Lee Perry Tours, Guests on Andrew W.K. TV Show

Seventy-one-year-old reggae, dub, and general production pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry will begin a casual stroll along the East Coast (in shoes like these, we hope) tonight in Cambridge, Massachusetts. NYC combo Dub Is a Weapon, who've worked with Perry before, will serve as his backing band.

Perry's East Coast dates end just a week after they begin, but he currently has four August dates scheduled in California, with more West Coast dates forthcoming.

Like Sir Paul McCartney, Perry is planning to work with Starbucks on an upcoming 2007 release, though details behind that deal have not yet emerged.

UPDATE: THE STARBUCKS PROJECT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

One Perry project that does have a few (albeit still semi-vague) details attached to it is his appearance on a forthcoming TV show called "Smokeshow". The creator and host of the program is none other than talkative party animal Andrew W.K., who will interview Perry for his appearance on the show at an early stop on the aforementioned tour.

Between interviews and special guests, "Smokeshow" will also document Andrew W.K.'s wide assortment of activities and performances (rocking, public speaking, applying grease to his hair, etc.). The show is tentatively scheduled for a fall or winter premiere. [MORE...]

Black Lips Look Ahead for Autumn Tour

Fresh off the June 4 release of the "Cold Hands" 7" (the follow-up to this year's live Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo LP) and a just-completed UK tour, Black Lips are already marking their calendars for the fall.

The Vice Records crew will pair up with fellow Atlantans the Selmanaires to tour North America in September and October. The tour begins September 12 in the bands' home state and ends October 7 in New Orleans.

Thanks to Rich Vining for the tip. [MORE...]

Animal Collective Plot Revenge on North America!

Just as the last distant rumble from the previous Animal Collective stampede subsides, the wily foursome strikes again with another North American tour announcement.

Panda Bear, Avey Tare, and those other guys will spread another coating of Strawberry Jam across U.S. and Canadian cities, beginning September 5 in Boston. This journey wraps up with a two-night stand at New York's Webster Hall in late September/early October. All this happens after, of course, the Collective's European rampage.

Then there's that dapper fellow Panda Bear, who finally plays those dates he announced back in 2001 or whatever this month. [MORE...]

Kevin Drew Preps LP for Broken Social Scene Series
Tour shaping up for fall

At last, some rock solid news from the notoriously slippery Broken Social Scene camp!

Central Scene figure Kevin Drew will release a solo album of sorts on September 18 via Arts & Crafts. Technically titled Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew, "Spirit If...", the LP was produced by Drew, along with fellow BSSers Ohad Benchetrit and Charles Spearin (both also of Do Make Say Think). It collects Drew-penned tunes recorded at Benchetrit's place intermittently over the past two years.

The disc will feature a bunch of the soundtrack-scoring Broken Social Scene regulars, and a few outsiders as well, which makes it an awful lot like a BSS disc, but not. The tracklist has not yet been finalized. According to the A&C press release, "The record unfolds like an emotional comic book. It's Drew's song-writing and all his favourite topics are addressed: fucking, fighting, fearing and hope. FFFH."

FFFH is just the beginning, however. Spirit If..., as it turns out, is but the first in a planned series of Broken Social Scene Presents releases. Fellow Scene captain Brendan Canning is presently recording the second volume, which should see release in early 2008. Knowing these guys, that probably translates to late 2011.

What's more, Drew, Canning, Justin Peroff, and some new Scene initiates will embark on a "Broken Social Scene Presents" tour this fall to showcase new material from this series. No concrete dates yet, but Stars-struck Scene-ster Amy Millan does have some of her own gigs lined up, as does Apostle of Hustle.

Hot Chip, Simian, Justice Go Wild in the Country
So do Underworld, Ricardo Villalobos, Soulwax Nite Versions, 2manydjs

Though its name may conjure images of some unfinished John Mellencamp/Dwight Yoakam filmic vehicle (or, um, girls in bikinis and cowboy hats), Wild in the Country is, in fact, quite a formidable dance festival, rolling into its 15th year June 30.

Hertfordshire, England's Knebworth Park will rattle at the strains of such dance luminaries as Hot Chip, Ricardo Villalobos, Simian Mobile Disco, Justice, Underworld, Soulwax Nite Versions, 2manydjs, Tiga, Erol Alkan, Tiefschwarz, and mess of others, some of whom will jostle the waking dead as the end is nigh for the festival's 6 PM-6 AM bill.

No word about on-site camping on the festival website, but one could hardly be blamed for catching 40 winks around the 5 o'clock hour, right?

Flight of the Conchords Sign to Sub Pop, Prep EP

Sub Pop has managed to combine its comedy kick, its kiwi kick, and that whole recorded music kick that's been the Seattle label's specialty for some 20 years now with one brand new roster addition: Flight of the Conchords.

Yes, Flight of the Conchords are a pun-loving musical comedy duo from New Zealand. But wait, don't turn tail and run just yet. They are actually relatively funny in a not-too-terribly-obnoxious way, perhaps vindicated a great deal by those lovable accents and, in a first for comedy, humility.

And that's not all-- shortly after signing to Sub Pop, Flight of the Conchords scored a deal with HBO. Their very own TV show, inventively titled "Flight of the Conchords", premieres on the premium network June 17. Take a sneak peak at the first episode here. I mean, if these guys got a TV show, they must be funny, right?

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, as they're known when not in flight, also have a Sub Pop EP en route to your iPod. It's titled The Distant Future, and comes out in the not-so-distant future, on August 7 (same day as the new album by their paisanos the Brunettes, wouldn't you know). They hope to follow that up with a full length at some point between the The Distant Future and, um, the distant future.

The Conchords also tour a bit in the coming weeks, and alight on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" June 18.

Finally, Clement stars in the upcoming quirky indie comedy flick Eagle vs Shark, which opens nationally June 15. [MORE...]

Robert Wyatt Conducts Comicopera With Eno, Weller
Also with Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera

Psych rock's favorite Santa Claus, Robert Wyatt, returns this fall with his latest longplayer, the self-produced Comicopera. It's the former Soft Machinist's first disc for Domino Records, as previously reported, and it comes down chimneys a little prematurely this year, on September 24.

Wyatt enlisted a few jolly elves for this one, including longtime pals and past Wyatt album contributors Brian Eno, Paul Weller (The Jam, the Style Council), and Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music, Quiet Sun). Also onboard were several noted jazz musicians, Robert's wife Alfie Benge, and something the liner notes call the "enotron," which apparently refers to the voice of Brian Eno as manipulated by Robert Wyatt. I so totally want an enotron for Christmas this year.

Like any good opera, Comicopera is divided into three "acts," laid across one compact disc/slab of vinyl/iTunes playlist. On the LP's third act, Wyatt delves into the poetry and music of Federico García Lorca, Italian rockers CCCP, and Cuban composer Carlos Puebla. Comicopera's opening track, meanwhile, is a cover of a tune by Norwegian singer-songwriter Anja Garbarek.

Comicopera follows up Wyatt's 2003 LP Cuckooland, and next time you get the Trivial Pursuit card that asks, "Who wrote the press release for Robert Wyatt's Comicopera?" you'll get your damn pie piece, because it's Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip. According to Taylor, "There is so much to find, and to return to, in the generous company of this record." [MORE...]

Spiritualized Schedule Shows, Hint at New Album
Ladies and gentlemen, we are playing in Norway

The long-dormant stoner colossus that is Spiritualized seems to be making the first gasps toward an escape from hibernation. The band will fire off some lazer guided melodies on the road for a lean lot of European festival dates this summer.

It should be noted that these sets are "acoustic mainlines" shows "accompanied by strings and gospel singers," and will feature a mix of Spiritualized jams, Spacemen 3 cuts, and the music of others.

In other Spiritualized news, there's also a cryptic note at the end of the band's MySpace "About" section promising a new album-- the follow-up to 2003's skronky shrug Amazing Grace-- out this winter. Best to start hoarding those clean needles now, kids.

Wait, no, don't do that. Hook yourself, instead, on "Complimentary Medicines", a members-only (but free to join!) section of the band's website, chock full of outtakes, b-sides and other pharmaceutical delights. It's addictive, sure, but your mom won't kick you out for doing it. On second thought, she might-- that Jason Pierce curses a lot. [MORE...]

Red Alert, Lord Finesse Rock Free NYC Hip Hop Parties

In a 2007 rap landscape dominated by the likes of T.I., Young Jeezy, and Lil Wayne, red flags are raised at the first mention of "positive" hip-hop, the assumption being that "positive" artists are nostalgia peddlers recycling clichés from the genre's golden age, and that they can't have fun.

Enter Tools of War, an organization on a mission to bring back the inclusive spirit of the earliest hip-hop. Among their various activities, they throw parties in New York City much like the ones in the late 70s and early 80s that started it all. Co-founded in 2003 by Jorge "PopMaster Fabel" Pabon and Christie Z-Pabon, Tools of War has put together a 2007 season of free parties that span practically the entire summer.

The first series of parties is the Turntablist Sessions held every Thursday in June at Queensbridge Park in Queens (of course). The focus of these parties is on DJs, and Tools of War has assembled a cast including the X-ecutioners' Rob Swift and GrandWizzard Theodore (the inventor of the scratch) to play on various dates.

Also in June is the one-time-only Digger's Delight party at Harlem's St. Nicholas Park. The June 20 event will feature the Diggin' in the Crates Crew's Lord Finesse spinning records, among others.

In July, the parties are also on each Thursday, but the location changes to Crotona Park in the Bronx. These parties, called Crotona Park Jams, bring MCs into the mix. PopMaster Fabel and GrandMaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers will host the Crotona parties, and Lord Finesse, GrandWizzard Theodore, and legendary radio DJ Kool DJ Red Alert will all perform.

The August parties (on Tuesdays this time) actually start July 31 in Harlem's Jackie Robinson Park before moving to Marcus Garvey Park (also in Harlem). Under the name Harlem Hop!, these parties also feature Caz, Red Alert, and Theodore, but they will be more dance-oriented than most of the others (though we imagine it will be hard not to dance at most of these things).

Though subject to change, the full lineups of each party are listed below. [MORE...]

Twilight Sad Tour U.S. and UK, Ready "Memory" Single

Front page photo by Javier Villegas

As the sun sets and the gloom rolls in, many a metropolis around the U.S. and UK will at least have the Twilight Sad to look forward to. Right now, as your teary eyes read this, the Glasgow upstarts are out there, touring the land in spite of all the melancholy.

The emo-gazers extraordinaire pulled the rugs out from under us (in a very good way) on their 2007 FatCat full length debut, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters. They hit the road in support of that fine collection of sounds and a new single as well. Seven-inch "And She Would Darken the Memory" arrives July 2 in the UK via FatCat, and includes a remix of "That Summer, At Home Etc. Etc." by labelmate Ensemble on the flip.

The Twilight's travels, meanwhile, take them across the UK, to a few European mainland fests, and on a Stateside joyride-- destination: Pitchfork Music Festival 2007. But wait, what's this? The Twilight Sad's calendar indicates they're attending a Cubs game on July 15, aka the final day of the festival. Ditching De La Soul for the Cubs? Now that's sad. [MORE...]

Feist, Crystal Castles, Darkel Grace Kitsune 4 Comp
Plus: Phones, Thieves Like Us, Dragonette, Hadouken!, Whitey, Foals

Between Ed Banger and Kitsuné, your indie hipster dance night is set for at least another two weeks (when something even cooler comes along). Paris-based Kitsuné keeps the party going with its latest Kitsuné Maison mix, volume four, which hits overseas shops, dancefloors, and bodies June 11.

Kitsuné Maison 4 includes choice cuts from the likes of Feist (a "My Moon My Man" remix), Crystal Castles, Darkel (aka Jean-Benoît Dunckel of Air), and Phones (aka red hot Brit producer Paul Epworth). Other standouts include recent Forkcast highlights Dragonette and Thieves Like Us (whose "Drugs in My Body" kills), plus Dim Mak's Whitey, a few of Kitsuné's own, and the increasingly popular Foals and Hadouken! (exclamation point theirs, not ours).

Volume 4, as our most discerning readers may have inferred, follows up Kitsuné Maison's illustrious volumes 3, 2, and 1. Kitsuné have prepared a nice little medley of the cuts from the latest mix; listen by clicking the link below.

Whitey and Dragonette, meanwhile, play a comp launch party at London's Hoxton Square Bar tonight (June 7), while Phones spins. [MORE...]

Lady Sov Releases iTunes EP
But who will release her from the shackles of fame?

From her video diaries to her YouTube-captured onstage freakouts, Lady Sovereign must be having a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with the internet lately. In the love-it corner: the Those Were the Days EP, released this week on the iTunes music store. The EP features an acoustic spin on the Public Warning-culled title track, a pair of remixes from Sinden and Run DMC re-juggler Jason Nevins, and a live take on "Random".

In other Sov news, she's got a cut on the new KEXP live comp, and continues stretching herself thin opening Gwen Stefani dates and lording over afterparties before a few Gwenless gigs later in the summer. [MORE...]

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