Kanye, Common, Meth, Red Sued Over Sample

Have you ever heard late saxophonist Joe Farrell's 1974 composition "Upon This Rock"? No? Evidently, you don't produce rap records for a living. Over the years, the track has been sampled by the likes of Pete Rock, A Tribe Called Quest, and the RZA, among many others. It's not quite "Funky Drummer", but it's up there.

Accordng to Reuters, Farrell's daughter filed a lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court of New York against Kanye West, Common, Method Man, Redman, and their respective Universal Music Group-owned labels, seeking at least $1 million in punitive damages and a halt to any further sales, performances, or manufacturing of new copies of a trio of offending tracks that sample "Upon This Rock".

Those tunes? Kanye's "Gone" from Late Registration, Common's "Chi-City" from Be (incidentally, also produced by Kanye), and Method Man and Redman's RZA-produced "Run 4 Cover" from 1999's collaborative LP Blackout! The lawsuit claims that the tune was used without approval, a familiar story in the annals of rap history.

All four rappers have summer tour dates lined up, laid out after the jump. And according to Billboard.com, Common just announced that the first single from his new album Invincible Summer (due in July on Geffen) will be "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)" It was produced by and features Pharrell. [MORE...]

Black Angels Expand Tour in Different Directions

Photo by Shannon McClean

With their sophomore album (and last for Light in the Attic) Directions to See a Ghost now in stores, the Black Angels have bestowed their native North America with an extra month of tour dates.

Having just wrapped up a run of UK shows, the Texas psych rockers will embark on their extended North American voyage May 29 in Dallas. Like the majority of the previously reported dates on this tour, these new shows come with support from the Warlocks. [MORE...]

Jamie Lidell Launches Tour This Weekend

Jiminy Cricket, it's here! Not only is Jamie Lidell's Jim in stores now, but the awesomely out-there Brit's North American tour has arrived. Starting this weekend (Sunday, May 25 to be exact) in Vancouver, Lidell will don weird coats, put weird shit on his head, and emit weird noises into mics across the continent. We can't wait.

Opening duties will be shared by Stones Throw's James Pants and Matador's Jennifer O'Connor.

What's more, ol' Jimmy has added a few non-North American dates (mostly festival appearances) to his itinerary to keep the good times going throughout the summer. [MORE...]

Styrofoam Preps New Album, Tours With Death Cab

For his latest LP, A Thousand Words, non-biodegradable Belgian glitch artist Styrofoam has gathered a few friends and acquaintances to lay out on the clicky sound-beds of his own creation.

Hold on a second, you say. Isn't that pretty much the way most of these Styrofoam records tend to go? Sure, sure: but, on no other Styrofoam record but A Thousand Words can you find both Blake Hazard of the Submarines, Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, Josh Rouse, Erica Driscoll of Blondfire, and Lili de la Mora all bedding down on that cushy Styrofoam. A Thousand Words is also the first Styrofoam set not produced by the man himself: rather, L.A. squad WAX LTD took the reigns on that particular front. And, when it's released June 10, Words will be Styrofoam's first LP for Nettwerk.

Before that happens, Styrofoam will rock a hometown date before embarking on a North American tour with Faint spinoff Broken Spindles, to be quickly followed by a ride around Europe with that crazy Death Cab for Cutie. [MORE...]

Lekman, Moren, El Perro, Concretes on Swede Comp
Plus: Studio, Shout Out Louds, Lykke Li, Kleerup, Frida Hyvönen, Wildbirds & Peacedrums

If there's one thing we can't get enough of over here at Pitchfork World Headquarters, it's the infectious indie-pop Sweden keeps exporting en masse. And now, thanks to the Concretes' Licking Fingers imprint, we'll have all the Swedish pop we need (for the next hour or so, anyhow) in one convenient package.

On May 28 (a Wednesday, yes), Licking Fingers will release Thank You for the Music, a 21-track salute to some premiere homegrown talent. Like the ABBA tune for which we'll assume it's named, the comp packs in the hooks, courtesy of such upstanding folks as Jens Lekman, Peter Bjorn and John's Peter Morén, El Perro Del Mar, Shout Out Louds, Lykke Li, Frida Hyvönen, Loney, Dear, the Radio Dept., First Floor Power, and the Concretes themselves. Repping for the dancier side of Swede pop are Studio and Kleerup-- the latter featuring Concretes member Lisa Milberg-- while Wildbirds & Peacedrums and Nicolai Dunger serve up some slightly more out-there sounds.

Many of these tracks will be familiar to the Swede pop cognoscenti, but as a jump-off point, a gift for friends, or just the perfect mixtape for a summertime stroll, Thank You ought to work wonders. The compilation will be available on CD in Sweden and digitally worldwide direct from Licking Fingers.

What's more, the label will fete Thank You with a record release extravaganza May 28 at Stockholm's Pet Sounds Bar. Is Swede pop the new scene that celebrates itself? Either way, we ain't complainin'. [MORE...]

R.E.M./Modest Mouse/National Tour: Engage!

Let the Acceleration begin. R.E.M.'s mammoth world tour, with support in North America from formidable acts Modest Mouse and the National, begins tonight (May 23) in Vancouver.

The R.E.M. train departs North America for Europe in July, at which point the band has two months of shows with the likes of Guillemots, the Duke Spirit, Elbow, and Editors.

Not to be upstaged by their elder brethren, Modest Mouse and the National have a considerable number of headlining and festival dates throughout the summer as well.

On a related note, some non-tour news from the R.E.M. camp: In June, Chronicle Books will publish a book of R.E.M. photos taken by frequent band photographer David Belisle. The book's title is R.E.M.: HELLO, and you can get a peek at it here. [MORE...]

Ted Leo Expands Tour

Photo by Akmal Naim

Seemingly energized by their new association with Pearl Jam, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have added a chunk of dates to their upcoming North American tour (via Rock & Roll Daily). Most of the shows are in June, though there is one in July at NYC's Battery Park.

Speaking of associations, Leo recently contributed percussion to KRISTEENYOUNG's forthcoming full-length album, the follow-up to last year's The Orphans. And he's giving mad props to his bros in Death Cab. [MORE...]

Dylan, Raconteurs, Gnarls, Spoon Play Pittsburgh Fest
Curated by Anthony Kiedis, put on by American Eagle Outfitters....gah

Hey kids, wanna go to a festival sponsored by a clothing store, curated by the lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and featuring a big battle of college bands?

Well then, the New American Music Union Festival is your bag. The American Eagle-sponsored, Anthony Kiedis-curated festival takes place at Pittsburgh's South Side Works on August 8 and 9 (via Rock & Roll Daily). And the lineup is actually pretty good!

Rocking the khaki-clad masses will be Bob Dylan and His Band, Spoon, Gnarls Barkley, the Roots, the Black Keys, the Raconteurs, Black Mountain, the Duke Spirit, Tiny Masters of Today, and others. The college bands competing against each other for a variety of prizes include the Depreciation Guild and Royal Bangs.

Bottomless Pit (ex-Silkworm) Ready New EP, Tour

Post-Silkworm rockers Bottomless Pit have put together a little post-Hammer of the Gods release. The trio plans to make the four-song EP, titled Congress, available digitally on June 1 via Comedy Minus One. A 12" vinyl release, meanwhile, will follow from the band itself in mid-July.

Bottomless Pit also have some shows scattered throughout the spring and summer, including quite a few with the Kadane Brothers of Bedhead/The New Year fame. Their next gig goes down May 29 in Chicago, which just so happens to be their hometown. [MORE...]

¡Forward, Russia! Bring Sophomore Album to the States

On their sophomore set, Life Processes, Leeds, England-based dancey rockers ¡Forward, Russia! have attempted something they've never done before on a full-length album: they're actually given their songs proper names.

But that's not the only conceptual shift from their debut, Give Me a Wall. In fact, Life Processes is one of those "concept album" deals, with "each song describing a particular facet of life" and moving along according to some kind of linear logic. The set, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis, Blood Brothers), is out now in the UK on Cooking Vinyl. It finally comes to the States July 22 thanks to Mute.

For a bit of Forward motion, you and yours can catch the band at a couple spots this spring and summer. [MORE...]

Photos: Bryan Ferry [Bergen, Norway; 05/21/08]

Photos by Eirik Lande

Roxy Music legend Bryan Ferry-- looking quite dapper, we must say-- helped kick off the Nattjazz Festival in Bergen, Norway yesterday. Joined by backing vocalists and a tight band that did anything but dial it in, Ferry stuck to the hits and served up a performance that kept the gathered enrapt. This gig marked the end of a brief European jaunt for the celebrated showman.

Other Nattjazz acts on Wednesday included feisty electro-popper Sissy Wish and noted up-and-comers Casiokids, also pictured below. Nattjazz continues through the end of the month and will welcome Tinariwen, Susanna (of the Magical Orchestra fame), and all kinds of jazz in the days to come.

Bryan Ferry





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The Bug Goes to London Zoo on LP

Diminutively named London producer the Bug, aka Kevin Martin, has revealed the details surrounding his latest album. It's called London Zoo, and the Bug has filled it with a menagerie of guest stars: Warrior Queen, Ricky Ranking, Spaceape, Flowdan, Killa P, Tippa Irie, Aya, and Roger Robinson.

Ninja Tune will release London Zoo on July 29 in the U.S. and July 7 everywhere else. The label will precede it with the "Angry" single, due June 24 in the U.S. and June 16 elsewhere.

The Bug will also fly about Europe this spring and summer playing shows. His next one is tonight (May 22) in Belgrade, Serbia. [MORE...]

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