A lot of shiny gold flakes have been scuttling by in the fast flowing and debris-clogged blogosphere. Live takes, videos and new singles abound. Here, we’ve skimmed out most of the muck and assembled a few of the shiniest bits for your convenience. Don’t say we never did nothin’ nice for ya! —Bryan C. Reed and Jordan Lawrence

Hiss Golden Messenger – Live at Fletcher Opera Theatre, Sept. 7, 2012 (Hopscotch performance)

For those in attendance, Hiss Golden Messenger’s appearance at the Hopscotch Music Festival seemed to be a unanimous highlight. Joined onstage by Phil and Brad Cook of Megafaun, Nashville guitar whiz William Tyler, drummer Terry Lonergan, Black Twig Picker Nathan Bowles on banjo, and longtime collaborator Scott Hirsch on bass, M.C. Taylor gave his songs a heretofore unheard fullness, embracing loose improvisation and the natural chemistry between these seven players and friends. The live-recordings repository NYC Taper was there, and gracious enough to capture the set’s entirety for posterity. You can stream a generous rendition of the Poor Moon standout  ”Jesus Shot Me In The Head” above, or direct your browser here to download the whole set. —BR

Xiu Xiu – “Quagga”

• Hear it here (via Pitchfork)

Xiu Xiu’s wonderful and challenging Always is still fresh in our minds, but Jamie Stewart’s the restless type, and a new single’s always welcome — especially when it offers such an exciting detour. The forthcoming two-song 7-inch, “Quagga” b/w “Thylacine” will be pressed in a quantity of 300 by the Kingfisher Bluez label, and showcase Xiu Xiu’s “weird, pulsing analog synth madness.” The A-side, streaming at Pitchfork, is a four-and-a-half-minute stretch of burbling sci-fi-score synths, and taut repetition; it’s as tense as Xiu Xiu’s more aggressive songs, but its melodic drift compels without Stewart’s expressive vocals. Here’s hoping this isn’t just a one-off. —BR

Midtown Dickens – “Only Brother (Live at Pickathon)”

October will see Midtown Dickens traversing the country, supporting Lost In The Trees on most dates, and other acts including Akron/Family’s Dana Buoy, Horse Feathers and Matthew E. White on others. But touring’s become commonplace for the Durham folk ensemble. Their fantastic third album, Home, received a warm reception in the press, and seems to have opened new doors for the band. In August, the West Coast college radio station KEXP caught the band at Pickathon in Portland, Ore. for a live performance of Home‘s smoldering “Only Brother.” —BR

Band of Horses – “Knock Knock”

Apparently, one video just wasn’t enough for Band of Horses when it came to “Knock Knock,” the lead single from the outfit’s forthcoming fourth LP Mirage Rock. The band trades in its earlier hyper-sensory nature excursion for one that’s a little more sarcastic. The clip is shot as a fake zoological documentary, and its outlandish found-sound premise and stylized nostalgia make for a comfortably obvious nod to Steve Zissou auteur Wes Anderson. But the hook here is still the song’s driving rhythms and fuzzed-out riffs, a welcome change of pace from 2010′s large and languishing Infinite Arms. Mirage Rock is set for release on Sept. 18, but the whole album is streaming now over at the BoH SoundCloud page. —JL