Mogwai Reissue Young Team for Tenth Anniversary

Glasgow soundsmiths Mogwai are spending the first few months of 2008 finishing their follow-up to 2006's Mr. Beast. According to their website, the plan is to mix it in March and hopefully release it in the summer, at which point they'll head out on tour.

Before they jump into the future, however, Mogwai will revisit the past with a reissue of their 1997 debut album, Young Team. Scheduled for a tentative April release on Chemikal Underground, the reissue will feature a remastered version of the album accompanied by expanded liner notes and eight bonus tracks. The exact tracklist of the reissue is not yet available, but we'll bet money that at least one of the bonus tracks cracks the six-minute mark.

Thanks to reader Jono Henderson for the tip.

Stream: Mogwai: Time and a Half [from the Zidane: A 21st-Century Portrait OST]

Ghislain Poirier Serves Up New LP on Ninja Tune, Tours

MP3: Ghislain Poirier: Bastard Bass Mix

Ex-Karate Frontman Farina's Glorytellers Issue Debut
Band plans March tour

MP3: Glorytellers: Awake at the Wheel [from the forthcoming Glorytellers LP]

The Long Blondes Extend Tour

Longer? For sure. Blonder? Eh, not particularly. But more awesome? It would just have to be.

The Long Blondes, that saucy Sheffield set with the fancy duds and the killer tunes, have added a whole slew of UK dates to their previously announced run, leaving them with roughly twice as many opportunities to bring new romantics together this spring.

And while we're on the subject of togetherness, save the date: the Long Blondes' sophomore LP, Couples, is due April 7 in the UK and April 8 in the U.S. from Rough Trade. A single for "Guilt" will precede the album on March 24 in the UK. [MORE...]

Stream: The Long Blondes: The Unbearable Lightness of Building [from the Tate Modern's Tate Tracks]

Bjork Cancels Show, Plans New "Innocence" Single

Front page photo by Ashley Williamson

Björk's never been shy when it comes to belting it out, but that kind of dedication can take its toll. After a gig last night as part of the Sydney Festival, Björk was given doctor's orders to rest her swollen vocal cords. As a result, she's cancelled her appearance at the Big Day Out festival's Sydney stop tomorrow night (1/25).

It's hoped that Björk will recover in time for her appearance in Melbourne on the 28th, and no additional dates have been cancelled at this time. The Sydney Big Day Out will go on as planned, with every other act moving up in the roster. Because Björk's kind of a big draw, Big Day Out are offering ticketholders who don't want to attend a Björk-less Day Out a full refund, to be obtained at the point of purchase. Get better, Björk!

In what's becoming a trend for Björk of late, she's set to release yet another cut from Volta on a big, fancy 12"/CD/DVD single. The set is, again, limited to 10,000 copies, and will be available for preorder via One Little Indian in the UK starting January 29. The audio portion of your program features "Innocence" remixes from Simian Mobile Disco, Ghostigital, Alvo Noto, Jimmy Douglas, and Mark Stent, while the DVD features the winner and several runners-up from Björk's "Innocence" video contest.

Hey, and while we're at it, we might as well mention Travis Sullivan's Björkestra, whose Enjoy!-- a collection of Björk tunes reimagined for an 18-piece modern jazz orchestra-- is out this very moment on Koch Records. [MORE...]

Stream: Bjork: Innocence [from the Volta LP]

El Perro del Mar Heads From the Valley to the Stars

Photo by William Kirk

For her latest LP under the El Perro del Mar name, Sarah Assbring will spin her tales of romantic woe all the way From the Valley to the Stars.

The new album from the Swedish songstress is due in Scandinavia February 27 on Licking Fingers, and will head to the States April 22 from The Control Group.

Writing about the album in a press release, Assbring notes, "I wanted to make something as unfashionable as an album in the classic sense of the word ­ in terms of its composition and the idea of a theme. The theme itself was initially something as simple yet complex as heaven and it led me into a wide and seemingly endless search for a means, a language in which to express myself. Although during this time I was, even though I mostly didn't realize it, following a certain train of thought­ that of love, grief and loss, solace and hope, deepest despair and wildest childish euphoria ­ to the lowest and the highest of heights."

El Perro del Mar is joined at times on the 16-track record by members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphonic Choir. Gosh, she must like Gothenburg or something! Oh, yeah, right, she lives there.

Lead single "How Did We Forget?", which recently made an appearance over at Forkcast, is due as a digital download and 7" on Licking Fingers February 13. El Perro del Mar plan to tour behind the record, though those dates remain elusive for the time being.

Stream: El Perro del Mar: How Did We Forget? [from the From the Valley to the Stars LP]

The Dillinger Escape Plan Tour the World

Video: The Dillinger Escape Plan: Milk Lizard [from the Ire Works LP]

Barsuk Adds Goodies to Chris Walla's Field Manual
But you gotta act fast!

Take heed, adventurers! It won't be long until you can thumb through your very own copy of Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla's Field Manual, which lands in stores January 29 from Barsuk. But if you're fleet of foot and know where to look, you may even find yourself with a few extra chapters in your Manual.

If you order Field Manual from Barsuk's online store anytime from now 'til February 4, you'll be treated not only to Field Manual's dozen tracks, but bonus MP3s of "Like a Spark" and the 2006 demos of album cuts "Our Plans Collapsing" and "Sing Again".

Perhaps wary of crossing any borders, Chris doesn't have any plans to tour behind Field Manual at the moment. Death Cab, however, will play Coachella April 26. Their new album is in the works for a May release; a video of the band working on the record can be viewed here. [MORE...]

MP3: Chris Walla: Sing Again [from the Field Manual LP]

Dean & Britta Drop Remix EP, Wareham Writes Memoir

Video: Dean & Britta: Words You Used to Say [from the Back Numbers LP]

Arab Strap's Moffat Returns With NSFW New LP

MP3: Aidan John Moffat: The Boy That You Love [from the forthcoming I Can Hear Your Heart LP]

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...]

MP3: James Blackshaw: Sunshrine (excerpt) [from the Sunshrine LP]

HEALTH Prep New Single for Suicide Squeeze

Stream: HEALTH: Lost Time (Pictureplane Remix)

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