Nick Cave Sounds Better in 5.1, Right?
By Hatchet on Jul 17 2008
Dear Tim,
College is a lot different than I expected. It's hard being away from home, even if the people are nice. It's a lot of work, too. Three-hour classes! Plus there are a lot of distractions. High-speed internet is great -- they haven't blocked BitTorrents yet, thank god. I got Nick Cave's whole library in remastered 5.1 surround sound. The rooms are nice -- cable television, and we've got our own bathroom right in the room. No floor showers like when I visited you at school. All in all, it's not bad. It'll take some getting used to. Some guys, Jordan and Matt I think, down the hall, they're having a party, but I don't know if I'll go. It's good to hear from you, tell the folks I miss them.
...Dear Kyle,
I am LOVING college. Yesterday I played Frisbee on the quad, AND made four new best friends: Jordan, Carrie, Matt, and Tommy. Carrie is from California. The West Coast! Tommy is studying poli-sci, just like me, and he sits behind me in this HUGE room -- Tribbey Lecture Hall. The prof is real cool, too. We don't even call him Professor or Mr. Fernald or anything stuffy like that. Just Craig. Or Craiggo, but pronounced like Prego, you know, the spaghetti sauce? College is NOTHING like I expected. Jordan and Matt live together -- they're best friends from the ’burbs -- and they're throwing a party down the hall tonight; it is going to be off the hook. Anyway, it was good to hear from you, and YES I am eating fine. Tell Mom and Meghan I said hi.
...Paul,
First of all, thanks for the package. Mom's cookies were great, as good as Grandma's. The CDs were much appreciated, too. How's home? I'm adjusting to the college life pretty well, I think. It's a lot different than I expected. I'm not used to the whole dorm thing, doors open and all that. I love that I can connect to everyone's iTunes on the network, you know? If they didn't block it. Some kid has Nick Cave's ENTIRE catalog in 5.1 stereo. Jordan has surround sound and we watched The Punisher last night, but I hooked up my PowerBook to it and rocked out. It sounded decent, I suppose; 5.1 is cool I guess, for the novelty and all that. I was just PUMPED to hear No More Shall We Part from all angles. What's really cool is that it isn't even out yet. The first four albums are out next month on Mute, with B-sides and expanded packages. Don't tell the government! Anyway, tell mom and dad I said ‘hey,’ and don't let them mess up my room or anything. I'm still living there. Later.
[UPDATED] My Life in the Bush of Whoa! David Byrne and Brian Eno Confirm First Set of Autumn Tourdates; Byrne to Self-Release New Album with Eno!
By Mike McHugh on Jul 17 2008
UPDATE: Despite reports, including ours, Billboard has posted an update to the original story that leaked word of a possible Byrne/Eno tour. According to Byrne's publicist, turns out Brian Eno will not be joining him onstage for these shows, which means Roxy Music songs surely won't be performed live either. Boo! You can read the rest of the details here.
After a 30-year hiatus, the tall, suit-sporting, Oscar-winning Talking Head David Byrne is joining forces yet again with that Roxy Music-quitting, Windows 95-sound-composing baldy Brian Eno. After months of speculation on whether or not the two brothers in strange would reconvene for a 2008 tour, the duo have at last reported three dates for the fall, according to Billboard.
The trio of dates are billed as “The Songs of Talking Heads' David Byrne and Roxy Music founder Brian Eno." This basically guarantees a glut of material from Talking Heads’ glory days (during which Eno was an integral producer of several albums and co-songwriter on the Heads’ classic Remain in Light) and songs from Eno's two-album stint in Roxy Music. Additionally, Byrne and Eno can choose music from their first collaboration, 1981's seminal My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, as well as songs from their slated-for-late-’08 second collaboration, an as-yet untitled album that Byrne has described as “electric gospel” (TMT News). Don’t worry, David; that’s all we needed to hear. Billboard reports that the album will be self-released by Byrne.
Although the cities and dates have been named, the venues, alas, have not. But don’t worry, David and Brian aren’t going to be playing at the Reginald Bullionhauser Hall of Old Money or anything too bank-breaking like that. The most expensive seats for the Atlanta show are listed at $48.50, while the priciest Santa Barbara seats are $65. Sheesh, I’ve already given David Byrne that much cash when I bought Stop Making Sense on CD, vinyl, and DVD. Whoa, let me leave you with this image: remember how much you love Stop Making Sense? Well, picture that, with Brian fucking Eno.
Yeah, I’m excited.
The Great Curve:
09.20.08 – Atlanta, GA
09.26.08 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
10.04.08 – Santa Barbara, CA
Photo: [Hugh Brown]
Magnetic Fields to Embark on Second U.S. Tour of 2008 in October
By Petey V on Jul 16 2008
The Magnetic Fields, maestros of sardonic indie synth-pop since 1990, plan to tour the U.S. this fall on the heels of successful European and North American tours earlier this year. The dates will bring the group to a number of midwestern and southern locations that the band missed on their spring jaunt across the U.S. The tour will kick off October 10 in the almighty city of Minneapolis and will come to a close in our nation's markedly less almighty capital a little over two weeks later.
The band's third tour in 2008 comes on the heels of the critically successful LP Distortion (TMT Review), which saw them junking both the synth sounds of their ’90s records and the spare instrumentation of 2004's i. Opting instead "to sound more like the Jesus and Mary Chain than the Jesus and Mary Chain," Fields frontman Stephin Merritt draped his meticulous pop masterpieces in snarling guitar feedback, hence the album title. Because this sound is difficult to duplicate on stage, and possibly due to Merritt's well-documented hearing problems, the singer has said that the songs will be performed "completely differently" live.
While the tradition of lengthy gaps between Magnetic Fields albums makes a new release unlikely anytime soon, Merritt will, as always, find a way to stay busy. According to The Magnetic Fields' official website, Merritt is writing the score and songs for next spring's Off Broadway theatrical adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline.
Pre-sale tickets for The Magnetic Fields' fall tour are available now. Regular advance tickets will go on sale at the end of this week.
Photo: [Mike Yesenosky]
