You’re all set to leave for your well-deserved summer vacation when you realize you haven’t prepped your home at all. Here’s a list of all the energy vampires. Store News Store Update: Snail Mail. Snail Mail - Habit. The six-song debut EP by Baltimore-area singer/songwriter Lindsey Jordan (aka Snail Mail), who was. The voice interfaces Cortana and Alexa will soon be able to activate each other for functions that one does better than the other, Amazon and Microsoft announced.

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Dischord Records: store. Snail Mail - Habit. The six- song debut EP by Baltimore- area singer/songwriter Lindsey Jordan (aka Snail Mail), who was still a high school student at the time of this recording.

Teenage melancholy and open tuned guitars. Originally released last year on cassette, the EP has now been pressed on vinyl by Sister Polygon Records. Cool Moon - Post Party Depression. The debut album by Houston, TX trio Cool Moon. You can read a short interview with the band and preview a track here. Chain & the Gang - The Best of Crime Rock. The definitive primer/history lesson on Ian Svenonius' .

This album features recent re- recordings of Chain . Originally released in 1. A forward move from their previous EP in terms of arrangement and home studio know- how. A- side is quick and catchy while the flip goes long and woozy. Puff Pieces - Born 2 Die. A new song and a remix by Washington, D. C. The A- side was recorded by Ian Mac.

Kaye and Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios.(Aaron Leitko)0. Comet Gain - Realistes. Among the finest works by London's Comet Gain.

Indie- pop as agit- prop. Songs of bitterness and moodiness. Guitars by Jon Slade (Huggy Bear) and guest vocals from Kathleen Hanna. Originally released by Kill Rock Stars in 2.

LP courtesy of M'Lady's Records. Originally released on CD in 2. M'Lady's has now pressed the record to vinyl for the first time ever as a 2x. LP. Also quite excellent.(Aaron Leitko)0.

The Sorts - Six Plus. The sixth and final album by the mellow Washington, D. C.- based funk/post- rock outfit, The Sorts. Formed in 1. 99. 4, the band was anchored by guitarist Josh La. Rue (Hi. M), drummer Chris Farrall (Hoover), and bassist Stuart Fletcher. Originally released only on CD in 2.

Bcore has now given the record its first- ever vinyl pressing. Regulator Watts - The Mercury LPGuitarist Alex Dunham's post- Hoover trio with Arief Sless- Kitain and Cret Wilson. Mercury was first released as a four song 1. It's now on LP for the first time courtesy of Bcore. Bless - S/TSeven songs by bizzaro Washington, D.

C. Skewed guitar riffs that at times recall Devo, but also the more eccentric reaches of the Teenbeat Records family. Lineup includes members of Flasher, Cool People, Dudes, and Big Hush. You can preview this release digitally here. Weirdo house- party music with electronic rhythms and call and response vocals.

Features Jason Barnett of Gauche and Hott Beat. Jason Simon - Familiar Haunts. The second solo album by Dead Meadow guitarist, Jason Simon. Eight stripped down folk songs soaked in reverb and augmented with lo- fi psychic jewelry. Recommended. 1. 2. KAG - EP AThe solo debut by Priests singer and Sister Polygon Records co- proprietor, Katie Alice Greer.

Lo- fi electronics and samples conjure suburban isolation and alienation. Give it a listen online or buy digitally here.

Title Tracks - Long Dream. The third full- length by Washington, D. C.- based power- pop outfit, Title Tracks. Founded in 2. 00. John Davis (Q and Not U), the band has released two full- length records on Ernest Jennings as well as a two song single on Dischord.

At present, the band is a trio featuring Davis as well as bassist Michael Cotterman (Loved Ones) and drummer Elmer Sharp. You can preview the record online here.

Flasher - S/TOriginally released on cassette earlier this year, Sister Polygon has now reissued Flasher’s seven song debut EP on vinyl. Formed in 2. 01. 5, Flasher is Taylor Mulitz (Priests), Daniel Saperstein (Bless), and Emma Baker (Big Hush). Excellent minimalist post- punk that channels Wire as well as Teenbeat heavies like Unrest.

Recommended.(Aaron Leitko)0. Rain Like the Sound of Trains - Singles.

This record compiles all eight songs from the band's three original 7. Formed in 1. 99. 3, Rain Like the Sound of Trains was Bobby Sullivan (Soulside), Doug Birdzell (Beefeater), Pete Chramiec, and Josh Larue.

Pearie Sol - S/TThe debut cassette by Washington, DC's Pearie Sol (Gauche, Teen Liver). Lo- fi loner tunes that at times recall the work of Half Japanese and Suicide. Preview this release or purchase digitally here.

Motion Graphics - Brass Mechanics. Two minimalist compositions for digital reed instruments by Brooklyn- based composer, Motion Graphics (aka Joe Williams). Released on Washington, D. C.’s Future Times records.

Preview the tracks online here. Ocobaya - Messix.

The debut EP from Ocobaya. Lush and hypnotic synthesizer music by Mike Petillo and Aaron Leitko, who also work together under the name Protect- U. Released by D. C.- based label 1. R. Preview two songs here. Oswego - S/THamburg’s Arctic Rodeo Recordings has reissued the complete works of Oswego on double LP. Oswego was formed in Washington, D. C. The group released two records on Bcore Disc – the Just Getting Warmed Up EP (2.

This double LP reissue collects both discs and marks the first time that these songs have been made available on vinyl. Zomes - Who Shall Be The Sun.

A new cassette by Baltimore- based duo Zomes featuring recitations of works by poet David Wagoner set to minimal music. Years in the making, Describes Things As They Are finds songwriter Chad Clark augmenting his arrangements with electronic rhythms, horn arrangements, and noise. This pressing is on translucent red vinyl. Sunwolf - Follow The Dreamers. Washington, D. C.- based trio Sunwolf has a new LP, Follow The Dreamers , which is out now via their own label, El Rey Records.

Though the project started as a solo outlet for bassist/singer Rob “Kalani” Tifford, the band – which also includes singer/guitarist Tom Bunnell (Felt Letters) and drummer Jerry Busher (Fugazi, French Toast) - - has since grown into a more collaborative affair. Now relocated to New Orleans, Ferree delivers an album about heartbreak and renewal, albeit with a slightly gonzo touch and a lot of synthesizers. Features contributions from D. C.- based multi- instrumentalist, Mark Cisneros (Deathfix, Medications, Kid Congo Powers). Tim Follos and Hussain Mohammed.

Day After D. C. A collection of show reviews, interviews, and photographs chronicling the Washington, D. C. The book includes interviews with Ian Mac. Kaye, Chris Moore, Dave Brockie, and Ian Svenonius, as well as reviews of bands like Sick Fix, Give, Body Cop, Coke Bust, and many more. Flasher. S/TThe debut cassette by Washington, D.

C. Formerly known as Young Trynas, the band includes members of Priests and Big Hush. Jagged post- punk riffs dusted with stomp- box haze. Recorded at Inner Ear studios in 1. CBGB’s in 1. 98. 5. Guitar- driven pop music that sometimes recalls the Replacements and Big Star. The group features members of the groups Pizza and Pygmy Lush.

Preview the whole record here. Domingues and Kane.

Gut + Voltage. A collection of works by this D. C.- based neo- classical duo featuring Amy Domingues (Garland of Hours, Threnody Ensemble) and Dennis Kane (Tone, Soccer Team). Eight pieces that pair the 1. Two Inch Astronaut. Personal Life. The third full- length from Colesville, MD- bred trio, Two Inch Astronaut. Recorded by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) at Magpie Cage in Baltimore and released by Exploding in Sound Records.

Preview the song . Includes concert and portrait photographs of Bluetip, Circus Lupus, Engine Down, Fugazi, Nation of Ulysses, Henry Rollins, Darkest Hour, and many more. Robert Moss. Descending Memphis.

A detective story/coming- of- age story written by Robert R. Moss, former member of Artificial Peace and Government Issue.

Birth (Defects)S/T A two song 7. Released via Reptilian Records, this single is limited to 3. You can preview the song . Released in 2. 01.

Graveface Records. Daniel Higgs. VIVAn album of expansive songs and banjo improvisations by Lungfish singer, Daniel Higgs. Recorded last year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and released as a joint effort between the labels Desmonta and Unwork in 2. Limited to 3. 00 copies on black vinyl.

Ian Svenonius. Censorship Now!! The second collection of essays by musician/thinker/revolutionary, Ian Svenonius (Make- Up, Chain & the Gang). Biography Movies Watch Wolf Totem (2015).

Alexa and Cortana Teamed Up, But Consumer Tech Is Still Stuck in an Ecosystem War. The voice interfaces Cortana and Alexa will soon be able to activate each other for functions that one does better than the other, Amazon and Microsoft announced today. It’s the kind of cooperation that we don’t see enough between the Big Five, or really any company that’s grown out of its “desperately cobble together partnerships so we look relevant” phase and into its “abandon all cooperation that doesn’t lock customers into our shitty ecosystem” phase. Cortana and Alexa’s competitors, Google Assistant and Siri, won’t be integrating any time soon. As Gizmodo notes, Google and Apple have far more users locked into their ecosystems, so they have far less incentive to cooperate with competing systems. Buy Good Fortune (2017) Moivie High Quality.

By combining forces, Microsoft and Amazon are admitting they’ve lost the war for mobile, (the dominant user interface now), and holding onto their own core competencies: Microsoft for business communication, Amazon for consumption. Meanwhile, though Google Assistant runs on i. OS, it’s very limited and can’t be activated without opening an app. Siri won’t run at all on Android.

And even on its native platform, Siri won’t control best- in- class apps like Spotify, Gmail, or Google Maps. Google Assistant is more flexible, but it can’t order things on Amazon the way Alexa can. Amazon still hasn’t released its promised Apple TV app, so Prime customers have to stream Transparent and Curb Your Enthusiasm from their phones. There are no plans for an Amazon app on the Chromecast, or for Spotify on Apple TV. You can retreat to a third- party media player like Roku, but then you can’t play videos purchased through i. Tunes without a wonky file conversion.

Starting at the end of this month, Amazon will no longer sell the Chromecast or Apple TV. You could choose Google, and miss out on Apple’s slick interface and seamless desktop- to- mobile integration. Or choose Apple, lose a lot of third- party functionality, and get locked into increasingly bizarre design choices (your Lightning headphones won’t work on your laptop) and inferior software like Apple Maps, Mail, and Calendar. On desktop, choose Windows and miss out on that same integration, or choose Apple, pay more for the same computing power, and get your computer games a year late.

Straddle ecosystems, running the Google Suite instead of MS Office and hooking your i. Phone up to your PC or your Android to your Mac. Run Spotify, buy an Echo, and live with their limited capabilities. Maybe even run Excel on OS X. All but the most basic users reach outside their main ecosystem at some point. Install Linux on your Chromebook, jailbreak your i. Phone, run Cortana on your Fit.

Bit, hack your Echo to play Tidal, and write a viral Medium post encouraging people to “unplug.”In the short term, all these companies have good reasons to lock up their platforms wherever they still think they can steal market share from the others, and wherever they would rather focus resources on improving their own service instead of handing millions of customers to their competitors through a partnership. But in the long term, this lock- in keeps the Big Five from innovating, their products leaning on the crutch of the ecosystem, alienating customers who will then abandon the ecosystem for third- party services like Spotify, Dropbox, Whats. App, 1. Password, and Overcast. OS has a bunch of great podcast managers these days, but after testing all of them, our favorite. Macs and PCs didn’t always run so many of the same apps. Internet Explorer and Netscape were much more mutually exclusive than Chrome and Safari. And for a while, your Internet came in flavors of AOL, Prodigy, or Compu.

Serve. Even Android and i. OS used to have zero apps in common. But each time, interoperability won out, bringing (most of) each platform’s strengths to everyone. But things could get worse before they get better. The Big Five are all racing to win at online payments, wearables, AI, AR, VR, smart homes, smart cars, and the growing Internet of Things. And as long as each company thinks it can win, it will try to push out the others instead of playing nice. Eventually there will be winners and losers, or decentralized cooperation.

Every now and then, a new protocol will open up that’s as decentralized as email or HTTP. And the giants of the day will move onto a new fight.

In the meantime, there’s nearly always some way to force the ecosystems to play together, at the expense of simplicity and not having your shit constantly break. There’s always some third option to jimmy into the gap and outperform all the defaults. And that’s what Lifehacker’s all about.