Hercules and Love Affair Sign to Mute for U.S. Release

We've made no secret of our love for Hercules and Love Affair's self-titled debut-- shucks, we even think it's some of the Best New Music going around. But we've also made no secret of our chagrin over its lack of availability in H&LA's home country: the United States.

But, like a real live Hercules smiting the mighty foe of import fees, the folks at Mute Records have seen fit to license the LP from DFA for release in the U.S. It will be in stores June 24. What's more, they're releasing the fantastic Antony Hegarty-laced "Blind" as a single May 27 for all your American neo-disco needs.

That Hercules and Love Affair tour got a few more dates added to its mighty roster, and the whole she-bang is yours for the lookin' after the jump.

UPDATE: They also added an American show! Yay! [MORE...]

Streets, CSS, Hercules & Love Affair Do Evolution Fest
Plus: Crystal Castles, Sons & Daughters, Lightspeed Champion

The Evolution Festival in NewcastleGateshead, England is a curious beast. The four-day event takes place this year from May 23-26, and it consists of various one-off events-- concerts, seminars, a dance party-- at venues throughout the metropolitan area. Sons & Daughters, the Wild Beasts, Tiga, and the Felice Brothers will play some of those one-offs, but then there's the matter of the more traditional portion of the festival: a single-day outdoor event that happens across two stages on May 26.

That festival-within-the-festival will feature sets from the Streets, Hercules and Love Affair, CSS, Kate Nash, Crystal Castles, the Whip, New Young Pony Club, Lightspeed Champion, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, among others.

Finally, there's the fact that some proceeds from the seventh annual Evolution will go to a self-explanatory charity called WaterAid. So while it's all a little bit confusing, at least it's for a good cause.

Seun Kuti, Son of Fela, Issues LP, Tours With Egypt 80

Have you seen that new show on MTV with all the kids of washed-up rock stars trying to make it big on their own? Good luck and all that, spawn of Stryper or whatever, but I'd much rather place my genetically-influenced bets on Seun Kuti, the youngest son of Nigerian music legend Fela Kuti.

For his forthcoming debut LP, the youthful Kuti has enlisted the help of Egypt 80, who famously played with his father throughout the 1980s and early 90s. Seun and Egypt 80's self-titled disc is due June 24 on Disorient Records.

Kuti and Egypt 80 will head to North America this summer for a fairly extensive tour, which kicks off in Los Angeles June 20. [MORE...]

No Age, Caribou, Madlib Do Dissonanze Fest
With Booka Shade, Fujiya & Miyagi, Prefuse 73, YACHT, Erol Alkan, Carl Craig, Cluster

You know, you can't spell Dissonanze without bungling the hell out of "dance." But screwing things up in the body movement department just ain't the Dissonanze festival's way. Check out the towering lineup of their eighth annual event, arranging its sequencers all over Rome, Italy's Parco Della Musica, Palazza de Congressi and Ara Pacis May 9-10.

Get down to the likes of Carl Craig, Prefuse 73, Model 500, YACHT, Madlib with J.Rocc, Booka Shade, Fujiya & Miyagi, Caribou, Erol Alkan, Switch, the Bug, Lucky Dragons, Loco Dice, Krautrock legends Cluster, and many others. And, for the sake of dissonance of that other variety, there's a collaboration between Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley, noise guru John Wiese, and artist Nico Vascellari, as well as No Age. (Wait, you can dance to No Age?)

Like a lot of these almost-entirely-dance festivals, things don't kick off 'til practically the following morning. Carl Craig-- not a particularly young man anymore, mind-- isn't slated to hit the stage until 4:30 in the AM. International travelers, now might be a good time to calculate your optimal jet lag interval, and all parties involved should probably go to bed now in anticipation. Just think: when you wake, Booka Shade!

Thurston Moore to Narrate Straight Edge Documentary

"Youth can be a minefield," the description for the documentary Inside Straight Edge reads, what with "drugs, sex, violence and peer pressure." Not to mention those unsightly pimples! Still, "one group has an extreme way of dealing with it." Nah, not goths: "they call themselves Straight Edge."

Ah, yes, straight edgers! The cult of MacKaye. Those teetotalin' perpetual naysayers to all things mind altering and socially lubricating. "Here, it's no drugs, no drinking, no smoking. They're rebels against society where everything goes."

We bring this up not so much to proselytize-- do your thing, people, just don't hurt anybody-- but to inform: Inside Straight Edge, which premieres tonight (April 9) on the National Geographic Channel, is narrated by none other than Sonic Youth frontguy Thurston Moore.

Though Thurston's personal xedgex status is unclear-- I hear he's done with all the stuff he used to dabble in way back when, though I could have sworn I saw him with a beer in the front row for Clipse at last year's Pitchfork Music Festival-- he's as good an example of how to live your life awesomely as anybody else I can think of in any field.

When not reminding us that crack is, in fact, whack, Thurston plays shows with Sonic Youth, including one upcoming gig too wacky not to highlight anew. The crew also has a trio of European festival appearances way the hell off in August.

SY, as we've mentioned, have just reissued 1987's Master-Dik EP, while the seventh installment of their SYR series will be available April 22. Plus, Kim Gordon and her long-dormant Free Kitten project are back in full force this year, with a new album due May 20 and talk of a tour.

As for Thurston himself, he'll open for Lou Reed on 4/20 (ha), help provide a live soundtrack to Amos Poe's new flick Empire II at New York's Gershwin hotel on the 29th, join Nancy Garcia at No Fun Fest in May (at which Lee Ranaldo will also appear), and perform along with Bill Nace as Northampton Wools in September. Plus, he's got a tune (as does Ranaldo) on the Table of the Elements singles series. Boy, sober folks are productive, huh? [MORE...]

Dear God, Please Let This Be the Lil Wayne Album Cover
Please!

Amazon.com via HipHopDX.com

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III is out May 13

Heartsrevolution Issue New Remix-Heavy 12", EP

You say you want a revolution? Well, this will have to do: New York disco/electroclash hybrid Heartsrevolution have a number of releases in the "forthcoming" column and a tour in the works. Might not change your state of being, unless, of course, you are looking for something to dance to. In that case, well, Heartsrevolution will create quite an uprising in your trouser area.

First up is the remix-laden 12" for their song "C.Y.O.A.", which IHEARTCOMIX will release April 15. Looming in the shadows right behind it is the Switchblade EP, which the very same label will issue June 24. And then there's the tour, which finds Heartsrevolution spreading the doctrine hither and yon. Travel safe! Hearts! [MORE...]

New Pornographers, Okkervil River Kick Off Joint Tour

Tonight in Toronto marks the first of many on-stage meetings betwixt beloved Canadian indie-pop monolith the New Pornographers and Texas troubadour troupe Okkervil River, as the two take to the road in tandem in the month of April.

No word on just who'll be joining the notoriously wily Pornographers on the trek, though Okkervil, following the departure of guitarist Brian Cassidy, will be boosted by a familiar face for the tour: Charles Bissell of the Wrens. Check out the full schedule of joint dates and gigs beyond below.

Okkervil have a UK digital single in the works for The Stage Names' "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene", due June 9 from Jagjaguwar. The new release sports both the album version and an exclusive demo. The Pornos have a fairly fresh one, too: the Live From SoHo thing they stuck onto iTunes last month. [MORE...]

Prefuse 73 Clears Up Warp Records Confusion on Blog
Collaborates with Battles drummer John Stanier

In a MySpace blog entry posted yesterday, Guillermo Scott "Prefuse 73" Herren does a little clarifying work regarding yesterday's report in these pages that, despite his claims that he'd left British electronic music imprint Warp as a solo artist, label representatives insisted otherwise.

After apologizing for the confusion, Herren reiterates his original point: "WARP does not represent me, I rep myself + R.Rasheed(Leb Laze) only." He adds, "NO. Despite any info on Pitchforkmedia.com today - Everything regarding Prefuse 73 is true_ I'm sorry= P73 is not on WARP - I AM indeed the guy or at least the main mind behind PREFUSE 73 - The most recent blog is true." Guess that means, then, that despite Warp's earlier insistence to the contrary in an emailed statement, Prefuse 73 has indeed left the label as a solo artist.

He goes on to discuss RiSIL, his new band-- who are, by his own admission, set to release material on Warp. "I did not release 'info' or a name behind the band I am in to the press people because I wanted it to be something 'special' etc.. However, this is Pitchfork's job to report, so there are no hard feelings of course." Appreciate it, man; that was, indeed, all we were up to.

He then adds that "since it's got to be unexciting and foretold, I'll spill the beans... The 'band' is called: 'RiSIL' the album is called 'Breaking Soems'... It's more like falling down a flight of stairs than the 'sound' of prefuse73... It's a lot of people, and a lot of drums... let's stop there." Okay then.

Herren goes on to discuss the status of forthcoming efforts from his Savath y Savalas project and his DJ Leb Laze, and also touches on another intriguing project of which we were heretofore unaware: Diamond Watch Wrists, a joint effort between Herren and Battles drummer John Stanier.

"It is a collection of songs from my few spare moments not on a task that I've recorded singing and playing," Herren writes, adding, "this group of songs [is] generally mellow, indeed in english and pretty much untouched from the 'glitch' stamp I can not escape. I'm in the middle of all of this now."

See why we like reporting on you? Because you are always up to something worth reporting on. [MORE...]

Prince Joins Coachella Lineup!

The new Coachella "poster" pretty much says it all...



Coachella-goers, prepare to make way for pop royalty! Prince will now headline the massive festival on April 26, joining an already electro/electronic-tinged Saturday night bill that includes Portishead, Kraftwerk, and M.I.A. The event, as you well know, descends on Indio, California's Empire Polo Field from April 25-27.

Britt Daniel, Isaac Brock, Janet Weiss in Music Doc
The Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd pens score

Hey there, music fan! You love music, but have you ever wondered why? Maybe you consider that love a given, something you've lived with for so long now that its origins and/or justifications almost don't matter. Or maybe you can't explain it, but you'd like a bunch of famous people to investigate the issue for you. Well, a forthcoming documentary called The Heart Is a Drum Machine contains just such an investigation.

According to a press release, The Heart Is a Drum Machine "will explore in depth people's profound connection to music, how it shapes our very existence, and the science of the way music and the human body work together."

This exploration will take the form of interviews with musicians like Britt Daniel (Spoon), Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks), Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse), Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service, Dntel), John Doe (X), the Dandy Warhols, Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle), Los Lobos, Kimya Dawson, Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, and others.

Then there are the interviews with semi-musical celebrities who will most certainly get to the bottom of this matter, among them Jason Schwartzman, Elijah Wood, Bijou Phillips, and Juliette Lewis.

In the interest of academic rigor, the documentary's interview subjects include a few musicologists as well.

The Heart Is a Drum Machine is still in production by ZU33 Pictures, the folks responsible for the Moog documentary Moog. Currently, Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd is writing The Heart's score.

Jarvis, Mark E. Smith, Blur's Alex James to Chat at Fest

Mark E. Smith photo by Kevin Cummins

Jarvis Cocker and Mark E. Smith have their ways with words. But, though Smith's acid-tongued rants are the stuff of legend and Jarvis is always good for a quote or two, we mostly know them from the tunes they deliver. A pair of events at this year's Brighton Festival, however, will bring us a little closer to the dudes behind the tunes, as each speaks on a few of his favorite subjects. For Mr. Cocker, it will be the art of songwriting, while Mr. Smith will, naturally, be talking about himself.

Jarvis will present "Jarvis Cocker on Song: Saying the Unsayable", an audiovisual lecture in which the former Pulp frontman will delve into such time-tested questions as "Should songs rhyme?" and "Is there anything you can't write a song about?" He'll reportedly explore his own lyrics before undertaking an analysis of the words of Leonard Cohen, Errol Brown of UK pop act Hot Chocolate, Pete Doherty, and Amy Winehouse. What's more, Cocker will attempt to make some sense out of one of the most lyrically oblique songs of all time: "Louie Louie", originally penned by Richard Berry. The lecture takes place May 23 at the Brighton Concert Hall [via NME.com].

As for Mark, well, as mentioned, the Fall frontman will be doing what he does best: comin' at you from the first person. "For the first time", the Brighton Fest website says somewhat cheekily, "Smith offers a candid and wry take on The Fall myth: the infighting, the incarceration, the drugs, the bankruptcy, the divorce, and of course the music." Sounds like a Fall show without the drum kit. Mark appears May 24 at the Old Court House.

Though these are certainly the most interesting music-related lectures, they're not the only ones, as Alex James of Blur and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys will also be chattin' it up at Brighton.

On the musical side of things, there's some intersection with the concurrent Great Escape Festival, as the Theatre Royal will host Vashti Bunyan, Nina Nastasia, the Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit, Vetiver, Silje Nes, and Tom Brosseau May 16-17 as part of "FatCat Nights with the Great Escape". Also of note is "Still Black, Still Proud: An Afro Tribute to James Brown", featuring Tony Allen, Cheikh Lô, saxophonist Manu Dibango, Tony Remi, Wunmi, and DJ John Warr of Afrobase. The Brighton Festival runs May 3-25; scope the fest's website for info on the many, many other happenings, musical and otherwise.

Smith also recently caught the attention (and ire) of animal rights activists when he bragged about killing endangered red squirrels in an interview. (Via the Daily Swarm) "Squirrels mean nothing to me," he said. "I killed a couple last weekend actually. They were eating my garden fence. My sisters are animal lovers and they had been leaving food out for these squirrels. They've got rats in the bloody house now. Serves 'em right."

According to the Daily Mail, Smith is currently under investigation by the RSPCA (the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

Getting back to the music, then: both the Fall and Jarvis have shows to look out for. While Mark and company will stick to the UK and Europe for the next few months in anticipation of the April 28 release of new album Imperial Wax Solvent, Jarvis has only one engagement beyond the chat next month: his appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago this July. Don't mean to lecture, but, uh, you ought to be there too. [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.)