Stream: RJD2: "You Never Had It So Good"

RJD2 wasn't kidding about changing directions. He's completed mixing his new album for XL, due out March 6 and listed as being titled The Third Hand on his MySpace page, and this is the first peek for the public. The opening of the track sounds like it was recorded in one of Mario's cloud levels, and the rest of it is all carefully downstroked guitar and mannered piano that sees Spoon's Kill the Moonlight at family reunions. RJ has used these elements before, but he's never been more deliberate about making them fit into a pop framework. In fact, too much deliberation might be the song's fault: it's recorded beautifully, but it feels a little stiff.

Stream: RJD2: You Never Had It So Good [from the forthcoming The Third Hand LP]

Evangelicals Offer Halloween Song, Tour
Jesus was totally a zombie

The mp3 is "The Halloween Song", featured in this Halloween e-card and a special treat from the band that was not featured on their Misra debut, So Gone.

The tour kicks off tonight with a special Halloween show at Oklahoma t-shirt favorite Eskimo Joe's in Stillwater. The tour continues into December and includes a bunch of dates with Annuals. [MORE...]

MP3: Evangelicals: The Halloween Song [mp3]

Video: Bonnie "Prince" Billy: "Cold & Wet" + Photos

Video: Bonnie Prince Billy: Cold & Wet [from the The Letting Go LP]

Figurines' Hjelm Talks New Album, Facial Hair
"I'm actually very content with the volume of this beard at the moment."

Denmark's Figurines unexpectedly took the Pitchfork office by storm earlier this year with Skeleton, a record brimming with peppy, sinfully-catchy indie pop tunes played with relentless vim and jovial abandon. While Figurines' incessant touring will finally come to a close this weekend at CMJ, the four-piece won't be settling down for long, as they set off to record Skeleton's follow-up early next year.

Pitchfork recently chatted up chief Figurine Christian Hjelm about the new record's direction, the band's Stateside success, tourmates Tapes 'n Tapes, and the seasonally-appropriate hair that presently adorns his face. [MORE...]

MP3: Figurines: The Wonder [Infinite Mixtape #4; from the Skeleton LP]

David Pajo Talks Possible Slint Reunion, Dead Child EP
Plus bonus Dead Child MP3

Fresh off the release of his second solo album as Pajo, 1968, the always-busy David Pajo is gearing up for the release of an EP by his newest project, the previously reported metal band Dead Child. He's also starting to think about the feasibility of a Slint reunion.

"I've been kind of talking to the Slint guys again, and we've been trying to figure out what we should do with ourselves," Pajo said in a recent interview with Pitchfork. "We're sort of attempting to exist as a band again, but we don't want to-- whatever is precious about Slint, we don't want to step on that. We want to play together again, but we've been trying to figure out what our next step should be if we do anything at all."

So what would be the determining factors in deciding just what that next step is? "It's mostly just what everybody wants to do with themselves. There was a huge gap between the 2005 reunion and the last time we played together [before that]. We've spent all this time developing our own lives, and it's kind of hard to put everything that you've been working on for the past 14 years on pause so that you can do Slint again. Brian [McMahan] wants to go back to school, and people have different things that they want to do with themselves, so we're trying to find out if there's even a window where we could all work together in the same capacity again. Me and Britt [Walford] and Brian have this camaraderie [where] there's so much that we don't have to explain to each other, that we just understand when it comes to putting songs together, and it seems like kind of a shame to not do that, even if it's not under the name Slint. I feel like we should continue to play together." [MORE...]

MP3: Dead Child: Never Bet the Devil Your Head [from the forthcoming Dead Child EP]

Magneta Lane Kick Off Tour
Plus: New track, new video

Who knew that backing off the beef led to hyper-productivity? Alt-rock trio Magneta Lane have laid off the Like and instead put their feisty energies toward a new video, acoustic demo track, and Canadian tour.

The Sean Wainsteim-directed video, fashioned for Dancing With Daggers number "Wild Gardens", is an earthy production that would put even Mary Lennox to sleep. The hazy clip does, however, have a few highlights, including some White Stripes "Hardest Button to Button" video camera tricks.

A rough draft of a new Magneta Lane track, "September Came", recorded acoustically in Los Angeles last spring, can be streamed from their MySpace. The song in its final form ("pimped out with different lyrics") will take a slot on the band's upcoming, currently untitled release, due next year.

Magneta Lane hit the road with k-os tonight, kicking things off in Toronto. The Canadian jaunt will run through early December. Oh, and we know it's a bummer, but you'll likely have to check those dancing daggers at the door.

"Wild Gardens" video:

[MORE...]

Stream: Magneta Lane: September Came [from the forthcoming untitled LP]

Photos: Voxtrot [Austin, TX; 10/28/06]

Halloween weekend in Austin inevitably turns out hundreds of costumed carousers in the middle of Sixth Street, and last Saturday was no exception. Inside Emo's it was a more gentlemanly affair, with Voxtrot frontman Ramesh Srivastava taking the stage in a rented tux. Srivastava's "wife" (assuming no actual married couple would dress up like it was their wedding day again) appeared late in the show bearing full champagne glasses to celebrate keyboardist Jared Van Fleet's 24th birthday. A toast was made.

Throughout the set, Srivastava grinned and joked, obviously riding as high as the crowd was on the anticipation for the group's forthcoming EP Your Biggest Fan, and the band's ever-elusive debut LP, due sometime early next year. But despite all the loose talk and Saturday night good vibes, the band did not lose track of the quiet intensity that drives the best of their first two EPs.

Jason Chronis' bass rode a taut, quickly-moving course through the heart of each song, whether it was new material or previously released (the set was roughly split in half). That made up slightly for the diminished emphasis on Srivastava's vocals (which Chronis' basslines often mimic) in the live setting. It's not as if the singer's voice wasn't heard; it's just hard to follow the lyrics at a show, and more often than not Chronis could tell the story just as well.

If there could be one real complaint lodged against Voxtrot this time around it's that the rock side of their sound was amped up at the expense of their pop songcraft, and that at times the band did lose their knack for nuanced shifts and transitions. Each song's components barreled into one another, leaving a little desire for a quieter set. But that's a minor reservation, and it's only made in the face of a fun time, so really it's no complaint at all. It's spoiled to complain like that, actually!

For more photos and Voxtrot's remaining tour dates, see below. [MORE...]

CMJ Kickoff Guide
Let's Get It: CMJ Motivation 101

Jenny Lewis Guests on VietNam’s Debut
Band releases digital EP, tours with the Lemonheads

The Brooklyn quartet's self-titled LP was recorded in Los Angeles and, as such, some relatively famous names contributed to its creation. Jenny Lewis, Paz Lenchantin (Zwan, A Perfect Circle), and the Future Pigeon horn section are all featured on the album; Jason Lader and Beachwood Sparks' "Farmer Dave" Scher helped produce it. VietNam also features contributions from not one but two members of that indie-est of bands, Maroon 5: a guest spot from keyboardist Jesse Carmichael and production from bassist Mickey Madden. The entire album can be streamed here.

The band will whet the appetites of hungry fans with the digital release of the "Welcome to My Room" EP on November 3. The EP's title track and "Hotel Riverview" are both also featured on the full-length, but the third song is the non-LP track "Goodbye", which was recorded live at Trinity St. Paul United Church in Toronto.

To top it all off, VietNam will kick off a North American tour with the Lemonheads after playing three dates at CMJ in New York this week, the first of which is with fellow up-and-comers Bound Stems, Professor Murder, and Annuals. [MORE...]

MP3: VietNam: Welcome to My Room [from the forthcoming VietNam LP]

Gnarls Barkley Reissue, Upgrade St. Elsewhere
Set to tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2007

Cribbing the "put out the Christmas trees before Halloween" move from your local K-Mart, Gnarls Barkley have announced the holiday release of a limited edition St. Elsewhere CD/DVD package.

The set, due November 7 on Downtown/Atlantic, is, according to a press release, "bound in a deluxe o-card adorned with 3-D lenticular rendition of the album art." Looks like Danger Mouse picked up a few tricks from Gorillaz.

The St. Elsewhere reissue includes a new 92-page booklet featuring a flipbook and other expanded artwork, while the DVD holds four Gnarls Barkley videos: "Crazy", "Smiley Faces", "Gone Daddy Gone", and the never-before-seen "Go Go Gadget Gospel". Audio tracks from the pair's April 16 "Top of the Pops" performance ("Crazy") and May 19 "Later with Jools Holland" stint ("Gone Daddy Gone") will also be included.

According to their MySpace blog, Gnarls Barkley are contemplating radio-play for the "TotP" "holiday version" of "Crazy", and they want fan input.

In other news, Gnarls Barkley aren't completely blowing off October 31. Earlier this week, the duo linked to a YouTube video from its MySpace. The clip documents a Donnie Darko-themed Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse photoshoot for URB Magazine, and it's pretty silly.

Next month, the boys will knock off a short European tour before returning to the States for a Bang! Music Festival appearance and a San Francisco New Year's Eve Eve stint with the Flaming Lips. They will embark on a three-month trek through the U.S. with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in January, though dates for this are currently unconfirmed.

Finally, Gnarls Barkley took home a "Left Field Woodie" trophy at mtvU's 2006 Woodie Awards last week. The event will be broadcast on November 2. [MORE...]

Video: Gnarls Barkley: Who Cares? [from the St. Elsewhere LP]

Justice Invade America

Break out the vodka, apple juice, Coca Cola, and human-sized crosses, because Justice are crossing the pond for a rare trek through the U.S., and their tour rider requirements must be met. And, after all, they. are. your. friends., and must be treated as such.

The Parisian duo have sandwiched their brief American jaunt between two chunks of European and Japanese performances. Select dates will feature the pair alongside such party-starters as the Rapture, MSTRKRFT, Hot Chip, and Digitalism. [MORE...]

Stream: Justice: Waters of Nazareth [full EP]

Stream the Entire Sufjan Christmas Box Set!
Bonus: Sufjan reviews horror films

Happy Halloween, kids! What better way to celebrate than with 42 Christmas songs? That's right, thanks to the folks at Asthmatic Kitty, Sufjan Stevens' previously reported Songs for Christmas box set is now streaming in its entirety on the AK website. All five discs of it. So while you're slipping into that George W. Bush mask or that sexy maid negligee this evening, groove to such holiday favorites as "Silent Night", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!", and, um, "Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)".

Also, Songs for Christmas is now available for pre-order, with a shipping date of November 14. It arrives on store shelves on November 21--just in time for Thanksgiving. The perks of waiting for the physical product are manifold, as the five-disc set comes with stickers, an essay by Rick Moody, a music video and a comic book by Tom Eaton, a "Christmas Songbook with lyric sheets and chord charts," and, last but not least, the "Official Original Christmas Family Portrait of Santa Sufjan painted by Jacques Bredy."

Asthmatic Kitty is in a very generous mood today, and their cup runneth over with Suf-goodies. In addition to the box set streams, AK has posted a series of horror film reviews by Mr. Stevens himself, which reveal the man to be quite the connoisseur.

"I've watched so much gore that modern horror films look farcical," Sufjan explains. "I'm no longer a fan of the teenage slasher. It's not scary anymore. It's just messy and tedious."

Damn! So much for the whole mild-mannered indie-folk pansy reputation.

For Sufjan's thoughts on Night of the Living Dead, Decasia, Eraserhead, Hell House, Glen or Glenda?, and, yes, An Inconvenient Truth (scariest movie of all time!!!), click here.

Stevens' list is part of Asthmatic Kitty's growing "sidebar" section of their website, in which artists, label employees, and friends share their thoughts on a variety of topics. In addition to the Sufjan horror-fest, there's a Castanets tour diary, Half-Handed Cloud's visit to a museum exhibit about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Shapes and Sizes' thoughts on Sebadoh, World Series game recaps, album reviews, and much more.

Stream: Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas [full box set]

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