Update: Rejected Justice Fabric Mix Turned Xmas Gift

Front page photo by William Kirk

Earlier this week we shared the good news that Justice would be carting their party jams all around the globe this winter and into spring on tour. But along with that came some bad news: a mix Justice put together for Fabric had been rejected by the London club giant. Quoth Justice's Xavier de Rosnay, "They weren't ready for something like this."

Friends and loved ones of Justice, however, decidedly were. According to the duo's publicist, de Rosnay and partner-in-anthem-making Gaspard Augé spun their dismissed mix into a bona fide holiday gift-giving goodie, complete with the new title Justice Xmas Mix. In conjunction with Ed Banger, they sent copies out last month to those lucky enough to make the Justice Christmas card list.

And if you weren't that lucky, well, I understand there are a few reproductions of the mix floating around in cyberspace. But you didn't hear that from me.

Thanks to reader John O'Callaghan for the tip.

What's more, it appears the original mix was rejected due to insufficient length more than anything else. Justice PR notes that Fabric wanted a longer mix, but Augé and de Rosnay weren't so keen on padding out their perfect playlist with unnecessary filler. An aesthetic disparity may have come into play as well. Let's just call it creative differences and carry on, shall we?

Carry on, of course, to those inevitable tour dates, available for your eyes only after the jump. [MORE...]

Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco Debate Politics Online
"WARNING: This is for intellectuals only!"

Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? For Dem-inclined political junkies, it's the most interesting story there is right now. And while it certainly has more effect on the future of the U.S. than the age-old Justice/Simian Mobile Disco debate, the former's scant musical content has kept it out of Pitchfork News' pages, for the most part. But through a convoluted online battle of wits, words, and philosophies, Chicago rappers Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco have brought the issue to our corner of the interverse.

The skirmish gets hard to follow toward the end, but the essence of it is that Lupe supports Clinton while Rhymefest is pulling for Obama. From there, the conflict is best understood in three chronological stages:

1) Lupe's unwitting volley. In an interview with SOHH.com before the Iowa caucus, Lupe explained his political position by saying, "I'm not voting for anybody. I don't believe in voting on that level. But I want Hillary to win. Obama doesn't really impress me like that. It's not a shot at him but some of his agendas, the bombing of Iran and all that stuff.* He ain't gonna do nothing but perpetuate the nonsense that all the Presidents before have done, and what Bush is doing now."

SOHH.com modified his statement with the following footnote:

"[*Editors note: While all the major Democratic candidates--including Clinton, Obama and Edwards--say they would not remove military option off the table, when it comes to Iran, none have said they support the bombing of Iran.]"

2) Rhymefest's correction. Writing on his MySpace blog on January 5, Rhymefest clarified Obama's stance on Iran while, without calling him out by name, challenging Lupe to do better research on the matter:

"Barack Obama being the only black senator from Illinois automatically gives me a sense of pride and appreciation for his journey. Of course, for America to be flipped on its axis with a qualified woman President would be a significant milestone in this chapter of our country's history. But, I fail to see how a qualified Black man as President wouldn't be just as significant a milestone. Please, to all artists who dare to speak on political issues in this election: understand that Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus by inspiring more young people and women to vote than any previous Presidential candidate. How could it not be impressive to see the new Bobby Kennedy of our day in the White House?

"In the words of Gabriel when he revealed the Holy Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the cave: "READ." Please do not let your arrogance be the fuel for your ignorance."

Shortly after Rhymefest's original post, the discussion moved to the Okayplayer message boards, simultaneously giving way to the most enlightening and most confusing arguments in the debate. Thus, we call this seemingly final episode of the saga...

3) Down the rabbit hole. The Lupe/Rhymefest back-and-forth has stalled out now, but under their respective message board guises "FNF UP UP AND AWAY" and "Rhymefest", both MCs got in a few good words, edited a bit for clarity (though not for grammar and spelling) and appearing after the jump. [MORE...]

M. Ward/Zooey Deschanel Album Details Surface

Some nine months ago we made mention of a little bit of collaboration between gruff troubadour M. Ward and the silk to his sandpaper, actress/musician Zooey Deschanel.

Now it seems the unlikely get-together may come full circle as soon as March. According to an interview Deschanel gave January 6 with KCRW (via The Playlist), she and Ward have christened their act She and Him, and together they'll deliver a full-length titled Volume One at some point during the month of lions and lambs.

KCRW also mentions that Ward's label Merge will deliver the album, but that has not been confirmed by the label yet. And unless Matt and Zooey are pulling some Throbbing Gristle-esque fuckery on us, one can only assume the Volume One title means She and Him will be an ongoing project.

During the interview, KCRW played the She and Him songs "Sentimental Heart" and "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here", both lovely little ditties featuring Deschanel's vocals (but none of Ward's).

Deschanel also addressed the possibility of touring in the interview, saying, "I don't know if I will tour exactly, right when [the record] comes out, but I'm sure I will be doing that... to be cryptic about it." Part of the uncertainty may stem from the actress's rigorous filmmaking schedule; among other projects, she's reportedly playing Janis Joplin in the forthcoming feature Gospel According to Janis.

The two halves of She and Him performed together at this past Tuesday's "Songs of the City" event in Los Angeles (video here and here).

Ward has otherwise been quiet thus far in 2008, though he does have that Boston Pops gig to make up. No word just yet when that will happen, so those fixin' for that finger-pickin' will have to sate themselves with the man's contribution to the Natalie Portman-curated Big Change: Songs for FINCA charity compilation for now.

Meanwhile, the film that first brought Ward and Deschanel together, Martin Hynes' The Go-Getter, will play at the Sundance Film Festival next week.

Thunderbirds Are Now! Guy Fires Up Friendly Foes
TAN! offshoot Javelins prep album, play shows

Michigan spazz-rockers Thunderbirds Are Now! have seemed a bit Thunderbirds Were Then? lately, no? But fret not, Thunderbirds faithful: the band is indeed extant and well. It's just taking a wee lil' break while its members pursue some extracurriculars.

One such pursuit is Friendly Foes (not to be confused with the latest Menomena album), the self-described "POWER TRIO" led by TAN! singer/guitarist Ryan Allen. Originally an Allen solo venture, the expanded combo is rounded out by bassist Lizzie Whitmann (also of Motor City indie-poppers Kiddo) and drummer Brad Elliott.

According to the act's MySpace, we can look forward to an album from Friendly Foes "before all the glaciers in the world melt," and a handful of Foes shows (hopefully) long before the Rocky Mountains become beachfront property.

While Allen keeps busy with Friendly Foes, his TAN! bandmates Matt Rickle and Julian Wettlin have been active with their frequent side-thing Javelins. The Detroit trio will release an album called Heavy Meadows later this year, and they have a fair share of shows brewing as well.

Finally, Thunderbirds will take a break from their break to play a show at Ann Arbor, Michigan's Blind Pig January 24. Javelins are also on the bill that night. [MORE...]

Sally Shapiro, Johan Agebjorn Cut "Spacer Woman" 12"

Photo by Frida Klingberg

From the desolate dunes of the Red Planet (or the pristine pages of some Isaac Asimov novel) comes the mysterious "Spacer Woman From Mars"! And if this otherworldly lady sounds suspiciously like Pitchfork's fave Italo disco chanteuse Sally Shapiro intoning over another sparkling Johan Agebjörn production, well, my friend, that's absolutely correct. Well done; you have clearly been reading your Forkcast.

Previously available solely on Lo Recordings' Milky Disco compilation (and on this here website), "Spacer Woman" will receive a proper 12" release in February via Lo offshoot Loeb (no relation to Lisa). The track, billed to Johan Agebjörn featuring Sally Shapiro, comes bundled with a pair of remixes and an Agebjörn solo rendition of the Mega Man II video game theme song. Sweet! I sure hope he takes on something from Final Fantasy III next.

Sally Shapiro's Disco Romance, Pitchfork's #32 album of 2007, is available now. [MORE...]

Aluminum Group Wrap Happyness Trio With Little LP

With Little Happyness, a lengthy chapter in the tale of Chicago's chamber-poppy Aluminum Group comes to a close. The album is the third in the band's Happyness series, which began with 2002's Happyness and continued a couple years later on Morehappyness.

But don't let the title of this latest and last installment throw you: Little Happyness might be the heftiest offering from the Group yet. The set was co-produced by Tortoise's John McEntire and Prada designer Fabio Zambernardi. Guests include Dave Rothblatt from the Changes, Geri Soriano-Lightwood of Supreme Beings of Leisure, and "Biker Mice From Mars" voice actress Lisa Zane. No foolin'!

The disc emerges January 15 from Minty Fresh Records. [MORE...]

Why? Reveal New Album Details

Photo by Jacob Hand

Anticon genre-skippers (and aren't they all?) Why? have unveiled the tracklist of Alopecia, their third album and also the source of recent single "The Hollows".

Alopecia apparently showcases a pretty wide range of influences, and its songs were recorded mostly sampler-free as a live band. In addition to songwriter Yoni Wolf, Josiah Wolf, and Doug McDiarmid, that band has expanded to include Fog members Andrew Broder and Mark "Bear" Erickson.

Anticon will release Alopecia on March 11, with a European release on Tomlab to follow.

Why? have two shows scheduled soon, one in San Francisco on January 12 and another in L.A. three days later. [MORE...]

The Monks' Dave Day, R.I.P.

Dave "Day" Havlicek, the beloved electric banjo player of outfit the Monks, passed away yesterday (January 10).

The Monks' official website simply lists the date of Havlicek's death with a message that says, "Play that banjo in heaven, d.d. We'll miss you."

However, a post on WFMU's Beware of the Blog quotes fellow Monk Eddie Shaw as saying, "Two days before the birthday of his hero, Elvis, Dave Day of the Monks suffered a heart attack and massive brain injury. He has been taken off the life support system today. His work is done."

The members of the Monks started out as five American soldiers stationed in Germany in the 1960s. After leaving the military, they stayed in Germany to continue their career as a band. In 1966, the Monks released their only album, the cult classic Black Monk Time. They broke up a year later but reunited to tour in the '90s.

Since then, they have been the subject of a documentary and a tribute compilation, the latter featuring the likes of the Fall, the Raincoats, the Gossip, Faust, and Mouse on Mars. Their song "Monk Time" appeared at #165 on Pitchfork's list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Known as much for their image (the members sported the outfits and haircuts of real monks) as their raw sound, the Monks have been hailed as one of the bands that influenced the style and sound of punk rock.

For footage of Havlicek rocking out with the Monks in their heyday, check out the video below.

R.I.P. Olga Sarantos, Fiery Furnaces' Grandmother

Olga Sarantos, grandmother of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, has passed away, according to the Chicago Tribune (via BrooklynVegan).

Pitchfork readers will remember Sarantos (maiden name, Kokoris) as the voice of the Furnaces' 2005 album Rehearsing My Choir, which featured Sarantos recounting tales of her youth to the musical accompaniment of her grandchildren.

According to the Tribune, Sarantos began performing music at the age of 12, playing organ at Rock Island, Illinois' St. George Greek Orthodox Church. She remained active in music for much of her life, directing the choir at Chicago's Assumption Greek Orthodox Church for more than four decades. Her work on Rehearsing My Choir was highly divisive amongst Fiery Furnaces fans, but one thing was never in doubt: Sarantos spun a hell of a good yarn.

The Fiery Furnaces' winter tour kicks off January 17 in Hoboken. [MORE...]

The National Schedule More Shows

You have to sit on a mighty big plane for a mighty long time to get from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand. But this time of year, when summer is in full swing Down Under and things are mighty frosty in parts north, even our most nationalist bands periodically must fly the coop in order to regroup and flourish.

So, then, the National-- all-American lads if ever there were any-- are heading way southwards for a tour over the next few weeks. A number of these dates fall under the umbrella of the fairly amazing Sydney Fest we told you about some months ago, but one suspects the band figured they might as well justify the leg cramps of those ultra-long flights by adding a few more regional shows. On each night of the Sydney shindig, they'll be joined by Clogs, whose Bryce Dessner is also a member of the National. Boy, is he gonna regret that after doing six sets in three nights!

Once they get back to the northern hemisphere, the band have a smattering of dates over the next few months, including a one-off in Brooklyn, a stop at Langerado, and another interNational appearance at the Explosions in the Sky-curated ATP festival in May. [MORE...]

Feist, Of Montreal, Bloc Party on Environmental Comp
As are Deerhoof, Muse, A Place to Bury Strangers, Asobi Seksu

Contrary to popular belief, you're not going to change the world sitting on your couch watching the Presidential primaries. You could, however, change the world by sitting on your couch listening to The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit for the Energy Action Coalition, a two-CD/one-DVD collection of hot, rare, and otherwise worthwhile indie rock tracks and videos. As the title suggests, it benefits youth-centric environmental do-goodery network the Energy Action Coaltion.

Feist, Of Montreal, Bloc Party, Deerhoof, A Place to Bury Strangers, Muse, School of Seven Bells, Asobi Seksu, Juliana Hatfield, Earl Greyhound, and many others contribute audio from their respective vaults, while the DVD gathers a half-dozen exclusive videos and an interview with Energy Action Coalition co-founder Billy Parish.

All proceeds from the sale of the set go to the Energy Action Coalition, and it can be purchased beginning April 8 from Green Owl Records. [MORE...]

HEALTH, Crystal Castles Tour Dates Revealed

HEALTH photo by Kathryn Yu / Crystal Castles photo by Daniel Cantó

Mind those ears! Los Angeles squall-makers HEALTH and Toronto's madcap Crystal Castles are forging an international alliance of sonic assault on a long-promised North American tour, which kicks off February 21 at a "secret location" in the Ontarian capital. Perplexing!

The tour makes its way over a good chunk of the continent before landing back where it started at the end of the month. The following night, another gig in a city unbeknownst to us at yet another "secret location" will, again, take place. Now they're just messing with our heads.

Both bands have dates aplenty independent of the other, with HEALTH sticking to North American shores (with the likes of White Williams and Dan Deacon) and Crystal Castles sneaking over to Europe. Crystal Castles have promised UK dates for early February, but those have yet to be firmed up. And HEALTH plan to hit Europe once their North American plans wrap, though, again, that's a ways off.

Set in shiny stone (pun intended): Crystal Castles' forthcoming self-titled debut LP, which hits February 19 March 18 thanks to Last Gang Records . [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.)