It is my opinion that in the current climate of the music world that if you’re going to make a physical version of your album / EP / release / whathaveyou that you should make it as compelling and innovative as you can. Give people a reason to own the physical version. Such is the case with the new EP from Will Holland. The imagery itself is pleasing to the eyes but it has been designed to be folded backwards on itself and turned instantly into an envelope to send the music off to a friend (or enemy). It’s a smart way of recognizing the fact that a large majority of people who buy CD’s will likely instantly import it into mp3’s and, if they feel so inclined, can now send it off to be shared. A prime candidate for Clever Award of the Year if there ever was one.

It’s probably not right to call a new jam posted on an artists personal blog a b-side but that’s what I’m doing. Makeup and Vanity Set creator Matthew Putis has a blog and every so often a new track will pop up there. Maybe it’s not an official MAVS release but it’s from the same mind so it’s worth taking note of. Long story short, here’s a new track from Matthew Putis that may or may not be considered an official Makeup and Vanity Set song.

And The Relatives have announced that they’ll be releasing their debut full-length in February 2010 with the help of Theory 8 and yk records. Not much to report beyond that but as details emerge, we’ll be sure to share them.

In the meantime, if you haven’t procured the bands Animals EP – I suggest you go and get it now.

While Sufjan Stevens isn’t exactly a local artist his recent musing on the “death of the album” is something that just about any music lover would find interesting. With bands like How I Became the Bomb releasing digital singles / annual compilations or Billy Corgan releasing 40 individual tracks instead of a traditional release you’d think the time honored format of the LP might be in danger. Fortunately, this article does a good job of boosting the idea that the proliferation of digital distribution actually creates more options for artists, not fewer. The album format isn’t dying, it’s evolving into numerous new forms.

The following was sent to us in regards to the new track from The Zut Alors:

It’s a real rocker that we recorded on VHS tape in a cave on a dreary October Sunday morning. The archtop guitar on this song can also be heard on Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” and Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin'”

True or not, that’s a helluva backstory to entice someone to check out a track. Go give “Set the Sun on Fire” a listen / download.