But instead of asking why the hell I still use CD players, you should ask yourself why you’ve never heard of Chase Pagan. His second release is a fun, bouncy pop rock wonder that shows off Pagan’s tremendous range without, well, showing off. What makes Bells & Whistles a truly special work is that Pagan’s range is so broad that the listener never even considers whether he is reaching too far.

While he can hardly contain his affinity for instrumental flourish in this 13-track album, Pagan always has the good sense to break each song down to the bare-bones melodies and sing-songy rhyme patterns that form the base of any good rock album. Even better, his lyrics are interesting.

Son/ where ya going in that dress/ who’s your lover and whats their sex?/ is it a boy?
Darling can’t you see you’re a boy/ you shouldn’t play with those pink toys/ they should be blue/
…
alright son lets just sit down and have a talk/ man to man/ you’re a boy who should like women/ just like your mother

The single best element of this album isn’t the meld of old-timey instrumentation and modern gadgetry, but that most of Bells & Whistles sounds like entries in Pagan’s journal, with the music cast as the haze of thought. If anything, it is a reminder that good music never has to be immaculately poetic, just carry a ring of truth. And this album is laced with a folksy twang befitting Pagan’s Arkansas roots.

Bells & Whistles isn’t especially challenging or groundbreaking, just a fun and fresh listen from an artist who seems certain to be a star in the future if his work ethic matches his talent. Chase Pagan has found a sound that’s palatable to casual music fans with the layering to satisfy most any audio buff. What more can you ask for, really?

The album will not be released in stores until June 9, so we’ll be sure to remind you when the time comes.

See Superchunk live:
04.15.2009 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04.18.2009 – Indio, CA @ Coachella

DOWNLOAD: “Misfits & Mistakes” – Superchunk

Remember back in the day when you’d be sitting around in your opium den, freaking out and wondering why your hair was growing so fast? That shit was crazy, right? Well, I never actually did that but I can picture it being crazy. RIGHT?!?!… Now, also picture what record you’d probably be listening to. Also make believe you listened to really good music back then as well (because I know some of you didn’t). Well one of those record spinning would be the new Crystal Antlers record that hits stores on April 7th titled Tentacles. Check out the track “Andrew” above, pick up a copy when it hits stores and check out their tour dates after the jump.

03/04 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
03/05 – Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera
03/06 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
03/07 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Ekko
03/08 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotown
03/10 – London, UK @ White Heat, London
03/11 – Sheffield, UK @ The Harley
03/12 – Manchester, UK @ The Retro Bar
03/25 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress &
03/26 – San Diego, CA @ 4th & B, San Diego, CA #
03/27 – Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles, CA #
04/21 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Commodore #
04/22 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox #
04/23 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge #
04/26 – Crystal Bay, NV @ Crystal Bay Club Crown Rm
04/28 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA #

& w/ Monotonix
# w/ Cold War Kids

Free music?? That’s crazy! The Gay Blades have gone all Radiohead on us and are offering 2 new tracks for completely free. The songs “Mean Muses” and “Shake The Graves” can be downloaded for free thanks to their recent digital 7″ released on RCRD LBL. The beauty of this new release: the band is actually getting paid for it. That’s right, you aren’t just stealing this shit and then using that money to buy your girlfriend new underwear to make her other boyfriend jealous. RCRD LBL’s ad revenue pays the band every time a track is downloaded, so feel free to stay on that site and download your ass off. Download them here.

Also, don’t forget, The Gay Blades have signed to Triple Crown Records and will see a re-release of their debut album Ghosts on September 23rd.

Consider this your early Christmas gift from Air & Sea Battle. Illinois based Snowsera has been lighting up venues across the Midwest since their inception in 2006 and they have now found their way to Air & Sea Battle with an exclusive download of their song “So Subtle” off of their self-titled EP for the next 4 days. Like what you hear? Probably. Purchase a copy of their EP at their web-store and help an unsigned band possibly pay some bills.

Looking for that download? Well the feature has run it’s course. Please visit their MySpace!

Remember back in the stone age when the pioneers of music would record things to tape, press it to vinyl and then you’d listen to it through a tube amplifier and speakers that cost more than $50? How archaic! Well people are trying to tell us that the quality of music has been lost on the consumer. That today’s kids have NO IDEA what a good record sounds like. Assholes. Go eat some shit and listen to the newest record on Victory that was recorded digitally without a console on ProTools and then ripped off of the CD into glorious 128 kbps MP3 format, placed into your iPod and then blasted through your car’s incredible sound system using an FM transmitter. Fuck bottom end! Man, I sit back listening to my ear buds, soaking up the tinny sounds of today’s finest rock and I think to myself “This is it. Music never sounded finer”.

So starting today I am ONLY listening to music in MP3 format. No CDs. No vinyl. Just MP3. I’m destroying all of of my old Beatles records. Those guys were assholes. I’m going to urinate on a 2 inch tape machine. This is a revolution, man. We are the new audiophiles. If I want “warmth” or “depth” in the sound of my music I will simply light my Zune on fire or listen to it under water.

I will also only be listening to digital singles from now on. I will explain more about that later. Oh! People who buy books are stupid. That will be another blog.