The KEXP Blog » Stars

Thursday News Threads

Zach, KEXP — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:09:22 +0000

Canadian indie pop group Stars will release The Five Ghosts, their fifth full-length studio album, on June 22nd, adding to the already impressive list of upcoming releases. This is their first since 2007’s In Our Bedroom After the War, and will be the first release on the band’s own new label, Soft Revolution.

By now, you should know about Beck’s crazy Record Club that has already brought together a number of notable artists in it’s relatively short history to record a cover of an entire album in a single day. Annie Clark of St. Vincent announced on her Twitter that she, Beck, Liars, and Os Mutantes worked on the most recent incarnation recently.

Of Montreal performed on a kid’s TV Show, Yo Gabba Gabba. They play an original song called “Bananas Rice Applesauce Toast” about taking care of yourself when you’re sick. Check out video, below, from their segment of the show.

British singer-songwriter/rock icon Billy Idol is heading back out on the road and will be debuting his new band along the way, as he travels this summer for performances at major music festivals throughout Europe. North American dates are set to be announced soon.

OutKast’s Big Boi just released a new video for his track, “Fo Yo Sorrows”, which additionally features George Clinton and Too $hort. It was directed by Zach Wolfe and Dr. Dax. Below!

Band of Horses have found a label and nailed down a release date for Infinite Arms: the disc, due May 18th, will arrive via Brown Records/Fat Possum Records/Columbia Records. The band co-produced the disc with Phil Ek.

Where is MGMT? Possibly having a private party with you! For 6 U.S. cities, the band is giving clues via this website to the secret location and a password, and the first 6 people to arrive at each one with the password will be “part of a very special MGMT experience,” whatever that might be. Yesterday’s New York clues seemed to be longitude/latitude coordinates leading to a remote spot outside of Poughkeepsie.

M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, otherwise known as She & Him, have just put out a video for their new single, “In the Sun.” Their new record, Volume Two, is out March 23rd. And, okay, this video is charming.

This Week In WTF: D’Angelo was arrested for solicitation, according to the New York Post. He reportedly offered an undercover policewoman $40 for oral sex in New York’s West Village at 2:30 a.m. Saturday night. Really? $40?!? What a cheapskate! In a statement, D’Angelo’s publicist said the singer would plead not guilty and reported he “is in good health and extremely excited about his forthcoming new album.” yikes.

Monday News Mash-Up

Justin Spicer — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:15:14 +0000

In the sorrow caused by the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett, many missed the passing of Sky Saxon, a member of the The Seeds as well as Source Family — the group associated with spiritual leader and folk mystery Father YaHoWha. L.A. Record has a wonderful eulogy from current Wilco fixture and friend of Saxon, Nels Cline.

As rumors of a lengthy Blur reunion persist, the group stokes the flames with the announcement of the release of limited edition recordings of the band’s upcoming July 2nd and 3rd Hyde Park shows in London. You can pre-order the 2xCD sets or MP3s but be prepared to give up a few pounds (in currency, not in weight though it’d be a marvelous diet).

Sigur Ros is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Icelandic release of Agaetis Byrjun by making available two exclusive live performances from the album’s original launch party concert at the Icelandic Opera House on June 10, 1999. You can signup for the their mailing list and download “Hafssol” and you can watch video of “Nyja Lagid” right here:

Yoko Ono will release Between My Head and the Sky September 22nd. The album will feature son, Sean Lennon, as well as the talents of Yuka Honda and Cornelius.

Amy Milan, better known as the lovely female chanteuse of Stars, is readying her second solo album, Masters of the Burial, for a September 8th release date. The follow-up to Honey from the Tombs will feature a guest appearance from Feist (she’s everywhere!) and a cover of Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.”

Billboard announced this week that the cause of Jay Bennett’s death was an accidental overdose of fentanyl. The pain killer is prescribed to alleviate chronic pain. It was widely discussed that Jay was awaiting a hip surgery before his May 24th death.

Forget the Night Ahead is the title of the upcoming LP by The Twilight Sad LP, due in late September. The band is already offering up the first single for download:

The Twilight Sad - Reflection of the Television (MP3)

Local doom behemoths sunn O))) have the West Coast in their sites with a planned tour that kicks off with a two-night stand at Neumos August 5th and 6th.

While Seattle gears up for Bumbershoot, our friendly neighbors to the south in Portland are readying their annual blowout, Music Fest Northwest. The September 16th-19th festival announced its line-up this week, which finds the newly reunited Sunny Day Real Estate at the top of an eccentric list that includes Girl Talk, Mudhoney, Explosions in the Sky, Bad Brains, and a list too long to reproduce in this space. That’s why clickable links were invented. Look for KEXP broadcasting from MFNW once again!

Since there are no new live performances on the late night talk shows this week, it’s a good time to get caught up on some you may have missed. Don’t miss these again:

Monday, June 29

David Letterman: Steve Earle (R 6/3/09)
Jimmy Fallon: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (R 4/15/09)

Tuesday, June 30

Take the night off

Wednesday, July 1

Conan O’Brien: Taj Mahal (R 6/9/09)
Last Call: Little Boots (R 3/4/09)

Thursday, July 2

David Letterman: PJ Harvey and John Parish (R 6/12/09)
Conan O’Brien: Neko Case (R 6/11/09)
Jimmy Kimmel: Phoenix (R 6/26/09)

Friday, July 3

Jimmy Fallon: Keane (R 5/26/09)
Last Call: N.A.S.A. (R 3/6/09)
Jimmy Kimmel: Bat For Lashes (R 6/24/09)

Thursday News Threads

RJ, KEXP — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:15:23 +0000

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).