DeVotchKa Sign to Anti-, Ready New Album

March 18, Denver's daring DeVotchKa will return with A Mad and Faithful Telling, their proper LP-length follow-up (epilogue?) to 2004's How It Ends. The disc, their first for the Anti- imprint, spices up its ten tracks with the band's trademark Eastern European folk-inflected flavor and, reportedly, "improved production." Isn't that somethin'?

DeVotchKa have a trio of Spanish tour dates in the run up to Telling's release, and frontman Nick Urata will play a solo gig in his hometown December 14 at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret. [MORE...]

Wilco Announce Spring U.S. Tour

Photo by Kathryn Yu

With Jeff Tweedy's "Early December Do-Goodery Tour" wrapping over the weekend at that Chicago Obama event, the men of Wilco are taking that generous spirit on the road for a liberal helping of new dates around the States. Yep, the Windy City ramblers will bring that badass live show of theirs to the right side of the U.S. for a little more than two weeks come late February, before heading off to another hemisphere on their previously reported tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Tweedy has also lined up yet another solo benefit show, this time January 26 at the Vic Theatre in Chicago. Proceeds go to raise funds for youth scholarships. (Thx Via Chicago.)

In other Wilco news, that Sky Blue Sky bonus material is out there if you want it, those UK dates remain to be rescheduled, and Jeff's handsome mug is in a new photo book by an old friend. [MORE...]

Mike Patton Lends Voice to Creatures in I Am Legend
Dude is still everywhere

While I tend to envy Mike Patton most for his expressive eyebrows, he's also quite respected as a popular music vocalist. Björk, John Zorn, Melvins, Sepultura-- he lends growls, howls, and a myriad of other vocal sounds to albums by all of them. And that's not mentioning his own innumerable bands and side projects (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk, Peeping Tom, etc.) Recently we discovered that Patton will provide the voice of the main character in a remake of the Bionic Commando video game, and it's not even the first video game he's done. (It's not the last either, as next year he'll also contribute vocal effects to Left 4 Dead.)

But perhaps the Ipecac label head's most high-profile-- yet likely most unrecognizable-- current project comes as the provider of voices for "the dreaded creatures" (according to a press release) in post-apocalyptic Will Smith vehicle/The Omega Man remake I Am Legend, which hits theaters December 14. Says the Ipecac website, "He is the voice of the creatures in the movie. That is right, the evil screams and howls coming from the 'creatures' will be courtesy of Mike." You can get a little taste of that evil via the film's trailer.

Patton's other film project next year marks his debut as a film composer. He has scored a black & white film noir short called A Perfect Place, which is about "a pair of bumbling friends trying to dispose of a body," according to the press release. The movie will come as a two-disc CD/DVD package with Patton's score via Ipecac in March.

And speaking of Patton and creatures, don't forget about those Ipecac toys.

Nick Cave Announces Single, Soundtrack Releases

Photo by Richard Sharman

Nick Cave plans to give us plenty of new music to Dig in the early months of 2008. Not only is there Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, his 14th studio album with the Bad Seeds (coming to the UK via Mute on March 3-- U.S. release details forthcoming), but there's also the album's first single, as well as Cave and fellow Bad Seed Warren Ellis' soundtrack to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

The single is the record's title track, "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!", and Mute will release it in the UK on CD, download, and limited edition 7" formats on February 18. Another new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds track, "Accidents Will Happen", will grace the B-side.

In a recent MySpace blog, Cave had a hefty chunk to say about "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!", and it's a pretty interesting read, so we've reprinted it below:

"Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles-- raising a man from the dead-- but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest. I've taken Lazarus and stuck him in New York City, in order to give the song, a hip, contemporary feel. I was also thinking about Harry Houdini who spent a lot of his life trying to debunk the spiritualists who were cashing in on the bereaved. He believed there was nothing going on beyond the grave. He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest. I wanted to create a kind of vehicle, a medium, for Houdini to speak to us if he so desires, you know, from beyond the grave. Sometimes, late at night, if you listen to the song hard enough, you can hear his voice and the sad clanking of his chains. 'I don't know what it is but there is definitely something going on upstairs,' he seems to be saying. It is, most of all, an elegy to the New York City of the 70s."

Then there's the matter of the Cave/Ellis soundtrack to Jesse James, which-- for those who didn't catch its limited release-- stars Brad Pitt as James and also features Robert Duvall, Sam Rockwell, and Casey Affleck. Though the soundtrack is currently available for download, Mute will give it a physical release in the U.S. on the same date the movie hits DVD: February 5. [MORE...]

Photos: David Shrigley's Worried Noodles in Concert [New York, NY; 12/05/07]

Photos by Kathryn Yu; Above: Islands

From book to indie-star-studded compilation to concert extravaganza, David Shrigley's Worried Noodles project has come a long way. Last night at NYC's Knitting Factory, a handful of folks featured on the two-disc Tomlab feast cooked up the pasta of anxiety (anxioni?) live on stage. YACHT, Tussle, and lo-fi legend R. Stevie Moore were there, as was a special pared down incarnation of Islands, along with (not pictured) Phil Elverum (Microphones/Mount Eerie), Nick Krgovich (P:ano, No Kids), and others.

Best of all, these people weren't just noodling idly: proceeds from the event went to Amnesty International.

ISLANDS


YACHT




TUSSLE




R. STEVIE MOORE

[MORE...]

Bauhaus Mark Final Breakup With Final Album

Goth godfathers Bauhaus have once again called it quits after a second reunion that started in 2005 and culminated in a 2006 tour with Nine Inch Nails. A Billboard.com interview quotes drummer Kevin Haskins on the reason for breakup: "We were getting along really well, but there was an incident that occurred. Some of us just felt that we didn't want to carry on as a working unit."

Mysterious indeed, but why tell us now, a good year since the band was active in reunion 2.0 mode? That answer is much more straightforward: Bauhaus are marking their official disbandment with the release of a final studio album, Going Away White. The title seems like a cheeky subversion of the all-black goth stereotype, so at least they have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

Bauhaus will release Going Away White on March 4 via their own Bauhaus Music (via Redeye Distribution). [MORE...]

Destroyer, Amy Millan, Tokyo Police Club on CBC Comp
Plus: Pink Mountaintops, Malajube, Tegan and Sara, Chad VanGaalen, You Say Party!

When CBC Radio 3's studios aren't beaming the finest in Canadian indie rock over the airwaves, they're collecting the best bits for their Sessions compilation series. The third volume of CBC's Sessions gathers a dozen such tracks culled from their treasure trove of in-studio sessions, primarily recorded in the booths of CBC's Vancouver and Toronto operations.

So who made the cut? Why, the likes of Amy Millan, Destroyer, Tokyo Police Club, Tegan and Sara, Pink Mountaintops, Malajube, Chad VanGaalen, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Shout Out Out Out Out, Cuff the Duke, Joel Plaskett, and Cuff the Duke. CBC Radio 3 Sessions - Volume III is available now in stores, on iTunes, and through the CBC's website. And, if you've got some time to kill, poke around the Radio 3 website's wealth of archived live sessions. [MORE...]

Photos: Yo La Tengo Hanukkah Show [Hoboken, NJ; 12/04/07]

Photos by William Kirk, words by Amy Phillips

Good yontif, my fellow MOTs! As the resident Jew here at Pitchfork HQ, I take it upon myself to wish you all the happiest of happy Hanukkahs (or Chanukkahs, for those of you who can make that crucial guttural "ch" sound). And what better way to celebrate the second day of our annual Festival of Lights than with photographs of those menschen in Yo La Tengo? (Well, I guess you could listen to that band the Maccabees. But they sound pretty goyishe to me.)

As you know, Ira, Georgia, and James spend pretty much every Hanukkah performing eight nights in a row at Maxwell's in their hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey. And they bring tons of friends along. This year is no different, of course. Last night's kickoff show featured opening sets from recently reactivated indie pop vets Versus and comedians Jon Glaser and Jon Benjamin. Mudhoney's Mark Arm joined Yo La Tengo for a bunch of covers at the end of their set, including Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and the Clash's "What's My Name".

For the full rundown of what happened at the show-- and for daily updates about all of the YLT holiday fun-- stay tuned to Ira's diary on the Yo La Tengo website.

Every Yo La Tengo Hanukkah show serves as a benefit for a different charity. Last night benefited Community Food Bank of New Jersey. See below for the full list of charities. What a mitzvah!

YO LA TENGO





VERSUS


JON GLASER AND JON BENJAMIN

[MORE...]

Atlas Sound Announces North American Tour

Photo by Jason Bergman

With his debut LP as Atlas Sound all wrapped up and waiting for its February 19 release on Kranky-- and with Deerhunter's looming (albeit temporary) hiatus kicking off over the weekend-- Bradford Cox is in possession of virtually the first bit of free time he's had since the release of Cryptograms way back in February.

One might think a few months away to rest, catch up on some records, and maybe throw a few more songs on the blog would be the perfect antidote for a wild 365. But not for Bradford, who'll head out for a full-on Atlas Sound tour as winter draws to a close.

Atlas Sound sets things off in Atlanta on Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel's release date, followed by three weeks around North America. Kranky labelmates White Rainbow and Valet will join Atlas Sound for the trek. Indeed, Bradford's also suggested on the Deerhunter blog that Brian Foote (of Nudge) and folks from the opening acts may partake of the Atlas Sound live thing, although that's not 100% confirmed just yet.

In other news from Camp Cox, Deerhunter's "After Class" will see release February 26 on the Rare Book Room comp. The band will also appear in We Fun, a forthcoming documentary examining Atlanta's underground rock'n'roll scene. Atlas Sound and Deerhunter dates are available after the jump. [MORE...]

Hot Chip Reveal Intimate U.S. Shows
Matthew Dear to open UK shows

Hot Chip have announced a few live dates in the U.S. come February, and, well, that's just it. There are only a few; a couple, in fact. Two. One in New York, and one in Los Angeles, and nary a one in between. True, they're special intimate shows that will find the band giving a few lucky listeners the skinny on just what they Made in the Dark of the studio for their forthcoming LP (due February 5 in the UK and February 6 in the U.S. from Astralwerks/DFA). But, again, that's just it: a few lucky listeners. Do your thing, Hot Chip... just please come back and do some more of it again soon, willya? (We have a good feeling that this is definitely happening.)

The Chipsters have added a few new dates to their European tour as well, and lined up Mr. Matthew Dear as their opening act on all those dates. All but one, that is: The very cool-sounding "Greco Roman Anti-Christmas Party" December 21 at London's Transit. Though the band's contribution to the night will include but a DJ set (and perhaps matching togas), they'll be joined on the ones and twos by Basement Jaxx, as well as their dear friend, notorious DJ-Kicker Grovesnor. Mind your shins, lads.

In other Hot Chip news, the band recently contributed remixes to tracks from Love is All and Caribou, and, of course, they'll appear at May's ATP vs. Pitchfork festival, along with just about every other band you'd fly to England to see. Though I still maintain they should play more shows over here anyhow. Ahem. [MORE...]

Nas, Rihanna, Method Man Rarities on Def Jam Comp
Plus: Redman, Ne-Yo, Fabolous

We're used to collections of rarities coming from indie rockers and singer/songwriters, but rappers usually get their non-album tracks out there with mixtapes. It's not a bad system. The rappers get to release even the most half-formed of tracks on their laptops, and we get to check them out for cheap, or free.

This makes Def Jam Sessions Vol.01-- a compilation of leftovers previously unreleased in the U.S. from recent albums on the label-- a little odd. You could certainly do worse than the comp's list of contributors: MCs like Nas, Method Man, Redman, and Fabolous alongside r&b singers like Rihanna and Ne-Yo. But what will we do without hearing a DJ "host" scream a catchphrase over each track every 30 seconds or so?

Our issues aside, Island/Def Jam/UMe will release the comp on December 18, exactly one week before your loved ones release a bunch of presents to you. [MORE...]

Jason Isbell (ex-Drive-By Truckers) Does Big Tour

It's been a mighty strange 2007 for country rocker Jason Isbell, following his April exit from Drive-By Truckers and the release of his solo debut Sirens of the Ditch in July.

And after a year of big moves and bigger shakeups, Isbell's probably looking for a little consistency as he heads into 2008. What better way to do that than with a truly massive U.S. tour? After all, nothing lends a quality of stability to a feller like driving around in a van for three months straight.

Take special note of Isbell's January 12 date, as he'll perform at the opening night of the New York Guitar Festival's "Royal Albert Hall" event honoring Bob Dylan. [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.)