All Rise: Many years ago, before cassette tapes were deemed retro-cool (I don't care, they're still not, but that's another point for another time), Athens bands had pretty much no choice but to use them, and eager fans just wore the best ones out. Case in point is mighty 1990s Athens powerhouse Bliss. I wore out that Bliss demo twice. (Thankfully, the 7-inch survived.) After many years of wishing and hoping, pretty much everything the supremely creative, tastefully angular, Touch & Go/SST-influenced—and believe me, that's a gross over-simplification—trio ever recorded is finally available at blissband.bandcamp.com. The group was composed of Andy Baker, Joe Rowe and Will Lowe. Filmmaker Lance Bangs appears on the track “Gaining Weight,” performing spoken word as he often did during Bliss performances back in, you know, “the day.” It's all available for streaming and downloading at a rate of name-your-own-price, but don't be a creep. Throw some bucks towards it.

The Goons

Pop Enforcement: In semi-related news, Joe Rowe's current band The Goons has a new digital-only record out that I really should have mentioned earlier, but you know, time and tide and all that. The band proper is made up of Rowe, Jim Hix (Casper & the Cookies) and Andy Gonzales (Marshmallow Coast), though the record also features Derek Almstead (The Glands, The Olivia Tremor Control) and Emily Growden. Although these guys gig as regularly as possible, it's not like they play out all the time, so the best way to get to know them is to sink your teeth into this softly psychedelic, traditionally indie self-titled album. Some tracks seem tailor-made for summer, too, like “Tokyo Secrets” and “Friends and Lovers.” Other tunes will surprise you with some heavy guitar work that makes more sense with repeated listens. Check it out over at thegoonsband.bandcamp.com.

Forward Motion Will Not Be Stopped: The new full-length album from Muuy Biien has been released. The 11-track album is titled This Is What Your Mind Imagines, and it's a mind-blower. Working from the notion that well placed, well constructed ambient pieces are just as powerful as speedy, old-school hardcore punk, the album mixes the two in such a crafty and seamless way, it's almost like the band has created its very own thing. Which, really, they have. It's been a long time since I was as unabashedly enthused about a local band. Who knows? It could all fall apart tomorrow, but for now, we've got muuybiien.bandcamp.com to get us through the rest of the summer. And since we're not a selfish bunch, let's not ask for too much more, OK?

New Avenues: Hopefully, you've noticed the ramping up of posts on our music blog, Homedrone (at Flagpole.com). Well, we recently introduced a feature that's the brainchild of new music editor Gabe Vodicka. It's called Flagpole Premieres!, and we're looking to premiere new videos, songs, albums, etc., from Athens musicians. Ideally, this material will be from upcoming releases, but we're totally open to one-off tracks from new bands, weirdo projects, etc. Basically, we're looking to provide an ongoing platform for Athens artists to debut their new material to the world. If you've got something in the works, or ready to go, please drop a line to [email protected], and let's see what we can get together.

Yankees in Georgia? Who Let 'Em In?: Although dormant when project manager Jeff Tobias—a native New Yorker who is busily indulging that part of his heritage—is out of town, the jazzy, experimental-ish Nutritional Peace cranks up again whenever he returns to the Classic City. In a communiqué, he said, “Nutritional Peace is still a band, and we're gonna keep doing shows and stuff every once in a blue moon. I'm not putting together another version in New York, because I really like the sound of the musicians in Athens, and they're pretty much my best friends.” What a pal! Nutritional Peace is regularly updating its Bandcamp page with different live sets featuring different line-ups—from a simple three-piece group to the "double quintet + 1" (i.e., 11-piece), all of which render the material in wildly divergent ways. Satisfy your curiosity over at nutritionalpeace.bandcamp.com.

Close Enough: Although no longer really an “Athens band,” so to speak, The Music Tapes have solid enough roots in town to get a free pass—at least occasionally. Which means I can tell you about the group's new track, “The Dark Is Singing Songs (Sleepy Time Down South).” It's from the forthcoming LP Mary's Voice, which comes out Sept. 4 on the group's longtime label, Merge Records. The track is a four-minute-and-41-second cocktail of inner-worldy, wide-eyed wonder that takes melancholy as a garnish and nostalgia as a chaser. So, pretty much what you've come to expect from The Music Tapes. Dig it over at soundcloud.com/mergerecords/the-music-tapes-the-dark-is.