Fate Of Unreleased Elliott Smith Album To Be Decided By Family

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The unreleased album that Elliott Smith had been preparing for an early 2004 release might see release on a label other than Dreamworks, according to comments on an hour-long tribute broadcast last weekend on the syndicated radio program New Ground. Host Chris Douridas assembled the tribute from interviews with Kill Rock Stars' Slim Moon, Smith's friend and one-time manager Margaret Mittleman, producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, Dreamworks head Lenny Waronker, and Smith's A&R rep, Luke Wood.

Of the unreleased album, known by its working title From A Basement On The Hill, Wood said that Smith probably had more than 30 songs tracked for the record. "I think there's definitely enough of that record that his family will be able to finish it up," Wood told New Ground. "They're gonna decide where it comes out, because that record was his record-- Dreamworks gave it back to him, and it was gonna come out on an independent label of his choosing, and now that'll be the family's choice. So, you know, hopefully next year we'll all get to hear it."

In the interview, Wood also expressed his surprise at Smith's apparent suicide last Tuesday: "As someone who's spent time with Elliott in the last few months, who saw him... he was really clean, and focused... I really thought that the worst days were behind him, and I felt like his drive to get this record out, you know, was what was keeping him looking forward to the next day."

Wood confirmed on the program that Smith's work-in-progress was meant to be a double album that reconciles the hushed intimacy of his earlier home-recorded albums with the ambitious, layered production that characterized XO and Figure 8. Wood called the album, as Smith envisioned it, a "true summary of all of his records" that veered from the "intimate, brutally honest two-track guitar/vocal-- you know, that certainly signified the earlier records-- to these bizarre, lush, beautiful, hectic, you know, really pushing-the-envelope sort of stereo, spectral, soundscape, multi-track drum songs... [like] something you'd hear off of Pet Sounds, but in the most, you know, creative, pushing-the-envelope moments of Pet Sounds."

Producers Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock remembered Smith's creative drive and an often jovial atmosphere in the studio. "People've been asking me, like, well, was, you know... was [Smith] just a miserable person?" Schnapf said. "And, uh, no... we had a lot of fun making these records. For example, XO, a lot of it was made in a wig... you know, we were wearing wigs... we weren't all depressed, we weren't shoegazing the whole time... it was fun, it was really rewarding."

Rothrock fondly shared stories of recording with Smith at Abbey Road, and shared an unreleased instrumental from the Figure 8 sessions, the Beatlesque "Tiny Time Machine," on the program. The tribute is archived by NPR affiliate KCRW on their website linked below.

Elliott Smith: http://www.sweetadeline.net
New Ground: http://www.kcrw.org/show/gz

Hot Hot Heat Dodge Studio, Tour Canada
DJ Curad prepares "ouchless" remix of "Bandages"

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

As last reported in September, Hot Hot Heat will soon be returning home to Canada and their homes in Victoria, on the isle of Vancouver. Now, we hoped that the hyperactive young lads would hole up in a recording studio for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps to wrap up that new record they pumped to Drowned In Sound (something along the lines of, "we have a couple [of songs] that are completed and a bunch of stuff in the works"). But apparently the boys are indulging in just a bit more teenage adulation with countless (well, more than my ten fingers will allow) shows across the land that celebrates Thanksgiving on Columbus Day weekend.

Come on, fellas: you've been touring for a year, I've heard "Bandages" more than ten (read: countless) times on the radio and I saw you live in three venues in two states-- let's hear the new material already. Don't get all Interpol on us, even if we have seen your CD's side by side at Target. Tour dates, Canadian style:

10-27 Bristol, England - Bristol University $
10-29 London, England - Astoria
10-30 Norwich, England - Waterfront
11-01 Sheffield, England - Leadmill $
11-02 Manchester, England - MDH $
11-03 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University $
11-04 Glasgow, Scotland - QMU $
11-05 Nottingham, England - Rock City $
11-06 Wolverhampton, England - Wulfrun Hall $
11-08 Lille, France - Aeronef #
11-09 Paris, France - La Cigalle (w/ My Morning Jacket) #
11-10 Nantes, France - Olympic #
11-12 Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey #
11-15 Victoria, British Columbia - University of Victoria *
11-16 Victoria, British Columbia - Sugar *
11-17 Vancouver, British Columbia - Croatian Cultural Club *
11-18 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
11-19 Kamloops, British Columbia - UCC Kamloops *
11-21 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall *
11-22 Edmonton, Alberta - Red's *
11-23 Saskatoon, Sasketchuwan - USSU *
11-24 Regina, Sasketchuwan - The State *
11-25 Winnipeg, Manitoba - The Pyramid *
11-28 Peterborough, Ontario - The Trasheteria +
11-29 Hamilton, Ontario - The Underground +
12-02 London, Ontario - Call The Office +
12-10 Kingston, Ontario - A.J.'s Hangar +
12-12 Quebec City, Quebec - L'Anti +
12-13 Toronto, Ontario - The Opera House +

$ with Franz Ferdinand, The Fiery Furnaces
# with Kings of Leon, The Black Keys
* with Metric, The Unicorns
+ with The French Kicks, The Unicorns

In addition to the touring action, a new single (still off Make Up The Breakdown), "Talk To Me, Dance With Me" is out November 3rd in the UK, backed with two fresh-out-of-the-oven... oh. Really? Backed with an album cut and live recording, huh? How very:

01 Talk To Me, Dance With Me
02 Oh, Goddamnit
03 Le, Le, Low (live)

Hot Hot Heat: http://www.hothotheat.com
Sub Pop: http://www.subpop.com

Pedro The Lion Cover Low On Christmas Single
Elitist Santa to give 200 copies to orphans on TV, sell remainder piecemeal on eBay

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Continuing the limited but growing tradition of independent artists getting in the holiday spirit, Suicide Squeeze will be releasing the second in a series of Pedro The Lion Christmas singles this November. Last years seven-inch offering featured somberizations of the standards "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." This time around, Pedro's David Bazan continues the traditionwith "The First Noel" on the a-side, and a cover of Low's Christmas original "Long Way Around the Sea" on the flip. I know that last song is a Christmas song, see, 'cause it was originally found on Low's 1999 holiday album, entitled Christmas. The single will be a limited release of 3000 copies pressed on Christmasy snow-white vinyl-- not that coal-black shit all the bad kids have to listen to.

As previously reported, Pedro the Lion are on the road a bit in November (see previous story for the dates), and then will be spending the chilly winter months recording a new album. Bazan has also contributed a vocal track to the new Six Parts Seven remix album, and, in the most exciting and unexpected news of all... Suicide Squeeze is making sure you're fashionable this holiday season as you exercise your indie chic with a Pedro the Lion (or Modest Mouse) tote bag. The only question: will it meet with the discerning tastes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Fab Five?

Pedro The Lion: http://www.pedrothelion.com
Suicide Squeeze: http://www.suicidesqueeze.net

Mirah Launching Tour Of Northeast U.S., Canada
Witch Mountain Music Project to feature telekinetic twins Tony, Tia

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

As luck would have it, K Records' Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (this is truncated on album sleeves and in AOL chatrooms to just Mirah) is saddling up for her next tour, bringing fans the Rock of Ages. Grab your scarves, whitey, it's going to be a cold November!

Mirah recently released a brand new album, Songs From The Black Mountain Music Project, with Ginger Brooks Takahashi and friends. As Pitchfork's own veteran ratings-slinger Matt LeMay put it, Mirah's sound is defined by a combination of accessibility and allure, and this record features much of the same.

For this record, Mirah and her musical cohorts secluded themselves in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains and "surrounded themselves with instruments and recording equipment for one month." Does the album mark the Special Death of Mirah's long standing collaborative history with noise-pop pioneer Phil Elvrum? Only time and the Million Miles of Mirah's upcoming tour will tell. Here are those dates, marked with the Advisory Committee's official Recommendation:

10-27 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
10-28 Bryn Mawr, PA - Bryn Mawr College
10-30 Providence, RI - TBA
11-02 Burlington, VT - Billings North Lounge
11-05 Montreal, Quebec - Island View Beach
11-06 Ottawa, Ontario - Club SAW
11-07 Toronto, Ontario - TBA
11-08 Alfred, NY - Alfred University
11-09 Saratoga, NY - Skidmore College
11-13 Keene, NH - Keene State
11-15 Northampton, MA - Smith College
11-16 Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar
11-20 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11-21 New York, NY - CBGB's 313 Gallery

K: http://www.krecs.com

Xiu Xiu And A Bunch Of Bands I've Never Heard Of Cover Throwing Muses
Don't trust a muse any farther than you can throw them

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Throwing Muses, one of the most respected giants of college/indie music in the '80s and '90s, will be graced by society's sincerest form of flattery come November 18th. Kuma-Chan Records' Hot Hands: A Tribute to Throwing Muses and Kristin Hersh will feature Throwing Muses songs (and solo Hersh compositions) covered by a variety of acts including HypoFixx (putting an industrial/dance spin on "Bright Yellow Gun"), Dirty Power (taking a heavy metal approach on "Hate My Way"), and PDSexton's electronic cover of the Muses' classic "Graffiti." Other artists include Paul Durham (Black Lab frontman), Xiu Xiu, Flare, The Blood Group, Rose Polenzani, Mary Lorson (of Madder Rose & Saint Low), and QuasiMojo. A "mystery track" will appear for the purpose of a future online contest. Tracklist:

01 Sharashka: "Furious"
02 The Blood Group: "Buzz"
03 Flying Winnebago & Annie Hayden: "A Feeling"
04 Dirty Power: "Hate My Way"
05 Phil Locke: "Uncle June and Aunt Kiyoti"
06 Mary Lorson & Kathy Ziegler: "Honeychain"
07 HypoFixx: "Bright Yellow Gun"
08 Flare: "Dizzy"
09 Paul Durham: "Your Ghost"
10 Taikonaut: "Night Driving"
11 Rose Polenzani & Sharon Lewis: "Ellen West"
12 Gradicela: "Gazebo Tree"
13 PDSexton: "Graffiti"
14 John Ashfield: "Portia"
15 Xiu Xiu: "Juno"
16 QuasiMojo: "Listerine"
17 Waycross: "Two Step"
18 BLK w/ BEAR: (bonus mystery track)

Throwing Music: http://www.throwingmusic.com
Kuma-Chan: http://www.kuma-chan.com

JR Ewing Touring Stateside With Panthers
Roy Horn offers helpful do's and don'ts on sharing stage with big cats

[Posted Monday, October 27th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Sweeping in from the hinterlands like Odin, Norwegian hardcore rockers JR Ewing are coming stateside to bring their uniquely heavy, spastic, yet somehow delightfully melodic sounds to our virgin ears. JR Ewing just wrapped up a stint supporting the evil cuties in Pretty Girls Make Graves, and are trying to get the word out on this side of the Atlantic about their excellent 2002 release Ride Paranoia. And if Omar (late of At The Drive-In/currently of the Mars Volta) likes them, well, shoot, how can we say no?

These Norsemen of the apocalypse are currently finishing off their U.S. tour in the westerns states with Panthers. Make the effort to catch them if they are in the neighborhood, because they are kick ass. Tour dates (all shows with Panthers):

10-27 Akron, OH - Lime Spider
10-29 Columbia, OH - Mojo's
10-31 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11-01 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
11-03 Seattle, WA - Graceland
11-04 Portland, OR - Disjecta
11-05 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill
11-06 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
11-07 San Diego, CA - Che Cafe

JR Ewing: http://www.thejrewing.com
Gold Standard Labs: http://www.goldstandardlabs.com

Stereolab's Margerine Eclipse Due In January
Synth-pop heroes ink controversial endorsement deal with Parkay

[Posted Friday, October 24th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Stereolab have released the tracklist for their upcoming album, Margerine Eclipse. This will be Stereolab's first full-length album since the accidental death of guitarist Mary Hansen last year. It is set for a release date of January 27th, 2004 in these United States via Elektra (plus a double vinyl release on Duophonic UHF Disks). The news comes right on the heels of the release of Instant 0 in the Universe EP, Stereolab's most recent offering (which met the critical scorn of our resident Stereolab buff, Dominique Leone). The tracklist:

01 Vonal Declosion [accent on the 'e']
02 Need to Be
03 "...sudden stars"
04 Cosmic Country Noir
05 La Demeure
06 Margerine Rock
07 The Man with 100 Cells
08 Margerine Melodie
09 Hillbilly Motobike
10 Feel and Triple
11 Bop Scotch
12 Dear Marge

There will be a bonus track, "La Spirale," on the Japanese release.

Stereolab is already in preparation to begin touring in support of the new album: the official Stereolab website mentions that "live dates are [currently] being discussed." We'll keep you posted.

.: Pitchfork Review: Stereolab: Instant 0 in the Universe EP

Stereolab: http://www.stereolab.co.uk
Elektra: http://www.elektra.com
Parkay: http://www.parkay.com

Ace Fu and Mordam Re-Release 1999 Ted Leo EP
Thin Lizzy planning night out at Hometown Buffet with fat royalty check

[Posted Friday, October 24th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Jah bless Ted Leo. In a musical age when attitude and style often prevail over substance and talent, when political dissent is often more of a fashion accessory than an earnest and informed moral statement, Leo is the torch-bearer of real-deal political rock. His last full-length LP, Hearts of Oak, found him avoiding pissed-off generalization and inveighing against specific and timely modern foibles, from the demise of authentic ska in a manufactured age on "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" to the prevalence of and impetus for anti-American sentiment abroad on "Ballad of the Sin Eater."

Ace Fu Records, in conjunction with their new distributor, Mordam Records, have reissued Leo's 1999 solo EP, Treble in Trouble, so this semi-rare portion of his back catalog will again be available. Treble in Trouble was the follow-up to Leo's first post-Chisel release, Rx/Pharmacists, and eschewed that album's forays into tape loops and dubby production in favor of more straightforward mod-pop fare. Treble includes rollicking, Jam-influenced political songs like the anti-police brutality opener, "Abner Louima v. Gov. Pete Wilson" and an influence-revealing cover of Thin Lizzy's "Little Girl in Bloom."

The EP features backing help from Brendan Canty (Make*Up, Nation of Ulysses), Amy Farina (The Warmers), and the Secret Stars. Leo has also recently released the mini LP Tell Balgury, Balgury is Dead, which features solo renditions of a couple Hearts of Oak tracks alongside unreleased, demo-ish material. Without further boombaclot, here's the Treble in Trouble tracklist:

01 Abner Louima v. Gov. Pete Wilson
02 Come Baby Come
03 The 11th
04 Treble in Trouble
05 Little Girl in Bloom [Thin Lizzy]

Ted Leo: http://www.tedleo.com
Mordam: http://www.mordamrecords.com
Ace Fu: http://www.acefu.com

Prince Goes Door To Door For Jehovah's Witnesses
Let U who R without sin cast the first stone

[Posted Friday, October 24th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the little pale man with the symbol name who I think goes by Prince again has taken to door-to-door evangelism. A Jehovah's Witness since at least 2001, when he declared his new faith to the world in a magazine interview, the silly little musical genius apparently yapped his way into a Jewish household on October 5th during the Falcons-Vikings game. Having never actually been to the Twin Cities, I imagine people in Minneapolis probably spend their autumn Sundays either (a) debating how to say "I love you" to Paul Westerberg's answering machine or (b) peering across bratwursts at the Vikings game. The woman, who refused to give the newspaper a name beyond "Rochelle," seems to have been of the latter persuasion.

I'll let Rochelle tell it: "This is Sunday about 2 o'clock. And it's the night of Yom Kippur. My first thought is 'Cool, cool, cool. He wants to use my house for a set. I'm glad! Demolish the whole thing! Start over!' Then they start in on this Jehovah's Witnesses stuff."

Rochelle told the reporter that she remembered thinking about the Vikings having possession of the football, but remained polite. Prince and his companion, who identified himself as Larry Graham (formerly of Sly and the Family Stone and his own Graham Central Station), stuck around the house blabbering for what Rochelle approximated to be 25 minutes, then cut his losses and left a pamphlet. The pair then reportedly got into a large black truck and drove away from the house.

Bizarrely, His Purpleness did not appear to be interested in any other homes in Rochelle's Eden Prairie neighborhood. "They go door-to-door," Prince's intended candidate for salvation told the paper. "Walking. He wasn't walking. He was driving."

Prince: http://www.npgmusicclub.com
Jehovah's Witnesses: http://www.watchtower.org
Minneapolis Star-Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4148286.html

Aspera on Tour, Scattering Tracks to the Four Winds
Now in convenient powdered form: simply Ad Astra and shake well

[Posted Friday, October 24th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Aspera, nee Aspera Ad Astra (like Kilborn taking his Five Questions with him when he left The Daily Show, Aspera's former singer Michael Robinson absconded with the Ad Astra suffix when he left the band), must be too busy this autumn to even give a shit about the questions that plague the rest of us. Was that kid at fault for knocking the ball back into play and screwing over The Cubs? Is Howard Dean's head real, or was his jaw designed by Disney animatronics experts? Hell, man, Aspera doesn't know. According to their newsletter, those psychedelic shoegazers, often compared to The Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Echo and the Bunnymen and (regarding their deviant newest album Oh Fantastic) Tears For Fears, they're getting all touralicious and spraying new tracks everywhere like a stepped-on skunk.

First off, they have their contribution to Burnt Toast Vinyl's one-sided twelve-inch series ready to sell on their fall tour. Entitled the Back When Love EP (tellingly echoing Echo and the Bunnymen's Back Of Love-- coincidence? Well, yes, probably), it was produced by King Honey and Julian S. Process (the same team behind the boards for Oh Fantastica). It features three new tracks, and one that was previously released on the Japanese version of their Big Wheel Recreation album Sugar and Feathered.

Also currently available are the second and third volumes of Secret Eye Records's For the Dead in Space series, a compilation of bands covering psychedelic hero Tom Rapp (Pearls Before Swine) songs. Aspera contributes a cover of "These Things Too," alongside Rapp interpretations by Bardo Pond, Thurston Moore with Mike Watt, and Fursaxa. Which makes sense. If you've heard all the 808 drum patterns on Oh Fantastic, it's totally obvious that Aspera secretly want to be Rapp. -Ers! Ba-dum-ching.

To top it all off, Aspera is planning to do some live radio sessions at WFMU (NYC/Jersey City) and WIUS (University of Indiana at Bloomington) in early November. Not exactly Peel sessions, but nothing to sneeze at either, unless your allergies are acting up, in which case you just can't help it. Both performances will be posted on their website for your aural pleasure. Aspera is also recording material for "something special" that will be out on GSL in early 2004. More on that as details solidify. But oh, oh! I almost forgot the tour dates:

10-24 New York, NY - Lit (GSL Showcase)
10-25 New York, NY - Piano's (Suicide Squeeze CMJ Showcase)
10-30 Bronxville, NY - Sarah Lawrence College
10-31 Alfred, NY - Alfred University Powell Night Club (w/ Cex)
11-01 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street (w/ Cex, Nice Nice)
11-02 Boston, MA - TT the Bear's (w/ Cex, Nice Nice)
11-07 Chicago, IL - Double Door
11-08 Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin (w/ TV on the Radio)
11-09 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
11-11 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
11-12 Bloomington, IN - Vertigo (w/ Oneida, Early Day Miners)
11-13 Newport, KY - Southgate House Parlor (w/ Colortest)
11-14 Louisville, KY - Uncle Pleasant's
11-15 Nashville, TN - The End
11-16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom (w/ Le Tigre)
11-22 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero (w/ Out Hud, Le Tigre)
11-23 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w/ Out Hud, Le Tigre)

Aspera: http://www.aspera.tv
Secret Eye: http://www.secreteye.org
Suicide Squeeze: http://www.suicidesqueeze.net
Secretly Canadian: http://www.secretlycanadian.com

I Am The World Trade Center Recording "Louder And Darker" New Album
Take that, I Am The Pentagon and I Am The Oklahoma City Federal Building!

[Updated Friday, October 24th, 2003 16:45:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

I Am the World Trade Center, who briefly curtailed their name in the wake of the September 11th attacks, have now reverted to their full and original self-description and they're hard at work on their third album, provisionally titled Going Underground, with an equally provisional March 2004 release. The new album, we are told by the fine people at Kindercore, will showcase a slightly more mature IATWTC sound, characterized by slightly less bubblegum and somewhat more seriousness.

IATWTC's Dan Geller tells us that the album will be "louder and darker" than previous outings, and his partner in synth-pop Amy Dykes says that the new album is lyrically "political and emotional, and much more personal than our previous releases," fine though those previous outings undoubtedly were. Dan is also quoted on the Kindercore website as saying that, "The next record is going to be our danciest and most sincere record so far. The beats have taken a big leap forward and the lyrics are truly from the heart. So far every track is an upfront dancefloor rocker, but there is also a hidden layer of darkness behind the seemingly upbeat songs," so you can infer from these statement that IATWTC are going to be bringing it strong on two fronts for this new release.

There's no full tracklisting as of yet, since this is still a work in progress, but we know at least that the album is not only named after but will also include a cover of The Jam's "Going Underground." The band is currently trying to whittle down an initial batch of thirty songs to around twelve for the final mix, which will most certainly include "Rockit," "Silent Filmstars," "No Expectations," and "The Great Escape."

I Am the World Trade Center: http://www.iamluxe.com/worldtrade
Kindercore: http://www.kindercore.com

Nice Nice Get New Album Ready, Tour With Cex
Ashcroft, Benatar demand group stop using Cex as a weapon

[Posted Friday, October 24th, 2003 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The populist appeal and general marketability of frighteningly creative, beat-driven instrumental guitar-laden rock/dance music can never ever be underestimated, but Nice Nice remain undeterred. October 2003 sees both the release of their debut full length on Temporary Residence Limited, and a tour of the East Coast playing with the superfreak of the IDM world, Cex. The album is titled Chrome, and hit stores earlier this month. They also have a pair of limited-edition vinyl-only releases available from White Denim Records, in case you're into that kind of thing. The tour-- well, that's a different story all together. Bring your dancing shoes and hit one of the following dates (all dates with Cex):

10-25 Allentown, PA - Jeff the Pigeon
10-29 Middletown, CT - TBA
10-30 Brooklyn, NY - TBA
10-31 Alfred, NY - Alfred University (w/ I Am The World Trade Center, Aspera)
11-01 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street (w/ I Am The World Trade Center, Aspera)
11-02 Boston, MA - TT The Bears
11-03 Providence, RI - Met Cafe
11-04 New York, NY - Piano's
11-05 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
11-06 Richmond, VA - TBA

Nice Nice: http://www.nicenice.net
White Denim: http://www.whitedenim.com
Temporary Residence: http://www.temporaryresidence.com

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.)