Wowie Bowie! All the Young Dudes (and Dudettes) Pay Tribute to the Thin White Duke

By David Nadelle on

Wowie Bowie! All the Young Dudes (and Dudettes) Pay Tribute to the Thin White Duke

Tired of worshipping David Bowie tribute bands like Diamond Dogs, Stardust, Space Oddity, Jean Genie, Tigers on Vaseline, and Scary Lodgers? Do you long for bands like Vivian Girls, MGMT, A Place to Bury Strangers, Duran Duran, and Devendra Banhart to take on Ziggy’s ouevre? Wait no more, because Manimal Vinyl will be putting out a 28-song tribute to the man sometime in May. The multiple-personality-clad Bowie, who turned 63 last Friday, is perfectly fit for tributes of all sounds and sizes, so it is not surprising that Manimal’s effort is a large, varied affair. It is surprising that no title has been created for the collection yet. It is not surprising that this tribute album be in benefit of a charitable organization, with the very deserving War Child International receiving all forthcoming proceeds.

[David Bowie tribute album] tentative tracklisting:

01. Exitmusic - Space Oddity
02. Vivian Girls - John, I’m Only Dancing
03. Megapuss (Devendra Banhart) - Sound + Vision (en espanol)
04. Carla Bruni - Absolute Beginners
05. Lights - World Falls Down
06. VOICEsVOICEs - Heroes
07. Duran Duran - Boys Keep Swinging
08. MGMT - TBA
09. Chairlift - Always Crashing in the Same Car
10. Aska w/ Moon & Moon - African Night Flight
11. A Place to Bury Strangers - Suffragette City
12. The Polyamorous Affair - Theme From Cat People
13. Keren Ann - Life on Mars
14. Swahili Blonde (feat. John Frusciante) - Red Money
15. Marco Benevento - Art Decade
16. Corridor - Be My Wife
17. Aquaserge - The Superman
18. Warpaint - Ashes to Ashes
19. Rainbow Arabia - Quicksand
20. We Are The World - Afraid of Americans
21. Laco$te - Within You
22. Ariana Delawari - Ziggy Stardust
23. Pizza! - Modern Love
24. St Clair Board - Secret Life of Arabia
25. Caroline Weeks - Starman
26. Amanda Jo Williams - The Man Who Sold the World
27. Mick Karn - Ashes to Ashes
28. Soulwax - TBA

• David Bowie: http://www.davidbowie.com
• War Child International: http://www.warchild.org

The Tallest Man on Earth Returns with Wild Hunt and Storms Europe; Headline Not Nearly as Reminiscent of Godzilla Sequels as It Seems

By Max Sebela on 02-04-2010

Swedish-born, Americana-singing paradox Kristian Matsson a.k.a. The Tallest Man on Earth will release his sophomore album The Wild Hunt April 13 through Dead Oceans. This marks The Tallest Man’s second full-length following 2008’s Shallow Grave and first for Dead Oceans.

The album’s press release describes Matsson’s music as such: “It is impossible to discuss The Tallest Man on Earth’s music without acknowledging *Bob Dylan*. The seemingly effortlessness, the melodic sensibility and the deft lyricism all recall Dylan’s early years.”

While I do not deny the aesthetic similarities between Mr. Dylan’s and Mr. Matsson’s music, I do feel unfairly and forcefully coerced by this press release. In fact, prior to posting this quote, it was not only possible, but also easier to discuss The Tallest Man without mentioning Dylan. If you need proof, see all text above the quote. If you need more proof, do it again.

In no way do I represent the thoughts and opinions of the Tiny Mix Tapes Media Enterprise Conglomerate ® when I say Dead Oceans is fishing for comparison quotes and thus attempting to influence and control the creative thoughts of music writers everywhere. For shame, most-likely-innocent press release author. You’ll have a union on your hands soon enough.

The Wild Hunt tracklisting:

01. The Wild Hunt
02. Burden of Tomorrow
03. Troubles Will be Gone
04. You’re Going Back
05. The Drying of the Lawns
06. King of Spain
07. Love is All
08. Thousand Ways
09. A Lion’s Heart
10. Kids on the Run

Some reasonably-sized tourdates:

02.21.10 - St. Malo, France - La Route Du Rock at Chapelle St Sauveur
02.26.10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Slussen
03.04.10 - Hamburg, Germany - Astra Stube
03.05.10 - Berlin, Germany - NBI Club
03.07.10 - Den Bosch, Netherlands - fabrIQ at W2
03.08.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet
03.09.10 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique (Witloof Bar)
03.10.10 - Paris, France - Le Scopitone
03.11.10 - Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain - Teatro Municipal Pedro Munoz Seca
03.12.10 - Granada, Spain - Centro Cultural
03.13.10 - Barcelona, Spain - Sidecar Factory Club
03.14.10 - Mallorca, Spain - Teatre Lloseta
03.15.10 - London, UK - Bush Hall
03.17.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - DK Klub Shh at Din Nye Ven
03.25.10 - Istanbul, Turkey - Indigo

* Beach House, The Fiery Furnaces, The xx, Shearwater, Local Natives
% Tiny Vipers, Karl Blau, Megafaun

And you can listen to “King of Spain” over at the Chocolate Grinder.

• The Tallest Man on Earth: http://www.myspace.com/thetallestmanonearth
• Dead Oceans: http://www.deadoceans.com

Besnard Lakes Were “the Dark Horse,” Are Now “the Roaring Night” and Will Soon Be “the Tart at the Bar with the Lazy Eye and the Yosemite Sam Tattoo on Her Shoulder”

By David Nadelle on 02-04-2010

The last time we caught up with The Besnard Lakes — Montréal’s exemplary pop troupe led by the wife-and-husband team of Olga Goreas and Jace Lasek — they were busy marvelling us with their surprise-attack sophomore album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse (TMT Review). No one is saying that they’re sick of playing that album’s digibytes to death, but it is good to hear that the band will be releasing a new album at the beginning of March.

The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night will come out on the band’s friendly label Jagjaguwar, on March 9, to be exact. And speaking of being exact, exactly one month before the album’s release date, a 12-inch single, “Albatross,” will be issued featuring the album track “Albatross” (which you can listen to at the Chocolate Grinder), and a song whose title is stolen from Kate Moss’ biography: “Four Long Lines” (har, har).

No new tourdates have been announced, but you can bet a shiny horse nickel on some coming closer to …the Roaring Night’s release date.

In more music-centric news, The Besnard Lakes have scored the Mark Ruffalo-directed Sympathy for Delicious, which has been accepted to screen at the 2010 Sundance Festival and have contributed to a forthcoming Adam Franklin song tentatively titled “Lord Help Me Jesus” which will be included on the ex-Swervedriver/Toshack Highway singer’s solo album, due in 2010.

The roaring tracklist:

01. Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent; Pt. 1: The Ocean
02. Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent; Pt. 2: The Innocent
03. Chicago Train
04. Albatross
05. Glass Printer
06. Land of Living Skies; Pt. 1: The Land
07. Land of Living Skies; Pt. 2: The Living Skies
08. And This Is What We Call Progress
09. Light Up the Night
10. The Lonely Moan

• The Besnard Lakes: http://www.thebesnardlakes.com
• Jagjaguwar: http://www.jagjaguwar.com

Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” Licensed to Play During Superbowl; All Proceeds Go to Haiti Relief Efforts

By Erika H on 02-04-2010

Since the earthquake ravaged Haiti on January 12, artists and celebrities everywhere have turned altruist and are holding benefits, giving donations, and doing their general best to help the thousands of people affected.

Almost immediately after the disaster, Arcade Fire converted their website into a stark appeal to fans to give money to Partners In Health, an organization working to benefit Haiti for the last two decades. The issue — while important for everyone — is all the more personal for Arcade Fire, as Régine Chassagne’s family emigrated from Haiti before her birth.

Most recently, the group announced that they, in an agreement with Partners In Health, Merge Records, Bank Robber Music, and the NFL will license their song “Wake Up” to air on the NFL Superbowl broadcast this Sunday. In an act of estimable generosity, absolutely all of the proceeds from the live airing and all future airings of Superbowl XLIV on the NFL network will be donated to Partners in Health’s Stand With Haiti relief efforts.

Originally released on Arcade Fire’s enormously popular 2004 album Funeral, “Wake Up” was introduced to the mainstream last year in the trailer for Spike Jonze’s film Where the Wild Things Are. I wouldn’t have paired Arcade Fire with professional football (I mean, look at those guys), but if it helps Haiti, we’re all for it.

• Arcade Fire: http://www.arcadefire.com
• Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
• Partners in Health: http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti
• NFL: http://www.nfl.com

John Wiese Hits West Coast With Lasse Marhaug, Then Takes Sissy Spacek All Over the USA

By Jon Lorenz on 02-03-2010

John Wiese seems to be one of the busiest men, if not the busiest man, in the US noise scene right now, releasing solo music left and right, collaborating with Merzbow and sunn 0))), and touring the world. Just this year, he has released a collaborative LP with Gerritt and a collaborative CD with Lasse Marhaug, both of which he will be touring in support of in the upcoming months.

Wiese kicked off a week-long West Coast tour with Lasse Marhaug (Jazkammer, etc) yesterday at L.A.’s KXLU and will see him heading from the US to Vancouver and back to L.A. again. Pretty short and simple, no doubt. But at the end of the month, February 26 to be precise, Weise will kick off another tour with his harsh noisecore group Sissy Spacek, who will be joined by Gerritt Whitmer and Paul Knowles for a five-week tour from the West Coast to the East Coast and, yes, back again. If you wanna see how busy of a man Wiese is, check out his merch table at any one of these shows.

John Wiese with Lasse Marhaug:

02.02.10 - Los Angeles, CA - KXLU 88.9fm
02.06.10 - San Francisco, CA - The Lab
02.07.10 - Oakland, CA - Terminal
02.10.10 - Seattle, WA - The Black Lodge
02.11.10 - Vancouver, BC - Hotel Gallery!
02.12.10 - Portland, OR - Reed College*
02.14.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell

Sissy Spacek with Gerritt Whitmer & Paul Knowles:

02.26.10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell$
02.27.10 - Los Angeles, CA - F House
02.28.10 - Flagstaff, AZ - Visica Pisces
03.01.10 - Grand Junction, CO - Le Giragge
03.02.10 - Columbia, MO - Cafe Berlin
03.03.10 - St Louis - TBA
03.04.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Redcat Theater#
03.05.10 - Bloomington, IN - TBA
03.06.10 - Cincinnati, OH - Art Damage Lodge^
03.07.10 - Lexington, KY - TBA
03.08.10 - TBA
03.09.10 - Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum
03.10.10 - Baltimore, MD - TBA%
03.11.10 - Philadelphia, PA - TBA%
03.12.10 - Brooklyn, NY - TBA~
03.13.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Issue Project Room
03.14.10 - New York, NY - TBA~
03.15.10 - Providence, RI - As220=
03.16.10 - Boston, MA - TBA
03.17.10 - Bennington, VT - TBA
03.18.10 - Northampton, MA - Flywheel
03.19.10 - Annandale Hudson, NY - Bard College
03.20.10 - Rochester, NY - TBA
03.21.10 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class
03.22.10 - Oberlin, OH - TBA
03.23.10 - Toledo, OH - Robinwood Concert House
03.24.10 - Ypsilanti, MI - Dreamland Theater?
03.26.10 - Chicago, IL - TBA
03.27.10 - Milwaukee, WI - Borg Ward<
03.28.10 - Minneapolis, MN - TBA
03.29.10 - Omaha, NE - The Cave
03.30.10 - Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
03.31.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Urban Lounge
04.02.10 San Francisco, CA - TBA
04.03.10 - Oakland, CA - Terminal

! w/ Shearing Pinx, The Rita
* w/ Daniel Menche, Zbigniew Karkowski
$ w/ The Haters, AMK
# CREIT Festival - John Wiese Only
^ w/ Wolf Eyes, Sword Heaven
% w/ DJ Dog Dick
~ w/ Silk Flowers
= w/ Mark Lord
? w/ Charlie Draheim, John Olson
< w/ Jon Mueller, Peter J Woods

• John Wiese: http://www.john-wiese.com
• Lasse Marhaug: http://www.lassemarhaug.no
• Sissy Spacek: http://www.myspace.com/ssississpssk
• Gerritt Whitmer: http://www.gerrittwittmer.com

[Photo: Seth Tisue]

Don’t Stop Believin’ That Moon Duo’s Debut Album Will Be Issued in February

By David Nadelle on 02-03-2010

It seems that everything winning label Woodsist touches turns to gold. So, although we were skeptical when we heard an upcoming release of theirs would be Moon Duo’s faithful full-length reworking of Journey’s 1981 AOR masterpiece Escape, we know it will turn out to be, gulp, “good.” Nah, of course we jest. The only thing in common with the two records in question is that Journey’s Escape and Moon Duo’s Escape are both called Escape. And the possible presence of some Neal Schon-style shredding on both. Regardless of your own personal musical journeys, Moon Duo’s debut will come out on February 16 and is expected to be a wild, interstellar ride given that it involves the spaced-age twosome of Erik “Ripley” Johnson (Wooden Shjips) and Sanae Yamada playing droney psychedelic jams.

Escape tracklisting, I Love You:

Side A:
01. Motorcycle, I Love You
02. In the Trees

Side B:
01. Stumbling 22nd St.
02. Escape

Space is the place:

02.11.10 - San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern #
02.12.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Synchronicity Space $
02.13.10 - Los Angeles, CA - Showcave %
02.15.10 - Davis, CA - KDVS Radio
02.16.10 - Santa Cruz, CA - Brookedale Lodge ^
02.18.10 - Seattle, WA - Rendezvous *
02.19.10 - Vancouver, BC - Aaza Club +
02.20.10 - Portland, OR - East End ~
03.18.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
03.19.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
03.20.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
07.06.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lades

# w/ Nothing People
$ w/ Pocahaunted, Psychic Handbook
% w/ Psychic Handbook, Former Ghosts, Popdrone
^ w/ The Entrance Band, Lights
* w/ Du Hexen Hase, Midday Veil
+ w/ Stellar OM Source, Pacific City Nightlife Vision Band
~ w/ The Urinals, Leaders, Eat Skull

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