Flaming Lips making another movie, beg Justin Timberlake to star in it
After a 2009 that saw the release of two albums — Embyronic and the collaborative recitation of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with Stardeath and White Dwarf — Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne is donning his filmmaker's beret again.
Coyne tells Billboard that he's starting work on a project designed to be a bit more modest than 2008's Christmas on Mars (TMT Review). "My only goal was that I didn't have to build space station-looking sets every time I wanted to have someone say something," Coyne notes, "only because I built those sets myself every time we shot something for Christmas on Mars over the seven years we took to make it. This one is set in someone's house and in a back yard and in a slaughterhouse; all those are available to me right here, so I don't have to build everything this time."
Like Mars, Coyne says the new film will be shot primarily with his Flaming Lips bandmates and friends and family in Oklahoma City. "I'm gonna try to get real actors, too," he adds, "celebrities to show up and have fun with us for a couple of nights. I'm in the process of begging Justin Timberlake to be part of it; if I'm lucky I'll be able to wear him down in another year." That, of course, implies that we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for the finished product. "I think everybody would be relieved if it all got done in six weeks and we could say, 'Look at that!' " says Coyne, who's also started working on music for the movie with Lips bandmate Steven Drozd. "But because I get to do it with people I love and it's my art, I don't care how long it takes."
Flaming Lips are hardly going on the back burner while Coyne works on the film. The group has already announced 14 shows, including a March 12 stop at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, a performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 11, and a Central Park Summerstage gig on July 26 in New York City. The Bonnaroo show will include a full run-through of Dark Side — which comes out in limited-edition vinyl for Record Store Day on April 17 and on CD May 4 — but Coyne doesn't think the Floyd classic will become part of the Lips' regular repertoire.
• The Flaming Lips: http://www.flaminglips.com
Caribou announce tour, continue to swirl endlessly forever
The live incarnation of Caribou, the swirling electro-shock project of Mr. Dan Snaith, is prepping for a world tour in support of forthcoming record, Swim (TMT News), out in April via Merge (City Slang outside the US). In fact, they're not wasting a second of time in supporting the record, as the group's world tour begins in London on April 19, the same day as the record's UK release. Snaith and crew will swirl through Europe for the rest of April, after which they head to North America for another month and a half of touring. That's some serious swirling going on.
Caribou dates:
04.19.10 - Manchester, England - Deaf Institute #
04.20.10 - London, England - Corsica Studios London *#
04.21.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso (Upstairs) #
04.22.10 - Brussels, Belgium - Beursschouwburg #
04.2.10 -3 Paris, France - Le Point Ephemere #
04.24.10 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Le Romandie #
04.25.10 - St. Gallen, Switzerland - Palace #
04.26.10 - Milan, Italy - Magnolia #
04.27.10 - Munich, Germany - Feierwerk #
04.28.10 - Berlin, Germany - Berghain Berlin #
04.29.10 - Hamburg, Germany - Prinzenbar #
04.30.10 - Aarhus, Denmark - Pop Revo Festival
05.01.10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Strand
05.03.10 - Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix
05.04.10 - Ottawa, Ontario - Babylon
05.05.10 - Montreal, Quebec - Tulipe
05.06.10 - Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs
05.07.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
05.08.10 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
05.09.10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
05.10.10 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
05.11.10 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson
05.12.10 - Chapel, Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle
05.13.10 - Atlanta, GA - Earl
05.14.10 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
05.15.10 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
05.16.10 - Austin, TX - Emo's
05.18.10 - Phoenix, AZ - Clubhouse
05.19.10 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
05.20.10 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
05.21.10 - Mexico City, Mexico - Teatro Fru Fru
05.24.10 - San Francisco, CA - Independent
05.26.10 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne
05.28.10 - Victoria, British Columbia - Sugar
05.29.10 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Rickshaw
05.30.10 - George, WA - Sasquatch
05.31.10 - Calgary, Alberta - Republik
06.01.10 - Edmonton, Alberta - Starlite
06.02.10 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Amigo's
06.03.10 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Royal Albert Arms
06.04.10 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
06.05.10 - Davenport, IA - Rock Island Brewing Co.
06.07.10 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird
06.08.10 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
06.09.10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
06.10.10 - Hamilton, Ontario - Casbah %
06.11.10 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Paragon
06.16.10 - London, England - Heaven !
# Gold Panda
% Vowls
! DJ Kieran Hebden (Four Tet)
• Caribou: http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
• Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
• City Slang: http://www.cityslang.com
Camera Obscura announce US spring tour, resulting in a roar of plaintive sighs
Camera Obscura will be embarking on a US tour this spring, beginning April 3 in Iowa City. Everybody's favorite Glaswegian twee-pop band will also visit Texas and California, among other fine states, in support of last year's My Maudlin Career (TMT Review) on 4AD.
Anyone who lives in the UK knows that Glasgow is probably the closest one can get to Hell on Earth. Why, then, are there so many sunny, bright indie bands that come out of such a desolate place? Even Scottish people say it's awful!
Camera Obscura tour:
04.03.10 - Iowa City, IA - Blue Moose Tap House (Mission Creek Festival)
04.04.10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
04.05.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
04.07.10 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
04.08.10 - Norman, OK - Meacham Auditorium (University of Oklahoma)
04.09.10 - Austin, TX - Emo's (Outside)
04.10.10 - Denton, TX - Hailey's
04.11.10 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
04.16.10 - Las Vegas, NV - Club Aruba (Aruba Hotel)
04.20.10 - Visalia, CA - Cellar Door
04.21.10 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
04.23.10 - Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
04.24.10 - Bellingham, WA - Nightlight Lounge
04.25.10 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
• Camera Obscura: http://www.camera-obscura.net
• 4AD: http://www.4ad.com
Public Image Ltd to tour North America after Coachella
Celebrating an event that I'm sure has absolutely no significance for the band whatsoever, legendary-as-shit post-punkers Public Image Ltd. will be touring the US on the 30th anniversary of their first live appearance (on this side of the pond). The tour takes place immediately following the band's first stateside appearance in roughly 18 years, taking place where else but at this year's notoriously infamous Coachella Festival.
Considering John Lydon's recent ventures and his quote of "sounding like a bag of kittens being thrown down a flight of stairs" on their recent UK tour, it's bound to be quite the outing.
Preliminary Dates (more to be added!):
04.16.10 - Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field/Coachella
04.17.10 - San Francisco, CA - Grand Ballroom @ Regency Center
04.20.10 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at The Market
04.21.10 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
04.23.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
04.24.10 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
04.26.10 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
05.02.10 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
05.04.10 - Boston, MA - Royale Boston
05.05.10 - Boston, MA - Royale Boston
05.07.10 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
05.08.10 - Montreal, QC - Theatre L'Olympia de Montreal
05.11.10 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
05.12.10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05.14.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Zoo
05.15.10 - Atlantic City, NJ The Borgata Music Box
05.18.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
• Public Image Ltd.: http://www.pilofficial.com
Phosphorescent unveils decidedly photoluminescent new LP
Hey, remember that guy Matt Houck who was doing that little side project thing Phosphorescent a little while ago while he was waiting for his modeling career to really catch fire? Well, um, his modeling career didn't catch fire. I know, right?? Needless to say, some intensive therapy must have ensued.
But after a few pep talks from his $300-an-hour psychiatrist and an "experimental therapy record" of Willie Nelson covers, To Willie (TMT Review), Houck is finally back to work, this time with a full band in tow. His newest Phosphorescent offering, Here's to Taking It Easy, is slated for release May 11 in the US and May 10 in the UK via Dead Oceans.
Apparently energized by the full band vibe of those Willie Nelson sessions, Houck and co. recorded the core tracks live in three days at Headgear Studios with engineer Alex Lipsen, after which Houck took the sessions to Phos Caverns in Brooklyn for overdubbing/arranging/indie credibility purposes. Joined by his current live band of Scott Stapleton on piano, Jeff Bailey on bass, Chris Marine on drums, Jesse Anderson Ainslie on guitar, and Ricky Ray Jackson on pedal steel (and featuring John Natchez on horns and Heather McIntosh on cello), this record sounds like a damn hootenanny compared to the relatively minimalist vibe of 2007's Pride (TMT Review). And that newfound sense of self-confidence seems pretty evident in the first mp3 too, which is called "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're From Alabama)". Damn, Houck. Could I maybe get that psychiatrist's number? I'm pretty sure my TMT Insurance will cover this.
• Phosphorescent: http://www.myspace.com/phosphorescent
• Dead Oceans: http://www.deadoceans.com
Massive Attack totally coming to North America
A great man once said "Why you wanna go and do that, love, huh?" That man was rapper T.I. (and Q-Tip before him). Now, he may not have been speaking about Massive Attack at the time, but I think today his words are more poignant than ever. Because today is the day I learned that one of my most admired bands of the past couple decades is finally touring the United States when I'm a legal adult with a certain (minimal) amount of money to spend on driving to bigger cities to see bands, and yet this band is coming nowhere near me. Oh Massive Attack, you bring me such pain. Toronto, maybe you could call me and hold up your cell phone when they do the Hope Sandoval and Martina Topley-Bird tracks off their latest album on Virgin, Heligoland (TMT Review)?
05.07.10 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
05.09.10 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
05.11.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
05.12.10 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
05.18.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
05.19.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
05.25.10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
05.27.10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater
05.30.10 - George, WA - Sasquatch! Festival
• Massive Attack: http://massiveattack.com
• Virgin: http://virginrecords.com
The National to release new album, High Violet, in May
The National will have a new record out May 11 via 4AD. High Violet is the band's fifth LP and, yes, they're embarking on a spring tour in support. Frontman Matt Berninger talked about the new album with a popular music website that shall remain nameless. You see, we're all about high-quality content here at TMT, and we hate to direct you to sanctimonious websites that reject witty news writers who injects stories with irreverence and color and still sustain their readers' attention through meandering 66 word-long sentences with esoteric patois found with five-second searches on thesaurus.com...
But, Ryan, if you're still reading, I'm still available!
The National tour:
03.28.10 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre (Big Ears Festival)
04.22.10 Richmond, VA - The National
04.23.10 Richmond, VA - The National
05.05.10 London, England - Electric Ballroom
05.06.10 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
05.07.10 Paris, France - Le Zenith *
05.09.10 Berlin, Germany - Astra
05.21.10 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
05.22.10 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern #
05.23.10 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre #
05.26.10 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
05.27.10 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre #
05.29.10 Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06.02.10 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06.03.10 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06.04.10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06.05.10 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06.06.10 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall %
06.08.10 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06.09.10 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06.11-13.10 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06.16.10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall %
07.27.10 Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park ^
* Pavement
# Ramona Falls
^ Beach House
% The Antlers
Ted Leo's Pharmacists prescribe additional tourdates
Powerhouse pop-rocker Ted Leo has enough anthemic albums under his belt to earn him a lasting place in indie-rock stardom. We hear he's no stranger to bad-ass live shows, either. And wouldn't you know it, Leo's got a brand new album (on a brand new label) and an EXPANDED slew of tourdates coming up! ::Cue post-adolescent glee!!::
Having recorded their latest body of work in Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists plan to release The Brutalist Bricks March 9 through the mighty Matador.
Check out Ted Leo's updated tourdates below, won't you?:
03.11.10 - Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
03.12.10 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot
03.13.10 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge
03.14.10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
03.15.10 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03.18.10 - Spokane, WA - The Blvd
03.19.10 - Seattle, WA - Nuemo's
03.20.10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
03.21.10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
03.23.10 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03.24.10 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Restaurant & Music Club
03.26.10 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
03.27.10 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
03.28.10 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
03.31.10 - Austin, TX - The Parish Room April
04.02.10 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
04.03.10 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
04.04.10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
04.05.10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
04.07.10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
04.08.10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04.09.10 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
04.10.10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
• Ted Leo: http://www.myspace.com/tedleo
• Matador: http://www.matadorrecords.com
Gogol Bordello add a little samba on new album Trans-Continental Hustle?
Gogol Bordello have already released information about the massive "Casa Gogol" North American and European tours, as well as a tour of Australia, and now they finally have a little more information about the new album they'll be touring in suppport of. Trans-Continental Hustle, the band's first album since 2007's Super Taranta!, is set to be released April 27 through Rick Rubin's American Recordings. Rubin also produced the new record and Eugene Hutz, frontman for Gogol Bordello, offered a few words on working with the Bearded Fellow: "Rick inspired us to focus on the very soul entity of the song. He inspires confidence to always do your best and mature work."
The band are also adding to their trademark "gypsy-punk" sound by stirring in the interesting flavors and influences of Brazilian music and culture. Hutz currently lives in Brazil (and has for the past two years), and the new album is, according to my mystical sources, "heavily informed by Hutz's experiences living in a country rich with diversity." The new album features a handful of songs, like "Uma Menina Uma Cigana" and the near-death carnivale experiences of "Sun on My Side," that wear the new influences proudly on their sleeves.
Finally, Gogol Bordello would like you to know that they've also scheduled, in addition to their forthcoming world tour, a return to Irving Plaza in New York City on March 9 (tomorrow!), where the band will be performing a benefit concert for Haiti relief.
Trans-Continental Hustle tracklist:
01. Pala Tute
02. My Companjera
03. Sun Is on My Side
04. Rebellious Love
05. We Comin’ Rougher (Immigraniada)
06. When Universes Collide
07. Uma Menina Uma Cigana
08. Raise the Knowledge
09. Last One Goes the Hope
10. To Rise Above
11. In the Meantime in Pernambuco
12. Break the Spell
13. Trans-Continental Hustle
• Gogol Bordello: http://www.gogolbordello.com
[Photo: Mike D'Ariano]
The Hidden Cameras tour Origin: Orphan across Europe
In February, The Hidden Cameras completed a session of the LimeWire Store's "Live at Lime" series. The six-track EP includes reworkings of tracks from their latest album, Origin: Orphan (out in the open since September 2009 from Arts & Crafts), but sometimes a second-hand "live" just won't do. In light of this, The Hidden Cameras are leaving Canada for a pretty sizable tour of Europe over the next two months, beginning in Germany, making a few loops, and ending in Sweden. Flash photography may or may not be permitted.
03.12.10 - Hamburg, Germany - Kampnagel
03.13.10 - Offenbach, Germany - Hafen 2
03.15.10 - Münster, Germany - Gleis 22
03.16.10 - Cologne, Germany - Gebaeude 9
03.17.10 - Brighton, UK - The Audio
03.18.10 - London, UK - St. Leonard's Church
03.19.10 - Nottingham, UK - Bodega
03.20.10 - Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
03.21.10 - Manchester, UK - The Deaf Institute
03.22.10 - Cardiff, UK - The Gate
03.23.10 - Leeds, UK - The Brudenell Social Club
03.24.10 - London, UK - Hoxton Bar & Grill
03.25.10 - Paris, France - Point Ephémère
03.26.10 - Hondarribia, Spain - Psilocybenea Cultural Center
03.27.10 - Seville, Spain - South Pop Festival
03.28.10 - Madrid, Spain - Moby Dick
03.29.10 - Valencia, Spain - Colegio Mayor Lluis Vives
03.30.10 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
04.02.10 - Bologna, Italy - Il Covo
04.03.10 - Rome Italy - Circolo Degli Artisti
04.06.10 - Florence, Italy - Sala Vanni
04.07.10 - Graz, Austria - PPC
04.08.10 - Salzburg, Austria - Arge
04.10.10 - St. Poelten, Austria - Festspielhaus
04.11.10 - Vienna, Austria - WUK
04.13.10 - Zürich, Switzerland - Exil
04.14.10 - Basel, Switzerland - Unionsaal
04.15.10 - Schorndorf, Germany - Manufaktur
04.16.10 - Heidelberg, Germany - Karlstorbahnhof
04.17.10 - Nuremberg, Germany - MUZ Club
04.18.10 - Berlin, Germany - Lido
04.20.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
04.21.10 - Arhus, Denmark - VoxHall
04.22.10 - Malmo, Sweden - KB Club
04.23.10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis
04.24.10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Brew House
• The Hidden Cameras: http://www.thehiddencameras.com
• Arts & Crafts: http://www.arts-crafts.ca
Los Campesinos! celebrate exclamation points by touring!
Since! Los Campesinos! are so! stoked on exclamation points that they! insist esteemed music journalists such as myself include one at the end! of their band name, I thought I would annoy them by putting! one after random! words in this news story that they will likely! not read. Los Campesinos! will be supporting their new album, Romance Is Boring (TMT Review), which is out! now on Arts & Crafts.
04.20.10 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
04.22.10 - New York, NY - The Fillmore (Irving Plaza)
04.24.10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
04.27.10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
04.30.10 - Chicago, IL - Cabaret Metro
05.04.10 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
05.07.10 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
05.08.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The El Rey Theatre
The band is currently touring Europe. Check out dates on their MySpace.
• Los Campesinos!: http://loscampesinos.com
• Arts & Crafts: http://arts-crafts.ca
[Photo: Jon Bergman]
