Quanah Humphreys reports:
In case you missed them the last time around or, you know, didn't get to reach out and touch enough faith, Depeche Mode have added a slew of Stateside and European dates to their "Touring the Angel" tour. The North American trek begins at Coachella, briefly dips into Mexico and Canada, and ends in our nation's capitol. In Europe, they'll play a bunch of festivals, just like every other band touring there in the summer.

New-school violators/black celebrators She Wants Revenge open the US and Canada shows.

Get personal with Jesus:

04-03 Wembley, England - Wembley Arena
04-27 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
04-29 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
04-30 Las Vegas, NV - Theater Under the Stars at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
05-02 El Paso, TX - Don Haskins Center
05-05 Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol Stadium
05-07 Monterrey, Mexico - Arena
05-10 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Amphitheater *
05-11 Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena *
05-13 Wantaugh, NY - Jones Beach Amphitheater *
05-14 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center *
05-17 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre *
05-18 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre *
05-20 Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata *
05-21 Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion *
06-02 Nuremberg, Germany - Rock im Park
06-04 Nurburgring, Germany - Rock am Ring
06-05 Hannover, Germany - Bremen Weser Stadion
06-07 Aarhus, Denmark - Aarhus Stadium
06-09 Warsaw, Poland - Legia Stadium
06-11 Bratislava, Slovakia - Inter-Bratislava Stadium
06-12 Budapest, Hungary - Puskas Ferenc Stadium
06-14 Ljubljana, Slovenia - Central Bezigrad Stadium
06-16 Imola, Italy - Heikeken Jamming Festival
06-17 Interlaken, Switzerland - Greenfield Festival
06-21 Sofia, Bulgaria - Locomotive Stadium
06-23 Bucharest, Romania - National Stadium
06-25 London, England - London Wireless Festival
06-26 Dublin, Ireland - The Point
06-29 Arras, France - Arras City Square
07-01 Belfort, France - Eurockeennes Festival
07-02 Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Festival
07-06 Kristiansand, Norway - Quart Festival
07-10 Locarno, Switzerland - Moon & Stars
07-12 Berlin, Germany - Waldbuhne
07-13 Berlin, Germany - Waldbuhne
07-15 Leipzig, Germany - Festwiese
07-17 Rome, Italy - Curva Olympico
07-19 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
07-20 Nimes, France - Antic Arena
07-22 San Sebastian, Spain - Estadio Anoeta
07-23 Benicassim, Spain - Benicassim Festival
07-25 Torrevieja, Spain - Parque Antonio Soria
07-26 Granada, Spain - Plaza de Toros
07-28 Lisbon, Portugal - Alvalarde Stadium
07-30 Istanbul, Turkey - Kurucesme Arena
08-01 Athens, Greece - Terra Vibe
08-03 Tel Aviv, Israel - TBA

* with She Wants Revenge

To remain relevant in a world where cassingles don't have quite the caché they once did, Dave Gahan and gang also plan to roll out DVD and SACD reissues of the Depeche Mode back catalog. Speak & Spell, Music for the Masses, and Violator are slated for an April 25 release. The remastering was supervised by each album's original producer, and they include 5.1 surround sound mixes, extra tracks, and bonus remixes like the unfortunately titled "Just Can't Get Enough (schizo mix)".

* Pitchfork Review: Depeche Mode: Playing the Angel
* Pitchfork News: Depeche Mode Announce North American Tour Plans
* Depeche Mode: www.depechemode.com

Ted Leo Launches Tour

Kati Llewellyn reports:
In keeping with March Madness (indie rock touring version), Ted Leo and his Pharmacists kick off a month-long American trek tonight in Brooklyn. Though Leo claims on his website that "the new stuff isn't as far along as I was dreaming it would be," a few of the more polished tracks look like they'll be popping up on set lists. We recommend you scope out "Army Bound" and "Some Beginner's Mind", demos Leo posted online a few days ago.

As previously reported, Leo recently joined forces with Touch and Go and is tentatively shooting for a fall release on his new label. Pitchfork spoke with the singer/songwriter earlier this month, and he explained, "I have close to a pretty solid amount of songs that would constitute a record, but I feel like I have some more ideas and I don't know if just because I have the right amount of songs that they should necessarily be the songs that come out on the next record. For the first time in my life, I actually want to give myself a little bit of time to make sure that I feel like it's the right batch of songs to put out."

Tour bound:

03-02 Brooklyn, NY - The Hook *#
03-03 Providence, RI - The Living Room *
03-04 Boston, MA - Paradise *%
03-05 New Haven, CT - Toads Place *
03-06 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar *^
03-07 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *^
03-08 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig *^
03-10 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub *^
03-11 Newport, KY - Southgate House *^
03-12 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *^
03-13 Little Rock, AR - Vino's *^
03-14 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room *^
03-15 San Antonio, TX - Sanctuary *^
03-16 Austin, TX - The Parish (SXSW) &
03-17 Austin, TX - Red 7 (SXSW) *+
03-18 Austin, TX - Emo's Annex (SXSW)
03-19 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *^
03-20 Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea's Cafe *^
03-22 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club *^
03-23 Charlotte, NC - Casbah at Tremont Music Hall *^
03-24 Washington, DC - Black Cat *^
03-25 Richmond, VA - University of Richmond (Tayler Hayne's Commons) *
03-26 New York, NY - Knitting Factory *^
04-30 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)

* with Les Aus
# with Direct from Hollywood Cemetery
% with Mad Man Films
^ with the Duke Spirit
& with Rogue Wave, Thunderbirds Are Now!, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Aloha
+ with Tralala, Lucero, Spider and the Webs, Ambulette

You might notice that Britain's Duke Spirit are joining forces with Leo a bit later than expected. Why? Visa troubles, of course. They're expected to make it into the country legally by March 6's Rochester show, which, conveniently, is only one day before their debut album, Cuts Across the Land, drops in the States.

* Pitchfork Review: Ted Leo/Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets
* Pitchfork News: Ted Leo Signs to Touch and Go
* Pitchfork News: Ted Leo Writes Showtunes, Plans Tour
* Ted Leo: http://www.tedleo.com/
* Touch and Go: http://tgrec.com/

Sigur Rós Announce More U.S. Dates

Greg James reports:
What's Hopelandic for "Never Can Say Goodbye?" Mere days after Sigur Rós wrapped up their latest United States tour, they've already announced yet another American jaunt. Kicking off at Coachella and covering the blue states they missed in February, the trek will last just two weeks. Then, it's back to Europe and Scandinavia for more festival dates.

The band is still supporting last year's Takk, and this will be their third trip to these shores since its release last September. They totally "like like" us!

In the meantime, Sigur Rós won't be lounging in the hot springs drinking Brennivin and text-messaging Björk; check out this ambitious schedule:

3-27 Manchester, England - Manchester Apollo
3-28 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
3-29 London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
4-02 Nagoya, Japan - Zepp
4-03 Osaka, Japan - Namba Hatch
4-04 Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya-Ax
4-05 Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya-Ax
4-07 Hong Kong, Hong Kong - Hitec
4-09 Perth, Australia - Perth Concert Hall
4-11 Melbourne, Australia - The Palais
4-12 Sydney, Australia - The Enmore
4-13 Byron Bay, Australia - East Coast Blues & Roots Festival *
4-15 Brisbane, Australia - The Tivoli
4-17 Auckland, New Zealand - St. James
4-29 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella) %
5-01 San Rafael, CA - Marin Center
5-03 Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall
5-04 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
5-05 Boise, ID - Big Easy Concert House
5-08 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
5-09 Chicago, IL - Civic Opera House
5-10 Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside
5-11 Detroit, MI - State Theatre
5-13 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
5-14 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
6-23 Eichenring, Germany - Hurricane Festival #
6-24 Beuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival #
6-28 Rättvik, Sweden - Dalhalla
6-29 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival $
7-01 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival

* with India.Arie, Amadou & Mariam, Bob Evans
% with Depeche Mode, Daft Punk (dance tent), Franz Ferdinand, Common, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Atmosphere, My Morning Jacket, TV on the Radio, Ladytron, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power, Animal Collective, etc.
# with Arctic Monkeys, Death Cab for Cutie, Elbow, Hard-Fi, Maximo Park, the Hives, the Strokes, more
$ with Morrissey, Animal Collective, Coldcut, Deftones, Franz Ferdinand, Lady Sovereign, the Streets, Tool, Kanye West, more

Sigur Rós' manager recently wrote in his tour diary on the band's official website that the guys have recorded four new songs, which will be bundled with Takk's "Saeglopur" on a forthcoming EP. It's tentatively scheduled to be released in Europe sometime in April (no word on a U.S. release yet).

The band's longstanding rivalry with George Clooney may rear its ugly head again, as the EP will possibly contain a video directed by Sigur Rós themselves, proving their double-threat status just as Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck did for him this past year. Ball's in your court now, Clooney-- let's hear you write some gauzy, atmospheric soundscapes and sing in a made-up nonsense language. Punk.

In other Oscar-related news, Sigur Rós keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson has scored the soundtrack to The Last Farm, nominated for a Best Live Action Short Film Oscar. Most likely the first and last movie nominated in that category that I'll know anything about other than its length.

* Pitchfork Review: Sigur Rós: Takk
* Pitchfork Feature: Interview: Sigur Rós
* Pitchfork Feature: Live: Sigur Rós
* Sigur Róshttp://sigur-ros.co.uk/

Gorillaz Come Alive (Again)

Rob Kleckner and Amy Phillips report:
Let's review the history of cartoon bands: Jem and the Holograms, Josie and the Pussycats, the Banana Splits, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Archies, MC Skat Kat, Faith Plus One, Crazy Frog, the Killers...oh wait, not the Killers. The makeup confuses me sometimes. My bad.

The evolution of animated rock stars will make another great leap forward this spring, when the human beings behind the shockingly popular Gorillaz put on a live performance extravaganza in New York City.

"Demon Days Live", slated to take place April 2 through 6 at Harlem's Apollo Theater, will present the simian band's 2005 album Demon Days in its entirety. In addition to lead (human) Gorilla Damon Albarn, the show will also feature Gorillaz guest stars De La Soul, Roots Manuva, the Happy Mondays' Shaun Ryder, the Pharcyde's Bootie Brown, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, and Ike muthafuckin Turner. Other guests are promised, but no word yet on Danger Mouse, MF Doom, or Dennis Hopper.

When the same show was staged last November in Manchester, England, all five nights sold out immediately. So that means you should be ready to buy tickets for the New York shows when they go on sale Friday, March 10 at 11 a.m. EST via Ticketmaster.

A DVD capturing the Manchester performances, Gorillaz: Demon Days Live at the Manchester Opera House, will be released by Parlophone in the UK on March 27.

And don't worry, these shows are not a replacement for the previously reported holographic Gorillaz tour currently in production for 2007-2008. That crazy miracle whip of science and music "will be a unique cross between live performance and a theme park experience, with the band fully present onstage, rendered in three eye-popping dimensions," according to the band's website.

We hope it's a helluva lot more exciting than that thing that opened the Grammys. Seriously, what's the point of going through all the trouble of manufacturing holograms when the end result is a band that looks as bored as the Strokes on the last date of a world tour?

In related news, NME.com reported earlier this week that Albarn and Gorillaz visual mastermind Jamie Hewlett are collaborating on a "circus production" entitled Monkey: Journey to the West, based on a Chinese legend. The show, scored by Albarn and written and directed by Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng, is scheduled to premiere at the Manchester International Festival on June 28, 2007. Apparently, acrobats, martial arts performers, Shaolin monks, and members of the Peking Opera are all involved.

World-changing event or disastrous culture clash? We shall see.

* Pitchfork Review: Gorillaz: Demon Days
* Pitchfork News: Gorillaz Come to Life!
* Pitchfork News: Gorillaz to Tour as Holograms in 2007
* Gorillaz: http://www.gorillaz.com/

Of Montreal Plan More Reissues

Matthew Solarski reports:
That Kevin Barnes is some kook! As the mastermind behind Of Montreal, Barnes has churned out more loopy records in the last 10-or-so years than Snapple has flavors or Wilt Chamberlain has illegitimate children. Which is to say, a crap-load.

Sad thing is, many of the earlier gems have drifted out of print, thanks in large part to The Great Kindercore Records Bankruptcy Fiasco of 2003, seemingly fated to eBay purgatory for eternity.

Or not! The fine folks at Polyvinyl Records have found these records awesome/interesting/odd enough to help them see the light of day once more, and they've opted to reissue three of Barnes' classics on this coming Tuesday, March 7. Frankly, the tracklist for The Early Four Track Recordings alone-- essentially a 'shroomed-out phantasmagoria starring Dustin Hoffman-- is reason enough to warrant its immediate reissue.

Of Montreal's second LP, The Bedside Drama: a Petite Tragedy, and mini-album The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower also get the redux treatment.

Disconnect these dots:

The Bedside Drama: a Petite Tragedy:

01 One of a Very Few of a Kind
02 Happy Yellow Bumblebee
03 Little Viola Hidden in the Orchestra
04 Couple's First Kiss
05 Sing You a Love Song
06 Honeymoon in Sanfrancisco
07 Couple in Bed Together Under a Warm Blanket Wrapped up in Each Other's
08 Cutie Pie
09 Panda Bear
10 Sadness Creeping Up and Scaring Away the Couple's Happiness
11 Please Tell Me So
12 My Darling, I've Forgotten
13 You Feel You Must Go, Don't Go!
14 Just Recently Lost Something of Importance
15 Hollow Room
16 It's Easy to Sleep When You're Dead

The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit's Flower:

01 You Are an Airplane
02 The Inner Light
03 When a Man Is in Love With a Man
04 If I Faltered Slightly Twice
05 Disguises
06 On the Drive Home
07 The Secret Ocean
08 I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through a Clear Glass Window

The Early Four Track Recordings:

01 Dirty Dustin Hoffman Needs a Bath
02 Dustin Hoffman Gets a Bath
03 Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating the Soap
04 Dustin Hoffman Scrubs Too Hard and Loses Soap
05 Dustin Hoffman Does Not Resist Temptation to Eat the Bathtub
06 Dustin Hoffman's Wife Comes Home
07 Dustin Hoffman's Wife Seems Suspicious About the Absent Tub
08 Dustin Hoffman's Feigns Ignorance of Missing Bathtub (There Is Only One R in Ignorrance)
09 Dustin Hoffman's Wife Calls in Detective to Dust for Porcelain Particules on Dustin Hoffman's Tongue
10 Dustin Hoffman's Tongue Taken to Police Lab Where It Is Used as Toilet Paper and Reading Material While on the Toilet (Naughty)
11 Dustin Hoffman Offers Lame Possible Explanation for Missing Bathtub (Front Cover)
12 Dustin Hoffman's Wife Makes A Sarcastic Remark, Cuts the Head off of a Duck, Places It Where the Tub Was and Begins to Groan (Growl)
13 Dustin Hoffman Becomes Indignant and Wets Himself
14 Dustin Hoffman Quits Bathroom and Climbs a Tree
15 Dustin Hoffman's Children Enter the Bathroom
16 Dustin Hoffman's Children Don't Enter the Bathroom

Good god, it even has alternate endings!

Give the hysteria a few minutes to dissipate and then do read on...okay, here we go: Suicide Squeeze will issue a tasty seven-inch of new Of Montreal material on March 21. Carved into fashionable marble wax and limited to 2,000 copies, these recordings have typically zany titles:

A1 Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da
B1 Noir Blues to Tinnitus

Actually, those are kind of disappointing after all that Dustin Hoffman business.

Finally, Of Montreal are right now in the midst of a sizable U.S. tour, sharing happy flower magic with giddy indie kids far and wide. Join their gay parade:

03-02 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom *^
03-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
03-04 Portland, ME - Space Gallery *
03-05 Cambridge, MA - Middle East *
03-06 Hanover, NH - Fuel Rocket Club *
03-07 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe #
03-08 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
03-09 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig %
03-10 Chicago, IL - Metro $
03-11 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club &
03-12 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground &
03-13 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck &!
03-15 Austin, TX - Emo's Main Stage (SXSW) +!
03-16 Austin, TX - TBA (SXSW)
03-17 Austin, TX - Beauty Bar *@
03-18 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's
03-24 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club ~

* with the M's
^ with Lilys
# with Lesbians on Ecstasy
% with Fashion Flesh
$ with Cloud Cult, Michael Columbia
& with Saturday Looks Good to Me
! with Serena Maneesh
+ with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Field Music, Voxtrot, Kiss Me Deadly
@ with Mates of State, Film School, Tiny Steps, What Made Milwaukee Famous
~ with Grand Buffet

* Pitchfork Review: Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins
* Pitchfork Review: Of Montreal: The Early Four Track Recordings
* Pitchfork News: Of Montreal Plan Massive Tour, Remix Record
* Of Montreal: www.ofmontreal.net
* Polyvinyl: www.polyvinylrecords.com
* Suicide Squeeze: http://suicidesqueeze.net/

Hot Chip Seduce America

Caroline Bermudez reports:
Here's how we like to picture the DFA offices: Patrick Nagel posters festooning the walls, turntables on desks, lasers everywhere. Or at least that's what we imagine while we listen to Hot Chip, the DFA's latest party-starters. In the world of these funky Englishmen, Prince croons alongside Ween, gangstas moan, and the Casio keyboard never died. Aw shit!

The London electro-soul-rap team hit the States this week for a month-long invasion, first supporting Stereolab, then hitting SXSW and M3, with a few headlining gigs in between. When they kick off tomorrow night in L.A., come early to check out Pitchfork Senior News Writer Jonah Flicker's band, Prayers. They're newsworthy!

Hot Chip are currently finishing up The Warning, their follow-up to 2005's Coming On Strong. It's due this spring on DFA/Astralwerks.

Their latest single, "Over and Over" is out now in the UK. The 7" features the B-side "The Girl in Me," the CD has a Justus Kohncke remix of the single and a track called "A Family in Here", and the 12" version has a Naum Gabo remix of the single and a new song, "Plastic". A live rendition of "Over and Over", along with remixes by the Earlies and Solid Groove are available for download (at 99 pence a pop) on the band's site. Oh, the paradox of choice.

Coming on strong:

03-03 Los Angeles, CA - Echo =
03-04 San Francisco, CA - Amoeba Records (in-store)
03-04 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore *
03-05 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom *
03-06 Seattle, WA - The Showbox *
03-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
03-09 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre *
03-10 Philadelphia, PA - Pure (Making Time party)
03-11 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom @
03-13 Allston, MA - Great Scott +
03-14 Montreal, Quebec - Club Lambi &
03-15 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace &
03-17 Austin, TX - Emo's Annex (Pitchfork/Windish Agency SXSW party) #%
03-18 Austin, TX - The Parish (Astralwerks SXSW showcase) #$
03-20 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
03-21 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
03-24 Miami, FL - Pawn Shop Lounge #!
03-24 Miami, FL - The Surfcomber Hotel (M3 Sunset Sessions) #^
05-15 Oxford, England - The Zodiac
05-16 Bristol, England - Fleece and Firkin
05-17 Birmingham, England - Academy 2
05-18 Manchester, England - Roadhouse
05-20 Nottingham, England - Stealth
05-21 Leeds, England - The Cockpit
05-23 Newcastle, England - Academy 2
05-24 Edinburgh, Scotland - Cabaret Voltaire
05-25 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
05-31 London, England - King's College LSU
06-01 Brighton, England - Concorde 2

= with Prayers
* with Stereolab
@ with Grand National, the Presets
+ with Small Sins, the Blanks
& with Born Ruffians, Cadence Weapon
# with the Juan Maclean
% Death Vessel, Jose Gonzalez, Ladytron (dj set), Spank Rock, Audion (dj set), Love is All, Rjd2 (dj set), Art Brut
$ with Sia, Small Sins, Radio 4
! with Soulwax, Booka Shade, DJ T, M.A.N.D.Y., Justice
^ with She Wants Revenge, Kudu, Jazzanova, DJ Marlboro, James Fucking Friedman, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Killa Kela

* Pitchfork Review: Hot Chip: Coming on Strong
* Pitchfork News: Hot Chip Coming to America
s* Hot Chip: http://www.hotchip.co.uk/
* DFA: http://www.dfarecords.com/

Ben Folds Tours the Heartland

Zach Vowell reports:
Ben Folds-- or at least his booking agent-- appears to have his finger on the pulse of his faithful audience. It's the Midwest or bust, Silverman!

The affably sardonic singer-songwriter will tour our nation's heartland (and some coastal cities) nearly a year after the release of his last album, Songs for Silverman. Reports on Folds' website message board indicate that his colleagues from Silverman, bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Lindsay Jamieson, will provide the backing instrumentation for all those ditties we all know and love.

For the first leg of the trip, Chicago singer-songwriter Chris Mills will open the shows. Mills' latest, The Wall to Wall Sessions, was recorded with 17 other Chi-town musicians during two and a half days of a blizzard, so maybe he'll turn his solo electric performances into tirades against the luxuries of summer. Probably not, but you have to admit it's easy to imagine Folds and Mills together in a summer job at a Pizza Hut dough prep counter.

Chris mills, Ben folds:

03-04 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
03-05 Moscow, ID - Kibbie Dome *
03-07 Omaha, NE - Omaha Music Hall *
03-08 Cedar Falls, IA - West Gym @ University of Northern Iowa *
03-09 West Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom *
03-11 Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre *
03-12 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom *
03-14 Decatur, IL - Kirkland Fine Arts Center *
03-15 Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion *
03-17 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room *
03-18 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater *
03-29 Winston-Salem, NC - Wait Chapel
03-30 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
04-03 Orono, ME - Maine Center for Arts
04-04 Providence, RI - Lupo's
04-07 Lewisburg, PA - Sokja Pavilion
04-10 East Lansing, MI - Wharton Center
04-11 Oxford, OH - Miami University
04-21 Ruston, LA - Thomas Assembly Center
04-22 Nashville, TN - Vanderbuilt University
04-26 Collingswood, NJ - Scottish Rite Auditorium
04-28 Knoxville, TN - Fiji Island
06-16 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival #

* with Chris Mills
# with Radiohead, Tom Petty, Beck, Cat Power, hippies

Additionally, Folds has plans to visit Australia at some point in 2006, though it's not certain yet when that will occur. But you can pretty much bank on it, 'cause apparently Folds has "adopted" Adelaide as a second home. Wow, adopting a whole city-- take that, Angelina Jolie!

* Pitchfork Review: Ben Folds: Songs for Silverman
* Pitchfork News: Ben Folds to Release Live DVD
* Ben Folds: http://www.benfolds.com

Cloud Room Tour With Film School, the National

Matthew Solarski reports:
Hey now now, it's that peppy band the Cloud Room, now now, they have that catchy song, now now, and they're going down down to New Jersey to rock your pants off, kiddies.

And they won't stop there! Won't stop in Jersey that is, pervs. No sir, they'll continue to rock the buttons off the trousers of citizens across North American, beginning tonight. Joining them for most dates on this melodious de-pants-ing parade are atmospheric brooders Film School, supporting their recent self-titled release. Also on board for four shows are the National. Be sure to clap your hands and, you guessed it, say "Yeah!" a lot to them. They'll love it. After this U.S. trek, the Cloud Room take Australia by storm.

The smash that could be:

03-04 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's *
03-06 Cambridge, MA - TT the Bear's *
03-07 Philadelphia, PA - The Fire *
03-08 Washington, DC - Black Cat *#
03-09 Providence, RI - Century Lounge *
03-10 Wellesley, MA - Wellesley College *
03-11 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
03-14 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone *
03-16 Austin, TX - Buffalo Billiards (Bigshot Touring SXSW Showcase) $
03-21 Montreal, Quebec - Main Hall ^
03-22 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern ^
03-23 Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection ^
03-24 Chicago, IL - Double Door ^
03-25 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
03-27 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
03-28 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
03-30 Portland, OR - Dante's
03-31 San Francisco, CA - Slim's (Noise Pop Festival) *
04-01 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *
04-02 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
04-04 Austin, TX - Emo's %
05-03 Lismore, Australia - University of New England &
05-04 Armidale, Australia - Southern Cross University &
05-05 Brisbane, Australia - Tivoli Theatre &
05-06 Gold Coast, Australia - Coolangatta Hotel &
05-10 Canberra, Australia - Canberra University &
05-11 Wollongong, Australia - Wollongong University &
05-12 Sydney, Australia - Metro Theatre &
05-13 Sydney, Australia - Eastwood Hotel &
05-16 Ballarat, Australia - Karova Lounge &
05-18 Melbourne, Australia - Corner Hotel &
05-19 Melbourne, Australia - Corner Hotel &
05-20 Adelaide, Australia - Gov Hindmarsh &
05-21 Adelaide, Australia - Gov Hindmarsh &

* with Film School
# with the Rogers Sisters
$ with Sound Team, the Tyde, Mazarin, Earlimart, Nethers
^ with the National
% with Asobi Seksu
& with End of Fashion

Fellow edifice-band Film School have a few dates of their own, sans their Cloudy buddies. No one without a black beret and designer sunglasses will be admitted, and goatees will so get you backstage:

03-02 Chicago, IL - Schubas !
03-03 Detroit, MI - Lager House
03-12 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03-16 Austin, TX - Club Deville (Beggars Banquet SXSW Showcase)
03-17 Austin, TX - Beauty Bar (Jane Magazine SXSW party) +
03-18 Austin, TX - Gallery Lombardi (Hi Dive SXSW party) @

! with Kiss Me Deadly, Lying in States
+ with Nada Surf, Mates of State, Of Montreal, the M's, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Tiny Steps
@ with Dressy Bessy, the M's, Ester Drang, Pall Jenkins, Bright Channel

* Pitchfork Feature: The Smash That Wasn't
* Pitchfork Review: The Cloud Room: The Cloud Room
* Pitchfork Review: Film School: Film School
* The Cloud Room: www.thecloudroom.com
* Film School: www.filmschoolmusic.com

Fire Engines Issue New Single, Play Gigs

James Gregory reports:
The hottest post-punk band in Scotland is...the Fire Engines! What, you were expecting someone else?

The legends, who have been caught up in a bit of a revival recently thanks to the props bestowed on them by Franz Ferdinand and others, will release a new vinyl-only single on Domino in the UK on March 20. "Discord" and its B-side, "Candyskin", were recorded at the band's first John Peel session 25 years ago. The rarely-sighted Fire Engines have also announced plans to play some gigs in support of the single and last year's Codex Teenage Premonition compilation on Domino. The first one will take place this Saturday, March 4, at the Islington Mill in Salford, England. That same day, the Marc Riley show on BBC 6 Music will broadcast a radio session by the band, recorded live.

On April 28, the Fire Engines will perform alongside the Sun Ra Arkestra, Bricolage, and a Future Pilot AKA DJ Set at the Liquidroom in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of this year's Triptych Festival.

The Fire Engines released a split single with Franz Ferdinand last year on which each band covered one of the other's songs. Franz did the Fire Engines' "Get Up and Use Me" on the A-side, and the Fire Engines took a stab at Franz's "Jacqueline" on the B-side. Naturally, the limited-edition 7" is long sold out.

* Pitchfork News: Fire Engines Compilation Expanded for U.S. Release
* Domino UK: http://www.dominorecordco.com/
* Domino USA: http://www.dominorecordco.us/

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