Philadelphia’s Little Big League – the city’s most promising indie prospect since mewithoutYou – has stepped up to the plate with their debut delivery. A double play that showcases singer Michelle Zauner’s controlled range of pitches on top of a mound of line-driving melodies, LBL’s self-titled 7″ will make even the casual listener balk at the stop sign.

Leading off with singles “Tokyo Drift” and “St. Johns” has put Little Big League in position to score a call from the majors.

Formally cemented in November, the deal was announced online today by AP founder and sole proprietor Tommy Walter:

Walter has received significant attention here – and pretty much everywhere else – during the past few years, primarily for AP’s under-valued second album (Armed to the Teeth) and the propitious yet unprofitable venture Glacier Hiking. As that band’s stock slowly depreciated, Walter reallocated his assets and infused new capital into AP. The two-year yield is the forthcoming Sublime Currency, an investment that should give Mr. Ebel a sizable return and help buy back – at the very least – his company’s relevance.

Alex Tschan, the band’s prominent speaker, intertwines eclectic social commentary, anxious psychological queries, and ambivalent spiritual diatribes within a cacophony of off-beat, frenetic melodies, supplemented by the precise rhythm structures of bassist Ryan Lee and drummer Peter Chudzik. With that as the platform for their only public contribution to date (2009′s Warship), this fringe caucus has introduced an ideology that, while maybe not polling high with the majority, is spurring a palpable grassroots movement.

This might truly be change we can believe in.

Were the NYPD ever to create an indie rock division, Ladycop would be the perfect gumshoe.

The elite Brooklyn unit, headed by bassist Cliff Rawson and drummer Kolby Wade, has been working undercover since 2006, privately recording two EPs — a self-titled sampler and 2008′s We’re Not the Man. Having solidified their sonic swat team with six-string snipers Derek Kretzer and (the appropriately feminine) Anne Carlisle, Ladycop is back on the beat. They’re gearing up for a European tour in September and the much anticipated release of their first full-length.

Packing plenty of psychedelic heat, Ladycop has put the Big Apple on notice: There’s a new sheriff in town.

UPDATE: Waves, released at the Knitting Factory performance on September 7, is available for download. Buy the tracks here. They’ve also shot a video for “Idea Maker”:

Interesting to note that Walter says, “I would rather put my worldview forward than supporting someone else’s.” Could this be a cryptic signal of a permanent departure from Glacier Hiking? (The status line on the Myspace page currently reads, “Stay tuned … we’s about to make a change.”) And if that is the change, what would it mean for their album already in production? They’re scheduled to play the Roxy Theatre on Tuesday, so perhaps they’ll provide details at the show.

Speaking of shows, Walter and crew took to the stage again last Wednesday at the Viper Room. bandcrab, which chatted up Walter for a few minutes after the set, reports he threw a few new songs into the mix along with some favorites from Humanistic and Armed to the Teeth, including “Rabble”:

UPDATE: Walter elaborated on the status of his various projects in a blog post at ReverbNation. A new Abandoned Pools EP will be released before year’s end, followed by a full album. A timetable for the LP isn’t given, but with a move and marriage imminent, Walter should be granted some leeway.

Everyone can get a little crazy on occasion. Indie-pop trio The Wombats have made eccentricity a staple of their daily routine.

Much like their small furry namesake, Liverpool lads Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis and Tord Øverland-Knudsen are insatiably lovable, too, as evidenced by the large cult following they’ve amassed both in the UK and abroad. They’re on the U.S. side of the pond this month recording a new album, their first since 2007′s widely praised A Guide to Love, Loss and Desparation. Last spring, they released a single that should be one of the select tracks to survive the next full-length’s final cut, if for no other reason than it’s accompanied by one of the coolest videos you’ll ever see.

If “My Circuitboard City” is any indication, The Wombats will continue to be crazy good.

Thankfully, Walter has managed to make time for personal pursuits. Last week, he shared studio footage of his work on a new album for Abandoned Pools, a solo endeavor which was left in limbo after his second record, Armed to the Teeth (one of 2005′s best releases) was left hanging by Universal. He’ll be previewing the new material in a performance at L.A.’s Spaceland next month.

And now, even more worrisome, they’ve lost unassuming sopranic siren Emma Ditchburn. TMSR broke the news via their label’s website last Monday, and offered assurances they’ll be moving forward. They just won’t have any serenity left to take with them. With Ditchburn’s exit, they’ve lost that, too.

Los Angeles natives Tommy Walter and Ross Golan – collectively known as Glacier Hiking – were one of 2009′s hottest commodities, igniting southern California’s prime venues, Texas’ South by Southwest music festival and television channels ranging from SPEED to MTV.

In the midst of a variety of individual projects during the last three years, Walter and Golan collaborated on a series of demos. The process resulted in their first official release, the Color by Number EP, in October. They’re currently putting the finishing touches on a full-length album with reknowned rock producer Neal Avron, and have been posting rough versions of the tracks online.

That should keep their fans warm enough until the new record breaks the mainstream ice.

UPDATE: I recently cited an interview Walter gave in which he appeared to distance himself from the band. In a blog post at ReverbNation, he doesn’t broach those comments. He reveals the recording and mixing is complete, but they haven’t been able to find anyone willing to back the album. Irrespective of the real reason (both issues probably played a part), Glacier Hiking is on hold.