Stream: TV on the Radio Covering They Might Be Giants
Plus: "Province", "Wolf Like Me" Napster Live Sessions

Wow, remember Napster? Because there simply aren't enough websites offering exclusive live sessions these days, the resurrected file-sharing giant-- now doing things the legal, boring way-- has stepped to the plate with the (subversively?) redundant "Live NapsterLive" series, according to their rawked-out logo.

Boasting exclusive live sessions and/or interviews from luminaries like Papa Roach, Teitur, Rick Ross, Sandi Thom, Default, and Barlowgirl (and okay, the Walkmen, Herbert, Sparks, Akon, Magneta Lane, and Earlimart), the series promises "raw, acoustic, intimate" music-making, and recently tapped none other than TV on the Radio, who shared an offbeat cover and two Cookie Mountain jams with the headphone-wearing cat alien thing.

Unlike their recent AOL Interface session, these aren't the least bit "acoustic." TVoTR tackle They Might Be Giants' "Dead", floating the quirky yet strangely profound ditty about reincarnation and expired groceries over a warm, fuzzy bed of looped guitars and such, harmonizing and overlapping vocals in a manner that might make a choral director cringe while an indie kid squeals with delight. They also contribute a blandly faithful version of Cookie's "Province" and an inspired, rough-edged take on "Wolf Like Me".

You may download the tracks from $0.99 each or $2.95 for all three-- or stream them whenever you like for free by pimping your e-mail address to Napster. Just click on the song titles.

In other TVOTR news, their video for "Wolf Like Me" is up for the MTV2 show "Subterranean"'s best videos of the year list. You can vote for it by going here on MTV's godawful website and clicking on "vote". The top ten vote-getters win the fantastic, orgasmic prize of...airing on the December 17 episode of "Subterranean"! What good fortune!

Bonnie "Prince" Billy Does Stand Up Comedy!
Neil Hamburger to record folk record in Iceland

What did Bonnie "Prince" Billy say to Justin Hawkins?

Now I see a Darkness!

What did Bonnie "Prince" Billy say when he saw a chicken cross the road?

Ease down the road!

See, telling Will Oldham jokes is hard. But maybe the man himself will have an easier time at it, as he's scheduled to make his public debut (as far as I know) as a stand-up comedian on December 19 at Weeds in Chicago. It's part of the monthly "People Under the Stares" comedy series put on by Drag City and the Empty Bottle; Chicago comedian Kumail Nanjiani is also on the bill.

The best part? Tickets are only seven bucks! What a very small price to pay for a memory that will last a lifetime.

The Fall Reveal Reformation Post T.L.C. Tracklist

Since we last delivered news from the Fall, Mark E. Smith & co. have made a few minor adjustments on their forthcoming Narnack release, due March 13 of next year.

First of all, the album is going by Reformation Post T.L.C. these days, not Reformation. Track title "My Door" has lengthened as well; it is now "My Door Is Always Open". Additional songs include "Insult Song", "Over! Over!", and "Systematic Abuse".

The record's front cover will feature a picture of the band from rock photographer Bob Gruen.

As previously reported, two Fall-related books are also set for stores in 2007. Smith's autobiography, Renegade: The Gospel According to Mark E. Smith, is due on April 26. The second, Perverted by Language, is a collection of short fiction inspired by the Fall's songs; it will hit shelves on June 28. [MORE...]

Low Unveil Drums and Guns Tracklist

Just yesterday, rather than keep it on the down low, we gave you the lowdown on the new disc from slowcore giants Low, newly titled Drums and Guns, set for a not-so-low-key March 20 release on Sub Pop. We also, quite clearly, exhausted our well of Low jokes.

Today, we present the tracklist, reprinted below, featuring previously mentioned titles like "Pretty People", "Breaker", "Hatchet", "Violent Past", and a new version of the stunning "Murderer", originally released on low-run, super-limited edition vinyl. Not surprisingly, nothing's changed since yesterday: Dave Fridmann still produced, new bassist Matt Livingston still handled the low-end, and Low still take to the road tonight for a brief series of Christmas fundraisers. Take it from Lil Jon, and get Low this holiday season. [MORE...]

Rob Crow Preps Solo Disc, Fires Up "Robcore" Label

Having Pinned Back his Goblin Cock for now-- and ditching the Ladies this time around-- Rob Crow reemerges in raw solo guise on January 23 with the release of Living Well, via Temporary Residence.

The disc has Crow cawing through fourteen tracks, including "Bam Bam", "Chucked", "Burns", and "I Hate You, Rob Crow". Living Well boasts two versions of said self-deprecating number, and hilariously, the "Single Version" is longer than the "Album Version". Stream the former by clicking the link below.

Headbangers might want to check their air guitar skillz at the door, however, as Living Well-- the follow-up to 2003's My Room Is a Mess (Absolutely Kosher)-- features "intensely personal lyrics which document Crow's courtship with his wife, their marriage, and the subsequent birth of their first child," according to a press release. If anybody can make such topics RAWK, however, it's daddy Crow.

Our chilled out patriarch will take to the road in support of the new album beginning in February, dates to be announced. But don't think for a second he'll be slowing down in the time before then-- instead, Crow, whose wristwatch must run at half-speed, is starting a record label.

Robcore, as he's lovingly titled it, delivers its inaugural release-- Wake Up Swimming by Other Men-- on March 20. Touch and Go will handle distribution for Robcore.

And finally, Crow's Pinback-- who have a new LP on the way in 2007-- contribute to the warmly-received O.C. Mix 6 with a cover of Black Flag's "Wasted", as previously reported. Word on the beach is it's pretty god-awful. [MORE...]

Exclusive: Decemberists Issue DVD Handbook
Stephen Colbert claims he invented DVDs, challenges band to Sudoku match to the death

While the Decemberists are busy using their major label money to get themselves into skirmishes with fake newscasters, the label from whence they came, Kill Rock Stars, has announced the release of the band's first DVD.


The Decemberists: A Practical Handbook includes the band's November 4, 2005 concert at Portland's Roseland Theater in its entirety, as well as a documentary about the band called "Paris Before the War" and the videos for "The Tain", "The Bachelor and the Bride", "16 Military Wives", "The Soldiering Life", and "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect".

Kill Rock Stars will release the DVD on March 20. The band's set list for the November 4 concert is listed below the jump.

In other Decemberists news, there is a tantalizingly short "Making of The Crane Wife" clip up on YouTube now. We can only imagine the in-depth interviews and pitch-perfect explanations of the recording process to come. But for now, content yourself with "Part 1", i.e. a bunch of random "aw shucks" shots of the band in the studio.

[MORE...]

Exclusive: Clinic Announce 2007 Dates

In anticipation of the U.S. release of their fourth album, Visitations, via Domino on January 23, Clinic have announced North American tour dates.

They have a sold-out show in London on December 14 and one in Glasgow in February, and they will hit American shores on March 2. According to a press release, "these shows will be their only appearances in these markets in 2007," so fanboys-and-girls have three months to decide which color surgical mask to wear.

On February 5, Domino will release the single for "If You Could Change Your Mind" from Visitations. [MORE...]

Hey, Where Did That Optimo Download Go?

As some of you may have noticed, earlier today, we posted an exclusive mp3 download of Optimo's "Essential Mix" for the BBC. Then it disappeared. What happened?

Well, hosting a two-and-a-half-hour dance mix put quite a bit of strain on Pitchfork's server, especially since the mix was so popular that a billion people tried to download it at once. We hope to have it back up by the weekend. So sit tight. Believe us, it's worth the wait.

Blood Brother, Dälek, Braxton Remix Minus the Bear
Plus: Pretty Girl, Fog, Alias, P.O.S., Crystal Skull, IQU, Plan B (U.S.)

Wayyy back in July, when your skin was being scorched by the sun rather than frostbitten by the wind, we told you of a good Bear called Minus and a cadre of remixers set to re-envision that Bear's 2005 set Menos El Oso. With all those Bear bands bumming around of late, after all, a remix disc might be just the thing to lift Minus above Volcano, Grizzly, Huggy, and Panda on the hallowed last.fm charts.

Well we're now quite pleased to share the complete tracklist and title for Interpretaciones Del Oso, due February 20 via longtime Bear den Suicide Squeeze. The disc once again features remix work from O, Hunter (aka Morgan Henderson of the Blood Brothers), the Oktopus (aka Dälek), Fog, Tyondai Braxton (also of Battles), J. Clark (aka Jay Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves), Alias, P.O.S., Dark Baby (aka Yuuki Matthews of Squeeze labelmates Crystal Skulls), IQU, Michio (aka Monostereo), and Plan B (the Seattle dude, not the UK grimester).

Minus the Bear wrap up a UK tour tonight and tomorrow, and their clip for "Pachuca Sunrise" is in the running for video of the year on MTV 2's "Subterranean". Vote for it here. [MORE...]

Cornelius Schedules Sensuous Shows, Plans Release

Keigo Oyamada, aka Japanese electro/pop/noise auteur Cornelius, has scheduled a trio of dates in Australia in order to play songs from Sensuous, an album he released last month in Japan but which has yet to find a home anywhere else.

Since Cornelius is no long on Matador, he is currently looking for a distribution partner with whom he can release Sensuous in the U.S., possibly with bonus tracks. He hopes to release the album around the end of April, though nothing concrete has been determined.

Cornelius' Australian dates begin December 6 in Sydney and end December 9 with an appearance at the Meredith Music Festival alongside Band of Horses, Tapes 'n' Tapes, and Girl Talk, among others. [MORE...]

Explosions in the Sky Tour With Eluvium, pAper chAse

Seems every time the four mild-mannered gentlemen of Explosions in the Sky swing back through town, the venues are twice as large and the kids are twice as excited-- I mean, if you were desperate for a pun or something, you could say these guys are blowing up.

This time around, however, they're clearly stricken with a severe case of the glums, as evidenced by the title of their latest longplayer, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone-- which drops February 20 via Temporary Residence, as previously reported. But rather than gazing longingly at old photos of everyone, they're getting their asses out of bed and coming to visit as much of everyone as they can, you know, given the quantitative enormity of everyone.

After a pair of NY gigs and a hop, skip, and jump through Europe, the Texas post-rock foursome sweeps across the U.S. and Canada with T. Residence ambient buddy Eluvium-- who has a record due early next year as well-- along for the ride. Spitting in the face of all that graceful, instrumental nonsense will be fellow Texans the pAper chAse, who open a bunch of dates. The connection? John Congleton of the chAse produced Miss Everyone. [MORE...]

Clap Your Hands Reveal New Album, Post MP3s

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have finally spoken. The Brooklyn/Philly five-piece has titled its forthcoming self-released record, which is due on January 30, though fans can download it from the band's website on January 16. The album is titled Some Loud Thunder and is also set for a UK landing courtesy of Wichita and additional distribution through V2.

The band has made two tracks available for download. "Love Song No. 7" is a long, languid piano ballad that sounds like Aerosmith's "Dream On"...if Aerosmith were intentionally creepy and liked accordions. "Underwater (You and Me)" shows off producer Dave Fridmann's signature majesty, with chiming bells and what sounds like pedal steel. Another track, "Satan Said Dance" is streaming on the Clap Your Hands MySpace right now, but we can't get it to work right now.

As previously reported, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah recently wrapped up a U.S. jaunt with Architecture in Helsinki and Takka Takka. The three groups' live tour EP, initially only sold on the road, can now be purchased online. Please note that the opener, "Some Loud Thunder", is also the title track on the new record.

Finally, we'd like to remind you that CYHSY will take on Europe alongside Cold War Kids and Elvis Perkins this February. Beforehand, however, they'll bring in the New Year at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom. [MORE...]

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.)