EMI’s New Cost-Cutting Measure: Refusing to Sell Music to Mom & Pop Stores!
We all know that times are tough for record labels thanks to declining CD sales and the slowness and/or refusal to adapt to online file-sharing. Consequently, you would expect that music executives would try to cling on to any kind of business they could possibly get.
Which is why EMI has taken the innovative (and surprising step) of refusing to sell music to mom and pop stores. The reason for this flash of inspiration? To help reduce costs and encourage customers to buy music at one-stops rather than independent retailers (even though the likes of Wal-Mart are stocking catalog less and less).
One can’t help but feel this is another vindictive move against stores that have the cheek to sell albums promoted and marketed by musicians themselves (see the Kill the Record Labels DVD release), who have got better things to do than suffocate under a major label’s control.
Mope Off 2009: Frightened Rabbit Tours with Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks
Frightened Rabbit are probably the greatest bunch of mopers Scotland has today. That is, except for maybe their similarly downtrodden buddies The Twilight Sad. Then again, upstarts We Were Promised Jetpacks seem to have this moping thing down pat. Who could pick just one band of Scottish sad-sacks?
Good news: you don’t have to. The three groups will be successfully bumming out the United States together this September. Then and only then shall we know who is the greatest moper of them all. Before then, however, Frightened Rabbit will hit up North America by themselves in mid-July. Tears will be shed, epic climaxes will be reached, catharsis will be found via shredding of vocal cords. It should be awesome.
If you can’t it out to any dates or just prefer moping in the comfort of your bedroom, don’t fret: Frightened Rabbit are currently writing and recording the follow-up to last year’s Midnight Organ Fight (TMT Review). They will be debuting some of the new record’s material during their North American jaunts. Lead singer Scott Hutchinson already premiered one of the group’s new songs, “Swim Until You Can’t See Land,” in solo form during a session for Off The Beaten Tracks, which can be viewed here.
Frightened Rabbit solo mope:
07.17.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s
07.18.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Siren Festival
07.19.09 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival
07.21.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
07.22.09 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
07.23.09 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus
07.24.09 - Providence, RI - Jerky’s
07.25.09 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
Frightened Rabbit, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks triple mope:
09.12.09 - Morrison, CO - Monolith Festival
09.14.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
09.15.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
09.16.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
09.17.09 - Portland, OR - Dante’s (Musicfest NW)
09.18.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
09.20.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
09.22.09 - Tucson, AZ - Plush
09.24.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
09.26.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
09.27.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
09.28.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
09.29.09 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Akron/Family Hit the Road with Wooden Wand, Jeffrey Lewis, Slaraffenland; Department of Homeland Security Raises Freak Threat Level From Schwag to Dank
To: President Barack Obama
From: NORAD
Date: July 13, 2009
Re: Bi-Quarterly Freak Report
Mr. President,
Below you will find a list of known freak cells with a brief rundown of threatening attributes included for each subject. We have reason to believe that SUBJECTS 2-4 will each rendezvous with SUBJECT 1 in various cities across the United States and Canada over the next three months. Each subject is presumed to be highly dangerous and exceedingly freaky. A catastrophe akin to Waco is virtually guaranteed should SUBJECTS 2-4 rendezvous with SUBJECT 1. We suggest immediate action in order to avoid calamity on any scale:
SUBJECT 1: AKRON/FAMILY
- Experimental folk outfit from New York City.
- Recently released fifth studio album Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free (DHS Report)
- Possible Russian spies
- FLAGGEDSUBJECT 2: WOODEN WAND
- Psychedelic pseudonym for James Jackson Toth.
- Appears on a benefit compilation for a subversive Minnesota-based music website.
- FLAGGEDSUBJECT 3: JEFFREY LEWIS
- Extremist member of a reactionary group know as the “anti-folk movement.
- Writes, draws and delivers lectures on comic books.
- FLAGGEDSUBJECT 4: SLARAFFENLAND
- Scandinavian
- FLAGGED
Known rendezvous points:
07.22.09 - Cleveland, OH - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
07.23.09 - Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
07.24.09 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge *
07.25.09 - Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Festival
07.26.09 - Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Festival
07.29.09 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Ghostranch Saloon
07.30.09 - Vail, CO - The Sandbar
07.31.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
08.02.09 - Liberty Park, NJ - All Points West Festival
08.11.09 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel ^
08.12.09 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle ^
08.13.09 - Atlanta, GA - E.A.R.L. ^
08.14.09 - Birmingham, AL - BottleTree ^
08.15.09 - Asheville, NC - Harvest Festival at Grey Eagle Tavern
08.28.09 - San Francisco - Outside Lands Festival
08.29.09 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater !
09.07.09 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
09.08.09 - Portland, OR - Baghdad Theatre
09.10.09 - Baltimore, MD - Talking Head Club #
09.11.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's #
09.12.09 - Monticello, NY - ATP NY Festival
09.14.09 - Hudson, NY - Jason's Upstairs # %
09.15.09 - Williamsport, PA - Site B # %
09.16.09 - Ithaca, NY - Castaways # %
09.17.09 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place # %
09.18.09 - London, ON - LOLA Fest
09.19.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick # %
09.20.09 - Louisville, KY - 21C Museum Atrium Gallery # %
* Icy Demons
^ Wooden Wand
# Jeffrey Lewis &The Junkyard
% Slaraffenland
! ! Howlin' Rain, Lucky Dragons
Boredoms' Super Roots 10 Gets U.S. Release Date, Band Gets to Live Out “On a Boat” Fantasy First Realized by Andy Samberg and T-Pain
I like Boredoms. The legendary Japanese noise rock band has been going strong since the 1980s, touring with Sonic Youth, recording a serious number of releases, and basically becoming a byword for coolness for record geeks around the world. So it was with pleasant interest when I discovered the band’s Super Roots 10 EP was going to be released outside of Japan via Thrill Jockey. This most recent offering in the Super Roots series came out early this year in Japan and is slated for a September 8 non-Japan release on limited double vinyl, designed and produced by vocalist Eye.
This is great on its own, right? But wait, there's more! How about the news that Boredoms will finally be putting out a new full-length next year? Or what about the sure-to-be MIND-BLOWING show on a Russian ferry off the coast of Japan (TMT News)? Oh, and don't forget that Boredoms are also performing Boadrum 9 at New York City's Terminal 5, and again at the American version of All Tomorrow’s Parties. No boat at those dates, though, alas.
Tracklisting:
1. Super Rooy
2. Ant 10
3. Ant 10 / Estereo 10 (Remix by Altz)
4. Ant 10 (Remix by DJ Finger Hat)
5. Ant 10 (Remix by DJ Lindstrom)
6. Ant 10 / Mineral Dub Break (Remix by Altz)
Tourdates:
07.22.09 – Ocean, Japan – Russian Ferry (The Sun & Moon Festival)
09.09.09 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
09.13.09 – Monticello, NY – Kutscher’s Resort (All Tomorrow’s Parties)
Ticketmaster Forced to Shut Down Misleading Scalping Sites; Or, Why I Hate the Illinois Attorney General
We all know that Ticketmaster’s monopoly on the ticketing business is a force for good. Let’s count the ways we love them:
1. Order processing charges
2. Involuntary parking fees
3. Nonexistent customer service
4. Impossible-to-read Captcha filters
5. TicketsNow, Ticketmaster’s in-house ticket scalping service
6. Merger with Live Nation...
Ugh, let me just skip to #33
33. TicketsNow sites that pretend to be venue websites
Unfortunately for those of us in the Ticketmaster Official Fan Club, the Attorney General of Illinois (TicketsNow's hometown) has forcibly removed Reason #33 from the list in a $50,000 lawsuit against Ticketmaster. According to The Consumerist, Ticketmaster must close Ticketsnow sites that use domain names that include the names of venues and bands, where ticket buyers beleived they were buying their tickets at face value from the source rather than at inflated prices from TicketsNow. But let’s be honest: it’s hardly our beloved Ticketmaster’s job to coddle the ignorant public!
The settlement also requires that TicketsNow wait to sell marked-up tickets until after Ticketmaster puts the tickets on sale at regular price. This sounds like a case of big bad government meddling in private industry, something we here at Tiny Mix Tapes staunchly oppose on the basis that it’s mean. Ticketmaster needs all the money it can get, especially because it no longer has real competition in the ticketing market.
Throw Me The Statue Throw Us a New LP and Tour; Catch Them or You Are a Loser
I had this great idea to write a whole news story making fun of Throw Me The Statue’s band name -- something about how they maybe picked it after one of the guys was, uh, throwing a statue or something like that. But then I looked up their Wikipedia entry and found out that the Wiki gods state the band likely took its name from the 1984 movie, Romancing The Stone. Um, what the fuck, Wikipedia?! Thanks for ruining my story idea! I still don't know exactly how Throw Me The Statue relates to the film -- I was born a year after it was released and don’t spend my free time watching Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner movies from the 80s -- but feel free to email and enlighten me.
In more relevant news, Throw Me The Statue have a new album coming out August 4 on Secretly Canadian. Creaturesque is its name, and the tracklisting is as follows:
1. Waving At The Shore
2. Pistols
3. Tag
4. Ancestors
5. Noises
6. Snowshoes
7. Dizzy From The Fall
8. Cannibal Rays
9. Hi-Fi Goon
10. Baby, You're Bored
11. Shade For A Shadow
12. The Outer Folds
Romancing The Tour Dates:
07.11.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumos #
07.31.09 - Seattle, WA - Mural Ampitheatre %
08.23.09 - Spokane, WA - Empyrean Coffee $
08.26.09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry $
08.27.09 - Urbana, IL - Courtyard Café $
08.28.09 - Madison, WI - The Annex $
08.29.09 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean $
08.30.09 - Toronto, ON - TBA $
08.31.09 - Montreal, QE - Il Motore $
09.01.09 - Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs $
09.02.09 - NYC, NY - Mercury Lounge $
09.03.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's $
09.04.09 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel $
09.05.09 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House at Duke University $
09.07.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn $
09.08.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under $
09.09.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon $
09.10.09 - Houston, TX - Rudyards $
09.11.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk $
09.12.09 - Dallas, TX - Cavern $
09.14.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts $
09.15.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo $
09.16.09 - San Diego, CA - The Loft $
09.17.09 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw $
09.18.09 - Sacramento, CA - Luigi's Fun Garden $
# Robin Pecknold
% Blitzen Trapper
$ The Brunettes
Dum Dum Girls Play One Show, Get Signed By Sub Pop
Well, that was fast! Not too long ago, I announced details of the Woodsist/Captured Tracks fest in NYC (TMT News), which included Dum Dum Girls. And now, after playing one gig, they have been signed to Sub Pop.
Dum Dum Girls, originally made up of only one member Dee Dee, was joined by members of Crystal Stilts, Blank Dogs, and Crocodiles, rocking NYC so hard that the quake was felt all the way in Seattle. Although this was Dum Dum Girls' first gig, the band has actually existed for quite a while, releasing an EP on Captured Tracks, a 7-inch on Hozac, and an EP on Zoo Music.
Dum Dum Dum Girls' Sub Pop debut is said to be coming out in early 2010. So yes, we are in this classic dilemma of a lo-fi band signing to a major indie label. Will DDG step into a professional studio? Will Dee Dee sign her soul away to the monsters of slick production and mass overdubs? Or will she retain her style and stay fuzzed? As reported a few days ago, Times New Viking is making a 25% increase in fidelity by jumping up to VHS master-quality (TMT News). Could this be the beginning of the end to shitty sounding recordings? I hope not! Stay fucked!
Califone Sign to Dead Oceans for New LP of Future Robot Back-Porch Appalachadelic Folk Pop; Somewhere Out There, Beck Hansen is Jealous
Okay, Dead Oceans, let’s get one thing straight right fucking now. Chicago’s Califone don’t need any help releasing badass, fucked-up music. No way, no how. Sure, you may have gotten the call to release All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, the newest album of freaky, funky, junkyard, blues-pop by the multi-talented multi-instrumentalists Tim Rutili, Jim Becker, Joe Adamik, and Ben Masseralla since 2006’s acclaimed Roots and Crowns this coming October 6...
And sure, producer, collaborator, and erstwhile band mate Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Gomez, Modest Mouse) may have gone on record as saying that “Tim’s songwriting on All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is my favorite yet. They have found a sound unlike anyone else, and are able to draw otherworldly sounds from very common instruments. It’s melodically inventive and economical and delivered with more detail and nuance than before”...
And yeah, sure, primary songwriter and vocalist Tim Rutili (who frequently dabbles in such extra-musical forays as short, surrealist documentaries, music videos, and film scores) MAY have recently written and directed his first feature-length film, which he plans on submitting to film festivals early next year, also titled All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, which just so happens to draw on the same themes and inspirations as the album, having been conceived simultaneously to the album and containing many of the same images and characters...
And YES, okay, sure, maybe Califone will incorporate a full-length presentation of the film during their live performances (which will be announced shortly), adding a totally new and incredibly cool and exciting element to their live show...
But EVEN SO, Dead Oceans, the point IS... the, the point is... uhh... wait. What was I talking about, again??
All My Friends Are Funeral Singers tracklist:
1. Giving Away the Bride
2. Polish Girls
3. 1928
4. Funeral Singers
5. SNAKE'S TOOTH = PROTECTION AGAINST FEVER AND LUCK IN GAMBLING
6. Buñuel
7. Ape-Like
8. A WISH MADE WHILE BURNING ONIONS WILL COME TRUE
9. Evidence
10. Alice Marble Gray
11. Salt
12. Krill
13. SAVEN, FOURTEEN, OR TWENTY-ONE KNOTS
14. Better Angels
NY Eye & Ear Fest II Starts Today, So Don't Kill Yourself Just Yet!
What's better than death? NY Eye & Ear Fest II, of course! So, temporarily quell them thoughts of suicide and read on, dear suicidal reader, as I have more exciting news: NYE&E II starts TODAY. That's right, break loose from that noose! Swim up for air! Put that gun back in its holster! Step away from the ledge! Stop eating trans fats! Or you will miss this four-day, three-venue (Knitting Factory, 92Y Tribeca, and Death By Audio) sonic assault on Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Performers this year include, among many others, Magik Markers, Talibam!, Team Robespierre, Grooms, John Wiese, and -- believe it or not -- RADIOHEAD! Yep, Thom and co will be there! Visit the fest's website here, and get your tickets while they're hot. The fest runs through July 12, the day I choose to go boom boom to my head.
Final Fantasy to Tour Europe, Spend Recreational Time Fighting Countless Foes To Accumulate Experience Points and Level Up Until They Can Master the Ultima Spell
Final Fantasy, having conquered the Ice-Dungeon of the Northern Region, are preparing themselves for the inevitable, final conflict with The Grand Mage and his army of Mecha-Demons. The band of heroes, pulled together by a timeless quest to retrieve the seven crystals of Gaia and to reunite the world with Peace and Brotherhood, have nearly completed their quest, with only one remaining foe to thwart.
To prepare for the final showdown at Masamune Mountain against Eldritch the Elder Mage, Final Fantasy have announced a tour of Europe to, hopefully, not only find the fabled blade of Excalibur, but to also provide the necessary training that their black and white Wizards need so that they may perform all the ancient spells needed to destroy Eldritch’s hold over the world.
The band will be traveling from their homelands on the Eastern continent by means of the airship they discovered under Dragon’s Peak. They will land in the fabled city of London on August 1 and then travel through the ancient land of Europe, by Chocobo of course, throughout the remainder of August. Besides entertaining the masses, they will be searching for the experience and knowledge that they will surely need to free our world from the clutches of our ruthless dictator.
Final Fantasy are going on tour, is what I'm trying to say here
08.01.09 - London, UK - Field Day Festival
08.02.09 - Cardiff, UK - The Gates Art Center
08.03.09 - Manchester, UK - RNCM
08.04.09 - Belfast, Ireland - Empire Music Hall
08.05.09 - Glasgow, UK - The Classic Grand
08.06.09 - Kutna Hora, Czech Republic - Gask Art Fest 09
08.07.09 - Myslowice, Poland - OFF Festival
08.09.09 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
08.09.09 - Vienna, Austria - FM 4 Radio Session
08.12.09 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli
08.13.09 - Paris, France - La Plage Festival
08.14.09 - Haldern, Germany - Haldern Pop Festival
08.15.09 - Goetheborg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08.16.09 - Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
Yoko Ono Set To Release New Plastic Ono Band Album; Yuka Honda, Daniel Carter, and Sean Lennon Guest
When I was 13, my parents bestowed their collection of records to me. I didn't really care though at the time: most of it was just bad classic rock records. For some reason, though, they had a copy of The Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace in Toronto 1969. I thought I might as well give it a try, even though I always hated The Beatles. Side A was pretty much what I expected, with its horrible rock ‘n’ roll covers and Clapton/Lennon guitar solos. I'm not really sure why I even put Side B on at that point, but I guess I had nothing better to do. After hearing Lennon announce "Now Yoko's going to do her thing, all over you," I had no idea exactly what he meant. But when the second track broke loose with both Clapton and Lennon making feedback and Ono "doing her thing all over me," I was mesmerized.
Well, guess what, Yoko is back with a new Plastic Ono Band, and she is going to "do her thing all over you" yet again. Ono will release Between My Head and the Sky September 22 via Chimera Music. This time around, Yoko's Plastic Ono Band is made up of Japanese avant popsters Yuka Honda (Cibo Matto) and Keigo “Cornelius” Oyamada, as well as New York improvisers like Daniel Carter (Test). Ono's son Sean Lennon also plays on the record and helps produce. According to Lennon, "Yoko unleashed a deluge of new songs, writing about 16 songs in six days. The most prolific day peaking out at six songs written and tracked in an afternoon. The recording session was like a tornado of inspiration. Some of the best lyrics on the record Yoko actually ‘freestyled’ as if she were a lyrical divining rod.”
Well, I'm not really how well Ono can do her thing all over everyone, but I'm definitely curious to see if she's still got it.
Between My Head and the Sky tracklist:
1. Waiting For the D Train
2. The Sun Is Down! (Cornelius Mix)
3. Ask the Elephant!
4. Memory of Footsteps
5. Moving Mountains
6. Calling
7. Healing
8. Hashire, Hashire
9. Between My Head and the Sky
10. Feel the Sand
11. Watching the Rain
12. Unun. To
13. I'm Going Away Smiling
14. Higa Noboru
15. I'm Alive
