Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the newly reunited band most well known for adding Weird Al Yankovic to their Nightmare Before Christmas lineup (Lift Your Skinny Dicks Like Antennas to Heaven?), have just announced four UK headlining shows post-ATP. Wanna go? Better act quick, as the tickets are on sale starting right now. “¡Ay, caramba!” as Efrim Menuck would say.
No word yet on the nine American shows promised in their cute reunion letter, but we’ll keep you updated.
12.03-05.10 - Minehead, UK - Butlins Holiday Centre *
12.07.10 - Manchester, UK - Academy
12.08.10 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowlands
12.12.10 - Bristol, UK - Ansom Rooms
12.13.10 - London, UK - Troxy
2007 was a year of wonders: It was the Year of the Dolphin for the UN, the Year of the Pig for the Chinese, and the Year of Highland Culture for Scotland. It was also the last time Les Savy Fav released a record, the delightful Let’s Stay Friends. And now, here we are, only three short years later, and there’s another Les Savy Fav record, this time called Root for Ruin. The album is due September 14 on Frenchkiss.
2010, to say the least, has been a little bit less awesome than the year devoted to Flipper, but perhaps this is a sign of better things to come.
Tracklisting:
01. Appetites
02. Dirty Knails
03. Sleepless in Silverlake
04. Let’s Get Out of Here
05. Lips n’ Stuff
06. Poltergeist
07. High and Unhinged
08. Excess Engergies
09. Dear Crutches
10. Calm Down
11. Clear Spirits
Trumpeter and composer Bill Dixon died June 16th at his home in North Bennington, Vermont after a two-year illness. He was 84 years old.
Dixon was a revered and idiosyncratic figure in the avant-garde of Jazz music, and a creative force who strived at all times to place the music in ever more respectful circumstances. Dixon developed an often controversial profile as an outspoken and articulate defender of musicians’ rights as artists, and specifically the challenges to Black music as a contender in the culture and society of the United States. His music is known for a dark, poignant, pan-tonal abstraction that remains lyrical without relying on songs or the conventions of Jazz music-making. Through five decades as a recording artist, Dixon’s music has developed a loyal worldwide following.
I hated Major Organ and The Adding Machine’s self-titled debut when it was initially released in 2001, but having since learned to appreciate All Things Weird, I now fucking love it… AND NOW YOU CAN “FUCKING LOVE IT” TOO! Actually, if you’re a regular TMT reader, chances are you’ve either heard the album or read us gushing about it (it made #63 on our favorite albums of the decade list), so if you want to either be reminded of its awesomeness or finally hear what we’ve been blabbering about, then you’re in luck.
As we reported many moons ago, Major Organ’s one and only album is getting the reissue treatment via Orange Twin. It was originally slated for release last year, but delays have now pushed it to its final, 100% confirmed release date: September 14, 2010. As a reminder, the reissue will feature the full album plus seven unreleased tracks recorded during the original Major Organ sessions. It’ll also feature a DVD, which will include the much-talked-about Major Organ short film, music videos, live footage, and more.
While the band’s identity was a mystery for quite while, we now know that Elephant 6ers Julian Koster (The Music Tapes), Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Kevin Barnes (of Montreal), Eric Harris (Olivia Tremor Control/Elf Power), and Will Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control/Circulatory System) were the primary agents in the Major Organ and The Adding Machine mythology. Other musicians include John Fernandes, Bablicon, Dixie Blood Moustache, Peter Erchick, Heather McIntosh, Derek Almstead, Andrew Rieger, and Jill Carnes.
Sleigh Bells hate subtlety. If you know Sleigh Bells and their acclaimed debut Treats (TMT Review) on N.E.E.T., you know this. It’s hard to imagine Sleigh Bells doing anything in an understated manner, even something as seemingly mundane as announcing their first national headlining tour. Perhaps they did simply send out a press release, but I like to think the duo of Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller hopped into a fighter jet and headed to the Grand Canyon. Once they reached the American landmark, the duo dropped an atomic bomb, from which the ensuing mushroom cloud spelled out the dates and cities of the duo’s forthcoming tour. However it happened, Sleigh Bells are definitely hitting the road throughout July for their first headlining tour. Me, I’m sticking with my Grand Canyon atomic bomb theory.
Sleigh Bells tourdates:
07.01.10 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
07.02.10 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
07.03.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
07.04.10 - Philadelphia, PA - Making Time (4th of July Party @ Bamboo Bar)
07.06.10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
07.08.10 - West Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street Cafe
07.09.10 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
07.10.10 - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl
07.11.10 - Nashville, TN - The End
07.12.10 - Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio
07.13.10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
07.14.10 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
07.15.10 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
07.17.10 - Los Angeles, CA - LA State Historic Park - Cornfields
07.18.10 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival
07.20.10 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
07.21.10 - Montreal, QC - The National
07.22.10 - Allston, MA - Royale Night Club
07.24.10 - New York, NY - Governors Island
In the great American spirit of selling you something twice, Brooklyn-based post-cool quartet Bear In Heaven — hot off last year’s critical acclaim of their full-length Beast Rest Forth Mouth — have gone ahead and presupposed their status as mainstay authorities and curated a track-by-track remix version of that aforementioned record. Among other things, this quasi-new release, which is to be packaged alongside the original and released as a “double album,” is currently affording me the opportunity to use words like “aforementioned,” “presupposed,” and “quasi” with haughty-yet-irreproachable contextual precision. Thank you, Bear In Heaven.
The new release, which will feature the likes of The Field, Justin K. Broadrick (a.k.a. Jesu, Godflesh), Studio, and High Places among others, is all set for a release date of September 14 via Hometapes. It also purports to building “new sonic terrain” and allows me to use the word “purports.” Bullseye.
As if all that wasn’t sensational enough, Bear In Heaven have also just announced a mess of tourdates with Crystal Castles, Twin Sister, and Mountain Man (including performances at NYC’s South Street Seaport, Pitchfork Fest in Chicago, Capitol Hill Block Party, and Austin City Limits); necessitating, among other things, the use of a semicolon and an unprecedented third paragraph to this one-of-a-kind scoop. Can you even believe this pro-ass shit that is happening right now? I, for one, can’t (or should that be “can not”?)
Beast Rest Forth Mouth Remix tracklist:
01. Beast in Peace (The Hundred in the Hands Beast in Beat Remix)
02. Lovesick Teenagers (Twin Shadow Remix)
03. Ultimate Satisfaction (The Field Remix)
04. Wholehearted Mess (Pink Skull Remix)
05. Fake Out (BRAHMS Remix)
06. Drug a Wheel (High Places Remix)
07. Deafening Love (Deru Remix)
08. Dust Cloud (Justin K. Broadrick Remix)
09. You Do You (Studio Remix)
10. Casual Goodbye (Epstein’s Galloping Gertie Remix)
Tourdates:
06.24.10 - Portland, ME - Space
06.25.10 - Winooski, VT - The Monkey House
06.26.10 - Buffalo, NY - Big Orbit’s Soundlab
06.27.10 - Hamden, CT - The Space
07.09.10 - New York, NY - Pier 17 #
07.10.10 - Ottawa, ON - Cisco Systems Bluesfest
07.13.10 - Cambridge, MA - TT The Bear’s Place ^*
07.14.10 - Northhampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall ^*
07.15.10 - Toronto, ON - El Mocambo ^*
07.16.10 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Blind Big ^*
07.17.10 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival ^
07.17.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall ^*
07.19.10 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon ^*
07.20.10 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club ^*
07.21.10 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
07.23.10 - Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
07.24.10 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret ^
07.25.10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir ^
07.26.10 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop ^
07.27.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo ^
07.29.10 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive ^
07.30.10 - Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge ^
07.31.10 - St. Louis, MO - The Luminary Center for the Arts ^
08.02.10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop ^
08.06.10 - Berlin, Germany - Festaal Kreuzberg
08.08.10 - Katowice, Poland - OFF Festival
08.10.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega - w. Oh No Ono
08.11.10 - Oslo, Norway - Blaa (Oya Club Night)
08.12.10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West
08.13.10 - Arhus, Denmark - Musickaffen - w. Sleepy Sun
08.14.10 - Haldern, Germany - Haldern Pop
08.15.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melweg - w. Sleepy Sun
08.16.10 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol
08.18.10 - Frankfurt, Germany - Ponyhof
08.21.10 - London, UK - X0Y0
08.22.10 - Powys, UK - Green Man Festival
08.23.10 - Edinburgh, UK - Capital - Fringe Festival
08.24.10 - Belfast, Ireland - Speakeasy
08.25.10 - Dublin, Ireland - Crawdaddy’s
08.26.10 - Leeds, UK - Leeds Festival
09.07.10 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom %
09.08.10 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Heaven Room) %
09.09.10 - Orlando, FL - Club at Firestone %
09.11.10 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival
09.12.10 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
09.29.10 - Ithaca, NY - Castaways ^
09.30.10 - Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal ^
10.09.10 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits
# Zola Jesus
^ Twin Sister
* Mountain Man
% Crystal Castles
