Trans Am Hit the Road With Tool

Sure, there's blogs, downloading, and Radiohead changing everything about everything ever, but one of the most unexpected music-world happenings we've seen in the last couple years has been the way Tool subtly became pals with all these smaller, good bands. Touring with Isis and Mastodon? Getting namedropped by former Low bassist Zak Sally in an ABC News report? There's just something a little strange about it all.

Nevertheless, the trend continues with the naming of Thrill Jockey proggers Trans Am as Tool's newest tour BFFs on an upcoming round of North American dates. For Trans Am, the shows come sandwiched in between their appearances at the Thrill Jockey anniversary parties in London on November 11 and Chicago in mid-December.

Trans Am are still riding high on the release of Sex Change, LP8 for them, which came out via Thrill Jockey earlier this year. [MORE...]

Sharon Jones Adds Dates, Great Debaters OST Revealed

With American Gangster now in theaters, The Great Debaters is now the most anticipated Denzel Washington film of 2007. As you know, neo-soul's reigning queen Sharon Jones not only shows off her acting chops in the film, but those pipes of hers as well.

The tracklist for The Great Debaters' soundtrack has been released. In addition to a ton of stuff from Ms. Jones, fellow revivalists Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart and the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Al Green sideman/songwriter Teenie Hodges, and badass choir Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith help fill out the rest of the disc. All "pre-1935 blues, folk, jazz, and gospel classics," the tunes were handpicked by Denzel himself, with a handful of age-appropriate tunes from Art Tatum, Papa Charlie Jackson, and others rounding out the set. The soundtrack's out December 11 from Atlantic, while the film hits theaters on Christmas (December 25).

Sharon and her Dap-Kings, fresh off the release of the wonderful 100 Days, 100 Nights LP, will kick off a month-long string of North American dates tonight (November 9) in Boston. On January 4, the band will head out for nearly a week at sea on the floating "Jamcruise". [MORE...]

Whitest Boy Alive Issue Dreams in the UK via Modular

King of Convenience Erlend Øye and his Whitest Boy Alive project-- with their debut LP, Dreams, which dropped elsewhere last year and finally hits the UK November 26 via Modular-- certainly break several of electronic music's main rules: their disc was recorded entirely live, sans layering or overdubs. How organic of them!

Dreams follows its first UK single "Burning", which dropped just this week. Watch the Whitest Boy break all the rules on a handful of tour dates lined up over the next few weeks in Mexico. [MORE...]

Sufjan Announces Christmas Song Exchange Contest
Win the rights to an original Sufjan composition

Sufjan Stevens writes a lot of songs-- and if word is indeed bond, we can expect at least 48 more albums worth of them from the guy-- so I suppose, being a jolly old soul, he can part with one of them.

But rather than just pimp the thing out to a mutual fund commercial or hide it away as some Japan-only bonus track, Sufjan has decided to give the song to one lucky fan. However, in the spirit of the season, Sufjan also wants something outta you. It's "The Great Sufjan Song Xmas Xchange"! And those Asthmatic Kitty cats explain it much better than I ever could, so here's them:

Here's how it works: write an original Christmas song, record it, and email the song to us. Asthmatic Kitty will pick a winner, and that person will trade rights to their song for rights to Sufjan's song.

Just like a gift exhange, Sufjan's song becomes your song. You can hoard it for yourself, sell it to a major soft drink corporation, use it in your daughter's first Christmas video, or share it for free on your website. No one except Sufjan and you will hear his song, unless you decide otherwise. You get the song and all legal rights to it. We get the same rights to your song.

In summation: you get an original Sufjan Stevens song all to yourself! And Sufjan gets to have at your song! As if he didn't have enough Xmas jams.

Check the details and legal mumbo-jumbo here. All entries are due by midnight on December 1, and AK expects to announce the winner around December 15. They'll also be streaming entries on their site.

Finally, Sufjan, fresh off his "BQE" extravaganza, visits some exotic locales in the new year. [MORE...]

The Go! Team Plot "Wrath of Marcie" Single
Cancel Italian shows

Brighton bombshells the Go! Team have chosen the latest single from Proof of Youth: "The Wrath of Marcie", aka the one that sounds like some gals rapping over the "Odd Couple" theme song. The single will be available three different ways: as a 7", an iTunes exclusive, and a digital download everywhere else that isn't iTunes. The vinyl and the regular download come backed with a live take on "Flashlight Fight", while iTunes also gets a live "Marcie" for kicks. Each and every one will be available November 19 from Memphis Industries in the UK.

The Go! Team launch a brief European trek tonight, which got briefer yesterday when the band canceled their three shows in Italy due to promotional commitments. [MORE...]

Unreleased 1978 Talking Heads Live Cut on KALX 7"
Plus tunes from Ride's Mark Gardener, Dengue Fever, Supersystem

Berkeley, California-based KALX has been disseminating goodness via radio waves for 45 years now, and to celebrate its sapphire anniversary, the station has assembled an extra special, super limited double 7".

This being the information age, you probably encounter descriptors like "extra special" and "super limited" all the time, so perhaps some qualification is in order. Just how special is this 7"? Well, it contains a never-before-released live recording of Talking Heads jam "Stay Hungry", captured on tape on the UC Berkeley campus way back in 1978, the same year said song appeared on More Songs About Buildings and Food. I'm no scholar of diction, but I'd say that's pretty darn extra special.

What's more, the 45 rpm 45th anniversary double 7" is rounded out with KALX studio recordings from Ride's Mark Gardener (rocking Ride's trademark tune "Vapour Trail", no less), Dengue Fever, and the now defunct Supersystem. And if that doesn't have you sufficiently geeked, know that the two 7"s-- one on blue vinyl, one on red-- come housed in a nifty gatefold package.

And just how limited is this thing? A mere 500 copies have been pressed. Get yours by pledging $75 or more (tax-deductable!) to the station right now, or add $25 to any other pledge package of $50 or more. Details here-- and although the station's big fall pledge push has ended, they will still gladly accept your donations and hook you up with 7"s while supplies last.

The 45th anniversary festivities don't stop there, however. Greg Ashley, a DJing Yoni Wolf of Why?, and more roll on into San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop tonight (November 8) to fete KALX. [MORE...]

Nirvana's Novoselic Blogs, Talks Anarchy, "Teen Spirit"
"I know for sure that Kurt Cobain did not have any odor problems."

Photo via Seattle Weekly

Krist Novoselic-- the other other guy from Nirvana-- has put the bass (that he nowadays plays in the current incarnation of Flipper) down for a spell, picked up the keyboard, and plunged headlong into the dangerous world of blogging.

The politically-minded Novoselic posted the first of his bloggy musings for Seattle Weekly on the publication's website this week. Topics covered? Well, Nirvana, whose "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video was recently profiled for a special on the Fuse network. As Novoselic tells it, he agreed to be interviewed for the special, but was miffed about the edited quotes that resulted and the relative lack of air time reserved for himself and other guy from Nirvana Dave Grohl.

Novoselic also addressed his late former bandmate Kurt Cobain (choice line: "I know for sure that Kurt Cobain did not have any odor problems.") and devoted a good portion of his writeup to a somewhat muddled discussion of anarchy. Hmm, perhaps the relative lack of structure in his piece is actually an anarchic gesture?

Still, it's good to see this guy up and doing something, so might as well bookmark his blog and see what he dishes out next.

My Brightest Diamond Kicks Off Tour Tonight
Plus cool bonus demo mp3!

When she's not splashing about in fountains, celebrating the music of Huey Lewis, getting her cast signed, or singing about a highway, Shara Worden is traversing the known world as My Brightest Diamond. One of the brightest gems in the Asthmatic Kitty crown, Worden and her Diamond kick off their brief fall tour this evening in Montreal, joined at every turn by Tim "Shaniqua" Fite. She's also got those plans to head to Australia and Japan with her dogg 4 life Sufjan Stevens, but that is so next year.

It also seems Worden's been crafting a new MBD LP since the last time we checked in with her. Oh so many dispatches from the studio have been posted on the band's website, from the somewhat banal to the downright wacky. A mouse infestation? Beatboxing? Oboes? Expect all that and more from the disc, tentatively titled A Thousand Shark's Teeth.

In the meantime, how about a reminder of the first My Brightest Diamond album, Bring Me the Workhorse? Check out the raw demo version of that LP's "Freak Out" below! [MORE...]

Radiohead Doing Something on the Web in Two Hours
Dear god, please not another RickRoll

Big day in Radiohead land.

First, the announcement of In Rainbows' UK release.

And now this, posted just now on Dead Air Space under the subject heading "further research":

helo
there will be something on the box tonight
its another test
but right now we are entangled in cables
however
weather permitting
our technical experts will resolve the entanglement
itll be broadcast as a quicktime h.264 stream
if youve got a mac you could read it with quicktime player
if youve got a pc you might need to download the installer (click here to download and install)

then
www2.radiohead.tv

try it about 10 pm gmt

Stanley

10 p.m. GMT? That's in, like, two hours! Maybe that webcast is coming early?

Ghostface Unveils Big Doe Tracklist, Guests, Cover Art
Raekwon beefs with Wu-Tang Clan

With anticipation levels surrounding Ghostface Killah's forthcoming The Big Doe Rehab fast approaching a boiling point-- particularly since we no longer need divide our anticipation between Big Doe and the Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams-- Ghost has gone and added some kindling to the fire. Album details, people! Have a look.

First, of course, is that classy cover art you see up there, set to adorn copies of Big Doe that Def Jam delivers on December 4.

Next, the tracklist, reprinted in full below. Of note: Kid Capri-featuring first single "We Celebrate" (not just "Celebrate", as reported prior), which samples Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate"; Raekwon-boosted "Yolanda's House" and "Shakey Dog Starring Lolita" (an epilogue to Fishscale standout "Shakey Dog"!); a pair of tracks featuring Ghostface's tourmates Rhythm Roots Allstars; a track called "I'll Die for You" and another called "!".

Then, naturally, there are the guests, including the aforementioned along with Ghost's Wu associates Method Man (as you know), U-God, Masta Killa, and Cappadonna, plus Ghost's posse and More Fish co-stars Theodore Unit, Beanie Sigel, Styles P, and more.

And while Ghostface and the Wu seem to have settled their beef, Ghost apparently isn't the only one upset with the way camp Wu is being run. Billboard.com points us to a MissInfo.tv interview with Raekwon, who revealed his own misgivings. "Bottom line," said Raekwon, "it's a lot of business that's fucking up the creativity." Is that why we haven't seen a second Cuban Linx yet? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Finally, since Ghostface has been blowing up the Pitchfork news ticker in recent weeks, here's a quick, updated roundup of recent happenings:

* Ghostface doll: available now
* Ghostface book, The World According to Pretty Toney: due January 8 from MTV Press (moved from previously reported December 4 date)
* Ghostface's Walk Hard collaboration with Jewel, Lyle Lovett, and Jackson Browne: soundtrack in stores December 4, film in theaters December 21, collab's very notion still blowing minds
* Ghostface-boosted Beatles-interpolating track: set to appear on Wu-Tang Clan's 8 Diagrams, out December 11 via Loud/Universal/SRC/Wu Music Group
* Ghostface, Rakim, Brother Ali, and Rhythm Roots Allstars on the Hip Hop Live! tour: happening now, dates below

Phew! [MORE...]

Pitchfork: The Survey!

Hello, readers! Have you ever wanted to tell the people of Pitchfork what you hate about us? What you love about us? Your hopes and dreams for what you wish we could be? Well, now's your chance.

Head on over to the 2007 Pitchfork Media Reader Survey and let us know what you think of us. We're eager to hear it, and to learn a little bit about you, too. If you enter your email address at the end of the survey, you'll be entered to win a copy of the fabulous Rhino box set The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium.

Thanks!

Once again, click HERE to take that survey. 

Blood Brothers Break Up, For Real This Time

They say there's an inkling of truth to every rumor. So, if the announcement of the demise of the Blood Brothers a few weeks back proved premature, that, alas, was only temporary. The Seattle post-hardcore unit announced today that they have indeed parted ways after a decade of truly brutal, boundary-stretching music.

A statement on the band's MySpace blog reads:

Dear Friends,

After 10 years of making music as The Blood Brothers, we have made the collective decision that our time together has come to an end. We feel extremely fortunate to have spent such a deeply memorable and amazing part of our lives with each other. At this point, however, we feel it's best that our futures move forward on separate paths. We'd like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to all the bands we've played with, individuals who have helped us make our records, and fans who have come to our shows and picked up our music throughout the years. Your friendship, support and love hold such a profoundly special place in each of our hearts. We hope that the memories you attach to our music are as fond as those you have given us. Thank you and take care, we'll miss all of you.

Love,
The Blood Brothers

Farewell, Blood Brothers. You were very loud, and we will miss you back.

The Blood will continue to flow through the veins of a pair of side projects that just got a whole lot more serious: Jaguar Love features ex-Brothers Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato alongside ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark, while the more electronic Neon Blonde is comprised of Johnny Whitney and Mark Gajadhar. Jaguar Love have a few shows on the way with Queens of the Stone Age, and those dates can be found after the jump. [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.)