I pretty much hate everything about Girls.  The ludicrous name, absolutely ridiculous “look” of the band, and interviews like these, where the duo of Chris Owens and Chet White come off as vapid, pretentious pill-heads, the sum of indie-rock’s “weird for the sake of weird” fashions, rivaling their buddy Ariel Pink in some sort of outsider-rock ego arms race.  Then there’s Owen’s “crazy religious” upbringing, perfectly concocted for the discerning rock-writer to salivate over, and the HYPE, oh jeez the hype: Pitchfork awarded the group a spot in their 500 songs of the decade before they’ve even issued a full length.

But here’s the rub: The songs are airtight (another trait they share with Ariel Pink), and despite my natural inclination to despise the band as the no-talent hacks they come across as, the tunes mostly justify the buzz, or at least justify putting up with it.  Girls specialize in the kind of shimmery pop and junky rock n’ roll that’s perfect for the last nights of summer. Starting at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, Sept. 14th, you can stream their debut album, irritatingly titled Album, at True Panther Sounds.  I haven’t heard the full length yet, but if the strength of their singles thus far is any indication, putting up with obnoxious color scheme of the site will mostly be worth it.

• Girls | Lust for Life

“I never travel far without a little Big Star,” Paul Westerberg sang in “Alex Chilton,” a track from The Replacements 1986 gem Pleased to Meet Me. The line speaks for the cult of fervent listeners of Big Star, the 70’s Memphis act that over the course of three LPs defined the term “power-pop” while suggesting the blue-print for what would come to be labeled “alternative rock,” melding Stax soul, folky poignancy and a perfectly skewed lyrical sensibility.

A commercial failure during their time, Rhino Records seeks to give the band their due, with the massive 98 song collection Keep An Eye On The Sky.  Over the span of four discs, the boxed set features alternate mixes of classic tracks, demos, pre-Big Star cuts from Alex Chilton and band founder Chris Bell, and a live set, recorded at Lafayette’s Music Room as the band puzzlingly opened for Archie Bell & The Drells.

Disc One is available for your streaming pleasure at NPR’s Exclusive First Listen, and will be available at brick and mortar record stores (Remember those? Phoenix has some great ones!) on September 15th.  For now enjoy these teaser jams, a rare demo take of Chilton singing the Chris Bell composition “I Got Kinda Lost” and “All I See is You,” a cut from Chris Bell’s pre-Big Star group Icewater.

• Big Star | I Got Kinda Lost (demo)
• Icewater | All I See is You

For a modern spin on classic soul-funk, you can’t go wrong with Breakestra, the Los Angeles outfit headed by “Music Man” Miles Tackett.

On Sept. 29, the group will release its sophomore LP Dusk Till Dawn (Strut Records), a tribute to the late DJ Dusk, a mentor/music partner to Tackett, who offers plenty of insight on the album and its creation in a MySpace blog post.

Check the first single, Get it Right, which spills over with pure funk and the type of tight drumming you’d come to expect from a guy who fiends for the perfect break.

• Breakestra | Get it Right

NOTE: You might have seen the last post from frequent contributor Jason Woodbury. He now has unfettered access to post whatever and whenever he wants. You’ll find out soon enough – if you haven’t already – that Jason has great taste in music and a thoughtful way of expressing it. I’m looking forward to his posts.