Photos: The Flaming Lips / Black Moth Super Rainbow [Chicago, IL; 09/07/07]

Photos by Kirstie Shanley

The newest psych-rockers on the block, Black Moth Super Rainbow, this weekend joined some of the older psych-rockers on the block, The Flaming Lips, to give Chicago's Aragon Ballroom a double dose of their sonic euphoria. As usual, some singing Santas spiced up the Lips' set before frontman Wayne Coyne donned his cosmic hamster ball. And yes, the UFO was there.

BMSR, meanwhile, augmented their performance with some flashy videos and light tricks-- not exactly a giant UFO descending on stage, but hey, they've got another decade or two to work on that.

More photos and both bands' fall itineraries below.

THE FLAMING LIPS






BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW



[MORE...]

The Stills Sign to Arts & Crafts

Arts & Crafts is on a roll right now, enjoying success with the likes of Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stars, and Los Campesinos!, to name just a few.

The Stills have a scattering of North American dates this fall in celebration of the signing. [MORE...]

Video: The Stills: Helicopters (Live) [from the Without Feathers LP]

Photos: Rilo Kiley [Seattle, WA; 09/08/07]

Dan Deacon's Green Skull Stolen!
By the power of Green Skull, he is pissed

Photo from tenglish's Flickr

If you've gone to a Dan Deacon show-- and were able to push your way close enough to actually see Dan Deacon-- you've probably noticed the green light-up skull that towers over his table of electronics. It's just one of the little touches that makes a Deacon performance so much fun.

But on Saturday in Chicago, that skull went missing. Deacon had a busy day; he played at the Hideout Block Party in the afternoon, and then at the downtown loft known as Av-aerie that night. The skull worked hard at Av-aerie, casting its neon glow over a crowd so amped up, they caused the power to go out a minute into the first song.

On Sunday afternoon, Deacon posted a bulletin on Myspace titled "MY GREEN SKULL WAS STOLEN LAST NIGHT IN CHICAGO". It read:

"sadly last night the trippy green skully, my old friend and touring partner for over two years, was stolen last night after my set at the av-erie gallery in chicago.

this skull is a major part of my set, a vital instrument in my performance. i leave for a month long tour of sold out shows on wednesday and i dont know what i will do without it.

this is the skull:
http://flickr.com/photos/somethingsara/1308823081/

it was taken off of the strobe light, so its a hollow plastic skull made up of tiny little green beads melted into the shape of a trippy green skull.

if anyone has any information about this that leads to the skulls safe return i will send you a package of wondrous treats and guest list you for a year to all shows i play in whatever city you want.

if you stole the skull or know who stole the skull and are afraid to contact me because you/they are a thief coward you can contact sam hunt at sam@windishagency.com and he will facilitate its safe return. again, my next tour begins in 3 days.

love dan"

If you have the skull and would like to mail it in or drop it off anonymously, no questions asked, please do so at:

The UPS Store
1658 N. Milwaukee #211
Chicago, IL 60647

Why the hell would someone steal this thing? Were they on a bad acid trip and thought it was trying to kill them? Was it part of some sort of Hipster Olympics scavenger hunt?

As Dan mentioned, his tour with Girl Talk and White Williams starts on Wednesday. All upcoming Dan Deacon shows are listed below. [MORE...]

Stream: Dan Deacon: Totally Boner Eat Shit [from the Crystal Cat 7

The Gossip/Long Blondes U.S. Tour Canceled

Remember those tour dates we told you about a little while ago? You know, the ones with the Long Blondes, the Gossip, and Panther? Word on the street is they're off like a High School Musical starlet's prom dress.

Why? Well, did you read that Rick Rubin story in the New York Times Sunday Magazine last week? (If not, we recommend doing so.) Near the end, Rubin, the president of the Gossip's current label, Columbia, drops this interesting tidbit of information:

"'I saw [the Gossip] at the Troubadour, and they blew my mind'," [Rick Rubin] said. 'It was the best show I've seen in five years. Afterward, I met with the band. They felt stressed, and they were having trouble writing songs. The energy in the room when they were performing was so intense, and I'm not even sure how we'd get it to feel like that in the studio. So we decided to record a live show during their European tour, and we're going to release a DVD of the live album as their first release.'"

That live album and DVD, originally scheduled to be released on November 16, has been pushed back. So apparently, they pushed back the tour in support of it too.

Hmm. One would think that touring is a good way of drumming up excitement for a live album, no matter when the shows take place, but hey, we ain't gonna argue with Rick Rubin.

No word yet on whether the tour will be rescheduled, but all dates-- canceled and otherwise-- are available after the jump.

One piece of good news here is that the Long Blondes posted on their Myspace page that instead of touring, "We will in fact be spending October and November recording our second album." [MORE...]

Stream: The Long Blondes: The Unbearable Lightness of Building
Video: The Gossip: Jealous Girls [from the Standing in the Way of Control LP]

Jonny Greenwood Scores Paul Thomas Anderson Film

Say it with me now in a scary voice: There Will Be Blood. And, as the trailer to this forthcoming film by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) indicates, there will also be original music...by Jonny Greenwood!

The Radiohead guitarist, already burning up the Pitchfork newsroom today, has taken his orchestral muse and applied it to Mr. Anderson's latest film, PT's first feature since 2002's Punch-Drunk (which, along with 1999's Magnolia, had a score by Jon Brion). This one stars Daniel Day-Lewis and looks to be an oil baron thriller inspired by Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!. No word on a theatrical release yet.

Big thanks to reader M.S. Markham for the tip!

And just in case you didn't take Greenwood's word for it, Radiohead's publicist has confirmed that the band has definitely finished its latest album. Hooray!

Video: There Will Be Blood: Trailer

Huge Metal Box Sets Due Soon on Rhino, Earache
This is not a Public Image, LTD. news item, sorry

Without it, there'd be no VH1 reality programming: The split between the glossy L.A. pop metal what birthed a thousand "Behind the Music"s and at least one "Rock of Love", and tr00 fookin' METULLL that spawned a thousand cases of whiplash, and Decibel magazine. (The greatest music magazine in the world-- Ed.)

On two forthcoming metal box sets, that dichotomy is in full force. One, Rhino's Heavy Metal Box (due October 2) features Ratt's "Round and Round" and Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me". The other, Earache's Metal: A Headbanger's Companion II (out September 10 in the UK/Europe), sports Circle of Dead Children's "Strip Naked for the Killer" and Deathwitch's "Coffin Fornicator". You see the difference.

Really, it's a question of intent. The Rhino set seeks to compile tracks from "the genre's first golden age, between 1968 and 1991." Well, that's narrowing it down. Thus, their focus on the (comparatively) tame suits such a brief encapsulation. Besides, can the company responsible for the recent Traveling Wilburys anthology really be blamed for excluding Anal Cunt from their archives? The Earache box is all about the extreme, and the tracklist (and resulting hearing loss) are testament to that.

Rhino's tradition of sweet-ass packaging continues with Heavy Metal Box, as it's contained in a fake amplifier box...THAT GOES TO 11. Seriously!

Check it out:

Whether you fancy Cadaver Inc. or Cinderella-- and an argument can be made for both-- there's a box out there for you. Happy early birthday, ma! [MORE...]

Video: Poison: Talk Dirty to Me

Aesop Rock, Cage, PGMG's Zollo Grace Grayskul's Latest

MP3: Grayskul: Scarecrow [from the forthcoming Bloody Radio LP]

June Panic Rescues Songs From Purgatory

MP3: June Panic: Sundowner [from the Songs From Purgatory LP]
MP3: June Panic: Birthday Present [from the Songs From Purgatory LP]
MP3: June Panic: That Parade [from the Songs From Purgatory LP]

Stereolab's Gane, High Llama O'Hagan Do Soundtrack

Video: La Vie d'Artiste: Trailer

Freebass (Peter Hook, Andy Rourke, Mani) in the Studio
Q: How do you get a bass player off your porch? A: Pay for the pizzas

Though we've heard this sorta talk out of them before, Freebass-- the all-bass low end supergroup featuring New Order bassist Peter Hook, Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, and ex-Stone Roses/current Primal Scream (you guessed it) bassist Mani-- have been rattling subwoofers in the studio as they crank out their debut album.

According to Hook-- who recently spoke to Billboard.com about the project-- the album is not quite half done, though he and the lads hope to knock it out before Christmas. Hook also says he'd like very much for Freebass to play festivals next year once the album's in the can. "With the demise of New Order, I was happy to just not play for a while but now I'm missing it," he told Billboard. "And I want to get into it as soon as possible." No word on how those auditions for a singer went, but the Charlatans' Tim Burgess and the Stone Roses' Ian Brown are apparently working with the group. One would also think that guy from Crash Test Dummies with the ultra-low voice would be a natural fit.

Hook posted a Freebass track, "I Envy Us", on his MySpace. Shockingly, there are guitars and drums on it. Even synthesizers! Bells! Horns! And a voice that reminds you over and over again that this is Peter Hook's MySpace.

In other related topics, there's a Joy Division documentary screening during this month's Toronto International Film Festival, to say nothing of Control, which hits theaters soon. Joe Pernice is working on a screenplay loosely based on his book on the Smiths' Meat Is Murder, and some places are reporting that some jokers from "Reno 911!" are working on a Morrissey musical, but we'll believe that when it's actually singing and dancing right in front of us. As for Primal Scream, they'll spend the weekend on the Isle of Wight at Bestival.

Peter Hook has a few DJ dates scheduled for November as well. [MORE...]

Stream: Freebass: I Envy Us

Rogue Wave Tour With Feist, Without Feist

Video: Rogue Wave: Lake Michigan [from the forthcoming Asleep at Heaven's Gate LP]

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.)