Lady Sovereign Announces North American Tour Dates

11-28 Boston, MA - Middle East
11-30 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
12-01 Philadelphia, PA - Silk City
12-02 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
12-03 Toronto, Ontario - Revival
12-06 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
12-09 San Francisco, CA - Live 105 party
12-13 Los Angeles, CA - Cinespace

Sov is currently touring the UK with the Go! Team, and will release her next single, "Hoodie", on November 21. As previously reported, she's in negotiations with Jay-Z and Def Jam about the American release of her debut album, and Chocolate Industries will release the Vertically Challenged EP here on November 15.

* Lady Sovereign: <a

The Coup Kick Off Tour With Lifesavas Tonight

Watch the bumpin' polemic magic happen here:

10-04 Arcata, CA - Mazzotti's
10-05 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
10-06 Seattle, WA - Neumos
10-08 Bellingham, WA - Nightflight Lounge
10-09 Spokane, WA - B Side
10-11 Missoula, MT - The Other Side
10-12 Bozeman, MT - Zebra
10-14 Salt Lake City, UT - Egos
10-15 Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
10-16 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre & Café <br> 10-17 Ft. Collins, CO - Aggie Theater 10-18 Lawrence, KS - Granada
10-19 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis
10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-21 Chicago, IL - The Abbey
10-22 Indianapolis, IN - The Patio
10-23 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
10-26 Winooski, VT - Higher Ground
10-27 Middletown, CT - Cromwell Music Hall
10-28 Boston, MA - The Paradise
10-29 New York, NY - Canal Room
10-30 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
10-31 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11-01 Baltimore, MD - The Funk Box
11-03 Atlanta, GA - Apache Café <br> 11-04 New Orleans, LA - Twiropa
11-05 Austin, TX - Emo's
11-06 Denton, TX - Hailey's
11-08 San Diego, CA - The Casbah
11-09 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
11-11 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine

Better cherish your Coup live experience, party people, ‘cos Boots & Pam's latest opus, Pick a Bigger Weapon won't drop until February 2006. It will be the duo's debut album for Epitaph records, which has somehow become a hip hop powerhouse while we weren't paying attention. Lifesavas also purportedly have a new record in the works. We'll supply the full skinny in due time. For now, you're encouraged to keep fighting the power.

Lifesavas: http://www.lifesavas.com/
Epitaph: http://www.epitaph.com/

Clap Your Hands Sign to Wichita, Plan UK Tour

Clap Your Hands will bring the Yeah to England, Scotland and Wales this November, as soon as they finish up their current US tour with the National. Get those palms ready:

10-04 Eugene, OR - Wow Hall*
10-05 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine*
10-06 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour*
10-07 Los Angeles, CA - UCLA (students only)
10-07 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour*
10-08 Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts*
10-11 Austin, TX - The Parish*
10-12 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
10-14 Nashville, TN - The Basement
10-15 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10-17 Carrboro, NC - Local 506
10-18 Washington, DC - The Black Cat
10-19 Baltimore, MD - 8x10 Club
10-22 Reykjavík, Iceland - Iceland Airwaves Festival
10-26 Philadelphia, PA - TLA (Hurricane Katrina Benefit)
11-15 Leeds, England - Faversham
11-16 Cardiff, Wales - Barfly
11-17 Manchester, England - Music Box
11-19 Nottingham, England - Stealth (Club NME)
11-20 Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
11-21 Liverpool, England - Academy
11-22 London, England - ULU
12-31 New York, NY - Irving Plaza

* with the National

* Pitchfork Review: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: http://clapyourhandssayyeah.com/

Kate Bush Unveils Aerial Tracklisting

Whether you know it or not, Kate Bush totally owns you. And you can totally own her, on November 7 in Europe and November 8 Stateside, and she can serenade you through your dispassionate iPod earbuds. Now for a cloudbusting: the epic tracklist revealed!

Aerial:

Disc One: A Sea of Honey

01 King of the Mountain
02 ð <br> 03 Bertie
04 Mrs. Bartolozzi
05 How to be Invisible
06 Joanni
07 A Coral Room

Disc Two: A Sky of Honey

01 Prelude
02 Prologue
03 An Architect's Dream
04 The Painter's Link
05 Sunset
06 Aerial Tal
07 Somewhere in Between
08 Nocturn
09 Aerial

Unless Kate's taken to ten-minute-plus free-form jazz-jams, Aerial looks to be one of those double-albums-that-will-fit-on-a-single-CD-R, hyphenation be damned. For reals, these two discs only boast three more tracks than The Kick Inside. And what's up with the weird symbol that's the title of the second song on disc one? Has somebody been hanging out with Sigur Rós? But please, we'd be fools to question the motives of the lady who trolled "Babooshka, babooshka, babooshka-ya-ya!"

The first single, "King of the Mountain," is currently available on iTunes, and will be released to brick-and-mortar stores on October 24.

* Kate Bush News & Information (Fansite): http://homepage.eircom.net/~twoms/katebush.htm

Kate Bush: http://www.katebush.com

White Stripes Record New Song, Will Rock "Daily Show"

As you know, the "Daily Show" is the greatest fake-news show in the world (at least until the Pitchfork News department steps its TV game up). It has won seven Emmys and a Peabody Award, and single-handedly revived the careers of geniuses like Stewart and Steve Carrell. And soon, it will rock your face off.

In other Stripey news, Jack and Meg recently recorded a brand new song, "Top Special," which was released only on a limited edition three-inch vinyl record, and available exclusively on their just-completed American tour. Gotta love those Stripes and their weird-ass merch. The teeny tiny single, which is probably long gone by now, was sold as part of a set that also included three inches for "Hotel Yorba," "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," "Fell in Love With a Girl," "Seven Nation Army" and others, and came with a miniature record player.

Jack White wrote on the White Stripes website, "I just wanted you to know that we are keeping all of our campaign promises to our fans. And we will never forget the promise we made that we will always do our best to provide our true fans with items of merchandise that they can get from no other band and cannot get on the internet, and cannot be used for any practical purposes." He added, "I know, I know, you're next question is ‘but jack how can we download this?' and the answer is ‘I don't know.'" But we do: Soulseek!

Also, director Michel Gondry revealed last week that he is working with Jack and Meg on their forthcoming video for Get Behind Me Satan's third single, "The Denial Twist."

"It's going to be a real- how do you say it?- a mindblower," Gondry told MTV News. "It is based on one day in Jack and Meg's life. It's re-enacting a day when they went to play on the Conan O'Brien show, in a very bizarre way. We see them playing on the stage, then they talk to Conan, and then they take their car and drive amongst giant people, and then they go home and watch their performance on TV. But the whole time, they will be distorted and stretched." The Stripes sure do love late night television, don't they?

While Conan himself will appear in "The Denial Twist", us here at Fork Central will be on the lookout for a much more exciting cameo. Last week, a certain Pitchfork staffer was approached by Gondry's people about acting in the video. We can't tell you right now who it is (for legal reasons), but we'll give you a hint: he's very, very tall, and he loves Three 6 Mafia.

The Stripes wrapped up their American trek in support of Get Behind Me Satan last night, and they'll head to Europe next week. Look out for a drunk Kenny Chesney singing along to every word of "Forever for Her is Over for Me" here:

10-16 Paris, France - Le Zenith *
10-17 Paris, France - Le Zenith *
10-19 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz *
10-21 Bologna, Italy - Paladozza *
10-22 Vienna, Austria - Gasometer *
10-23 Munich, Germany - Zenith *
10-25 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle *
10-26 Copehnagen, Denmark - Lokomotive Repair Hall *#
10-27 Stockholm, Sweden - Annex *
10-29 Dusseldorf, Germany - Phillipshalle *
10-30 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National *
10-31 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall *
11-05 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo *$
11-06 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo *$
11-08 London, England - Alexandra Palace *$
11-09 London, England - Alexandra Palace *$
11-10 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom *
11-11 Blackpool, England - Empress Ballroom *
11-13 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy *
11-14 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy *
11-15 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy *
11-15 Glasgow, Scotland - Academy *
11-17 Manchester, England - Apollo *

* with the Greenhornes
# with the Raveonettes
$ with David Dulake

href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-09/12.shtml#npr">White Stripes, Shins Record for NPR's "All Songs Considered"

The White Stripes : http://www.whitestripes.com/

Decemberists, Thermals Cover Elliott Smith

But enough complaining... As previously reported, several of Elliott's friends in his former home of Psortland, Oregon have been recording their own versions of Smith's sad, beautiful compositions. On February 7, 2006, their hard work and loving dedication will pay off, when the Portland-based label Expunged Records will release the covers compilation To: Elliott From: Portland. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Elliott Smith Foundation's charity, Free Arts for Abused Children.

From this stellar lineup, we can only hope that To: Elliott From: NYC and To: Elliott From: Los Angeles aren't far behind. Highlights include the Decemberists' take on "Clementine" (we're assuming that's not just the Decemberists song of the same name), the Helio Sequence's "Satellite" and Lifesavas' (yes, the rap group) "Happiness." The Thermals' cover of "Ballad of Big Nothing" was recorded by Joanna Bolme, who is the bassist for Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, as well as Elliott's ex-girlfriend and the mixing engineer on his posthumous album From a Basement on a Hill.

Chamber-popsmith Eric Matthews contributes a (surprise, surprise) dense, lush cover of "Needle in the Hay". In a preview of the tribute's liner notes, Matthews recalls, "The original version of [‘Needle in the Hay'] was built up with drums, trumpets, a harmonica, and various percussion instruments. In the end Elliott decided to tear back down the arrangement and go for the more starkly acoustic version that we know today. In a tribute to the original version, I added new instrumental sections that produce a mournful and heavy quality that depicts the sad nature of what must have been Elliott's life and inner mind. The music is pretty but underneath there is a grave solemnity. It is the best tribute to Elliott that I can pay."

Smith's former Portland roommate (and former Crackerbash frontman) Sean Croghan, takes on a track not found in the troubled troubadour's discography, "High Times". The song was mined from a batch of unreleased home recordings. Croghan writes in the liner notes of his intentions for the cover: "The song itself is a story, ultimately prophetic in regard to Elliott's relationship with drugs, of some soul here in Portland (oh yes it reeks of this city) trying to cop for the first time. I wanted to try to create the tension I felt in the lyrics, the sense of a fate that is unavoidable and catastrophic."

Here's the tracklist in ABC order, since the final sequence hasn't been finalized yet:

Amelia: "Between the Bars"
Sexton Blake: "Rose Parade"
Sean Croghan: "High Times"
Crosstide: "Angeles"
The Decemberists: "Clementine"
Dolorean: "The Biggest Lie"
The Helio Sequence: "Satellite"
Lifesavas: "Happiness"
Eric Matthews: "Needle in the Hay" Society of People of Ambience and Elegance: "Speed Trials" Swords: "I Didn't Understand"
The Thermals: "Ballad of Big Nothing"
To Live and Die in L.A.: "King's Crossing"
Jeff Trott: "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud"
We Are Telephone: "Division Days"

Elliott Smith covers seem to be all the rage these days. The man himself appears on the soundtrack to the new movie Thumbsucker warbling Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens' "Trouble". Jimmy Eat World's new EP, Stay on My Side Tonight, features a version of the old Heatmiser song "Not Half Right." And classical pianist Christopher O'Riley, famous for his takes on Radiohead songs, has recorded a collection of Smith covers entitled Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute by Christopher O'Riley, scheduled for a spring 2006 release on World Villiage / Harmonia Mundi. The "provisional" tracklist, according to O'Riley's website:

01 Coast to Coast
02 Let's Get Lost
03 I Didn't Understand
04 Speed Trials
05 I Better Be Quiet Now
06 Roman Candle
07 Satellite
08 Independence Day
09 Cupid's Trick
10 Oh Well, Okay
11 No Life
12 Between the Bars
13 Christian Brothers
14 Everything Means Nothing to Me
15 Waltz #1
16 Not Half Right
17 Stupidity Tries
18 Bye

href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-07/25.shtml#elliott">Decemberists to Head Elliott Smith Tribute

Elliot Smith : http://www.sweetadeline.net/
Christopher O'Riley : http://www.christopheroriley.com/

Radiohead, Pulp Members Sued Over Harry Potter Film

The Canadian music website ChartAttack.com has reported that two of the band's members, Phil Selway and Johnny Greenwood, along with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, have gone and gotten themselves in legal trouble over... Harry Potter. For the first time since Kid A, these guys have really outdone themselves.

We're not even sure where to start, but we'll try our best. In the fourth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the now-pubescent Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend a school dance. Since DJs are a purely Muggle phenomenon, the music at the dance is supplied by a band called the Weird Sisters. Well, as you probably know, Goblet of Fire is now being made into a movie. The film's creators thought it would be fun if they got some real-life rock stars to play the Weird Sisters, so tapped Cocker, Selway, and Greenwood for the roles. Coldplay must have been busy... or just not weird enough.

Here's where it gets ugly: There happens to be a real-life band called the Wyrd Sisters. They're from Winnipeg, they've been nominated for a Juno (Canadian for "Grammy"), and they're steaming mad over having their name messed with. ChartAttack reports that the fifteen-year-old group was unaware of their fictional alter-egos until this past June, when Warner Brothers offered Wyrd Sisters co-founder Kim Baryluk $5,000 to share the band's name. The Sisters declined, and Warner shot back with a $50,000 offer, which they turned down as well. So adamant was the band about not sharing their name that they've now pressed charges against Warner Entertainment Canada, Warner Brothers Records, Cocker, Selway, and Greenwood.

However, nobody seems to care that all of these people stole the name from author Terry Pratchett, who ripped off Shakespeare. Or that J. K. Rowling ganked the name "Harry Potter" from the 1986 B fantasy film Troll! Is there no justice in this world?

According to Baryluk, the cost of the band giving up the right to its name would be more than either of Warner's original offers. "Do you know what I've spent on the band in the past 10 years?" she told ChartAttack.com. "In the last 10 years I've spent more than a million dollars. Offering me $50,000 is more than an insult." On the Wyrd Sisters website, the band added, "Legally and morally, the name is ours. Should we say " Jeez, that's too bad!"... and walk away? Or should we practice what we preach and stand up to injustice, no matter how frightening the prospect is? What would Radiohead do?" We're printing up WWRD? bracelets right this very minute.

Radiohead's management has taken a rather cynical view of the lawsuit, telling Chart Attack: "The Wyrd Sisters are just trying to sue them for namesake. The whole story is just a couple of people in a band trying to get some money."

Though the unnamed manager's position can hardly be described as objective, his opinion gains credence when you take in to the account that the name the Wyrd (or Weird) Sisters isn't even going to be mentioned once in the upcoming film... plus it's spelled differently. Once the band refused to sell the name, the filmmakers decided to let the film's trio go nameless. So no cause of action, right?

Well, according to the Sisters' lawyer: "They've already created an association between the name and the band and that's all you need." The Sisters wrote on their website, "If we went somewhere new to play, after this movie is released, how many people would show up expecting the fellows from Radiohead?" Given that these Wyrd-os are a new-age folk trio, they'd be in for a shock.

If at the end of all this you're wondering why Cocker, Greenwood, and Selway are getting sued over a dispute that seems to be purely between the Wyrd Sisters and Warner Brothers, you're not alone. But the band has an answer for you: "We share the same mandate and philosophy that Radiohead does and we certainly do not mean them any harm. I think that if the Radiohead fellows really knew what was going on that they'd be as appalled and horrified as we are... It's about music, and how music is the voice of the people. Money always wins. Isn't that just plain wrong?"

Will L'Affaire Potter expose Radiohead for the greedy, unfeeling bastards they truly are at heart? We sure hope not, but this whole thing better get resolved before people start throwing Avada Kedavra curses at each other.

* Pitchfork News: Radiohead's Thom Yorke Considering Meeting With Tony Blair
* Pitchfork News: Jarvis Cocker to Score Next Harry Potter Film?
* The Wyrd Sisters: http://www.mts.net/~wyrds1/

Radiohead: http://www.radiohead.com/

Burt Bacharach Teams with Dr. Dre (?!) on New LP

Few things in life are lousier than the listless, jazz-lite workouts that fall under the umbrella of "easy-listening" music. Accredited with composing over 500 songs in his long career, (including "What The World Needs Now Is Love," "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," and "Close to You"), Burt Bacharach has earned his enviable position as easy-listening's numba one stunna, yet has always seemed to bypass the lame qualities associated with that label. Well, he's about to get even cooler... or, perhaps, lamer.

On November 1, Columbia records will release Bacharach's first solo album since 1977, an 11-song record called At This Time. However, the album might not be the typical collection of smooth satisfaction that one would expect from the 77-year-old songwriter. It features contributions from hammy diva Rufus Wainwright, trumpeter Chris Botti, frequent Bacharach pocket-dweller Elvis Costello and... Dr. Dre. That Kanye West/Jon Brion collabo doesn't seem so weird now, does it?

The motherfuckin D-R-E and the motherfuckin B-U-R-T have been trading ideas for the past few years, but a full-fledged collaboration never came to fruition. Dre ended up contributing drum loops to "Is Love Enough" and drum loops and bass loops to "Danger" and the Wainwright-sung "Go Ask Shakespeare". As if that wasn't crazy enough, Dre protégée Denaun Porter (a.k.a. Kon Artis from D12) supplied a drum and bass loop for the opening track, "Please Explain". Yes, please explain indeed.

In a press release, Bacharach explained this new-found direction: "People ask me why a man who has been known for writing love songs all of his life is suddenly rocking the boat. I had to do it. This is very personal to me, and this is the most passionate album I have ever made." Wow, more passionate than the What's New, Pussycat? soundtrack?

For the first time ever, Bacharach (with the help of writing partner Tonio K) also wrote all of the album's lyrics. He was inspired by the current state of the world: "There are things I need to say. It was time for me to ask, 'who are these people who are taking control of our lives and how do we stop the violence?' I've got two little kids and a 19-year-old son and I wonder what they're going to do with their lives. It's so personal to me that I even decided to do some of the singing. This is dedicated to my kids and your kids."

"At This Time" was initially intended for distribution in the United Kingdom only, but was picked up by Columbia for its "universal musical and emotional themes and appeal." Like how bitches ain't shit.

Keep Their Heads Ringin':

01 Please Explain
02 Where Did It Go?
03 In Our Time (featuring Chris Botti)
04 Who Are These People (featuring Elvis Costello)
05 Is Love Enough?
06 Can't Give Up
07 Go Ask Shakespeare (featuring Rufus Wainwright)
08 Dreams (featuring Chris Botti)
09 Danger
10 Fade Away
11 Always Taking Aim

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.)