Confirming a QM vacation to Spain for the Primavera Sound music festival was enough of a trip, but when they finally announced the full lineup, I couldn’t be any more ecstatic. So there’s probably one new headlining act that I’m far beyond excited for, but I will say Barcelona’s own John Talabot is not too far away. Ever since he won me over with “Sunshine,” his slow building, hypnotic instrumental, and eventually the mesmerizing, synth driven “Families” featuring Grimes, he’s served as a repeated go to.

“Destiny” follows in the footsteps of “Families,” this time taking contributions from fellow producer Pional. It quickly becomes both Talabot’s darkest and most club ready production yet. The bass rumbles beneath layers of low end while piercing effects fade in and out. Pional’s vocals turn “Destiny” into a haunted pop jam. He sings over the track’s frantic pulse, fighting off Talabot’s paranoid production behind him. It’s a perfect, winter time jam.

Talabot’s album debut album fIN will be out February 6.

As men, we never like to reveal that we may have a soft spot.  Most of us do.  The Men do as proven on their exhilarating new track “Open Your Heart”.  Sure the outer layers are dirtied up with garage grit and snarling vocals but beneath one discovers bottled up good intentions exploding into true passion.  There is a desire in the melody and vocal phrasing demonstrating honest concern mixed with frustration.  Obvious influences would be The Replacements,and who better mixed punk fuzz with over emotionalized sentiment (a la “Answering Machine).  ”Open Your Heart” is a song that seems as fitting in a rage as it does in a zealous moment of joy.  Check it out below-

I want you to take 3 things away from this interview. First, Mini Mansions know what vajazzling is, and they support it (respect).  Second, Mini Mansions have actually seen (and practically saved) a real Koala- and Koala’s are fucking cute.  Third, Mini Mansions are playing our show, along with Haim and Pratley, on Saturday February 4th at The Bootleg Theater.  This is a show you do not want to miss, I promise.  Buy your tickets in advance here, they are going quickly: http://ticketf.ly/wK7Rl7

Ok, so your house is on fire, what 3 albums would you go back in to grab?

That sucks. I would grab my 7” of Talking Heads Burning Down the House, my 10” picture disc of Bruce Springsteen Im on Fire and Gun Club Fire of Love. But fire jokes aside, the only albums I own are Led Zeppelin I, II and III so I would grab those.  But not in that order.

Who would you want to cover a Mini Mansions song?
Traveling Wilburys, Elton John or Papa.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish with Mini Mansions this year?

I want to sell enough records so we can all afford to get our girlfriends vajazzled.

What is your dream collaboration?

A music video with the Lakers, or have them all singing backups on a tune.

What is the best memory as a band?

We toured in Australia in 2010 and the venue had a fire the night before but the promoter was affiliated with this zoo outside of Melbourne so we played this zoo and 4 monkeys and a kangaroo escaped because some fans broke a fence. But the koalas were safe.

Sophia Knapp makes pop music that starts off in the cloud of a dream; an imaginary snapshot of a time in space between Tokyo in the 1970s and New York City in the late 80s. On an album with contributions from QM favorite Bill Callahan, “Close To Me” is intimate and intentionally lonely, like finding yourself in someone’s poorly-lit living room in the middle of the night. It floats around in a bubble of surrealist magic, and vocals tend to sharp edges that catch you by surprise, over a lazy-chic beat that can’t help but call to mind Bill Murray and his orange camouflage tee in Lost in Translation. Just one of the songs that were apparently written “while listening to the rain, and drinking too much champagne.” Into the Waves is out Feb 28 on Drag City Records, check out the single below.

Saturday is approaching quickly and we seriously couldn’t be more excited.  Really, weekend come quicker!  Do not miss your chance to see Haim, Mini-Mansions, and Pratley at this intimate of a venue as 2012 is going to be a big year for these bands!  So mark your calendars, get your hair done, and pick out your fanciest shoes because Saturday, February 4th at The Bootleg Theater, it’s going down.

Tickest are selling FAST so RSVP here and buy your tickets in advance here!  Trust us, you’ll be glad you did!

Florida has been in the news a lot lately, with talk of how it’s really a lot like California. The memories I have are of The Sunshine State involve baseball tournaments, Denny’s, and losing to my brothers in mini-golf, but from what I gather, they have nice weather.  All the more reason early lyric ”I hate the air and the leaves that fall like roses in the rain” stands out against a sunlit backdrop, with the kind of gummy leisure present in early Shins releases (“Morning to you…”). Dealing with the kind of day when as much as you whine and feel sorry for yourself, the sun is resolute, as if to taunt you in your confusingly bright frustration; leading you to resent your state’s warm and clear stupor, subjecting us to prolonged periods of expected cheeriness. Some of what to expect when Remembrance of Things To Come is out Feb 21 on Hit City U.S.A. - check out “Florida” below.

Oakland legend Del the Funkee Homosapien swept in this week with a new tape, which he promises is the first in a trilogy of free tapes to be released this year. Entirely self-produced, and entirely dependent on P-Funk samples, West Coast Avengers finds Del doing lots of what he’s always done: shouting out wack rappers, flowing capably over funk sampling beats and reflecting on life in the Bay.

He sounds super comfortable here. Indeed, at times, his production and his lyrics sound too comfortable. Still, for those of us who are longstanding fans of Del — the hallucinogen enjoying, pierced, cousin of Ice Cube, and a rapper who was pretty consistently interesting in the *cough cough* 90s — West Coast Avengers is a nice means of catching up with an old friend.

Tape highlight “Gone” serves as a nice update to the “Wack M.C.s” format, whereby Del sounds as sharp as he gets on the tape, rapping through the beat fade-out at the end of the track. Twenty years in the game and Del convincingly raps, “What I spit is newfangled coming from a new angle, ya disapprove because you’re mass produced and moot, ain’t ya?” This assertiveness is fleeting though. Certainly, Del could use an injection of energy from the likes of Dan the Automator circa Deltron 3030, because songs like “Gone” prove that his skills haven’t deteriorated and while well worn, the themes that Del traffics are still welcome.

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It was no doubt a risky move for J. Tillman, drummer of the famed Fleet Foxes, to strike off on his own as Father John Misty.  However, after hearing his initial track “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”, it was a clearly a switch not worth rethinking.  As a strong disciple in LA’s Laurel Canyon revival scene, Father John Misty’s debut track is a refreshingly gritty roots rocker straight down the vein of Neil Young.  Roomy drums and twangy guitars set a scene similar to the back of the Harvest LP, while Tillman’s vocals reverberate full of concerned wisdom.  All fitting for a tough, but worried father…

Check out the track below and watch the amazing video with our newest crush Aubrey Plaza-

At the risk of sounding like a high school girl, LA’s Superhumanoids have always been..well, dreamy.  Whether it was the racing “Malta” or the triumphant “Mikelah”, the band’s sound has always been an escape from any sharp edges of reality to a place much more lush.  As the trio looks towards the release of it’s debut full length, they offer fans a preview with the heavy-footed “Geri”.  The song is backed by a strobed out synth as sonic flashes move in and out of frame creating an intricate new world. Cameron’s vocals carefully tip toe on top of the bass like a tight rope walker, while Sarah’s vocals adeptly move in and around the synth netting.  The song culminates into one last stinging line, “We both know, it’s good that you’re gone.”  Enjoy below-