Solid State

For whatever reason, new records, DVDs and other assorted types of consumer-friendly media traditionally come out on Tuesdays. Why? I don't know. That's just how it has always been and always will be, forever and ever, amen. This year, April 20 (a.k.a. 4/20 … dude) happens to fall on a Tuesday, a cosmic coincidence/mathematical inevitability that is marketing gold for, say, folks like local rapper BURNTmd who releases his new, ahem, joint today, Let's Get Ill. Or for Toots and the Maytals, who digitally release their spliffy new record, Flip & Twist. Or for Phish. In 3D. Sigh …

Anyway, because April 20 has such a doobie-ous stigma (see what I did there?), it unfortunately casts a heady haze over anything released today, coincidentally or not. Like the new Plants and Animals record. Or AC/DC's Iron Man 2 soundtrack. Or the new Willie Nelson rec … oh, right. Or the new live Grateful Dead album from RFK Stad … um, where was I? Ah yes, new music.

Soon to be Burlington ex-pats The Cush "officially" release their new record Between the Leaves today. I use quotes there because Vermonters have been enjoying the album since December. Still, it's nice that the rest of the world will finally have the opportunity to discover the latest work from one of the finest bands to ever call the Green Mountains home. Even if the rest of the world is probably high today. Or maybe especially if they're high. Moving on …

In celebration of the album, The Cush have released a new video for "The Deer and the Owl," directed by Burlington's Arthur Bell. And much like the song — which sounds like what might happen if Mojave 3's Neil Halstead fronted Mazzy Star — the vid is pretty awesome, even if you're stone cold sober. Enjoy.