Sunset Rubdown Add Dates, Do Polaroid Project

Photo by Yannick Grandmont

"He was a man of many nations," indeed! Sunset Rubdown mastermind Spencer Krug will visit many a foreign land, mend many a gown, and court many a Random Spirit Lover on his band's forthcoming jaunt about Europe.

And that jaunt just got, er, jauntier with the addition of a cool baker's dozen more dates since our last report. That's right, the Sunset Rubdown tour has expanded to encompass an even greater span of nations, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. It now begins March 27 with a tiny, three-gig excursion in North America.

The Sunset Rubdown jaunt in question also got a whole lot more interactive with the announcement of the latest "Polaroid Project" from Xiu Xiu associate David Horvitz. Horvitz, as you may recall, previously solicited show-going Xiu Xiu fans for Polaroid film, which he returned as candid snapshots of the band and later compiled in a book.

This time around he's reaching out to fans of Sunset Rubdown who'll be attending the troupe's March 27 gig at Masonic Temple in Brooklyn. Folks who show up with some Polaroid film and a self-addressed, stamped envelope can look forward to finding some possibly compromising photos of their fave band in their mailboxes shortly thereafter. Nice! Details here. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: March 24-30, 2008

Live music on TV this week:

Monday, March 24:

FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Howlin Rain

Tuesday, March 25:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Raveonettes
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Steve Earle

Wednesday, March 26:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Langhorne Slim
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Jose Gonzalez
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Bjork (rerun)
Syndicated: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Lupe Fiasco

Thursday, March 27:

OVATION: Live from the Artists Den: Fountains of Wayne
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Ghostland Observatory (rerun)

Friday, March 28:

OVATION: From the Basement: Architecture in Helsinki, Damien Rice, Eels, Autolux
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: The Wombats
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Sondre Lerche (rerun)

Saturday, March 29:

NBC: Saturday Night Live: Wilco (rerun)

QOTSA, Gnarls Barkley, Black Keys Play SoCo Shows
They've already started printing up Josh Homme's drink tickets in anticipation

As it so often does, Southern Comfort is rising back up, ready to return. (Though this time, you'll want to run to your local parking lot-- and not the nearest sink-- to catch the action.)

Like last year, the SoCo Music Experience will bring a series of free music festivals to cities across America, where 21-and-overs may guzzle the pink-hued whiskey-like-substance and jam out to the strains of some fine tunes.

First up is Atlanta, which will host a SoCo shindig featuring Queens of the Stone Age, Ghostland Observatory, and Ryan Shaw on May17 in Centennial Park. June 28 finds SoCo in Denver's Coors Field's Central Parking Lot, playing host to Gnarls Barkley and Bassnectar. The Black Keys sit atop a bill in the Ace Parking Lot at San Diego's Petco Park September 6.

Madison, Wisconsin will host an event September 6, Saratoga Springs, New York will follow suit September 13, and Tempe, Arizona will close things out October 18. As you can imagine, lineups for the other dates will follow eventually. Though these people do make booze for a living, so don't expect it before noon. [MORE...]

Boris Reveal Vinyl Tracklist for Smile, Tour UK/Europe

Photo by Eirik Lande

What with overcrowded bicuspid groupings and improperly-filled cavities and the sort, no two smiles are truly alike. Ditto for the various versions of Japanese psych-metal maxilloface-melters Boris's latest LP Smile. As we've mentioned, it arrives with a different cover depending on the country. And now, we've learned that the U.S. vinyl version of Smile has rearranged its CD equivalent's running order a bit, and grown a couple extra chompers in the process. If I know my Boris fans like I think I do, this vinyl Smile may just outsell the CD 10:1. So let's open 'er up and take a look, shall we?

The vinyl Smile sports the same eight tracks as the CD version, though both its Michio Kurihara-laced tracks get switched up just a bit. "My Neighbor Satan" finds itself with an alternate mix, and "Flower Sun Rain" is somewhat extended. Then there's a couple new tracks, "After Me" and "Vein", to throw you off even further. Take all that and shake it up, as the running order's quite a bit different on wax, too.

But one thing remains the same: the release date. Smile hits the U.S. via Southern Lord in both forms April 29, with the CD version arriving in the UK and Europe April 21. It's out now in their native Japan from Diwphalanx.

Boris recently firmed up a big ol' tour of Europe and the UK later this spring, trading chords in large part with Growing. (Via Tiny Mix Tapes.) They'll head to the States this summer for the Pitchfork Music Festival. [MORE...]

Tapes 'n Tapes Issue UK Single, Hit UK/Europe

"Hang Them All" is a peppy little ditty near the front of Tapes 'n Tapes' forthcoming Walk It Off LP, devoid of much of the thudding, riff-tastic Dave Fridmann production that surrounds it. The song is, as they say, a standout, and the obvious choice for a first single.

And so it will be March 31, when XL takes "Hang Them All", couples it with non-album track "Wired", and cranks out a first single from Walk It Off (for the UK only). "Hang Them All" drops exactly a week before XL's UK release of Walk It Off, which finds its way to the States April 8. Fans of the track will wanna keep an eye peeled for a video for "Hang Them All", which the band claim is in the can and just waiting for release.

Tapes 'n Tapes will have a whole lot of walking to do on their North American tour, which launches on release date (April 8) with an in-store in New York City. The following night, the band hits "Conan". Then it's off to the UK and Europe in late May and early June for a freshly announced tour. [MORE...]

Beck, Wilco, BSS, Devendra Added to Outside Lands
Also Black Mountain, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Manu Chao, Sharon Jones

Rumored, confirmed, and now with more than three bands to talk about, San Francisco's inaugural Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival-- going down in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park August 22-24-- is shaping up quite nicely.

In addition to previously announced headliners Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Jack Johson, the fest has added Beck, Wilco, Broken Social Scene, Black Mountain, Devendra Banhart, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Bon Iver, Drive-By Truckers, Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Nellie McKay, Manu Chao, Regina Spektor, the Cool Kids, Two Gallants, the Coup, Steel Pulse, Lyrics Born, Cold War Kids, Café Tacuba, and both Little Brother and the Felice Brothers, who are apparently unrelated to each other.

The Jack Johnson fan in your life will be sated by appearances from Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, Primus and Galactic, while the Tom Petty contingent will get a boost from Steve "Higher Love" Winwood.

No Age Cover Nerves, Urinals, Nate Denver on New 7"

In a recent interview with Pitchfork contributor Nilina Mason-Campbell, the boys of No Age described being trapped together in a car for 14 hours during a particularly gnarly snowstorm. To stave off boredom, they taught themselves to play tunes by Nate Denver, the Urinals, and the Nerves.

Now, they're passing the boredomcovers on to you! "Eraser" is the first single from No Age's Sub Pop debut Nouns. It's due out April 8, and features their takes on Nate Denver's "Don't Stand Still", the Urinals' "Male Masturbation" and the Nerves' "When You Find Out" (not, as they discussed in the aforementioned interview, the Nerves' oft-covered power-pop nugget "Hanging on the Telephone"). No Age packs all three covers onto the B-side of said 7", leaving the flip entirely to the smoldering "Eraser".

Nouns will be unleashed May 6. Ooh look at the cover!

Of course, the never-ending No Age tour rages on, with a few newly added dates here and there. And we'll once again take this opportunity to remind you of their appearances at the ATP vs. Pitchfork shindig in England in May and the Pitchfork Music Festival in July in Chicago. [MORE...]

Liars Confirmed to Open Radiohead's Spring U.S. Tour
Thom Yorke grills Mayor of London on climate change; Liars work with Kenneth Anger

As George Washington once famously said, "I cannot tell you how much Liars kick ass."

Radiohead know this too, which is probably why they've enlisted G-Dub's fave noise rock trio to open their first round of 2008 U.S. dates. That's right, folks: the rumors are true.

The rabble-rousing fibbers will join forces with Thom Yorke and his Rainbows warriors beginning May 5 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Liars have a trio of EU dates before then-- including two in Russia!-- while Radiohead have their previously mentioned BBC Radio 2 gig April 1, and plenty of live activity following their Liars meet-up.

Apart from the two Russian gigs, Liars will also appear at the Donaufestival in Krems, Austria in late April, where they'll link with acclaimed and influential filmmaker Kenneth Anger to present Anger's new "audiovisual live-performance project" Technikolor Skull. Anger will also premiere his new feature Ich Will! at the festival. Unfortunately, Liars have had to cancel a pair of UK gigs-- including their appearance at the Explosions in the Sky ATP-- in order to accommodate the Radiohead itinerary.

In other news from the Radiohead front, Thom Yorke recently sat down with Mayor of London Ken Livingstone to discuss the climate crisis, carbon emissions, London's congestion charge, bicycles, and the like. Check out the Observer Magazine interview here, and read Yorke's introductory letter as Observer Magazine guest editor here.

Finally, don't forget to dust off that VHS-playing apparatus... [MORE...]

Robyn Announces North America, UK Tours

So that must've gone well. Following a handful of Stateside appearances in February and a smattering of raved-about performances at South by Southwest, Robyn will return to North America for a decent-sized tour, according to Perez Hilton and confirmed by her label. The trek kicks off April 29 in Boston and eventually touches down in L.A. May 17.

This sort of thing should happen all the time. Of course, we know it can't: Robyn's got the rest of her adoring public to attend to, after all. And she's up to just that, with dates in Australia, a London gig in the middle of next month, and a half-dozen UK dates to follow in June.

Then there's the little matter of her "Who's That Girl?" single, due next month in several formats. And, finally, Robyn will finally make its way to the States in April from Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope. [MORE...]

The Mountain Goats Cancel Australian Tour
Bad day, mate

Photo by Natalie Kardos

John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats announced on his website last week that his Australian tour-- which was scheduled to kick off April 5 in Perth-- is off, due to "personal medical reasons."

"Everybody knows I don't cancel a show unless I absolutely have to; what's worse, coming to Australia is the highlight of our year." He continues, "If it weren't serious, I would be leaving for Oz next week, believe me. You'll be doing me a great favor if you keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and if you know in your heart that I don't play around in doing right by the people I love: I will be back to make this up to you."

In other Mountain Goats news, Darnielle's installment in the 33 1/3 album-book series-- in which our folk-rock superhero delves into Black Sabbath's classic Master of Reality LP-- is due in stores April 15, and Heretic Pride, his recent high-caliber LP, is in stores now. Darnielle also appears on the new Bellafea album Cavalcade, due out May 6 on Southern. [MORE...]

Universal Axes Be Your Own Pet Songs Due to Violence

Punk rock has always had a destructive, thrill-seeking streak, going back to such early rabble-rousers as Blondie's "Rip Her to Shreds", the Ramones' "Beat on the Brat", and the Stooges' "Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell". The havoc-wreaking songs on Be Your Own Pet's brand new album Get Awkward are just the latest additions to this lineage of cartoonish mayhem.

But three Get Awkward tunes were removed from the album's U.S. version at the last minute, having been deemed too violent by Universal Records. (Universal releases Be Your Own Pet's albums through a deal with the band's U.S. label, Ecstatic Peace.)

"Blow Yr Mind", "Black Hole", and "Becky" all appear on the international version of Get Awkward, released by XL Recordings.

Yes, Universal, an imprint of the Universal Music Group, home to such family-friendly artists as Eminem, 50 Cent, Marilyn Manson, and (formerly) Nine Inch Nails, thinks these songs are too violent to be heard by American audiences. Yes, this is the same company that once put out records by a band that calls itself ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. However, none of those acts features an adorable, barely post-teenage blonde girl as a frontwoman, as Be Your Own Pet do.

"Blow Your Mind" is a 45-second juggernaut that turns its title into a threat. "Black Hole" bitches about living in a dead end town with nothing going on, so "let's go and kill someone". It also contains the immortal line, "Eating pizza is really great / So is destroying everything you hate!"

"Becky" tells a Heathers-style tale of best friends turned worst enemies:

Doesn't matter anyway, 'cause I've got a brand new friend, OK
Me and her, we'll kick your ass
We'll wait with knives after class!

If only what you wrote in my yearbook was true
Then I wouldn't be stuck in fucking cell block 2
But I don't regret what I've done,
'Cause in the end, it was fun!

Andrew Kesin, General Manager of Ecstatic Peace, finds the matter confusing and disheartening. "This is not indicative of how we've operated with Universal," he said. "They've never said a word about anything we've ever done before. This took us all by surprise."

Kesin said that the decision to axe the three songs from the U.S. version of the album came "very late in the game, three or four weeks before street date." (When we originally reported the album's tracklist back in November, they were on there.) "It's such a drag. There was nobody to even talk to about it."

In an interview with New York University's Washington Square News, Pearl spoke out about the matter:

"When I found out that the songs were going to get taken off, I was just like, 'Is there anybody I can talk to?' It's like, I don't even really know who these people are. There's no one you can talk to to try to argue your case. Other than that, Universal has been great. But I guess that's just what happens when you decide to have something to do with a major label. They're going to be scared of anything that's not completely cookie cutter."

"I also feel like it's a good thing to have an outlet. Like, maybe I would be a very violent person if I didn't have the chance to sing about what I want to sing about and express things I want and it's definitely helped me from being a destructive person in my life. And I think tons of people relate to that, so it's kind of frustrating that they want to censor me or whatever."

Currently, "Black Hole" is streaming from Be Your Own Pet's MySpace page, and "Black Hole" and "Becky" are streaming on Be Your Own Pet's website. Kesin said that plans are in the works to release the three songs in the U.S. as a single via XL.

Be Your Own Pet are on tour in the UK and Europe now, with plans to tour America this summer with She Wants Revenge, whose breakout single "Tear You Apart" concerns wanting to tear your hair out and "fucking tear you apart". Wanna guess what company put out that record? [MORE...]

Girl Talk Preps Night Ripper Follow-Up, Debunks Leak

Photo by Jason Bergman

After spending the lion's share of his time since 2006's Night Ripper on tour, Gregg Gillis is hard at work recording the next Girl Talk album for a late spring/early summer release. And while Girl Talk is very Web 2.0-accessible in concept and execution, the new record has not leaked, despite the appearance of an imposter this week.

In a MySpace blog post from Thursday, March 20, Gillis wrote, "Yesterday, someone posted a fake 'leak' of my upcoming album. I was not involved in this at all. The music posted had nothing to do with me. Please spread the word that the leak was fake." Done!

Now that we've got that cleared up, let it be known that the actual new Girl Talk record is tentatively titled Wild Peace IV: Feed the Animals, Raise the Dead, and in a press release, Gillis says it was created in the same way as Night Ripper but in a different spirit:

"I come up with little pieces of new material to experiment with at the live performances each week, and the general direction and style of the album naturally evolves over time... If you've seen me live recently, you've heard new material that will show up on this release...

"This album is going to be dense with samples like my previous releases, but I'm trying to give some of the parts more room to breathe. I'm focusing less on sporadic chops and more on having pieces of the album build. The new material definitely has its share of quick cuts, but it's less dependent on that style. I think it's more dynamic because of it."

Whenever it comes out, Illegal Art will give Wild Peace its online and CD release, while Wham City will handle the vinyl. And speaking of non-stop touring, Gillis has a few shows lined up; scope those below. [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.)