Carrie Brownstein Blogs for NPR
Stephin Merritt, Georgie James take part in songwriting challenge

With Janet Weiss (wo-)manning the skins in the Jicks full-time and Corin Tucker maybe writing but mostly chilling away from the world of indie celebrity right now, most of the post-breakup news coming out of the Sleater-Kinney camp is focused on the day-to-day of Carrie Brownstein. Fortunately, between her ThunderAnt comedic collaboration with Fred Armisen and other miscellany, her day-to-day is plenty newsworthy.

Brownstein's latest endeavor comes in the form of a blog for the newly launched NPR Music. The site is a multimedia resource for music information in the form of news, reviews, interviews, concert and studio performance footage, podcasts, and more.

Brownstein's blog, Monitor Mix, is one of two initial NPR Music blogs. (The other is the "All Songs Considered" blog, written by that show's producers.) In her introductory Monitor Mix post, Brownstein lays out her goals quite straightforwardly: "Though I might occasionally review a piece of music, I would rather explore the contexts and the ways in which we enjoy or maybe even despise it... I'll post daily or almost daily, so please check back." Look out, Kanye!

She also posted the following query:

"The other day I was driving home and saw a boy in his early twenties walking along the sidewalk. He was wearing a gray trench coat, combat boots, and a backpack, and he had a medium-haired black cat on his shoulder. It always worries me when people carry their cats around in public. It's not as bad as the woman in North Portland who brings a mini pony with her to the coffee shop, but it still makes me uneasy; it's attention-seeking, and I am forced to spend the next few hours wondering how someone trains a cat to do that. But what kind of music does a young man who is a human scratching post listen to? I might guess Peter Murphy or Tool or My Chemical Romance, but I have no idea. These are some of the questions I want to answer. I want to find out why people are drawn to certain songs, genres, voices, or instruments.

Let's start with this question: If you carry a cat around on your shoulder when you go out, or a bird, or a lizard, what music do you listen to? Or, if you're not any of those people, ask someone who is."

Readers are encouraged to answer in the comments section.

Another noteworthy feature on NPR Music is "Project Song", a challenge filmed at the NPR studios in which songwriters are asked to write and record an original song in 48 hours. The Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt was the first participant, and following him will be Georgie James.

Weller, Coxon, Rourke, Ditto Do Wacky Charity Collab
Plus: New Young Pony Club, Supergrass, Ed Harcourt, Babyshambles bassist

Consequences (thanks Wikipedia!) is a Mad Libs-like parlor game in which folks contribute parts to a story without knowing their companions' contributions. When Consequences is done in the right company, one supposes, hilarity may ensue.

Crisis is, according to its website, a London-based charity organization that "fights homelessness and empowers people to fulfil their potential and transform their lives." The charity was founded in 1967, inspired by the grim 1966 UK television documentary Cathy Come Home, which depicts the trials of an impoverished couple.

Crisis Consequences, then, is a bid to raise money toward the organization's cause by enlisting a bunch of UK music press darlings to collaborate on a single recording-- and later, a live gig-- in a Consequences-like fashion. If you think this sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen, you're probably right-- but hey, it's for charity. And besides, you don't even know who's involved yet!

Here's who: Paul Weller (The Jam, The Style Council), Graham Coxon (Blur), Andy Rourke (The Smiths), Beth Ditto (The Gossip), Drew McConnell (Babyshambles), New Young Pony Club, Supergrass, Ed Harcourt, Pearl Lowe (Powder), and the Enemy.

Members of this unlikely "supergroup" began recording the charity track today (November 5)-- NME.com has the skinny, if you feel so inclined-- and the finished product is expected to be available in early 2008.

2008-- March 2, to be exact-- will also see all these beautiful people sharing a single stage at London's Roundhouse. It's sure to be a [adjective], [adjective], [noun], [interjection]!

PJ Harvey Preps "Piano" Single, Plays Shows

Photo by Kathryn Yu

The piano: not just the instrument PJ Harvey has embraced in earnest on her latest opus-- the haunting White Chalk-- but also the upcoming second single from said album.

"The Piano"-- which, amusingly, is a song played on guitar and zither-- drops on UK audiences November 26 via Island/Universal in digital and limited edition 7" formats. Polly's past and present collide on this release, which comes backed with "Heaven", a tune she wrote and recorded way back in 1988.

That's a solid 20 years before 2008, the year in which Harvey will head Down Under for a spate of February shows. She'll first, however, close out 2007 with a pair of upcoming gigs in Paris and Dublin.

And if you haven't already done so, do check out Harvey's musings on the 88 keys-- which she calls "enormously freeing"-- and many other matters in her interview with Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich. [MORE...]

Photos: Modest Mouse / Man Man [Edmonton, Alberta; 11/03/07]

Photos by Aaron Vanimere

The freakiest joint tour of the year kicked off its reprise this past Halloween weekend, once again pairing the wacky stylings of Philly's Man Man with the skewed rock of Modest Mouse.

Brock, Marr, and company continue taking their Man-ly pals on a short string of Canadian shows before winding back through the continental States over the next month. More photos and a schedule of all your opportunities to catch the four M's below.

MODEST MOUSE








MAN MAN





[MORE...]

Un-T.V. Eye: November 5-11, 2007

Due to the Writers Guild of America strike, shows dependent on fresh topical content will likely be airing reruns all week (and for the future, if the strike is not settled.) Thus, musical performances on talk and late night shows have been canceled as well. Among many others, Band of Horses won't be performing on "Conan" tonight, Grizzly Bear probably won't be playing there tomorrow, and Amy Winehouse is unlikely to hit "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday.

UPDATE: Fuel TV's "The Daily Habit" will still be airing, so look out for UNKLE on Tuesday, November 6 and Blonde Redhead on Wednesday, November 7. Also, PBS' "Austin City Limits" will air an Arcade Fire performance on Saturday, November 10. 

Photos: ATP Presents Release the Bats [London, England; 11/02/07]

Photos by Lex Berko; Above: Deerhunter

You thought Halloween was over, did you? Well you must not have been accounting for the, um, time change? For one reason or another-- probably owing to Halloween falling on a Wednesday-- the All Tomorrow's Parties festivities for All Hallows' Eve were held on All Souls' Day, as Deerhoof, Liars, Deerhunter, Black Lips, and Fuck Buttons played ATP's first Release the Bats concert at London's Forum.

Pretty much everyone was feeling the spirit of the holiday: Deerhoof's John Dieterich stood by in a chef's suit while bandmate Satomi Matsuzaki sprayed the crowd with Silly String, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox showed off a very mod blouse, and Liars sweated off all their facepaint. Black Lips and Fuck Buttons, it would seem, came dressed as themselves. Clever, guys!

ATP keeps the party rolling with a number of upcoming events, including that big ol' throwdown with yours truly this May. More photos below.

DEERHOOF




LIARS






BLACK LIPS




DEERHUNTER


FUCK BUTTONS



[MORE...]

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 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...]

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.)