Sweden's Labrador Preps 100-Track Anniversary Box
Includes Acid House Kings, the Radio Dept., Club 8, The Legends, Pelle Carlberg, Sambassadeur

Can't get enough of that Jens Lekman fellow? Peter Bjorn and John and I'm From Barcelona duking it out atop your last.fm charts? Drink yourself silly every afternoon to Frida Hyvönen? Cry yourself to sleep every night to El Perro Del Mar? MySpace friends with the Concretes, Hello Saferide, Blood Music, and Jenny Wilson? Looks like you've got it bad for Swede-pop.

Which means Labrador Records has just the thing for you. This Valentine's Day, the beloved Swedish imprint celebrates 100 releases and 10 years of serving up some of the best indie-pop on the planet with Labrador 100, A Complete History of Popular Music. The four-disc, 100-track set includes one song from every Labrador release to date (including a brand new Radio Dept. jam) and a huge booklet detailing the label's history and more. Puppy-eyed kids across the U.S. can pick it up for their sweethearts in late February via Darla distribution.

Whether you're in the mood for the sentimental delicacies of the Radio Dept. and Laurel Music, the cosmopolitan indie-pop of Club 8 and Sambassadeur, the delightful jangle of Acid House Kings and the Legends, the wry wit and quirkiness of Suburban Kids With Biblical Names and Pelle Carlberg, the gaze-y sprawl of Douglas Heart, or the indie-disco of Waltz for Debbie, Mondial, and Tribeca, Labrador 100 has it all.

Don't know what the hell we're talking about? Get acquainted by checking out the free mp3s Labrador is offering right now. They've been posting a song from each CD every week, and if you troll the Labrador mp3 archives, we reckon you'll find a bunch more there.

Labrador celebrates the release of the centennial mega-comp with a mega-party at Stockholm's Debaser on February 10. Sambassadeur, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, the Mary Onettes, Lasse Lindh, and [ingenting] will perform, while members of Acid House Kings, Bubblegum Factory, SKWBN, and folks from the imprint itself will spin DJ sets.

The lovable label has a couple more feel-good releases on the way. On March 28, they'll treat us to Pelle Carlberg's In a Nutshell, while April 25 has the Mary Onettes' debut hitting shelves at the more sensible record shops near you. If you love the 1980s and haven't heard the Mary Onettes' "Lost" yet, please do so immediately. [MORE...]

Matt and Kim Tour America

Keyboard-and-drumming up even more support for their self-titled debut, Matt and Kim will hit the road starting on Valentine's Day in Chicago. They'll play quite a few East Coast colleges.

The duo will appear on MTV2's "Subterranean" on February 11. Their own video for "Yea Yeah" will air, along with some faves of their choosing. [MORE...]

Lifetime Hit the Road, Prep Vinyl Release

New Jersey hardcore all-stars Lifetime are heading out on a U.S. tour in support of their self-titled comeback album, which landed last Tuesday on Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen. They'll hit both the East and West coasts over the course of the month, beginning tonight in Washington, DC.

Lifetime lands on limited edition vinyl (750 black copies, 250 red) on February 13, and will be available at the band's web store and West Coast release shows. [MORE...]

Andy Partridge: XTC "Well and Truly in the Fridge"
"I have no idea where [Colin Moulding] is living right now, I have no idea what his phone number is, don't really know how to contact him, and so Colin is obviously wanting to leave the world to some extent."

Following the release of the Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album box set, Andy Partridge is keeping busy, though the possibility of him releasing new music under the XTC moniker seems doubtful.

Partridge revealed the news to David Garland of WNYC's "Spinning on Air" for an episode of the radio show that will air this Sunday night, February 11, and Garland was nice enough to share a transcript of a piece of the interview with us.

Partridge says, "At the moment, XTC is well and truly in the fridge. Purely, really, for the reason that [partner] Colin [Moulding] doesn't want to write anymore. He's either taking a break, or that break could become permanently in place. He told me some months back that he's not interested in music anymore, and doesn't want to write, and basically said, 'Our paths will cross again or they'll be involved in some way.' And then he proceeded to move away from his house-- I have no idea where he's living right now, I have no idea what his phone number is, don't really know how to contact him, and so Colin is obviously wanting to leave the world to some extent. And I guess he's got the right to do that, so I'm not going to pester him and say, 'Come on, what's the matter with you, get it together.'

With the XTC name or not, however, Partridge is still writing and recording music. Or, in the case of his collaboration with former XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews and Andrews' Shriekback bandmate Martyn Baker, not writing. The trio will release Monstrance-- a double album of live improvisation sans overdubs-- via Ape House on April 3. Merv Carswell and Future Sound of London guitarist Stuart Rowe edited and mixed the eight hours' worth of material the trio accrued in three sessions together. And with songs like "Oodoo" and "Priapple", we're guessing none of that time was spent thinking of song titles. [MORE...]

Gnomonsong Update: Devendra Puts Out Jana Hunter, Papercuts, Rio en Medio, Michael Hurley

Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic's Gnomonsong label has a busy spring and summer release schedule, including albums by Jana Hunter, Papercuts, Rio en Medio, and folk legend Michael Hurley.

The label will release Rio en Medio's album, The Bride of Dynamite, on February 13. Cabic, CocoRosie's Sierra Casady, and Tim Fite helped Rio songwriter Danielle Stech-Homsy with various contributions to Bride, and the Pernice Brothers' Thom Monahan was in charge of final production and remixing. Stech-Homsy also has a few New York tour dates scheduled for February.

Gnomonsong will then release Papercuts' second album, Can't Go Back, on March 6. Jason Quever-- like Stech-Homsy with Rio en Medio-- is the main force behind Papercuts, and he has previously worked with Vetiver, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and Cass McCombs. Papercuts will kick off a U.S. tour with Grizzly Bear in Seattle on February 16.

Next, Gnomonsong will release Jana Hunter's new album, There's No Home, in April. And finally, in the summer, new signing Michael Hurley will release his debut home recordings for the label, possibly titled Home Recordings (Gnomonsongs's website is unclear). The album is the first of many new and archival Hurley releases for the label, and Tara Jane O'Neil recorded and mixed a couple of its songs. [MORE...]

Dungen's New Record, Now With 100% More Title

Remember last month (ah, the memories) when we talked to Dungen's Gustav Ejstes about the sound and shape of his band's new album, the follow-up to 2004's Ta Det Lugnt?

We reported that Kemado will release it in the U.S. on May 1 and that Subliminal Sounds will handle the Swedish release. We even had a tracklist, which is reprinted below. The one thing we didn't have: the record's title. Well, wait no longer, patient Dungen fans. The band have announced that the album is titled Tio Bitar.

Unfortunately, no one at Pitchfork World Headquarters speaks Swedish, so we're choosing to pretend the title roughly translates to Infinity on High.

Update: "Tio Bitar" actually means "Ten Pieces." Thanks to all of the readers who wrote in with the translation. [MORE...]

Photos: Lindstrom [Chicago, IL; 02/08/07]

Photos by Tyler Grisham and Steve Mizek

If you've ever wondered why Chicago seems to have trouble booking big electronic acts, it may have something to do with the fact that nobody here dances. About half an hour into his nearly two-hour set, Norwegian sensation Hans-Peter Lindstrøm had a little too much breathing room in front of his makeshift booth at the Funky Buddha Lounge. It was, oddly enough, probably the only dancefloor in town packed full of dudes-- most of the ladies stayed huddled in back-- for at least half the night. But as one spacey composition segued seamlessly into another, Lindstrøm's fingers tapping and twinkling his midi controller over the pounding, osciallating bass rhythms, slowly the crowd snuck to the fore.

By the end of the evening, as the hit "I Feel Space" seemed to emerge of its own accord from the waning synths of "Contemporary Fix", the disco ball and neon lights flashed to life and, finally recognizing a riff, the crowd gathered in front of Lindstrøm's laptop for one last dance. It took most of the night, but the globe-trotting DJ (who's off to Japan next month after only three dates in the U.S.) won over the chilly Chicago crowd, and warmed us up for a particularly danceable season of electronic artists on their way to the Windy City.






[MORE...]

Strokes' Hammond, Jr. Adds Tour Dates

In the course of his current tour, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. covers the entire oh-so-varied spectrum of modern rock with his tourmates, from the overemoting of Incubus to the overemoting of Bloc Party. He is currently opening for the former, and he meets up with the latter in late March.

But he has announced several headlining dates of his own in the U.S. in support of the March 6 release of Yours to Keep over here. He also has three dates in Japan later this month. [MORE...]

The Shins Expand Tour
Invite Pretty Ricky to be their opening act

Just one day after kicking off their continent-conquering tour in support of their blockbuster new album Wincing the Night Away, the Shins have added more dates to their itinerary. After coming back from a couple of shows in England later this month, they'll take a few days off before heading out on the road again through the first half of March.

On March 14, they'll play Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden! OK, it's just the Theater at Madison Square Garden, but still. That ain't chopped liver. [MORE...]

Haggard, Nelson, Price Are Last of the Breed

Merle Haggard will follow his recent collaboration with George Jones-- October's Kickin' Out the Footlights... Again-- with a double album collaboration with Willie Nelson and Ray Price. The 22-track record is titled Last of the Breed and is due out March 20 on Lost Highway. Last of the Breed features 20 country classics and two new songs, one of which is "Sweet Jesus", written by Haggard and Kenny Vernon.

The Country Music Hall of Fame trio will also take their act on the road in support of the album. The "Last of the Breed" tour will begin March 9 in Prescott Valley, Arizona and end March 25 in Rosemont, Illinois. Asleep at the Wheel will join them as the backing band. All three singers have a ton of solo dates as well, including Haggard's previously reported shows with Neko Case opening.

Haggard's birthplace of Oildale, California is honoring his road-tested musical contributions by naming a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of 7th Standard Road for him. Merle Haggard Drive runs from Highway 99 to North Chester Ave. [MORE...]

Arcade Fire Pick Patrick Wolf, Electrelane to Open Tour
Pitchforkmedia.com still three posts shy of daily Arcade Fire quota

Before overseas fans of Arcade Fire reach "The Well and the Lighthouse", they'll explore The Magic Position. Before "No Cars Go"? No Shouts, No Calls. That's right, the indomitable Arcade Fire have asked Patrick Wolf and Electrelane to each open a leg of their previously reported European mega-tour.

Wolf-- whose The Magic Position drops UK-ways on February 26 (Loog) and U.S.-ways May 1 (Low Altitude/Universal), as you know-- joins the little indie band that could for eight dates, beginning March 5 in Dublin. He'll then pass the torch to Electrelane, who'll attempt to whip crowds into a frenzy of neon Biblical proportions over the next 14 dates, including a long European stretch. As reported yesterday, Electrelane's No Shouts, No Calls hits U.S. shores May 8 via Too Pure.

We imagine all these gigs have sold themselves inside out by now, so we encourage the woefully ticketless to seek consolation by revisiting the lyrics, the mysterious pamphlet, NPR (for the February 17 concert simulcast), and that other Bible. [MORE...]

Vieux Farka Toure Releases Debut LP, Tours

Vieux Farka Touré, son of the late Ali Farka Touré, released his self-titled debut album via World Village Music this week in Canada and this coming Tuesday, February 13, in the U.S. The record features the last studio recordings of Touré's father before his death last March.

Touré is holding a remix contest for the song "Ana", with the winning remix receiving a place on Modiba Productions' forthcoming Vieux Remixed compilation. He is offering the bare bones of the track for download here, where contestants can upload remixes from February 7 to March 7. Creativity will count for 70% of the judges' scoring of the remixes, with production quality making up the other 30%.

Touré is currently on a tour of North America that ends March 1 in Somerville, Massachusetts. [MORE...]

Silver Jews Documentary to Premiere at SXSW
"It's like Footloose. I come into town, liberate the feet of the teens." --David Berman

Just over a year ago, the Red Sea parted and hell froze over as the once reclusive David Berman and his Silver Jews announced their first ever tour. The whirlwind inaugural jaunt, 15 years in the making, put Berman and band before sell-out crowds across the North America and Europe-- including a headlining spot in front of 15,000+ Pitchfork Festival attendees last summer-- and even took these wandering Jews all the way to Israel.

Director Michael Tully captures the Middle Eastern leg of the Jews' tour in the new documentary Silver Jew, following Berman, his wife Cassie, and the rest of the band-- keyboardist Tony Crow, drummer Brian Kotzur, and guitarists Peyton Pinkerton and William Tyler-- around at two Tel Aviv gigs and a trip to Jerusalem. The 51-minute film, edited by Jane Rizzo and produced by Matthew Robison for Nashville's Walter O. Robison Productions, premieres at SXSW in Austin (March 9-17, exact screenings TBA).

Silver Jew then hits up the Sarasota Film Festival (April), the Nashville Film Festival (April 23), and the Independent Film Festival of Boston. Plans for overseas screenings and a DVD release are in the works.

So what can fans expect? As Tully told Pitchfork, "It's a hard one to describe, because it incorporates so many different elements. Yes, it's a tour document, and, yes, it's a travelogue, but ultimately it's the story of an individual who has found peace within himself, with the help of newfound faith, a loving wife, and creativity.

"If you're hoping for a 'history of the band' type of thing, that's not what this is. Sorry, all you 'Behind the Music' junkies."

If Tully's name sounds familiar, you may recall he directed the video for Tanglewood Numbers' "I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You", also shot in Jerusalem. His first feature film, Cocaine Angel, debuted at SXSW last year.

As for the Silver Jews themselves, they're presently "winterizing" following some cancelled tour dates, as David perpares to write the next album.

Check out the Silver Jew trailer below.

Mastodon Extend Tour
Including SXSW show with Boris! \m/

Get ready, kids; it's time to turn the Blood Mountain Pink! Why? Because on March 16, Mastodon will play a South by Southwest showcase alongside Boris. We're drooling already.

After they hit Austin, Mastodon will play a bunch of dates recently added to their already massive tour with Priestess. Converge is currently opening the trek and will continue to do so through February 18. [MORE...]

Rosebuds Tour in Advance of New Album
Get remixed by Portastatic, Dean and Britta, more

Raleigh's Rosebuds, Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp, are more than just a husband-and-wife duo and a goth-folk-tinged indie band. They're also pioneers.

On February 24, the Rosebuds will head to Moscow, Russia for a concert at the B1 Maximum Club alongside Brett Anderson (of Suede) and Ian Brown (of the Stone Roses). According to Merge Records, this is the first time in label history that a Merge band has performed in Russia. Way to bridge the cultural divide, Rosebuds!

On April 10, Merge will release the band's next album, Night of the Furies. They're currently drumming up interest for it on the road with Yo La Tengo. In March, they'll gig their way down to the Merge showcase at SXSW.

Remixes of tracks from Night of the Furies are in the works. Portastatic, former Cure keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, former Luna members Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, Gary Go, namelessnumberheadman, and Mark Sanders are all in the process of tweaking the tunes. [MORE...]

Rufus Wainwright Announces New Album Details

Rufus Wainwright will release his fifth album, Release the Stars, on Geffen in May. Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant executive produced the Want Two follow-up, which is Wainwright's first self-produced album. Producer Marius DeVries (David Bowie, Björk, Madonna, Melanie C) mixed the record, and it features contributions from Richard Thompson, Joan Wasser (Antony and the Johnsons, Joan as Police Woman), and actress Siân Phillips as well.

Wainwright will also continue his Judy Garland obsession with two shows in London and one in Paris this month, where he will recreate Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall performance just as he did in New York last June. He will even pay tribute to Garland's follow-up show at the Hollywood Bowl with his own show there, though that won't take place until September 23. He is also scheduled to perform at Coachella in April. [MORE...]

The Stooges Announce Tour Dates

Starting in Switzerland on March 8, the Stooges will take The Weirdness (out March 20 on Virgin) on the road, where they will play a couple of festivals and a few scattered U.S. cities. As previously reported, they'll also hit SXSW, where they'll perform and Iggy Pop will be interviewed by journalist David Fricke.

The band are currently streaming the recently Forkcasted new song from the album, "My Idea of Fun", at their MySpace. [MORE...]

Brian Wilson to Premiere New Work in London
Awful tribute DVD out this week

Here in 2007, that shitty Barenaked Ladies song about "lying in bed like Brian Wilson did" just couldn't sound more dated. See, Wilson's bedridden days are far, far behind him, and ever since the 2004 release of SMiLE, dude's done nothing but get around, get around-- you get the idea. Now, according to Wilson's official website, the man is poised to premiere some brand new material this fall.

Wilson and his ten-piece band return to London's Royal Festival Hall (where he kicked off his SMiLE tour) this September for the inaugural performance of "That Lucky Old Sun (A Narrative)", a brand new, Southbank Centre-commissioned Wilson composition that the man describes as "consist[ing] of four 'rounds', with interspersed spoken word."

He'll play six dates-- September 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 (guess 13 is unlucky)-- and in addition to the new work, Wilson promises "a number of his classic compositions that he has never performed live as well as at least one song in honour of a very important anniversary," according to his website. Perchance pertaining to Smiley Smile? Tickets are on sale now.

Oh, and watch your head on the way out, or you just might get smacked by a Brian Wilson tribute DVD that someone's lovingly defenestrated. MusiCares Presents: A Tribute to Brian Wilson hit the streets (and heads) this week and collects performances from a 2005 Grammy-affiliated gala, at which Wilson was named "MusiCares 2005 Person of the Year" for being totally rad and awesome. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Backstreet Boys, and more attempt Wilson classics, while Barenaked Ladies play, yes, that song. Redeemingly, money was raised for good causes, and Wilson steps in at the end to show 'em all how it's done. [MORE...]

Death Cab, Lips, Raconteurs Join Townshend on Comp
Plus: Regina Spektor, Editors, Magic Numbers, Kooks, Razorlight, Fratellis

Thank the internet for this one: a short while back, one Rachel Fuller, life partner to one Pete Townshend, established a live video webcast program called "In the Attic". She invited cool folks like the Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie to play acoustic songs on her claustrophobia-inducing show. Jokes were said, laughs were had, and shambling, intimate performances were shared. The people rejoiced.

Flash forward to right now, and "In the Attic" is set to unleash its very first compilation of those performances, the iTunes-only release Attic Jam. Featuring intimate, exclusive recordings from the aforementioned, as well as the Raconteurs, Regina Spektor, Editors, the Magic Numbers, and more, the digital release arrives February 14. So when your sweetheart gets you an iTunes gift card for Valentine's Day, after you break up with him/her, you know what to do with it.

Most intriguing of all, Townshend himself even joins a number of the artists (and contributes a couple of his own performances), including the Raconteurs (covering the Who's "The Seeker"), Death Cab (doing their own "Photobooth"), the Lips (covering "Baba O'Riley"), the Fratellis, and the Zutons. Fuller and co-host Mikey Cuthbert lend tracks as well, and Pete's younger brother Simon even makes an appearance.

Quoth the press release: "The unique chemistry generated by Fuller's edgy style, the enthusiasm of her sidekick Mikey and Pete's wisdom and experience adds a charm to these tracks that you will hear nowhere else." Wisdom, enthusiasm, and edge, people! Try to front on that. [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.)