Vampire Weekend Drummer Injured in Hit-and-Run
VW statement: Chris Tomson "100% fit, despite some bangs and bruises."

Photo by Jason Bergman

From illness to injury, Vampire Weekend's winning streak seems to have hit a few snags. Drummer Chris Tomson was struck by a car outside a London hotel last night (February 28), according to an NME.com report and confirmed by Vampire Weekend's publicist.

Tomson was rushed to Royal London Hospital, and a follow-up NME.com story indicates he was treated for head and neck injuries. The driver who hit Tomson, meanwhile, reportedly never stopped.

Here's the official statement from the VW camp:

"Vampire Weekend's Chris Tomson was the victim of a hit-and-run accident last night while walking in London. He has since been released from the hospital and declared 100% fit, despite some bangs and bruises. The band was in the UK for some shows and promo and will be returning to the U.S. this weekend."

A Vampire Weekend in-store gig at Rough Trade tonight has been cancelled, but the band's upcoming North American dates, UK return (including ATP vs. Pitchfork), and fest dates beyond are all still on. [MORE...]

CSS Line Up World Tour

CSS! Ladies (and gentleman), it has been a minute. You're looking well, I see. And you're bounding into 2008, that's for sure, lining up festival appearances and remixing Sunny Day Sets Fire and so forth. (They also contribute a remix to "I Go to the Doctor!", the new single from fellow Brazilian dance band Tetine, out now on Soul Jazz.)

And now I'm told you're heading on a big ol' world tour this spring and summer? Seems like a fine thing for a band such as yourselves to do. You'll be in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the UK, Japan, and New Jersey? My, what a journey. Any chance you'll be able to squeeze in a little studio time so you can grace us with some new tunes in the near future? No pressure; just making conversation. You do your thing, and we'll be here waiting. [MORE...]

The B-52s' Cindy Wilson Talks New Record
"We go to a lot of places in our imaginations, from outer space to the bottom of the ocean to the Funplex and the 'Love Shack' to all over the place."

With "Love Shack" as ubiquitous a staple of weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs as "Y.M.C.A.", it's easy to forget that the B-52s are an American new wave institution, a pioneering dance-rock band that helped usher in the alternative era. It's also easy to forget that it's been 16 years since they released a new album.

But don't call the B-52s defunct or their new album, Funplex, a reunion record. As Cindy Wilson was happy to inform us, they'd been playing shows together for years before hooking up with producer Steve Osborne (New Order, U2, Happy Mondays) to record the album.

With Funplex set to come out March 25 on Astralwerks and tour plans in the works for headlining shows and dates with Cyndi Lauper (oh, the hair color!), Wilson talked to us about the record, her band's imagination, and the importance of a good backbeat.

Pitchfork: 16 years is a long time without a new album. Why did you guys decide to return now?

Cindy Wilson: Oh gosh, I've had so many people ask me, "What are y'all doing?" but in reality, we've been performing, I guess under the radar. We've been making a good living playing around and doing corporate [gigs] and playing some summer tours, but we came to a point where, if we were really going to continue doing it, we had to have some new material out. It's really stuff that we started writing slowly, and by the end of the recording we were thrilled to have a strong bunch of songs. So now we have a great record that's coming out, and it just makes touring that much more fun.

Pitchfork: How was the recording process different this time around?

CW: The technology, of course. I mean the electronics, you could put the levels together a lot easier than it used to work. There were so many people, and we were trying to fit all our ideas together, and so technically the differences are huge.

Pitchfork: You seem to like it, which is interesting because a lot of people bemoan the decline of analog equipment and methods.

CW: Well I can understand the difference of the sound. There's a real physical aspect to it that you can really hear, and I think Steve [Osborne] did an amazing job adding textual sounds and refining it. But yeah, a lot of people are analog freaks [laughs].

Pitchfork: Did your dynamic as a band change during the recording?

CW: Well, we decided when we were writing that we would take the best parts of the B-52s and the worst of different things and use them. We all wrote together. It was very much like a focus group. Steve Keith [Strickland] brought us this amazing modern music that was danceable and lush and would shape us as a band into the 21st Century. So we used this music, and all of us were like jamming in recording. It was very hard to write that way, but if you have the patience, it's very rewarding. [MORE...]

The Gossip Announce Live CD/DVD Release
Wham!, Aaliyah covers included

Before they finish the studio album follow-up to 2006's Standing in the Way of Control, late-blooming dance punks the Gossip will release a document of their sweat-soaked live antics.

Titled Gossip: Live in Liverpool, the CD/DVD contains footage from a show on July 9, 2007 in, yes, Liverpool, England. The CD and the DVD each feature a slightly different tracklist (though both include the band's covers of Wham!'s "Careless Whisper" and Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?"). The DVD was filmed by director Lance Bangs (Pavement, Sonic Youth, Kanye West, R.E.M., Mike Watt).

Columbia Records/Music With a Twist will release Gossip: Live in Liverpool on April 15.

UPDATE: Kill Rock Stars will release the vinyl version of the album on May 6. It will be a gatefold with a poster, and it will also come with the DVD.

Of course, the Gossip also have a handful of flesh-and-blood live dates in the next couple of months. [MORE...]

Hives Challenge Vancouver Canucks to Hockey Game
What the puck?!

We know damn well that Sweden's Hives rule the live stage, but what about the ice rink? Determined to find out, the photogenic fivesome journeyed late last week from one frozen northerly land to another, Canada (where, okay, they also happened to be touring), to put a hockey challenge before three Swedish members of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.

The February 22 afternoon contest at General Motors Place went down just prior to the Hives' gig that evening at the Commodore Ballroom, and was organized (and documented) by record-making liaisons Canadian Recording Services.

Somehow, amid the clattering of sticks, the swooshing of air, and the slicing of ice skates, the Hives managed to put up five against the highly-trained Canucks. But, alas, it would not be enough, as the professionals-- though outnumbered-- emerged with a 6-5 victory over their garage-rocking opponents.

It has been said that this victory gave the Canucks the mental boost they needed to prevail over the Detroit Red Wings the following night, and who are we to doubt it? Hopefully they got some free Hives tickets out of the deal too.

The Hives face off in Minneapolis tonight (February 28) and return to the home continent in late March. By the way, guys, if you'd like to challenge Pitchfork HQ to a game of foosball while you're here in Chicago tomorrow, BRING IT. [MORE...]

Black Swans Hit the Road

Though their trademark touring vehicle-- a Ford Taurus of some vintage-- isn't proving as reliable as its reputation, a busted mid-sized sedan isn't enough to keep those Black Swans from flocking to the road.

The Columbus, Ohio-based gothic folk troupe will head out in trio formation for several weeks' worth of dates around the States. Packing guitar, bass, violin, and plenty of copies of last year's strange yet sweet Change! LP in the replacement rental car, the Swans take off tonight in their hometown. Remember, each copy of the limited edition vinyl version of Change! is totally unique, as the cover artwork is hand-painted by mentally challenged members of Arc North Workshop. [MORE...]

The Pica Beats Sign to Hardly Art

Photo by Joseph P. Traina

Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art has opened its doors to the newest members of its family: the Pica Beats. They're a Seattle group headed by Ryan Barrett, who self-released his debut album All Mysteries Solve Themselves last year.

On Beating Back the Claws of the Cold, the Pica Beats' forthcoming first album for Hardly Art, the band incorporates less traditional instruments like oboe and sitar into their five-person attack.

Beating Back the Claws of the Cold doesn't have a release date yet, but the Pica Beats do have a trio of hometown tour dates scheduled for March and April. [MORE...]

Cribs Recording With Johnny Marr, Touring
Putting out a bunch of singles for "I'm a Realist"

Call it robbing the cradle if you wish: Wakefield, England's the Cribs sure do attract the attend of older fellas. First, it was Lee Ranaldo, who appeared on their 2007 effort Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever.

Now, Smiths guitarist-- and, more recently, Modest Mouse guitarist-- Johnny Marr is linking up with the young act for some recording and possibly a little road trip. Turns out Crib bassist Gary Jarman met Mr. Marr at a party in Portland (where both are now living), got buddy-buddy real quick-like, and decided to write, perform and record together. No word on what form the sessions will take, but there's talk of an EP, an LP, and even the possibility of Johnny taking a little time away from the Modest Mouse to tour with the Cribs.

When they're not hanging out with rock royalty, the Cribs are putting out singles for "I'm a Realist" from Men's Needs. No, really: there are two out this week! In the UK, Wichita Recordings issued "I'm a Realist" backed with a cover of the Replacements' "Bastards of Young" (produced by Bernard Butler-- hey look, another old dude!) on Monday the 25th, making one wonder if there's a Westerberg in the Cribs' future.

Warner's U.S. single looks forward a bit, matching "Realist" with two new tunes, a live video for "Our Bovine Public", and the Postal Service remix of "I'm a Realist" we Forkcasted on Wednesday. That one's available only on iTunes at the moment, which sorta means another single for the song is planned for March 4 when it hits other digital retailers.

And, when they're not releasing singles for "I'm a Realist", the Cribs are gearing up to tour North America! The band will hit Mexico City March 8 before heading to the States, popping in at South by Southwest for a spell in between club dates. Hey, I hear Thurston's gonna be there if you guys need a fifth...

Oh wait... what's this? There's ANOTHER "I'm a Realist" single? A 7" backed by the Postal Service remix? And it's only going to be available on the North American tour? Jeez. [MORE...]

Tilly and the Wall Deliver New Single

You Tilly and the Wall fans-- and Lord knows there's no shortage of ya-- are already patently aware that Tilly and the Wall have a new album, their third, due this summer on Team Love, right? You were? Well, were you also aware there's a non-album single called "Beat Control" on the way from this Tilly lot, due March 4 digitally or on a limited edition 7" you can order from the Team Love website? Or that you can get said limited edition 7" on Tilly's forthcoming tour? Or that Flowers Forever, Derek Pressnall's new-ish side project, have a brand spankin' new self-titled LP and a couple live dates of their own? You knew that stuff too, huh? Here, why don't you write the music news, and I will listen to the fun pop rock and take all of the drugs. Wheee! [MORE...]

Final Fantasy Tangles With Canada's Healthcare System
Still more fun than dealing with an HMO

Photo by Zach Vowell

Final Fantasy, meet the grim reality of bureaucratic bullshit. It exists even in Canada, believe it or not, and even within the country's state-subsidized healthcare system that is-- while certainly not without flaws-- still the envy of quite a few folks here in the U.S.

Here's the sad tale [via Torontoist]: Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett recently went to renew the card that entitles him to health insurance coverage under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). As is customary, he was asked a number of questions, and in the process of answering them honestly, there arose some doubt as to Pallett's eligibility.

OHIP requires that those receiving health insurance coverage "are in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period." Pallett, as a touring musician and in-demand collaborator with neither car nor housing lease to his name, could not prove this to the Ministry of Health clerk.

"So, [the clerk] took my health card away," explained Pallett in a message board post quoted by Torontoist.

"I went back, very distraught, with some friends and a notarized document and my high school yearbooks and my diploma. I brought 12 months of cell phone records and Interac [debit card] purchases to prove that I had been in Toronto for 'a lot' of the last year, if not a total of five months' worth. Pathetic, perhaps, and it didn't work. I don't have a lease agreement, or own a car, or have any way to prove (legally) that I'm an Ontario resident.

"She then told me that I could appeal her decision, but that appeals rarely go through. She sneered as she told me this.

"So, if you travel for work, lie, lie, lie."

Some people in high places have already come to Pallett's aid, prompted to an extent, perhaps, by the fact that Pallett has some degree of celebrity in his home country, having won the prestigious Polaris Prize in 2006 for He Poos Clouds.

Two members of Ontario's Legislative Assembly, France Gélinas and Rosario Marchese, sent an open letter Tuesday (February 26) to the province's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, George Smitherman, on behalf of Pallett [also via Torontoist].

The letter, the full text of which resides below, chastises the hasty revocation "made simply on the basis of a brief conversation" and cites an overlooked exemption in Pallett's case "on the basis of him being absent from Ontario for employment purposes."

Gélinas and Marchese call Pallett "an award winning artist who deserves our support," and ultimately declare that "Owen deserves to have his OHIP coverage immediately reinstated." So there may be hope yet for Pallett and others whose livelihood depends upon travel. We'll keep our violin and piano strings crossed.

And speaking of travel, Pallett's very own, uniquely-funded Maximum Black Festival tour hits Vienna tonight.

Finally, this wouldn't be a bad time to remind folks of the U.S.-based Future of Music Coalition's valiant efforts in the area of musician healthcare. [MORE...]

Wilco, Pornos, MMJ, Death Cab on "Heroes" Soundtrack
Plus: Jesus and Mary Chain, Bowie, Dylan, Iggy, Spank Rock, Nada Surf, Chemical Brothers

Well lookee here, my mom's favorite television program just got itself a nice little soundtrack. Yes, "Hogan's Heroes", you'll have a place on our iPods at last.

Oh wait, make that just "Heroes". The previously mentioned aural companion piece to the hit NBC series about super-powered human individuals, according to a Billboard.com report, will come packed with-- get this-- quite a few of our musical heroes.

There's that new Jesus and Mary Chain tune, "All Things Must Pass", the band's first recording in some ten years. There are unimpeachable legends like Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop (on a new track by Brighton Port Authority), and David Bowie (doing, yes, that one). And there's a whole mess of music culled from the indie elite, including jams by Wilco (exclusive new tune "Glad It's Over"), My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, and the New Pornographers, plus Nada Surf and Spank Rock (as featured on a Chemical Brothers track).

Oh, and naturally, selections from singers of the show's theme song and old pals o' Prince Wendy & Lisa also feature on the disc.

But here's the kicker: if you want all this in your hot little hands on March 18, you'll need to be in possession of the super power that allows you to walk into a Best Buy store with a clear conscience. The NBC Records release will only be available in CD form at the electronics retail giant, though a digital version will be offered by a number of dealers in bits and bytes.

Finally, there are some videos packed in with the release, featuring characters from the TV show. 'Nuff said! [MORE...]

Beach House, Papercuts Kick Off Tour Tonight

Photo by Skizz Cyzyk

This evening, in their native Baltimore, Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally of Beach House will kick off a North American tour that will lilt its way gently but sure-footedly into April. On all but one of the band's dates, they'll be joined by San Francisco's Papercuts, who, curiously, won't be appearing with the band in their hometown.

Beach House, whose fine Devotion is out this week in the States on Carpark, are, at the moment, the most recent recipients of Pitchfork's Best New Music distinction. And Jason Quever of Papercuts won't just be there to look cute and kick out jams from his own Recommended album Can't Go Back; he'll sit in with Beach House on drums.

And take note, Beach combers: in addition to the recently Forkcasted clip for Devotion's "You Came to Me", the band mention on their MySpace blog that they've spent February working on videos for "Gila" and "Heart of Chambers". [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.)