Boards of Canada, Islands, Xiu Xiu Join Why? on Single
So do Dump (James McNew of Yo La Tengo), Dntel, Half-Handed Cloud

Avant-rap folkie Why? (aka Yoni Wolf) and crew (pictured leftward) are set to release a pair of 12"s for new single "The Hollows" in the U.S. and the Europe on Anticon and Tomlab, respectively. The Anticon-issued "Hollows" single is due November 19, and in addition to the title track, it sports a remix by Dntel, and covers of older Why? tracks by Xiu Xiu and Half-Handed Cloud.

The Euro Tomlab single-- out November 18 but subject to change-- gets a Boards of Canada remix and covers by both Dump (James McNew of Yo La Tengo's other thing) and Islands. Hey, Boards of Canada! Glad to hear you guys are still around.

"The Hollows" features the three main Why? dudes (Yoni Wolf, Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid) along with guest stars Doseone (Subtle), Nedelle (the Curtains/Cryptacize), and Andrew Broder and Mark Erickson of Fog.

But wait, a single generally accompanies an album, right? Correct. Alopecia, the forthcoming Why? LP, will drop March 11 from Anticon in the States. Again, Tomlab will handle things in Europe, though the release date for that has not been nailed down. "By Torpedo or Crohn's", the track that Dntel remixes on "The Hollows" U.S. single, and "Good Friday", the song Boards of Canada tackle on the Euro version, will also be included on Alopecia. Yup, they're releasing remixes before the originals.

Why? currently have exactly one tour date scheduled, and it's a special one. They'll play New York's Knitting Factory this Sunday, October 14, and the cost of admission is exactly $1.00. Being cheap, the thing's gonna sell out fast, so be a smarty and shoot an e-mail to whyrsvp@gmail.com to guarantee entry. [MORE...]

CSS, Peaches, Ladytron Remix Bonde do Role on EP
Exhaustion, where is thy sting?

Apparently, Bonde Do Role didn't get their own memo. You guys are supposed to be tired, finally ready to rest (or at least recharge) after relentlessly supporting With Lasers, remember? Not putting out another record!

Nevertheless, the Brazilian trio will indeed release the Marina Gasolina single/EP via Domino on December 4 in the U.S. (November 26 in the UK). The U.S. EP is a CD release with 10 tracks, including remixes by CSS, Peaches, Architecture in Helsinki, and Ladytron. The UK single comes in 7" and 12" formats, and the latter adds a couple other names to aforementioned list of remixers. Digital versions of all tracks will be available in both the U.S. and the UK.

Bonde still have plenty of tour dates. They've even added a couple! Oh Bonde, when will you learn? [MORE...]

Page France Frontman Becomes Cotton Jones

Maryland man Michael Nau has a curious knack for assuming musical monikers that transcend mere non-sequiturs. First, there was Page France, a name as deeply confusing as it is seemingly simple. Now that PF is de facto defuncto for the foreseeable future because of the band members' busy lives, Nau's gone all Wooden Wand on us with his new name: the Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Whatever gets him writing, we guess.

By the looks of things, Nau's done quite a bit of writing recently, as he has plans to release a Cotton Jones EP, seven-inch, and full-length soon. The EP comes in a handmade booklet, and five of the six tracks are demo versions of songs that will appear on the forthcoming album, Paranoid Cocoon. The EP is only available at Cotton Jones shows and his label Quite Scientific's website, where it ships on November 5.

Specific information regarding Paranoid Cocoon and the seven-inch-- Lovely Day, I Guess-- is still forthcoming, though Quite Scientific plans to release the album early next year.

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride will make its full-band debut on October 19 as part of the Quite Scientific CMJ showcase. The band has two other shows scheduled for November. [MORE...]

Ghostface to Drop New LP Same Day as Wu-Tang Clan
Stages Kanye/50-esque battle with self

December 4, looks like you, me and the Ironman have a date with the record shop. Not only will Ghostface's highly praiseworthy verse from the well-interpolated "The Heart Gently Weeps" pop up on the Wu-Tang Clan's forthcoming album 8 Diagrams-- which, of course, drops December 4 on SRC-- but Tony Starks himself will have a brand new disc of his own on sale the very same day.

New Ghostface!? Believe it. The Big Dough Rehab will be out December 4 via Def Jam.

Peep this breathless Photobucket video (via Idolator):

Def Jam has confirmed that this is, in fact, true, and not just the dense, delirious ramblings of a dense, delirious rambler par excellence.

As for all that tour stuff Ghost talks about at the top of the video, we're already on it. Dates after the jump. [MORE...]

Maximo Park Cover Justin Timberlake on New Single

Maxïmo Park have more in common with Travis than travel plans; turns out, they're both fond of the winking cover of the ubiquitous American pop tune. Much like Travis' semi-earnest take on Britney's "...Baby One More Time", Maxïmo Park have-- according to NME.com-- stuck "Like I Love You", a cover of Justin Timberlake's first solo hit, onto the single for "Karaoke Plays".

The Warp-issued single-- from this year's Our Earthly Pleasures disc-- will see UK release November 12.

Apart from the recent re-Neptuning, the "Karaoke" single furthers the band's "Obituary Series", this time memorializing French postmodernist philosopher Jean Baudrillard, author painter Jonathan Coleman, and Labour party stalwart calypso singer George Brown.

UPDATE: Pitchfork was given incorrect information about the "Obituary Series" subjects on this single, via the band's publicist and NME.com. The band set the record straight in a MySpace post.

The disc-- both on CD and 7", with different B-sides for each-- will not get a proper U.S. release, though it will be available for import. Full Maxïmo dates after the jump. [MORE...]

New Pornographers Slate Challengers Bonus Material

Remember the New Pornographers' "Buy Early Get Now" Executive Edition of Challengers? Wondering what all those lucky people who pre-ordered the Executive Edition got as their bonus gifts? We hear ya. So, too, do Matador Records, who recently posted a list of the download schedule (past, present, and future) for all that sweet Challengers swag.

Those who bought early have gotten most of this already, but here it is anyhow:

07-04 "The Speed of Luxury" (B-side)
08-03 "Silent Systems" (B-side)
08-28 "Fortune" (iTunes pre-order B-side)
09-11 "Showstoppers", "Failsafe", and "Myriad Harbour" (demos)
09-25 "Go Places (Alternate Mix)"
October: "Challengers" video and photos
November: "Live From the Future", "Fugue States" (iTunes album-only B-side), and photos

Those dates, we're told, are subject to change, although presumably not the ones that happened in the past. Unless Dan Bejar has worked up some kind of "Quantum Leap" contraption in his time away from doing stuff. If so, I wanna hear the new Destroyer album... now. Dammit, didn't work.

In other, only slightly less ridiculous New Pornographer news, the band has announced the third in their string of Challengers challenges. They're looking for somebody to "cover" a New Pornographers song in the style of "Weird" Al Yankovic. This one's tricky, as the Pornographers' song titles tend to be rather declarative and nondescript (not a diss, just the truth). Winner gets to dare the band to do something, or an iPhone.

Add to that a tour that kicks off tomorrow night (October 11), and you've got yourself quite a lot of Porno. OMG CLEAR THE CACHE [MORE...]

Tortoise, Oneida, Akron Folks Join Damo Suzuki Live
Plus members of Lambchop, Excepter, Soft Circle, Psychic Ills, Gang Gang Dance, White Magic

Photo by Eva Ballarani

For his first U.S. tour since 2003, former Can warbler Damo Suzuki has resumed the practice of performing with various locals under the umbrella of Damo Suzuki's Network. He calls these collaborators "Sound Carriers", and those he's gathered for this tour form quite an impressive bunch.

Among the new Carriers are members of Tortoise, Oneida, Akron/Family, Excepter, Lambchop, White Magic, Soft Circle, Gang Gang Dance, Psychic Ills, Savath & Savalas, Exploding Star Orchestra, Lightbox Orchestra, and the bands of Andrew Bird, Rhys Chatham, and Cortney Tidwell.

Apparently, this "Can" band is sort of a big deal.

Suzuki's tour continues tomorrow night, October 11, in Iowa City. And after he finishes with the U.S., he'll set his sights on the rest of the world. He even has some Japanese dates scheduled for next March! [MORE...]

Greenwood's Blood Score to Be Released on CD

It is, after all, international "Don't Talk or Think About Anything But Radiohead Day" (week? month?). Call it kismet, then, that there would be a bit of non-In Rainbows Radiohead news today: Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood, the latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson, will be released on CD December 18 via Nonesuch.

Two of the album's ten tracks-- "Henry Plainview" and "Proven Lands"-- are in fact excerpts from Greenwood's orchestral, BBC-comissioned "Popcorn Superhet Receiver" piece. The rest, however, is fresh Jonny-- yep, the same dude you've spent roughly 1/5 of the last 13 hours or so fawning over.

There Will Be Blood opens in limited release in the U.S. December 26, with the rest of the world to follow shortly thereafter. As for Jonny, well, he'll be busy fashioning those discboxes out of his own blood, sweat, and floppy hair from now 'til the new year. It's then that-- as you're aware-- Greenwood will prep the U.S. debut of his "Superhet" work for the Wordless Music Series.

Thanks to reader M.S. Markham for the tip. [MORE...]

Nirvana's Unplugged Gets DVD Release

Between About a Son, the Kurt Cobain lunchbox, Courtney Love planning to auction off her late husband's belongings, and soundtracking a video game and a TV show, it's been a busy year for Nirvana. Now, Universal will add another item to the band's 2007 résumé with the DVD debut of its famous MTV Unplugged in New York set.

The cover-heavy concert-- there are tunes by David Bowie, Leadbelly, the Vaselines, and Meat Puppets played with the original band-- was taped November 18, 1993 and originally released in November of 1994. The DVD will also come out in November, on the 20th. Since it contains the band's full 66-minute set, the DVD will include stage banter as well as "Something in the Way" and "Oh Me". Those two songs did not air as part of the original MTV special, though they did appear on the CD.

The DVD will come with extras in the form of previously unreleased rehearsal and documentary footage. According to a Billboard.com report (which is also the source of the tracklist seen after the jump), there are four soundcheck tracks as well. [MORE...]

Robert Pollard Plans Some Shows

Gather as one, all ye Christian animation torch carriers! Official ironmen, you are free (to go to a show or two)! Kicker of elves, cut the shit and pay attention! Watch as Robert Pollard jumpstarts his first tour of the year: a two date extravaganza that makes Panda Bear look like Mad Max. Bobby-- along with Jason Narducy on bass, David Suycott on drums, and Dag Juhlin and Mitch Marlow sharing guitar duties-- will take it to the stage of Chicago's Metro November 30, and Newport, Kentucky's Southgate House the following night.

To be fair, this isn't Pollard's first time in front of an audience in 2007: he and a buncha fellow inebriates performed an impromptu show at a Dayton BBQ earlier this year. Still, since you can't follow Bob around everywhere he goes expecting him to throw down (and you would probably earn yourself quite a record if you did), your best bet is to hit the heartland at the aforementioned dates. Especially when you consider this message from Bob's website: "THESE WILL BE THE ONLY SHOWS THAT BOB WILL PLAY IN 2007." Um, get your tickets soon?

Hey, and while we're aforementioning things, recall that story from way back in May that mentioned those two new Pollard LPs that dropped this week? Yeah, that happened. So did Bobby's singles club, the next installment of which is due on the 22nd. [MORE...]

Robyn Hitchcock Looks Backward on Retrospective

Though still actively recording music, Robyn Hitchcock's gaze of late has been focused over his shoulder. Along with the folks at Yep Roc Records, he's compiled I Wanna Go Backward, a healthy hunk of Hitchcock that gathers three of his 1980s solo discs-- Black Snake Diamond Role, I Often Dream of Trains, and Eye-- along with a double disc collection of B-sides, outtakes, home demos, and the like called While Thatcher Mauled Britain Part 1 & 2.

The set, along with an individual release of each album with enhanced material and an eight LP Backward box, will be released October 16 November 13.

Not enough Hitchcock for you? First, you're crazy, but second, you're in luck: early next year, another box entitled Bad Case of History is due. History will collect Fegmania, Gotta Let This Hen Out, Element of Light, and another outtake collection entitled Dynasty. Plus Yep Roc is making another out-of-print Hitchcock goodie, 1982's Groovy Decay, available digitally. And, if you're still fiending for some Hitchcock after all that, Robyn's got a U.S. tour in the works for November. Phew! [MORE...]

Efterklang Ready Parades to Play at Concerts

Self-proclaimed "friendly & nice people from Copenhagen" Efterklang will gently release their second album, Parades, worldwide on October 15. The follow-up to 2004 debut full-length Tripper and a number of EPs, Parades will come out in Denmark on Efterklang's own Rumraket label and elsewhere on the Leaf Label.

Their Friendlinesses will then get reacquainted with fans on a European tour that kicks off in Le Havre, France on October 16, just a few days after a Parades release show in Copenhagen. It's the band's first tour in almost two years, and they hope to extend it into 2008 and include shows in the U.S. and possibly Asia. Customs folks tend not to bother friendly and nice people too much, so we don't imagine either of those destinations will give the band much trouble. [MORE...]

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