Merge to Reissue Neutral Milk Hotel Albums on 180-gram Vinyl
I love taking advantage of the fact that every Neutral Milk Hotel fan is secretly waiting for a new NMH album, even though each one of 'em knows that Jeff Mangum is as reclusive as a Sasquatch and that hoping for a new long-player from these particular Elephant Sixers is as futile as hoping for the Second Coming. However, despite that futility, and, if you’re like me, you pacify your desire for new Neutral Milk Hotel material by routinely buying a new copy of In The Aeroplane Over The Sea every six months, pretending that it’s the first time you ever heard it. I know you do it!
If you are like me, then I’ve got some good news, because at least now you can get a somewhat new album by the band. “How Kid Midnight?” Well, Merge Records has announced that it will be reissuing both In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and On Avery Island on vinyl. Both albums will be available on November 3 and, even though no bonus material will be included, the albums will be pressed on 180 gram vinyl for the first time and will come with a coupon for a free download!
If that’s not good enough for you... well... have fun waiting for the reunion concert.
Guy Hands Says Terra Firma Might Have “Paid Too Much” to Rescue EMI
Umm, are we to take it those new Beatles records aren’t reaching their “earning potential”??
Nice, soft, pillowy TMT punchline Guy Hands and his whacky-yet-lovable British private equity firm Terra Firma (that’s “solid ground,” don’t you know) Capital Partners Ltd have certainly been hard at work improving the bottom line of ill-famed, ill-fated, sloppy eater, messy houseguest, gassy sleeper, and crumbling worldwide music conglomerate EMI. But hey, to borrow a phrase from EMI’s own hallowed catalogue, just because you’re “fixin’ a hole where the rain gets in” doesn’t mean that you don’t still have a serious fucking termite problem to figure out.
In other words, there’s still a whole mess of problems over there, as evidenced by Guy’s very decorous but still pretty unmistakably Eggs Benedict-on-face statement that Terra Firma might have “paid too much money” for the lead-lined ocean liner of such stars as The Beatles and Coldplay. The ailing music group accounted for the vast majority of Terra Firma's $1.96 billion writedowns this year and Terra Firma was forced to inject extra capital into EMI twice in just six months (including a $46 million “injection” this past May to keep the company within the terms of its debt agreements. Ouch. Sounds painful.)
Hands, currently the Chief Investment Officer, said that Terra Firma has certainly succeeded thus far in boosting the earnings at EMI‘s recorded music division to about 160 million pounds ($263 million) last year from around $82 million when they first purchased ‘er in 2007. But he nevertheless admitted during his speech at a Dow Jones private equity conference on Thursday that “if the EMI auction started two weeks later, it wouldn’t have occurred. We wouldn’t have bought it. We’d have 90 percent of our funds still to invest and we’d look like geniuses.” Damn hell-ass geniuses, Guy.
Two weeks later? No, Hands isn’t just being a Grizzly Bear fan. See, Terra Firma flew its ill-fated $6.5 billion buyout of the tale-spinning, nose-diving EMI at the height of the buyout boom, a.k.a. right before that credit crunch thing. Regret city. Solid ground? Here we come.
Members of Radiohead Keep Doin’ Stuff: "Ed O’Brien Delivers a Speech" Edition
A member of Radiohead, the band that just keeps giving, is once again doing something notable. While vocalist Thom Yorke is busy trying to convince you to go green, and Jonny Greenwood is personally spaying and neutering listeners’ pets*, guitarist Ed O’Brien is quietly preparing to deliver the keynote address January 23 at MidemNet, the digital music business conference in Cannes. O’Brien is a board member of the Featured Artists Coalition and will be speaking about Radiohead’s online efforts, along with different possibilities for building the artist/fan relationship in this computer age.
Also speaking will be Michael Gudinski, founder of the Australian Mushroom Group of Companies. His Mushroom Records is the largest independent in Australia and is perhaps most famous for signing pop superstar/Nick Cave collaborator Kylie Minogue.
* Not true. Don’t sue!
RIP: Trevor Rhone, Co-Writer of The Harder They Come Film
From The New York Times (via The Daily Swarm):
Trevor Rhone, the award-winning Jamaican playwright, director and actor who brought his island’s culture to the world as a writer of the groundbreaking film “The Harder They Come,” died on Tuesday in Kingston, Jamaica, where he lived. He was 69.The cause was apparently a heart attack, his wife, Camella, said.
Renowned throughout the Caribbean for plays like “Smile Orange” and “Old Story Time,” Mr. Rhone helped pioneer Jamaica’s indigenous theater, bringing pitch-perfect dialect and character studies to the local stage.
- Trevor Rhone official website
- Trevor Rhone Wikipedia entry
Expect Sweat, Crack, and Maybe a Boner: Har Mar Superstar Announces Tour
Ever since I was a little boy, I've had the same dream. And yet, at my current age, I can still only recall bits and pieces of this recurring vision. The single image that stands out, fully visualized, is of course the most mystifying: I’m in a dark bar, neon lights glowing brightly, the sound of laughter and the clink of glasses filling my ears. Lights suddenly illuminate a small stage, and the audible pop of a microphone being inserted into an amp shocks me into awareness. My eyes remain fixated on the stage.
A man enters the spotlight; his skin is covered in thick, sweaty hair, barely covered by clothes. He gazes voluptuously and eagerly into the crowd, giving us all a quick glance. The music starts, slow and populated by bass notes, smooth like silk and as bracingly refreshing as an ice-cold shower in the middle of a Minnesota winter. His hips begin to gyrate and he slides across the stage, brushing my cheek with his index finger. Whatever clothes remain quickly find their place on the stage floor, and right before his engorged member is removed from the too-tight and bright purple undies... I wake up.
Now, I know that you could find a bounty of subliminal thoughts and desires attempting to make themselves known, but all I know for certain is that my dreams want me to go see Har Mar Superstar. Which is convenient, because he actually just announced a fall tour! Hot on the heels of the announcement of a new album, Har Mar has just now supplied us with details on the whereabouts and times for a bevy of shows.
Hey, don’t leave yet! The deluge of HMS news doesn’t stop there. Mr. Superstar also has a video for “Tall Boy” (a song that Har Mar wrote for Britney Spears) coming out soon that is directed by and featuring Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!). Wareheim provided a little insight into the project: “Every night I was falling asleep I would pray to Zeus, ‘Please let me be slimed by Har Mar. Please let his tasty blue jizzism engulf my face.’ As you can see, my fantasy became a reality on this shoot.” Looking forward to it.
Here be dates (more TBA for October and November):
09.26.09 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriets Palace
10.06.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
10.08.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (record release show)
10.09.09 - Santa Barbara, CA - Sand Bar (New Noise Santa Barbara Festival)
10.10.09 - Oakland, CA - The Uptown
10.12.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
10.13.09 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
10.14.09 - Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
10.15.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's (inside show)
10.16.09 - Dallas, TX - Lounge on Elm Street
10.17.09 - Houston, TX - Super Happy Fun Land
10.21.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
Never Mind The Beatles, Here’s Neon Indian! And They Even Have a New Record and a Tour, Technically Giving Them a Slight Relevancy Edge, Don’t You Think?
So who the heck are Neon Indian? Well, as a music writer -- excuse me, I mean, a Music Writer -- it’s my job to inform you. So... let's seeeee heeeeereee... Brooklynites? Maybe, sure. Racists? Possibly, controversy’s always good. An “elusive new project from composer Alan Palomo [that] delivers equal parts synthetic nostalgia, dreampop lullabies, and grinding guitar noise to create something eerier than the sound of its parts?" Definitely.
Well, whoever the heck they are, they’ve finished a debut full-length, sort-of hilariously titled Psychic Chasms, slated for release on October 13 via the good ol' Lefse label. You may remember Lefse from such classic records as... well, whatever. Press is press, right everyone? What do you say I just cherry-pick some more qualitative such-n-suchs from the press release and go get some lunch? Okay. Deal.
So yeah, written largely in one sitting in Texas, this bag o’ tracks resulted from “field recordings, record samples, and a collection of bizarre synth sounds.” Hinging on themes of drug-induced heartbreak, weary afternoons, and lost chances, these tunes “provide a lush soundtrack to the deadbeat exploits of teenage ennui.” But just in case all of this is sounding a little bit too much like The Postal Service or something, peep the fact that Neon Indian are hitting the road alongside some visual high-wire acts from video artist (and band member) Alicia Scardetta, transforming this first tour into a briskly alliterative, uh, “multimedia maelstrom.” Actually, did The Postal Service ever do that? They never toured at all, did they? I mean, I don’t listen to much music, I just write about it from a holier-than-thou perspective for a living. Oh. Whoops. I mean. Who wants to see some nice, neat tourdates?? Yeah.
Psychic Chasms tracklisting:
1. (AM)
2. Deadbeat Summer
3. Laughing Gas
4. Terminally Chill
5. (If I Knew, I'd Tell You)
6. 6669 (I Don't Know If You Know)
7. Should Have Taken Acid with You
8. Mind, Drips
9. Psychic Chasms
10. Local Joke
11. Ephemeral Artery
12. 7000 (reprise)
Neon Indian Tour:
10.02.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's (Austin City Limits afterparty)
10.16.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
10.17.09 - Jacksonville, FL - TSI
10.18.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10.17.09 - Washington, DC - Rock 'n' Roll Hotel
10.20.09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Barbery
10.24.09 - New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10.25.09 - Hartford, CT - La Paloma Sabanera
10.27.09 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
10.28.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10.29.09 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
10.30.09 - Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin (Der Rathskeller)
10.31.09 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
11.07.09 - Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Festival
11.08.09 - Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprock's
11.11.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11.12.09 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
11.13.09 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Lemon Beat
11.14.09 - Mexico City, Mexico - Pasaje América
11.15.09 - Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
11.16.09 - Vancouver, BC - Shine Nightclub
11.19.09 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
11.20.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
11.21.09 - Tuscon, AZ - Club Congress
Awkwardly Bounce with Me Now: Max Tundra Announces U.S. Tour
Y’all ready to get your stilted groove on? Well, y’all best be, because electronic pop perfectionist Max Tundra is hitting up the U.S. this November. Mr. Tundra (a.k.a. Ben Jacobs) is touring behind last year’s Parallax Error Beheads You (TMT Review), a record that inspires only the highest-quality awkward dance moves. I’ve got this one move where I frantically raise and lower my arms, while desperately attempting to keep a solid rhythm. I’m telling you, this move is sick.
Hanging out with Tundra in November will be Detroit's Deastro (a.k.a. Randy Chabot), whose brand of electro-pop is a little less frantic and awkward. His newest record Moondagger (TMT Review) apparently concerns a dream he had about a magical kingdom and the search for a “moondagger.” Basically, pretty good company for Max Tundra
11.05.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas *
11.07.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *
11.08.09 - Toronto, ON - The Drake *
11.09.09 - Montreal, QC - Lambi *
11.10.09 - Boston, MA - Great Scott *
11.11.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
11.12.09 - Washington, DC - DC9 *
11.13.09 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery *
11.14.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie *
11.16.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
11.18.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk *
11.19.09 - Dallas, TX - The Cavern *
11.20.09 - Kansas City, MO - Czar Bar *
11.21.09 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
11.22.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
11.24.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo *
11.25.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *
11.27.09 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir *
11.28.09 - Seattle, WA - Nectar *
11.29.09 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club *
* Deastro
Future of the Left Return to North America to Rock You Like a Hurricane or Possibly Something Even Louder and Scarier
As anyone who saw Future of the Left earlier this summer can tell you, these three young Welshmen are nothing if not bracing. The band features vocalist/guitarist Andy "Falco" Falkous and drummer Jack Egglestone, both of the notoriously witty/LOUD Cardiff group Mclusky, along with singer/bassist Kelson Mathias of Jarcrew. They’ve been tearing it up alongside Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Japandroids, among others, and making waves at festivals like SXSW. These are the type of guys who you’d want to have your back in a bar fight; not only because they sound like they can swing a punch and crack a bottle over someone’s head in exactly the right place, but because it seems like they’d be pretty damn fun to hang out with afterwards. And perhaps you’ll get to experience that very thing, if you happen to a) attend an upcoming Future of the Left show in Canada or the U.S. and b) have a quick temper and some brass knuckles! Because the trio is returning once more to these fair shores, this time with ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.
Future of the Left’s most recent release, Travels with Myself and Another (TMT Review), is out now on 4AD.
Dates:
10.08.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda *
10.09.09 - San Diego, CA - Casbah *
10.10.09 - Visalia, CA - Cellar Door *
10.11.09 - San Francisco, CA - Independent *
10.12.09 - Portland, OR - Dante's *
10.13.09 - Seattle, WA - Neumos *
10.14.09 - Vancouver, BC - Venue *
10.16.09 - Edmonton, ALB - Starlite *
10.17.09 - Calgary, ALB - Warehouse *
10.19.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
10.20.09 - Denver, CO - Bluebird *
10.23.09 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory *
10.24.09 – Austin, TX - Beauty Bar
10.26.09 – Atlanta, GA - 529 Club
10.28.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
10.29.09 – Washington, DC - DC9
10.30.09 – Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11.01.09 – Boston, MA - TT The Bears
11.02.09 – Montreal, PQ - Zoobizarre
11.03.09 – Toronto, ON - El Mocambo
11.05.09 – Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
11.06.09 – Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
11.07.09 – Madison, WI - Annex
* ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Sitting on a Shelf at Best Buy: Spiritualized to Reissue 1997 LP
Spiritualized, who you might know as the band that Jason Pierce formed after the dissolution of Spacemen 3, have announced that they will be reissuing their classic, fondly remembered 97 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space on November 6 through Sony.
The new pressing will come in two slightly different formats: (1) a “Collector’s Edition,” utilizing 12 mini-CDs, and (2) a “Special Edition,” shaped roughly like a standard CD. Regardless of your preference for CD size, both versions will come with two bonus discs full of demos and alternate mixes and all sorts of other stuff that should keep you comfortably adrift in space for hours.
If you find yourself getting caught up in all this fervor and feel the need for something more, something real, don’t fret: the band will be performing Ladies and Gentlemen in full on October 12 and 13 during the All Tomorrow’s Parties shindig at the London Royal Festival Hall. If you can't make that, a few more performances of the album have now been added for December.
Bonus Disc 1:
1. Ladies and Gentlemen (A Cappella)
2. Ladies and Gentlemen (Demo)
3. Ladies and Gentlemen (Strings)
4. Ladies and Gentlemen (Kate Telephone Call)
5. Ladies and Gentlemen (Moles Studio Mix 7)
6. Ladies and Gentlemen (Original Oratone Ideas)
7. Ladies and Gentlemen (A Cappella w/ Lead Vocal)
8. Come Together (Instrumental Demo)
9. Come Together (Demo In Lower Key)
10. I Think I'm in Love (Original Demo Idea)
11. I Think I'm in Love (Demo)
12. I Think I'm in Love (Drums/Wah)
13. I Think I'm in Love (A Cappella)
14. I Think I'm in Love (Vocal Demo Jan '96)
15. I Think I'm in Love (Gospel Choir Session)
16. All of My Thoughts (Demo)
17. All of My Thoughts (Strings)
18. Rocket Shaped Song
Bonus Disc 2:
1. Electricity (Demo)
2. Electricity (January '96)
3. Electricity (June '96)
4. Home of the Brave (Demo)
5. Home of the Brave (Panned Vocal)
6. Beautiful Happiness
7. Broken Heart (Demo)
8. Broken Heart (Strings)
9. Broken Heart (Vocal Harmony/Angel Corpus Christi)
10. Broken Heart (Early Vocal)
11. No God Only Religion (Demo)
12. No God Only Religion (Horns)
13. Cool Waves (Demo)
14. Cool Waves (String Session Mix)
15. Cop Shoot Cop (Demo)
16. Cop Shoot Cop (Dr. John 'The National Anthem')
17. Cop Shoot Cop (String Session Mix)
Dates:
10.12.09 - London, England - Royal Festival Hall
10.13.09 - London, England - Royal Festival Hall
12.14.09 - Manchester, England - Apollo
12.16.09 - London, England - Barbican
12.17.09 - London, England - Barbican
12.19.09 - Gateshead, England - Sage Centre
Islands Open for The Psychedelic Furs; Nick Thorburn Is Secretly Thrilled Because “Pretty in Pink” Is His Favorite Karaoke Song
Did you know that five and a half months after The Psychedelic Furs released their second album, Talk Talk Talk, in 1981 (with the song “Pretty In Pink” on it), Nick Thorburn of Islands was born? I suppose if you had tried to tell little Thorburn at the time that the song he kept hearing on the radio while he was busy getting his diaper changed would soon be performed live in his presence, he probably would’ve said “Ga ga ga goo blurrrgh” and then spit up on your face.
Hopefully he can keep himself together this fall when Islands join The Psychedelic Furs and The Happy Mondays on the road.
As previously reported, Islands will release their new album, Vapours, on Anti- come September 22.
Islands of Fur:
09.22.09 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes
09.23.09 - Richmond, VA - Plaza Bowl
09.24.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
09.25.09 - Athens, GA - Caledonia
09.26.09 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
09.27.09 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
09.28.09 - Tampa, FL - Ritz Ybor *
09.29.09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution *
09.30.09 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues *
10.02.09 - Atlanta, Georgia - Masquerade *
10.03.09 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend *
10.04.09 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva *
10.06.09 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
10.07.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero *
10.09.09 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
10.10.09 - Cambridge, MA - House of Blues *
10.12.09 - Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall *
10.13.09 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's *
10.15.09 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean
10.18.09 - Missoula, MT - The Palace
10.19.09 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
10.20.09 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
10.21.09 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
10.22.09 - Davis, CA - UC Davis (Oddfellows Lodge)
10.23.09 - Berkley, CA - UC Berkley (Lower Sproul Plaza)
10.23.09 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
10.24.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
10.25.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
10.27.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
10.28.09 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10.29.09 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Cafe
10.30.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Cafe
10.31.09 - Atlanta, GA - Lenny's Bar
11.01.09 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House
11.02.09 - Baltimore, MD - G-Spot
11.03.09 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11.04.09 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East (Downstairs)
11.05.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
11.06.09 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Plaza
11.07.09 - Toronto, ON - The Mod Club
* Psychedelic Furs, The Happy Mondays
RIP: DJ Roc Raida of the X-Ecutioners
From MTV:
In another terrible loss for the hip-hop community, Grand Master Roc Raida (real name: Anthony Williams) of the X-Ecutioners passed away on Saturday due to complications from a mixed-martial-arts accident, according to a statement released by his family. Raida had a two-decade career which skyrocketed in 1995 when he won the DMC World DJ Championship. He released seven solo albums along with several LPs with his famed crew, the X-Ecutioners. Over the last few years, Raida had been Busta Rhymes' live DJ, where his showmanship skills were a perfect marriage for Busta and Spliff Starr's energetic stage antics.A statement released by Raida's family released over the weekend reads: "Anthony Williams p/k to the world as the Legendary Grand Master Roc Raida has passed away unexpectedly today, September 19, 2009. He is survived by his wife, three lovely daughters, mother and friends. Raida was recently in a mixed-martial-arts accident, something that he has been practicing for several years. Although he had undergone two surgeries with great success, was released to an inpatient physical therapy facility and was in great spirits the past few days, this morning he started to have complications and passed. The family asks for privacy at this time."
