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.

Sunn O)))'s O'Malley Does KTL LP/Tour, Art Collab LP
KTL also gears up for Kindertotenlieder theater performances

Photo by Gisele Vienne

When he isn't crafting .01 mph metal jams with Sunn O))) or helping run the Southern Lord imprint, Stephen O'Malley is doing, well, heaps of other things.

One of those things is KTL, his doom-laden collaboration with Mego label chief Peter Rehberg (aka Pita). Since joining forces in 2006, KTL have managed to hit us with four full-length releases already. The latest, Live in Krems, dropped just this month on Editions Mego. The vinyl-only, four-song set was recorded, you guessed it, live in Krems, Austria at last year's Donaufestival on April 30, 2007. It's limited to a mere 500 copies, so you'd best get on that.

KTL will join Earth and Sir Richard Bishop for a European tour that kicks off February 13. Later, in April, they'll set up shop at Paris' Théâtre de la Bastille for a five-night run of the theatrical piece that was the basis for their formation and the source of their name: Kindertotenlieder. That means "Songs on the Death of Children", so you know this is going to be heavy.

Kindertotenlieder will head to Spain for two May performances as well.

Come February 5, look out for another new release carrying the trusted O'Malley name. 6°Fskyquake is a collaborative effort between O'Malley and Hungarian black metal vocalist extraordinaire Attila Csihar. In addition to having the perfect black metal first name, Csihar was also the dude who put the Nightmare in this past December's ATP Nightmare Before Christmas event, appearing with Sunn O))) as the terrifically horrifying tree-creature seen here.

Consisting of a single 33+ minute title track culled from an original eight-and-a-half hour piece, 6°Fskyquake was created in conjunction with a pair of summer 2007 exhibits featuring work by sculptor Banks Violette. The CD version comes to us thanks once again to Editions Mego. [MORE...]

Super Furry Animals Taking Requests on Tour

Now that Hey Venus! has a physical release in North America and Super Furry Animals are venturing out into the physical world in support of it, the band can focus on more important things. First among those things is the song selection on their tour, which kicked off last night (January 13) in Hoboken, New Jersey and features the Welsh outfit alongside the Fiery Furnaces, Holy Fuck, and Times New Viking on various dates.

And how are the Animals determining this tour's set lists? Well, they're not. You are, or at least you can if you vote via a nifty little widget they've created. It's located here but we've chosen not to embed it out of courtesy, because it starts playing music automatically.

UPDATE: Fixed! 

Just pick a show, vote for a song, and hope for the best! [MORE...]

Hot Snakes, RFTC Members Form Night Marchers

Over the years, John "Speedo" Reis has pulled the plug on just about every musical institution he'd ever been involved with: Drive Like Jehu, the Hot Snakes, the Sultans, and the mother of them all, much-missed San Diego garage revivalists Rocket From the Crypt.

Moved by the spirit of togetherness, perhaps, Reis' disbanding streak has reverted into something he was always better at: forming bands, putting out records, and rocking the crap out of a live show.

Reis' new thing, the Night Marchers, intend to do just that and then some. Comprised of Reis, his old Hot Snakes-handlers Gar Wood and Jason Kourkounis, and Tommy Kitsos of CPC Gangbangs, the Night Marchers will issue their full-length debut, See You in Magic, April 22 from Swami/Vagrant Records. (Not, as previously reported, March 25). The band will take their new tunes for a spin on the road this winter, with a few Cali dates previewing what's sure to be a spitfire showing at SXSW.

While we're dishing up the Reis, we may as well remind you that R.I.P., the live CD/DVD recorded at Rocket From the Crypt's final show in 2005, will be released on Vagrant February 26. [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.)