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Silver Mt. Zion Overcome Triskaidekaphobia on 13 Blues

Photo by Mark Slutsky

Allow me, if I may, to blow your mind just a smidge: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons, the forthcoming LP from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, doesn't start with Track 1 like, uh, every other album ever. No, 13 Blues begins at Track 13, fittingly. (The first 12 tracks are brief continuous drones.) An unlucky omen from the post-rockers, or just a way to confuse the heck out of your iPod? You'll find out March 25, when Constellation Records releases the album on CD and 180- gram double-LP.

13 Blues was recorded at Montreal's Hotel2Tango studios and co-engineered by ex-Arcade Fire drummer Howard Bilerman and Silver Mt. Zion's live soundman Radwan Moumneh. It's also the band's first LP to feature former Hangedup drummer Eric Craven behind the kit, and the first to include a lyric sheet. Guess Efrim Menuck doesn't mind us knowing what he's singing about this time out. The band also has plans to tour in 2008.

For more Silver Mt. Zion, check out Vic Chesnutt's latest LP, North Star Deserter, which features contributions from all of the band members. [MORE...]

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David Pajo's Dead Child Plan Attack on Quarterstick

It seems that Dead Child has gone from being "kind of a midlife crisis thing" to more of a full-time band thing for (ex?) Slint guitarist David Pajo. (The band also includes Michael McMahan and Todd Cook, who played with Slint on their reunion tours.)

The morbidly named, Louisville-based metal fivesome has signed to Touch and Go subsidiary Quarterstick for the release of its debut full-length next year. Titled Attack, the record will come out on April 8.

Dead Child are still recording in Louisville with producer Brad Wood, but once everything's in the bag, they will embark on a U.S. tour in the spring. [MORE...]

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Cat Power Plans Charity Mission Abroad
Jukebox tour in the works

The past year or so has been quite kind to Chan Marshall. Since releasing The Greatest in 2006, the artist better known as Cat Power has seen her act get cleaned up, her star rise considerably, her fanbase swell, and her record receive accolades left and right. So now, guess what? It's time to give back.

As Marshall revealed in a recent MySpace bulletin (we take it her caps lock key done broke), her charitable endeavors have been a long time coming:

WHEN I WAS IN AFRICA 10 YEARS AGO, I FELT I HAD NO "POWER" TO HELP THE PEOPLE AND DEFINITELY "NO FINANCIAL SECURITY" TO TAKE A TRIP LIKE THIS...
SO, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, I CAN FINALLY RETURN, EXACTLY THE WAY I ALWAYS WISHED I COULD...


And return to Africa she will this coming January, on a trip sponsored by NYC-based organization charity: that also includes stops in Bangladesh and India. As she puts it,

GONNA VISIT A FEW HOSPITALS WITH NO WATER
AND THEN GONNA DIG A WELL A FEW SCHOOLS AND
JUST DO BASIC TRAVELING TO 'FIND' NEW PLACES FOR WELLS.
DRIVING IN A 4X4 TRUCK....
WEARING MY HOODIE, JEANS, AND ADIDAS'S FOR 3 WEEKS........
DUDE.
WHERE'S MY EYELINER?
NOPE.


Charity: lists among its goals "stimulating greater global awareness about extreme poverty, educating the public, and provoking compassionate and intelligent giving," and its the awareness in particular that Marshall hopes to bolster. She plans to have her trip filmed, and she'll also journal about her experiences and share photos; internet pending, she may even release a few dispatches directly from the road.

Cat Power will return in time for her birthday, January 21, which doubles as the first night of an in-the-works tour in support of Jukebox. The disc, Chan's second collection of covers, arrives (as you know) the next day via Matador-- now with 100% more Hot Boys! The tour, still coming together, begins in Paris and will whisk Marshall hither and thither worldwide over the ensuing months.

As for charity:, you can do your part as well. Marshall points us to the organization's second annual gala benefit, charity: ball, going down December 17 at New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion. A "special live music performance" is promised; gather from that what you will.
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Bonde do Role Cancel Remaining Tour Dates

Once again the three feisty Brazilians known as Bonde do Role have canceled tour dates. The shows that have been nixed were a string of Australian dates in late December and early January.

No reason for the cancellations was given, but we imagine the old "exhaustion and illness" could still apply, considering the band's frenzied pace that continued even as they were canceling dates the first time around. Guys, really, it's okay! You can relax for a bit. We don't mind!

Rumors are also making their way around the internet that there might be a bit of ill will festering in camp Bonde. Sounds like everybody needs a break. [MORE...]

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Photos: Primavera Club Festival [Barcelona, Spain; 12/03-12/08/07]

Photos by Daniel Cantó; Above: Crystal Castles

Just because the Northern Hemisphere is bracing for winter doesn't mean an end to festivals. Some clubs have climate control and roofs, after all, and a bunch of bands we like gathered under such roofs in Barcelona (not exactly known for frigid temperatures, anyway) this past week and weekend for the celebration they call Primavera Club.

A companion fest of sorts to the other solstice's Primavera Sound gathering, Club packed in the likes of Liars, the New Pornographers, Thurston Moore, No Age, Crystal Castles, the Ponys, Mouse on Mars (who were to perform with Mark E. Smith as Von Südenfed until Smith fell ill), Stars of the Lid, Earth, Castanets, Bishop Allen, and, playing their final gig before that so-called "hiatus", Deerhunter. A number of Spain's finer acts turned out as well, including Nisei and El Guincho.

LIARS






THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS




DEERHUNTER




THURSTON MOORE




CRYSTAL CASTLES




NO AGE

[MORE...]
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Mirah, the Blow Team Up for West Coast Tour

The Blow photo by Sarah Cass

After a merry winter holiday of their choosing, and a happy New Year as well, fellow Pacific Northwestern staples Mirah and Khaela Maricich's the Blow will join forces to take the Golden State by storm. They've got a handful of co-headlining gigs scheduled at the end of January, all in California.

Before the two women hit the road together, they each have shows of their own scheduled. Maricich plays a show in Portland this weekend, and Mirah tours with her Share This Place collaborators Spectratone International in January. [MORE...]

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Black Mountain Announce West Coast Dates

Photo by Jessica Miller

The lads and lass of Black Mountain might seem like friendly folk, and they are. That is, until they harness the powers of rock'n'roll and melt your face clean off.

The Canadian riffmeisters have busied themselves doing just that to onlookers all over the globe this fall, drumming up anticipation for Jagjaguwar's January 22 release of second album In the Future. And they're set to do it again to brave souls on the West Coast come February. We're told these gigs represent just an initial batch of 2008 dates for the band, so you can expect the puddle of facial goo to stretch on indefinitely as the itinerary is expanded.

In other Black Mountain news, Josh Wells and Matt Camirand side project Blood Meridian's Liquidate Paris dropped recently. [MORE...]

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Albert Hammond Jr. Talks New LP, Songcraft, Strokes
"When you feel like you're doing something over again, it gets stale. And nobody has fun and bad stuff starts to happen, like fights and things like that."

Photo by Valerie Jodoin-Keaton

With his band the Strokes on the back burner for the moment, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. has been keeping plenty busy. His solo debut, Yours to Keep, is barely a year old (and only hit the States this March), but Albert's already played-- by his count-- 128 gigs to support the record. And in October, he hit the boards to lay down its as-yet-untitled follow-up, tentatively due in the spring. Yesterday, we checked in with Albert in the studio as he prepared to mix the tracks he'd spent the last month or so perfecting. We spoke about his swift return to the recording booth, letting others make the tough decisions, and what's going on with the Strokes.

Pitchfork: So what's the status of this new solo album?

Albert Hammond Jr.: We just finished five weeks of recording and now we've got to mix it. So about another week and a half of mixing and then mastering on January 8th and then we'll be done.

Pitchfork: You set a five-week deadline for yourself for recording the album. Was there any particular reason for that?

AHJ: Well, the first record, we didn't even know we were making a record until the end when the songs came together. It was done a day here, three months off, a day here. So it was nice that we were going to be able to go in for a chunk. And so I figured all these songs-- we recorded like 16 songs-- I thought three weeks would be too short. Four is probably right, but five just seems like a nice round-off kind of number. And it was cool. We had a lot of different challenges to do. We had strings on this one, some weird long songs to do. So I just thought five weeks seemed appropriate.

Pitchfork: Do you feel that you got everything accomplished that you needed to at this stage?

AHJ
: Well, you always want to do a little more, but I couldn't be happier with what we did get. We got 16 very different songs and we were able to get everything we wanted. So I can't complain. But I feel like you're always shooting for more.

Pitchfork: Tell me a little bit about how it came together.

AHJ: I have a studio at home, so I did a lot of pre-production at home with an engineer I work with, Gus Oberg, and we did quite a lot there. [Drummer] Matt [Romano] would come and lay down drums on MIDI, so we still have a lot of problems there, but the songs range from an eight-minute instrumental to a two-minute-30-second pop song to... You know, the biggest difference, I'm thinking about it now, is just the different extremes that we didn't really have on the first record. Just from the softest thing I think I've ever written to the hardest thing I think I've ever written, to everywhere in the middle. That's kind of why we went in to record so many songs-- we didn't know which direction the album was going to go in. And now we have to sit down and pick which ones really fit the record. Maybe all of them, maybe ten. [MORE...]

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Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Add Winter Dates

That thing that Sharon Jones and the Daptones do-- brushing the thin layer of film off of some dusty grooves and making them shine again-- they do mighty well. And they've been doing it, as you know, all over the stages of North America this fall, and as they head into winter, well, they're gonna do their thing well into February. The band have added a number of dates to their itinerary following their stint at sea on the "Jamcruise," listed for your looking pleasure after the jump. Do note: Their gig next Saturday in Washington, D.C. has been moved to January 17.

As for Sharon, she's all over the forthcoming Great Debaters soundtrack, and even pops up in the movie. Oh, and that record she just made, 100 Days, 100 Nights? Still rules. [MORE...]

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Too $hort(!) Contributes to In Rainbows Remix Record

Oakland DJ and producer Amplive (of Zion I) is a big Radiohead fan, which is odd considering the band hasn't released anything since 2003's Hail to the Thief. Psych! They totally put out this record called In Rainbows that basically invented God, made time travel possible, and brought the Orange Julius back to previously unimaginable heights of popularity.

Anyway, Amplive was such a fan of In Rainbows that, unlike most of us, he actually did something about it. He created an eight-track (but not like that) remix record called Rainydayz Remixes, featuring collaborations with Too $hort, his Zion I partner Zion, and others. Yep: Radiohead and Too $hort, together at last.

On January 10, Amplive will release the online-only album for free as a .zip file with 320 kbps mp3s and high-resolution artwork, but to get your digital hands on it, there's a bit of a catch. You need to forward any email from Radiohead's W.A.S.T.E. online store (like but not at all limited to the ones confirming the purchase of In Rainbows) to amplive@onesevensevensix.com. It's fairly simple, but a little tricky, especially considering that the In Rainbows download option ends December 10. Better hop on the free train while you still can, folks!
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Robyn, I'm From Barcelona, Shining Play EuroSonic
Plus: Lightspeed Champion, Kleerup, Familjen, Hanne Hukkelberg, Para One

EuroSonic (aka Noorderslag Weekend) is a bit like the CMJ of Europe: 250 bands, few of whom could carry a marquee on their own, gather in Groningen, Netherlands over three days to make themselves known to the industry and just about anyone else who sees fit to pack a long weekend with rock. (Also like CMJ, there are panels and talks too to help the industry folks justifying writing off their bar tabs as business expenses.)

This year's EuroSonic takes place January 10-12, with the likes of Robyn, I'm From Barcelona, Shining, Familjen, Lightspeed Champion, Kleerup, Para One, Hanne Hukkelberg, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Reverend and the Makers, Mugison, Calvin Harris, Blood Red Shoes, Hooverphonic, Yelle, Ida Maria, Lykke Li, Little Dragon, and oh so many others making the trip. If you're stuck behind a desk that weekend, fret not, as much of EuroSonic will be broadcast on the radio via the European Broadcasting Union's many services.
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Karlheinz Stockhausen R.I.P.

Photo by Harald Fronzeck (via Stockhausen.org)

Renowned German composer and electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen passed away December 5 at his home in Kuerten, Germany, according to statement released today by Stockhausen-Verlag. He was 79.

Born August 22, 1928 in a village near Cologne, Stockhausen rose to prominence in the 1950s with a number of pieces that broke decidedly with convention. Across a career that extended into this century, he invoked both awe and controversy with his unorthodox works, noted for their innovation and complexity.

A man content to exist outside the classical establishment, Stockhausen saw his influence extend beyond it as well. Among his advocates were the Beatles, who included the composer on the collage cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

The 362 works Stockhausen composed include the world's longest opera cycle (Licht, completed in 2003), the first annotated and published piece of electronic music (1954's Electronic Study II), and a piece for string quartet that also called for four helicopters (1993's Helicopter String Quartet). Like John Cage, he demonstrated a fascination with aleatory composition, that which accounts for an element of chance. Early in his career he was also a proponent of serialism, composition based on mathematical formulas.

Stockhausen studied under Olivier Messiaen and Les Six member Darius Milhaud, among others. He was a highly respected teacher as well, whose students included several of krautrock's prominent figures, including Can's Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt.

"In friendship and gratitude for everything that he has given to us personally and to humanity through his love and his music," wrote longtime collaborators Suzanne Stephens and Kathinka Pasveer in the Stockhausen-Verlag statement, "we bid farewell to Karlheinz Stockhausen, who lived to bring celestial music to humans, and human music to the celestial beings, so that Man may listen to God and God may hear His children."

Licht will be performed in its entirety for the first time at October 2008's Donaueschingen Festival in Germany.
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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.)

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File-icon Wed: 12-12-07: 05:09 PM CST
Ike Turner R.I.P.

File-icon Wed: 12-12-07: 03:35 PM CST
Bradford Cox Publicly Apologizes to Samara Lubelski

File-icon Wed: 12-12-07: 02:30 PM CST
Yorke Preps 12"s With Field, Four Tet, Burial Remixes

File-icon Wed: 12-12-07: 01:49 PM CST
Diplo Remixes Spoon's "Don't You Evah" for Charity

File-icon Wed: 12-12-07: 11:50 AM CST
Robyn Invites Us to "Be Mine" on Latest Single, Dates

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