(EDITORIAL NOTATION : on March 20, we’ll be releasing Lee Ranaldo’s ‘Between The Tides and The Times’ on LP/CD and digital formats.  While the prospect of Lee being  backed by a host of gifted players including by not limited to Nels Cline, John Medeski, Alan Licht and Steve Shelley ought to pique the curiosity of every music with an ounce —-nay, several ounces — of musical taste, it’s the songs themselves that are gonna stick with you for years to come. We’re hoping to unveil videos for several of ‘em over the course of the next few months, and “Off The Wall” is the first in that series. Lee provides the details, below. – GC)

Here’s the first video from my LP ‘Between the Tides and the Times’. Live footage shot by Patrick Suddath/Pantophobia at Glasslands, Brooklyn. Other footage shot by me: Battery Park trees, Holland tunnel, Frey in Walt Whitman’s forest, girl fr Calgary, MP3 experiment in Hudson River Park, David Linton installation at the Clocktower. - Lee Ranaldo

UPCOMING LIVE DATES (please note the new additions in LA and SF)

4/7 Mexico City, MEX Indie-O Fest 2012 (with Thurston Moore, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Wild Flag, Youth Lagoon, City and Colour and Antoine Reverb)
4/10 Los Angeles CA The Satellite
4/11 San Francisco CA Brick & Mortar Music Hall
4/17 Ithaca, NY The Haunt (with Disappears)
4/18 Albany, NY Valentines (with Disappears)

(all dates below supporting M. Ward)

5/5 Portland, ME – State Theatre
5/6 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
5/7 New Haven, CT – Toads Place
5/8 Boston, MA – House Of Blues
5/11 New York, NY – Webster Hall
5/12 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
5/13 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
5/15 Durham, NC – Duke Performances
5/16 Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
5/17 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
5/22 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre

Lee Ranaldo – “Off The Wall” (mp3)

Preorders for ‘Between The Times & The Tides’ are being taken now at the Matador Store.

We’re excited to show you the first video from Perfume Genius’ second album Put Your Back N 2 It (out Feb 21, pre-order here), directed by Mata-friend Winston H. Case (video credits below). Pitchfork spoke to PG headman Mike Hadreas about the video, his co-star and more.

Also, if you missed it in December, check out the first “look” from PYBN2I, the gorgeous “All Waters“.

Perfume Genius will hit the road in March and April:

March
Wednesday 21 - San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord
Thursday 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater
Friday 23 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Saturday 24 – Tuscon, AZ – Solar Culture
Monday 26 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silverleaf
Tuesday 27 – Austin, TX – Lambert’s
Thursday 29 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Friday 30 – Durham, NC – The Garage at Motorco
Saturday 31 – Arlington, VA – IOTA Club & Cafe

April
Monday 02 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Tuesday 03 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Thursday 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
Friday 06 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
Saturday 07 – Montreal, QC – Le Divan Orange
Sunday 08 – Toronto, ON – The Drake Hotel
Monday 09 – Seattle, WA -The Crocodile
Tuesday 10 – Chicago, IL – Schubas
Wednesday 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
Friday 13 - Denver, CO – Hi Dive
Saturday 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
Tuesday 17 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Wednesday 18 - Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Thursday 19 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile

Video credits:
Featuring Arpad Miklos

Director / Editor – Winston H. Case
Directory of Photography – William Colby
2nd Camera Operator – John Strong
Producers – Greg Finch & Nils Bernstein
Associate Producers – Taylor Higgins, Ahbra Perry & Rye Curtis
Dolly Operator – Brad Oberhofer
Post FX – Stephen McNally
Colorist – Michael Garber

A Palo Duro Production

Thanks to Lulu Soni, Sam Heesen, Jordan Romero, Augustus Muller & Erez Avissar

As promised, here’s a new video from Cat Power featuring Manny Pacquiao, and directed by Giovanni Ribisi.

Watch the video above and donate with all proceeds going to the Festival Of Children and Ali Forney center. Please share far and wide.

And please tweet to get the word out. Twitter hashtag is #catpowerpacquiao.

Happy holidays y’all.

2011 has been bery bery good to Fucked Up, and it just keeps on movin’.

Following similar “Best Of 2011″ acclaim from the likes of NPR, MTV, Onion AV Club, Stereogum, Decibel, Chicago Tribune, Magnet, Stereophile, and many more, Spin Magazine has voted David Comes To Life the #1 Album of 2011 and put them on their cover! There’s also a new video for “Turn The Season,” shot during the original photo shoot for the album artwork and directed by Scott Cudmore (full credits here):

Please watch the Travel Channel tonight at 10/9c when Fucked Up will be on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” Holiday Special (with Christopher Walken and more)!

Speaking of gift-giving, Fucked Up are playing “David Comes To Life” in its entirety in Toronto on Dec 20, and organizing a concert the next night with several Toronto bands; both shows are for charity. Details here. There will also be a split holiday 7″ with Sloan, hopefully available at these Toronto shows, limited to just 500, and benefitting the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and the Barriere Lake Legal Defense Fund.

If you’re in New York, Fucked Up are playing the Brooklyn Night Bazaar December 16; tickets just $10 and available here.

In other news, you may have missed Fucked Up’s appearance on Canada’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight show earlier this month. Here they are being interviewed & performing “The Other Shoe”:

Or maybe you’re planning on going on the Bruise Cruise from Miami to The Bahamas Feb 10-13 2012? Damian is cruise director and you can find more info and a holiday gift exchange video with Fucked Up here:

Oh, what else, what else. Mmmm, did I mention MAYBE THE BEST THING FUCKED UP HAVE EVER RECORDED is coming out Feb 21? Year Of The Tiger (available for pre-order here or here is the latest in their annual zodiac-themed 12″s, and this one features Jim Jarmusch, Annie-Claude Deschênes, and Austra, but mainly 15 minuted of gorgeous epic crescendoing maximalism from our heroes (and that’s just the A-side).

Good times!

Posted yesterday on the La Blogothèque website was the ‘Take Away Show’ they filmed with Kurt and the Violators back in May.  They take to the streets of Paris to run through stripped-back version “Baby’s Arms” to a sparse crowd consisting of passing locals and business men. Watch more from the Take Away shows here.

As 2011 comes to a close we’re starting to see the barrage emergence of  end of year lists.  One of the more respected of these (at least for us in the UK) is Rough Trade Shop’s top ten and Smoke Ring For My Halo comes in at number 3!  Needless to say we’re all stoked for Kurt, ordering from Rough Trade also gets you an exclusive recording of his in-store performance at Rough Trade East from May 2011 as a bonus disc.  Of course, you can still buy it from us too.

Whilst the east coast had all the Violators live action recently, I’m happy to share the news Kurt has more shows lined up, starting 2012 by joining Thurston Moore for some dates, followed by another full-band European tour, including an NME awards show in London.  Kurt and the Violators also play the previously mentioned Australia and New Zealand shows, starting in a few weeks time. All dates below.

Lastly, Pitchfork yesterday ran a feature on the artwork for the newly released So Outta Reach EP as they quizzed Kurt on the series of photos that adorn the EP’s cover.  Questions such as ‘were the photos staged?’, ‘how much tequila does it take to knock Kurt Vile out?’ and ‘how many times did you really get fired from your last job?’ are all answered here.

Upcoming shows:

DECEMBER:

1st: Kings Arms Tavern, Aukland, NZ

3rd: The Bakery, Perth, AUS tickets – tickets

4th: Corner Hotel, Melbourne, AUS

5th: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, AUS — newly added

6th: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, AUS – tickets

8th: Woodland, Brisbane, AUS

9th: Meredith Music Festival, Meredith, AUS

2012

Kurt Vile with Thurston Moore:

Tue-Jan-31 – Somerville, MA @ Somerville Theatre

Sun-Feb-05 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat

Kurt Vile and The Violators in Europe:

Feb 19th – Whelan’s – Dublin, Ireland   (newly added)

Feb 20th – The Haunt – Brighton, UK

Feb 21st -  NME awards @ Koko – London, UK

Feb 22nd -  Le Nouveau Casino – Paris, France

Feb 23rd -  Botanique – Brussels, Belgium

Norton Records is celebrating their 25th anniversary this weekend with a star-studded, 4-night bill at Brooklyn’s Bell House.  We’d like to congratulate Billy Miller and Miriam Linna on their stewardship of one of the planet’s finest labels ; if anyone has done more to document real rock’n'roll, old & new, please don’t tell us about it because we’re running out of room in the record library. The Condo Fucks and longtime associate The Great Gaylord (Fields) were just one of the Friday highlights ; Gaylord wearing earplugs is kind of Rocky Marciano donning a protective headgear. He might be safe, but the rest of us won’t be the same for days.

We’ve already teased you with the new material coming your way in November from Esben and the Witch.  We announced the release of the Hexagons EP and that the band would be a special event happening on November 4th, but just to keep you all on your toes here’s the jump on what’ll be starting next Friday.

Lasting for 6 days, with 6 showings per day, Esben and the Witch present the Hexagons cinema – an online event featuring the band showcasing the upcoming EP in full and for free.   The footage was shot in the Duke of York’s cinema in Esben’s hometown of Brighton, which also happend to be the oldest continually operating cinema in the UK.

Tickets for this online treat are free, but limited, so to grab your seat in one of the performance you’ll need to head over to The Hexagons Cinema and book now.

You can pre-order the Hexagons EP on the Matador Store, the  remaining 2011 tour dates are:

November 16th – Corsica Studios, London, UK
November 18th – Festival Saint-Ghetto, Bern, Switzerland
November 19th – Amalgame, Yverdon, Switzerland

The new video from Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks’ Mirror Traffic (buy the album) – directed by Scott Jacobson and starring Jack Black and Gary Cole – is presented today by Grantland. There’s nothing like having movie stars in your video.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are finishing up their US tour:

October
Sunday 16 – San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Music Festival
Wednesday 19 - Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box At The Henry Fonda
Thursday 20 – Solano Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern

Full video credits:

Starring: Jack Black, Gary Cole, Morgan Nagler, DC Pierson, Chris Regan, Brian Stack, Maria Thayer, Todd Levin, Adam Willis, April O’Neil, Dan O’Reilly

Written/directed/edited…. Scott Jacobson
Director of Photography…. Fortunato Procopio
Second Camera…. Charles Son
Assistant Director/Etc….. Whitney Blank
Graphics…. Nora Smith
Portland DP…. Reed Harkness
Second Unit…. Mike James
Assistant Camera…. Brad Greenspan
Second AC…. Nicky Fuchs
Production Manager…. John Henry Lang
Production Designer…. Nigel Mogg
Jib Operator…. Gaston Carrizo
Gaffer…. Dan Jagels
Grip…. Zach Helmer
Hair and Makeup…. Michele Dawn Sweeney
PA…. Mike Gamms
Location Services by…. HotHouse Productions

Special thanks to Ruth and David at El Corazon en las Nubes alpaca ranch in Malibu, CA.

Thanks to The Woods in Portland, Origami Vinyl, Adam Willis, Todd Levin, Drea Clark, Dave Willis, Nils Bernstein, Chris Lombardi, Ted Travelstead.

“You Must Be Stopped” (studio version available on the ‘Better Days Will Haunt You’ 2XCD/DVD set), video courtesy NBC and “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”.  Earlier in the day, Chavez taped a version of “Laugh Track” for broadcast, but not before they were prevented from handing out copies of the newly released “Chavez : The Video Game” to every member of Fallon’s studio audience.  We heard something about “not upstaging the country-club pseudo-athlete” who was the program’s other guest.  That’s a pretty harsh way of referring to Alan Cumming, but whatever, we’re not about show biz squabbles.

Animal Man – “Do You Feed? (The Curry Song)” from ‘David’s Town’, directed by Lance Ludwig.

The New York Times brings us the second video from Father, Son, Holy Ghost, just about the best record anyone has heard this year (it’s available for purchase).

On the heels of the excellent and epic “Vomit” video, this is the other side of the Christopher Owens coin, as conceived by Girls’ own Chet JR White, who co-directed the video with Ivan Shumaker (Stu Barnes produced):

Girls are on the road as we speak, and reports are unanimous: un-miss the current lineup when it hits your town, cuz the shit is unmissable:

September
Monday 19 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Tuesday 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Thursday 22 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Friday 23 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Saturday 24 – Boston, MA – Paramount Center
Sunday 25 – Montreal, AL – Corona Theatre
Tuesday 27 – Toronto, ON – The Mod Club
Thursday 29 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Friday 30 - Madison, WI – Majestic Theater

October
Saturday 01 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Tuesday 04 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Wednesday 05 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
Thursday 06 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Saturday 08 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Sunday 09 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall

The fourth video from the still-excellent (and still-available) Together. Four videos from one album is a record in my tenure, so thanks Canada!

We love the space-ious vibes on this one – I won’t even tell you about our original idea to premiere it with a “live from Comic-Con” correspondence from Jon Wurster Carl Newman. Well, I won’t tell you more than that. Pitchfork debuts the clip, accompanied by an interview with A.C. Newman himself. Watch the video (directed by Jon Busby):

Additionally, The New Pornographers have some tour dates! In Florida! Bands: tour Florida!

Thursday October 13 – Orlando, FL – Beacham Theater – tickets
Friday October 14 - Tallahassee Fl, FL – The Moon – tickets
Saturday October 15 – Pensacola Beach, CH – De Luna Fest – tickets
Sunday October 16 – Jacksonville, FL – Free Bird Live – tickets

Today the nation’s most esteemed news source brings us the first video from Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks’ awesome new album Mirror Traffic (hear it), out THIS COMING TUESDAY and available for pre-order.

The video, directed by Steve Doughton, accompanies an excellent piece about Mr. Malkmus and Mr. Beck Hansen (as well as their parallel histories and work together on Mirror Traffic) that will run in the paper this weekend. (I can’t say it’s my favorite Matador-related piece to run in the Times this week, though – that honor goes here.)

Anyway. Watch the video!

There’s a TON happening in Jicksburg over the next week or so: The band will sign posters at Music Millennium in Portland this Saturday (August 20); we’re wrapping up a contest on Tuesday, while the band plays Amoeba in LA that same day (hmmm, might we tie those two things together somehow? Stay tuned…). From there they take the East Coast (or at least the East Village) by force: two New York City instores next Thursday, and an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday August 30th.

And theeeeeeeeen…Rock shows!

9/20 – Detroit, MI, Majestic Theater – tickets
9/21 – Toronto, ON, Phoenix Concert Theatre – tickets
9/22 – Ottowa, ON, Ritual – tickets
9/23 – Montreal, QC, Corona Theatre – tickets
9/24 – Boston, MA, Royale – tickets
9/26 – New York, NY, Terminal 5 – tickets
9/28 – Philadelphia, PA , Theatre of Living Arts – tickets
9/29 – Baltimore, MD, Ram’s Head Live – tickets
9/30 – Charlottesville, VA, Jefferson Theater – tickets
10/1 — Saxapahaw, NC, The Haw River Ballroom – tickets
10/2 – Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse – tickets
10/4 – Nashville, TN, Mercy Lounge – tickets
10/5 – Indianapolis, IN, Earth House – tickets
10/6 – Chicago, IL, Vic Theatre – tickets
10/7 – Milwaukee WI, Turner Hall – tickets
10/8 – Minneapolis, MN, Pantages Theatre – tickets
10/11- Seattle, WA, Neptune Theatre – tickets (with Ty Segall)
10/12 – Vancouver, BC, The Biltmore Cabaret – tickets (with Ty Segall)
10/13 – Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom – tickets (with Ty Segall)
10/16 – San Francisco, CA, Treasure Island Music Festival – tickets
10/19 – Los Angeles, CA, The Music Box – tickets (with Ty Segall)
10/20 – Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern – tickets (with Ty Segall)

Following one of the greatest videos of all time, Fucked Up (this time teamed with director Matt Eastman) tackle the legend of Byrdesdale Spa head-on in the brand new video from the album David Comes To Life (buy it). NPR presents the clip. Octavio, you bastard.

Fucked Up is on tour in Europe RIGHT NOW:

August
Monday 15 Hamburg, DE – Hafenklang
Tuesday 16 – Berlin, DE – SO36
Wednesday 17 – Munich, DE – 59 to 1
Thursday 18 – Weibaden, DE – Schlachthof
Friday 19 – Cologne, DE – Underground
Saturday 20 – Hasslet, DE – Pukklepop – Club Tent
Sunday 21 – Geneva, CZ – Usine
Monday 22 – Milan, IT – Magnolia
Tuesday 23 – Moscow, RU – 16 Tons
Wednesday 24 - Portsmouth, UK – Wedgewood Rooms
Thursday 25 – London, UK – XOYO
Friday 26 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival – NME Stage
Saturday 27 – Jyvaskyla, FI – Luttakko Liekeissa
Sunday 28 – Reading, UK – Reading Festival

September
Thursday 01 – Madrid, ES – MTV Madrid Beach

We’re proud and excited to present the first video from Father, Son, Holy Ghost, out September 13 and available for pre-order here.

The video was directed by Austin Rhodes of Heist Projects, with an assist from Matthew Kelleher and his 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible (see the description on YouTube for the video’s full credits).

Girls hit the road soon:

September
Saturday 03 – Los Angeles, CA – FYF Festival
Wednesday 14 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Thursday 15 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
Friday 16 - Nashville, TN – The Mercy Lounge
Saturday 17 -Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Monday 19 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Tuesday 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Thursday 22 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Friday 23 - New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Saturday 24 – Boston, MA – Paramount Center
Sunday 25 – Montreal, AL – Corona Theatre
Tuesday 27 -Toronto, ON – The Mod Club
Thursday 29 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Friday 30 - Madison, WI – Majestic Theater

October
Saturday 01 -Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Tuesday 04 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Wednesday 05 - Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
Thursday 06 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Saturday 08 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Sunday 09 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall

Today two legends of the game bring us their striking collaboration (via Huffington Post with a bit of backstory from the band) : I Touch A Red Button, a short film by David Lynch, is set to the song “Lights”, from Interpol‘s self-titled 2010 album (available digitally for an exceedingly reasonable price, as well as on LP and CD):

The band is still on the road, wrapping up a full year of hard work and ruling:

July
Wednesday 13 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Thursday 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Center
Friday 15 – Atlantic CIty, NJ – Borgota Music Box
Sunday 17 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium
Monday 18 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland
Wednesday 20 – East Rutherford, NJ – New Meadowlands Stadium
Friday 22 – Indianapolis, IN – IN The Vogue
Saturday 23 – Minneapolis, MN – TCF Bank Stadium
Monday 25 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Tuesday 26 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall for the Perf. Arts

The Todd Cole-directed video for “Baby’s Arms” debuts today, and it rules. Smoke Ring For My Halo is on-sale now at iTunes for $7.99 (physical albums are available here).

And, because we love you, here’s a “Baby’s Arms” track download to take away and enjoy:

For those who can’t get enough, take a peek behind-the-scenes at the making of the video:

Kurt has dates! Newbies in bold:

July
11th: Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA (with Woods) Tickets
12th: La Sala Rossa, Montreal, QUE (with Woods) Tickets
13th: Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ONT (with Woods) Tickets
14th: Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH (with Woods) Tickets Tickets
15th: Russian Recording, Bloomington, IN (with Woods) Tickets
16th: Subterranean, Chicago, IL (with Woods) Tickets
17th: Pitchfork Fest, Chicago, IL Tickets
18th: Varsity Theatre, Minneapolis, MN (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
21st: Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver, BC (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
22nd: Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle, WA Tickets
23rd: Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
25th: New Parish, Oakland, CA (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
26th: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
27th: Henry Miller Library, Big Sur, CA Tickets
28th: Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
29th: Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
30th: Casbah, San Diego, CA (with Thurston Moore) Tickets
31st: Rhythm Room, Tempe, AZ

August
2nd: The Loft, Dallas, TX Tickets
4th: Twilight Concert Series @ Pioneer Park, Salt Lake City, UT (with Thurston Moore) – FREE
5th: Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN Tickets
6th: 40 Watt, Athens, GA Tickets
7th: The Earl, Atlanta, GA Tickets
9th: Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC – Tickets
10th: Rock N Roll Hotel, Washington, DC (with Woods)
11th: Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ (with M. Ward)
12th: Williamsburg Waterfront, Brooklyn, NY (with Sonic Youth and Wild Flag) Tickets
18th: Pukkelpop – Hasselt, Belgium
20th: Festival de Paredes de Coura – Paredes de Coura, Portugal
21st: Rote Fabrik – Zurich, Switzerland
22nd: Manufaktur – Schorndorf, Germany
23rd: Berghain Kantine – Berlin, Germany
24th: Posten – Odense, Denmark
25th: Malmöfestivalen – Malmö, Sweden
26th: Club What We Do Is Secret @ Strand – Stockholm, Sweden
27th: Cafe Mono – Oslo, Norway
28th: Pusterviksbaren – Gothenburg, Sweden
29th: Tavastia – Helsinki, Finland
30th: Vega – Copenhagen, Denmark
31st: Nato – Leipzig, Germany

September
2nd: Into the Great Wide Open – Vlieland, Netherlands
4th: End of the Road festival – Dorset UK
5th: Sound Control – Manchester UK (+ Woods)
6th: Stereo – Glasgow UK (+ Woods)
7th: The Fleece – Bristol UK (+ Woods)
8th: Scala – London UK (+ Woods)
9th: Le Grand Mix – Tourcoing (F)
10th: Take Root festival – Groningen, Netherlands
11th: Doornroosje – Nijmegen, Netherlands
16th: Austin City Limits Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX

It was (will have been?) directed by Todd Cole. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look:

Buy Kurt’s new album Smoke Ring For My Halo.

Scott Cudmore directs the first video from Fucked Up’s David Comes To Life. His “Queen Of Hearts” is a spectacular reimagining of the song, shot on film in a remote schoolhouse in northern Ontario. Watch it in HD and full screen for best results.

Fucked Up start their East Coast tour this Thursday in New York, heading down to Atlanta and then back up through Chicago. West Coast follows starting July 22. Then Canada in August with Foo Fighters, and back to Europe for the rest of the month.

June:
Thursday – 23 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 – with Dinosaur Jr. and OFF!
Friday – 24 – Boston, MA – Royale Nightclub – with JEFF The Brotherhood, iceage
Sunday – 26 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Monday – 27 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Tuesday – 28 – Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Wednesday – 29 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Thursday – 30 – Nashville TN – Exit/In – with JEFF The Brotherhood

July:
Friday – 01 – St Louis, MO – Firebird – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Saturday – 02 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall – with JEFF The Brotherhood
Sunday – 03 – London, ON – Call The Office

Friday – 22 – Seattle, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party
Saturday – 23 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
Monday – 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Tuesday – 26 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
Wednesday – 27 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Saturday – 30 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Festival

August:
Tuesday – 09 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Center – with Foo Fighters
Wednesday – 10 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre – with Foo Fighters
Saturday – 13 – Sweden, Gothenburg – Way Out West
Sunday – 14 – Denmark, Aarhus – Voxhall
Monday – 15 – Germany, Hamburg – Hafenklang – Headline
Tuesday – 16 – Germany, Berlin – SO36 w/ OFF
Wednesday – 17 – Germany, Munich – 59 to 1 w/ OFF
Thursday – 18 – Germany, Weisbaden – Schlachthof w/ OFF
Friday – 19 Germany, Cologne – Underground w/ OFF
Saturday – 20 – Belgium, Hasselt – Pukkelpop – Club Tent
Sunday – 21- Switzerland, Geneva – Usine
Monday – 22 – Italy, Milan – Magnolia
Tuesday – 23 – Russia, Moscow – Flacken Design Centre
Wednesday – 24 – UK, Portsmouth – Wedgewood Rooms
Thursday – 25 – UK – London, XOYO w/ OFF
Friday – 26 – UK – Leeds, Leeds Festival – NME Stage
Saturday – 27 – Finland, Jyvaskyla – Luttakko Liekeissa
Sunday – 28 – UK, Reading – Reading Festival – NME Stage

davidcomestolife.com
Looking For Gold

Here’s your answer, in solo form, anyway.

If this isn’t enough to spearhead a U68 revival, I don’t know what it will take.  Thanks to Ricky Luanda for providing a link to the above clip for Chain Gang‘s ‘Cut Off The Drug Czar’s Head”, as heard on the 1993 Matador CD, ‘Perfumed’ (and more recently, on our sprawltastic ‘Matador At 21′ box set)

Today Cold Cave unveil the first video from their awesome new album Cherish The Light Years (available for purchase here).

The video was directed by Sebastian Mlynarski:

The Cold Cave road movement continues and includes some just-announced dates:

April
Friday 29 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 w/The Kills
Saturday 30 – Montreal, QC – Olympia w/The Kills

May
Sunday 01 – Toronto, ON – The Sound Academy w/The Kills
Tuesday 03 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Cafe w/The Kills
Wednesday 04 - Chicago, IL – Vic Theater w/The Kills
Thursday 05 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave w/The Kills
Sunday 08 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom w/The Kills
Monday 09 – Seattle, WA Showbox Sodo w/The Kills
Tuesday 10 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom w/The Kills
Wednesday 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore w/The Kills
Friday 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box At The Fonda w/The Kills
Saturday 14 – Pomona, CA – The Fox Theater w/The Kills
Monday 16 – El Paso, TX – Bombardiers
Wednesday 18 – Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar
Thursday 19 – St Louis, MO – The Luminary Center for the Arts
Friday 20 – Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
Saturday 21 – Columbus, OH – Wexner Center for the Arts
Sunday 22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox

July
Tuesday 12 – Brooklyn NY – Knitting Factory w/Cult Of Youth
Thursday 14 – Toronto ON – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern – w/Cult Of Youth
Monday 18 – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
Tuesday 26 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Sunday 31 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room

August
Monday 01 – Saint Louis, MO – Firebird
Tuesday 02 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
Thursday 04 – Washington DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Friday 05 – Philadelphia PA – Voyeur
Saturday 06 – New York NY – Bowery Ballroom

Photo by Magnus Aske Blikeng from the show at St Phillips Church in Manchester, UK

The new Esben and the Witch video premiered yesterday on Pitchfork with several awkward figures shot on location around the Sussex coast by Brighton, England where the band reside when not on tour.  The video provides both a visual representation of the Chorea affliction and a link to their Chorea EP artwork.

The Chorea EP is released tomorrow as part of Record Store Day and features a remix of ‘Eumenides’ by Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, along with the 18-minute long track ‘Corridors’ from their installation with Karl Sadler.

The band also tour mainland Europe next month, dates for those shows are below:

May

9th – Manufaktur, Schorndorf, Germany

10th – Mascotte, Zurich, Switzerland

11th – Spazio 211, Turin, Italy

12th – Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, Italy

13th – Plastic, Milan, Italy

14th – Covo, Bologna, Italy

16th – Palace, St Gallen, Switzerland

17th – Mousonturm, Frankfurt, Germany

18th – Doornroosje, Groningen, Netherlands

19th – Bitterzoet Club, Amsterdam, Netherlands

20th – Rotown, Rotterdam, Netherlands

21st – Charlatan, Ghent, Belgium

22nd – Les Nuits Botanique (Orangerie), Brussels, Belgium

24th – Gleiss 22, Munster, Germany

25th – Karlstorbahnhof, Heidleburg, Germany

26th – Atomic Cafe, Munich, Germany

27th – B72, Vienna, Austria

28th – Seewiesen Festival, Linz, Austria

29th – K4, Nurnberg, Germany

The first video from Kurt Vile’s new album Smoke Ring For My Halo (available for purchase here), directed by Ricardo Rivera and produced by Klip Collective:

Kurt Vile & The Violators are on tour now (and if you live in Athens, get to Wuxtry this Friday for a free acoustic instore):

April
Tuesday 05 – Gambier, OH – Kenyon College
Wednesday 06 – Nashville, TN – The End
Thursday 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/J Mascis
Friday 08 - Athens, GA – Melting Point w/J Mascis
Saturday 09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Music Hall w/J Mascis
Sunday 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle w/J Mascis
Monday 11 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Thursday 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Friday 22 - San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hills
Saturday 23 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar
Sunday 24 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
Monday 25 – Vancouver, BC – The Waldorf Hotel

May
Sunday 08 – Koln, DE – King Georg
Monday 09 – Munich, FR – Feierwerk
Tuesday 10 – Vienna, AT – Chelsea Club
Wednesday 11 - Berlin, DE – Festaal Kreuzberg
Thursday 12 – Copehagen, DK - Vega
Friday 13 – Aarhus, DK – Voxhaul
Saturday 14 – Minehead, UK – ATP Nightmare b4 Xmas
Sunday 15 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli
Monday 16 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
Tuesday 17 – Brussel, BE – Les Nuits de Botanique
Wednesday 18 - Gent, BE – Charlatan
Thursday 19 – London, UK – Corsica Studios
Friday 20 – Liverpool, UK – Sound City @ Kazimier
Saturday 21 – Glagow, UK – Stagg & Dagger Festival
Monday 23 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
Wednesday 25 – Bordeaux, FR – Place Saint Michel
Thursday 26 – Rennes, FR – Top of the Folk @ L’antipode
Saturday 28 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Festival
Sunday 29 – Istanbul, TR – Ghetto

Not much to add here. Directed by Tom Scharpling, full credits below. Purchase the New Pornographers’ fifth album, Together. The band hits the road in the US again soon. ENJOY:

Written And Directed By Tom Scharpling
Producers: Robert Hatch-Miller & Puloma Basu

Cast: Jon Wurster, Julie Klausner, Kevin Corrigan, Wyatt Cenac, Horatio Sanz, Ted Leo, John Hodgman, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Todd Barry, Donald Glover, Esther Crowe, Michael Lisk, Gabe Delahaye, Max Silvestri, Jay Norton, David Rosenblatt, Terre T., Anna Copacabana, Rob Cuthill, Brian Turner, Alex Scordelis, Jonathan Fernandez, Therese Mahler, Candace Mills, Christina Stanley, Christine Tadler, Owinema Biu, Chris Spooner, Jacob Wolk

Director Of Photography: Paul Yee
Editor: Joaquin Perez
Production Designers: Alex Brook Lynn & Elizabeth Ralston
Motion Graphics: Joe Posner
Hair & Makeup: Jess Coppa
Gaffer: Richard Giannotti
Colorist: Ben Murray
Sound Design: Matt Lewkowicz
Key PA: Paul Morse
Production Assistants: Greg Needham, Jacob Wolk, David Clarke
Additional Camera: Nick Wilson

Shot On Location At: Other Music, Seaside Lounge, Death By Audio

Earlier this week Esben and the Witch released Violet Cries in the UK and Europe, started their UK tour and played their first home-town show in the past 9 months at the Brighton Pavilion Theatre, which was filmed by the guys over at Tactful-Cactus.  As a taster of what to expect on their upcoming UK/EU/US tour dates, have a look at the live video below for ‘Marching Song’.  To pick up a copy of Violet Cries head to either the Matador Store or the band’s Big Cartel page, for some cheaper shipping if you’re outside America.

4th – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh (tickets)

5th – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (tickets)

7th – The Harley, Sheffield (tickets)

8th – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (tickets)

9th – XOYO, London (tickets)

11th – Botanique/Rotonde, Brussels, Belgium (tickets)

12th – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands (tickets)

13th – Gebäude, Cologne, Germany (tickets)

14th – Molotow, Hamburg, Germany (tickets)

16th – Loppen, Copenhagen, Denmark (tickets)

17th – Comet, Berlin, Germany (tickets)

19th – Route Du Rock Festival, Saint Malo, France (details)

21st – Point Ephemere, Paris, France (tickets)

March

Thu, 3/3 Washington, DC Red Palace

Fri, 3/4 Brooklyn, NY The Bell House

Sat, 3/5 New York, NY Mercury Lounge

Sun, 3/6 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall

Mon, 3/7 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie

Tue, 3/8 Pittsburgh, OH Brillobox

Wed, 3/9 Akron, OH Musica

Thu, 3/10 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle

Fri, 3/11 Toronto, ON Wrongbar

Sat, 3/12 Denton, TX 35 Conferette

Sat, 3/19 Austin, TX Mess With Texas

Tue, 3/22 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater

Wed, 3/23 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill

Thu, 3/24 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios

Fri, 3/25 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern

Sat, 3/26 Vancouver, BC The Waldorf Hotel

As we welcome the mighty Interpol back to their native shores today, we offer you three brand new live performance clips by our friends at Yours Truly.

Interpol – buy their excellent self-titled album here. Catch them on the road here(s):

January
Thursday 27 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum
Friday 28 – Seattle, , WA – The Showbox SODO
Saturday 29 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Monday 31 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre

February
Wednesday 02 – La Jolla, CA – RIMAC Arena
Friday 04 - Santa Barbara, CA – UCSB Events Center
Saturday 05 – Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
Monday 07 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
Tuesday 08 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Wednesday 09 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Friday 11 - St Louis, MO – The Pageant
Saturday 12 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
Sunday 13 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
Tuesday 15 – Toronto, ON – The Sound Academy
Wednesday 16 – Montreal, QC – The Metropolis
Thursday 17 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
Saturday 19 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston

April
Wednesday 13 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory
Thursday 14 – Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre
Friday 15 – Indio, CA – Coachella
Sunday 17 – Tuscon, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Monday 18 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theatre
Wednesday 20 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Thursday 21 – Austin, TX – Austin Music Hall
Friday 22 – Helotes, TX – Josabis Amphitheatre
Sunday 24 – Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont Club
Monday 25 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
Tuesday 26 – New Orleans , LA – House of Blues – New Orleans
Thursday 28 – Tampa, FL – The Ritz
Friday 29 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach
Saturday 30 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues – Lake Buena Vista

May
Monday 02 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Tuesday 03 – Charlotte , NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Wednesday 04 – Raleigh, NC – Disco Rodeo

July
Tuesday 05 – Chicago, IL - Soldier Field Stadium
Friday 08 - Montreal QUE, UE – Hippodrome
Saturday 09 – Montreal QUE, UE – Hippodrome
Monday 11 – Toronto ONT, NT – Rogers Center
Thursday 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Center
Sunday 17 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium
Wednesday 20 - East Rutherford, NJ – New Meadowlands Stadium
Saturday 23 – Minneapolis, MN – MN TCF Bank Stadium

As anticipation continues to grow for Esben and the Witch’s debut full-length Violet Cries (album out Jan 31 in UK/Feb 8 in US/Feb 23 in Japan, pre-order it here), Pitchfork brings us the band’s second breathtaking video (following last year’s awesome “Marching Song” clip). Both videos were directed by David Procter and Peter King of The Agenda Collective.

In other Esben news, the band is touring the US in March (with a couple of dips into Canada – see the just-announced dates below), as well as the UK and Europe in February. Tickets are hyper-linked where possible:

January
31st – The Louisiana – Bristol

February
1st – Pavilion Theatre – Brighton
2nd – Marc Riley Manchester Radio Show
3rd – Other Rooms – Newcastle
4th – Sneaky Pete’s – Edinburgh
5th – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
7th – The Harley – Sheffield
8th – Hare & Hounds – Birmingham
9th – XOYO – London
11th – Botanique/Rotonde – Brussels, Belgium
12th – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
13th – Gebäude – Cologne, Germany
14th – Molotow – Hamburg, Germany
16th – Loppen – Copenhagen, Denmark
17th – Comet – Berlin, Germany
19th – Route Du Rock Festival – Saint Malo, France
21st – Point Ephemere – Paris, France

March
3rd – Red Palace – Washington, DC
4th – The Bell House – Brooklyn, NY
5th – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
6th – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
7th – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
8th – Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA
9th – Musica – Akron, OH
10th - Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
11th – Wrongbar – Toronto, ON
12th – 35 Conferette – Denton, TX
19th - Mess With Texas – Austin, TX
22nd – Bootleg Theater – Los Angeles, CA
23rd – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
24th - Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
25th - Sunset Tavern – Seattle, WA
26th - The Waldorf Hotel – Vancouver, BC

Today, Oxfam and The New Pornographers have announced a partnership to help maintain awareness for the ever-developing struggle in the Gulf Coast region following April’s devastating oil spill and ensuing ecological crisis.

As part of their efforts to keep the plight of the Gulf Coast at the forefront of social consciousness heading into a new year, The New Pornographers and Oxfam have created a uniquely awesome music video for the NPs tune “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk”, that tells the story of the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill in Louisiana and Oxfam’s advocacy efforts on behalf of communities that rely on the coast for their livelihoods. Check it out and SHARE IT, please:

As we close out another calendar year, The New Pornographers and Oxfam respectfully remind you that the Gulf Coast oil spill was not a “2010 issue”, but remains the devastatingly persistent plight of a region, and truly an entire nation. For continued support of Oxfam’s efforts in the Gulf, check back here regularly.

Earlier this year Pitchfork filmed Glasser playing at CMJ as part of their #Offline festival, resulting in the above video. What you might notice is the option of choosing your camera angle, as there were 6 in the room you can select to watch each one individually, or all of them together (as seen above), allowing you to play director of the performance.

They run through the songs ‘Tremel’, ‘Home’ and ‘Mirrorage’, all taken from this years debut album Ring. You can head over to Pitchfork to see the videos now.

After taking a well-deserved break from touring over the new year, Glasser will head back to Europe for their most extensive tour there yet.