When we last left our hero, Dosh, back in April (TMT News), he had finally escaped from Andrew “The Birdman” Bird long enough to tour and release his latest album. Well, it seems The Birdman has had enough of Dosh blipping and bleeping about him all over the country and has challenged him to a duel in the mightiest of all venues, Carnegie Hall. The fight will kick off the first leg of The Birdman’s 2009 tour to support his new album, Noble Beast, due January 20 on Fat Possum. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have $100 on The Birdman. Sorry Dosh!
Former Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has announced that he is getting his old band back together. No I’m not talking about Crowded House or Split Enz -- instead, Finn is entering the studio with both a fresh set of originals and the group of musicians who performed on his 2002 benefit live album, Seven Worlds Collide.
Members of the untitled supergroup include Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, Johnny Marr of Modest Mouse (and some other ’80s band that nobody remembers), four-sixths of Wilco, Soul Coughing’s Sebastian Steinberg, 4AD artist Lisa Germano, Eddie Vedder of Temple of the Dog (and some other ’90s band that nobody remembers), Neil’s son Liam Finn, and more. Phew. I would imagine it’ll be pretty tough scheduling practices for these guysm but at least they have a good motivation: All proceeds from the album -- set to drop in 2009 -- will benefit Oxfam International.
It’s unclear if the album will be released under the name Seven Worlds Collide or something else, so I took the liberty of coming up with some alternate possibilities. Neil Finn, if you’re out there, you can definitely have these names for free.
- Wilcoughing - Crowded Mouse (or Modest House, although this band is more crowded than modest) - Pearldioenz - The Splmiths - Radio Jam - Seven Worlds Wilcollide
Comprised of two graphic designer dudes who went to the Maryland Institute College of Art (Bruce and Nolen) and a Perry Hall native (Denny), Baltimost's Double Dagger have become the latest band from the city to be added to the Thrill Jockey roster.
Double Dagger formed sometime in 2002 and released their self-titled LP on local label Hit-Dat Records (Sean Gray, in the house!). Finding inspiration from their MICA days (okay sorry, I’m watching Puppy Cam, and these two puppies are playing, and one was rolled over on its back and got stuck; it’s so fucking cute), Double Dagger’s songs were about, like, art school, art history, weird chicks, and graphic design and stuff. In 2005, there was a drummer switch-up, and then they released their next record, Ragged Rubble, on Stationary (Heart) Recordings.
Double Dagger’s 2009 plans are to record a new record for Thrill Jockey.
Yes, it's true! _Death Sentence: PANDA!_'s tour begins _today_! Hitting up cities like _Bologna_ and _Basel_, this tour should be _yummylicious_. But despite how _yummylicious_ it'll be, it's expected to be _noisy_ too, because _Death Sentence: PANDA! sound like Melt Banana eating Teenage Jesus' liver!!_.
_Death Sentence: PANDA!'s_ latest album is _Insects Awaken_, which was released or is set to be released _September 29, 2008_ via _Upset the Rhythm_. The funny part? Well, did you know that _SOMETHING AWESOME WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN_?? HAHA!
Anyway, here are the tourdates for _Death Sentence: PANDA!_, which again, starts _today_ and hits up cities like _Bologna_ and _Basel_. Just don't be surprised if _SOMETHING AWESOME WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN_, like I said in the second paragraph!
I love Eluvium. If I had the space, this article would just read “I love Eluvium” over and over. Talk Amongt the Trees (TMT Review) might be my favorite ambient work, EVER, but quality doesnotdrop to anything below great on any of his works.
So this little nugget of news is especially titillating to yours truly, as it has been announced that pretty much every piece of music Eluvium has ever put out will be released in a very special seven-disc set. Aptly named Life Through Bombardment, the set will be available in a very limited format: a one-time pressing of 1,000 copies on wonderful 100% virgin black vinyl. Also included will be a code for high-quality MP3s and some fantastic artwork by Jeannie Lynn Paske. Those hungering for this ambient treasure can find it through Eluvium’s label, Temporary Residence.
Life Through Bombardment tracklisting:
SIDE A:
1. The Unfinished 2. Under The Water It Glowed 3. There Wasn't Anything
SIDE B:
1. Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image 2. I Am So Much More Me That You Are Perfectly You
SIDE C:
1. An Accidental Memory 2. Genius And The Thieves 3. Perfect Neglect In A Field Of Statues 4. Nepenthe
SIDE D:
1. In A Sense 2. The Well-Meaning Professor 3. An Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death
SIDE E:
1. New Animals From The Air 2. Show Us Our Homes 3. Area 41
SIDE F:
1. Everything To Come 2. Calm Of The Cast-Light Cloud
SIDE G:
1. Taken 2. We Say Goodbye To Ourselves
SIDE H:
1. One 2. Swallows In The Bath
SIDE I:
1. I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten 2. As I Drift Off 3. All The Sails 4. When I Live By The Garden And The Sea
Long ago, when a pastor could deliver his or her words of fire and brimstone to a crowd of thousands of suburban SUV-drivers with clear and crisp confidence, no one dared to imagine that these portentous words would come to haunt the little ear mic thingies lodged in the auditory canals of preachers all over America: “Static, static, static, we’re on a video rage... This is the static age we live in.”
With the FCC’s approval of the Google- and Microsoft-backed plan to open unused portions of the airwaves to wireless devices once U.S. television broadcasts make the switch from analog to digital transmission in February 2009, Glenn Danzig’s song of shaky reception has become the rallying cry of a nation. Or the voice of a really weird amalgamation of lobbyists, including preachers from megachurches, Disney, Dolly Parton, and a few other groups that I will just assume are steamed by the deal, such as car salespeople announcing big blowout sales over their lot’s loudspeakers, boy bands that have fallen from glory and now perform for bored parents on their way to the Dippin’ Dots at mid-sized theme parks, and small-town new reporters demonstrating the art of grape-stomping.
Preachers, Dollywood employees, people dressed up as Sleeping Beauty at Disneyworld, and other really important people are speaking out against the FCC’s recent decision, because they fear that opening up the soon-to-be vacant airwaves to new wi-fi devices will interfere with the reception of wireless microphones used in sports and entertainment broadcasts. Religious groups are already expressing concern that such interference will cut into the budget to send their youth groups to witness spring-breakers at Myrtle Beach.
But leave it to the drug-addled, unstable FCC and wireless companies to endanger the most holy time of the week in their frenzy for their next convenient, wireless, cost-efficient high, as FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein explained, “Let's hope it's not just Wi-Fi on steroids but Wi-Fi on amphetamines."
Oh, why stop there, you godless technology companies? I want my wi-fi underage, hyped up on meth, and trespassing in the residents-only pool at Pinecrest Condominiums. Then I want it to put on a little lipstick and dance. But, most importantly, I want it to interrupt the mic feed for Dollywood Express.
