Pitchfork

Voodoo-EROS: love of magic. That's about all we can gather about this freshman record label based in New York whose website describes itself thusly: "Rare and secret music compiled in NYC and scattered around the world." Okay, we can dig that, sure. And on the basis of that mysterious description, the first of Voodoo-EROS' releases, The Enlightened Family, seems terribly fitting. The record consists of music recorded (in some cases to the surprise of those involved, who don't remember) in quiet times in the gathered musicians' lives: a pair of songs recorded by Devendra Banhart on the occasion of his friend's birthday, a lost track from folk legend Vashti Bunyan, and a previously unreleased ditty from French spinners Spleen & Zen, to name a few.

The label, on its official website, claims that it gathered these tracks from its friends, and says the result "is like the blueprint of a loosely bound family, heritage unknown, generations melting into one another." September 13 will be its day of reckoning on both CD and vinyl, and then maybe some light will be shed on this mysterious magic-loving label. Heaven knows the ambience has been effectively provided. Tracks:

01 Metallic Falcons - Berry Metal
02 Devendra Banhart - Houses
03 J.H.T - Why Am I Still Sucking Your Dick?
04 Sierra Casady - Of Gentle Blood
05 Nomi - You'll Never Know
06 Diane Cluck - Real Good Time
07 Spleen & Zen - Rock 'n Roll
08 Jana Hunter - Kissing Without Lips
09 Island Folk Lore - Sex With a Shark
10 Patrick Wolf - Night Train
11 Vashti Bunyan - Song of a Wishwanderer
12 Devendra Banhart - Happy Birthday
13 Diane Cluck - Nothing but God

Banhart will also release the first single from his upcoming Cripple Crow album, "I Feel Just Like a Child", on August 8 in the UK. Meanwhile, he's on tour in Europe for several more weeks. He begins a U.S. tour in October. Dates:

07-27 Galway, Ireland - Roisin Dubh
07-29 Dublin, Ireland - The Village
08-01 Edinburgh, Scotland - Liquid Rooms
08-02 Manchester, England - Comedy Store
08-03 Leeds, England - City Variety
08-08 Cardiff, Wales - Coal Exchange
08-09 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
08-11 London, England - KOKO
08-12 Bristol, England - Trinity Centre
08-13 Leicester, England - De Montford Hall
10-07 Hollywood, CA - Vanguard Theatre
10-08 Tucson, AZ - Plush
10-10 Austin, TX - Emo's Outside Room
10-11 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington
10-12 New Orleans, LA - One-Eyed Jacks
10-14 Nashville, TN - Exit/Inn
10-15 Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
10-17 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
10-18 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Ballroom
10-19 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theater
10-20 New York, NY - Webster Hall
10-22 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10-24 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
10-25 Minneapolis, MN - Fineline Music Cafe
10-26 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
10-28 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater
10-30 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club