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Just when you thought you'd finally caught up on former Guided by Voices frontman and songwriting stalwart Robert Pollard's extra-prolific 2008, the dude's already got another one in the works before the year-- hell, the month-- is up.

This one's called Ataxia, and it comes courtesy of the gnarly Circus Devils, Bobby's band with his onetime GBV associates Todd and Tim Tobias. The disc-- the Devils' follow-up to last year's nasty little Sgt. Disco-- is due October 31 (a Friday, yes) from Happy Jack Rock Recordings.

More? You bet your ass there's more! Bob's got a new solo LP, The Crawling Distance, due from Guided by Voices, Inc. on January 20. The LP is the first under Pollard's given name since this summer's Robert Pollard Is Off to Business, and was produced by his Circus Devils bandmate Todd Tobias.

And then there's The Planets Are Blasted, another new disc from Boston Spaceships, Bob's new band with former GBVer Chris Slusarenko and Decemberists drummer John Moen. This one comes hot on the heels of the late summer release of Brown Submarine, and features a little assistance from ex-GBVer Greg Demos, Gary Jarman of the Cribs, and Chris Funk of the Decemberists. It's due February 17 from Guided by Voices, Inc.

Those very same Spaceships are out on the road at the moment, but not dining on any Taco Bell, as noted in an update to yesterday's Feed the Beat story. To recap: Not unlike Ted Leo last time around, Pollard was unknowingly entered along with the Boston Spaceships in Taco Bell's contest, according to a representative. He wishes the world to know that he wants no part in that racket. Quoth Bob's rep: "Bob had no knowledge of that at all and...he never has nor ever would enter any type of contest of any sort, let alone something as cheesy as that." Hey, I know one way to get rid of all that Fourthmeal...

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Photo by Sam Holden

Former Afghan Whig and current Twilight Singer and Gutter Twin Greg Dulli's next release has nothing to do with any of his various bands. In fact, it's the first live album credited to Dulli as a solo artist.

Recorded in October 2007 at Seattle's Triple Door as a benefit for local youth arts center the Vera Project, Live at Triple Door features songs from Dulli's back catalog and covers that range from José González's "Down the Line" to "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair".

While Live at Triple Door is technically a Dulli solo disc, he was anything but alone at the two shows from which the recordings were collected. Among the friends joining him on stage were Petra Haden and Shawn Smith (Pigeonhed, Brad).

Live at Triple Door arrives digitally via Dulli's own Infernal Recordings on October 28. Check out the cover below.

As previously reported, the Gutter Twins have a handful of tour dates this fall.

Some forty years after taking the stage at Ann Arbor, Michigan's Canterbury House for a two-night run, Neil Young will release Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968. The disc, which collects tunes from his November 9-10, 1968 gigs at the titular venue, is due to arrive November 25 from Reprise, according to a Billboard.com report.

Alas, the announcement of Sugar Mountain comes coupled with a bit of a bummer, in the form of yet another delay for Young's planned Archives series. The Billboard.com report notes that the release of the career-spanning sets has been pushed back to sometime next year, and that, according to a Reprise rep, Archives will come on DVD but not CD or Blu-ray.

Looking forward, there's Young's forthcoming shows with Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco. Alas, there's a bit of a bump in the road there, too, with a few early November dates being postponed before the thing ever got off the ground. Still, there's plenty of Neil coming at you shortly-- including you, Australia and New Zealand: check it out at the bottom of our itinerary down below. Young will also rock yet another Bridge School benefit later this month.

Live Music on T.V. this week:


Monday, October 13:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ra Ra Riot
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Conor Oberst
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Cat Power (rerun)
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Kool Keith

Tuesday, October 14:

ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Kanye West
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Kings of Leon
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: CSS

Thursday, October 16:

CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ne-Yo
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Hot Chip (rerun)
PBS: Tavis Smiley: T.I.

Friday, October 17:

NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: Black Kids
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Ludacris
FUEL TV: The Daily Habit: Aesop Rock

Saturday, October 18:

Fearless Music TV: The Rumble Strips

Photo by Kathryn Yu

Ornithologically inclined Austinites Shearwater begin another tour in support of Rook tonight (October 13) in Chicago. The tour also comes in support of the band's The Snow Leopard digital EP, which comes out tomorrow via Matador. The set collects a number of live tracks and rarities in addition to the title track off Rook, including a cover of Baby Dee's "So Bad" and a take on traditional song "Henry Lee".

After a handful of shows in the U.S. (including a pair of solo sets for leader Jonathan Meiburg), Shearwater will skip across the Atlantic for a few weeks' worth of European dates.

And finally, a little known fact for Shearwater fans: In addition to inspiring po-faced indie rock songs, birds are hella funny.

Photo by Eva Michon

Sebastien Grainger, former Death From Above 1979 singer/drummer and self-proclaimed bringer of "fuck-rock," will hit the road this fall in support of his self-titled debut as Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains.

The tour starts with a record release show in Toronto on October 20, but from there until its end in early December, it's a strictly U.S. affair. Grainger will be performing as part of a four-piece band at these shows.

As previously reported, Saddle Creek will release Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains on October 21.

Photos by Ahmed Klink

New York Magazine celebrated 40 years of pressing ink to page over the weekend with a big bash at their titular city's Hammerstein Ballroom. Friday night brought together the likes of the National, Grizzly Bear, and dapper comedy troupe Stella, though the real fashion statement of the evening belongs to National frontguy Matt Berninger and those Craig Finn glasses of his.

Note that Grizzly Bear-- along with Zach Condon of Beirut and Nico Muhly-- will cab their way over to the Horticultural Society of New York on October 17 for an evening of live music and bingo-playing, all aimed at raising funds for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Tickets to the intimate $100-a-head event will get you music from the aforementioned acts, food, drink, a crack at prizes, and a chance to bear witness to and participate in an Obama tribute and sing-along. Oh, and an opportunity to chat about that Department of Eagles record with none other than Howard Wolfson, the be-sweatered ex-Hillary Clinton campaign communications director and total hipster, who will offer a few remarks on the evening.

The National












Grizzly Bear










Stella








The National:

10-16 Cincinnati, OH - Fountain Square ("Vote Early Rock Late" Obama Rally) *
10-24 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - TIM Festival
10-25 São Paulo, Brazil - TIM Festival
10-27 Vitória, Brazil - UFES Theatre
11-08 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest

* with the Breeders

"Algerian trumpets, brilliant vocals, and heavy beat orchestration" litter the songs made by a cohort of Algerian musicians who laid the foundations for a form of folk music called Raï, according to a press release. Sublime Frequencies has collected eight tracks from this scene's heyday on a compilation called 1970's Algerian Proto-Rai Underground, which the world music label will release tomorrow (October 14).

1970's Algerian Proto-Rai Underground is an LP-only release with a single pressing of 1,500 copies. Each record comes in a gatefold jacket with photos of the musicians and liner notes from compilation curator Hicham Chadly.

Dutch composer Stephen Emmer will bring his Recitement LP to the U.S. tomorrow (October 14) via Allegro Music. Those who have paid close attention to Forkcast and/or Pitchfork.tv in the last couple months might have caught the video for Recitement's "Passengers", a track that puts Lou Reed's reading of a text by Paul Theroux over music by Emmer.

The rest of Recitement takes the same shape as "Passengers": Music composed, arranged, and performed by Emmer soundtracking new and appropriated recordings of written works by Samuel Beckett, Charles Baudelaire, and Yoko Ono, among others. In addition to Reed, the list of performers on Recitment includes Allen Ginsberg, Jorge Luis Borges, and Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead).

If all those names aren't enough to pique your interest, there's one more: Bowie/T. Rex/Morrissey collaborator Tony Visconti produced and mixed the disc.