So remember that Tullycraft covers compilation we mentioned a while back, Wish I'd Kept A Scrapbook? Well, it's done, and will be available for purchase next month. And, you can stream the whole thing on their website! I've been swooning all morning. This compilation features so many of my crush bands, like Gold-Bears, Fishboy, the Smittens, Bunnygrunt, and Math and Physics Club.

The folks at Unchikun Records have been nice enough to share a few MP3s, so for your listening pleasure, check out two of my favorite songs from the comp, Hot Lava covering "Pink Lemonade" and the Medusa Snare covering "Every Little Thing".

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{Tullycraft photo by Steve Louie}

Holy indie pop incredibleness! Do you miss Tullycraft as much as I do? It's only been less than a year since their farewell set at San Francisco Popfest (which still gives me chills just thinking about), but just knowing that there may be another chance to sing along to such glorious pop gems makes me happy. Well, this isn't a new Tullycraft record, but the next best thing: all your favorite (well, at least my favorite) indie pop bands together on one comp covering their favorite Tullycraft songs!

The wonderful folks who are putting the comp together put up an experiment of sorts on the site Kickstarter (a great website for getting funding for projects!) to see if they could raise a little scratch to make this cover compilation huge; to spread the love of Tullycraft to the masses! Only if they raise their amount will you be charged. Think of it like a pre-order: by paying in advance, you get tons of awesome benefits!

Full band list after the jump.

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{Robert Schneider from the Apples In Stereo from Athens Popfest 2008}

We here at TIG have been crushing out over Athens Popfest for years. I've been every year since 2006 and Liz went in 2005 and 2007. It's pretty much always the best week of the year, fusing together amazing indie pop, delicious food (seriously, Athens has the best!), and wonderful community. I look forward to the lineup announcement all year long, and the wonderful popfest folks have given us just a taste of what's to come, featuring some of my current favorite bands and lots of TIG favorites (and as always, some newbies I'm so excited to hear)!

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{press photo}

Reading press releases at work has it's downfall. If you read something really awesome, it's hard to not react too much or look too excited. Case in point when I found out about Maintenant, the premier release by (the mostly Canadian) Gigi - a "supergroup" of sorts, with songs written in the classic 60's Brill Building/Phil Spector style by Vancouver's Nick Krgvich (P:ano, No Kids) and vocals by Mirah, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls, Rose Melberg, Karl Blau, and more. I am a huge sucker for 60's pop. Start that reverb soaked thump-thump-thump-clap beat with some crooning lovelorn vocals, and chances are, I'll be won over. These two early release songs are no exception. "No My Heart Will Go On" features a chorus of ladies, and "Strolling Past the Old Graveyard" features an extra melancholic Karl Blau at the helm. File this under release I'm ready to pee my pants over in 2010.

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{photo from Darren's press kit}

It is my pleasure to announce that Australia's unbelievably talented and charming pinball champion/songsmith Darren Hanlon will be joining us in our fair city on Friday, November 13th at the Fremont Abbey! You may have caught Darren when he opened up for the Magnetic Fields on the i tour in 2004 (which happened to be where I fell in love with his songs myself). His songs are beautifullly penned stories, sometimes sad, sometimes silly, and often feature a "punchline", just as you're about to succumb to weeping on the floor. Here's a video of one of my favorites of his, "The Unmade Bed" from 2004's Little Chills.

And, to top it all off, we have a pair of tickets to give away! E-mail tig@threeimaginarygirls.com by Thursday at 9am with the subject line "WeOnlyTouchedElbows" (all one word please), and please include your full name, especially if your e-mail address is something like darrenrules@iwishthatiwerebeautifulforyou.com.au. See you at the Fremont Abbey!

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