High Places Sign to Thrill Jockey, Prep Debut Album
Hit the road with Deerhunter, release 03/07 - 09/07 on CD

Looks like High Places now have even more friends in some, er, lofty locales. The Brooklyn new primitivism duo has signed on with Chicago's esteemed Thrill Jockey imprint for the release of their debut full-length, an as-yet-untitled affair due September 23.

Before then, however, we'll get a physical CD release of the eMusic digital singles compilation 03/07 - 09/07, which this very website awarded a not-too-shabby 8.3 and bestowed with a similarly-unshabby Best New Music tag earlier this year. Thrill Jockey plans to have some copies of the CD ready in time for High Places' upcoming spring tour of the European continent, on which they'll be joined by the unstoppable Deerhunter. The CD comp should be widely available come July.

And guess what, High Places? Pitchfork is so excited about your new record deal we've decided to throw a party in celebration! It's called the Pitchfork Music Festival, and you are so invited. You too, readers!

Finally, in the interest of full disclosure, we should mention that High Places include the sister of a former Pitchfork staffer. [MORE...]

Cloudland Canyon Tour With Singer

Krauty duo Cloudland Canyon and Drag City quartet Singer are like minds. Both acts are on the experimental end of the spectrum, and both are offshoots of other groups: Panthers, King Khan and the Shrines, and whatever the highly active musicians in Singer have going on at any given time, respectively.

Thus, a Cloudland Canyon/Singer tour makes a good deal of sense. One thing though: It's going on right now, so get thee to a venue! Both bands also have dates apart on May 6 and 7, and Singer plan to tour long after they part ways with Cloudland Canyon.

Bring some money to the merch table too, as both Cloudland Canyon's latest Lie in Light and Singer's debut Unhistories are available now. [MORE...]

Annie LP Details: Title, Songs, Killer Guest Stars
Supposedly features contributions from Girls Aloud and Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos!

The folks over at Popjustice claim they've laid their ears on Annie's new album, which is apparently called Don't Stop. Not only that, but they've heard enough to declare it a "complete modern masterpiece." Nobody has been able to give us any confirmation on any information regarding this album yet, so we're just going to have to take Popjustice's word for it for now. And what word it is!

The disc appears to have been conceived entirely by Annie and producers Xenomania, Timo, and Richard X, much of it in the last year. Though the first single-- a cover of Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts" backed with new original "Songs Remind Me of You"-- has yet to emerge, Popjustice have pegged "My Love Is Better" for the follow-up. And with good reason, too: the track purportedly features guitar from Franz Ferdinand frontguy Alex Kapranos and call-and-response vocals betwixt Annie and Girls Aloud.

Other Don't Stop songs include the recently Forkcasted "I Know Your Girlfriend Hates Me", the Xenomania-produced "Sweet", which Popjustice calls a "summertime airplay smash", the "gothic 'n' ghostly electroballad" "Take U Home", and Annie's self-described "first power ballad," "When the Night". There's "Misery" featuring Fredrik Saroea of Datarock, the sexual abuse/suicide (!) narrative "Marie Cherie", a "Blondie-esque belter" called "Loco" with a chorus of "you're so loco, everybody says that you're a no-go", and "jaunty summer number" "Heaven & Hell" that reminds Popjustice of Saint Etienne.

Remember, none of this is confirmed, so the songs might actually all feature Annie rapping over Polow Da Don beats (not that that wouldn't be AMAZING). But, regardless, we're excited.

Popjustice also has a tentative tracklist, apparently handwritten by Ms. Annie herself. That-- plus Annie's upcoming live engagements-- after the jump. [MORE...]

The Ocean, Kylesa Join Forces for U.S. Tour

From across the ocean comes, well, Berlin's the Ocean, to join forces with Savannah, Georgia's Kylesa and Chicago's Lair of the Minotaur on an experi-metal tour of uncharacteristically modest proportions.

The three cerebral cerebellum-punishers hit Boston in unison May 24, linking up for a week and a half together. Still, a resourceful metalhead with a few evenings to kill will get a shot at both the Ocean and Kylesa as they grind out a handful of tour dates both before and after their meetup. And, hey, bonus: on several of their joint dates, they'll be joined by Atlanta's Withered. [MORE...]

Spiritualized's A&E;: Bumped, Expanded, Deluxe-ified
Plus: iTunes EP hits U.S., new dates, and an inside look at Songs in A&E's snazzy packaging

Photo by Natalie Kardos

Coachella conquered, Spiritualized have now set their sights on a long spring and summer out on the road, a bevy of bonus goodies surrounding forthcoming new album Songs in A&E, and the U.S. release of a certain iTunes EP. Let's start with that last one and work our way backwards, eh?

iTunes Live: London Sessions landed in the UK back in March, as you know, but the five-track set finally entered the U.S. digital marketplace this week. London Sessions collects, you guessed it, a handful of tunes recorded at a special iTunes session in London, including a cover of Daniel Johnston's immortal "True Love Will Find You in the End".

Onward then, to a heads up that the releases dates for Songs in A&E have been bumped on both sides of the pond. The album now arrives one week later than previously reported in the UK on May 26 (via Universal/Spaceman), and one week earlier in the U.S. on May 27 (via Fontana International/Spaceman). Okay dudes, but we're marking our calendars in pencil this time just to be safe.

As for that Spiritualized fan who can never get enough? Boy, does Jason Pierce have you covered. First, there's the previously mentioned "Soul on Fire" single, which now has a digital U.S. release date of May 6 and a video blowing up Pitchfork.tv. Next, Spiritualized's love affair with iTunes continues with a pair of bonus cuts for those who purchase A&E through Apple's digital media empire: "Soul on Fire (live from Union Chapel)" goes to people who preorder the album via iTunes on May 13, while exclusive track "Harmony 2 Extended" comes with the full album purchase via iTunes.

Your Spiritualized habit will really put you under come June 17, however, when the deluxe CD/book and double black vinyl editions of A&E arrive in the U.S. That deluxe edition was designed by longstanding Spiritualized art guy Mark Farrow and includes a 32-page medicinal-themed tome along with a fold-out poster depicting an array of colorful IV needles. Have a look below. For a taste of what else to expect, check out more photos and interviews with Farrow and Pierce over at Creative Review's CR Blog.



And wait, that's not all! There's also a super limited edition green vinyl version of the A&E LP, available exclusively to folks who scoop up the new record through Rough Trade's shops and webstore. Spiritualized will even drop by London's Rough Trade East shop on May 26 to perform and sign the damn things.

Finally, that aforementioned spring and summer out on the road has picked up a few more stops since our previous chatter on the matter-- including, yes, That One. [MORE...]

Wolf Parade Join the 2008 Cover Art Hall of Fame
Album's retail price: your firstborn child and/or your soul, depending on the store

Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket, Weezer, Islands, and RZA, meet the latest member of the 2008 Album Cover Art Hall of Fame, Wolf Parade.

That thing up there is what shall adorn At Mount Zoomer, out June 17 on Sub Pop. [MORE...]

Justice, TVOTR, Vampire Weekend Do Monolith
With Neko Case, Band of Horses, CSS, Cut Copy, Blitzen Trapper

Because, after all, the U.S. is truly wanting for a good-sized outdoor music festival this summer, here comes the 2008 Monolith Festival, invading Morrison, Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater September 13-14.

And, as befits a fest named after a really big thing that rocks, well, check out this bill:

Justice, TV on the Radio, Neko Case, Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, CSS, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Cut Copy, Blitzen Trapper, Holy Fuck, A Place to Bury Strangers, Tokyo Police Club, Akron/Family, John Vanderslice, Colorodo local favorites DeVotchKa, Del the Funky Homosapien, Tilly and the Wall, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, the Kills, Superdrag, the Presets, Silversun Pickups, White Denim, the Cribs, the Ting Tings, the Night Marchers, those Hood Internet jokers, and others form the building blocks of this monolith.

Times New Viking Tour Through the Summer

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

"Ohio has been boring as of late," Columbus' turgidly tuneful Times New Viking wrote in their most recent MySpace blog post, "and we are excited to find places even more boring!" That post has since been removed... perhaps Columbus became less boring?

Having done damn near everything but bore the crap out of audiences already in 2008-- beginning with their stellar Rip It Off LP-- TNV are headed to the UK and Europe before returning to North America in June.

Between club dates, these racketeers have lined up a handful of high-profile festival gigs, not the least of which being the ATP vs. Pitchfork throwdown and the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

Just think: two whole continents practically begging you guys to get bored with 'em. [MORE...]

Norwegian Black Metal Stars Showcased in Photo Book
Corpsepaint joke goes here

Peter Beste's True Norwegian Black Metal is a 200+ page photo examination of the world of, well, true Norwegian black metal. Offering rare images of the members of such black metal acts as Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, Satryicon, Enslaved, Immortal, Gorgoroth, Carpathian Forest, 1349, Dimmu Borgir, Ildjarn, and Aura Noir, the book seeks to uncover more about this secretive, often violent world where grown men wear a lot of makeup, make guttural noises, and say mean things about Jesus.

A good portion of the book is given over to selections from the archive of Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen, the publisher of pioneering black metal rag Slayer. True also includes interviews and quotes from Frost of 1349, Abbath of Immortal, Fenriz of Darkthrone, and Gaahl of Gorgoroth.

Vice Books will issue True Norwegian Black Metal May 15. Meanwhile, New York City's Steven Kasher Gallery will host an exhibit of Beste's work, opening May 9 and running through June 7. Additional gallery shows are expected to follow in London, Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin, and Los Angeles.

Shearwater Tour With Frog Eyes, Evangelicals
Bonus: Video of Jonathan Meiburg studying rooks in the Falkland Islands!

Bird nerds Shearwater have extended their tour in support of the Rook LP, which comes out June 3 via Matador. The band has announced a set of shows with Frog Eyes and Evangelicals in mid-June, after they are done accompanying Clinic on their May tour.

Anchoring Shearwater's new dates are special appearances in NYC and Austin, Texas (the band's hometown), where they will play Rook in its entirety with accompaniment from woodwinds, trumpets, a harpist, and a string quartet. These shows also will feature Rook cover artists Kahn & Selesnick doing projections. A limited edition 7" featuring Rook's "Rooks" and non-album track "The Rainbow" (a previously unreleased Talk Talk cover) will be for sale at both of these shows.

Both Frog Eyes and Evangelicals have dates on their own (and together) as well.

And as an added bonus, here are clips of lead Shearwater dude Jonathan Meiburg down in the Falkland Islands, working with a team of bird researchers studying the rare Striated Caracaras (aka "Johnny Rooks"). Those babies may be cute, but be careful-- they're birds of prey.

[MORE...]

Phil Elverum, Bret Lunsford, Karl Blau Prep D+ Comp

Like a high schooler convincing his parents he meant to flunk that biology test, Anacortes, Washington trio D+ will release a collection of "hits, rarities, and live cuts" called On Purpose.

Beat Happening's Bret Lunsford leads the band (which is largely inactive now), and he is aptly celebrated in On Purpose's liner notes by his bandmates Phil Elverum (The Microphones/Mount Eerie) and Karl Blau.

The compilation comes out June 10 on hometown label Knw-Yr-Own, and it is limited to an edition of 700 hand-screened and hand-numbered CDs.

Phil Elverum's previously reported new Mount Eerie EP, Black Wooden Ceiling Opening, comes out May 27, and he has a sizable European tour with No Kids and Woelv in support of the record. [MORE...]

Black Kids Sign to Columbia for U.S., Reveal LP Details

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Black Kids have taken time out from their never-ending tour to clue everyone in on the details of a little thing we like to call "their debut album." We like to call it that because that's what it is, but you can also call it Partie Traumatic, because that's its name.

Former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler produced the album, and the Jacksonville, Florida quintet has signed to Columbia Records for its North American release, which happens on July 22. As you know, them kids are still on Columbia subsidiary Almost Gold everywhere else, and Partie Traumatic comes out July 7 in the UK.

All right, that's enough dilly-dallying, you Kids! Back to the mammoth tour. Next stop: Salt Lake City tomorrow night. [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.)