FRIDAY ROUND UP

Hope this finds everyone out there doing well, here's some odds and ends from the GRR universe which you may or may not find interesting!

+ The video above comes courtesy of the excellent label Martyrs of Pop out of France. It's an interesting interview with the talented artist/founder Jean-Emmanuel. Note: There's a high probability of an upcoming release having some European involvement. Stay tuned.

+ Railcars is staying busy. Not only has the Kate Bush Cover Cassette morphed into a full fledged Kickstarter project, but Aria has posted a cover of The Cranberries on his myspace. It's pretty darn awesome.

+ One of our favorite blogs out there is 7inches, which focuses on (what else) 7" records. They're in the process of reviewing a number of Gold Robot Records releases - so far they've provided insightful analysis of both the Designed Entropy compilation and The Parish's Storm Driven Bird EP. Keep an eye out for more to come.

+ Bomarr, of Restiform Bodies and Designed Entropy fame, has released a radical holiday themed mix called Wild Xmas Vol 4, which you should totally download for free.

+ Björn Kleinhenz has posted a photo diary of his fall tour, looks like it was a great time. Check it out, and order his new 12" B.U.R.M.A., it's so fantastic. Here's a track from the album, a cover of "World's Apart" by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.

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Railcars European Tour

Just finished up packaging and sending off a set of 40 hand painted and numbered promo CD's for the upcoming Railcars European tour (presented by Byte.fm & Roteraupe.de). The dates, listed below in radical non-American style, are shaping up nicely. Check out the excellent uts,m! artist booking website for the most up-to-date details.

14.01.10 Berlin (DE), Magnet Club
15.01.10 Wroclaw (PL), CRK
16.01.10 Cracow (PL), Kawiarnia Naukowa
17.01.10 Prague (CZ), Strahov 007
18.01.10 Budapest (HU), Zappa Cafe NEW VENUE!!
19.01.10 Vienna (AT), Rhiz
20.01.10 Maribor (SI), Dvorana Gustaf (Pekarna)
21.01.10 Koper (SI), MKSC
26.01.10 Fribourg (CH), Fri-Son NEW!!
27.01.10 Dijon (FR), Deep Inside
28.01.10 Metz (FR), Emile Vache
29.01.10 Paris (FR), Mo‘Fo Festival
30.01.10 London (UK), tba
31.01.10 Bristol (UK), Start The Bus
01.02.10 Glasgow (UK), 13th Note
02.02.10 York (UK), The Basement
03.02.10 Dublin (IR), Whelans
04.02.10 London (UK), tba
05.02.10 Utrecht (NL), dB..s
06.02.10 Amsterdam (NL), Subbacultcha @ Nieuwe Anita
07.02.10 Eindhoven (NL), TAC
08.02.10 Karlsruhe (DE), Kohi
09.02.10 Freiburg (DE), KTS
10.02.10 München (DE), Kafe Kult
11.02.10 Strasbourg (FR), Simultania NEW!!
12.02.10 Frankfurt (DE), Ivi
13.02.10 Nürnberg (DE), K4
15.02.10 Hamburg (DE), Hafenklang
16.02.10 Copenhagen (DK), Lades
18.02.10 Aalborg (DK), 1000Fryd NEW!!
19.02.10 Gothenburg (SE), tba NEW!!
20.02.10 Malmö (SE), Debaser

We're nearing the end of our copies for the ever-popular Cities vs Submarines release you should pick one up if you're interested in super catchy decontructo noise pop. And, to satisfy your cravings for experimental noise balladry, check out the new Cathedral With No Eyes!

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Revisiting Designed Entropy I Comp.

Seeing as it's Friday and all, how about some free vinyl? This time around we're giving away a copy of GRR's first compilation 7", the first entry in our Designed Entropy series; it includes brand new original tracks by Meanest Man Contest, Copy, Bomarr, and Roman Ruins.

First person to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will receive this gorgeous piece of wax filled with sweet tunes for absoutlely zero dollars. Be sure to include "Hey I Want That Orange Vinyl" in the subject line and your mailing address in the email. Generous, indeed!

Here's a track to wet your whistle.

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railcars makes kate bush cassette

I love these kind of projects. The always-working Aria from Railcars is selling an extra limited (only 10 available) cover of Kate Bush's album Hounds of Love. Details:

"hello. i have for sale ten cassettes. each is hand-painted, numbered, and dubbed. when you play the cassette you will hear railcars cover the entire 1985 album Hounds of Love by Kate Bush from beginning to end. also if you purchase one, on the upcoming european tour i will mail you a postcard from every city that we play in. that's like, 30 or 40 cities. you can't get these separately, the cassette + postcards is one package, and there are only ten made. also there are no mp3 versions, sorry. each cassette is $47." - Aria Jalali

Head on over to Aria's website for ordering information and to check if there's still any available. (Hint: looks like thefmly is running a co-promotion for this little release as well!)

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Friday Round Up

+ The internet is all abuzz about the new Beach House single "Norway", so I thought I'd re-share this little video from a while back, taken in Norway. The talented Graham Hill (aka Roman Ruins) provides some percussion in the video, drums for Beach House on many a tour, and played on the upcoming record Teen Dream.

+ Nice interview with Aria/Railcars in Thursday's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle (in print and online). The show last night (at Thee Parkside in SF) was a blast as well, some great opening acts. Also, CMJ reviewed the new album Cathedral With No Eyes, check it out here.

+ Saw this awesome poster for a new CD by Bjorn Kleinhenz, Head Held High On Fearsome Pride is a quick follow-up project to the amazing LP B.U.R.M.A., which you should get yourself a copy of if you fancy some sweet Swedish musical stylings.

+ Did you catch the fact that we've got a few copies of the ultra limited Bonnie 'Prince' Billy 7" Notes For Future Lovers available as part of a catalog bundle special?

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New Quarterbar EP on Sneakmove

Awesome brand new EP by the esteemed Quarterbar (half of Meanest Man Contest) out today on Sneakmove. This collection, titled sweet burger sandwich, of short compositions collects some older tracks. Head on over to the download page to grab it for free, you won't be disappointed.

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Revisiting Railcars

Hot on the heels of the new Railcars release (Cathedral With No Eyes), we thought it'd be prudent to send along a FREE COPY of the brilliant 7" EP Cities vs Submarines. First person to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will receive this heavyeight vinyl beauty. Be sure to include "Hey I Want That Railcars Vinyl" in the subject line and your mailing address in the email. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Speaking of CWNE, the excellent column INCHES on LA Weekly recently reviewed the new 12", here's an excerpt: "Jalali has a real knack for the artfully noisy, arranging decaying electronics, analog feedback, odd percussives, and a whirlwind of vocals into some downright pretty and driving soundscapes."

Free music, too!

::: Railcars - Cathedral
::: Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (Part B)
::: Railcars - There Is Ice; It Is Blue

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Full Catalog Sale

While doing some general organizing here at GRR HQ, we ran across some copies of the super sold out Bonnie 'Prince' Billy 7" (Notes for Future Lovers b/w Donde Esta Prufrock). So, to celebrate our 10th vinyl release we've decided to bundle our entire catalog together at a discounted rate. For 10 pieces of beautiful vinyl, including the BPB 7", it's $60 including shipping in the United States. We've only got a few of these special bundles available, so act fast. Get it here. Hooray!

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Fox Hands Updates

Thought I'd pass along this strange/wonderful video for the Fox Hands track "Listen to the Walls". The song is off the consistently excellent self-titled EP released here on GRR digitally. We're not the only ones who think the release is quite notable:

Fox Hands is a timid, noisy, jittery kaleidoscope of colourful sounds escaping from a man named Adrian Todd Webb who lives in Virginia, US. His music can perhaps be likened to other topically lo-fi natured artists who instill an old-time simplicity beset with a futuristic technological fascination, resulting in an otherworldly sound. Very much independent, his bursting, rubbery, blinking video for his song ‘Listen To The Walls’ is a fascinating escapade into exploring visually the messy collage of his sounds. Close ups of textures blurry like his voice, the visual effect starring in the video reflects the bend-it-’til-it-breaks rubbery and fuzzy guitar technique played throughout the song. The drums echoed in the blinking frame shifts, it’s another lo-fi troubadour exercising his wit and charm with fantastic results.
- Einstein Music Journal

"C’est le bal des diodes. Toutes clignotent en rythme, pétillantes couleurs qui illuminent la nuit par intermittence. Bleu, vert, rouge, rouge, jaune, bleu, orange ! Aucune ne peut bouger, forcément, on ne saute pas hors du circuit comme ça, mais la dance existe. Elle est onde lumineuse, chatoiement de couleurs. Bleu, vert, rouge, rouge…"
Translation: "This the diodes ball. All of them flash in time, sparkling colours which illuminate the night on and off. Blue, green, red, red, yellow, blue, orange ! None of them can move, of course, it’s not that easy to jump out of the circuit, but their dance occurs. It is made of luminous waves, colours shimmer. Blue, green, red, red…"
- Delicious Scopitone

Couldn't have said it better myself.

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Go to This Show

KURT VILE, EGYPTR, PINK DRAPES + more at Sang House from Mike Anderson on Vimeo.

Basically, you need to go to this show if you're anywhere near Arkansas. November 1st at the Sang House with Kurt Vile, Egyptr, Pink Drapes, and more. If you need futher aural convincing, go here. That's all I'm gonna say.

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Friday Round-Up

Happy Friday to all the folks out there. It's bright and sunny here in the Bay Area, and we're ready to head out for a weekend of music and horseshoes and general shenanigans. Couple of links for pre-weekend reading:

+ The totally excellent website Birds Sometimes Dance recently reviewed Björn Kleinhenz's new album B.U.R.M.A. and not only gave it a 9/10 but had this to say: "Am I impressed? Very much so. This is the best album I’ve heard in quite a while and it’s easily one of the best to be released in 2009 so far." Read the full article here.

+ Aria is keeping a Railcars tour blog on tumblr which is quite enjoyable. Happy to see that my homeland of Arkansas welcomed him with open arms. Currently in NYC, catch one of his many shows there if you can. Filthy Beats is the latest to say some kind words about the new release.

+ Seamonster is previewing some new songs over on myspace. Rumor has it that you might find some of them on an upcoming vinyl record in the not-so-distant future.

+ Copy along with Atole and E*Rock are playing a Halloween show up in Portland which is where I'd be if I was an Oregonian. Oh, and did you see FADER said some nice things about Copy's track on the Designed Entropy I vinyl?

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GRR on TWITTER

Ok, ok, we've made the jump. So you can now follow all things GRR related on twitter using our handle @goldrobot. We'll post news, freebies, discounts, and all kinds of other things as we get a handle on this newfangled social media contraption. If you've got any rad feeds we need to e aware of then send 'em along. Thanks for following.

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Revisiting Lady Genius

It's hard to pick a favorite GRR record in terms of album art, but any argument would have to include this Lady Genius 10" EP. Sweet design by Jason Byers (who has a show opening next Saturday Nov 7 at Zza's in Oakland, coincidentally) coating a candy red piece of wax. These six songs continue to amaze me, so I thought I'd share the joy today. First person to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will receive a FREE COPY of our only 10" release. Be sure to include "Hey I Want That Vinyl" in the subject line and your mailing address in the email. Oh, and a free MP3 right here to boot.

::: Lady Genius - New York Through York

Also, listen to another favorite track here.

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Kleinhenz Video

At Night We Die - Björn Kleinhenz from she goes on Vimeo.

Thought I'd share this video (came out last year) from Björn Kleinhenz since it's such a beautiful piece of art. "At Night We Die" is a track released by Devil Duck (Germany) and Tomt Recordings (Sweden); the video is directed by Sarah Gossner and Julia Schliewe. Pick up a copy of the brand new full length 12" vinyl record B.U.R.M.A., it's a gorgeous collection of songs. Alternatively, you can catch Björn live on his current/extensive European tour.

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REVISITING PANTHER

Wow, I had forgotten just how interesting the alternate take of Panther's "How Well Can You Swim", the b-side start of the amazing 7" shown above, was until this morning. A couple of spins later and we're in the giving mood. First person to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will receive a FREE COPY of the record. Make sure to include "I Want That Vinyl" in the subject line and your name and address for shipping purposes. Oh, and you can listen to the aforementioned track right here.

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New Man/Miracle Album

The fine boys of Man/Miracle will be releasing a new full-length album titled "The Shape of Things" on November 1st. It's a sprawling, bouncy affair with album art by Josh Minkus (seen above). You can pre-order the album from the band for only $10 including shipping and handling. Check the tracklist:

1. Above the Salon
2. Hot Sprawl
3. Up
4. Dayglo
5. Multitudes
6. Always, Just
7. Back of the Card
8. Pushing and Shoving
9. Other People
10. Ghost Tongue

They've also lined up some shows, which you should go see if you're in the Bay Area.

Nov 05 - Rickshaw Stop (San Francisco, CA)
Nov 12 - The Crepe Place (Santa Cruz, CA)
Nov 14 - Lobot Gallery (Oakland, CA) [release party]

You might recall that they released a wonderful little 7" record last year, which you can purchase on vinyl (only $3!) or digitally.

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Revisiting The Parish

This wonderful little EP, titled Storm Driven Bird, was GRR's first foray into colored vinyl. The translucent pilsner colored 7" is a perfect accompaniment to the 4 song collection of raucous indie/americana, while the artwork rounded out a gorgeous little package. As a token of our love for this record, we thought we'd give away a few copies for free. First two people to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will soon receive the vinyl FOR ABSOLUTELY FREE. Be sure to include your mailing address. Because everyone loves some free stuff, right?

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Railcars US Tour

Fresh off this week's proper release of Cathedral With No Eyes, Railcars is in the midst of a pretty extensive US tour (European dates to come later). Before we get to those dates, let's check out an excerpt from a recent CWNE review:

Cathedral With No Eyes is a rarity — it’s an album that would be ideal from start to finish in a live setting. In a way, this is an EP, chiming in at just under 20 minutes. On the other hand, it’s a glorified single with three feature tracks: “Castles”, “Passion Of St. Edmunds (Rebirth)” and the title track, “Cathedral With No Eyes”. The rest is highly sophisticated noise filler, songs that act as brilliant transitions without which this album would not be whole. Railcars chooses an unlikely format for an album ripe with religion; St. Edmund is mostly known (based on a limited amount of research) as a martyr through the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. But, as religion goes, it’s certainly not for everyone and neither is Cathedral With No Eyes. But for those who can tolerate — or better yet enjoy — noise pop, it’s an absolute masterpiece. - FensePost

Alright, onto the tour dates, all of which will be excellent.

Oct 09 2009 - Meow Wolf (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Oct 10 2009 - Burt’s Tiki (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Oct 13 2009 - Soundpony (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Oct 13 2009 - House Show, 2251 East 10th Street (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Oct 14 2009 - Good Records (Dallas, Texas)
Oct 14 2009 - Majestic Dwelling of Doom (Denton, Texas)
Oct 15 2009 - The Mohawk (Austin, Texas)
Oct 16 2009 - Ameroplace (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Oct 17 2009 - Rad Haus (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Oct 18 2009 - Little Hamilton (Nashville, Tennessee)
Oct 19 2009 - Go Bar (Athens, Georgia)
Oct 20 2009 - Maya Gallery (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Oct 21 2009 - The Triple (Richmond, Virginia)
Oct 22 2009 - Shea Stadium w/ Holiday Shores (Brooklyn, New York)
Oct 25 2009 - Danger Danger Gallery (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Oct 26 2009 - Market Hotel (Brooklyn, New York)
Oct 28 2009 - TBA (Boston, Massachusetts)
Oct 31 2009 - Death By Audio (Brooklyn, New York)
Nov 01 2009 - Monkeytown (Brooklyn, New York)
Nov 02 2009 - Now That’s Class (Cleveland, Ohio)
Nov 05 2009 - Garrison (Toronto, Ontario)
Nov 06 2009 - Weirder Park (Chicago, Illinois)
Nov 07 2009 - Pangea House (Minot, North Dakota)
Nov 08 2009 - The Laboratory (Missoula, Montana
Nov 10 2009 - The Shed (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Nov 11 2009 - Logan’s (Victoria, British Columbia)
Nov 12 2009 - Basement w/ ALASKAS (Seattle, Washington)
Nov 13 2009 - Le Voyeur w/ Batrider (Olympia, Washington)
Nov 14 2009 - The Artistery (Portland, Oregon)
Nov 18 2009 - Fungarden (Sacramento, California)
Nov 19 2009 - Thee Parkside (San Francisco, California)
Nov 20 2009 - Flux 53 Gallery (Oakland, California)
Nov 23 2009 - Synchronicity (Los Angeles, California)
Nov 24 2009 - Acrobatics Everyday (Irvine, California)

Download the CWNE Remixes for FREE here and pick up the 7" Cities vs Submarines while you're at it.

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B.U.R.M.A. has arrived

Just got in these beautiful 12" records of Björn Kleinhenz's amazing album. Already shipped out the pre-orders of this super limited (only 50 for distribution in the US/Canada). The reviews are slowly trickling in, and there's some good ones!

Björn Kleinhenz may hail from Sweden, but Peter, Bjorn and John/Long Blondes-style pop isn’t quite his game. Rather, if we must compare Kleinhenz to his countrymen, let’s go with Jens Lekman and Lonely, Dear. Both trade in soft-spoken quirkiness, although Kleinhenz doesn’t go in for big production numbers the way Lekman does. With a few notable exceptions (”Bodilla” comes to mind), the whispery, strummy B.U.R.M.A. seems to owe more to American singer-songwriters like Mark Kozelek and Alex Chilton (at his quieter moments). English may not be Kleinhenz’s first language, but he sure does have a way with words. His images are gorgeous, distant, and fragile. “Dry your feet in the morning,” he sings on “Poets of the Senseless Warnings.” “In your pocket, cash to last till dawn.” One of Kleinhenz’s stranger fixations seems to be stillbirth, which comes up on at least two tracks. And as for Kleinhenz’s seemingly political album title? Well, it doesn’t seem to come up in the songs themselves. B.U.R.M.A. is just another sweet, gorgeous album about love. But, as Built to Spill once eloquently put it, there’s nothing wrong with love. - LimeWire Music Blog

Order the album for only $12 plus shipping, it's a beautiful piece of art. You can also get some free MP3's of the digital single Black Water b/w The Mountain Pt 2 here.

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MMC & Designed Entropy Press

The excellent LA Weekly column INCHES recently had some kind words to say about our 7" compilation Designed Entropy I (along with the wonderful picture of the vinyl seen above).

San Francisco upstart Gold Robot Records has already played host to a surprising spate of talent, from Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, who dropped a likewise limited 7-inch there last year, to promising L.A. transplants Railcars. The label's first compilation showcases its more beat-oriented side. The "A" features a slow-burbler from Anticon associate/ Restiform Bodies beatsmith Bomarr alongside a more upbeat electro number by PDX mixtapist and Audio Dregs recording artist Copy. On the flip, their grooves visible through that rich pumpkin-orange wax, are this set's true gems: a moody psychedelic rap piece by Meanest Man Contest (whose Eriksolo is L.A.-based), and a warm instrumental jam from Roman Ruins, who moonlights as Beach House's touring drummer.

In other Meanest Man Contest news, they've got a track on a new compilation released by the Briefcase Rockers label. It also includes tracks from Lazer Sword, Small Is Beautiful (Jamie from Islands), Debruit, and a host of other amazing acts. Hear the track here:

Don't forget that you can purchase the MMC 7" "Throwing Away Broken Electronics" and download their remix EP "We Blame You", both of which are extremely rewarding.

And, last but not least, CASH Music is currently doing a fundraiser with the help of some amazing artists: MGMT, Sunset Rubdown, Deerfoof, and many others. For a raffle entry of $20, the winner will receive a customized diss rap!

Why tell someone off when you can have Meanest Man Contest do it for you. Talk to them, give them some ideas, and MMC will supply you with a fresh made diss rap. No exes, bosses, or children under three.

An awesome prize for an awesome cause, if I do say so myself. CASH Music is a nonprofit organization building open tools and services to benefit artists and music organizations. It’s our belief that the need for technology should never get in the way of promotion, distribution, or support of great music.

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Railcars Remixes

The second release by Railcars, Cathedral With No Eyes, gets a proper remix treatment by LA's very own Danny NO/FI. You might recall that the construct of CWNE is such that it plays like one long track, with sounds and themes bleeding into each other throughout the album. This collection of remixes tackles the album in a similar fashion, resulting in a 16 minute remix. The remix is broken into 4 Parts (A-D) for the first 4 tracks while the full version (complete with interludes and transitions) is provided as the fifth track. We think you'll find it a perfect accompaniment to the real deal.

Tracklist

01. Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (Part A) [mp3]
02. Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (Part B) [mp3]
03. Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (Part C) [mp3]
04. Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (Part D) [mp3]
05. Railcars - CWNE Danny NO/FI Remix (FULL VERSION) [mp3]

Download all files as a zipped folder here.

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Revisiting Roman Ruins

Today's epic jamp-fest involves our very first release, by the esteemed Roman Ruins (aka Graham Hill). You may have seen Graham playing drums for the likes of such brilliant bands such as Beach House and The Papercuts; or perhaps you've heard the track he's got on the our new compilation 7". Dude gets around.

This little two song 45 packs a certain guttural punch with hints of popcorn and rosemary. I'm sure you've already listened to his self-titled EP, but perhaps you'd like to get your hands on this classic piece of vinyl? First person to email goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com will soon receive the Releasing Me b/w Your House vinyl FOR ABSOLUTELY FREE. Be sure to include your mailing address. We're generous like that. Preview a song here, just for kicks.

Your House - Roman Ruins

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Revisiting Sweetie

We've been jamming to last year's Sweetie EP all day here at GRR headquarters. This kind of action results in us wanting more folks to be doing the same. Therefore, if you order any two GRR releases in the next week, we'll throw in a FREE COPY of the amazing 7" vinyl (it kind of looks like red jolly ranchers, but don't eat it). Heck, the first person who emails goldrobotrecords (at) gmail (dot) com and says "Hey, I'd like to have that vinyl" will receive it in the mail for free. That's how excited we are about it. Here's a song for your listening pleasure, and you can download another for free here.

Saturdays - Sweetie

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GRR009 Ready to Ship!

Wow, these turned out really amazing (if I do say so myself). GRR's first compilation project titled Designed Entropy I features new tracks by Meanest Man Contest, Bomarr, Copy, and Roman Ruins. This group of artists have crafted an intricate set of songs (already praised online) which you're sure to love. Order the limited vinyl here, and listen to the tracks over on our myspace page.

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New Railcars Release!

Cathedral With No Eyes is the second proper release by Railcars. Gold Robot is handling the digital release, while you can head on over to Stumparumper Records to pick up the heavyweight 12" vinyl.

In this record, LA/SF based multi-instrumentalist Aria Jalali recounts the life of Edmund the Martyr, a 9th century King of East Anglia with songs about his life and succession to the throne as a young boy, his conquests, and his suffering at the hands of vikings and death by their arrows. This time around Railcars make an attempt to more accurately recreate the whirling, dizzying fury of their live performances, flowing continuously yet shifting without warning, translating the story of St. Edmund into walls of noise, sputtering drum machines, dying electronics, and tales told in distant shouts. Here's a free MP3 of one of the songs!

::: Railcars - Castles

Also, if you haven't done so already, pick up the soon-to-be-gone-forever 7" EP titled Cities vs Submarines, it's beautiful.

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Free Digital Single

This digital single is released in anticipation of the full-length B.U.R.M.A. by Björn Kleinhenz (out on Gold Robot Records, Tomt Recordings, and American Typewriter). The A-side track appears on the new album and the B-side features a new track from a summer recording session. Enjoy the free music!

Tracklist:
1. Björn Kleinhenz - Black Water [mp3]
2. Björn Kleinhenz - The Mountain Pt 2 [mp3]

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New Panther Album on KRS

Former GRR contributor Panther has a new album coming out on Kill Rock Stars titled Entropy. The vinyl-only release is available for pre-order for only $10 (and it comes with MP3's as well). From what I've heard so far, it's certainly different from previous Panther incarnations but absolutely equally enjoyable. The above video to the track "Birds that Move" dropped today.

We've still got a few copies left of the limited edition 7" single by Panther. It not only features the album version of "How Well Can You Swim" but a early alternate recording which showcases the birthplace of the patented Panther sound. Buy yourself a copy (great idea!) or just listen to it here.



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Another New Release!

This is the first cooperative release in the history of Gold Robot Records. In conjunction with American Typewriter Records (Spain) and Tomt Recordings (Sweden), we're proud to this album to the masses on September 29th, 2009. Björn Kleinhenz's B.U.R.M.A. is an incredible collection of Swedish folk/pop, and the limited vinyl release brings only 50 copies stateside. For more information on the album and to place a pre-order, head over to the release's page on the GRR website. You can listen to Björn's music over at his myspace page.

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Bay Bridged Podcast on Railcars

The fine folks over at The Bay Bridged recently posted a wonderful podcast featuring Aria Jalali of Railcars fame. The discuss the evolution of his music and the origins behind his latest two releases: Cities vs Submarines and the upcoming Cathedral With No Eyes. It's an excellent listen, you can access it here.

Railcars will be embarking on a mammoth tour soon, consisting of both US and European legs. Stay tuned for further details on that, or check out the Railcars myspace page for the confirmed and tentative dates.

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Designed Entropy Pre-Order

Super excited to bring you this compilation featuring brand new tracks by Meanest Man Contest, Bomarr, COPY, and Roman Ruins. The limited edition EP will come as a beautiful 7-inch record on colored vinyl. Each purchase will include a download code for the digital files. It will be released on September 22nd, but you can PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM NOW.

A1 : Bomarr - Exchanges Among Systems
A2 : Copy - Karate Eyes
B1 : Meanest Man Contest - Takitani Edit
B2 : Roman Ruins - Plea For Permanence

Listen to the tracks over on the GRR myspace page, then definitely order a couple up for yourself and a friend.

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Brothers Backward Mixtape

Props to the excellent Bomarr Blog for pointing this out to me. Hot new mixtape out by Brothers Backward, aka David Bryant or PASSAGE (Restiform Bodies, Anticon) and Mike Busse (Chronic Future, Modern Art Records partner). Really great samples, totally enveloping and interesting.

After my initial post on this got taken down by Blogger for copyright reasons, i've decided to re-route all interested parties to the band-hosted website which has download information. Get it here. Don't know what the problem was, as the email was super cryptic.

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MMC + Book Soundtrack.

GRR faves Meanest Man Contest appear on a new soundtrack curated by MMC's very own Eric Steur and Tim Malloy, the author of How To Break Bad News. The soundtrack is being offered up for FREE over at RCRDLBL. Courtesy of the extra smooth blog Sneakmove, here's the tracklist:

How To Break Bad News Soundtrack
[01] “audience in the room” - dirty on purpose
[02] “some people (just get off on breaking hearts)” - meanest man contest
[03] “modern lover” - coco b’s
[04] “i live this life here for you” - evan voytas
[05] “love song” - cruel black dove
[06] “double negative” - the jim yoshii pile-up
[07] “hey she say” - the gay blades
[08] “my friends” - the franks
[09] “do what you want to do” - michna
[10] “your party was yesterday?” - sam champion
[11] “hot caught” - eagle and talon
[12] “national divide (kings theme)” - kings & queens
[13] “the best of time” - jacob c. morris
[14] “ending era” - magic me

Of course, if you're into good music and all, pick up MMC's limited edition 7-inch record or download their semi-new remix EP.

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New Digital Release = Fox Hands.

Gold Robot Records is proud to present the newest digital-only release, by Virginia's Fox Hands. For details check on this wonderful EP, see the GRR webpage. And, for a limited time, we're offering a direct download for only $4! Here's a sample for your listening pleasure:

::: Fox Hands - Listen To The Walls

And, while you're at it, check out the Seamonster LP (as Fox Hands is a side project of the extremely talented Adrian Todd Webb).

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Railcars SOCAL tour

If you're in the Southern California area, you should check out Railcars! They'll be playing some new tracks off an upcoming release, and generally having a good time. Dates/etc:

April 4 - Santa Barbara [Bike Garage]
April 5 - Costa Mesa [The Camp]
April 10 - Los Angeles [The Smell w/ Former Ghosts & Felt Drawings]
April 11 - San Diego [The Office in North Park]

And, of course, buy the limited edition seven-inch here.

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Seamonster Short Tour

Seamonster is about to embark upon a short tour, at which he will be previewing some new material slated for an upcoming limited edition 7" record on Gold Robot Records. (And, if you keep an eye out, he might have some CDR's available at the shows). Here are the dates:

April 24 - Elon University - Elon, North Carolina
April 26 - House Show - Athens, Georgia
April 27 - Univ. of South Carolina - Columbia, South Carolina

Download the Seamonster LP "The Ascension of Archibald Balloonhead", it's amazing.

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Video: Railcars in Paris

Sweet video of Railcars on tour in Paris with Crystal Antlers!!!!

Fan Art.

Check out the awesome GRR fan art submission from Finland! I haven't rocked an Etch-A-Sketch in a long while. Unrelatedly, have you listened to the new album (Dissolver) by Iran? I'm completely digging the track "Buddy", which makes a good accompaniment to my other current fascination: "Black Rice" by Women.

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Railcars on SPIN TV.

See the video HERE.

The good boys of Railcars filmed this clip during their European Tour for SPIN's web television show. Check it out, and pick up their amazing vinyl EP here.

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Welcome to Seamonster!

In a few weeks, GRR will digitally release Seamonster's full-length album called "The Ascension of Archibald Balloonhead. This multi-talented artist created an album which is sprawling and poignant and downright enjoyable. We're excited to unleash it upon the masses.

Seamonster has another project coming out next month. "Robbert Bobbert and the Bubble Machine" is a kids album done in collaboration with Robert Schneider. He did all the design, a comic book, and a coloring book for the release. More details on that to follow once we have them.

So keep an eye out for tAoAB, and for some upcoming new music on GRR.

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East Bay Express Article

The venerable East Bay Express has an article in the latest edition about vinyl records. Along with insight from Gold Robot, they've included folks such as Pirate's Press (who presses our records), Mod Lang (who sell our records), Tyler from Man/Miracle, and Slumberland Records (a fellow Bay Area label that is awesome). Read the article here.

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Man/Miracle on DeliSF!

The good folks at DeliSF just posted an interview with Dylan Travis of Man/Miracle. It's a good introduction to this excellent band that we're excited to be working with here at GRR. And don't forget about the show tomorrow night (Thursday Jan 29th, 2009) at the Hemlock! Details below:

Man/Miracle, Railcars, Eagle & Talon
The Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., San Francisco
Thursday, January 29th
$7, 21+

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Railcars European Tour!

After a slew of Bay Area dates, Railcars is embarking on their first European tour. They've got some exciting dates lined up with the likes of Islands, Crystal Antlers, and Oxford Collapse. If you're in any of these towns (or near), you should definitely check 'em out.

Feb 11 @ sinister noise (Rome)
Feb 12 @ Veronika Club (Parma)
Feb 13 @ LKA Longhorn (Stuttgart)
Feb 14 @ Club 007 Strahov W/ ISLANDS (Prague)
Feb 15 @ NBI W/ imannu el (Berlin)
Feb 17 @ AZ Conni (Dresden)
Feb 18 @ novylon (Antwerpen)
Feb 20 @ La fleche D´or W/ CRYSTAL ANTLERS (Paris)
Feb 21 @ Kohi (Karlsruhe)
Feb 22 @ 13eins (Ansbach)
Feb 23 @ Mobilat Club (Heilbronn)
Feb 24 @ Zum Teufel @/ OXFORD COLLAPSE (Heidelberg)

Also, buy their new new 7" EP (Cities vs Submarines), out now here at GRR.

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Railcars on Ear Candy New York.

The excellent web radio podcast Ear Candy New York featured Railcars on a recent episode. ECNY plays an eclectic (yet wonderful) mix of music amidst some enjoyable banter. Check out their website, subscribe to the podcast, and enjoy the heck out of it. Here's the show with Railcars.

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Excellent upcoming show in SF.

If you live in the Bay Area, mark your calenders for Thursday January 29th. The Hemlock Tavern is hosting Man/Miracle (Oakland), Railcars (SF), and Eagle and Talon (LA) for what is sure to be an excellent time. Although we here at GRR thoroughly enjoy each live set by M/M and RC, we're also excited about checking out E&T. Here's some tracks to wet your whistle.

::: Railcars - There Is Ice; It Is Blue
::: Man/Miracle - Pushing and Shoving

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Bonnie Prince Billy Article.

An excellent article on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy recently appeared in The New Yorker. Unsurprising to those familiar with GRR, we found it exhilarating. A truly interesting and talented man.

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Welcome to Man/Miracle!

There's a new horse in the stable, folks. Oakland's Man/Miracle will be releasing their latest 7" digitally through GRR in mid-February. Additionally, they're hard at work on a new EP so expect some sort of new vinyl release in the not-so-distant future. Here's some of the nice things that have been said about these guys to date.

"With a raucous intro that could be mistaken for a high school pre-game hype up (in a dream world where kids have spare tambourines, yes), Bay-area based Man/Miracle's "Pushing and Shoving" is a bouncy venture into Spencer Krugonics." - Pitchfork

"On their self-titled EP, the band demonstrates a unique sensibility, evoking memories of classic indie-pop bands like The Smiths while still sounding fresh and always danceworthy. That latter trait likely helps in what we've heard are some excellent live shows." - The Bay Bridged

We're really excited to see what comes next for this excellent group. You can still buy the awesome 7" on white vinyl, as well as some other gear, at their online shop

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