Is it just us, or have Death Cab become increasingly famous even as their albums have gradually slid down the hill of mediocrity? I mean, we don't wanna playa-hate or anything (if there's one thing we love around here, it's untethered mediocrity), we're just confused: They're on The O.C.
, they're on an new soundtrack and/or compilation pretty much every month, they're touring like madmen, they're releasing iTunes-exclusive EPs...
Christ, if it isn't their year, well heck, we just don't know what. But, like so many other young men and women of Courier-Bag Nation, we'll still be dragging ourselves out to see Death Cab for Cutie on this tour. They play old stuff sometimes, and y'know, they're nice as hell, and besides, we still have faith.
Here at Pitchfork, we keep the candle of hope alight, shining bright, all through the night. We can't help it. Their non-Cab projects hold so much promise: Gibbard's Postal Service is skittery goodness, and Chris Walla got that hot-ass production gig that turns out killer records like crazy.
Don't say Travistan. And no matter what we think, Pitchfork's all-knowing webstats tell us that you kids love the Death Cab, and friends, you're really the only reason we're even fuckin' here anyway. So the question is: Which one do you wanna see?
Will it be an arena show with Pearl Jam as part of the Vote for Change tour? A arena show, but this time with Blink-182, in England? Weigh your options carefully!
Pretty Girls Make Graves went into the studio just two weeks ago to record a new album, so they may have unheard material to play. On the other hand, with Blink-182 you've got pretty good odds that someone's taking off their pants. Joanna Newsom's breakthrough recording, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was one of but a few brilliant albums released this year that seemed to materialize out of nothingness, both credentially and stylistically.
In drawing points of reference for hopeful Newsom convertees, we almost need to circumvent musical precedents entirely; the mystical whimsy of Joanna Newsom seems most sturdily rooted in the realm of children's literature, in emerald fields of mushroom huts and sparkling seas of reflected comet trails. That an artist in the modern day is even capable of evoking such airs of imaginative fancy is praiseable in and of itself, but Newsom couples her storytelling splendor with inventive and gently unraveling melodies, and the most distinctive voice you're likely to encounter anytime this epoch. For those of you wishing to experience Ms.
Newsom in a concert setting, here's her latest (albeit primarily unveiled TheyMightBeDownloads.com, or, as we like to call it, I Palindrome iTunes. Get the reference?
Then you're a devoted enough fan to flip over this collection of studio records and freshly baked live shows. The duo's latest full-length, The Spine, joins the spinoff EP The Spine Surfs Alone, the 2002 kids' album No!, and the rarities collection They Got Lost for sale at the self-owned-and-operated site, with iTunes-like pricing-- $.
99 a track or $9.99 an album (with the seven-track Surfs Alone going for $4.99).
Better yet, TMBD.com also offers all-or-nothing $9.99 Fugazi-esque exhaustive concert bootlegs from the band's ongoing tour, chronicling every date, and often available before your ears stop ringin'.
All endearingly awkward between-song banter is included. The site largely follows the iTunes model, but stops short of limiting ripping/burning/copying capability via that nefarious beast known as Digital Rights Management (DRM). "From the fans' point of view, (DRM) is viewed as a pain in the ass, and it leads them back to bad behaviors such as illegal downloading," TMBGiant John Flansburgh told Yahoo news.
" So you get plain ol' malleable MP3s, but the band politely asks you not do anything untoward with 'em. "Do us a favor and do not distribute these to the Internet," reads the note beneath the live bootleg list. "We all need new boats.
" To assist in the new boat-acquiring process, the band's tour continues unabated, so head out to the clubs, or just flop around your apartment and then download the show later, they won't know the difference: In other TMBG news, the duo has put the finishing touches on the youth-oriented DVD Here Comes the ABCs, featuring animation, live performances, and, yes, puppetry. Though this is a Disney collaboration, the band hastens to add that no mouse-eared taskmasters were looking over the Johns' shoulders. "There were no conference calls with strangers, no consultants," notes Flansburgh on the band's website.
"I have to give props to Disney Sound for letting us be our natural selves." Thus, look for at least five winking references to obscure ex-U.S.
presidents. PJ Harvey to Kick Off Second Leg of World Tour This Friday, Collaborates with Marianne Faithfull When we reported in July that PJ Harvey was touring "the world," those of you living anywhere other than California must've been pretty cheesed when you realized the only Harvey you'd be seeing was Birdman-- weeknights on Adult Swim. You know our steez: We love to tease!
But this time 'round, we're not shitting you when we say "World Tour," 'cause now Harvey's doing a much more thorough trek across the Americas. She's even hitting Mexico! And Argentina!
Where there's rioting and no presidents! Look, it kicks off Meanwhile, Harvey is prominently featured on songwriter Marianne Faithful's new record, Before the Poison, which is due in stores today. Harvey wrote the music and lyrics for three tracks ("The Mystery of Love", "My Friends Have", and "No Child of Mine"), and penned the music for two other songs (the title track and "In the Factory").
Additionally, Harvey played guitar, bass, and synths on the recordings and produced. Other guests include Nick Cave, Portishead's Adrian Utley, Blur's Damon Albarn, and Jon Brion-- but thankfully, not Metallica. Before the Poison is Faithfull's first release since 2000's Kissin' Time, which featured Billy Corgan, Beck and Jarvis Cocker.
Tracklist: Son Volt Reunite for New Album, Tour It's getting to be like Easter up in here. First, the Field Day Festival takes its first baby steps out of ignominy, and now Son As announced at jayfarrar.net, all four original members (Jay Farrar, Mike Heidorn, and brothers Dave and Jim Boquist) are mere days away from reuniting outside St.
Louis at Farrar's studio, Jajouka, to record a fourth Son Volt album. This past April, the foursome got together briefly to record "Sometimes" for an Alejandro Escovedo tribute. Said Farrar, "It felt like we hit the ground running when we recorded Al's song.
.. Five years seemed like five days at that point.
It proved that more recording and performing as Son Volt is something that should happen." The band has no label right now, so there's no timeline for a release, but they plan to tour early next year. Also, that thing we said before about the public eye?
Not a joke. Starting this Friday, two webcams (one in the studio, one in the isolation booth) will chronicle 17 days of prep and recording for fans from Jay Farrar's official website, with new stills refreshing every five seconds. As you may know, Farrar and Heidorn are both former members of Uncle Tupelo, the crucial alt-country band that broke up in 1994 at the height of their popularity, with the members splitting into Son Volt and the Jeff Tweedy-led Wilco.
Son Volt released three well-received had broken up, even though Farrar went on to record a number of solo albums (most recently, the live disc Stone, Steel Bright Lights, released in June 2004). And here we are. Who's next, Mission of Burma?
BRMC Lose Drummer, Continue Work on Third LP The current status of retro-rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is somewhat in flux, according to a recent Billboard report. While the band have just finished a recent tour in support of their second album Take Them On, On Your Own, and are already putting together tracks for a third release, they are also currently without a record label, and rumors are spreading of longtime drummer Nick Jago (it's always the fucking drummer) being permanently dropped from the lineup. Since we love a good band fight as much as the next guy, we'll start with the gossip first.
Citing personal conflicts on their last tour (someone borrowed someone else's leather jacket without asking?), guitarist Robert Turner and Pete got in an argument. It was rough but that's rock 'n' roll bands on the road.
It happens. We decided to cancel the last two gigs on the tour because of this." On Jago's future as a Black Rebel, Turner went on to say, "The rumors that the band has split up for good aren't exactly true.
Nick might take some time off and even play drums in other groups here and there, but the doors always open for him to play with BRMC. Touring bands can be really hard work and takes a toll on people in different ways, but it's also the best job in the world so fuck it." On a positive note, the band is optimistic about the new songs being prepped for inclusion on the next album.
The recent tour saw them and the notion of possible label choice, Turner explained, "We want to finish the album soon and get it out sometime early next year. As for record label news, we've been meeting with a lot of labels in the U.S.
and Europe but I think we'll make a final decision like next month. There's been such a strong reaction to the new songs we've recorded we're kind of surprised actually and we've had to rethink our plans a little bit." In a final BRMC nugget, the band have unsurprisingly dropped out of their planned set at the New Orleans Voodoo Music Festival next month.
A post on their official website blames the cancellation on production conflicts with their third album, but considering they also don't have a drummer...
In any case, the gathering, which takes place on October 16th and 17th, still has plenty to offer, with Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Beastie Boys, The Polyphonic Spree, Snow Patrol, The Killers, and A Tribe Called Quest (among many notable others) scheduled to perform. Tickets for the fest are still available through Ticketmaster. Oh yeah, and Kid Rock will be there, too.
Grandaddy to Release Mixtape, Next LP Due in '05 Been a while since a friend, bandmate, lab partner, or possible romantic liaison laid a lovingly compiled mix on you? Don't despair; Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle's here to fill the void, and he's including a little unreleased gem of his own. Below the Radio-- a compilation featuring a host of Lytle-approved deep cuts from Beck, Beulah, Earlimart, Pavement, and many other cool-guy types-- "After looking back over this list of my favorite songs I've compiled, I can't help but notice how they are not big 'heavy hitters' off of the albums that they came from, or the songs that the record labels would have suggested as being 'singles,'" Lytle said via the official Grandaddy website.
"They did, though, end up being my favorite songs from those albums, and this fact has intrigued me since childhood. Why am I usually more smitten with the unobvious hits than the obvious hits? Somewhere in this list lies the The kicker?
The mix climaxes with a brand new Grandaddy track, entitled "Nature Anthem", which is expected to appear on the band's next album, which is slated for release in this spring. "This song is paying tribute to being outdoors (or hopefully a nice version of outdoors)," said Lytle. "I got some help with the singing by a bunch of kids in front of a campfire.
Oh yeah...
and we were all swaying side to side as we sang it." It sucks being a music geek these days. You spend all your time seeking out rare 45s, EPs, and compilations, only to find out that your favorite band is coming out with a catch-all B-sides collection which renders your cash-draining crate-digging totally redundant, and which, of course, you also end up buying.
It's almost enough to make you want to go out and get a girlfriend or a job or something crazy like that. On the other hand, such albums can be quite helpful to the lazy and poor among us, and with that in mind, Enon will be releasing a nifty new B-sides compilation in February. In addition, they're planning a DVD release and heading out on another tour But shit, let's take things one at a time, shall we?
John Schmersal, guitarist and vocalist for the NYC group, gave us the lowdown on Enon's first odds 'n' sods comp: "The record is an compilation we've been on) needs to be hearing. We simply took the time to narrow down the fat and remix it all into something that may sound more like a cohesive record than any of our regular full lengths." Schmersal went on to say that all of the included songs have been previously released in some format, but given the group's history of releasing download-only tracks on their website, B-sides on singles, and exclusive tracks on compilations, it's a pretty good bet that there's something you haven't heard on there.
The DVD, meanwhile, will present all of Enon's videos, some of which have never been available for public consumption, as well as "live goodies and on the road antics," though we have no solid info on title, included tracks, or release date. Lastly, as mentioned, Enon will be heading out on tour in early October with The Black Heart Procession, who Touch Go tell us are currently in the process of writing a new record, tentatively scheduled for a fall 2005 release. Okay, dates: The Party of Helicopters Call It Quits!
After nine years, four albums, a shitload of seven-inches and EPs, and who knows how many tours, Kent, OH's The Party of Helicopters is packing it in-- royally. The band apparently has an album's worth of recorded material, sans vocals, but the fate of that material is unknown at the moment considering they're only planning on playing three more shows-- one in Kent on the 24th, one in Cleveland the day after, and finally a New York show at the Knitting Factory in October, as part of the Bifocal Media showcase at CMJ. In an email conversation with Pitchfork, frontman Jamie Stillman elaborated on the split, which essentially boils down to the same elements that have brought down so many other independent bands.
"This is pretty much due to being burned out after nine years of being kicked out of practice spaces over and over again, losing tons and tons of money by touring, [and] never being able to afford a van that was made after 1986 and runs properly. I guess the normal reasons." As far as future plans are concerned, Stillman continues, "We all still enjoy playing music (as well as playing music together).
It just seems like the right thing to do now. We could pull it together sometime when we all feel like it's a good idea or it might be fun and go back at it again. For now, I am anxious to start another band and maybe try a different 'direction' or something.
" And for a guy who once pounded the skins for Harriet the Spy, that new direction could be almost anything. Stay tuned! Final Party of 09-25 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom (w/ Lungfish and The Six Parts Seven) Wales may not have spawned Great Britain's longest list of classic bands (it's no London or Manchester, let's say), but its misty-mountained landscape currently lays claim to one of the UK's most consistently interesting gang of noise-makers, Super Furry Animals.
The band's steady output more than makes up for their region's musical slack-- and the next few months should prove Most interestingly to longtime followers, NME reports that frontman Gruff Rhys has recorded his first solo album, titled Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (that's either Welsh or Klingon, we're working on it). The record will feature 11 songs over 29 minutes, and was recorded in his native Wales over this past summer. No news yet as to whether the album's lyrics will be in full-on Welsh, as was the Those worried about the solo project overshadowing official band activity, however, can rest easy-- the Furries themselves have plenty on their plate.
For starters, there's an upcoming 21-track hits compilation, titled Songbook: The Singles, Volume One, due October 4th. The disc features songs from throughout the band's eight-year lifespan, including such favorites as "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" and "Juxtapozed with U". Available separately (and possibly at a later date, under a different title) will be a DVD chock full of the complete Super Furry Animals videos, as well as a previously unreleased 40-minute tour documentary.
Album tracklist: Additionally, the group has planned a festival-like show at London's Royal Festival Hall on October 1st. The officially titled "Lightning Fryday" event will reportedly include a double set live performance by the band, which will take place across three different rooms at the venue throughout the evening. Fellow musicians Zabrinski, Bravecaptain, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci's Richard James, and Mugison are also scheduled to play.
Other activities include "visual performances and art installations" by Pete Fowler and Mark James, and a handful of guest DJs doing what DJs do best. While the event is sold out, the group will be giving out a select number And on a final note, NME is reporting that the band are also in the studio assembling tracks for their seventh album, which Gruff said simply "has an orchestral feel to it." Until then, fans who haven't picked it up should check out the most recent Furries release, Four Tet, Mario Caldato Jr.
, High Llamas, and Boom Bip. And if that's not enough to keep you diehards sated, you can attempt to learn Magnolia Electric Co. to Kick Off North American Tour Next Week, Reveal Details of New Live Album We thought we'd compose a song for this here Magnolia Electric Co.
update. So we turned out most of the lights, stared out into a vacant lot across the street, and thought about people who we'd hurt just enough that they might rather forget us. The song was really coming together nicely when the guy next door started beat-boxing and we lost the vibe.
Also, we succumbed to the urge to snack on Cheez-Its, which in retrospect was pretty much the nail in the coffin. Anyway, Jason Molina's beloved musical outfit is about to start another tour, giving some love to the east coast as well as the midwest. Along the way, they'll hit two big multi-day blowout events: Pop Montreal on October 3rd, and CMJ on the 13th.
On the other hand, if you want to see the Magnolia Electric Co. without having to bust ninja moves on a capacity crowd just to get in the door, you could Then there's this live Magnolia album we've been hearing about for a few months. It's going to be called Trials and Errors, and it'll come out as a double-LP on January 18th, 2005 (hopefully with a CD tucked inside the packaging, as previously reported by Pitchfork).
Songsohia.com says the LP will also be available for sneaky early purchase at shows by the end of this tour, though probably not by the start. Looks like the Neil Young covers didn't make the record, as originally planned.
Bah. Tracklist: Some of you have clamored for North American Ellen Allien tour dates. Others have publicly voiced their desire for handmade Ellen Allien "mini-me" dolls.
To both parties: Rejoice! The German noir-electro queen, still basking in the glory of last year's splendid Berlinette-- as well as 2004's Remix Collection and DJ mix CD My Parade-- hits the U.S.
and Canada for a brief Now, the dolls: Allien's self-made Berlin label, Bpitch Control, has announced a scant 50-unit run of "Ellen Allien puppies," which appeared on My Parade's back cover. Conveniently available in male and female form-- the latter sporting a splendid red bikini-- Ellen's PR juggernaut adds that she's hard at work on a new album and a possible American label deal for it, with multiple videos, subsequent tours, and lotsa remixes (Q Not U have been tossed out as one possibility) in the immediate future. For now, grab the Do you have a news tip for us?
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