As per usual, there’s a lot of rad shit going on tonight in the D (and elsewhere), from Javelins playing for FREE at the WAB (early show, doors are at 7:30), to another mothafuckin’ FREE show starring one of the most badass noise-pop bands to ever exist ever — Parts and Labor — at PJ’s Lager House.

Free is cool and all, but let’s not forget that sometimes it actually feels good to pay 5 bucks to see a show — especially when said show is being delivered by Knoxville, Tennessee’s Royal Bangs (that five spot, hopefully, will go straight to them). Maybe you saw them open for the Black Keys not too long ago at the Royal Oak Music Theatre? No? That show was too expensive? You liked them better when they played at the Lager House?

Either way, 5 bucks isn’t too much to ask, considering how goddamn excellent Royal Bangs are, and how addictive their new album We Breed Champions (out on Black Keys drummer Pat Carney’s Audio Eagle label) is. If you’re not familiar, think Broken Social Scene-esque progressive pop with a dose of Warp Records-ish electronica, rounded out with a sudsy beer-rock vibe ala the Replacements and Crazyhorse. We know, it sounds like it totally isn’t going to work, but it totally does. It’s loose, it’s adventurous, and it’s hooky in all the right spots.

Don’t take our word for it, though. Watch some clips, and decide for yourself. Total weirdos Benny Stoofy opens the night. — Ryan Allen

MP3: Boo and Boo Too, “I’ll Be Your Whore”

Detroit is chock-full of amazing shows this week, from Friday’s Nice Device CD release at the Magic Bag to School of Seven Bells, Deastro, Javelins, and Zoos of Berlin over at the Pike Room. We’ve got Jay Reatard and Man Man tonight, the Silent Years on Saturday, and Mates of State and Minus the Bear on Sunday. Who says nobody good ever comes to Detroit?

Anyway, we thought we’d give props to the D’s very important DIY scene, and tip you off to another rad show going down TONIGHT at the Trumbullplex featuring noisy shoegaze punks Boo and Boo Too (from Lawrence, KA), along with revolving art project Benny Stoofy, and our favorite lady rapper Breezee One. We know that most of you will probably be sloshing around to Man Man’s pirate pomp, or getting gnarly with the Reatarded one, but if you’re feeling adventerous and in the mood for some newfound sounds, this’ll be the perfect show to see before launching that blog you’ve always wanted to start. — Ryan Allen

Here’s Boo and Boo Too playing “Alleys In Whitechapel” in Akron, OH.

Here’s a video for Benny Stoofy’s “What’s There To Dew”

And here’s Breezee One, straight lounging.

It’s awesome when bands stream their new albums for free, with that “try before you buy” spirit in mind. It’s even more awesome when said band, is, well, awesome. So in the name of all that is awesome, streaming, and free, we give you the second album by Eastcoast spaz-popsters Pretty & Nice: Get Young. If you’re a fan of the twitchy indie rock of Enon, mixed in with a little 70s new-wave ala Elvis Costello and early XTC, then Get Young is sure to sit nicely next to the new Deerhoof as one of your year end favorites. So what are you waiting for? Listen away, and hey, even buy it if you’re so inclined — it came out today, afterall. We hear gas prices are going down, so you should have enough money. — Ryan Allen

MP3: “I’m Not Afraid Of A Fight”

This Friday a trip to Corktown won’t exactly make up for your inability to drop everything and take a road trip to Chicago to see My Bloody Valentine, but it’ll still give you a chance to exercise your shoegaze demons. Lansing’s Fields Of Industry make fuzzed out dream music that would fit perfectly on a mixtape with The Velvet Underground and Galaxy 500. Frontman Joshua Barton, when asked to expound on the notion of “the shoegaze label” said, “The shoegaze movement means a lot to me personally because it was that whole scene that pulled me out of listening exclusively to the Ramones (not that that wasn’t fun). I’ve never considered us a shoegaze band, but I think we’ve taken cues from shoegazers and many others who have tried to make something “beautiful” out of rock and roll.” Check out their tune “I’m Not Afraid Of A Fight” from Two Dogs, A Television which they released earlier this year and watch the charming video for “Point Of Contention.” Then go see them Friday — they’re playing with Detroit’s Indian Guides and Modernlull, along with Slow/Dynamite from Brooklyn. A guaranteed dreamy evening. — Laura Witkowski

Video for “Point Of Contention”

This Saturday at the Lager House — oops, our bad…PJ’s Lager House –  is going to feel a little bit like 1999, and a little bit like 2008, all rolled into one rippin’ night. Why, you say? Well, Detroit rock heavyweights the Hentchmen, the Muldoons, and garage rock newbies the Dial Tones are all releasing hot slabs of vinyl on the same night, courtesy of Bellache Records!

Now, we all know Hentch and the Muldoons have more than a few releases under their belts, but this evening will bring the very first offering from the Dial Tones. The 6-song debut EP comes correct via 33 RPM 7″, which is totally badass, but if you’re all new-school and don’t have a record player for some stupid reason, we’re going to do ya’ll a favor and give you the A-Side to what the Dial Tones like to call The Hot Dogs! EP. Eat ‘em up!

MP3: “Lost Love”

MP3: “Numb”

MP3: “Ghetto Bird”

– Ryan Allen

Remember that scene in Dig when the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe kicks that dude in the head? Well it’s entirely possible that some of the members of Spindrift — who play Saturday, September 13th at the Northern Lights Lounge in Detroit — were there to witness that type of insanity.

You see, Spindrift feature members of the BJM, as well as peeps from the Warlocks, so you know you’re going to be in for some drug-induced, psychedelic, freaky pop music. And if the fact that their new album, The West, is on the Dandy Warhols’ Beat the World label gets you excited, or if the knowledge that one of their songs will be featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Hell Ride tickles your fancy…well, we’re pretty sure we know where you’re going to be on Saturday night. Friends of Dennis Wilson and Bird Dogs are also on the bill. — Ryan Allen

Champions of Breakfast aren’t the first to fixate on the Power Glove as the most blessed artifact of 1980s gamer culture. But the Detroit-area duo of Val Hundreds and Moses Jackson (sure, those are their given names) get some solid zingers off in “The Power of Glove,” not the least of which is its titular Huey Lewis reference. By now, you know that live, the Breakfast perform with big cardboard instruments…they have strange mustaches…and their 80s-addled music bites not as much on synth-pop or new wave as the tinfoil keyboard twitter and anthemic plead of movie sequences. The Champions of Breakfast aren’t serious. Or are they? Just off a European tour (seriously!) and a bevy of CD release shows for their new Pleasure Mountain disc, the fucking Champs answered some not-so-serious questions with some not-so-serious answers. Go figure…– Johnny Loftus

Worst fanboy/fangirl experience…
A little while ago we had a girl come up to us at a show and insist that the track “Vanilla (always gets it raw)” was about her. When we told her that the song was written for our manager, Donny Villalobos, she became irate. She broke a bottle on our merch T-shirt bust and then tried to attack Donny. Val had to use his “long bass” to fend off the attacker.

Favorite music venue/city…
United States: The CAID, Detroit
Netherlands: De Magische Huidaap, Appeldoorn

Vegetarian, vegan or carnivore…
Dungeons and Dragons

Actor/actress you most want to hump…
Doodz

Bands you are digging right now…
Lyin Dogs, Lizz King, pre-surgery Ashlee Simpson

Last great movie you saw…
Nightbeast

TV shows you can’t stop watching…
“DeGrassi,” “Celebrity Rehab,” “Flavor of Love” (season two only)

Beverages you request on your rider…
Mexican horchata

First car…
After meeting at a Jesus Lizard concert in the early 1990s, Val and I bought a 1989 white Buick LeSabre and toured in it for a couple years. The passenger door panel had almost completely rusted off, so in order to look badass, we slapped a 4-foot RATT rub-on decal on the hood. It worked.

Guiltiest Pleasure - thing you watch, read, listen to - that no one knows about…
The taste you get in your mouth after licking a bunch of postage stamps.

With the gleam of disco and anxious pull of electro, plus post-punk at the core and plenty of pop melody, it’s pretty clear why Cut Copy’s in Ghost Colours is one of our favorite records of the year. Fronted by Dan Whitford, Cut Copy also includes Tim Hoey and Mitchell Scott. Here, Hoey was nice enough to lay it down for us on everything from the allure of New York City and Sonic Youth classics to who’s eating what in the band and a totally awesome quote from the band’s MySpace comments. — Johnny Loftus

MP3: “Lights & Music”

Favorite music venue/city…
New York has always been kind to us, from recording to playing to secondhand records.

Vegetarian, vegan or carnivore…
Mitchell and I are vegetarian. Dan likes rump steak stuffed with lobster wrapped in bacon. (It’s the country way. Dig.)

Most rented movie as a child…
Boyz n the Hood

Record that changed your life…
Sonic Youth, Evol

Best band from your city (besides yourself)…
Knightlife

CMJ or SXSW?
NKOTB

Movies in your Netflix queue…
“The Wire” season 1, 2, 3 and 4

Weirdest MySpace comment or message…
“You guy’s say you’re playing HAPPY HARDCORE. I don’t think you know what happy hardcore is, it’s understandable, you probably thought …hey were[sic] playing hardcore, and the lyrics are happy… NO. Happy Hardcore is a legitimate genre of music that you all sound nothing like, nor do i think that you would even like happy hardcore. Here’s an example of happy hardcore….

ANABOLIC FROLIC

9. Take a listen, now thats not what you want people to think you sound like when they hear/see that you play Happy Hardcore is it. ”

Favorite place for new threads…
Claude Maus Store, Melbourne

MP3: “So, Well”

I was hoping to sleep at some point, then fucking Benji Hughes jacked my night. I’m truly hoping this jam was recorded on an airplane in the bathroom on his laptop after listening to Cinerama. It has that one-take, long-night drunken feel to it, yet it seems to breathe that wispy oxygen-infused air that drives the best pop songs all the way to Mars.

UPDATE: Fuck. Dude has a small cornucopia of amazing homebrew jams. Get some.

– Brandon W.