Abe Vigoda release new LP Crush this fall as music journalists scramble for adjectives
By Harold Shueberg on Jul 13 2010
Coldwave, surfer punk, pell-mell pop, dream pop, tropical punk. Abe Vigoda have had all these labels thrown on them and more, but just as quickly and with zero hesitation will soon throw them off, kick ‘em to the curb, spit menacingly, and strut off. They are at all times all of these things, and none. For those who’ve been tracing the band since way back, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that when it comes to Abe Vigoda, expect nothing and also everything.
This is the attitude that should be taken when approaching Crush, the forthcoming long-player (their fourth, though the number varies depending on who you ask) from the L.A. quartet. Crush, as in both “I got a thing for you” and “I want to pummel you.” Get it? The album will be released through the No Age-run Post Present Medium label in the U.S. and Bella Union over there in the U.K. Before the U.K./U.S. release dates of September 20 and September 21, respectively, the band will be tossin’ out the first single from the album. The song is titled “Throwing Shade” and it’ll be carved onto 7-inch vinyl via the same two labels responsible for the full-length. Expect that little guy out August 24 stateside and September 13 across the pond. Following the recent drummer switcheroo, who knows, maybe we’ll hear some hints of free jazz on this one, or maybe some trip-hop… or drum n bass! Go ahead and start coming up with some irrelevant musical genres to attach to this one.
• Abe Vigoda: http://www.myspace.com/abevigoda
• Post Present Medium: http://postpresentmedium.com
Ladies night at the Prefuse household: Prefuse 73 makes album focused on “female voice,” gets Dirty Projectors, Broadcast members
By E. Nagurney on Jul 13 2010
Prefuse 73 (a.k.a. Guillermo Scott Herren) needs to get in touch with his feminine side. Too long has he focused on the cold, robo-masculine world of breakneck beats and outer space synths. In order to further understand his feminine side, Mr. Herren is putting out a record created “from start to finish with only female voice + a strange fascination/obsession in ‘contact microphones’.”
These aforementioned female voices aren’t provided by a bunch of nobodies, though. No, this new untitled, release date-bereft follow-up to last year’s largely disappointing Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (TMT Review) boasts an impressive guest list: Dirty Projectors’ Angel Deradoorian, Broadcast’s Trish Keenan, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza Danilova, My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Woden, VOICEsVOICEs’ Nico Turner, Flying Lotus collaborator Niki Randa, Faidherbe, and Adron. Along with the impressive roster of female vocalists, the new record also features Tyondai Braxton, who Herren thanks for his “SEQUENCING+ELIMINATING SKILLS.”
• Prefuse 73: http://www.prefuse73.com
• Warp: http://warp.net
Ratatat tour North America as everyone’s favorite sound-effect from G.I. Joe
By Kid Midnight on Jul 13 2010
BOOOM! SMASH! POWWW! Oh boy, I love sound effects and I love the way they make me feel! And if there’s one sound effect I love the most, well it just might be RATATAT! I used to run around my house (last week) in my G.I. Joe pajamas all Saturday morning and afternoon with my fingers pointed into infinite-ammo machine guns that went RATATAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! all day long.
Which is why I’m so excited that Ratatat are heading out on a gigantic tour of North America where they will be celebrating their legacy as “The Coolest Sound Effect to Make While Pretending You’re Shooting a Fake Gun.”
The tour is, of course, actually in support of the band’s recently released fourth album on XL Recordings, which was creatively titled LP4 (TMT Review). Have you not heard their new album yet? (mini-review: “imagine me doing a thumbs down.”) Well, if you haven’t listened to it yet and you’re still super stoked to see them play live, Ticketmaster has arranged a special deal (only available in select markets) where they give you a digital copy of the album (one per order) for buying a ticket! Isn’t that hip and with it? Thanks to all our long-time friends at Ticketmaster!
Ratatat tourdates:
09.07.10 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
09.08.10 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
09.09.10 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater
09.10.10 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater **
09.11.10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue **
09.14.10 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo **
09.15.10 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
09.16.10 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom **
09.17.10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater **
09.18.10 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
09.19.10 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
09.21.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia **
09.22.10 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
09.24.10 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theater **
09.25.10 - Scottsdale, AZ - Venue of Scottsdale **
09.27.10 - Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ
09.28.10 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom **
09.29.10 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge
09.30.10 - New Orleans, LA - McAlister Auditorium
10.01.10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade **
10.02.10 - Charlotte, NC - Amos’ Southend
10.05.10 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
10.06.10 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory **
10.07.10 - Washington, DC - 930 Club
10.08.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 **
10.09.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 **
** Ticketmaster promotion
• Ratatat: http://www.ratatatmusic.com
• XL: http://www.xlrecordings.com
RIP: Tuli Kupferberg of The Fugs
By Shane Mack on Jul 13 2010
According to The New York Times:
Tuli Kupferberg, the poet, singer and professional bohemian who went from being a noted Beat to becoming, in his words, “the world’s oldest rock star” when he helped found the Fugs, the bawdy and politically pugnacious folk-rock group, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 86 and had been a longtime resident of Greenwich Village.
He had been in weak health after suffering two strokes last year, said Ed Sanders, his friend and fellow Fug.
• The Fugs: http://www.thefugs.com
The Clientele defeat the mighty Minotaur, and by defeat I mean release it as a mini-album
By E. Nagurney on Jul 12 2010
In Greek mythology, the mightiest of the heroes was the legendary Clientele. Don’t believe me? Hey, you do the fact-checking then, nerd. Basically, The Clientele were so mighty that they would not just slay a dreaded minotaur, they would also release it as a mini-album. Only the gods themselves could release a full LP called Minotaur and any common man could release an EP called Minotaur, so that puts The Clientele, with their new mini-album Minotaur, somewhere between the common man and the gods. This extraordinary feat of The Clientele’s will contain eight new songs (one of which, “Jerry,” may be heard here) and can be purchased in limited-edition CD and digital download formats on August 31 via Merge.
When not slaying legendary beasts, The Clientele will be on the road. Of course, the window of time between The Clientele’s many slayings is awfully slim, so their tour will be limited to a short West Coast trip in September. One could complain about these meager dates, but if it comes between a Clientele show and there being one less medusa in the world, I’ll take the latter.
Minotaur Minitour:
09.06.10 - Seattle, WA - TBA
09.07.10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
09.09.10 - Oakland, CA - New Parish
09.10.10 - San Francisco, CA - Independent
09.11.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
09.12.10 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
• The Clientele: http://www.theclientele.co.uk
• Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
