Alias, Lusine, Murcof Remix My Brightest Diamond

When we think of My Brightest Diamond (aka Sufjan compatriot Shara Worden), ponies, orchestras, and churches spring to mind-- but the last thing we think is "remix album dance party wamp wamp whoa!" Which makes our thinking just plain wrong, because My Brighest Diamond has announced a remix disc, Tear It Down, set for release on March 6 via Asthmatic Kitty.

Alias, Lusine, Gold Chains, Stakka, Murcof, and many more each play a part in reworking material from My Brightest Diamond's debut, Bring Me the Workhorse.

And while that sinks in, we'd like to remind you that Shara's scheduled to launch a European tour in early February. [MORE...]

Stream: Death Cab for Cutie: “Rocking Chair" (The Band cover)

My Morning Jacket + The Band = good combo.

Death Cab for Cutie + The Band = the sadness.

Ben Gibbard slathers his sappy voice on this deep cut from the Band's self-titled second album (where it was called "Rockin' Chair"); the resulting DCFC hit-and-run is set to appear on the forthcoming Endless Highway Band tribute compilation, out via 429 Records on January 30.

It's a shame that Death Cab don't do much more with this song than make it sound like a Transatlanticism B-side, and Gibbard's disinterested lullaby croon does no justice to the lived-in feel of a song with the lyric, "I'm pushing age 73." Even more depressing: the other songs on Endless Highway.

Deerhoof, Lightning Bolt Guy Do Cassette Club Songs

Digital music certainly has its benefits, but sometimes, we just feel that nostalgic pang for some old fashioned cassettes. And where there's nostalgia pangs, there's the Deathbomb Arc Tape Club, which will enter its third year in 2007.

Subscribers to the program will receive one tape per month (latecomers get a bunch at once, then one per month), each featuring lengthy exclusive tracks from two artists.

Acts for next year include Deerhoof, Fat Worm of Error, Black Pus (featuring Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale), Can't, and tons more.

In addition to the 12 cassettes available through the regular subscription program, members can earn a big bonus for a slightly higher price-- six extra tapes curated by Jessica Rylan of Can't. Her list of musicians, currently incomplete, includes Captains of English, Julia Holter, Timeheater, and more at this point in time. For a full roster, click here.

Smog, Shearwater, Weird Weed Play Austin Benefit

'Tis the season to be jolly, and what's jollier than the act of giving? Especially when Smog's Bill Callahan, avian folk-rockers Shearwater, and Nick Hennies (of the Weird Weeds) & Brian Sookram give you guys live performances for giving them money-- which they in turn give to charities SafePlace and Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Pretty nice chain of events, yeah?

Despite a serious lack of snow, these three acts will rock "Wintershow", scheduled to take place at Austin's Mohawk venue on December 23 (doors open at 3 p.m.). Additional makers of music are expected to join the bill prior to the benefit concert, so lay the smack down on your inner Scrooge and pony up for two great causes: charity and quality live music.

Jeff Tweedy Announces Solo U.S. Tour

Wilco might be resting up for next year's new release (tentatively slated for a March unleashing on Nonesuch), but Jeff Tweedy isn't ready to break from the road just yet.

In mid-January, he will embark on a two-week solo jaunt that kicks off in Memphis and winds its way around the South and Southeastern United States. According to Wilco's website, more dates are on way, but for now, details are under wraps. And unfortunately they're not our wraps, so just hold your horses and stay tuned.

As previously reported, Nels Cline recently embarked on a December European/U.S. tour. He has since extended the journey to include shows in February, at which he and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche will make several appearances together. In addition, Cline contributed to M. Ward's "To Go Home" single, which is slated for February 20 release on Merge.

Finally, John Stirratt and Patrick Sansone's duo the Autumn Defense have a self-titled album due January 16 via Broadmoor Records. [MORE...]

Stream: The Boy Least Likely To: "Little Donkey"

You've heard the tale of the journey to Bethlehem, but never like this. Usually, it's all "OMG Mary's preggers and can't find an inn, poor thing!" But did you ever think about the unfortunate "Little Donkey" that had to carry all that weight?

Probably not, but the Boy Least Likely To have it covered, naturally. Last year, they released a track, "Little Donkey", on limited edition CD for a fan giveaway. Now, it's available once again, this time digitally via Too Young to Die Records, exclusively through Rough Trade Digital for £0.99.

The song, which is streaming on the band's MySpace page, will be available from Rough Trade up until New Year's Eve.

As previously reported, the Boy Least Likely To will head out on a UK tour with the Little Ones and Loney, Dear (both on all dates) in January.

The pair is currently in the studio preparing its sophomore LP. [MORE...]

Axl Gives Chinese Democracy Tentative Release Date
Cancels four tour dates

Axl Rose is trying to stir up interest in his long-irrelevant band again, and he's doing so with a couple of announcements. Let's start with the typical: Guns N' Roses have canceled their four January tour dates (three in California and one in Nevada), and Axl is blaming the band's management for the poor handling of Chinese Democracy's alleged release.

More unexpected is Axl's official announcement that Chinese Democracy is tentatively scheduled for a March 6 release-- and the fact that he did so in an articulate (!) letter on the band's website. Newsflash: Axl Rose can write a sincere letter of apology to his fans. We're not ruling out the possibility that he employs a letter writer for these kinds of things, but we must say that we're impressed nonetheless. Not that we're any more interested in Chinese Democracy now than we were before.

Read the full text of Axl's letter-- which is quite long-- below, followed by Guns N' Roses' remaining four tour dates and the four that were canceled. [MORE...]

MP3: Rock Plaza Central: "SexyBack" (Justin Timberlake cover)

Our pals over at Cokemachineglow had the rather brilliant idea of soliciting folks like David Thomas Broughton and Rock Plaza Central to perform the unlikeliest of covers for their forthcoming "CMG Fantasy Podcast Vol. 1". And yes, by some devilish machinations, they managed to get the latter to cover Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack"-- you know, the one that divided the JT ranks until "My Love" sailed in and brought everybody together again.

Slowing things down to a trot, pulling out some woozy horns for the second verse, and wisely dumping all of Timbaland's bridge-barking, RPC imbues what was a sleazy come-on track with the same sense of foreboding that colors much of the Pitchfork Recommended Are We Not Horses? Or consider it this way: if Timberlake's beckoning you back to his place for a little whoopy-makin', RPC's Chris Eaton sounds like he's luring you back for some serial killin'. Yikes.

Plus you can practically see him rolling his eyes as he spouts quips like "V.I.P." and "Look at those hips." CMG kindly lent us the track to share with y'all, so have a listen by clicking below.

The covers podcast goes live next week. Swing over to cokemachineglow.com then to check out "SexyBack", along with Broughton covering Cat Power's "The Greatest", new Anticon signing SJ Esau doing (God help us) another cover of "Crazy", Ned Collette taking on TV on the Radio's "Hours", Shugo Tokumaru handling Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" and Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home", and offbeat selections from the Red Giants, Monster Bobby, Flying Lotus, Emperor X, and more surprises.

Sufjan, Witmer Are Friends of Rosie Thomas

Sufjan alert! Our banjo-plucking, States- songwriting, Christmas-boxing stealer of hearts hooked up (in a purely musical sense, you gutter-dwellers!) with pals Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer in New York earlier this year to record a batch of songs by Rosie, who sought to escape the pressures of worldwide fame and acclaim and make music the old-fashioned, on-the-fly, inspired way.

Seems these sessions proved fruitful enough to warrant the release of an album, Rosie's fourth, titled These Friends of Mine. It's out now in digital format and should have a physical release in March 2007, courtesy of Rosie's own label, Sing-a-Long Records, partnered with Nettwerk. Sufjan sings backing vocals and plays instruments on a number of These Friends' ten tracks, which include covers of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird", and Witmer's own "Paper Doll".

Best of all, you can stream a pair of songs from Rosie's new disc right now at her website and MySpace: "Much Farther to Go", which features a prominent Sufjan backing vocal, and "Kite Song", an innocuous ballad touched with strings and piano. They're pretty coffeeshop-ripe and a bit Jesus-y, which is great if you're into those things. Even if you're not, you may enjoy them for their pleasant nature and competent arrangements and production. And because you love all things Sufjan. Admit it, you do. [MORE...]

Mary Weiss, Ex-Shangri-La, Readies Solo Debut

Mary Weiss, lead singer of 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las (who you may remember from having songs at #30 and #20 on Pitchfork's 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s list), will return from 40 years of hibernation with her solo debut album. The album is titled Dangerous Game and features all originals except for a remake of Shangri-Las B-side "Heaven Only Knows". Weiss is backed on the album by Memphis garage rockers the Reigning Sound.

Norton Records will release Dangerous Game on March 6. [MORE...]

Video: Portastatic: "Song for a Clock"

Move aside Zach Braff. You too, Luke Wilson. Portastatic, aka Mac McCaughan, is on to your tricks. The Merge head honcho has nabbed Garden State's wallpaper mishap (save the matching shirt) and The Royal Tenenbaums' hair-cutting catastrophe (save the suicide attempt), and combined the two for a far less depressing scene in his new video for the Be Still Please number, "Song for a Clock".

Violinist Margaret White makes an appearance as well, adding an interesting element to Portastatic's humorously literal ear-lowering.

However, an insomnia-documenting clock is the clip's star.

[MORE...]

Clipse Release HHNF Companion Mixtape

Clipse have teamed with mixtape-meisters Mick Boogie and Wally Sparks to release Rock Muzick, a mixtape companion to their excellent new album Hell Hath No Fury. The mixtape features Hell Hath tracks, freestyles, and even two "throwback bonus tracks" (including very early single "The Funeral") at the end, according to Boogie and Sparks' League Crew website.

Contributing MCs to the mixtape include Biggie, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, the Game, Fam-Lay, UGK, Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, and Ab-Liva, of Clipse's four-man Re-Up Gang. Also on two tracks is Lil Wayne, who we thought was on poor terms with the Thornton brothers, not that they have to be in the same room to record a track together. Come to think of it, Biggie-- assuming the name refers to the late Notorious B.I.G.-- isn't even in the same time period. We're guessing this means the involvement of some Diddy-style cut-and-pasting in at least one instance, which must be what the press release refers to with the phrase "creative remixes."

Rock Muzick is available for purchase here, and Clipse do indeed have it for cheap: only seven dollars. They are just talking about mixtapes, right? [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.)