Pitchfork: Joanna Newsom to Open for Bjork!

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Joanna Newsom to Open for Bjork!
Compete to see who can hit the highest note

Though it may seem that your pals at Pitchfork are too immersed in Volta fever to talk about anything else (tell yr friends: "Declare Independence" might just be the jam of the summer), we do have other records we're looking forward to; say, Joanna Newsom's Ys Street Band EP, out April 24 on Drag City.

So when we found out that these two creative juggernauts would be joining together for a couple of dates on Björk's previously-announced tour, well, we were beside ourselves for a minute. Then, we collected ourselves, and wrote a story about it.

Jo's only doing two dates on the Björk tour that we know of, although we'd like to strongly encourage whoever paired these two to keep up the good work. Seriously, who else but J-New is up for the challenge of warming up a crowd of Björk-aniacs? It's a toughie...though we'd also like to suggest Antony.

In other Björk news, there's more Volta slowly trickling out over the internet, including this frustratingly brief clip of the "Earth Intruders" video, set for proper release April 24. She'll also share another amazing double-bill this weekend as the musical guest on a soon-to-be-legendary "Saturday Night Live" episode with host Scarlett Johansson. And, of course, Volta drops May 7 in Europe and May 8 here. Wooo! [MORE...]

Video: Bjork: Earth Intruders [clip; from the forthcoming Volta LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 04:13 PM CDT | Permalink

Marissa Nadler Signs to Kemado, Kicks Off Tour
U.S. edition of Songs III set for August release

Stevie Nicks is the first influence Marissa Nadler lists on her MySpace page, and it ain't hard to see why. Her long hair, flowing clothes, and music all fit the Nicks archetype pretty well, minus a little bit of the witchiness.

The unwitchy but still beguiling Nadler recently released her new album, Songs III: Bird on the Water, via Peacefrog Records in Europe. Now the Providence-based singer has signed to Kemado Records for an August 7 physical release of a slightly altered version of the album in the U.S. and Canada. Kemado also plans to set Bird aflight digitally this month.

Nadler will go her own way on tour starting tomorrow night in Helsinki. All of her current dates are in Europe for now, but Marissa plans to travel the U.S. West Coast in June. A full U.S. tour is in the works for August. [MORE...]

MP3: Marissa Nadler: Dying Breed [from the Songs III: Bird on the Water LP] / Cortez the Killer (Neil Young Cover)

Posted by Dave Maher in album, signing, tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 04:05 PM CDT | Permalink

Bluesfest Gets Stripes, Kanye, Cat Power, Built to Spill
Plus: Bob Dylan, Metric, Final Fantasy, Tokyo Police Club, Manu Chao, Bird and the Bee

With their government-sanctioned health care and relative lack of pollution, what do Canadians know from blues? Not as much as they know about crowd-pleasing, indie-leaning rock'n'roll, as it turns out.

The Ottawa Bluesfest-- bending its notes over five stages from July 5-15 at Ottawa's LeBreton Flats Park-- packs quite a wallop in its non-blues lineup: Kanye West, Built to Spill, Metric, Tokyo Police Club, and Final Fantasy are amongst the none-too-downtrodden, which also sports the oft-bluesy strains of Bob Dylan, the White Stripes, and Cat Power. Still, though, they ain't exactly Muddy and the Wolf, but we doubt you'll mind.

So, okay, there's some fine blues, too-- Buddy Guy and Robert Cray top that particular list-- plus a couple folk legends and plenty of your typical-fest throwback fare like Steve Miller Band and the Village People. In fact, no matter the genre, these Ottawa folks have outdone themselves. A full schedule for your glancing pleasure is up on the festival website, but the highlight reel's after the jump.

Thanks to reader Andrew Ryall for the heads-up. [MORE...]

Posted by Paul Thompson in festival on Wed: 04-18-07: 03:45 PM CDT | Permalink

Bonde do Role Wield Lasers at More Shows

The good ship Bonde do Role will be docking shortly. The Brazilian trio's debut album, With Lasers, arrives in physical formats on June 5 in the U.S. and June 4 in the UK and Europe via Domino.

The catch is that the album is available for download right now on iTunes, which is a little strange. However, for those who like their BdR DRM-free, two months is no time at all.

Bonde have added a bunch of European shows to their previously reported tour; scope those, along with the tracklist for With Lasers, below [MORE...]

Video: Bonde do Role: Solta O Frango [from the forthcoming Bonde do Role With Lasers LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in album, tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 03:30 PM CDT | Permalink

Young Marble Giants Reunite!
Domino Records eyeing Colossal Youth reissue

Before crumbling to dust/solo projects after just three brief years and one full-length album together, minimalist Welsh indie-poppers Young Marble Giants managed to leave an appropriately imposing legacy and an indelible mark in the annals of post-punk.

According to a BBC Wales report, the influential trio will reunite for a May 27 performance at the Hay Festival-- their first proper live appearance in some 27 years (numerologists, start your engines!). The literature/arts fest event takes place at Clyro Court in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, near the English border; although the festival lineup isn't confirmed yet, Young Marble Giants are listed on the festival's draft schedule.

This reunion gig apparently came about at the behest of Domino Records, who are believed to have a reissue of the Giants' lone LP, Colossal Youth, planned for the near future.

The Hay Festival itself runs from May 24 thru June 3 this year in the bookish border town. It features a flurry of readings, panels, discussions, and films with and/or involving men and women of letters, such that you can't help but leave afterwards feeling, well, really super duper smart and stuff.

Young Marble Giants, meanwhile, haven't exactly been strangers-- the original trio of Alison Statton, Stuart Moxham, and Philip Moxham, along with honorary fourth Giant Andrew Moxham, reconvened back in 2004 at Wales' BBC Radio studios for a documentary shoot. They've also contributed to one another's projects over the years.

Video: Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth (Live)

Posted by Matthew Solarski in reunion, festival, reissue on Wed: 04-18-07: 03:20 PM CDT | Permalink

Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 Hits North America via Vice

Admit it: by the curtain's close of The Science of Sleep, Charlotte Gainsbourg's craft-making and hard-to-get-playing won you over in ways her pretty, deceitful blonde friend never could. Charlotte hopes Francophiles abroad will fall for her wistful, knotty music in much the same way April 24, when the North American issue of her sophomore effort 5:55 hits shelves via Vice.

With words penned by Jarvis Cocker and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, music from Air, and behind-the-board work from Nigel Godrich, 5:55's got plenty in its corner; its New World incarnation adds two additional tracks-- "Set Yourself on Fire" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping"-- to further captivate. [MORE...]

Video: Charlotte Gainsbourg: The Songs That We Sing [from the 5:55 LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in album on Wed: 04-18-07: 01:30 PM CDT | Permalink

Two Gallants Houston Case Finally Dismissed
"It's incredible to think that the city of Houston, in the state that it is now, you know, after Hurricane Katrina and the history they've had, that a seemingly easy case would take so long to be finished like that."

After seven months of frustration and legal hurdles, the aftermath of Two Gallants' confrontation with police at a show in Houston, Texas in October has finally come to an end, as all charges against drummer Tyson Vogel have been dropped. Whew.

The backstory: On October 13, 2006, Two Gallants and opening act Trainwreck Riders were performing at Walter's on Washington when police officer G.M. Rodriguez entered the club to investigate a noise complaint. Accounts vary of what, exactly, happened next, but Rodriguez ended up on stage, demanding that the band stop playing. A fight broke out, and Rodriguez shot several people with a Taser gun, including Two Gallants frontman Adam Stephens. In the melee, Vogel and Trainwreck Riders' Andrew Kerwin and bassist Sean Kohler were arrested. Vogel was charged with a misdemeanor for "interfering with a public servant."

Thanks to video footage of the event and a sensible District Attorney, the charges against Vogel were finally dropped just a couple weeks ago. The Gallants are ready to move on, and have already recorded a new EP, the acoustic The Scenery of Farewell, which will be released June 19 on Saddle Creek. A new full-length is in the works for September, and the duo will open for Primus bassist Les Claypool on tour this summer.

We chatted with Vogel about the circumstances of his charges being dropped, as well as Two Gallants' future plans. [MORE...]

MP3: Two Gallants: Las Cruces Jail [from the What the Toll Tells LP]

Posted by Amy Phillips in interview on Wed: 04-18-07: 01:30 PM CDT | Permalink

Tussle Duke it Out on the Road

Bay Area blipmakers Tussle are, as their name suggests, always game for a bout; and, boy, have they lined up a formidable cadre of opponents for their upcoming late-spring tour.

The opening bell rings tomorrow night as Tussle mix it up in matches with heavyweights Hot Chip, YACHT, ADULT., Professor Murder, and Parts & Labor. Will their pulsating pugilism match the sweet science of their opponents? For the sake of their nose-bone, we sure hope so; Tussle may not be as big as their challengers, but they sure are scrappy. Place your bets now.

In less combative Tussle news, their latest release is "R", part of Tomlab's alphabet-themed 7" series. "R" packs a wallop, with "Meh-Teh" from Tussle's eventual third album and a remix of "Second Guessing" from rabble-rouser YACHT. [MORE...]

Stream: Tussle: Second Guessing [from the Telescope Mind LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 01:15 PM CDT | Permalink

Alex Delivery Release Jag Debut, Tour With Frog Eyes

We're starting to think Jagjaguwar might require its bands to put equine creatures on their album covers, because Alex Delivery's debut full-length, Star Destoyer, is the second album to feature a horse-like animal on its cover in as many months for the label. Technically, it's a unicorn, but whatever...it still fits under a saddle.

Star Destroyer isn't all cover, however. The package also features a compact disc of recorded musical sounds. The aforementioned Brooklyn quintet Alex Delivery made those sounds, and Jagjaguwar will release those sounds April 24.

The next month, Alex Delivery will join Frog Eyes on a tour of the U.S., though their first date is a solo show in Chicago on April 26. Canadian dates are in the works. [MORE...]

MP3: Alex Delivery: Komad [from the forthcoming Star Destroyer LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in album, tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 01:00 PM CDT | Permalink

Fucking Champs Triumph Yet Again With VI, Tour

Hard-rocking San Francisco indie veterans the Fucking Champs will continue their winning ways with the release of their latest album, VI (take that Led Zeppelin!), out April 24 via Drag City.

In addition to the core of Tims Green and Soete, Phil Manley from Trans Am and Oneida contributed guitar, piano, bass, and synthesizer to the record. And, in the grand tradition of recent Drag City artists (mostly Bonnie "Prince" Billy), VI also features a cameo from uncomedian Neil Hamburger on "Fozzy Goes to Africa".

The Champs enter the tour arena in support of VI starting May 24 in Atlanta. [MORE...]

MP3: The Fucking Champs: Spring Break [from the forthcoming VI LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in album, tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 12:45 PM CDT | Permalink

Tim Buckley Revisited With Live DVD

The ghost of Tim Buckley will take a break from haunting the dreams of that Starsailor band to issue My Fleeting House, a DVD compiling fourteen televised performances from the late folk-rock maverick (and father of Jeff).

My Fleeting House packs Buckley tunes culled from various long-canceled programs alongside interviews with Buckley co-writer Larry Beckett, guitarist Lee Underwood, and Buckley biographer David Browne. All but two of My Fleeting House's performances are previously unreleased in takeaway form.

Buckley fans in a few select cities will get the chance to peek into My Fleeting House at a series of free screenings in the days prior to its May 15 release (via MVD Entertainment Group). Dates and the tracklist after the jump. [MORE...]

Video: Tim Buckley: My Fleeting House trailer

Posted by Paul Thompson in dvd on Wed: 04-18-07: 12:30 PM CDT | Permalink

Patrick Wolf to Tour With Amy Winehouse
His latest "magic position": holding her hair back while she pukes

In a seemingly discordant pairing, orchestra-wielding pop sophisticate Patrick Wolf and swamp thing Amy Winehouse will team up for a few North American dates in early May. Wolf, whose lovely Magic Position will arrive Stateside May 1 via Low Altitude/Universal, has also added an in-store at the Virgin Records in New York's Union Square, where he'll whisk about onstage and then write his name on stuff.

As we previously reported, Pat's recent projects include an abundance of UK-only singles. [MORE...]

MP3: Patrick Wolf: The Magic Position [from the Magic Position LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in tour on Wed: 04-18-07: 12:18 PM CDT | Permalink

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Fri: 04-27-07: 10:00 AM CDT
Modest Mouse, Interpol, TVotR Play Accelerator Fest