103 Recent ItemsBadly Drawn Boy Tours Europe, North America
Badly Drawn Boy is proud of having been Born in the U.K., and to prove it, he's playing three shows at fish and chips eateries in England in February. Tickets are obtainable only attainable via a mobile phone contest, so get to texting.
But greasy fast food establishments aren't the only place you can catch Damon Gough performing this season. He kicked off a European tour last night in Switzerland, and hits North America in March.
Gough also has a single, "A Journey from A to B", on its way February 19. It will be available on CD and two seven inches, one featuring "This Is the Day (Oui FM)" as its B-side, and the other "Welcome to the Overground (live)". The latter track is included on the CD as well. [MORE...]
Phil Elverum Re-Adopts Microphones Name for New 7"
Having ascended Mount Eerie, planted his lo-fi flag at its peak, and tobogganed down its frosty slopes, Phil Elverum is ready for something new. And by something new, we mean something old.Elverum-- who once went by Elvrum-- has journeyed deep into the attics of his past to retrieve another name he once used: the Microphones. It's under that moniker that the enigmatic folky released the bulk of his recorded material (much of it for K Records), and it's that moniker that earned him distinction as the creative force behind Pitchfork's #1 album of 2001, The Glow, Pt. 2.
To celebrate the return of the Microphones, Phil has pressed a brand new 7". The self-released vinyl frisbee, available now from Elverum's website and in stores this March, includes a couple nuggets of song-advice from Phil: "Don't Smoke" and-- one we should all be taking very seriously right now-- "Get Off the Internet".
The name flip-floppery shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Elverum did, after all, tell Pitchfork "The whole [Microphones] break-up thing is a ridiculous joke" back in October 2003.
Seems Mount Eerie's not done for good either, however, as our man Phil has a couple concerts scheduled in February under that name.
Does this mean we'll soon be hearing from Songs: Ohia again too? [MORE...]
Jennifer O'Connor Tours, Joins Sykes, Dump for 7" Club
More 7" buds: Mascott, Hotel Lights, Choo Choo La Rouge
Acclaimed Matador Records songstress Jennifer O'Connor is all primed to go over some mountains and across some valleys this winter, on a month-long tour in support of, you guessed it, 2006's lovely Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars.Joining Ms. O'Connor for the jaunt: the Bright Eyes-esque excitable folk musings of former Miracle of 86 frontman Kevin Devine (who headlines), Filter magazine-adored Pablo, and erstwhile Vagrant Records dudes Koufax (whose "Brightside" should totally be on your iTunes, people).
What's more, Jennifer jumpstarts her own Kiam Records imprint-- on which she released her first couple solo discs-- this January with a new limited edition collaborative 7" series. For a mere $25 (including shipping), she'll treat series subscribers to five different 7"s over the course of the year, each featuring a joint effort and individual tracks from O'Connor and a quality act of her choosing. Those quality acts include Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Dump (aka James McNew of Yo La Tengo), Mascott (ex-Helium and Sparklehorse player Kendall Meade), Hotel Lights (ex-Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee), and Boston rockers Choo Choo La Rouge.
The first 7" pairs O'Connor with Choo Choo on a tune called "Little Airplane Heart" and should be out soon (on red vinyl, no less). Join the club by Paypal-ing $25 to jennifer@jenniferoconnor.net and keep your eyes peeled for a new Kiam website and more releases to follow in the near future. So rad! [MORE...]
The Knife's Silent Shout to Become Three-Disc Set
Live DVD to be included in deluxe edition
The greatest album of 2006 is about to become even better. In April, Mute will release a three-disc deluxe edition of the Knife's breakthrough album Silent Shout. It will include the album on one disc, the live DVD Silent Shout: An Audiovisual Experience and music videos from the Deep Cuts and Silent Shout albums on a second disc, and a third CD featuring the music from the live DVD.
Silent Shout: An Audiovisual Experience was released on its own in Europe back in November, as previously reported. It captures Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson performing live (or "live" as the case may be) on April 12, 2006 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was directed by Andreas Nilsson. Check out "We Share Our Mother's Health" from the DVD by clicking here.
As previously reported, on February 20 in the U.S., Mute will release the latest single from Silent Shout, "Marble House", on CD and 12". (It comes out February 19 in Europe on Brille.) The single is backed by remixes from Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, Planningtorock, Rex the Dog, Emperor Machine, and Booka Shade, as well as the "Marble House" video. [MORE...]
Arcade Fire Announce UK Single
Brits get "Keep the Car Running", North Americans get "Black Mirror"
With only 46 more days until the Neon Bible opens (45 if you're in Europe), Arcade Fire have revealed that their sophomore album's first single will be "Keep the Car Running" in the UK, rather than "Black Mirror". "Black Mirror" will remain the North American single, however, and will probably be released in Britain at a later date.
NME.com reports that "Keep the Car Running" will be released on March 19, though that hasn't been confirmed. At this time, the band plans to release the single on 7" only.
Neon Bible will be available on CD, deluxe CD, and vinyl. The deluxe version comes housed in a box with a lenticular cover designed to resemble the graphic on the front page of the album website. It also includes two booklets.
The LP is "double 180-gram audiophile quality with three sides of music and an etching on the fourth side", according to the Merge Records website. And as has become all the rage with forward-thinking independent labels, the vinyl comes with a code for free mp3 downloads of all of the album's tracks.
Be sure to keep your eye on www.neonbible.com, as Arcade Fire seem to be adding new goodies all the time.
As previously reported, Arcade Fire will celebrate the album with a pre-release tour hitting London, Montreal, and New York City. Then in March, they'll travel to the UK, Scandinavia, and Europe. [MORE...]
Of Montreal Launch Tour, Release Digital Single
With the final countdown to the release of the fantastic Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? underway, Of Montreal are packing their bags for an insanely long road trip.
Tonight, the Athens gang will kick things off in Memphis. If all goes according plan (read: no exhaustion-induced collapses), the trek will run through early April. According to Of Montreal's publicist, the band's live show will include "three projection screens, a giant animal...that [bandleader] Kevin [Barnes] will climb in and out of, a ten-foot-high dress that he sings in, [and] costume changes." Holy smokes.
In other Of Montreal news, remember that limited edition "She's a Rejecter" seven inch? Those not into wax can now gank cyber trax from eMusic, where an exclusive digital release of the three-song single is currently available. Like its vinyl predecessor, it features two Hissing Fauna numbers, as well as B-side "Little Rock".
Of Montreal will also record a KEXP session on February 9.
Hissing Fauna drops on both CD and 2XLP on Tuesday (January 23), sharing a due date with Of Montreal's previously reported Icons, Abstract Thee EP. Both are being released courtesy of Polyvinyl. You can stream the album here. [MORE...]
Plan B Plans American Invasion
Invading Luxembourg was his first choice, but that didn't work out
For those who like their rappers foul-mouthed and tormented, Plan B's debut, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, was a breath of refreshingly toxic air. But until now, it was only available to UK residents and those willing to pay import prices. Cordless Recordings has remedied the situation, however, with the April 17 release of Who Needs Actions in the U.S.Overeager U.S. fans of the East London MC need not wait so long, though, as Cordless will precede the release of the full-length with the January 23 release of a digital EP titled Time 4 Plan B, featuring solo acoustic and full band versions of album tracks. The EP will also feature non-album track "More Is Enough".
Plan B hasn't totally forsaken the UK, however. 679 Recordings will release "No Good" as a proper UK single complete with remixes on February 19, and he will begin a tour there January 30 in Preston, England. Still, his newfound Yankee love remains intact with the promise of an appearance at South By Southwest in March. [MORE...]
Castanets Strike Out on Tour With Shapes and Sizes
Somebody get that kitty an inhaler already!
The march toward SXSW has begun! Joining the ranks of the many, many bands gearing up for a holy crusade to take back Austin from whomever and whatever inhabits Austin the other 51 weekends of the year: the Asthmatic Kitty one-two punch of Brooklyn's Castanets and Vancouver's Shapes and Sizes.Like many bands this time of year, these two hop in the tour van for a little warm up spate of dates, then rock the big one in mid-March, then cool down with another stretch. Don't be surprised if they're wheezing a bit by the end of this one. You know, because they're Asthmatic? No? Fine, just sit there and frown, see what I care.
This should bring smiles back: Castanets and Shapes and Sizes will sell copies of an exclusive tour EP at all shows, collecting three new S&S jams and one very special cover from Castanets-- of a song by the Knife!
In related news, the second 7" in Asthmatic Kitty's previously reported Unusual Animals series-- featuring our pals Castanets and their pals Dirty Projectors-- arrives March 6. Castanets serve up "BlackWater", an eerie, psyched-out swamp dirge full of the squeaky guitar strings we've come to expect from the band, while Dirty Projectors contribute typically weird yet infectious fare in the form of "Silence in the Land". Stream both tracks here.
And, bonus, you can still listen to the first Unusual Animals 7", out January 23 and featuring Shapes and Sizes and the Weird Weeds, right here. [MORE...]
Camera Obscura Kick Off Tour, Share Single, Video
If looks could kill, the cover of Camera Obscura's new single could get the electric chair, what with our six Glaswegians looking so insufferably swank all up in there. Seriously, dudes and ladies, where's the party?Merge delivers "If Looks Could Kill"-- the latest single from Camera Obscura's lovely latest full-length, Let's Get Out of This Country-- to North American audiences on January 23. As if one format weren't murderous enough, our European brothers and sisters get two from Spain's trusted indie pop imprint Elefant on January 29: CD and seven-inch, each featuring different B-sides. And if you really want to flirt with death, check out the video for "If Looks Could Kill", a fast-paced travelogue that will have you seeing double.
Finally, as previously reported, Camera Obscura take to the open road beginning tonight in Atlanta. After a whirlwind tour of North America, they embark for the significantly warmer climes of summery Australia for scattered dates and festival appearances. Getting out of the country, indeed. [MORE...]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy Preps New Single
Bonnie
"Prince" Billy might want to ease on down the road a bit, as he's been overexerting himself lately. Will Oldham's previously reported
"Lay and Love" CD/7" hasn't even landed yet (it's due in the UK January 22 via Domino and January 23 in America on Drag City) and
he's already got another release on the way.
"Strange Form of Life", the fourth single from last year's The Letting Go, comes out on Drag City on March 15. In addition to the title track, the disc also includes three cuts recorded during Oldham's Daytrotter session last September: "New Partner", "The Sun Highlights the Lack in Each", and "The Seedling".
Oldham kicks off a UK tour on Sunday with his backup band (Azita Youssefi, Aram Stith, Alex Nielsen, Emmett Kelly, Dawn McCarthy). McCarthy alter ego Faun Fables serves as the opening act for the trek, which continues through mid-February. Oldham then heads to Europe for a solo trek in March. [MORE...]
Ninja Tune/Big Dada Prep Diplo, Wiley, Bug Releases
Also Coldcut, Cinematic Orchestra, Blockhead, Fink, Mr. Scruff, more
True to its namesake, albums and singles on the Ninja Tune label(and offshoots Big Dada and Counter Records) appear stealthily and in droves. So stealthily, in fact, that TTC's 3615 full-length already slipped under our radar with its January 8 release on Big Dada.
But there are still plenty of Ninja Tune-affiliated artists who have yet to release their music. We already told you about Amon Tobin's January 22 "Bloodstone" single and its corresponding full-length, Foley Room, which comes out on March 5.
Keep in mind that all Ninja Tune/Big Dada/Counter release information is for the UK and Europe only. North American release information may be different.
Ninja Tune will also release the Cinematic Orchestra's "To Build a Home" and "Breathe" singles-- February 26 and April 9, respectively-- and follow them with the Ma Fleur full-length on May 7. Then, DJ Kentaro's forthcoming album Enter-- which features contributions from Spank Rock, the Pharcyde, Fat Jon, Gaggle, and New Flesh-- is scheduled for an April 26 release, with the Spank Rock-featuring "Free" single preceding it on April 2.
The Bug will also join in the fun by "continuing to explore his obsession with bass frequencies in the world of mutant dancehall" on his own upcoming Ninja Tune album and "Jah War" single, according to a press release. [MORE...]
Sigur Rós: "New Album in the Works"
Play Tibet House benefit with Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Philip Glass
Sigur Rós are recording their full-length follow-up to 2005's Takk, according to an update on the band's website. And though bass player Georg Holm writes that the Icelandic musicians "don't know exactly where the album is heading yet," we suspect that their patented formula of epic, orchestral rock might just be too tough to resist. Not that we're complaining, though.
Holm writes, "We have finished recording a few songs but some more things need to be done... We are really just experimenting at this stage. Some of the songs we recorded are old songs, which we had written a while ago... We decided it was time they were recorded." The band expect to finish recording the record this year, and though "nothing is confirmed at this point," there is the possibility of a 2007 release.
Sigur Rós will play two U.S. shows in February. As previously reported, the first is in Miami, where they will accompany a performance of Merce Cunningham's "Split Sides" dance piece. The second is at New York City's Carnegie Hall alongside Lou Reed, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and Laurie Anderson for a Tibet House benefit. They "will most likely perform just one song" at the latter event. So, like, 15 minutes, then?
Sigur Rós affiliates Amiina have also scheduled U.S. dates beginning in March and continuing into April. Danish label Rumraket recently released the band's "Seoul" single digitally, and the coming weeks will see a vinyl release with a remix from Frakkur, Sigur Rós vocalist Jónsi Birgisson's solo project. [MORE...]
Annuals Prep EP, Tour With Dears, Aqueduct
Photo by Charles HarrisWhen two bands whose names involve the pluralization of nouns that are more often used in singular form get together for a tour, you can damn well bet grammatical eccentricities are the least exciting thing about it.
As previously reported, Pitchfork Recommended North Carolinians Annuals and Pitchfork ho-hummed Canadians the Dears join forces for a January tour of the Eastern USA. The ten-date jaunt kicks off tomorrow night in Boston and whirls through DC, Florida, and New York City-- where Annuals will be arriving a night early in order to play "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on January 18. Perhaps they can coax some tips on looking good on television out of their tourmates, who rocked "The Late Show with David Letterman" last month.
After a few weeks' rest, Annuals hop in the van again to sweep across the U.S. solo-style, then join up with Aqueduct to swoop down the West Coast and Southwest, all en route to SXSW.
Also more exciting than grammar: Annuals follow up last year's Ace Fu-stamped Be He Me LP with a brand new EP titled Big Zeus and released exclusively in the UK. The five-track set bears Ace Fu's insignia once again and features "Ease My Mind", a tune originally by the band's pre-Annuals incarnation Sedona and the first Annuals jam written and sung by guitarist Kenny Florence. The song smacks heavily of Broken Social Scene (in a good way), and you can stream it along with another Big Zeus cut on Annuals' MySpace right now. Praise Jesus, neither of them sound like Sublime.
Vinyl fetishists and folks not ready to take the five-track EP plunge can scoop up a concurrently-released 7" collecting two Big Zeus tracks, "Carry Around" and "Ida, My". [MORE...]
Dntel Sub Pop Debut Revealed
Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Grizzly Bear guest
Jimmy Tamborello's next guest-heavy Dntel album, Dumb Luck, now has a tracklist and a tentative late April release date. As previously reported, Dumb Luck is his Sub Pop debut.
Moving Units' Chris Hathwell adds drums to a few tracks, and other guests include Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst, and Grizzly Bear. It's not all strength in numbers, however, as he goes it alone on the title track, which opens the record.
In the meantime, a remix 12" of tracks from Tamborello's James Figurine moniker-- featuring DJ Koze's take on "Apologies" and a Superpitcher/Tobias Thomas remix of "55566688833", both originally from the James Figurine album Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake-- is currently available from Monika. And, according to his MySpace blog, Plug Research will release a James Figurine covers 7" "once a couple things get sorted out." [MORE...]
MP3: The Pack: "Candy"
They love shoes...and female genitalia!
This track from the Pack's December Skateboards 2 Scrapers EP is definitely hyphier than either "Vans" or "I'm Shinin'", and it's about as good, too. Freshman San Francisco State University business student Young L's production provides a skittering backdrop to the quartet's ode to, ahem, "pussy popping." With the sampled female voice proclaiming, "It's my pussy, I can do what I want," the four MCs (Young L, Stunna, and Lils Uno and B) make no bones about what the "candy" of the title is. Despite the jarring sample, though, the verses are nimble displays of craft that actually paint a fairly egalitarian picture of the love-making arts ("Have you ever heard big girls need love?/ It's her pussy, she can do what she wants.").
According a label representative, the Pack have "no tour dates right now. They are in school!" They are, however, planning the release of their official debut album, which does not currently have a title but promises to feature Too $hort, Keak Da Sneak, Mr. F.A.B., Jody Breeze of Boyz N Da Hood, and the Team. Too $hort's Up All Nite Music will release the full-length.
The album's first single, titled "Fresh" and featuring Dem Franchize Boyz, will come out January 15. A video for the track is scheduled to debut in February.
Field Music Record Futureheads, Share Video
Dave Brewis unveils solo project: School of Language
There's something in the water in Sunderland, something that helps the English city's bands churn out tight, punchy guitar-pop in earnest. And Field Music and the Futureheads just love that Sunderland water: they drink it straight up, mix it with their tea and Tang, bathe in it, water their plants with it, and guzzle it every night before bed.Perhaps it was a chance meeting by the water cooler, then, that led the Futureheads to ask Field Music's Dave Brewis to record some demos for the love-hounds. "The Futureheads are working on new songs," Brewis told BBC 6 Music's Tom Robinson recently (thanks to Memphis Industries for the heads up), "and I know how to use the studio, so they asked me to record them. It's just demos and stuff, just ideas-- 'cause they've got loads of them."
Field Music aren't exactly short on ideas either. Their sophomore LP, Tones of Town, is packed with them. As previously reported, the Memphis Industries-stamped disc arrives January 22 in the UK and February 20 in the U.S. You can already hear quite a few of its jams in various places around the interweb-- including latest single "A House Is Not a Home", right below. The new video for the tune has our Field Music lads invading a young couple's dwelling space; it's quite funny in a silly sort of way that only our cousins across the pond seem capable of pulling off:
"There's nothing wrong with this piano" ought to be some sort of catchphrase, methinks. The "A House Is Not a Home" 7"/digital single, backed with non-album track "Logic", hits UK shoppes on January 14.
And since Field Music's Dave Brewis knows how to use a studio, it should come as no surprise that he's got a side-project going right now. Thus far, this Brewis brother's School of Language has only one demo and 22 MySpace friends, but we suspect both numbers will explode very soon: that demo, "Rockist Part 1", builds a rhythm from what sounds like vowel-pronunciation exercises (Bobby McFerrin would be proud) and should more than appease fans of Field Music's streamlined pop.
Finally, Field Music hit the roads of Europe at the end of this month. [MORE...]
Mark Ronson Recruits Lily Allen, ODB for Album
Mark Ronson-- DJ, producer, Allido Records co-founder, and friend of everyone from Christina Aguilera and Jimmy Fallon to Ghostface Killah and Lily Allen-- has announced that the title of his next pop-culture-cannibalizing full-length will be Version and that it will come out April 16 in the UK.
Allen and the bigger-in-Britain Robbie Williams both appear on Version, as does Allido's Daniel Merriweather, who contributes vocals to a version of the Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" that Ronson mashes up with the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Explaining the concept for Version in a press release, Ronson said, "With my first album, I had all these people like Mos Def and M.O.P. guesting. This time it's not about that. Despite the big names... the songs here are the guest stars. With Version, I've taken these songs that I love and turned them into Motown/Stax 70s versions."
Ronson will precede the album with the release of the limited edition, double A-side single "Toxic"/"God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" 10" on January 29 via Columbia in the UK, on which he turns in lounge-ready versions of Britney Spears' and Coldplay's tracks. Ronson has made both tracks as well as a subtle glockenspiel-and-trumpet-adding remix of Lily Allen's "Smile"-- that he hopes to include on Version if she lets him-- available on his MySpace.
Ronson foregoes Chris Martin's vocals on his version of "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face", instead getting some pep-rally-ready horns to play the vocal melody on a track that's a little bit surf and a little bit ska. For "Toxic", Ronson replaces Spears' vocals with schmaltzy singing and the late ODB's show-stealing verses, which include to-the-point lines like, "I don't want to go back to the police station./ They're trying to send Dirt on a long vacation," and, "Fuck the pussy 'til it's orange like Ernie and Bert."
We mean no disrespect, but step your Sesame Street game up, Russell. Bert is yellow!
Kaiser Chiefs Reveal Album Details, Tour
We're not sure if the title of the newly announced Kaiser Chiefs record, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, refers to the rioters the band once predicted, but we do know that the Kaiser Chiefs sure are fond of large groups of revved-up people.
The Angry Mob will invade, pitchforks and torches aloft, internationally on February 26 and in North America on March 27 via Universal. It was produced by Stephen Street at Berkshire's Hook End Manor and mixed by both Street and Cenzo Townshend at London's Olympic Studios.
The disc's first single, "Ruby", is due a week earlier on February 19 on B*Unique on CD, seven inch, and as a download. Each format brags a different B-side: "From the Neck Down" (CD), "Admire You" (seven inch), and "Ruby" (live at Berlin's Kesselhaus in November 2006) (exclusive to the download). These will all be available digitally as well.
The Kaisers will celebrate the album with a series of two-night stands in cities across the UK throughout February and March, and will make their way to the States in early April. Additional U.S. dates are in the works. [MORE...]
M. Ward, Jim James, Ladyhawk Featured on FADER 7”
The folks at the FADER love Jim James and company almost as much as we do, though I'd wager their love for limited edition vinyl is greater than ours. The magazine is combining both loves for the first of four installments in the FADER/Southern Comfort (yes, the liquor) 7" series, which will feature exclusive tracks from (press release alert) "today's most exciting emerging artists" in "specially colored" editions of 500.The first 7" will feature M. Ward and the My Morning Jacket frontman singing "Magic Trick (Kansas City Remix)" on the A-side and Ladyhawk's "Soap" on the B-side. The record's cover sleeve will feature artwork by Lou Laurita. Though it's not available in stores (it seems to an "industry insider only" affair), five people who email contests@thefader.com with "the theme of M. Ward's 2005 album release" will receive free copies, according to the magazine's blog.
The rest of us will be busy wondering why a company that sells liquor-- a catalyst for the erosion of judgment if ever there was one-- has decided to enter the business of "tastemaking."
Stream: Modest Mouse: "Dashboard"
James Mercer guests on LP
Modest Mouse will release "Dashboard", the first single from the forthcoming We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, on January 16, but you can stream it today from their MySpace page. UPDATE: AVOID RUPERT MURDOCH BY CLICKING HERE.
Though Isaac Brock is still writing half-nonsense witticisms like "We talked about nothing, which was more than I wanted you to know," the band are at their bounciest and most hi-fi on "Dashboard". The echoey electro passage a little over halfway through is especially good, though the rest of the track's bright horns, steady four-to-the-floor beat, and occasional touch of disco strings almost had us convinced this was a Franz Ferdinand song.
Brock doesn't seem content to have just one star collaborator in new Modest Mouse member Johnny Marr. The Shins' James Mercer guests on three We Were Dead tracks: "We've Got Everything", "Florida", and "Missed the Boat". Other song titles include "Fire It Up", "Steaming Genius", "Parting of the Sensories", and "Spitting Venom".
Modest Mouse wrap up their mini-tour of Australia with a January 6 date at the Southbound Festival in Busselton's Sir Stewart Bovell Park.
BONUS: CHECK OUT THIS PHOTO FROM THE "DASHBOARD" VIDEO SHOOT:
The Knife Remixed by Dave Sitek, Booka Shade
Cutlery item of choice for the discerning gift-giver
As mentioned just before the holidays, the Knife-- who
straight slaughtered our year-end lists, scoring number one album honors and
landing two songs among the top 15 tracks of 2006-- have another Silent Shout
single on the way. It might be their third, fourth, or eleventh, depending on
where you live and how the zodiac is feeling that day.
"Marble House", a duet between Karin Dreijer and guest co-writer Jay-Jay Johanson-- and perhaps Silent Shout's most accessible offering-- arrives February 19 in the UK courtesy of Brille Records. It's a significantly more beefed-up version of the "Marble House" singles issued in Sweden last year (via the Knife's own Rabid Records), collecting the previously released Booka Shade, Rex the Dog, and Planningtorock remixes of the song along with reworkings from the Emperor Machine and TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.
UPDATE: The EP will be out in the U.S. on February 20.
Last but certainly not least, Brille has designs on a deluxe re-release of Silent Shout in the near future. Details forthcoming. [MORE...]
Video: Jarvis: "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time"
New single out January 8
Jarvis Cocker has a few qualms about the folks in charge these days, and how better to take those out than with good old-fashioned road rage?
But don't expect him to go about anything without a twist. In Dougal Wilson's
(LCD Soundsystem, the Streets, Basement Jaxx) latest clip, cabbie Jarvis
embarks on a hilarious Grand Theft Auto-esque hit-and-run spree-- inadvertently--
whilst offering advice to a pretty young patron with a deadbeat boyfriend.
That advice, of course, is "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time", which not-at-all-coincidentally happens to be the latest single from Jarvis' self-titled solo debut. Leave it to the Brits to stretch our wallets thin, however: "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" comes in three exciting formats, one CD and two different seven-inches, each with different B-sides. The CD version even includes one of Jarvis' charming storytelling podcasts, several more of which are presently streaming at the man's Jarvspace. Rough Trade delivers all three singles on January 8.
Modest Mouse Confirm New Single
I so want to make a Dashboard Confessional joke
right now, but for your sake, and perhaps my own, I will refrain. This, however, doesn't
change the fact that the first single from the new Modest Mouse LP-- We Were
Dead Before the Ship Even Sank-- is called "Dashboard". Which is also,
incidentally, something you might spend considerable time staring at if you're
taking a long drive with nothing to think about. Just saying.
As is the nature of music nowadays, "Dashboard" has apparently leaked, which means the mammerjammers are mammerjammering. According to Rolling Stone blog commenter "Vari", "Dashboard" is "not nearly as impressive as their earlier work" and "lacks integrity and emotion", while "right said fred" claims it "sounds like early XTC." So there you have it! Now move along, people.
The Marr-ified Modest Mouse, last we heard, will drop We Were Dead in "early 2007", a rather broad umbrella under which even this very moment falls. Catch them Down Under this week-- though we hope they've opted for travel by air. [MORE...]
Scissor Sisters Announce 2007 World Tour
Get ready to cut a rug, because Scissor Sisters are about to tour pretty much everywhere. In late January, the band will fire things up with quick treks through both Japan and Australia. Then, they're off on whirlwind treks across North America and Europe, taking them through late April.
As if that wasn't enough, the Sisters also slated to play a New Year's Eve gig in Berlin, as well as three English dates in the summer.
And they'll reach an even bigger audience on February 8, when Scissor Sisters will appear on the zany NBC soap opera "Passions". According to their website, the band will "burst on to the show in a puff of smoke, conjured by young witch(!) Endora to play in her mother's living room."
And speaking of that big screen sitting in front of your face (the one that isn't a computer monitor), last month, Scissor Sisters asked their fans to film themselves "getting ready, pumped and prepared" for their shows at London's Wembley Arena for possible use on a future Scissor Sisters DVD.
Finally, the band released a new single, "Land of a Thousand Words", not too long ago on CD, picture disc, and iTunes exclusive download. [MORE...]
David Thomas Broughton Preps Two Albums, Split 10"
He may write longer folk songs than any other songwriter in the genre that isn't Joanna Newsom, but that hasn't stopped David Thomas Broughton from writing a lot of them. Broughton's prolific songwriting will result in the releases of two new full-lengths and a split 10" in early 2007.
The first full-length is titled 5 Curses and is scheduled for a February release on Golden Lab Records in the UK, with Baked Goods distributing the record internationally. Contrary to its title, 5 Curses has six songs that together clock in at just over an hour.
The second LP is It's in There Somewhere, which Birdwar will release in March. Somewhere seems to be more of a traditional record for Broughton, with 13 songs in under 55 minutes. Birdwar will follow its release with a 10" split between Broughton and another UK songwriter, Benjamin Wetherill. The 10" will have four tracks, with each artist contributing one original and both of them covering one of each other's songs. Broughton plays his own "Sometimes" and Wetherill's "April 8th"; Wetherill plays his "We Made Plans to Strangle Your Lover" and Broughton's "One Day".
Broughton has one show scheduled for February 1 at the Luminaire in London. [MORE...]
Of Montreal Share New MP3 Download, New EP Info
Band starts beef with Little Rock, Arkansas
In promoting their upcoming record, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Of Montreal have embraced the Internet, first uploading individual tracks to their MySpace and later moving on to a full-blown LP stream on Polyvinyl's website. (Not to mention giving away the occasional album track as an mp3.) Kevin Barnes is such a 21st century boy.
But even internet marketing geniuses face day-to-day challenges offline. For instance, Barnes' wife, Nina, lost her hat in Little Rock, Arkansas, inspiring the new Of Montreal track, "Little Rock". What hardship! As previously reported, the song was released yesterday via Polyvinyl as a B-side on the limited edition (2000 copies on blue and yellow wax) seven inch for the Hissing Fauna number "She's a Rejecter".
"Little Rock" documents the incident ("Little Rock, I offered you my heart and you tried to steal Nina's hat. Little Rock, why'd you have to go and do something as stupid as that?") and Of Montreal's subsequent disdain for the location ("We're never coming back to your shitty little town") in a 58-second mostly-acoustic ditty.
Of Montreal without layers upon layers of instrumentation? Believe it, and download the track below. And get ready for the diss track by the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, hopefully coming to a mixtape near you soon.
Another release (even more limited at 500 copies), the "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" DJ edition black label 12", which boasts two cuts from the band's new record, also landed on Polyvinyl yesterday. But you already know that.
In other news, Of Montreal
have a new EP on its way January 23, titled Icons, Abstract Thee. Listeners can
preview its opening track, "Du Oh Meg", on the band's MySpace.
In addition to its inclusion on the Polyvinyl EP, the song will appear on side four of the double-vinyl version of Hissing Fauna alongside three other cuts also slated for Icons. The EP, however, features the exclusive track "Miss Blonde, Your Papa Is Failing", which will not be found elsewhere.
Those interested in pre-ordering the CD versions of both Hissing Fauna and Icons, Abstract Thee at once from Polyvinyl are eligible to receive a special package deal. We love deals!
And just to remind you, Of Montreal will launch a three-month-long North American tour this January. And out of all these dates, there is not one show scheduled in Little Rock. Walking the walk...we like that. [MORE...]
The Rapture Announce Record Label, Winter Tour
Mastodon totally wish they'd thought of label name first
Like many before them, the
Rapture have formed their own record label, the tuff-named (perhaps after Akira
Kurosawa's Macbeth-based film) Throne of Blood Records. Its initial purpose is to house the slew of vinyl singles and
remixes culled from their latest album, Pieces of the People
We Love, as well as the vinyl version of Pieces.
The label's creative direction will be managed by the Rapture, and DJ James Friedman will supervise its day-to-day affairs.
Throne of Blood has joined forces with Syntax Distribution in the U.S., and Amato Distribution and Schnauzer Records in Europe. Its first release, the single for "Get Myself Into It", landed on November 13; it features remixes by Prince Language, Serge Santiago, and SebastiAn.
According to a press release, the Rapture plan to recruit "some of the most influential producers in dance music" for the forthcoming remixes.
In other news, the band made its way to the market two times yesterday-- once on their second UK single, "W.A.Y.U.H. (People Don't Dance No More)" (aka "Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh Huh" on the album), which boasts new B-sides and remixes from Simian Mobile Disco and Claude Von Stroke, and again on Parisian duo Black Strobe's previously reported remix album, A Remix Selection (Playlouderecordings) with their song "Sister Saviour".
Of the former song, the Rapture's Mattie Safer commented on his group's official website, "I always wanted to have some fucking parentheses in a song title. It's so Janet Jackson."
The four-piece just wrapped up a lengthy North American trek alongside the Presets, and has already announced a modestly-sized tour of the UK. Following this jaunt, which is set to begin in February, the Rapture will make two appearances at Australia's V Festival.
Finally, the guys are up for Video of the Year on MTV2's "Subterranean" for "Get Myself Into It". Vote for them here. [MORE...]
Video: Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Lay and Love"
The video for Bonnie "Prince" Billy's previously reported new single, "Lay and Love", is as weird a clip as we've come to expect from the man who used Neil Hamburger to promote his new album. Will Oldham rents a moving truck, pays a guy to help him deck out the back, then pays a prostitute to sleep with the guy, but all they seem to do is eat. The "surprise" ending (spoiler: the peanuts in Oldham's hand turn into a meatball) is equally baffling, though there's probably some mundane explanation for the whole thing.
UPDATE: DOMINO HAS REMOVED THE VIDEO FROM THEIR SITE. BUT YOU CAN WATCH A BIZARRE "PREVIEW" FOR IT FROM DRAG CITY BY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW.
Domino will release the "Lay and Love" single in the UK on January 22 on CD and 7" vinyl. The 7" will feature a cover of Bob Dylan's "Going to Acapulco" on the B-side, and the CD will feature "Going to Acapulco", another Dylan cover ("Señor"), and the "Lay and Love" video. The single will be out in America on Drag City at some point next year.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy will give the UK even more love when he begins his tour there in Glasgow on January 21. [MORE...]
Neko Case, Jim James, Howe Gelb on M. Ward Single
M. Ward single?? Fellers, lock up yer women!
It's just a big ol' boot-stompin' hootenanny all the time with these alt-country types, I tell ya. Just look at that M. Ward character. Greenhorn's only been around a few years now, and he's already covering Jimmie Dale Gilmore and hooking up with the most respected urban cowboys and cowgals in the game: Neko Case, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Nels Cline (Wilco), and even the grandson of banjo legend Earl Scruggs.The proof's in the pudding, and the pudding here is a new single Ward has rounded up for release on February 20 via Merge. It collects "To Go Home", from this year's quite lovely Post-War, an epic cover of Gilmore's "Headed for a Fall"-- featuring Case (vocals), James (guitar/vocals), Cline (lead guitar), Saddle Creek handyman Mike Mogis (pedal steel), and ex-Thermal Jordan Hudson (drums)-- and new jams "Human Punching Bag" and "Cosmopolitan Pap". The latter showcases Gelb's piano skills and Chris Scruggs' lap steel chops. Mogis mixed both of the star-studded selections.
Ward goes to the land down under this winter, where it will be summer, a season more conducive to his six-shootin', rough'n'tumble ways. [MORE...]
Future of the Left Release First Single
Future of the Left, the previously reported phoenix risen from the ashes of Cardiff giants Mclusky, will release their first 7" January 30 via Too Pure. The single will feature "Fingers Become Thumbs" and "The Lord Hates a Coward" as double A-sides and "The Fibre Provider" as the B-side. There is also a pretty awesome homemade video for "The Fibre Provider" on YouTube now.The band is planning a full tour for February, but they have two shows scheduled before then. They will play the Luminaire in London on December 1 and the Wheatsheaf in Oxford on December 2.
Of Montreal Announce Tour, Singles
Of Montreal have their eyes set on continental domination with their announcement of a mammoth winter/spring jaunt across North America. It's two seasons long, people! Support comes from A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Enon, Grand Buffet, Mixel Pixel, and more.
The trek will roll in just ahead of Of Montreal's forthcoming LP, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, due January 23 via Polyvinyl. To tide fans over until the new year, the Athens, GA gang will release a limited edition (2000 copies) seven inch for new track "She's a Rejecter" on December 5 on blue and yellow wax. In addition to the title number, the single will feature Hissing Fauna's "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider" and exclusive B-side "Little Rock".
Slated for a far more limited release (500 copies) the same day is the "Faberge Falls for Shuggie" DJ edition black label 12", which boasts two cuts from Of Montreal's new record. Both singles will be housed on Polyvinyl.
Also, check out another track from Hissing Fauna, "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse", available for download from Polyvinyl's site by clicking below.
Finally, the Late B.P. Helium, aka Of Montreal's Bryan Poole, has one lonely date lined up in Athens next month. He'll play the city's 40 Watt Club on December 1. [MORE...]
DFA Signs Prinzhorn Dance School
Single out Monday, album out next year
When DFA adds an artist to its flawless roster, we pay attention. After all, the production duo/record label seems to have impeccable taste: LCD Soundsystem, the Rapture, Black Dice, Hot Chip, Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom, Shit Robot, the Juan Maclean--not a dud in the bunch.
The latest finding from James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy is the Portsmouth, England group Prinzhorn Dance School. The duo of Tobin and Suzi Horn make sharp, stripped-down post-punk recalling the best of Young Marble Giants, only without any hint of cuteness. (Of course, I've only heard two songs so far, so the rest of their repertoire could very well consist of epic psychedelic symphonies.)
Those two songs, "You Are the Space Invader" and "Eat Sleep", will be released on Monday, November 20 on 7" vinyl and as a download via DFA. Prinzhorn Dance School will record their debut album with Murphy and Goldsworthy in New York City next year.
For now, hear snippets of the two songs on the single here.
Tobin and Suzi are in the middle of a brief UK tour, which ends on Monday in Newcastle. [MORE...]
Dead Meadow, Wolfmother, Silversun Pickups Tour
Pass
that hookah along and turn your attention toward the computer, because Matador Records psych-rock trio
Dead Meadow launch a winter tour of the States tomorrow-- with Wolfmother
and Silversun Pickups joining in for a few nights of stoned-out rock action along the
way.
Dead Meadow reissued their self-titled, 2000 debut via Xemu Records a short while back, and plan to hit us with a reissue of 2001 sophomore disc Howls in the Hills and a set of Peel Sessions in the near future. [MORE...]
MP3: Amadou & Mariam ft. Kano: "Coulibaly (Mikey J remix)"
Amadou & Mariam's "Coulibaly", from their 2005 album Dimanche à Bamako, is a pretty great song on its own. As our own Joe Tangari wrote in his review of that album, the loping party tune "layers male/female harmonies and bluesy guitar licks over a dense foundation of swirling rhythm guitars and clattering percussion".
But it just got even cooler, with this remix by British DJ Mikey J, featuring underrated British grime MC Kano. Mikey J adds keyboard stabs and a clapping undercurrent to "Coulibaly", while Kano's brief verse injects an aggressive streak into the heart of the song. Ever humorous, Kano brags "I stand my ground like Rosa Parks" and "I been a warrior ever since I seen Bravehart." Now that's old school.
The "Coulibaly" single is due out on November 27 as a digital download and 12" vinyl on the French label Because Music. In addition to the Mike J remix featuring Kano, it also includes remixes of the song by Ashley Beedle, Fred Chichin, and, awesomely, Akon (who also contributes new vocals to the song). Smack that!
Amadou & Mariam have a few live performances scheduled for the rest of the year. The first will take place December 1 and 2 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the Red Hot + Riot Live! tribute to Fela Kuti. Dead Prez, Tony Allen (of Kuti's band and the Good, the Bad, and the Queen), Cheikh Lô, Keziah Jones, Les Nubians, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Yerba Buena with Stuart Matthewman and John Medeski will also appear.
On December 11, they'll headline the Roundhouse in London, along with special guests K'naan, Ba Cissoko, and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank.
MP3 NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Hood's Bracken Signs to Anticon, Plans Single, LP
Hood's Chris Adams-- aka new
Anticon signee, Bracken-- has temporarily split from brother Richard Adams to
play the solo card, crafting haunted, dubby glitch-hop manifestoes. The one-man act released a 12" single, "Heathens", in the UK last week on Anticon, and now plans to drop the same limited edition single (1000 copies available worldwide) on American soil November 14, courtesy of the same label. In addition to the title track, this slab of vinyl features three songs, including a remix "redone" by Anticon mates Alias and Why?.
Bracken's forthcoming full length, We Know About the Need, arrives via Anticon come January 30. [MORE...]
Shapes and Sizes Tour, Begin Asthmatic Kitty 7" Series
Castanets, Ariel Pink, Dirty Projectors, Half-Handed Cloud, Weird Weeds also contribute to split singles series
Asthmatic Kitty four-piece Shapes and Sizes are almost finished recording their second full-length for a late spring release, but they have plenty to keep them busy until then. First up is a U.S. tour, which kicks off December 1 in Missoula, Montana and ends in San Francisco on December 21.Then, on January 23, the band will inaugurate Asthmatic Kitty's Unusual Animals series of split 7"s, aimed at "exploring some of Asthmatic Kitty's more experimental leanings," according to a press release. Unusual Animals Vol. 1 will feature Shapes and Sizes' "Jinker/That Fat Hand" on the A-side and the Weird Weeds' "Hold in the Light" on the B-side. Future pairings for the series will include Castanets with Dirty Projectors and Half-Handed Cloud with Ariel Pink.
The label has made both tracks from Unusual Animals Vol. 1 available for stream here. "Jinker/That Fat Hand" is a loose, Akron/Family-style jam, and "Hold in the Light" sounds a lot like it, albeit with fewer drums. "Experimental leanings" = starting out formless and only discovering the song's chorus at the end. [MORE...]
Panda Bear Releases Split With Excepter, Preps Solo LP
Animal Collective will record their follow-up to last year's Feels this winter, and Panda Bear's sophomore LP will be released on Paw Tracks by March, with "mixing maestro Rusty Santos flying over to Lisbon later in November to finalize the jams," according to a press release.
But for fans who want an early taste of the Panda Bear album, Paw Tracks will release a split 12" between him and Pitchfork CMJ faves Excepter on January 23. Panda Bear's contribution is album track "Carrots", and Excepter's track is called "KKKKK".
Animal Collective will finish a handful of down under dates tonight at Wellington, New Zealand's Indigo Bar. Later this month, Collective member Avey Tare will play a trio of dates with Kria Brekken, aka Feels guest and múm member Kristin Anna Valtysdóttir. Before those dates, Valtysdóttir will join the rest of múm to open for the Sugarcubes at their November 17 reunion/20th anniversary show at Reykjavík's Laugardalshöll.
[MORE...]
Casiotone Escapes Fire, Preps Flock of Singles
Including 7" split with the Dead Science and Sholi
Last Saturday, Owen Ashworth--
aka Casiotone for the Painfully Alone-- delivered one downer of a message via his official
website. The Tomlab artist's Chicago apartment building caught fire on
Friday, October 27, and while he and his girlfriend (painfully alone my ass) escaped unscathed, he lost some musical equipment-- and the couple's cat, who is still MIA.
As a result of the incident, Casiotone has been forced to cancel a series of performances. He will, however, stick out a handful of California dates, as well as one Windy City stint scheduled later this month-- and he'll still hit us with a smattering of autumn releases. [MORE...]
Video: Tokyo Police Club: "Nature of the Experiment"
Enter into the fast-paced
blissfulness of Tokyo Police Club's new video for A Lesson in Crime EP
track "Nature of the Experiment". Warning: this baby may induce
seizures.
Featured in the colorful,
George Vale-directed clip are an assortment of intriguing
around-the-house
junk, white noise, some seriously cool boots, and an astonishing waste
of plastic wrap. Its bustling nature is telling of both Tokyo Police
Club and, humorously,
Tokyo (even though the band actually resides in Canada). A+, dudes.
[MORE...]
Snow Patrol Release Avalanche of Material
Between releasing their fourth full-length, Eyes Open, and having to cancel tour dates twice this year due to injuries and ailments, Snow Patrol have had an up-and-down year. Gary Lightbody and Co. are making up for it by foisting plenty of new material on us: an EP, a charity record, a single, a bunch of UK tour dates, and even a little bit of non-fiction writing.The EP is the band's own AOL Sessions, a digital release featuring live versions of four Snow Patrol songs and a cover of one Bright Eyes song ("You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will.") that you may purchase from iTunes right now.
For the charity record, Lightbody teamed up with Lisa Hannigan-- a vocalist in Damien Rice's band-- to sing a song written by Bell X1's Paul Noonan called "Some Surprise". The track will appear on The Cake Sale, a nine-song album by a collective of musicians of the same name. Other contributors to the record include Rice, the Cardigans' Nina Persson, the Thrills, Josh Ritter, the Divine Comedy, and Gemma Hayes. Oxfam Records will release The Cake Sale in Ireland on November 3, and proceeds will go toward Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and overseas program work. [MORE...]
Fennesz Reissues Endless Summer
Soundscape architect Christian Fennesz's Endless Summer received a 9.4 from Pitchfork upon its 2001 release, and Fennesz will release a remixed and remastered version of the album this winter. Editions Mego will release the updated Endless Summer on January 9, along with two bonus tracks: "Badminton Girl" (from an out-of-print Fat Cat 12") and the previously unreleased "Endless".
The label will also reissue the Plays single, which came out as a vinyl 7" in 1998 and a CD single in 1999, on 10" vinyl. Plays consists of two tracks: covers of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" and the Beach Boys' "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)", which were determined by "the relevant mechanical and publishing rights societies [to be] so far removed [from] the originals that they should be considered as homages written by Christian Fennesz," according to a press release. Editions Mego will release Plays on November 6, and both it and the Endless Summer reissue will feature artwork by Jon Wozencroft.
And as if re-releasing an album called Endless Summer in the dead of winter weren't enough taunting, Fennesz also has a handful of live sets scheduled for November in exotic European and Mediterranean locales that most of us will not be attending due to severe cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder and Monetary Absence Disorder. [MORE...]
Wrens, Magnolia, Wooden Wand in Singles Club
Plus: Exclusive Wooden Wand MP3!
If you love your music raw, pressed into little spiraling grooves, and highly collectable, Olympia, Washington's People in a Position to Know Recordings have just the thing for you: a limited-edition vinyl singles club! Another one? Easy there: this isn't your typical vinyl singles club. PIAPTK went all out here, tapping a bunch of your indie favs to contribute tracks-- including the Wrens, Magnolia Electric Co., Wooden Wand, the Long Winters, Will Johnson, and many more-- and then pressing them onto vinyl in a variety of shapes and sizes: square 8", triangular 8", hexagonal 8", circular 12", circular 10", and, best of all, heart-shaped 8". Heart-shaped vinyl!! That's the best thing since, like, heart-shaped pizza.
The limited edition singles are available exclusively to series subscribers, and here's the catch: PIAPTK only have 100 available, so you'd best get on that, youngin. Each series promises six "hand-lathed, polycarbonate" records on clear vinyl, shipped in pairs, beginning November 6. The label writes that at least two more six-record series are on the way, and signing up for the first doesn't guarantee you'll get the next two. Stay posted by signing up for PIAPTK's mailing list on the label's website.
Get excited now by checking out the exclusive mp3 below, a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Run, Run, Run" by Wooden Wand, set to appear on the third release (an 8") in the first series.
Each subscription (six records) will run you $65. Other series contributors include Norfolk & Western, Karl Blau, the Impossible Shapes, Dark Side of the Cop, Tim Kinsella (of Joan of Arc and Make Believe), Jad Fair, Tender Forever, Casper and the Cookies, Little Wings, Viking Moses, Clay Ruby (of Zodiac Mountain/Davenport), Super XX Man, the Poster Children, Southerly, Angelo Spencer, Emily Jane Powers, Kickball, AM/FM, Miniature and Presidential, and something called Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy, which should be worth the entire subscription price alone.
Sally Shapiro Seeks Disco Romance, Shares MP3
Sometime back in excruciating heat of mid-summer Chicago, a wintry little Italo disco throwback by Sweden's Sally Shapiro smuggled its way into Pitchfork HQ like the freshest dancefloor breeze this side of 1984. That wondrous tune, "I'll Be by Your Side", eventually found its way onto our Infinite Mixtape. When the B-side, "Time to Let Go", proved similarly wondrous, the Pitchfork Giddy Threat Level was raised to orange.Now we have full-blown, code red giddy situation on our hands, as Sally Shapiro's long-awaited debut, Disco Romance, graces clubs the world over this December. Diskokaine will deliver this perfect present for a winter holiday of your choosing, featuring nine tunes sung by Sally and constructed by beat maestro Johan Agebjörn, including a cover of twee electro-poppers Nixon's "Anorak Christmas".
But Sally's no disco diva-- quite the opposite, in fact. In a recent e-mail to Pitchfork, Agebjörn revealed just how bashful his vocalist can be: "Sally is so shy that I still haven't heard her sing any of these songs for me live! I mowed the lawn while we recorded the vocals. She refuses to be photographed by someone she doesn't know. She refuses to make a music video or to perform live.
"Still, she's a disco princess."
Enter Princess Sally's court by checking out the mp3 of "Anorak Christmas" below, which starts off sounding just a little bit like Limahl's NeverEnding Story theme song. Which is to say: awesomely. A club mix of the tune will appear on 12" around the time of the album's release, along with three remixes of "I'll Be by Your Side". The Diskokaine-stamped vinyl is conveniently divided into "Italo disco" and "electro" halves for all your DJing needs. [MORE...]
Nick Zinner Produces the Horrors
Those lucky Horrors. First, director Chris Cunningham chose the British punk band as the vehicle through which to make his long-awaited comeback. Now, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has shared his production talents with the group (and probably some hair and makeup tips, too.)
Zinner recently stopped by London's KONK studio to twiddle the knobs on two tracks, "Sister Leonella" and "She's the New Thing", for the Horrors' forthcoming debut LP. In an interview that ran October 18 on the band's MySpace page, Nick Zinner said that the Horrors "were very well behaved" in the studio and were "reward[ed] ...upon completion of their final takes with a pint of virgin blood." He also mentioned that he'd like to work with the boys again if his "schedule allowed it." [MORE...]
David Bazan Releases New Christmas Single
David Bazan (the artist formerly known as Pedro the Lion) is changing his generally grumpy demeanor in time to celebrate Christmas with his fourth limited edition 7" single for Suicide Squeeze. Limited to 1,000 copies, the "Away in a Manger"/"O Little Town of Bethlehem" single is printed on marble vinyl and will be available today, October 25, from the label's online store...oh whoops, it's already sold out! Sorry, guys. But it will be available November 7 in record stores.
Also available now from Suicide Squeeze's online store is the "Suicide Squeeze 2006 Singles Series Combo Pack", which, as it says, collects all of the label's 7" releases from this year, as well as a Suicide Squeeze t-shirt. It features singles by Black Mountain, Of Montreal, Russian Circles, Earlimart, and These Arms Are Snakes.
Bazan has two live shows before the end of the year, one of which is at the Jade Tree Records CMJ showcase on November 3. [MORE...]
The Kooks Hit the States, Europe
But when will they do their homework?
Further proving they're full of boundless youthful energy, the youngins of British buzz band the Kooks are touring like, yes, crazy kooks throughout this fall, including a few U.S. appearances in New York and California beginning tonight.
As previously reported, the band's debut full-length Inside In/Inside Out-- which has already gone triple platinum in the UK-- hit North America stores on October 3. A new UK single for "Ooh La" arrived overseas today.
The Kooks have played with the Rolling Stones, appeared on MTV2, and contributed music to "The O.C." Seriously, what's left for a kid to accomplish? They should take a break and play some video games already, fookin' kooks. [MORE...]
David Pajo Tours With Metal Band, Releases Split Single
Former Slint/Zwan/Tortoise/For Carnation guitarist and current solo artist David Pajo is heading out on tour with Dead Child, his metal band consisting of fellow Louisville, KY post-rockers Michael McMahan (For Carnation, Slint's 2005 touring band), Todd Cook (For Carnation, Slint's 2005 touring band, Papa M, Crain), Tony Bailey (Papa M, Crain) and "Dahm" (the vocalist, of course). Dead Child formed after last year's Slint reunion tour and takes as its influences "early Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest." \m/
In addition to the tour, Dead Child are planning the release of their debut EP on Cold Sweat Records. Details are vague since the only real evidence of the EP's existence is on the band's website and MySpace page, but if you can't stand the wait until whenever that comes out, their entire first show is available for download here.
Pajo will also release a split single under his surname with the Swedish band Audrey, featuring two tracks from Pajo and two tracks from Audrey's debut, Visible Forms. Stereo Test Kit Records released the single in the UK today, October 23. [MORE...]
Black Sheep Return With First Album in 12 Years
"They say the rap game is like the crack game....i think we gonna sell weed...do some hip hop," Black Sheep MC Andre "Dres" Titus wrote on the group's MySpace blog last December. Almost a year later, the Native Tongues duo of Dres and DJ William "Mister Lawnge" McLean returns in earnest with a new single and a new album, both digital-only releases. The single-- "Whodat?"-- saw release in late September to online stores via Black Sheep's own BumRush Records and digital distributor The Orchard. It features four tracks, including clean and instrumental versions of "Whodat?" and B-side "Be Careful".
The album bears the title 8WM/Novakane (8WM stands for "Women With Women With Weed With Wine With Me"!) and, like the single, it's an online-only release via Bumrush and the Orchard. 8WM/Novakane's arrives October 24, making it Black Sheep's first album in 12 years, and follows Non-Fiction and landmark debut A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing as the duo's third LP overall. [MORE...]
Peter Bjorn and John Release New Single, Tour
Peter Bjorn and John, recent Best New Music inductees, are putting out a new single on October 25 on V2 Sweden. "Let's Call It Off" (a special version with steel drums!) will be released on seven inch and CD formats, and will be backed by "(I Just Wanna) See-Through", "Self Pity", and a remix of their "hit" "Young Folks" from London duo Punks Jump Up.
The trio has a slew of European performances lined up in the near future. Alas, none in the USA. :( [MORE...]
Ladyhawk Launch Tour
Ladytron, Ladyfuzz, Ladyfinger, the Ladies hold conference in the ladies room
The self-described "total douche babes" (see: MySpace) in Vancouver's Ladyhawk are getting ready to piss off and seduce a whole continent, as they kick off a North American tour tomorrow night in their hometown. The month-long stint will see the quartet playing alongside Magnolia Electric Co., Bound Stems, Catfish Haven, and more.
Sometime next year, Jagjaguwar plans to put out a mysterious Ladyhawk release tentatively titled Mushroom Session. A track from that release, "War", is available from the label's website.
In addition, Ladyhawk will be featured on a limited edition split seven inch with M. Ward that will be given away by the Fader magazine. It includes the previously unreleased track "Soap" and is due in mid-November. [MORE...]
Pipettes Principle Songwriter Readies Solo Material
Monster Bobby, as the Brighton-based man prefers to be known, is one lucky bloke. As principal songwriter for cutie-troupe the Pipettes and guitarist for mysterious Pipettes backing band the Cassettes, Bobby gets to hang with Becki, Rose, and Gwenno, like, all the time. But when all those polka dots get to be too much for the man, he goes to a hidden place to record sample-happy, lo-fi-ish tunes under his own name. Monster Bobby has churned out plenty of them in this fashion, and just signed to New York-based Hypnote Recording Concern with the intention of unleashing more upon the world.
Monster Bobby's latest three-track 7" single, "Heaven Hides Nothing", gets proper release October 23 via Remake/Remodel in the UK, and Hypnote in the U.S. It was previously available with limited distribution, and you can check out its title song below. He also has a split 7" in the works, to see release through U.S. label Total Gaylord Records, the lo-fi/indie pop imprint that gave us a holiday compilation titled (seriously) Cwistmas Twee.
Even better, Hypnote's previous signings include Wolfgang, a (seriously) "robot designed with the capacity for human feeling as well as the ability to write hit songs."
Monster Bobby also has a flair for the academic, and that Pipettes B-side Pitchfork recently shared with y'all, "The Burning Ambition of Early Diuretics", is a cover of one of his tunes. He is also intent on following through on his own burning ambition to become a "serious composer."
Bobby got his start arranging club nights in Brighton, and hopes to soon record an album of entirely new material to see release next year. [MORE...]
So it wasn't exactly gone, but beloved Berkeley/Oakland-based indie pop imprint Slumberland Records is officially back in action, having recently revamped its website and issued two new 7"s-- the label's first releases in three years.King of Slumberland Michael Schulman (or Mike Slumberland, if we go by the indie pop system of nomenclature) told Pitchfork that while he has been keeping the label's mailorder operational all the while, the release front has been dormant because of "'real' job/life responsibilities that just take too much time...to really give enough attention to Slumberland" and "the rise of downloading and the near-collapse of sales of records/CDs."
"While I wouldn't exactly blame downloading/freeloading for the decline in sales Slumberland (and other small labels I know) has experienced," Mike went on to explain, "it's pretty clear that there are generations of music fans coming up that don't necessarily collect small bits of plastic of the music they like. For good or ill, labels like Slumberland have to deal with the economics of selling hundreds rather than thousands of any given release." [MORE...]
The Shins Reveal Wincing the Night Away Tracklist
Star in shit-tastic remake of Multiplicity
Lives, get ready to be changed all over again. Pacific Northwest upstarts the Shins have just announced the tracklist to their insanely- anticipated third full-length, Wincing the Night Away. The 11-song set follows up the quite-well- received Chutes Too Narrow and was recorded this summer at Oregon City's Supernatural Sound, with main Shin James Mercer and dude-about-town Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, Tori Amos, Jonathan Richman, U2) co-helming the production chair.
As previously reported, Wincing the Night Away (which, by the way, sounds like an extremely unpleasant activity) hits the streets January 23 thanks to the fabulous people at Sub Pop Records. We'll all be, er, wincing the nights away in anticipation of that date, oh yes.
To keep the young Braffians out there thoroughly stoked, the Shins will release Wincing's first single, "Phantom Limb", in three different formats on three different dates. Pencils ready: iTunes digital on November 14, CD on November 21, and 7" on December 12. The single comes with two exclusive, non-album B-sides, one of them an alternate version of Wincing cut "Split Needles".
The tracklists are just a clicky-click away, my friends. And look! A tune named after veteran indie pop darling Pam Berry! Swell!
The Shins headline Sub Pop's CMJ Showcase, going down November 2 at New York's Bowery Ballroom. [MORE...]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy Launches Tour, Unveils Single
After months of being stalked by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Neil Hamburger can finally relax. In support of his Best New Music-earning The Letting Go, BPB will kick off a lengthy fall jaunt through North America this evening, with America's Funnyman safe at home.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy's touring band includes Azita, Emmett Kelly, Alex Nielson, and Aram Stith, as well as Faun Fables' Dawn McCarthy on October 30 and 31.
In other news, the second single from The Letting Go, "Cold & Wet", is on its way. Due November 14 via Drag City, it will be released in both 12" and CD formats, with the latter holding an Einar Baldvin-directed video for the title track. "Cold & Wet" is backed by a live version of "The Way" from Master and Everyone, as well as a BBC recording of Kenny Rogers' "Buried Treasure".
Another single, "Lay and Love", is slated for a 2007 release on Drag City, also in 12" and CD formats. It will come out on Domino in the UK on January 22. [MORE...]
LCD Soundsystem Makes 45-Minute Track for Nike
Also: James Murphy does Jiu-Jitsu, remixes Justin Timberlake
OK, overweight hipsters. Time to turn off our computers and hit the pavement. We've got some pounds to sweat off, and the DFA's James Murphy is our personal trainer.
Nike commissioned Murphy in his LCD Soundsystem guise to write a piece of music to accompany a workout; the result, titled 45:33, will be available for iTunes download tomorrow via the Nike+ store. Yes, it's one 45-minute, 33-second-long track, and it's going to cost $9.99.
This isn't Nike's first foray into workout-music patronage, as the Crystal Method created a mix for Nike+ this past summer. Nor is it LCD's first foray into corporate sponsorship, having hawked videogame consoles on the PlayStation DualPlay tour last fall.
Murphy explained the reasoning behind creating 45:33 in a press release:
"The idea, to make a long piece of music built around an arc designed for running, appealed to me because it was so anathematic to what you're typically asked to do as an artist: make easily digestible lumps of music for albums, or the radio, or whatever. I'd been thinking of the records I love in which people made one 'song' that took up the entire LP, and realizing that releasing something like this would otherwise be a virtual impossibility for me, I became excited when the Nike+ project came along.
"Our band, LCD, when on tour tends to do a lot of running--mainly to keep sane and resist the inevitability of turning into a bus-bound potato, filled with all that makes one sick. When I was approached to make this 'run,' two different members of the band told me that they ran to two remixes I'd done as DFA-- the UNKLE ['In a State'] and Gorillaz ['Dare'] mixes-- which both were long, sprawling, organic dance songs that eased from section to section for 10+ minutes each. So, the gauntlet had been thrown down to make something longer that was well designed to reward and push at good intervals of a run.
"I train fighting and Jiu-Jitsu three or four times a week, and a big part of that training is treadmill running, so I saw this also as a way to create a run on the treadmill that worked for me (programming changes to speed and incline throughout) and then make sure the music I was making worked along with it. When I was done adjusting things, much to my surprise, the time the run took was 45 minutes and 33 seconds-- the RPMs of records. It was obviously going the right way."
So what does the thing sound like? In the interest of delivering only the finest in hard-hitting interweb indie rock reporting, I loaded the track onto my iPod yesterday and went for my regular run. [MORE...]
The Good, the Bad and the Queen Kick Into High Gear
The Good, the Bad and the Queen, the supergroup made up of Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve), and Tony Allen (Fela Kuti), are gearing up to tackle the good, the bad, and the scene this fall.
Item number one on GBQ's plate is a meal less-than-fit for a king, "Herculean", the first single from the band's debut self-titled album (due in January via Parlophone/EMI [UK] and Virgin [North America], Billboard.com reports). It will be released in CD, 7", and digital download formats on October 30, "and deleted the same day," according to the band's MySpace page. Okaaay, apparently we're all living in computers here. The limited edition single features artwork by Simonon.
Prior to the single's release, the London four-piece will make its debut live at the Pig Nose Inn in East Prawle, England. This kicks off a short tour, which will end in a performance of the Danger Mouse-produced The Good, the Bad and the Queen straight through at the Electric Proms festival in London. [MORE...]
Video: Patrick Wolf: "Accident & Emergency"
Another new album, another new hair color! Follow flamboyant, now-ruddy-maned Patrick Wolf around some flashy subterranean club to the tune of his new single, "Accident & Emergency", due out October 23 in the UK via Loog. Solid enough tune about getting that dirt off your shoulder, but man, those vocals. PJ Harvey pal Maria Mochnacz directed the slick piece.If that's just not enough P. Wizzolf for ya, our young romantic also has a video podcast, which iTunes users can view by clicking here. The 'cast includes an interview and footage of Wolf performing new song "Bluebells" live in his home. Dude's latest, The Magic Position, hits stores early next year via Loog.
And did you know Wolf has a musically-inclined sister? Her name's Jo Apps, she plays in his live band, and she just released a single this week on Planet Mu. Dark, looping, ambient stuff-- very nice. Best of all, her MySpace features a backdrop from superlative Super Nintendo game Earthbound, quite possibly thee kewlest thing I've seen on the interweb all week.
Long Blondes Drive Home Debut, Prep Single
Band actually comprised of short brunettes
Pull
out the peroxide and let down those locks, because from now through
the end of this news story, it's Long Blondes time. The
stylish Sheffield quintet have unveiled a tracklisting, title, and release date for their long-awaited debut full-length, Someone to Drive You Home, as well as info on forthcoming
single "Once and Never Again".
That single, which will precede the Blondes' LP (due November 6 via Rough Trade in the UK), hits shops in CD and two 7" formats on October 23. In addition to "Once and Never Again", it will feature new numbers "Who Are You to Her?", "Whippet Fancier", and "5 Ways to End It". The band churned out these tracks with in-demand remixer Erol Alkan (Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters) as producer.
In support of both works, the Long Blondes have embarked on their first UK headlining tour, a month-long October jaunt. The majority of the trek sees labelmates 1990s on opener duty-- and all standards of rock nomenclature be damned: several bills include a band actually calling themselves Monkey Swallows the Universe (who are not nearly as bad as their name would have you believe). [MORE...]
Tokyo Police Club Sign to Memphis Industries
Exclusive MP3!
Tokyo Police Club, who just released their debut EP-- A Lesson in Crime-- in North America on Paper Bag Records, have signed to Memphis Industries in the UK and Europe.
The band's first single for the label will be "Nature of the Experiment". It comes out in the UK on November 20 with B-side "Box", which is available as an exclusive download below. The "Cheer It On" single, the B-side of which is currently unspecified, will arrive in the UK on February 5. On February 12, A Lesson in Crime will finally arrive in both the UK and Europe along with bonus track "Cut Cut Paste".
Tokyo Police Club will play a few dates with Art Brut and the Spinto Band on October 16 at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA before going on to play CMJ and a ton of dates in both the U.S. and Canada in November. A video for "Nature of the Experiment" is currently in post-production.
Memphis Industries has also signed two other bands: New Zealand's the Ruby Suns (formerly Ryan McPhun and the Ruby Suns) and Scotland's Bricolage. The Ruby Suns' self-titled debut comes out in the UK on December 4 and in Europe in January, and a second album is already "in the works," according to a press release. Bricolage are currently looking for the producer of their debut and hope to begin recording it in November. [MORE...]
The Wrens Reissued, Rejuvenated
Silver, Secaucus due November 14; split singles, EP in the works
Last week, Wind-Up Records announced that they will reissue the Wrens' first two albums, 1994's Silver and 1996's Secaucus, on November 14. (Silver is currently available on iTunes, and Secaucus will be shortly.) If the news comes as a surprise to fans, it pales in comparison to the reaction of the band members themselves.
"Our eyes shot out of our heads," singer/guitarist Charles Bissell told Pitchfork in a phone interview Friday afternoon. "We were like 'WHAT?!'"
Let's start from the beginning.
Most Wrens followers are probably familiar with the complicated backstory: Silver and Secaucus were originally released on Grass Records, which would eventually become Wind-Up under the leadership of Alan Meltzer. As the band reached the end of their contract with Grass, Meltzer sought to polish the Wrens' sound into something more radio-friendly. The band refused, and did not renew their contract with the label.
The Wrens went on to release the Abbott 1135 EP on the Ten 23 label in 1997, and their triumphant third album, The Meadowlands, on Absolutely Kosher in 2003. Grass morphed into Wind-Up, signed Creed and Evanescence, and basically took over the world. For years, the Wrens have wrangled with Wind-Up for the rights to Silver and Secaucus; most recently, in the summer of 2005, Absolutely Kosher offered $100,000 to purchase the albums. Their offer was declined. Meanwhile, the records continued to run up expensive price tags on eBay. So a year later, in the summer of 2006, when the Wrens' publisher Rough Trade told the band about Wind-Up's plans to finally reissue the albums, the band was understandably floored. "We only found out about it through our publisher who was contacting them to get other information," Bissell explained. "[Wind-Up] were like, 'Oh it's funny that you mention this because we're going to be re-releasing the records.'" [MORE...]
Strokes' Hammond Schedules Tour
He Strokes it to the east. He strokes it to the west. He strokes it to the one that he loves the best. But mostly, he strokes it to the UK. "He" being Albert Hammond, Jr. and "stroking it" being touring behind his previously reported solo debut, Yours to Keep. It comes out October 9 on Rough Trade in the UK and will be released in Europe and Japan later this year, with a U.S. release still in the works.
NME.com reports that Hammond has added a few UK dates to the four shows in the U.S. he had already scheduled. Also according to NME.com, the first single from the album, "101", will be released on November 27. [MORE...]
Parts & Labor Launch Bi-Continental Tour
Have serious beef with Shipping & Handling, Kit & Caboodle
If you're looking to get your shit tripped out, take a gander at the rainbow-hued, pixelated madness on Parts & Labor's lovely webpage. If you're looking to rock your shit the fuck out, catch the Brooklyn-based electro-noise-rock trio as they gallivant about Europe this fall on tour, eventually making their way back to the U.S. for CMJ and some more home-country gigs. The rock action begins tonight in happenin' Antwerp, Belgium.Whilst in Europe, P&L will rendezvous with cool peeps like I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, the Hidden Cameras, and Japanther-- and play a venue called Groovestation. Ohhh yes.
On the release front, Parts & Labor have a six-track 12" set to explode November 15 via Broklyn Beats. [MORE...]
Art Brut's New Single: "Nag Nag Nag Nag"
Eddie Argos: "I wanted to call it 'Nag Nag Nag' but that had already been taken, obviously, by Cabaret Voltaire."
Huzzah, new Art Brut! On November 13, Labels/Mute will release the "Nag Nag Nag Nag" single in the UK, on both CD and 7". It will include the B-side "I Found This Song in the Road".
We can probably guess what the new tunes will sound like; the big question is: on which "Nag" will Argos put the emphasis? The first? The fourth? The suspense is killing us.
In a press release, Argos is quoted as telling the magazine Artrocker all about the single: "Well. It's about-- and it can't just be me-- when I was younger and my parents had a go at me or I was in a bad mood, I'd put my Walkman on and go for a big long walk to sort myself out. And I was thinking about how much I did that-- ignored my parents nagging me-- and realizing that people who do that grow up funny. You miss something you should have been told because you weren't listening. I don't feel any different now to when I was 17-- I'm 26 now-- I don't think you change really between those periods and maybe it's because you're not listening to people. I dunno, it sounds very pretentious when I say it but it's just about putting your Walkman on, stonking out of the house and coming back again."
"Stonking"? I like that word. Us Americans should use it more often.
Art Brut are on tour in America now with We Are Scientists and the Spinto Band. They'll head back to the UK and Europe in November. [MORE...]
Thom Yorke to Release "Analyse" Single
Analyse this: Thom Yorke will release "Analyse", the second single from his Mercury Prize-nominated solo album The Eraser, on XL Recordings on October 30 in the UK and October 31 in the U.S. (still with the "s" spelling). The track will be available as a download and limited edition 12", and will be backed by the B-sides "A Rat's Nest" and "Iluvya". Aww, Thom's got the warm fuzzies!
Trentemoller Opts for The Last Resort
Break out the headphones and/or the dancefloors: Danish producer Anders Trentemoller takes a break from remixing the likes of the Knife, Röyksopp, and Pet Shop Boys to release his own debut album, The Last Resort, on October 24 via Poker Flat.
If "Physical Fraction" and "Polar Shift" are totally your jams, that's rad-- just don't expect quite the same thing from The Last Resort.
As uber-friendly Trente put it on his MySpace, "The album will show a new side of me. It's...very personal, made not for the dancefloor but for all you dreamers, lovers, and spacers out there."
While electronic at its core, the spacey outing features everything from guitars and bass to celesta, glockenspiel, melodica, and music box. It arrives in three formats: CD, digital, and vinyl, with the CD mixed and the other two unmixed. In addition, the CD will come with a bonus disc containing Trentemoller's biggest singles on Poker Flat and Audiomatique. So you'll get your "Polar Shift" fix after all.
Contributors to The Last Resort include Mikael Simpson (providing distorted bass and guitar), Henrik Vibskov (acoustic drums), and Thomas "DJ T.O.M." Bertelsen (lending his scratching skills). Fellow Dane Ane Trolle assists on vocals, as well as British producer Richard Davis.
For those who want a taste of Last Resort, Poker Flat just dropped a 12" single for "Always Something Better", featuring the original vocal version by Richard Davis, as well as remixes by Matthew Herbert and Trentemoller himself.
Catch Trente as he tours the world this fall. [MORE...]
Ex-Beta Band Members Are Aliens
Legal ones, though
The Aliens, comprised of former Beta Band members John Maclean, Robin Jones, and Gordon Anderson (who left the band early on to become Lone Pigeon), have invaded Earth. They put out their debut EP, Alienoid Starmonica, in May, and are currently working on a new album to be released in February 2007. And man, are they happy about it.
The British trio released the single "The Happy Song" last week, complete with a video of them singing, dancing, jumping, and tying their shoes with much happiness. And hyperness. (We're talking "I-just-ate-a-whole-packet-of-Fun Dip" hyper.)
This fall, the Aliens will land at various UK venues on a month-long
tour, which will be followed (the band hopes) by appearances in the
U.S., Europe, and "anywhere else in the world that will have us in
2007."
Video: Serena Maneesh: "Sapphire Eyes"
Thanks, Serena Maneesh, for using the condensed version of album track "Sapphire Eyes" for your video release. Nothing against v1.0 of the song (it's great), but a six minute "short" isn't really what I'm looking for...especially when the film for the remixed rendition, which clocks in at about half the time of the original, certainly isn't anything to write home about.
Utilizing high contrast, desolate settings, and a spacey, blurred atmosphere, the Hilma Nikolaisen-centric video, directed by Nick Small, is a good match for the tune. The problem? It simply isn't that interesting. Highlights include a creepy little kid (see: the last ten seconds of the vid) and a moose head.
The movie comes just ahead of Serena Maneesh's "Sapphire Eyes" single release, due via Playlouderecordings on October 2. The project, which will be released in both CD and 7" formats, was produced by Primal Scream's Brendan Lynch and comes backed by remixes from Riton (Kosmishe remix) and Mogwai producer Tony Doogan, as well as a "Lynch Mob" edit. Shorty, J-Dee, and T Bone in da house!
In addition to all that, the band is nominated in the "Best Norwegian Band" category for the MTV Europe Awards, scheduled to go down on November 4 at Copenhagen's Bella Centre. And Justin Timberlake's hosting! His publicist tells us that he's started growing a Emil Nikolaisen mustache in tribute. Or we're lying.
As previously reported, the group is smack in the middle of a U.S. tour. Remaining performances will run through early October.
MP3: Okkervil River: "The President's Dead"
Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff crams quite a dense, winding narrative into the first two minutes of this folky not-quite protest song about an imagined assassination. Running laps upon a lilting melodic line, he spends as much time detailing what he was doing at the time ("And the coffee was great/ There was spring in the wind") as he does exploring the socio-political implications of such an event ("The early obits/ Say he was a good man/ You can't argue with that/ Not today you can't/ Not now you can't"). For the last 45 seconds, the band breaks into a polite little jam, not exactly celebratory but by no means mournful.Jagjaguwar will press this new tune onto a limited edition 12", backed with "The Room I'm Hiding In" and slated for release sometime before the end of this year. As previously reported, Okkervil River will wind across the U.S. next month on tour.
Squarepusher Says Hello Everything
Tom Jenkinson, tireless Squarepusher of the electronic/IDM envelope, greets the world with his latest full-length Hello Everything on October 16. Longtime S-Pusha home Warp Records will release the album, which features twelve whimsically titled tracks, including "Bubble Life", "Vacuum Garden", and "Orient Orange". How cool would it be if this came with cartoon animation? Or puppets?! Digital download fiends can already scoop up the first single, "Welcome to Europe", on iTunes and Bleep.com, as well as non-album exclusive track "Hanningfield Window" (also now streaming at Warp's website). Another non-album joint, "Exciton", hits digital retailers October 2. For the wax-inclined, Warp will release all three singles on one 12" come October 16.
Squarepusher will play what may well be his only live gig this year, joining the Raconteurs and the Horrors at London's Electric Ballroom on October 26. [MORE...]
Ariel Pink, KFW Sign on for Singles Club
Reasons to read no further: you don't much care for left-field ambient and psychedelia, you hate limited editions and exclusive clubs, your favorite band is Train, you're allergic to vinyl. Still with us? Awesome, because the Melted Mailbox subscription-based singles club has arrived. The club promises to showcase old and new experimental musicians doing what they do best.
This first series will treat paying subscribers to seven one-sided 12" vinyl singles of unreleased material by Ariel Pink, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Sunroof!, Old Bombs members Carlos Giffoni and Dino Felipe, Old Time Relijun frontman Arrington De Dionyso, and OOO. The records arrive in bi-monthly groupings, and while the first pair has already shipped, it's not too late to join and get the whole set. For the collector in everyone, the 12"s will be limited to 700 subscription-exclusive copies, and include etchings on the music-less side.
Quoted on the Mailbox website, Ariel Pink described his contribution as an "epic 17-minute prog-pop suite, literally recorded [on] September 11th, 2001, inspired and addressing the hot-off-the-press adrenaline rush of our nation in shock, caught in real time." Um, Haunted Graffiti as the voice of a nation?
While you chew on that one, club contributor KFW said of his piece: "It's about 15 minutes long-- mostly guitar/computer music with a bit of analog. Pretty damn nice sounding right now. An epic, even..." It would probably be safe to assume the rest of the singles will generally follow Melted Mailbox's credo: "homemade experimental aesthetic with a warm psychedelic feel." We can definitely dig that.
As if all this weren't tantalizing enough, the first series also promises swag galore, including a "special surprise," CD-Rs from unannounced contributors, bonus mp3s, a poster, postcards, stickers, pins, and buttons, all lovingly packaged in a home-made box.
And now the interactive kicker: subscribers to the club are encouraged to send in their own work to be included in a special "meltedmailbox mix." Gentlemen (and gentlewomen), start your four-tracks and boot up your Pro Tools!
Art Brut Launch Tour
With We Are Scientists and the Spinto Band
Ready, Art Brut? Hope so, 'cause here we come. To your North American tour alongside We Are Scientists and the Spinto Band, that is.
Tonight, the trio of acts will make its way to Carrboro, North Carolina's Cat's Cradle club to kick off the festivities. In late-October, WAS will drop off, leaving Art Brut to make do with the Spinto Band, as well as a few shows with Annuals and Tokyo Police Club.
Come November, Eddie Argos 'n' friends will play a handful of scattered shows on their home continent.
As previously reported, Art Brut recently signed to Mute Records in the UK and are in the process of recording their sophomore LP, tentatively slated for an early 2007 release. According to NME.com, the band has finished up a 7" split with We Are Scientists, with the former group reworking "The Great Escape" and the latter on "Bang Bang Rock & Roll". Keep an eye out for the single swap disc at yr local merch table, because this baby's a tour exclusive. [MORE...]
Pelican Plan Assorted Releases, Launch Tour
The latest scoop: Pelican's status as a "fucking triumphant band"
(as guitarist Laurent Lebec eloquently boasts on their website) will be put to the test this November when they attempt to
simultaneously release a 2xLP, a 12", a 3" CD, and a live DVD. Go for
the gold, dudes!
The DVD, which was mixed by Justin Broadrick (Jesu, Final, ex-Godflesh) and Michael Ward (not that M. Ward), features video from a Pelican headlining gig at London's Scala, photos, and footage of the band filmed over the past five years. The 2xLP, on Electric Human Project, will contain the full audio from that London gig. The 3" CD, meanwhile, holds a remix by Prefuse 73, as well as a "different" (quoth a press release) take on a demo track. Finally, the 12" will collect both of these 3" cuts on vinyl.
Wipe that sweat from your brow, sissies-- there's more. Pelican will once again step out on the road for a trek beginning tonight in support of last year's The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw. They plan to preview material from their new, as-of-yet untitled album live-- and record the thing shortly after the tour concludes. Oh, and just so you know, the Canadian portion of the jaunt is titled the "Exclaim! Aggressive Tendencies Tour", since it's sponsored by the Canadian music magazine Exclaim!. Show that you care and punch a fellow audience member in the face. Kidding, kidding. [MORE...]
Raconteurs to Drop New Single
Or: Why I don't rap for a living
One two, one two, check it: The Raconteurs are out to regale ya, in full storytelling regalia, they won't fail ya, on tour this very day. 'Bout to drop a single in the UK, hittin' you wit three formats to play, October 23 is the due day-- but me, I'd rather listen to Lupe. Uuh. One two, one two. Mic check.Ahem, sorry. Food & Liquor, that's where it's at. But you're here for the Raconteurs, and that's cool too. The new Raconteurs single for Broken Boy Soldiers' not-quite-title track "Broken Boy Soldier" arrives October 23 in the UK via XL, in three lovely formats. B-side goodies include KCRW sessions, live tunes, and a Flamin' Groovies cover. Tracklist and tour dates (including some with Bob Dylan) ahead. Peace out. [MORE...]
Busdriver Signs to Epitaph, Tours
Stop the bus: innovative L.A. hip-hop artist Busdriver is pulling up to a U.S. city near you. This fall tour of the West Coast, Midwest, and Southwest serves as a vehicle for promoting Busdriver's debut single on Anti-/Epitaph, "Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now)," appearing on October 10.
The track, produced by Boom Bip, is backed by a remix by frequent Busdriver collaborator Daedelus.
Continuing along that route, the fast-talking rapper will roll out his fifth album, RoadKillOvercoat, on January 23, 2007. Produced by DJ Nobody (Plug Research, Ubiquity), with contributions from Boom Bip, RoadKillOvercoat-- besides being a potential target for a PETA campaign-- continues with the same "stadium-sized bombast...hinted at on earlier independent efforts," according to an official press release.
If you want to hear Busdriver explore arenas outside of traditional hip hop, park yourself at the following venues. (P.S. Apparently, dude's playing birthday parties now! Or at least one birthday party for some guy in Spokane. Guess the kids were sick of playing Twista.) [MORE...]
Casiotone FTPA Releases Singles, Tours
Casiotone, how ever could you be painfully alone when you're surrounded by piles upon piles of singles?
Owen Ashworth, known in the biz as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, has a busy fall ahead of him: he's got five new singles coming out on three different labels and a European/U.S. tour alongside the Dead Science.
The first release is a limited edition (500 hand-numbered copies) seven inch, due October 31 on Rococo Records. It features a cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland", a Xiu Xiu remix of "Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in a Yellow Shirt" from the CFTPA album 2003 Twinkle Echo, and the B-side "Sunday Street". Later this year, Rococo will also release a Casiotone/Oscillating Innards split single. Oscillating Innards features Ashworth's brother Gordon, as well as one of the best band names we've heard in a long time.
Next up is the second single from the latest Casiotone album, Etiquette, "Bobby Malone Moves Home", due this autumn on Tomlab Records. It will be released in both seven inch and CD formats, and features the B-side "Jeane, If You're Ever in Portland (Donkeys version)" from a recent Daytrotter session. The CD version will also include four live tracks from Casiotone's 2005 tour with Donkeys. Cover art comes from-- oh, look at this-- Donkeys' Anthony Lukens. Hopefully he doesn't make an ass of himself. Ba dum dum.
Oedipus Records also gets in on the CFTPA action with a split seven inch with folk trio Foot Foot (Casiotone's contribution is called "It's a Crime") as well as a seven inch picture disc, the second in a series by photographer and Xiu Xiu tour manager David Horvitz. On it, listeners will find reworked versions of "New Year's Kiss" and "Lesley Gore on the TAMI Show".
After all this is out of the way, Casiotone plans to utilize the winter to write songs for a new album with, says his website, a "tentative release date of 2017," rofl.
Finally, Ashworth kicks off a European tour tomorrow in Berlin. He hits the U.S. West Coast in November. The Dead Science will perform as both his opening act and backing band, along with Tyson Thurston from Head of Femur on piano. [MORE...]
The Knife: New Single and Video
Penknives are pretty cool. One minute you're signing an autograph, the next you're carving up somebody's chest. And they just got cooler, as spooky Swedish duo the Knife will release their next single, "Like a Pen", on Brille in the UK on October 16. The track is from the Knife's still fantastic latest album, Silent Shout, out now on Mute in North America.
As for the "Like a Pen" video, it's "Sesame Street" done in the aesthetic of early MTV! An
amorphous brown character goes around touching things with a pencil and running
away from more humanoid characters in a space maze. Let's just call it
"Knife-esque."
[MORE...]
Menomena Unveil Tracklist, Exclusive MP3
Below: Danny Seim promises to be more aware of venue ceiling fire sprinkler run-ins this time
Menomena are barely a month into their big Barsuk signing and they've already worked out a tracklist and release date for their upcoming record, Friend and Foe. The 12-song workout will storm the nation on January 23 of next year. The album's first single, "Wet and Rusting", is available as an exclusive download by clicking on the link below.
Menomena's upcoming tour with labelmates the Long Winters and What Made Milwaukee Famous launches next Monday. It will be followed by a December West Coast stint with fellow Portlanders 31Knots. [MORE...]
Arab Strap Break Up, Announce Farewell Comp/Tour
In a sad bit of news, the strapping, decidedly non-Arab lads behind plainspoken Scottish mope-pop institution Arab Strap have called it quits.
The band-- comprised of Aiden Moffat and Malcolm Middleton-- began collaborating back in 1995 and over the next 11 years released six fine studio albums (including The Last Romance, which came stateside this year), three live albums, and numerous singles. Through the majesty of song, they regaled countless young indie men and women with tales of the finer points of love, relationships, and fooking-- not bad for an act named after a sex toy.
"There's no animosity," wrote Moffat in an official statement. "We simply feel we've run our course."
On November 27, Chemikal Underground will release the Strap swan song in the UK, a farewell compilation titled Ten Years of Tears. Expect a U.S. version to follow sometime in early 2007. The disc features 18 listed tracks and two hidden bonus cuts, and collects a smattering of Arab Strap standouts hand-picked by the band, including demos, live recordings, Peel Sessions, and rarities, as well as fan favorite debut single "The First Big Weekend" and the very first AS recording, "Oxytocin".
The band also plans to release a final seven-inch featuring, appropriately, "There Is No Ending" (which also closes the comp) and a new Four Tet remix of "Weekend". No release date has been set.
Moffat and Middleton sure as fook aren't done with music yet either. The former, as L. Pierre, will release a new record called Dip in early 2007 and plans to follow it with another disc and tour-- these of the spoken-word variety. The latter is presently recording a solo album in Glasgow.
And finally, it wouldn't be a proper goodbye without a farewell show, eh? How about 11 of them? Arab Strap embark on a final tour this November, where they will help you weep into your pint at clubs across England and Scotland, and, fittingly, send the Strap out to pasture with two last gigs where it all began: King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. [MORE...]
Love Is All Return to North America
Debut album gets re-released with wider distribution
For those who weren't sufficiently smitten the first time around, and for those whose love for live Love Is All has gone unrequited, North Americans finally have a second chance at sweet amore: the noise-pop notables return to the States and Canada this autumn for some heartwarming touring action.The band behind the Pitchfork-approved LP Nine Times That Same Song will hit up all those groovy cities your friends are moving to, including New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, and more. Denizens of P4k's hometown of Chicago, meanwhile, must remain Love Is All-lorn for the time being. Phooey.
And just what, you ask, beckoned these enthusiastic Swedes yonder? Why, a release of course-- but don't inflate yr hopes too much, mister. Unless you live in Iowa or something: What's Your Rupture? Records will re-release Nine Times That Same Song on October 17. No new tracks or anything, but v. 2.0 will see wider distribution. Which means it might just turn up at the local record shop in some corn-infested state near you.
Your lovely pals also have new UK single on the way. "Make Out Fall Out Make Up" arrives October 2 via Parlophone (in CD and 7" formats) and features non-album B-sides "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and "Lost Thrills". [MORE...]
Mastodon Climb Blood Mountain
Black Mountain/Blood Meridian members get new side project idea
While TV on the Radio were busy with their Cookie Mountain, Mastodon made plans to visit a far darker place with an
equally high altitude. Come September 12, the latter will drop their newest effort
and Warner Bros. debut, Blood Mountain. BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!
In anticipation of this release, the follow-up to
2004's Leviathan (this year's Call of the Mastodon featured early recordings), Mastodon have released the "Crystal Skull" 7"
(limited to 2000 copies), courtesy of Relapse Records. Two songs, "Crystal
Skull" and "Capillarian Crest", were pulled from Blood Mountain,
with the former available for streaming at the link below.
And as if that weren't enough, the LP will be released as part of three different packages-- just the album, the album and a limited edition DVD (containing the 45-minute "The Making of Blood Mountain" documentary), and the record, the DVD, and an exclusive t-shirt, oh boy. Before you cough up the dough, however, try trading Mastodon Star Wars collectibles for merch and concert passes. Heheh.
Adding to the Mastodon mystique, drummer Brann Dailor recently described their two forthcoming music videos, for "Wolf Is Loose" and "Colony of Birchmen", to MTV.com.
For "Wolf Is Loose", "We're ghosts in it, and different body parts of ours will be disappearing and falling off." And for "Birchmen", which includes vocals from Josh Homme, MTV says, "the clip will focus on the story of Blood Mountain: a man embarks on a mission up a treacherous mountain in search of the crystal skull, which he needs to place atop the perilous crag, and encounters a smorgasbord of vile creatures, including a vicious wolf and a Cysquatch-- 'a one-eyed sasquatch that can see into the future,' said Dailor."
Holy mother of god, BEST VIDEO EVER!
Beginning tonight, Mastodon launches a North American headlining trek alongside Converge and the Bronx. [MORE...]
Goldfrapp Announce Single, NYC Gig
Starbucks announces new drink, worst pun ever: Goldfrappuccino
Prefacing the previously reported Flaming
Lips/DFA/Múm/andsomuchmore extravaganza that is the upcoming Goldfrapp remix
record, We Are Glitter (due October 17 via Mute in America only), comes a
newly announced single for Supernature hit "Fly Me Away". The five track affair arrives September 26 as
a digital download only, and includes several remixes (including two by Carl Craig as C2) and an exclusive B-side of
the previously unreleased "Boys Will Be Boys". Full tracklist after
the jump!
In support of the remix record, single, and recent success of Supernature and Black Cherry hits ("Ooh La La" was in a Diet Coke ad and on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance", and "Strict Machine" made its way into Verizon Wireless' Chocolate commercial and a "Nip/Tuck" promo), Goldfrapp will perform at New York's Roseland Ballroom on October 18. Should be glam-tastic. [MORE...]
Lily Allen Releases “LDN” Single, Again
Holds remix contest, tours UK with Scissor Sisters
"LDN" was the first track most of us heard from Lily Allen's recently released (in the UK), Pitchfork-recommended Alright, Still, and aside from its blog popularity, this is probably because it was, technically, the first single from the album. But that first pressing was limited to 500 copies on 7" vinyl, an amount and format that left the majority of us out in the cold.
Thankfully, Allen is throwing a bone to those of us who didn't hop on the "LDN" train the first time around by releasing it again, this time on CD as well. The single comes out September 25 in CD and 7" formats. One version of the CD single will include "LDN", a cover of the Kooks' "Naive", the "LDN" Warbox Original Dub, and the song's video. The other CD single version and the 7" will feature granny-dissing favorite "Nan You're a Window Shopper" as a B-side.
A plethora of remixes and a live version of "LDN" (including the aforementioned Warbox Original Dub, the Wookie Remix, the Switch Remix, the South Rakka Remix, and a Live at Bush Hall version) will also see digital release shortly, but if you'd rather try your own hand at an "LDN" remix, Allen is holding a contest for you to prove your mixing mettle. She's made the raw pieces of the song available to fans via her website, so work your magic, and Lily might just reward you with "a spanking new pair of Lily's self-styled exclusive Nike IDs," according to her website. So you may not be able to get into her pants, but at least you can get into her shoes.
Need inspiration? Scope the technicolor "LDN" video here.
Finally, Allen will support New York's Scissor Sisters on their November tour of the UK. Don't forget that she also has her own previously reported dates (including a handful in North America) in October.
[MORE...]
Tapes 'n Tapes Release Single, Tour With Annuals
People are tasting the Tapes 'n Tapes, and XL knows it. The label will put even more on our plate on September 4 when it releases the "Cowbell" 7" single in the UK. And for those not satisfied by audio alone, XL's also serving up a "Cowbell" video on the label's website. In it, a snarling Josh Grier wakes up in a field with keys in his hand, and instead of helping him find the door they open, his bandmates just stand there and play their instruments. You'd think after so much touring together, they'd be closer than that.Speaking of tours, the Tapes are still on one. They'll hit England, Ireland, Scotland, and plenty of the U.S.-- where they'll be joined by infinite-mixtapers Annuals-- by the end of October. Godspeed, young Tapes!
Annuals, whose Ace Fu debut Be He Me arrives October 17, have their own tour coming up as well. Before meeting up with Tapes 'n Tapes, they'll play with the likes of Art Brut, Man Man, and the Spinto Band. Ooh, hangin' with the popular kids. [MORE...]
Serena Maneesh Prep New Single, Podcast
Just before embarking on an extensive tour of both Europe and North America, Serena Maneesh have revealed that on October 2, they will release a new single, "Sapphire Eyes", through Playlouderecordings on CD, 7", and digital download formats. In celebration, the Oslo crew will throw a launch party at London's Madame Jojo's White Heat event this Saturday.
The group's trek has been rearranged quite a bit since we last reported, as touring partners Film School backed out to make time to record and sort out a member change. Serena Maneesh will instead make their way across the States alongside Evangelicals and Woven Hand.
Finally, the band has uploaded the latest installment in its podcast with a mini-documentary. The work features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of SM recording their debut record, pictures from their tour with the Dandy Warhols, and more. %FULL ARTICLE%
Single tracklisting:
CD:
01 Sapphire Eyes (single
version)
02 Sapphire Eyes (Tony Doogan
remix)
03 Candlelighted (Kosmische
remix)
04 Sapphire Eyes (Lynch Mod
alt. edit)
7":
01 Sapphire Eyes (single
version)
02 Candlighted (Kosmische
remix)
Dates:
08-26 Reading, England -
Reading Festival
08-27 Leeds, England - Leeds
Festival
08-29 London, England -
Madame Jojo's (White Heat) *
09-01 Oslo, Norway - Café
Mono
09-02 Hamar, Norway - Hamar
Music Festival
09-08 New York, NY - Bowery
Ballroom #^
09-10 Boston, MA - Middle
East ^
09-12 Montreal, Quebec - La
Salla Rosa ^
09-13 Toronto, Ontario -
Lee's Palace ^
09-14 Detroit, MI - Magic
Stick ^
09-15 Chicago, IL - Logan
Square Auditorium ^
09-16 Minneapolis, MN -
First Avenue ^
09-19 Portland, OR - Neumos
^%
09-20 Portland, OR -
Berbati's ^%&
09-21 San Francisco, CA -
Bottom of the Hill ^%@
09-23 Los Angeles, CA -
Troubadour ^%@
09-24 Phoenix, AZ -
Hollywood Alley ^%
09-26 Denver, CO - Larimer
Lounge
09-27 Lawrence, KS -
Bottleneck ^%
09-28 Denton, TX - Rubber
Gloves ^%
09-29 Austin, TX - Emo's %|
09-30 Houston, TX - Proletariat
^%
10-01 New Orleans, LA -
Republic ^%
10-02 Atlanta, GA - Drunken
Unicorn ^%
10-03 Chapel Hill, NC -
Cat's Cradle ^%
10-04 Falls Church, VA -
State Theater ^%
10-05 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
%+
10-06 New York, NY - Warsaw
* with the Early Years,
Thought Forms
# with Asobi Seksu
^ with Evangelicals
% with Woven Hand
& with the Sun the Sea!
@ with Midnight Movies
| with Magnolia Electric Co.
+ with Bardo Pond
Menomena Talk Barsuk Signing
Below: Menomena sign on the dotted line
As reported by Portland, Oregon's Willamette Week, Menomena have joined the Barsuk roster. Menomena's Danny Seim was kind enough to chat with us on the phone earlier this week; he enlightened us on not only the signing but on the band's upcoming record, side projects, tour plans, and parental advisory intentions.
On Menomena's choice of new label, Seim said, "It was a decision kind of long in the making. We felt that we had kind of reached the point in our career in the band that we needed someone to kind of take over the reins a bit, and allow us to focus more on the creative side of things for once.
"I think that the Barsuk thing, we've really grown to trust them over the past year or so that we've been talking to them and it just seemed like a good fit for us."
Menomena's split from their old home FILMguerrero was completely amicable. In fact, it wasn't even a full-on departure. Seim explained that he has every intention to keep FILMguerrero in the picture when it comes to the band's back catalog, as well as future vinyl releases. In addition, the dudes from Barsuk and FILMguerrero are buds! That's like fooling around with your old significant other while dating her best friend with permission. (FILMguerrero owner John Askew is also in Seim's new side project, Faux Haux, along with Gang of Four's Dave Allen.)
Menomena have already finished up most of the work on their Barsuk debut, Friend and Foe, and plan to release it in January 2007. Blankets author Craig Thompson did the artwork. [MORE...]
Before the Black Keys pull Magic Potion out of their cauldron (September 12-- what's with Nonesuch artists and egg cover art?), they'd like to practice their tricks...via Internet. Buahaha!
The Akron boys dropped a digital-only EP, Your Touch on iTunes today to tide us over until their LP lands. The three-track download borrows two of its songs from Magic Potion and features one live number. Speaking of which, the Keys kick off a massive fall tour early next month. But you already knew that.
The Rapture Stream Pieces of New Album
European tour dates added
In preparation for their upcoming full-length, Pieces of the People We Love, the Rapture have set up a website where fans can stream just that: pieces of five songs from the album. Those songs are the single "Get Myself Into It" , "Don Gon Do It", "Pieces of the People We Love", "The Sound", and "Whoo! Alright - Yeah...Uh Huh.", aka the song formerly known as "W.A.Y.U.H.". "Get Myself Into It" can also be downloaded as an mp3 by clicking on the link at the bottom of this story.
Unlike Pitchfork, however, the New York quartet doesn't just give content away for free. In order to access the latter four tracks, you must upload a photo (any photo, as far as we can tell). Upon successful upload of your photo, there is also a short video message from the band.
As for the songs themselves, they're great, featuring the same echoey guitars and spacey synths (and yes, saxophone and cowbell) we've come to associate with the band, all in the service of getting us out on the dance floor. "Pieces" rips the "na na-na-na na na" melody line from the White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl" to surprisingly un-lame effect. "Don Gon Do It" features the lyrics, "Purple dragons fly into your eyes/ Milkshake shimmy cry and cry and cry." And "Whoo!" is this album's clear cowbell-and-woodblock descendent of "House of Jealous Lovers".
Pieces of the People We Love will be released September 12 on Motown (September 18 on Vertigo in the UK), and it will be preceded in the UK by the "Get Myself Into It" single on September 4 in three formats: CD, 7", and gatefold 7". Those tracklists as well as an updated tracklist for the album and a tour itinerary with recently added European dates are all listed after the jump.
You can also take a gander at the Pieces album cover...if you dare. [MORE...]
Exclusive: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce Fall U.S. Tour
Plus another Peaches collabo
So starring in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Cheated Hearts" video isn't good enough for your ego, eh, fans? You absolutely have to show off your Karen O impersonation in the presence of the band, and, hey, a live audience wouldn't hurt either?
Well then, that cheated heart of yours can start bum-bumpin' fast with anticipation as we reveal the newly announced Yeah Yeah Yeahs fall tour. After wrapping up their current U.S. trek and a European jaunt next month, Karen's Krew will head out on the road to California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and more.
As previously reported, Karen O and Peaches joined forces to record "Backass" with Johnny Knoxville, a track for the upcoming film, Jackass 2. The two must've gotten along pretty well, as NME.com recently reported that Peaches has helped out with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs latest single, yes, "Cheated Hearts". The number will land in the UK on September 4 as both a download bundle (with new song "Thank You Were Wrong") and a heart-shaped 7" with a tattoo transfer insert, backed by a Peaches remix.
Nikki Sudden Final Album, Autobiography Due
New 7" out now
Former Swell Maps frontman Nikki Sudden passed away last spring, but that hasn't stopped the flow of new Sudden material. A new Sudden 7" recently hit the shelves, courtesy of Atlanta-based Rob's House Records. Titled the Barroom Blues 7", the posthumous release contains two unreleased studio tracks ("Barroom Blues" and "Family Bible") recorded in Athens, Georgia in the summer of 2005 with members of the band Southern Bitch.
The Sudden estate is also arranging for the release of The Truth Doesn't Matter, his final album, due out on October 10 via Secretly Canadian. Originally scheduled for an April 2006 release, the fifteen-track album features a band comprised of Darrell Bath, John Barry, Einar Stenseng, and Danny Hole, as well as special guest contributions from Sanni Baumgärtner, Mark Mulholland, and Elisabeth Wood.
Next year, fans will be treated to a Sudden autobiography, The Last Bandit, which the rock veteran completed before his death. [MORE...]
MP3: Exclusive: The Longcut: "Last Act (live)"
New single, online EP due
Chalk it up to restlessness: Not content to release their album and leave it be, up-and-coming Mancunians the Longcut are constantly releasing singles and recording new versions of their own songs. They even get their famous friends involved, having tracks remixed by Four Tet and now the Go! Team.
According to a press release, the Go! Team genre-crossers "add clattering drums, melodica, backing vocals and plenty of vintage-sounding fuzz" to their remix of the Longcut's new single "A Tried and Tested Method". The remix will serve as the B-side to the 12" version of the single. The CD version will feature two new, currently undetermined B-sides from the band themselves. "A Tried and Tested Method" is the fourth single from the Longcut's debut, A Call and Response, and it will be released September 25 on Deltasonic in the U.S.
Really though, this is old news from the Pitchfork camp. The real update is that the band are releasing a download-only EP via Deltasonic on August 21. The EP features title track "Idiot Check" in addition to album cuts "Vitamin C", "Lonesome No More!", and "The Kiss Off", all re-recorded live at Airtight Studios with Giles Hatton of the Earlies at the boards. It will be available on iTunes, Napster, and HMV in addition to a few smaller UK digital distributors.
Longcut fans can hear another song from their Airtight session by downloading the exclusive mp3 below. It is a live-in-the-studio version of "A Last Act of Desperate Men", shortened simply to "Last Act".
Pipettes to Release New Single
Hip-swinging, polka-dotted British girl group the Pipettes have pi-prepped a new single from their debut album We Are the Pipettes on Memphis Industries. "Judy", which follows the UK Top 40 hit "Pull Shapes", arrives on September 25. Like the Pipettes themselves, it comes in three spiffy formats. (However, I highly doubt that the women of the Pipettes are singles! Just sayin'.)
CD:
01 Judy
02 Simon Says
White Vinyl:
A Judy
B Feminist
Complaints
Blue Vinyl:
A Judy
B The Burning
Ambition of Early Diuretics (Monster Bobby cover) [MORE...]
Art Brut Sign to Mute UK, Work on Second LP
Also Announce Fall Tour With We Are Scientists
They formed a band, released an enormously great debut record on two different labels, and played one of the most rousing sets at the Pitchfork Music Festival. And now with a tour and a split seven-inch with We Are Scientists, a new record in the works for an early 2007 release, and a new UK label, it's safe to say Art Brut are taking over the world at an astonishing clip.
In an interview at the festival on Saturday, Eddie Argos and guitarist Jasper Future revealed to Pitchfork that they have signed to Mute in the UK. The label has given them a deadline to have their second record "mastered and done by the middle of December," said Argos. "We don't think it's going to happen. But that's the plan." Both Argos and Future, however, were insistent that the album will be released early in 2007.
About the move, Future said, "We were just shopping and we're on so many different labels all over the world that it's like, ‘Oh we just signed to another label.' ‘Oh, great, that's nice.' And then you find out, ‘Oh, that is pretty good. That's amazing.'"
The band have "seven or eight" songs ready for the currently untitled album. Future said, "We've got the music done, and we're just waiting for Eddie to write the words. That takes a bit longer. Eddie's an artist. He needs time to think...We'll be, ‘Have you written the words?' And he'll say, ‘The best way for me to write is on this sofa with my eyes shut.'"
Argos responded, "One time, I was ‘writing' with my eyes shut, and I woke up and they had four new songs."
Among the songs on the record is "Direct Hit", which the band played in unfinished form at the festival. "That was really an unfinished song. We have Eddie bang out the lyrics on the spot," said Future. "It's hard now, though," said Argos. "We play bigger shows. So you can really embarrass yourself." "So we thought we'd embarrass ourselves at the Pitchfork Festival. No one's going to know about that," said Future.
"I have deadlines," said Argos. When asked what the deadline for "Direct Hit" was, he joked, "About forty minutes ago." [MORE...]
Thom Yorke's Mercury Prize-nominated solo album, The Eraser, isn't exactly the kind of record you'd expect to launch hit singles. But XL Recordings are giving it a go anyway, with the release of "Harrowdown Hill" on CD, 7" and 12" on August 21. The track's slippery ambience will have a tough time competing with Lily Allen and McFly, but we're not going to underestimate the power of Radiohead fans, oh no.
A sneak preview of the video is available here. Looks like it's footage of stuff falling/diving into water. Coooool. The whole thing will premiere on Monday, July 31. Tracklists: [MORE...]
Boy Least Likely To Prep New Single, Tour
The Boy Least Likely To have set out to make the world a little more friendly with their latest single, "Hugging My Grudge". The track will be released on CD, seven inch, limited edition picture disk (which is, according to the duo's website, "very pretty"), and as a download. It's set to be backed with new B-sides, the titles of which have yet to be confirmed, and it's due out August 21 on Too Young to Die/19.
The band is scheduled to bring the cute to festivals across Europe over the next few months. They'll be accompanied on stage by people in giant cartoon animal costumes a la the cover of The Best Party Ever. Take that, Flaming Lips! [MORE...]
Flaming Lips and Goldfrapp Remix Each Other
Forget warring with the mystics, the Flaming Lips are now battling the pink Goldfrapp. Wayne and the boys recently remixed the British electro-house duo's track "Satin Chic", available as a digital download on August 14 and as a limited edition 7" picture disc on September 4 on Mute in the UK.
Titled Satin Boys,
Flaming Chic, the 7" also features a Goldfrapp remix of the Ordinary Boys'
"Boys Will Be Boys", plus some truly scary cover artwork (see above).
In turn, Goldfrapp remixed the Flaming Lips single "The W.A.N.D." ("Supernaturalistic Goldfrapp Remix"), was released in the UK on July 17.
In talking to NME about the remix experience, Wayne Coyne chose some really obscure references: "I believe we veered towards a Nina Simone meets Radiohead kind of mood." [MORE...]
Ellen Allien Teams With Audion
Just a Man/Woman sounds like it could be the title of some terrible slow jam compilation, but in fact it's the name of a new split 12-inch featuring Audion (aka Detroit techno darling Matthew Dear) and Ellen Allien (owner of Berlin's BPitch Control label and darling DJ in her own right). To be released by Spectral Sound on July 25, the gender-bending single begins with the Audion track "Just a Man" (from 2006's Fabric 27 mix) followed by Dear's reworking of Allien's "Just a Woman", then predictably continues with Allien's own mix of "Just a Man", concluding with her original version of "Just a Woman."
The good ol' fashioned battle-o'-the-sexes project arose from the artists' 2005 North American tour, during which time they developed (the official press release tells us) a certain dynamic. Perhaps they dynamically fought over turntables and the necessity of putting down the toilet seat. [MORE...]
Arctic Monkeys Plot New Single
If you live in the UK, Arctic Monkeys are inescapable. In America, less so, and elsewhere, they're just another group of mammals. But the band is not content to take a backseat to their simian counterparts anywhere, and so they are releasing a new single to conquer the parts of the world still untouched by their music.
The "Leave Before the Lights Come On" single will be released August 14 on Domino Records and will include the band's first officially released covers as B-sides. The CD single will feature covers of band buddies the Little Flames' "Put Your Dukes Up, John" and Barbara Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours", which the band recorded in collaboration with the 747s. The only B-side on the 7" will be the Lewis cover. [MORE...]
Sigur Rós EP Coming to America
Need to add a little ethereality to your day? Some monumental crescendos and panoramic wilderness scenes? Sigur Rós is there for you, as the band pre-released their new EP/DVD yesterday on iTunes. Titled Saeglopar, the audio/video release officially arrives in North American on August 8 via Los Angeles-based indie label Worker's Institute, which has released music by Amiina and Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Featuring one track from Takk and three new tracks expanding on music from both the Baba Tiki Dido EP and the Untitled EP, Saeglópar also contains three videos, which, incidentally, the BBC recently used for all trailers of its Wimbledon 2006 coverage. ‘Cause, you know, nothing says tennis like a few tow-headed kids wandering through the Icelandic countryside building cairns and setting vans on fire. [MORE...]
Oh No Teams With Galt MacDermot
I'm still not sure who John Galt is, but I do know that Stones Throw producer and MC Oh No's new album is based on samples of the music of Galt MacDermot, the man behind the musical Hair. I also know that Oh No and Stones Throw are teaming up with eMusic to release a song from the album as the website's first "digital-only 12-inch single."
"Gets Mine"-- from the upcoming Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms LP-- features Buckshot and is currently available for free (even for non-subscribers!) from eMusic.
While the "12-inch" part of the "digital-only 12-inch single" label is a little misleading, Stones Throw and eMusic consider the single, like past Stones Throw 12-inches on vinyl, to be of particular use to DJs. In a press release, Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf is quoted as saying, "I'm glad we're now able to release stuff digitally as soon as it's recorded. As a DJ myself, it gives me the opportunity to put together sets on a whim."
A 7" featuring two songs that are also coming out on an album usually isn't a big deal. But Xiu Xiu have turned the single for "Boy Soprano" (from their forthcoming album The Air Force, due out September 12 on 5RC) into a work of art.
The limited edition 7" vinyl picture disc, which also features the B-side album track "Saint Pedro Glue Stick" is available for pre-order from the DoggPony label's website starting today, although it won't ship until July 11.
According to Brendan Fowler (aka BARR), head of DoggPony, the record "is intended as sort of a split single between Xiu Xiu and [photographer and Xiu Xiu merch guy] David Horvitz in the very literal sense where Xiu Xiu did the sound part and David did the visual parts (the pictures on the picture disc and a special limited postcard/photo print/insert which relates in a maybe sneaky way to the ‘Boy Soprano' song). So it's not split side to side but sound to physical." However, "Saint Pedro Glue Stick" was picked as the B-side because Horvitz plays on it. [MORE...]
Lifetime to Release Single, Tour
What would summer be without a good ol' jolt of hardcore punk? Thank goodness for Lifetime, the crazy-influential 1990s New Jersey band who are now back in action after a way-too-long break. Recently signed to Decaydance (aka Pete from Fall Out Boy's label), the reunited band will head out on a short U.S. tour in July.
And to tide fans over for a new album (scheduled to come out next year), Lifetime plan to release a two-track single on Decaydance this fall. Though the song titles have yet to be revealed, the band will debut at least one of the tunes on tour this summer. [MORE...]
Long Blondes Release New Single
What follows a casual Friday? How about the even more dressed-down "Weekend Without Makeup"? That's the next single from England's the Long Blondes. The single hits stores June 26 in the UK via Rough Trade, but us Americans will have to wait to download it at a later date.
Tracklist:
01 Weekend Without Makeup
02 Platitudes
03 Last Night on Northgate Street
04 Fulwood Babylon
There's also a free Long Blondes podcast available on iTunes. Blondes in a pod-- that sounds like some sort of science fiction movie, doesn't it? [MORE...]
Ratatat, AiH Remix Shout Out Louds
Before the Shout Out Louds step back into the studio, those energetic indiepop kids are giving fans a little somethin' somethin' to tide them over. Combines, a five-track remix EP-get this-combines the talents of various Shout Out Louds allies in a series of remixes from the band's LP Howl Howl Gaff Gaff. Besides the four remixes, there's also one new song, "I Meant to Call", produced by fellow Swedish act Harlem.
The EP, now available on iTunes and at various indie music outlets, contains the following tracks:
01 I Meant to
Call
02 The
Comeback (Big Slippa Remix by Ratatat)
03 Seagull
(Remix by Konstruction and Subliminal Kid)
04 Very Loud
(Remix by Architecture in Helsinki)
05 Shut Your
Eyes (Remix by Harlem) [MORE...]
Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)
Tue: 01-30-07: 07:00 AM CST
Shellac to Play Robbins Benefit
Mon: 01-29-07: 08:15 PM CST
Police to Reunite for Arresting Grammys Performance
Mon: 01-29-07: 05:00 PM CST
Clipse Announce Winter Tour
Mon: 01-29-07: 04:30 PM CST
Decemberists Get Embroidery Treatment
Mon: 01-29-07: 04:00 PM CST
Rogue Wave's Spurgeon Receives Kidney
Today's Other Headlines
- Anticon Signs SJ Esau, Thee More Shallows
- Photos: Annuals [Atlanta, GA; 01/26/07]
- Maria Taylor Enlists Siblings, Oberst for New Solo LP
- Ponys, Roky, Brightblack, Annuals to Play Noise Pop
- Earl Greyhound OK After Tour Van Accident
Browse
Mon: 01-29-07
- Police to Reunite for Arresting Grammys Performance
- Anticon Signs SJ Esau, Thee More Shallows
- Photos: Annuals [Atlanta, GA; 01/26/07]
- Clipse Announce Winter Tour
- Decemberists Get Embroidery Treatment
- Maria Taylor Enlists Siblings, Oberst for New Solo LP
- Rogue Wave's Spurgeon Receives Kidney
- Ponys, Roky, Brightblack, Annuals to Play Noise Pop
- Earl Greyhound OK After Tour Van Accident
- Flaming Lips, Metric, Lil Jon Team Up With Playboy
- Klaxons Send Myths Stateside via Rinse/DGC
- Exclusive: Xiu Xiu, Larsen Team for New XXL Album
- Arcade Fire Launch Most Anticipated Tour of All Time
- Exclusive: Cornelius' Sensuous Comes to the States
- Pitchfork Seeks Business Intern
- T.V. Eye: January 29-February 3, 2007
- Ted Leo Expands Living With Chumbawumba Cover
- Pitchfork Music Festival SXSW Party Revealed!
- Afghan Whigs Retrospective Revealed
- Pretty Girls Make Graves Split
Fri: 01-26-07
- Chatham Gets Sonic Youth, Godspeed for "Guitar Trio"
- Okkervil River's Will Sheff Tours With Josh Ritter
- Modest Mouse Unveil Dead Tracklist, Release Date
- The Good, the Bad and the Queen Kick Off Tour
- Tapes 'n Tapes Schedule North American Tour
- Animal Collective's Avey Tare Records With ex-Múm Gal
- Brian Eno Producing New Coldplay Album
- Kaiser Chief Wilson Chats Album, Na's, No's, Hit'n'Run
- Mastodon Kick Off Winter Tour
- Pattern Is Movement Tour With David Bazan
- Smashing Pumpkins Announce First Reunion Shows
- Secretly Canadian Artists Cover Each Other for Comp
- Shins, Lily Allen, Cold War Kids Play KCRW Fundraiser
- Danny! = Next Def Jux Artist
- Girl Talk Seeks Dancers for Vegas Gig
- Q-Tip Readies Renaissance, Kamaal LPs
- Badly Drawn Boy Tours Europe, North America
- RJD2 Extends North American Tour
Thu: 01-25-07
- Beck's Information Deluxe Edition Revealed
- Photos: Deerhoof/Hella/Busdriver [Los Angeles, CA; 01/24/06]
- Capitol and Virgin Totally Hook Up
- Photos: Of Montreal [San Antonio, TX; 01/21/07]
- Joanna Newsom Tours Australia, New Zealand, Japan
- Lemonheads Tour America, Down Under
- Tom Waits Settles Another Goddamn Lawsuit
- Yo La Tengo Hit the Road
- Datarock Transmit Grooves on North American Tour
- The Rapture Launch Winter Tour
- Times New Viking Sign to Matador, Prep Second LP
- Scott Walker Documentary Drifts Into Theatres
- Shining Put Their Noses to the Grindstone on New LP
- Neko Case Launches Bi-Continental Tour
- Pollard Preps Self-Released EP, LPs for Merge, Ipecac
Wed: 01-24-07
- Perry Farrell's Satellite Party Gets Ultra Payloaded
- The Decemberists Offer iTunes Live From SoHo EP
- Apostle of Hustle Sing National Anthem of Nowhere
- Phil Elverum Re-Adopts Microphones Name for New 7"
- Stuart Murdoch, Will Oldham, Jarvis Head Kiddie Comp
- Can You Make an Album in 28 Days?
- Faust Founder/Producer Uwe Nettelbeck Passes On
- Dinosaur Jr. Reveal Reunion Album Details
- Jennifer O'Connor Tours, Joins Sykes, Dump for 7" Club
- !!!'s Offer Talks Myth Takes, Out Hud, Politics, Welfare
- The Kooks Return to North America
- The Knife's Silent Shout to Become Three-Disc Set
Tue: 01-23-07
- Producer Disco D Commits Suicide
- Yorke Pimps Liars, Spank Rock, Malkmus on iTunes
- Walkmen, Kaiser Chiefs to Tour Together
- Lady Sovereign to Open for Gwen Stefani
- Junior Boys Extend Tour Stateside, Canadaways
- Toto, Spin Doctors, Marky Mark Sign on for Coachella
- Menomena Announce North American Tour
- Band of Horses Saddle Up for Studio, Enhance Lineup
- The Books Announce Spring Tour
- Jarvis Gets U.S. Release Date, Tours Europe
- Hella Kick Off Tour, Get Ready for Outer Space
- LCD Soundsystem to Fans: Send Silver to #1!
Mon: 01-22-07
- Photos: Mission of Burma [New York, NY; 01/19/07]
- Jesus and Mary Chain to Play Coachella!
- Touch and Go Revisit Festival With Video Awesomeness
- Kristin Hersh Talks New Album
- Silver Jews, Avey Tare, Enon, Black Dice on RBR Comp
- Kanye West Applies for Graduation With Chris Martin
- Maximo Park Reveal Our Earthly Pleasures
- Enon Cancel Dates With Of Montreal
- Corsano + Hair Police + Mouthus + Giffoni = Death Unit
- Funkstorung Release Farewell Remix Album
- Deerhoof Give Friends Art Opportunity
- T.V. Eye: January 22-29, 2007
- Jarvis, Lily, New Pornos, Ghostface Added to Coachella
- Ted Leo/Pharmacists to Tour U.S./Canada
Sun: 01-21-07
Fri: 01-19-07
- Pitchfork Music Festival 2007: July 14-15, Chicago
- Kanye West, RZA, DJ Premier on Beat Kings DVD
- Apples in Stereo Tour in Support of New Album
- Summer Hymns, Winter Tour
- Islands' Nick Thorburn Talks All Kinds of Crazy Stuff
- Rock Plaza Central Sign to Yep Roc
- Dosh Drops EP, Dashes Off on Tour
- Fujiya & Miyagi Schedule U.S. Shows
- Lily Allen Announces American Tour
- Ghost Prepare for Stormy Nights
- Iron & Wine and Calexico Tour Japan
- Exclusive: The Pipettes to Charm North America
- Arcade Fire Announce UK Single
- Radiohead Working on Album Again
- Bjork Taps Antony, Timbaland, Lightning Bolt for LP
- Of Montreal Launch Tour, Release Digital Single
Thu: 01-18-07
- The Constantines Tour Canada
- Exclusive: Bonde do Role Sign to Domino
- Lee Hazlewood Taps Granddaughter for Final Album
- Cage Launches Winter Tour
- Mark Eitzel Embarks on East Coast Tour
- Cat Power, Seu Jorge Become Works of Public Art
- Photos: Andrew Bird [New York, NY; 01/17/06]
- Bright Eyes Sign to Polydor Outside North America
- David Kilgour Cleans Up With The Far Now
- Tweedy Reveals Wilco LP Title, Release Date
- Exclusive: Decemberists Announce Spring U.S. Tour
- Parts & Labor, Jana Hunter Cover Oneida's "Sheets"
- Songs of Green Pheasant Sends Aerial Days Stateside
- Pre-Thermals Material Collected on Urban Legends LP
- Turbulence Promises Album Will Do Good
- Echo & the Bunnymen Expand Songs to Learn and Sing
- Built to Spill Show Europe What They're Made Of
Wed: 01-17-07
- Plan B Plans American Invasion
- Castanets Strike Out on Tour With Shapes and Sizes
- Exclusive: Mystery Jets Sign to Dim Mak
- Low Add European Dates to Tour
- Exclusive: Richard Buckner Tours With Six Parts Seven
- Band of Horses Trot Out on Tiny Tour
- Paul Weller Celebrates 30 Years With DVD/Box, Tour
- DJs Drama & Cannon Arrested for "Illegal" CDs
- Deerhoof Launch World Tour
- Camera Obscura Kick Off Tour, Share Single, Video
- Exclusive: Gustav Ejstes Talks New Dungen Album
Tue: 01-16-07
- Morrissey Seeks California Love on Tour
- Subtle Make Plans With TV on the Radio, Launch Tour
- Drag City Brings Boris' Rainbow to U.S.
- ? of ? & the Mysterians Loses House, Valuables to Fire
- Bonnie "Prince" Billy Preps New Single
- Ninja Tune/Big Dada Prep Diplo, Wiley, Bug Releases
- Junior Boys Remixed by Hot Chip, Prep EPs, Tour
- Slint Rock Spiderland at Primavera Sound Festival
- Postal Service Cheat on USPS-- With UPS!
- Stones Throw Releases Retrospective Comp
- Sonic Youth Tour Japan with Vooredoms (Boredoms)
Mon: 01-15-07
- Frightened Rabbit Hit the States
- Exclusive: Page France Reveal LP, MP3, Headlights Tour
- Sigur Rós: "New Album in the Works"
- Annuals Prep EP, Tour With Dears, Aqueduct
- Leonard Cohen Given Reissue Treatment
- Sonic Youth, Murdoch, Watt, Suzuki on Future Pilot LP
- The Hold Steady Tour With the Thermals
- T.V. Eye: January 15-19, 2007
- Dr. Dog Tour With Bobby Bare Jr.
- V2 Closes Shop on New Releases, White Stripes Are Free
- Ben Gibbard Goes Hollywood
- Kevin Shields: MBV Will "100%" Make Another Album
Sun: 01-14-07
Fri: 01-12-07
- Marnie Stern Melts Your Face With KRS LP, Tour, MP3
- Video: Jelly Donut vs. Lady Sovereign
- Exclusive MP3: Grizzly Bear: "Knife (Girl Talk Remix)"
- The Stranglers Choke Out New Album Stateside
- Sneakers Release Retrospective Compilation
- Exclusive: MP3: Busdriver: "Less Yes's, More No's"
- Dntel Sub Pop Debut Revealed
- Vashti, Vetiver, Juana Molina, Adem Launch Tour
- Hold Steady Invade Britain
- The Ponys Tour Before Turning the Lights Out
- Arab Strap Drop Tears Stateside, Prep Solo Discs
- Exclusive: Mando Diao Share U.S. Release Details, MP3
- Video Premiere: Rob Crow: "I Hate You, Rob Crow"
- MP3: The Pack: "Candy"
- Yo La Tengo, Walkmen, PB&J; Head Laneway Fest
- El Perro Del Mar Tours America Del Norte
- Viva Voce to Support Shins on Tour
Thu: 01-11-07
- Gruff Rhys Coming to America Thanks to Conor Oberst
- Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid Speak in Tongues, Tour
- Bill Callahan Dumps Smog Name, Drops LP
- Benjy Ferree Launches U.S. Tour
- Misra + Absolutely Kosher = <3
- Decemberists Auction Instruments, Clothes for Charity
- Kanye West Gets HBO Show
- Video: Justin Timberlake/Rock Plaza Central: "SexyBack"
- Ex-Test Icicle Balls With Saddle Creek Peeps
- Video Premiere: Beach House: "Master of None"
- Lily Allen Announces U.S. LP Bonus Features
Wed: 01-10-07
- Sov Fights Donut, Parties With Playboy, Helps Islands
- Kanye, Gnarls, Girl Talk Take on Jackie Chan, China
- Field Music Record Futureheads, Share Video
- Mastodon Bring Video Game to Blood Mountain
- Talkdemonic to Tour West Coast
- Video: Bloc Party: "I Still Remember"
- Sam Prekop Talks New Sea and Cake Disc
- Exclusive: Blonde Redhead Reveal 23, Announce Tour
- Rough Trade Inks North American Licensing Deal
- Thurston, Carl Newman Write About Favorite Shows
- The Rapture Announce American Tour
- Patti Smith to Release Covers Album
Tue: 01-09-07
- Exclusive: I'm From Barcelona Introduce U.S. Tracklist
- Mark Ronson Recruits Lily Allen, ODB for Album
- caUSE co-MOTION! Incite Brouhaha on Tour
- Strokes' Hammond Jr. to Release Debut in U.S.
- Kaiser Chiefs Reveal Album Details, Tour
- Video: My Brightest Diamond: "Something of an End (David Keith Remix)"
- Animal Collective Sign to Domino, Tour
- Video: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: "Naked Sun"
- Bright Eyes Emotes Across North America
- Whitman, Forrest, Belong, Pioulard Record Ringtones
- Video: Clinic: "If You Could Read Your Mind"
- Burrito Brother Kleinow Dead at 72
- Mos Def Album Magically Disappears
- Exclusive: MP3: !!!: "Heart of Hearts"
Mon: 01-08-07
- PB&J;, Patrick Wolf, 120 Days Head Dutch Fest
- John Reis' Sultans Hang up the Crown
- Cold War Kids Tour With Tokyo Police Club
- Simian, Long Winters on Music for Robots Comp
- Emily Haines Serenades NPR Listeners
- M. Ward, Jim James, Ladyhawk Featured on FADER 7”
- The Broken West (Formerly the Brokedown) Plan Tour
- Bloc Party Announce North American Tour
- Do Make Say Think Make Album, Do Tour
- MP3: Beirut: "Elephant Gun"
- Pharoahe Monch Shares New Song, Controversial Video
- A-Trak Releases One of Everything
- R.E.M., Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash Make Rock Hall
- Ted Leo to Play NYC Benefit for Robbins Family
- T.V. Eye: January 8-15, 2007
Sun: 01-07-07
Sat: 01-06-07
Fri: 01-05-07
- Xiu Xiu, BARR, Grouper Get Artsy-Fartsy
- Video: Deerhunter: "Strange Lights"
- Calexico, Rogue Wave, Pink Mt'tops on Charity Comp
- Amon Tobin Meets Kronos Quartet in Foley Room
- Grizzly Bear Yellow House Film Sync Discovered!
- Chin Up Chin Up, Bobby Conn Play Robbins Benefit
- Walkmen Announce Australian, U.S. Tours
- Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks Launch Tour
- Trail of Dead Announce UK Tour
- Ponys, Flosstradamus, Bound Stems Rock Schubas Fest
- Crunk Hits Gets Vol. 3, Joined by Hyphy Hitz
- Jonny Greenwood Curates Trojan Records Reggae Comp
- MP3: Justice: "Phantom Part I"
- Love Is All, Long Blondes on Label Comp
- Enslaved Tour North America
- Justin K. Broadrick Talks New Jesu Album, Tour
Thu: 01-04-07
- The Shins Announce U.S. Tour
- Rock Plaza Central Horse Around on Tour
- Wilco Side Project Autumn Defense Prep New LP
- RJD2 Reveals Tracklist, Tour Dates, New Song
- Peter Bjorn and John Tap Victoria for U.S. Gigs
- Modest Mouse, Shellac, Books Join Fan-Curated ATP
- Fugazi's Lally Takes There to Here From Here to There
- Wu-Tang Plan New Album, Contribute to Compilations
- Sublime Frequencies Film Explores Moroccan Music
- The Curtains (Ex-Deerhoof) Launch U.S. Tour
- Pelican Reveal Details of Next Album
- MP3: DJ Jaguar Skills: "1979-2006: A Hip Hop Odyssey"
- Low Hit the Road
- Video: Hot Chip: "Arrest Yourself"
- MV/EE Hit the Bummer Road
Wed: 01-03-07
- Stream: Modest Mouse: "Dashboard"
- Stax Returns!
- The Knife Remixed by Dave Sitek, Booka Shade
- Sparklehorse Announce North American Tour
- Video: Jarvis: "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time"
- Clap Your Hands, Wrens Play NYC Benefit Shows
- Video: Kleerup [ft. Robyn]: "With Every Heartbeat"
- Blur Not Reuniting With Coxon
- Stooges, Interpol, Bloc Party, Lily Allen Play SXSW
- Video: Mastodon Tour Diary, Part Two
- Modest Mouse Confirm New Single
- Morrissey, Shins, Air, Les Savy Fav Say "Cheese"
- Sufjan, Björk, Prince Line Up for Joni Mitchell Tribute
- Nick Cave Live DVD, Grinderman LP Revealed
Tue: 01-02-07
- Under Byen Tour North America With Frida Hyvonen
- M. Ward Tours, Scores Film
- Thermals Tear Across North America
- Video: Girl Talk [New Year's Eve 2006-07, Chicago]
- MP3: Talib Kweli, Madlib Team for Free Album
- Sebadoh Reveal Reunion Tour Dates
- Video: Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Ebb Tide"
- TV on the Radio Schedule North American Tour
- Moore, Ranaldo, Chatham Head Experimental Fest
- Shins Share Video, Digital LP; Rock "SNL"
- T.V. Eye: January 2-8, 2007
- While We Were Out
Squares, Inc.![Video: Badly Drawn Boy: A Journey from A to B [from the Born in the U.K. LP]](http://web.archive.org/web/20070214151551/http://www.youtube.com/p.swf?video_id=2heMSaYTl9M&eurl=&iurl=http%3A//sjc-static4.sjc.youtube.com/vi/2heMSaYTl9M/2.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskJjCczoaZbY7Wgza-vGPbyp){kind=link}