I Can Hear Nem Chinese Guys Beating On Nem Drums

Jenny Hoyston “Send The Angels” – Not every song on Jenny Hoyston’s new solo record strays as far from the sound of Erase Errata as “Send The Angels,” but even the most angst-ridden tracks seem relaxed compared to the non-stop tension of Nightlife. Whereas Hoyston favors sharper, more aggressive tunes with her EE rhythm section, she loosens up considerably when left to her own devices, resulting in a set of songs that occasionally recall the odd balance of emotional distance and musical intimacy found on Liz Phair’s Girlysound tapes. “Send The Angels” is lyrically direct and somewhat warm in tone, but even though it is essentially an apologetic folk song, it seems too ragged and tough to seem soft and light. (Click here to buy it from Southern.)

Bruce Springsteen “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” – Everyone is saying it, and everyone is right — this song sounds quite a bit like the Magnetic Fields, to the point that it’s impossible to imagine that Springsteen wasn’t trying to write his own mid-tempo Stephin Merritt drone-ballad. Nevertheless, he can’t stop being The Boss, and so his rich, hyper-masculine voice lends the piece a chivalrous tone that would seem jarring on an actual Merritt record. Similarly, despite lifting the cold, measured style of the Magnetic Fields, the band still manages to go a bit over the top with the sentiment and the melodrama, resulting in a track that sounds like a lonely, unseasonably chilly late summer night on the Jersey shore. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: Here’s the best thing on the internet this week month year: A clip from Rambocky, starring “Philly Boy” Roy Ziegler and Patton Oswalt.

Also: My new Hit Refresh column is up on the ASAP site with mp3s from Pistol Pete, Gameboy/Gamegirl, and Freezepop.