The Wrens Expand Tour, Charles Plans Solo Dates
The Women's Royal Naval Service never looked this foxy

Erase Errata Lose Guitarist, Hire New Male Vocalist
Banned from Le Tigre's house!

After a turbulent 12 months of being derogatorily namechecked by the Pitchfork staff for their freeze-dried Gang of Four rips, matching outfits, and style-over-substance 2003 full-length At Crystal Palace, San Francisco spaz-funk freaks Erase Errata have gone and lost their guitarist. Known for her blatantly Andy Gill-copped distorto-stabs and tuneless shred-bombing, Sara Jaffe apparently has officially left the band, leaving their signature sound hanging in the balance.

There's no sign of any turbulent inter-personal fallout, though: According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, Jaffe simply left the group to pursue music of her own, and to focus on her self-depricatingly-named record label and publishing company, Inconvenient Press & Recordings, which to date has issued material by political punk girls The Quails and an Erase Errata seven-inch.

In the wake of this mild shockeroo, the Erase Errata lineup has done some serious shifting around. Vocalist/trumpeter Jenny Hoyston has resigned as lead vocalist to take the reins for Jaffe, now positioning herself as guitarist and backup vocalist. Which leaves who to sing, exactly? Interestingly, the formerly all-female foursome have recruited a dude: Archie McKay formerly vocalized for fellow Bay Area noisemakers Revenge SF (a little-known Narnack Records project whose lineup also included John Dwyer of Coachwhips and Pink & Brown, and Eric Landmark of Numbers), and, according to the Narnack website, he "sings like a champ." Of course, now that Erase Errata have boy cooties, we get the sneaking suspicion that all those press comparisons to Sleater-Kinney (which never made much sense-- S-K are waaaay hotter!) will just kinda stop.

Incredibly, this newly regrouped Erase Errata already have a full concert's worth of new material written, to be played at several California dates in the next few months, and may be entering a studio to commit to tape in the coming months. Check the new lineup at the following dates, more than half of which will be played alongside D.C. post-punk sensations Q & Not U:

08-24 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
08-31 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord
10-30 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill *
10-31 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction *
11-01 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *

* with Q And Not U

Dios Forced to Change Bandname by Dio!
20 years later, "Holy Diver" still epitomizes everything we love about really unconvincing metal singers

In what's become one of the weirdest and most trivial name-changing fiascoes since Oingo Boingo became simply "Boingo", Californian psych-pop folkies Dios have been made to alter their bandname, in cooperation with a cease-and-desist order from Ronnie James Dio, who, since 1983, has fronted the hilarious cheese-metal band Dio.

The 62 year-old Dio-- who has also fronted Elf, Rainbow and Black Sabbath (post-Ozzy years) at various points throughout his career-- contended that the two band names sounded too much alike, and added support to the claim that heavy metal fans can get befuddled over one letter of the alphabet. "It seems confusing to the public to have a band called Dio and a band called Dios," Dio's manager and wife Wendy told Rolling Stone recently.

The newly dubbed Dios Malos dropped their self-titled psychedelic beach-rock debut in May and have been touring in support of it since. As per the name change, the band had this to say on its website: "It doesn't mean what you think because it doesn't really mean anything. It's a shame we had to do it, but as J.P. said, 'We're up against rainbows and magic,' and when it comes to casting spells we're barely level 3 musicians with nothing but cheap magic missiles and plate mail armor to protect us from the wrath of eight-headed hydra law firms with unlimited mana and 100-sided dice."

And in case you're beginning to think this all sounds pretty retarded... well, you're not alone: "It's pretty retarded," bassist J.P. Cabellaro told Rolling Stone. "It didn't really seem like there was going to be any point of confusion... It's the same as it was before, except for now we're going to be Dios Malos." They're pretty locked into that URL, though, huh.

Now It's Overhead Tour, Cover Magnetic Fields
Magnetic Fields covering themselves just fine, really

Some people pin it on Radiohead. Maybe you could drag Neutral Milk Hotel or Godspeed You Black Emperor into it, too. We don't know. But somewhere in the past few years, someone made music safe for yearning. It may seem strange to think about now, but in 1998, you didn't hear a lot of straining toward the ineffable on college radio, unless a Celine Dion record got played in all its glorious, awesome irony.

This is all very good news for Athens pop band Now It's Overhead, who might otherwise have been lost to the dark, pining netherworld. Instead, the murky, multi-faceted 80s revivalists are touring-- for the second time-- in support of their second album, Fall Back Open (out last March), and boldly covering one of the Magnetic Fields' most deceptively simple songs while they're at it. The first single from Fall Back Open, "Wait in a Line", was released late July, and contains a cover of "Book of Love", from the Fields' 69 Love Songs, as well as a Faint remix of the title track.

What with that remix by The Faint and half of Now It's Overhead being Azure Ray, you can see that their lack of Omaha roots hasn't stopped Now It's Overhead from engaging in some standard-issue Saddle Creek cross-pollination. We remain impressed, however, at just how many Saddle Creek-affiliated bands they'll be playing with on this tour: five! Six, if Rjd2 suddenly defects from Def Jux. Check it out:

08-10 London, UK - Underworld (w/The Good Life, Beep Beep, Broken Spindles)
08-11 Oxford, UK - Wheatsheaf
08-12 Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms (w/Beep Beep, Broken Spindles)
08-13 Rennes, France - La Route Du Rock Festival (w/Beta Band, LCD Soundsystem, Rjd2)
08-15 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan's
08-16 Cork, Ireland - An Cruisin Lan
09-23 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 265 Club *
09-24 Portland, OR - Nocturnal *
09-25 Seattle, WA - Neumo's *
09-28 Minneapolis, MN - Ascot Room *
09-29 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground *
09-30 Chicago, IL - Abbey *
10-01 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
10-02 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig *
10-03 Toronto, Canada - TBA *
10-04 Montreal, Canada - TBA *
10-05 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs *
10-07 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
10-08 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
10-09 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom *
10-10 Washington, DC - The Black Cat *
10-11 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle (w/The Good Life, Neva Dinova) *
10-12 Atlanta, GA - The Earl (2 shows) *
10-13 Athens, GA - TBA *
10-15 TBA *
10-16 Orlando, FL - The Social *
10-17 Miami, FL - TBA *
10-18 Tallahassee, FL - Florida State University *
10-20 New Orleans, LA - Howlin Wolf *
10-21 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's *
10-22 Austin, TX - Emo's (w/Fiery Furnaces) *
10-23 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
10-26 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture *
10-27 Phoenix, AZ - TBA *
10-29 San Diego, CA - Epi Center *
10-30 Pomona, CA - Glass House *
10-31 Los Angeles, CA - TBA *

* with Rilo Kiley, Tilly & The Wall

What Is Known of the New Boredoms Album??????
We enlisted the aid of Geraldo Rivera to help unlock the ancient mysteries

Dominique Leone & Chris Rediske report:
Yes! It appears that, after an extended five-year hiatus, Japanese mega power maxi super-rock mayhem pioneers Boredoms will return this fall with their first album since 1999's glorious psychedelic excursion Vision Creation Newsun. Titled Seadrum/House of Sun, the record is presently slated for a September 23rd release via Warner Music Japan! Unfortunately, this is all that is known! Fortunately, the speculative details are legion! And we can now offer to you the fruits of our hours upon hours research! Let's go!

In recent years, the elusive Boredoms had been thought to have disbanded, leaving frontman Yamatsuka Eye to record under the name Vooredoms, with the assistance of three drummers. However, no proper Vooredoms LP has ever materialized, despite the band's countless live performances over the past couple of years. Now something real weird has happened: A new disc, Seadrum/House of Sun, has been popping up on the websites of Japaese online CD vendors, credited not to Vooredoms, but indeed, to Boredoms, which suggests that it may, in fact, feature contributions from thought-to-be-departed guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto and bassist Hira.

Furthermore, the title of the album hints at something reported by a 2002 Wire article-- material laid to tape on a beach, with drums recorded underwater. A post on Yahoo!'s Boredoms group may shed more light on the subject, quoting Eye as saying that the band had recorded an album in 2001, but were having trouble getting Warner Japan to release it. Perhaps this is that record. Perhaps not.

One very curious detail about Seadrum/House of Sun is that the album bears the same catalog number as 2001's Rebore Vol. 3, raising doubts as to whether this is even a new Boredoms release at all. However, the Pitchfork interns* have been hard at work translating the Japanese text that accompanies the album at these CD vendors, and it definitely points toward a new studio Boredoms release. The translated text reads:

"Shaking! Amazement! A Thundering Blast of Fresh Air! Tears of Gratitude! Astounding! It's been a long time since their last release back in 1998, but a new work under the name Boredoms has been completed! The members have individually been playing in innumerable other bands over an incredible range, but finally the real thing starts! With the Boredoms' following of hardcore fans not only in Japan but overseas as well, what type of album is coming? This is an album to look out for!"

Seadrum/House of Sun's September 23rd release, unfortunately, does not extend to Europe or North America. As with all previous Boredoms records, it will be issued first in Japan only, meaning that, for the time being, fans will be made to pay outrageous import prices of around $35, including shipping.

Though the album title suggests the distinct possibility of a double album, every CD vendor listing the record at present shows only one disc, with only one track, of which the title is unknown (another parallel with the Rebore 1-3 discs). As every Vooredoms live show we've heard (ranging from 2002-2004) has featured one long, jammy track, ranging from just under 35 minutes to over an hour, that may indicate the direction of this new album-- or it may be a complete coincidence. In any case, we'll keep you up-to-date any new developments in the Boredoms' never-boring story, so stay tuned for more details.

* Ok, it was actually translated by a guy on the Boredoms list. Our Japanese intern is on vacation.

Exclusive!: David Lowery Reveals Details of Camper Van Beethoven's New "Sci-Fi Prog-Rock" Album
"Wacko-grape-koolaid-drinking-fascist-homophobe-Christian-right-winger-cretins" surely offended

Reunited indie rock pioneers Camper Van Beethoven have set October 12th as the street date for the Vanguard Records release of New Roman Times, their first album of all new material since 1989's Key Lime Pie. After reuniting as a touring entity back in 1999, the question of new material has been on the lips of many a CVB fan. In a lengthy email correspondence with frontman David Lowery, Pitchfork was able to get to the bottom of the band's decision to make a new album.

"We did a couple of reunion type gigs but vowed to not milk it unless we were gonna do a new record," Lowery explained. So after selling out three nights in a row at New York's Knitting Factory, the band decided it was time to get back to business. "Apparently, people still cared about us. We could still play the songs [and] we didn't feel stupid playing the songs we wrote 20 years ago. We just needed to try to write some new songs together."

Explaining the differences in the process this time around, Lowery stressed the importance of technology: "The biggest change is that we were able to collaborate a lot closer because each of us could just email ideas to each other. We then could work on them in our own time in our own way, at home, before we would have to all get together and rehearse to flesh out the songs."

However, despite recording the album digitally, technology's insurgent domination of the recording industry didn't keep the band from maintaining their feel-the-groove attitude. Lowery continued, "Almost all the recording was done with me, Greg, Jonathan, Victor, and Jimmy, all in the same room at the same time. The last five or six songs were done almost live. We all looked at [digital recording] as a way to get the results that we wanted in less time, so we could spend more time on the real creative aspects of being a musician."

New Roman Times is a concept album set in an alternate universe of sorts where the United States is divided into many different countries rather than states. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young soldier fighting for the Christian Republic of Texas as they invade the Republic of California. Nilla what?

"There is a strong storyline in the record," Lowery explained. "The idea of having a story was to have some self imposed boundaries to work within. But secondly to talk in an exaggerated manner about the current political climate. And by this I don't mean Bush. I mean the deep (and artificial?) division of our country into 'blue' and 'red', conservatives vs. liberals, secularists vs. fundamentalists, science vs. faith..." Or in other words: "Wacko-grape-koolaid-drinking-fascist-homophobe-Christian-right-winger-cretins vs. smart, tolerant and decent people." So we know which side he's on, then, right?

To create a background for the story, the band did a great deal of research covering such topics as alien mythology, Roman history, genetically modified crops, classic surfing beaches, Victorian England, Mexican drug trafficking groups, and cryptography. If all of this sounds a bit complicated for a Camper Van Beethoven album, allow Lowery to calm your fears: "This makes it sound heavier (and more coherent) than it really is. Remember it's CVB after all. It wouldn't be a record if some pot wasn't smoked."

If you were to chronicle the shift in sound from Camper Van Beethoven's debut, 1985's Telephone Free Landslide Victory through Key Lime Pie, you'd see a band that matured, yet continued to incorporate a bevy of influences in their melting-pot of indie folk rock. So how does the New Roman Times compare to the past? According to guitarist Greg Lisher, the album is most similar to 1986's self-titled LP, and although Lowery doesn't completely agree, he does see where Lisher is coming from. "It's as if this record is centered on that point in our career. Some Kaleidoscope or Fugs hillbilly stuff with social commentary; some deep English blues rock fading into prog rock riffs; a little eastern European ska; and some southwestern Fairport Convention.

"We didn't really care if the record 'fit' into the catalogue. We didn't want to set out and try to make a record that ignored the last 15 years of our musical careers and more importantly the last 15 years of music created by other bands... It was most important to us that the record be really good and be very Camper-esque. I can't define that, but a sci-fi prog rock concept record fits the bill." It seems apparent that, much like their other records, New Roman Times stands alone as its own sonic declaration, and that is precisely what makes it fit in. Finally, the tracklist:

01 Prelude
02 New Sons of the Golden West
03 51 7
04 White Fluffy Clouds
05 That Gum You Like is Back in Style
06 Might Makes Right
07 Militia Song
08 R and R Uzbekistan
09 Sons of the New Golden West Reprise
10 New Roman Times
11 The Poppies of Balmorhea
12 The Long Plastic Hallway
13 I am Talking to this Flower
14 Come Out
15 Los Tigres Traficantes
16 I Hate this Part of Texas
17 Hippy Chix
18 Civil Disobedience
19 Discotheque CVB
20 Hey Brother

Hayden Tours North America
Bar brawl with Tom Waits results in broken bones, hearts

Out to prove once again that no one can sing a sweeter song about being mauled by a grizzly bear or skating over frozen ponds in search of your dead wife, deadpan Canadian folkster Hayden Desser is packing up his brown sweater, green shoes and the Elk-Lake Serenaders and heading out on tour, according to Hardwood Records' official website. Hayden's latest excursion is a part of his Elk-Lake Serenade tour, titled after his dusky and introspective May release-- which was, in turn, named after an antique 1930's kickdrum.

Hayden's fourth studio full-length-- released in the U.S. via Badman in May, and in Canada by Hardwood Recordings-- has encountered considerable success north of the border this Summer, remaining on or around the top of the Canadian Campus/Community Radio Airplay charts, where it's been hangin' out with (and above!) heavyweights like Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys. It remains to been seen if the discriminating, Modest Mouse-loving ears of the U.S. will be as welcoming. All the same, Hayden and the Elk-Lake Serenaders will be playing a variety of dates around the country and in Canada next month, at a variety of clubs that look something like this:

09-07 Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall *
09-08 Buffalo, NY - Sphere *
09-09 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
09-10 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe *
09-12 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
09-13 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory *
09-14 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw *
09-16 Portland, ME - Big Easy *
09-17 Boston, MA - Paradise *
09-18 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber *
10-07 London, England - Bush Hall
10-08 Darvel, Scotland - Darvel Music Festival
10-12 Detroit, MI - Magic Bag *
10-13 Grand Rapids, MI - Division Ave. Arts
10-14 Chicago, IL - Schuba's *
10-18 Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End Cultural Centre *
10-20 Regina, Saskatchewan - The Exchange *
10-22 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Hall *
10-23 Edmonton, Alberta - Myer Horowitz Hall (U of A) *
10-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre *
10-27 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
11-01 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord

* with Elk-Lake Serenaders and Cuff the Duke

Stars of the Lid Side Project Due in October
Poor Texas is really getting the shit beat out of it these days

One half of sound-art combo Stars of the Lid, Adam Wiltzie's latest project, The Dead Texan, is an audio/visual collaboration with artist Christina Vantzos. The self-titled CD/DVD set is scheduled for an October 4th release on Chicago's Kranky label.

Vantznos is a filmmaker from Wiltzie's adoptive hometown of Brussells, and her work has recently been showcased at festivals in the U.S. and Europe. According to Kranky, Vantznos is also currently working on a documentary film on teenage life in Scotland.

Wiltzie's contributions to the project are reportedly nebulous would-be Lid tunes, worked over with strings, piano and a wash of SOTL guitar trademarks. The arrangements have been dubbed "mini symphonies" by their composer, with Kranky's online press drawing comparisons to the soundtrack work of George Delerue and Zbigniew Preisner. The chamber-style compositions range from wide-scoped and melodic to atmospheric vignettes, scored to compliment the seven accompanying video selections.

Kranky.net has released the following tracklist for the audio portion of the set:

01 The Six Million Dollar Sandwich
02 Glen's Goo
03 A Chronicle of Early Failures - Part 1
04 A Chronicle of Early Failures - Part 2
05 Taco de Macque
06 Aegina Airlines
07 When I See Scissors I Can't Help But Think of You
08 Girth Rides a (Horse)
09 La Ballade d'Alain Georges
10 Beatrice Part 2
11 The Struggle

Animal Collective Launch North American Tour, Panda Bear Preps Solo LP
Fire marshalls declare onstage campfires completely legit

Since the release of their phenomenal Sung Tongs back in June, it seems as if the Animal Collective have become increasingly ubiquitous. A quick scan of the newswire reveals no real hyper-prolific itinerary-- at least not in the Sun City Girls sense of an unending release schedule, or the Wilco sense of announcing tour dates every three days-- but an inescapable feeling of omnipresence nags at me nevertheless. There has been news, activity; a video, for example, and word of an EP with Vashti Bunyan. But that sort of thing amounts to an air of diligence, not ubiquity. This is something else entirely: a towering presence, a great and growing standing in the context of music as a whole.

Could be that their delayed recognition as a certifiable Great Band is finally catching up with them. The newly christened "freak-folk" scene is picking up speed, and alongside Devendra Banhart, the Animal Collective are at its fore. And as the genre continues to show increased promise-- seemingly by the day-- the general implication is clear, and worthy of rejoice: The Animal Collective are just getting started.

And now they even have news for us! Tonight marks the launch of their first North American tour in support of Sung Tongs. Presently, only 12 dates have been announced-- and there's no word from Animal HQ whether more are on the way-- but basically, it'll have to do. Each of these shows (except for the Other Music instore) will be with Black Dice, with whom the Collective has split a tour-only EP titled Wastered, which they'll be selling at the merchandising tables. Here's the schedule:

08-16 New York, NY - Other Music (acoustic in-store performance)
08-17 Columbus, OH - The Wexner Center
08-19 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (w/Black Forest/Black Sea)
08-22 Seattle, WA - Neumos (w/Climax Golden Twins)
08-23 Vancouver, BC - Club Mesa Luna
08-24 Portland, OR - Berbatis Pan (w/Jackie-O Motherfucker)
08-25 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall (w/Comets on Fire)
08-26 Oakland, CA - Lobot (w/Comets on Fire, Axolotl)
08-27 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (w/Ariel Pink)
08-28 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory LA (w/Mia Doi Todd)
08-31 Austin, TX - Emo's
09-01 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat (w/Sugarbeats)

In related news, core Animal Collective member Panda Bear is set to release a new solo album through the Collective-helmed Paw Tracks label on September 21st. Entitled Young Prayer, the record is wholly detached from the freewheeling stomp of Sung Tongs-- and appropriately so, as it was recorded in both the chronological and physical radius of the death of Panda Bear's father. Young Prayer is a chronicle of the passage into death and the absence of life, a sparse and spacious affair often comprised solely of an acoustic guitar and Panda Bear's amorphous vocal lament. Each of its nine songs are untitled.

The Kinks' Dave Davies Paralyzed from a Stroke

Kinks guitarist and co-founder Dave Davies has been partially paralzyed on his right side due to a stroke that hit him while promoting his new solo album, Bug, in June of this year. According to the Associated Press, doctors have stated that Davies will be in the hospital for at least another month, as he continues undergo physical therapy. He is expected to recover.

"He is paralyzed on the right hand side of his body but he retains some feeling and he can still hold a guitar plectrum," says Davies' spokeman Alan Robinson. "These small things mean a hell of a lot. They're small but very important."

The lo-fi ragged guitar crunch Davies pioneered in the 60s has often been cited as one of the defining styles in rock music, and is an obvious influence to generations of punk and indie rockers who have followed. Since rumors have been floating around of a possible Kinks reunion to co-incide with the 40th anniversary of their first number one single ("You Really Got Me"), let's all cross our fingers and hope for a full and speedy recouperation.

Dave Davies' recent health news comes on the heels of his brother Ray's own brush with mortality. The elder Davies, and head singing/songwriting Kink, was shot in January of this year as he chased two thieves in New Orleans who ran off with his girlfriend's handbag (contrary to reports, not all British men carry purses). Ray was not seriously injured-- the bullet hit his leg.

Health issues aside, this has already been a newsworthy year for The Kinks. As previously reported, Sanctuary's UK arm released a massive three-disc version of the band's classic The Village Green Preservation Society, and Koch Records has been dishing out a slew of other reissues. Now on the horizon are the majority of the band's 70s and 80s albums, to be released in three separate batches. Look for the first group of discs on August 24th, with the next currently scheduled for September 21st. The release of the third and final set is yet to be announced.

August 24th:
Muswell Hillbillies
Schoolboys in Disgrace
One for the Road
Misfits
Give the People What They Want

September 21st:
Preservation: Act 1
Preservation: Act 2
Word of Mouth
State of Confusion

TBA:
Everybody's in Showbiz
A Soap Opera
Celluloid Heroes/The Kinks Greatest
Sleepwalker
Come Dancing with The Kinks

.: Pitchfork Review:The Kinks: Village Green Preservation Society

The Libertines Plan North American Tour
Venues already booking replacement acts

In Libertines-time, a month-and-a-half can be an eternity (compare Pitchfork news articles from May 25th, June 3rd and June 29th-- or every third story on NME's website). A few scant weeks is all the on-again/off-again Pete Doherty needs to amass a new arsenal of floppy hats, and/or consume his body weight in crack cocaine, and/or enter and exit rehab for said crack cocaine usage at least twice. But according to Rough Trade's website-- and always assuming the group hasn't completely self-destructed by late September-- North American fans can expect an 18-date, coast-hopping tour. Keep those receipts, friends:

09-17 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
09-19 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
09-27 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
09-28 Portland, OR - Dante's
09-29 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
10-01 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
10-03 San Diego, CA - Epicentre
10-06 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
10-09 Chicago, IL - Metro/Smart Bar
10-10 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10-12 New York, NY - Webster Hall
10-15 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House Concert Venue
10-16 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret LaTulipe
10-17 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of The Living Arts
10-18 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
10-21 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
10-22 Orlando, FL - The Social

According to the aforementioned NME, the band are currently on tour in the Far East without lightning rod vocalist/guitarist Pete Doherty, who is (sort of) playing solo shows in the UK, performing Libertines material. However, he has seemingly been up to his old antics, no-showing August 1st and 2nd solo gigs in London. It's very unclear whether the erstwhile drug-addicted burglar will be performing with his mates on the U.S. tour. Regardless, "Can't Stand Me Now", the first single from The Libertines' upcoming self-titled second album will has just hit stores this week, and the full-length should still be out August 30th via Rough Trade.

Of Montreal Announce North American Tour
Dennis DeYoung requires toll from those who dare to cross the River Styx

In the wake of what is, well, quite frankly their strongest record to date, Athens, Georgia's Of Montreal are heading out on their second tour of the year. Satanic Panic in the Attic was released back in April and surprised many long-time fans with its bright production, focused melodies, and lack of less psychedelic meandering. Throw in their recent downloadable cover of The Shins' "Know Your Onion", and you're looking at a band finally reaching its prime. Who wouldn't want to see that live?

Joining the group for each performance this go round will be The Late B.P. Helium, whose debut full-length, Amok, will be released October 5th on Orange Twin. Also from Athens, The Late B.P. Helium is essentially a solo project for Brian Poole, who spent six or seven years in Elf Power before branching out on his own. A bit of an Athens music go-to guy, Poole is also currently involved in several other projects, including Special Teams, Great Lakes, Tiny Sticks, and, hey, would you look at that, he also plays guitar with Of Montreal. And the circle of life continues. Satanic Panic in the club:

09-16 Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under
09-17 Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
09-18 Miami, FL - TBA
09-19 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
09-20 Wilmington, NC - The Soapbox
09-21 Charlottesville, VA - Tokyo Rose
09-22 Brooklyn, NY - Northsix
09-23 Northhampton, MA - Iron Horse
09-24 Montreal, Quebec - Que-El Salon
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - TBA
09-26 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
09-27 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
09-28 Champaign, IL - Cowboy Monkey
09-29 Lexington, KY - The Dame

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.)