Sigur Ros Sneak Peeks of New Album, Expand Tour
Album artwork possibly features naked people

Oh Sigur Rós, you are so mysterious! As we breathlessly await details of your next masterpiece, you have posted a couple of brief video clips of you working on said album to this widget thingymabobber.

Look, it's Sigur Rós standing around the studio listening to a snippet of a new song! Look, it's Sigur Rós standing around the studio looking at artwork for the album (possibly NSFW)! UPDATE: Thanks to various reader tips, we've discovered that said NSFW images are by Ryan McGinley. Look, it's the guy from Sigur Rós going "ooh wheee oooh" into a microphone! Fascinating.

In the midst of all this mystery, however, one thing remains constant: Musicians need to get paid, and the quickest way to do that is by touring.

Thus, the Icelandic quartet has revealed even more dates of what's shaping up to be a pretty hefty world tour this summer. The band's itinerary now includes a full three months of shows everywhere from the UK and Europe to the U.S. and Mexico to Australia. If these guys hit Africa, we'll be truly impressed. [MORE...]

Marmoset's LonPaul Ellrich, R.I.P.

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and Bloomington, Indiana scene staple LonPaul Ellrich passed away Wednesday, May 7. A beloved member of the fertile musical community that populates the college town, Ellrich lent his touch to a plethora of Secretly Canadian projects from throughout the years, including Marmoset.

As a statement on the label website reads, "Though most knew him as an amazingly subtle and musical drummer, [Ellrich] was very much a swiss army knife. He could sing, play guitar, break out a fucked up keyboard part, it didn't matter...his primary instrument was his sheer taste in music and unending-- sometimes to a fault-- need to realize what he was hearing in his brain. LonPaul, you're brutally honest, totally endearing, and always inspiring, we'll miss you."

Friends and fans wishing to share their own take on Ellrich's legacy can do so via a website set up in his honor.

Weezer Push up Album Release

"The Red Album", Weezer's next batch of ill-informed pop culture references and radio-aimed riffs, is bringing its awkward art to the party a little earlier than expected. DGC/Interscope has pushed the release date of the band's third self-titled record up from June 24 to June 3. Hooray?

Silver Jews, Four Tet, Field, Hercules Hit SoundCity!
With Crystal Castles, Cadence Weapon, Ruby Suns, Santogold, Vetiver, Sons & Daughters

You'd think Liverpool's rep as a city of sound isn't exactly up for debate. It is, after all, home to rock'n'roll's most influential act: The La's, duh.

But, because they feel they've still got something to prove, they're clearing out all their venues and sending out the invites to some big names in anticipation of Liverpool SoundCity!, a four day affair along the Mersey. Joining the very sound bill are Silver Jews, Four Tet, the Field, Crystal Castles, Hercules and Love Affair, Santogold, Cadence Weapon, Vetiver, the Ruby Suns, Sons & Daughters, Felix Da Housecat, the Death Set, the Wombats, Late of the Pier, Lightspeed Champion, Adem, We Are Wolves, Telepathe, Glasvegas, Port O'Brien, Pete and the Pirates, Peter and the Wolf, Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and a healthy portion of others.

SoundCity will ring out May 27-30; perhaps this one gesture will finally help solidify Liverpool's standing as a live music hub of note?

Joe Lally Lines Up Gigs With Geoff Farina's Glorytellers

Despite his claim to the contrary, there's a whiff of the Underrated about Joe Lally. He launched a solo career by releasing two solid albums in as many years, and his upcoming run of U.S. shows will be his second tour of 2008 already. It's like he said to himself, "Play music," and quickly proceeded to cut away everything superfluous to that dictum. It's like he was in Fugazi or something.

For his U.S. tour this month, Lally will play with previous touring drummer Ricardo Lagomasino and DC Improvisers Collective guitarist Jonathan Matis (aka Jonathan Morris). The jaunt kicks off May 16 in Pittsburgh, and Lally will spend the latter part of it sharing the bill with Geoff Farina's new project, Glorytellers. [MORE...]

Neil Young, Now a Spider, Plans Blu-ray Box Set
Charlotte, look at my life/ I'm a lot like you were...

After amassing a classic discography and years of musical influence, Neil Young has been immortalized in species form. According to a report from The New York Times, Jason E. Bond-- a biologist at East Carolina University-- named the new trapdoor spider he just discovered after old Neil. How's that for a lifetime achievement award?

The spider's full name is Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi. Regarding the reason for his choice of names, Bond told the Times, "There are rather strict rules about how you name new species. As long as these rules are followed, you can give a new species just about any name you please. With regards to Neil Young, I really enjoy his music and have a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice."

With his newfound biological notoriety intact, Young will continue his tradition of archival releases with a series of Blu-ray Disc box sets. These releases will form an interactive chronological overview of Young's oeuvre, featuring "music, movies, videos, personal archives, memorabilia, photographs, letters, handwritten manuscripts, and more," according to a press release.

Young is collaborating on the release of this "Neil Young Archive" series with Sun Microsystems and Reprise/Warner. The first box set is planned to come out this fall. It's a 10-disc monster covering Young's work from 1963-1972. [MORE...]

Be Your Own Pet Join Warped Tour!

It's a match made in teenage heaven: The skater Eden known as Warped Tour has welcomed the raucous ruckus of Be Your Own Pet into its Hot Topic-clad arms for a slew of dates in July and August. While we personally don't plan to attend Warped Tour this summer, we can't imagine a more perfect pairing, and we get pretty psyched at the thought of unsuspecting Gym Class Heroes fans being turned on to one of the raddest live bands around.

The Warped dates now form the last leg of BYOP's already hefty North American tour, which just started last week. The band's next show is tonight (May 13) in Kansas City. [MORE...]

More Beck Album Details Emerge

Beck's short, sharp shock of a new album coming out this summer (via XL & Interscope) has a few more details attached to it, thanks to a report from Rolling Stone's Rock Daily blog.

The report, confirmed by Beck's publicist, states that the record's tentative title is Modern Guilt and that it features the following songs: "Modern Guilt", "Beggars Shoes", "Chem Trails", and "Walls", the latter featuring featuring Cat Power.

The album also marks the end of Beck's record deal with Interscope. As for what's next, Beck told Rolling Stone, "I don't have any plans at the moment. It's anybody's guess where things are going week to week with the music business." [MORE...]

Update: Chicago Music Venues Safe for Now
Event Promoters ordinance goes back to the drawing board

Clipse photo by Nolan Wells

Local interest story? Perhaps, but the implications may be far broader reaching than that, so listen up. The respected venues and stages that form the cornerstone of the vibrant music and theater communities of the fine city of Chicago-- the city Pitchfork has called home for years now-- are in jeopardy thanks to an unfortunate piece of impending legislation.

The proposed "Event Promoters" ordinance (or Chapter 4-157 of Title IV of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago, if you're fancy) goes before Chicago's City Council TOMORROW, May 14, 2008, at 10 a.m. central time. Simply put, if this thing passes, it will make putting on shows a fiscal and bureaucratic hell for the venues Chicagoans have come to love.

How's that, you ask? A few bullet points [via Save Chicago Culture]:

* The ordinance requires any event promoter to have a license from the city of Chicago and liability insurance of $300,000.
* The definition of "event promoter" is so loosely defined it could apply to a band that books its own shows or a theater company that's in town for a one-week run.
* The "event promoter" will pay $500 - $2000 depending on expected audience size.
* To get the license, applicant must be at least 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.
* This ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.
* Police must be notified at least seven days in advance of event.

At the very least, the "Event Promoters" ordinance will likely result in increased ticket prices for live music (and theater) fans, while curbing variety and severely stymieing gig possibilities for emerging acts. At worst, it could well spell the end for absolutely essential Chicago venues like the Empty Bottle, Schubas, Metro, the Hideout, and others, plus pave the way for similar legislation elsewhere.

Let it be said that the folks behind this ordinance are well-intentioned-- it's meant to snuff out irresponsible promoters, in part as a response to the E2 disaster of 2003, during which 21 people were suffocated or trampled to death when panic broke out at the South Side nightclub. But by imposing these unreasonable restrictions on such a loosely-defined and far-reaching body of promoters-- most of which have run countless events for years now without incident-- the city of Chicago is basically saying "fuck you" to the music and theater cultures it so often claims to cultivate.

So here's where you come in. If you live in Chicago, find your alderman and write him or her at once. If you have friends in Chicago, pass this along. If you want to further inform yourself (and get a headache), waddle through the legalese in the "Event Promoter" ordinance draft here. And for additional info, check out efforts from both the Chicago Music Commission and Save Chicago Culture to stop the ordinance from becoming law in its present, seriously flawed form.

Again, the "Event Promoters" ordinance will be voted on TOMORROW MORNING, so the time to act is now.

***UPDATE: Good news! According to a Chicago Music Commission statement [via Jim DeRogatis' Chicago Sun-Times blog], the "Event Promoters" ordinance is going back to the drawing board following public outcry. It will not be voted on tomorrow as originally planned, and folks hope this will allow more time to fine-tune the proposed ordinance into something a little more amenable to Chicago's music and theater scenes. Keep abreast of the situation via the links above.

CocoRosie Unleash New Digital Single

Packing synthetic beats and all the auto-tune of a T-Pain cut, and described in a press release as "a suicide story that takes place in a tender and elated moment of innocence," what else could it be but a new CocoRosie single?

And indeed it is. At this very instant, you can download "God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me", the latest jam from the sisters Casady, thanks to the folks at Touch and Go. A video for the new tune will hit the internet May 26, and for your collection of things, there will be a 7" picture disc come July 8.

Though they've reportedly been busy at work on the follow-up to last year's The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn, CocoRosie are presently in Europe, rocking shows and such through the rest of the month. [MORE...]

Girl Talk Throws Taco Bell Party in Pittsburgh

Photo by Jason Bergman

You always get a little more at a Girl Talk show: 200 jams instead of 12, everybody's sweat on your body instead of just your own, really drunk instead of just kinda. And a lucky bunch at a hometown Girl Talk gig last Friday got all that plus some hangover-eradicating eats courtesy of Mr. Gregg Gillis.

On May 9 at Mr. Small's, during his first Pittsburgh area appearance since last summer, the party-rocker cashed in his $500 winnings from that Taco Bell "Feed the Beat" contest and passed the proverbial poblano on to the ravenous crowd.

Gillis explains: "I went to the Edgewood Town Center Taco Bell the week prior and explained what I wanted to do. The manager didn't believe me about the contest at first, but once I showed the actual Taco Bell Bucks, she was pumped on the idea. She even offered to drive all of the food in her pick-up truck to the show. We pre-ordered 133 beef burritos, 133 bean burritos, and 133 spicy chicken soft tacos."

No Crunchwrap Supreme? It is clearly the mash-up of Taco Bell menu items.

"Some friends of mine waited outside and distributed the goods. We got rid of all of the food pretty quick. I actually forgot to put any off to side for myself, so I didn't get any Taco Bell that night."

All of the generosity and none of the heartburn! You win, sir. Here's a video of Girl Talk making the big announcement to the crowd:

In that spirit, we'd gladly offer you more details regarding Gillis' new album, tentatively titled Wild Peace IV: Feed the Animals, Raise the Dead, but we don't have any. We do, however, have Girl Talk's current itinerary, which we humbly present with just a click. [MORE...]

Cee-Lo + Jack Black = "Kung Fu Fighting"
Cee-Lo + Paul Oakenfold = Bourne Conspiracy video game song

Now this is more like it. Following the announcement that Cee-Lo co-penned a song for Jennifer Hudson for the forthcoming Sex and the City: The Movie soundtrack comes word of the Gnarled One's musical involvement in a film about "a lazy, irreverent slacker panda, Po, who must somehow become a kung fu master in order to save the Valley of Peace from a villainous snow leopard, Tai Lung," according to a press release.

In case you didn't guess, the movie in question is the animated Kung Fu Panda, and Cee-Lo contributes a cover of Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" to the soundtrack. But that's not all: Cee-Lo's "Kung Fu Fighting" is a duet with Po himself, aka Jack Black. The song is updated as a "neo-funk/electronica cover," with new lyrics and production from the Underdogs (Beyonce, Chris Brown).

Interscope will release the Cee-Lo/Black "Kung Fu Fighting" as a digital single on May 27, and the full Kung Fu Panda soundtrack will follow on June 3.

In addition to Black, Kung Fu Panda features the voices of Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, and Jackie Chan. The movie hits theaters on June 6.

Continuing the collaboration/synergy theme, Cee-Lo also recently worked with superstar DJ Paul Oakenfold on the song and video for "Falling" from the video game The Bourne Conspiracy. Check that out here. [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.)