Richard Hawley Steps Out on Stage and Screen

Former Pulp and Longpigs guitarist Richard Hawley has already constructed a Bridge. Now all he's got to do is use it to cross between North America and the UK (and Ireland) on two upcoming tours in support of new album Lady's Bridge, where he'll play in cities ranging from Los Angeles to Leicester.

The Sheffield native's shows begin December 1 in New York City.

On an interesting side note, keep your eyes peeled for Hawley in his first movie appearance. According to a press release, the crooner acts in "British rockabilly horror movie Flick" as part of a cast that includes Faye Dunaway. [MORE...]

The Clean Plan Some Shows

Having just wrapped several weeks' worth of U.S. tour dates alongside former Gorky's Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs, The Clean's David Kilgour must've been stumped as to just what to do with the extra weeks on his work visa or something.

It's the only way we can think to explain this awesomely inexplicable tidbit: zippy New Zealand act the Clean have lined up five gigs on the East Coast, beginning tomorrow night (November 27) and running through early December. Following an in-store performance at New York City's Other Music, the Clean will take the stage at the Cake Shop for three consecutive nights before heading to Philly to close out the weekend. [MORE...]

James Murphy, Nelly Furtado on Fucked Up Holiday 7"
Plus: Matt Sweeney, Jay Reatard, members of Black Lips, Faint, Chromeo, Rites of Spring, AFI

Photo by Jason Bergman

Generally, where gift giving is concerned, you want to reach as deep into your heart as you do your wallet and come up with something nice and thoughtful. But sometimes, when you know the person on the receiving end will be into it, you wanna give something a little fucked up.

Well, the capital-F Canuck punks of Fucked Up have the perfect idea for that special someone on your list: a star-studded, limited edition, hand-wrapped, self-released, multi-denominational holiday 7" single. 1,000 copies of "David Christmas" will arrive just in time for the holiday season, but it's the B-side that's filled us with a warm seasonal glow.

The track, a "Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa song" called "Stars on 45", finds Fucked Up joined by a retinue of guest stars that must be read to be believed. Ready? OK: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, Black Lips' Cole Alexander, Matt Sweeney, the Faint's Jacob Thiele, Jay Reatard, the Horrors' Faris Rotter, Rites of Spring's Mike Fellows, Chromeo's Dave One, Shenae Grimes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation", AFI's Davey Havok, What's Your Rupture? label guy Kevin Peterson, Panthers'/Orchid's Jayson Green, Poison Idea's Jerry A., Terror's Scott Vogel, Attack in Black's Dan Romano, Face to Face's Trever Keith, and-- as if this thing could get any stranger-- Nelly Furtado.

They made the list, and checked it twice: "This is not a joke," the band claims, and wild as this thing reads on paper, it's the real deal. People, this is our "We Are the World". Or, at least, our "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Either way, wow.

All done up in special Fucked Up paper, this season's most perfect present goes on sale December 15 at a special Christmas themed gig at Toronto's Sonic Boom Records. The band will perform a number of yuletide covers, and they're hinting all over the place that somebody's gonna be donning a Santa suit and letting the kiddies sit on his lap.

The band may also test out some tunes from its forthcoming album, The Chemistry of Common Life, due next year.

Oh, and here's something not the least bit fucked up: all proceeds for the single (and, should you be feelin' it, any donations at the otherwise free Sonic Boom event) will go to the George Herman House, which gives support to mentally ill women in the Toronto area. The band also asks that those who attend the Sonic Boom gig bring nonperishable edibles for the local food bank. Nice folks, that Fucked Up lot.

Wu-Tang Clan Reveal 8 Diagrams Tracklist, Add Dates

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the mad rush to whatever winter holiday you may celebrate has begun. Yet, in the midst of it all, Wu-Tang Clan are making it pretty hard to forget that their new album, 8 Diagrams, comes out December 11 via Loud/Universal/SRC/Wu Music Group.

The album now has an official tracklist on which our eyes can feast, so mind the jump and check it out. Guests include Erykah Badu, George Harrison spawn Dhani Harrison, and John Frusciante (as you know), plus George Clinton and others. There's also the December 4 release of Ghostface's The Big Doe Rehab to tide you over for the week before 8 Diagrams.

What's more, the Clan have added dates to their previously reported winter tour, and GZA has his four solo shows in December. [MORE...]

Morrissey Plans 2008 Gigs

Photo by Alissa Anderson

Let it be known that Steven Patrick Morrissey is nothing if not a man of his word. Though we still wait with bated breath for news of Morrissey's new label deal or that greatest hits comp, we find our Moz making good on an old promise today with the announcement of the first of what promise to be many live engagements in the new year.

The man himself hits France in the middle of January, with a six night residency in London comprising the bulk of his current itinerary. Thanks to True to You for the tip.

And let's not forget the follow-up to Ringleader of the Tormentors, which should see the light of day in September 2008. [MORE...]

Photos: Dinosaur Jr. [Boston, MA; 11/24/07]

Photos by Jason Bergman

As the resurrected Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph kicked off their fall tour last week and stomped all over Boston's Paradise Club this past weekend. Surrounded by their trademark monstrous wall of amps, the trio plowed through tunes old and new, including some from the welcome comeback disc Beyond.

The guys hit D.C. tomorrow night and keep things rolling, with Ecstatic Peace-allied pals Awesome Color, through mid-December. Barlow will also take that other reactivated act he's involved with, Sebadoh, for a spin next spring.

DINOSAUR JR.







[MORE...]

My Bloody Valentine Plan Digital Self-Release for LP
Album now expected in 2008

Perhaps inspired by the success of the whole In Rainbows thing, My Bloody Valentine plan to go the digital self-release route when they issue their follow-up to 1991's Loveless. As MBV manager Vinita Joshi told Billboard.com late last week, the newly re-formed band will hit the studio in December to resume long-dormant sessions for the forthcoming LP. They're mulling over a possible accompanying vinyl release as well, and they don't intend to use the Radiohead pricing model, according to Joshi.

Of course, if they're hitting the studio next month, that means the disc can probably be expected in 2008, and not before the end of the year, as Kevin Shields has claimed. Hey, better that than an endless parade of "eventually", amirite?

Joshi also put to rest all those Coachella 2008 rumors for now, remarking that "we'll see how the summer shows go first." Since said summer shows occur after Coachella 2008, um, yeah. The band has added yet another gig at London's Roundhouse in the middle of their all too brief return to the stage. [MORE...]

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist Join for "Hard Sell" Tour

Ever hear Brainfreeze? It was a mostly seamless, ultra-rare hour-long mix DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist crafted "live" around the turn of the millennium from their untold wealth of funk and soul vinyl. And it was amazing, a proto-Night Ripper all-jam-fricassee with a killer long-term memory.

They did it again (to slightly less revelatory effect) a few years later with Product Placement, but it's been a while. Still-- even after the recent, reasonably lackluster Outsider/Audience's Listening LPs Shadow and Chemist have respectively released on their own-- crate diggers the world over should unite for the joint tour these two old pals will embark on in the coming spring.

The tour kicks off January 18 in Austin, and each performance will be an "expanded" version of the "Hard Sell" show the two put on a bit earlier this year. Sounds like a pretty easy sell to me, fellas. Full dates after the jump. [MORE...]

Ellen Page Talks Juno Soundtrack, Kimya Dawson

As the titular character in upcoming indie-friendly comedy Juno, Ellen Page plays another smart young woman in a line of smart-young-woman roles for her. Except this time, instead of a child abuse victim or a pedophile-torturer, she's an overwhelmed high schooler facing her unplanned pregnancy by a guy named Bleeker, played by the hilarious Michael Cera ("Arrested Development", Superbad).

As an indie-friendly comedy, Juno has a soundtrack comprised of tunes by the Kinks, Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Mott the Hoople, and Kimya Dawson in various guises (solo and as part of the Moldy Peaches and Antsy Pants).

Page had a hand in selecting Dawson's music for a good chunk of the movie's soundtrack, which Rhino will release digitally on December 11 and physically on January 15. Juno itself hits select theaters on December 5, so we caught up with Page by phone to talk about matters of music and movies.

Pitchfork: Is it true that you chose a lot of the Kimya Dawson songs on the soundtrack yourself?

Ellen Page: [Juno director] Jason Reitman and I were meeting for maybe the second or third time and he simply said, "Well, what do you think Juno would listen to?" Immediately I said the Moldy Peaches, and he, I guess, wasn't familiar with their work, so I hopped on his computer and I played the Moldy Peaches for him. The next thing I knew he'd fallen in love-- rightfully so, they're awesome-- and he was in contact with Kimya Dawson, who is the female in the band, and he added the song at the end of the film, which is a Moldy Peaches song. That song's been in my life for years, actually; there's a lot of sentimental value there. And the next thing we know Kimya Dawson is doing the music for the film. It was really incredible how that all worked out because it just feels perfect.

Pitchfork: What about Kimya Dawson and the Moldy Peaches makes you think Juno would listen to them?

EP: Well the Moldy Peaches' music is very humorous. I mean, it has a hint of novelty, but it is full of so much heart and so much simplicity and it's so genuine. It's really unique and it's quirky and all of those things, but it has heart to balance that. And that's one of the reasons why I always loved their music. I loved how it was just bare-boned, and I feel like that is similar to Juno, the film in general and the character. She has a sarcastic wit that she hides behind, but she's also just an extremely genuine, honest, says-what-she-thinks human being, and I feel the film's like that as well. It has that tone. [MORE...]

New Pornographers Host XM Show, Issue iTunes Single

First YouTube, now satellite radio: the New Pornographers are quickly becoming the kings and queens of new media. Every Tuesday night in December, a different New Pornographer will take over XM Satellite Radio's indie-centric XMU channel for their weekly "XMU A.I.R. (Artists in Residency) TIME" program. Though the content is left entirely up to the guests, XMU says that "setlists often include early influences, contemporary favorites, 'on my iPod right now' tracks, and lots of commentary."

So will AC throw on a little /DC? Will Dan Bejar mine selections from his vast array of Kidz Bop CDs? Will Neko host some sort of Delilah-style call in program with long distance, soft rock dedications? You'll have to tune in to find out just who spins what when. The show airs at 10 p.m. EST on Tuesdays, with encores Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Thursday at 6 a.m. Ooh, drive time with Fancey!

Hey, and while we're talking Tuesdays with the New Pornographers, let's touch on this: Matador will issue an iTunes only single for Bejar-penned Challengers closer "The Spirit of Giving" on November 27. It comes backed with a new Carl Newman composition called "Joseph, Who Understood" and a combined pair of covers of tunes by (or, in the case of "Arms of Mary", covered by) fellow Canadian rockers Chilliwack.

As the band prepares to transmit themselves through space, their time on terra firma will be spent on tour. Those dates after the jump. [MORE...]

Prefuse 73, Books, Petra Haden Rework Cornelius on EP
Better yet: nearly all of Cornelius' featured MySpace friends are cats!

Photo by Shannon McClean

A month or so ago when we first reported Cornelius' brief run of U.S. tour dates this January, we mentioned that "an EP composed entirely of other people covering Cornelius tracks" was on the way. It still is; but this ain't it.

Gum, the forthcoming 12"/digital EP from the Japanese noisemaker, finds its way to stores January 15. And, despite a paradoxically music-free a cappella cover of Cornelius' "Music" by Petra Haden, the disc is otherwise all Corny.

Which didn't stop Prefuse 73 or the Books from getting their interloping hands all over "Gum" and "Fit Song", respectively, for a pair of remixes that round out the EP. Note that the 12" version of the Gum EP is one of those limited editions, and comes with a free 320 kbps mp3 download of the whole thing. Both that and the digital version arrive from Everloving.

UPDATE: Bonus! Everloving e-mailed to say they've added two tracks to the 12": Ms. Haden's Japanese version of "Music", and a collaboration between Cornelius and Ryuichi Sakomoto entitled "Turn Turn". Though Petra's Japanese take on "Music" will appear on the digital release, the Sakomoto track may be a vinyl exclusive. The amended tracklist is available after the jump.

In the coming spring, Everloving will release a Sensuous DVD featuring videos for each of the album's tracks, plus live footage spanning Cornelius' entire career. Also due from Cornelius as the snow melts: a handful of recently added Japanese dates.

Furthermore, we're not joking about the cats. [MORE...]

Baroness Roll Over East Coast on Tour

Stoner metal stalwarts Baroness laid a fine one on us this year with their Red Album. But there's just something so inherently un-metal about listening to a metal record on earbuds while walking to the bank and stuff, isn't there? Shouldn't you be in the closest proximity possible to the source of said metal, gleaming with the sweat of the unwashed masses, gazing in awe at a guitar improbably shaped like a V and gnarled beard hairs numbering in the thousands? Totally, dude.

So, then, head on down to these, the brief (but only preliminary) slate of dates on Baroness' fall tour. Metal will be there in the flesh; do say hello for us, would you? [MORE...]

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