Ariel Pink and Friends Launch Record Label

From Paw Tracks to the Human Ear-- Ariel Pink is going through some serious evolution here. He has joined forces with roughly a dozen additional musicians to launch new record label, Human Ear Music, with a show at Los Angeles' Little Pedro's venue this Sunday. Other performers include Bubonic Plague, Vibe Central, Jason Creep, and Black Powder.

Human Ear's focus will be mail-order, limited-run releases with handcrafted cover art. The label, a self-described "very very fancy and exclusive social club," (how appetizing) is meant to serve as an outlet for a community of L.A.-based artists, AP included. It will kick off with eight releases, including Pre, a 2-disc/4-cassette anthology of early Pink material from Ariel Rosenberg's Thrash and Burn, contributions from Vibe Central, Bubonic Plague, Geneva Jacuzzi, Greg Gomberg, Jason Supercreep (who will drop a 3-disc set), Andrew S.A. (a book), and a compilation of collaborative music composed by the Human Ear crew.

The Human Ear website is currently hosting a handful of MP3s, including Ariel Rosenberg's Thrash and Burn's "I Disguise You". Listen below!

As previously reported, Pink will play a series of Australian dates starting at the end of the month. [MORE...]

MP3: Ariel Rosenberg's Trash and Burn: I Disguise You

The Make-Up Storm Your DVD Player

It's time for the Make Up to put on their makeup, as they're headed for the big screen...that is your television. The now-defunct D.C. quartet is the subject of a DVD, titled The Make Up: In Film/On Video, due out November 6 on Dischord.

The disc features the James Schneider film Blue Is Beautiful (with audio commentary from frontman Ian Svenonius), videos for "Save Yourself", "White Belts", "Call Me Mommy", and "Little Black Book", something called "German TV INTERCEPT from outpost 'Spex' (7 minutes)" (nobody seems to know what this means, though there are guesses that it's a German interview), and videotaped performances from live shows at Washington, D.C.'s Wilson Center and L.A.'s Troubadour. Songs recorded at these shows include "Intro", "Here Comes the Judge", "Feelin' Man", "Pentagon", "C'mon Let's Spawn", "I Want Some", "U R My Intended", "The Bells", "Live in the Rhythm Hive", "Medley-Backstage", "Untouchable Sound", and more.

Stream: The Make Up: Various Tracks

Matador Signs the Ponys, Love of Diagrams
Interpol are so 2002

Matador has gone on a signing spree over the past few months, snapping up two groups of whippersnappers over the past couple months: Chicago's Ponys and Melbourne, Australia's Love of Diagrams. The Ponys' first two albums, 2004's Laced With Romance and 2005's Celebration Castle, were released on the garage rock powerhouse In the Red, and Pitchfork is quite fond of both.

Pitchfork spoke to head Pony Jered Gummere about the signing. "We just started talking to them [Matador] and...I don't know. That was the best option out there so I definitely wanted to, you know, proceed with it. We've been big fans of the label for a while, so [it was a] pretty easy decision to make." As for In the Red, the band remains "really good friends" with the label.

The Ponys plan to record their new album at

Chicago's Electrical Audio this month, and then mix it in New York City. The record should be out in early 2007.

Gummere's other band, Hot Machines, who you might remember from their scorching set at the Pitchfork Music Festival, don't plan on being too active in the coming months. The trio, which also includes Miss Alex White and Matt Williams of the Baseball Furies, don't have any shows planned at the moment, but a live album is in the works on the Dusty Medical label.

Love of Diagrams are a trio who have put out an album (2003's The Target Is You) and an EP (2005's We Got Communication) on Australia's Unstable Ape Records. They have a self-titled EP due out on that same label on September 18. The six-track EP features two tracks from their forthcoming album, recorded in late 2005 and early 2006 at Electrical Audio with Bob Weston, as well as two outtakes from the same sessions, and two live tracks, including a cover of "Cool" by the sadly underrated early 80s Athens, Georgia band Pylon. Matador has tentative plans to re-release that same EP in January, and the full-length in March.

MP3: The Ponys: Glass Conversation
MP3: Love of Diagrams: In the Red

Exclusive: Output Recordings Calls It Quits

It's never easy for the underdog. But with his impressive creative output-- album art, installations, performance, production, DJ projects (Playgroup), remix projects (under the alias Underdog), and record releases, Trevor Jackson always seemed to manage to make it look pretty easy.

Nevertheless, the founder and owner of the fiercely independent UK label Output (which has released singles and albums by MU, Four Tet, Colder, Dead Combo, LCD Soundsystem, the Rapture, and more) has announced that his label is officially shutting down, effective immediately. Indeed, visit the Output website, and all you'll see is a black screen with the dates 1996-2006: year of birth and death.

Jackson issued an official statement to Pitchfork about Output's untimely demise, citing manifold reasons (financial issues, "friends turning into monsters," and the general nightmarish-ness of running a label).

"I never wanted to have all my passion and enthusiasm knocked out of me," he said, "But somehow it's happened. I simply wanted to showcase exciting, experimental, and forward-thinking music with individuality and personality."

Acknowledging the dedication of fans throughout Output's successful ten-year run, Jackson said: "I would like to express my gratitude to all the music lovers, buyers, record stores, radio & club DJs, journalists, labels, artists, promoters, and remixers worldwide who supported the label (many of you from day one!). I will miss all the positive feedback and kind words, which I constantly found uplifting, and which gave me the energy to carry on even in the most difficult of circumstances."

Starting October 1, the final Output releases (comprising the label's 100th release) will be available as free mp3 downloads from Output's website for one month only. After that, there are no immediate plans to continue manufacturing any of the label's back catalogue, and its titles will likely disappear into collector-dom. So grab what you can, quick!

Jackson's full statement-- part explanation, part eulogy-- appears after the jump. [MORE...]

Stream: Output Recordings Various Artists: Various Tracks

Mike Patton Forcibly Namedropped on Soap Opera
"Not many care about Mike Patton anymore," quips soap character

Um, wow. This is why we have that "wtf" tag. What's there to say about this? Two characters on ABC daytime soap "All My Children" attempt to persuade rocker "Zarf" to pimp their cosmetics company-- but when irritable Zarf gets up to leave in disgust, the subject of Mike Patton proceeds to dominate an entire minute of dialogue. WHAT THE F

Ex-Tapes n' Tapes Bassist Joins Planes for Spaces

Stream: Planes for Spaces: Various Tracks

The Knife: New Single and Video

Penknives are pretty cool. One minute you're signing an autograph, the next you're carving up somebody's chest. And they just got cooler, as spooky Swedish duo the Knife will release their next single, "Like a Pen", on Brille in the UK on October 16. The track is from the Knife's still fantastic latest album, Silent Shout, out now on Mute in North America.

As for the "Like a Pen" video, it's "Sesame Street" done in the aesthetic of early MTV! An amorphous brown character goes around touching things with a pencil and running away from more humanoid characters in a space maze. Let's just call it "Knife-esque."

[MORE...]

Video: The Knife: Like a Pen

The Evens Get Evens

Video: The Evens: Cut From the Cloth (Live)

London Sinfonietta Tackles Aphex Twin, Squarepusher

Video: London Sinfonietta: Chain I

Devendra, CYHSY, Stars Design Shirts for Charity
So do Wolfmother, My Brightest Diamond, and more

Who's that in my closet? Is it R. Kelly? Nope-- it's Devendra Banhart, Stars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, My Brightest Diamond, Wolfmother, Hayden, King Creosote, and Joseph Arthur! They're in there waiting to help you get dressed, all in the name of charity.

Charities, that is. The Yellow Bird Project, a Montreal-based non-profit organization, has recruited a handful of indie rock stars to design shirts for girls and boys everywhere. They cost $25 apiece (pretty good, as they're American Apparel), with all money going to the charity of the designer's choice.

For instance, Wolfmother have drawn up a "Free the Gnomes!" print and selected the Teenage Cancer Trust as their charity. Clap Your Hands are directing all funds received in exchange for their crying-man-on-a-plane design to Art for Change. Devendra, the first artist to contribute a shirt, will raise money to benefit the Ocean of Love (whose name sounds like a potential Devendra Banhart song title, come to think of it).

Girl Talk Remixes Beck, Grizzly Bear

Beck likes Girl Talk so much he not only tapped Gillis as an opening act for a London show a couple weeks ago, but also commissioned not one but two remixes of his new song "Cell Phone's Dead" from the un-DJ. One remix features live instrumentation and the other samples. We can't wait to hear the results.

Girl Talk is on the road right now, with shows scheduled all the way through December. [MORE...]

MP3: Girl Talk: Smash Your Head [Infinite Mixtape #22]

Mission of Burma Documentary Coming to DVD

Legendary Boston post-punks and Pitchfork Music Festival alums Mission of Burma have already proven their resurrected greatness, and now they will share the intimate details of their Lazarus story with the world. On November 21, MVD Visual will release Not a Photograph, a 70-minute documentary DVD about the band's 2002 reunion and the obstacles they had to overcome to make it the success it was and still is. Not a Photograph was directed by David Kleiler, Jr. and Jeff Iwanicki, and, in addition to the recent performances, it includes archival footage from the band's original incarnation, including a performance by the Moving Parts, bassist Clint Conley's and guitarist Roger Miller's first band together.

And don't forget-- as previously reported, Miller will share his next Mission of Burma tour diary exclusively with Pitchfork. The tour begins this Friday, September 15, at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe.
[MORE...]

MP3: Mission of Burma: 2wice

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.)