Tony Allen, Vieux Farka Toure on African U2 Tribute

A handful of prominent African musicians-- Vieux Farka Touré, Les Nubians, Angélique Kidjo, and others-- have joined together to put new spins on some U2 classics for In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2.

Aerosmith's Joe Perry joins Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars on "Desire", while former Fela Kuti musical director (and Damon Albarn's the Good, the Bad & the Queen bandmate) Tony Allen serves up an "Afrobeat translation" of "Where the Streets Have No Name".

The disc emerges April 1 from Shout! Factory, and a portion of the proceeds from each sale go to The Global Fund, "the world's largest international financier of the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria." [MORE...]

Vladislav Delay Reissues 2001's Anima, Forms Quartet

Originally released in 2001 on the Mille Plateaux imprint, Vladislav Delay's Anima marked a shift for the noted electronic whiz kid with the many monikers. Gone, in large part, were the well-choreographed, sequencer-led compositions of old, replaced by live instruments, long takes, and a minimum of post-production and overdubs.

Delay's own Huume label will reissue Anima in full on May 13, with a tantalizing new extra. Delay took to the studio earlier this year to craft a ten-minute remix of Anima's single track, paring the hour-long original down to a more manageable size.

Delay has a number of tour dates over the next few months in Europe, the UK, and Japan, including a few shows that find him debuting the Vladislav Delay Quartet. Apart from Delay, the group features Pan Sonic's Mika Vainio on electronics, Derek Shirley on the bass, and Lucio Capece on reeds. [MORE...]

Ray Davies Embarks on North American Tour

Ray Davies-- you know, from the Kinks-- has lined up a handful of North American tour dates in support of his second-ever solo LP, Working Man's Café, out now on V2 in the UK and New West Records in the U.S.

And, not to sound like those Beatles jokers over in Forkcast, but that's big news. I mean, Ray Davies! You know, from the Kinks! Live and in person! He might even play "Waterloo Sunset" or something! See? Pretty exciting, this one. The dates kick off tonight (March 28) in San Francisco, with a pair of UK gigs to follow in June.

Oh, and the Kooks recently laid down their forthcoming Konk in Davies' studio of the same name. [MORE...]

Nine Inch Nails Announce Summer Tour

Get ready to spend your hot summer days in a cold, dark place. Trent Reznor announced on his website yesterday that "the band has been reformed (details coming!)" and Nine Inch Nails will "embark on extensive tour" in support of Ghosts later this year.

The first stop on the trek is the Pemberton Festival in British Columbia, and it may or may not include a stop at Lollapalooza, though Chicago during the first weekend in August sure does fit snugly into this touring schedule right down that.

Thanks to october_midnight of Echoing the Sound for the tip! [MORE...]

Andrew Bird Blogs for The New York Times

Photo by Joseph Mohan

As Andrew Bird Soldiers On with the recording of his new album-- the follow-up to last year's Armchair Apocrypha-- the loop-y Chicago songwriter has taken up a new hobby: blogging. However, unlike those of us who would have to register for a Blogspot or Wordpress account to indulge our net-enabled diaristic impulses, Bird's words appear online in The New York Times.

More specifically, Bird is blogging about his songwriting and recording processes for the NYT blog Measure for Measure. Measure for Measure chronicles the creative processes of its contributors, who include Roseanne Cash, Suzanne Vega, and songwriter Darrell Brown.

Bird's first post is up now, and it details his preparations and plans for the new album:

"I've got 11 songs mostly written and several dozen distinct melodies. I never worry about the melodies drying up. Since I can remember, I've had melodies in my head. I chew my food to them... Words are much trickier. I would forgo words altogether if I didn't love singing them so much... I'm really an instrumentalist who sings words, and if you care to pay attention, you might enjoy them. So in this post, I will begin reporting on the progress of an as-of-yet unfinished song, with all my doubts and insecurities laid bare."

The song Bird details is tentatively titled "Oh No", and he traces its growth from the initial spark of inspiration (a child's cry on an airplane flight) to the later stages of line-editing lyrics. The post is full of nitty-gritty stuff, for those who like that kind of thing, and there will be more where it came from every few weeks.

Despite the recording and blogging, Bird hasn't neglected to schedule some shows for himself this spring and summer. The first of them is April 5 in Cincinnati. He's also been busy popping up on friends' records-- he contributes to the new Dosh record, Wolves and Whistles, out May 13 on Anticon, and to Dianogah's qhnnnl, out June 10 in the U.S. and June 16 in Europe on Southern. [MORE...]

ATP vs. Pitchfork Sells Out!
Hot Chip, Various Production to DJ at festival

Airfare/train passes to Rye, England? Check. Directions to Camber Sands Holiday Centre? Check. Time off from work for May 9-11? Check. A totally great lineup? Check plus!

Tickets? You did remember to get tickets, right? Hope so, because ATP vs. Pitchfork-- to be held at the aforementioned venue near the aforementioned English town on those aforementioned dates-- is now sold out!

However, All Tomorrow's Parties plans to release a small number of additional passes. If you'd like to get on the waiting list to purchase one of these, you'll need to send an email to feedback@atpfestival.com with "WAITING LIST" as the subject line. Good luck!

We'd also like to welcome two late additions to the festival lineup. Apart from their full-band set, Hot Chip will also DJ at ATP vs. Pitchfork, while the mysterious Various Production (aka Various) will make a rare DJ appearance.

Here's that lineup one more time:

Chosen by Pitchfork:

Bon Iver
Vampire Weekend
Times New Viking
Jay Reatard
The Clientele
Jens Lekman
A Place to Bury Strangers
Yeasayer
The Hold Steady
Black Lips
Hot Chip
Les Savy Fav
No Age
Of Montreal
Man Man
Los Campesinos!
Caribou
Glass Candy
Dirty Projectors

Chosen by ATP:

Girls Against Boys
Black Mountain
Born Ruffians
Howlin Rain
Harmonia
Car Sick Cars
Even
Redd Kross
Marissa Nadler
Deerhunter
Wooden Shjips
Meat Puppets
The Black Angels
Shit and Shine
Sebadoh
Ween
Pissed Jeans
Fuck Buttons
Apse

Plus:

Hot Chip (DJ set)
Various Production (DJ set)

Thanks to everyone who bought tickets-- see you in six weeks!

Booka Shade Return With The Sun & The Neon Light
Get Physical acts tour

Though they've spent the last couple years mixing, remixing, being remixed, and, uh, being sampled by will.i.am, it's been a little while since Booka Shade's Movements, their last full-length of twitchy, funky Berlin microhouse, came out in 2006.

But Booka Shade are back and as luminescent as ever, if Get Physical's May 27 release of their third LP The Sun & The Neon Light is any indication. The album will be released as a regular CD and as a limited edition double CD, which will contain an extra disc of "club versions" of the album's tracks. The added tracks will also be available digitally.

The double-A-side single for "City Tales" and "Planetary" is available now.

Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier will hit the touring circuit pretty much all spring and summer, and, wouldn't you know it? Their fellow Get Physical label co-founders M.A.N.D.Y. are, too. Feast your eyes on just gads of dancing opportunities below the jump. [MORE...]

Photos: Beach House / Papercuts [Chicago, IL; 03/26/08]

Photos by Erik Liam Sanchez; text by Tyler Grisham

Baltimore's Beach House have expanded upon their live show since I saw them at the Pitchfork Music Festival this past summer. As with the subtle but impressive sonic improvements they made between their highly-regarded debut and last month's follow-up, Devotion, the basic setup remained the same: Victoria Legrand on her organ and Alex Scally backing her up on guitar. But Papercuts' Jason Robert Quever on drums bolstered the preprogrammed beats that began each song-- a trick the group employed on Devotion and one that helps their stage presence burst to life.

Quever's San Francisco-based band opened the night at Schubas with a set of tracks from last year's Can't Go Back, including the time-signature-hopping ballad "John Brown" and "Dear Employee", plus a few numbers from an as-yet-unannounced follow-up. Beach House's Scally provided keys for Papercuts, and Legrand joined them onstage for the last number.

A few minutes later, Legrand, Scally, and Quever were back on stage, drowned in swirling blue lights straight out of Back to the Future's Enchantment Under the Sea dance, drifting through a set of tunes pulled equally from Devotion and their self-titled debut. The set was bookended by two of Devotion's best tracks, "Wedding Bell" and an utterly majestic rendering of "Heart of Chambers".

We caught up with the bands in Schubas' green room after the show for a few behind-the-scenes shots. Look for a supine Cass McCombs cameo and the bands' whole road crew below, plus the handful of remaining tour dates.

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Tapes 'n Tapes Walk It Off for Cancer Research

Tapes 'n Tapes aren't just talking the talk when it comes to their new Walk It Off LP. They're walking the walk as well. And they were hoping you could do it with them.

You see, Tapes 'n Tapes have this record coming out called Walk It Off (release dates: April 7 in the UK and April 8 in the U.S. on XL). To celebrate, they're looking for folks to register as "Team Tapes 'n Tapes" at breast cancer research walk-a-thons in their hometowns. The top fundraiser in each city will not only get the satisfaction of helping out a good cause, but a personalized, autographed copy of the vinyl version of Walk It Off.

Walk-a-thons are taking place across the country throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Tapes 'n Tapes encourage you to check out the sites of the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, or the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for information on a walk taking place in your city. The band puts particular emphasis on the Susan G. Komen Twin Cities Race for the Cure, which takes place May 11-- Mother's Day, don't you know-- in the band's native Minneapolis/St. Paul. Charity, as they say, begins at home.

Though without a Lear jet or something, Tapes 'n Tapes won't be anywhere near the upper Midwest that particular May weekend, as they'll be on tour on the West Coast. However, the band plans to participate in a breast cancer walk once their tour ends in the summer.

And, in other Tapes news, Walk It Off's first single, "Hang Them All", hits UK shelves March 31. [MORE...]

Photos: Caribou / Fuck Buttons [Boston, MA; 03/26/08]

Photos by Alex Burack

I'd say Paradise is a pretty apt name for any club playing host to the kaleidoscopic bliss of Caribou and the pulsing, rhapsodic sonics of Fuck Buttons, just as a certain aptly named venue in Boston did last night.

Both acts will have plenty more opportunities to dazzle folks with their wares in the coming weeks, culminating in each band's appearance at that ATP vs. Pitchfork Festival you may have heard something about.

This awesome-bands-touring-together thing is a great idea. Let's hope it catches on!

And if you want the Caribou live experience from the comfort of your headphones, tune in March 30 as NPR's "Live in Concert" series broadcasts Dan Snaith and Co.'s set from Washington, DC's (also aptly named) Rock and Roll Hotel.

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FUCK BUTTONS



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Be Your Own Pet Announce North American Tour

They've already been to every place everywhere in the world, but Be Your Own Pet are doing it all over again. Their tour is currently ripping through the UK and Europe, and now it's scheduled to head to North America in May and June.

The NYLON Magazine sponsored tour also features L.A. fashion rockers She Wants Revenge. We have no idea what the two bands could learn from each other on the sizable tour, but hey, maybe seeing the fun BYOP have on stage will be a sort of "road to Damascus" moment for She Wants Revenge.

Either way, you really shouldn't miss a chance to see the most punk rock band in all the land, so watch them tear through a set sure to include some of the unreleasably violent songs from their new Get Awkward at the dates after the jump. [MORE...]

Photos: Boredoms [Chicago, IL; 03/26/08]

Boredoms gig posters ought to read like circus announcements:

MARVEL! as four intrepid noise-makers from across the Pacific conjure up a rapturous, clangorous, 360-degree shitstorm, at once piercingly primitive and gleefully forward-looking!

STAND IN AWE! as Eye wields pitch-bending, glowing globules like a human theremin!

WITNESS! the living spider-woman Yoshimi, whose dextrous appendages handle drums, hi-hats, bass pedals, and progged-out synth all at once! Barefoot, even!

BEHOLD! the ridiculous seven-neck guitar tower that Eye plays like a freaking gong!

CHUCKLE! at the poor guy who has to stand behind the thing the whole while and constantly retune it!

So it was at Chicago's Congress Theater last night as Boredoms touched down in the home of their new label Thrill Jockey, with Soft Circle and labelmates Human Bell in tow, for a rare performance "in the round". By the end of this 90-odd minute set, both band and audience looked positively exhausted. And who could blame them? Cosmic catharsis is taxing, after all.

And speaking of Thrill Jockey and live Boredoms, we'd be remiss not to remind you that the label will deliver the all-live Super Roots 9 in the States April 8.

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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.)