The Jesus and Mary Chain gettin’ the old gang together to play select dates in the US of A
Just think: they could’ve been called The Poppy Seeds. Or even worse (much worse): Death of Joey. You could be on the phone right now, in a Parallel Shitty Universe, telling your best friend, “Guess what, dude???? I just got tickets to the Death of Joey reunion!!!!” And then your friend would be like, “Oh, the little known movie The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue? Yeah, that didn’t get very good reviews and I had no idea what it was till I Googled it. Also it has a stupid name, although the concept sounds kind of cool.” Or more likely, “What the hell is that? Are you hanging out at suburban sports bars, dude? WTF.” But fortunately, at some magical point in the early 1980s, the band decided to go with The Jesus and Mary Chain. So now, if you’re one of the lucky few in Denton, New Orleans, Houston, or the greatest town ever SXSW, er… I mean… Austin, you can say “I am going to see The Jesus and Mary Chain reunion tour, good friend! Judge not!” And you can say it with pride. Because The Jesus and Mary Chain have just announced their first US dates since a faraway time known as 2008.
This 2012 incarnation of the brothers Reid includes guitarist and old school JAMC member John Moore, bassist Phil King and an as-yet-unnamed drummer. Who could it be???? So much mystery. What’s not a mystery is how bitchin’ the addition of Moore and King to this lineup is. After all, Moore is a noted saw player (seriously, he played the saw on an Art Brut track or two), a founding member of Black Box Recorder, and a dude “at the forefront of the revival of interest in Absinthe,” according to the wormwood heads over at Wikipedia.* King has also put in his time with JAMC, back in the 90s. He’s best known for playing with Lush and currently works as a picture researcher for Uncut Magazine. King is known to be at the forefront of a revival of interest in awesomeness.
* I someday hope to have a Wikipedia page where someone describes me as being “at the forefront of the revival of interest in Quaaludes.”
Dates:
03.11.11 - Denton, TX - 35 Denton Festival
03.12.11 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
03.13.11 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
03.14-18.11 - Austin, TX - SXSW
• The Jesus and Mary Chain: http://thejesusandmarychain.co.uk
Gorillaz, James Murphy, and Andre 3000 team up on new track to celebrate their pure altruistic love for Converse
Today when I was at Kinko’s, I saw an Elvis impersonator! I thought that was weird, but in a world where Gorillaz exist to constantly team up with bigger and bizarr-er artists to make mind-blowing, ultra-cosmic creations, Elvis leaning on a copier ain’t shit. Damon Albarn is all, “Yeah, I see your Elvis. Whatever. I’m gonna rap all over him. FOR TWELVE DIRTY MINUTES.” Okay, so maybe he’s not rapping all 12 minutes, but this new track’s got a two-verse rap by the Blurry one, and it’ll come in a 12-minute-long IN YOUR FACE explicit version. And who else is on this track that makes it so special, you might ask? Well, there’s James Murphy for one. And then there’s a man I like to call Rap Elvis: Andre 3000.
So what brought this loveable trio of musical scamps together? Advertising. Er, more specifically, their combined loooove for the Converse brand. After all, these guys are just the latest in a series of artistic types to join forces for the “Three Artists. One Song” project. And what a song it shall be! “DoYaThing,” as it has been christened, will be available through the Converse website come February 23 in the non-dirrrrty, non-super-long version. Gorillaz’s Jamie Hewlitt has reportedly created a music video featuring “a baboon in a martial arts outfit and a masked topless bloke” for that extra “WTF” factor. According to the good people at Consequence of Sound, the band is also working with Converse to create their own cartoon band shoe line.
• Gorillaz: http://gorillaz.com
• James Murphy: http://dfarecords.com
• Andre 3000: http://www.outkast.com/andre-3000
• Converse: http://www.converse.com
Battles announce Dross Glop 2: Even Drossier 2 the Street: the Legend of Curly’s Gold remix 12-inch
Last year, the robots in Battles put out Gloss Drop (TMT Review), their long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s Mirrored (TMT Review). Some loved it, some didn’t think it lived up to its predecessor, enthusiasts of chewed-up gum were enthralled. Everyone agreed that it certainly had more Yamantaka Eye than all of Battles’s previous releases. Actually, it might have had more Yamantaka Eye than any other record last year. Now, I have done absolutely no research besides trying to remember if he was on that Beastie Boys album (pretty sure he wasn’t), but I think it’s fair to declare Gloss Drop the Yamantaka Eye-iest record of 2011.
With that title securely in place, Battles are due a victory lap. That victory lap is a four-part series of 12-inch remixes by the name of Dross Glop. DO YOU GET IT??? Dross Glop 1 is already out through Warp and contains remixes by the likes of Gui Boratto and The Field. But that’s not news! Things that are already out are history! The real news is that Dross Glop 2 comes out February 21 in the US and February 20 in places that are not the US. This time around, the remixing is in the hands of The Alchemist, Shabazz Palaces, and Kode9; listen to the Shabazz Palaces remix below. Now, the wait begins for Dross Glop 3, featuring remixes by Yamantaka Eye, Yamantaka Eye, Yamantaka Eye, and, actually, I have no idea who is going to be on the next one.
Dross Glop 2 tracklist:
A1. Futura (The Alchemist Remix)
A2. White Electric (Shabazz Palaces Remix)
B. Africastle (Kode9 Remix)
• Battles: http://bttls.com
• Warp: http://warp.net
Lotus Plaza to release Spooky Action at a Distance on Kranky, receives belated credit towards physics degree
For all the attention that traditional shoegaze outfits like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and (less certainly) The Jesus and Mary Chain have received, the genre has remained disappointingly shallow for at least the past 15 years. And yet, if there’s a fine line between shoegaze and dream pop, Lotus Plaza — a.k.a. Lockett Pundt a.k.a. guitarist for Deerhunter — certainly straddled it with the simultaneously hypnotic and foot-tappingly worthwhile album The Floodlight Collective (TMT Review), released back in March 2009. To be sure, a full-blown resurgence of the genre seems unlikely, considering kids these days are generally preoccupied with unambiguous positivity, gangsta-ness, or music suitable for da club, but Mr. Pundt appears keen on maintaining his style regardless. Case in point: on April 2, Pundt will release his second LP as Lotus Plaza, Spooky Action at a Distance, courtesy of Kranky.
I personally wouldn’t expect a drastic change in style from his previous album, but who can say for sure? Those shoegazers are an emotional bunch. Check out the tracklist, as well as Lotus Plaza’s upcoming tourdates, below.
Spooky Action at a Distance tracklisting:
01. Untitled
02. Strangers
03. Out of Touch
04. Dusty Rhodes
05. White Galactic One
06. Monoliths
07. Jet Out of the Tundra
08. Eveningness
09. Remember Our Days
10. Black Buzz
Dates:
03.07.12 - Atlanta, GA - 529 $
04.13.12 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall ^
04.14.12 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Yellow Barn ^
04.15.12 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison ^
04.16.12 - Montreal, QC - Casa del Popolo ^
04.17.12 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt ^*
04.18.12 - Albany, NY - Valentine’s ^*
04.19.12 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands Gallery ^
04.20.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s ^
04.21.12 - Raleigh, NC - King’s Barcade ^
04.22.12 - Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light ^
04.24.12 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
04.25.12 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree ^
04.27.12 - Austin, TX - Austin Psych Fest
04.28.12 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada ^
04.29.12 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe ^
04.30.12 - St. Louis, MO - The Luminary Center for the Arts
05.01.12 - Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
05.02.12 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
05.03.12 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
05.04.12 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
05.05.12 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
05.06.12 - Vancouver, BC - The Media Club
05.07.12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
05.09.12 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
05.10.12 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo
05.11.12 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
05.12.12 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
05.13.12 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
05.15.12 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s
05.16.12 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
• Lotus Plaza: http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com
• Kranky: http://www.kranky.net
Toro y Moi jumps in his WABAC machine, plans archival 7-inch box release
Young Chad Bundick and his associates in Toro y Moi flipped more than a few wigs with last February’s stellar Underneath the Pine (TMT Review) on Carpark. The groovy sophomore outing bested the band’s solid debut LP and showcased both Bundick’s vastly improved songwriting abilities and knack for arrangements, and dredged the group up from the dingy chillwave basement and into the sunny living room of psychedelic pop.
They also released a damn good EP this past September, Freaking Out (TMT Review), and recently decided it’s time to plunder the vaults and reissue some of Bundick’s earliest material. Entitled June 2009, the new box of early 7-inch material was once available as a tour-only CD-R but will now be handsomely re-packaged as 10 songs spread across five snazzy records, all ready to order April 24. Toro y Moi are also set to be featured in the upcoming infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a “featured artist” to watch. The band will join 16 other “featured artists” in both the magazine (Toro y Moi is one of six other bands with a prominent feature story in the magazine) as well as performing at the appropriately titled “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Beauties & Beats” two-day event in Las Vegas where they’ll be joined by other “featured artists” A-Trak, Black Lips, Delta Spirit, Maluca, White Denim and more.
June 2009 tracklist:
1-A. Best Around
1-B. Take The L To Leave
2-A. Girl Problems
2-B. Dead Pontoon
3-A. Ektelon
3-B. Drive South
4-A. Sad Sams
4-B. Talamak (First Version)
5-A. Warm Frames
5-B. New Loved Ones
• Toro y Moi: http://toroymoi.blogspot.com
• Carpark: http://www.carparkrecords.com
Extra Life plant Dream Seeds in your ears and mouth on April 10; prepare for half-remembered insemination
Now in their second year as a label, Northern Spy Records has been staying busy to bring you the best, with recent releases by Neptune, Donovan Quinn, and Chicago Underground Duo. And now without pausing for breath, the spies have announced their release of a new LP from experimental, prog-ish group Extra Life due out April 10.
The record, entitled Dream Seeds, will be part of a multi-record deal that Northern Spy has arranged with multi-instrumentalist and Extra Life member Charlie Looker (who you may recall having previously played in ZS, or perhaps he taught you in elementary school) and will be the band’s third full-length release. They’ll be celebrating what a great record it is at the release party in Brooklyn at Saint Vitus Bar on May 4 (with Catevet and Mario Diaz de Leon, who also has a new record out).
Dream Seeds tracklist:
01. No Dreams Tonight
02. Righteous Seed
03. Discipline for Edwin
04. Little One
05. First Song
06. Blinded Beast
07. Ten Year Teardrop
• Extra Life: http://extralifetheband.bogspot.com
• Northern Spy: http://www.northern-spy.com
Black to Comm to release Earth from its universal (and cinematic) confines via De Stijl
I imagine that being tasked with producing the score for a film is somewhat of a relief in the eyes of many musicians. Instead of being forced to go through the mental acrobatics of, “What general sound should I be looking to achieve with this album? No, but if I do that, it’ll sound too much like my previous album, and people will accuse me of being an unoriginal moldwarp with zero creativity. I know! I’ll just make a good ol’ fashion Christmas album. Everyone loves Christmas albums…,” the tone is already pre-prescribed by the movie itself. All one presumably has to do is compose according to the scene in question, with a conscious ear towards adjacent scenes, and of course, the film as a whole. I suspect any professionals in the field who might be reading this are now silently cursing me for oversimplifying their trade. My apologies, just in case.
Earth, a 2009 silent film from Singaporean artist and director Ho Tzu Nyen, which has been unsurprisingly recognized for its visuals, has reportedly seen its fair share of live soundtracking. In addition to Oren Ambarchi assuming the role at a performance in early 2011, Black to Comm a.k.a. Marc Richter provided the the film’s accompaniment when, in 2010, it was showcased at Berlin’s Asian Film Festival and at the Unsound Festival in Krakow. Now, the latter has decided to formally propagate his work based on Earth in an album due out March 6 on De Stijl. Here’s what Richter himself has to say on the subject: “The film basically is a post-apocalyptic collage based on paintings by classical European painters (Caravaggio, Delacroix, Rembrandt, Géricault) — the music tries to translate that concept employing similar collage-based sampling techniques using loops made from vintage vinyl and shellac records combined with acoustic and electronic instrumentation and voice.” All I ask is that it rival the quality of Alphabet 1968. Pretty please?
• Black to Comm: http://www.blacktocomm.org
• De Stijl: http://www.destijlrecs.com
The Souljazz Orchestra heads south of the border for first major US tour, heats up mild American winter
The Souljazz Orchestra is about to embark on their first extensive All-American headlining tour! Formed in 2002, the Ottawa-based collective has been busy over the last several years touring in much more exotic locales than the boring ol’ US of A, making stops in Europe and Africa and sharing bills with a who’s who of afrobeat and soul all-stars and pioneers like Femi Kuti and Sharon Jones.
What will they be playing, though? Most likely a number of tracks from their all-acoustic 2010 Strut Records release, Rising Sun, as well as some deep cuts from their decade-long career. But if it’s new music you desire, you will also be in luck, as The Souljazz Orchestra have promised to play some unreleased tunes from their yet-to-be-named Fall 2012 release, also on Strut. The album is said to feature “heavy tropical cuts,” and really, what more could you ask or desire for your listening pleasure in February?
Worried you’re being tricked into attending a dreaded ‘world music’ show? Well, shame on you for being so narrow-minded! While The Souljazz Orchestra’s sound definitely pulls from a wide range of multi-cultural influences, this is fun, energetic music that doesn’t water itself down for the sake of cross-national togetherness. And come on, check out the various openers — who doesn’t want to go see someone named Dr. Ruckus?
Dates:
02.15.12 - Providence, RI - Fête
02.16.12 - Boston, MA - Scullers Jazz Club
02.17.12 - Burlington, VT - Nectar’s %
02.18.12 - New York, NY - Webster Hall (The Studio) #
02.20.12 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live #
02.21.12 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel &
02.22.12 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop @
02.23.12 - Kalamazoo, MI - The Strutt
02.24.12 - Chicago, IL - Double Door - $
02.25.12 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
% Dr. Ruckus
# Zongo Junction
& The Funk Ark
@ We The People, The Neil Chastain Trio
$ The Right Now
• The Souljazz Orchestra: http://www.souljazzorchestra.com
• Strut: http://www.strut-records.com
Mogwai! They’re coming for you! Mogwai! They’re going on tour! Mogwai! They’re made out of bees!
Scottish post-rock mainstays Mogwai are 700 feet tall and they’re made out of bees. Oh, you hadn’t heard that? Yeah, most people thought they were just a regular band of regular dudes. Nope, 700 feet tall. Also, made out of bees. When they’re not being legends of post-rock, they’re generally fighting Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. Mogwai’s atomic breath is frequently mistaken for fire breathing.
Beware, North America’s major cities. Mogwai is coming to your town! Under his mighty boot of bees, he shall crush your villages. He’ll also noodle around for eight minutes before getting really heavy for a few minutes. He’ll crush Vancouver! He’ll noodle Los Angeles! He’ll crush Philadelphia! He’ll noodle Montreal! Then the atomic breath to finish ‘em off! Mogwai wins, the city is saved! Or destroyed. Look, I don’t know what side Mogwai is on, he is made out of bees.
Mogwai dates:
05.29.12 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
05.30.12 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
06.01.12 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
06.02.12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Music Box
06.08.12 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
06.11.12 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
06.12.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
06.14.12 - New York City, NY - Webster Hall
06.15.12 - New York City, NY - Webster Hall
06.16.12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
06.17.12 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
06.18.12 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
06.20.12 - Chicago, IL - Metro
• Mogwai: http://www.mogwai.co.uk
Paul McCartney yanks his solo albums from Spotify. Oh NO! They were all SOOO GOOOOOD!!!
Welp, as Sir Paul himself famously said in his concert for Bangladesh, “the dream is over.” Any of you assholes who have been going to work and throwing on Back to the Egg on Spotify in order to most exquisitely express your own douchebaggery through the majesty of cheese-rock are gonna have to settle on Supertramp’s Breakfast in America from here on out. According to Digital Music News, Both McCartney’s solo albums and his Wings records have been pulled from “all streaming services,” including the one that matters: Spotify.
It looks like the move was initiated by Universal Music Group on behalf of Concord Records (the owners of McCartney’s Hear Music label). DMN says that its sources “declined to share the exact reasons for the takedown,” but it can be assumed that McCartney didn’t think that the love streaming users were taking was jiving very well with the love they were making. The sources wouldn’t or couldn’t point to any specific decision-maker either, which means that the premise that the tunes were pulled by some punk rock Spotify worker who hates “Silly Love Songs” and loves Dragon Tattoo can’t be ruled out just yet.
On the plus side, the handful of non-terrible McCartney/Wings records like McCartney I, Band on the Run, and Ram weren’t pulled because they were never up there in the first place. Additionally, all his stuff will still remain available for download at places like iTunes and AmazonMP3, since he can actually make money on them that way. So… go download Ram, you tasteless losers!
Say goodbye to:
(Solo)
All the Best
Driving Rain
Flaming Pie
McCartney II
Off the Ground
Paul Is Live
Run Devil Run
Tripping the Live Fantastic
Tripping the Live Fantastic Highlights!
Tug of War
Unplugged - The Official Soundtrack
Wingspan
(Wings)
Back to the Egg
London Town
Wings Over America
Wings at the Speed of Sound
(Paul McCartney & Wings)
Red Rose Speedway
• Paul McCartney: http://www.paulmccartney.com
• Concord Music Group: http://www2.concordmusicgroup.com
• Spotify: http://www.spotify.com
