More music... All of these releases below are new except for the Bats and Mice single, which gets a pass because it's on vinyl. Clear vinyl, even. I'm no audiophile, but I still prefer records and would rather even rather listen to CDs on my stereo while sitting in a nice chair than MP3s in front of the computer. It's a hassle but it's also a ritual and it sounds better. Or at least it feels better. Listen to Rollins. He says so, too.

Bats and Mice - Back in Bat
The title of this 7" single might make you think that the old singer died and a new one was taking the mic. Not so. Sleepytime Trio's David NeSmith and Ben Davis are still in front with Totimoshi's Jonathan Fuller behind the drumkit once again, which should stoke most followers. On the A-side, "You Leave" and "Bricks for Eyes" mix what sound like The Cure and Three Mile Pilot influences into their taught-but-not-uptight brand of post-hardcore. Nice. Guess which part of the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic each band fits into? The Chapel Hill/Baltimore band's excellent B-side changes things up with a slower, deeper, and somewhat dubbier sound that recalls later Soulside. No "Loser Drugs" are necessary to get sucked in. [Lovitt Records]
 

KODO - Akatsuki
Somewhere between the Shaolin Monks touring show and Blue Man Group brand of theatre is KODO. The taiko drum-based collective from Japan is a sweaty, powerful spectacle and a touring machine, dragging its 900-pound drum around to the world's biggest stages. But showcasing new recordings of unrecorded songs from its stage shows, most of the group's 30th anniversary CD comes off more like a soundtrack with fiddles and flutes than a tribute to badass drumming--although there's some of that, too. For fans of world music, there's a bonus DVD to provide equally tranquil images of KODO at their remote island headquarters to complete the pretty picture. And for fans of the ritualistic rumble, there's a North American tour which has already begun. [Otodaiku]

 

Parlours - S/T EP
The warm, violin-backed strumming gushing out of your headphones like apple cider may seem too good-natured to be truthful until you watch the video on YouTube (below) and witness the drummer smoking a pipe during a break (!). After that, the plucks, the handclaps, and the harmonies are just swell. Like Camper Van Beethoven without the irony or perhaps a country mouse version of That Dog, the Iowa-centric group features a pristine voice with layers of perfectly woven sound that are limited only by the listener's patience and sweet tooth. [Aqui Estamos]

Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
The follow-up to Telekinesis's much-loved, self-titled (but with an exclamation point) debut is harder and heavier yet just as humble, seemingly effortless, and twice as catchy. Some of the songs come with titles that are practically warning labels ("I Cannot Love You,"  "Car Crash"), but you can't help but be drawn into the slightly fuzzy, bass-driven melodies that sweeten and soften Lerner's somber, depressing-as-hell lyrics. The musical craft defies genre, and the execution ensures an extra-lengthy shelf life. [Merge]