Radiohead Film Exclusive Performance for Pitchfork.tv
Plus: M83 offer "Graveyard Girl" music video world premiere

It's the final countdown. On Monday, Pitchfork's music video site, Pitchfork.tv, makes its debut. Earlier this week we revealed (with photos!) that our initial launch schedule would feature exclusive performances from Liars, Jay Reatard, A Place to Bury Strangers, and the Thermals, plus the Pixies documentary loudQUIETloud, a trip to Philly with Man Man, an interview with Swedish pop star Robyn, a tour of Brooklyn's Death by Audio venue, and music videos galore.

Well, today, we're overcome with happiness to announce that Radiohead-- yes, Radiohead-- will be joining the new site's Monday lineup with a special performance of In Rainbows CD2 banger "Bangers & Mash", which the band recorded exclusively for the launch of Pitchfork.tv. Shot on Wednesday (as in two days ago!) in Nigel Godrich's basement studio, this utterly kick-ass performance will serve as the site's first-ever music video. Here's a glimpse:

And, as if we're not psyched enough already, Monday will also see Pitchfork.tv hosting the world premiere of M83's "Graveyard Girl" music video-- the first from their forthcoming Saturdays = Youth LP (which, as previously reported, is due April 15 in North America, April 14 in Europe on Mute). Look:

Finally, stay tuned to Forkcast today, because right around 6 p.m. CST, we'll post an extra something special we cooked up (starring "SNL"'s Fred Armisen and Les Savy Fav front/wildman Tim Harrington) to give you an advance taste of Pitchfork.tv's embeddable player. OMG!

Happy viewing. We can't wait 'til Monday.

Tompkins Square Preps New Anthem, Peter Walker LP

The acoustically minded Tompkins Square label is ready to offer the third installment in its Imaginational Anthem series of compilations celebrating "acoustic guitar mavericks past and present," according to a press release. Volume Three will come out on April 8, as will a box set collecting all three volumes.

Almost a month later, Tompkins Square will unveil the first full-length in 40 years from maverick Peter Walker. The East Indian/ Spanish-influenced player shares Echo of My Soul on May 6. Walker also has a European tour beginning April 9 in Girona, Spain. [MORE...]

Radiohead Fire Up Social Networking Site

Forget Pynchon. From here out, W.A.S.T.E. stands for, um, Web Amblers' Social Togetherness Enclave, or something like that. The Radiohead merch clearinghouse has fully embraced the "You" age with the unveiling of a social networking site of sorts, W.A.S.T.E. Central.

Folks who sign up for W.A.S.T.E. Central can, free of change, upload a profile picture, post photos and video clips, invite friends to join too, geek out about upcoming Radiohead gigs, collect virtual "friends", send HOTTT VIAGRAA & XANAX OFERZ to the Thom Yorke avatar, and, um, not much else right now.

But patience, my friends! As a posting from a W.A.S.T.E. Central admin promises, "We'll be adding plenty more bits and pieces in the coming weeks and ironing out any wrinkles or annoyances the best we can. Hope you find something interesting to play with."

Speaking of upcoming Radiohead gigs, there are quite a few of those things lined up right now, with even more-- including a very likely Lollapalooza appearance-- to come. Let's hope they play all of their Best songs. [MORE...]

National Package Boxer Documentary With Bonus CD

A Skin, A Night is a new feature film from French director Vincent Moon-- the man behind La Blogotheque's consistently amazing Take Away Shows-- documenting the creative process behind the National's 2007 LP Boxer. The movie, exploring the making of Pitchfork's #17 album of last year, will be released on DVD May 20 from Beggar's Banquet, with an accompanying 12-track bonus CD titled The Virginia EP. The CD, a bit longer than most EPs, contains a number of demos of National favorites, a track from last year's Daytrotter session, a few live cuts-- including their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Mansion on the Hill"-- and assorted B-sides.

The National have touring plans well into the summer, which kick off with an appearance at Coachella later in the month. They'll join R.E.M. and Modest Mouse in May and June for a North American tour before hitting the European festival circuit as the season rolls on. [MORE...]

Rage, Wilco, Kanye, Bloc Party, Malkmus on for Lolla?
Plus: BSS, Cat Power, Gnarls, Raconteurs, Grizzly Bear, Girl Talk, Lidell, Go! Team, Battles?

The big names apparently picked to play Lollapalooza 2008, confirmed according to the Chicago Sun-Times, ought to give even the most discerning concertgoer plenty to smile about.

Or brood about: if what the Sun-Times tells us is true, previously mentioned Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails are indeed playing, as are the reemergent Rage Against the Machine. Other goodies: Kanye West, Wilco, the Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power, Broken Social Scene, Stephen Malkmus (the Sun-Times doesn't indicate whether he'll be joined by the Jicks), Bloc Party, Girl Talk, Battles, Grizzly Bear, Jamie Lidell, the Go! Team, the Cool Kids, Kid Sister, the Black Keys, and Mates of State.

With so many must-sees on one festival lineup, overlap of course becomes an issue. Let's just hope all these fine people are collectively playing against, um, Blues Traveler and G. Love & Special Sauce.

Lollapalooza 2008 takes over Chicago's lovely lakeside Grant Park from August 1-3, and Perry Farrell is scheduled to make the official lineup announcement on Monday, April 7.

Lucky Dragons Teach Laughing Language on New LP

There are people-- multiple people, you'll note-- who play "rocks" on the forthcoming Lucky Dragons album, which ought to give you some indication of its contents. The L.A.-based experimentalists' 18th release, Dream Island Laughing Language, finds the collective rocking out over 17 tracks; 19, if you opt for the CD version. The strange set from this strange set is due May 6 on CD and vinyl from Marriage Records.

From the States this week to Japan later in the month, to Europe in May and back to the States to close out the spring, these Lucky Dragons are covering some ground on tour. Bring yourself and a friend to the dates below the jump. [MORE...]

Black Lips' Alexander Talks Hotline, Movie, New Album
"On our new record, I want to mess with taking samples of dead people and interacting with them as if it were a séance."

Photos by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Whether it's starring in a movie called Let It Be about a band in the underground rock scene of the 1980s, starting a hotline for their fans to call "if you are in trouble, need advice, or are just plain lonely," or simply playing tons and tons of shows, Atlanta's Black Lips are always up to something.

Before the Lips headed off on their current European tour, we spoke to guitarist/vocalist Cole Alexander about all of the above. Over the course of the conversation, he also revealed his band's similarity to Mike Jones and New Kids on the Block, as well as his witchcraft-y plans for their new record.

Pitchfork: So what's the deal with this hotline?

Cole Alexander: The guys had cell phones, and they were like, "Cole, you need a cell phone." I guess that company Boost Mobile sent us some as a promotion, so I figured I'd try it. I actually really liked having it, because it has a recording device, so if I have a song idea I'm going to forget, I'll just hum it in there. And it's got a video camera, so if I see a terrorist attack go down, I can just film it. I can also just take pictures. It's a documentation device.

Anyway, Boost Mobile sent us more phones than we knew what to do with. [Guitarist] Ian [St. Pe] already had a phone and was in a contract, so we figured we'd turn the phone they gave him into a hotline, as long as they were giving us these free phones. So we just put [the number] on MySpace. We remembered the 80s, like New Kids on the Block, how they'd have a hotline you could call, and it was all automated. "If you want to speak to Donnie, press 'one.' If you want to speak to whomever, press 'two.'" And we like that old school feel, like an 80s fan club.

Here's the trade: Boost Mobile said that they would give us free phones if we sent them a couple pictures from our tour, like a tour diary. So I sent them the pictures. I haven't seen what they did with them, but we just decided to make it a whole different thing.

I don't know when they're going to cut us off, and that was the problem with the hotline: They put, like, 300 minutes on there, and once we turned on the hotline it was blowing up so much-- we were getting calls from British Columbia, France, Austria-- and then the minutes got severely diminished. If they don't keep footing the bill, it's probably going to get cut, but I'm sure they'll hook us up some more. They seem pretty nice.

Pitchfork: Do you guys answer the hotline no matter what? Are you always on the phone?

CA: The thing is, we honestly haven't kept up with the hotline. We had a couple days off when we weren't fielding the calls at all. But now we're on the road, so we turned it back on. Basically, it's active when we're on tour. If you look on MySpace, and you see we're on tour, we'll have it. Now we're going to be in Europe soon, and these phones don't even work in Canada, so basically, when we're touring in America, we'll have the hotline on.

People mostly call and then hang up, because they just want to see if it's real. They don't believe it. I was really [intent on] everybody realizing it was real, so we picked up every single call, and it was just non-stop. I'm losing my voice trying to talk to these people. Some people want to talk for a long time. They have serious problems, like one girl's friend was contemplating suicide. I was just kind of drunk and said, "Maybe you should call a professional about that." I don't know anything about how to address a situation like that. I appreciate that she was seeking help, and I did try to console her, but I'm not qualified for that one. We try to clarify for people: It's not a sex line. It's not a suicide hotline. It's just a fanclub hotline. [MORE...]

Natalie Portman Stars in New Devendra Banhart Video
And many other sentences completely inconceivable in 2003

We knew actress Natalie Portman and singing beard Devendra Banhart were tight; he did, after all, lay down an exclusive song for her Big Change: Songs for FINCA charity compilation last fall.

But apparently they're a lot tighter than that. MTV.com points us to this little tidbit: late last month, Nat and Big D collaborated on a video for "Carmensita" from Devendra's three-songs-too-long-player Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. No word on just when we'll get an eyeful of these two frolicking to the strains of D's chugging cut, but, shit, it's a far better Portman + facial hair guy equation than that thing that came on before The Darjeeling Limited.

Other than frolicking with movie stars, Devendra's got a few gigs coming around, including a stop in late June at the Hollywood Bowl with one Gilberto Gil, and an appearance at Outside Lands in August. Though any time you want a little D in your life, you can always head this-a-way. [MORE...]

Beirut Cancel Summer European Tour
Zach Condon: "It's come time to change some things, reinvent some others, and come back at some point with a fresh perspective and batch of songs."

For as much as Beirut's music abounds in European influences-- whether Balkan or Brel-- Zach Condon and the continent just don't seem to gel.

Condon was in Paris, as you may recall, when he landed in a hospital and had to cancel some shows due to a bout with "extreme exhaustion" in November 2006. "It felt like my body was falling apart while I was completely out of control of it," Condon later told Pitchfork, reflecting on the incident.

Now Europe will get the shaft, as Beirut have decided to cancel a couple month's worth of summer shows over there. For the reasoning behind this move, we take you to a note Condon posted on Beirut's website today [via Tiny Mix Tapes]:

A Letter from Zach

It's with great regret that I have to tell all of you that Beirut is canceling their summer European shows. My reasons for doing this are many, a lot of them personal, but I still feel I need to provide something of an explanation.

The past two years have been a mindblowing experience. From the first indications that people were putting songs from Gulag [Orkestar] up on their blogs to our incredible tour of Australia and New Zealand that we just completed, everything that has happened has been beyond anything I'd ever hoped could happen with the music I wrote and recorded in my bedroom. Once things started happening, I decided I wanted to do everything as big as possible. So, I set about putting together a large band, and giving that band a huge sound, and making the most spectacular records we possibly could.

I know this can sound like an artist shithead kind of comment, but going through all that really does have its low points along with the highs. The responsibilities of gathering people around your vision, working with great people like those who work directly for the band and those at the label, wanting to insure that every show is as good as humanly possible so that every single person in the audience sees that we put in a real effort, all of that leads to a lot of issues in terms of doing right by people who have done you right.

It's come time to change some things, reinvent some others, and come back at some point with a fresh perspective and batch of songs.

Please accept my apologies. I promise we'll be back, in some form.

-Zach

A handful of North American Beirut shows appear to be still on for the moment, so those may be your last opportunity to catch the "old" Beirut. Beyond that, we'll just have to hope Zach gets his shit together soon. Dr. Pitchfork prescribes multiple listenings to the White Stripes ditty "Little Room". [MORE...]

RZA, Jamie Lidell, Mogwai Play Final Triptych Festival
So do Andrew Bird, Clinic, Four Tet, Sebadoh

We've all run into them: people who just don't know when to leave. These welcome-wearer-outers certainly take their toll on our patience, which makes their opposites that much more refreshing. Count the organizers of the Scotland's Triptych Festival in the latter camp, as this year's eighth annual Triptych will serve as the festival's farewell.

Don't let it be said that the Triptych folks can't plan an excellent ending, though, as the lineup includes RZA, Jamie Lidell, Mogwai, Andrew Bird, Dirty Projectors, Sebadoh, Four Tet, James Blackshaw, Derrick May, Clinic, Candi Staton, Frightened Rabbit, Magik Markers, Alela Diane, Model 500, Malcolm Middleton, 1990s, Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, Chris "Beans" Geddes of Belle and Sebastian, Pram, the Pastels, Teenage Fanclub's Gerard Love and Norman Blake, Future Pilot AKA, Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities, Human Bell, David Shrigley, Optimo, and Franz Ferdinand offshoot Correcto, among many others.

In addition to the live music, Triptych will also screen the Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with an intro and Q&A with RZA (who soundtracked the film) and Derrick May will introduce and take questions about the documentary High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music.

The 2008 Triptych Festival will take place at venues throughout Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen from April 25-27.

Matt & Kim, Lykke Li on Moshi Moshi Singles Comp

Moshi Moshi began its life as a label a decade ago, releasing small-batch singles by some future notables (Bloc Party, Hot Chip, and the Rakes, for starters) and promising also-rans. Once the label grew a bit, the singles gave way to full length LPs. But in October 2006, Moshi Moshi picked up the singles series yet again, issuing a bunch of 7"s in editions of 1,000 or less.

After 18 months of steady going with the singles, the Moshi Moshi lot have compiled all the second wave singles club A-sides on a CD. Say hello to the informatively titled Singles, collecting tunes from Matt & Kim, Lykke Li, Late of the Pier, Kate Nash, and others, and due April 7 from-- who else?-- Moshi Moshi. [MORE...]

Domino Readies More Triffids Reissues

Aussie almost-legends the Triffids will continue clearing their archives with the next three Domino UK reissues in a campaign that started over a year ago with new editions of Born Sandy Devotional, In the Pines, and Calenture.

The Black Swan, Treeless Plain, and Beautiful Waste and Other Songs are the records that made the cut this time, but unlike the first three reissues, these next three all come out on the same day: April 7.

Unlike The Black Swan and Treeless Plain, both original studio albums, Beautiful Waste and Other Songs is a collection of songs recorded between 1983 and 1985 that never made it to a full-length record. In fact, most of the tracks on Beautiful Waste have never even appeared on CD before.

Finally, Triffids mania will reach the realm of the printed word with a book by Bleddyn Butcher about the band and songwriter David McComb. Helter Skelter Publishing plans to release Save What You Can: The Day of the Triffids and the Long Night of David McComb early next year. [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.)