March 27, 2012 – Noise-rap firestarters Death Grips are still celebrating being the the weirdest thing signed to a major label since Daniel Johnston. Dudes already dropped the explosive "Lost Boys", the wubbing mushbomb "Blackjack" and the jittery nicotine fit "Get Got" from their upcoming album, The Money Store. Now here comes the album's Tron ligh-cycle acceleration "Fever (Aye Aye)," full of Stefan Burnett's husky scream and Zach Hill's bonkers drumming. Check out the rad clip which old-timers will notice bears quite a resemblance to the Rolling Stones' "Emotional Rescue" video. For the the other 99 percent, uh... check out these Waka-levels of yelling and a shirtless Zach Hill! Yuh!

March 12, 2012 – "We got off tour in October. I’ve basically been in the studio most of the time since then without much break and I'm pretty much run dry," says Michael Gira, lead purger for legendary noise-rock pummellers Swans. "I’m a completely wrung out wash cloth of a human being." Gira has been more than busy crafting The Seer, a the megalithic follow-up to 2010's cauterizing as ever reunion bid My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky, promising a whopping two hours of music on double CD and triple vinyl. Adds Gira, "and it might even include more extra things if I ever find the time to mix a few things" Gira promises guest spots from Karen O, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low, and previous collaborators Akron/Family doing Beach Boys-style harmonies. "It’s a really, varied record.

March 9, 2012 – Tireless sludgemuffins the Melvins are as busy as ever in their 29th year. Their 5-track Scion A/V EP The Bulls & The Bees is due March 13; their 13-LP Sugar Daddy Live split 12" series is slowly rolling out via Amphetamine Reptile; they're making their network TV debut on Last Call with Carson Daly in April; and they're weeks away from launching a 21-date tour with fellow noise-metal muckos Unsane. But right now, all Melvinmaniacs are turning their eyes to Freak Puke, the band's 21st studio album. Recorded without the Big Business half of their freight train double-drummer line-up, veteran guitarist King Buzzo and drummer Dale Crover teamed with Trevor Dunn, famed bassist of Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Madlove, and various Tzadik improv workouts.

March 8, 2012 – Justin Bieber's favorite pet/fashion accessory/double entendre Johnson the Snake, is no longer slithering around the pop star's house in fear of getting stepped on by Selena Gomez. TMZ reports that the most famous rock snake since Slash's is now maxing and relaxing in a Minnesota zoo. After someone won the snake at a post-VMA auction, he kindly donated the snake to something appropriately called the RAD Zoo in Owatonna, Minnesota. Kids from everywhere are encouraged to go some place RAD and touch Justin Bieber's Johnson.

March 5, 2012 – The Brooklyn bad-boys of hyphy-punk, the Death Set, refuse to sit still. Today, they're dropping this totally batshit video for "They Come To Get Us," a highlight of last years Can You Seen Straight EP and easily the most playfully anarchic thing you'll see all day unless you live in Pee-Wee's Playhouse or something. After the Back to the Future-inspired intro, director Guillaume Panariello takes our hapless heroes through a retromania apocalypse where the ephemera of our youth — Godzilla, U.S.S. Enterprise, the gang from Rampage — wreaks unbelievable havoc on New York City. You know, just like blind childhood nostalgia has wreaked havoc on the Brooklyn underground. A sly commentary, a visually bold video and a shot of caffeine to your afternoon. Good luck!

March 1, 2012 – Get ready to pick cat hair off one of these! Via her Twitter

March 1, 2012 – Norway's euphoria-kraut avant-pop savants 120 Days have returned with their first album in five years. Back in 2006, when Vice took a chance on releasing their self-titled debut in America, they were steely Autobahn pilots but ultimately an anomaly. In the interim, all kinds of electro-rock has exploded, French house took distorto-dance to wild extremes and great krauty bands have popped up in nearby Finland (like K-X-P, Siinai). In turn, 120 Days has fleshed out their sound to include more even more nods to trancey house music and gothy bluster, bringing the dancefloor quotient of their upcoming II (out March 6 via Splendour) to ecstatic, all-night highs. But, don’t listen to us. Stream the whole thing exclusively below!

February 24, 2012 – To celebrate the first Afghan Whigs show in America in 13 years, gloom-master general Greg Dulli was kindly asked to curate the second year of beach-brooder blowout All Tomorrow's Parties I'll Be Your Mirror in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Today, his first 14 picks were released, and they're certainly a doozy, led by a rare festival appearance by comedian-of-the-moment Louis C.K., a score which kind of feels like nabbing Jerry Seinfeld circa 1991. Other acts showcase Dulli's well-worn love of tender romantics (Sharon Van Etten, Jose Gonzalez), classic soul and hip-hop (The Roots, Charles Bradley, the Dirtbombs), and the stuff that we correctly predicted would show up since he's such a vocal Facebooker (fellow Gutter Twin and recent SPIN Essential Mark Lanegan, the Antlers, and Emeralds).

February 24, 2012 – Despite decades of slams, get-lows, and hip-hop hoorays, no dumb-out arena anthem has proven as sublimely Pavlovian as House of Pain's indomitable cattle prod "Jump Around." "It's the kind of shit you can put a lampshade on your head and act an idiot to," accurately observes Danny Boy, the crew's resident agitated synapse. "It's our generation's 'Louie Louie.'" This call to action became bigger than Billy Clinton in 1992, but before that, House of Pain were mostly a foster home for second chances. Everlast, the great white hope of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate posse, had flopped with his pop-centric solo record for Warner Bros. DJ Lethal, the brawny teenage cut-master, had dropped out of high school to perform as his backing band.

February 22, 2012 – Daniel Menche: My ex-girlfriend's son bought me this little tiny fur ball. He's four years old now. I had him when he was a tiny little biscuit; I could hold him in my palm. Arrow is magical: If someone is in a rut creatively, you just hold him and make your music. When I record my music, Arrow's on my lap. He's made a few appearances on my recordings where I've time-stretched his screaming and barking, which is a really beautiful thing to hear. Making my music is something very natural to me, but artwork is always very difficult. With this Guts album, everything came together [because of Arrow]. About three years ago, he was a little puppy and I was doing landscaping work. Arrow got attacked by a gigantic Labrador near the house I was working at. I actually had to run and grab the Labrador and open up his jaws like Samson and the lion.