To Live and Die in LA

May as well just quote this one straight from the horse's (pulling apart?) mouth:

"??????
hi
in the past couple of weeks i've been getting a band together for fun to play the eraser stuff live and the new songs etc.. to see if it could work!
here's a photo.. its me, joey waronker, mauro refosco, flea and nigel godrich.

at the beginning of october the 4th and 5th we are going to do a couple of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
we don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!
but come and check it out if you are in the area. we've also got locals Lucky Dragons playing.
all the best"

yeah, that's thom yorke over at DEAD AIR SPACE announcing his new band! They've also announced a couple of dates in LA this coming Sunday and Monday. If only, I were in LA!

Streaming Wild Things

First clues to exactly Where The Wild Things Are emerge in the currently streaming soundtrack to the long anticipated adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children's (and adult really) classsic by Spike Jonze. Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O takes the lead with The Kids and creates a uniquely enjoyable and rejuvenating experience that will have you smiling sweetly and serenely (and just a little sadly) as we await this much anticipated cinematic event. I know I can't wait!

Lips Like Sugar

A strange choice for a strange band supporting a strange record but somehow in the end it all makes perfect sense and surely makes you smile. The Flaming Lips present "I Can Be a Frog":

The Flaming Lips "I Can Be A Frog"

Oh Barlow, My Barlow

I'm off to see the opening night of the Dinosaur Jr tour on October 2 up at the Middle East in Boston and a special bonus to that night is opening act Lou Barlow and the Missingmen. Back in the day, I was in to both camps involved in the great divide (even got to play a show with Sebadoh) and it's good to see both that the reunion is holding strong but also that Lou is getting out front as well and sharing some new material. His new record is called Goodnight Unknown and is October 5. It's been four years or more since any new material. Here's a first track off that new slab called "Don't Apologize".

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

OK, so I'm in a bit of state in anticipation of new Built to Spill material with the impending (still a few weeks away!) release of There is No Enemy. What's nice about these periods is that you occasionally stumble across tracks and vids you never new existed. I had a pleasant and sweet such discovery this morning over at Muzzle of Bees who have kindly posted a psychy beautiful synth ditty of Doug Martsch solo. The track is "Save Me" and is apparently off the Rotating Tongues 2 Compilation. Check it out!



PS: If you are interested, Warner Brothers has several BtS records available on vinyl for some pretty sweet prices. Just saying.

Pretty Please

Monsters of Folk prove they've got that certain je ne sais quoi with a take on the lead single "Say Please" off the new record over at Conan O'Brien's house. One thing for sure, Mike Mogis is a shredder. Another thing is Yim Yames has that George Harrison vibe down just right. Conor's got some bad-ass 70's cop glasses. M Ward takes the lead role here even if just subtley and that's all right. A great group and probably worth checking out on tour in case they never pull this off again.

It's not free, it's for sale

Lily Allen has taken a stand in the illegal downloading/file sharing war that is reshaping the music industry by calling 'Shite' on some of the bigger name acts (including Radiohead) who say the downloads are simply the equivalent of taping your friends records. Lily has launched a blog called It's Not Alright where she has firmly expressed her views and where other artists of some repute are joining her side of the great debate. Worth a look see for sure to better understand how this issue is affecting artists of all walks, great and small.

A Font of Goodness

A sweet, trippy vid from Matador band Times New Viking who are rumoured to be hitting the Oasis Pub with local faves Fatal Film in the coming months.

Yo La Takeaway

La Blogotheque present...

Yo La tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 1 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Yo La Tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 2 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

http://blogotheque.net/Yo-La-Tengo,5049

C'est parfait, c'est magnifique!

11th Dimension

Julian Casablancas of The Strokes strikes off solo with a blast of synthy pop out of left field. The new album Phrazes for the Young is out October 20th.

Thom's the Best

Thom Yorke's heady and marvelous cover of the Mark Mulcahy tune 'All for the Best' from the stellar and stirring Ciao, My Morning Star compilation celebrating the latter's songsmithing has been given an appropriately trippy and surreal video treatment. The vidvid is currently on view exclusively over at Rolling Stone headquarters. Turns out that it's Thom's brother Andy Yorke providing the haunting and very Mulcahy-esque backing harmonies. Very nice indeed. The compilation is currently available through iTunes and will hit the physical world on September 29th.

Autumnal Equinox

It bodes well for the looming autumn that Built to Spill tracks have begun leaking out from their forthcoming seventh long player There is No Enemy and that the band will be in full stride touring the country to support the new material over the next couple of months. Stereogum has a first dip into the sparkling waters of the new record if you can't wait (I know I can't) for the October release date. there are a couple more tracks for your listening pleasure over here (though, unfortunately, they are accompanied by one of the most poorly written and researched reviews I have read of any record ever).

There Is No Enemy is out 10/6 via Warner Bros. The tour is happening right now:

09/21 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
09/23 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
09/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avene
09/25 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
09/26 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
09/27 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
09/28 - Bloomington, IN @ Bluebird Nightclub
09/29 - St. Louis, MO @ The Peageant
10/01 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
10/02 - Newport, KY @ Southgate House
10/03 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
10/04 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/06 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Place
10/08 - Ithaca, NY @ State Theater
10/09 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10/10 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10/11 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10/12 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/13 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/16 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
10/18 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
10/20 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
10/21 - Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
10/22 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater #
10/23 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live #
10/24 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's #
10/25 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom #
10/27 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
10/28 - Tucson, AZ @ Dry River
11/15 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
11/17 - Bellingham, WA @ The Nightlight
11/18 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
11/19 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
11/20 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
11/21 - Spokane, WA @ Big Easy

Oh Baby

Devendra Banhart is returning to the fold with an album out via Warner Brothers on October 27th. The first track, 'Baby', is a poppy little diddy that nods in the general direction of Donovan quite heartily. You can hear the new tune over at Devendra's Myspace.

Tom Jones does Arctic Monkeys

Ok, so Deerhoof doing Canned Heat is pretty cool but apparently the Outside Lands festival had Tom Jones covering Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor". I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has an mp3 from a Wembley show cover of the same. Just one word: wow!

New Deerhoof at YANP

Well, we heard it first here in little old New London at this year's I AM Fest on September 12th but You Ain't No Picasso has a live clip of new Deerhoof number "I Did Crimes for You" (via NYCtaper). The whole live set which features the excellent and surprising Canned Heat cover "Going Up the Country" is also available. What a great band and what great people. It really was such a treat having them in for this year's I AM Fest!