Sian Alice Group Prep Debut LP for Social Registry

The word "epic" is thrown around quite a bit when speaking of London's Sian Alice Group, and with good reason. The band, which uses Arthur Russell, Detroit techno, and, yes, a little shoegaze as jump-offs, knows how to fill the space between those disparate elements.

Sian Alice Group's debut LP, 59.59, should stretch those epic tendencies to newly ginormous proportions; heck, it will, seeing as John Coxon of Spiritualized and Spring Heel Jack appears (along with Gang Gang Dance's Brian DeGraw) on the disc's closer. The Jesus and Mary Chain's Douglas Hart also partakes. The album, recorded at the band's central London studio, is due February 19 from the Social Registry.

And if you recall seeing Social Registry and Sian Alice Group together in a story before, that's probably because you read this one, which makes mention of SAG's participation in the SR 7" series. Sian Alice Group's "Nightsong" 7" is out now. [MORE...]

Obscure French Synth-Wave Collected on Comp

The folks at Everloving Records are hoping B.I.P.P.P.: French Synth-Wave 1979-1985 does just a little bit better in the marketplace than the original singles it's comprised of.

Originally curated by Parisian label Born Bad, the disc is culled entirely from lo-fi 7" singles from a quarter century ago. These things barely even qualify as obscure; to give you some idea, comp artist Ruth's album famously (well, as famously as an underperformer of this magnitude can be) only sold 50 copies.

Which means, despite their age, these tracks are a goldmine in need of a pick axe. In fact, Ed Banger label head Busy P recently mined Comix's "Touche Pas Mon Sexe" for the recent electro house stomper "Rainbow Man". If anybody knows French dance music, it's probably that dude. The disc drops February 12. [MORE...]

Photos: Spiritualized [New York, NY; 11/16/07]

Photos by William Kirk

The elusive J. Spaceman touched down at New York City's famed Apollo Theater this past weekend to treat eager Earthlings to some typically transcendent Spiritualized fare. To help escort us into his world, the being known down here as Jason Pierce enlisted strings, keys, and choir to join in performing stripped down, acoustic versions of many of his finest tunes.

The "Acoustic Mainlines" tour hits Boston tonight and rolls into London next month. Meanwhile, all signs point toward a new Spiritualized record in 2008.








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Of Montreal Do New Ad, Barnes Talks Selling Out
"To me, the TV is the world's asshole boss and if anyone can earn some extra bucks from it and they're not Bill O'Reilly, it's a good thing."

Photo by Jason Bergman

As you know, indie rockers and corporate America can make for awfully strange bedfellows. Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes seems to be more accustomed to snuggling up with commercial interests than most, what with his now-infamous Outback Steakhouse ad and at least one other foray into the world of selling stuff.

And he's done it again, with a T-Mobile advert that debuted during last night's American Music Awards. The ad features two lines of Barnes dialogue, the band all gussied up, and just a bit of "Gronlandic Edit"; it will be airing regularly throughout the next several months (Art Brut have apparently filmed a similar spot). Check out the clip over at Idolator.

Stereogum caught wind of Kevin's plans to peddle phones on the telly and asked Kevin just what the deal was. He responded with a rather lengthy thinkpiece entitled "Selling Out Isn't Possible", printed in full on stereogum.com.

The gist of Barnes' statement is simple: he may be providing these companies his goods and services in exchange for money, but in so doing, he's not actually compromising his art. That in mind, he can't really be characterized as a sellout. This isn't entirely true-- Outback Steakhouse did compromise the lyrics of your song to better move bloomin' onions or whatever-- but it's close: though the popularity of Of Montreal has ballooned of late, it's mostly due to their latest, weirdest record and most elaborate, well-conceived stage show to date.

Apropos of the article's title, Barnes then rails against the very notion of selling out itself. "The pseudo-nihilistic punk rockers of the 70's created an impossible code which no one can actually live by," he writes, adding, "it's such garbage. The idea that anyone who attempts to do anything commercial is a sellout is completely out of touch with reality."

Barnes mentions that those crying sellout are generally gainfully employed and, therefore, oughta think about zippin' that lip. And he closes with this: "Next time you see a commercial with one of your favorite band's songs in it, just tell yourself, 'Cool, a band I really like made some money and now I can probably look forward to a few more records from them.' It's as simple as that. We all have to do certain things, from time to time, that we might not be completely psyched about, in order to pay the bills. To me, the TV is the world's asshole boss and if anyone can earn some extra bucks from it and they're not Bill O'Reilly, it's a good thing." Also worth mentioning: better to have Of Montreal records on the telly than, uh, Hinder.

The full text of Barnes' statement is available here. The PLUG Award nominated Of Montreal have a couple of U.S. dates left before they head to Europe to close out 2007. Oh, and while we're all on the same page, check out Pitchfork's interview with Mr. Barnes right here. [MORE...]

Photos: Black Kids [Athens, GA; 11/16/07]

Photos by Mike White

"It's great to be back in Athens," exclaimed Black Kids' frontman Reggie Youngblood at the Flicker Theatre and Bar this Friday, "the scene of the crime." Youngblood was of course referring to the young band's performance at this year's Athens Popfest, which drew them lots of buzz from websites such as this one.

Well, now the DIY rockers are touring this year's Best New Music'd EP, The Wizard of Ahhhs, through their native Florida before heading off to the UK. More photos and tour dates below.








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Blood Meridian Seek to Liquidate Paris on New Disc

A handy refresher course: Blood Meridian is the Black Mountain side project featuring the latter's Josh Wells and Matt Camirand. They've already got a pair of fine releases to their name, sure, but why stop there? Blood Meridian have crafted Liquidate Paris-- either a hefty EP or a fit'n'trim LP depending on who you ask-- which they'll release on CD and LP November 20 via Elevation Recordings. Actually, funny story about that label...

Anywho, Liquidate Paris. The disc began its life "in a moldy basement beneath a crack infested street in Vancouver," not unlike Nardwuar. Following Blood Meridian's tradition of naming stuff after books, the disc's title was lifted from the WWII novel of the same name by Danish author Sven Hassel. Both the CD and the vinyl (Elevation's first foray into analog) are limited to 1,000 copies apiece, so you'll want to get on that one.

Wells and Camirand are over in Europe for a mess of Black Mountain dates, which run up to the release of that band's In the Future LP. Those dates-- and the Liquidate Paris tracklist-- after the jump. [MORE...]

Interpol / Kosheen Artwork: More Than Coincidence?

There's just something about stuffed dead wild animals on display at natural history museums that inspires album artwork. In June, we noticed an eerie similarity between images adorning Interpol's latest, Our Love to Admire, and Ola Podrida's self-titled debut. Then on Thursday, we pointed out another disc that shared Interpol's affinity for dramatically posed buck: Resist, the 2001 debut album from British dance music trio Kosheen.

A chat with Ola Podrida's label revealed that the Ola Podrida/Our Love to Admire connection was merely coincidence, as we reported. But a reader tip suggested that the Kosheen similarities may have been more than that.

The artwork for Kosheen's Resist and its accompanying singles was created by the London design company Blue Source, based on photographs taken at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

According to a representative from Blue Source, Interpol's management contacted them about creating artwork for Our Love to Admire when the album was still in the planning stages. A series of conversations took place, but after Blue Source sent management a portfolio, the design studio never heard from them again, despite many attempts. When the album was released, Blue Source noticed the striking resemblance to Resist and again made an effort to contact Interpol's management, this time in search of some sort of explanation. Once again, they heard nothing. The representative said that though legal action is not being taken, Blue Source would appreciate some sort of acknowledgement.

Interpol and their management did not respond to Pitchfork's questions about the matter.

For now, you be the judge:

Interpol:

Kosheen:

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Yo La Tengo to Play "Saturday Night Live" Stage Show

You may be experiencing a lot of déjà vu flipping through the channels of late. Yep, that Writers Guild of America strike is still on, and your favorite television shows are stuck in re-run mode for now. But that doesn't mean the folks behind those shows aren't fixin' to do their thing. Some of them, in fact, will do that thing this weekend.

The cast of "Saturday Night Live" will perform a special "On Strike!" edition of that program this coming (you guessed it) Saturday night, live on stage at New York City's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. A Hollywood Reporter piece quotes "SNL" cast member Amy Poehler as saying, "We are doing this to raise spirits, raise awareness, and raise money for our hardworking production crews who will be having a hard holiday season if this strike continues."

That's all well and good, but this being a music publication, we'd be shirking our duties if we didn't tell you about "Saturday Night Live"'s musical guest for the occasion: none other than Hoboken's finest, Yo La Tengo.

Ira, Georgia, and James join the "SNL" gang and guest host Michael Cera November 17. Proceeds from the gig, as Poehler suggested above, go to the show's production staff.

Beyond that, Yo La Tengo have all eyes on Hanukkah. [MORE...]

Jack White, Bob Dylan Rework Hank Williams Lyrics

If Steppin' in It bassist Dominic Suchyta is to be believed, he's right in the middle of quite a bit of music history. Speaking with Paste Magazine, Suchyta explained that that Mr. Bob Dylan is spearheading an initiative to set some of country legend Hank Williams' "lost" lyrics to music. (By "lost" he means "essentially, the lyric sheets Hank died with in his briefcase.") And Jack White of the White Stripes is involved.

So how does Suchyta know all this? Apparently, Jack is his "oldest friend", and asked him to play upright bass on his contribution to the project, a take on the unheard Williams tune "You Know That I Know". Suchyta told Paste that "no one has heard" the song, "as it was a Hank Williams lyric sheet that Jack put to music and edited a bit. Jack was sent most of or all of the unfinished tunes and picked this one to finish. We listened to quite a bit of Hank while I was down there and sat around the two of us playing our favorite Hank tunes, but the song was done when I got there. I think Jack just ingested a bunch of Hank Williams and this is what came out of him." Figuratively, he means.

White and Suchyta were joined in the studio by engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Stars, the Shins), Raconteur Dean Fertita and Dylan band member Donny Herron on guitar and Autolux's Carla Azar on drums. "We did the session in one long day, live in a circle with some mics around-much like Hank would have," Suchyta said. Mr. Robert Zimmerman didn't take part in the session, though Suchyta "wouldn't put it past" Dylan and White to be cooking up something together. He added that Dylan and White "seem to be cut from the same cloth, sort of misplaced Midwestern brothers."

Deep in blabbin' mood, Suchyta hinted that Willie Nelson and Norah Jones may very well also contribute songs, and that Dylan "no doubt" recorded a tune for the project during the sessions for last year's excellent Modern Times. No word on just what the end result of all this will look like, but it's probably safe to assume it'll be wearing a bolo tie.

In other White Stripes news, they took time away from hanging out with Bob friggin' Dylan to go palling around with Beck and some bull fighters. You know, no big thing. The Stripes posted a couple photos from the forthcoming "Conquest" video on their website today, taken by photographer Erik Ian Schaetzke. And here they are:

Yes, Jack White is slowly turning into Johnny Depp.

Deerhoof, Milk Man Artist Team for Artsy Gig
Deerhoof play New Year's Eve show with Super Furry Animals

If the cover of Deerhoof's 2004 LP Milk Man still gives you nightmares, you may want to steer clear of Miami's New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Art Fair next month. The event will play host to an extra special collaborative performance featuring Deerhoof and the man behind the Milk Man (and myriad other childlike creations, pretty much all of them disturbing), Japanese artist Ken Kagami.

Organized by Japan's Gallery Sora, the unique happening pops off December 4 at Miami's Ice Palace Studios and marks the first live marriage of Deerhoof and Kagami's respective trademark steez. You probably have a good idea what Satomi and the guys will bring to the table, but what about Ken? In addition to video projections, the Kill Rock Stars website promises "12 foot strawberry and banana soft sculptures, a massive Milk Man head sculpture behind Deerhoof as they perform, [and] Kagami dancing in a Milk Man costume of his own design." Holy bleedin' bananas, we are so there. (Discounted tickets are available by emailing info@gallerysora.com.)

Speaking of teaming with costume-bedecked crazies, Deerhoof will ring in the new year alongside Super Furry Animals in London.

And speaking of things you shouldn't miss, catch Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki spinning alongside Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart and Why's Yoni Wolf at the previously reported AIDS orphanage benefit at San Francisco's LoBot Gallery tonight (November 16). [MORE...]

Asobi Seksu, White Rabbits on Gigantic Singles Series
Plus: Dragons of Zynth, O'Death

Oh sure, you could just download the latest entries in Gigantic Music's singles series. In fact, if you were so inclined, you could do so right this instant. But, for the patient, Gigantic is rewarding vinylphiles with a trio of intriguing 7" releases November 20.

The single-mad Asobi Seksu's "Stay Awake" is backed with their take on the Crystals classic "Then He Kissed Me", wrapped in a deluxe gatefold designed by Sean McCabe (Spoon, Interpol). "Xerathyn" arrives courtesy of Dragons of Zynth, and will be backed by "Harlot Blues", produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek (who also helmed the Dragons' Coronation Thieves). As for My Best Fiend, "Acid Happy" finds "Mary's Fits" stuck to its bottom parts. Each is limited to 500 copies apiece, so you'll have to use that cunning of yours to nab one.

If that's not Gigantic enough, get a load of this: February 5, the next installments in the series-- from the likes of White Rabbits, O'Death, and Maison Blanche, no less-- will emerge. Remember, patience pays. [MORE...]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Add 2008 Gigs

BRUUUUUUUUCE IS BAAAAAACK, again. Smack in the middle of a generous fall run through North America and, soon, Europe, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have plotted another U.S. trek for next year. True, it's only half a dozen dates in two months at this point, but that's just sparse enough to fill in ten-night stretches in each city. Right, Boss?

In other Springsteen news, the National's cover of "Mansion on the Hill" is in stores now, as is the pretty darn good Magic LP. And those songs with the Arcade Fire are still awesome. [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.)