Silver Apples, Spectrum Do Dallas' Melodica Fest

Atmosphere Announce North American Tour Dates

Photo: Dan Monick

When life gives you lemons...er, you oughta ask Atmosphere about that. And when Atmosphere gives us details of their forthcoming North American tour, well, we post that shit pronto. In late April, following his appearance alongside Chuck D and Brother Ali in Minneapolis, Slug and beatmaking bud Ant will take it to the road for just shy of a month.

All this, of course, coincides with Rhymesayers Entertainment's April 22 release of Atmosphere's new one, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold.

The wait making you feel like you're watching Paint dry? Check out Slug and Ant (and, for a brief, hilarious second, Brother Ali) chatting it up on Paint It Gold, the group's YouTube channel. Pretty modern for a couple of Hotmail users, don't you think?

[Editor's note: Definitely check out Slug's Valentine's Day love and sex advice column from The Onion if you haven't already. This guy is right on! "Go directly to the independent record store (vinyl stock is a must), and start flirting with that employee shaped like Grimace from the McDonald's commercials."] [MORE...]

MP3: Atmosphere: Strictly Leakage LP

All Points West Festival Lineup Announced
Animal Collective, Cat Power, New Pornos, Girl Talk, CSS, Roots, and, duh, Radiohead

Congratulations, All Points West festival! You've got an ace up your sleeves, so to speak, what with your pair of Radioheads and, now, a duo of stories in Pitchfork news within the same 24 hour period! Where can you go from here? Why, into big announcement mode? We'll join you.

The All Points West Festival-- August 8-10 in Jersey City's Liberty State Park, put on by the folks who bring you your Coachella year in and year out-- has announced its initial lineup, and boy howdy, it (almost) makes a person wanna spend a long weekend in New Jersey!

Apart from Radiohead and Sunday headliner Jack Johnson, we've got Animal Collective, Cat Power, the New Pornographers, Girl Talk, the Roots, Underworld, the Go! Team, Metric, CSS, Andrew Bird, Black Kids, Chromeo, Amadou & Mariam, Rogue Wave, Mates of State, Juana Molina, the Black Angels, Jason Isbell, Neil Halstead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Youssou N'Dour, Kings of Leon, the Felice Brothers, Sia, Duffy, Little Brother, Nicole Atkins, Michael Franti & Spearhead, K'Naan, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Alberta Cross, the Virgins, Forro in the Dark and Your Vegas all making the trip.

Great lineup and all, but it's no Dickson St. Music Festival.

Note that the All Points West fest is doing its part for the environment, with their initial "green" plans including a carpool parking lot and a bunch of public transportation to and from the site. (Hey Coachella, you listening?) Also, a portion of the proceeds will go to "The Friends of Liberty State Park", an organization seeking to preserve the park as a "free, green and non-commercial urban waterfront oasis". Fuck you, condo developers.

Tegan and Sara Back on the Road

Video: Tegan and Sara: The Con [from the The Con LP]

Charlie Daniels, .38 Special, Little Feat... Sonic Youth?!
Sorry Coachella, THIS is the festival lineup of the year

No, we are not making this up.

To quote reader Jason Springman, who tipped us off (via the Fayetteville Flyer): ".38 Special and Sonic Youth, finally together and not just in my dreams!"

Disfear Head to North America This Spring

MP3: Disfear: Get It Off [from the Live the Storm LP]

Photos: Blood on the Wall [New York, NY; 02/20/08]

The Breeders Announce First Mountain Single

Photo by Chris Glass

Mountain Battles and a heap of tour dates await the Breeders this spring, and the band has just sweetened the pot of post-hiatus goodies with the announcement of the album's first single.

"We're Gonna Rise" will come out in the UK March 17 via 4AD. It will be available as a 7" and a download, with the non-album B-side "German Demonstration". You might remember "We're Gonna Rise" from when it was available on the band's MySpace for about five seconds.

Then, of course, it's onto the album release on April 8 (the day before in the UK) and the aforementioned big ol' tour. [MORE...]

Video: The Breeders: Cannonball [from the Last Splash LP]

Cat Power Adds Even More Dates

Photo by William Kirk

Portugal! Spain! France! Jay Leno! WXPN! KCRW! Each and every one of those European locales/radio stations/jovial comedians can expect a visit from Cat Power in the coming months, as Chan Marshall and her Dirty Delta Blues have added live appearances in three countries, on popular radio programs, and on a late night show of some repute to their already jam-packed itinerary.

First up is "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", on which Cat Power will appear February the 28th. Then it's off to L.A., where Chan will perform on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program and then that night in concert at the Wiltern, before heading to New Zealand and Australia for a brief March tour. In the midst of Marshall's duties Down Under, she'll magically also appear on WXPN's "World Café" on March 6.

Come April, there's more North American dates, to be followed by the aforementioned journey to parts east in late May. There's plenty of room to stuff new dates in the cracks there, we'd like to note, which means plenty more chances for we stalwart Pitchfork news sorts to tell you about 'em should they arise. [MORE...]

Video: Cat Power: New York / Lost Someone [live on Later... With Jools Holland LP]

Pete Rock Enlists Raekwon, Masta Killa for NY's Finest
With Papoose, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Jim Jones, Redman, Little Brother

MP3: Pete Rock [ft. Dipset (Jim Jones & Max B]: We Roll [single; from the forthcoming NY's Finest LP]

Luaka Bop Bundles Brazil Classics Highlights on Comp

MP3: Mombojo: Cabidela [from the What's Happening in Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast compilation]

New Spiritualized Album: Song's in A&E
Television network, Goldfrapp: "Hey, wait a second..."

Photo by William Kirk

Song's in A&E, the first LP in half a decade from J. Spaceman and his Spiritualized, will be released May 19 in the UK and Europe on Universal/Spaceman (as previously reported). The band revealed the disc's title and tracklist via a MySpace bulletin today, and from the looks of it, there's some kind of recurring "Harmony" theme running throughout the proceedings. Sounds, y'know, harmonious!

Still no info about a North American release for the set, though we're assured that's on the way.

After a previously reported stop at the iTunes Live thing in London, the band will make their way to California in April for a trio of dates (including Coachella) before heading back to the UK and Europe around the release of A&E. (No, not the new Goldfrapp single).

In other Spiritualized news, bandleader J. Spaceman will provide the score for the forthcoming Harmony Korine film Mister Lonely. [MORE...]

Stream: Ono / Spiritualized: Walking on Thin Ice [from the Yes I'm a Witch LP]

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.)