Swervedriver Plan Gigs, Magnetic Morning EP Bumped

Lest you've forgotten, Swervedriver have expressed their intentions to reunite for a world tour in 2008. And seeing as it's now 2008, um, dudes, where's your tour?

Ah, there it is-- or the first four of a presumed many dates, anyhow. A dreads-free Adam Franklin and his gang will pilot their vehicle in an erratic fashion through Los Angeles, Austin, and New York as May turns to June. And since we were promised a full-throttle world tour, we'll assume more dates will soon join the ranks of the four below.

As for Franklin's other thing, the one with Interpol's Sam Fogarino? The oft-discussed debut EP from Magnetic Morning (née the Setting Suns) has a new U.S. release date. DH Records will now unleash the Magnetic Morning EP on April 19 (to coincide with Record Store Day), and the offering features a slightly different tracklist from the digital version that went live late last year. Check that below. [MORE...]

Kraftwerk to Tour the U.S. Just a Little Bit
Only as far as their extension cord can reach

Weary of traversing the Autobahn and scooting across the Trans-Europe Express, the Man-Machines of Kraftwerk will bring their Computer World to the United States for an extremely brief spring tour. After dates in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Denver, tthey'll transport themselves on down to Coachella before heading on back to "Ohm Sweet Ohm".

Oh Kraftwerk, you make computing fun.

[MORE...]

Terrastock 7 Lineup Announced
Includes Oneida, Jack Rose, Marissa Nadler, Entrance, Simply Saucer

Summer festivals are beginning to announce their lineups, which means we here at Pitchfork News are preparing to punctuate with commas the same eight names over and over again.

Fortunately, the seventh Terrastock festival in Louisville, Kentucky is sensitive to our truly awful (read: trivial) plight, and the organizers of the fest have obliged with a starting lineup of Oneida, Mono, Entrance, Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mothers Temple, Marissa Nadler, Bardo Pond, Tara Jane O'Neil, MV&EE with the Golden Road, Jack Rose, Windy and Carl, Kinski, Damon and Naomi, the Bevis Frond, Major Stars, Wooden Shjips, Black Forest/Black Sea, Simply Saucer, Antietam, Tanakh, Grails, Linus Pauling Quartet, Plastic Crimewave Sound, and Paik, among others.

To take part in the off-the-beaten-path festivities, head to Louisville's Mellwood Arts Center from June 19-22.

Coldplay Reveal New Album Details
The Ricky Martin revival begins now

It's been well over a year since we last found cause to mention Coldplay in these pages, and whatever your feelings for the soft-rock Goliath, here we are again with our annual (not really) Coldplay roundup.

Coldplay have named the follow-up to 2005's X&Y, and according to the band's website it is called...wait for it...Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. WTF? To be fair, Chris Martin revealed the Frida Kahlo-inspired title to RollingStone.com recently as just Viva la Vida, and I'm sure the people marketing this thing will make sure that's the name that sticks.

The RollingStone.com report cites June 17 as the release date for Viva. As previously reported, Brian Eno helmed the producer's chair for Livin' la Viva la Vida. Joining him: Markus Dravs, who has worked with Björk and the Arcade Fire, among others.

The Coldplay boys claim they're finalizing the album tracklist right now, but they have revealed a bunch of track titles in various website dispatches, including "Lovers in Japan", "Strawberry Swing", "Famous Old Painters", "Glass of Water", "Lost!", "Cemeteries of London", "Violet Hill", "Poppy Fields", "42", "Yes!", "Leftrightleftrightleft", "Rainy Day", and "Prospekt's March". That said, Martin and the gang have also expressed a desire to keep their new album to nine tracks (and 42 minutes' length), so perhaps a bunch of these will wind up B-sides.

So, what can we look forward to musically? Offered the band on its website: "As you'd expect with Brian Eno, there's experimentation and exploration. But the music still has integrity. It's real and honest. There's no posturing or bombast."

Also: "The sights, sounds and flavours of Latin America and Spain have definitely been infused into this album...No maracas or castanets, but a vibrancy and colourfulness that owes much to the atmospheres of Buenos Aires and Barcelona. The effect is subtle but important."

Many a live show will no doubt follow, but for now Coldplay have just three: a spot at the inaugural Pemberton Festival in Canada and two appearances at Japan's Summer Sonic shindig. [MORE...]

The Raconteurs Reveal Consolers Tracklist

So the idea is, you're not gonna get to hear Consolers of the Lonely, the just-announced sophomore set from Jack White and Brendan Benson's Raconteurs until it's actually issued March 25 on Third Man/XL/Warner Brothers. That's this coming Tuesday-- six whole days!

You can, however, now gaze longingly at its tracklist and imagine what it's gonna sound like. Will "The Switch and the Spur" be a country-rock jam? Will "These Stones Will Shout" be the Stones-y shouter? Could "Many Shades of Black" be their Sunn O))) homage? See, we don't know, and you don't either, and that's what's so great about all this. It's like the last ten years never happened!

As you know, the Raconteurs are hitting the road in support of their new disc, and Raleigh, North Carolina's Birds of Avalon have apparently been handpicked by the band to open their initial string of North American dates. [MORE...]

Odd Nosdam Compiles Remixes, Reworkings, Rarities

Photo by Jessica Bailiff

Odd Nosdam will clear out his closet of remixes, rarities (Oddities?), and even a few videos with the release of a collection called Pretty Swell Explode via Anticon on April 29 May 27. The package's two discs are split between an ambient EP and a full-length showcase of the producer's beat-centric skills, including reworkings (some straight remixes, some perhaps better described as "covers") of tracks by Boards of Canada, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Serena-Maneesh, and a few of Odd's Anticon labelmates.

Nos created most of the tracks on Pretty Swell Explode around the time he recorded his previous two LPs (2005's Burner and last year's Level Live Wires), and eight of them are exclusive to PSE.

Starting tonight (March 19), Odd has a handful of dates in California and Colorado. [MORE...]

Vampire Weekend, YACHT Sail Away on Tour Tonight

We ran through all our jokes last time, so now we'll just lay it all out for you: Vampire Weekend and YACHT-- who, all gags about recreational boating vessels and social standing aside, are both great bands-- will kick off their joint tour tonight in San Diego. The two will match wits just about every night from now through April 6, when they'll part ways in Chicago. Probably over a fancy dinner at a wine bar overlooking Lake Michigan. (Ack, sorry.)

Both bands have plenty of other dates besides, with YACHT hitting New York and eventually the UK/Europe, and the V-Dubs going to Brown, Coachella, the UK (including the ATP vs. Pitchfork fest), Spain, the American south, this summer's far-too-far-away Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and, finally, Japan. [MORE...]

Juice Crew Reunite to Headline A3C Festival
Festival also includes Clipse, Del the Funky Homosapien, Three 6 Mafia, Little Brother

It's been about a decade since the legendary Juice Crew last rocked a stage together, but in a matter of days, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl, MC Shan, Roxanne Shante, and Craig G will reunite for a headlining performance at the fourth annual A3C Hip Hop Festival. Unfortunately, Masta Ace will not be able to make the trip because of some previously scheduled promotion for his new album.

The Juice Crew's set goes down this Friday, March 21-- right in the middle of A3C, which takes place at Atlanta's CW Midtown Complex from March 20-22. Other performers at the festival include Clipse/Re-Up Gang, Del the Funky Homosapien, Three 6 Mafia, Little Brother, Jeru the Damaja, Wale, Aceyalone, Guilty Simpson, Akrobatik, and Public Enemy's DJ Lord.

Festivalgoers can also check out a producer showcase judged by the Alchemist and No I.D. (with special appearances from DJ Toomp and Don Cannon), an early morning Clipse/Re-Up Gang signing at the flagship New Era store in Atlanta, and a panel discussion about women in hip-hop.

Chris Blackwell, Dennis Bovell Remix Manu Chao on EP

Manu Chao brings people together. Usually, this gap-bridging takes a musical form, as evidenced by the man's pan-global sound and the crowds at his concerts. More recently, though, Manu Chao has been bringing the digital and physical worlds together, a partnership that continues with the Nacional release of his Politik Kills EP.

The EP hits digital retailers on April 22, with the CD and vinyl versions coming June 3. Featured on the disc are remixes of the La Radiolina track by reggae legend Dennis Bovell (featuring another reggae legend, Linton Kwesi Johnson), Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, Bostich and Fussible of Nortec Collective, Prince Fatty, Rude Barriobeat, David B., and others.

Furthering the digital interaction is politikills.com, where fans can go to watch the new "Politik Kills" video and download the song's individual parts to create their own remixes. The site also features musings on the song's theme-- the abuses perpetrated by people in power-- from a variety of voices.

We've got the Prince Fatty remix of "Politik Kills" available for download at the link below. Grab it quick, 'cause it's only available for a week!

Update: It's gone!

Manu Chao is planning some big U.S. shows for August, and in May and June, the native Frenchman will embark on his first tour of his home country in seven years. [MORE...]

Blonde Redhead, Jesu, Black Francis Cover the Cure
As do CocoRosie, Tanya Donelly, Raveonettes, Bat for Lashes, Rosebuds, Brunettes, Ariel Pink

The sheer number of Cure cover/tribute albums already in existence is pretty goddamned absurd, so does the world really need two more of these things? Well, if you're willing to wager on a bunch of bands who have done us good in the past, the answer is yes.

Both Just Like Heaven: A Tribute to the Cure and Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure (henceforth known in this news piece as Heaven and Cats, respectively) boast fairly formidable rosters of indie rockers trying their hands at Robert Smith and company's best mope-alongs.

Heaven comes at us courtesy of American Laundromat Records and will feature the Raveonettes, the Rosebuds, the Brunettes, Tanya Donelly with Dylan in the Movies (not to be confused with Stars of Track and Field), Elk City, Joy Zipper, and Grand Duchy (aka Black Francis and Violet Clark), among others, tackling pretty much all the hits: "Close to Me", "Just Like Heaven", "Lovesong", "In Between Days", "Pictures of You", and so on. If American Laundromat sounds familiar, they also did that (almost) all-lady Neil Young tribute.

Cats, meanwhile, has a fairly enormous pool of contributors, including Blonde Redhead, Jesu, CocoRosie, Bat for Lashes, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, the Dandy Warhols, Indian Jewelry, Kaki King, Rio en Medio, Lewis & Clarke, Bat for Lashes collaborator Christine Weeks, and even Lou Doillon, daughter of Jane Birkin and half-sister to Charlotte Gainsbourg. Manimal Vinyl, the folks responsible for that left-field Madonna tribute, will deliver this one unto our eager ears. They will also donate proceeds to the Invisible Children organization.

Each of these odes to the Cure is a work in progress, so don't be surprised to encounter insertions, deletions, and switcheroos as they shape up. American Laundromat doesn't expect to have Heaven out until February or March of next year, while Manimal Vinyl is eyeing a "late 2008/early 2009" release for Cats. For the curious, the current makings of the two tracklists lie below.

And hey, the real Cure are touring right now! Their European adventures wrap up in London tomorrow night (March 20), and a rescheduled North American jaunt awaits in May and June. [MORE...]

Of Montreal's Barnes, MGMT Guy Team as Blikk Fang

They say familiarity breeds contempt, but for tourmates Of Montreal and MGMT, it would appear to have spawned collaboration. So say hello to Blikk Fang, the apparent new thang from Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes and MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden, according to a Chocolate Bobka report (not yet confirmed by either band's camp).

"Experimental" thrice over if we can believe their Pure Volume page, Blikk Fang allegedly have an EP entitled Aveh Tiger Roma (that's the cover art pictured) due via Polyvinyl on August 13. Sink your teeth into two Blikk Fang jams, "(Just a Little) Judas Tonic" (a hooky slice of 80s electro/synth-pop) and "Nupital Eagles Sharpened" (actually a cover of the Misfits' "Where Eagles Dare" with a Barnes vocal), on that Pure Volume page right now. And yes, that's the way they've chosen to spell "Nupital". They're experimental, remember?

The Chocolate Bobka report suggests we can look forward to a full-length Blikk Fang album next year, and provides some quotes from Of Montreal member the Late B.P. Helium. "[Barnes and VanWyngarden have] been half-jokingly writing songs for each other for a while," B.P. explains. "Kevin will think of an absurd title and tell Andrew to write a song...and then he does! And vice versa. But now, it will be more collaborative."

UPDATE: According to Barnes (via his publicist), he and VanWyngarden are indeed collaborating in a project called Blikk Fang. However, the title Aveh Tiger Roma is "completely bogus" and the songs on the PureVolume page "will definitely not be on it." The pair does have a few songs recorded, with such working titles as "Hypnotic Agents", "Dead Dogs", and "Pleasure Cunt" already cut to tape. But we shouldn't hold our breath, as Barnes says "it's unlikely that anything will get released before the winter of [20]08."

The songs on Pure Volume were an early MGMT song titled "Just Becuz" and Of Montreal covering "Where Eagles Dare".

Both of Blikk Fang's parent acts have live engagements lined up, with Of Montreal also planning a U.S. tour for the fall. Scope everyone's confirmed dates below. [MORE...]

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Kick Off Tour

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Stephen Malkmus and his jammin' Jicks are all set to take out their Trash. The band kicks off the U.S. leg of its tour tonight (March 19) in Minneapolis. (That MySpace secret show in Portland a couple weeks ago doesn't count.) The first half of the North American tour features support from John Vanderslice, with the Joggers picking up the slack on the back end.

In May and June, the band heads to Europe. And smack dab in the middle of all of it, Matador will release the "Cold Son" 10" single in independent record stores on April 19, aka Record Store Day.

Normally, we'd be ecstatic that Malkatraz & co. are hitting the road again, but the timing of this tour raises some serious issues for a committed fantasy baseball owner^* such as SM. For instance, how will he update his lineup? Will the distractions of travel keep him from properly attending to the waiver wire? Will the fact that the band is playing Milwaukee before the Brewers' season starts throw him into a deep depression that causes him to stop making music forever? Inquiring minds want to know.

* Don't miss Matador owner/founder Gerard Cosloy's hilariously technical clarifying statements in the comments. [MORE...]

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