Diplo Preps Many a Mad Decent Release, Tours
Diplo EP, collaborations with Santogold and Benzi brewing

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Quite a few days have passed since we last peeked under the many hats Diplo wears, so consider this story right here your one-stop Diplo digest dispatch. At least until the next week or so, when dude does ten dozen more things.

Diplo the happening DJ guy will, as previously reported, take to the road with Justice and some other happening folks beginning in March. Before that, however, he has two Canadian engagements and a trio of gigs in the American Midwest, a region that can never have enough opportunities to dance.

Diplo the happening label-running guy, meanwhile, has mad quantities of new releases in the works for his Mad Decent imprint. Where do we even begin? Well shit, how about here: there's the "Shake It to the Ground" remix EP from Blaqstarr and The Mix Up EP from South Rakkas Crew, both due February 19. South Rakkas crew also unleash the "Mad Again" 12" in March.

Beyond that we can look forward to a new 12" EP from Diplo himself in April, Blow Your Head, as well as a couple Diplo pair-ups. Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas brings together Diplo, A-Trak, Flosstradamus, Benzi, and others with Alabama's Paper Route Recordz crew in April, while an as-yet-untitled mix from Diplo and Santogold should also emerge soon. The Paper Route collaboration will be heralded by a "Rollin" 12" due in February. Finally, watch out for a Diplo-produced twelve from Baltimore teen rapper Ms Streemz, "Watch Dem Broads", in March.

Diplo the kinda sorta rather prolific remixer guy, finally, is at it again. Most recently he reworked a track by multinational quintet Sunny Day Sets Fire. The Mad Decent remix of "Brainless" will appear on SDSF's Stranger/Remix EP, due February 26 on I Am Sound Records. [MORE...]

R.E.M. Reveal Accelerate Tracklist
Band spotted taping music video in sex shop

R.E.M. are all set to put the rapid back in rapid eye movement with Accelerate, the celebrated trio's previously reported 14th studio LP.

Accelerate now has a tracklist, according to Billboard.com, featuring such tunes as first single "Supernatural Superserious", the possibly threatening "I'm Gonna DJ", and "Mansized Wreath" (not to be confused with "Mansard Roof"). Check the whole thing below, or just flip the case over when Accelerate arrives April 1 (March 31 in the UK) via Warner Bros.

A separate Billboard.com report notes that the mom-friendly R.E.M. recently shot scenes from a forthcoming video for "Supernatural Serious" at a "sex toy emporium" on Manhattan's Lower East Side. They were also filmed at a nearby Italian restaurant, which is sort of like a sex toy emporium that sells food instead of sex toys.

The band's NinetyNights.com, meanwhile, continues to roll out the daily video snippets. Most recently we've been treated to discussions of and live clips from R.E.M.'s summer 2007 residency in Dublin.

Finally, look out for R.E.M. in the flesh at SXSW and the Langerado Music Festival. [MORE...]

Liars, No Age Kick off Joint Tour Tonight
No Age add spring dates

What's a busted-up back when there's rock and gosh-darned roll to attend to? Nothing, it turns out, to Angus Andrew, who's not going to let his unfortunate recent run-in with a pillow stand (crouch?) in the way of the tour that Liars and No Age are set to embark on starting tonight in San Francisco.

In a MySpace blog posted today, the band notes that Angus, "having been 'adjusted' by Beverly Hills most established chiropractors and plastic surgeons... can now tenderly walk, and smile, to some extent." They add that, though they're happily steaming ahead on the tour, "performing will be tough and likely unorthodox." As opposed to all those totally normal Liars gigs of the past.

Uninjured and sonically injurious as ever, No Age will fill their opening slots with plenty of Nouns, which hits Sub Pop May 6. Both No Age and Liars have a date with All Tomorrow's Parties once May rolls around, with No Age playing the ATP vs. Pitchfork fest May 9-11 in Rye, England and Liars performing the following weekend in Minehead at the Explosions in the Sky ATP.

No Age have tacked on a bit of a UK tour surrounding their ATP appearance as well. (Via AngryApe.) [MORE...]

Cadence Weapon Brings Babies on Tour
Born Ruffians change diapers

Rollie Pemberton will put on his Cadence Weapon costume (high-tops and a Charles Barkley jersey, last time we checked) and venture out of Edmonton this winter and spring on a tour with fellow Canucks Born Ruffians.

The jaunt is in support of the former Pitchfork scribe's sophomore full-length, Afterparty Babies, which comes out March 3 in Europe (Upper Class/Big Dada) and March 4 in the U.S. (Upper Class/Anti-/Epitaph) and Canada (Upper Class/EMI). "House Music", the record's first single, will hit digital retailers on February 12.

Currently, all of Cadence Weapon's dates are in North America, but a short UK and European tour is planned for mid-February. [MORE...]

Raconteurs, Roots, Costello Play New Orleans Jazz Fest
With Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Bettye LaVette, lots more

As always, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (aka Jazz Fest) ought not be taken completely literally where its name is concerned. Sure, there will be plenty of jazz at the 2008 incarnation, which goes down April 25-27 and May 1-4 at the Big Easy's Fair Grounds Race Course. But bopping along amongst the jazzbos are a heck of a lot of other great musicians from genres far and wide.

Performers include Jack White and his Raconteurs, the Roots, Elvis Costello-- who'll appear alongside New Orleans legend Allen Touissant-- Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Keyshia Cole, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Bettye LaVette, the Neville Brothers, Robert Plant ant Alison Krauss, Burning Spear, Ozomatli with Chali 2na, Randy Newman... We could continue, but we might still be typing by the time the festivities kick off in April.

And, if seven days of genre-bending party wasn't enough, the incomparable Little Richard will perform at a fest fundraiser on April 24 at the New Orleans Riverside Hilton.

Little Annie Covers U2, Sinatra, Brel on Good Pianos LP

Singer, songwriter, ordained minister, and-- perhaps more than anything else-- iconoclast: there's no pinning down Little Annie. And, though her latest project sounds uncharacteristically vanilla, one can only assume the singularity lies just under the seemingly staid surface.

When Bad Things Happen to Good Pianos, Annie and longtime collaborator Paul Wallfisch's latest LP, is a covers album featuring plenty of tunes you'll recognize. Still, Annie's putting her distinctive mark all over ten classics from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Leon Russell, Tina Turner, Jacques Brel, Candi Staton, Michel Legrand, U2, and others. The disc emerges January 29 via Durtro/Jnana/Southern.

Annie and Wallfisch have a European tour lined up for February, while Annie and Baby Dee will later join Marc Almond (Soft Cell) for Almond's "Sin Songs, Torch and Romance" residency in London. [MORE...]

The Ex Release Jem Cohen-Directed Live DVD

Amsterdam punkers the Ex will release a DVD of their September 11, 2004 performance at New York City's Knitting Factory via Touch and Go on January 29. The movie is called Building a Broken Mousetrap, and Jem Cohen directed it (with Matt Boyd). We can't speak to Cohen's mousetrap construction skills, but he also directed the Fugazi documentary Instrument, so at least his punk credentials are bona fide.

The Ex also have about a week of European shows coming up in March. Billed as "Lean Left: The Ex guitars meet Nilssen-Love/Vandermark Duo", we take it the shows will feature an amalgam of Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love, and the Ex's guitarists. You'll never guess how we figured that one out. [MORE...]

Grizzly Bear Co-Headline Show With L.A. Philharmonic

Photo by Jana Green

You know you're doing something right when you've got an orchestra willing to open your next gig for you. (Though having Radio-freakin'-head play one of your songs on the radio is kinda nice too, I bet.)

That's just the cushy position Grizzly Bear will find themselves in on March 1 at L.A.'s Walt Disney Concert Hall, when the Los Angeles Philharmonic warms up the crowd before their set.

Though there will be no onstage collaboration between the two musical entities, classical music buffs Grizzly Bear have assisted the orchestra in selecting pieces that "reflect the music that inspired Grizzly Bear to pursue their own musical endeavors". So they'll be doing that JoJo song, then?

As you'll recall, this isn't the first time the L.A. Philharmonic has come across a wily Bear: Daniel Rossen performed as part of "Songs of the City" earlier this month, put on by the Philharmonic at the Disney Concert Hall.

I hope Will Oldham plays at Country Bear Hall someday.

Grizzly Bear's only other scheduled appearance at the moment is at April's MusicNOW fest in Cincinnati. [MORE...]

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.

Ghislain Poirier Serves Up New LP on Ninja Tune, Tours

Québécois DJ Ghislain Poirier has pretty omnivorous taste. From Dizzee Rascal and Juelz Santana to obscure African hip-hop, as long as the bass thumps, Poirier has room for it in his collection. For No Ground Under, his first album on Ninja Tune, Poirier has taken a break from his recent mixing work to deliver 14 of his own original tweaked-out jams.

Quite a few of the tracks on No Ground Under were featured on Poirier's recent "Bastard Bass" Mix, which you can hear here. Ninja Tune will release No Ground Under in the U.S. on January 29, and it comes out everywhere else on February 18.

GP also has a couple fistfuls of tour dates coming up in the UK and his native Canada. His next show is a DJ set in Montreal tonight (January 25). [MORE...]

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

Geoff Farina's work in bands like Karate and Secret Stars veered towards the jazzier side of post-rock or the lovelier side of lo-fi, respectively. So Glorytellers, with its nods to pre-WWII blues, is quite a departure for the perennial frontman. This change in character is reflected on Glorytellers' forthcoming self-titled LP, due out April 8 on Southern.

Glorytellers recently wrapped a brief Japanese tour, and they have a string of U.S. dates scheduled in March (including one with Blitzen Trapper). Farina will roll solo on a trio of East Coast gigs in mid-February. [MORE...]

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...]

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.)