Arab Strap's Moffat Returns With NSFW New LP

I Can Hear Your Heart, the forthcoming, mostly spoken word album from ex-Arab Strap frontman Aidan John Moffat, is so vulgar you have to testify to your age (18+) in order to access its website.

The collection of poems and stories from the notoriously ribald Scotsman is accompanied by a book, Poop, that must be consumed before delving into Loop, the audio portion of Hear Your Heart. Moffat's none-too-sweet nothings come accompanied by sonic ephemera on the order of collages, crackles and song snippets, and, of course, a healthy sense of shame in any conscientious listener. The disc emerges February 5 on Chemikal Underground. Presumably in a paper bag.

On a slightly more SFW note, Moffat's band Aidan Moffat and the Best-Ofs plan to release their debut album sometime in 2008. That act, you might recall, had a tune on the recent Worried Noodles collection. Thank the deity of your choice they had David Shrigley's lyrics to work with there; one shudders at the thought of Mr. Moffat working with the term "worried noodle." [MORE...]

James Blackshaw Reissues Back Catalog

Since last year's The Cloud of Unknowing (Pitchfork's 34th favorite album of 2007) introduced James Blackshaw and his formidable 12-string skills to a wider audience, fans exploring Blackshaw's back catalogue have been in for quite a dig. Some of the UK guitarist/composer's earliest limited-run CD-Rs and LPs have been out of print. But thanks to his current label Tompkins Square, four of those releases will again see the light of the laser and the prick of the needle on March 25.

2005's Sunshrine, 2004's Celeste, and 2004's Lost Prayers and Motionless Dances will all get individual CD releases, while all three, in addition to 2005's White Goddess, will be split between two vinyl releases (Celeste/Sunshrine and Lost Prayers and Motionless Dances/White Goddess).

JB will come to the U.S. for a handful of shows starting tomorrow, January 25. Then he'll play a bunch of UK and European dates before returning to the States to support his forthcoming new album.

And just this week, Important Records released The Garden of Forking Paths, a compilation curated by and featuring Blackshaw. [MORE...]

HEALTH Prep New Single for Suicide Squeeze

Straight teeth, clear eyes, "Perfect Skin": they're all indicative of good health. And we can think of no one quite as full of vim and vigor as HEALTH themselves, the loud ones from Los Angeles.

The folks at Suicide Squeeze must be HEALTH nuts too, as they'll inaugurate their 2008 7" series with HEALTH's "Perfect Skin", a tune carved into solid blue vinyl and limited edition to 2,000 copies. The track, from the band's self-titled LP of last year, will be backed with a remix of the song by Curses!. Look for it February 19 in stores, or score a copy right now via the Suicide Squeeze website.

Cold and flu season though it may be, HEALTH are out on the road at the moment, with their long run with Crystal Castles looming. [MORE...]

At Last! The Scarlett Johansson Album!

It's here! The album we've been waiting for, breathlessly, all this time. Yes, I'm talking about Scarlett Johansson's Anywhere I Lay My Head, due out May 20 on Atco. And wait-what's this? It's not just ten Tom Waits covers? There's also an original track? Oh man!

Update: Apparently Stars Like Fleas drummer Ryan Sawyer also appears on the album.

As previously reported, ScarJo collaborated with TV on the Radio's David Sitek, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, and Celebration's Sean Antanaitis on the album.

Album of the year, baby.

Photos: The Decemberists [Portland, OR; 01/23/08]

Photos by Nilina Mason-Campbell

You may recall back in November that the Decemberists cancelled their most ambitious tour to date: a series of two-night stands in a number of major cities, with one gig to show off their prog chops, and one to display their shorter pop ditties.

"The Long and Short of It Tour" was sadly nixed due to illness after only two dates, but Colin Meloy and crew re-emerged this week in their homeland of the Pacific Northwest with a quartet of shows neither long nor short. Last night Pitchfork caught up with the merry-making band of tunesmiths at Portland's Crystal Ballroom. Their two remaining dates are below, and that's about the long and short of it until Meloy drops his solo album in April.

THE DECEMBERISTS







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Animal Collective Announce Spring Tour

Say what you will about Animal Collective-- "freakin' weirdos" is a popular choice-- but whatever you do, don't call 'em unreliable. Their 2008 laundry list seemed as daunting and insurmountable as my own (pesky grass stains!), but it's only January, and the band have already begun making good on a few of their promises.

They claimed a European trek and "at least one show in April in the USA" were in the works, and by golly, there they are, affixed to the band's tour itinerary. After a few March dates in Japan, the Collective will do their Stateside duty at Coachella, then head off to the UK and Europe as May comes to a close.

Rumors have also been floating around that a new Animal Collective EP titled Water Curses will land via Domino on April 8, but that has not been confirmed.

As for the rest of that stuff, well, that's what June is for. [MORE...]

Cut Copy Show Their Colours on New LP, World Tour

Perhaps you caught "Lights & Music", the slinky, new wavey ditty from the Aussies in Cut Copy, over in Forkcast and wondered, "Hey, where can I get a little more of that?" Why, on the internet, of course! And, starting fairly soon, your local record shop.

Cut Copy's forthcoming sophomore set In Ghost Colours is due March 22 in their native Australia, April 8 in the U.S., and April 14 in the UK, one and all from Modular. The 16-track LP follows up Cut Copy's woefully-unreviewed 2004 debut Bright Like Neon Love. What's more, a digital single for "Lights & Music", featuring remixes of the track from Boys Noize and Superdiscount, is out right now.

And in case you'd wanna see the "Lights & Music" for yourself, there's all these Cut Copy tour dates, which find the band heading from Australia to the UK to Europe and finally to the States. They'll play a Modular showcase at SXSW and will hit Coachella as well. [MORE...]

Cool Kids, Kid Sister Join Flosstradamus on Debut LP
J2K auctions stuff on eBay

Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus have spent the last couple years rocking parties the world over and touring with the likes of A-Trak, Kid Sister, and Chromeo. But for now, the party rocking has mostly stopped, at least temporarily. J2K and Autobot are holed up in the studio determined to translate their manic live sets into an album worthy of their name.

Flosstradamus' forthcoming yet-to-be-titled full-length has no label home yet, but that hasn't stopped the dudes from snagging contributions to the record from Chicago homies the Cool Kids and Kid Sister (who also happens to be J2K's actual sister) as well as Spank Rock pal Amanda Blank. Of course, Floss themselves are handling the production, and they hope to have the album out sometime this summer.

In the meantime, J2K has taken on a new role: eBay fanatic. He's currently auctioning off a ton of his stuff, from the personal (watches, designer t-shirts, sunglasses) to the professional (iBook loaded with software and tunes, mix CDs, gift certificate for one night in a king suite at Chicago's Trump Hotel). You can check out all of his auctions here.

Flosstradamus will step out of the studio for a set at the new Treated party at the Underground in Chicago on January 31.

Joe Lally Gears Up for Winter Tour

Quietly becoming the journeyman of the (hopefully not) former Fugazi clan, Joe Lally will kick off yet another tour this winter. This time, he starts with shows in Brazil beginning this weekend and returns to the U.S. for a round of dates in February and March, all in support of 2006's appropriately named There to Here and last year's Nothing Is Underrated.

Andrea Moscianese and Mauricio Takara will accompany Lally in Brazil, and his U.S. shows will feature accompaniment from Moscianese and Ricardo Lagomasino. Those who catch Lally on the U.S. tour can also look forward to a set by the gender bending Edie Sedgwick (aka D.C. musician Justin Moyer, not Andy Warhol's deceased muse). [MORE...]

Feist Lines Up Spring Dates, Celebrates 2010 Olympics
"My Moon My Man" single gets digital UK reissue

Feist feels it all, as you well know, but when she feels the chill of a cold Canadian winter setting in, she packs her bags and gets the fuck out. Like pretty much every other international indie phenomenon right now, Leslie Feist will-- as you also know-- grace warm, summery Australia with her sunny presence in the weeks to come.

But lest you think Leslie has forsaken the country she calls home, take stock of this: the Winter Olympics will descend on Vancouver, Canada in 2010, and Feist is at the reigns of the welcome wagon. She'll join Ron Sexsmith, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and other musical Canadians of note at the "Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad Countdown Concert", popping off February 12, 2008 at the city's Orpheum Theatre. Only two years to go, guys! Please try to contain yourselves.

And if that just isn't enough Feist for you, how's this? The lady behind The Reminder will take those formidable pipes to Europe in May and June.

Denizens of the UK should be hip to Feist twice over by then, as the gal's "My Moon My Man" single will be issued anew there in digital form February 11 via Polydor. [MORE...]

Boredoms Sign to Thrill Jockey

The mighty Boredoms have joined the ranks of Tortoise, the Fiery Furnaces, Califone, and the Sea and Cake by signing to Thrill Jockey. The label will handle Boredoms' releases outside of Japan, and the first of those is a worldwide release of Super Roots 9, the newest entry in the band's Super Roots series and the first official Boredoms live album.

Thrill Jockey will serve up Super Roots 9 on April 8. The CD comes in a miniature gatefold jacket with artwork by bandleader Eye, and inside is a 40-page booklet with musical scores and notations.

This is just the beginning of a beautiful relationship between Boredoms and Thrill Jockey, so congratulate the band at one of those previously announced U.S. tour dates. [MORE...]

Bloc Party's Russell Lissack Fires Up Pin Me Down
"Cryptic" on Kitsuné comp, 12" due in April

When we reported on the Kitsuné label's Maison 5 compilation last week, there was one band we had a little trouble putting our finger on. That band was Pin Me Down, whose "Cryptic" made the Kitsuné mix. As it turns out, Pin Me Down contains a familiar face: Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack.

New York based songwriter Milena Mepris rounds out the duo, who met in 2004 when Mepris' former band Black Moustache opened a NYC gig for Bloc Party. They've been largely crafting tunes intercontinentally, employing email to shoot tracks back and forth over the pond that separates 'em. Hey! Just like the Postal Service!

But soon enough, Pin Me Down will take this mysterious new project beyond the realms of the "Cryptic". Kitsuné has a 12" remix single for the track tentatively set to arrive April 21. The Kitsuné Maison comp, meanwhile, is due worldwide February 4.

But a brand new band ain't all the good stuff coming from Mr. Lissack lately. According to NME.com, Lissack, a vegetarian, recently served as a guest judge in the selection of a new design for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) t-shirt.

It may be a little hard to believe, but Bloc Party aren't touring at the moment, and apparently have no plans to any time soon. They will, however, play the NME's Big Gig at London's O2 Arena February 28, alongside Klaxons, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, and the Cribs. And they've still been making their fair share of compilation appearances lately, what with the tunes they contributed to the Xfm Debut Sessions disc and the Green Owl environmental comp.

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.)