Too Pure Launches 7" Club With Electrelane's Susman

Hey you. Yes, you, idle browser of the interweb. Person who spends all your weekends inside scouring the elbo.ws charts and padding up your last.fm listings. Did you know that special someone could be out there right now? We're talking about hot singles, dude, just waiting to spin on your turntable!

Beggars-allied Too Pure is the latest label to take the singles club plunge, inaugurating a series that will ride seven glorious inches of grooved plastic well into 2008. Series subscribers sign up for a year and will receive 12 seven-inches in all, one per month, each boasting two exclusive songs from "personal favourites, friends of Too Pure, and rising talent," says the TP site. The first piece of vinyl ships in October.

Things heat up tomorrow night (September 13) at a launch gig at London's Buffalo Bar featuring the first three Too Pure Singles Club acts: Manchester's LoneLady, Vera November (aka Verity Susman of Too Pure-signed Electrelane), and Kent-spawned trio It Hugs Back.

LoneLady's offering arrives in October, while Vera, naturally, has dibs on November, and It Hugs Back share a holiday embrace in December. All singles are limited to 500 copies, and Too Pure suggests a few may be made available to non-subscribers via select independent retailers. Rough Trade Digital will also offer downloads of the 7" tunes.

Bert Jansch Guests on New Babyshambles Disc

Personally, I have a hard enough time getting work done after a bad run-in with a Q-tip, but Pete Doherty-- who, I think we can say without fear of libel charges, is a smidge troubled-- has managed to crank out another album with his shockingly stable project, Babyshambles.

Shotter's Nation, produced by Stephen Street (the Smiths, Blur, Kaiser Chiefs), will be released October 1 in the UK on Parlophone, and October 23 Stateside from Astralwerks. In an interesting bit of incongruity, seemingly gentle folk legend Bert Jansch pops up on "Lost Art of Murder".

Perhaps as an apology for running a story reminding the world that Pete Doherty fancies the hard stuff every damn day on their website, NME is giving away a 7" single with an acoustic take on "Delivery" with copies of this week's issue. And, provided all goes well over the next few months (a big provision, but here's hoping), Pete will play a handful of UK shows with Dizzee Rascal and the View.

In other Pete Doherty news, uh, stay off the pipe. [MORE...]

Animal Collective to Make National TV Debut October 5

Animal Collective are kind of a big deal in this little world of ours, but it's easy to forget that, to the general populace, the music they make is a little, uh, weird. Still, 1:30 in the morning is as fine a time as any for weirdness/bong hits, both of which seem to suit Animal Collective rather well.

So, when you're flipping to and fro betwixt "Tuna Wranglers" and "Talk Sex with Sue Johanson" on Friday night, October 5, you may come across Animal Collective, making their national television debut on the "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" television program.

Clearly the home of both a spastic, yelping host and a masturbating bear is a fitting choice for the Animal Collective's broadcast entree, but one wonders just who'll be sitting on the couch, glancing cock-eyed across the stage, while the Collective racket is going down. There's just something about this sentence-- "Comedian Dane Cook, star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and musical guest Animal Collective!"-- that seems a little askew (other guests purely hypothetical). Then again, so does "Mary-Kate Olsen, Wayne Brady, Lyle Lovett, and Quackers the S*?#" Eating Duck," and that's on tonight. However it goes, we're gonna Forkcast the shit out of it. Quackers, keep your distance.

Beyond their time at Rockefeller Center, Animal Collective have that tour thing happening, and that new record we liked a lot. [MORE...]

Pornos, Spoon, Animal Collective on Sonic Boom Comp
Plus: Built to Spill, Band of Horses, Feist, Talib Kweli, National, Dungen, Black Lips, Rilo Kiley

Seattle's Sonic Boom Records will celebrate its 10th anniversary this month with the release of a two-disc compilation featuring the likes of Spoon, Animal Collective, the New Pornographers, Built to Spill, Band of Horses, Feist, Talib Kweli, the National, Dungen, the Black Lips, Figurines, Pinback, St. Vincent, Rilo Kiley, and more.

While supplies last, the compilation will come free to Sonic Boom's in-store and online customers starting September 15.

What's more, Sonic Boom has already started selling a limited-edition commemorative t-shirt designed by Yo La Tengo's James McNew. McNew's design is pictured above.

On September 23, the store will sponsor a team of runners for the Fremont Oktoberfest Brew-HA-HA 5K Run/Walk. After the race, there will be a private party at the War Room hosted by entertainer Matt Olsen and featuring DJs El Toro and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, the Jicks) on the wheels of steel. The party will also feature the debut of a short play featuring the Coconut Coolouts.

Sonic Boom founders and co-owners Jason Hughes and Nabil Ayers will continue the celebration on September 30 by taking over KNDD's "The Young & the Restless" show to play two hours of their favorite music to come out of the Pacific Northwest over the last 10 years.

Throughout the month, Sonic Boom's Capitol Hill and Ballard locations will host in-stores by A.C. Newman, the Lucksmiths, Vampire Weekend, Oakley Hall, and others. [MORE...]

Dan Deacon's Skull Returns in Time for Girl Talk Tour!
New Dan Deacon/Girl Talk/White Williams dates added

And thank goodness for that! Really, this was shaping up to be a catastrophe on par with the Hindenburg disaster, but thanks to the astute eye and vigilant efforts of one Dan Deacon fan, Deacon and his beloved sparkly green skull will soon be together once again.

As previously reported, Deacon's skull vanished on the night of September 8 in Chicago. As it turns out, the skull had somehow wandered outside of the AV-Aerie venue, possibly after having downed a few. Luckily a departing showgoer with a heart of gold spotted ol' skully, promptly took away its keys, and drove it 100 miles away to the University of Notre Dame near South Bend, Indiana.

From there this Hip Samaritan mailed the skull to Deacon's booking agency, Windish (in whose offices the photo you see above was taken), and before you can say "happily ever after", Deacon will have super green skull power once more.

The Girl Talk/Dan Deacon/White Williams bacchanal/tour kicks off tonight in Toronto (with a few new dates added since our last report), and if all goes according to plan, Deacon should have the skull in his possession in time for Thursday's Boston gig. How about that?

Canadian Deacon-ites miffed by the skull no-show needn't worry, though. I know something that you can take that will make your own skull glow green, and also levitate and, like, whoa, dude. Duuuuuuuuuuude! [MORE...]

The White Stripes Cancel Remaining Tour Dates

Anxious UK residents who have followed the recent White Stripes tour cancellation saga with bated breath, your fears have come true. According to an update on the duo's website, "the White Stripes have canceled all remaining tour dates through the end of the year. This includes all dates in the UK this fall."

As previously reported, the reason for the cancellations is that Meg White is suffering from acute anxiety that has left her unable to travel.

All canceled dates are listed after the jump. [MORE...]

Mastodon's Brent Hinds in Hospital After VMAs Injury

Photo by Lyndsay Siegel 

Mastodon guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds [above right, with Motörhead's Lemmy, center, and bandmate Brann Dailor, left] is receiving treatment in a Las Vegas hospital after suffering what the band's management called "a severe head injury," according to a report from Blabbermouth.net and confirmed by Mastodon's publicist. Hinds sustained the injury following Mastodon's performance of "Colony of Birchmen" (with Josh Homme) on the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 9.

While it might be easy to crack wise about MTV or the VMAs in conjecture about what actually happened (unsubstantiated rumor via Blabbermouth is that the injury is the result of "a brutal assault"), the truth is that Mastodon is one of the most thrilling live bands I've had the pleasure of seeing, and they also happen to be very professional and incredibly nice people. So here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Brent.

They may not be too keen on the city after this incident, but Mastodon's lone remaining tour date this year is in Las Vegas at the Vegoose Festival on October 27.

Kaiser Chiefs Cancel Shows to Work on New Album
Man, stuff is getting canceled left and right today

Photo by Kathryn Yu

Just because the Kaiser Chiefs have cut quite a few of their dates from their previously reported North American tour, it doesn't mean they love you any less. It turns out the lads from Leeds are just so intent on getting a new record together that they don't care to leave the ruddy comforts of the studio.

In a statement via a press release, drummer Nick Hodgson said:

"We'd like to apologize to fans in America and Canada, especially those who have already bought tickets, but something had to give. We've been extremely busy all year and had no time to focus on the future, we plan to have new material out as soon as possible and we've wanted to record all summer. This needs to happen before our European & UK shows at the end of the year so we can play a few of our new songs live, we're keen to explore new ground, beyond the sound of our first two records, so we're headed back into the studio to begin that process."

Sucks for us, but I guess that means the next Kaiser Chiefs album will be, uh, several weeks better than it would've otherwise.

They'll still make the trip for a few of their scheduled dates-- including this weekend's slot at the Austin City Limits festival-- but, alas, sometimes small sacrifices like these must be made for the greater good. Still, if you live in Europe, you may just run across the Kaiser Chiefs on their expanded fall tour thereabouts.

Additionally, their take on the Move's psych-pop nugget "Flowers in the Rain" will kick off the BBC Radio 1 covers anthology. [MORE...]

GZA's Liquid Swords Show With Jamie Lidell Canceled

Photo by Karra McDonald

Any hopes of hearing Jamie Lidell's throaty take on the hook from GZA's "Cold World" seem destined to remain mere fantasies, as the two's previously reported show together has been canceled. The September 15 event at Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool was a benefit for the Open Space Alliance, and GZA would have performed his landmark album Liquid Swords in its entirety-- just like he did at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Show organizers JellyNYC cite "unforeseen circumstances" for the cancellation.

GZA remains plenty busy with the Wu-Tang Clan in preparation for the forthcoming 8 Diagrams. Jamie Lidell is busy working on a new album...we hope.

Refunds for those who have purchased tickets will be available at the point of purchase.

New Pornographers Issue YouTube Challenge

Who doesn't love a good challenge? A friendly wager, a boastful claim that needs proving, a triple-dog-dare? Well, you know darn well by now how your friends-- all 46 of 'em-- in the New Pornographers dig a challenge, and this time, it's personal they're putting you to the test. Are you a bad enough dude/ette to dig errant gum out of Dan Bejar's beard** ?

Fellow Pornographers Carl Newman and Blaine Thurier have called upon the "YouTube nation" (sigh), setting up a series of weekly assessments in which participants post themselves doing the band's bidding, in exchange for fame and fabulous prizes.

Those challenges? Err...it's a little hard to say. The first test involves coming up with choreography for a New Pornographers song of your choice. The next? We're not convinced they know any better than we do.

As for the prizes, well, there's an iPhone up for grabs, and then this: "The other prize is you challenge us. You get to challenge the New Pornographers to something. Anything you want. Challenge us to strip naked and dance around in Times Square, climb Mt. Everest and poop our pants on top of Mt. Everest."

While you drift off in unpublishable thoughts about Neko Case, though, respect the caveat: the band reserves the right to say no to any of the challenges, and, in fact, seem to be suggesting they will almost certainly do so. Still, there's a shot at some sweet "play a show at my high school!" or "no, you do a friggin' dance, Newman!" or "arrange my army of dogs in some kind of pyramid formation!" action, and that's worth shedding ungainly layers of shame for.

Can you hang with the Pornos? Will you jump through fiery hoops for a shot at internet glory and the resulting fame? That's up to you, friend.

The New Pornographers are about to head out on a few months of tour. Hey, Winnipeg, maybe you could challenge them to buy some plane tickets?

** not an actual New Pornographers challenge...yet [MORE...]

Led Zeppelin Reform With Bonham's Son for Benefit

Sometimes the rumors prove true. As whispered about for months now and tipped pretty much everywhere the past few weeks, Led Zeppelin have confirmed that they will indeed reform for a single performance in tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away late last year.

The surviving members of the Zep-- Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones-- have enlisted drummer Jason Bonham (son of John, who died in 1980) for one big gig at London's O2 Arena on November 26. They'll be joined by the Who's Pete Townshend, one-time Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Foreigner, and-- in wayyyy over his head-- Paolo Nutini.

Proceeds from ticket sales go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, an organization that awards scholarships.

Led Zeppelin were a flagship act on Ertegun's Atlantic label. Said Plant in a press release, "During the Zeppelin years, Ahmet Ertegun was a major foundation of solidarity and accord. For us he WAS Atlantic Records and remained a close friend and conspirator-- this performance stands alone as our tribute to the work and the life of our long standing friend."

This isn't the first Zep reunion with Jason. The four also performed at an Atlantic Records anniversary event back in 1988.

As previously reported, Led Zeppelin have another best-of, Mothership, due November 13, while the soundtrack CD and DVD of The Song Remains the Same lands November 20.

Jens Lekman Reveals Bonus EP Details

Photo by Kristin Lidell

As promised, Jens Lekman will treat those who pre-order the wonderful Night Falls Over Kortedala (out now in Sweden via Service, and October 9 in the U.S. on Secretly Canadian) to a special digital bonus EP.

Recorded within-- and as a sort of valedictory gesture to-- his former dwelling place in the Gothenburg neighborhood of Kortedala, Kalendervägen 113.D clocks in at 31:46 and actually features a continuous medley of acoustic Lekman tunes, along with an unspecified Paul Simon cover from Graceland. The Jens tracks include Night Falls numbers "Shirin", "A Postcard to Nina", and "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo", as well as a pair of unreleased songs: "The Rain Has Got to Fall" and "Our Last Swim in the Ocean".

"It's me, a guitar, and a loop pedal, nothing else," wrote Jens on his website. "For those of you who prefer it more au naturale."

Those who prefer Jens more au naturale might also want to catch the young troubadour live as he captures hearts around the globe in the days, weeks, and months to come. [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.)