Just a reminder that you have one week left to enter our So Many Dynamos contest, to win its new album, The Loud Wars, a "New Bones" 7" and tickets to its CD release show on Saturday, June 27 at the Firebird.

Also, be sure to head over to So Many Dynamos' PureVolume page and snag a free MP3 of the RAC mix of "New Bones" (the b-side on the 7"). Now didn't I tell everyone this was like So Many Disco-mos? Yup.

Today is finally the day that you can head to the store and snag So Many Dynamos' Vagrant Records debut, The Loud Wars, the album that's nearly two years in the making! Courtesy of Vagrant, I have *five* sweet prize packages to give away: a copy of the new album, a limited-edition, numbered, colored 7" featuring the RAC remix of "New Bones" and two tickets to the band's CD release show at the Firebird on June 27. Whew!

To enter, leave a comment with your full name and a valid email address and your favorite SMD memory -- whether it be a memorable show moment, a favorite song or the first time you saw the band (or, hell, its previous groups, Saving Boy Wonder and Children's Audio) by 10 a.m. Monday, June 22. Winners will be chosen that day and notified as soon as possible.

Incidentally, the band is going to be doing a special performance at Vintage Vinyl at 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 too: The Loud Wars in its entirety, from start to finish. To get into that performance, all you need to do is purchase Wars at Vintage Vinyl before that day. It'll make a great father's day gift, right?

In this week's paper, Christian Schaeffer reviews the Pragmatic's debut EP, Circles. He had this to say:

On its self-released Circles EP, it's hard to miss the influence of the Postal Service, the collaboration between Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard that opened many ears to the beauty of sculpted synth sounds and clicky drumbeats. The Pragmatic carry this torch mostly because of Karl Kling's nice-guy vocals, which are positively Gibbardian in their breathy inflection and sweet approach.

But the Pragmatic's three keyboardists aren't just versed in laptop pop. Buzzy, low-end synths and drum-machine cymbal crashes lend dark-wave electro menace to "Deathmatch," a song reminiscent of the Faint's early forays into synthesizer deviance, while a host of '70s and '80s sounds -- including airy string pads ("Circles"), brusque, squelchy bass lines ("Academy"), and video-game beeps and blips ("You Blame Me") -- influence other songs.

Read the rest here. Go listen to "Circles (Troupe Remix)" here, and download three Pragmatic MP3s here. Oh, and for good measure, you can snag the Circles EP also for free, right at that there website. 

Here's a pairing you might not have expected: Magnolia Summer remixed by the RAC. The song totally sounds like the type of dreamcloud music found in an 8-bit Nintendo game. Like the Super Mario Brothers sky worlds or Zelda's prairie moments when Link is wandering around stabbing bad guys.

MP3: Magnolia Summer, "Diminished Returns" (RAC remix)

The RAC also has a remix of So Many Dynamos' "New Bones" in the pipeline -- and if you like Crystal Castles, you'll dig that. Trust. (I've heard it; it's So Many Discomos, people.) As an added bonus, you can also download the RAC's mix of Swedish popstar Robyn's song "Cobrastyle" below.

MP3: Robyn, "Cobrastyle (RAC remix)"

Everyone loves free music, right? First up for download is a digital mixtape by the RAC's Andre Anjos that's "inspired by countless hours of sitting around with friends in dark cafes and bars," according to Nicky Digital (which is hosting the MP3). Artists on the mix include Rivers Cuomo, Death From Above 1979, the Mae Shi, Hercules & Love Affair, the Magnetic Fields and my personal favorite, Radio Dept. Snag it here.

And then Vandalyzm offers up two things for free. First up is the song "I Am Majorz" from an upcoming mixtape called B*tch Cause I Felt Like It. (Be warned: That link isn't entirely safe for work, because it's a zshare link.) Second up is even more exciting: It's his entire Megatron Majorz CD. Click here to grab it.

Speaking of Vandalyzm, in the same email he promises some other exciting news...

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(Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)

Via Chromewaves, I found this Web site called Buffet Libre, which recently posted Rewind: The '80s Covers Project, a four-hour (!) mix of '80s cover tunes -- downloadable for free.

The collection has mash-ups (Yes vs. Howard Jones) and remixes (Madonna, Def Leppard, Pet Shop Boys), although it covers a surprisingly diverse array of genres -- from folk-pop to electro, hip-hop to straightforward rock. Notable artists contributing include Dragonette, Mark Mallman, Cloud Room, Oh Snap!! and Electric Soft Parade, although the best part about this collection are the new bands I've discovered. (See below.)

Rewind also has ties to Missouri: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin contributes a fantastic cover of XTC's "Another Satellite," while the RAC (featuring the Pragmatic's Karl Kling) covers A-Ha's "Take On Me."

The folks behind Buffet Libre were kind enough to let me post a ton of MP3s from the collection for download and stream, although the full compilation can be downloaded at the site. (Every time I listen, I fall in love with a new song.) I also suggest heading to the Web site to find out more about the bands and why they chose the songs they did; the Q&As on the site are entertaining. (AND: The Web site also has a ton more music to download for free.)

After the jump, find covers of songs by Prince, Big Black, XTC, Eddie Murphy, Hall & Oates and more!

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To download everything, here's the post.

I first told everyone about the RAC's impending mix for the music blog Stereogum in my March 12 cover story "E-Mix." And after months of delays, RAC founder Andre Anjos wrote in to say that this Wednesday, June 11 (that's tomorrow), his mix Stereogum Presents...The RAC, Volume 1 is finally going live on the big music Web site.

Tracklisting after the jump; in the meantime, check out the RAC mix of the Pipettes' "Pull Shapes."

MP3: The Pipettes, "Pull Shapes" (RAC mix)

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In this week's paper, Ryan Wasoba interviewed Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, the Canadian duo who's playing the Pageant this Sunday night, May 4, with An Horse. I'd advise anyone who's on the fence about going to buy your tickets now. Just trust me.

Anyway, Ryan's feature is here; outtakes are below. While reading, please listen to the RAC mix of T & S's "Back In Your Head."

MP3: Tegan and Sara, "Back in Your Head (RAC Mix)"

Ryan Wasoba: It's been a while since you've played St. Louis, right?
Tegan Quin: Oh God yeah, years and years. I think the last place we
played was the Galaxy.

Wow. I think that closed down in 2003, so i guess it has been a while.
Yeah, I remember we rolled in and we were driving downtown. It wasn't actually me, but our drummer was driving and he woke us up and he said, "Oh my God, it's like a war happened here and nobody told anyone," cause it was right around when we were touring and there was a
lot of war talk around then. There were so many buildings that were boarded up and falling down and decrepit and streets were abandoned and it was like, "Where are we?"

Has touring been different since The Con came out?
I think that's the big difference with this record, is that we're consistently playing the same-sized venue, which sounds like the most boring thing ever, but it's a lot better. With every record, every tour is different. One night you're opening for someone the next night you're headlining and every night is different and maybe in certain cities you have a fanbase and another you don't. Sometimes you're playing for 500 people and you feel like the happiest person alive and the next night it's 12 people and you're questioning why you didn't go to the university.

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Opening up for Dan Deacon on Saturday night at the Billiken Club is the Pragmatic. "Who's that?" you might ask. Well, it's the electro-pop project of Andre Anjos of the RAC (see my story here) and his roommate, Karl Kling.

Fans of Daft Punk's smooth funk and retro-new-wave synthpop with a desire for authentic, analog sounds will enjoy the Pragmatic's tunes. Behold:

MP3: The Pragmatic, "Rendezvous"

MP3: The Pragmatic, "Circles"

MP3: Justice, "Phantom Part III (Pragmatic mix)"

-- Annie Zaleski