Pitchfork: News - November 7, 2006

11 Recent Items

Conrad Keely Talks Trail of Dead Past, Present, Future
"There's nothing glamorous anymore to what we do; there's barely any profit in it."

Conrad Keely is frustrated and not a little defeated. When ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's third album, Source Tags and Codes, grabbed the ears and hearts of listeners and critics (including us) in 2002, he seized the opportunity to write and record a follow-up that would top it in every way. And it flopped. 2005's Worlds Apart took a beating by critics (including us), and it didn't help that it happened at a time when Trail of Dead were undergoing some difficult personnel changes.

Cut to the present. The band's fifth album, So Divided, is scheduled for a November 14 release on Interscope, and they are in the middle of a massive tour with the Blood Brothers. Recently, Keely spoke to Pitchfork about the album (and music in general), the tour (and touring in general), the powerlessness we all feel, and what-- if anything-- makes being in a band still worth it.

Pitchfork: The release of So Divided was pushed back six weeks, and then it leaked. There was a rumor that you leaked the album yourselves. Is that true?

Conrad: No.

Pitchfork: How did that rumor get started?

Conrad: I guess they thought it would be funny if we'd done it ourselves, but I don't know why we would leak the record when we worked so hard on it.

Pitchfork: I thought it was telling that the letter on your website kicking off the current tour was addressed to "fellow pirates."

Conrad: Well you know I'd be a hypocrite if I said I didn't do that type of thing, but I don't usually look for records that are unreleased.

Pitchfork: Is it just a source of frustration for you, or have you thought of a way to solve the problem?

Conrad: I really don't think it's something I can waste my time worrying about. I don't know how it affects record sales or if it does. To be honest, I don't really know that record sales affect-- in the long run-- the career of a band as more-or-less insignificant as we are. We've never recouped a record. Our record sales don't make us or lose us any money. We don't really make money off of it, so it's like, "What do I care?" If I wrote a platinum record, maybe that would be a different story, but these days, we're too insignificant for it to really matter. [MORE...]

Stream: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: Worlds Apart [from the Worlds Apart LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in interview, album, tour on Tue: 11-07-06: 05:00 PM CST | Permalink

Exclusive: Merge Signs Oakley Hall

Raucous indie roots band Oakley Hall have been snapped up by Merge Records, Pitchfork can exclusively announce. After releasing two albums this year--Second Guessing on Amish and Gypsum Strings on Brah (the vinyl version of the latter is out December 5, by the way)--the sextet plans to have their next full-length ready for the world by next August.

Vocalist/guitarist Patrick Sullivan told Pitchfork that Oakley Hall chose Merge for several reasons. "They're incredibly nice, approachable people, which is always a plus when you have business," he said. "We did a tour with M. Ward this September, and he was a major cheerleader for them; he couldn't recommend them enough. We hit it off with him and really respected his opinion.

"They're also the kind of label that's getting rarer these days, [in that] you can trust the Merge brand. We look at everybody else on that label, and I'm a fan of every one of those bands. We wanted to be a part of that tradition, and we're very excited about it." [MORE...]

MP3: Oakley Hall: Lazy Susan [from the Gypsum Strings LP]

Posted by Amy Phillips in exclusive, interview, signing on Tue: 11-07-06: 04:50 PM CST | Permalink

Bloc Party Launch Tour, Announce UK Dates

Bloc Party are revving up to spend many, many weekends in the city (and weekdays, for that matter). Unfortunately, their traveling companions happen to be Panic! at the Disco and Jack's Mannequin, but hey, at least they'll have a chance to visit some of North America's finest destinations. Like the metropolis of Sunrise, Florida, where Bloc Party will kick things off tonight at the scenic Bank Atlantic Center.

Following a lengthy holiday break, Bloc Party will ditch the pop-punk acts and tour the UK, presumably as headliners.

As previously reported, the second batch of dates surround Bloc Party's forthcoming A Weekend in the City, which is due February 5 on Wichita in the UK and February 6 on Vice in the U.S. The follow-up to 2005's Silent Alarm and Silent Alarm Remixed was recorded at Ireland's Grouse Lodge Residential Studios with producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol). It will be preceded by a single, "The Prayer", on January 29 in the UK.

A comprehensive "official unofficial guide" to the LP recently made its way online courtesy of the BlocParty.net-affiliated Blog Party. On it, superfans can scope out a detailed recording timeline, track notes, titles and comments on lost songs and B-sides, and more. [MORE...]

MP3: Bloc Party: Helicopter (Whitey remix) [from the Silent Alarm Remixed LP]

Posted by Kati Llewellyn in tour on Tue: 11-07-06: 04:00 PM CST | Permalink

Mountain Goats, Slits Play Novemberfest
As do Richard Buckner, Jennifer O'Connor, Two Dollar Guitar

Columbia, South Carolina residents Jason and Amy Caffee are revamping the concept of both the garage band and, uh, the garage. Opened in 2004, their (art) Garage shoots to provide an affordable venue for local creative souls to put on shows. Since its inception, the space has broadened its horizons and is now housing artistic productions of all mediums, music included.

This week, the (art) Garage is holding one of the biggest tiny venue events we've ever been made aware of. The week-long spree of shows, coined Novemberfest, kicked off yesterday and runs through November 12. Highlights include the Slits and the Apes (tonight, November 7), the Mountain Goats and Jennifer O'Connor (tomorrow, November 8), Richard Buckner (November 9), a local band showcase (November 10), a garage sale and Venice Is Sinking (November 11), and Two Dollar Guitar (which features Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley) and Chris Brokaw (November 12).

Posted by Kati Llewellyn in festival on Tue: 11-07-06: 03:50 PM CST | Permalink

Grizzly Bear Acoustic Bonanza

Come see the softer side of Grizzly Bear, with these two previously unreleased acoustic versions of "Shift" (from their debut Horn of Plenty) and "Reprise" (from this year's Yellow House). Originally recorded earlier this week for a French radio session but never aired, these takes feature the band in rainy-day mode, sleepwalking (in a good way) through the finger-picked fog.

The Grizz also recently got their acoustic on for AOL's Interface podcast series, performing "Plans", "Shift", "On a Neck, On a Spit", "Little Brother", and "Knife" (the latter including exaggerated doo-wop vocals and finger snap percussion). In addition to the tunes, the band sat down for an interview, in which they admitted that they're part of the Brooklyn gentrification problem and called TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone "the guy with all the hair on his head and face".

Grizzly Bear are on tour in Europe as we speak. [MORE...]

MP3: Grizzly Bear: Shift (Acoustic) [radio session]

MP3: Grizzly Bear: Reprise (Acoustic) [radio session]

Posted by Amy Phillips in audio, tour on Tue: 11-07-06: 03:47 PM CST | Permalink

Black Mt.'s McBean Talks Album, Spin-offs, Coldplay
Chris Martin on Black Mountain: "We've never played with a band that's made us look like such pussies every night."

In Canada, the hallowed land of Godspeed You Wolf Parading Broken Social Pornographers, national pride must be measured by the sheer number of side projects a given band has spawned-- which would make Vancouver resident Stephen McBean a model Canadian citizen. When the one-time Jerk With a Bomb dude's not fronting psych-rockers Black Mountain, he's scaling sex-damaged Pink Mountaintops, while his Black Mt. bandmates Matthew Camirand, Joshua Wells, and Jeremy Schmidt do their respective thangs as Blood Meridian (the former two) and Sinoia Caves (the latter). And this is just the beginning, McBean recently told Pitchfork.

"If [label Jagjaguwar] want[s] the next Black Mountain record," McBean teased, "they have to put out everything that we hand them. They have to spend as much money as we want on our side vanity projects."

We'll get to those vanity side projects in a moment, but first, that new Black Mountain record. McBean and Co. have been working sporadically on the follow-up to last year's much-loved, self-titled debut, and hope to complete it this January.

As for the new disc's sound, "I guess you'll have to see," said McBean flatly. "It's different songs-- it's not the same songs recorded again. We're not trying to make a Kid A or anything. It'll be a rock'n'roll record, probably." [MORE...]

MP3: Black Mountain: Druganaut [from the Black Mountain LP]

MP3: Pink Mountaintops: New Drug Queens [from the Axis of Evol LP]

Posted by Matthew Solarski in interview, sideproject, tour on Tue: 11-07-06: 02:00 PM CST | Permalink

Brian Wilson Becomes Action Figure
A "classy tribute," not a "wacky toy"

Brian Wilson fans finally have the opportunity to hold the Beach Boys man in the palms of their hands...a bit too literally, if you ask us.

Longtime Wilson collaborator Mark London (see: the SMiLE album cover and tour program) has designed a Wilson action figure in celebration of both the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds and Wilson's current tour, on which he performs the legendary record in full with his current backing band and original Beach Boy Al Jardine. (It's the pair's first official collaboration in over a decade.) The figure depicts Wilson in 1966.

London writes on BrianWilson.com, "Someone recently asked me why this, rather than say, a bobble-head doll? Personally, I just think a bobble-head may be too 'baseball game,' too 'comic book'...

"I wanted this one to be a little more respectful to this particular occasion. A classy tribute, rather than a wacky toy.

"Now, I know Brian's more creative fans, and I'm sure we'll be seeing the big guy with a fire helmet and no shirt animated on YouTube soon enough! Just don't forget that Grammy award kids!"

OK, glad to see he thinks this whole thing is as absurd as we do.

The figure's head was sculpted by an unnamed artist, then cast into plastic and hand painted.

There will be a limited edition version (300 figures) of the doll available while supplies last. Each of these pieces will be numbered, likely by London, and their boxes signed by Wilson.

Parties interested in the plastic, plaid-panted star can purchase the figure exclusively on Wilson's website and current tour. And when the action figure goes all Chucky on your asses...well, don't say we didn't warn you.

[MORE...]

Stream: Brian Wilson: Heroes and Villains [from the SMiLE LP]

Posted by Kati Llewellyn in wtf, tour on Tue: 11-07-06: 12:39 PM CST | Permalink

Infinite Mixtape #52: Rock Plaza Central: "My Children, Be Joyful"

A horse is a horse is a horse (of course), but for Toronto's Rock Plaza Central, a horse is an animal ripe for lyrical personification. Not just any ol' horse, mind you: "Robotic horses who think they are real horses"-- as the band's MySpace claims-- is the premise behind their entire self-released LP Are We Not Horses. Um, yikes, dudes! But suspend disbelief a moment and ride this one out, as you'll soon find the promising septet thoughtfully treating their unlikely equine subjects with a heckuva lot more pathos, nuance, and scope than, say, your standard episode of "Mr. Ed".

Are We Not Horses first hits its stride with "My Children, Be Joyful", a majestic, celebratory hymn in the ramshackle fashion of Neutral Milk Hotel. (Like, maybe to the point that lots of people would be hard-pressed to tell the two apart.) But the song doesn't (ahem) horse around as much as others on the album, instead tackling a more ambiguous and universally applicable set of themes, making it an ideal introduction to an act with a wild idea that somehow works. And we ain't pulling your tail there.

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#0052 > Rock Plaza Central: "My Children, Be Joyful"
[from Are We Not Horses; self-released]
Info: [Rock Plaza Central] | [MySpace]

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// Previously on The Infinite Mixtape:
#0051: Deerhunter: "Spring Hall Convert"
#0050: Benoît Pioulard: "Palimend"
#0049: Frida Hyvönen: "I Drive My Friend"
#0048: Turbulence: "Notorious"
#0047: I'm From Barcelona: "We're From Barcelona"
#0046: Christopher Willits: "Colors Shifting"
#0000: All Previous Infinite Mixtape Entries

Posted by Matthew Solarski in infinitemixtape on Tue: 11-07-06: 11:00 AM CST | Permalink

T.V. Eye: November 7-13, 2006

Pitchfork's T.V. Picks for This Week:

Tuesday, November 7:

CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": the Killers (rerun)
NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": David Cross
NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Peeping Tom (rerun)
NBC: "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno": OK Go

Wednesday, November 8:

NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Regina Spektor
NBC: "Late Night With Conan O'Brien": Death Cab for Cutie

Thursday, November 9:

ABC: "Jimmy Kimmel Live": Lady Sovereign
CBS: "Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson": Joseph Arthur
Fuel TV: "The Daily Habit": the Thermals
NBC: "Last Call With Carson Daly": Wolfmother

Friday, November 10:

ABC: "Jimmy Kimmel Live": the Hold Steady
CBS: "Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson": Pet Shop Boys
CBS: "Late Show With David Letterman": Elvis Costello & Roseanne Cash

Saturday, November 11:

NBC: "Saturday Night Live": Christina Aguilera

Monday, November 13:

MTV2: "Subterranean": the Rapture

Posted by Kati Llewellyn in tveye on Tue: 11-07-06: 10:40 AM CST | Permalink

Video: Deerhoof Milk Man School Ballet

We're losing our edge-- to the preternaturally hip elementary schoolers of North Haven, Maine. With the aid of drama teacher Courtney Naliboff and choreographer Ken Jones, the students of North Haven Community School staged a musical late last month at Waterman's Community Center based on Deerhoof's Milk Man album. You saw the adorable photos-- now scope the videos for a whopping six tunes, replete with milk-white costumes, balloons galore, and a live rock'n'roll band! They're actually really, really nice.

As previously reported, Deerhoof's latest LP, Friend Opportunity, hits the streets January 23, 2007, courtesy of Kill Rock Stars. We hope this one spawns puppet shows, synchronized swimming routines, themed dinner parties, and doctoral theses.

Photo by Alice Bissell.

"Rainbow Silhouette"

[MORE...]

Posted by Matthew Solarski in video on Tue: 11-07-06: 10:30 AM CST | Permalink

Flaming Lips Honored With Alley in Oklahoma City?

The Flaming Lips have finally made it to the big time: they're currently up to have a thoroughfare in Oklahoma City-- where frontman Wayne Coyne resides-- named after them, NewsOK.com reports. But not just any old thoroughfare: an "alley...littered with open dumpsters, and...poorly lit at night," the site writes. Note to Wayne: if you decide to visit this alley, pack the giant protective bubble.

David Holt, an aide to the city's mayor, Mick Cornett, believes naming the Bricktown alley after the Lips (it is currently untitled) might inspire clean-up in the area. The re-naming ordinance-- which also seeks to slap country superstar Vince Gill's name on another street-- will go before the OK City Planning Council on November 9. Then, according to a city council representative, the city council will hold a final vote during a meeting on November 28.

A MySpace bulletin sent out to the Flaming Lips' buddies finds the band fully supporting the christening-- and seeking your help in making it a reality.

"Wayne wants this to happen and he sees it as a symbolic small road," the post reads. "The fact that it's an alley is even more appealing to him...like a secret passage. Though it may have dumpsters and parked cars, it's real and authentic...It isn't Disneyland [and] they don't want that...it's not an obvious homage to entertainment...it's about finding something special in an unexpected place." [MORE...]

Video: The Flaming Lips: The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song [from the At War With the Mystics LP]

Posted by Kati Llewellyn and Matthew Solarski in misc. on Tue: 11-07-06: 07:00 AM CST | Permalink

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Fri: 12-01-06: 01:45 PM CST
Insanely Rare Velvet Underground LP on eBay for $19K