Pitchfork: Frog Eyes Extend Tour

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Photo by Sarah Cass

It was less than a year ago that Frog Eyes released Tears of the Valedictorian, and the Canadian band still has plenty of energy to expend on supporting it on the road.

Carey Mercer and co.'s newest jaunt starts with three dates at the Owen Pallet-curated Maximum Black festival, then heads across Europe for a couple weeks before heading back to North America for a pair of New York dates. [MORE...]

MP3: Frog Eyes: Bushels [from the Tears of the Valedictorian LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in tour on Wed: 02-27-08: 09:58 AM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

My Brightest Diamond Bares Shark's Teeth on New LP

Photo by Matt Wignall

Impeccably dressed, Sufjan-approved, injury-prone Huey Lewis fan Shara Worden will issue her second My Brightest Diamond album, A Thousand Shark's Teeth, June 17 on Asthmatic Kitty. The self-produced disc, recorded in Berlin, Los Angeles, and New York City, has been in the works for six years; some of its tunes even pre-date Bring Me the Workhorse, Worden's 2006 MBD debut.

In addition to Worden's formidable piano and guitar work, the set is peppered with vibraphones, French horns, harps, clarinets, marimbas, and even a sample of trip-hop maestro Tricky.

The album's lead single will be opening track "Inside a Boy". Worden and My Brightest Diamond will embark on a tour this spring and summer, though the've only got a few dates lined up at the moment, including a couple of SXSW appearances.

But don't forget: she and the rest of the Asthmatic Kitty family will appear on the label's Encyclopedia Asthmatica DVD, which arrives March 4. [MORE...]

Stream: My Brightest Diamond: Naturally (Huey Lewis cover) [from the Are You Still With Me?! A Tribute to Huey Lewis and the News LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in album, tour on Wed: 02-27-08: 08:00 AM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Frank Black, Isaac Brock...and Larry Norman?

Pixies man Frank Black is a pretty huge fan of Larry Norman, the Christian Rock trailblazer who passed away on Sunday at the age of 60. As mentioned in our obituary yesterday, Black had joined Norman onstage before. He had also covered Norman's songs, and a press release on Norman's death quotes Black as saying in eulogy, "Larry was my door into the music business and he was the most Christlike person I ever met."

But Black's ties to Norman go beyond immense respect, covers, and guest appearances. As it turns out, at the time of his death, Larry Norman was working on a record with Black, Larry's brother Charles Norman (who records as Charles Normal), and Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock. That record is indeed the previously mentioned re-working of Lee Hazlewood's Trouble Is a Lonesome Town. It will feature Black, Brock, and Norman each singing three songs, while Guards of Metropolis vocalist Kristin Blix sings the tenth. Guards of Metropolis serve as the backing band. Charles Normal (who also plays in Guards of Metropolis) produced the disc, and it's due later this year on Guards' Slackertone imprint.

As previously reported, Larry Norman: The Anthology arrives May 27 on Arena Rock.

Video: Larry Norman: I Wish We'd All Been Ready (live in 2000)

Posted by Matthew Solarski in collaboration on Tue: 02-26-08: 05:30 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Fleet Foxes Join P4K/Windish Party, Set Times Updated

What's a party without a little reverb-laden, pastoral country rock from the Pacific Northwest? The 3rd Annual Pitchfork/Windish Austin Bash just got a whole lot flannel-er (not to mention foxier) with the addition of Sub Pop-signed Seattle serenaders Fleet Foxes, who join an ace lineup that already includes 11 of your favorite bands, all itching to take the stages at Emo's and Emo's Jr.

The festivities still begin at noon on the totally arbitrary date of Friday, March 14 in the totally arbitrary location of Austin, Texas. With Fleet Foxes joining the bill, the set times have been bumped and shuffled about a bit. Here's the latest:

No Age (5:30 p.m.)
A Place to Bury Strangers (5 p.m.)
Yeasayer (4:30 p.m.)
Times New Viking (4 p.m.)
Fleet Foxes (3:30 p.m.)
Atlas Sound (3 p.m.)
Bon Iver (2:30 p.m.)
Fuck Buttons (2 p.m.)
Jay Reatard (1:30 p.m.)
White Williams (1 p.m.)
Lykke Li (12:30 p.m.)
High Places (12 p.m.)

Those funny fellers from Human Giant will also be on hand, and the whole event is being held by Pitchfork and the Windish Agency in conjunction with our friends at TicketWeb and 2K Sports, as well as our Pitchfork Music Festival partners Goose Island, Boost Mobile, and Sparks.

Posted by Matthew Solarski in festival on Tue: 02-26-08: 04:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Jeremy Jay Preps Debut LP for K Records, Tours

In many ways, Jeremy Jay appears to be a man out of time. Sporting a mop-top and coarse wool blazer, Jay draws on such esoteric yet melody-minded songwriters of the past as Harry Nilsson and Bill Fay (with a little bit of post-punk disaffection thrown in for good measure). And while he's no throwback act, it's not hard to imagine a tune of his gracing the same classic film soundtracks populated by Simon and Garfunkel and Cat Stevens.

Jay recently released the Airwalker EP-- available for free in streaming format here-- which he'll follow rather quickly with his debut LP, A Place Where We Can Go, May 20 on K Records.

Jeremy has plans to tour around the disc, including a mess of gigs in his native California leading into even more at SXSW. [MORE...]

MP3: Jeremy Jay: Beautiful Rebel [from the forthcoming A Place Where We Can Go LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in album, tour on Tue: 02-26-08: 03:40 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Bjork Dedicates Song to Kosovo, Serbia Show Canceled

Photo by Ashley Williamson

Björk's "Declare Independence" is a powerful, abrasive anthem about freedom; as Björk told us in an interview earlier this year, the song was written about the situation in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which are politically bound to Denmark.

According to an Iceland Review Online story, the Icelandic superstar brought the song's message to an extremely hot-button issue last week, when she dedicated "Declare Independence" to Kosovo at two concerts in Tokyo. Kosovo declared its own independence from Serbia last week, sparking both celebrations and protests.

Iceland Review reports that the dedications led to the cancellation of Björk's planned performance in Novi Sad, Serbia this summer. According to various internet sources, that performance was to be at the EXIT Festival, which takes place this year from July 10-13.

Organizers explained their cancellation of Björk's appearance as the result of an inability to guarantee security for concertgoers, according to Iceland Review Online source Morgunbladid.

Morgunbladid reports that in response to the cancellation, Björk said, "Maybe a Serb attended my concert [in Tokyo] and called home, and therefore the concert in Novi Sad was cancelled."

Thanks to Daniel La France for the tip.

Björk has plenty of tour dates left across the world, continuing February 28 in Hong Kong. [MORE...]

Video: Bjork: Declare Independence [from the Volta LP]

Posted by Dave Maher and Amy Phillips in gossip, cancellation on Tue: 02-26-08: 03:09 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Chemikal Underground Opens Digital Download Store

Jumping into the digital indie fray alongside folks like Sub Pop and Touch and Go, Glasgow's revered Chemikal Underground imprint has launched its very own online store for the sale of digital music files.

Cruise on over to the Chemikal Underground shop right now and you'll find every darn release in the label's prestigious catalog-- over 650 songs!-- reduced to refreshingly portable, 256kbps ones and zeros. That catalog includes classics from Mogwai, Arab Strap (plus solo releases from Aidan John Moffat and Malcolm Middleton), CU founders the Delgados, Bis, Aerogramme, and more, not to mention the ultra-rare, ultra-excellent Interpol Fukd ID 12".

Being able to satisfy your Chemikal fix from the comfort of your own computer chair is pretty sweet by itself, but the shop will make things even more worth your while by offering up some rare exclusives. Among them: the sole official Degaldos concert bootleg, Live at the Fruitmarket: Glasgow 2001, Arab Strap's soundtrack to the short film Rogue Farm, and plenty of Arab Strap rarities. And that's just the beginning.

While shaking things up on the world wide web, Chemikal Underground has also been making moves in reality-land. The label recently delivered Aidan John Moffat's naughty I Can Hear Your Heart and Mother and the Addicts' Science Fiction Illustrated, and treated overseas audiences to the latest Radar Bros. LP, Auditorium. Mogwai's groundbreaking Young Team, as previously reported, will get a 10th anniverary expanded reissue from CU, tentatively in April.

MP3: Various Chemikal Underground Artists: Various Tracks

Posted by Matthew Solarski in label, business on Tue: 02-26-08: 02:10 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Handsome Furs Firm Up Spring Tour

This right here? This fine looking thing (after the jump) represents the full list of places you and yours can cavort and caper with young marrieds Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry of Handsome Furs on their forthcoming spring tour, which is now even longer than it was before.

Following a stop at the Sub Pop SXSW showcase, the band will hit the road in late March, traversing the East Coast, then the west, and not a whole heck of a lot in between. "Handsome Furs Hate This City"? Nah, it's the long commutes they're really not so fond of. [MORE...]

Video: Handsome Furs: Cannot Get, Started [from the Plague Park LP]

Posted by Paul Thompson in tour on Tue: 02-26-08: 01:57 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Ian Curtis, M.I.A., Common, Karen O Sell Converses
Also: Sid Vicious, Joan Jett, Hunter S. Thompson

We tend to associate Common with dapper headwear (and safe sex and vodka), but a new advertising campaign will use the MC's likeness-- as well as those of M.I.A., Sid Vicious, Karen O, Joan Jett, and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong-- to promote shoes.

Converse is celebrating its first century of existence this year with a campaign called "Connectivity", which gets its name by "visually 'connecting' past and present Converse icons," according to a press release.

In addition to the aforementioned musicians, the "Converse icons" in the campaign include James Dean, Hunter S. Thompson, and NBA star Dwyane Wade. "Connectivity" will also feature a few other, region-specific faces, including Ian Curtis (UK), Jane Birkin (France), and Nina Hagen (Germany).

The "Connectivity" campaign is set to debut this spring.

Posted by Dave Maher in business on Tue: 02-26-08: 12:56 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Mike Patton & Fennesz Plan More Dates Together

In-demand weird sound vocalizer Mike Patton and subdued weird sound synthesizer Christian Fennesz will kick off another European tour together tomorrow evening, February 27.

They have four dates together before splitting up for a few solo gigs. Patton's headlining shows are all with Italy's Zu, and Fennesz's are mostly festival dates. Patton fans in Brussels should note that a scheduled gig at VK for March 5 has been cancelled. But the question remains: When are these two gonna show North America some love?

Patton has also been collaborating with Dan the Automator under the name Crudo. The pair will perform at the 2008 Sasquatch! festival, running May 24-26. [MORE...]

Stream: Peeping Tom: Various Tracks

Stream: Fennesz / Sakamoto: Trace [from the Cendre LP]

Posted by Dave Maher in tour, collaboration on Tue: 02-26-08: 12:10 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Noise Pop Kicks Off Tonight in San Francisco

Starting this evening and continuing through Sunday, March 2, noise, pop, and pretty much everything betwixt the two shall meet in the City by the Bay, as the 16th annual Noise Pop festival takes over San Francisco. Music, film, art, and something called a "stellastarr*" will line the streets of the fair city, giving the rest of the nation yet another reason to be jealous of San Franciscans.

Since the early run-down we gave back in November with the Mountain Goats, the Magnetic Fields, Cursive, and the Gutter Twins, there has been a ton of new additions to the Noise Pop lineup. Highlights include the Walkmen, A Place to Bury Strangers, She & Him, Holy Fuck, British Sea Power, Helio Sequence, Blitzen Trapper, Quasi, Bodies of Water, the Rosebuds, Tilly and the Wall, the Little Ones, Trackademicks, Fleet Foxes, the Dodos, Throw Me the Statue, Panther, Mika Miko, the Broken West, Kelley Stoltz, Working for a Nuclear Free City, Monotonix, Grand Archives, Film School, MSTRKRFT, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Two Gallants' Adam Stephens, Amplive, those Human Giant characters, and, yes, stellastarr*.

The film portion of the festival includes the Germs biopic What We Do Is Secret, the documentaries Wesley Willis's Joyrides and You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977-1984. There is also an art show featuring Autumn de Wilde's photographs of Elliott Smith, a design/craft fair, and panels and mentoring sessions.

The festivities take place at a plethora of San Francisco locales over the next several days. For a detailed schedule, hit up the Noise Pop website, or just wander around San Francisco aimlessly until you hear the sweet, sweet music.

Posted by Paul Thompson in festival on Tue: 02-26-08: 12:00 PM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

Radiohead Plan Japan Tour, Confirm Toronto Date?

Hello? Gee, hey Radiohead! How ya been? It's been, like, nearly five days since we ran a story on you guys. I know, right? Sooooo, what ya'll been doin'? Oh I see. Uh huh. Uh huh. That's nice.

A reportedly confirmed date in Toronto, you say? August 15 at the Molson Amphitheatre, according to Much Music's Red Hot blog [via At Ease]? Shucks, guys, you shouldn't have!

Ooh, and a little travel out East, eh? Gigs in Osaka and Tokyo? Cool! Any idea where or when exactly? Oh I see, you don't know yet. Uh huh. Just sometime in October. Well that's still pretty sweet.

And just those two All Points West performances in the NYC area, huh? Oh hey, how about that San Francisco fest thing? Still just a rumor for now, I see.

Well guys, I have to go fetch my laundry, but it's been cool. Don't worry, I will. OK, catch you next time! Keep it real, dudes! [MORE...]

Video: Radiohead: Videotape [from the In Rainbows LP]

Posted by Matthew Solarski in tour, rumor on Tue: 02-26-08: 11:30 AM CST | Digg this article | Add to del.icio.us | Permalink

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Wed: 03-26-08: 03:15 PM CDT
Chinese Democracy in 2008? Free Dr. Pepper for All!