Bloc Party to Spend A Weekend in the City

Most people spend their vacation time somewhere bucolic and peaceful. Not Bloc Party. Next year, they plan to spend A Weekend in the City with their second album, which will be released February 6 on Vice. It's the London quartet's follow-up to last year's Silent Alarm and Silent Alarm Remixed. (Yeah, we guess that kinda makes it their third album. Or second-and-a-half.)

As previously reported, the album was produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol) and recorded at Westmeath, Ireland's Grouse Lodge Residential Studios.

According to a press release, A Weekend in the City was inspired by what frontman Kele Okereke calls "the living noise of a metropolis," as well as the music of Philip Glass, Timbaland, Aaliyah, and Bartok. Photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg will provide the record's cover art.

Oh, and the tracks are in order now (see below)!

Also, we'd like to remind readers that Bloc Party will kick off a North American tour next month with Panic! at the Disco and Jack's Mannequin. Because you might have forgotten. [MORE...]

Bonnie “Prince” Billy to Chat on Neil Hamburger Show
We all know it's going to end in bondage and murder

Tom Green-- former host of "The Tom Green Show" and "The New Tom Green Show", former husband of Drew Barrymore, and former gross-out sensation in such classic films as Freddy Got Fingered and Road Trip-- is pushing the mediums of both television and the goatee forward into the twenty-first century with his internet television channel at www.tomgreen.com.

Sadistic comic Neil Hamburger has his own show on the channel, "Poolside Chats With Neil Hamburger", and tomorrow, October 24, Bonnie "Prince" Billy will be his guest. Starting at midnight Eastern (technically the 25th) and 9 p.m. Pacific, the episode will broadcast live for viewers to watch and call in with questions for Bonnie and/or Neil. Maybe you can ask them for tips on making goofy promotional videos.

And with Tom Green's involvement, how could this not succeed?

Wooden Wand Predicts Lifespan of Your Indie Band

Children, jobs, significant others, vegetarians, and members who are overly enthusiastic engineers: these are all things that will keep an indie band from reaching its maximum life expectancy, according to Wooden Wand-- aka James Toth, aka "JJT"-- in his recently penned "Indie Band Life-O-Meter", a Seventeen-style quiz for indie bands to determine how long they will last.

Yes, boredom is a powerful thing, as Toth can attest after being compelled to write this "on the long stretch of highway between the flatlands of the Midwest and the dramatic landscape of the Rocky Mountains," according to a press release. That's right, there is a press release for this questionably accurate quiz, not that accuracy is really the point. Those of you who don't score well, just remember: this is coming from Wooden Wand.

As previously reported, Wooden Wand is currently on a tour of the U.S. behind his recent Kill Rock Stars release, Second Attention. The tour will wrap up in November before he and his band play Thurston Moore's Nightmare Before Christmas edition of All Tomorrow's Parties.

Click for the chuckle-worthy full text of the quiz. [MORE...]

Video: Lily Allen: "Littlest Things"

My idea of the "Littlest Things" includes dust mites and quarks, but for Lily Allen, it's old times, romance, and heartbreak all the way. The most recent video from Allen's debut LP Alright, Still knocks things back to cinema's golden age, treating viewers to trench coats, top hats, and some silhouette hanky-panky in stunning black and white.

Overall, the video is a bit dull, lacking an ounce of Allen's refreshing sass-- and yes, she has sass even on the ballad tracks.

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...]

Infinite Mixtape #51: Deerhunter: "Spring Hall Convert"

Though one of the hip-hop world's fieriest hotspots, Atlanta isn't exactly known for its wealth of left-skewing noise-rock bands-- even indie rockers migrate to Athens. But every city has its anomalies, and after last year's truly deranged self-titled debut for Stickfigure Records, ATL-based Deerhunter have come into their own as a massive, psych-heavy, art-damaged four-piece, and one of the most inspired new bands we've heard in quite a while.

Citing Jesus and Mary Chain as their core influence, but also incorporating Thurston Moore guitar squalls, the super-rich, static-heavy layers of MBV, Spacemen 3's lonesome, jangly blissouts, and the brooding, claustrophobic atmospherics of early Martin Hannett-produced Factory Records releases, Deerhunter's forthcoming Kranky debut, Cryptograms (due January 29)-- not to mention their absolutely fucking insane live shows-- is likely to make them one of the most talked-about bands of 2007. Today, the album's gorgeous "Spring Hall Convert" marks the 51st entry in Pitchfork's Infinite Mixtape series. (And we highly encourage you to check their MySpace for three more.)

------------------------------------------------------

#0051 > Deerhunter: "Spring Hall Convert"
[from Cryptograms; Kranky]
Info: [MySpace] | [Kranky]

------------------------------------------------------

// Previously on The Infinite Mixtape:
#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"
#0045: Giddy Motors: "Panzrama"
#0044: Bound Stems: "Western Biographic"
#0043: Tim Hecker: "Chimeras"
#0042: Working for a Nuclear Free City: "Troubled Son"
#0041: Fujiya & Miyagi: "Collarbone"
#0000: All Previous Infinite Mixtape Entries

MP3: Johnny and the Moon: "Green Rocky Road"

Wood block is so the new cowbell. Check out this track from Johnny and the Moon, a new band featuring Dante DeCaro of Wolf Parade (and ex-Hot Hot Heat). It's a pretty good song, a rustic, folksy number that strolls leisurely through Dylan-esque non-sequiturs and shimmery tambourines. But the part where it gets really good is during the harmonica solo, when that familiar clomp-clomp-clomp starts up in the background.

Unless, of course, it's not actually wood block being played there. Maybe it's claves? In that case, claves are so the new cowbell.

"Green Rocky Road" can be found on Johnny and the Moon's self-titled debut album, due out tomorrow on Kill Devil Hills Records.

Video Premiere: CSS: "Alala"
Bonus! MP3: "Alala"

When you're tired of being sexy, it's time to get violent: Brazilian upstarts CSS fight for their right to trash the party in Cat Solen's (Bright Eyes, Death Cab) new video for "Alala", from the sextet's Sub Pop debut, Cansei De Ser Sexy. Click below and watch the CSS gang get Carrie'd away with blood and prom fisticuffs galore, plenty of reverse stop-motion footage of wounds healing Wolverine-stylee, and one creepy-as-shit feline with two different colored eyes.

Special bonus: take the song home with you in mp3 format by mousing the link at the bottom of this here blurb.

Photos: Beck [New York, NY; 10/22/06]

Only four days after his wildly eclectic show at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Beck settled down at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center-- a one-time synagogue on Manhattan's Lower East Side-- for an impromptu acoustic set. The gothic downtown venue is located in the same neighborhood where he began his career in the late 1980s as part of NYC's anti-folk scene, and the night's casual atmosphere harkened back to such bygone days. It was a rare opportunity to see the still-chugging hippie-philosopher in such an intimate space, and Beck took advantage of his picturesque surroundings by relying heavily on his more subdued fare.

The quaint, lo-fi set-up featured his five-man touring band proving their wide-ranging virtuosity while playing with spoons, plates, tom-toms, and a vintage Casio. Though somber tracks from Sea Change and The Information dominated the set (a stunning "The Golden Age", with the group backing Beck by softly tapping wine glasses, won the night's spine-tingler award), there were many spontaneous, lighter moments including a junk-band take on "Where It's At" that had keyboardist Brian LeBarton scrambling for an adequate setting on the Casio (after testing a couple duds, the band decided on "bassoon" with some audience help).

Compared to the puppetry, prop antics, and prose-raps that fill his current stage show, this concert was a refreshing palette cleanser with Beck highlighting his fine singing voice and deep catalogue. As his two-year-old son Cosimo-- sporting can-style ear muffs-- looked on near the front of the stage, his smiley dad tried out a couple new songs along with the old favorites, and even broke out an ace take on the Louvin Brothers' twangy "You're Running Wild". Who knows, maybe the country tune could be a hint at a rewarding new path for the trailblazer, who once again confirmed his versatility while allowing for some little-seen warmth on this night.

Beck and puppets crash Philadelphia's Tower Theatre tonight. More photos ahead. [MORE...]

New Pornos Unveil Tour; Destroyer Debut Reissue Due

Hop into the DeLorean and crank it back to 1996, when Destroyer (aka Dan Bejar) released his proper debut album, the four-track-recorded We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge on Tinker Records, and get familiar-- because when you come back to the future, it'll be all the rage online.

Golden Bridge has returned and will be released digitally and on CD courtesy of Scratch Records. While it features its original tracklisting (including "Breakin' the Law" and "Streets of Fire", which later developed into New Pornographers songs), the work features brand new, full-color artwork. Destroyer's original, acoustic, rough-around-the-edges version of "Breakin' the Law" can be downloaded below.

Also in the works from Bejar is a disc from Hello, Blue Roses, his project with girlfriend/visual artist/Bonaparte bandleader Sydney Vermont/Hermant. As previously reported, the pair hopes to have it finished by April. In the meantime, Swan Lake, Bejar's collaboration with Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes), is gearing up to release its debut, Beast Moans, on November 21 via Jagjaguwar. And that's not all: Busybody Bejar will also begin work on the follow-up to this year's acclaimed Destroyer's Rubies sometime in the near future.

Destroyer hasn't revealed any tour plans in support of the aforementioned reissue-- not especially surprising given his well-documented dislike of live performance-- but the rest of the New Pornographers are gearing up for an Australian road trip this December.

As previously reported, both the Pornos and guitarist Todd Fancey are working on new records. The former's release is slated for June, and the latter's, the tentatively titled Let the Breeze In, Witches Night, II, or Schmancey, for spring of next year. Fancey currently has one performance scheduled for Brooklyn's Union Hall on November 3. [MORE...]

Exclusive MP3: Earlimart: "Everybody Knows Everybody"

Now we're cooking! The third and final exclusive mp3 from Earlimart's forthcoming fifth LP is a lively, slightly paranoid, piano-dolloped rocker in the spirit of "Burning the Cow" and the band's best. "Everybody Knows Everybody" sees Aaron Espinoza musing on the fine art of discretion over build-up-and-release guitars-- and a few ethereal coos thrown in for good measure. Not one of its 154 seconds is wasted.

Click below to download the new jam. As previously reported, Espinoza hopes to share Earlimart's latest with the world early next year. The disc also features "Nevermind the Phonecalls" and "Don't Think About Me", which you may score here and here.

Catch Espinoza as he plays a solo set at California's Silverlake Lounge tonight, or see the whole band as they hit up CMJ for at least two gigs: October 30 at New York's Mercury Lounge, and November 2 at Brooklyn's Northsix.

Smashing Pumpkins Update
Jimmy Chamberlin hops on board the "Great Pumpkin Space Train"

Two down, ? to go. A second member of the reunited Smashing Pumpkins lineup, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (surprise, surprise), has been confirmed (the first is obviously Billy Corgan). The drummer recently posted two blog entries on the Pumpkins' official MySpace page, notifying readers that the group's new album, the follow-up to 2000's MACHINA/the Machines of God, is coming along just fine.

"I'm here to tell you that great things are on track for the future," Chamberlin wrote. "As some of you know we are indeed creating music again. Music that comes from a place so pure it will burn the lies off the very souls of those who try to discount it. We have arrived at a place in our lives where truth and honesty prevail and we are creating from that place."

Who, exactly "we" are is still unclear.

The drums for the record are currently being tracked, and according to Chamberlin, "things are sounding fantastic." The band recently finished up work with producer Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, the Cars), and claims the partnership to be "one of the best musical experiences we have ever had."

The Pumpkins have now teamed up with Terry Date, who has worked with Pantera, Soundgarden, and, uh, Limp Bizkit. Great.

Chamberlin explained, "The universe has a way of letting you know that things are right by introducing people like RTB (Roy Thomas Baker) and Terry into the fold. It's all part of one big cosmic journey, in so that everyone reading this is hitching their silver chord to the Great Pumpkin Space Train! Hope this helps clear some things up for you. Don't forget to cast your eyes skyward this weekend.... You may see a shooting star." On it, Jimmy.

While the album's label home has not yet been announced, we suspect it to be Warner/Reprise, as that is the company running the online mailing list linked from the Smashing Pumpkins' official website.

In related news, Billy Corgan reportedly contributed to Courtney Love's forthcoming solo album, and will perform at a special show at Los Angeles' Hotel Cafe on November 7 alongside Pete Townshend of the Who and E of the Eels.

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.)