A pox on those who claim the venerable VHS format is dead ;  in fact, Times New Viking delivered the master recordings to their forthcoming LP/CD/digital album ‘Born Again Revisited’ (OLE 860) on a Video Home System cassette.  Addressing the mountain of constructive criticism they’ve received from self-styled musicologists wanna-be producers and persons with my initials, the Columbus based trio promise their 2nd Matador album (and 4th overall) features “25% higher fidelity”, a percentage our own engineering staff has confirmed after hourse of exhaustive laboratory tests.

Much has been made in the press of late of Cheap Trick’s attempts to steal Adam, Beth and Jared’s thunder by releasing their upteenth comeback album on 8-track, but with all due respect to the state fair fixtures Rockford’s finest, it’s been a generation since they’ve come up with anything as provocative as ‘Born Again Revisited’’s “Move To California” or “No Time No Hope” (mp3).  While Times New Viking continue to make-it-look-easy, I can assure you it’s anything but that.   A cursory glance at the American rock underground reveals a landscape littered with well-intentioned but vastly inferior bands who’ve caught the lo-fi bug ; Times New Viking are well advised to disavow responsibility for the epidemic, but whoever the guilty party is, the ferocity of TNV’s shows and their sheer quality of their songwriting should be enough to win them a presidential pardon, not unlike the one ‘Born Again’ author Chuck Colson never quite received.

After a pair of albums under the group nom de plume Preston School Of Industry, Pavement co-founder Scott Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs, makes his bona fide solo debut with an October 20 LP/CD/digital album release of ‘The Real Feel’ (OLE 858).  Following an extended sojourn in Melbourne, Spiral returned to Seattle rejuvenated at the end of ‘08, and commenced recording with a collection of pals including members of PSOI, the Posies, guitarist Ian Moore, Gersey, and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew.  Mixed by the Posies’ Jon Auer, this album is by far the most crafted and introspective of Spiral’s post-Pavement works.

In the words of associate Parker Gibbs, ‘The Real Feel’, “has a vibe similar to classic 70’s albums by Fleetwood Mac (‘Then Play On’), Captain Beefhart (‘Safe As Milk’), and guitar god Richard Thompson, not to mention Aussie psych rock icons Died Pretty. Comparisons aside, this is 100% Spiral Stairs rock, the same rock that made Pavement the most influential band of the 90″s (take that Hoobastank!) and the same strange, dischordant, playful and melodic Spiral Stairs rock that your parents loved.”

“This is indie rock at its best and brightest,” continues Gibbs,  “with Spiral Stairs getting back to the basics that have made him a legend in his own mind and to all of the children willing to enter his home.”  And on that somewhat troubling note, we’ll add the vinyl edition of ‘The Real Feel’ features a different running order and a limited edition bonus 7″.   Live activity throughout the continent of North America is planned for this Autumn, and we’ll surely be letting you know more about that in the days and weeks ahead.

The first track we’ve seen fit to leak from ‘The Real Feel’ is “Maltese Terrier” (MP3).  Please note no raccoons were harmed during the making of the album artwork.  Not by us, anyway.

(cassette by Dario Robleto)

We have an old saying at Matador HQ, “the only thing predictable about Yo La Tengo albums is their high level of excellence and crazy amount of musical ground covered”.  Trouble is, even if you believe we really have an old saying that unwieldly, it doesn’t really do justice in this instance. The new Yo La Tengo CD/2XLP/digital  album ‘Popular Songs” (OLE 856-1,2) could be the bravest musical statement to date in a career full of ‘em.   Recorded in Hoboken and Nashville in early 2009 with longtime associate Roger Mountenot, ‘Popular Songs’ finds the trio of Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew at the height of their creative powers, fashioning an epic work that’s cooly confident as it is wildly adventurous.

Even for longtime followers of Yo La Tengo, the stylistic range encompassed on ‘Popular Songs’ is startling ; the band aren’t merely conversant with rock & pop subgenres stretching into the double digits, but their unselfconscious mastery of such is simply uncanny.  Without absolving you of the sacred responsibility of listening to this album from start to finish (with no commercial interruptions!) , we can say with full confidence there are portions of ‘Popular Songs’ where a cursory needle drop reveals a band that doesn’t sound instantly like Yo La Tengo — or at least how you recognized them prior to now.  In the words of Mike Wolf, “Yo La Tengo is not afraid. They walk confidently forward, into the unknown, hand in hand. And 12 (or 14) albums in, they may just be hitting their stride.” 

“Periodically Double Or Triple” is the first MP3 from ‘Popular Songs’.  In the days to follow, we’ll have further announcements regarding a Buy Early Get Now campaign for the album, along with Yo La Tengo’s autumn tour plans.

The second of three bonus Sonic Youth MP3s has been posted on the Buy Early Get Now site, and it’s pretty fascinating – the 6-minute demo version of “(I Got A) Catholic Block” from 1987. Go log in and grab it.

And if you haven’t preordered for Buy Early Get Now yet, it’s still not too late – we have a few of the live LPs left. Order HERE

The second album from Seattle’s Cave Singers is coming on August 18. It is entitled ‘Welcome Joy’ and adds a world of color and nuance to the already great songs from their 2007 debut. The trio of Peter Quirk, Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund were joined on this record by Amber Webber (Black Mountain, Lightning Dust) and Ashley Webber (Lightning Dust). They recorded the album at The Hive in Vancouver with Colin Stewart.

Our first MP3 is the gorgeous, brooding, building “Beach House”:

Beach House (192k mp3)

Look out for the Cave Singers this September and October as they’ll be touring across North America with Lightning Dust. Keep your eyes peeled for details, which will be coming soon.

photo by Matthew Salacuse

The first MP3 from Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper: “Fun That We Have.”

Fun That We Have (160k mp3)

Album in stores August 4.

julianplenti.com

The first MP3 from God Help The Girl (a story set to music by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian) is “Come Monday Night.”

You can download it here:

Come Monday Night (mp3)

For more information, visit godhelpthegirl.com, where you can watch a short movie about the making of this album, including auditions, interviews, studio footage and more. Sign up for the mailing list and keep checking back, because we’ll have exciting subscription news with delicious extras there soon.

On May 5 we will be releasing an ultra-limited single LP of outtakes by Earles & Jensenfrom last year’s smash comedy album Just Farr A Laugh. Entitled Just Farr The Record, it will be available for preorder very soon. There are only 300 copies with handmade sleeves and they will go FAST, so keep checking that link.

Here is a preview, entitled “It’s A Freak Show:”

It’s A Freak Show (MP3)

As they say in France, “Enjoi”

We’re pleased to launch the first MP3 from Sonic Youth’s upcoming album The Eternal (June 8 Europe, June 9 North America). It’s entitled “Sacred Trickster” and can be downloaded here:

Sacred Trickster (mp3)

“Sacred Trickster” is a 2:10 out-of-the gate hardcore matinee track with Kim singing salutes to French painter Yves Klein and Western Massachusetts noise artist Noise Nomads. It sets the tone for ‘The Eternal’, which comprises twelve tunes that are a fireworks display of Sonic Youth touchstones. From the primal no wave attack of its earliest days, to the radical chording and song structures of its ’90s period, to the more focused and contemporary explorations of the last five years. This their 16th album, and their first for the Matador label, consolidates their move to a more lush, sensual sound as displayed on last album ‘Rather Ripped’ – but if anything punchier and cleaner, and now backstopped by the addition of Mark Ibold (Pavement, Dustdevils) on bass.

As many of you are already aware, we have a Buy Early Get Now campaign running for this release. If you preorder (& pay) for the album at selected indie retailers now, you’ll get lots of extra material that won’t be available if you wait until June. You get:

- a code to stream the album early, from April 28
- bonus limited exclusive vinyl live LP on street date recorded at the River To River Festival July 4th, 2008 Concert in Battery Park NYC, either in your mailbox or your favorite record store (while supplies last)
- an exclusive poster
- exclusive additional mp3 downloads of outtakes & more live material
- early access to concert tickets in the US (especially if you sign up now)

Check buyearlygetnow.com for more info. (After April 28, you will also be able to preorder online.)

Plus — SECRET SHOW NEXT WEEK! We are also excited to announce that Sonic Youth will be playing an exclusive show NEXT MONDAY, 27 April, at The Scala, tickets available to purchase online from 10am tomorrow Tuesday 21 April, £25, doors 7.30pm.

US tour dates this summer should be announced very soon. New Yorkers can see the band play at the annual noise fest No Fun on May 16.

Finally, news just in that the band have been confirmed to play at the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP Nightmare Before Christmas to be held at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead from December 4th – 6th, 2009.

sonicyouth.com
buyearlygetnow.com

“Submarines Of Stockholm” (edited version, mp3) from the album ‘Get Guilty’, instores and online January 20, available for preorder now.

Hey listening parties are great and everything, but Carl & friends will be hitting the road in support of the forthcoming ‘Get Guilty’ (LP/CD/download), with the following dates just announced :

February
20-Vancouver @ Biltmore Cabaret
21-Seattle @ Neumo’s
22-Portland @ Doug Fir
23-Sacramento @ Harlow’s
24-San Diego @ Casbah
26-LA @ Troubador
27-Santa Barbara @ SOhO Restaurant and Music Club
28-SF @ The Independent (Noisepop)

March
1-Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s

10-Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
11-Toronto @ Lee’s Palace
13-Providence @ Club Hell
14-Boston @ Paradise
15-NY @ Bowery Ballroom
17-Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda’s
18-Washington DC @ Black Cat
20-Atlanta @ The Earl
21-Nashville @ Mercy Lounge
24-Minneapolis @ 400 Bar
25-Chicago @ Logan Square Auditorium
26-Pontiac @ The Pike Room at The Crofoot
28-Pittsburgh @ Andy Warhol Museum
29-Brooklyn @ The Bell House

(Dent May are the support from 2/20 to 3/15)

(photo taken from Dave Stocks’ Flickr stream)

“Fucked Up are not at all about the blood, the guts, the controversy, the crying mothers, the glass in the forehead, the vomiting, the destruction, the dick-dangling and the encouraged mayhem – despite what everyone wants to tell you. They might be a terminal band with only a few weeks left to live, but they may also be a band that is going to make sure that it is nothing short of being epically monumental, a group that lives on as a valuable and coveted icon of underground madness.”  So reads Sean Moller’s introduction to Fucked Up’s 4 song Daytrotter session (dick-dangling!), currently available for download.

Our spring Intended Play label download sampler was a huge hit, so we’re doing it again. Just like before, you get a track from one of each of our current and upcoming releases. Seven of the tracks have not been released on MP3 yet, and four of those are from albums that haven’t been released yet. The sampler this time is a bit more varied musically, from A.C. Newman’s jewel-like pop songscapes to the majestic neo-punk of Fucked Up to the gorgeous female vocals of Jennifer O’Connor to a track from Lou Reed’s painstaking, thoughtful, first-ever performance of his controversial classic album ‘Berlin.’ We also introduce an unreleased song from Pavement’s ‘Brighten The Corner’ sessions, due out on the deluxe edition of that album in November.

Click on the link to get a zipped file of all 13 tracks plus front and back artwork, and burn it yourself (or just listen to it digitally). And support the bands and the label… if you like the track, click on the album title link below to buy (or preorder) the album (or more individual tracks) directly from us.

Intended Play Fall 2008 (zip file)

Track listing:

1. A.C. Newman There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve (from Get Guilty, due out January 20)
2. Belle and Sebastian The State I Am In (BBC Version) (from The BBC Sessions, due out November 18)
3. Jennifer O’Connor Here With Me (from Here With Me, released August 19)
4. Shearwater The Snow Leopard (Remastered) from Rook, released June 3)
5. Lou Reed Caroline Says, Pt. II (Live) (from Berlin: Live At St. Ann’s Warehouse, due out November 4)
6. Mogwai The Sun Smells Too Loud (from The Hawk Is Howling, released September 23)
7. Fucked Up No Epiphany (from The Chemistry Of Common Life, released October 7)
8. Jay Reatard An Ugly Death (from Matador Singles ‘08, released October 7)
9. Jaguar Love Humans Evolve Into Skyscrapers (from Take Me To The Sea, released August 19)
10. Pavement Cataracts (from Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed., due out December 9)
11. Brightblack Morning Light Oppressions Each (from Motion To Rejoin, released September 23)
12. Times New Viking Call & Respond (from the Stay Awake EP, released October 14)
13. Condo Fucks What’cha Gonna Do About It? (from Fuckbook, due out March 2009)

Cover art features a detail of Hardriim, from City Of Salt, by Kahn + Selesnick

On October 14 Shearwater will be releasing The Snow Leopard. This digital EP draws its title track from June’s critically lauded Rook, and adds many of the non-album B-sides and giveaway tracks, plus several striking recordings from radio sessions over the past few months. All fully and beautifully remastered. As with Rook, the cover art derives from the work of the artists Kahn + Selesnick. The complete track listing can be found underneath the tour dates, below. Special pricing and preorder deal will be available shortly from the Matador Store.

For those of you who haven’t yet discovered Rook, download a 192k MP3 of the song “The Snow Leopard” here:

The Snow Leopard (192k MP3) Now get the REMASTERED version of the song from the new EP:

The Snow Leopard (192k MP3)

Shearwater will be touring in support of the EP:

Mon, Oct 13 Chicago IL – Lakeshore Theater – with Hospital Ships
Tue, Oct 14 Cleveland OH – Beachland Tavern – with Hospital Ships
Wed, Oct 15 Washington DC – Kennedy Ctr — Millennium Stage, 7 PM 6 PM SET TIME, FREE
Fri, Oct 17 Annandale NY – Bard College
Sun, Oct 19 Boston MA – Cafe 939 at Berklee – with Hospital Ships
Mon, Oct 20 New York NY – Le Poisson Rouge – with Hospital Ships
Fri, Oct 24 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle (stripped-down set)
Sat, Oct 25 Durham NC – Duke Coffee House (stripped-down set)
Sun, Oct 26 Atlanta GA – Drunken Unicorn (stripped-down set) CANCELED BUT STAY TUNED FOR POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT

Fri, Nov 7 Brussels BE – Botanique
Sat, Nov 8 Antwerp BE De Nachten
Sun, Nov 9 Utrecht NL – Tivoli
Mon, Nov 10 Rouen FR – Club 106 – with Silver Mt. Zion
Tue, Nov 11 Paris FR – Le Bataclan with Silver Mt. Zion
Wed, Nov 12 Feyzin FR – L’Epicerie Moderne
Thu, Nov 13 St-Gallen CH – Palace
Fri, Nov 14 Lausanne CH – Le Romandie
Sun, Nov 16 Schorndorf DE – Manufaktur
Mon, Nov 17 Berlin DE – Postbahnhof with Okkervil River
Tue, Nov 18 Dresden DE – Beatpol
Wed, Nov 19 Hamburg DE – Nachtasyl
Thu, Nov 20 Ghent BE – Vooruit
Fri, Nov 21 The Hague NL – Crossing Borders Festival
Sat, Nov 22 London UK – St. Giles in the Fields Church
Sun, Nov 23 Coventry UK – Taylor John’s House
Mon, Nov 24 Brighton UK – Komedia

OLE-850 Shearwater The Snow Leopard digital EP
(available from all digital stores October 14):

1. The Snow Leopard (album version)
2. So Bad (iTunes bonus track)
3. North Col (vinyl and iTunes bonus track)
4. Henry Lee (live from KUT)
5. Rooks (live from Radio K)
6. I Was A Cloud (live from Radio K)
7. South Col / The Snow Leopard (live from Florence Gould Hall, NYC)

Track 2, “So Bad,” is a Baby Dee cover. Track 4, “Henry Lee,” is an American traditional song recorded by Nick Cave and Peggy Seeger among others.

Times New Viking’s ‘Stay Awake’ 5 song 7″ EP hits stores and digital outposts on October 7, but you can preorder said artifact TODAY from the the Matador Shop and received a limited edition poster silkscreened poster from TNV’s Summer ‘08 performance at the Whitney Museum.  It’s like a PBS telethon around here — when we launch the Fucked Up umbrellas, you’ll know we’ve really lost it. 

“Call & Respond” (from ‘Stay Awake’) – mp3

The second MP3 from ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’ (in stores October 7) is “Twice Born” — we defy you not to bang your head to this track. Guesses accepted as to who the guest musicians are.

“Twice Born” Twice Born (192k MP3)

The band is currently touring up the West Coast with the Fuck Yeah festival (also featuring Crystal Antlers and Strange Boys); the remaining shows are:

Thu – Sep 4 – Olympia WA – Midnight Sun – all ages 8 PM $8 (also with Sex Vid)
Fri – Sep 5 – Seattle WA – The Vera Project – all ages 7:30 PM $10
Sat – Sep 6 – Portland OR – Satyricon – all ages 7 PM $10 (also with Sex Vid, Past Lives and others)
Sun – Sep 7 – Vancouver BC – 19+ 8 PM $13

The band will back on the road down the East Coast starting in Montreal on Oct 11.

Don’t miss the always entertaining FU blog, Looking For Gold, currently featuring song lyrics, secret show info, lengthy interviews in Japanese, chair tipping, Crystal Antlers videos and more.

Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin: Live at St. Ann’s Warehouse’ has a new title and will now be landing in stores on October 21 (September 30 on iTunes). The record contains the first live performance of the controversial 1973 masterwork, 33 years after it originally came out. It was recorded at the filming of Julian Schnabel’s ‘Berlin’ feature length film in December 2006, featuring Antony Hegarty, Sharon Jones and Steve Hunter among other guests, with production from Bob Ezrin and Hal Willner. See the original announcement for the full story behind this remarkable album.

The first MP3 from the record is “Caroline Says, Pt. II.” The song is one of Lou Reed’s heavier subjects, and it receives an extraordinarily moving rendition here:

“Caroline Says, Pt. II” (192k MP3)

Track listing:

1. Intro
2. Berlin
3. Lady Day
4. Men Of Good Fortune
5. Caroline Says, Pt. I
6. How Do You Think It Feels
7. Oh, Jim
8. Caroline Says, Pt. II
9. The Kids
10. The Bed
11. Sad Song
12. Candy Says
13. Rock Minuet
14. Sweet Jane

loureed.com

Jay Reatard’s compilation of Matador singles comes out on October 7 and is entitled “Matador Singles ‘08.” It contains all 6 of the limited edition 7″es that we have been releasing this year, less Deerhunter’s cover of “Oh, It’s Such A Shame,” and with the addition of one extra track. Since single #5 has 3 songs, that makes 13 songs total. We’re currently up to single #4 with #5 on the way in three weeks. Track listing will be:

1. See/Saw – 7″ #1
2. Screaming Hand – 7″ #1
3. Painted Shut – 7″ #2
4. An Ugly Death – 7″ #2
5. Always Wanting More – 7″ #3
6. You Mean Nothing To Me – 7″ #3
7. Fluorescent Grey – 7″ #4
8. Trapped Here – 7″ #5
9. Hiding In My Hole – 7″ #5
10. Dead On Arrival – 7″ #5
11. No Time – 7″ #6
12. You Were Sleeping – 7″ #6
13. I’m Watching You – extra track

For those of you who have stayed out of the 7″ ordering fray, “Always Wanting More” was made available this spring on the Intended Play zipfile and free CD… that was the A-side of single #3.

Here is the A-side of single #1, “See/Saw:”

“See/Saw” (mp3)

photo by Jeff Allen

The first MP3 from Fucked Up’s The Chemistry Of Common Life (Oct 7) is this immense multi-tracked assemblage, entitled “No Epiphany.” The 7″ depicted above will come out this fall and contain two versions of the song entirely different from the album version you’re about to hear. The word “monumental” was invented for music like this. Backing vocals by Cassie Ramone, Frankie Rose and Kickball Katy.

“No Epiphany” (MP3)

Fucked Up are currently on tour in Europe and will be hitting many festivals. The expanded EP version of their “Year Of The Pig” single comes out on July 22.

to reiterate those European dates:

Jul 8 – Benidorm ES – Abraxas
Jul 9 – Barcelona ES – Nitsa
Jul 10 – Getaria ES – Gaztetxe
Jul 11 – Madrid ES – Sal El Sol
Jul 12 – Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland – T In The Park
Jul 13 – Birmingham UK – Supersonic Festival
Jul 14 – London UK – Water Rats, Kings Cross
Aug 17 – Lelystad NL – Lowlands Festival, Charlie Stage
Aug 20 – Belfast IE – Limelight
Aug 21 – Dublin IE – Whelans
Aug 22 – Ghent BE – Ieper Fest
Aug 23 – Reading UK – Reading Festival
Aug 24 – Leeds UK – Leeds Festival
Aug 25 – Bradford UK – 1 in 12 Club

(Mogwai in Mexico City last month, photo taken from remusmx’s Flickr stream)

We’re pleased to unveil the first MP3 from the upcoming Mogwai LP/CD, ‘The Hawk Is Howling’ (out September 23) – “The Sun Smells Too Loud” is a fairly substantial hint that said album is gonna be a scalp-scorcher.

As mentioned previously, the following North American dates are very much confirmed and tickets are on sale :

September 2008

3-Portland, OR @ Music Fest NW (Mogwai headlining ; also appearing Del The Funkee Homosapien, Steel Pole Bathtub, Polvo, Jaguar Love and many more)
4-Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
5-Victoria, BC @ Element
6-Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
8-San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom
9-Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
10-Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto
12-Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
13-Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
15-Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
16-Richmond, VA @ The National
17-Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
18-New York, NY @ Terminal 5
19-Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
21-Monticello, NY @ ATP Festival
22-Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
23-Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
24-Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
25-Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
26-Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater
27-Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Fuck Buttons provide support on all of the above shows.

(photograph by Debora Francis)

The most gratifying thing about our feverish preparations for the August 19 release of Jennifer O’Connor’s masterpiece ‘Here With Me’ (LP/CD)?  With the possible exception of the chef Chris had flown in to prepare company lunches*, the best part so far has been the reactions from the lucky few who’ve heard the album.  If I had a nickel for every person who has called or written to say “wow, you guys were right.  Jennifer is a world-class, pop songwriting powerhouse”…well, I still wouldn’t have enough money to buy a copy of Entertainment Weekly. But keep in mind, they keep raising the prices of these magazines and you can read ‘em online, anyway. 

“Here With Me” is the 2nd MP3 we’ve chosen to leak from the album. Between this and the previously sneak-peaked “Valley Road ‘86″, we’re hopeful you’ll have a better idea why we’ve only gotten started making noise about Jennifer’s crazy reservoir of talent.

Jennifer will be headlining New York’s Mercury Lounge on August 21, with support coming from Dump. Tickets go on sale June 25.  Here’s a full list of upcoming dates : 

July 11 – The Slowdown, Omaha, NE
July 12 – Box Awesome, Lincoln, NE
July 13 – Record Bar, Kansas City, MO
July 14 – Mojo’s, Columbia, MO
July 15 – Schuba’s, Chicago, IL
July 17 – Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
July 19 – Aquarium Dempsey’s, Upstairs, Fargo, ND
July 20 – Nuttys’ North, SIoux Falls, SD
August 10 – Grand Opera House, Wilmington DE
August 13 – McCarren Pool, Brooklyn NY 
August 25 – Mercury Lounge, NY NY
 
(July 11-15, July 19-20 supporting Son Ambulance)
(August 10, 13, supporting Wilco)

(preorder ‘Here With Me’ on LP or CD)

* – sorry. I hallucinated that we’d done an office swap with Revolver Distribution.  

Matador and What’s Your Rupture? are pleased to announce a joint release: the Year Of The Pig EP from Toronto’s Fucked Up.

Out worldwide on July 22, the EP is an expanded version of the 12″ single released by WYR? in mid-2007 (and by Vice in the UK in early 2008). In addition to the original 18-minute title track and the flipside, “The Black Hats,” there are three edits of the title track and three unreleased tracks. Each edit and each unreleased track will be featured on one of three 7″ singles, each with a different sleeve, to be released in the US, the UK, and Japan respectively.

“Year Of The Pig” is the second in a series of songs based on the Chinese zodiac. It is about the plight of sex workers in Canada. The initial release, and a companion concert, generated $4,000 for a prostitution rights charity in Toronto. Read more about the issues, and the notorious Robert Pickton case, at this blog post by the band. Featuring keyboards, an ethereal female guest vocal and multiple, interlocking musical sections, it is Fucked Up’s most ambitious work to date.

Here is a 256K MP3 of the US edit:

“Year Of The Pig (US 7″ edit)” (256K MP3)

Track listings:

12″: Year Of The Pig / The Black Hats
7″ (US): Year Of The Pig (US Edit) / Mustaa Lunta (new track)
7″ (UK): Year Of The Pig (US Edit) / Anorak City (new track — Another Sunny Day cover)
7″ (Japan): Year Of The Pig (Japanese Edit) / For My Friends (new track)
CDEP: All of the above

Fucked Up will be playing three shows in Calgary later this month, and will tour Europe throughout July and August.

Looking For Gold blog

Hear Mission Of Burma play songs they haven’t played since reuniting, as they perform ‘Signals, Calls & Marches’ and ‘Vs.’ all the way through on the Definitive Editions Tour.

If you haven’t figured out how great these reissues are yet, read some reviews. Or better yet, listen to another remastered song, in 256K MP3 or high-quality WAV (your browser probably won’t play the WAV file, so right click / control click to download it to your hard drive — the sound quality is markedly superior to any MP3):

“This Is Not A Photograph” (256K MP3)
“This Is Not A Photograph” (WAV)

From ‘Signals, Calls & Marches: The Definitive Edition’: buy on CD+DVD, dbl LP+DVD, MP3 album or FLAC album.

Note to blogs: if you’re gonna link to the files, please include the buy link. Thanks.

(Jonathan and Thor, live at SXSW last March. Photo taken from Chromewaves’ Flickr page)

Popmatters called Shearwater’s ‘Rook’, “among the most achingly beautiful things ever recorded”.  Chromewaves called the album, “unequivocally epic and grand.”  We’ll call it OUT TODAY, RIGHT NOW FRIEND, RIGHT NOW, and with this historic day in mind, here’s an MP3 of one of the LP/CD’s standout selections, “Leviathan, Bound”.

For those of you who haven’t cottoned on to the gorgeous, powerful sound of the Mission Of Burma Definitive Editions yet, here is another extract.

“OK/No Way” was originally released in 1982 as the non-album B-side of their second single “Trem Two.” The remastered version is on the album Vs.: The Definitive Edition double vinyl, CD and digital album (MP3 or FLAC). A Clint Conley composition, it is one of my favorite Burma songs ever. At the time, it was taken as a nod to hardcore, though in fact Clint wrote it two years before hardcore existed. Rarely performed these days, you will have a chance to see it at the upcoming shows where the band will perform ‘Vs.’ in its entirety (see dates below).

“OK/No Way” (256K MP3)
“OK/No Way” (WAV)

The Definitive Editions Tour:

Thu – 6/12 – Boston MA- Paradise – Playing “Signals” in its entirety
Fri – 6/13 – Boston MA – Paradise – Playing “Vs.” in its entirety
Sat – 6/14 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom – Playing “Signals” in its entirety
Sun – 6/15 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom – Playing “Vs.” in its entirety
Fri – 6/27 – Philadelphia PA – First Unitarian Church – Playing “Signals” in its entirety
Sat – 6/28 – Washington MD – Black Cat – Playing “Vs.” in its entirety
Fri – 7/18 – Chicago IL – Pitchfork – Playing “Vs.” in its entirety
Sat – 7/19 – Detroit MI – Bohemian National Home – Playing “Signals” in its entirety