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Sorry, folks, it's been a really rough couple of weeks so I know I've slacked off from my usual amount of slacking off.

Here's some new stuff from Blood Red Shoes, which are one of what feels like the few relatively new alt-rock bands making music these days. Yes, I seem to lament that kind of thing more and more as I get older and listen to what KROQ plays nonstop these days.

Here's The Perfect Mess

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These guys are a slightly heavier Paramore and this song is an absolutely blast.

Here's We Are the In Crowd -- The Best Thing (That Never Happened).

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Manchester Orchestra are back with an upcoming record, Cope. Frontman Andy Hull says it's going to be a quick, straightforward rock album, as opposed to the glorious, passionate and sprawling mosaic that was 2011's Simple Math.

Here's the first single from the new record. This is Top Notch.

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More a hymn than a song, this is a current favorite.

Here's Half Moon Run -- Unofferable.

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I was rightly scolded by a couple of people for missing this yesterday. Truth is a new song from the Afghan Whigs couldn't have come at a better time. I need it right now.

Here's the band's first new single in 16 years.

This is Algiers.

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After all this time, I do still love this song.

Here's Keane's A Bad Dream.

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German DJ/Producer Zedd's collaboration with Matthew Koma back in 2012 turned out to be one of the best songs of that year. I still can't stop listening to Spectrum.

Now they're back, adding vocalist Miriam Bryant into the mix. The result isn't as good as Spectrum but it's still a hell of an enjoyable pop-EDM track.

Here's Find You.