Pelican Release Details on New Album, Promise “The Apex of Pelican’s Creative Output”; Plans for Follow-Up LP Scrapped Due to Band Having Already Reached Its Apex
By Kid Midnight on Aug 12 2009
Recently signed as the newest Disciples of Southern Lord Records, Pelican are presently finishing up their newest album, entitled What We All Come To Need. The album, the band’s first full-length for their new label, is impressively described by guitarist Laurent Lebec as “the most perfect synthesis of everything we've done to date, sonically.”
The new album also features such a long list of guest stars that perhaps the name of the album should have been Metal House Party 3 featuring Martin Lawrence and sunn 0))). The album features Greg Anderson of sunn 0))), Aaron Turner of Isis, Ben Verellen of Harkonen, and Helms Alee and Allen Epley from The Life & Times and Shiner.
Lebec elaborated further on the content of the album, saying, “There is a current of inspiration that feels particular to each album's music and titles. Though we lack a singer, the song names are often conceptual. This new album speaks to a rapidly decaying world, the fulfillment we find in each other, as well as the resolve to move beyond disillusionment.”
When queried further about what a band does once they reach “the apex of (a band’s) creative output,” Lebec merely looked at me with a coy smile, bought me a beer, and said “Listen, Kid Midnight, quit being so concerned with what MIGHT happen tomorrow and start enjoying what IS happening today.” Well spoken, Laurent, well spoken. Now, can we actually go to a bar and have you buy me a drink?
“No, but here’s the tracklist for the album:”
1. Glimmer
2. The Creeper
3. Ephemeral
4. Specks of Light
5. Strung Up from the Sky
6. An Inch Above Sand
7. What We All Come to Need
8. Final Breath
Wham, Bam, Thank You, Hoboken: Thee Oh Sees Embark on Whirlwind Tour of These Here United States
By Liz Louche on Aug 12 2009
Extremely prolific San Francisco garage rockers Thee Oh Sees apparently take the same no-holds barred/no-city-unvisited approach to touring as they take to releasing records. Hot off the success of their recent album on In The Red, Help (TMT Review), the party-startin’ four-piece are gearing up for an epic series of tourdates across the U.S.A. Aside from our review, Help has been getting the thumbs-up from music critics and discerning '60s rock enthusiasts, so former Coachwhips mastermind John Dwyer and team are primed to tear up festivals like Portland’s Smmr Bmmr festival and Pop Montreal, as well as the dark, eternally beer-scented venues where their high-energy garage music sounds most at home.
I’m totally getting carpal tunnel from typing out all those dates and my late-night Red Bull is sadly losing its power, so I’m gonna keep this one — yes, like a track by Thee Oh Sees — short but sweet.
Dates:
08.19.09 - Eugene, OR - Sam Bond's *
08.20.09 - Seattle, WA - Funhouse *
08.21.09 - Portland, OR - Rotture/Smmr Bmmr Festival
08.22.09 - Arcata, CA - Arcata Theater Lounge *
09.22.09 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge **
09.23.09 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon **
09.25.09 - Memphis, TN - Gonerfest 6
09.26.09 - Bloomington, IL - Uncle Fester's **
09.27.09 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's Tavern **
09.29.09 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Brass Rail **
09.30.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick **
10.01.09 - Toronto, ON - Wrong Bar **
10.02.09 - Ottawa, ON - Babylon **
10.03.09 - Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal **
10.05.09 - Providence, RI - The Dark Lady **
10.06.09 - Allston, MA - Great Scotts **
10.07.09 - Middletown, CT - Wesleyan **
10.08.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge **
10.09.09 - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House **
10.10.09 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's **
10.11.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Danger Danger Gallery **
10.12.09 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10.13.09 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern
10.14.09 - Atlanta, GA - The EARL
10.15.09 - Mobile, AL - Alabama Music Box
10.16.09 - New Orleans, LA - Saturn
10.17.09 - Houston, TX - Mangos
10.18.09 - Austin, TX - Beerland
10.19.09 - Lubbock, TX - Bash Riprocks
10.21.09 - San Diego, CA - Bar Pink Elephant **
10.22.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo **
10.25.09 - San Francisco, CA - Budget Rock
* Sic Alps
** The Fresh & Onlys
Arrington de Dionyso Debuts New Band, Then Says “Fuck You, Guys – I’m Going Solo”
By Jon Lorenz on Aug 11 2009
With a name like Arrington de Dionyso, you can only expect something extremely exotic, and the man always knows how to dish it up. If you've had your ear to the ground, you may have already heard about Arrington premiering his new Indonesian-influenced band, Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa, during the last month or so. The new group brings the same "hallucinogenic/ecstatic heavy grooves" as Dionyso's more famous band, Old Time Relijun, but with the "transcendent bliss of William Blake translated into Indonesian."
For most of us, it has been nearly impossible to hear this new band, unless you live in Portland or Olympia, but in November we will get to experience Arrington's Malaikat dan Singa when he releases their debut record, Malaikat dan Singa. The record was recorded with Karl Blau in four days at Olympia's Dub Narcotic Studio and will see release in November.
Dionyso recently told The Portland Mercury, "I'd like to think of the album as a stranger third kind of beast, because they are like Old Time Relijun songs in a sense, except I'm playing almost all of the instruments. A return to form you might say, the first version of OTR was established to work out my four-track tapes into a live setting."
Before the new record hits stores, Arrington will be setting off on a solo tour, "interchanging bass clarinet and throat-singing with homemade instruments and vocal modifiers," creating "a raga-influenced anthropological meditation; locating the tones between tones and the overtones within overtones." He'll be doing select dates with Calvin Johnson (K, Beat Happening) as he makes his way from Portland to New York.
Here are the dates:
08.21.09 - Rochester, WA - Helsing Junction Sleepover+
08.29.09 - Portland, OR - East End
08.30.09 - Boise, ID - Visual Arts Collective
09.02.09 - Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
09.03.09 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
09.04.09 - St. Paul, MN - The Turf Club
09.05.09 - Iowa City, IA - Public Space One
09.06.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagle's Nest
09.07.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
09.08.09 - Detroit, MI - Magic Theatre Center
09.10.09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Morning Glory*
09.11.09 - New York City, NY - Market Hotel
09.12.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Danger Danger Gallery*
09.14.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Death By Audio^
09.15.09 - New York City, NY - Bowery Poetry Club*
09.18.09 – Providence, RI - AS220#
* Calvin Johnson
^ Desolation Wilderness, Calvin Johnson
+ Karl Blau, LAKE, Angelo Spencer
# Chain and The Gang
By Brom on Aug 11 2009
You can’t really get more German than with an album title like 12345678 The Catalogue. "Acht Remastered Alben" ("Eight Remastered Albums," according to Google Translate) would probably run fairly close. "Ändern der Welt der Musik ein effizientes Album zu einer Zeit" ("Changing the world of music one efficient album at a time" – thanks again Google) would also be a contender. As you can see, coming up with German album titles is serious business.
You know what's also serious business? Kraftwerk. The completely serious group will be releasing eight remastered albums on October 5, showcasing their ordered, consistent, umm German approach to electronic music. The albums to be reissued are: Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991), and Tour De France (2003).
Of course it would have been far more efficient to just click on this link to find out this information, but whoever gave a damn about that.
EMI Receives Half A Trillion Dollars Through Parent Company; Meanwhile, I Had Ramen For Lunch Again Today
By Annapocalypse on Aug 11 2009
Today, while I ate Ramen for the third day in a row and Febreezed the same pair of jeans I’ve been wearing for two weeks straight because I’m too poor to spend my quarters on laundry, I found out that EMI, the gigantic British music conglomerate, received $495 billion in equity from a deal with their parent company, Terra Firma, to refinance their $4.3 billion debt.
Wow, EMI, it must be really nice to have other companies and their investors relieve you of your debt. On that note, any loyal TMT readers want to front some money for my outstanding student loans? I’ll make you a mean cup of noodles in return.
