- Want to get in Alison Goldfrapp‘s pants? Maybe Nick Cave‘s? Or Sacha Baron Cohen‘s? Guardian writer Simon Hattenstone requested signed skivvies from many celebs for an Ebay fueled fundraiser for New North London Synagogue. You can view all the available undies here. No comment on where these have been.
- Neil Young‘s long awaited Archives Vol. 1: 1963-1972 (Warner/Reprise) is now available for preorder and will hit stores June 2. Three versions are available: a Blu-Ray edition priced at $299.99, a DVD edition for $199.99, and an eight-disk CD edition for $99.99. If you preorder, you’ll get some goodies, like a special 7″ single. Visit the preorder page for the full tracklist and more info. Here’s a new video to inspire you to.. ahem... “Cough Up The Bucks”:
- Elvis Costello has also set a June 2 release date for his upcoming Americana album Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane (Hear Music). The album features songs originally written for Johnny Cash and features Emmylou Harris on a track.
- Dinosaur Jr. has set the release date of their upcoming album Farm for June 23 on new label Jagjaguwar. Check out the trippy cover art; you have to wonder what they’re “farming”.
- To celebrate the re-release this week of Pearl Jam‘s flannel waving classic Ten, MTV2 tapped a handful of artists to cover songs from the album. Among them was Minneapolis rapper P.O.S., who performs “Why Go” in his bedroom in the video below. If you’re feeling like you need a genre refresher, check out the Grunge primer on Newsweek’s Pop Vox blog.
- The Shins have had a busy week, announcing a short May tour with two dates at the Showbox at the Market, May 4 and 5. Also, amid the rumors of a split with Sub Pop, clarification has been given: The Shins’ contract has expired with Sub Pop and the band is on a “writing hiatus” with no definite future plans.
- In more tour news, Glasgow band Camera Obscura has set a North American tour with a June 6 date at the Showbox at the Market. These folks haven’t been to the US in a while, so be sure to check them out.
- Some big news from the Arts & Crafts camp in Toronto: Stars co-frontman Torquil Campbell has started a new project with Apostle of Hustle‘s Julian Harris Brown, entitled Dead Child Star. Don’t fret Stars fans; he also announced that the Stars will align in April to begin work on a new record. In other Arts and Crafts news, Metric has a new video for their single “Gimme Sympathy”; check it out below as you wait for their upcoming record Fantasies, out April 14 (and released in the US by Metric themselves).
