Aimee Mann Gets Twice As Lost, Covers Coldplay
One Travis or John Mayer cover and she'll be missing in action completely

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

I've always wondered about the 'special' editions inevitably released for 'event' albums from the likes of Radiohead and R.E.M. Typically they come dressed in extensive packaging, for about twice the price, and have nothing musically new to offer other than something else to buy for the completist. I have a friend who bought both the regular copy of Kid A and the special edition the day they came out-- ostensibly, she claimed, to have a copy for the car and home. As pathetic an excuse as that would have been anyway, it somewhat ignored the fact that she had a CD burner in her computer. In any case, I just don't get it-- I mean, do you really need a big wooden box to protect your precious copy of Automatic For The People?

Which is why it's refreshing that the recently announced special edition of Aimee Mann's 2002 release Lost in Space actually has a reason to exist. According to Mann's label SuperEgo, the limited-edition release will add an entire disc of new material with six live tracks (including a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist"), both b-sides from the "Humpty Dumpty" single, and two previously unreleased tracks. Of course, there's also the requisite special packaging, new art, limited edition of 20,000... you know the drill.

The enhanced CD will also contain the video for "Pavlov's Bell." The special edition streets November 18th with a recommended retail of $21.98 (I did mention the new packaging, right?). There are also plans for a fall tour, although we couldn't nail down any details. The first disc is the same as the original Lost in Space, but here's the tracklist for the extra disc:

01 Real Bad News [live]
02 The Moth [live]
03 This Is How It Goes [live]
04 The Scientist [live]
05 Invisible Ink [live]
06 It's Not [BBC]
07 Nightmare Girl
08 Backfire
09 Fighting The Stall [previously unreleased]
10 Observatory [previously unreleased]

Aimee Mann: http://www.aimeemann.com
United Musicians: http://www.unitedmusicians.com

The Fall To Release Their Zillionth Album In October
Goin' back to Ho(e)uston, to get me some p(e)ants

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Manchester post-punk icons The Fall are about to release their latest platter of throbbing rhythms and ranting, Tristan Tzara-like lyrics on Action Records in the UK. Entitled The Real New Fall L.P. (Formerly Country On The Click), the album will be released on October 27th, to the delight of modern punk fetishists, obsessive record collectors and original scenesters who remember hanging out with Fall singer Mark E. Smith at the Rough Trade shop in Kensington Gardens in '79. When reached for comment, the notoriously crotchety Smith reportedly muttered, "Sod off you monkey-racheting elastic carbuncles!" We have no idea what that means either. Gullible readers should be aware that the preceding quote is fake, and also should ponder this question: how do you keep a gullible person in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow. In the meantime, here's the tracklist for the new record:

01 Theme From Sparta F.C.
02 Protein Protection
03 Mountain Energei
04 Contraflow
05 Green-Eyed Loco Man
06 Last Commands of XYRALOTHEP Via M.E.S.
07 Boxotosis
08 Ho(e)uston
09 The Past
10 Recovery Kit
11 Mike's Love Xexagon
12 Susan Vs. Youth Club

The Fall have been plying their trade without cease since the mid '70s, through countless albums, labels and line-up changes. The only true constant has been the obsessive and inimitable mien of Mark E. Smith, whose deadpan, unspooling vocals paint dystopic portraits of the malaise of the Manchester working class, and backing music that emphasizes accentuated dissonance more than melody. They also have several live dates scheduled. My advice? Ingest many dangerous, illegal drugs first, and try not to look like a bloody yuppie, all right? Put the cell phone on vibrate, at least. The dates:

10-01 Manchester, England - Bierkeller (w/ The Public Fringe)
10-02 Manchester, England - Bierkeller (w/ Dr. Freak's Padded Cell)
10-08 Leeds, England - Irish Center
12-07 London, England - Carling Academy

The Fall: http://www.visi.com/fall
Action: http://www.action-records.co.uk

Stephen Malkmus, Will Oldham, Clinic On Hand For Domino Anniversary Shows, 2xCD Retrospective
Drag City Supersession calls October practice off; School Of Rock breaks for Christmas three months early

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Not content to leave their birthday bash to six measly concerts, Domino Records has been adding additional artists and dates to their birthday party lineup since our last report, giving more and more Londoners the opportunity to get down in honor of the venerable indie's 10th anniversary. As previously reported, Clinic, Mouse on Mars and Four Tet will be joining the ranks for the festivities, part of the month-long celebration dubbed (after the Pastels song) "Worlds of Possibility." The goings-on include not just music but art shows and a two-disc, 36-track label retrospective on top of that. Now, even more bands have signed up for the party, including Manitoba and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Dates:

10-04 London, England - ICA (Clinic, Hood)
10-12 London, England - ICA (The Pastels, To Rococo Rot, Movietone)
10-13 London, England - Cecil Sharp House (James Yorkston and The Athletes, King Creosote)
10-14 London, England - Cecil Sharp House (Jason Loewenstein and Lou Barlow)
10-15 London, England - Cecil Sharp House (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Adem)
10-16 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Pram)
10-17 London, England - The End (Four Tet, Mouse on Mars, Max Tundra) *
10-21 London, England - Astoria (The Kills, Quickspace, The Blueskins)
10-24 London, England - Electrowerkz (Franz Ferdinand, I Love Lucy, Block Party, Joy Zipper) +
10-27 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire (Stephen Malkmus, Quasi, Archie Bronson Outfit)

* with DJ sets from John Peel, Pram, Franz Ferdinand, Cinema, Manitoba
+ with DJ set from Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai

The Domino label retrospective, which spans a full ten years of Domino artists (and subsequent side/solo projects), is also called Worlds of Possibility, collecting work from label cornerstones Pavement, Sebadoh, Clinic, Elliott Smith, Silver Jews, Palace Music, Smog, Quasi, Four Tet, Jim O'Rourke, and The Kills. Unfortunately, no new tracks or b-sides show up on this CD. Still, the lineup is pretty unfuckwithable, and surely lot better than those crappy Take Action volumes. The collection hits stores on October 6th and should retail, even on import, for around ten bucks. Tracklist:

Disc one:
01 Sebadoh: "Soul And Fire
02 Royal Trux: "The Spectre
03 Palace Music: "More Brother Rides"
04 Quickspace: "Standard 8"
05 Flying Saucer Attack: "Outdoor Miner"
06 The Pastels: "Worlds Of Possibility"
07 Plush: "Three-Quarter Blind Eyes"
08 (Smog): "Held"
09 Woodbine: "Neskwik"
10 Elliott Smith: "Speed Trials"
11 Clinic: "Distortions"
12 Jim O'Rourke: "Ghost Ship In A Storm"
13 Pram: "Sleepy Sweet"
14 Papa M: "Plastic Energy Man"
15 Preston School Of Industry: "Whale Bones"
16 The Folk Implosion: "Free To Go"
17 Silver Jews: "Random Rules"
18 Pavement: "The Hexx"

Disc two:
01 The Blueskins: "User Friendly"
02 Franz Ferdinand: "Take Me Out" [demo]
03 Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: "Us"
04 The Kills: "Wait"
05 Clearlake: "I Wonder If The Snow Will Settle"
06 Hood: "They Removed All Trace That Anything Had Ever Happened Here"
07 Four Tet: "She Moves She"
08 James Yorkston: "St. Patrick"
09 Archie Bronson Outfit: "Here He Comes"
10 Jason Loewenstein: "Codes"
11 Quasi: "Hot Shit"
12 U.N.P.O.C: "Been A While Since I Went Away"
13 Movietone: "Ocean Song"
14 Max Tundra: "Lights"
15 Adem: "Everything You Need"
16 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: "The Way"
17 To Rococo Rot: "Rock On, Lovers"
18 Matt Elliott: "The End"

Domino: http://www.dominorecordco.com

Von Bondies Sign to Sire; New Album in 2004
Annoyingly require their martinis shaken, rattled and rolled

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Detroit's hottest garage rockers who aren't White or Striped, The Von Bondies, have signed with Sire/Warner Bros. to release their second full-length, Pawn Shoppe Heart, according to a report from Business Wire. Actually, it'll be their third if you count their live recording Raw and Rare, or their fourth if you count their long-lost gangsta rap record, entitled The Von Bondies Posse, which Jason Stollsteimer recorded on a busted karaoke machine during his brief yet intense obsession with the music of the Wu-Tang Clan in the late '90s-- although I'm not sure that one actually exists outside of a really fucked up dream I had.

The album is slated for release in 2004 and is being produced by legendary knob-twister Jerry Harrison, who has been associated with bands you may have heard of such as Talking Heads (for whom he played guitar) and the Modern Lovers. Tracklist:

01 No Regrets
02 Broken Man
03 C'mon C'mon
04 Tell Me What You See
05 Been Swank
06 Mairead
07 Not That Social
08 Crawl Through the Darkness
09 The Fever
10 I've Got the Right of Way
11 Love is Like a Drug
12 Pawn Shoppe Heart

The Von Bondies formed in 2000 in their hometown of the Motor City, with their two chicks and two dudes line-up, and by having their debut, Lack of Communication, produced by the Great White One himself (who's been rumored to be the band's older brother/roommate/husband/wealthy benefactor), they're like the White Stripes squared! Their debut was followed by live document/ Peel Session Raw and Rare on Dim Mak records, which many believed captured their essence more accurately than their studio effort: their distillation of blues and garage rock, The Animals and MC5 exploded messily from the platter like an unstifled sneeze and got nearly everyone's attention. May their union with Sire be long, fruitful and not too heavily recouped.

Von Bondies: http://www.vonbondies.com
Sire: http://www.london-sire.com

Scout Niblett: I Am Touring U.S., Europe
Show-goers to wear Secretly Canadian merit badges on their messenger bags

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

She wowed you with minimalism on Sweet Heart Fever, lulled you with the drum-and-vocal approach of I Conjure Series, and now Emma Louise Niblett, the ever-so-adorable Scout, brings more of her brand of boney, sober rock on her latest Secretly Canadian release, I Am. This album was recorded with a full band, featuring Chris Saligoe of Race Bannon on second guitar and Pete Schreiner of Panoply Academy and Songs: Ohia (nay-- Magnolia Electric Company!) on drums, at Steve Albini's appropriately austere Electrical Audio Studio.

Coinciding with the release of her new record, Scout has begun a rather extensive touring schedule. The two-month affair will manage to mingle with the better part of the U.S., while Scout peddles her new album to fans and shares the stage with an ever-changing grabbag of openers and openees, including the indie rock likes of Ted Leo, Alasdair Roberts, Ex-Models and Califone. Then, it's off to Europe for a furious round of touring with John Guilt. The dates:

10-01 Portland, OR - Jackpot Records (in-store)
10-01 Portland, OR - Blackbird *
10-03 San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern *
10-04 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (w/ Ted Leo)
10-05 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
10-06 Phoenix, AZ - Modified (w/ Ex-Models)
10-07 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture Gallery *
10-09 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves *
10-11 Austin, TX - Rubber Gloves *
10-12 Austin, TX- Emo's (w/ Clem Snide, Califone)
10-13 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
10-17 Athens, GA - Tasty World
10-18 Atlanta, GA - Village Lounge (IMG Music Festival)
10-19 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light
10-21 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10-22 Washington, D.C. - Velvet Lounge
11-01 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique +
11-02 Haarlem, Holland - Patronaat +
11-03 Gent, Belgium - Krawietelke +
11-04 Amsterdam, Holland - Studio Desmet (radio session) +
11-06 Zichem, Belgium - Den Hemel +
11-07 Dordrecht, Holland - Mystery Gig +
11-20 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn +
11-21 Paris, France - La Guinguette Pirate +
11-24 Zurich, Switzerland - El Lokal +

* with Alasdair Roberts
+ with John Guilt

Secretly Canadian: http://www.secretlycanadian.com

The Pattern Call It Quits
Just couldn't bring any sense of order, meaning to chaotic worldview

[Posted Wednesday, October 1st, 2003 02:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

You have to respect bands that work really hard-- bands that inhabit that good 'ol American "from rags to riches" work ethic. Even if they suck, props are required. One of those bands, Oakland, CA's The Pattern, have just announced their early retirement. From the mouths of the bandmates themselves: "In a three-year span The Pattern has played exactly 229 shows that span ten separate tours, written 23 songs that appear on three seven-inch records and two full-length LPs, and recycled three drummers" (because really, what kind of band are you unless you rotate drummers like a set of tires). No word yet on the individual member's plans after the split.

Lookout: http://www.lookoutrecords.com

Runaway Backhoe Smashes Through Butch Vig's Studio
Front ho uninjured; Manson family sleeping off Tuesday-night hangovers

[Posted Tuesday, September 30th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Brian Howe and Will Bryant report:
On the morning of September 10th, a 15-ton backhoe ran a red light, crashed into a van, and careened into the Madison, WI studio of Butch Vig, producer of such classic albums as Nirvana's Nevermind, Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream (Gish too) and Sonic Youth's Dirty, and the man primarily responsible for Garbage. The unassuming red-brick building was struck at about 7:30am, according to a report from local paper The Capital Times. Although a New Musical Express report said the studio was "demolished" by the backhoe, local sources and Garbage's own website report that the damage was actually minor-- some guitar amps, microphones, and a wall were destroyed, with an estimated total loss of about $50,000. Hmmm, I wonder if they'll consider bids from Homburg Contractors (the owners of the behemoth that plowed through the front door).

Garbage have been working on a new album at the SMART Studios facility since early March, and had been recording in the upstairs studio just three days prior to the incident. No terrorist group or activist cell has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack, and this (combined with the lack of a second backhoe) has silenced the uneasy echoes that radiated outward from the day-before-poignant date in question.

Nor, we learned, is this the first time that SMART Studios have been on the receiving end of such awful, divine providence-- in the sixteen years since Vig moved operations from an earlier location across the street, the building has been struck by a drunk driver and a boat trailer, and the basement flooded in 1996. A plague of locusts buzzes on the horizon. To the terrible drivers of Wisconsin: can we ask you guys to form a caravan and go drive in circles around some Starbucks or Wal-Mart or something-- you know, if you're going to wantonly crash into something that sucks really hard, you've really got to go straight for the source. We'll supply the Mad Dog 20/20 and blindfolds.

Vig, the man who sunk virtually all of his indie cred when he launched Garbage in 1998, would be an easy target for hurtful jokes and rampant schadenfreude, not in the least because he's been wildly successful at sucking and makes no bones about it. But all in all, he really doesn't seem like a bad guy, and so I will restrain my baser urges to make fun of his goatee and the fact that he once played in a band called Rectal Drip.

After some "renovations" Garbage will resume recording their album, the follow-up to 2001's Beautifulgarbage, which had been planned for an October or November release, but will likely be delayed by... by... oh, what was it? Oh yeah-- by the MASSIVE FUCKING BACKHOE that gatecrashed the studio where it was being recorded. Garbage still hopes to have the album ready by early next year. They'd better have the Neptunes drop some beats on that joint if they want to make back that fifty large, or else start eating a lot of eggs so they can line the walls with the cartons. According to Vig, the album will be rawer and looser, yet more thematically uniform than Beautifulgarbage. And for years hence, Garbage fans will swear, in the finest urban legend tradition, that if you listen real close, you can actually hear the backhoe crashing through the studio wall, three minutes and seventeen seconds into the third track.

Garbage: http://www.garbage.com
SMART Studios: http://www.smartgeeks.com

The Drone Goes On: Stereolab to Release New EP Next Month
Recent findings suggest random noise bursts not at all uncommon from transients

[Posted Tuesday, September 30th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Stereolab arguably created some the best albums of the 1990's: Dots and Loops, Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements, and my personal favorite, Emperor Tomato Ketchup. We all know their signature sound so well-- that slow, ambient drone dressed with beautiful melodies-- that it borders on cliche even for the band itself. Known equally for their prolific career, Stereolab have never left their fans short in terms of new material. But since the Stereolab world collapsed in December of last year, when a truck killed guitarist/singer Mary Hansen as she rode her bike through central London, life has obviously slowed down for the band.

With their last release (the well-reviewed 2002 ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions) sustaining fans through the turbulent times, it appeared to be the end of an era. Put those breakup rumors to rest... the drone goes on! On October 7th, Stereolab will drop Instant 0 in the Universe, a five-cut mini LP with four original songs. A week later, UK label Duophonic UHF Discs will release the UK edition both on CD and as a three-part seven-inch vinyl set. Tracklist:

01 Sudden Stars
02 Jaunty Money and the Bubbles Of Silence
03 Good Is Me
04 Microclimate
05 Mass Riff

And on the distant horizon, the Lab has commenced recording a new LP. This new effort, engineered by Fulton Dingley and mixed by himself and the band, will be Stereolab's first full-length release of new material since Hansen's sudden and untimely accident. I repeat: the drone goes on!

Stereolab: http://www.stereolab.co.uk
Elektra: http://www.elektra.com

Sigur Rós, Interpol, Bright Eyes, Cat Power Among Shortlist Music Prize Finalists
Vegas offering attractive odds on Chan Marshall, the Susan Lucci of indie rock

[Posted Tuesday, September 30th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Ryan Goldman, Josh Bauchner and Will Bryant report:
While you were off being mesmerized by shiny Latin Grammys, the overwrought production numbers and girl-on-girl action of the MTV Video Music Awards, the Shortlist Music Prize committee was quietly announcing its list of finalists for Album of the Year, as selected by some of the most innovative and respected artists in popular music today. The 2003 Shortlist nominees include past winners Sigur Rós, past nominees Yeah Yeah Yeahs and newcomers Bright Eyes, Cody Chestnut, Cat Power, Damien Rice, Floetry, Interpol, The Black Keys and The Streets.

The Shortlist Music Prize was founded by music-biz insiders Tom Sarig and Greg Spotts in 2001 to promote lesser-known artists and expose new acts to the mainstream. Each year, a panel of musicians, record executives, and journalists nominate up to ten albums each, none of which have sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States, which are then reduced to a list of ten finalists before the Shortlist Music Prize is awarded to the year's best album. According to the organizers' website, the Shortlist prize is intended to allow "members of the creative community to share their cultural discoveries directly with the consumer, without an intermediary or filter."

Well, that is, unless the intermediary or filter happens to be themselves: see, you can purchase $45 tickets for the Shortlist concert-slash-awards ceremony, which will be televised on MTV2 as part of a week-long barrage of Shortlist-related programming. Then there's the Shortlist tour, which will take several nominees on the road on a self-congratulatory victory lap around the country, with all proceeds going towards...well, the artists and themselves. How is this different from a regularly packaged festival tour again?

Oh, that's right...it's all about the award, which this year will take the form of "Shorty," sort of an enlarged Oscar head listening to headphones. It kind of looks like a cross between the aliens in Close Encounters and a bald Marilyn Manson. The statuette was designed by artist Danny Harmon, whose previous endeavors have included Air Force recruitment materials and the cover of Train's latest trainwreck. This year's 'prize' will be awarded at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on October 5th, with a $5,000 grant from Sirius Satellite Radio going to the winner. Five freakin' grand? My god, I just saw some schlub on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? win more than that by answering a trivia question about Right Said Fred!

Several of the 2003 listmakers-- which include drummer ?uestlove of The Roots, filmmaker Cameron Crowe, the Chemical Brothers, vocalist Chris Martin of Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Erykah Badu, Flea, Josh Homme, journalist Josh Tyrangiel, journalist Kim Osorio, Mos Def, Musiq, KCRW know-it-all Nic Harcourt, Perry Farrell, Pete Yorn, Spike Jonze, The Neptunes, Tom Waits, and Tori Amos-- are also expected to make surprise appearances. Or did we just ruin that for you?

Shortlist: http://www.shortlistofmusic.com

The Notwist, Ms. John Soda and Related Bands Tour in Rocktober
Chubby Checker predictably incensed; Fat Boys unavailable for comment

[Posted Tuesday, September 30th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Eric Marth and Rob Mackey report:
In today's PC world, it seems we have parades for just about everything. Most parades are in honor of varying types of pride: you got yer Latin, gay pride, fat pride, Home Pride, foolish pride. But what about glitch-pop pride? Huh? I mean, it's only fair. And don't even mention Berlin's Love Parade, that raver shit doesn't count and you know it.

Well, it may not be their own glitch-pop parade, but it's pretty damn close; The Notwist, Ms. John Soda, Lali Puna, Console, Couch, and the Tied & Tickled Trio (in order of awesomeness) will be cramming their laptops into tiny vans and unleashing their blissful noise on all sorts of people in Germany, Belgium, and Austria. Granted, it's home or close to home for these bands, but it would be nice if they gave the U.S. some love. I mean, the PowerBook was developed in California. But for you lucky bastards studying abroad this semester, be sure to check the Weilheim Tour out at one of the following live music venues. Dates:

10-01 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Frizz
10-02 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Frizz
10-04 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
10-05 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
10-06 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
10-07 Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
10-08 Koln, Germany - Stollwerck
10-09 Koln, Germany - Stollwerck
10-15 Munich, Germany - Alabamahalle
10-16 Munich, Germany - Alabamahalle
10-28 Vienna, Austria - WUK
10-29 Vienna, Austria - WUK

While we've got you, you might also be on the lookout for Ms. John Soda's forthcoming mini-LP, While Talking. The record reportedly contains four new songs and a remix medley of many of the tracks found on the band's 2002 release No P. or D., compliments of Anticon supergroup Subtle. According to sources at Morr Music, the CD version of While Talking (which hits shelves October 6th) will also include two QuickTime videos for the pop-click duo's songs.

According to the label, While Talking is both the study and result of constant exchange between human beings and it deals with communication in numerous ways: conversations that work and sometimes don't, contradictions, misunderstandings, and the incapacity to make oneself understood as well as to fully understand someone else. Yeah, sure, communication and stuff, but is it cute? Tracklist:

01 No One
02 Sometimes Stop, Sometimes Go
03 I & # 8217
04 If Someone Would Know
05 I Think It Could Work, Marilyn

The Notwist: http://www.notwist.com
Ms. John Soda: http://www.msjohnsoda.de
Lali Puna: http://www.lalipuna.de
Morr Music: http://www.morrmusic.com

Clem Snide Cover Christina Aguilera, Tour
Universally ignored Madonna-Aguilera kiss still the biggest boner-kill of 2003

[Posted Tuesday, September 30th, 2003 01:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

It's gotta be a hard to be Clem Snide. You go and drop the cynicism and clever wordplay you've become known for, release a heartfelt ode to your new life and child with your recent LP Soft Spot, and do we appreciate it? Do you get a thank you, a pat on the back, a teary hug? Not hardly. You get a 2.9 from your favorite webrag, and you're shown politely but firmly to the door. But you're Clem Snide (our favorite band with a front-man named Eef!), so you turn the other cheek, hombre-- you record some covers and originals, slap together a fan-pleasing EP, and you hit the road running. Run, Forrest, run!

That's right, Clem Snide have announced an extensive U.S. tour with Califone, and a new release on spinART-- A Beautiful EP-- and yes, the title track is a cover of the craptacular Christina Aguilera tune. I can't believe Linda Perry had her grubby mitts on that one too (Lou Pearlman, eat your heart out!). However, if you've heard the Afghan Whigs' version of TLC's "Creep," you'll know there's a lot you can do with today's charttoppers, so we'll reserve judgement for now. The stated intention of the EP is to release some of the "popular songs and covers from the band's eccentric live performances," and as such, Beautiful is bolstered with a Velvet Underground cover and several originals, as well as the album version of Soft Spot's "All Green." Tracklist:

01 Beautiful [Christina Aguilera]
02 All Green
03 Mike Kalinsky [previously unreleased]
04 I'll Be Your Mirror [live]
05 Nick Drake Tape [live]

The release date for Beautiful isn't till November 4th, but they'll have it for sale on their upcoming tour, which is already under way on the East Coast (I guess everyone loves the hurricane season). Dates (all shows through October 26th are with Califone):

09-30 Baltimore, MD - Fletcher's
10-01 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
10-02 Charlotte, NC - Visulite
10-03 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
10-04 Nashville, TN - Exit Inn
10-06 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
10-07 Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
10-08 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
10-09 Baton Rouge, LA - Red Star
10-10 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's
10-11 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-12 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
10-14 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
10-15 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
10-16 Fullerton, CA - Cal State
10-16 San Diego, CA - Casbah
10-18 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
10-19 Portland, OR - Dante's
10-20 Seattle, WA - Crocodile
10-22 Denver, CO - Bluebird
10-23 Lincoln, NE - Knickerbocker's
10-24 Minneapolis, MN - Ascot Room at Qwest
10-25 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
10-26 Madison, WI - Luthers
10-28 Detroit, MI - Blind Pig
10-29 Toronto, Ontario - The Horseshoe
10-30 Montreal, Quebec - The Swimming
10-31 Ottawa, Ontario - Black Sheep

Clem Snide: http://www.clemsnide.com
spinART: http://www.spinartrecords.com

The Strokes Having Difficulty With Their Package, Sell Panties Online
Booklet includes centerfold, insane amount of subscription cards, interview with Bill Maher

[Posted Friday, September 26th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Remember all of 15 days ago, when we last reported on The Strokes? Sure ya do. Remember how we said, "You can rest assured that our covert Pitchfork operatives won't let you miss a moment of your favorite band's daily life"? Well, we weren't just whistlin' dixie, son! Turns out the Strokes' sophomore album, Chinese Dem-- I'm sorry, that's Room On Fire-- has been pushed back to October 28th. According to the Strokes' official website, the project has encountered some "unforeseen packaging problems" that have contributed to the delay. Maybe the CD booklet is too thick... with pretentious lyrics, ho yeah!!

The problematic cover art has been revealed online-- nothing as racy as the Suicide Girls-ish UK sleeve for Is This It, but more in line with the colorful geometric dabblings of the last few singles. There are subtle references to gambling 'n' guns (the four suits in a deck of cards, revolvers held aloft by both black and white hands, and an abstraction of a roulette wheel). There's no peelable fruit on the cover, if that's what you were asking.

As previously reported, the "12:51" single is set to drop on October 6th in the UK, with a domestic version due October 28th (same as the album now). The single is posted on the Strokes' official website in MP3, QuickTime, and Windows Media so you can jam to it right now on pretty much anything (unless you're that one dude in Belarus that reads the site on a hot-rodded Commodore 64).

We here at Pitchfork just wouldn't be able to let it sit on our consciences if we failed to report on anything Strokes-related, even if it's less newsworthy than, say, Julian Casablancas changing his hairstyle. Or growing a goatee. Anyway, the Strokes have posted the details for their upcoming European tour in December; please whisper into the ear of the person on your right and pass it on:

12-01 Glasgow, Scotland - Braehead Arena
12-03 Cardiff, Wales - International Arena
12-05 London, England - Alexandra Palace
12-06 London, England - Alexandra Palace
12-08 Barcelona, Spain - Pavello De La Vall D'Hebron
12-10 Paris, France - Zenith
12-12 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heineken Music Hall
12-14 Berlin, Germany - Arena
12-16 Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hallen
12-18 Rome, Italy - Palacisalfa

And lastly, we would be criminally remiss if we didn't inform you that the Strokes have Is This It-logo panties in their official webstore for the bargain-basement sum of four bucks. They're available in both medium and large, because the big girls likes 'em some Strokes too. We thought only porn stars sold their panties online; I guess opportunism is a universally lucrative racket.

The Strokes: http://www.thestrokes.com
RCA: http://www.rcarecords.com

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)