By Mr P on May 27 2008
Best known for accidentally breaking Screech's mom's Elvis statue and throwing a party to raise funds to replace it, Sigur Rós are set to release their fifth album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust -- translation: "With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly" -- June 23 in Europe on not-doing-so-great EMI and June 24 in North America via XL. The album, co-produced by Flood (Smashing Pumpkins, Nick Cave, NIN), is being released "just one month after completion," according to a press release. It continues:
The album glows with the perfect imperfection of live takes, the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes, and a stark, upfront presence not found in previous Sigur Rós recordings, moving away from the reverb-induced guitar sounds of old to something altogether more fragile and affecting. It also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded.
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust also features the return of string quartet Amiina, the first appearance of the Mellotron, a five-piece brass section, Jón Thor Birgisson singing his first song in English, and a track featuring 90 musicians, including the London Sinfonietta and the London Oratory Boy’s Choir. A deluxe version, comprised of a book, film, "Making Of...," and more, will see release later in the year.
Pre-orders for the album and book begin June 2, with a full stream of the album starting June 9. You can catch the album's first track, "Gobbledigook," tonight on Radio 1 or when it becomes available as a free download at 7:30 PM GMT. All this can be found at Sigur Rós' website. More information on the Elvis statue here.
As of press time, Sigur Rós have "Online Now!" status at their MySpace.
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust tracklist:
Harvard Kids Plan “Funeral” for DRM To Be Held Tomorrow In Cambridge, MA
By Scout Leader Kyle on May 23 2008
The witty kids at Harvard Free Culture have prepared a public funeral for DRM (Digital Rights Management) that'll take place at JKF Park, Memorial Drive tomorrow at 6:30 PM in Cambridge, MA. As part of the service, The Harvard Free Culture Group will be burying (wasting) a first-generation Zune and a fourth-generation iPod in a red bucket. Following the burial, a reception will take place to "reminisce of the short life and accomplishments of DRM and to grieve together."
The event is incredibly relevant, as it would seem that DRM is becoming a thing of the past. But it's not horribly timely, as the funeral feels a bit premature since many major media companies still use DRM to protect their products from being illegally copied and distributed. Either way, more information on the DRM funeral can be found here.
Parenthetical Girls Tour with Au and Los Campesinos! Avoiding Curly Bracket Boys in the East Coast
By Emceegreg on May 23 2008
Being from the Midwest, I have always been an ampersand/umlaut kind of guy. That is, until I recently discovered the true nature of East coast men. While in a New Jersey rest stop, I was abruptly harassed by a group of truckers, who catcalled to me "Hey, little sexy white boy. Wanna play swords in my truck?" I had never been so insulted. Before calling the cops, I noticed a symbol on their hats -- BOYZZZ.
Once I was back to the normality of Indiana, I decided to write my "Monthly Letter Written in Blood" to a group of musicians called Parenthetical Girls, known as (((GRRRLS))) to hyper-sensitive fans.
Dear (((GRRRLS))),I hope you go on tour soon with Au. That'd be cool beans. Hey, before you map out the tour, I'd like to warn you from traveling to the East coast. It consists of a bunch of curly bracket boys there, and they have really huge obelisks.
Your Fan and Monthly Blood Writer,
Emceegreg
And what do you know, Parenthetical Girls will be staying on the West Coast, close to their home of Portland, Oregon, for a short tour in support of their contribution to the David Horvitz 7-inch Picture Series. Their song from the series, a cover of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)," is currently streaming on the Slender Means Society site.
Tourdates:
* PWRFL POWER & Au
^ Abe Vigoda
~ Los Campesinos!
Forgotten Chinese Zodiac, Year of The Dance Party, Continues To Reign Supreme As Hot Chip Announce September North American Tour; Tickets On Sale TODAY
By Hanky Panky on May 23 2008
At this point, my coffee is cold because I neglected it when I checked my email and then talked to my mom on the phone. Then I sent some texts and waited for answers, but when no one replied, I figured I would start writing this article. Then as soon as Microsoft Word opened, I got a text, so I read it and then replied and then they read it and replied, and now it turns out I'm going to an ’80s dance party in the city where everyone's going to be wearing tube tops and doing lines of coke off bellies in the bathroom.
Now if that doesn't have everything to do with Hot Chip's newly announced September North American tour -- tickets on sale today May 23 -- then I don't know what does. Having released their latest album, Made In The Dark (TMT Review), this past February, Hot Chip are geared up and ready to tour with the material made explicitly with live shows in mind, which means you can expect to dance a lot harder than I will tonight, sequin tub-tops aside.
Full tourdates, including the new North American dates:
