The 2012 edition of our Singles Going Home Alone subscription series is almost done and dusted. After 7″‘s from Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks / L.A. Guns, OBN III’s, The Men, Wounded Lion and Jesu, SGHA #6 is Kurt Vile and Meg Baird performing a new version of ‘Constant Hitmaker”s’ “Classic Rock In Spring” backed with the duo’s cover of Michael Chapman‘s “Another Story”.
The 7th and final SGHA single of 2012 is bonus 7″ of two previously unreleased songs from the early 80′s Boston-based/Tampa-formed trio Primitive Romance, “Ice” b/w “Flags Drop”
The Kurt & Meg single will ship to subscribers along with the Primitive Romance single and a special commemorative tote bag in early December. SGHA 12 was limited to 750 copies and is completely sold out. However, we’re taking orders now for next year’s series.
For 2013, we’ll be doing a single every month, plus a special secret bonus 7″ at the conclusion, plus a yet-to-be-determined container for all the singles (wooden box? carrybag made from human flesh? a tote bag Altamont manufacture for free? ). The first single in the series is a pair of new songs from Cheap Time founder Jeffrey Novak, followed by an entry from Matador alumni Superchunk in February (one original backed with a cover of SS Decontrol’s “Glue”). The tentative schedule looks like this :
Info on the subsequent 6 singles is coming after the New Year, but we’re pretty excited by what we’ve got lined up.
US price for the 13-disc + MYSTERIOUS carrying case 2013 subscription will be $85 inclusive of shipping (12 X $5 plus $25 shipping) – subscribers will receive one single every month.
Canadian price is $95 inclusive of shipping, also mailed every month
Rest of world is $105 inclusive of shipping, however, we’ll be mailing those orders as installments of 3 singles every 4 months, otherwise the postage costs would be prohibitive.
Just like last time, we’re only making 750 subscriptions available. I think they make an awesome holiday gift, however that’s not meant to be a hint of any sort. I mean, I think I’m getting one for free. But if you don’t work for the label, you might wanna act fast.
Since 2006, Fucked Up have released a 12″ single on each Chinese New Year. Named after the beasts in the Chinese Zodiac, “Year Of The Tiger” is the latest in the series. The song is an progressive rock anthem featuring guest vocalists Jim Jarmusch, Annie-Claude Deschênes and Austra. It was produced by Shane Stoneback (Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells) during the sessions for last year’s critically acclaimed rock opera David Comes To Life. The 15-minute long track features the band’s well-known layers of guitar and roaring vocals, taken to a new level with the addition of piano, Jarmusch’s dark recitations and Deschênes’s gorgeous crescendos, in this menacing but uplifting story about the predation of predators.
The B-side “ONNO” is a 22-minute long palindromic drone. It explores new realms for the band, opening up new landscapes of space and hypnotic repetition.
The first recordings from the classic Guided By Voices lineup of Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos and Kevin Fennell hit the stores on November 22 with the Matador single from their upcoming self-released album “Let’s go Eat The Factory.” The single is called “The Unsinkable Fats Domino” b/w “We Won’t Apologize,” and you can download an MP3 of the A-side here:
On November 8, Kurt Vile will be releasing a brand-new 6-song EP on the 12″ vinyl and digital formats, entitled So Outta Reach. The EP contains 5 original songs initially recorded during the sessions for Smoke Ring For My Halo but not used for the album, which were reworked with producer John Agnello this summer. In addition, the EP contains a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Downbound Train.”
On the same day there will be a deluxe 2-CD version of Smoke Ring For My Halo with a new color cover. The deluxe CD will include the So Outta Reach EP on a second disc, all at the same price as a regular CD.
Kurt Vile hits the road again with his full band starting at Austin City Limits on Friday, September, and then continuing through to the West Coast with Bright Eyes. He then plays Northeast dates with the Flaming Lips in October, followed by blowout year-end shows in New York and Philadelphia to celebrate the EP and deluxe edition release in November:
Fri – 9/16 – Austin TX – Austin City Limits
Sat – 9/17 – Austin TX – Stubb’s – Bright Eyes (ACL aftershow)
Sun – 9/18 – El Paso TX – Tricky Falls
Mon – 9/19 – Albuquerque NM – Sunshine Theatre – Bright Eyes
Wed – 9/21 – San Diego CA – SOMA – Bright Eyes
Fri – 9/23 – Los Angeles CA – Hollywood Forever – Bright Eyes
Sat – 9/24 – Las Vegas NV – Boulevard Pool at Cosmopolitan – Bright Eyes
Sun – 9/25 – Santa Barbara CA – Santa Barbara Bowl – Bright Eyes
Mon – 9/26 – Reno NV – Knitting Factory – Bright Eyes
Wed – 9/28 – Seattle WA – Paramount Theatre – Bright Eyes
Fri – 9/30 – San Francisco CA – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Mon – 10/24 – Portland ME – State Theater – The Flaming Lips
Tue – 10/25 – Rochester NY – Main Street Armory – The Flaming Lips
Thu – 10/27 – Norfolk VA – The NorVa – The Flaming Lips
Fri – 11/11 – New York NY – Webster Hall
Sat – 11/12 – Philadelphia PA – Union Transfer
Though we’re just getting started with the new year we’ve already started counting down days again here as we eagerly await the street date of the debut Esben and the Witch album, Violet Cries, out on January 31st (UK/Europe) and February 8th (US, Rest of World). We’re so eager in fact, that we’ve got a great offer on at the Matador store where you can pre-order the CD or LP for just $10 which also includes a free poster!
Whilst we’ve been arranging that the band have been busy working on a new website that is now up at www.esbenandthewitch.co.uk, offering not only a glimpse to the booklet artwork but also a free download of an exclusive remix of ‘Marching Song’ by Snorkel.
The band start their UK and European tour on January 31st, with a full list of dates below.
By Belle and Sebastian on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
We are now less than 5 weeks away from the release of ‘Belle and Sebastian Write About Love’ – so no matter how much we’d like the album to be a huge Christmas Day style surprise for everyone on the day of release, the details will start appearing on your favourite online retailers soon and no doubt bits of the music will be permeating various media outlets.
So – first off here is the lead track – “Write About Love” - for everyone to listen to (or, if you are one of the first 20,000 visitors, to download). We sent it off to our Twitter follower @recordingtime yesterday – and she posted about it here
We hope you like it! Along with the rest of the album, it was recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year and produced by Tony Hoffer. It also features a guest vocal by Carey Mulligan. For those in the USA, the song is available on iTunes from today – if you are elsewhere, it won’t be released officially until after the album – 25th October in the UK.
If that is confusing, then things are a little more straightforward with the album! It comes out on the 12th October in the USA and Canada and the day before in the UK and most of the rest of the world -we’ll post any variations on these release dates nearer the time.
It is, of course, our third album for Rough Trade and was recorded in April and May at Sound Factory Studio B. Stuart wrote the majority of the songs and one (“Sunday’s Pretty Icons”) with Mick; Sarah wrote and takes lead vocal on “I Didn’t See It Coming” and “I Can See Your Future”; Stevie wrote and sings “I’m Not Living In The Real World”. The are also some guests – as well as the aforementioned Carey Mulligan, Norah Jones duets with Stuart on “Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John” and some orchestration is added by members of LA’s The Section Quartet.
The album will be available on CD, Gatefold Vinyl and digitally. The full track listing is:
I Didn’t See It Coming
Come On Sister
Calculating Bimbo
I Want The World To Stop
Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John
Write About Love
I’m Not Living In The Real World
Ghost of Rockschool
Read The Blessed Pages
I Can See Your Future
Sunday’s Pretty Icons
In addition, two bonus tracks, “Last Trip” and “Suicide Girl”, will be available as a 7 inch with the vinyl edition in most countries, and with all editions from selected retailers in the USA [including the Matador Store. Pre-order now.] A further song, “Blue Eyes of A Millionaire”, will be a bonus track with selected digital outlets. Full localised details of variations and pre-sales will all be added in due course.
Interpol‘s fourth, self-titled album is available for preorder RIGHT NOW on iTunes! Click here to pre-order, and you will receive an instant download of a brand new track: “Barricade”. You’ll also get a free download of “Crimewaves”, an exclusive track, that will only be available to those who purchase the album before the album’s street date (9/7) via iTunes.
You’ll be able to catch Interpol playing “Barricade” live on The Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday July 29.
ALSO: Interpol will be back on the road this fall!
Mon 10/18 Oakland CA Fox Theater
Thu 10/21 San Diego CA Soma
Fri 10/22 Las Vegas NV The Joint
Sat 10/23 Los Angeles CA The Greek
Mon 10/25 Denver CO Ogden Theater
Wed 10/27 Dallas TX Palladium
Thu 10/28 Austin TX Stubb’s
Fri 10/29 Houston TX Verizon
Sun 10/31 New Orleans LA Voodoo Festival
Mon 11/01 Atlanta GA Tabernacle
Wes 11/03 Washington DC Constitution Hall
Thu 11/04 Philadelphia PA Tower Theatre
Fri 11/05 New York NY United Palace
Following Pantha Du Prince’s re-work, we’re excited to unleash the lead-off track from Cold Cave‘s forthcoming remix EP, “Life Magazine (The Arthur Baker’s Not Going Back Mix)”. In this rare remix from Arthur Baker, legendary for producing Afrika Bambaattaa and New Order, we find “Life Magazine” transformed into epic, hard-hitting track poised to ignite many a dancefloor.
For those of you in New York City, Cold Cave will be playing two free outdoor shows this weekend. On Saturday (4/24), they play at Solar 1 and at Barnard College on Sunday (4/25) as part of 2010′s WBAR-B-Q, alongside Blues Control, Liturgy and Burning Star Core and others.
