MP3: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone: "Graceland"

Casiotone's Owen Ashworth (who found his cat, praise the heavens) manages to turn Paul Simon's buoyant travelogue into a painfully lonely journey from one dark bedroom corner to another on this mopey cover of "Graceland".

Forgoing all that tribal-y stuff, Ashworth instead intones at us exasperatedly from the left speaker channel over a fuzzy drum machine and some droning synth chords, hits us with a slightly jarring noise breakdown, and effectively swaps the original's bold hues for dour grays. Come to think of it, despairing, chubby Elvis might dance to this, slowly and awkwardly.

This loving cover appears alongside a Xiu Xiu remix of CFtPA's "Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in a Yellow Shirt" and B-side "Sunday Street" on the limited edition "Graceland" 7", available now. Only 500 copies exist, so take one home with you today via Chicago's Rococo Records.

Infinite Mixtape #54: Baby Teeth: "The Simp"

Comically theatrical hair-rock died with the Darkness, but "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and "Love Is Only a Feeling" proved pyrotechnic pomp can also be spectacularly addictive, ironic or not. But if Chicago-based trio Baby Teeth aren't necessarily ironic, they're at least shit-silly: The title track off their forthcoming album (due early next year on Lujo Records) packs enough earthshaking riffs, goofball showboating, and anthemic bluster to fatten the entire fifth grade at the School of Rock.

The Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger has said, "We've never played with a band that sounded so much like Queen," although they're not quite that batty. And unlike their glossy novelty prankster contemporaries, Baby Teeth know great midwestern anthems need at least a little midwestern heart, and that's the visceral, pumping pulmonary core that makes this track the perfect roof-down joyride for backstreet summertime slumming.

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#0054 > Baby Teeth: "The Simp"
[from The Simp; Lujo Records]
Info: [Baby Teeth] | [MySpace] | [Lujo]

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// Previously on The Infinite Mixtape:
#0053: Indian Jewelry: "Lesser Snake"
#0052: Rock Plaza Central: "My Children, Be Joyful"
#0051: Deerhunter: "Spring Hall Convert"
#0050: Benoît Pioulard: "Palimend"
#0049: Frida Hyvönen: "I Drive My Friend"
#0000: All Previous Infinite Mixtape Entries

Nigel Godrich's Show With Yorke, Stripes Revealed

"From the Basement"-- the previously reported internet television show created by superproducer Nigel Godrich and featuring live performances by Thom Yorke, the White Stripes, Beck, Jamie Lidell, and Four Tet's Kieran Hebden with drummer Steve Reid-- will make its first episode available via iTunes and its website on December 18. The price per track will be £1.89, with each episode running £9.48.

Yorke, the Stripes, and Hebden and Reid are the artists featured in the episode, which was filmed in high-definition without host or studio audience at London's Maida Vale studios with live sound by Godrich.

Yorke performs solo piano renditions of the new Radiohead songs "Videotape" and "Down Is the New Up", the White Stripes played "Blue Orchid", "Ugly As I Seem", and "Red Rain", and Hebden and Reid improvised a one-off piece titled "Mom's Marmalade". The trailer is now available at the link below.

The second episode of the download-only show will be available in February 2007.

Cancer Claims Founding Velvet Teen Drummer

We are saddened to report that Logan Whitehurst, former drummer for much-loved California trio the Velvet Teen, passed away yesterday from brain cancer. He was 29.

Whitehurst co-founded the Velvet Teen with Little Tin Frog bandmate Judah Nagler around the turn of the century, and played on the band's early EPs and two full-lengths-- 2002's Out of the Fierce Parade and 2004's Elysium, both released via Portland imprint Slowdance Records. Whitehurst exited the band after Elysium, and the Velvet Teen welcomed new drummer Casey Deitz for this year's Cum Laude.

"Logan was an incredibly special and endlessly gifted person," wrote Slowdance Records owner Ezra Caraeff on the label website.

"Possibly the most grounded and mature person I have ever met, Logan also had the pure joy of a child, always approaching life with a[n] inspiring sense of optimism, despite how downright unfair (my words, never his) things can become. I speak for everyone involved with this label, its bands and those associated with us, when I say that Logan will be missed terribly...If you ever were lucky enough to meet him, you'll know why I am saying these things."

Friends and fans expressed similar sentiments on the Velvet Teen's MySpace page, as well as that of Whitehurst's solo project, Logan Whitehurst & the Junior Science Club.

Logan battled brain cancer for some time-- successfully it seemed-- until it returned in August of this year. "According to my doctor and a recent brain-and-spine scan, I have had a hell of a recurrence of brain cancer," wrote Logan in a profoundly sad MySpace blog entry dated August 30, 2006.

"My doctor is fairly well convinced that this will kill me within the year. Sucks to be me right now. I will do what I can to get the Very Tiny Songs album out on Pandacide Records, but it looks like it will honestly be my very last release. Thank you all-- I love you for being there for me."

We offer our deepest condolences to family, friends, fans, and all whose lives were touched by Logan.

Videos: Camera Obscura: "Primer", "Let's Get Out of This Country"

Merge Records is lending a hand to those still unsure of what exactly Camera Obscura are all about. In a 10-minute "primer" shot by Blair Young (with some additional footage from Francis MacDonald), edited by David Arthur, produced through the Forest of Black by MacDonald, and also directed by MacDonald (whew!), the lives and personalities of each Camera Obscura contributor are revealed, as is the band's group dynamic.

Each member takes a turn at being evaluated by their Camera Obscura peers. Guitarist/vocalist Kenny McKeeve is "loveable" and "a bit self righteous." Vocalist/guitarist Tracyanne Campbell has "lots of frocks." Bassist Gavin Dunbar is an "optimistic" "gentle giant" who "likes eggs." Drummer Lee Thomson is a "fiery," "temperamental," "mad as a hatter" "sharp dresser" and "good guy, good drummer." Trumpeter Nigel Baillie is "charming," "diplomatic," and "saw the moon-landing on TV." Pianist/organist/vocalist Carey Lander is "quiet, except when she's had a drink in her" and "like a little sweet kitten licking milk off a bowl in winter."

Well, that was helpful.

After the meet and greet, Camera Obscura explain their June 2006 Merge release Let's Get Out of This Country, detailing the whole as well as specific tracks.

Viewers also have a chance to get acquainted with the collective's favorite and least favorite things ("peace and quiet," "being winked at," "corn sausages" and "pretentious people," "people who make assumptions," "litter bugs," "the 62 bus because it's quite scary," respectively).

Following the getting-to-know-you, Camera Obscura's video for title track "Let's Get Out of This Country" (from Blair Young through the Forest of Black) seems appropriate. The band is presented in a natural state; they're playing in a living room, sprawled across couches with coffee mugs and cups. The mood of the clip is communicated largely through facial expressions rather than a complex plotline. And Camera Obscura do indeed make a move to leave the country, taking equipment-packed rowboats out on a lake with them. Their destination is unknown to the viewer, but despite some drizzly weather, the band seems happy enough just to be going somewhere.

"Let's Get Out of This Country":

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Video: Alex Kapranos With the Cribs and the Evaporators: "Take Me Out"

Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos is one of the world's coolest dudes, beloved by rock and hip-hop stars alike, with an awesome girlfriend, a position on just about every Best Dressed list, and even a side career as a food critic.

So what does such a suave, cosmopolitan dude do on a Saturday night? He hangs out with a bunch of hairy shirtless guys in a Ukranian Hall in Vancouver.

That's right: this past Saturday, December 2, Kapranos was a surprise guest at Mint Records' "Ridiculously Early Xmas Party", belting Franz's "Take Me Out" backed by members of the Cribs and Mint band the Evaporators.

It was all captured on glorious video, and uploaded to YouTube. Click on the magic box below and watch Evaporators frontman (and notorious multi-media rabble-rouser) Nardwuar the Human Serviette pull off a keyboard solo while crowd-surfing, then pull Kapranos and his Cribs buddies up on stage. Bask in the glory that is Kapranos' scruffy beard and moustache, as he hams it up singing his band's hit while standing next to an enormous bare-chested guy playing the bass. And finally, feel the suspense as Nardwuar leaps off of a keyboard stand and onto the outstretched hands of Kapranos and his stage-mates.

BONUS: HEAR A CLIP OF ALEX TALKING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE WITH CBC RADIO 3 HOST GRANT LAWRENCE BY CLICKING ON THE DOWNLOAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY! (THANKS, CBC RADIO 3)

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Clipse Hold Contest to Find Mixtape Guest

Hell Hath No Fury was okay and all, but Malice and Pusha T are already moving on. The Virginia brothers and their label, Re-Up Gang/Jive, are holding an online contest to find an MC to guest on We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 3: The Spirit of Competition, their "first mixtape of 2007," according to a press release. Does this mean there will be more than one?

Ambitious MCs can enter the "Clipse Golden Mic Freestyle Battle" by visiting www.clipseonline.com/micbattle, choosing to either represent one of three contest partners (HipHopDX.com, Ballerstatus.com, and CrackSpace.com) or enter independently, and uploading video freestyles. On December 20, after voters decide the top four MCs from each category, a round-robin tournament will begin. The winner will then appear on Vol. 3.

In a press release, Pusha explained the motivation for the contest by saying, "Tapping the net is a great way to reach fans because we feel that you are reaching the truest form of music lover. This promotion caters to the hungry, searching, passionate fan and gives them an outlet to express themselves and be a part of the music they love."

His advice to contestants consisted of three elements: "Honesty: if the listener can feel the honesty, you will lock them in. Metaphors: the better you draw parallels. [It] makes the verse more memorable. Cohesion: make the freestyle make sense!"

While you're uploading your own videos, make sure to watch the promotional video interview with the duo, as linked below. Yeah, they're from Virginia and know Pharrell and like the underground, but what really makes the clip worth watching is how they act when they're not talking: restless, staring intently. Please, someone give them both hugs. Maybe Young Jeezy?

Juno Reunite for KEXP Gigs

Juno what? I just made a terrible pun. But you'll have to forgive me, because you see, I'm rather deliriously excited over the fact that moody, mathy indie rock quartet Juno is reuniting for a pair of radio benefit gigs.

Led by professional snowboarder Arlie Carstens, Seattle-based Juno entered our lives in the mid-1990s, delivered a couple very solid discs via DeSoto Records, and quietly parted ways a few years back. (Carstens now plays in Ghost Wars). They would fit snugly on a mixtape alongside Jawbox, Kill Sadie, Atombombpocketknife, numerous Dischord acts, and certain Les Savy Fav jams, if you prefer to measure your music in mixtape terms.

Anyhow, rejoice with me now as Juno join forces once again for two very special shows at Seattle's Neumos! It's all part of KEXP's 4th annual Yule Benefit, going down December 9-10, for which all proceeds go toward the station's venerable future pursuits.

What's more, KEXP has tapped some ace openers for these gigs, including Ted Leo and his trusty Pharmacists, Junior Boys, Cold War Kids, and Annuals. A note to the underaged: the December 9 show is 21+, however there are a mere 50 all-ages tickets available for the next night's gig.

"It's for a good cause and should be fun, weird, and I imagine-- deeply loud. Bring earplugs," writes Carstens about the reunion gigs on Ghost Wars' MySpace.

His new bag, meanwhile, has been recording, but recently had a bunch of material stolen as part of yet another laptop theft disaster. That sucks, don't Juno? [MORE...]

Mr. Lif, The Coup Survive Bus Accident
UPDATE: Remaining tour dates CANCELED

On December 2, the tour bus carrying Mr. Lif, the Coup, DJ Big Wiz, and other members of their touring entourage crashed and caught on fire. Everyone survived, but the tour is not scheduled to continue. Definitive Jux label head El-P released a statement explaining the accident and the current state of those involved, which we have printed below in its entirety.

"Approximately 40 miles outside of San Diego the tour bus that Mr. Lif, the Coup, DJ Big Wiz, Metro, and other friends of theirs were on flipped over and burst into flames. Miraculously, everyone managed to escape with their lives. There were injuries suffered in varying degrees ranging from minor to serious, but everyone is essentially OK and getting treated in various hospitals.

The bus and everything in the bus was destroyed in the fire. The most serious injuries were sustained by DJ Big Wiz, Zahra (friend and merch assistant to Mr. Lif), and SILK-E (The Coup). They are all being looked after now and beginning the process of recovery. Everyone else (Mr. Lif, Metro, the Coup) is battered but relatively unscathed. For obvious reasons, the tour will most likely not continue. Right now the dust has yet to completely settle, but once it does we will provide fans and friends who are concerned with info on how to reach out to the injured parties and express well wishes.

We are all incredibly grateful that our amazing friends and fellow musicians survived this serious event.

Sincerely,
El-P and Definitive Jux"

In the case that the tour does continue in some capacity, here are Mr. Lif's remaining dates. Check with your local venue for show status.

UPDATE: THE TOUR HAS BEEN COMPLETELY CANCELED [MORE...]

MP3: The Shins: "Split Needles (Alternate Version)"

The album version of the Shins' "Split Needles" is a daydream of a tune, floating by on lazy acoustic guitars and synth waves like little fluffy clouds.

This version, from the "Phantom Limb" CD single (and available for free download for a limited time from Amp Camp), is quick and punchy, imagining what XTC circa Drums and Wires might have done with the track.

The original "Split Needles" will appear on the new Shins album Wincing the Night Away, due out January 23 on Sub Pop in the U.S. and January 29 on Transgressive in the UK.

As previously reported is the Shins' brief West Coast tour, starting this week in Seattle. On January 5, the band will perform and be interviewed on NPR's World Café. [MORE...]

Subtle Robbed for $15K; Doseone Resorts to Portraiture

Bands, it's a hard road.  Shoplifters, petty thieves, and till-skimmers aren't just characters in Hold Steady anthems: As we've said a million times before, dudes will actually steal your shit.

Pitchfork-Recommended avant-hop sextet Subtle got jacked hard in Barcelona recently, as their laptops, livelihoods, and entire tour earnings-- a cool $15,000 altogether-- were nabbed from their tour van, according to several MySpace bulletins posted by Subtle mastermind Adam "Doseone" Drucker. "We are devestated," wrote Drucker to Myspace friends of Doseone. "This loss has been a very serious body blow to the band...."

According to Drucker, the crook(s) ran off with bags belonging to him and fellow Subtle member Marty Dowers. "In my bag was my glasses, passport, nanoloops, psp, laptop, and every penny of the tour money....in short this theif [sic] got a 15,000 dollar bag....."

Subtle had just wrapped up months of touring, which included a U.S. stint earlier in the fall and a bunch of European dates that brought them to Barcelona. Apart from Subtle finding themselves a good $10,000 in debt now, the fiends ran off with some priceless items as well. "I have also lost everything important to me which i can not afford to replace," wrote Drucker. "New subtle demos, solo songs, poems, artwork, you name it, they were all on my laptop...."

"Everything except my foreskin," Dose jokingly added in a later bulletin to MySpace friends of Subtle.

On the bright side, Doseone reports that he "backed up the 10,000 words for the next subtle record...so at least the most irreplaceable thing of all is still here."

And he's got a plan to earn back the lost funds: portraiture. For a mere $20 donation, Doseone will "do a personalized portrait of you or whoever you would like a portrait of" from a photograph you supply. Whether you're sympathetic to the Subtle cause or simply curious, that's a mighty fine deal. Place a request for your very own Van Dose by clicking here.

Ted Leo Reveals Touch and Go Debut Album Details
Also breaks up fight

Ted Leo + Pharmacists will be Living With the Living on March 20, as the gang has revealed that phrase as the title of their new album.

The band's 15-track Touch and Go debut was produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty and was recorded at Massachusetts' Long View Farm Studios, as previously reported. Song titles include "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb", "Fourth World War", and "Army Bound" (which can be heard, in demo form, by clicking the link below). So yeah, it's safe to say that the record is politically charged, though reportedly not openly so.

Leo currently has three dates scheduled-- two December gigs in Seattle (one with Death Cab for Cutie, and one as part of KEXP's Yule Benefit), and, as previously reported, one March slot at San Francisco's Noise Pop festival. He + Pharmacists will hit the road again closer to Living With the Living's release.

The crew recently wrapped up a North American tour, some of it with Leo's brother Chris' group, Vague Angels. On November 24, the siblings and their respective bands stopped by Asheville's Grey Eagle, and, according to text and video accounts from Pitchfork reader Jason Martinez, things got a little rowdy.

"There was a guy in the front row that was 'on something' or really, really wasted," Martinez writes. "He was dancing really weird-like. At the encore he got up on stage and took hold of the microphone and started yelling at the crowd, calling them boring because they weren't dancing and going as crazy as he was. So some guys took him off the stage and then Ted Leo comes out and the video I have starts at this point."

Martinez's footage captures Leo performing an a cappella (like the original) cover of Billy Bragg's "Tender Comrade", half of "Dirty Old Town", and "Treble in Trouble". During the middle track, the aforementioned 'guy in the front row' starts a scuffle. Fortunately, Leo manages to break it up with some a little tambourine lovin'.

"Ted Leo is so Punk Rock!!!" Martinez commented.

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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.)