Jennifer O'Connor Tour Headed Across the Valley

Jennifer O’Connor's rustic, road-worn voice will echo through PAs aplenty over the next month as her exhaustive tour in support of the Pitchfork-lauded, Matador-issued 2006 debut Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars rolls on. Along the way, she'll match wits with such luminaries as Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Dean & Britta, and Azure Ray's Maria Taylor.

Those circled 'round her merch table will find O'Connor unloading the first in a previously-announced series of limited-edition split 7-inchers from her own Kiam Records. The inaugural edition finds her backing that thing up against Choo Choo La Rouge, with grooves dug, appropriately enough, into red-hued vinyl. Dig that synergy. [MORE...]

"Human Giant" Gets Air Date, Ghostface Cameo

For a guy that used to shroud his identity behind a mask (remember when he was just another member of the Wu-Tang?), Ghostface seems to turn up everywhere recently: Coachella, "30 Rock", videogame soundtracks, poker websites. And if he's on the new Postal Service album, per Jimmy Tamborello's request, the universe might actually invert itself.

For now, Ghostface will content himself and the rest of us with a guest appearance on Human Giant's self-titled new MTV show. The four-headed video sketch comedy beast-- which consists of Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, and director Jason Woliner-- has finally nailed down a timeslot on the network: Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Times. In a nice piece of rapper symmetry, MTV's Thursday night timeslot also features Xzibit's "Pimp My Ride".

"Human Giant"'s other guests include skateboarder Tony Hawk, comedians Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, and Rob Riggle;, and former "Freaks and Geeks" star Linda Cardellini.

The first of the show's eight episodes airs April 5, but two days earlier, it will be available for free download via iTunes, Amazon, and XBOX. Later episodes will be available for download the day after the original broadcast.

Bishop Allen's Rice Wears Pigeon Suit in New Movie
I hear if you feed rice to pigeons, they explode

Genial Brooklynite and Bishop Allen front-chap Justin Rice is set to follow up his turn as genial Brooklynite and fictional Bumblebees front-chap in 2005's Mutual Appreciation with a role as...well, it involves him wearing "a full-body pigeon suit" according to the director.

Filmmaker Jonathan Blitstein's debut feature Let Them Chirp Awhile should be in the can by next month, and Blitstein expects it to hit theatres in early 2008. Let Them Chirp Awhile also stars Brendan Sexton III from Welcome to the Dollhouse and Boys Don't Cry and Zach "Billy from Gremlins" Galligan. (I wonder if that dude ever listens to Mogwai.)

Fans of Bishop Allen's skewed indie-pop may already be aware of their recent jump to the fresh-faced Dead Oceans label, as well as their current touring schedule. [MORE...]

Amiina Self-Release Debut LP, Tour North America

Invoking three very magical indie letters-- namely, D, I, and Y-- the bow-toting ladies of Iceland's Amiina (née Amina) will make the world a slightly prettier place as they self-release their debut LP today via their own Bláskjár Records. A Wednesday release? When you do it yourself, you can do it any damn way you please.

To celebrate their revolutionary dismissal of standard Tuesday release practice, Sólrún, María, Edda, and Hildur-- whom audiences may recognize as Sigur Rós' touring string quartet-- transgress the Atlantic, embarking on a rare North American tour tonight. The jaunt kicks off in Madison, Wisconsin, and has our string-pullers-- who play a bunch of other instruments as well-- sweeping clear across the continent over the next month.

The most eager of fans can score a copy of Kurr, our ladies' debut full-length, right now via the band's website. Or take one home following one of these shows. Amiina hope to give Kurr a proper release via a proper label in the near future, which makes current editions of the LP part of a special, limited run ($eBay$!). [MORE...]

Pumpkins, Arcade Fire, NIN to Rock Reading/Leeds
Also: Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Klaxons, CSS, Maximo Park, the Gossip

Though we Yanks have been playing catch-up these last few years when it comes to big summer rock festivals, those Europeans still have us beat on quantity alone. The quality's nothing to scoff at either, if the gigantic talent pool of the just-announced Carling Weekend Reading and Leeds Festivals is any indication. Still, you'll excuse us a touch of the smugness when we point out that two of your three headliners hail from our side of the pond. Plus, we so totally won the Revolutionary War. Just sayin'.

Over the weekend of August 24-26, the rock shall be simultaneously brought to both aforementioned UK locales, with bill-switcheroos ensuring a complete and total artist overlap betwixt the two. Capping both lineups are the recently-reshuffled Smashing Pumpkins, those nutty funksters Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Razorlight, who, like a Region 2 DVD, don't seem to translate to American ears.

Also edging in amongst these monsters of rock are the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Bloc Party, Maximo Park, Klaxons, CSS, and others. For a complete artist list, press this red thing right here. [MORE...]

Panda Bear Preps "Pills", Pitch LP, Plays Portugal
This Just In: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickle Peppers

Let's not mince words; Panda Bear's Person Pitch, out this week on Paw Tracks, is fantastic. Dense and delicate, it's the kind of record that breeds something akin to obsession in its fans. Trouble is, at a paltry seven tracks (even if two of 'em are like 12 minutes long), it can leave one wanting more.

Noah Lennox must know what we Person Pitch addicts need just to get through the day, as on June 19, Paw Tracks will bless us with the fourth single from the album (who does he think he is, Kelly Clarkson?!). Cautionary tale and Pitch highlight "Take Pills" will grace the A-side of the 7", backed with a live version of non-album track "Bonfire of the Vanities." No word on whether the song has anything to do with the 1987 Tom Wolfe novel of the same name, but for the record, we'd kinda like to see Panda Bear in a white three-piece suit. Is that weird?

Person Pitch finally made its way into stores yesterday in CD form, and the album will be out on vinyl on June 19, the same day the "Take Pills" 7" drops.

Panda will throw down in his current hometown of Lisbon next month in anticipation of his massive American tour. [MORE...]

Hold Steady to Release Live Acoustic EP

The Hold Steady...acoustic? That's odd. The hard-partying rock n roll juggernaut isn't exactly the kind of band known for toning things down (unless they're playing a high school), which makes their new EP all the more interesting. Live at Fingerprints, out April 17, showcases five songs recorded at the record store Fingerprints in Long Beach, California.

The EP costs a mere five bucks, but here's the rub: it's limited edition, and is only available from independent record stores that are part of the Think Indie consortium. Stickin' it to the Man!

The Hold Steady wrap up a U.S. tour tomorrow night in happenin' Lancaster, Pennsylvania, head to Europe in April, and play Sasquatch! and Bonnaroo this summer. [MORE...]

Tiefschwarz Celebrate 10 Years With Best Of, Tour

Tiefschwarz aren't just bros-- they're actual brothers too, not to mention an internationally acclaimed tech-house production powerhouse and remixers extraordinaire. The brothers Schwarz commemorate ten years of dancefloor conquests with the two-disc best-of compilation Black Musik: 10 Years of Tiefschwarz, due out in late May via Souvenir.

On the first disc, Tiefschwarz mix a bunch of favorites and personal influences-- including James Figurine, Sebastian Tellier, and even Marianne Faithfull-- into a head-nodding cocktail, while the second disc boasts a pristine collection of Tiefschwarz classics. As an added bonus, the vinyl version of Black Musik includes additional remixes from Carl Craig, Matias Aguayo, Drama Society, and Radio Slave.

To celebrate a decade of Tiefschwarz goodness, our dapper brothers jet around the world all year long, setting club-fiends' feet on fire from Buenos Aires to the United Arab Emirates. [MORE...]

Flaming Lips' Yoshimi: Broadway Bound!

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, but maybe those aren't lights at all...maybe they're laser beams from GIANT PINK ROBOTS! They say the women treat you fine on Broadway-- but do they do battle with those diabolical pink machines?

That's right: Broadway will soon get just a bit battier, as Wayne Coyne revealed in a recent interview with EW.com that the Flaming Lips' 2002 LP Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots will be transformed into a Broadway musical.

Described Coyne, "There's the real world and then there's this fantastical world. This girl, the Yoshimi character, is dying of something. And these two guys are battling to come visit her in the hospital. And as one of the boyfriends envisions trying to save the girl, he enters this other dimension where Yoshimi is this Japanese warrior and the pink robots are an incarnation of her disease. It's almost like the disease has to win in order for her soul to survive. Or something like that." On Broad-waaaay!

"The West Wing"/"Sports Night" scribe Aaron Sorkin has signed on to script the Yoshimi musical, while director/producer Des McAnuff will guide the production, according to EW.com. "When Des heard the record," said Coyne, "he heard a lot about death and loss and the triumph of your own optimism...he had an emotional attachment to it."

The musical, which may well include other songs from across the Lips' catalogue, is still far from opening night, but the pink robot cogs have been set in motion.

The Lips, meanwhile, play a previously reported brief tour of the Southeast in April. Mr. Coyne has occupied his time of late regaling the NPR masses, and playing man-on-the-street during this year's SXSW festival. And keep peeping Forkcast for a trailer from another Lips multimedia foray, the forthcoming live DVD UFOs at the Zoo. [MORE...]

LSF/Wolf Parade/Islands Supergroup Delays Debut

So now that the Ides of March has come and gone, many of you are no doubt asking important questions, such as: "Wasn't that mighty intriguing supergroup comprised of members of Les Savy Fav, Islands, and Wolf Parade supposed to play on March 15?" Indeed they were, and indeed they didn't.

As previously reported, LSF's Syd Butler, Wolf Parade's Hadji Bakara, and Islands' Nick Diamonds will join forces-- now with WP's Dante Decaro (and no Dan Boeckner), Islands' Jamie Thompson, and Black Mountain's Amber Webber along for the ride-- to rock "The World, Explained", an off-kilter, McSweeney's-sponsored benefit for Dave Eggers' favorite creative writing centers, 826NYC and 826LA. Scheduling conflicts thwarted the original March 15 event date, but breathe easy, as Eggers and co. have rescheduled the bonanza for April 10.

As before, it features the supergroup, along with host Eugene Mirman and assorted interesting people talking about such interesting topics as lightweight arm-wrestling, retiring at age 28, and humor. The hilarity ensues at NYC's Symphony Space at 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale now.

Also, remember how all those fairly brilliant musician folks came up with the fairly terrible band name Internet? Well, they heard your cries of frustration and went ahead and made their band name even more ridiculous and confusing and terrible. The fruit of these men and women's loins will now be known as Final Fantasy: Online a.k.a. Internet. :-(

Decemberists to Kick Off Tour Tonight in Jersey City
The most—nay, only—bookish thing about New Jersey, like, ever

It's gonna take a lot of garment bags to transport all the tweed blazers Colin Meloy and his merry band of Decemberists will need to get them through the month-and-a-half long tour they'll begin tonight in Jersey City, New Jersey. Thesaurus-thumbing grad students hither and yon will get their chance to gaze longingly at the much-beloved geeks as they worm their way through these United States of ours.

As previously reported, the band will bewilder the bearded masses at Bonnaroo, fit in rather nicely amongst their ilk at Coachella, and make a stop at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in early July.

Curious nerds-- and heaven knows there's plenty of you amongst the Decemberists-loyal-- should be aware that Colin Meloy's turn at novel-ranking in The Morning News' 2007 Tournament of Books has come and gone, with the mighty juggernaut that is Richard Ford's The Lay of the Land toppling the linguistic pap of Upamanyu Chatterjee's English, August. Cram it up your word-hole, Chatterjee. [MORE...]

Jeff Buckley Greatest Hits Comp, DVD in Works
The bottom of my Grace CD: Scratches from my roommate, the drunk

Though there's been no shortage of posthumously-released Jeff Buckley material in the decade since the swoon-inducing singer-songwriter's drowning in 1997, the ultimate earthly tribute-- a greatest hits compilation-- has eluded him until now.

Columbia/Legacy will collect 14 Buckley tracks on So Real: Songs of Jeff Buckley, which will be released on May 22, a week before the 10th anniversary of his death.

The collection features a handful of tracks from Buckley's back catalog, an acoustic rendering of its title track recorded in Japan, and a Smiths cover. Everything from the tracklist to the artwork of So Real came together under the watchful eye of Jeff's mom, with brand-new liner notes penned by veteran rock scribe David Fricke. (Hey, at least they're not giving him the Biggie/Puffy treatment and adding guest verses from Jack Johnson or something.)

Not coincidentally, hitting stores the same day is Amazing Grace, an hourlong docu-DVD touching on the life and legacy of Mr. Buckley from first-time filmmakers Laurie Trombley and Myla Bialek Adams. Combining archival footage with new interviews with Buckley's friends and family, the film is sure to leave one wondering why this burgeoning talent had to leave us while John Mayer marches forward, unscathed. [MORE...]

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