Ike Turner R.I.P.

Ike Turner, rock'n'roll pioneer, r&b legend, and volatile husband to Tina Turner, passed away at his San Marcos, California home today, according to TMZ. Aged 76, he reportedly died in his sleep.

Born Izear Luster Turner, Jr. in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Turner first found fame as leader of the Kings of Rhythm, whose 1951 single "Rocket 88"-- billed to Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats-- is regarded by some as the first true rock'n'roll recording.

Turner's place in popular music history wasn't cemented, however, until he met a young, fiery vocalist by the name of Anna Mae Bullock in 1956. Bullock would eventually take the name Tina Turner, and the pair would enter a relationship, both musical and romantic, as notoriously tumultuous privately as it was electrifying live on stage and on record. Throughout the 1960s and early 70s, Ike and Tina remained at the forefront of rock'n'roll culture, touring with the Rolling Stones, recording with Phil Spector, and churning out hits like "Proud Mary" and "River Deep - Mountain High".

Turner's reputation was, of course, mottled at best. He has been painted as an abusive and domineering husband to Tina, who left him in the mid-1970s. Turner also landed in prison in the early 1990s after various drug charges, and was in fact incarcerated when Ike & Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Yet Turner had, by most accounts, cleaned up his act in subsequent years. He also regained some of his footing musically, winning a Best Traditional Blues Grammy this year for Risin' With the Blues. He was also apparently working with the Black Keys and Danger Mouse on a forthcoming album.

Calexico Tour-Only Jams Now Digital Via Touch & Go

As they hit the dusty trails of the world, those traveling troubadours in Calexico pack up their gunny sacks with the usual fare: lonesome horns, reverby guitars, and, of course, tour-only EPs aplenty. But before December 4, the only way a person would have been able to grab these goodies would have been to hitch up alongside Calexico while they were out on the road. (Or order them from Calexico's website.) Now, six previously tour-only releases are available through Touch and Go/Quarterstick's digital store. From 1999's '98-'99 Road Map to this year's previously reported Toolbox-- with Travelall, Aerocalexico, Scraping, and The Book and the Canal in between, they're all up for grabs now. Shed your former constraints and roam free, Calexico jams!

In addition, mildly offensive Michigan punks The Meatmen have seen the entirety of their Touch and Go catalog issued digitally through the T&G site as well. Blud Sausage, the Crippled Children Suck EP and the Stud Powercock comp are exclusive at the Touch and Go outpost, with We're the Meatmen, the Crippled Children Suck LP and Meatmen frontguy Tesco Vee and the Meatkrew's Dutch Hercules LP available for download elsewhere.

As for Calexico, they've got a lone date of their own to attend to: December 28 at Tucson, Arizona's Temple of Music and Art.

Bradford Cox Publicly Apologizes to Samara Lubelski
"I take total responsibility for what a dickhead I was."

If you read Pitchfork's interview with Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox published in June, you may still have a bad taste in your mouth from a series of comments Cox made in reference to Samara Lubelski.

The NYC-based singer/songwriter/producer helmed some Cryptograms recording sessions, although the resulting material was subsequently scrapped. When asked about the shaky recording situation, Bradford, well, pretty much tore into Samara. We'll spare Mr. Cox the further embarrassment of reprinting those comments here; they're in the original interview, if you care to find them. Needless to say, they were nasty.

And anyway, Bradford has already gone and reprinted them himself-- along with a detailed, profuse apology to Samara-- in a recent Deerhunter blog entry.

"My single biggest regret [this year]," writes Cox, "is that I allowed what started as a simple nervous breakdown to [culminate] in a public defamation of a very talented musician, technician, and artist: Samara Lubelski.

"Unfortunately, due to my immaturity at the time, and my admittedly fucked up mental state I used the [interview] opportunity to fuck over someone who absolutely did not deserve it. What makes it worse is that I made statements that were not factual, or that were based on my completely warped perspectives.

"Make no mistake, I take total responsibility for what a dickhead I was...To Samara, I sincerely apologize for my bullshit."

Read Bradford's complete statement here, and please, if anyone ever starts a website that rates apologies based on their humility, give that one a 10.0.

The Deerhunter blog has, surprise surprise, seen a flurry of activity of late, including a year-end list of sorts, heaps of Atlas Sound mp3s, several mixtapes, and an interview Cox conducted with influential Athens act Pylon.

The Deerhunter band, meanwhile, is now officially in "hiatus" mode, though they'll reemerge for ATP vs. Pitchfork in May. Cox takes Atlas Sound for a whirl beginning February 19 and delivers the act's debut LP the very same day. Samara Lubelski's latest, Parallel Suns, is out now thanks to the Social Registry. [MORE...]

Yorke Preps 12"s With Field, Four Tet, Burial Remixes
And also Various, Modeselektor, Surgeon, and Christian Vogel Remixes

Lonely? Looking for love? Good thing it's singles day all up in here at Pitchforkmedia.com today, eh? And our de facto tribute to the shortest-playing of formats continues right now with the announcement of a newly-pressed series of three-songers from Thom Yorke, due early next year.

Wait a minute, Thom Yorke? Didn't that guy's solo album come out in, like, 2006? It sure did, but that hasn't stopped XL Recordings from preparing a trio of slick new 12"s collecting remixes of assorted tracks off The Eraser. Bearing the clunky but informative titles "And It Rained All Night (Burial Remix) / Skip Divided (Modeselektor Remix) / Analyse (Various Remix)", "Atoms for Peace (Four Tet Remix) / Black Swan (Christian Vogel Remix 1) / Black Swan (Christian Vogel Remix 2)", and "Harrowdown Hill (The Bug Remix) / The Clock (Surgeon Remix) / Cymbal Rush (The Field Remix)", the 12"s contain, well, precisely that. Look for them in UK shoppes beginning January 21, January 28, and February 4, respectively.

Oh, and if a few of these remixes sound familiar, perhaps you downloaded them off Yorke's site one whole year ago this week.

In related news, some band involving Yorke did something something tour blah blah Rainbows etc. [MORE...]

Diplo Remixes Spoon's "Don't You Evah" for Charity

Spoon's "Don't You Evah", from their fine Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga LP, has a nice little swing to it, sure. But leave it to Diplo to crank up the bottom end in just about anything he touches, even a straight-ahead rock track from a bunch of tightly-wound Texans.

Diplo's crafted a remix of "Don't You Evah" which the Merge Records digital store is selling this very moment. All proceeds from sales of the tune go to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, an organization that advocates fair practices within Texas courts.

When they're not matching wits for a good cause, Spoon and Diplo are out on the road. (Not together.) Both have but a handful of dates over the next few months. And Spoon presently have a poster signed by the band up on eBay as part of Merge's previously reported charity project. [MORE...]

Robyn Invites Us to "Be Mine" on Latest Single, Dates

UK Robyn fans wondering just when "Be Mine" might be theirs ought look no further: the stellar track from the Swedish pop starlet's 2005's self-titled masterstroke (released in the UK just this year) finally gets a single this winter from Konichiwa.

Starting December 21, you can download a "top notch remix package" for the tune at digital outlets worldwide, sporting, as you may have guessed, a whole bunch of "Be Mine" remixes. The "Ballard Version" of the single hits digital outlets January 11, while CD and 12" versions-- bolstered with various remixes from the "package" folks and others-- hit UK shelves January 14. Confused? We don't blame you, so everything's all spelled out after the jump.

In other Robyn news, her album is finally coming to the States next year, which means we'll have to think up a new closing line for all these Robyn stories. Ooh, how about this: Robyn's touring! She's got a number of live dates lined up around Europe next year, including a stop at the Netherlands' EuroSonic festival. And, though she hasn't yet made good on her promise to personally visit the States, we'll gladly keep reminding her about it until she does. [MORE...]

Morrissey Reveals New Single Details
Greatest hits gets UK release date

Now that Morrissey's settled all that label drama and let the NME know what's what, he can finally get back to what he does best. No, not crying, silly. Recording and releasing popular music to soundtrack your tears!

January 28, Moz will issue his inaugural release for Polydor/Decca: a tri-format UK single for "That's How People Grow Up", one of two new tracks on his forthcoming fifteen-track greatest solo hits collection (due UK-ways February 4; U.S. date TBA). Recorded with You Are the Quarry producer Jerry Finn (who's also helming sessions for Moz's next solo LP, due this fall), "Grow Up" will be backed by a handful of live takes on Moz/Smiths classics culled from 2007 tours on a CD and a pair of 7"s. No word yet on a U.S. release for the single.

In addition to his plethora of '08 releases, Morrissey's got that previously announced European tour he'll kick off in mid-January. Three tracklists and a tour itinerary after the jump. [MORE...]

Liars, No Age Members Team for Sissy Spacek Show
The band, not the actress, awesome though that would be

Prolific avant artist and noisenik (also Sunn O))) collaborator) John Wiese will play a show with his group Sissy Spacek at Los Angeles' the Smell tomorrow night (December 13). But Sissy Spacek are from L.A., so another hometown show is no big deal, right?

Not quite, since the Sissy Spacek playing this show isn't the usual duo or trio. It's the Sissy Spacek 13-Tet, a 13-piece orchestra consisting of members of bands like Liars, No Age, White Magic, and Mika Miko.

The 13-Tet will perform two sets at the Smell on Thursday, and the full list of the orchestra's members (including what they'll play) is as follows:

Mitchell Brown (ex-Gasp), percussion
Kate Hall (Mika Miko), percussion
Joseph Hammer (L.A. Free Music Society), tape
Aaron Hemphill (Liars), guitar
Tim Koh (White Magic), percussion
Giles Miller, woodwinds
Damion Romero (ex-Slug), electronics
Corydon Ronnau (Obstacle Corpse), guitar
Jarrett Silberman (ex-Young People), guitar
Dean Spunt (No Age), percussion
David Scott Stone, electronics
Shannon Walter (16 Bitch Pile-Up), electronics
John Wiese, electronics

Black Lips Add Tour Dates (Yep) Again

Photo by Daniel Arnold

Just when you think you've written the definitive "whew, looks like I won't be writing another Black Lips tour story in a while" Black Lips tour story, the band goes ahead and schedules dates in freakin' May. May, please, we'll all be too busy playing with our new iPhone Minis by then to go out and see live music.

But if for some reason you're not, and you live in the UK or Ireland, you can go to one of these new Black Lips shows in May. If you live anywhere else, Black Lips have plenty of tour dates for you too. Hell, they're probably planning an intergalactic tour at this very moment.

Finally, don't forget that one of Black Lips' May dates is at the ATP vs. Pitchfork festival weekend. [MORE...]

Explosions to "Drop off the Face of the Earth" After Tour
"For awhile", anyway

Explosions in the Sky sure know how to make up for lost time. Though they were forced to cancel their European tour this summer, they have more than made up for it with a 2008 tour that extends almost to June.

The rescheduled European shows join the band's rescheduled UK shows, but the new schedule also includes stops in the U.S. and Australia. While there are a ton of these shows, Explosions announced via their website that "after June 2008, we plan on dropping off the face of the earth for awhile, so these will probably be our last shows for quite some time. We hope some of you can make it out."

Opening all of the U.S. shows will be Kranky artist Lichens, aka Rob Lowe of 90 Day Men.

Just before quitting time is Explosions in the Sky's appearance at the ATP event they are curating, which takes place May 16-18 in Minehead, England. [MORE...]

Yeasayer Announce Big 2008 Tour

Photo by William Kirk

Yeasayer might seem like they're everywhere right now, but there are some key places their wild live show hasn't penetrated just yet. Despite releasing a Pitchfork Recommended debut in All Hour Cymbals and playing plenty of shows in the UK and Europe this year, the band has yet to tour its home continent. The foursome will remedy that situation next year with their first full-blown North American tour, where they'll be joined by fellow Brooklynites MGMT. Following that tour are even more European dates, including a stop at the ATP vs. Pitchfork event in May.

Yeasayer are also planning the UK single release of another All Hour Cymbals song for early 2008. The identity of the track is currently undisclosed, but it will come with a previously unrecorded and also undisclosed "live favorite" on the B-side, according to a press release. [MORE...]

Final Fantasy Song Jacked for Ad Leads to Anger Lawsuit Totally Sweet Music Festival
Pallett-curated traveling shindig boasts Deerhoof, Dirty Projectors, Frog Eyes, Six Organs

Once upon a time, a Vienna-based public works company called Wiener Stadtwerke wanted to use a Final Fantasy song ("This Is the Dream of Win & Regine" from 2005's Has a Good Home) in a commercial. The song's creator, Owen Pallett, politely declined, on the grounds that Wiener Stadtwerke was not in fact publicly owned.

Recalling what they learned about tenacity in business school (and ignoring what they learned about scruples), Wiener Stadtwerke went ahead and used the song anyway, soliciting an unauthorized cover version with a few swapped out lyrics and a new title, and crediting the whole thing to some mysterious entity called N.A.S.C.O. The commercial features ordinary citizens being attacked by white wispy graphics over Pallett's familiar string sorcery; you may view it right here:


Pallett caught wind of the devious move and was, naturally, less than pleased. But here's where things go all Disney ending. Rather than sue the asses off the shady company, Pallett was prepared to let the whole thing slide-- until Wiener Stadtwerke approached him, hat in hand, with an even better offer. The company agreed to help finance a festival co-curated by Pallett and his European booking agent.

Wait a minute, a festival?? You bet. "So far I think we've got all the 'best bands in the world', plus my lousy excuse for a band," Pallett joked in an email to Pitchfork, and indeed the folks already lined up for this thing make for a fine bunch. Dirty Projectors, Frog Eyes, and Six Organs of Admittance will play all three dates of the fest (in London, Vienna, and Berlin), while Deerhoof will headline the latter two. A bill-topper for the London gig has not yet been named.

All three events-- collectively dubbed the Maximum Black Festival-- go down as February turns to March next year. Many thanks to reader Christian Prügger for the tip.

Apart from finding himself on the good side of karma, Final Fantasy hasn't done too terribly much since unleashing a Zach Condon-boosted Tomlab 7" last month and, um, doodling. Most signs, however, point to a He Poos Clouds follow-up sometime in the '08. [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.)