Since there’s not much coming out today besides a few vinyl reissues (check Largehearted Boy’s list), so we thought we’d take the time to give away some vinyl right here and now.

We have some copies of Pearl Jam’s 2009 album, Backspacer, that we’d love to send you… that is, if you’re one of a couple lucky listeners. Just head over to our Facebook Fan Page before 1PM today and leave a comment on the appropriate post for your chance to win.

For now, here’s Pearl Jam performing “Just Breathe” live at Austin City Limits:

Also, Dead Confederate is currently offering a free download of a new live LP, Dirty Ammo. The seven songs were recorded at The Earl in Atlanta this past May, including one new song, “Guns,” and two covers: Elliott Smith’s “Roman Candle” and Officer May’s “Smoking a Minor.” The LP will also be available with an optional $1 donation to help rebuild the Georgia Theater, which was destroyed by fire in June 2009. And you can buy the album on vinyl as well.

Here is the rest of what you voted for:

Dead Kennedys “California Über Alles” from Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables live 1979:

Beirut “The Gulag Orkestar” from Gulag Orkestar at Bowery Ballroom 2007:

Pixies live “Vamos” from Come On Pilgrim:

Bon Iver live “Skinny Love” from For Emma, Forever Ago at SXSW 2009:

Arcade Fire “Rebellion” from Funeral:

Among our guests during KEXP’s broadcast from Musicfest NW this year was the Scottish group The Twilight Sad, who performed several songs from their brand album, Forget the Night Ahead, in their live set at the Doug Fir (watch video here). New York band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, who also performed live that day during our broadcast, have an new EP of their own out today. Beyond that, it’s a smorgasbord of delectable albums you’ll hear on KEXP, including The Big Pink, Le Loup, Islands, Girls, Sea Wolf, Brother Ali, Vic Chesnutt, WHY?, Joshua James, and the first independently released album by Pearl Jam… and there’s plenty more!

There are also a few projects whose names might be less recognizable but whose members you’ll certainly know — Volcano Choir (Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), Rain Machine (TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone), and Monsters of Folk (a supergroup of M. Ward, Jim James, Connor Oberst, and Mike Mogis) — and whose albums you’ll definitely want to pick up. Check out the rest on Largehearted Boy’s list and enjoy this feast of new releases:

Another sign of times: Pearl Jam is about to release Backspacer, their ninth studio album, independently on their own MonkeyWrench label. As manager Kelly Curtis says, the band is “making good on its longstanding desire to release its music on its own terms.” It’s by no means a rejection of large corporations — in fact, Target is the the album’s exclusive mass retail partner, but as Curtis also say, it’s an effort to “make the music accessible across multiple platforms for our fans and work with businesses — big and small — supportive of [the band's] overall sensibilities.”

Pearl Jam starts a brief U.S. tour next week before heading over to Australia. They will begin at our own Key Arena on September 21 & 22. We have one pair of tickets to give away for the 9/22 show on our Facebook fan page. Just leave a comment on our 9AM post before 11AM today and 1 lucky person will be chosen at random.

Dan Muller

• Live recordings of shows performed at Seattle’s landmark venue, The Crocodile, from 2002 to present, are now available at the University of Washington’s library thanks to soundman Jim Anderson. The archives contain hundreds of shows including some from Apples in Stereo, Andrew Bird, Ben Lee, Bishop Allen, Brandi Carlile, Crooked Fingers, Damien Jurado, Death Cab For Cutie, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Harvey Danger, Iron and Wine, Josh Ritter, The Long Winters, Matisyahu, Mountain Goats, Mudhoney, Nada Surf, Okkervil River, Pedro the Lion, Presidents of the United States of America, Regina Spektor, Rilo Kiley, Tegan and Sara, and Unicorns.

• This Tuesday, Pearl Jam performed an unusual mix of rarities and brand new songs in London. Eddie Vedder and company were joined on stage by The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood. Their mini European tour will hit Rotterdam, Berlin, Manchester and London’s O2 Arena. The band recently announced more U.S. dates this fall and will also play a half-dozen outdoor gigs in Australia and New Zealand. Their new record, Backspacer, is due out on September 20th.

• Before their show at the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Michigan on Tuesday, The Decemberists decided to perform in impromptu set on the street outside and were cited for busking, but not before apparently making $2. Lead singer Colin Meloy tweeted the ticketing.

• A trailer for Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus hit the web Tuesday. Among other (equally notable) details, the film features Tom Waits playing Satan and Heath Ledger’s final filmed performance.

• It is with great sadness that we must report that The Verve are breaking up. Again. After reuniting for the third time in 2007, it seems the BritPop megastars are going their separate ways. Guitarist Nick McCabe and bassist Simon Jones are focusing on a new band called Black Ships.

• Vibe Magazine, after folding a month and a half ago, will be returning as a web-focused publication, printing 300,000 copies quarterly. This influential urban music and culture magazine and its website are being acquired by Uptown Media.

• Ghostface Killah plans to record his next album with Wu Tang’s Raekwon and Method Man. The trio’s LP is expected sometime this year.

• Who else but Elton John has a guest appearance on the new Alice in Chains record. The track, Black Gives Way to Blue, off the forthcoming record of the same name, pays due tribute to fallen singer Layne Staley.

• Before Bon Iver was The Volcano Choir, a collaboration between Justin Vernon and Milwaukee’s Collections of Colonies of Bees. The debut release of The Volcano Choir, called Unmap, some three years after its inception, arrives on September 22nd on Jagjaguwar. You can listen to the first single here:

• A large-scale and star-powered tribute to Michael Jackson is planned for September 26th in Vienna. Jermaine Jackson will be announcing the concert lineup soon, but is expected to feature at least 10 top artists performing 15 to 20 Jackson hits. Austrian media have reported that Madonna, U2, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston might be among the performers. (Tribute site)

• According to The Sun, UK rock band Kasabian’s frontman, Tom Meighan, has come down with Swine Flu while on tour! Yikes, is that still happening?!?

• Although Thom Yorke has told The Believer that Radiohead won’t be working on a new album any time soon, the band’s output remains unchecked. Last week, they released the one-off “Harry Patch (In Memory Of).” Another new song leaked this week, supposedly called “These Are My Twisted Words.” The Stranger’s Line Out adds a bit of Yorkeian text, which may or may not be legit. Either way, this is a truly productive hiatus.

• Seminal rock group the Pixies have announced their full schedule for their Doolittle tour. The band will be performing their classic album in its entirety with a few surprises along the way. The Seattle dates are November 11 and 12 at the Paramount Theater; be sure to check out our presale, which starts today at 10AM and runs to Friday at 10PM. Use the password “KEXP”.

• Master MC and accomplished actor Mos Def has assembled a fall tour behind his latest effort, The Ecstatic. A Seattle date is scheduled for August 28 with no word on the venue quite yet.

• You know you love yourself if you cover your own album. Twice. Indie-pop sibling duo The Fiery Furnaces plan to re-record their album I’m Going Away, with siblings Matt and Eleanor Friedberger each releasing their own versions of the album.

• Unlike most bands, Weezer seem to get less mature with age, as evidenced by two new songs they debuted at a recent show in South Korea called “I’m Your Daddy” and “The Girl Got Hot.” Apparently they sound just like the titles. If you must, check ‘em out at Stereogum.

• Memphis maniac rocker Jay Reatard is hitting the road this August for a batch of free all-ages in-store performances. Can you say awesome? He’ll be in Seattle for two shows, August 26 at East Street Records and August 27 at Sonic Boom Records playing songs from his new album, Watch Me Fall, out that same month. You can also look forward to a Jay Reatard documentary. Check out the trailer here.

• Ex-Be Your Own Pet frontwoman Jemina Pearl has set tour dates and a release date for her upcoming solo album, Break It Up, on Ecstatic Peace. She’ll be at Chop Suey on October 19.

• Don’t worry: The Mountain Goats won’t be touring the Christian rock circuit any time soon (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). But you might get that impression when first reading about the new album, The Life Of The World To Come (due on 4AD on October 6), which features a dozen songs named after Bible passages, like “Genesis 3:23.” “It’s not a screed,” claims songwriter John Darnielle, who assures us he hasn’t “had some sort of religious awakening.” He says rather vaguely that “It’s twelve songs the Bible taught me, kind of.”

• If you’ve never watched the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba, you’re missing out. The show has already featured tons of rad performances from bands like Tilly And The Wall, The Ting Tings, MGMT, and Chromeo, and now Super Furry Animals are getting in on the action. The Welsh band are hard at work writing a song for the show but there’s no word yet if they’ll appear in person.

• Someone had to say it, but who thought it would be David Byrne? They typically polite veteran of rock not so subtly pointed out on his blog that U2’s spending “$40 million to build the stage” and their estimated “200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe” for their upcoming world tour is a bit “overkill, and just a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all.” Byrne, who admits to being a little bit peeved for getting bumped from Letterman during the week-long U2 residency, is at least thankful that Live Nation, who’s promoting both his and U2’s tours is allowing him to play clubs who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

• Pearl Jam is promoting their upcoming album Backspacer with a scavenger hunt. After collecting nine images, created by Tom Tomorrow, across the interweb, fans will be treated to a download of some sort. You can start your collection at Spinner.

• According to several reports, Pearl Jam performed a secret show at Showbox in Seattle this past Thursday. The 300 or so attendees were told only that they would attend a filmed “rock concert” and be compensated for their time, but after signing non-disclosure agreements and so forth, they were treated to a repeated performance of a new song that, according to Stereogum, is called the “The Fixer” and will supposedly be featured in an upcoming Target ad, which friend to grunge Cameron Crowe was directing.

• Ever wonder what Spector’s Wall of Sound would become within the heavily fortified concrete walls of a maximum security prison? Phil Spector, convicted of second degree murder in April in the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson, was sentenced with 19 year-to-Life Friday.

• Microsoft refuses to let the Zune die. The MP3 device allowed subscriptions for iPod users recently, sure to help out the brand’s digital marketplace but now the software and gaming giant is going for the music gold once more with the announcement of the Zune HD. The updated device expands with a built-in HD Radio receiver, a 16:9 touchscreen, and a full-screen internet browser. Microsoft will also incorporate the Zune Marketplace into its Xbox Live service, furthering their goal of making all branded devices into Skynet.

• This week brought promises of new albums. Breathe in, breathe out: Magnolia Electric Co. will release Josephine July 21st, WHY? readies Eskimo Snow for a fall release, Lightning Dust delivers Infinite Light August 4th, and not to be left out, Sigur Ros — despite numerous solo efforts and side projects by the Icelandic band — have announced they are putting the finishing touches to a new album due at the beginning of 2010.

• The Brooklyn based No Fun Fest played itself out two weekends ago, so why are we still talking about it? Because Carlos Giffoni is taking his beautiful beast to Europe — Sweden to be exact. No Fun Fest bombards Stockholm September 18th-20th with Wolf Eyes, Emeralds, Burning Star Core, and Giffoni himself headlining the eclectic line-up.

• Tim DeLaughter, former frontman of Tripping Daisy and founder of the choral mass The Polyphonic Spree, recently finished the score for the art DVD, Wee See. The project, a collaboration with visual artist Rolyn Barthelman, mutated from kid-oriented beginnings into a full-blown release full of black-and-white imagery to stimulate young and old alike. The DVD can be found at Wee See’s website.

• Big Star is getting the box set treatment with Keep An Eye on the Sky, due September 15h via Rhino. The four disc set chronicles 1968-1975, collecting nearly everything the band did as a unit or solo with rarities, alternative recordings, and an entire disc of a 1973 Memphis show that caught the band in a mood to cover The Kinks, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and T. Rex.

• Not much going on during the late night talk shows this week. Green Day and Tori Amos continue their barrage of the sleep deprived, and we’re guessing you can hear that new Pearl Jam song when they make a rare appearance on Conan tonight. The must-see events, though, are Steve Earle and Elvis Costello on consecutive nights on Letterman, Doves on Fallon, and TV on the Radio on Saturday Night Live.
  Monday, June 1

  Conan O’Brien: Pearl Jam
  Late Late Show: Tori Amos

  Tuesday, June 2

  Conan O’Brien: Green Day

  Wednesday, June 3

  David Letterman: Steve Earle
  George Stroumboulopoulos: Perry Farrell

  Thursday, June 4

  David Letterman: Elvis Costello
  Jimmy Fallon: Doves

  Friday, June 5

  take the night off! go outside!

  Saturday, June 6

  Saturday Night Live: TV on the Radio

• Want to get in Alison Goldfrapp’s pants? Maybe Nick Cave’s? Or Sacha Baron Cohen’s? Guardian writer Simon Hattenstone requested signed skivvies from many celebs for an Ebay fueled fundraiser for New North London Synagogue. You can view all the available undies here. No comment on where these have been.

• Neil Young’s long awaited Archives Vol. 1: 1963-1972 (Warner/Reprise) is now available for preorder and will hit stores June 2. Three versions are available: a Blu-Ray edition priced at $299.99, a DVD edition for $199.99, and an eight-disk CD edition for $99.99. If you preorder, you’ll get some goodies, like a special 7″ single. Visit the preorder page for the full tracklist and more info. Here’s a new video to inspire you to.. ahem… “Cough Up The Bucks”:

• Elvis Costello has also set a June 2 release date for his upcoming Americana album Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane (Hear Music). The album features songs originally written for Johnny Cash and features Emmylou Harris on a track.

• Dinosaur Jr. has set the release date of their upcoming album Farm for June 23 on new label Jagjaguwar. Check out the trippy cover art; you have to wonder what they’re “farming”.

• To celebrate the re-release this week of Pearl Jam’s flannel waving classic Ten, MTV2 tapped a handful of artists to cover songs from the album. Among them was Minneapolis rapper P.O.S., who performs “Why Go” in his bedroom in the video below. If you’re feeling like you need a genre refresher, check out the Grunge primer on Newsweek’s Pop Vox blog.

• The Shins have had a busy week, announcing a short May tour with two dates at the Showbox at the Market, May 4 and 5. Also, amid the rumors of a split with Sub Pop, clarification has been given: The Shins’ contract has expired with Sub Pop and the band is on a “writing hiatus” with no definite future plans.

• In more tour news, Glasgow band Camera Obscura has set a North American tour with a June 6 date at the Showbox at the Market. These folks haven’t been to the US in a while, so be sure to check them out.

• Some big news from the Arts & Crafts camp in Toronto: Stars co-frontman Torquil Campbell has started a new project with Apostle of Hustle’s Julian Harris Brown, entitled Dead Child Star. Don’t fret Stars fans; he also announced that the Stars will align in April to begin work on a new record. In other Arts and Crafts news, Metric has a new video for their single “Gimme Sympathy”; check it out below as you wait for their upcoming record Fantasies, out April 14 (and released in the US by Metric themselves).