I don't know about you, but I always assumed Atlas didn't make much noise. As anyone who ever took high school English will remember, this is the guy who had to carry the entire weight of the world on his shoulders. (And you thought you had it rough.) I can't imagine that such a task would allow much time for chitchat. So, I guess it stands to reason that Atlas Sound, Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox's solo project, is being billed as a "bedroom album." While that isn't quite a genre, it seems like we can expect something a bit quieter and more meditative than Cryptograms (TMT Review).
In keeping with the sensory motif, the album, which is due February 19, will be called Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (Kranky). Add the band name, and Cox has three of the five senses covered.
Perhaps Atlas Sound's upcoming North American tour will provide inspiration for an EP that addresses smell and taste. You can never go wrong with a song about the odor of Vancouver (weed) or Brooklyn (really good Caribbean food mixed with garbage, at least in my neighborhood). And how about a little ditty about cheesesteak in Philly?
Smells like tourdates with Kranky artists White Rainbow and Valet:
The following information was taken from a flyer that was distributed by freelancers writing for MTV:
WALK OUT MONDAY 3PM
This year, MTV Networks decided to deliver your holiday party invite with an announcement of a new plan for Freelancers that includes reduced inferior health benefits, no 401K plan, no paid holidays, and more.
What do we do? Suck it up and deal? Leave the company? There is a third option- 50% of the company stands up and says "WE DO NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS."
USE YOUR VOICE. BE HEARD. Join us and WALK OUT Monday 3pm.
Needless to say, freelancers have it rough. They don't have much say in a company as they'd like to -- just ask some of my fellow TMT co-workers. It's easy to exploit writers when their position of power is minimal, isn't it Mr P? Anyway, who knows if this MTV walkout will have any effect on the new plan, but at least they're trying.
After coming home from a long day working at my local independent record shop, I opened up my web browser to find that my favorite music news website Stereogum is going to be involved in some sort of deal. Could you tell me what this is about? Should I find a new source for music news?
- Shaking in Vintage Cowboy Boots
----
Dear Loser (Chris),
You heard right! Stereogum’s owners (founder Scott Lapatine and former executives from AOL and MTV) have decided to swap their shares in Stereogum for stakes in social networking site Buzznet. Estimated at $5 million, the deal does not mean they’re cashing out of Stereogum, only that they’re moving equity stakes to Buzznet. Translation: Stereogum is corporately owned, and the corporate owners are talking about BORING LEGAL CRAP.
As for your second question: does God hate you or something? Is that why you’re reading sites other than TMT? You need no other source but here. We can assure you we don't have executives from AOL and MTV.
At this point in your life, you’re probably either ready to buy a double album of prank calls or you’re not. No amount of art by Devendra Banhart or forewords by Neil Hamburger, Gerard Cosloy, and Neal Pollack will grease those steely, set-in-their-ways wheels. The fact remains that, for the past week and a half, I have been too busy quoting Earles & Jensen’s “My Friends Call Me Ditchweed, Don’t Ask, OK, Go Ahead and Ask” (MP3) to complete this story.
I can all but guarantee that this album will inspire a spat of drunken, horrible phone calls from the Matador-listening public. Kids: Prank phone calls -- like cooking eggs, heart surgery, Doors covers, and blogging -- are something best left in the hands of talented professionals. If you’re not sure whether or not you’re good at any of those things, you’re better off not wasting my time and yours.
Earles & Jensen's Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1 and 2 will be released February 19, 2008. Check the Matablog for more info on the album.
Everybody's favorite easy-listening, techno, fuzz-rock, psychedelic, super, Welsh, freakout, furry, sunshine pop band will tour the states come January in support of their eighth full-length, Hey Venus!. That Super Furry Animals have been pumping out a signature brand of kitchen-sink pop for more than 10 years is impressive in itself, but even more so is that their collected output has maintained such a high quality level. Each SFA album, including the Welsh-only LP (Mwng), sounds exactly like an SFA album. Having much to do with the alternating bored-lounge-singer-croon/daydream-pop-falsetto of Gruff Ryhs -- who is distinctively super furry -- Super Furry Animals are one one of those bands that can completely eclipse influences and come out sounding like nothing else.
With all that said, however -- here's the real question on everyone's minds: Where exactly is Wales? Answer: It's the southwest corner of the island that makes up England.
It's more than a little jarring to see "new digital licensing service" and "Warner" appear in the same sentence, but hey, who am I to question progress? And, of course, by "progress" I mean "acknowledging that the pace of technology will pick up no matter how hard record labels stamp their feet in protest." How am I going to write this piece when there's almost nothing to be snarky about? I'll guess I'll just resort to incredulous appreciation.
Warner/Chappell and Radiohead go way back, of course, and the new digital licensing service was founded on the untraditional approach taken by the band in its release of In Rainbows via their internet website, completely bypassing the need for a traditional label release. Instead of having to suck up to a record label in order to use any aspect from In Rainbows (lyrics, likeness, background filler for your next barn dance), all you'll have to do is go through Warner/Chappell and grab that sweet little set of licensing rights. It'll be faster, easier, and oh so fresh and clean.
Normally, I would go out with some sort of snide comment here, but uh... I should give you some good news today. So, um, go forth! Be merry! And if you'd like to own In Rainbows in the flesh, so to speak, you can get your mitts on a traditional release on New Year's Day from TBD/ATO in the U.S. and New Year's Eve from XL Recordings elsewhere. Meanwhile, the deadline for downloading In Rainbows from their website is today, but you can still order the "discbox" version (which has sold between 72,000 to 80,000, according to Radiohead) if you can afford it.
