Titus Andronicus: "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" (X-Ray Spex cover) (Buy on Bandcamp)

Permanent Wave is the feminist collective launched by former Titus Andronicus guitarist Amy Klein. Last night, Rebel on the Underground, the organization's long-brewing compilation in tribute to the late Poly Styrene of English punk group X-Ray Spex, finally hit the web.

Last time I saw Cloud Nothings live, they were playing innocuous, indistinguishable pop-rock songs and were thoroughly wiped off the stage by headliners Wavves. But this year's Attack on Memory is the best thing they've done by a wide margin, and the darker, more expansive songs are just as strong, if not stronger, in concert. Leader Dylan Baldi is still owning that baby-faced nerd thing, but his friendly exterior hides a formidable roar. Capping off a Consequence of Sound day party that saw sets from guitar bands Titus Andronicus, the Men, Screaming Females, and Mr. Dream, Cloud Nothings stood tall.

The Titus boys have a new record due out this year, so it made sense that about half of their 40-minute set at Consequence of Sound's day party consisted of new tunes. Both the epic two-parter "Ecce Homo"/ "Still Life With Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" and the equally ambitious "My Eating Disorder" showed that the band has not lost its taste for punk grandeur. And with the departure of Amy Klein, all attention was once again focused on front man Patrick Stickles, who bounced between playful stage banter and deathly serious yelps during the actual songs. At one point, he accentuated a particular riff with a pointed snarl, looking like an underfed dog going in for the kill.

Titus Andronicus are currently on a short U.S. tour with fellow Jersey punks Screaming Females and the Nashville pop-punk group Diarrhea Planet. The band's Twitter points to live footage of two new songs, from the tour's March 4 stop at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The songs' very Titus titles are "Ecce Homo" and "Still Life With Hot Deuce and Silver Platter". The band has also been opening their sets with a cover of "The Boys Are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy.

Photo by Alexander Stein

Last night, Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles stopped by WFMU's "The Best Show" with Tom Scharpling. He appeared with Ted Leo in support of the freeform New Jersey station's current fundraising marathon.

UPDATE: Best Coast Tweets, "LOUtallica + METallica are 2 different bands the latter being one of mine + Bobbs favorites We are honored 2 be playing," and "stop worrying about my life and live your own"

Haha, remember when Bethany Cosentino called the Metallica/Lou Reed album "the worst thing I've ever heard"? That apparently didn't stop Metallica from hand-selecting Best Coast for their new Atlantic City festival, Orion Music & More.

Not to be outdone by the many bedroom recordings of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games" currently building up on YouTube, Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles has posted a video of his very own piano-and-voice cover. The rendition was performed at his parents' house, he said, and features an array of entertaining facial expressions. Stickles notes,"the performance was intended to be very tonally pleasing, and not at all ironic or funny."

Stickles also Tweeted a stream of comments, which are now to be expected from one of indie rock's most profilic punk rock microbloggers. "Man, this song is really real," he wrote, explaining, "I HAVE BEEN THE MAN IN THAT SONG." Stickles called the song a "good ass depiction of a real societal problem." Check it out below, and be sure to wait until the end for outtakes.

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

Titus Andronicus: "In My Place [Coldplay cover]":

Titus Andronicus frontman and prolific Tweeter Patrick Stickles posted two "#RARE" covers on Twitter last night: Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days", which you can stream here, and Coldplay's "In My Place".

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

As previously reported, the Twitter feed for Titus Andronicus has recently doubled as an ongoing Occupy Wall Street PSA, thanks to frontman Patrick Stickles' incessant "#crushcapitalism" and "#SHITLIST" hashtags. So it seemed fitting, yesterday, when the band announced they'll perform tonight at a benefit for Occupy Wall Street and the National Lawyer's Guild, at Brooklyn DIY venue Shea Stadium. Punk vets and fellow Jersey boys Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will also perform, as well as Brooklyn DIY scene stalwarts the So So Glos. Tickets are available at the Main Drag Music annex in Bushwick beginning at noon.