Pitchfork: MCA Launches Film Company, Beasties Play Benefit

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MCA Launches Film Company, Beasties Play Benefit

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Beastie Boy MCA, aka Adam Yauch, is launching his own independent film distribution company in collaboration with former ThinkFilm VP (and Awesome! I Fuckin' Shot That! partner) David Fenkel and (fellow former ThinkFilm employee) Dan Berger, according to a Reuters report.

A branch of Yauch's music and film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories, Oscilloscope Pictures will "acquire narrative and documentary features from festivals for release in the U.S. and provide funds to complete and release unfinished films," reports Reuters. The company will handle the theatrical distribution and marketing of its films. And since the company is self-financed, Yauch is looking at a business model in which filmmakers share some of the financial risk.

According to Reuters, Yauch plans to release anywhere from two to 10 films in Oscilloscope Pictures' first year. Its first movie will make its way to theaters this summer.

On the musical end of things, the Beastie Boys will perform at New York City's Terminal 5 on March 4 at a benefit show for the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. The Institute, which was co-founded by Dr. Oliver Sacks, specializes in music therapy treatment and research. IMNF board member Moby will host the benefit. [MORE...]

Stream: Beastie Boys: Various Tracks

Posted by Dave Maher in film, benefit on Wed: 02-06-08: 01:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Nadja Have Another Album Coming Out, Tour Dates
We could just make this a permanent feature of the site

With the hundreds of Nadja albums being produced every day, it may be hard to know where to start. Desire in Uneasiness-- the most recent, for the next eight minutes or so-- seems as good a place as any, marching though it does to a very different drummer than its predecessors.

Indeed, the addition of any drummer at all makes Desire a little different for Nadja's Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff. The droney Toronto duo employed a real live drummer this time out, adding even more depth to their strikingly lush soundscapes. The resulting disc, packed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, will arrive from Crucial Blast April 8.

Of course there are a half dozen other Nadja releases in queue, including some reworkings of classic Nadja CD-Rs. No, seriously: the Tümpsia split 12" (Accident Prone), Trembled 12" (Volubilis), Thaumogenesis (Level Plane) and Corrasion (Foreshadow) double twelves, and Skin Turns to Glass LP (The End) all await, as does a collaborative CD/LP with Black Boned Angel (20 Buck Spin).

Finally, Nadja have a few scattered live engagements over the coming months, with a stop at SXSW at least one Pitchfork news staffer can't shut up about. [MORE...]

Stream: Nadja: Disambiguation [from the forthcoming Desire in Uneasiness LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in album, EP, tour on Wed: 02-06-08: 01:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Monotonix Do Drag City EP, Huge North American Tour

The last time the gnarly Tel Aviv rockers of Monotonix made it to the States on tour, they packed in a little more than the usual shows and burritos and sleeping on floors. They met up with the folks at Drag City, who'll release Body Language, a new EP recorded in San Francisco by the Fucking Champs' Tim Green during the same trip abroad.

Drag City will release the Body Language disc April 22, just as Monotonix are about to wrap the truly gargantuan North American tour they'll embark on later this month. First, however, they have a few gigs around Israel.

In other Monotonix news, their entry in the Volcom singles club-- a split 7" with RTX-- is due in June. [MORE...]

Stream: Monotonix: Various Tracks [from the forthcoming Body Language EP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in EP, tour on Wed: 02-06-08: 12:10 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Photos: Robyn [New York, NY; 02/05/08]

Photos by Kathryn Yu

It was a night some three years in the making. Ever since Pitchfork first laid ears upon the sublime, self-titled pop cocktail of hooks, charm, and attitude that is Robyn, we've been thinking of nothing but that special Swedish lady. And mere hours ago, at long last, she was here.

Last night's performance at New York City's Highline Ballroom marked Robyn's first Stateside live appearance in who knows how long, and hopefully the first of many more. At the very least, it will be the first of a few: Robyn heads to San Francisco tomorrow night, graces the Los Angeles area with her infectious stylings this coming weekend, and hits Austin in March for some kind of festive happening.

U.S. audiences will finally finally finally get to scoop up a non-import copy of Robyn later this year, while we can content ourselves until then with the American edition of The Rakamonie EP that dropped last month. Both come our way courtesy of Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope.

Scope more photos below, and catch some video action and some words on the show from Pitchfork's Marc Hogan over in Forkcast.

ROBYN

[MORE...]

Posted by Pitchfork Staff in tour, photos on Wed: 02-06-08: 12:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Name Missy Elliott's New Album
Surely you can come up with something better than "Miss E... So Addictive"

She may have just thoroughly confused us with the 3-D video for "Ching-A-Ling", but Missy Elliott nonetheless needs our help. The queen of out-there rap&B is getting ready to release her seventh full-length, the follow-up to 2005's The Cookbook, and she's holding a contest to decide what to call it.

To enter the contest, hop on over to Missy's site, and fill out the form on the front page. The contest ends February 20, and the winner will be announced March 2. In addition to naming the album, the winner will receive credit in the liner notes and a $500 "Respect Me" Adidas gift card.

Other than "Ching-A-Ling" and "Shake Your Pom Pom" (which also appear on the Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack), no song titles for the new album are known right now. Missy is prepping the record for a spring release.

Video: Missy Elliott: Ching-A-Ling/ Shake Your Pom Pom [from the Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack]

Posted by Dave Maher in album, contest on Wed: 02-06-08: 11:21 AM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Junior Boys Serve Up Get Physical Mix, DJ Dates
Mix features new JBs track, Matthew Dear, Studio, Supermayer, Kelley Polar

While all our vital organs quietly pulsate in anticipation of the follow-up to 2006's exquisite So This Is Goodbye, Junior Boys have a few stopgap gifts to share with us.

First up is Body Language Six, Junior Boys' contribution to famed imprint Get Physical's famed mix series. Six arrives March 11 in the U.S. and clocks in at 19 tracks. Among them: a brand new Junior Boys tune, plus offerings from Matthew Dear, Studio, Supermayer, Kelley Polar, Radio Slave, Steadycam, Chelonius R. Jones, Visage(!), and Prins Thomas (in remix mode).

While they Get Physical in one realm, Junior Boys will personally help you get physical in another: da club. Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus each have individual DJ gigs popping off on scattered dates in the coming weeks. The next, a Jeremy Greenspan set, hits Toronto on February 22.

Finally, don't miss Junior Boys' reworking of Sally Shapiro, due on CD soon and 12" sooner. [MORE...]

Video: Junior Boys: Under the Sun (live at the 2007 Pitchfork Music Festival)

Posted by Matthew Solarski in compilation, tour on Wed: 02-06-08: 10:15 AM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Bonnaroo 2008 Lineup Revealed
Pearl Jam, Metallica, Kanye, Death Cab, Sigur Ros, Raconteurs, MMJ lead the charge

Brace yourselves: it's time once again for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival to descend upon happening Manchester, Tennessee in one ginormous tree-hugging, hacky-sacking, tent-pitching, live music-loving whirlwind.

This year's big event takes place June 12-15 at the usual Manchester farm, and the initial lineup announced just now is nothing to sneeze at: Pearl Jam, Metallica, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Kanye West, Death Cab for Cutie, M.I.A., My Morning Jacket, Broken Social Scene, Sigur Rós, Vampire Weekend, the Raconteurs, Iron and Wine, Mastodon, Battles, Rilo Kiley, Lupe Fiasco, B.B. King, !!!, Ladytron, the Fiery Furnaces, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, José González, Black Kids, Talib Kweli, Drive-By Truckers, Minus the Bear, Tegan and Sara, Ben Folds, and Gogol Bordello, just to name a few. Zeppelin will be there, too-- Lez Zeppelin, that is.

And hey, there's Jack Johnson again.

Finally, as in previous years, campers can look forward to a comedy tent- boasting David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, and Janeane Garofalo, among others-- plus a cinema festival, jazz club, silent disco, arcade, Internet cafés, restaurants, yoga classes, craft vendors, llama rides, etc. Actually we're not sure about the llama rides, but pretty much the only way they could make this festival better is with llamas.

Posted by Matthew Solarski in festival on Tue: 02-05-08: 11:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Modest Mouse Working on New EP
Isaac Brock collaborates with Frank Black, goes fishing with James Mercer

Modest Mouse must be the busiest rodents since the dress-makers in Cinderella. In the February 7 issue of Rolling Stone (the one with Thom Yorke on the cover), frontman Isaac Brock revealed a whole bunch of post-We Were Dead activity to the "Smoking Section" column. Although none of this info has been confirmed yet, here's what he had to say:

First, "My big priority is to finish up this Modest Mouse EP," which Rolling Stone says will feature "repolished outtakes from Modest Mouse's last two discs." Among the songs slated for inclusion on the EP according to Brock are "The Whale Song", "Satellite Skin", and a tune with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. (You might remember Dirty Dozen from such Modest Mouse songs as "Horn Intro" and "This Devil's Workday" from Good News for People Who Love Bad News.)

However, that isn't all that's brewing in camp Modest Mouse. Brock told Rolling Stone that he and former Smiths/current MM guitarist Johnny Marr will begin writing new songs in March, before the band starts its tour with R.E.M. and the National.

Brock is also planning to contribute vocals to a Frank Black and the Catholics re-creation of the late Lee Hazlewood's 1963 debut album Trouble Is a Lonesome Town.

Finally, while it's not musical in nature, our favorite tidbit from the Rolling Stone interview is the revelation that Brock has been fishing with Shins frontman James Mercer. Considering the season, we imagine it's ice fishing, and if that's the case, only one question remains: Who's Lemmon and who's Matthau? [MORE...]

Video: Modest Mouse: People as Places as People [from the We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in EP, collaboration on Tue: 02-05-08: 04:54 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Shocking Pinks Cover Magnetic Fields on Single

The scruffy lo-fi pop of Shocking Pinks, aka New Zealander Nick Harte, will come in a whole bunch of new permutations on March 3, when DFA/EMI releases the "Emily" single.

Taken from last year's self-titled album, "Emily" will come on CD and double 12" vinyl. Between the two formats, the single features remixes from Nathan Fake, Deepchord, Echospace, and Expanding Head Band (aka former Tussle member Alexis Georgopoulos and Bing Ji Ling's Quinn Luke), plus a Shocking Pinks take on the Magnetic Fields' "Nothing Matters When We're Dancing".

For the most part, the live front has quieted down for Harte, but he does have a single Shocking show at Wellington, New Zealand's San Francisco Bathhouse on February 8. [MORE...]

Video: Shocking Pinks: Emily [single; from the Shocking Pinks LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in single on Tue: 02-05-08: 04:40 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Juan Maclean, Booka Shade Remix Depeche's Gahan
Digitalism, Maps, T. Raumschmiere also appear on remix album

As a member of a danceable rock combo, Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan aims to rock our bodies as much as he pushes our pop buttons. Thus, he'll unleash a remix version of his second solo album, Hourglass, via Mute/Virgin on March 11.

Hourglass: Remixes collects remixes from the Juan Maclean, Booka Shade, Digitalism, Maps, T. Raumschmiere, Kap10Kurt, Onur Ozer, and Sebastien Leger. The compilation is a vinyl-only release accompanied by a "bonus" CD that contains the full album plus three bonus tracks. Also, it will only be available at independent music stores; thinkindie.com has the list of retailers. [MORE...]

Stream: Dave Gahan: Deeper & Deeper (Juan Maclean Club Mix) [from the forthcoming Hourglass: Remixes compilation]

Posted by Dave Maher in remix, album on Tue: 02-05-08: 04:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Simian Mobile Disco Release Yet Another EP

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

The dudes of Simian Mobile Disco sure love them some EPs. And now, they can add an iTunes-only entry to a collection that includes last year's Simian Mobile Disco and the forthcoming Clock.

The duo's Live From SoHo EP hit iTunes today, and it includes tracks like "Hustler", "Tits & Acid", "It's the Beat", and SMD's remix of the Go! Team's "Ladyflash", all mixed live at NYC's SoHo Apple Store.

Of course, SMD have plenty of non-recorded (yet) live dates ahead of them as well, starting with a show tomorrow (February 6) in Leeds. [MORE...]

Stream: Simian Mobile Disco: Hustler (A-Trak Remix) [from the Hustler 12-inch]

Posted by Dave Maher in EP on Tue: 02-05-08: 03:16 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Tickley Feather Signs to Paw Tracks for Debut LP

Photo by Kimber Vansant

Tickley Feather has signed to Paw Tracks-- label home to Panda Bear, Black Dice, and Excepter-- for the release of her debut album on April 28 in the UK and April 29 Stateside. Tickley Feather is the nom de musique of Philadelphia four-track enthusiast Annie Sachs, and the album is called simply Tickley Feather.

Badmaster Records will release the vinyl version of the album on April 2.

For now, Sachs has a single tour date scheduled in pre-emptive support of the record. The show is tomorrow night, February 6, at Philly's Silk City. [MORE...]

MP3: Tickley Feather: Tonight Is the Nite [from the forthcoming Tickley Feather LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in signing, album on Tue: 02-05-08: 02:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

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