Spoon continues to make good on its promise of offering a bonus mp3 every month, something the band has been doing since April.

There have been some gems, and December’s installment brings us a live version of The Beast and Dragon, Adored from a 2005 performance in Sydney (at least that’s what the album tag says in iTunes).

• Spoon | The Beast and Dragon, Adored (live)

ON A SIDE NOTE: It’s been an awful two days for newspapers as the massive Gannett Co. carries out its plan to cut 10 percent across its work force.

The Arizona Republic, my former employer for five-plus years, is a Gannett paper. Though I feel fortunate to have moved on, I’ve had anxious/uneasy feelings for friends and ex-colleagues, who have been on pins and needles for the past month after it was announced there would be involuntary reductions layoffs. (The Republic already went through a round of buyouts earlier in the year.) I’ve been glued to Gannett Blog for information and updates.

I have nothing overtly political/righteous to say about this, other than that my thoughts go out to those losing their jobs. We all know newspapers are struggling to stay afloat, and whether you read them or not or you think it’s a useless medium, be mindful that a whole lot of talented journalists are wondering what they’ll do next. Here’s hoping they can put their skills to use elsewhere.

Spent the weekend in Henderson, Nev., with the in-laws, which allowed ample time in the car – two-hour delay at Hoover Dam! – for some intimate time with the iPod. That meant revisiting some of this year’s early releases, including Nada Surf’s Lucky.

I haven’t seen Lucky on many year-end lists, which seems criminal. All Nada Surf does is put out solid albums. There is nothing flashy or sexy about it … and that, sadly, seems to cost the group a little notoriety. Too bad. Lucky, released in February, likely will be overlooked by many 10 months later.

Clearly, fans have not overlooked the band, which just released a vinyl box set of all five albums (limited to 1,000 copies) that includes a download for 16 b-sides/rarities. Barsuk already is sold out of the collection, released Nov. 25. But the label has kindly provided one of the b-sides, No Quick Fix, from the Let Go era. Enjoy below.

Locally, check with Stinkweeds for a copy of the box set.

• Nada Surf | No Quick Fix

Troll the Stones Throw site and you’re bound to find a gem, usually sooner than later. That’s how I found out about Mayer Hawthorne, a Michigan-bred soul singer who inexplicably channels the Motown era to which he surely grew up listening.

Why inexplicably? Well, for starters, he’s white. Give Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out a listen and you’ll understand. Mark Ronson played it on his radio show and commented: “I have no idea what it is … old, new. It’s fucking good.” (You can hear the clip at Hawthorne’s MySpace page.) If I didn’t know better, I swear it’s a track I could have pulled from the collection of 45s and Wurlitzer jukebox my dad handed down to me.

What’s more, Hawthorne played all the instruments. Check his bio at Stones Throw.

You can order this amazing-looking heart-shaped 45 for the Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out, which spins in the video below.

• Mayer Hawthorne & the County | Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out