UPDATE: In the Red Records owner Larry Hardy said Reatard was found this morning by his roommate, Jeffrey Novak of the band Cheap Time, who immediately called paramedics. Hardy said Reatard was pronounced dead on the scene.

In the Red released Reatard's 2006 album Blood Visions and a pair of singles compilations. "I'm in shock. He just phoned me yesterday," Hardy said, adding that Reatard stayed with him every time he visited Los Angeles, where the label is based. "That's the saddest thing about this—his career was taking off, he was having all this success, he signed to Matador. It seems like a really horrible waste."

According to the Commercial Appeal, Reatard's friends said the singer had been complaining of flulike symptoms recently.

Original post below.

Jay Reatard, a garage rocker recognized increasingly in recent years both for his prolific recorded output and a series of controversies involving other musicians, was found dead early this morning in his Memphis home, the Commerical Appeal is reporting. Two record labels that have released Reatard's work, Goner Records and Matador Records, have confirmed the death. Reatard, born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., was 29. No cause of death has been reported.

More news as it comes in.

When played at the Black Cat in July, his songs "landed like a punch to the face," wrote City Paper's Christine Ernest. "Reatard’s set was a 45-minute assault on the ears: It was loud and frantic..."

The Village Voice shares some stories of Reatard's antics from bombastic garage rocker King Khan:

Or here's the best Jay story. When he was 17, he played at a mechanic's garage. This guy that was a fan of the Reatards [Jay's former band] set up a show in some garage. So while the show was going on, Jay was getting really crazy. While he was playing, he got naked and he opened up a can of motor oil and dumped it all over his head and was slipping and sliding everywhere. And then some smart-ass in the audience just rolled up a can of something on stage–it was all dirty, so he didn't know what it was. Jay grabbed it and opened it up and sprayed it on his dick. Within 10 seconds he started screaming in agony on the floor in the fetal position–"Ahhhhh!"–while covered in oil. Then he grabbed the can and scrapped the dirt off from it–it was EASY-OFF oven cleaner.

From Dave Malitz's interview on Post-Rock last April:

"I knew how to make a release weird and good. But I just banged out all these offers and they ended up coming out at the same time. I kind of knew the recordheads would like it. I knew made sure it was weird enough while still sitting on my ultimate full-length for a bigger label."

From Jonah Weiner's profile in the New York Times:

“I know the band is going to get real tight the more we play, but I’m nervous, man,” he said, heading backstage to tune his acoustic guitar. “I want people to be able to hear all the different dynamics.”

And in Maggie Serrota's interview in AV Club, he explains why he's been comparing his record to My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze behemoth Loveless:

I said that mainly to hype it up because I was really anxious to get it out there—so I had to say something

Which is great, actually. It seems rare that people who make sludgy, weird music are so open about actually, you know, upfront about wanting people to listen to it. And listen to it they should. The best tracks from Childish Prodigy, Vile's Matador debut, strikes a sweet spot between hermetic basement grot and the grandeur of the most transcendent Bruce Strpingsteen studio jam. Kurt Vile may not be shy about hyping his tunes, but at least he can deliver on it.

Kurt Vile & The Violators w/ Benjee Ferree, The New Flesh
@ Black Cat
$12, 8:30 pm
1811 14th St. NW

The new Sonic Youth album, The Eternal, leaked this week. Yesterday, our own Aaron Leitko got heartfelt and nostalgic about actually paying for it and listening to it via Matador's pretty sweet buy-early program.

Full Disclosure: I have nothing to say about the album. I have not heard the album. I don't want the crummy leak and I'm too broke to spring for the advanced payment plan. That doesn't mean I haven't been tempted to just download thing. The most interesting content so far has been the blog comments after the leak and after the Web Sheriff busts them. It's like a cop busting a college dorm. Everyone screams Oh Shit and scatters. Then the stupid sense of entitlement sets in. And then really stoopid anger blossoms.

The pre-Web Sheriff comments are all nerd audiophile bird droppings:

"how’s the quality ? i dont want to spoil the moment"

And:

"do you have another version besides webrip?"

And:

"pretty listenable if you ask me, though audiophiles might become deaf after hearing. heh"

And soon, the fear starts to set in:

"beware, websheriff will come soon"

After the web sheriff arrives. The leak is pulled down. Regret sets in:

"damnit, not fast enough"

And then, there's begging:

"pleazzz someone post link in comments- hearin a preview is not gonna stop me from buyin when it comes out- need my sonik tooth!!!"

And:

"We need a web Robin Hood"

Soon enough, a Robin Hood arrives with a fresh link for the album download.

But there's still anger at the difficulty of stealing this record.

"Have you noticed how Matador records has become the most evil label on the net? They are relentlessly pursuing and threatening bloggers. I love Sonic Youth and would normally buy the album, but will ban it just because of Matador’s actions....have a look around, they are terrorizing the real music bloggers as well. Sometimes for playing music they sent them in the first place."

So, the lesson: Matador Records=the new terrorists.

*The Eternal will be physically released on June 9.