The Bad Penny (beta)

This’d make a strong episode of “Frontline” or “Now”: Victoria Bergsman, who records under the name Taken by Trees, journeyed all the way to Pakistan to record her new album, East of Eden. Her goal was to find artistic inspiration in a challenging, unusual area, and she seems to have pulled it off, becoming one of the few Western women to record in the region. Look for the album via Rough Trade on September 8. …

Major bummer: New Black Heart Procession album coming October 6 on Temporary Residence Ltd. We love these San Diegans, which means we’ll be having to suffer gladly through another slate of their lovely, dreary death marches. “Rats,” the first single from Six, is already crushing our spirits; talk about a band you hate to love. …