Little Joy's self-titled debut of 2008 is one of our favorite albums of the past year. It just puts you in a good mood.

A few months ago we had the pleasure of hanging out in S.S. headquarters with Little Joy, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti's new band, featuring Fab, Los Hermanos frontman Rodrigo Amarante and singer Binki Shapiro. Our good buddy Matt Romano plays drums.

LJ are on tour in the U.S. right now! Click here to check out the dates!

McLovins - "Purple Trees" [Video:Eric Helton/Alex Tirpack; Editing by Eric Helton]

A few months ago we told you about the McLovins -- a trio of Connecticut kids who have managed to harness the musical ferocity of Trey Anastasio, Les Claypool and Stewart Copeland before being able to legally drive a car.

The McLovins are drummer Jake Huffman, 16, bassist Jason Ott, 15, and guitarist Jeff Howard, 14. Don't let their age fool you though, these kids wail. In fact, we were so impressed we invited them (and their parents, of course) to S.S. headquarters to hang out and play a few tunes for us. 

Jake and Jeff met at a jazz camp in Connecticut last summer. A week later they hooked up with Jason and they've been jamming ever since, starting with Phish and Meters covers before writing originals. "We're definitely influenced by a lot of jam bands," Jake says. "But my primary focus had always been jazz. Moving from jazz to rock, well, jam-rock seems to be a nice transition."

Jeff, though, has a soft spot for metal. "I was into a lot of heavy guitar shredding, metal, that sort of thing," he says. "It's influenced me a lot. But jamming is just so much fun."

Check out "Purple Trees" above, and click the jump for "Din" and "Guillotine Machine" -- all original tunes. Also, Look for a McLovins album this summer, and make sure you catch them at the Gathering of the Vibes festival or at one of their upcoming gigs. 

UPDATE: LOVIN' the McLovins? Send an email telling us why. The best entry gets an autographed Rolling Stone t-shirt AND an McLovins t-shirt too! 

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Check out this bizarre Modest Mouse clip for their new single, "Satellite Skin." It was directed by Kevin Willis, the genius behind all of Tool's awesome stop-animation videos. The tune is from the upcoming EP, No One's First and You're Next, due in August.

There's also an awesome B-side on the vinyl edition of the single. It's called "Guilty Cocker Spaniels," and you can now stream the cut at Stereogum. 

We think both tunes rock, but we're digging the B-side a little more. 

What do you think?

We're looking forward to the Mars Volta's fifth studio album, Octahedron, due on June 22nd. And we can't wait to see them perform down at Bonnaroo.

Above, you'll find a radio rip of the first US single from Octahedron, "Since We've Been Wrong." The song is much mellower than previous Volta releases, and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has said that the album will feature some acoustic numbers. 

Judging by the UK single "Cotopaxi," (below) that description doesn't apply to every song on the disc.

Check out this clip from last night's 30 Rock finale. 

Cameos by Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, two Beasties, Sheryl Crow, Rachel Yamagata, Michael McDonald, and many more...

Elvis Perkins In Dearland - "Shampoo" 

[Video: Pete Maiden/Eric Helton; Editing by Pete Maiden]

We were beyond stoked to have folk singer Elvis Perkins and his band, Dearland, swing by S.S. headquarters to play us a killer version of "Shampoo" from their March release, Elvis Perkins In Dearland. The album is truly amazing.

Behind Perkins is Brigham Brough on bass, Wyndham Boylan-Garnett on harmonium and Nick Kinsey on drums.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland (as they are known) are currently on tour, so if you like what you hear, make sure you check out their tour dates and ticket info here. Also, they'll be playing the Newport Folk Festival 50 in Rhode Island this August alongside acts such as Pete Seeger, Fleet Foxes, Arlo Guthrie, Deer Tick, Tom Morello and more.  

Ben Harper & Relentless 7 - "Shimmer & Shine" [Video: Pete Maiden/Tim Tregonig; Editing by Pete Maiden]

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We're heading down to the Mexican jungle today, so the S.S. will be off the map for the next week or so. 

When we come back we'll have tons of good stuff. We've had some amazing bands come up and play in the S.S., like Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the Moondoggies, Of Montreal, Daniel Merriweather and Sara Watkins. So stay tuned. 

Meanwhile, enjoy Mungo Jerry's 1970 classic, "In the Summertime."   

Manchester Orchestra - "The Only One" [Video: Pete Maiden/Eric Helton; Editing by Pete Maiden]

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Click here to check out Bob Dylan's new video for "Beyond Here Lies Nothin," off his latest, Together Through Life. 

Classic!