Monday Music Junkie: Black Francis, James, Animal Collective, Destroyer and More

By ANDY VIHSTADT

Black Magic

Holding onto his Pixies pseudonym for a little while longer, Black Francis is hitting us with a new mini LP. SVN Fingers, which is a reference to the Irish mythological figure that had seven digits and toes, comes out via Cooking Vinyl on April 1. Grab the lead-off track below, thanks to Fluxblog. Also, Black has a video for “I Sent Away” and a new non-album song, “Serious Curious,” streaming on his MySpace page.

Black Francis: “The Seus” MP3

Banned in the UK

James has been irrelevant on this side of the pond for some time now (see “Laid,” circa 1993), but the Manchester act deserves a nod for its latest album cover. Hey Ma comes out in the UK on April 7 and is the band’s first LP in seven years. Because of its controversial artwork, the album cannot be advertised on street billboards, which is a big deal over there. No word on when the US will have a chance to weigh in, but you can listen to some of the new album at the group’s MySpace page.