Neon Neon (Gruff Rhys + Boom Bip) Debut LP Revealed
Duo plans shows, heads to SXSW, seeks twins and older folks for video

News of the Gruff Rhys/Boom Bip full-length Neon Neon collaboration first surfaced way back in October 2006 (at which time they were calling themselves Dolorean), and said full-length was supposed to arrive early last year. But even the best laid plans of Super Furry Animals and Lex men often go awry, and thus we have Stainless Style, that Neon Neon debut, finally set for a March 18 release on Lex.

Stainless Style tells the tale of tragic figure John DeLorean, creator of the iconic automobile, with music appropriate to the car's heyday. Those famous winged doors allow plenty of room to pack in the guests, and Style features contributions from Spank Rock, Yo Majesty, Sean Tillmann (Har Mar Superstar, Sean Na Na), Fatlip, several of the Magic Numbers, and Welsh singer Cate Le Bon. But you knew most of that already.

Perhaps you've also already heard two of the album's 12 cuts: "Trick for Treat" and "Raquel" were previously served up on limited edition Lex 12"s.

But you probably haven't seen Neon Neon live yet, which may well change in a matter of weeks. The duo has some shows in the works, including a trip to SXSW.

What's more, they're seeking extras for a Neon Neon video shoot helmed by Klaus Thymann. "I Lust U" will get the video treatment this coming weekend, and if you're 1.) in the Los Angeles area, and 2.) either a.) between the ages of 40 and 70, and/or b.) a twin, you might just get casted. Interested parties should email "Kristen" at mente[at]happycharliefilms.com and include (or link to) a photo of themselves. Casting will take place February 2 in Eagle Rock, California.

In the midst of all this, Rhys is partaking of that Super Furry Animals tour. Hey Venus!, god-awful cover and all, finally hit North American shops last week via Rough Trade.

Finally, Candylion tamer Rhys has contributed to the ambitious Zombieoper project from Brazilian artists Diego Medina and Desirée Marantes. An honest-to-goodness double-disc rock opera record about zombies, Zombieoper can be downloaded in full-- for free-- right here. It doesn't take BRAINS!!! to know that free is a pretty sweet deal. [MORE...]

R.E.M. Reveal Accelerate Tracklist
Band spotted taping music video in sex shop

R.E.M. are all set to put the rapid back in rapid eye movement with Accelerate, the celebrated trio's previously reported 14th studio LP.

Accelerate now has a tracklist, according to Billboard.com, featuring such tunes as first single "Supernatural Superserious", the possibly threatening "I'm Gonna DJ", and "Mansized Wreath" (not to be confused with "Mansard Roof"). Check the whole thing below, or just flip the case over when Accelerate arrives April 1 (March 31 in the UK) via Warner Bros.

A separate Billboard.com report notes that the mom-friendly R.E.M. recently shot scenes from a forthcoming video for "Supernatural Serious" at a "sex toy emporium" on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They were also filmed at a nearby Italian restaurant, which is sort of like a sex toy emporium that sells food instead of sex toys.

The band's NinetyNights.com, meanwhile, continues to roll out the daily video snippets. Most recently we've been treated to discussions of and live clips from R.E.M.'s summer 2007 residency in Dublin.

Finally, look out for R.E.M. in the flesh at SXSW and the Langerado Music Festival. [MORE...]

The Heath Ledger/Nick Drake Connection
Actor claims obsession with Drake, simulates suicide on 2007 video to Drake's music

The already startling death of actor Heath Ledger has taken on another startling dimension following the revelation that Ledger courted a self-proclaimed obsession with another tragic figure, late English folk singer Nick Drake. This obsession even manifested itself in a Drake music video.

"I was obsessed with an artist by the name of Nick Drake," Ledger explained at a September 2007 Venice Film Festival press conference [via MTV.com]. Ledger was promoting I'm Not There at the time, in which he plays Bob Dylan, along with several other actors and actresses.

"I was obsessed with [Drake's] story and his music and I pursued it for a while and [I] still have hopes to kind of tell his story one day. But it kind of died away, faded away, because I...He was a very mysterious figure and I felt like I would be taking too many liberties."

The body of 28-year-old Ledger was found yesterday (January 22) in a Manhattan apartment. Since sleeping pills were found nearby, Ledger's death was widely reported as being most likely drug-related. However, according to the Associated Press, an autopsy performed today proved inconclusive, and TMZ.com reports that Ledger had pneumonia at the time of his death.

Drake, meanwhile, died in 1974 at the age of 26 from an apparent overdose of the antidepressant amitriptyline.

Ledger created a black-and-white video clip that was shown at a pair of exhibits devoted to Drake last year, according to MTV.com and Billboard.com reports.

As the MTV.com report explains, "A representative for Drake's estate described the 'gorgeous' and 'extremely moving' clip as a stark black-and-white composition, consisting mainly of the director turning the camera on himself. In the end, Ledger is seen drowning himself in a bathtub."

The song playing during this is Drake's "Black Eyed Dog", purportedly the last song the English singer ever wrote and allegedly a reference to Winston Churchill's description of depression.

The estate of Nick Drake, which owns the Ledger video, has not yet decided whether to release it.

Behind the Scenes: Arcade Fire "Black Mirror" Video

Icebergs! Green screens! Iridescent cave-like interiors! Funky pyramid dudes! Yes people, it's an Arcade Fire music video, featuring art direction by one Tracy Maurice, designer of pretty much all things Arcade Fire, as well as many things Wolf Parade, Bell Orchestre, and Malajube.



From what we can gather from Maurice's site, the clip-- for Neon Bible's opening track and first single, "Black Mirror"-- incorporates the above mentioned spectacles, along with those eerie swimmers that frequent perusers of neonbible.com will surely recognize. And just who is that in the boat there? And what of the pyramid dudes? Do they bring evil???

Guess we'll just have to wait and see. According to Maurice's website, the video is "coming soon." In the meantime please content yourselves with these vidcaps, and scoot on over here for a couple video snippets.







Many thanks to reader Daniel Swenson for the tip.

The Arcade Fire find themselves in Australia this week and next, with a trip to Japan just on the horizon. [MORE...]

White Stripes Nab Beck for "Conquest" B-Sides
Jack White plays bullfighter in "Conquest" video

Photo by Thom Johnston

Mystery solved! All loose ends left untied after that not-exactly-specific message those White Stripes posted on their website some weeks back are now firmly knotted. A message posted on their site yesterday revealed all. Their covert collaborator? Beck. Their super-secret video? It's for "Conquest". And the new tunes? They'll show up on a handful of "Conquest" singles due next month.

The Stripes recently recorded a mess of B-sides with Mr. Beck Hansen in his living room, which they'll splay over a trio of 7" "Conquest" discs and an all-encompassing U.S.-only digital download. In addition to co-producing the sessions, Beck contributed vocals and piano to "It's My Fault for Being Famous" and played a little slide guitar on "Honey, We Can't Afford to Look Cheap". One black, one red, and one white 7" will be issued, each with "Conquest" on the front and a different B-side on the back, due in the U.S. December 18 from Third Man/Warner Bros. and in the UK December 31 on XL.

The Stripes put the "Conquest" video to tape in Artesia, California with director Diane Martel. "Filmed with a visual urgency that brings the song's Spanish themes, frantic horns, and compulsive pounding rhythm to life," their website adds, "the video follows an explosive-- if unconventional-- love story that pits man against bull in the ultimate conquest." To add an air of authenticity to the proceedings, Jack White trained extensively with noted bullfighter Dennis Borba. The clip will hit MTV November 26 and iTunes the following day.

And then, the bonus goodies: "Inspired by the 'Conquest' video, each single will also include a Mondo Toro trading card featuring the legendary, near-mythical matadors El Sloth, El Bianca Rosa and El Perdador. Despite being from early 1900s Spain and Portugal, these bullfighters look strangely familiar. U.S. copies of these singles will also include a different poster with each release." In your conquest over our wallets, you have emerged victorious, White Stripes.

Still no word on any touring plans for our Stripes, but, hey, if Beck invited you over to jam out, you wouldn't really wanna leave the house either, wouldja? [MORE...]

LSF's Harrington Plays Mosquito in Commercial
Hairest. Insect. Ever.

Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington is one of the most charismatic live performers we've ever seen. He's a natural actor, sacrificing his body and dignity to his craft. And now, he's utilizing that same Method technique to play a mosquito in a PSA for the Nothing But Nets campaign.

Nothing But Nets is an organization dedicated to fighting malaria in Africa by raising money to buy insecticide-treated bed nets that protect against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. This VH1-sponsored spot is both an opportunity to raise awareness and a chance to see one of our favorite dudes literally bug the crap out of people.

(Note: This clip was edited by our friend William Kirk, whose photos you're probably familiar with.)

In more musical LSF matters, the band has a series of scattered tour dates both at the end of this year and the beginning of next in support of latest album Let's Stay Friends. The shows come before LSF's appearance in May at our own ATP vs. Pitchfork festival. Their next show is November 16 in Durham, North Carolina. [MORE...]

White Stripes Ready New Mystery Songs, Collab, Video

Photo by Thom Johnston

From illness to intrigue, photography to perplexity, those White Stripes sure do love to keep us guessing. Just peep this curious message posted on their website just yesterday:

"The White Stripes have just filmed an exciting new video and recorded three never before heard original songs (with a special collaboration) and one unique new version of a song from their latest album Icky Thump.

Stay tuned for more details about release dates of the songs and the premiere of the video!"

A rock band, recording new songs and making a music video? How intriguing! Next you'll tell me you've worked out some sort of characteristic color scheme for yourselves.

J/K J/K. In fact, new White Stripes jams? New video? Special collaboration? Yeah, we'll stay tuned. You know us too damn well, Whites.

As for a remedy for that scratched run of tour dates (which would've just wrapped a few days back), well, the band's website has two penguins squawking at each other and eventually snacking on an ape. So... they're playing colleges? Your guess is as good as ours.

Kid Sister Shoots Video With Kanye West

Kid Sister found a Chicago MC as stylish and internet-friendly as she is to join her on her new single and video "Pro Nails": none other than Kanye West. Six degrees of A-Trak, anyone?

Director Ruben Fleischer (M.I.A., Dizzee Rascal, Wiley) shot the video to promote the single, which is out today on Fool's Gold. The single comes in 12" vinyl and digital formats and features two extra tracks: a remix with a Kanye verse and the DJ Gant-Man-produced "Switch Board".

As for the video, you know Kanye blogged that ish posthaste. His and Kid Sister's photographic evidence of the shoot is below.

Kid Sis' debut album will come out next year, and until then, she's busying herself with the previously reported Fool's Gold tour. The tour's next stop is in NYC for CMJ tomorrow, October 17.

[MORE...]

Scout Niblett Plots Fall Tour
Seeks camera and director of photography for music video

While songwriter and new non-smoker Scout Niblett prepares to tell North Americans that This Fool Can Die Now on October 9 (October 15 for Europeans), she has scheduled a fall tour of the continent to hammer the point home.

Even more dates are forthcoming, but as it stands now, the tour begins in Portland on October 9, preceded only by a British festival date on September 14. She'll return to the UK after she's done with North America for a handful of dates in November.

Finally, Niblett needs help from a fan and his/her camera to shoot the video for This Fool's first single. She lays the situation out clearly in a MySpace blog entry printed below in its unmodified entirety:

"i need you and your camera.

i need someone to shoot the video for the upcoming single from my next album.

i have a story board already mapped out. i just need a d.o.p

please send me a message if you are able and willing with links to clips you've shot already.

it will take place in the next 6 weeks somewhere in the US."

The post ran a few weeks back, so be advised that Niblett may have found her person already. [MORE...]

Create Les Savy Fav's Video, Then Go See Them Play
Or, in Headline-Speak: Les Savy Fav Announce Video Contest, Tour

It seems Les Savy Fav have been surrendering the reigns to the ol' workhorse of late. First, they asked their fans to sing on their record, and now, they're actually paying people to stand in for them in a video. I guess you can't spell Les Savy Fav without "lazy," eh? Er, wait.

In truth, these recent overtures smack more of a purposeful breakdown of the barrier between artist and fan than a clever disguise for lethargy. (Besides, anybody who's witnessed this band in action knows that they have more energy than a kitten hyped up on Sparks.)

Les Savy Fav are giving weekend Gondrys essentially carte blanche in a contest to create the clip for "The Equestrian" from their forthcoming album Let's Stay Friends. Entries must be a performance of the song, with lip-synching and at least some attempt to mimic playing instruments. Save that arty, impressionistic mess for your Decemberists thesis, Sally Gradschool; Les Savy Fav want you to rock! Or, at least, pretend.

The winner-- based on the most views on YouTube, where videos are to be uploaded-- will receive full bragging rights, plus $1000 and a bitchin' trophy. Videos are due by September 18, so you oughta get crackin'. Full details are available here.

Even if you don't win, the consolation prizes are choice: Let's Stay Friends is out that very day in the U.S. on French Kiss Records, and October 1 in the UK on Wichita. And the band's touring, too, with European dates trickling out since last we spoke on the subject. [MORE...]

Daft Punk's Orgasmic Live Show Coming to CD
Hardest, Best, Fastest, Strongest Live Album Ever! (Or at least since Alive 1997)

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

The resounding praise surrounding Daft Punk's recent live shows needs no reiteration, but apart from a couple noteworthy mashups and a lot of comments pointing to the curious absence of "Digital Love" (geez, and Juliette was at Lolla, too!), most of the chatter has surrounded the unearthly visuals. Given that we're talking about Daft Punk here, the music's more than fine; it's just easy to get distracted by the flashy stuff, the pyramid, and, of course, the dancing.

Those in attendance blinded by the lights-- and the rest of us, forced instead to stare at the microwave while playing Homework really effin' loud-- will get to explore every sonic nuance and blissed-out "woo!" on a forthcoming live album set to tape at the duo's June 14 stop at Paris' Bercy.

No release date or title (please think of something besides Alive 2007) has been set for the Capitol-issued live platter, but-- according to Billboard.com-- we know this: a single disc set of the performance will be available, along with a double-disc featuring the show's encore. Parisians who ducked out on the last bit to beat the parking lot rush, consider yourselves lucky... this time.

A single for the live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" will also be issued, along with a video compiled by director Olivier Gondry (yes, brother of Michel), shot by attendees at this past weekend's show in Brooklyn. Asked and answered, Daft Punk.

The Billboard article also let us in on a little secret: those dudes in Kanye's "Stronger" video aren't, as previously reported, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, but, rather, the actors from Electroma. Not quite "two bums in helmets," but still, tricky.

This phenomenal thing that Daft Punk have been doing of late has one more slated touch-down: October 27 at Las Vegas' Vegoose Festival. There's talk of more dates next year, but it being merely August, that's almost a bummer.

Even bigger bummer: Billboard sez that no DVD is planned to accompany the live album. Boo!

New Yorkers, Daft Punk Need Your Video Skills

Photo by Kirstie Shanley

Though you can relive their set at this past weekend's Lollapalooza forever, Daft Punk are just about done with North America, and everywhere else for that matter. They have two more dates on their current tour, then one in October (their previously reported Vegoose appearance).

Don't go rusting your robot headgear with tears, though, because it seems we'll be seeing the French duo soon enough in a new music video. Even better, the video is going to feature camera work by you! And by "you," we mean attendees of the current tour's final date in Brooklyn on August 9.

To be one of one of the lucky cinematographers, follow the directions on the flyer conveniently posted below.

[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.)