Liars Pay Tribute to Steve Irwin, Launch Tour

Like so many of us, Liars are bummed about the death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. "Steve Irwin we'll miss u..missumissumissu." the band wrote on their website earlier this week. They're so bummed, in fact, that they posted a tribute song, entitled "Steve Irwin", on their MySpace page. Well, "song" is stretching it, since the track consists of a squall of distortion spliced with Irwin soundbytes. But this is Liars we're talking about, so we're sure it's as heartfelt as any sappy piano ballad Elton John would write.

Liars will share their grief with European audiences on a month-long tour starting tonight at the Soundforest Festival in Latvia. Joining them for most shows will be recent Kranky signees Deerhunter. [MORE...]

Video: Liars: A Visit from Drum (By Your Side)

Electric Six Take on North America
Danger! Danger! New Album!

Last week, a perplexing post popped up on the official Electric Six website: "In a tragic, yet intriguing, turn of events," it read, "Electric Six synthesizer player Tait Nucleus? this morning was administered the 'Chinese Cocktail' by a group of thugs who wanted him out of the picture.....permanently," it read. "However, every cloud is a lining. As long as he does enough crank and trucker speed, as long as keeps snapping peoples' necks and punching brick walls, he can live. He's gotta keep going.....keep moving......keep running.....fuck every person he sees, jump every motorcycle off of every drawbridge, jump out of every airplane, crash every car. Keep it up....1,000 percent of the time. Do that, and he'll be just fine....."

Wait a second...isn't that new movie Crank...ohhhhh, I get it. You jokers!

Electric Six will inject America with yet another dose of their silly disco-punk starting next week, when they release their SECOND album of the year, Switzerland, on September 12, courtesy of Metropolis Records. (It comes out in Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands on September 15, and in the UK "either September 25 or October 2", according to the band's website.) That same day, they'll kick off their "Swiss Vengeance Tour". So watch out.

On September 21, E6 will play the "South Park" tenth anniversary party in L.A. That's so...appropriate.

The band also has a new video for the track "I Buy the Drugs", which you may view here. What's that? The sound of speakers across the country being turned down at once? Five out of five stars! [MORE...]

MP3: Electric Six: I Buy the Drugs
MP3: Electric Six: Infected Girls

MSTRKRFT Kick off Tour

Now that Death From Above 1979 have called it quits, it's time to make do with the next best thing: bassist Jesse F. Keeler's other band, the disco duo MSTRKRFT. Following the release of their full-length The Looks on Last Gang Records earlier this year, Keeler and partner Al-P are boarding their mastercraft and speeding off on a fall tour, which kicks off tonight in NYC. [MORE...]

Video: MSTRKRFT: Easy Love

Cyann & Ben Prep Third Album, Tour

Dreamy French popsters Cyann & Ben are having a busy month. The former Gooom-ies are now signed to Ever Records, on which they released a four-song aperitif of an EP on August 14. The Sunny Morning EP featured two tracks from the band's forthcoming full-length-- "Sunny Morning" (which features vocals from Espers' Greg Weeks) and "Let It Play"-- in addition to two other completely new songs and a Sylvain Gouverneur-directed video for "Let It Play".

The full-length, Sweet Beliefs, is scheduled for a European release this coming Monday, September 11. The label's website calls the album more of the same "psychedelic, noble, fragile, pastoral, experimental and incandescent...otherworldly grandeur" we've come to expect from the deceptively named quartet. Ever Records is planning to release both the EP and the LP in the U.S. in early 2007, but exact dates have yet to be confirmed.

The band have also just announced European dates for the fall. They begin September 19 in Paris and end December 13 in Strasbourg. Needless to say, it's a French-heavy itinerary. [MORE...]

Video: Cyann & Ben: Sparks of Love (Live)
Video: Cyann & Ben: Sweet Beliefs trailer

Shearwater Migrate Eastward on North American Trek

MP3: Shearwater: Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five

Serena Maneesh Kick Off North American Tour

Serena Maneesh just scribbled a check mark next to "Europe", paving the way for their next to-do list item: North America. The Oslo crew has made its way to our shores for a fall tour, the first date of which will go down tonight at New York City's Bowery Ballroom.

As previously reported, Serena Maneesh have a bun in the oven-- the "Sapphire Eyes" single, due September 25 on Playlouderecordings. [MORE...]

Video: Serena Maneesh: Drain Cosmetics

Video: Mercury Prize Performances

While the Arctics did not perform at the Prize's posh gala Tuesday night, several other contenders did, including Thom Yorke, Guillemots, and Editors. Now, thanks to the magic of YouTube, folks an ocean over (and across the globe) have the chance to scope these los-- er, non-winners in action.

Yorke casts quite the spell with a haunting rendition of "Analyse", which somehow makes the massive award ceremony venue seem claustrophobic and desolate. Check that lovely death glare he gives the audience, too-- classic. Guillemots' Fyfe Dangerfield, meanwhile, hams it up with mad hatter attire and a pretty slick if slightly overblown performance of rollicking single "Trains to Brazil". Editors play it straight and kinda dull, dialing in "All Sparks".

And, for kicks, check out those mangy Monkeys, reluctantly chatting up their victory at a press conference.

Isobel Campbell to Lay Down Milkwhite Sheets
Exclusive MP3!

"The guy who mastered my album usually works on death metal records. He said it sounds 'satanic'! I was quite flattered..." You're not going to believe the source for that one, kids. Well, yes, a press release (duh), but the quote came from none other than ex-Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell.

The chanteuse has remained true to her word to put out two albums in 2006, and has announced the release of Milkwhite Sheets, due November 6 via V2 in the U.S.

Unlike album #1, the Mercury Prize short-listed, Mark Lanegan-co-credited Ballad of the Broken Seas, Campbell sings by herself on Sheets. In fact, one track, titled "Loving Hannah", features her voice over no instrumental accompaniment at all. Ooh, gutsy.

The album, recorded in tandem with and shortly after Ballad, was inspired by a variety of folk artists (Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs, Jean Ritchie) and features several Campbell-reworkings of traditional songs.

The fine folks over at V2 were kind enough to hook Pitchfork up with an exclusive track from Milkwheet Sheets, "O Love Is Teasin'". [MORE...]

MP3: Isobel Campbell: O Love Is Teasin

Photos: Comets on Fire [Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL; 09/03/06]

MP3: Comets on Fire: Dogwood Rust

Zach Hill and Rob Crow's Holy Smokes Prep Second LP
Holy smokes! An exclusive MP3!

The children of today are the future tomorrow (and the next day and the next), which is why all you moms and pops should Talk to Your Kids About Gangs. If you take your orders from the indie-noise supergroup Holy Smokes, that is. Need we mention that their first record was called Masculine Drugs? And it came with a book? That's what we thought.

The group, spearheaded by drummer extraordinaire Zach Hill (Hella/The Ladies/Team Sleep/Nervous Cop/Zach Hill and Mick Barr) and featuring Rob Crow of Pinback/Three Mile Pilot, Carson McWhirter of the Advantage, Jonathan Hischke of the Flying Luttenbachers, and co-conspirators Dan Elkan, Ian Hernandez, and J.R. Thompson, will release Talk to Your Kids, their Skin Graft Records debut on November 7.

Check out a sneak peak of the album with this exclusive download of the titanic noise-metal track "Quantum Leaper of Los Angeles County". You'll realize immediately why they signed to Skin Graft.

[MORE...]

MP3: Holy Smokes: Quantum Leaper of Los Angeles County

Love Is All Return to North America
Debut album gets re-released with wider distribution

MP3: Love Is All: Talk Talk Talk Talk

Pan Sonic Embark on Rare U.S. Tour

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