Simian Mobile Disco Prep Another EP, Add Dates

Front page photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

It's a good thing that Simian Disco of James Ford and James Shaw's is of the Mobile variety, because if it weren't, we'd have a heck of a time telling you about the latest additions to their forthcoming tour. Not to mention the logistics of booking the damn thing! Lucky for us, it moves, and when these guys come around, there is a pretty good chance you'll be moving right along with them.

Following a run of dates in their native UK and one in Paris, the dynamic duo that is Simian Mobile Disco will bring their hustle to North America as winter turns to spring. A handful of these will be "just" DJ dates, while others will feature the full-blown SMD live experience. SMD return to the UK in May for that Summer Sound System festival.

Something to note: a gig originally plotted for February 2 at Bristol, England's Thekla has been pushed back to Valentine's Day due to "circumstances beyond [their] control." Tickets for the cancelled gig will be honored at the rescheduled show.

Finally, it wouldn't be a SMD story without another new short-playing release from these two. Following the U.S. version of the "Hustler" single that hit Stateside shelves last month, the Clock EP collects four instrumental tracks and lands UK-ways via Wichita Recordings March 10. [MORE...]

David Byrne, Grizzly Bear to Join Paul Simon in Concert

Well we knew Jens Lekman, Julie Doiron, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and-- in all likelihood-- these guys were fans, but they're hardly the only ones.

Paul Simon, aka the guy who stole Annie Hall from Woody Allen, will be the subject of a series of star-studded concerts presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music. "Love in Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon" descends in April and consists of three separate programs touching on aspects of Simon's globetrotting songcraft.

"Songs from The Capeman", the first program, runs April 1-6 at the Harvey Theater and brings together Oscar Hernández and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Claudette Sierra, Obie Bermudez, Ray de la Paz, and more for a concert staging of Simon's 1998 Broadway show The Capeman. Little Anthony and the Imperials will make a special appearance as well.

"Under African Skies" is next, running April 9-13 at the Howard Gilman Opera House. David Byrne, Hugh Masekela, Cyro Baptista, Milton Nascimento, Kaïssa, Luciana Souza, and others will be on hand to help Simon and his band recreate tunes from Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints. What, no Chevy Chase?

"American Tunes", finally, takes over the Howard Gilman Opera House April 23-27. The collaboration-happy Grizzly Bear will join the Roches, Olu Dara, and others to assist Simon as he spins through some of his more domestic fare.

So come on out and celebrate the adventurous sounds of Paul Simon. Just please take care not to sneeze all over his coke.

Gnarls Barkley Are The Odd Couple on New LP

Why, it's another pop culture reference! To a bygone T.V. show, no less! Gnarls Barkley-- Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse's totes postmodern R&B-space-pop thing you've probably heard about-- have slapped a name on the forthcoming follow-up to 2006's St. Elsewhere, and, well, it suits them nicely. The Odd Couple, the sophomore disc from the unlikely hitmaking team, will be released in April on Downtown/Atlantic. Though the real question remains: Is Cee-Lo a Felix or an Oscar?

Gnarls and them have been lighting up the internet over the last 24 hours as a leak of presumptive lead single "Run" hit the blogs yesterday. The track appeared on missionfreak.com with a few tongue-in-cheek warnings against copping the thing ("give it a download and see if you turn into the Cowardly Lion"), and Gnarls' own MySpace bulletins have been peppered with references and links to the track. The most recent, titled "GB LEAKED", simply features a link reading "Hurry up and DIGG this before it's pulled." Whatever you say, crazy basketball player band!

In other Gnarly news, Danger Mouse recently wrapped production work on the Black Keys' Attack & Release, while Cee-Lo joined Boards of Canada in crafting Solange Knowles' next one. Billboard.com also reports that Danger Mouse is working with Tricky collaborator Martina Topley-Bird on her forthcoming album The Blue God and with a band called the Shortwave Set, who have also been lucky enough to rope in both Van Dyke Parks and John Cale as collaborators on their new LP.

M83 Talks New Album, New Direction, 1980s
"There is no irony at all in my musical relation to the 80s. I really can cry when I listen to Kate Bush or Simple Minds."

After a low-key debut and two records of scintillating, maximalist end times anthems-- plus last year's ambient detour Digital Shades Vol. 1-- M83 is all set to tone things down a bit. Saturdays = Youth, the analog wizard's new LP for Mute (due April 15 in North America, April 14 overseas), exists as a post-apocalyptic hangover of sorts and also heralds a new direction for the M83 project.

We caught up with M83's center of gravity Anthony Gonzalez to discuss this change, the non-ironic influence of the 1980s, and what else we can look forward to this year from M83.

Gonzalez puts it bluntly: "I think repetition is death. So the new record [has] a different path and a different focus." Yet, as he's quick to add, "It's different but it's from the same mold.

"I don't think this record is a betrayal for M83 fans. I just wanted to make something different and I hope they will like this new departure, because I think the fans were waiting for something else too."

Saturdays serves, in a sense, as a year zero for Gonazlez. As he tells it, "I felt like Before the Dawn Heals Us was a kind of conclusion to everything I had done before-- like electric crescendos and rock and tragic lyrics-- and I needed some fresh air. I spent a long time trying to find and to love this new direction of mine."

For this so-called new direction, Gonzalez looked both inward and backward, to the decade of Reaganomics, larger-than-life coiffures, and new wave: the 1980s.

"I just wanted to make [this record] more personal," Gonzalez explains. "I'm fed up with all these albums paying tribute to the 80s because, in general, the 80s are really treated as kitsch and as a cheesy decade-- and people love that. But for my part I consider the 80s in a really serious way, and there is no irony at all in my musical relation to the 80s. So yeah, I really can cry when I listen to a Kate Bush song or Simple Minds." [MORE...]

Photos: Super Furry Animals / Holy Fuck [Brooklyn, NY; 01/25/08]

Photos by Matt Ziegler

The nutty Welshmen in Super Furry Animals headed to Brooklyn on Friday night for the second stop on their North American tour in support of latest album Hey Venus!. The crowd at the Music Hall of Williamsburg let down their guard long enough to act as silly as the guys on stage; maybe they were just happy that the band let them pick the set list? Canadian crazies Holy Fuck opened, giving the Furrys a run for their money in the wackiness department.

The Holy Super Furry Fuckin' Animals trek continues tomorrow night in North Carolina. The bands part ways in mid-February, with Super Furry Animals picking up Times New Viking and Holy Fuck joining forces with A Place to Bury Strangers. [MORE...]

Patrick Wolf at Work on DVD, New Album

Photo by Kathryn Yu

Patrick Wolf is having a busy retirement. His most recent spurt of activity will almost certainly thrust him into the public eye once again sometime soon. The glammy Brit songwriter is working on two releases: a DVD and a new album, according to a MySpace blog post today.

The DVD seems likely to see the light of day first. It's a live document of Wolf's recent finale show at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, directed and shot by photographer Brantley Gutierrez. According to his MySpace blog, Wolf just finished mixing and producing the show's audio for a Virgin television special, which will air an abbreviated version of the concert.

Then there's the matter of Wolf's follow-up to last year's excellent The Magic Position. In his own words, Wolf is "loading up my old laptops, generating beats and writing, typing nonstop at the piano keys and computer keys, trying to communicate some of the journeys, misadventures, and experiences from the last couple of years since The Magic Position was completed. Slowly recovering and returning to a more regular private rhythm of life. Trying to remember how to live outside of hotels and six different airports each week is a lot more confusing and tricky than I expected, but life is showing me marvels and slowly vitality, inspiration, and productivity are returning to my days and nights."

Cheers to that.

Pitchfork Seeks Administrative Intern in NYC Office
The PBR of internships

Pitchfork Media is looking for some obnoxious hipster scum to beat up in the back alley of our New York City office. But more importantly, we're seeking an administrative intern. (Seriously, no mustaches.) The ideal candidate will be available 10-15 hours a week and have prior administrative experience. It'd be pretty great if you also have some general office experience and familiarity with business applications (you know, like Microsoft Office). A good presence on the phone and strong writing skills are mandatory. Tasks include, but are not limited to, coordinating schedules, shredding watermarked promos, and assisting all departments with daily operations as needed. Qualified applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@pitchforkmedia.com. Deadline is Friday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

Photos: The King Khan and BBQ Show [Tel Aviv, Israel; 01/24/08]

Photos by Dania Heller

King Khan and BBQ Show invaded the Holy Land last week, rocking Tel Aviv on Thursday, January 24-- which also happened to be Khan's birthday. After performing at the studio of Tel Aviv's 106FM radio station, Khan and
Mark Sultan (with trademark Johnny Carson Carnac hat) headed to the Levontine club for the birthday bash. As you can see, Khan dressed up for the occasion. We just hope that's kosher BBQ they're serving.

More photos and a handful of Irish tour dates below.

THE KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW At LEVONTINE






[MORE...]

Lekman, Glass, Ginsberg in Arthur Russell Documentary

One of the most singular music-makers of the modern era-- and almost certainly the most unique to emerge from Oskaloosa, Iowa-- the late Arthur Russell is the subject of a forthcoming documentary from filmmaker Matt Wolf.

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell delves into the life of the maverick cellist and disco producer, who died of AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40. To help paint a complex portrait of Russell, Wolf interviewed several of those who knew Russell during his lifetime-- including Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg, and Ernie Brooks (The Modern Lovers), as well as Russell's parents and partner Tom Lee.

Those inspired by Russell appear as well, including Jens Lekman (pictured below) and Electrelane's Verity Susman-- both of whom contributed tracks to Lekman's recent Arthur Russell tribute EP-- along with Russell-reissuing Audika Records' chief Steve Knutson.

The Berlin International Film Festival will play host to Wild Combination's premiere on February 13, 14, and 15. Look for it at Greece's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in March as well.

Thanks to reader Abraham Raúl Araujo Díaz for the tip.

Sunset Rubdown Announce Spring Tour

Spencer Krug and the rest of the Sunset Rubdown crew will return to the spotlight for a round of European shows following their appearance at the Explosions in the Sky-curated ATP.

The tour covers ground in the UK, Ireland, and a couple Scandinavian countries before ending in early June. All shows are in support of the band's 2007 opus Random Spirit Lover. [MORE...]

T.V. Eye: January 28 - February 3, 2008

Live music on TV this week:

Monday, January 28:

FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Lupe Fiasco

Tuesday, January 29:

FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Radar Bros.

Thursday, January 31:

NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Les Savy Fav
OVATION: Live From the Artists Den: Josh Ritter

Friday, February 1:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Vampire Weekend

Saturday, February 2:

FOX: Fearless Music TV: Stars, Moving Units, Kasabian, Imogen Heap, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Mando Diao, Northern State
PBS: Austin City Limits: The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, featuring Charlie Louvin, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Alison Moorer, more

Photos: Girl Talk / Dan Deacon [Chicago, IL; 01/26/08]

Photos by Joseph Mohan

Things got a little sweaty at Chicago's Metro this past weekend as the globetrotting dynamic duo of Girl Talk and Dan Deacon whipped up their respective furious blends of chart top mashups and bonkers cartoon jams.

Deacon, hoisting his trippy green skull into the air, converted the sizable rock venue into a giant dance party; Girl Talk kept it going and was joined on stage by dozens of admiring fans. Unfortunately, this weekend marked the last of Gregg and Dan's joint dates for now, but they're both still touring separately, so check below to see if they'll be heading in your direction.

GIRL TALK








DAN DEACON







[MORE...]

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