Girls Against Boys' McCloud Preps Paramount Styles LP

Photo by Robert Gil

After a run of revered albums in the 1990s with Girls Against Boys, singer/guitarist Scott McCloud will release his first solo album under the name Paramount Styles on July 8. The album is called Failure American Style, and it's on Dutch label KonKurrent, though Touch and Go is distributing it on U.S. shores.

McCloud got help on the Paramount Styles record from GVSB/Bellini drummer Alexis Fleisig, Psychedelic Furs' (and now Guns N' Roses') guitarist Richard Fortus, singer Angela McCluskey, cellist Marlan Barry, and composer/pianist Paul Cantelon.

Scott will soon embark on a Paramount Styles European tour, which kicks off May 21 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. [MORE...]

Arcade Fire Clarify Involvement With New Kelly Film
Win Butler: "Arcade Fire is NOT doing the soundtrack to any film"

Photo by Will Marsh

Where the Arcade Fire are concerned, people tend to get excited. A little too excited, it would seem, in the case of Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly and noted producer/engineer Markus Dravs.

As you may have read in these pages earlier this week, online remarks from both Kelly ("We're staring to work with a very famous band who is honoring us with being the first filmmakers they've ever scored a film with," he wrote in a May 12 MySpace post) and Dravs ("[I'm] off to Canada to work with Arcade Fire on a Sound-track for the forth coming Richard Kelly film," read a note on his website that has since been removed) seemed to suggest the Arcade Fire were scoring Kelly's new film, The Box.

Well, turns out this isn't exactly true. We'll let Win Butler tell it. As he wrote in a recent web "Scrapbook" post charmingly titled "NO SOUNDTRACKS GO":

Hi everyone. Hope you are having a great spring... just to let you all know that (internet-based fact checking aside) Arcade Fire is NOT doing the soundtrack to any film. We are all off for the summer, writing songs, reading books, and keeping our plants alive. Regine, Owen Pallet [sic] and I may do an instrumental piece or two for Richard Kelly's new movie...we met at a show this year and hit it off, but we are not planning on doing any major work for a while, and this would not constitute a soundtrack or a release.

So there you go. And hey, even an instrumental or two from these guys is still gonna rule. Until then, dudes, have fun tending to your tulips and winning primaries for Obama.

Camera Obscura Work With PB&J;'s Bjorn, Tour

It's off to Sweden for Scottish sextet Camera Obscura later this month, as they get ready to unpack all that wistfulness in the studio and start crafting the follow-up to 2006's lovely Let's Get out of This Country. While there, the band will once again link up with producer Jari Haapalainen, while Björn Yttling of Peter, himself and John fame will lend a hand with string arrangements. The set can be expected sometime this fall.

Sweden's lovely this time of year, but so are Spain, Italy, and the UK. Camera Obscura will break up the recording sessions with a handful of live appearances in Europe through the next several months. [MORE...]

Lou Reed to Host Weekly Satellite Radio Show
Further excursions on a wobbly rail

Lou Reed said when he was just 66 years old, "Man, there's nothing happening at all. Every time I put on my satellite radio, there's just nothing going down at all." He paused briefly, then added, "No, not at all."

Then one fine morning, Lou went down to the SIRIUS satellite radio offices, and he didn't believe what he heard at all. They were offering him his own radio show and, yes, his weekend was saved by rock'n'roll.

This Saturday evening, May 17, at 6 PM, turn your SIRIUS extraterrestrial music-receiving device to channel 70-- "SIRIUS Disorder", as they call it-- to feast those ears on the inaugural edition of "Lou Reed's New York Shuffle", the latest venture from the rock'n'roll icon. Reed, having, like, been there, has plenty to say about the death of freeform radio and the crappiness of tightly-controlled playlists, but will let his gruff voice serve as a beacon of eclecticism as he and producer Hal Willner kick out the jams.

In a press release, Lou said, "For years, I've always been a fan of eclectic radio, such as FM radio in the past when you could hear stations play widely divergent music, ranging from rock to country to jazz to opera. I loved the days when DJs who did their own programming set the bar high. I learned from these DJs and it's a delight, with my friend Hal Willner, to do this type of radio today on SIRIUS. We will try to bring SIRIUS' listeners audio from all parts of the world that covers the whole musical spectrum."

Oh admit it, you're just gonna play the second half of The Bells and then grouse about "the kids" for a while, aren't you? We wouldn't expect anything less.

We assume Lou's new gig won't affect his forthcoming European Berlin tour, which kicks off in just over a month. Hey, if he's gotta miss a few shows to go out and make the fine fine music himself, well, that's all right now.

Lou also shows up on I Will Break Your Fall, the new album from his longtime bass player and collaborator Fernando Saunders. Saunders and Reed duet on a song called "Baton Rouge". The album is out June 17 in Canada on Summit/Conveyor/Universal. 

[MORE...]

The Knife's Olof Dreijer, More Send Music to the Aliens

No dig on Stravinsky, Chuck Berry, or the Beatles, but can we blame the extraterrestrials if they're getting a little tired of Earth's sparse musical offerings by now? Cue noted Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo (pictured), who has a plan to blast some slightly more contemporary sounds into outer space for the betterment of beings from all corners of the universe. Wait, why are you laughing? This is serious, man.

Lidbo is currently working in cahoots with the Swedish Space Corporation on a project to send a variety of new electronic music into space via Sweden's Esrange station-- known for offering some of the world's first commercial space flights in conjunction with Spaceport Sweden and Virgin Galactic.

And just who is contributing to the "Music for Alien Civilisations" project? Naturally, the Knife is involved. Olof Dreijer has recorded a track called "Al Jazeera", which, as Lidbo describes, presents "the very mechanics from the inside of his computer-- the sounds from the circuits and hard drives."

Continues Lidbo, "He wants to send a postcard from Earth with environmental sounds that are unique to our planet. And the way Olof sees the world, it's controlled by computers. Transactions of money and information are flooding the internet, but not many people have access to all this information...most people remain ignorant and poor. So that was his idea behind the track."

Others reaching out to our otherworldly brothers and sisters include Andreas Tillander (aka Mokira), Tobias von Hofsten (aka One), Smyglyssna, Krister Linder, Henrik Rylander, Sol Anderson, and Lidbo himself.

Lidbo has commissioned 12 tracks in all (plus an "Intro"), and he plans to meld them into a signal to be transmitted into the cosmos on June 4. That same day, he'll release a CD collecting these space jams. Check out the tracklist below.

Mr. Lidbo is deadly serious about this endeavor, too. As he writes, "A CD will be released for humans, but the music is made for alien civilisations and it holds messages and structures that are meant to give an idea who we are...some sort of universal message, sometimes with codes of binary figures, sometimes with scales and frequencies to explain how we humans function."

Why electronic music? "First of all, I think the computer is the most magnificent music instrument ever invented...so it's a good thing to show the aliens. And for humans, the sound of the synthesizer always has been associated with space; the spooky theremins in the old 40s and 50s sci-fi films and the Moog-through-space-echo psych-out soundtracks in the 70s sci-fi movies.

"If you hear something that sounds like nothing on Earth, it's very natural to associate [it with] space. I even think that electronic music can help us dream and maybe even understand space and the incredible distances a bit better."

And why radio waves? "The Voyager 1 and 2 sent out in 1977 [were] the most serious attempts to send music for alien civilisations, but after 31 years en route they haven't reached further than just beyond Pluto. We will send radio waves, [as] they are fairly easy to aim with good precision, they are easy to decode back to music, and they travel at the speed of light so the composers that send out the musical messages might still be alive when we receive the answer."

Notice he said "when", not "if." And provided all goes according to plan, we should be hearing back from the aliens by 2030. Yay!

Lidbo has also been premiering the selections to be beamed into space by first beaming them into terrestrial households via his show on Swedish National Radio, "STRÖM". The truth is out there over here. [MORE...]

Cat Power, Vampire Weekend Play Rogers Picnic
With Animal Collective, Dizzee Rascal, Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians

Whoever this Roger is, he'd better have a pretty big fucking lawn. We just got our invite to the Rogers Picnic in Toronto on July 20, and once everybody hears about the evening's entertainment, he might wanna think about packing enough plastic cutlery to go around.

Joining Roger at this year's bash are Animal Collective, Cat Power, Vampire Weekend, Dizzee Rascal, Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, Chromeo, the Carps, and only-in-Canada headliners Alexisonfire side project City and Colour.

Oh, so it's not at some dude named Roger's pad, but rather at downtown Toronto's Fort York? And Rogers is actually not a dude but a cell phone company? Really?! What, are you now going to try to tell me that the O2 Wireless Festival isn't named after oxygen or something?

Wedding Present Re-Team With Steve Albini for New LP

El Rey, the latest full-length from indie vets the Wedding Present, hits shops May 20 in North America via Manifesto and May 26 in the rest of the world via Vibrant.

Recorded by Steve Albini at Chicago's Electrical Audio, the disc bears a bit of the mark of Wedding Present frontman David Gedge's newish surroundings in L.A. in its lyrics. And, of course, there's some steely wisdom buried in El Rey's grooves. The set is the first collaboration between the band and Albini since 1991's Seamonsters LP, and a UK digital single for album track "The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend" is available now via Vibrant.

In other Wedding Present news, a DVD of the band's November 20, 2005 performance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire was released last month by Secret Records. And just in case the takeaway version doesn't hack it for you, the band has a handful of UK dates coming along, with the promise of a North American tour to follow in the fall. [MORE...]

Clogs Score New Flick, Turn the River

Clogs-- the neo-classical quartet featuring Bryce Dessner and Padma Newsome of the National-- have provided the score for the recently-released, Chris Eigeman-directed flick Turn the River. That score includes compositions from Clogs' 2006 LP Lantern, along with all new material.

The film, about a woman (Famke Janssen) who gambles in order to support her young child, just opened in New York City after a lengthy go at the festival circuit. It makes its way to Los Angeles this weekend.

As for the National, they're in the UK at the moment, with but a week or so to go before they kick off that very high profile tour with R.E.M. and Modest Mouse. [MORE...]

Radiohead, Live Nation Respond to Virginia Washout
Live Nation offers New Jersey gig tickets to fans who missed Radiohead's VA show

Photo by Margarita Gonzalez

"Huge disappointment."
"A disaster."
"The worst concert-going experience of my lifetime."
"Total heinousness!"

Those are just a few of the colorful comments sent in by Pitchfork readers regarding Radiohead's May 11 gig at the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia. They're not talking about the quality of the band's performance, mind. Most of them, in fact, never got to see it.

As a Washington Post report indicates-- echoing what confused and upset fans wrote to Pitchfork and posted to blogs and message boards this week-- torrential rainfall flooded access roads leading to Nissan Pavilion, resulting in a traffic jam that stranded more than a few of the gig-bound within miles of the venue, left only to imagine how awesome "Bodysnatchers" sounds live.

A Post review of the show even notes that Thom Yorke dedicated "Fake Plastic Trees" that night "to those who missed the show because of the rain and traffic."

Some flustered folks report having been directed to drive in circles for hours before giving up and going home, and all seem to agree that the Live Nation-run Nissan Pavilion-- apparently no stranger to lousy weather-- could have handled the situation much, much better. Nearly all who were given the run-around (drive-around?), understandably, want their money back.

Radiohead's Colin Greenwood took to Dead Air Space the day after the show to offer the following commentary:

To everyone who made it, and put up with the torrents on the lawn, and came early to catch the Liars and our show, thank you so much for braving the deluge. I hope you heard what you came for, the music and lights diverting you from the wet. We got out of there around three am...We've had floods at Bull Creek, lightning at the RFK stadium, so there must be some kind of Biblical fix between us and DC. Frogs next time?

Yet the next day (May 13), after the fan outcry had mounted, this posting from W.A.S.T.E. appeared on Dead Air Space:

Due to Sunday night's torrential rain storm and consequential multiple road closures, many fans were unable to reach the Nissan Pavilion. While acknowledging a lack of control over the ensuing flooding and detours, the members of Radiohead are nevertheless disappointed regarding this turn of events. For further inquiries, ticketholders who didn't get in are urged to contact: customerservice@nissanpavilion.com

According to a Billboard.com report, Live Nation is indeed addressing grievances sent to the above email "on a case-by-case basis" and offering fans who were turned away tickets to either another Nissan Pavilion show of their choosing (slim pickings there) or Radiohead's August 12 gig at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey (over three hours from Bristow).

Yet some fans have already noted that the New Jersey tickets-- lawn seats instead of pavilion ones, in some cases-- don't match their original tickets in value. And Live Nation seemingly has no intention of refunding anyone. The concert behemoth shouldn't be held accountable for acts of God, of course, but many feel they should be held accountable for the way Nissan Pavilion managed things.

Further compounding the matter is a whole flaming heap of irony. Radiohead, recall, commissioned an extensive Best Foot Forward report that helped them determine how to tour in the most carbon-efficient manner possible. They also harped on about carbon-friendliness repeatedly to their fans. All of this of course makes their choice of venue for the DC-area (named after a car manufacturer, no less!) rather suspect, especially a venue whose personnel kept cars driving in circles for hours on end.

The first leg of Radiohead's North American tour wraps up this weekend. Check out the band's many remaining gigs below, and just to be on the safe side, leave extra early. [MORE...]

The Dodos Extend Tour All the Way to the Fall

Photo by Francis Chung

The Dodos-- they of the truly kickass live show and the better-every-time-I-listen-to-it Best New Music recipient Visiter-- have snuck quite a few more dates into their tour schedule. The scrappy San Franciscan sorts will skip back and forth between Europe and North America a coupla times before the summer's up, with dates stretching well into October.

One stop in particular stands out among the many: their set at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival. And, though it looks like they won't be available for a hand delivery, the band will issue Visiter in the UK July 7 with a little help from Wichita Recordings. [MORE...]

Weezer Issue New Single, Cover Talk Talk, The Band

They've already pushed the release of Weezer III up by a few weeks "due to popular demand and the intense reaction to the 'Pork and Beans' single" (akin to indigestion, I'd say), and now, Weezer are throwing even more Red Album at us and hoping it sticks.

A digital single for the "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" has made its way to the U.S. iTunes store, and, well, here's a sample lyric: "I've got the money/ And I've got the fame/ You've got the hots / To ride on my plane." So, yeah, pretty much another "Beverly Hills".

We've also caught wind of the extra goodies Polydor have thrown on the Red Album for its June 9 digital/June 16 physical release in the UK. In addition to the ten tracks from the regular old U.S. release, Weezer tackle the Band's "The Weight" and Talk Talk's "Life Is What You Make It". The U.S. deluxe edition, as you know, sports four very different bonus cuts. It, as with the regular edition, is due June 3 from DGC/Interscope. [MORE...]

Nas Shares Some New Album Details, Tours

So Nigger didn't come out late last year, as planned. But don't you worry. The controversially-titled new LP from Nas (his follow-up 2006's controversially-titled Hip Hop Is Dead), not unlike the issues he addresses on it, isn't just going to conveniently vanish.

Originally slated for release in 2007, then bumped to February, then April, the album is now due, head-turning title intact, July 1 on Def Jam. Due very tentatively, it goes without saying.

Nas recently sat down with MTV.com to preview and discuss his latest opus. Addressing the delay, he told the website, "Somebody asked me, what's your inspiration for this album? Everything that's happening every day. I can't really turn an album in when, like, next week it will be something else that will come to light and make me want to write about something. It's hard to finally wrap it up, but I finally got there. I'm finally there now...This year looks like it's going to be amazing."

Nigger will include the tracks "Project Roach", featuring a point-of-view rap, and "Y'all My Niggers", on which Nas delves into the history of the titular epithet. Other songs include "This Is Not America", produced by Stargate, "Sly Fox", produced by Stic.Man of Dead Prez, and the title track.

As of a February MTV.com report, an unnamed DJ Khaled-produced track and a Polow Da Don-produced number called "My Legacy" were jockeying for first single status. Another track called "Be a Nigger Too", co-produced by long-time Nas knob-twiddler Salaam Remi and Big Jack, recently surfaced as well.

Jermaine Dupri and DJ Toomp are also rumored to have produced tracks on Nigger, and Rick Ross, the LOX, and both halves of Dead Prez will potentially guest on the record.

In other Nas news, according to a Billboard.com report, the rapper guests on the forthcoming Ice Cube album, Raw Footage. He'll also link up with the 2008 Rock the Bells tour for the duration of its summer run, but not before playing a handful of shows this month up north. [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.)