I have a couple of articles running in this week’s SF Weekly. First up is my second review of the excellent new Wilderness album, (K)no(w)here (Jagjaguwar). Second, I tackled the shockingly controversial subject of electronic artists like Matthew Dear deciding to go on tour with live backing bands! Read at your own risk!

Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs has joined forces with Fresno, CA MC Planet Asia to bring us Pain Language (Gold Dust Media). This is an excellent match, in the style of Muggs’ work with GZA on Grandmasters several years ago. Read all about it right here.

Dandy-fop DJ duo MSTRKRFT will release Fist of God this March on Dim Mak/Downtown. Who will show up as guest vocalists, you ask? We’ll, I’ll tell you: Ghostface, N.O.R.E., E-40, Freeway, Lil’ Mo, and John Legend. Shit, that’s more cameos than the last Busta Rhymes album. The record is rumored to skirt the boundary between retro house and techno and modern dance music, even with all these rappers stopping by. I’m looking forward to hearing it.

Ohhhhhhhhhh, Jesus. MC Frontalot’s nerd-core is missing the mark by a wide margin. This Brooklyn-based MC combines the worst of Def Jux and Anticon into a hot, steaming mess of Final Boss (Level Up). Read all about it here.

My monthly hip-hop roundup is running today right here. Strictly underground funk, keep the crossover.

One review to add before heading off for the holiday tonight. Vivian Girls released their self-titled debut on In the Red a few months ago, and you can read what I have to say about it here. Brooklyn girl-group gets good gab? Check it out.

Ex Botch and Kill Sadie bros have been pummeling the Pacific NW and beyond for a few years now with their band, These Arms Are Snakes. Their latest, Tail Swallower & Dove (Suicide Squeeze), combines hardcore aggression with metal precision. The end result? A pretty damn good time. Read why here.

Deerhunter’s new album, Microcastle (Kranky), definitely sits at the top of my soon-to-be-compiled top-ten list of 2008. Find out why here.

This documentary, directed by Gerald Barclay, aired last night on BET and will be released next week on DVD. Read my review here.

Rhino recently reissued the first five New Order albums with the same care they afforded The Cure and Joy Division’s back catalogues. From the JD-lite Movement to 1989’s electro-pop Technique, these are significant and groundbreaking albums that should be revisited often. Now, you have no excuse not to. Read why here.