Bowie-Inspired Clothes Hit Target, New Box Set Due
It's a far better idea than a Low/Heroes/Lodger-inspired line of coke straws

Noted fashion designer Keanan Duffty isn't the first of his kind to ship a ready-to-wear collection to emporium of merchandise Target. He is, however, the first to rope one of rock'n'roll's true mavericks down into the realm of low-low prices along with him. Duffty's fall men's collection-- hitting stores just in time for this Sunday's circular-- "drew inspiration" from the music, persona, and the years and years of wacky ensembles of Mr. David Bowie.

According to a press release, "Several of the collection's key pieces draw direct inspiration from characters and songs by David Bowie. The tuxedo, vest, and pants were inspired by David's Thin White Duke persona, the song 'Station to Station', and his most recent album Reality. The dress shirts and trench coat are references to David's first movie role as Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth. In addition, the gray button-down shirt features Bowie's 'Let's Dance' lyrics scripted onto the fabric."

That flowery frock from The Man Who Sold the World cover must not have made the cut.

To go along with the threads, Target's got a new Bowie compilation called Strangers When We Meet meant to be "displayed alongside the fashion collection." The thing, which "features tracks from forthcoming and proposed Virgin/EMI David Bowie catalog releases" (including live versions of "Jean Genie, Young Americans" and "Word on a Wing") should be available Sunday.

Thanks to reader Myk Martello for the heads up!

Despite its pitifully uninspired title, even reasonably ardent Bowie fans may want in on David Bowie Box Set. According to Billboard.com, the collection packages the two-disc international editions of Bowie's five most recent LPs-- Outside, Earthling, Hours, Heathen, and Reality-- in vinyl-replica digipaks, complete with a buncha remixes, a few soundtrack cuts, etc. You know the drill, but you might not know these records. That's out November 27 on ISO/Columbia.

In other Bowie news, the man recently donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for the Jena Six, calling it a "small gesture". Seems pretty big of him to me! And on a slightly more silly note, Bowie guests on SpongeBob SquarePants on November 11.

Chris Walla, Casiotone, Long Winters on Xmas Comp

Hard to Find a Friend is a blog not unlike a lot of blogs on the internet. Its proprietor Caleb Palma likes music, really likes Beirut, and writes many kind things about both in a public forum. But Hard to Find a Friend sets itself apart in the company it keeps: friends and well wishers of the blog have gathered for fun, fellowship, and Peace on Earth, a digital-only holiday album chock full of exclusive tracks by the cream of indie's crop.

Death Cab's Chris Walla, American Music Club, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Rosie Thomas, the Long Winters, Great Lake Swimmers, and Page France's Michael Nau (as The Cotton Jones Basket Ride) are among those joining their Friend for a little Peace, which drops November 13. The collection is only gonna run you $7, and all proceeds go directly to Toys for Tots. When you think about it, tots need toys more than anybody!

The tracklist is not yet completely finalized, nor is the list of contributors. I must also assume the Grinch role and mention that Via Audio's "My Boo" is not, much as we may wish it to be, a cover of the Ghost Town DJs classic of the same name. Still, the impressive (if tentative) artist and song list is available after the jump. [MORE...]

DJ Spooky Tackles Trojan Catalog Again
Tours with a lecture here, a multimedia presentation there, everywhere a live date

Photo by Tamar Levine

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, aka Mr. One Egg in Every Possible Basket, once again dove into the Trojan Records vaults to come up with a mix of tracks with his unique stamp of approval.

Celebrating the Jamaican music label's 40th anniversary, Creation Rebel: Trojan Re-Mixed, Re-Visioned, Re-Versioned is even more customized than last year's In Fine Style, featuring re-works of tracks by Bob Marley, Augustus Pablo, Mad Professor & Rob Swift, the Upsetters, Wayne Smith, and Barrington Levy, among others.

Trojan will release Creation Rebel on October 16.

Aside from that, Spooky has quite a fair number of appearances, from lectures to DJ sets, scheduled for this fall. The next, a lecture/DJ set double whammy, goes down October 26 in Columbia, South Carolina. [MORE...]

Mos Def Signs to Downtown Recordings, Remixes Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." With Spank Rock
Remixing "D.A.N.C.E." is soooo pre-In Rainbows, dude

Photos by William Kirk

Looks like Mos Def's gone all upwardly mobile on us: the Brooklyn MC has packed up and moved Downtown. MTV News reports that the mighty Mos is the latest signing to Downtown Recordings, home to Art Brut, Gnarls Barkley, Eagles of Death Metal, and others.

Others like Spank Rock, who recently completed a remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." with Mos Def and his Bangers & Cash associate Benny Blanco, according to MTV. Because, after all, that song could really use a good remix or two.

No word on just when you'll get to hear them "D.A.N.C.E.", or whether Mos has a follow-up to last year's troubled True Magic waiting in the wings. Or if the album is going to end up being the follow-up to itself.

Mos Def has been busy lately helping to lead the charge in support of the Jena Six, six African-American teenagers in Jena, Louisiana charged with attempted murder after the beating of a white schoolmate. The beating was allegedly in retaliation for white students' hanging of nooses on school property. Mos helped organize a mass walkout and protest in Jena in late September.

Portishead Album in the Mixing Stage, Says Band Blog

Photo by Grumpy Man DJs

Portishead's Geoff Barrow knows there's a web sheriff out there a-lurkin', and as such, he'd better abide by blogger law. So the most recent post on Portishead's blog follows those laws to the letter: there's some chat of a show he just saw, a dissection of all this Radiohead hubbub, and a brief update on what he's been up to.

Also, when he posted the link to the blog on MySpace, it was under the subject head "amy gets caught sober........ or some other shit news"

He began with Radiohead, and so shall we. Barrow writes "so then.......music for free is it? well fuking great. so if you get our album for nothing or very little , does that mean i can get my boiler fixed for free... --------i could tell the plumber that its all for the love of sharing and its to combat the evil money grabbing corperation that is zanussi. ...............im sure he will understand. also im not having a pop at radiohead they are fuking good and clever with it. anyways im sure it will all become clear at some point". Clearer than this paragraph, anyway.

As for that show, Geoff says "saw the coral the other night......was sound! as they would say." Do they say that?

On, and those personal deets? They just happen to concern the decade-in-the-making third Portishead LP: "as to the new album , we met the label the other day which was good , i dont think we scared them too much..well mabey a little. going to london to have a listen in a proper studio soon but until then were just mixing the stumps ,stems.whatever. ---------thinking about names ---------films looking really good".

Allow me to sum that up: the Portishead album is in the mixdown stage, ready to be listened to, and discussed with a label. They're so close, they're even coming up with titles. Also, film(s)? That one's new to us. You guys making a movie?

Portishead, as you know, have curated the heck out of the All Tomorrow's Parties-hosted Nightmare Before Christmas festival, going down December 7-9 in Minehead, England. They'll perform, too, along with Thurston, Boris, Black Mountain, Aphex Twin, Silver Apples, Sparklehorse, Oneida, and a mess of others. (Ladytron have unfortunately dropped out.)

And then they will release their album. Right?

As for Beth Gibbons, she can currently be heard on the new Annie Lennox song "Sing", as part of a choir that also includes Madonna, Isobel Campbell, Sugababes, Celine Dion, Fergie, Beth Orton, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, Dido, Pink, Shakira, and several other random women.

Fennesz, Matmos, Patton, Forrest Redo Foetus on Vein

Photo by Taylor Crothers

Industrial elder J.G. Thirlwell, aka Foetus, has gathered nine of his most glitched-out comrades-in-arms to reimagine Love, Foetus' 2005 album, on a collection called Vein.

Matmos, Mike Patton, Fennesz, Jason Forrest, and Tujiko Noriko are all part of the charge. And in addition to the regular helping of remixes, two of Vein's tracks, Jay Wasco's "L'overture" and Tom Recchion's "Corrodia Gravis", contain elements of several Love songs.

Vein comes out October 16 via Birdman and features album art designed by Thirlwell himself, as well as an animated video for "Time Marches On" by director Sam Sohlberg.

Adding a whole extra layer of meta to the project is Thirlwell's remix of the remix album into a single track, which he and the label have done to avoid the file-sharing of advance copies. They're calling it a trailer for the record, and you can listen to it at the link below.

Thirlwell also has a few other projects with which to busy himself, including the soundtrack to the third season of Cartoon Network show "The Venture Bros." and two forthcoming shows under his Manorexia alter ego. The first of those shows-- at New York City Whitney Museum on November 2-- will feature two sets, the second of which involves robots! [MORE...]

Photos: José González / Tiny Vipers [Los Angeles, CA; 10/10/07]

Photos by Akmal Naim

After chatting through a set by Sub Pop's Tiny Vipers, the talkative crowd at L.A.'s El Rey Theatre hushed to make some sonic space for José González's soft strumming. González didn't chat much with the sold-out crowd, but silence is golden.

The Swedish songsmith's sophomore LP, In Our Nature, is out now on Mute. More photos and tour dates below.

JOSE GONZALEZ






TINY VIPERS



[MORE...]

Bodies of Water Tour Land

Photo by Laura Heffington

For all the wild-eyed ambition of Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink, it's easy to forget that Bodies of Water haven't been knocking out Jesus'd-up opuses for years now. In fact, just as Ears Will Pop is the band's full-length debut, their forthcoming easterly tour is the L.A. band's first time doing the band thing near that Atlantic body of water. They'll warm up, however, with a number of shows near the Pacific.

Along the way, Bodies will be joined by the rather disparate likes of the Go! Team and Phosphorescent. Boy, a bunch of good Christian kids, stuck on the wrong side of the country with those sugar-addled weirdos and that sadsack with the beard? Pray for them, willya? [MORE...]

Girl Talk, Ted Leo, Enon, Blitzen Win Taco Bell Contest
Just pretend that's a taco, okay?

Photo by Jason Bergman

Girl Talk's Gregg Gillis: Playgirl model extraordinaire, the talk of Congress, the scourge of jam bands, and now, Taco Bell "Feed the Beat" contest champion of the world!!

Along with 49 other musical acts, Gillis walked away with a victory in the recent contest, which invited touring musicians to describe why they quiero Taco Bell foodstuffs. His prize? $500 worth of said foodstuffs. If you find a little salsa in Gillis' beard next time he stage dives on top of you, well, now you know why.

Other victors in the Fourthmeal mecca's competition include Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Enon, Blitzen Trapper, White Rabbits, Panthers, Meg & Dia, and Manchester Orchestra. Bon appétit, guys.

Oh, and speaking of Girl Talk: our boy Gregg has contributed a rare track to a special four-song sampler the folks at his label, Illegal Art, have kindly made available for download (snatch it here). The apostrophe-free jam, "Lets Run This", originally appeared on a now out-of-print Australian compilation titled Ministry of Shit. If the words "free Girl Talk mp3" aren't enough to get your mouse finger click-happy, do yourself a favor and ruminate on this here tracklist. [MORE...]

Patrick Wolf to Play "Finale" Show in London

Photo by Kathryn Yu

So it's a Patrick Wolf finale, then, but (thankfully) not the one we'd dreaded. The magic dandy has added a special year-capping show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire December 20 to his tour itinerary that will be his last until the writing, recording, and release of his forthcoming follow-up to this spring's stellar Magic Position. The show will be a two-part affair: the first finding Patrick by his lonesome, and then, following a brief intermission, a Christmas party-slash-full band set. Dude could rock those elf ears like none other, don't you think?

There are plenty of opportunities to catch Patrick before then, too, as his North American tour winds to a close next week and he hits Australia, Japan, and the UK in November. [MORE...]

Beirut's Flying Club Blogotheque Vids Headed for DVD

The internet is pretty neat, what with the whole "world wide" aspect of it and this streaming video thing that's all the rage these days. But sometimes a few too many abrupt buffering breaks can make one long for the good old days of the DVD.

Beirut, no strangers to longing for the good old days, know this well. So, together with La Blogothèque, they're planning to compile all those lovely Flying Club Cup live videos that have been blowing up cyberspace (and your friendly Forkcast) onto one nice little DVD.

What videos, you say? Please report directly to the Pitchfork search box, change the drop menu item to "Forkcast", type in "Beirut", and hit "Go". (Or check them out here.) Those videos, my friend, the final two of which just went up this morning. You ought have a look! There's one for each track on The Flying Club Cup, and they're all rather lovely.

The DVD-- titled Cheap Magic Inside-- will in fact span an hour and contain additional footage never before seen on the interwebs! Blog and band plan to sell this self-released article on Beirut's upcoming European tour, which kicks off November 6 in Manchester, England. Plans for some sort of U.S. release are also in the works. Alas, no word yet on the cinematograph edition. [MORE...]

NIN Remix LP Tracklist, Release Date Revealed
New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Switch, Paul Epworth all confirmed

Looks like Trent Reznor hasn't quite rid himself of Interscope just yet. The once-mysterious Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D album will be released on the label in a number of formats November 20.

In a post to Nine Inch Nails' website yesterday, Trent laid out all the details for the remix album. In addition to previously confirmed remixers the Faint, Sam Fogarino of Interpol, Fennesz, the Knife's Olaf Dreijer, Ladytron, Saul Williams, and Bill Laswell, Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D also contains previously rumored, now confirmed remixes from New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Switch, Paul Epworth, and a ragtag crew of others, including a fan.

Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D will be available as a digital download, a CD/DVD-ROM combo, and a triple-disc LP. The digital download and CD/DVD-ROM share the same tracklist, but the latter "also contains a DVD-ROM (not a movie) that contains every track from Year Zero in multitrack format for you to do with what you please." He adds, graciously, "Mac or PC."

Both the vinyl and the CD come packed in a six-panel jacket designed to match Year Zero, though a number of tracks are exclusive to each. But frankly, Trent doesn't really care which version you buy, or if you buy it at all.

Having trouble sorting through your options? Let Uncle Trent explain:

"I can make this easy for you: if you just want to hear the tracks as cheaply as possible, get it digitally. The highest fidelity will likely be [the] Amazon [digital music store] (through legal means). If you want something that's aesthetically cool and will enhance any collection, get the vinyl. Trust me, it looks great. The extra tracks are fairly minor embellishments to the whole (and surely someone will upload them instantly). If you want higher quality tracks legally, a nice package AND a complete multitrack of the whole record, get the physical CD / DVD ROM." You're the boss!

Trent's straight talk express kept on rollin':

"**insert comment from NINSUX: 'I thought he said all the multitracks were going to be posted online, now he wants us to PAY for them??'

Relax, friend. One second after this package goes to the manufacturing plant someone will kindly upload those missing multitracks and everything will be OK. If they don't soon enough for your liking, just yell loudly out the window and I'll do it myself."

Awesome! We love it when artists leak their own albums!

He continues: "As for the record itself, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Remix records can be disposable garbage (of which I myself have been guilty of to some extent) but this collection feels good to me. I reached out to heroes, friends, and strangers. I encouraged those I approached to do anything and insert themselves as much as possible into the track. Some of the stuff that was done earlier led me to choosing other people to balance things out. The Pirate Robot Midget mix is a fan's work-- I thought it was great, it filled a need and I asked permission to use it here.

"It's always interesting for me to hear my work reinterpreted-- I hope it is for you as well."

Upon the release of Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, Trent and co. will launch remix.nin.com, designed as a hub for submission and discussion of fan remixes. [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.)