The Strokes Announce New Single, More Dates

According to NME, the single will be released in the UK on July 10, and according to an email from manager Ryan Gentles, there will be "VERY special guest(s) appearing on the b-side."

While we've got Encyclopedia Brown on the trail of said mystery guest(s), a video for the track has already been completed, once again piloted by director Sam Bayer, who previously helmed the gritty (by Strokes standards) clip for "Heart in a Cage".

The video is expected to premiere in the UK tomorrow, May 24, with U.S. rotation starting sometime in June (although the band is already begging fans to start requesting it-- c'mon guys, are sales really that bad?). Those eager for a sneak peek can head over to the Strokes website, where stills from the shoot reveal the band claustrophobically performing in a room piped full of mud. Dirrrty.

Finally, the Strokes are squeezing in another batch of U.S. dates before they head off on a European tour. A club tour of Australia and New Zealand is in the works for August, and a trip to Mexico is tentatively scheduled for early September.

I wanna be forgotten:

05-23 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnace *
05-25 North Charleston, SC - Centre Stage @ The Plex *
05-26 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium *
05-28 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion (HFStival)
06-10 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre (Live 105 BFD)
06-11 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl (KJEE Summer Round Up)
06-16 Hultsfred, Sweden - Hultsfred Festival
06-18 Manchester, England - Lancashire County Cricket Club #
06-21 London, England - Hyde Park (Wireless Festival)
06-23 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06-24 Scheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-26 Cologne, Germany - Palladium
06-27 Berlin, Germany - Berlin Arena
06-29 Paris, France - Le Zenith
06-30 Belfort, France - Les Eurockeennes Festival
07-02 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-04 Moscow, Russia - DK Gorbunova
07-08 Naas, Ireland - Punchestown Racecourse (Oxegen Festival)
07-09 Balado, Scotland - T in the Park
07-11 Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall
07-13 St. Polten, Austria - Vaz
07-14 Montreux, Switzerland - Miles Davis Hall (Montreux Jazz Festival)
07-15 Turin, Italy - Traffic Festival
07-17 Lyon, France - Antique Theatre
07-18 Nice, France - Theatre de Verdure
07-21 Benicassim, Spain - Benicassim Festival
07-22 Lisbon, Portugal - Lisboa Soundz Festival
07-30 Mt. Fuji, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival

* with Apples in Stereo
# with Foo Fighters

* Pitchfork Review: The Strokes: First Impressions of Earth
* Pitchfork Feature: Live: The Strokes

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

Kaiser Chiefs Frontman Hit by Car

According to the band's website, Wilson was crossing the street in Leeds Sunday evening when a car hit him and drove away. Wilson "escaped with minor injuries, a broken toe and bruising" thanks to the magical powers of rock n roll, as he utilized a bit of his trademark manic stage choreography to dodge the vehicle. "It sounds daft, but a 'Ricky trademark jump' has probably saved his life. The jump meant he was flipped over the top of the car, hitting the windscreen, rather than getting trapped under it."

Wilson isn't letting his injuries affect his appearance as a co-host on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show on May 29, right before his band's summer European tour kicks off. The shows will go on as planned.

Workers comp:

06-02 Nürburgring, Germany - Rock am Ring Festival
06-03 Landgraaf, Netherlands - Pinkpop Festival
06-04 Nuremberg, Germany - Rock im Park Festival
07-01 Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Festival
07-02 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-05 Zagreb, Croatia - Maksimir Stadium
07-08 Balado, Scotland - T in the Park Festival
07-09 Kildare, Ireland - Oxegen Festival
08-18 Salzburg, Austria - Frequency Festival
08-19 Erfurt, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-22 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Vital Festival
08-25 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-26 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
10-20 Reykjavik, Iceland - Iceland Airwaves Festival

Finally, the car's driver has not been either caught or identified, and police have yet to discover "whether it was a joyrider, wreckless driving or drunk driving." Anyone with information regarding the incident is advised to call Leeds Police Station at +44-0845-606-0606 or +44-0113-241-3059.

Kaiser Chiefs: http://www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk/

Bassist/Guitarist Chris Cohen Quits Deerhoof

Deerhoof bassist/guitarist Chris Cohen announced yesterday that he is returning to his pre-Deerhoof band the Curtains. "As hard a decision as it was-- I loved being in Deerhoof!-- I really want to go full-time with my other band, The Curtains," Cohen posted on Deerhoof's MySpace page last night. "This is the band that I've always done on the side (I started it with my friend Trevor before I ever joined Deerhoof) - and I feel a real strong pull to go and perform our new material live and focus all my energy into that. We're just about to finish a new record [Calamity] which comes out on Asthmatic Kitty in the fall.

"Deerhoof are still my close and beloved friends and we part ways on the best of terms - I wish them all the best and they do for me too. It just wasn't possible to go on when my heart was in another place.

"I hope you all understand.

"I'll be looking forward so much to all the things Greg, John, and Satomi go on to do in Deerhoof and I can't wait to play the new Curtains music on tour this year!"

The Curtains tour, which is still being put together, has an initial itinerary that looks like this:

08-09 Seattle, WA - TBA *
08-10 Portland, OR - TBA *
08-11 San Francisco, CA - TBA *
08-12 Los Angeles, CA - TBA *

* with Final Fantasy

The split was so amicable, in fact, that Deerhoof celebrated by posting a new EP for download on their website. Included are nine songs: four covers (the Beatles, My Bloody Valentine, Canned Heat, and Herman's Hermits) and five live cuts. The EP appears to be title-less, and can be found here.

The remaining three Deerhoof members are scheduled to kick off a summer tour next week. As previously reported, six of the trek's dates will be supporting Radiohead in California. The now-trio have added a few additional shows to their agenda, which will take them through the U.S. and Europe.

Dates:

05-28 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater *
06-03 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
06-05 Porto, Portugal - Porto Rio
06-06 Lisbon, Portugal - Lux
06-23 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater #
06-24 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater #
06-26 San Diego, CA - Bayside #
06-27 San Diego, CA - Bayside #
06-29 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater #
06-30 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater #
08-10 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
08-11 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
08-13 Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Park Pool
08-31 Arcata, CA - Kate Buchanan Hall at Humboldt State University
09-02 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
10-26 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center ^
10-27 Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum ^

* with the Flaming Lips, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
# with Radiohead
^ with Fog

Finally, Deerhoof also announced yesterday that Payless Shoe Source recently approached the band about using their song "Twin Killers" in a television commercial, but the band gave 'em the boot...or, rather, the hoof.

* Kill Rock Stars: http://www.killrockstars.com/

Deerhoof: http://deerhoof.killrockstars.com/
The Curtains: http://curtains.suchfun.net/

Cursive Unveil Happy Hollow Tracklist

Art is hard:

01 Opening the Hymnal/Babies
02 Dorothy at Forty
03 Big Bang
04 Bad Sects
05 Flag and Family
06 Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes
07 Retreat!!
08 The Sunks
09 At Conception
10 So-So Gigolo
11 Bad Science
12 Into the Fold
13 Rise Up! Rise Up!
14 Hymns for the Heathen

As previously reported, the Mike Mogis-produced Happy Hollow marks Cursive's first record since cellist Gretta Cohn left the band last year. It features zero strings, but fear not-- the band has embraced brass, thanks to Nick Wolcott's five-piece horn arrangements. "The more that everyone was excited for the horn stuff, the more that it just seemed like a honking kind of record-- more to do with those abrupt, punchy sounds and less of what could be a smooth record with strings," Kasher commented in the aforementioned interview.

Cursive, as you know, have scheduled a short string of July performances to get people pumped for Happy Hollow. In August, they'll make a Lollapalooza appearance, and then it's off to Europe for a "couple of weeks of shows". Only one date has been revealed at this point.

The storms of mid-to-late summer:

07-05 Champaign, IL - Canopy Club
07-06 Lansing, MI - Temple Club
07-07 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
07-08 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
07-10 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
07-11 Norfolk, VA - NorVA
07-13 Newport, KY - Southgate House
07-14 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
08-04 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-18 Salzburg, Austria - FM4 Frequency Festival

* Pitchfork Review: Cursive: The Difference Between Houses and Homes
* Pitchfork News: Cursive Announce U.S., Euro Dates
* Saddle Creek: http://www.saddle-creek.com

Cursive: http://www.cursivearmy.com

DJ Shadow, Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples Play Benefits

The money-raising fever begins tomorrow, May 24 with an art benefit and auction at Los Angeles' Transport Gallery. On Thursday, May 25, the musical portion of I See You kicks off at L.A.'s Mayan Theatre. The concert, titled "Word of Mouth Meets Brainfeeze", features Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, the Beat Junkies, Supernatural, and DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist performing their infamous "Brainfreeze" set. Special guests include Madlib and MF Doom.

On Friday, May 26, San Francisco's Mezzanine will host "The Return of Word of Mouth" benefit concert, featuring Jurassic 5, Dilated Peoples, the Beat Junkies, Supernatural, Lyrics Born, and a special DJ set by Shortkut and Cut Chemist.

That same night, "A Night of Healing Vibrations" is set to go down at Santa Monica's Temple Bar, featuring Kim Hill and Ammoncontact with Dwight Trible & the Life Force Trio, Kamau Daaood, Adam Rudolph, Prince Po, Lil Sci, Najite, Sach, Abstract Rude, host Garth Trinidad, and more. Silverlake's the Little Temple will also host "An Intimate Evening of Elevated Voices" on Friday, featuring performances from Daedelus, Mia Doi Todd, and Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory, as well as DJ Sets by the Dublab Soundsystem and friends.

100% of proceeds from each event will go toward Tamashiro's medical expenses and rehabilitation.

* Soap Design Co.: http://www.soapdesign.com/

KT Get Well (MySpace): http://www.myspace.com/ktgetwell

Eagles of Death Metal Tour, Cover QOTSA, Strokes

Peaceful, easy feeling:

05-23 Cabazon, CA - Key Club at Morongo Casino
05-24 Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Concert Theater
05-27 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
05-28 Austin, TX - The Parish
05-29 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
05-31 St. Louis, MO - Creepy Crawl
06-01 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
06-02 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave II (Downstairs)
06-03 Minneapolis, MN - The Ascot Room at the Quest
06-04 Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
06-06 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre
06-07 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
06-10 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
06-14 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
06-15 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
06-18 Manchester, England - Lancastershire County Cricket Club
07-15 Denver, CO - Gothic Theater *
07-19 Montreal, Quebec - Spectrum *
07-23 Philadelphia, PA - TLA *
07-24 Baltimore, MD - Recker's *
07-26 Norfolk, VA - Norva *
07-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety *
07-28 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues *
07-29 Austin, TX - Emo's *

* with Peaches

The glow of Death by Sexy, which was released just last month, hasn't even begun to fade, yet Hughes is already planning more releases. According to Billboard.com, he recently recorded two Queens of the Stone Age covers, "Broken Box" and "I Never Came", for his "Pair of Queens" series, as well as two covers of recent Eagles of Death Metal tour mates the Strokes.

"I was so overwhelmed and impressed with the Strokes on tour with them that I had to write music about them, and I had to cover their songs," Hughes told Billboard. As for Queens of the Stone Age, Hughes and Queens frontman Josh Homme are old friends, and Homme is an on-again-off-again member of EoDM. "I look up to him musically and I just wanted to say, 'Man, you rule,'" Hughes told Rolling Stone in 2004. "It's also a vanity spite, it's 'I'm owning your song!'"

Hughes hopes to have the covers prepped for release sometime before the end of the year, most likely around the same time he has pegged for his solo debut, Fabulous Weapons. (They can totally fight Xiu Xiu's Fabulous Muscles.) "It's mostly my hillbilly influence," he told Billboard.com. "It still rocks, but it would clearly be in the vein of Beggars Banquet Rolling Stones. It's roots-- I'm a Carter Family fanatic, that's kind of what I grew up on, so it's more harmony-based, more single guitar lines. It's more like a gospel choir set-up."

* Pitchfork Track Review: Eagles of Death Metal: "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"
* Eagles of Death Metal: http://www.eaglesofdeathmetal.com
* Downtown Records: www.downtownrecordings.com

The Dears Talk New Album

"When we recorded our last album it was a total nightmare," Dears keyboardist Natalia Yanchack recently disclosed to Pitchfork. "We did it all digital. A lot of albums that are recorded now are just composed of takes; there's no actual musicianship involved. You play something 40 times and nail one little part. That's what destroyed us with the last album."

"It felt so foreign to us. It was the worst thing we could ever do."

To repent for the sins of Cities, the Dears enlisted the aid of a 700-pound friend: an outmoded tape machine. As Natalia joked, "it's a beast; it looks like it should be on the set of the original 'Star Trek'."

Beast or no, it allowed the Dears to eschew the piecemeal recording approach that hampered their previous album and cultivate a rawer sound that's "just us," according to Yanchack.

"This time everything is live, every take was played all the way through," she revealed. "You can hear it. There's this soul to the recordings."

All said, Gang "still has its own huge-ness", and-- if the song titles are any indication-- still resounds with the Dears' charming, Moz-esque bombast. The record is slated to arrive on Arts & Crafts in America October 3, MapleMusic in Canada, Bella Union in the UK, and Speak n Spell in Australia. Special guests include Chris Seligman of Stars on French horn, and the Reverend William Lightburn, father of chief Dear Murray Lightburn, on saxophone.

C'mon, feel the melodrama:

01 Sinthtro
02 Ticket to Immortality
03 Death or Life We Want You
04 Hate Then Love
05 There Goes My Outfit
06 Bandwagoneers
07 Fear Made the World Go 'Round
08 You and I Are a Gang of Losers
09 Whites Only Party
10 Ballad of Humankindness
11 I Fell Deep
12 Find Our Way to Freedom

Yanchack and the junior Lightburn also have a little side project going, colloquially known as holy matrimony. Their first "release", a wee Lightburn christened Neptune, arrived September 30 of last year. Awww! Despite being present throughout the recording of Gang, this littlest Dear wasn't phased in the slightest by ma and pa's crashing guitars and soaring keyboards. Indeed, quite the opposite.

"She just slept through it. I guess she's conditioned to it because I toured until about six or seven months [into the pregnancy]," Yanchack mused. "I guess being on stage she got all these low-end vibrations and it was calming to her." Perhaps we'll catch a glimpse of lil' Neptune, now free from the womb, rocking out backstage at one of these upcoming Dears live engagements:

06-25 London, England - Hyde Park (Wireless Festival)
06-26 London, England - ICA
06-29 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis (Montreal Jazz Festival)
07-01 Toronto, Ontario - Harbourfront Centre
08-19 Stafford, England - V Festival
08-20 Chelmsford, England - V Festival
08-22 Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park (Bud Rising)

The Dears: http://www.thedears.org/

Belle & Sebastian Tap Franz, Lips for Benefit Comp

When not engaged with rescuing youngsters, Belle and Sebastian will be making the rounds of the world's concert halls and summer festivals, including, as previously reported, a stop at the Hollywood Bowl which will find the band backed by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dates:

05-22 Mainz, Germany - Kuz *
05-23 Munich, Germany - Tonhalle *
05-24 Milan, Italy - Rolling Stone ^
05-25 Modena, Italy - Vox
06-01 Osaka, Japan - Hatch
06-03 Tokyo, Japan - Stellar Ballroom
06-04 Tokyo, Japan - Stellar Ballroom
06-07 Perth, Australia - Concert Hall @
06-09 Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre #
06-10 Melbourne, Australia - Forum #
06-11 Melbourne, Australia - Forum #
06-13 Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre #
06-15 Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli #
06-21 London, England - Hyde Park (Wireless Festival)
07-04 New York, NY - Battery Park &
07-06 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl $
07-08 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion %
07-14 Barcelona, Spain - Montjuic (Summercase Festival)
07-15 Madrid, Spain - Boadilla del Monte (Summercase Festival)
07-19 Cervantes, Spain - Terral Festival
08-12 St. Malo, France - Route du Rock Festival
08-13 Leicester, England - Summer Sundae Festival
08-18 Salzburgring, Austria - Frequency Festival
08-25 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-26 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
09-02 Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic

* with Gravenhurst
^ with Field Music
@ with The Bank Holidays
# with Even
& with Martha Wainwright
$ with The Shins
% Broken Social Scene, Ted Leo/Pharmacists

* Pitchfork Feature: Interview: Belle and Sebastian
* Rough Trade: http://roughtraderecords.com/

Belle and Sebastian: http://www.belleandsebastian.com/
Matador: http://www.matadorrecords.com/

Spoon Reissue Early Recordings, Tour With Death Cab

Speaking of videos, Spoon recently debuted the Ryan Junell-directed clip for "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine" on their site. So scope that out.

Spoon will soon venture outside of their computer monitors to make appearances at our own Pitchfork Music Festival as well as a few California dates with Death Cab for Cutie and Mates of State. Indie Gimme nonfiction:

07-30 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Pitchfork Music Festival) *
08-11 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre #
08-13 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre #
08-15 San Diego, CA - Embarcadero Marina #

* with Os Mutantes, Yo La Tengo, Devendra Banhart, Mission of Burma, Aesop Rock, the National, Jens Lekman, Tapes 'n Tapes, Chin Up Chin Up, Diplo, Matthew Dear, Spank Rock, Glenn Kotche, Tarantula A.D., Tyondai Braxton, CSS, Chicago Underground Duo, Bonde Do Role
# with Death Cab for Cutie, Mates of State

As previously reported, Spoon will spend much of their summer vacation holed up in drummer Jim Eno's home studio, recording with co-producer Mike McCarthy. If all goes according to plan, the new album will see an early 2007 release. Also in the works is a Britt Daniel solo record, slated for completion later this year.

* Pitchfork Review: Spoon: I Turn My Camera On EP / Sister Jack EP

Spoon: http://www.spoontheband.com/
Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com/

M.I.A. "Locked Out" of America

"THEY TRY SHUT MY DOOR!

Roger roger do you here me over!!!!
the U.S immigration wont let me in!!!!!
i was mennu work with timber startin this week, but now im doin a Akon "im locked out they wont let me in" im locked out! they wont let me in! Now Im strictly making my album outside the borders!!!! so il see you all one day, for now ill keep reportin from the sidelines
to my people who walk wiv me in the America, dont forget we got the internet! Spread the word! or come get me!!!!!! ill be in my bird flu lab in china! liming and drinkin tiger beer with my pet turtel. I love everyone for the support, now i need it more. ill stay up spread out else where."

We think that means that M.I.A. was supposed to begin recording here with producer Timbaland, but immigration problems prevented her from entering the country. So she's stationed elsewhere, working on her second album, listening to Akon, and drinking beer with her turtle.

Various sources report that her lawyers are on the case, but for now, that's all we know. So we're just going to sit here and listen to Timbaland and Nelly Furtado's bananas ridonkulous "Promiscuous Girl" over and over again in protest until our government wises up and lets M.I.A. in.

M.I.A.: http://www.miauk.com/

Former Pedro the Lion Members Release EPs

Bazan will release an EP, Fewer Moving Parts, under his own name. According to a press release, Fewer Moving Parts will feature artwork by "acclaimed graphic novelist Zak Sally" (never mind that he used to be the bassist for Low) and "two different versions [each] of five new Bazan songs [except for "Backwoods Nation", which was previously featured on the Jade Tree compilation Location Is Everything, Vol. 1]. One will be stripped down acoustic and another version will have full instrumentation," full instrumentation provided by Bazan, who performed and recorded the entire EP by himself in his home studio.

We know the release will be available on tour and through Bazan's website starting June 13, but we're unsure of whether the acoustic or the full-band versions of the tracks will come first and whether or not they will be one after another. His website lists the songs in the following order:

Fewer Moving Parts:

Holy War (Making It, Faking It, Breaking It)
How I Remember (Don't Cry, I'm Not Gonna Hurt You)
Backwoods Nation (Here We Go Again)
Fewer Broken Pieces (Precious, Please Make Up Your Mind)
Cold Beer and Cigarettes (The Devil Is Beating His Wife)

Before he returns to the studio to work on his next full-length, tentatively scheduled for a spring 2007 release, Bazan will also be touring both by himself and with friends Vic Chesnutt, Mark Eitzel of American Music Club, and Centro-matic's Will Johnson and Scott Danbom, as Undertow Orchestra. According to Bazan's website, these shows will be collaborations in which the band members "rotate between each songwriter's material, while serving as backing band on various instruments for each other's tunes." All dates are as Undertow Orchestra unless otherwise noted.

Transcontinental:

05-31 Mallorca, Spain - Teatre Lloseta
06-01 Zaragoza, Spain - Casa del Loco
06-03 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Fest
06-06 Porto, Portugal - Casa da Musica
06-07 Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
06-08 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli de Helling
06-09 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club
06-11 London, England - Union Chapel
06-15 Chicago, IL - Schuba's (solo show)
06-16 Cleveland Heights, OH - The Grog Shop (solo show)
06-17 Toronto, Ontario - Music Gallery (solo show)
06-18 Montreal, Quebec - Mile End Cultural Centre (solo show)
06-19 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's (solo show)
06-20 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw (solo show)
06-21 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's (solo show)
06-22 Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live (solo show)
06-23 Washington, DC - Black Cat (solo show)
06-24 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café (solo show)
06-25 Newport, KY - Southgate House (solo show)

Bazan's synth-heavy side project Headphones, of which Walsh is also no longer a member, also has a couple of shows scheduled, conveniently bookending his other dates.

Headphones:

05-28 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
07-01 Seattle, WA - Neumo's (Suicide Squeeze 10th Anniversary Show)

As for Walsh, he is also releasing a limited edition EP of sorts, which will serve as the debut of his band the Soft Drugs. It is titled The Soft Drugs in Moderation and will be released on Walsh's new label, Tower of Song. It features contributions from members of the Crystal Skulls, Sufjan Stevens' band, and who else but David Bazan. "I wish I could quit you," indeed. Here's the tracklist:

01 Defending the Paint
02 The Pitch
03 Brand New Name
04 Don't Sweat It
05 Broken Truces

In Moderation will have a slightly larger release than Bazan's EP. It will appear on the internet and in what a press release calls "select independent music stores" on June 6. Finally, a vaguely Christian rocker using the 6-6-6 release date to its fullest potential! Actually, that would probably include fire, brimstone, and the resurrection of the Stone Temple Pilots' recording career. We'll take the Soft Drugs, in moderation of course.

The Soft Drugs have two shows scheduled, both taking place in June in the Pacific Northwest:

06-22 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern *
06-23 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *

* with Mark Eitzel, Damien Jurado

For those feeling nostalgic for Pedro the Lion, Jade Tree digitally re-released the Tour EP 2004 on May 9, which featured reworked Pedro the Lion originals as well as covers of Randy Newman, Cat Power, and Radiohead songs.

David Bazan: http://www.davidbazan.com/
The Soft Drugs: http://www.thesoftdrugs.com/

New Tunng Album out Today

And if all this weren't enough, it seems the band have been officially deemed kosher by "The OC", which used the Tunng version of Bloc Party's "Pioneers" during its May 4 show (along with the BP original). There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Seth Cohen will spearhead a RISD production of "The Wicker Man" next season.

A limited edition version of Comments of the Inner Chorus will feature two bonus tracks ("Band Stand" and "Bodies"), but this is what will be listed on most back covers (let's hope track seven isn't an Alice in Chains cover):

01 Hanged
02 Woodcat
03 The Wind Up Bird
04 Red and Green
05 Stories
06 Jenny Again
07 Man in the Box
08 Jay Down
09 It's Because...We've Got Hair
10 Sweet William
11 Engine Room

We've got live Tunng if you want it, but only overseas for the time being. Expect to catch the core of Sam Genders and Mike Lindsay-- plus their posse of traveling gremlins playing various appliances and thingamabobs-- in the U.S. eventually. There are no plans for a Stateside release of the new album yet, but hopefully some smart soul will pick it up, like Ace Fu did earlier this year with Tunng's debut LP, Mother's Daughter and Other Songs.

Dates:

05-25 Stockholm, Sweden - Popaganda Festival
06-03 Cheltenham, England - Cheltenham Racecourse (Wychwood Festival)
06-11 Wolverhampton, England - Wulfrun Hall *
06-12 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire *
06-15 Barcelona, Spain - Static Caravan Showcase at Sonar Festival
07-22 London, England - Arts Depot (A Fistful of Twisted Folk)
08-04 Herefordshire, England - Eastnor Castle (Big Chill Festival)
08-12 Leicester, England - De Montfort Hall (Summer Sundae Festival)
08-17 Hasselt-Kiewet, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival
08-19 Crickhowell, Wales - Glanusk Estate (Green Man Festival)
09-08 Downend, Isle of Wight - Robin Hill (Bestival)

* with Gomez

Tunng: http://www.tunng.co.uk/
Full Time Hobby: http://www.fulltimehobby.co.uk/
Static Caravan: http://www.staticcaravan.org/
Ace Fu: http://www.acefu.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.)