Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley Dies[Athens Banner Herald via Daily Swarm]

MGMT Sues President of France [Stereogum]

Blur Play for NME Awards [MTV UK]

Lance Armstrong Has Good Taste in Music [witz.org]

By:Larm Festival (Oslo, Norway) Day 3 [MOKB]

More from the mind of Hank from Kuroma. Today’s topic: that special hell that can only come from playing radio station Christmas shows with the likes of Jessica Simpson, who is apparently so short that Hank feels the need to point it out, Sarah McLaughlin & Barenaked Ladies. That and cleaning up the green room after you trash it. Such a nice boy.

Hank Sullivant aka Kuroma will be hosting Subterranean this week for the enjoyment of all you eccentric insomniacs out there in MTV2’sville. The ex-Whigs bassist & one-time MGMT guitarist has just dropped his debut album entitled Paris and we think you should all get to know him a little. Then you should totally try and take him home with you. Just kidding, it’s just that’s what we usually try to do after we get to know someone (not that we’re easy or anything).

You can begin your education on all things Kuroma early by checking out this exclusive clip of Hank waxing lyrical about, erm, lyrics actually. Then be sure to tune in Thursday night/Friday morning for more hot Subterranean talk.

A little over a month ago Friendly Fires sat on our nicely appointed couch and gave us their predictions & resolutions for 2009, some of which were so shockingly spot-on that drummer Jack Savidge should expect a visit from the NSA and the Treasury Dept. any day now. Subterranean also made it’s own predictions & resolutions for 2009, one of which was that there would be a lot more free music around here.

So in the interest of not looking like jackasses because we can’t even fulfill our own prophecies, we’re offering up a free download of the seldom-heard Air France remix of Friendly Fires “Skeleton Boy”. Get it before it’s gone. Or before we change our minds and become greedy bastards again.

If anyone has a clue as to why the Antipodeans (read: Aussies & Kiwis) are so unfathomably hot right now please pick up the black courtesy iPhone. Currently Subterranean Towers is burning up to the sound of Australia’s Empire of the Sun and all of their Siegfried & Roy-meets-MGMT glory.  And if that voice sounds familiar to you you must be a Sleepy Jackson fan because that’s Luke Steele on vocals.

With the shimmery disco-rock of Cut Copy, the menacing electro of The Presets, and New Zealand’s alt-pop princess Ladyhawke already dominating the office hi-fi, our next order of business today may be a trip to Qantas.com; it’s summer down under and we can’t think of a better time to make a pilgrimage.