Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac Expanded, Reissued

What was Ryan Adams like before he was famous? Before he was dating models and actresses and rapping about witches? Come March 4, you'll have a new shot at hanging out with the person Adams used to be. That's when Mood Food/Outpost/Geffen/UMe will reissue the 1997 album Strangers Almanac by his old band Whiskeytown.

Whiskeytown were around from 1994 to 1999, rising up from North Carolina to conquer the alt-country scene. Adams' bandmates Caitlin Cary and Phil Wandscher also went on to successful careers following the band's breakup. Strangers Almanac was their major label debut, following their 1994 album Faithless Street on the indie Mood Food.

Strangers Almanac: Deluxe Edition is a two disc set. The first disc features the original album bolstered by five previously unreleased radio performances. The second disc is a veritable treasure trove: all but two of its 21 tracks are previously unreleased recordings from early sessions for the LP, known by bootleggin' fans as the "Barn's on Fire Sessions". "Kiss & Make-Up", "Indian Gown", "Barn's on Fire", "Streets of Sirens", "Breathe", "Nurse With the Pills", and "10 Seconds" all appear for the first time on any official Whiskeytown release. Acoustic demos of album tracks "16 Days", "Avenues", and "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart", covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams", Gram Parsons' "Luxury Liner", Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone", and the True Believers' "The Rain Won't Help You When It's Over" round out the set.

Back in the present, Ryan Adams is currently busy checking out Fashion Week and posting weird stuff on YouTube. [MORE...]

Godspeed Still on Hiatus, Not Completely Broken Up
"If and when we do call it quits permanently, it won't be because of the Iraq war."

Photo: Eva Vermandel

Godspeed You! Black Emperor-- now there's a great band we haven't heard from in awhile. The Canadian collective has been on "indefinite hiatus" for the past five-or-so years. Members of the band have kept busy with various musical projects since then, the most high-profile being Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La-Band, which features Godspeed members Efrim Menuck, Thierry Amar, and Sophie Trudeau.

Over the weekend, GY!BE popped back up on our radar, thanks to a Drowned in Sound interview with Menuck. The interview was in support of the excellent new Silver Mt. Zion album, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons, which comes out March 25 on Constellation. (The band will tour this spring; see below for dates.)

In the interview, Menuck commented on the political and personal factors that lead to Godspeed You! Black Emperor's hiatus, including frustrations brought on by the war in Iraq. Drowned in Sound titled their story "Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Iraq war made it impossible to continue". Word spread quickly across the internet that the band had finally, officially, called it quits, and the Iraq war was the reason.

But the truth isn't that cut-and-dry. [MORE...]

Deerhoof Enlist New Member

From duo to trio to quartet to trio to-- eh, I'm sure we're missing a few configurations there-- Deerhoof's lineup adjustments have been almost as erratic as their music. And thanks to the recent addition of Ed Rodriguez on guitar, the mighty Deerhoof are four once more.

Mr. Rodriguez certainly gets around, having played in such acts as XBXRX, the Flying Luttenbachers, Sicbay, Iceburn, Colossamite (along with present Deerhoof member John Dieterich), and Gorge Trio. As Deerhoof is concerned, Rodriguez is in it for the long haul, serving as a permanent touring and recording member of the band.

Playfully heckle this newest recruit at either of Deerhoof's previously reported, Final Fantasy-curated Maximum Black Festival appearances, or at a California gig the week before.

And in case you weren't aware, Deerhoof helped Los Campesinos! realize their zine dreams, and Greg Saunier gives good interview. [MORE...]

Timbaland Launches "Mobile Album" With Verizon

Being the futuristic producer that he is, Timbaland has to constantly be thinking of ways to innovate. Recently, his brightest idea has been "sanding down the already smooth edges of blown-out radio rock (see: OneRepublic)," but his newest experiment is a little more intriguing, at the very least.

According to a press release, Timbaland will follow-up the massive success of Shock Value by creating a "mobile album" available exclusively through V Cast, Verizon Wireless' music & video service.

The "mobile album" looks like this: For the rest of 2008, Timbaland produces a song a month, collaborating with a different artist each month, all while touring the U.S. on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus. Behind-the-scenes footage will make its way to V Cast subscribers via a Timbaland channel. According to Billboard.com, within days of when a song is produced, it will become available as a download, ringtone, and ringback (whatever that is) via V Cast and Verizon. Then, at the end of the year, Verizon will release a compilation of all the tracks in some form or another.

Timbaland explained his involvement in creating the "mobile album" to Billboard.com as follows: "Every place don't get a CD [but] everybody has a mobile phone." It's hard to believe that people without the means to play CDs would nonetheless have cell phones, but Timbaland's other reason for working on the project makes a little more sense: professional pride. "Just producing a mobile album has never been done. I'm the first to ever do it."

The first song from the project, which features Timbaland protégé Keri Hilson, will debut today (Feb. 8) at a pre-Grammy party. According to Billboard.com, some attendees of the party could collaborate with Timbaland on future installments of the "album." Among the party's guests are Paramore, Flo Rida, Chris Cornell, Natasha Bedingfield, and, of course, OneRepublic.

Long Blondes Reveal North American Tour, Tracklist

See that right there? The thing with the torn up zebra standing on a daybed and staring into its own butt? That's the very image that will grace each and every copy of the Long Blondes' sophomore set, Couples. How romantic!

As you know, the Erol Alkan-produced LP arrives April 7 in the UK and April 8 in the U.S. from Rough Trade, with a UK single for "Guilt" "Century" arriving March 24. And, hey, we even got a Couples tracklist for you. Now all we need is the music. Oh, right, right, April.

The Blondes have added more than a "couple" (ha) tour dates to their previously reported trek, with a spin around the UK leading them into Europe proper, followed by few weeks in North American starting in mid-May.

You know what they say about Long Blondes, don't you? Long tours! Geez guys, ya'll filthy. [MORE...]

Wipers' Sophomore Album Gets Vinyl Reissue
Jackpot label also plans Jandek, New Dawn reissues

Portland record store and start-up label Jackpot Records will follow its 2006 vinyl reissue of Wipers' 1980 debut album Is This Real? by giving the same treatment to the second Wipers album, Youth of America.

Nirvana trivia buffs know Wipers as one of Kurt Cobain's favorite bands, and 1981's Youth of America saw guitarist/bandleader Greg Sage eschewing the debut's shorter songs for six long compositions. Since the album's release, its title track has received covers from both Mission of Burma and the Melvins.

For Jackpot's vinyl reissue of Youth of America on February 11, Greg Sage mastered the album from his original tapes; the release also restores the record's original artwork.

Wipers aren't the only band Jackpot will reissue this year. The label has plans for a vinyl reissue of Jandek's Ready for the House and a CD/LP release of New Dawn's complete recordings. [MORE...]

Los Campesinos! Craft Zine With Deerhoof, Gruff Rhys
Times New Viking, Final Fantasy, You Say Party! We Say Die! also contribute

With their songs about mixtapes, vintage indie rock t-shirts, and Pavement cover, it sometimes seems like Los Campesinos! were plucked directly outta 1993 and plopped into our laps a decade and a half later. And then they go and do something like, I dunno, whip up a friggin' zine on their home copier, and all of a sudden, it really is the early 90s all over again.

Indeed, Los Campesinos! will offer up copies of "Romance is Boring (A Los Campe-'zine'os)" at all future stops on their tour, which takes them to Bath, England this evening. In addition to musings straight from the Campesinos! crew, the zine features contributions from Times New Viking, Deerhoof, Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, Final Fantasy, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Parenthetical Girls, Gary Jarman of the Cribs, writer Kieron Gillen, and comedian Josie Long.

However, the thing comes with a price. According to the LC! newsletter, "We will actually be asking for small donations towards a Rheumatoid Arthritis charity to discourage people from taking loads of copies and putting them on the floor and pouring beer on them and stuff." Good thinking.

The Campesinos!, as you know, have an album on the way. It's titled Hold On Now, Youngster..., and that's the cover up there at the top of this here story. It's due out February 25 on Wichita in the UK and April 1 in North America via Arts&Crafts. The "Death to Los Campesinos!" single is out February 18 in the UK on Wichita, backed by "Frontwards" and "another song about mixx tapes", "Clunk-Rewind-Clunk-Play-Clunk".

The band have also added a bunch of dates to their UK tour since the last time we checked in on 'em. They'll make their way to the States in March for South by Southwest, and then back to their home turf in May for the ATP vs. Pitchfork festival. [MORE...]

Panda Bear, Of Montreal, Battles on Rough Trade Comp
With Dan Deacon, No Age, Justice, Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors, Von Südenfed

The folks behind London's Rough Trade shops are well known for their frequent compilations of fave-raves. But the next one, Counter Culture 07, is a bit different; a bit more personal; a bit, if you will, rougher in its trade.

For the first time, Rough Trade put the mix together independently (in contrast to previous comps where they partnered with various labels), lending the set the unique feel of a passion-driven mixtape. The double-disc Counter Culture 07 compilation packs 41 tracks from the previous year, from now-familiar favorites from Of Montreal, Battles, Panda Bear, No Age, Justice, Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, and Dan Deacon to top-shelf stuff from lesser-known acts like Supersilent, Om, Arthur & Yu, and Magik Markers.

The set is available now at Rough Trade and elsewhere February 11 on Counter Culture Records. Gaze with awe at the tracklist after this here thing. [MORE...]

Frightened Rabbit Get in Midnight Organ Fight, Tour
Top 10 album title of the year contender right here, people

April 15, FatCat Records will issue The Midnight Organ Fight, the anticipated sophomore LP from the scruffy, searching Glaswegian hop-alongs of Frightened Rabbit. The disc-- the follow-up to the beloved (if too little heard) Sing the Greys LP-- was recorded in Bridgeport, Connecticut with Interpol/National/Twilight Sad producer Peter Katis over a mightily prolific two week period.

The band has a handful of dates in the UK and Europe coming up fast, plus a trip to the States yet again in March for the SXSW shindig (with an appearance of note at the Scottish Arts Council showcase). A full tour of the U.S. is being planned right this instant, but for now, we must wait. [MORE...]

Ladytron Reveal Album Details, North American Tour

Photo by Staphane Gallois

Hips (and hipsters), get to shaking: Ladytron have a new one for you. According to Spin.com (and the band's MySpace), Velocifero, the fourth LP from the slinky Liverpool-based dance-rockers, will be released in the U.S. June 3 on their new label Nettwerk. Recorded in Paris, the disc was produced by the band, with a little help from Alessandro Cortini and (as we mentioned) Ed Banger's Vicarious Bliss.

The band will embark on a tour with their sonically likeminded labelmates Datarock this spring, and make even the non-hippies dance at Bonnaroo. [MORE...]

Jay-Z Launches Ad Agency, Expands Tour

Photo by Kyle Gustafson

Jay-Z may have given up the Def Jam presidency, but his tendency for corporate dabbling remains intact. His newest venture, according to a report from The New York Times, is a joint one with entrepreneur Steve Stoute. Together, the pair is launching the NYC-based Translation Advertising.

A division of Translation Consultation and Brand Imaging, Translation Advertising's goal is to "help marketers reach multicultural consumers," according to the Times. The company will announce its first clients soon.

As co-chairmen of Translation Advertising, Jay and Stoute will own 51% of the company. The other 49% will be the property of Interpublic, the agency company to which Stoute sold Translation Consultation last year for an estimated $10-15 million, according to the Times.

Stoute told the Times that Jay will not be involved in "day-to-day operations" as much as he will "use his eye, his taste, his understanding of the culture" to help guide the company. "He left his day job at Def Jam; he has to do something," Stoute said.

Among the other things he's doing to keep himself busy: touring. Jay has already added more dates to his previously reported "Heart of the City" co-headlining jaunt with Mary J. Blige, which kicks off March 22 in Miami. [MORE...]

Leonard Cohen to Play Glastonbury
Hot Chip, British Sea Power, the Verve, Kings of Leon added to the lineup as well

The Verve, Kings of Leon, Hot Chip, British Sea Power... festival favorites, all. And, heck, if Jay-Z wants in on something, you should never, ever say no. But even though we knew Leonard Cohen would be touring this year, we're a little surprised to hear that the legendarily reclusive singer-songwriter's first announced gig is an appearance at England's rather gigantic Glastonbury Festival. Surprised, and way more jealous of all Glastonbury attendees than we were before.

Yes, according to the BBC, Leonard Cohen will join the aforementioned lot-- and Neil Diamond!-- in pummeling the hills at Glastonbury June 27-29. No word on just where Cohen's set will fall in the festival's lineup, though the idea of Leonard Cohen warming up the crowd for Friday night headliners Kings of Leon is a pretty depressing one. "California Waiting", you are no "Famous Blue Raincoat".

No word yet on the album he's apparently working on, and Glastonbury remains the only date at the moment. He'll make a stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 10 to pick up some award or something.

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.)