can’t play for ahit anyways … Say hello to your ugly and boring wifes opps I mean lifes guys suck it.”[.]” So much anger, grammar be damned. Unfortunately the rest of the band have no collective Twitter, so we may never find out their 140 character response to these accusations. Check the video above for further insight. (Via: Twitter)

We’re not going to lie. We’ve never actually seen the MTVU Woodie Awards. But then again, we don’t live in a dorm, so it sort of makes sense. We do remember the channel incessantly playing My Morning Jacket and E-40 back in the day, so they’re OK by us. And it seems logical enough MTV’s college version would get its own little baby VMAs. MTV just announced the nominations, and it seems Asher Roth is finally being rewarded for recording a generic (edit: offensive) song replicating the college experience. About damn time. But more in our lane, Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective have been nominated for a Breaking Woodie and a Performing Woodie respectively. Matt & Kim are up for a Best Video Woodie. And Jay Reatard (along with the likes of Major Lazer, Janelle Monae & Tech N9ne) are up for a Left Field Woodie, which we have yet to Wikipedia but would seem the only qualification might involve being inherently bizarre and happening to make incredible music. So we’re for it. Put those four in a room and film it and we’ll watch it over whatever replaced TRL any day. Done and done. The show takes place December 4th. Hopefully Matt (or Kim) will storm the stage (naked?) and grab the mic from Wale or someone in a fit of Brooklyn pride and demand a recount for Grizzly Bear. Full nominations here. (Via: MTV)

Jay Reatard knows how to piss on a party. Could do without the clown, though. And what is that cute purple monster rumpling around in the background? Where can we get one of him?

This guy's going to be there.

Additions to the lineup of the POP Montreal International Music Festival, the music extravaganza taking over the Canadian city from September 30 to October 4, have been announced. Performers recently added to the roster include Sufjan Stevens, Yo La Tengo, Jay Reatard, Micachu & The Shapes, Japandroids, Joel Plaskett, Kid Koala Presents: The Slew, Young Galaxy, Aids Wolf, and Ninjasonik, among others. These artists join musicians such as Fever Ray, Diamanda Galas, Butthole Surfers, Os Mutantes, Mono, Matt and Kim, and Destroyer, along with MANY other exciting bands and performers. Passes are still available for the epic event, with the Super Festival Pass available for $225 until September 30 and the regular passes for $75. An event not to be missed, for sure.

Jay Reatard released a new video for our viewing pleasure. In prep for the release of his album Watch Me Fall on August 18th, Reatard released the official video for “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me,” a single from this upcoming album.  As if that wasn’t enough to post about, dates for his August West Coast In-store tour are below if you’re willing to trek out West.

08.18.09 – 6pm @ Amoeba Music Hollywood (LA)
08.19.09 – 7pm @ Fingerprints (Long Beach)
08.20.09 – 7pm @ M-Theory (San Diego)
08.21.09 – 7pm @ Streetlight Records (Santa Cruz)
08.22.09 – 6pm @ Amoeba Music San Francisco (CA)
08.23.09 – 6pm @ Amoeba Music Berkeley (CA)
08.25.09 – 6pm @ Jackpot Records (Portland)
08.26.09 – 7pm @ Easy Street Records (Seattle – Queen Anne)
08.27.09 – 7pm @ Sonic Boom Records (Seattle – Ballard)
08.28.09 – 8pm @ Zulu Records (Vancouver)

Above is a trailer for “Waiting for Something,” a soon-to-be-released documentary about Memphis punk Jay Reatard. We predict his battles with alcohol may be a part of the story, but the teaser we’ve got here isn’t giving much away. Directors Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz will debut the film on Myspace August 4.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Reatard has a slew of free, all-ages, instore performances along the west coast in support of his new album, Watch Me Fall, coming out August 18 (August 4th on vinyl) on Matador Records.

Tour dates are as follows (with times!):
08.18.09 Los Angeles @ Amoeba Music Hollywood, 6pm
08.19.09 Long Beach @ Fingerprints, 7pm
08.20.09 San Diego @ M-Theory, 7pm
08.21.09 Santa Cruz @ Streetlight Records, 7pm
08.22.09 San Francisco @ Amoeba Music, 6pm
08.23.09 Berkeley @ Amoeba Music, 6pm
08.25.09 Portland @ Jackpot Records, 6pm
08.26.09 Seattle @ Easy Street Records, 7pm
08.27.09 Seattle @ Sonic Boom Records, 7pm
08.28.09 Vancouver @ Zulu Records, 8pm

Jay Reatard is sending a new album our way, his first album since 2006’s epic Blood Visions. Mpfree “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” has been around for a minute but another new jam, “Wounded” has just surfaced over on the trusty Matablog. Reatard, a dude who in the past has finished seven-inches just as often as he’s taken pisses, is doing vinyl snobs proud here: the Watch Me Fall LP will be available August 4, two whole weeks before its CD/Digital release August 18. “Wounded” below:

Jay Reatard, Wounded

MP3 Download

From Pitchfork comes news that Memphis’ garage rock anti-hero Jay Reatard is finally readying the release of his latest full-length. While two singles compilations have arrived in the interim, Watch Me Fall will be Reatard’s first LP since 2007’s Blood Visions, an aughties lo-fi triumph in its own right.

The Matablog is hosting a download of catchy new jam “Ain’t Gonna Save Me,” promising that the song’s but an appe-teaser of what’s in store on record as well as when Reatard storms the road again this summer.

Watch Me Fall hits shelves August 18.

As is our want, we’ve flipped the script here at The Singles Collection and in the spirit of timeliness, this week we’ll be featuring seven-inches that were exclusive to last Saturday’s Record Store Day (our newest all Sacred Bones feature will now run next week). Now, some of you may be listening to these as you read this, others may have unfortunately been shut out, while other still may have no idea these singles, or Record Store Day for that matter, even existed. At any rate, we’re only scratching the surface of the exclusive platters that were available on the 18th (for a full list, go here), and we hear some stores may even still have stock on some of these titles, so if anything strikes your fancy, best get a googlin’.

To kick things off this week, we’ve got a pair of split singles from Matador featuring the kings & queen of the alternative universe, Sonic Youth aka Sonik You*h. The first split features another icon, Beck, in a mutual appreciation style love fest which finds them covering each others’ songs — SY tackling “Pay No Mind” while Beck takes on “Green Light”. As you might imagine, Thurston & Co. thoroughly rough up the Mellow Gold sleeper, injecting it with their patented off-key/kilter harmonies/harmonics and some skuzzy meta-ooze thrown in for good measure. On the flip, Beck takes the EVOL track and turns it into a lovely, acoustic cloudburst that, if you didn’t know better, you’d swear was one of his very own.

The second exclusive RSD jam from Sonic Youth is their split with Memphis’ favorite son, Jay Reatard. For his part, Jay’s track, “Hang Them All” is a scorcher, a blink-and-you-missed-it track that bubbles with skittering synth and a clap-trap rhythm reminiscent of the Blood Visions-era. It alone is worth the price of admission, and certainly bodes well for his upcoming full-length. The SY track, “No Garage” is a rehearsal space jam that, well, sounds a lot like you’d figure a Sonic Youth rehearsal would. Which isn’t to say it’s bad, but it’s essentially instrumental meandering with a nice, Kraut-y groove that eventually denigrates into their trademark squall of loping distortion and ear-piercing feedback. Both of these splits are, ostensibly, sold out, but stores with extra stock seem to pop up daily, so make sure to keep a close watch if you don’t want to pay eBay prices.

The Sub Pop stable did their part and released a handful of limited 45’s for RSD, the best of which is the Obits‘ “I Can’t Lose” b/w “Military Madness”. For those not already familiar, Obits are Rick Froberg from Hot Snakes/Drive Like Jehu’s new project, and while their sound doesn’t really deviate too much from either/both of those outfits, it’s still new Froberg jams so who are we to complain? “I Can’t Lose” is less dissonant/angular than we’re used to hearing him, yet it roars with a heads-down fury and undeniable hooks-a-plenty. On the flip, their take on Graham Nash’s “Military Madness” flips the original on its ear, injecting it with a venomous core that’s both touching and destructive in equal measure. Copies of this still seem to be kicking around places like Reckless Records, so if you need some more Froberg in your life, you know where to go.

Lastly this week, we’ve got one of the lost gems from RSD, the super limited Kim Phuc & Centipede E’est split on Dear Skull Records out of Pittsburgh. These were primarily only available in the Pittsburgh area, with some other notable stores (Permanent Records in Chicago, Academy in NYC) getting the remaining stock to give away to punters who came out early and purchased vinyl. We’re not sure if this is going to get a proper release or not, but it truly deserves one as the two tracks here are absolute stunners. On the A-Side, Kim Phuc’s “Rustbelt Noose” delivers all the spit-crusted-psych-punk power you’ve come to expect from them, and has now officially taken the mantle as the greatest KP song yet. Not to be outdone on the flip, Centipede E’est offer up “Stingray”, an epic space-rock jam that’s ebbs and flows with terse psych-grooves and sky-melting crescendos. These are absolutely gorgeous, all hand-numbered out of 200 and featuring fantastic screened covers. We’re not sure if they are still available anywhere or not, but we’d suggest trying Paul’s or Wicked Discs in Pittsburgh if you are trying to track one down.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our truncated look at some of the Record Store Day exclusives, and make sure to also keep an eye out for others like the Slayer “Psychopathy Red” 45 and the totally awesome Jesus Lizard 9×7″ collection Inch as they’re both totally worth your time and hard-earned loot. Also make sure to come back next week to read about the newest batch of gems from one of our favorite labels, Sacred Bones Records.

It’s Easter week and we’re back to business as usual ’round here at The Singles Collection. Hopefully you enjoyed last week’s video sojourn into the realm of Sacred Bones, one of our favorite labels, but it’s back to doing what we love around here, mainly, giving you the scoop on 45’s that are currently rocking our world (and that we think will rock yours). So without further adieu — and so we can all get to our Cadbury Creme Eggs as quickly as possible — let’s get to it.

Starting us off this week we’ve got the debut single from Max of the Smith Westerns‘ side-project, Teenage Lovers, “Number One” b/w “I Wanna Be Your Boy” on Randy Records. Operating in a similar style to his main gig, here he unleashes a pair of three-minute pop firebombs about being a 19-year old virgin, which, cringe-worthy as that sounds, are actually both ace tunes that crackle with the energy of someone that’s bedded as many women as, say, Gene Simmons. Much as its title implies, A-Side “Number One” finds him pining for the girl who will be his very first, but rather than wallow in mawkish pity, the song seethes infectious energy from every pore, riding an absolute gnarled monster of a riff and jabbing with enough sucker punch hooks to put anyone that dare mention his virginity flat on their ass. On the flip, “I Wanna Be Your Boy” utilizes some absolutely blistering, frothing guitar work to counterbalances its saccharine sentiments to keep it from becoming another woe-is-me tale of unrequited teen lust, instead channeling that teen vitriol into a stomping, power-pop romp that will have them lined up around the corner to get them a piece. These should still we widely available both directly from the label and at the usual distros and record emporiums.

Next up is City Center’s “Because” b/w “Water Message” & “White Shoes” on Party Nogg!. For those who might be unfamiliar, City Center is Fred Thomas’ (of Saturday Looks Good to Me & Lovesick fame) new outfit, and while it might get us lynched, we dare say it’s the best thing he’s ever done/been a part of. The duo’s sound is a difficult thing to put into words, but imagine if you will an echo-laden psych-jam between Gary Numan and Kevin Shields taking place underwater and on arcane analog equipment and you are starting to get an idea of the headspace they occupy. This 3-song 7″ is filled with epic, sky-scraping songwriting that gets filtered and FX’d into a gorgeous, blissed-out oblivion that, truly, sounds like nothing else on the planet. At times the sheer sonic euphoria can be disorientating, and “Water Message” is headphone music of the highest order, but so long as you’ve got a comfy chair, you can ride with them into the candy-coated abyss. Their singles don’t stick around for long, but if you email the label, they should still have a few left for immediate consumption.

Last but certainly not least this week we’ve got the first 7″ from Cheap Time frontman Jeffrey Novak, “Three Sisters” b/w “Home Sweet Home” on Jay Reatard’s recently resurrected Shattered Records imprint. This little platter follows hot on the heels of his well-received debut LP After the Ball, and damned if this pair of psych-pop gems aren’t every bit as good as the material on the full-length, maybe even edging out a few tracks that were included amongst the running order. The real shining star here though is the A-Side, a whirligig psych-romp that reminds of the Kinks‘ Village Green, albeit with a frazzled southern flair and knotty 8-Track charisma that makes it absolutely irresistible. The flip is a slow waltzing charmer that, while not as immediate as its counterpart, nevertheless, it remains a more than worthy addition to Novak’s ever-growing canon. These are pretty much gone, but if you act quick, Goner Records should have the last few copies of this for sale now

That’s all for this week, kiddies, but not to fret, because after we’ve gotten all gussied up in our best pastels and eaten our weight in jellybeans and peanut butter eggs we’ll be back with more mind-melting tunes for your ‘tables.