Karen O and Har Mar Superstar Record "Sleazy" New Material
Spectators toss garments onstage in hopes one of them will put on some fucking clothes

[Posted Monday, September 22nd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Rolling Stone's favorite scenester chick, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and everybody's personal favorite, non-showering soul man Har Mar Superstar (aka Sean Tillman) have announced plans to enter the studio and record-- insert gasps here-- a "sleazy R&B song," according to New Musical Express. I guess the cover of "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" will have to wait. The two are pals from way back, and though they shared billing in England last March, they have little recorded history together.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have recently returned from hitting up the English festival circuit and are about to head out in support of Jack White and his two-ring freakshow, The White Stripes. In addition to the tour, Karen hopes to finally record several of the new songs written by herself and guitarist Nick Zinner over the course of the recent tour, including "Down Boy," Rockers to Swallow," and "Ten By Ten." If you can't wait for new YYY's raaawwwwwwwwk (Karen O just puts me in that mood, you know), a new single, "Maps," will be released this week in the UK.

And because I know you've been wondering what soul-brotha Har Mar has been up to, I'm happy to report that after a summer in England and Spain, he'll stay out the country a bit longer for several October dates in Australia. Unfortunately Mr. Tillman will return to the U.S. for November's ATP™ Pacific 2003 festival. If you still yearn for more Har Mar, you have a multitude of websites from which to procure your precious Superstar Nectar, including my personal favorite, www.thefuckingbest.com. You can ponder that while I go chug a bottle of NyQuil.

Har Mar Superstar: http://www.harmarsuperstar.com
The Fucking Best: http://www.thefuckingbest.com
You Can Feel Me: http://www.youcanfeelme.com
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com

Indie Comedy Wars: Cross Preps Sub Pop DVD; Drag City Nabs Kightlinger
Jon Stewart torn between Swingin' Pig and Absolutely Kosher

[Posted Monday, September 22nd, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Boys, break out the reefer (yes, Pitchfork condones the use of illicit drugs): everybody's favorite loser, David Cross, has set a November 4th date for his new DVD, Let America Laugh. According to his label, Sub Pop, "Let America Laugh is a video tour diary from David's 2002 tour (the same tour on which his smash-hit comedy album Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! was recorded). Hijinks and hilarity ensue as we follow our hero on the road, encountering family, friends, fans, promoters, interviewers and oh so many others, with the gentle, nurturing brand of humor for which he is internationally known and beloved." This of course, is in addition to the recent DVD double-whammy of the third season of Mr. Show in August and last week's straight-to-video release of the Mr. Show movie, Run Ronnie Run.

Further upping the stakes in the indie-label dash to enter the world of comedy, Drag City has apparently inked Laura Kightlinger for a 2004 release (no tentative date or title just yet). In addition to appearing in, yes, Run Ronnie Run, Kightlinger has also been a cast member of Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and Tenacious D's HBO extravaganza. According to her Drag City webpage, she's been an actor, author (the 1995 tome Quick Shots of False Hope), comedian, and show writer. Now, she's a soon-to-be recording artist-- a modern-day renaissance girl. Plus, we're pretty sure this is the first Drag City signing to have also appeared in Daddy Day Care (though we shall never forget Will Oldham's fine performances in both Matewan and the baby-down-the-well docudrama Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure).

David Cross: http://www.bobanddavid.com
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com
Laura Kightlinger: http://www.dragcity.com/bands/kightlinger.html
Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com

Belle and Sebastian Resequence Album; Plan Single, DVD, Cover Young Marble Giants
RIAA sues chatty catastrophe waitress for sharing T.M.I.

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Those truly fantastic modern minstrels, Belle and Sebastian, are gettin' crazy with the Cheez Whiz with the fall releases. Obviously, there's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the first official full-length B&S release since 2000, not counting their excellent but limited soundtrack to Todd Solondz's Storytelling last year. That's still on for October 7th, but with a drastically overhauled tracklisting. Clearly Murdoch wasn't digging the flow. "Roy Walker" and "Piazza, New York Catcher" swap sides (bet you didn't think Piazza would get traded), and the country-rock jangler "(I Believe In) Travellin' Light" is a goner. Updated tracklist:

01 Step Into My Office, Baby
02 Dear Catastrophe Waitress
03 If She Wants Me
04 Piazza, New York Catcher
05 Asleep On A Sunbeam
06 I'm A Cuckoo
07 You Don't Send Me
08 Wrapped Up In Books
09 Lord Anthony
10 If You Find Yourself Caught In Love
11 Roy Walker
12 Stay Loose

Continually serving the fans, the erstwhile Waitress has formally invited all of you to some official album release parties. At the National Pop League in Glasgow on September 26th, frontman Stuart Murdoch himself will be emceeing a prize-packed quiz show. There will also be some album launch parties in London on October 3rd and again in Glasgow on October 5th. Until then, some UK clubs will be throwing their own little shindigs, featuring advance listens to the record and other treats. For more information on all these lover-ly parties, keep checking the band's official site.

Word on the street is that the album's first single, "Step Into My Office, Baby" will be hitting stores via Sanctuary on November 4th. Information is at a crucial low; all we know is that there's two other tracks besides the single, which is already making waves as an exceptionally funny faux-sexist anthem laden with terrible puns and double-entendres. No idea yet on whether the two b-sides will be more album previews or studio outtakes (raise your hand if you vote for "Travellin' Light"), but we'll let you know.

The band has also contributed a cover of Young Marble Giants' "Final Day" to an upcoming 25th anniversary album in tribute of Rough Trade Records entitled Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before.... Released on October 7th in the US (at just under ten bucks) and October 20th in the UK (at a mere five pounds), and featuring other great artists like Adam Green and British Sea Power, it sounds like a steal.

Finally, we have some information for you on the imminent Belle and Sebastian DVD as well. Titled Fans Only, the comprehensive disc promises to be filled to the rim with Brim with "videos, live performances, interviews, out-takes, TV appearances, early documentary footage, exclusive material and behind-the-scenes insights into the evolution of the band." The DVD will be released in the UK October 20th on their ex-label Jeepster Records. Due to rights issues, all the footage will be from the band's time with Jeepster only (If You're Feeling Sinister and onward). Jeepster is "currently negotiating" a U.S. release, possibly through Matador.

Along with the new album, this new information is quite refreshing for those of us who were worried that when Belle and Sebastian lost their Belle, they might lose some steam as well. While we're all glad to see the band moving on, you should also look out for Isobel Campbell's solo album, Amorino. That one will be released through Instinct Records on October 7th in the U.S. and through Snowstorm Records in England on October 27th. According to Campbell's management, Amorino has been in the development stage for three years now, and the final result is the finest in orchestral twee. Campbell herself describes it as influenced by "French girl singers, psychedelia, Jimmy Webb, Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and of course, the most universal of all themes-- even in these cynical times-- love." Wait a second...Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?!

Belle and Sebastian: http://www.belleandsebastian.co.uk
Jeepster: http://www.jeepster.co.uk
Rough Trade: http://www.roughtradeamerica.com
Release Parties: http://www.banchory.net/belleandsebastian/dcwclubnites.html

Tracklist, Release Date For Flaming Lips EP
Warner legal department forced to spend afternoon spinning Cat Stevens records

[Updated Monday, September 22nd, 2003 15:30:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Warner Bros. have set a date of November 18th for the Flaming Lips EP Pitchfork reported on earlier this week, according to a report from Rolling Stone. The "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" single will comprise seven tracks in all, including two remixes of the title track and Dntel/Postal Service mainman Jimmy Tamborello taking on "Do You Realize" the way Uma Thurman takes on all those blindfolded samurais in that Quentin Tarantino trailer. KCRW electronica-lite perpetuator Jason Bentley tarts up the "Ego In Acceleration" mix of the title track, while electroclash-lite scenesters the Blow-Up (Paolo Cilione and Claudio Camaione) no doubt compress the life out of the "Self-Administration" mix. A third remix by Utah Saints ("Birth Of A Mega-Hero") will replace the Bentley mix on the UK edition of the EP. As previously reported, the single will also sport new b-sides recorded with Fridmann last month including the Christmas anthem "A Chance at Christmas (Say It Isn't So)." Tracklist:

01 Assassination of the Sun
02 I'm a Fly in a Sunbeam (Following the Funeral Procession of a Stranger)
03 Sunship Balloons
04 Do You Realize?? (Postal Service Mix)
05 Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Ego in Acceleration Mix)
06 Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Self-Administration with Blow-Up Mix)
07 A Chance at Christmas (Say It Isn't So)

At present, the plan we reported on earlier to back the single with DVD content appear to have been quashed. In related news, Warner Bros' Jennifer Bird reports on the official Flaming Lips site that the DVD-audio version of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots has encountered more mastering difficulties and will not be available before November 4th.

And while we've got you, the group's collaboration with the Chemical Brothers, "The Golden Path," was released as a single in the UK earlier this week and should just... be... hitting... U.S. shops... NOW. The single is available on CD, DVD, and twelve-inch vinyl. So old school and new school all at the same time. So Lips.

The Flaming Lips: http://www.flaminglips.com
Warner Bros: http://www.wbr.com

Hot Hot Heat Contemplate Sonic Future, Extend Fall Tour
Responsible for 50,000 non-music related deaths in France this summer

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 17:35:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Ryan Goldman and Jonah Flicker report:
Here's Pitchfork's revisionist-history-slash-political-conspiracy theory for the day: The United States government is using recent military-industrial activities in Iraq and Afghanistan to divert attention from federal investment in cultural programs sublimating the Bush administration's obvious revisitation of then-popular Reagan policies from the 1980's. As evidence, we submit for your consideration the paralyzing effects of VH1's I Love the '80s and upcoming More I Love the '80s series, the subsequent revival of dancepunk, artfunk, and electroclash movements, and motherfucking Kiefer Sutherland. Matador, Sub-Pop, Touch & Go-- none of you are safe (never were, never will be). OMG, Pretty in Pink is on TBS again.

In this vein, we revise the previously reported Hot Hot Heat American and European tour dates to include newly announced East Coast and French shows and the sold-out KROQ Inland Invasion Flashback to the Future in Devore, CA with The Cure, Duran Duran, Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen, Bow Wow Wow, Interpol, General Public, Berlin, Dramarama, and Marc Almond of Soft Cell (lord, that's a lot of candypants).

But enough about tackin' more dates on yer tour and getting all retro in the desert-- what about a new record? Are they even working on one? Could the Heat be following the lead of Interpol, shamelessly flogging the material from their fluke hit record for more than a year? Not according to singer Steve Bays. "We're always working on stuff," Bays told Drowned in Sound in a recent interview. "We have a million ideas floating around-- stuff on dictaphones, on a couple of computers, in our heads. We have a couple [of songs] that are completed and a bunch of stuff in the works."

Speaking to the direction they will take on their non-existent new record, Bays commented: "With Make Up the Breakdown we were trying to find a new sound, and that hasn't been completed yet. It's inevitably going to be different as we've been on tour for 14 months and we've changed as people and musicians. I'm just really excited about it. We recorded the last one in six days and with more time to work on it, the next record's gonna be crazy."

Once you get him going, Bays can't seem to stop. He also blabbed to Rolling Stone that their touring will soon end and they'll be heading home to Victoria to concentrate on the new material. They have been playing at least one new song recently, called "You're Making Such a Mess," which is "really bizarre sounding," according to Bays. Another new song has a Native American feel, reports drummer Paul Hawley, or a "jungle, Oriental" vibe as interpreted by Bays. Oh please, no, not new-wave-'80s-revival-new-age-fusion again. You kids don't want to end up opening for Tom Tom Club!

No solid plans are set for a release date yet, of course, but the band hints that the record may be ready by next summer. In the meantime, you can find Hot Hot Heat's new sound at any of the following venues (please select just one):

09-19 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon *
09-20 Devore, CA - KROQ Inland Invasion
09-21 Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues (w/ Ima Robot, The Joggers)
09-22 Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues (w/ Ima Robot)
09-23 San Diego, CA - The Scene *
09-24 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre (w/ The White Stripes, The Soledad Brothers)
09-25 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore *
09-27 Sacramento, CA - Crest Theater *
09-28 Reno, NV - New Oasis *
09-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Bricks #
09-30 Boulder, CO - Tulagi's #
10-02 Minneapolis, MN - The Quest #
10-03 Chicago, IL - The Vic #
10-04 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews #
10-06 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts #
10-07 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel #
10-08 Boston, MA - Axis #
10-10 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club #
10-11 New York, NY - Irving Plaza #
10-14 New York, NY - Late Night With David Letterman
10-27 Bristol, England - Bristol University $
10-29 London, England - Astoria
10-30 Norwich, England - Waterfront
11-01 Sheffield, England - Leadmill $
11-02 Manchester, England - MDH $
11-03 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University $
11-04 Glasgow, Scotland - QMU $
11-05 Nottingham, England - Rock City $
11-06 Wolverhampton, England - Wulfrun Hall $
11-08 Lille, France - Aeronef +
11-09 Paris, France - La Cigalle + (w/ My Morning Jacket)
11-10 Nantes, France - Olympic +
11-12 Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey +

* with French Kicks, The Joggers
# with French Kicks, Ima Robot
$ with Franz Ferdinand, The Fiery Furnaces
+ with Kings of Leon, The Ravonettes, The Black Keys

Hot Hot Heat: http://www.hothotheat.com
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com

Can DVD In The Can
Something tells us this applause was pre-recorded elsewhere

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The birth mother of all art-rock bands, Can, is celebrating the October 13th release of a double DVD, according to the Can/Spoon Records website. Get out your psychotropics, because the new DVD includes both a new film by director Peter Pryzgodda (who, if you need pedigree, edited most of Wim Wenders' films) entitled Can Notes, as well as the classic Can Documentary . But that's not all-- the double set also includes footage from Can's free 1972 live performance in Cologne, Germany. The cherries on this Can sundae include a complete discography with tracklistings and release dates, a short film made by Brian Eno to mark Can's Echo Award for lifetime achievement, footage from the Echo Awards ceremony itself, an audio CD of Can solo recordings, new interviews with the band at the CAN Studio, and a weblink to an exclusive Can site where photos and interviews can be downloaded and printed out, all included in the package. Shit, baby.

If you don't know, Can was the brilliantly inventive, always challenging, ever lineup-changing German-based rock group that disbanded in 1977; of course, this short history glosses over the massive impact Can had on generations of psychedelically-minded groups that have followed. Have you listened to This Nation's Saving Grace lately? Or Zaireeka? Seen the Black Eyes recently? I think a little bit of Can can be discerned in all of the aforementioned ventures.

And if you are lucky (?) enough to live in Minneapolis or Seattle, you can attend a screening of the new DVD between September 26th-29th, at the Sound Unseen film festival in Minneapolis and the Experience Music Project in Seattle. So go there and do that, then. The power of Krautrock compels you.

Damo Suzuki: http://www.damosuzuki.de
Spoon: http://www.spoonrecords.com

R.E.M. Ham It Up On Fake News Website
Mysterious bag of white powder mailed to news anchor actually pure, uncut cocaine

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 15:30:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Josh Bauchner and Will Bryant report:
The anchorman doesn't wear a piece, the financial analyst looks vaguely like Dieter from Sprockets, and both the trenchcoated reporter and dorky weatherman look like Mike Mills. What the hell is going on here? After several days of furiously searching for a meaning, diehard R.E.M. fans finally found a link attached to the curious images of a suited Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills in various guises on the website Morningteam.com, which as of today is streaming the video for "Bad Day," featuring the fake news show. Stipe acts as the anchor, singing lead, while Mills and Buck pop up miming along in various roles (our favorite: "Jonathan Vance," in which Buck sports a completely ridiculous Nick Drake bob). And you say there's no such thing as the liberal media!

The site also purportedly offers coffee mugs and trucker hats, a Peter Buck news ticker, and most disturbingly, a miniature Stipe as news anchor "Tod Allen" on your desktop. All of this, of course, is in support of the "Bad Day" single, which is out in stores October 13th and looks somethin' like this:

01 Bad Day
02 Favorite Writer [Magnapop cover]
03 Out in the Country
04 Adagio Unused Tune

"Bad Day" will be also be released, along with another new song ("Animal"), on the new In Time best-of compilation on October 28th and the video actually makes its television debut tonight on CNN's Anderson Cooper show (!). Our previous story on that has all the dirt. For Pitchfork news, I'm Josh Bauchner, good night.

R.E.M.: http://www.remhq.com
Morning Team: http://www.morningteam.com

Circus Devils Plan Trip To Mars; Guided By Voices Cover Cheap Trick
Tempe, AZ Juggalos rent "Faces of Death IV," secure case of Red Bull for Devil's Night

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Robert Pollard side project Circus Devils are returning with a third album release, Pinball Mars, this coming Halloween (that's October 31st, ghoul) on Fading Captain. With a new sound straddling the fence between their two previous concept-y outings, 2001's Ringworm Interiors and 2002's The Harold Pig Memorial, Pinball Mars promises to be yet another a trip into Pollard's psychedelic limbic system. Tracklist, sir:

01 Are You Out With Me?
02 Gargoyle City
03 Pinball Mars
04 Sick Color
05 Don't Be Late
06 Inkster and the King
07 A Puritan for Storage
08 Alien
09 Plasma
10 Dragging the Medicine
11 Bow Before Your Champion
12 Glass Boots
13 No Hell for Humor
14 Raw Reaction

Considering the recent mysterioso departure of Circus Devil Tim Tobias from Guided By Voices, we're certain this one will have Postal Blowfishers and assorted GbV wingnuts with highlighters in hand, ready to yellow through the lyrical passages that, Nostradamus-like, portended the friction. Add to this drama the latest single from GbV on Matador Europe. Jill Hives finally gets some props with "The Best Of Jill Hives," augmented by a Cheap Trick cover and the Doug Gillard-authored "Free Of This World," out next week in the UK. Don't mind if I do:

01 The Best Of Jill Hives
02 Downed [Cheap Trick]
03 Free Of This World

Fading Captain: http://www.gbv.com/fadingcaptain.html

Kind of Like Spitting Touring East Coast (Good Timing), Southern U.S.
Something to take Pitchfork staffers' minds off sexual-harrassment seminar

[Posted Friday, September 19th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

It is entirely plausible that, at this very moment, Seattle tweemo-rocker and newfound protege of Death Cab For Cutie frontman "Benny Boy" Gibbard, Ben Barnett, is somewhere close, writing his umpteen-trillionth bipolar record of pop rock and moppy sadcore. No, really: the guy put out four records in 2000, one in 2001, and two more in 2002 when we all thought that kind of output was reserved for the likes of Jandek and Jason "Songs:Ohia/ Magnolia Electric Company" Molina alone. But Barnett's gargantuan-for-how-long-he-has-existed-library aside, the twenty-something frontman and rotating cast of characters he so fondly refers to as Kind of Like Spitting are taking to the streets this weekend, presumably still slutting their 2002 Barsuk release Bridges Worth Burning. And could they have picked a worse week to do it? Assuming they weather the hurricane, plans are also in the works for the perpetually recording Barnett and his cronies to hop the pond for an exhaustive tour of Europe this fall. The dates (let's call tonight's show in Greensboro "iffy"):

09-19 Greensboro, NC - Gate City Noise
09-20 Nashville, TN - Rcktwn
09-21 Birmingham, AL - Cave9
09-22 Athens, GA - Tasty World
09-23 Gainesville, FL - Market Street Pub
09-25 Houston, TX - Silky's
09-26 Austin, TX - Emo's
09-27 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10-01 Phoenix, AZ - Modified
10-02 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
10-03 San Luis Obispo, CA - Z-Pie
10-05 Merced, CA - Mainzer Theater
10-06 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
10-07 Chico, CA - Moxie's Cafe and Gallery

Hush: http://www.hushrecords.com
Barsuk: http://www.barsuk.com

The Streets To Offer Mini-Album Online In October
Hitting up Johnny Depp for more pirate material

[Posted Thursday, September 18th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Josh Bauchner and Will Bryant report:
After a summer of festival appearances, The Streets (a.k.a. brandy-sniftin' geezer Mike Skinner) are readying an Internet-only mini-album chock full 'o' remixes, instrumentals, and rare material-- all part of this complete breakfast. The album will be available for download from "the industry's leading on-line retailers" for a small fee on October 14th.

In keeping with 2002's Original Pirate Material theme of multiple-personality disorder, All Got Our Runnins features both Skinner's "introspective" and "debaucherous" sides, and you know just how debaucherous it can mean when you read that on a press release. The remixes dabble in many styles, including a house track courtesy of producer Ashley Beedle and the now ubiquitous garage and two-step from Dizzee Rascal's old crew, Roll Deep. Tracklist:

01 Streets Score [instrumental]
02 Give Me Back My Lighter
03 All Got Our Runnins
04 Let's Push Things Forward (The Streets remix featuring Roll Deep)
05 Don't Mug Yourself (Mr. Figit remix)
06 Weak Become Heroes (Ashley Beedle's Love Bug Vocal)
07 Has It Come To This (The Streets vs. High Contrast remix)
08 Streets Score

And yes, we are aware that most of these cuts were previously spread across the shamelessly skimpy UK singles for "Let's Push Things Forward," "Weak Become Heroes," "Don't Mug Yourself," and "Has It Come To This?" not to mention the budget domestic EP for "Don't Mug Yourself." But we have it on pretty good authority none of these songs have ever been converted to the MP3 format, downloaded and/or swapped via file-sharing-- much less for like the last two freakin' years.

In the more immediate future, The Streets will be on a three-date jaunt around the fine state of California, including a stop in L.A. to play the Shortlist Awards show along with fellow nominees The Black Keys, Bright Eyes, Cat Power, Cody Chestnutt, Damien Rice, Floetry, and Interpol. The show will be taped for an hour-long special to be aired sometime in mid-October on MTV2. The Shortlist show is sandwiched between Skinner's only other announced fall dates.

10-04 Los Angelos, CA - Avalon
10-05 Los Angelos, CA - Wiltern Theater (Shortlist Awards)
10-06 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore

And if your insatiable anglophilic thirst for bad teeth and two-step has not yet been quenched, Skinner expects to finish his next full-length in time for an early 2004 release on Vice Records.

In the meantime, you should attempt to track down a copy of Grafiti's "What Is The Problem?" Supposedly the work of an Italian producer "who wants to remain nameless," the UK dancefloor smash is widely speculated to be Skinner's work, though he's steadfastly denied any involvement with the mystery act. Well, for one thing, Grafiti and Skinner share the same label and publicist. For another, the vocalist sounds about as Italian as Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

Regardless, the single (originally on Safety Pin) was just reissued officially via 679 Recordings on sharp twelve-inch vinyl, with two remixes and a suitably mysterioso silhouette subbing for a photo of the artist. You can listen to a RealAudio or Windows Media stream of the single or any of five remixes on 679's official site linked below and decide for yourself.

The Streets: http://www.the-streets.co.uk
Vice: http://www.vice-recordings.com
Shortlist Awards: http://www.shortlistofmusic.com
Grafiti: http://www.679recordings.com

The Rapture Tour Europe, Consider Several Dates In Zooropa
Elaborate four-way tongue kiss with Bono, Robert Smith, and Ric Ocasek in the works

[Posted Thursday, September 18th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Hey there, kiddies, Disgruntled Santa here. I've broken and entered your humble orphanage to give all you little boys and girls, depending on your religious affiliation, vaguely ironic gifts wrapped in bittersweet cellophane! Why? Because that's just how D-Santa rolls! Now, how many of you lovable tykes enjoy the classic stylings of celebrated goth-rock forefathers The Cure? No, Billy, you may not use the bathroom. Only chumps periodically empty their bladders. Moving on, but retaining a scathing glare and an eternal Christmas condemnation towards the source of that uninvited outburst, how many of you lump that aforementioned enjoyment of Robert Smith and company in with your unabashed affinity for dancing like a maniac? Keep in mind, now, that there are no wrong answers. Hey, you kids are all right! Finally, how do you rascals feel about hype?

Now, when I say hype, I'm not talking about Eleanor the Librarian suggesting that you "check this band out sometime, they're really rather corking." I'm talking about a veritable geyser of praise, a copious spout of milky white adulation emanating endlessly from both critics and fans alike. It seems like everywhere you go these days, someone's cooking up a nutritious brew of Rapture stew. And it's just beginning. Echoes, the icy-hot sophomore release by the dancepunk warlords in question, was just officially released last Tuesday-- and thus far, only in the UK. Mark my words, kids, if there's one thing that will destroy an artist's career, it's that lousy stinkin' Internet.

Now, given all the prior information ol' Disgruntled Santa has graciously bestowed upon your freakily misshapen pointy ears, I bet the one thing you kiddies want more than anything in the world, barring a night on the town with Spiderman or playing with your 9/11 Rescue Heroes action figures, is to see the Rapture live. Why, the Warden or whoever the hell it is who runs this place could make a field trip out of it! You could all sing your favorite Rapture songs on the way, and make use of your brand-spaking new Magical Rapture Activity Books! Good gravy, children, have you ever been to a concert before?? (Hold it in, Billy! Be strong, like Spiderman!) Doesn't this sound like an awesome time, kids?!?!

Well, that's too bad, because you live in New Jersey and all the new Rapture dates take place in Europe. Never forget!

09-27 Glasgow, Scotland - QMU
09-28 Manchester, England - Hop & Grape
09-29 Bristol, England - Fleece & Firkin
10-01 London, England - ULU
10-03 Paris, France - Bataclan
10-04 Toulouse, France - LeMouv
10-05 Munich, Germany - Atomic Cafe
10-06 Berlin, Germany - Knaack
10-07 Koln, Germany - Gebaude 9
10-08 Hamburg, Germany - Echo Chamber
10-10 Gothenburg, Sweden - Pusterviksbaren
10-11 Stockholm, Sweden - Mondo
10-12 Oslo, Norway - John Dee

The Rapture: http://www.therapturemusic.com

Calexico Map Out Fall Tour With The Frames
Best. Mariachis. Ever.

[Posted Thursday, September 18th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

I have this theory that Calexico live in giant cacti in the great deserts of the American Southwest. Not unlike the Keebler Elves of Roman myth, Calexico take refuge in these hollowed-out cyclopean structures and make use of them as their headquarters for baking audio snacks of exuberant flavor and dubious nutritional value. On the weekends, they emerge from these massive dwellings and creep into town to get drunk and, inevitably, cause enough of a ruckus to land themselves in a dusty desert jail cell for the rest of the night.

This imagery, of course, stems from their unique brew of desert-rock: Calexico is best described as a nomadic party of mariachi post-rockers with an increasing slant towards pop sensibilities. The band makes use of all manner of objects and instrumentation throughout their discography (triple word score for the typewriters, guys), and even their least engrossing work is respectable on account of their consistently unique experimentation. The band released a new single, "Alone Again Or," back in July. All dates with support from warm, inoffensive folk-rockers The Frames:

09-18 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
09-19 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
09-20 Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst (w/ Al Perry)
09-21 Eugene, OR - Eugene Celebration
09-22 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
09-23 Seattle, WA - Graceland
09-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
09-26 Edmonton, Alberta - Dinwoodie Lounge / University of Alberta
09-27 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall Ballroom
09-28 Regina, Saskatchewan - The State
09-29 Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End Cultural Center
09-30 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe
10-01 Chicago, IL - The Metro
10-03 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
10-04 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
10-05 Ottawa, Ontario - Babylon
10-06 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret Music Hall
10-07 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret Music Hall
10-08 Quebec City, Quebec - Meduse
10-09 Boston, MA - Paradise
10-10 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-11 Philadelphia, PA - NXNW
10-12 Charleston, WV - Cultural Center
10-14 Washington, D.C. - The Black Cat
10-15 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-16 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
10-17 Louisville, KY _ Headliners
10-19 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

Calexico: http://www.casadecalexico.com
Touch & Go: http://www.tgrec.com
Quarterstick: http://www.southern.com/southern/label/QUA

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.)