Flaming Lips Add Shows, Christmas on Mars Screening

In mid-October 2005, Pitchfork News posted a story titled "Flaming Lips Finish Filming Christmas on Mars", several years after our first mention of it in November of 2002. Whether or not it was, indeed, done some two-and-a-half years ago, we felt compelled even then to mention that the Flaming Lips' long-delayed filmic epic was "finally... finally... FINALLY" in the can.

Though there's been plenty of talk of a release for Christmas on Mars in the interim, those plans have never quite congealed. That is, until now: next month, for reals this time, Christmas on Mars is finally... finally... FINALLY going to be screened in public. As previously mentioned, Christmas on Mars will make its screen debut May 25 in George, Washington as part of the Sasquatch! Festival, a day before the Lips take over the Gorge for a live performance. The film will also be shown at Bonnaroo, at which the Lips are not appearing.

About... damn... TIME.

The Lips-- who, if you haven't heard, put on kind of an okay live show-- will inspire mass apathy in audiences all over the place this spring and summer, with dates in North America, the UK and Europe. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? LIVE FLAMING LIPS WOOOO!!!!

And once the woos have subsided, the Lips will head back to the studio to work up their next LP with constant companion Dave Fridmann. No word yet on a DVD release for Christmas on Mars, but one imagines starting that letter to Santa now won't be in vain this year. [MORE...]

Cursive Add Dates, Kasher Pens Story for Lit Mag

Boy, if Tim Kasher was thinking of breaking out of the whole "emo kid, all grown up" image he's been cultivating for the last decade-plus, this probably wasn't the way to go about it.

The Cursive frontman and occasional examiner of the human condition has taken a break from writing that new Cursive LP to contribute some short fiction to online lit magazine Take the Handle's recent travel issue. His piece is called "A Friendly Resolution" and it concerns, you guessed it, a couple's falling out.

Take the Handle also notes that that Help Wanted Nights screenplay Kasher told us all about is currently in development. Hey, it's a start!

And, of course, Tim's not really looking to shed his bookish image; where oh where would Cursive be then? We'll leave you to ponder that imponderable while we show you just where Cursive are gonna be on their forthcoming U.S. tour, including dates never before seen on this website! [MORE...]

Neu!/Kraftwerk Drummer Klaus Dinger, R.I.P.

A founding father of krautrock has passed away. Klaus Dinger, who played drums for Kraftwerk and went on to co-found Neu!, died March 21, although the news of his death was not made public until today. A report from Neu! label Grönland cites the cause of death as heart failure. Dinger was 61, and would have turned 62 on March 24.

Dinger trademarked the steady, propulsive drumming style that came to define the motorik sound associated with krautrock. He drummed on Kraftwerk's 1970 self-titled debut before leaving the band, along with guitarist Michael Rother, to start Neu! Neu! released three seminal albums during the 70s, and had a noted influence on everyone from David Bowie to Sonic Youth to Stereolab.

After Neu! dissolved, Dinger achieved commercial success with La Düsseldorf, and in the 90s he formed a composite group of sorts called La! Neu?

René Renner, head of Grönland Records, called Dinger "an uncompromising musician, a challenging personality, [an] inspirational human being, and one of the most influential drummers" in a statement released today.

Renner also invoked a telling Brian Eno quote: "There were three great beats in the 70s. Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, James Brown's funk, and Klaus Dinger's Neu! beat."

Rother eulogized Dinger on his website, writing, "Together with many friends of his music I will remember Klaus for his creativity as an artist and I will think about him with gratitude for his wonderful contributions to our project Neu!."

Thanks to Jesse Steichen for the tip-off.

Neu!: "Hero" (Live in 1974)

The Hives Plot Return to North America

Photos by Joseph Mohan

Those endearingly arrogant Swedes known as the Hives have decided to grace North America with another handful of dates in support of The Black and White Album. These new shows are all in May, after the band wraps up its April tour of Europe.

A good portion of the new dates take place in Canada, allowing Howlin' Pelle Almqvist and co. to work on their hockey skillz. [MORE...]

Spoon, Walkmen, White Rabbits Kick Off Joint Tour

Spoon photo by Matt Jordan, Walkmen photo by Natalie Kardos

So Spoon, the Walkmen, and White Rabbits walk into a bar, and... oh you've heard that one before, have you?

Tonight in Kansas City, that tuneful threesome kicks off an April tour. Spoon have a few dates in addition to the tour (including that Vanderbilt University one with Feist and Lil Jon), and the Don't You Evah EP is out on Merge next Tuesday, April 8.

New TBD signees the White Rabbits have a whole headlining tour of their own to attend to before the spring's up. As for the Walkmen, a recent post on their website suggests that their next record may well be in process. Ask that tall fellow who keeps belting 'em out at the spots below. [MORE...]

Elf Power, Black Moth Super Rainbow do MACRoCK

From all over the mid-Atlantic states, they'll come: the few, the underpaid, the geeky. Yes, the crappy-promo-CD-envelope-openers of the region's college radio stations will converge on Harrisonburg, VA this weekend (April 4-5) for the annual Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (aka MACRoCk) conference.

Beyond all the talk of soundboards and CMJ charts is a fine rock'n'roll festival, if you know just where to look. Tucked away in several of Harrisonburg's music venues like a rare full-art copy, you'll find the likes of Elf Power, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Maps and Atlases, Aloha, Owen, Videohippos, Unwed Sailor, the Forms, the Extraordinaires, Anathallo, Fin Fang Foom, and Cloak/Dagger, among so many others.

Registration is still open, so even if you don't spend many of your wee hours of the morning playing Captain Beefheart to an imaginary audience, you're still free to MACRoCK around the clock.

Boris Recover Dude's Lost Ear, Write Song About It
Not a late April Fool's joke, we swear

As Japan's premiere noise-making trio, Boris have certainly wrecked a few ears in their day. But never quite like this.

Denton, Texas resident Josh Baish journeyed all the way to Marfa to catch Boris play at that city's Ballroom venue on October 18, 2007. During the performance he was assaulted by four men, who broke one of his ribs and managed to bite off a chunk of one of his ears.

It doesn't get much shittier than that, but then, it doesn't get much cooler than this either: while loading out after the gig, Boris found the missing piece of Baish's ear and returned it to him in the hopes it might be reattached. That's Baish with Boris vocalist/double-neck guitarist/bassist Takeshi-- and Baish's ear chunk on ice-- pictured above.

And then Boris wrote a song about it.

Baish received a "Statement/Floorshaker" 7" in the mail earlier this year, and upon hearing the first few lines of B-side "Floorshaker"-- "I found a ripped ear on the floor/ This must be yours"-- he couldn't help but Smile. And while it turned out surgeons couldn't reattach the ear piece, Baish went ahead and enshrined it behind the bar at the venue he owns in Denton, Rubber Gloves. Have a look:



As Baish summed up in an email to Pitchfork, "So basically, I lost my ear and broke a rib at a concert from my favorite band, and they wrote a song about it. I'd say it was worth it."

We sure hope Baish can properly hear Boris' latest, Smile, which hits U.S. shops April 29 and UK/European ones April 21 via Southern Lord. For a refresher on all the different formats/tracklists/covers, go here and here.

And should you happen to lose a body part somewhere in Europe over the coming weeks, or at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer, well, Boris might just be there to find it for you. [MORE...]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Spring 2008

Welcome to a brand new addition to the Pitchfork News Department! It's our seasonal guide to upcoming releases, in which we list notable albums, EPs, singles, DVDs, and other musical goodies due in shops (both brick-and-mortar and otherwise) in the weeks and months ahead. Expect to see one of these every three months.

Compiling such a list isn't easy in this day and age, with different release dates for digital and physical versions of albums, as well as different release dates for different countries. So we tried to stick with North American physical release dates as much as possible, with exceptions as noted. When an album's North American release date differs from its overseas one, we also made a note of that.

Keep in mind that release dates are as shifty as Chicago weather, and any one of these is subject to change at any moment. [MORE...]

Caribou Find Replacement Drummer, Resume Tour

Photo by Alex Burack

Sweet relief! The epic Caribou/Fuck Buttons tour, in jeopardy following a broken wrist suffered by drummer Brad Weber over the weekend, is all set to continue as scheduled tonight (April 1) in Carrboro.

The band's search for a last-minute replacement drummer has ended successfully. Let's meet the man, shall we? His name is Ahmed Gallab, he has a project called Sinkane (they're opening the April 9 Caribou/Fuck Buttons show, in fact), and he likes piña coladas, walking in the rain, and rocking your face off. Welcome to the team, Ahmed! See you on the road. [MORE...]

Elbow Send New Album Stateside, Tour

Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, watch out! UK rockers Elbow are elbowing their way back onto the scene with the Stateside release of their new album, The Seldom Seen Kid. The follow-up to 2005's Leaders of the Free World is available now across the pond, and it comes out April 22 here via Fiction/Geffen. The Seldom Seen Kid's recently-released first U.S. single, a digital affair, is called "One Day Like This".

These arm joints have a ton of tour dates in the UK, Europe, and North America to support The Seldom Seen Kid, starting with an April 4 appearance in Glasgow. [MORE...]

Weezer Reveal New Album Title? Or April Fool's Joke?
June 17 release date confirmed

Apparently content to limit their muse to the inside of a Crayola box, Weezer have revealed their new album's title:

Weezer.

They're referring to this third Weezer as their "Red Album" (you know, following the "Blue Album" and the "Green Album"), according to a RollingStone.com report.

However, a publicist from Interscope says that the title has not been confirmed yet. So it might be an April Fool's joke? If it's not, they have some pretty stiff competition for best Red Album.

The Rolling Stone-reported release date of June 17 has been confirmed, however.

The Make Believe follow-up is the band's sixth album, and it features production from Rick Rubin, "Jacknife" Lee, and frontman/sawngwriter Rivers Cuomo. The RollingStone.com report also names "Pork and Beans" as the first single from the "Red Album", which is certainly not a word that "starts with a T, ends with an R and contains twelve letters." Another joke?

According to the Weezer website, a new Weezer song called "Automatic (LA Riots remix)" appears on the soundtrack to the game Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. And what's so special about this song, other than the fact that it appears to have been remixed by LA Riots? Well, it's sung by Pat Wilson, not Rivers Cuomo! Also, a new Weezer song called "Everybody Get Dangerous" is apparently in that 21 movie.

The Rivers Cuomo sawngwriting contest is still going strong as well, with Steps 3b and 4 having been added since our last update. We're up to arrangements. He likes what he's seen so far, but he wants it FASTER, people!

Dischord/Indie Pop Vets Release Debut as Julie Ocean

Like a little pop puzzle, DC foursome Julie Ocean formed from the pieces of more indie bands than we can wrap our heads around. With a collective résumé that includes time spent in Velocity Girl, Glo-Worm, Swiz, Weatherhead, and Dischord acts the High Back Chairs and Severin, let's just say these dudes have credentials.

Julie Ocean will release their debut album, Long Gone and Nearly There, via Philly label Transit of Venus on May 13. Produced by Geoff Sanoff (Luna, Secret Machines, Fountains of Wayne), Long Gone sports 10 songs and clocks in at less than 30 minutes. The group will support the record with a couple shows in and near their hometown, and they have plans to play a larger East Coast tour in the future. [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.)