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 Elliott Smith's formidable legacy lies not just in his beautifully written and performed records, but in his intensely intimate yet often erratic live performances. The upcoming DVD release of Elliott Smith: Olympia, Washington captures a 1999 solo set on the closing night of the five-day YoYo a Go Go music festival, and will be available November 30th via Music Video Distributors and HIQI Media. Though apparently devoid of any special features, the DVD does contain the 40-minute concert in its entirety.
The concert took place less than a year before the release of Smith's second Dreamworks release, Figure 8, and is of particular historical note as it's one of the final shows to feature him performing without the assistance of a backing band. As the years passed, Smith's live shows became increasingly unpredictable, with the troubled troubadour mumbling incoherently between songs, flubbing notes and chords, and sometimes canceling shows altogether. However, at his best, Smith delivered his songs with an affecting conviction rarely captured on record.
Tracklist: Meanwhile, it appears that radio stations in Britain and France have already begun playing tracks from Smith's upcoming swan song, that the BBC has archived one recent show on which some of the music was played. (Check the link below.) As previously reported, the album is slated for an October 19th release, and the tracklist, should you have somehow previously missed it, is as follows: Field Day Festival to Rise Again!
It's just like your mother told you: If someone picks on you at school, it means they secretly like you. disastrous Field Day Festival, it was only because Mom also told us that sarcasm's the best way to ease Color us a-flutter, then, at the news that midstate New York town Red Hook has given promoter Andrew Dreskin permission to stage a Field Day festival on Greig Farm, under an hour from Albany. The first Field Day, you may recall, imploded at the last minute in June of 2003, downsizing from a two-day camp-out event into a single-day gig at Giants Stadium after Suffolk County police, sparrow fanciers, Riverhead town officials, and, oh yeah, that whole "not having a permit" thing conspired to turn what should have been 48 hours of moderately hip utopia into a depressing monster fuckup.
Yeah, we're still not totally okay with that. But wait: It's time to live in the now! Despite a vetting process strict enough to have already turned down a bid for a similar event in the same space by something called the World Unity Festival, The Red Hook town board has apparently taken pity on Dreskin, and green-lighted him for one more shot.
A good omen? Well, we're not getting our hopes up, but the festival is presently being slated for a July weekend in 2005, and The Beastie Boys, as well as Norah Jones. Local newspaper The Daily Freeman states that his proposal to the Red Hook town board also mentioned invitations being sent to R.
E.M., Lou Reed, Coldplay, and Tom Waits.
We're confident that as plans proceed, the festival will expand to include the kind of other names that don't necessarily impress rural city councils; not to jinx anything, but here are some of the scheduled folks that didn't get to perform last time due to the unexpected change of plans: Interpol, Royksopp, Tortoise, Raveonettes, Sigur Ros, The Roots, The Streets, Blackalicious, Le Tigre, Peanut Butter Wolf, Luna, and The Polyphonic Spree. Andrew Dreskin, Red Hook Town Board, assembled members of the animal kingdom, we're Mates of State Tour, Ready New Four-Song EP Gather round, children, for your quarterly catch-all Mates of State update: * As reported at MatesofState.com, lovebirds and bandmates Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner have sired a kid, who now goes by the name of Magnolia.
In lieu of gifts/flowers, just find a rock critic who's compared them in print to Quasi and shoot him/her in the head. (Editor's Note: Pitchfork in no way condones violence against any of our fine associates in the world of rock criticism, especially our own.) * Despite little Magnolia's fairly recent arrival date in late July, the Mates are already preparing to re-enter the public consciousness via any one of a number of warm, cozy, intimate venues near you.
They'll be playing several of the early dates with the omnipresent Pinback, before finishing the back half with Bishop Allen. Family friendly: 11-20 Wallingford, CT - Wallingford American Legion # * Also denotes that Mates of State will come bearing gifts: namely the four-song All Day EP, out November 9th but available at the merch table beforehand. Tracklist: In the five years since his debut solo album Black On Both Sides was released, Mos Def has simultaneously laid low and spread out-- spraying guest spots across the rap world, forming a rock band (Black Jack Johnson, including Living Colour's drummer and Bad Brains' guitarist), resuming the acting career he started in the 80s, and recently, fronting a jazz ensemble in Central Park.
But ultimately, dropping a verse on Kanye West's album only keeps people from forgetting who you are. If you want new fans, your smiling face has to make it to the New Releases rack under your own direction and vision. Thus, after being pushed back earlier this year, Mos Def's second solo album, New Danger, Funeral March", "Close Edge", and "Y.
E.A." A full tracklist is being withheld for now by Geffen because, they say, releasing it would make it easier to find the album on file-sharing services.
Although this doesn't make complete sense, we heartily endorse this strategy because, if carried to its logical extreme, it could lead to major-label artists changing their own names to things which are hard to narrow down searches for online, like "Iraq" or "Anna Kournikova" or "The Beatles". Meanwhile, shooting has wrapped on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a new film adaptation of Douglas Adams' cult-classic novel, which is heading for theaters in June of 2005. Mos Def has a leading role, playing displaced alien Ford Prefect.
We're not ready to publicly declare our feelings about Hitchhiker's Guide, but if New Danger gets a lot of radio play, we predict the movie will missing. A gap. A lacuna.
Maybe it was the lack of a simultaneous film festival. Maybe you wanted to see some government cash flowing into the underground. Maybe the people around you just weren't speaking enough Well, we don't want to freak you out, but if that's the case, we have the solution to all your issues.
Pop Montreal, a five-day festival beginning next Wednesday, September 29th and running through Sunday, October 3rd, boasts well over 200 bands playing at two dozen venues with concurrent mini-festivals for film, art and political activism. The lineup includes: Franz Ferdinand, Mission of Burma, The Black Keys, Magnolia Shalabi Effect, and of course, The Faggot Faced Forskins. huge spread for a festival just entering its third year.
The ambitious scale has attracted plenty of folks Making Change" conference, and the documentary Jandek on Corwood will see its Montreal premiere at mostly free. There's even a special festival rate for concert-goers staying at the Holiday Inn Midtown. The last time we were in Montreal we saw a lot of people sleeping on the street, but none of them had Yo La Tengo t-shirts on, so it might be a good idea to get a room.
Cat Stevens Ejected from U.S. by Homeland Security: Suspected of Ties to Terrorism Folk-crooner Cat Stevens, who has gone by the name of Yusuf Islam since converting to the Islamic faith and retiring from music in the late 70s, has shown up on a government "watch list" meant to prevent suspected terrorists from entering the country.
Islam was on a Washington-bound flight from London's Heathrow airport, which, much to the surprise of the passengers, was diverted to Bangor, Maine instead. Stevens was held in Bangor for a while, and then promptly sent right back to England, where he currently resides. As to how Stevens ended up on the list, Homeland Security officials have remained tight-lipped.
The basic explanation has been that "he was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on national security grounds," but it's also been mentioned that he has contributed money to several Islamic charities, and these charities could possibly have ties with terrorism. The charities in question certainly sound sinister: Small Kindness, which offers humanitarian relief, the Islamia Schools' Trust, devoted to education, and the Waqf al Birr Educational Trust, which supports educational research and the development of scientific and medical research. Garrison Courtney, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told CNN, "The intelligence community has come into possession of additional information that further heightens our concerns of Yusuf Islam," while another official said that they were "extremely confident in the information.
" In a weird coincidence (or was it?), British pseudo-prog rockers Marillion were also on board the flight. Vocalist Steve Hogarth offered the following insight: "We all had to get off the plane.
I then met a security guard who said the two people escorted off were Cat Stevens and his daughter. I was stunned. He is a pacifist and a great songwriter.
" Indeed-- we suppose anything's possible in this topsy-turvy world, but isn't this the same guy who sang "Peace Train"? Is that so far removed from a peace plane? Stevens' official website states: "As yet we have no specific information from the U.
S. immigration authorities as to why he was not allowed to enter the country. What we can say, however, is that he will be shocked and angered at being associated with anyone who commits acts of violence.
He has vehemently and consistently criticized terrorist acts and has always advocated peace through his songs and his extensive humanitarian relief work. He has traveled many times to the U.S.
, most recently two months ago on a visit with his record company. Any suggestion therefore that he poses a security risk due to alleged connections with terrorist activities is totally denied as it is simply wrong. We are seeking further details so that we can challenge the decision to refuse him entry.
" With only one LP and a few scant EPs under their collective belt, Brooklyn's Yeah Yeah Yeahs are already prepping a loaded DVD collection for release on October 18th. Titled Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow, the set will feature all of the group's Japan by video director Patrick Daughters, an audience documentary directed by Spike Jonze, live footage culled from two San Francisco performances earlier this year, and the MTV Video Music Awards performance of "Maps". Additionally, the Japanese footage In other news, the group has plans to make several recent remixes of "Y Control" available via iTunes.
High profile fans The Faint, Tommie Sunshine, and Psychic TV founder Genesis P. Orridge have each put their own stamp on the cut from last year's Fever to Tell. The exclusive downloads should hit within the next couple of weeks.
And finally, the group have two live appearances in the pipeline: The first will be held tonight in Mexico City at Salon 21, while the second will take them to quasi-legendary Seattle alt-rock station KNDD's Endfest this Saturday, where they'll play alongside X, Psychedelic Furs, Violent Femmes, and, uh, Harvey Danger. Run it up the flagpole: Pinback is a band that seems to generate news without much news at all. Upon perusing the Pitchfork archives, one might notice the almost indistinguishable baby steps between successive articles-- details about apparently never-ending tour itineraries, changes to apparently never-ending tour itineraries, unconfirmed details about the prospect of a new album, and finally, confirmed details regarding said new album.
And that's not even taking into consideration the effort of covering Rob Crow's myriad side projects. Let The songwriting duo of Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV (or just Zach, which as you know, is the current default nickname for anyone whose name exceeds 15 consonants. Yes, we're counting the "V" numeral) have spent a year touring and staggering out details regarding their forthcoming Summer in Abaddon LP.
Still scheduled to hit pop-stands this October 12th via Touch Go, Pinback's third full-length comes packaged with plans for a supporting fall tour (in stark contrast to their summer tour in support of...
nothing). Those dates came and were reported on. And now more have been added, thus meriting this much-needed Pinback report.
The dates, old 10-15 New York City, NY - Irving Plaza (Touch and Go/CMJ Showcase) OOIOO to Tour the U.S. in November You'd think that being the drummer for Boredoms would be more than enough unadulterated mayhem for one person, but not so for Yoshimi P-We.
During the seemingly eternal Boredoms hiatus (perhaps to come to an end with this week's release of Seadrum/House of Sun?), and with Kim Gordon's Free Kitten sleeping soundly, P-We's side project OOIOO has given her something to do whenever she's unoccupied OOIOO reportedly put on quite a show-- reports have detailed the band slathering themselves in luminescent bodypaint, fluttering like moths, and generally exerting enough energy to power Tokyo for a fiscal year. Although Kill Rock Stars has issued their self-titled debut, and Thrill Jockey released their latest installment into experimental strata, Kila Kila Kila, not all of their releases are stocked in the US of A, and like most Boredoms albums, cost a pretty penny for those die hard fans who want to dish out the dough.
However, they are playing select dates in the U.S. this November, so you too will have a chance to drop to the floor and twitch like a wing-ed insect.
The scenes of the crimes: 11-05 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill 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.
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