The Decemberists to Unveil Animated Film at Upcoming LA Show! (Yaaaaay!) But It’s a Hazards of Love Thing! (Booooo!) But It's Also a Benefit for High School Music Programs! (Yaaaaay!)
Damn those wiley Decemberists! Colin Meloy and his cronies just keep finding ways, against all odds, to extend the shelf-life of their, umm, ambitious song-cycle The Hazards of Love (TMT Review). This time, the big idea is to squeeze a little extra drama out of the tangled and vaguely literary web of lovers and fawns and rakes and forest queens and rivers and ghosts and whatever else, by performing the album live in its entirety in sync with an original animated film. Actually, now that I think about it, we all knew this announcement was coming, didn’t we?
Anyway, all of this will go down on October 19 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, which is not coincidentally the band’s last U.S. performance on their never-ending “A Short Fazed Hovel” Tour. Here Come The Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized, as the project is called, will feature the work of four filmmakers -- Guilherme Marcondes, Julia Pott, Peter Sluszka, and Santa Maria -- each of whom have created their own animation to accompany a portion of the band’s proggy, windchime-stroking, pysch-folk jams. The Decemberists will perform the entire record synchronized with the animation, as well as (yes!) an additional second set of older and newer material (come ooooooon, “Mariner’s Revenge Song!”). Presented in association with global film/art/event hub Flux, the whole shebang is also, commendably, a benefit for The Grammy Foundation’s Grammy in the Schools music education programs for high school students. That’s nothing to get your hovel out of faze at!
Tickets will go on sale for this "happening" tomorrow, and the band will also kick off the final leg of their “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour... tomorrow. I have a feeling that this might be the last gasp for all of their Hazards of Love touring, so now’s probably your last chance to catch this spectacle and use it as a “performance credit” for your college Musical Theater courses.
“A Short Fazed Hovel” tour keeps chugging:
09.18.09 - Orono, ME - University of Maine
09.19.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
09.20.09 - Burlington, VT - Flynn Theater
09.21.09 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater
09.23.09 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
09.24.09 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
09.25.09 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
09.26.09 - Athens, GA - The Classic Center
09.27.09 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
09.29.09 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheater
09.30.09 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
10.02.09 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
10.03.09 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Music Festival
10.04.09 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
10.06.09 - Lexington, KY - University of Kentucky, Lexington
10.07.09 - Columbia, MO - Ninth St. Fall Fest
10.08.09 - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
10.09.09 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
10.18.09 - San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Music Festival
10.19.09 - Los Angeles, CA - UCLA Royce Hall
11.18.09 - London, UK - Forum
11.19.09 - London, UK - Coronet
11.21.09 - The Hague, Netherlands - Crossing Border Festival
RRRecords Finds 1000 Ways to Endlessly Annoy Your Neighbors: A Noise LP Including 1000 Locked Grooves by Prurient, C. Spencer Yeh, Aaron Dilloway, Kevin Drumm, Incapacitants, and More!
RRRecords has always been one of the most daring record labels. Label owner Ron Lessard (a.k.a. Emil Beaulieau) has pushed the idea of what a record can be to the extreme and is one of the most important supporters of noise music ever since he started the label in the early 80s. His newest release does not disappoint.
RRR-1000 Lock Groove LP, RRRecords' newest compilation, features some of the biggest names in today's noise world submitting 50 short tracks with each one ending in a locked groove, making them endlessly loop for all time. Participating artists are AMK, Aaron Dilloway, Thomas Dimuzio, Kevin Drumm, Carlos Giffoni, Incapacitants, GX Jupitter-Larsen, Jason Lescalleet, Francisco López, Lasse Marhaug, The New Blockaders, Jerome Noetigner, Prurient, RLW, Damion Romero, Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, Sudden Infant, Keith Fullerton Whitman, C. Spencer Yeh, and Otomo Yoshide.
In proper RRRecords fashion, each LP comes with its own handmade record cover, done by Ron Lessard. To see a short video of the record covers and to hear samples of Keith Fullerton Whitman's submissions, go here. You can also check samples of C. Spencer Yeh's submissions. If you'd like to be able to endlessly annoy your neighbors or cover up the sound of your roommate getting it on at 4 AM, this may just be your record.
[UPDATED] Pavement Reunion Show Sells Out in Two Minutes, Second Four Shows Added
UPDATE: There are now a total of four Pavement shows set -- all at the same place, from September 21-24. Okay? Okay!
According to Matador's Matablog, the Pavement reunion show announced yesterday sold out in roughly two minutes. What's a band to do? Easy -- add another show, that's what! And that's exactly what they have done: Pavement have added another show for the next day, September 22, at the same venue, New York's Central Park Summerstage.
Tickets are on sale now, so get 'em quick, because they're not going to last. Maybe a third show will be slated once these tickets sell out?
Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar Team Up for Kerouac Documentary Soundtrack and Honorary Concerts
If I had to guess, I’d assume that Ben Gibbard’s favorite Jack Kerouac book is the classic On The Road... but I'd be wrong! It seems that Gibbard has a soft spot for Kerouac’s 1962 novel, The Big Sur, as does Son Volt’s Jay Farrar. To celebrate their love for the book (and Kerouac’s legacy), the two recently collaborated on the upcoming Kerouac documentary, One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, composing 12 original songs with lyrics based on the prose of Big Sur. The film is directed by Curt Worden and features appearances from such writers and musicians as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Sam Shepard, Patti Smith, and Tom Waits. Both the album and the documentary are set to be released on October 20. Pre-orders of the box set (also containing the novel and a 24-page book on the documentary) and the CD/DVD package will ship two weeks prior to the release date via the film’s website.
But wait, there’s more! It seems Gibbard and Farrar love Kerouac so much that they’re willing to hop across the country a few times this fall (coinciding with the 40th anniversary of his death on October 21, 1969) to perform material from their soundtrack. Performing alongside the two will be Nick Harmer (Death Cab For Cutie), Mark Spencer (Son Volt), and Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, The Mountain Goats)
10.23.09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
10.24.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club
10.26.09 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10.28.09 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Hmmm, Something Naughty, Eh? "Sex is Like Snow; You Never Know How Many..." Oh Sorry! This Story Is About a Pastels and Tenniscoats Album, Not a Pasties and Teninchpenisthroats Album!
Don't you love it when the man least likely becomes a hero? Few would have bet on Stephen Pastel (né McRobbie) to influence legions of spotty-faced followers when he started playing music as The Pastels back in the early 1980s but, as any scamdicapper will tell you as he pockets the deed to your house, betting is a suckers game. Copycatting being the sincerest form of flattery and all that aside, The Pastels gave up the ghost of the embarrassingly clique-y C86 scene shortly after 1986 and have released a string of idiosyncratically brilliant, frustratingly infrequent albums that have managed to simultaneously rub the brain muscle and tug the love muscle since. Recovering indie gamblers will fight the urge to jump back in the fray with news that the original high-rolling exploration team of Pastel and Katrina Mitchell will return with a new album not in the murky "near future" but in the eyeball-singeing "near now." Next week, in fact!
For their latest record Pastel and Mitchell have recorded with their Japanese spiritual muso-twins, Saya and Takashi Ueno, a.k.a. Tenniscoats, and frequent doppelgangers like Norman Blake and Gerard Love (Teenage Fanclub), Bill Wells, and Tom Crossley (International Airport). Two Sunsets will be available on September 22 in North America via the Pastels-navigated arm of Domino Records, Geographic, and is a, not the, follow up to their most recent album, a soundtrack to The Last Great Wilderness (issued in 2003). This inspired Tenniscoats/Pastels collaboration is already out in the U.K., as is the first single, "Vivid Youth," which features the double duos' heart-touched version of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s "About You" on the B-side.
As far as a new exclusively Pastels record is concerned, there is no firm news on that front as yet besides the fact that there is indeed one in the works. Patience, patience... good always wins out and comes to those who wait. When it does come you can bet the farm on it wiping the floor with the current crop of overhyped crap shooters.
Two Suns tracklisting:
1. Tokyo Glasgow
2. Two Sunsets
3. Song for a Friend
4. Vivid Youth
5. Yomigaeru
6. Modesty Piece
7. About You
8. Boats
9. Hikoki
10. Sodane
11. Mou Mou Rainbow
12. Start Slowly So We Sound Like a Loch
One is the loneliest number of upcoming Pastels shows:
11.27.09 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Vampire Weekend to Release Contra, Yippity Skippity.
Bloody hindsight – it’s always 20-20. Remember all those ads with this girl? Right from the start, it was apparent she wasn't there to secretly tempt me with a new, revolutionary polo collection (my specialty store of choice varies from free market to flea market). A Wii remake of a NES classic would be more desirable, but the buzzing keyword was in her look: not doe-eyed, but rather "preppy" – the somewhat derogative adjective for one particular act. NME tried to hype up the big revelation, but to no avail.
So here’s the straight recap: Vampire Weekend’s new album drops on January 12, 2010 via XL recordings.
Next time, I’m gonna play "wheel of fortune" hosted by NME (“S O P _ O _ O _ _ S _ _ _ P”). I’ll do my Very Best.
Contra tracklist:
1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up The Gun
9. Diplomat’s Son
10. I Think Ur A Contra
Chad VanGaalen Gives Out Free EP and Plans Canadian Tour (Can You Say Pretentious?)
Chad VanGaalen is like a younger, Canadian version of Robert Pollard. Behind a relentless work ethic, all the guy needs is some shitty recording equipment to pump out his falsetto-laced brand of folk-pop. When I spoke to Chad back in March, he said that he didn’t start actively listening to music until his late high school days, and that his time was wrapped up in drawing and animation. Then, of course, he bought a four-track recorder and started writing a boatload of catchy songs. Fresh off the debut album of his instrumental/electronic side project Black Mold, Chad has reached back into the Soft Airplane (TMT Review) vault to offer up a free digital EP of B-sides from that recording time.
You can download the EP at the Soft Airplane website. Better yet, you can catch Chad VanGaalen in the coming weeks when he does a primarily West Coast tour of Canada.
Tourdates:
09.19.09 - Toronto, ON - The Church of the Redeemer
10.08.09 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
10.09.09 - Winnipeg, MB - The Park Theatre
10.10.09 - Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
10.14.09 - Victoria, BC - Alix Goolden Performance Hall
10.15.09 - Vancouver, BC - The Rio
10.16.09 - Kelowna, BC - Habitat
10.18.09 - Edmonton, AB - Myer Horowitz Theatre
Why Have Beatles Mania When You Can Have Hair Police Mania!!?? Hair Police Tours Europe with Family Battle Snake
Fuck The Beatles!! There, I said it. Now let's move on to an important matter. Hair Police are jetting out to Europe to battle all this mania with their pals Family Battle Snake. These boys will be UK trippin' for a mere week, jaunting around Europe, pissin' all over Abbey Road, and burning every Beatles record they stumble upon. For this tour, both Hair Police and Family Battle Snake will have special tour edition LPs put out by Harbinger Sound -- Hair Police with Stay In Bodies, and Family Battle Snake with Glass Face Island. Each LP will be in an edition of 100, so you'd better act quick on these since, unlike all those crappy Beatles records, they won't be reissued a million times with mutliple remastered versions in mono and stereo.
The tour will kick off in Bristol and conclude in Glasgow, followed by one final Hair Police gig in Dublin and three more solo dates for Family Battle Snake, finishing up in Manchester. The two groups are also playing the very first No Fun Fest Sweden with a whole gang of noisemakers, including Wolf Eyes, Burning Star Core, Prurient, Emeralds, and so many more. Family Battle Snake are playing September 18, while Hair Police are closing out the fest September 20.
So if you're lucky enough to catch these dudes in action, make sure and pick up one of their limited tour LPs and avoid at all costs picking up any of the Beatles reissues.
Here are the dates:
09.18.09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fylkingen (No Fun Fest Sweden) **
09.20.09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fylkingen (No Fun Fest Sweden) *
11.15.09 - Bristol, UK - The Croft
11.16.09 - London, UK - Cargo &
11.17.09 - Cambridge, UK - The Man on the Moon
11.18.09 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club $
11.19.09 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo
11.20.09 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelens *
11.20.09 - Edinburgh, UK - Stills Gallery **
11.21.09 - Newcastle, UK - The Telegraph ** +
11.22.09 - Manchester, UK - tba **
* (Hair Police only)
** (Family Battle Snake only)
& Noxagt
+ Jazzfinger, Masterslave, Eyeballs
$ Astral Social Club, Mutant Ape
Update: Pavement Reunion Pre-Sale Tickets On Sale Tomorrow, Compilation LP Due Next Year
No two shits about it: the Pavement reunion (TMT News) is officially happening, but, as Matador appropriately warns, "this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion." So, yes, the reunion may be on, BUT FOR HOW LONG, AND WILL THERE BE A NEW ALBUM, ETC.
Pre-sale tickets for the first announced show -- September 21 at Rumsey Playfield in New York -- will be available via Ticketmaster tomorrow morning (password: ZOWEE). And expect a retrospective Pavement compilation sometime next year via Matador.
Check out Matador's post here and follow all the juicy Pavement reunion details here.
[Photo: Gail Butensky]
RIP: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary
From Peter, Paul and Mary's official website:
Mary Travers passed away today [Wednesday, September 15, 2009]. After successful recovery from leukemia through a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, Mary succumbed to the side effects of one of the chemotherapy treatments. [...]Mary Travers fought cancer and its consequent illnesses with an inspiring strength and determination, maintaining a positive outlook and uncomplaining spirit throughout. Mary’s life and legacy remain a great American treasure. She was a passionate singer of songs, songs that have enlightened us and moved us to action as citizens of America and the world. She never failed to champion those most in need, those most deprived of their rights as citizens and human beings, and those targeted by racism and discrimination; the powerless, the infirm, the poor. Mary never shrank before a threat to her person if it got in the way of pursuing her deeply held convictions, and she was as loyal on behalf of her friends as she was to her principles. Mary helped awaken mainstream America to the humanizing message of folk music. She reached millions of people in the struggle to guarantee social justice for all and has left a profound and lasting impact on all of us. Each of us, many in profoundly personal ways, will deeply miss her and the gifts she has given us--as an artist, as a triumphant role model, and as a dear, beloved friend. Well done, Mary Travers. We shall miss you beyond telling.
- Mary Travers official website
- Peter, Paul and Mary official website
- Peter, Paul and Mary Wikipedia entry
Stream The Flaming Lips' Embryonic Now (And Don't Forget About The Soft Bulletin Vinyl Reissue)
The Flaming Lips just finished a blazing performance of Embryonic track "Convinced Of The Hex" on The Colbert Report, and guess what? I'M BACKSTAGE! WOOHOO!! It's absolutely insane here: groups of people are snorting lines of coke, a few are engaging in fisticuffs, and nearly everyone else is fucking their brains out, with sex juices splashing everywhere. I love it!
Anyway: as a little bonus, The Colbert Nation website is currently streaming the forthcoming double album Embryonic in its entirety. The stream will only be available through next Monday, so get your fix soon or you'll have to wait for its October 13 release or TBA leak. Feel free to pre-order here if you're into that whole purchasing music thing.
And in case you forgot, The Soft Bulletin has been reissued on vinyl for its 10th anniversary and includes a 3-track bonus CD. FYI: it's limited.
The Soft Bulletin LP version tracklisting:
1. Race for the Prize
2. A Spoonful Weighs a Ton
3. The Spark That Bled
4. The Spiderbite Song
5. Buggin'
6. What Is the Light?
7. The Observer
8. Waitin' for a Superman
9. Suddenly Everything Has Changed
10. The Gash
11. Slow Motion
12. Feeling Yourself Distintegrate
13. Sleeping on the Roof
Bonus CD:
1. 1000 Foot Hands (final mix)
2. The Captain (Non-album track)
3. Satellite For You (Non-album track)
![<p>Zola Jesus</p> - <p>Stridulum [EP]</p>](http://www.tinymixtapes.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/Album_Review_Content_Page_Art/zola_jesus-stridulum.jpg)
