Franz Ferdinand Subject of New Book

An A-Z of Franz Ferdinand is Helen Chase's searing exposé of the seamy underbelly of the Scottish angle-rockers, a Kitty Kelly-style autobiography that digs up every last speck of dirt on the perpetually scandal-ridden, drug-addled renegades.

Sike! Remember, folks, this is a band whose frontman wrote a book about food. Still, there's plenty to learn about Alex and the lads from the tome. According to NME.com, Chase's A-Z features a series of thematic vignettes and never-before-seen photos, which should school even the biggest Franz Ferdi-fan (yep, went there). Chase conducted a series of lengthy interviews and did extensive research for A-Z, which seeks to serve as a definitive guide to the band's first five years. And beyond, apparently: the author dishes with the dudes about their elusive forthcoming third LP.

The book will be published by Northumbria University Press and will be launched November 18 at Newcastle, England's The Cluny. Bands Modes and Marcheys House are scheduled to play, because standing around looking at a pile of books on a table isn't a very good way to kill an hour. Though there are no concrete plans to release the book outside of the U.K. at the moment, Northumbria Press is currently in talks with an American publisher, with the hope of putting out the book around the time the new Franz disc drops next year.

Franz Ferdinand have no touring plans to speak of, though they do have a tune on that "Saturday Night Live" comp, which is kind of like a Franz Ferdinand concert, only far shorter, and no longer live. Hmmm.

Yeasayer Close Out 2007 With Live Dates

Photo by William Kirk

The hairy, harmony-heavy, hippy-dippy (except, you know, in a good way!) troupe they call Yeasayer will pack up the fretless bass, the sitar emulation pedal, and-- oh yeah-- all their Pitchfork-recommended Cymbals and head Europe-way this month for a run of mostly British gigs.

They return to the States in December for a handful of gigs, capping things off with their "last NYC show of 2007" at the city's Mercury Lounge on the 15th of that month. A North American tour, however, is in the works for early 2008. [MORE...]

Photos: Fun Fun Fun Fest [Austin, TX; 11/03 - 11/04/07]

Photos by Zach Vowell; Above: Of Montreal

As the "Live Music Capital of the World," Austin, Texas, is no stranger to the festivals. Between Austin City Limits and South by Southwest, Austinites are used to good ol' beer-drinkin', rockin' fun times.

But no festival in Austin (or anywhere, really) purports to have as much fun as the annual Fun Fun Fun Fest, which this weekend celebrated its second iteration with Battles, Cat Power, Explosions In The Sky, the New Pornographers, Of Montreal, Okkervil River, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Mates of State, and Final Fantasy, among others. (Meanwhile, Brooklyn's No Fun Fest sat in a corner with its arms crossed.)

More photos of the two-day festivities below.

DAY ONE:

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS


OF MONTREAL


OKKERVIL RIVER


FINAL FANTASY (WITH GUESTS DAN BEJAR AND CADENCE WEAPON)


DAY TWO:

BATTLES


CAT POWER


TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS

[MORE...]

Loney, Dear's Sologne Reissued in the States

We North Americans may just now be coming around on this Loney, Dear character-- the well-punctuated project from Swedish songwriter Emil Svanängen-- but the nice folks at a handful of labels are sure making it easy to play catch up.

Earlier this year, Sub Pop treated us to the lovely Loney, Noir, and now, 2006's self-released Sologne (also issued on Something in Construction in the UK) will be reissued in the States December 4 from the Rebel Group. Our Roque Strew recently called Sologne a "very, very good thing," and Sub Pop must've agreed: it's the disc that inspired them to sign Loney, Dear for Noir.

The labels might be giving us a hand, but booking agents are keeping Loney in Europe for now. Tonight, Svanängen embarks on a few weeks of dates, in large part with fellow mellow fellow Andrew Bird. Loney, Dear is planning to tour the U.S. extensively early next year, though those dates have yet to emerge. [MORE...]

Grizzly Bear, Belle & Sebastian Members <3 the City
As do Bob Mould, Cornelius, Plaid, Rogue Wave's Zach, Sondre Lerche, Zooey Deschanel

No dig on flowers and trees and wild animals and stuff like that, but there's plenty of inspiration to be found right here in the urban environs so many of us call home-- just ask Sufjan, who recently turned an eyesore of an expressway into a multimedia extravaganza, or any of the sundry musicians set to partake in "Songs of the City", a night of odes to the urbane put on by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

January 8 finds city folk like Belle and Sebastian's Stevie Jackson, Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen, Bob Mould, Rogue Wave's Zach Rogue, Sondre Lerche, Franklin Bruno, Sean Lennon, Inara George, Biirdie, and Zooey Deschanel each serving up "a stripped-down, heartfelt performance that portrays their mobile, civic existence" at L.A.'s Walt Disney Concert Hall.

UPDATE: Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio has been added to the lineup. And Sean Lennon has canceled.

And that's not all. On January 17, Japan's own Cornelius will descend upon the very same space with his Cornelius Group Synchronized Sensuous Show. Together they'll present a special "visual and sonic experience" known as Man-Machine in the Digital City. If it's anything like Tron, I am so there.

Ticket purchasers for Man-Machine will be treated to a special bonus in the form of three Cornelius mp3s, including "Breezin", a live version of "I Hate Hate", and a remix of "Fit Song" by the Books. They'll also witness an opening set by Plaid, featuring Greedy Baby collaborator and video artist Bob Jaroc.

Both events go down as part of the L.A. Phil's "Concrete Frequency" series, which has also programmed a few orchestral nights-- including a couple that pair pieces by Aaron Copland, Edgard Varèse, and George Crumb with a work by Frank Zappa. Hot dog.

The Magnetic Fields Announce 2008 Dates

The Decemberists may have canceled their tour of paired-up dates, but the Magnetic Fields have arrived just in time to pick up the slack.

Following the announcement of their new album, Distortion, which comes out January 15 via Nonesuch, Stephin Merritt and company have scheduled a tour consisting of two shows in each city they play (and six in Chicago!). This will be the first time the Fields have toured since 2004.

The first date of the tour is February 11 in Northampton, Massachusetts. [MORE...]

Radiohead's First Seven LPs Collected in Box Set
No, the seventh album isn't In Rainbows. It's the live album.

Each and every one of Radiohead's Parlophone albums will be re-released in a brand new box set December 10, the perfect holiday gift for the music fan who either doesn't own any Radiohead albums or wants to own all of them all over again.

The box includes all six pre-In Rainbows studio discs, from 1993's Pablo Honey through 2003's Hail to the Thief, plus 2001's live set I Might Be Wrong. The limited edition CD version of the set comes tucked snugly into new digipacks featuring the original album artwork.

Reserving those last inches of space on the shelf for your pre-ordered In Rainbows discbox? Well, the box set is also available as a DRM-free 320 kbps MP3 download, as well as a limited edition USB stick (made to look like that spooky grinning bear thing!) collecting all the records in CD-quality .WAV format, complete with digital artwork.

As you've probably heard already, Radiohead are on XL now... outside North America, anyhow. And they'll be touring next year, although where and when exactly we don't know just yet.

Bjork, Sufjan, Newsom, Brian Wilson Play Sydney Fest
Plus: Battles, De La Soul, National, Low, Andrew Bird, Bonde do Role, Spank Rock, Busdriver

Attention, wealthy thrill seekers, Northern Hemisphere collegiate types with an extra long winter break, and, heck, Australians: make your way to Sydney in January. Once there, you'll be treated to summer weather and three weeks of the Sydney Festival, which sports a lineup that'll make standing in line to get your passport photo taken well worth your while.

Where to begin with this thing? How about: Brian Wilson doing both Pet Sounds and his new "Lucky Old Sun" thing in their entireties. Sufjan will be there, as will Björk. Joanna Newsom's playing with the Sydney Symphony, Battles and Andy Weatherall are paying respects to Warp Records, De La Soul's doing a show with People Under the Stairs, and the National, Bonde do Role, Low, Andrew Bird, Spank Rock, My Brightest Diamond, Busdriver, Tunng, Clogs, Mice Parade, and Chromeo will make the trek, too.

There's a mess of other stuff going on around the music as well-- films, family fare, and the like-- but with a lineup like that, who's gonna have the time? The festival takes place at various Sydney venues January 5-26.

Andrew W.K., Malajube, Bon Iver Do Madison Pop Fest
Fest to screen Daft Punk's Electroma, Sigur Ros' Heima, The Hip Hop Project

Summer festival season is over, and the success of the Packers has Wisconsin's mind on non-musical matters. But with appearances from Andrew W.K., Bon Iver, and Malajube planned, it would be a shame for the Madison Pop Festival to go overlooked.

This is the festival's third year of existence, and the three University of Wisconsin-Madison students who run it have managed to pack three days full of excitement despite their meager numbers.

Andrew W.K. kicks off the festival on November 8 at UW's Great Hall. Then, November 9 brings showings of Daft Punk's Electroma and The Hip Hop Project as well as performances by Baby Teeth, Pale Young Gentlemen, Billy Harvey, La Bruja, Vid Libert, and Kazi. And finally, the November 10 events include a showing of Sigur Rós' Heima and performances by Bon Iver, Malajube, Murder by Death, the Selfish Gene, Common Loon, and Them, Roaringtwenties.

And since the whole thing is totally free, attending the festival is just like the downloading we do every day at our computers, except with human contact. Imagine!

Man Man Sign to Anti- Records

Usually, when a label sends out a press release announcing a new signing, it's pretty straightforward. "We're honored to welcome so-and-so into the fold, blah blah...," says the label, and the band responds, "we're honored to be a part of such a great team, etc., etc."

But this is Man Man we're talking about. And Anti- Records, the Epitaph sister label home to a diverse roster that includes Neko Case, Nick Cave, Bettye LaVette, Cadence Weapon, the late Porter Wagoner, Savath & Savalas, the Coup, the Locust, and, yes, Man Man spiritual godfather Tom Waits.

Hence, the following quotes from Man Man members about the signing:

Honus (vocals/keys/etc): "Championship Rings!"
Chang Wang (guitar/trumpet/etc): "Wow! Yes!"
Sergei Sogay (bass/etc): "Warm Socks!"
Cougar (guitar/etc): "Pizza Party!"
Pow Pow (drums/etc): "Ladies Please!" Exactly.

The Philadelphia junkyard-rock crew's Anti- debut is due out in the spring of 2008. (It's the follow-up to 2005's Six Demon Bag, which was released on Ace Fu.) Expect barking dogs and firecrackers.

As you know, Man Man are on tour with Modest Mouse right now. If you live in Regina, Saskatchewan, throw the men men a pizza party tonight when they play Conexus Arts Centre. Don't forget to bring warm socks. [MORE...]

Mount Eerie Unleashes Massive Photo Tome With LP

Your coffee table is so not ready for this. On November 6, Southern Distribution and P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd. will treat Phil Elverum devotees to Mount Eerie Pts. 6 & 7, a furniture-shattering 132-page oversize volume packed with full-color photographs-- gorgeous landscapes, primarily, akin in mood to the films Phil has been showing on tour and meant as a "visual counterpart" to the man's recordings over the years.

Pts. 6 & 7 also houses Mount Eerie music in the form of a single 10" picture disc record, one which holds in its grooves the "sequel" to the Mount Eerie album, released under the Microphones moniker in 2003. Considering the five tracks on Mount Eerie (which have non-numerical titles) parts 1-5, the 10", then, collects the next two parts on its two sides.

The most devoted (and loaded, as this thing carries quite a price tag) of Elverum devotees may already have this artifact-- it's been available on Phil's site for a little while now, and he's been selling it on tour-- but the rest of us will have a chance to scoop it up as Southern spreads it far and wide next week.

And if the aforementioned price tag has you queasy, know this: According to the Mount Eerie website, Pts. 6 & 7 was "printed and bound at the best printer in North America...on 10,000 lbs of FSC certified 50% recycled, 35% post-consumer 'Endeavor' paper ('savings': 20 full grown trees, 60 lbs of water-borne waste, 9000 lbs solid waste, 1000 gallons of water, 1900 lbs of greenhouse gases, 14870 (000) BTU's of energy)." So, yeah.

What's more, Phil spared no expense with the recording, enlisting veteran board-man John Golden to mix it. Phil even wrapped copies of his book in a dust jacket printed on a special stock of paper that feels like, well-- have you ever touched the stringrays at SeaWorld? It feels rather a lot like that. Apparently Elverum thought it the grossest thing ever, which is why he's gleefully sharing it with you. Aww, thanks man. You're the best.

Mount Eerie is presently in the throes of a sizable cross-country trek. Tonight, November 2, finds him in Providence, Rhode Island. [MORE...]

Richard Youngs Preps Response for Jagjaguwar

Without even an official MySpace page to call his own, there's not a lot of info out there about Richard Youngs. Pretty much all we know about him is his city of residence (Glasgow) and his proclivity for appearing every now and again, like the uncle everyone only sees at Thanksgiving, to deliver albums of experimental, arty, folkish tunes (admittedly better than cranberry sauce).

Youngs' Autumn Response serves as the full-length follow-up to 2005's The Naive Shaman, and Jagjaguwar will release it November 6. The mystery man has no tour dates scheduled at the moment, but if he shows up on our doorstep ready to play, we'll be happy to share some stuffing. [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.)