Exclusive: Flaming Lips, Metric Reveal Playboy T-Shirts
Plus: Oh No! Oh My!, Illinois

Playboy...t-shirts. There's a paradox in there someplace, no?

While we (ahem) rack our brains over that one, you may feast your lustful eyes on some red hot Playboy pix of designs for t-shirts that will soon cover naked girls (and boys), courtesy of the hotties in the Flaming Lips, Metric, Oh No! Oh My!, and new Ace Fu signing Illinois (from Pennsylvania, go figure).

As you may have read the last time you googled "Playboy + Wayne Coyne", the notorious nudie mag commissioned a bunch of indie favorites (and Lil Jon) to design novelty t-shirts putting "their own personal stamp on the Playboy brand and logo." Those shirts will appear in the March edition of Playboy-- aka the special Sex and Music Special Issue-- which hits newsstands discreetly tomorrow.

You'll soon be able to purchase the t&a-- excuse me, t-shirts-- at select retailers or online at www.shopthebunny.com, and Playboy will auction the prototypes this autumn, with proceeds benefiting LIFEbeat: The Music Industry Fights AIDS.

Check out the Lips' quasi-NSFW design, Metric's word-association piece, and the others after the jump. [MORE...]

Indie Rock Movie Half-Cocked Comes to DVD
Stars Tara Jane O'Neil, Ian Svenonius, Cynthia Nelson, Grifters

Filmmakers Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky will release two of their films on one DVD through their Rumur imprint on February 13.

Half-Cocked (1994) is a 16mm black-and-white film about kids who form a band and tour the country in a stolen van, and it features appearances from Tara Jane O'Neil (Retsin, Rodan, Sonora Pine), Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War), Cynthia Nelson (Retsin, Ruby Falls), and other members of Nation of Ulysses, Rodan, the Grifters, and Lungfish.

The second film, Radiation (1998), portrays a Spanish tour promoter for American bands. It was shot in Spain and features cameos from Will Oldham and members of Stereolab and Come.

Bonus materials in the two-feature DVD package include a making-of documentary, music videos for Gaunt, Spaceheads, Standard, and Red House Blues, and over 400 photos.

There will be several screenings of Half-Cocked across the U.S. in February, beginning tonight February 7 in Richmond, Seattle, and Boston. The latter is a six-day run at the Video Underground. [MORE...]

Smashing Pumpkins Reveal Album Title, Release Date

Smashing Pumpkins announced via MySpace bulletin this morning that they will release a new album, Zeitgeist, on July 7 of this year. 07-07-07! How'd they land that lucky date? Well kids, it's a Saturday, proving that Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin, and whoever the hell else is in the band think they are above and beyond the ways of the music industry (most albums come out on Tuesdays, see). Thanks to various reader tips for keeping us posted on this info.

Since we last reported, the Pumpkins revealed two more European festival dates, one at Nickelsdorf, Austria's Nova Rock Festival, and one at Interlaken, Switzerland's Greenfield Festival. [MORE...]

Maximo Park's Smith Talks Pleasures, Displeasures
"I was listening to [Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury] this morning. I was shouting, 'I don't fear Tubbs and Crockett,' all the way down the street...And I was saying something about being a snowman..."

Maxïmo Park will release their previously reported new album, Our Earthly Pleasures, via Warp on April 2. "Our Velocity" is the album's first single (with a recently Forkcasted video here), and it's due out March 19. Lead singer Paul Smith described the sound of the record in an exclusive interview we did with him in August, but we recently caught up with him to get the scoop on the U.S. release of Our Earthly Pleasures, his opinions of some of his peers, and what he's been listening to lately, including a mutual favorite: Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not revealing any secret information by saying we'll be on Warp again and that [Our Earthly Pleasures] will come out [in the U.S.] around the time [of the UK release], if not on the same day," Smith said. Maxïmo Park also plan to tour the U.S. soon. "I think we'll do one or two tours, depending on if people are interested or not."

Since Maxïmo Park were originally grouped with a whole crop of British bands who recently released sophomore albums (see: Field Music's Tones of Town, Bloc Party's A Weekend in the City, and, slightly less recently, the Futureheads' News & Tributes), Smith also gave us his thoughts on where his band currently stands among their cohorts.

"I know Peter [Brewis] from Field Music quite well, and we were fortunate enough to support Bloc Party and the Futureheads on tour. They're part of our history. Even if I hated them, I'd still be affectionate toward those times, and as it stands I think the unfortunate thing is that we're often lumped in with another section of bands that we don't really have anything in common with, like Kaiser Chiefs or Hard-Fi. Bands like Bloc Party and the Futureheads and Field Music have always tried to reach out for something. [Bloc Party frontman] Kele [Okereke] is always talking about r&b music and stuff that I love, and Field Music don't really care what's cool. They just make records that are totally representative of their tastes, which go in directions not thought of before. And the same could be said of the Futureheads; their first record to me was really exciting. And it made you think about what you're doing. You actually felt challenged by the music, as well as exhilarated. [MORE...]

Feist Announces New Album

Hey, remember Leslie Feist? The girl who used to do raunchy electro with Peaches and is now a contributor to Broken Social Scene and a folky, discoy solo artist in her own right? Yeah, she was all the rage in 2005, wasn't she?

Well, on April 23 worldwide, and May 1 in Canada and the U.S.A., Feist will release the follow-up to Let It Die (not counting the odds-n-ends collection Open Season) It's called The Reminder, and, if previous reports are correct, it features contributions from Jamie Lidell, Gonzales, Mocky, and Renaud LeTang.

Feist has announced a handful of spring European shows in support of The Reminder, with the promise of more to come.

Special thanks to reader Patrick Hurley for the tip. [MORE...]

Patrick Wolf Reveals U.S. Release Details
Caution: Staring at album cover for too long may cause blindness

Yes, the new Patrick Wolf album has a cover. As previously reported, it has a name, The Magic Position, and a UK release date-- February 26 on Loog. And now, it has an American release date-- May 1 on Low Altitude/Universal.

Patrick is riding his horsey/bunny/deer thingy across the UK right now, and American tour dates should be announced shortly. [MORE...]

Joni Mitchell Tribute [ft. Sufjan, Bjork] Set for April 24
Mitchell readying new album, ballet

Photo by Jay Blakesberg

Way back in January (January 3, to be precise), we told you about this craazy Joni Mitchell tribute album featuring Sufjan Stevens, Björk, Prince, and many more. But all we knew then was that it was coming out sometime this spring.

Now, Nonesuch has announced a drop date for A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, and it's April 24. In addition to the aforementioned favorites, Caetano Veloso, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and Sarah McLachlan all attempt to undo the foul injustice committed upon Joni's legacy by the Counting Crows featuring Michelle Branch, or Vanessa Carlton, or whoever that was.

While a tribute album might suggest Joni has slowed down or something, that's pretty much diametrically opposed to the reality here. "I'm doing the work of four 20-year-olds," Mitchell boasted to the New York Times last week. "I've never worked so hard in my life."

The Times also reports that Joni, after a ten year hiatus, has recorded enough songs for a new album, to be titled either Strange Birds of Appetite or If. And she's got a ballet on the way. A longtime dancer herself, Joni collaborated with Jean Grand-Maître and Canada's Alberta Ballet to create The Fiddle and the Drum. The show opens February 8 in Calgary (as part of the Alberta Ballet's "Dancing Joni" program) and features a bunch of the lady's music, including two brand new songs: "If" and "If I Had a Heart, I'd Cry". Learn more here.

Lord hopes it will be better than that Dylan musical.

Bright Eyes Reveals Cassadaga Tracklist, Euro Dates

Bright Eyes (aka Conor Oberst) has revealed the tracklisting for his sixth full-length proper, Cassadaga, which is due April 10 via Saddle Creek. No word yet on Polydor's overseas release date for the album.

In support of the disc, Bright Eyes will embark on a short U.S. tour later this month. A handful of European dates have been added since we last ran a Bright Eyes tour update.

The Cassadaga preview EP, Four Winds, lands March 6, once again courtesy of Saddle Creek.

Oberst is, of course, joined by producer Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott on Cassadaga. The album also includes guest contributions from M. Ward, Gillian Welch, and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and the Jicks.

Speaking of guest contributions, keep in mind that Oberst co-wrote and lent vocals to "The Ballad of Sean Foley", a song from Maria Taylor's sophomore solo LP, Lynn Teeter Flower. The record arrives March 6 on-- well, we think you can guess which label. [MORE...]

Soft Circle (ex-Black Dice) in Full Bloom on Debut LP

While not quite the bastard lovechild of Soft Machine and Circle (and not to be confused with either), Brooklyn's Soft Circle has a pretty good psychy-proggy-droney thing going on. The nom-de-rock of ex-Black Dice/ex-Lighting Bolt member, current Pixeltan member, street drummer, and multi-instrumentalist Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Soft Circle gently serves up his debut LP, Full Bloom, today (February 6) via Eastern Developments.

With plenty of sitar, chanting, and tribal drumming, Full Bloom should be perfect for your next drug-related gathering. You'll probably hear traces of Boredoms and Boris, to name a few, and you'll probably see bugs crawling all over your arm, man! OH MY GOD, GET THEM OFF!!!

But seriously, it's mostly tranquil, hypnotic, uplifting stuff. Soft Circle celebrates the release of Full Bloom with a live gig at New York's Tonic on March 1. [MORE...]

Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Mogwai Join Fans' ATP
Also: Patti Smith, Battles, Edan, Explosions in the Sky, Current 93

ATP has been busy gathering requests for ATP Versus You (the Fans), and festival organizers' recent efforts have resulted in the addition of Mogwai, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Battles, Patti Smith, MCs Edan & Dagha, Explosions in the Sky, Ghost, Current 93, Tall Firs, Alexander Tucker, and Capricorns to the lineup. A complete list of confirmed bands is below.

Offers are currently on the table for Wilco, the Postal Service, Yo La Tengo, Les Savy Fav, Wolf Parade, and...Chavez (!!). Dear ATP, since Fugazi is unavailable, we will settle for Shudder to Think and Wu-Tang (group and solo sets for everyone except maybe Masta Killa and U-God).

The top five artists on the fans' wishlist who are not on the confirmed, offered, or unavailable lists are ranked as follows: Lightning Bolt (1), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (2), Blonde Redhead (3), Tortoise (4) and the Knife (5).

As previously reported, ATP Versus You (the Fans) will take place at Butlins Minehead in Somerset, England from May 18-20.

Don't forget about the Dirty Three-curated ATP, either. Its lineup includes Joanna Newsom, Cat Power, Low, Spiritualized, and Nick Cave and Grinderman, and it takes place at Butlins Minehead from April 27-29. [MORE...]

John Cale Travels With Circus

John Cale will release his new album, Circus Live, via EMI on February 19 in the UK. The record-- which was recorded on recent European tours-- will be available as both a triple gatefold vinyl edition and as a CD/DVD package with a 48-page booklet. The set includes a couple of Velvet Underground songs, Cale's cover of "Heartbreak Hotel", and "Hanky Panky Nohow" from his recently re-released Paris 1919.

Graphic novelist Dave McKean designed the sleeve of the vinyl record, which will also come with an exclusive poster and a bonus 7" of recent single "Jumbo in Tha Modernworld" with "GravelDrive (Blathamix)" as the B-side. The audio portion of the DVD will feature both of those tracks, along with the "2007 version" of "Big White Cloud". The video portion is footage of Cale and his band rehearsing five acoustic and five electric songs in Los Angeles. A new interview and the promo video for "Jumbo in Tha Modernworld" are also included as extras.

Cale is currently on a huge tour of Europe in support of the album. [MORE...]

Deerhunter Announce North American Tour

Atlanta noise-rockers Deerhunter have confirmed their previously mentioned tour in support of their recently Best New Music'd album Cryptograms. The boys will hit the road in March and April, accompanying the Ponys for several dates.

Deerhunter's trek includes a couple of SXSW stops, including one at our very own Pitchfork Music Festival Party on March 16 at Emo's and Emo's Jr. [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.)