Photos: Matthew Dear's Big Hands [Chicago, IL; 04/21/07]

Thanks to a bassist and a drummer lovingly dubbed Big Hands, Detroit electronic music phenom Matthew Dear was free to bring his vocals to the fore at this past Saturday's Empty Bottle gig in Chicago. Handling laptop, knobs, and the mic himself, Dear previewed this new three-piece ensemble and performed a bunch of songs off the forthcoming Asa Breed, the debonair gent's sophomore full-length, out June 5 via Ghostly International.

Dear provides the tempo at quite a few electronic ragers in the coming months, under both his Big Hands and Audion guises.






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Hot Chip's Taylor Talks DJ-Kicks, New Album
"It's a dance record for the most part...there's no room for things like Willie Nelson on there."

Hot Chip took the plunge into taste-revealing waters with the creation of their forthcoming DJ-Kicks mix, out May 22 via !K7. We recently spoke with Alexis Taylor, the British quintet's frontman, about the mix, the follow-up to The Warning, how the band juggles so much remix work, and their love for Diana Ross.

Hot Chip are still on tour, and their previously reported U.S. dates continue April 25 in Austin. They celebrate their DJ-Kicks comp with a series of newly-minted DJ after-parties in June.

Pitchfork: How did you narrow down tracks for the DJ-Kicks mix? Did you look to your established influences or did you lean toward newer songs that you guys are into?

Alexis Taylor: We were just thinking mainly about what we were listening to right now, so it wasn't a "Hot Chip's Biggest Influences" CD. If it had been, we would've tried to get more Devo and Prince and Robert Wyatt, Funkadelic, various people who aren't represented at all on that CD. But it gets a bit difficult to think that it's going to define us, so we didn't really bother with that.

It was just what we're into right now, what records we bought recently. It's representative of something we might DJ. We wanted to make it an interesting experience for people to listen to at home. It's not meant to be the definitive reasons for Hot Chip sounding the way they do.

Pitchfork: Was there a fear, going into it, of being pigeonholed after revealing what you listen to?

AT: Not at all, no. I don't really care if people know what I listen to. It's actually quite nice to tell people what you like. But it doesn't represent much of what I currently listen to because it's a dance record for the most part, and there's no room for things like Willie Nelson on there.

It's just quite nice to make mix CDs for people to listen to, even if you're making them for your immediate family or friends. And once in a while something like this comes along, and it's involving all five of us. It's slightly different from that, but it's not too far away. We tried to make something that would be interesting to people, and fun. I don't know if it is or not, but that was our attempt. [MORE...]

Dixon Nabs Yorke, Schwarz for Get Physical Body Mix

The staff of German electronic label Get Physical reached beyond their normal stable of artists to name DJ Dixon as the curator of Body Language 4, the latest in the Body Language series of mixes, which came out today (April 24).

Dixon, aka Steffen Berkhahn, joins Jesse Rose and Get Physical artists M.A.N.D.Y. and DJ T on the list of Body Language curators, and for his mix, the Berlin DJ nabbed tracks and remixes by Thom Yorke, Henrik Schwarz, Chromatics, and Timo Maas.

Dixon's mixin' will go live at dates scheduled in Chicago and New York City in May. [MORE...]

Domino to Reissue Sebadoh's Debut

It would seem lo-fi legends Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein, and Eric Gaffney of Sebadoh are on a navel-gazing kick; following last year's deluxe reissue of their seminal III record, they return with a repackaging of sorts for the pre-Loewenstein group's first full-length The Freed Man, due from Domino July 10.

Never before treated to a proper CD release (and not to be confused with The Freed Weed, the 1990 release cobbled together from parts of Freed Man and Weed Forestin'-- or "The Freed Pig", for that matter), The Freed Man is a fascinating look at the infancy of the Harmacy boys, and a darn fine listen itself. The reissue boasts a healthy 52 tracks, besting the Homestead Records original's 31 by, uh, math.

Sebadoh, trio-style, just wrapped up their reunion tour last week. Of course, we'd be remiss in issuing Lou Barlow news without reminding you of some other Barlow project called Dinosaur Jr., whose totally tubular Beyond drops May 1 from Fat Possum. Dino's impending tour kicks off May 11 in West Hollywood. [MORE...]

Ex-Tapes 'n Tapes Bassist Saves the World on Tour

Shawn Neary has moved on from Tapes 'n Tapes (he played bass on The Loon) to bigger things, like saving the world. Because, see, his new band is called Seymore Saves the World, and there's no way they just play music. They must fly around on golden horses repairing the hole in the ozone layer and installing water filters in Africa, right?

Apparently, even superheroes take breaks to record and tour, because the band just released their self-titled debut via Royalty, Etc. Records, and they kick off a U.S. tour April 27 in their hometown of Minneapolis.

In addition to Neary, the band consists of keyboardist/vocalist Scott Hefte and drummer Michael McGregor. But even though none of them are named Seymore, they will have even more dates than the ones below very soon. [MORE...]

Exclusive: Justice Reveal Debut LP Details

French electronic duo (no, not that one... or that one) and Kanye West fan club presidents Justice will release their symbol-heavy † (that's a cross in case your browser hates on certain characters) on Vice Records/Ed Banger July 10.

† includes Pitchfork's 35th favorite track of 2006, "Waters of Nazareth", as well as "D.A.N.C.E.", released in single form this week. The long-awaited full-length debut from pious producers/remixers Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay will bring due process to the world through the summer, and, although the Justice league is currently only scheduled for a handful of live dates, you can expect that to change soon. [MORE...]

Franz, John Cale Cover LCD Soundsystem on Single
LCD retaliates by covering Joy Division

When LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy sang about all his "Friends" on this year's good-as-gold Sound of Silver, who knew he was talking about kewl folks like Franz Ferdinand, John Cale, Erol Alkan, and Joy Division?

Yet all these characters crop up on various configurations of the latest Silver single, "All My Friends", out May 21 via DFA/EMI. On that date, folks overseas will have the opportunity to purchase three different versions of the Silver standout. The first of two 7"s includes an Erol Alkan-produced cover of the song by Franz Ferdinand and an LCD cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost" on the flip, while on the second 7" Velvet Underground viola vet John Cale gives "Friends" a go. The CD option, meanwhile, includes Franz's take and something new called "Freak Out/Starry Eyes". Or pass on doors one, two, and three for door number four, a 12" edition of "All My Friends", out May 28.

LCD Soundsystem, undeterred by foiled chart-topping ambitions, launch a North American tour at Coachella this weekend (with buddies Prinzhorn Dance School opening), then rock the European festival circuit all summer long. [MORE...]

Qui Sign to Touch and Go for Miracle

After some eight years in hibernation, David Yow (of Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid fame) has rejoined the Touch and Go roster as a member of Qui, the L.A. duo he recently expanded to a trio by joining on vocals.

In a statement about the signing on Touch and Go's website, the band, which also consists of Matt Cronk and Paul Christensen, said, "To say that we are beside ourselves about being on Touch and Go would be an understatement of the highest regard. We have, in fact, surrounded ourselves." Seems this signing is so special that it transcends the realm of physical possibility!

Qui's Touch and Go debut will be their second full-length record and the first with Yow in tow. That disc, titled Love's Miracle, includes covers of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" and Frank Zappa's "Willie the Pimp" and comes out September 11. According to the same website announcement, the album is "a raucously heavy ode to the depletion of abrasive and intrusive music this decade." Sounds like Yow hasn't missed a beat since his original Touch and Go days.

Qui will tentatively tour behind Love's Miracle in September and October in the U.S., and in November in the UK and Europe. They currently have three shows scheduled for this spring and summer.

Fittingly, Touch and Go posted footage this week from Scratch Acid's reunion gig at last fall's 25th anniversary festival. Scope it here, if you dare. [MORE...]

Decemberist Funk Gathers Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble
Covers Radiohead, Massive Attack, the Pretenders, Fleetwood Mac

Until now, Chris Funk's claim to fame as a Decemberist was getting swept away in a whirlwind of truth (oh, and playing guitar and more on all those records people seem to like). So, in striking out on his own, Funk called in backup, recruiting the help of Thom Yorke, Chrissie Hynde, Liz Fraser, and Lindsey Buckingham. Well, sorta.

May 15, Funk's Flash Hawk Parlor Ensemble will release Plastic Bag in the Tree via Portland's Hush Records (aka the Decemberists' original home). It's a collection of capital-F Funk originals and a mess of covers, with the ensemble tackling the likes of Radiohead, Massive Attack, the Pretenders, and Fleetwood Mac. Far from the bombast of his other band, Flash Hawk could be described as bleary acid-folk written, as Funk says on the band's MySpace page, "in a haze fueled by fellowship, libations and other unmentionables."

Flash Hawk will take it to the streets on a few West Coast dates in between Decemberists tours. Peep MySpace for a gushing stream of tracks, including a take on Massive Attack's Mezzanine standout/House theme song "Teardrop". [MORE...]

Long Blondes Plot North American Tour at Last

Just in time for the June 5 release of Someone to Drive You Home in North America via Beggars, the Long Blondes have finally announced a tour of our fair continent as well.

The new dates start June 6 in Brooklyn and end June 15 in Los Angeles, but they come sandwiched in between the band's previously reported European and Japanese dates, which are currently scheduled from May through August. In early August, the Blondes beat the heat by embarking on an Australian tour. Thanks to alert reader Philip Runco for the heads up.

In related news, the Long Blondes contributed an art-inspired track called "The Unbearable Lightness of Buildings" to an audio-visual exhibit at London's Tate Modern. Beginning May 1, you may hear the track here. [MORE...]

San Fran Film Fest Gets Jonathan Richman, Xiu Xiu
Plus: Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Tarentel, more

The San Francisco Film Society's annual festival-- which celebrates its 50th anniversary with this year's event, going down April 26-May 10-- will host several events tying live music to a number of classic films.

May 5 sees a program titled Notes to a Toon Underground, which finds members of Xiu Xiu, Jason Lytle (late of Grandaddy), and a whole mess of others soundtracking 'toons with tunes of their own composition. April 27, noted San Fran oddball Jonathan Richman will also lay some noise behind Victor Sjöström's bizarre 1921 classic The Phantom Carriage.

Meanwhile, on May 10, Tarentel and Halou will help conjure a psychedelic multimedia experience at Mighty. Also appearing at the fest is actor/director Joan Chen, who'll provide narration for Guy Maddin's latest dizzying feature, Brand Upon the Brain! on May 7. Chen's work behind the lens of 1998's Xiu Xiu: the Sent Down Girl directly influenced the name of one of your favorite bands. No, not Rascal Flatts! Think harder.

Throughout the festival's two-week span, there'll be Bay natives performing film fest events; a full schedule can be found by clicking right here.

In related news, Jason Lytle plays the Club Pow! event at Sacramento's Press Club on May 7.

Patti Smith Talks New LP, Rock Hall, Inspiration
"I had this dream that I heard this voice going 'you have to do [the Doors’] 'Soul Kitchen'." And I woke up and I go out on the street and then this truck comes and it’s blaring ‘Soul Kitchen’. I was like, 'OK. I'll do the damn song."

In 1974, poet, activist, and rocker Patti Smith, then dizzy with youth and desire, performed a poem, "Piss Factory", about inspecting pipe in Jersey. "You know the fiery potion is just about to come," she wrote. "I'm gonna be a big star and I will never return."

Last month, after nine albums, 33 years, and two children, Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the Ronettes, Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash, and Smith super-fans R.E.M. After dedicating the honor to Fred "Sonic" Smith, her late husband, she launched into her 1978 song "Rock n Roll Nigger"-- apparently her mother's favorite song, and also an indirect challenge to prim media outlets covering the concert. (The New York Times called it only "a punk anthem about being 'outside of society,'" which, uh, totally narrows things down.)

Today, April 24, Columbia will release Smith's tenth album, Twelve, which consists entirely of covers of the likes of Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and Nirvana. It features contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, Smith's daughter Jesse and son Jackson, and playwright Sam Shepard, among others. On the morning of her induction, Smith spoke with Pitchfork about Twelve, politics, inspiration, that fiery potion and those big stars. [MORE...]

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