Pitchfork — Record Store Day, your opportunity to cop tons of exclusive music from your local independent retailer, will arrive on April 17 this year. Sub Pop has announced a whole mess of RSD releases. We've already reported that about Beach House's Zebra EP... more info

Stereogum — Velvet Davenport are an interestingly weirdo, backward-glancing psychedelic Minneapolis sextet who, judging from their bloody Happy Ending album art, don't mind conjuring the Dwarves and/or Mudhoney even though sonically they're more in line with war... more info

Guardian Music — Forget Lily, Pixie and Florence, this year's Brits should be about Male BondingReading the Brit awards nominations is a depressing affair. The major labels and their well-documented fiscal failings have served up another year's worth of vacuous, real... more info

Guardian Music — The makers of Rock Band have launched an online store, allowing any act to upload videogame versions of their songs – providing they can afford itFrom Belle and Sebastian to Micachu and the Shapes, any artist can now upload their songs into th... more info

Guardian Music — The label that gave us grunge is now releasing music from west Africa. But for a generation raised on the Afrobeat stylings of Vampire Weekend, this may not be as strange as it soundsIt may never entirely shake its reputation as home of lumberjack sh... more info

Stereogum — Longstanding space rockers White Hills, aka guitarist Dave W. and bassist Ego Sensation (not Kanye), teamed up with Oneida drummer Kid Millions to record their new self-titled album at the Ocropolis in Williamsburg. Lots of fuzz, lots of drown, tons ... more info

Big Apple Music Scene — It’s December, which means it’s time to start thinking about next year: 2010! Fortunately, some major festival have already announced their dates so you can start planning accordingly. SXSW in Austin, Texas: March 12-21 Interactive: March 12-16 ... more info

The first bands for the third ATP New York festival set for September 2010 have been announced, and tickets are on sale now. Iggy & The Stooges, Sleep, Mudhoney and the Scientists are set to perform. more info

Stereogum — Over Labor Day weekend (9/3-9/5) Iggy and his Stooges do Raw Power, Sleep climb Holy Mountain (!), and you'll spot Mudhoney's Superfuzz Bigmuff at good ol' Kutsher's. More at ATP. more info

NME - Notes From The Underground — Grunge was a pretty fucking poor excuse for a movement wasn’t it? Some pretty mediocre bands, a couple of superstars and a pure diarrhoea stream of followers indebted to slow, distorted guitars and half melodies. We’re looking at you Puddle Of Mu... more info