Fleet Foxes- Grown Ocean- (Music Video)

Fleet Foxes – Grown Ocean from Fleet Foxes on Vimeo.

Documentary images set to the song Grown Ocean from the album Helplessness Blues, out May 3rd, 2011 on Sub Pop Records

If you thought the Arctic Monkeys had enough of Josh Homme when the latter produced their 2009 album ‘Humbug,’ think again. It turns out that the Queens of the Stone Age overseer has joined forces with the Sheffield quartet for their upcoming album, ‘Suck It and See.’

This time Homme’s role is a minor one — he sings backing vocals on one song, ‘All My Own Stunts.’ Production chores for the new disc, which come out on June 6, were handled by Klaxons/Peaches veteran James Ford.

According to the Monkey’s frontman Alex Turner, the new record will be decidedly “song-based.” Speaking in the May issue of Q, Turner explained, “We used to always try and not go down that route before, because it had been done. But there’s a reason why they’re the classic structures.”

There’s still no word on a lead single for the album, which was recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. However earlier this month, the band dropped an excerpt, ‘Brick by Brick,’ as a teaser to what its fourth studio project will sound like.

Meanwhile, the band has a busy summer planned, playing alongside the Strokes, Arcade Fire and Primal Scream at the Benicassim Festival. The group has also been confirmed for Oxegen 2011, the 2011 V Festival and Rock Werchter events. Arctic Monkeys will also launch the album by headlining a pair of headlining shows with support from the Vaccines among others at the Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on June 10 and 11.

Broadcast live Tuesday April 5th at 7pm ET here: www.youareatourist.com

Long known for their ingenious and imaginative videos, Atlantic recording group Death Cab for Cutie are poised to make history with the companion clip for their hugely anticipated new single, “You Are A Tourist.” Directed by award-winning filmmaker Tim Nackashi (TV On The Radio, OK Go, Elvis Costello, Radiohead), and conceptualized by frequent collaborator Aaron Stewart-Ahn, “You Are A Tourist” will be the first-ever live, scripted, single-take music video to be broadcast as it is filmed. Presented by Atlantic Records, Bing and RedLaser, viewers are invited to watch the production unfold before their eyes, Tuesday, April 5th at 7pm EST/4pm PST via www.youareatourist.com

Fans can quickly add the “You Are A Tourist” video event to their calendars using leading mobile barcode scanning application RedLaser and a QR Code featured on Death Cab for Cutie’s website and official Twitter feed (@dcfc). Fans simply download RedLaser to their smartphone and then scan the QR Code to add the video event to their calendars. *

Bing, the decision engine from Microsoft, will offer exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of the band prepping for the video as well as from the live production itself at www.facebook.com/bing beginning on April 5. In addition, a special embed code will be available allowing users to air the video event on their own blog or website.

“You Are A Tourist” is the first single from Death Cab for Cutie’s eagerly awaited new album, “CODES AND KEYS.” The track hit multi-format radio outlets nationwide on Monday, March 28th and is available at all DSPs beginning today Tuesday, March 29th. You can hear the full stream of “You Are a Tourist here: http://atlr.ec/youareatourist

In the meantime, “CODES AND KEYS”, which is out May 31st, is available now for pre-order at www.deathcabforcutie.com/codesandkeys. An array of unique bundles are on offer, featuring such exciting exclusives as the “LIVE AT THE MT. BAKER THEATRE” DVD, a “CODES AND KEYS” t-shirt , a “CODES AND KEYS” tote bag, a full album stream 72 hours before street date, and one-year membership in the band’s official fan club, DCFC Union Local #1138 (or one-year renewal for current members). All pre-orders will receive a digital download of “You Are A Tourist” on Tuesday, March 29th.

Oh snap! Look who just ate Apple and Google’s lunch here? Minutes ago, Amazon rolled out its very own music streaming service which is conveniently dubbed the Amazon Cloud Player. Existing Amazon customers in the US can now upload their MP3 purchases to their 5GB cloud space — upgradable to a one-year 20GB plan for free upon purchasing an MP3 album, with additional plans starting at $20 a year — and then start streaming on their computers or Android devices. Oh, and did we mention that this service is free of charge as well? Meanwhile, someone will have some catching up to do, but we have a feeling it won’t take them too long. Interested? Simple visit Amazon.com
(via engadget)

Art-rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been on hiatus since their ‘It’s Blitz!’ tour ended in 2010, but that doesn’t mean the trio aren’t busy working. When guitarist Nick Zinner isn’t thrashing around onstage, he’s also an accomplished photographer, having displayed his work in art galleries around the world. He and friends Zachary Lipez and Stacy Wakefield have published four photo books together, including the recent ‘Please Take Me Off the Guest List,’ for which Zinner supplied the photos and the others wrote the text and created designs.

Last month, at San Francisco’s Noise Pop festival, Zinner appeared at the opening night of his ’1,001 Images’ show at Public Works, marking the second time he’s displayed the collection. “I get nervous a lot, but that’s just my thing,” Zinner tells Spinner. “I never think that all of these people are going to see it. I never think about that final step.”

Perusing his portfolio, his Robert Frank-inspired photos encapsulate intimate portraits of his bandmates, members of TV on the Radio and Marilyn Manson, crowd shots, street scenes, random pictures of kangaroos and snapshots of rumpled hotel beds. As Zinner reveals, he doesn’t have a favorite place to photograph because the desire can strike at any moment.

“I feel like good photos come so spontaneously and so randomly,” he says. “It’s never a specific place I’m excited about shooting. Essentially, I was doing composed snapshots, so it really depends whatever happens in front of me — that could be Tokyo or that could be my friend’s apartment down the street.”

During YYYs shows, audiences can catch a glimpse of Zinner snapping pictures from the stage, an act that exemplifies the marriage of his two passions. “They both kind of inspire each other,” he says. “When Yeah Yeah Yeahs are on tour, I can take a lot of photos. They kind of go hand in hand.”

Though he mainly uses film but will sometimes just snap pics on his iPhone, Zinner says the best part of this hobby is the fans. “It’s great that people are in love with photography,” he says. “That’s all that really matters, ultimately. It doesn’t matter what camera you use or what film you use. If people are thinking visually and are excited about images, that’s awesome.”

Looking ahead, Zinner says he’s building a studio and will accompany his bandmates when they perform at the inaugural Lollapalooza Chile in April. The festival will be the band’s first show together since last September, when they commemorated their 10-year anniversary as a band with a couple of small shows in New York. After a decade together, Zinner still can’t believe their success. “We’re still in awe by it,” he says. “It’s amazing. We’re really happy about it. We didn’t see it coming.”

Mercury Records — home to U2, Arcade Fire and Sir Elton John — is to cease releasing the bulk of its singles on physical formats, though the label will still make a minor contribution next month to Record Store Day

The label announced that it would no longer put out CD or vinyl singles, except for rare exceptions such as charity releases. Company bosses claim they lost money on physical releases last year, with 99 per cent of single sales now downloads.

Mercury’s move begins with immediate effect and label sources say it applies except under “exceptional circumstances,” the Press Association reports. Physical sales usually make up around one per cent of the singles chart and recently there were just 2,292 vinyl and CD purchases in the UK Top 50, making 0.16 per cent.

That Mercury should lead a move that rivals and other Universal Music Group peers may consider is ironic give that Sir Elton’s ‘Candle in the Wind ’97′ remains the UK’s biggest-selling single.

Elsewhere, the annual push to drive music fans back to record shops continues apace, with a slew of one-off releases available in independent outlets to mark Record Store Day on April 16. We already mentioned the Nirvana EP, though special pressings from Beth Ditto, Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen show major labels are keen to support the initiative — even Mercury, with a 7″ from its new rock hopes Mona.

The thoughts and prayers of everyone at ATP are with our Japanese friends both new and old as they recover in the aftermath of the recent disaster. ATP urges you to support the victims of the Japanese disaster – today we announce a Benefit Concert at London’s Kentish Town Forum – all of the profits from which will go to the Japanese Red Cross and will be used towards helping the Japanese people recover from this devastating natural disaster over the coming months and years.

The event has a stunning line-up featuring Squarepusher (playing a special improv/jam set), LFO and Fuck Buttons as well as guest DJs Declan Allen and N> E> D>. Everyone who buys a ticket to the benefit, will receive a code to receive a new exclusive Autechre track, ‘6852’. Codes will be sent out from Monday onwards with details on how to redeem it. Art for this event has been generously donated by Tim Biskup – giclee posters (produced free of charge by http://www.jealousgallery.com) will be on sale at the event with all profits going to the Japanese Red Cross…

This year, Record Store Day falls on April 16, and once again, it features a whole lot of bands and labels releasing cool exclusives via independent record stores. As always, those who show up early enough will also get to cop some rare reissues from legendary bands. And this year, the crop of reissues includes EPs from Nirvana and Sonic Youth, as Consequence of Sound points out. (The full list of Record Store Day releases can be found here.)

Nirvana’s Hormoaning EP was originally available on the band’s 1992 Australian and Japanese tours. It features two Nirvana originals, “Aneurysm” and “Even in His Youth”, as well as four covers that the band recorded during a Peel Session: Devo’s “Turnaround”, the Wipers’ “D-7″, and the Vaselines’ “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun”. Several of its tracks were collected on the Nirvana rarities collection Incesticide. The Record Store Day 12″ release is limited to 4,000 copies.

When Nirvana’s buddies Sonic Youth toured Australia and New Zealand in 1993, they released their own tour-only EP, Whore’s Moaning. It features a photocopy of an image of one of Kurt Cobain’s dolls on the front cover and an original drawing by Cobain on the back, so he must not have been too mad about Sonic Youth making fun of his EP title. The EP features an edit of “Sugar Kane”, instrumentals “The End of the End of the Ugly” and “Tamra”, and covers of the New York Dolls’ “Personality Crisis” and Alice Cooper’s “Is It My Body”. Like the Nirvana EP, the Sonic Youth Record Store Day 12″ is limited to 4,000 copies. (via pitchfork)

Michael Stipe has just been added to Saturday night’s Big Star tribute in New York City. The R.E.M. singer will pay homage to the late Alex Chilton — who died a year ago — by covering the revered and influential band’s ‘Kanga Roo’ at an all-star event at Baruch College.

Billed as ‘Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers All-Star Collective,’ the concert will benefit three musician-oriented charities. Stipe will be joined by his R.E.M. bandmate Mike Mills, Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Matthew Sweet, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, Big Star’s Jody Stephens, Let’s Active frontman Mitch Easter and the dB’s Chris Stamey among others.

“There’s something about this record that connects with my generation, and apparently many generations,” Stamey said of ‘Sister Lovers’ in a statement. “We have been trying to create a concert piece that can have a life in years to come, trying to keep the spirit of the music and make it come across with the right emotions live.”

Last December, Big Star’s third album was performed in public with string and wind orchestrations at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC,with many of the aforementioned names. That experience prompted these indie all stars to come together for the March 26th show at Baruch College’s Mason Hall.

The show’s line-up of songs/performers will be:

1. ‘Kizza Me’ by Matt McMichaels (Mayflies USA)
2. ‘O Dana’ by Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo)
3. ‘For You’ by Jody Stephens (Big Star)
4. ‘Nighttime’ by Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)
5. ‘Jesus Christ’ by Mike Mills (R.E.M.)
6. ‘Take Care’ by Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo)
7. ‘Big Black Car’ by Matthew Sweet
8. ‘Stroke It, Noel’ by Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)
9. ‘Blue Moon’ by Jody Stephens (Big Star)
10. “Femme Fatale” (Singer not confirmed)
11. ‘Downs’ (Various)
12. ‘Dream Lover’ by Tift Merritt
13. ‘Holocaust’ by Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony)
14. ‘You Can’t Have Me’ by Tift Merritt
15. ‘Kanga Roo’ by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
16. ‘Thank You, Friends’ (Various)

The concert will benefit the Corona Youth Music Project, Queens, NY and KidZNotes, the El Sistema program in Durham, NC, plus the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.

In celebration of their new album, Circuital, My Morning Jacket are proud to announce a series of concerts at venues they have handpicked to debut their new music. Circuital is out this summer on ATO Records. The band will embark on a North American tour in support of the release beginning in June, and more dates will be announced soon. With this album, the band recorded almost everything live together to allow for warmth and spontaneity. Tickets go on pre-sale to fans Wednesday, March 23rd and on sale to the public on Saturday, March 26th. The band will donate $1 from every ticket sold from these dates to charity.

The group is also in week three of their “T5 Countdown” to Circuital, where they release a live track from each of their Terminal 5 shows this past October. Head over to http://www.mymorningjacket.com todownload “One Big Holiday” as performed on 10/21/2010, and to sign up for the rest of the songs. After the fifth and final Terminal 5 track is released, the following week will see the debut of a new song from the forthcoming new album.

My Morning Jacket Tour Dates:
$1 from each ticket will be donated to a local charity
Go to www.mymorningjacket.com for more details

6/17 – Auditorium Theatre (Chicago, IL)
6/22 – Pantages Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
6/24 – Fox Theater (Oakland, CA)
6/26 – Paramount Theatre (Seattle, WA)
6/28 – Edgefield (Portland, OR)
6/29 – Orpheum (Vancouver, BC)
7/11 – Kool Haus (Toronto, ON)
7/12 – Metropolis (Montreal, QC)
8/04 – Red Rocks (Morrison, CO)

“Will Do”, the first taste from TV on the Radio’s forthcoming LP Nine Types of Light, has a video to go along with it now. It’s a vaguely sad, sci-fi-influenced clip concerning using virtual reality to experience love and pleasure (or, rather, an artificial substitute). Watch the clip below:

(via- Pitchfork)

New York, NY – March 22, 2011 – Modest Mouse hits the road this May with four shows including three just announced headlining dates leading into the sold-out Sasquatch! Music Festival on May 29th in George, WA.

Tickets for the band’s headline dates go on sale at 10 AM local time on Friday, March 25th. Please head over to www.modestmouse.com for more information.

Opening on the band’s headline dates will be Talkdemonic.

Modest Mouse players: Isaac Brock, Eric Judy, Jeremiah Green, Tom Peloso, Joe Plummer & Jim (Kirby) Fairchild.

Modest Mouse Tour Dates:
May 26 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
May 27 Missoula, MT Big Sky Brewery
May 28 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
May 29 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival (SOLD OUT)

As the catastrophic fallout from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that recently hit Japan continues to get worse, musicians are finding ways to pitch in towards the recovery efforts. We recently reported on the Mountain Goats’ auction to benefit Doctors Without Borders, and No Age played a benefit show last weekend. Below, we’ve listed more ways that musicians and organizations are raising money for Japan. And, of course, we strongly encourage you to donate to the cause.

– Sonic Youth are auctioning a pair of vintage posters, as well as a pair of band-branded Vans from the era that produced their 1992 LP Dirty, with 100% of the funds raised going to ShelterboxUSA.org, which provides shelter and needs to Japan’s displaced homeless population.

– Sonic Youth are also taking part in the Concert to Benefit Japan Earthquake Relief, which goes down March 27 at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York. John Zorn is hosting the event, which will also feature appearances by Mike Patton, Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Cibo Matto with Mephista, Marc Ribot, Uri Caine, and Aleph Trio; all proceeds from the sold-out event will go directly to Japan.

– Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Norah Jones, JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia, Buke and Gass, and many more will perform at a benefit show at the Abrons Arts Center in downtown NYC on April 8.

– Yo La Tengo are holding a benefit concert of their own on Wednesday, March 23, at Hoboken, New Jersey’s Maxwell’s venue, with all proceeds going to benefit Peace Winds Japan.

– Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, John Zorn, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Laswell, and more will perform at the Concert for Japan, taking place April 9 and New York City’s Japan Society.

– The Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA posted a new track on Soundcloud, Gab-Gotcha’s “Japan”, for free download in support of Japan.

– Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison will headline the Red Cross Fundraiser for Japan at Glasgow venue Stereo on March 30.

– Japanese indie-pop artist Shugo Tokumaru is selling a new track, “Open a Bottle”, at Bandcamp to support Japan.

– Warp Records is selling a t-shirt that will go towards supporting the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal; the shirt will be on sale until April 4.

– Shoegazers Serena-Maneesh just released a remix of Lindstrøm & Christabelle’s “High & Low” on iTunes; all proceeds go to supporting the Japanese Red Cross.

– Arty experimental hip-hop/rock outfit WHY? are auctioning off a whole bunch of rare LPs from WHY?, as well as affiliated projects cLOUDDEAD and Hymie’s Basement, over at band member Josiah Wolf’s eBay page; all proceeds from the auction will go to supporting Hands on Tokyo.

– Ponytail guitarist Dustin Wong will be taking part in tonight’s benefit concert Help Japan from Brooklyn: A Benefit Through Film/Music, which is taking place at Brooklyn Winery and will be in support of the Lions Club Japan Earthquake Fund.

– If you purchase music through the dance-focused online store Beatport today, the company will donate 100% of its profits to Japan.

– Dance-oriented label Turbo Records will be donating all proceeds for subscriptions to the label’s catalog sold until May 1 to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

– Artists on the electronic labels Ninja Tune and All City, as well as Hyperdub head Kode9, are among some of the many contributors featured on the Nihon Kizuna compilation, which is available now for purchase on Bandcamp and iTunes Japan. The proceeds will go towards supporting the Japan Red Cross.

Jack White has admitted that he doesn’t know what his former White Stripes bandmate Meg is up to these days.

He and Meg announced that they were no longer a band on February 2.

When quizzed about what Meg was doing in the wake of the split by Pitchfork he replied: “I don’t know. I’ve never known.”

Speaking at the South By Southwest festival, he also revealed why it took so long for the group to announce details of their split, pointing to their 2010 live album and film ‘Under Great White Northern Lights’.

“That box set and movie, that took a lot of time,” he said of the project, which was recorded in 2007. “People don’t really know how much time that stuff takes. More than albums, I mean, albums we make in two weeks, but films and editing and box sets and premieres and all that, that was a long project.”

He added: “We had thousands of hours of footage that we went through. Any time I wasn’t working with The Raconteurs or The Dead Weather that’s what I worked on. So that swallowed up a lot of time. So it kind of seemed like we hadn’t done anything in a couple of years.”

The newly released sci-fi thriller ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ starring Matt Damon gave American audiences a preview of former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft’s fourth solo album, ‘United Nations of Sound,’ due out tomorrow.

The album’s soul-fueled cut ‘Are You Ready’ plays during the credits for the movie, but there’s the added bonus of a brand new piece of music that Ashcroft and the film’s incidental music composer Thomas Newman wrote together.

“It was another thing that turned up out of the blue really,” Ashcroft tells Spinner from his London studio. “It came out of the director, George Nolfi, hearing ‘Are You Ready’ and wanting to use it as the outro of the film. Then he suggested we do something together for the start of the film.”

Instead of collaborating via email or Skype, as is commonplace, the two actually worked together in person. “Yeah, God bless him,” says Ashcroft.

“The guy flew over from L.A. to London and we went into a studio here. He had a Wurlitzer keyboard and I had a Vocoder, and we just did a tune. Then I got some of the guys from the United Nations of Sound band to put some guitar and drums on it in Australia, when we was on tour. It was finished in L.A.. Yeah, it was all good.”

Ashcroft recorded his album in America over ten days, working firstly in New York with producer No I.D. — who has worked with music heavyweights like Jay-Z, Common, Kanye West and Rihanna in the past. “The work ethic, the amount of energy was immense. What was forged out of that was something really exciting. It got close, at times, to what I went out there for.”

“When we did more of the recording in L.A., I was lucky enough to work with a guy called Benjamin Wright, who arranged the strings. Again, a fabulous guy, a great man, someone who’d been in the business for a long time,” he says of Wright, who has most famously worked with Michael Jackson. “The process of making it was important to me. Unfortunately, there’s probably only me who’s going to take anything out of it, the good and the bad.”

Recording stateside fired Ashcroft up and left him longing for more, too. “So many things were popping up while I was there. You’re starting from way behind someone who is in L.A. or New York,” he says of working in London. “You can try and capitalize on the amazing opportunities that there are, if you know the right people.”

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke is working on a new album with rapper DOOM.

New York MC DOOM, who has also performed under the name MF Doom, said that the album would feature duets and was in its early stages.

He told 3D World magazine that he was “doing some stuff with Thom Yorke. We’re working on some duets, some duet songs and shit. Just like preliminary shit but we’ll probably end up doing a whole record together.”

He added: “He’s cool – he got a lot of ill ass ideas and shit, you know.”

Yorke remixed the rapper’s song ‘Gazzillion Ear’ in 2009.

The Radiohead man recently released a collaboration single with Four Tet and Burial. Shortly before that he made a surprise DJ appearance in Los Angeles.

Radiohead’s ‘The King Of Limbs’ album came out last month.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard new music from Björk, but come this summer, that’s set to change. She has announced a series of UK shows planned as part of this year’s Manchester International Festival, during which she will preview material from her forthcoming album, Biophilia.

A press release describes Biophilia as not only an album but also “A multi-media project encompassing music, apps, internet, installations and live shows”. Her six-show, three-week residency at Manchester’s Campfield Market Hall will feature her performing with collaborators as well; the festival will also assist Björk in bringing the Biophilia performances to other cities after the Manchester residency. Also, the press release outlines an intriguingly strange assortment of instruments that will be used for the show: “a bespoke digitally-controlled pipe organ; a 30 foot pendulum that harnesses the earth’s gravitational pull to create musical patterns– creating a unique bridge between the ancient and the modern; a bespoke gamelan-celeste hybrid; and a one-off extraordinary pin barrel harp.” Cool.
You might remember hearing about Biophilia in the beginning of the year, when a new iPad app titled Solar System, featuring a three-minute instrumental taken from the project, was unveiled. Well, NME reports that Björk has pulled a Gorillaz and partly recorded the new record on an iPad, and plans to release the record as a series of apps for the electronic device. In other words: keep your fingers crossed for a Björk-ified Angry Birds! Check out the dates for the residency below, as well as the video for “Declare Independence”, from 2007′s Volta, below. (via Pitchfork)

Björk:

06-30 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall
07-03 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall
07-07 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall
07-10 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall
07-13 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall
07-16 Manchester, England – Campfield Market Hall

Björk: “Declare Independence” video:

Tom Waits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night by Neil Young before performing 4 songs, including “Get Behind the Mule” with Young himself. While the broadcast won’t air on FUSE until Sunday (3/20), reports from the event have surfaced with a sneak peek at the ceremony. One great quote (of many) from Waits: “They say that I have no hits and that I’m difficult to work with, and they say that like it’s a bad thing.” For a longer excerpt of his speech, visit Anti Blog.

Download the new single (free and legal) from Fleet Foxes who’s new album is due May 3rd on Sub Pop / Bella Union
Download: ‘Helplessness Blues’ (MP3)

NPR:

“Jack White has a record label, Third Man, based in Nashville. He’s also got a store in that same city that contains a photography studio, a live venue, a recording studio and a record press. Time to add four wheels to White’s empire: Today, the Third Man Records Rolling Record Store made its maiden voyage to a parking lot in Austin, Texas…

But let’s cut to the chase: Jack White hopped out of the truck to perform two songs, one from Buddy Holly and the other, a White Stripes tune, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”

White also introduced a new Third Man recording artist, Seasick Steve, who appropriately played the blues on just three strings…”

“New York Times”::

“South by Southwest is about music, lots and lots of it: 2,000-plus bands over six days. But partly as a result of there being so much music, the festival is also about attention-getting stunts: bands playing up to a dozen gigs in unusual spaces, announcing last-minute performances on Twitter, teasing crowds with “TBA’s” on schedules.

This year Jack White, formerly of the White Stripes, has one of the better stunts, a yellow and black truck representing his Nashville-based record label and studio, Third Man. Docked at various spots throughout Austin this week, the truck will sell some of Third Man’s lovingly produced products, much of it in elaborately designed limited editions, like the “tricolor” records pressed on a symmetrical pattern of white, yellow and black vinyl. After South by Southwest, the truck will continue on a national tour.

But the really big stunt was that for its debut in a downtown parking lot on Wednesday morning, Mr. White himself was hiding out in the truck. As a crew dressed in bumblebee colors buzzed around the vehicle — Mr. White himself was all in Johnny Cash black save for his scuffed tan boots — he stepped outside to briefly perform for a crowd of about 300 fans, journalists and social-media documenters. Introduced as “Third Man Records recording artist Jack White,” he played Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” (“a Texas song,” he called it) and the White Stripes’ “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” Less than six minutes later he was back inside the truck.

Shortly before his performance, he gave me a brief tour of the vehicle, showing off the Third Man albums and 45’s that lined the back in specially designed racks. And with a sound system playing Chuck Berry and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins overhead, he chatted about South by Southwest and why digital music will never have the romance of a tangible record. Here are some excerpts from that conversation.

Q. How long have you been on the road with this?

A.This is our maiden voyage. The idea was, there are a couple clubs across the street from Third Man’s headquarters in Nashville, and I thought, those guys stand in line for shows for a couple hours sometimes — we should set up a table some time and sell records over there, play music for them while they’re in line. And if we do that, we can do it other places too. What if we do that on a truck?

We’re selling almost our whole catalog. These carts are designed to slide right into the wall; they don’t rattle when you’re driving. It’s temperature controlled so we can leave it overnight right here. So if it’s 100 degrees, the vinyl is not going to melt.

Q.And you’re not worried about people throwing a brick through the window and walking out with some Wanda Jackson records?

A.I’m from Detroit — of course I’m worried about that!”

On their website, TV on the Radio have announced that Gerard Smith, the band’s bassist and keyboardist, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. He’s currently undergoing treatment, and he won’t join the band on their forthcoming run of dates.

The band writes, “Gerard is fortunate enough to have health insurance and is receiving excellent medical care. Already we have seen dramatic results. Combine that with Gerard’s legendarily willful disposition and it might just be cancer that has the problem. We appreciate your concern and support for Gerard and his family.”

The band is going ahead with its future plans. Interscope will release their new album Nine Types of Light on April 12, and you can use the widget below to download their new song “Caffeinated Consciousness”. Also below, you’ll find the band’s tour dates. They’ve got a number of shows coming up, including a headlining set at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

TV on the Radio:

03-17-19 Austin, TX – SXSW
04-08 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
04-09 Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre
04-10 Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live
04-13 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
04-15 Providence, RI – Brown University
04-16 Boston, MA – House of Blues
04-17 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
04-18 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
04-20 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
04-22 Chicago, IL – Metro
04-23-24 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
04-26 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
05-02 San Diego, CA – 4th and B
06-22 Zagreb, Croatia – T-Mobile Inmusic Festival
06-23 Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
06-24 Berlin, Germany – Astra
06-30 Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
07-01 St. Gallen, Switzerland – St. Gallen Festival
07-03 London, England – Wireless Festival
07-04 Amsterdam, Holland – Paradiso
07-05 Cologne, Germany – Live Music Hall
07-08 Bilbao, Spain – BBK Live Festival
07-09 Lisbon, Portugal – Alive Festival
07-17 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival

Beastie Boys have finally set a release date for their long-awaited new album ‘Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2′.

The album, which will be the New York trio’s eighth full-length effort, will come out on May 3 in the US. A UK release date of May 2 would correspond to this. The cover art is pictured.

The trio have made a song from the new album, ‘Too Many Rappers’, available to hear online. The track features a guest vocal from Nas – scroll down and click below to hear it.

The album had been due to come out in 2009 but was delayed after rapper Adam Yauch underwent treatment for cancer. In January Yauch told fans that although he hadn’t got the all-clear, he was “hoping to be cancer free in the near future”.

The tracklisting of ‘Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2′ is:

‘Tadlock’s Glasses’
‘B-Boys In The Cut’
‘Make Some Noise’
‘Nonstop Disco Powerpack’
‘OK’
‘Too Many Rappers’ (feat. Nas)’
‘Say It’
‘The Bill Harper Collection’
‘Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win’ feat. Santigold
‘Long Burn The Fire’
‘Funky Donkey’
‘Lee Majors Come Again’
‘Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament’
‘Pop Your Balloon’
‘Crazy Ass Shit’
‘Here’s a Little Something For Ya’

Death Cab For Cutie’s new album ‘Codes And Keys’ is out on May 30.

The album, the band’s seventh, will be the follow-up to 2008′s ‘Narrow Stairs’. The artwork is pictured.

The band will play a three-date UK tour in July as well as a slot at Kent’s Hop Farm Festival in the same month.

They are also set to support Foo Fighters at their Milton Keynes Bowl show on July 2.

The tracklisting of ‘Codes And Keys’ is:

‘Home Is A Fire’
‘Codes And Keys’
‘Some Boys’
‘Doors Unlocked And Open’
‘You Are A Tourist’
‘Unobstructed Views’
‘Monday Morning’
‘Portable Television’
‘Underneath The Sycamore’
‘St Peter’s Cathedral’
‘Stay Young, Go Dancing’

The Kills’ are making the second track off their highly anticipated spring release, Blood Pressures, available for FREE today! After an overflow of excitement from fans over first single “Satellite” the duo gives a second glimpse of the forthcoming album with the track “DNA,” which Pitchfork called “a menacing, slow-burn.” The song features background vocals by The REV Gospel Collective. Get the track for free HERE.

The album Blood Pressures finds The Kills with their swagger and sass intact, but with a new thoughtfulness and depth – even a tinge of wistfulness and vulnerability – to their always compelling songwriting. As one of the most vital, striking bands recording today, The Kills’ vividly unique “rock” is at once effortless, edgy and timeless.

You can pre-order Blood Pressures here: http://www.thekills.tv/

In other The Kills news: don’t miss their performance on CONAN on April 13th before making their way to Indio, CA for Coachella! The band has also tacked on an additional California show to their string of spring tour dates with a performance in LA on May 13th at The Music Box. Additionally, The Kills have partnered with Polaroid to produce their very own Blood Pressures photo diary on Polaroid.com. See what the band has captured so far HERE and check back to see the shots they take as they tour around the world this year, starting with SXSW next week!

The Kills Spring 2011 North American Tour Dates:
New date in bold
* w/ Cold Cave & The Entrance Band

March 14 Austin, TX; IFC Party @ IFC Crossroads House, SXSW
March17 Austin, TX; Domino Showcase @ Emo’s, SXSW
March 18 Austin, TX; SPIN Showcase @ Stubb’s, SXSW
April 15 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues W/ Foals
April 16 Indio, CA @ Coachella
April 19 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater*
April 20 Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa *
April 22 Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom *
April 23 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade *
April 24 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
April 26 Boston, MA @ Royale Boston *
April 27 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts *
April 29 New York, NY @ Terminal 5 *
April 30 Montreal, QUE @ Olympia *
May 1 Toronto, ONT @ Sound Academy *
May 3 Detroit, MI @The Majestic Theatre *
May 4 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre *
May 5 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
May 8 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
May 9 Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market*
May 10 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
May 11 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
May 13 Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box
May 14 Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater*

It’s an event that pop music fans have been waiting for since the Summer of Love: Capitol Records is planning to release the Beach Boys’ great lost album, “Smile,” later this year.

Two longtime Beach Boys associates — engineer Mark Linett and archivist Alan Boyd — are co-producing the release, which Capitol has titled “The Smile Sessions.”

The project will be released in three versions: a two-CD set, an iTunes LP digital album and a limited-edition boxed set containing four CDs, two vinyl LPs, two vinyl singles and a 60-page hardbound book written by Beach Boys historian Domenic Priore.

“The Smile Sessions” doesn’t yet have a specific release date, with Capitol saying only that it will arrive later this year. That will inevitably spark skepticism among long-suffering fans who’ve had their hopes dashed before. When Warner Bros. Records signed the Beach Boys to a record deal in 1970, part of the label’s interest in the group was rooted in its hopes of releasing “Smile.” Linett, who has engineered Beach Boys reissues for more than two decades, recalls going through the “Smile” tapes as early as 1988. And in 1995, Capitol told Billboard that it was preparing to release a three-CD compilation tentatively titled “The Smile Era” for release in August of that year. But that set never saw the light of day.

“The major thing in the past, I don’t think we had support from all the band, and now we do,” says Bill Gagnon, GM/senior VP of catalog marketing at EMI Music North America. “All parties are supporting it coming out. Everybody is onboard now.”

Also backing the project are the related rights-holders. Capitol owns “The Smile Sessions” master recordings, with publishing rights controlled by Universal Music Group’s Rondor Music, the Beach Boys’ own Brother Records and, depending on which tracks are included on the final release, Wilson himself.

Since “Smile” was never completed, what exactly will be issued? Linett says the goal is to present “the whole piece as close to as it was envisioned, or as is envisioned, as possible . . . and obviously with input from Brian and from everybody else.”

Linett is a better judge than most, having recorded and mixed the critically acclaimed 2004 version of “Smile” that Wilson recorded with his road band for Nonesuch.

Although a track listing hasn’t been finalized, Linett says he expects that an approximation of the original “Smile” album will occupy one CD or three sides of vinyl, with session outtakes and studio chatter occupying the rest of each version of the release.

“When you say ‘album,’ it presupposes everything was recorded and finished, and that’s not the case,” he says. “We have gaps where we are missing some vocal parts. But all the music was recorded, which is heartening.” All of the vocals were recorded by the Beach Boys, usually at the same time around the same mic, including the lead vocal, Linett says. The music was mostly played by the Wrecking Crew, the legendary group of Los Angeles session musicians that played on numerous Beach Boys hits, although some “Smile” tracks feature Carl Wilson on guitar and Dennis Wilson on drums, Linett says.

Linett says Wilson’s 2004 “Smile” album has served as a blueprint for the current project, which will be mixed in mono because that’s how Wilson‹who’s deaf in his right ear‹intended it. But Linett adds that other selections from the 30 hours of “Smile” session recordings will more than likely be issued in stereo.

“Some of these questions are hard to answer because not only haven’t we assembled them yet, this has to be played for Brian and the other members of the group to see what kind of input they have,” he says. “Just because Brian did it the way he did it in 2004 [doesn't mean] he won’t say, ‘Well, let’s add “You’re Welcome,” ‘ which was the B-side on the ‘Heroes and Villians’ single.”

“The main thing I am getting from everybody, after waiting 40 years to have it officially released, is, ‘We want to make sure it is right,’ ” Linett says.

But is there any doubt surrounding the project this time around? “No,” Gagnon says. “It’s coming out.” (via Billboard)

A few facts gleamed from this new video for “Get Away”, a track from Yuck’s well-received self-titled debut:

1) Frontman Daniel Blumberg looks like Bob Dylan circa 1962.

2) The band is touring in a small white van, not a party bus or a Led Zeppelin jet, because they’re probably still broke.

3) Yuck are avid readers of Cat Fancy magazine.

4) Drummer Jonny Rogroff has one of the best afros I’ve ever seen, and can drink hard liquor like a champion.

5) The band only pulls over for red heads.

As for the track, it’s what Yuck do best: Nineties college rock guitar riffs, J Mascis licks, and fantastic melodic hooks. Stick around for the song’s bridge for one of Yuck’s most exhilarating moments, and wait for the video’s last fifteen seconds to see why it’s NSFW.

Yuck is available now via Fat Possum.

Arctic Monkeys have named their new album ‘Suck It And See’, and will release it on June 6.

The album, their fourth, was produced by James Ford at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. It features 12 new songs including ‘Brick By Brick’

The album will be the Sheffield band’s first since 2009′s ‘Humbug’, which Simian Mobile Disco man Ford also did some production work on, alongside Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme.

It will arrive just before the band’s Sheffield Don Valley Bowl gigs, set for June 10 and 11.

The tracklisting of ‘Suck It And See’ is:

‘She’s Thunderstorms’
‘Black Treacle’
‘Brick By Brick’
‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’
‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair’
‘Library Pictures’
‘All My Own Stunts’
‘Reckless Serenade’
‘Piledriver Waltz’
‘Love Is A Laserquest’
‘Suck It And See’
‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’

Animal Collective singer, percussionist and general sonic scientist Panda Bear has unveiled UK release details of his latest solo excursion.

The follow up to 2007′s acclaimed ‘Person Pitch’ will be titled ‘Tomboy’ and will be available to buy in British record shops on April 18, the NME reports. According to the performer known to his parents as Noah Lennox, the fourth Panda Bear project will mark a departure from the experimental, sample-heavy sound of his previous efforts and will feature, to an extent, an embrace of a more conventional rock and roll formula.

“I got tired of the severe parameters of using samplers,” Lennox explains. “Thinking about Nirvana and the White Stripes got me into the idea of doing something with a heavy focus on guitar and rhythm.”

‘Tomboy’ has been mixed by British musician Sonic Boom, best known for his collaborations with Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce in the pair’s influential ’80s band Spacemen 3. Sonic Boom (real name Peter Kember) also produced MGMT’s 2010 album ‘Congratulations’ and will perform with his current outfit Spectrum at May’s Animal Collective-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead, Somerset.

‘Tomboy’ will be released on Domino records in the UK and will feature singles ‘You Can Count on Me’ and the title track.

On August 28, the enduring legacy of France’s legendary lounge-pop louche Serge Gainsbourg be fêted at the Hollywood Bowl by some pretty big names: Beck, Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste, Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza Danilova, Sean Lennon, Mike Patton, and Pink Martini’s China Forbes will all take part in “Serge Gainsbourg Tribute With Jean-Claude Vannier”.

As the event title suggests, the tribute concert will be led by composer, arranger, and frequent Gainsbourg collaborator Jean-Claude Vannier with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Gainsbourg’s 10.0 classic LP, 1971′s Histoire de Melody Nelson, will be performed in full, as will Vannier’s own excellent 1972 debut L’Enfant Assasin des Mouches, as well as other Gainsbourg songs. The event is part of KCRW’s World Festival. (Via Pitchfork)

Mike Starr, the former Alice in Chains bass player who went public with his drug problems on a reality TV show, has been found dead nine years after the band’s singer died of an overdose.

The body of the 44-year-old Starr was discovered on Tuesday in a house in Salt Lake City according to police.

Starr left Alice in Chains shortly after the release of their breakthrough 1992 album Dirt and before they went on to enjoy greater success during the heyday of Seattle grunge.

But the band was rocked in 2002 by the death of singer Layne Staley, whose body was found in a Seattle apartment.

The remaining members resurrected the group with relative success in recent years, although Starr had largely disappeared by this time.

Starr re-emerged in January 2010 as a patient on the third season of Celebrity Rehab, a VH1 reality show, but appeared to be unable to overcome his addiction.

He was arrested in Salt Lake City three weeks ago on an outstanding warrant related to an earlier drugs charge, and was also carrying unauthorised prescription medications.

TMZ, which broke the news of Starr’s death, quoted his father as saying: “It’s a terrible shock and tragedy.”

A spokesman for the Salt Lake City police separtment said that officers responded to call about a possible body at a residence in the city centre earlier on Tuesday afternoon.

“There is nothing to indicate that this was foul play by another individual,” police said.

Morrissey has announced details of a UK tour set for June.

The former Smiths man will play nine dates, with support from Flats, Brother and Mona.

The gigs are scheduled to take place shortly before Morrissey headlines Hop Farm Festival in July.

Morrissey will play play the following dates (support group in brackets):

Perth City Hall (Flats) (June 15)
Inverness Ironworks (Flats) (17)
Dunoon Queens Hall (Flats) (18)
Dunfermline Alhambra Theatre (Brother) (20)
Hawick City Hall (Brother) (21)
Grimsby Auditorium (Flats) (24)
York Barbican (Mona) (25)
Bradford St George’s Hall (Mona) (27)
Cheltenham Centaur (Mona) (30)

Currently at work on their soon-to-be-completed 7th album, Spiritualized have signed to Fat Possum Records for North America. The new album will be released in the Fall. The band have also announced plans for a show at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall on October 11th, 2011 . Tickets go on sale March 11th at 9am.

While it’s been three years since the release of acclaimed album Songs In A&E, Spiritualized have been busy in the interim. July last year saw them stage a spectacular orchestral performance of their 1997 masterpiece Ladies And Gentlemen…We Are Floating In Space at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall. Led by enigmatic frontman Jason Spaceman, Spiritualized are widely regarded as one of the most significant British rock bands of the past 20 years.

Based in Oxford, Mississippi Fat Possum Records has produced a steady stream of formidable releases in its 19 year history, including albums from The Black Keys, R.L Burnside, Andrew Bird, Junior Kimbrough, Band Of Horses, Dinosaur Jr, Townes Van Zandt, T. Rex, WAVVES and The Walkmen.

Earlier this year, it was reported on the imminent release of a documentary film about the late garage-punk hero Jay Reatard. The movie, titled Better Than Something: Jay Reatard and directed by Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz, is now complete, and will soon screen at a pair of Tennessee film festivals.

As the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports, Better Than Something will screen at On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Festival, in Reatard’s hometown April 7-10. Soon after, it’ll also screen at the Nashville Film Festival, which runs April 14-21. Below, check out a trailer for the film.

It’s been well over a year since US audiences had a chance to witness the infectious energy of an Arctic Monkeys live show but music fans can delight in today’s news that the English 4-piece have announced plans to play a string of coast-to-coast shows this spring. Kicking off in our nation’s capitol on May 17th and wrapping up at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on June 3rd, the tour includes a return to New York City’s renowned Summer Stage in Central Park on May 24th. Presale and ticket information is available at ArcticMonkeys.com/ click here.

Arctic Monkeys – Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley and Matt Helders – haven’t performed in North America since criss-crossing the country in the wake of the release of Humbug, their acclaimed third album. Fans can expect to hear some eagerly awaited new material – the band posted a video preview of brand new song “Brick By Brick” on their website late last week.

Their upcoming US tour dates in full:

5/17 Washington, DC 930 Club
5/18 Philadelphia, PA Knitting Factory
5/19 Boston, MA House Of Blues
5/21 Toronto, ON Kool Haus
5/22 Montreal, QC L’Olympia
5/24 New York, NY Summer Stage
5/26 Detroit, MI Clutch Cargoes
5/27 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
5/28 Minneapolis, MN First Ave
5/30 Denver, CO The Ogden Theatre
5/31 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
6/3 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium

The Arctic Monkeys are back — somewhat out of the blue as we were waiting to hear Alex Turner’s new solo material — with the first taste off their forthcoming LP, which was recorded with the help of producer/Simian Mobile Disco/Last Shadow Puppets member James Ford. Hear drummer Matt Helders borrow the lead microphone from Turner in the new teaser video for “Brick by Brick” above. via

In January, Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne talked about his band’s plan to release scattered songs in unorthodox ways across this year, rather than working on a full album. “The dilemma is whether we’re going to release it on vinyl, cereal boxes, or some of it on toys that we make,” he told Rolling Stone. Earlier this week, Coyne gave us some more details on the forthcoming releases, in between rehearsals for a Carnegie Hall performance as part of Philip Glass’s annual Tibet House benefit show. And his plan is even more insane than you’d probably expect.

In about three weeks, the band will self-release an as-yet-untitled, four-song 12″ featuring Neon Indian. Not too crazy. But then, in April, they’ll start selling gummy skulls. We’ll let Coyne explain this one: “It’s a life-sized human skull completely made out of edible gummy bear stuff. It also has a gummy brain inside of it and, inside of that, there’s a USB flash drive that has three new songs on it. It’s pretty outrageous.”

Click on to read more about the specialized gummy heads and possible future collaborations with James Murphy and Jimmy Page:

Talking about the logistics of his gummy innovation, Coyne went on, “We found this guy in Raleigh, North Carolina, who makes all these gummy bear things– even adult toys. I don’t know if he’s making giant dicks and pussies out of gummy bears, but we called him and said, ‘Hey, would you want to make a life-size human skull with a brain in it?’ And he’s like, ‘Who is this?’ We said, ‘The Flaming Lips.’ He’s like, ‘I love you guys!’ So sometimes you’re lucky and you’ll run into someone with enthusiasm.” Other oddball packaging ideas include “a salt box” and “a little spinning stroboscope thing.” Why not?

Coyne has also reached out to people like LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, and Jimmy Page in hopes of involving them in future 2011 Lips releases. And yes, he’s talking about that Jimmy Page. “I know he likes our music,” said Coyne of the legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist. “It doesn’t always mean we get to sit in the same room as someone, and lot of times you’re just sending tracks back and forth, but I’m hoping he’s open to it. We always have a lot of stuff that someone like Jimmy Page could play over and we have a whole year to try and work this out.”

Currently freed from a record label contract for the first time since the 80s, the Oklahoma band’s first 2011 experiment was last month’s “Two Blobs Fucking”. The track was broken into 12 separate YouTube videos, which are meant to be played simultaneously on iPhones. (Watch the trio test out “Two Blobs Fucking” in a bathroom here.)

And, for the record, Coyne doesn’t rule out making more screen-printed posters out of his own blood, as he did last fall. “To me, it’s what I’m doing anyway– our blood is really in our work,” said the singer. “And I love blood. There’s some chemical reaction that happens when you’re with a group of people and there’s fresh human blood around; it’s not like taking LSD or anything, but this cool change happens.”
(via Pitchfork)

My Morning Jacket will release their highly anticipated sixth studio album this spring, entitled Circuital. In celebration of the forthcoming full-length, the band will give away six weekly downloads beginning March 3rd. The first five downloads will be live songs taken from each night of their historic week at New York’s Terminal 5 in October of 2010. On the sixth week, the band will offer up a brand new song from the new album.

Circuitalwas recorded in Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN, and was co-produced by frontman Jim James and Tucker Martine (R.E.M., Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists). While in Louisville, the birthplace of the band and where three fifths of the guys are from, they recorded in the unique environment of a gymnasium inside of a church. They laid down almost everything live and allowed room for spontaneity.

In addition to getting reacquainted with their roots, the guys opted for a loose and warm production style for the album. The result is yet another reinvention of their sound that both forges new ground and maintains the distinct spirit of My Morning Jacket’s previous work.

Head to http://www.mymorningjacket.com to sign up for all six songs now and immediately receive the first song taken from their first night at Terminal 5.

My Morning Jacket Tour Dates:

04-17 Lexington, KY – Memorial Coliseum (University of Kentucky)

05-20-22 Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Festival

06-02-05 Ozark, AR – Wakarusa Festival

06-02-05 Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam

06-09-12 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Festival

06-30 – 07-03 Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival

Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka Dirty Beaches, is built upon a slender, tall frame with a strong jawline to complement his height. With such a frame, along with his vintage cowboy get-up and slicked back hair, he could be the star of any Kurosawa-influenced Western, but his expressions are fit more for the longing, romantic tales of Wong Kar-wai. There is pain and vulnerability in his eyes, each weighing down his heart so much that every depression of the keys is heavy-handed. With every sip of whiskey and every chord played, another memory of her flashes through his mind – another memory of “Golden Blonde.”

New album coming from ZOO Music. Get it here.

Dirty Beaches “Golden Blonde” from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

VIA

A little over a year since the debut of their self-titled album, Broken Bells’ James Mercer and Danger Mouse have announced the issuing of a new EP entitled Meyrin Fields. Featuring four previously unreleased tracks such as “Windows,” “Heartless Empire,” and “An Easy Life,” the collection is scheduled to be available on March 29. Meyrin Fields can be pre-ordered here.

With their upcoming album I Am Very Far scheduled for release on May 10, Okkervil River have announced a number of spring and summer tour dates. Joined by Titus Andronicus for the majority of performances, Will Sheff and company will also share the stage on select dates with Julianna Barwick, Future Islands, and NewVillager. You can check out the full list of appearances below.

3-16 Austin, TX – Red 7, Jagjaguwar SXSW Showcase
3-18 Austin, TX – Antone’s, Billions SXSW
3-18 Austin, TX – Flamingo Cantina, SXSW Under the Radar
3-19 Austin, TX – Lustre Pearl, SXSW Filter/Dickies
4-30 Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion ^
5-31 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse * #
6-01 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle * #
6-02 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club * #
6-03 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Theatre * #
6-04 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place * #
6-07 New York, NY – Terminal 5 #
6-08 Boston, MA – Royale * #
6-09 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom * #
6-10 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix Concert Theatre * #
6-11 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall * #
6-12 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue * #
6-14 Omaha, NE – Slowdown *
6-15 Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater *
6-16 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *
6-17 Boise, ID – Egyptian Theatre *
6-18 Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre *
6-20 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Vogue Theatre * &
6-21 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom * &
6-22 San Francisco, CA – The Fox Theater * &
6-23 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern * $
6-24 San Diego, CA – The Belly Up Tavern * $
6-25 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre * $
6-28 Lubbock, TX – Jake’s * $

* with Titus Andronicus
# with Future Islands
& with Julianna Barwick
$ with NewVillager
^ with Arcade Fire

What is it with the elder statesman of indie rock and having schedules of men half their age? First, Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips were readying some reissues and a collaboration with young padawans Neon Indian, and now Nick Cave is showing his continued vitality by readying his own collabo with UNKLE and a batch of reissues from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (via TwentyFourBit). Turns out being weird is like shotgunning water from the Fountain of Youth.

In a recent announcement on their official site, UNKLE announced their new EP, Only The Lonely, would hit stores on April 4th. Along with appearances by Duke Spirit’s Liela Moss and former Sleepy Sun singer Rachel Fannan, Cave would front the band on the track “Money and Run”. The EP will serve as a warm-up of sorts, with the re-release of last year’s Where Did The Night Fall – Another Night Out following a week later.

As for Cave’s baby, the Bad Seeds will see four of their albums receive the reissue treatment: 1994’s Let Love In, 1996’s Murder Ballads, 1997’s The Boatman’s Call, and 2001’s No More Shall We Part. Each release will be shipped as a double-disc “Collectors Editions” and will feature the remastered CD and a bonus DVD featuring a 5.1 Surround Sound mix. Along with that, fans can then download four to five new bonus tracks, music videos, and another segment of the band-sanctioned documentary Do You Love Me Like I Love You, which you can watch 13 minutes of below.

Interpol have lost their second bassist in under a year.

The departing Dave Pajo told fans via Interpolnyc.com that he has quit playing with the band to spend more time with his family. He’ll be replaced with immediate effect with Brad Truax, who has previously played with Home and Jah Division.

It is the second time Interpol have announced the departure of a bassist in a year, with long-time member Carlos Dengler’s exit confirmed in May 2010.

Pajo had been a touring member of the band since Dengler left, but didn’t play on any of their records.

Interpol members Paul Banks, Dan Kessler and Sam Fogarino paid tribute to him, and denied there was a rift between either party.

“We’re all friends,” they stated. “It’s just an out-of-the-hotel, into-the-home sorta thing. He’s going to be missed to be sure. Aside from being an exceptional musician, Pajo is a wonderful person to be around.”

Interpol’s first gig with Truax is set to take place at Hamburg Docks on March 3.