Spanish Prisoners are a NY-based group with an interesting history. Frontman and songwriter Leonid Maymind crafted the first album, Songs To Forget, and launched an impressive effort to thrust his new group into the forefront of the music scene last year. Against all odds, he saw some remarkable success, from touring with John Vanderslice to playing with Daniel Johnston, and more. Through this he performed solo and with various incarnations of his band, always on the lookout for the right collaborators to help things take off.

Now Maymind is back with a new band to work with in the studio and on stage, and a new free ep to show it off. Download the three excellent tracks of Los Angeles Guitar Dream over here. Fans of bands like Ladytron, Grandaddy, Radiohead, and Eels should definitely take notice.

For the band’s NYC fans, there will be a record release show this Saturday, April 25, at Crash Mansion (199 Bowery, Manhattan). Buy tickets for the show here. Download the free ep and you will receive a code word which you can bring to the show and get a drink ticket.

Jukebox The Ghost have long been one of those bands that friends of mine have been really into – no, I mean really into – but who it took me a few tries to get excited about. Don’t get me wrong, they were incredible at the first After The Jump Fest in 2007, then the times I saw them at Mercury Lounge and Union Hall and finally at CMJ 08 all added up to realizing that, hey, this band is really amazing! Insert a “I told you so” here if you feel the need.

Read on for tour dates, mp3, and ticket links after the jump!

At the moment the band is on tour with Nightmare of You in the UK (they just finished three weeks with Ben Folds), but they’ll be back at the end of the month, just in time to start a tour with Brooklyn songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs. The tour will be in support of JTG’s Live And Let Ghosts and JOY’s upcoming Transmitter Failure. For the tour, they band recorded a special 7″ record with Jenny, on which they cover each other’s songs. Check out this non-album track from those sessions, in which Jukebox The Ghost cover a song by Jenny Owen Youngs (hear the original from her current digital ep, Led To The Sea, on myspace).

Jukebox The Ghost – “Nighty Night” (Jenny Owen Youngs cover)

Catch both acts together on tour through April and May (including a stop in Portland, Maine! Yay!)

Apr 30 Chicago, IL Subterranean [get tickets]
May 1 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr
May 2 Denver, CO Hi Dive
May 3 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
May 5 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern [get tickets]
May 6 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
May 8 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
May 9 Los Angeles, CA The Hotel Café
May 10 San Diego, CA The Loft- UCSD
May 12 Tucson, AZ Club Congress [get tickets]
May 14 Austin, TX Stubb’s BBQ Indoors
May 15 Dallas, TX The Prophet Bar
May 16 Little Rock, AR Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom
May 17 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Café
May 19 Nashville, TN 3rd and Lindsey
May 20 Charlotte, NC The Casbah@ Tremont Music Hall
May 21 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
May 22 Richmond, VA Canal Club Downstairs Lounge
May 23 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel
May 26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s [get tickets]
May 27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom [get tickets]
May 28 Boston, MA Café 939
May 29 Portland, ME Empire Dine and Dance
May 30 Westport, CT Toquet Hall
June 1-9 TBA

More info and an MP3 after the jump!

There’s a lot to like about The Monks: this 60′s band began with 5 American GIs stationed in Germany (as The Torquays) and evolved into a noisy monster of incredible garage rock. Their story of the discovery of guitar feedback reveals much about their approach to music and finding new sounds.

The Monks – “Love Came Tumblin’ Down”

Today sees the release of not one but two reissues from this band – who have reunited a few times to play live since theri breakup in 1969 – their classic studio album Black Monk Time and The Early Years 1964-1965, which showcases earlier (and far more organ and acoustic guitar-heavy) versions of many of the tracks that were later released on Black Monk Time.

Buy Black Monk Time here and get The Early Years here. Between the two you’ve got almost and hour and a half of good listening.

Lewis & Clarke – “Petrified Forest”

Here’s one that gets me every time. Lewis & Clarke (Robotinev) are an act that seem to pop up out of nowhere with out-of-this-world tunes every couple of months, and it’s always a pleasure to hear them. On a new limited edition 12″ colored vinyl EP entitled Light Time, Lou Rogai and his ever-shifting crew of collaborators take on 4 new tracks with a slow splendor, best seen in the re-imagined “Dead And Gone,” originally found in a more upbeat incarnation on 2005′s Bare Bones And Branches. The meditative tone that consumes Rogai’s live performances has found its way into the recording process more than ever, providing a clearer view into his world. However, with the closer of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel #2,” side 2 becomes thinner than the epic first side, where the group gets to expand its sound across two long tracks of repetitive introspection.

Light Time will be available May 12, 2009 from La Société Expéditionnaire – get it here. In case you missed it, 2007′s Blasts Of Holy Birth was one of that year’s best releases.

Read on for tour dates (with Bat For Lashes) and the full EP stream.

4-18 09 – Stroudsburg, PA – Main Street Juke Box w/ Strand of Oaks
4-25-09 – Toronto, ON – The Mod Club w/ Bat For Lashes
4-27-09 – Boston, MA – Paradise w/ Bat For Lashes
4-28-09 – Kittery ME – BUOY
4-30-09 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom w/ Bat For Lashes [get tickets]
5-01-09 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church w/ Bat For Lashes [get tickets]
5-02-09 – Brooklyn, NY – Williamsburg Music Hall w/ Bat For Lashes [get tickets]

Stream the Light Time in its entirety here.

I missed this one (shoulda been paying attention here), but better late than never when there are MP3s to give out: Back in January, NYC band The Naked Hearts released their debut EP, “These Knees.” It was just a year before that they were playing their first shows, and I was very impressed (hey, I just noticed that a quote from that writeup made it into their press release!) Now, with a good number of shows under their belt and more on the way, their officially recorded and released output sounds fantastic! The album kicks off strong with “Cat & Mouse” – Amy’s vocals leading the way with Noah’s following behind, until they meet up and harmonize over shimmering guitar strums.

Naked Hearts – Cat & Mouse

“Call Me” has been a standout track since it first popped up online some time ago, and it segues nicely into the rest of the album. I only have two wishes for this: that they’d included a new version of near-perfect tune “Like I Do” (check it out live on video) and that we didn’t have to wait until the final track to learn that Noah can kick off a song just as well as his bandmate, as they reverse their lead/backing duties on the closer, “Crashing Horses.”

Naked Hearts have a few shows coming up (listed after the jump, with another MP3), though I’d love to see a full tour scheduled this summer.

03/27 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
04/09 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
04/16 Los Angeles, CA @ Silverlake Lounge
04/28 Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands (Black Majik Tuesdays)

Naked Hearts – “Call Me”

Get These Knees on vinyl (with download!) at Insound.

In sort of related Brooklyn music news (Naked Hearts will forever be connected to this band in my mind because I first saw them on a show together), SANYC has the news that Forest Fire signed to the European label talitres (also home to Scary Mansion, which makes sense) and will be releasing the mesmerizing Survivor with them over there on April 27. I’m tempted to go on a tangent that would likely spiral off to include Sharon Van Etten, the Antlers, Balthrop, Alabama, and Rocketship Park, but I’m holding it back this time (though I have numerous bits to say about each of those, which I’ll get to eventually)!

Always one of my favorite bands to see live, The Thermals seemed to be doing their bet to run themselves into the ground at the recent SXSW Festival in Austin, TX while promoting their upcoming full length, Now We Can See (April 7, Kill Rock Stars). Each record has refined their sound, transitioning from a chaotic fuzz-ridden cannonball of garage punk to a finely tuned no-frills pop juggernaut, The Thermals have only gotten better. Onstage it has become apparent that this isn’t a scrappy punk band, but a group in it for the long haul. Shifting the focus from the commanding tone of the last release (review and robot drawing) back to a much more direct, personal style, they reminds you that not that long ago this band sang “The Thermals go right to your head / The Thermals have sex in your bed.” Though the music may be a little slower (maybe we should call it patient, or mature) and the sound quality is a billion times improved over their earlier, noisier releases, Hutch Harris is still laying his feelings out for all to see in the simplest of terms – really, does it get much more honest than “I was afraid, counting the days, pacing the sky, holding every breath that I have left”?

Stream the entire new album, Now We Can See, at The Thermals’ Myspace page now.

Tour dates and MP3s after the jump!

The Thermals – “Now We Can See”
The Thermals – “When We Were Alive”

Thermals on tour:
April 09 | Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom (Release Party!) [get tickets]
April 10 | Salem, OR @ The Grand Theater [get tickets]
April 11 | Seattle, WA @ Neumos
April 21 | Salem, OR @ The Grand Theater
April 22 | Boise, ID @ Neurolux [get tickets]
April 23 | Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
April 24 | Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater [get tickets]
April 25 | Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
April 26 | Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club [get tickets]
April 28 | Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon [get tickets]
April 29 | Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge [get tickets]
April 30 | Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
May 01 | Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom [get tickets]
May 02 | Buffalo, NY @ Big Orbit’s Soundlab [get tickets]
May 03 | Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
May 05 | Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
May 06 | Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery [get tickets]
May 07 | Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East [get tickets]
May 08 | New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom [get tickets]
May 09 | New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom [get tickets]
May 12 | Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s [get tickets]
May 13 | Washington, DC @ Black Cat [get tickets]
May 14 | Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
May 15 | Charleston, SC @ The Pourhouse
May 18 | Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
May 19 | Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
May 20 | Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music
May 21 | Dallas, TX @ The Loft
May 22 | Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
May 23 | San Antonio, TX @ The Warhol
May 26 | Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room [get tickets]
May 27 | Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour [get tickets]
May 30 | San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill (21 +) [get tickets]
May 31 | San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill (all ages) [get tickets]

You can pre-order the album now.

The Thermals are on Twitter!

Bleubird (aka the Florida-based half of Boyfriends Inc., along with Astronautalis – coming back to Portland later this month) just released Street Talk 5, a free digital EP with 5 hot new tracks to tide fans over while he works on even more new music. If you do download it (which I recommend) you might also want to consider throwing a little monetary help his way in exchange for the sweet jams. Note: The second track is a remix by Portland’s own Dilly Dilly! Nice.

Tour dates and the infamous “Lookin’ Kittie” video after the jump.

Apr 1 @ Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 2 @ Rumors Ogden, Utah
Apr 3 @ Badlander Missoula, Montana
Apr 4 @ The boquet Boise, Idaho
Apr 5 @ Nectar Lounge Seattle, Washington
Apr 6 @ New Frontier Lounge Tacoma, Washington
Apr 7 @ Le Voyeur Olympia, Washington
Apr 8 @ Berbati’s Pan Portland, Oregon
Apr 9 @ Indigo District Eugene, Oregon
Apr 10 @ The Goodwin Forum (Nelson Hall East) @ HSU Campus Arcata, California
Apr 11 @ Thee Parkside San Francisco, California
Apr 13 @ Steynberg Gallery St Luis Obisbo, California
Apr 14 @ acrobaticseveryday.com Irvine, California
Apr 15 @ Kava lounge San Diego, California
Apr 16 @ Knitting Factory Los Angeles, California [get tickets]
Apr 17 @The Bunkhouse w/Awol, Sole,Ceschi… Las Vegas, Nevada
Apr 19 @ Modified Arts Pheonix, Arizona
Apr 20 @ Humble Sante Fe, New Mexico
Apr 21 @ Old Curtis St bar Denver, Colorado
Apr 23 @ Czar Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Apr 24 @ TBA Bloomington, Indiana
Apr 26 @ Frankies Toledo, Ohio
Apr 27 @ the trumbullplex Detriot, Michigan
Apr 28 @ Garfield Artworks Pittsburgh, Pencilvania
Apr 30 @ Bubbas Sulky Lounge Portland, Maine
May 2 @ Kyma w/New’s Travels Fast Annapolis, Maryland
May 10 @ The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina

Bleubird is on Myspace.

‘Sup Mag recently did a pretty extensive interview with the band, check it out here. I also highly recommend viewing The Black Lips in India debacle.

US tour dates after the jump.

Mar 30 @ The Social Orlando, Florida
Apr 15 @ The Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Apr 16 @ The Casbah San Diego, California
Apr 17 @ The Clubhouse Tempe, Arizona [get tickets]
Apr 18 @ Plush Tuscon, Arizona [get tickets]
Apr 20 @ The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado [get tickets]
Apr 21 @ Bluebird Theater Denver, Colorado
Apr 22 @ Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 23 @ Neurolux Boise, Idaho [get tickets]
Apr 24 @ Berbati’s Pan Portland, Oregon [get tickets]
Apr 25 @ Neumos Seattle, Washington
Apr 27 @ WOW Hall Eugene, Oregon [get tickets]
Apr 28 @ The Blue Lamp Sacramento, California
Apr 29 @ The Blue Lagoon Santa Cruz, California
Apr 30 @ Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California
May 1 @ El Rey Theater Los Angeles, California [get tickets]
May 2 @ Glasshouse Pomona, California [get tickets]

MP3: The Black Lips – “I’ll Be Witih You”

The Black Lips are on Myspace.

There isn’t much time for blogging this week, but you can keep up on a lot of what I’m checking out here in Austin over at Spin. Leftovers and outtakes will wind up on Flickr at some point.

Today is the After The Jump Fest backyard party. In a festival (and unofficial week of awesomeness) this is definitely a lineup worth checking out – Superdrag, Muggabears, Cause Co-Motion, Evangelicals, Pains of Being Pure At Heart, and more. Plus free Red Stripe.