Jens Lekman

The charming Swedish songbird and storyteller Jens Lekman will be spending his New Year's in Chicago.

His New Year's Eve show at Chicago's Empty Bottle is already sold out, but he has also planned two more shows -- on the first and second days of January 2010. He has no other shows planned thereafter, in Chicago or elsewhere.

Although Jens has not released an album since his 2007 release Night Falls Over Kortedala, Mr. Lekman just recently contributed his song "Your Arms Around Me" to the soundtrack of the movie Whip It, directed by first-time director Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page. "Your Arms Around Me" deserves a keen listen this year. Keep an ear out for how Jens pronounces the "th-" sound like an "f." It is especially beguiling.

Jens is loved for his grandiose and kaleidoscopic approach to playful pop. And his stage presence is most definitely his own. He tells many cute stories. For those planning on an outrageously sexy New Year's, this may not be the best setting for such action, but Jens will surely throw a lovely party with lots of bells and whistles and other jangly instruments to ring in 2010.

Yeasayer

Yeasayer's debut record, All Hour Cymbals, made a significant splash in 2007, which was ages ago (you know, back when the economy was not the go-to subject of uncomfortable conversations). Now this "Visual/Gospel/Showtunes" band (according to their MySpace page) has announced that their sophomore record, Odd Blood, will be released February 9, 2010. This is exciting news for those who enjoyed their psychedelic, exotic and dynamic brand of pop the first time around.

Yeasayer will be previewing the new record the day before Halloween at New York's Guggenheim Museum.

Odd Blood also marks Yeasayer's first release on Secretly Canadian, the record label home to artists Antony and the Johnsons, Foreign Born and Jens Lekman among others.

The boys will surely do some major touring after the record drops/hits/comes out. They have been doing plenty of touring in the time between records, including a string of summer shows with Ponytail and an appearance at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival.

They definitely have that "cool" factor down, as is obvious from this Guggenheim/Secretly Canadian/Ponytail/Pitchfork combo.

Rain Machine

Kyp Malone, the wonderfully coiffed, bearded and spectacled member of TV on the Radio, has a new solo project called Rain Machine. His album is out now, and it is lovely: very TV on the Radio, believe it or not (said with casual sarcasm), but it does evolve into more of a naturalistic, folktastic affair -- with sleigh bells abound -- than the epic TV on the Radio sound collages.

In support of the debut album, Rain Machine will be opening for the Pixies, who will be performing their Doolittle album in its entirety on this U.S. tour after making a run of it overseas. It should be quite fantastic. Apparently too fantastic for Ohio; no dates are scheduled to be taking place in this glorious state. New York or bust, I guess.

(P.S. Although I did find this news to be interesting and worth discussing, my real motive for posting this news was the desire to illustrate Kyp in all his ultra stylish glory. He's one cool kid.)

Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard needs a band. Right (expletive) now!

His bassist and drummer quit so if you are a punk rocker and would like to join him on his tour of the U.S. and Europe, let him know right quick. He's posted his e-mail address on his Twitter. Drop him a line.

But don't disappoint him. Or he'll write some unflattering words about you and it won't feel good.

You should probably come prepared with uncontrollable hair, a flexible neck ready for whipping around said hair, the desire to rock hard and the capacity to do so. I'm sure Jay wouldn't put it in such cowardly terms, but who (expletive) cares.