Faust Founder/Producer Uwe Nettelbeck Passes On

Any joke about bargaining with the devil is surely tasteless: we are saddened to report that Uwe Nettelbeck, founder and overseer of krautrock legends Faust, passed away on January 17. The disheartening news arrives via a post by Faust member Jean-Hervé Peron on his website, Art-Errorist.

Peron wrote, "besides being a sharp-witted but yet charming and loving husband/father/grandfather, [Uwe] was an outstanding cook, a writer who always generated deep emotions and interest and a genius selfless music producer.

"I thank you Uwe for all you have done for our music. Faust is your work, no doubt.

"Your work will outlast all of us. May your soul rest in peace."

Nettelbeck, a producer and one-time music journalist, founded Faust in Wümme, Germany in 1971. The group was one of Virgin Records' first signings and went on to record several highly-influential albums over the next few years, including the seminal Faust and Faust IV, before disbanding in 1975. Several of the original members have since regrouped under the Faust banner to tour and record.

No further details of Nettelbeck's death are known at this point. Fellow Faust founding member Rudolf Sosna passed away in 1996.

The present incarnation of Faust-- which includes Peron, original member Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, and Ulan Bator's Amaury Cambuzat-- has a record of new material on the way in March 2007 (mixed by Colin Potter and Nurse With Wound's Steve Stapleton), as well as a DVD. Hear new song "Lass Mich" below.

Dinosaur Jr. Reveal Reunion Album Details
Pig has officially been freed

By this time, you're probably aware that J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph are back in full Dinosaur Jr. force. (When Lou isn't too busy with that whole Sebadoh thing, that is.) But they've gone beyond the reunion tour(s) for, um, Beyond, their John Agnello-engineered full-length due out May 1 on Fat Possum.

Beyond was recorded at Mascis' Bisquiteen studio in Amherst, Massachusetts, and according to a press release, it's both "some of the best music Dinosaur Jr. have ever made" and "an adrenaline-inducing ride, not of nostalgia, but of bona fide excitement." Well then, color us excited and full of adrenaline.

On May 29, Dinosaur Jr. will release their previously reported Image Entertainment DVD Dinosaur Jr.: Live From the Middle East. Nike will make the previously reported Dinosaur Jr. skate shoe available in a limited edition in February. So hurry up and get in line, because we know demand for those kicks will be high. Right. [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...]

!!!'s Offer Talks Myth Takes, Out Hud, Politics, Welfare
"I like to think of myself as somewhere in between the second coming and dog shit."

People don't dance no more-- particularly people of the scrawny, white variety-- but thanks to dance-punk acts like the Rapture and !!!, they're at least trying.

When !!! release their much-salivated-over, previously reported third full length-- Myth Takes, their first for Warp Records worldwide, due March 6-- those people will have ample reason to try the two-step once again. And, while they're at it, brush up on their chin-stroke: The disc's ambitious, often electrifying production and arrangements should have pundits' minds cranking and jaws flapping just as much as its infectious grooves and gnarled guitar lines keep those hips gyrating. Just check out the disc's scintillating centerpiece, "Heart of Hearts", and color us stoked.

Pitchfork caught up with Nic Offer by phone this week as the !!! (and former Out Hud) vocalist/ party-starter was about to catch a plane-- on a quest, no doubt, to stir up some ruckus in exotic far-off locales. Sort of.

Pitchfork: Where are you off to?

Nic Offer: London for the beginning of the year, for the European promo trip.

Pitchfork: How does that work?

Nic: I'm just doing press. It's going to be a long month of talking to myself. I just came back from Japan, doing a press fair, and then I was back for a couple of days. We just did a video yesterday-- I flew back for that, and now I'm going back overseas.

Pitchfork: Sweet-- Which song is the video for?

Nic: "Must Be the Moon".

Pitchfork: Who directed it?

Nic: The official disco-punk director, Ben [Dickinson], the one who does LCD, Juan Maclean, Supersystem, Rapture, and now he did us. His treatment looked great, and actually he was a great guy to work with. We couldn't really turn him down. You find it's good to work with people who are a bit hungry, you know? And he definitely is. And I guess he likes disco-punk.

Pitchfork: So what's the treatment?

Nic: It's kind of tongue-in-cheek; he wanted it to look like a Kenneth Anger film, or Performance, the Mick Jagger movie. So he's got us in all kinds of 60s garb...To me it seemed like such a New York story, but everybody came away with the haunting effects of the moon-- that seemed to be the image people got from the song. It's pretty tongue-in-cheek, and it's going to give a lot of people a reason to hate us.

Pitchfork: Do you think a lot of people hate you right now?

Nic: Anyone who gets any level of press has to deal with some level of hate, and I think we're especially hateable-- and when you see the video you'll know what I mean. There's going to be people who just don't get it. If you look at it and think we're taking ourselves seriously, you're going to fucking hate us. But we had a blast, it was ridiculous and really fun. So, whatever.

Pitchfork: So Myth Takes, is that the way someone with a lisp says 'mistakes?' Where does the title come from?

Nic: You know, I'm really into meanings-- to have exactly five meanings, and that's what that one does. So of course it means that.

Pitchfork: Fair enough. So how does Myth Takes depart from !!!'s previous work, if at all?

Nic: Lyrically we tried a less-direct approach. I feel like with the last record [2004's Louden Up Now] I tried to say everything very plainly. And it seemed like it was too in people's faces. So I tried to say what I felt was a similar message, but told more through stories. Sometimes it seems like you get your point across more by taking a more abstract view. Sometimes the point hits harder-- comes through more directly. It was definitely fun to take that approach, and I felt fresher writing that way. And it opened up a new side of me...and I've been exploring more since then.

Pitchfork: What inspired you to take that new route with your writing?

Nic: Uh, bad reviews.

Pitchfork: So you pay attention to your press?

Nic: No, I mean, you don't, but you catch a drift. I personally don't read anything on the internet-- I mean, aside from you guys [Pitchfork]. You kind of have to pay attention to you, because you're the barometer of all the internet stuff-- but I can't weed through the internet, because I can have my ego blown to gargantuan sizes and then shattered within seconds. It's all there. I always say, if you believe all that stuff, you either think you're the second coming-- or total dog shit. So I like to think of myself as somewhere in between the second coming and dog shit. [MORE...]

The Kooks Return to North America
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and…OK, I'll stop now

Having gone quadruple-platinum in Britain (that means, like, 4000 copies sold, right? Kidding!), Brighton youthquakers the Kooks are heading to North America to attempt to replicate that success. Their tour, which kicks off at Coachella and crosses the continent during the first two weeks in May, is the band's second trek to our shores, following an extremely brief jaunt last fall.

The string of dates is in support of the Kooks' debut album Inside In/Inside Out, released in the States on Astralwerks in October, as well as a forthcoming iTunes EP. That EP, available January 30, features live acoustic performances of album tracks "Ooh La", "See the World", "Sofa Song", and "She Moves in Her Own Way", as well as new songs "Need to Be" and "Miss You", as well as a cover of...Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". Noooooo! Not another one! [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...]

Producer Disco D Commits Suicide
Update: Ghostly International's Sam Valenti IV Speaks About Disco D

David Shayman, aka up-and-coming hip hop producer, remixer, Ghettotech proliferator (and rumored coiner of the genre's name) Disco D, committed suicide earlier today at age 27, according to MTV.com. Shayman was best known for "Ski Mask Way", his collaboration with 50 Cent on 2005's The Massacre, though he also produced tracks by Trick Daddy, AZ, Lil' Scrappy, and Nina Sky.

UPDATE: Sam Valenti IV, owner of the Ghostly International label, and a friend of Disco D, said the following about Shayman, "Those who knew Dave know he was a once-in-a-lifetime person with an electric and captivating personality. He was a friend without equal, who was selfless with himself and his counsel, consistently living up to his mantra, 'the only thing you can't make more of is time.' He was a relentlessly creative, passionate and ambitious artist whose passion for music illuminated everything he touched."

According to Valenti, Shayman's parents encourage those wishing to honor Disco D's memory make donations to the Neutral Zone, "an Ann Arbor teen center that offers many programs including some related to music and electronic music production." Donations can be made via Paypal here or by calling 734-214-9995.

Valenti adds, "David wanted to help young musicians and producers perfect their craft, as shown by his creation of his message board (www.discod.com/theboards/index.php)."

Also, "Anyone who wants to share any memories, photos or thought about Dave can also send them to fordiscod@ghostly.com"

A memorial service for Shayman will be held on January 25 at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor.

Shayman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan when he was six years old. His proximity to Detroit and the rave scene there inspired the Disco D moniker in November of 1996. After signing his first record contract at 17, Shayman formed his own label, GTI Recordings, just two years later. In addition to graduating with honors from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business (after which he moved to New York City), Shayman was responsible for official remixes of Pharrell, Crime Mob, and Shiny Toy Guns. His other remixees include Usher, Christina Milian, B.G., 8Ball & MJG, Da Brat, and Lords of Acid.

His website boasts that Shayman ran companies with functions that ranged from artist development/A&R to the "import/export of unique products from Brazil," but Shayman's most recent endeavor focused on Brazilian music. He founded the Gringo Louco label and signed BRAZA, whose "Son Do BRAZA" single he produced.

Shayman's own releases include 2001's Straight Out Tha Trunk and 2003's A Night at the Booty Bar (on Tommy Boy). In the bio on his website, he describes his music modus operandi as follows: "Before Disco D was even born, I was a fan of all types of different stuff, from the Beatles and Donna Summer to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane to N.W.A and 2 Live Crew to Pantera, Primus, and GWAR. I didn't have any sort of preconceptions about genres, I just was into what impacted me emotionally."

Though no specific information surrounding Shayman's suicide is available, according to MTV he was bipolar and suffered from depression.

Valenti added, "Dave believed that sharing one's own problems and being open about his mental health was a way to help others. His courage, unrivaled passion, and his consistent dedication to his craft will never be forgotten.

"Personally, Dave was an inspiration and a mentor to me. No one worked harder or wanted to seize life more than him. His guidance, friendship and patience are immeasurable. His family, friends, fans and I are completely devastated by our loss of this amazing man.

It is estimated nearly thirty percent of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide at least once in their lives. The suicide rate is twenty times that of the general population. Depression and Bipolar disorder are diseases, not states of mind or inabilities to correct one's mood. I've never known anyone as positive or as hopeful as Dave, his passing is a reminder that mental health is as real and deadly as anything that we more commonly consider to be physical ailments."

Yorke Pimps Liars, Spank Rock, Malkmus on iTunes
Also: Madvillain, Quasimoto, the Dears, Modeselektor, Boxcutter, Bat for Lashes

While talismans, divining rods, and voodoo have all failed to provide us with any information on the next Radiohead record, this little internet charm might offer a clue as to what it will sound like-- or it might only confound us further.

Thom Yorke has treated iTunes listeners to his very own "Celebrity Playlist", joining the esteemed ranks of Brian Wilson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mandy Moore, and offering up "some stuff that really floats my boats at the moment."

See? Thom Yorke really is more of a man than the rest of us. While one usually only has one boat to float, he has several.

We take our hats off to Thom's ten selections from start to finish, even if we also raise our eyebrows at a few of them. Spank Rock one of Thom's "fav records from last year"? Awesome, but who knew?

Along with raunchy Baltimore club-rap, Mr. Yorke also shares his love for Liars ("more terror from the subconscious"), one-time tour-mate Stephen Malkmus ("genius non-generic nutville not rock music"), and avant-hip-hop phenoms Madvillain and Quasimoto, as well as some Wire-friendly fare (Boxcutter, Modeselektor, and Yorke remixer Surgeon). Nice to see the wonderful Bat for Lashes ("i love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws") and the oft-maligned Dears ("it sounds all soppy, oh but then all hell breaks loose") getting some Yorke praise, too.

Purchase downloads of any or all of Thom's picks here, or simply scope the man's complete playlist and commentary after the jump. [MORE...]

Walkmen, Kaiser Chiefs to Tour Together

For twelve special shows this April, the Walkmen and Kaiser Chiefs will join forces, bridging the Atlantic Ocean through the power of indie rock. The tour, which is sponsored by the NME, includes support from up-and-comers Annuals and the Little Ones.

The Walkmen are still riding high (er, at mid-level) on October's Harry Nilsson cover record, Pussy Cats, while Kaiser Chiefs will deliver Yours Truly, Angry Mob on February 26 in the UK and in North America on March 27 via Universal.

As previously reported here and here, both bands have a slew of individual dates on the calendar. The Walkmen are gearing up for Australia's Laneway Festival, as well as a U.S. trek with recent the Broken West and Ferraby Lionheart. Kaiser Chiefs, on the other hand, will make the European rounds before hitting the States. [MORE...]

Lady Sovereign to Open for Gwen Stefani
Akon too! This shit is BANANAS

Does Gwen Stefani read music websites? Last time she toured, the No Doubt princess took M.I.A. along as the opening act for part of her trek. And now, when she hits the road this spring to support last year's (unfairly maligned, cough cough) The Sweet Escape, she's bringing another web-beloved phenomenon: Lady Sovereign.

Yeah, yeah, we know, Stefani is probably just looking for touring partners who compliment her cosmopolitan polyglot hip-pop aesthetic. But we can still fantasize about Gwen kicking back in her L.A.M.B. pajamas and geeking out over what's hot on the Hype Machine, right?

Everybody's favorite ass-smackin', stripper-luvin' Senegalese hook man Akon is also along for the ride. (Cue sound of prison doors closing.)

Here's what Gwen had to say about her tourmates, in a post on her website: "I'm excited to have this opportunity to tour with Akon and Lady Sovereign, two original artists that I have so much respect for. I can't wait to get out there. This show is going to be spectacular!"

Sov better watch out on that June 19 date at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, though. We know a certain pastry in the San Francisco area who is dying to see her again. [MORE...]

Junior Boys Extend Tour Stateside, Canadaways

When they're not around, we don't know how to relate-- but today we're in total cosmic harmony, man, for Domino duo Junior Boys are bringing their warm, nuanced electro-pop back to the USA and their native Canada this spring.

Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus have tacked an entire month's worth of shows onto their already fairly-extensive tour of the UK and the European mainland, zig-zagging across North America from Tallahassee to Coachella, rocking all the usual haunts. Expect more dates to be announced soon, including appearances at SXSW.

This lengthy journey will likely coincide with the release of the previously mentioned Junior Boys EP, featuring remix work from Hot Chip and others. Not quite sure you're ready to commit to one of these shows? Clip-clop on over to Forkcast, where you can still hear a stream of a sick live rendition of "Under the Sun" from the JBs' new iTunes Exclusive Live Session EP, out now.

And to all you aspiring Michel Gondrys out there: it's not too late to enter the previously reported Junior Boys music video contest-- details here, entries due March 1. [MORE...]

Toto, Spin Doctors, Marky Mark Sign on for Coachella
Internet to Indie Rock Community: "I cannot tell a lie."

Thanks to reader Russell Mills!

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