Pitchfork has partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for "In Sight Out", an ongoing conversation series about new perspectives in music, art, and culture. We're happy to announce the first events, which will feature artists in conversation with Pitchfork contributors.
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy will discuss his work with Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief Mark Richardson on July 16 at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $10 ($8 for MCA members and $6 for students) and are available here. Wilco headline this year's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago's Union Park on Friday, July 17.
Jack White's label, Third Man Records, currently operates a store in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, Third Man has announced it will open a store in Detroit, Michigan, where White is from. The store is set to open by November 27, Black Friday.
The store will open through a partnership with Shinola, the luxury goods retailer that operates a flagship store in Cass Corridor, one of the city's historic districts and where White went to high school and the White Stripes played their first ever show. Shinola and White recently purchased the building at 441 W. Canfield St. that houses their flagship, which is where Third Man will open.
"From the great visual artists like Gordon Newton to the music of the Gories, and the birth of the Detroit garage rock scene, the Corridor has nurtured Detroit's soul and inventiveness for decades," White said in a press release. "That spirit pushes forward with Shinola's passion and will come full circle for the artists of the Corridor that work with Third Man Records to plant a new foundation there to help keep that creative spirit alive for decades to come."
Chicago rapper Lil Durk has dropped a visual for "What Your Life Like", the latest single from his new album Remember My Name, which is out this week. The clip was directed by Eif Rivera and shot in Chicago; it combines performance scenes with footage from around his neighborhood. Check it out below.Lil Durk will celebrate the release of Remember My Name with two shows this week: tonight at New York's Irving Plaza and tomorrow at Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia.
Remember My Name:
01 500 Homicides
02 Amber Alert
03 Like Me [ft. Jeremih]
04 Lord Don’t Make Me Do It
05 Don’t Judge Me
06 Tryna Tryna [ft. Logic]
07 Higher
08 Resume
09 What Your Life Like
10 Why Me
Yo La Tengo are back with a new album to follow 2013's Fade. It's called Stuff Like That There, and it's out August 28 via Matador. It features re-recorded versions of some of their old songs as well as covers of the Cure, Hank Williams, the Parliaments, Sun Ra, the Lovin' Spoonful, Darlene McCrea, and others. Listen to their cover of "Automatic Doom", a song by Special Pillow (the 1990s Hoboken band that featured Yo La Tengo's James McNew), below.
Stuff Like That There is a sequel of sorts to Fakebook, Yo La Tengo's 1990 album which also featured covers and re-workings of older songs. The official bio was written by Lambchop's Kurt Wagner—read the whole thing below the album's tracklist and the band's world tour dates. The album cover, above, was painted by Georgia Hubley.
If you pre-order via Matador, you'll get a full-print tote bag, a cassingle featuring unreleased songs, and other "mystery stuff".
Stuff Like That There:
01 My Heart's Not in It (Darlene McCrea)
02 Rickety
03 I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams)
04 All Your Secrets (remake of track from Popular Songs)
05 The Ballad of Red Buckets (remake of track from Electr-o-pura)
06 Friday I'm in Love (The Cure)
07 Before We Stopped to Think (Great Plains)
08 Butchie's Tune (The Lovin' Spoonful)
09 Automatic Doom (Special Pillow)
10 Awhileaway
11 I Can Feel the Ice Melting (The Parliaments)
12 Naples (Antietam)
13 Deeper Into Movies (remake of track from I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One)
14 Somebody's in Love (The Cosmic Rays with Le Sun Ra and Arkestra)
Yo La Tengo:
06–26 Calgary, Alberta - Sled Island Music & Arts Festival
09-04 Barcelona, Spain - Tibadao Live Festival
09-05 San Sebastian, Spain - Kutxa Kultur Festibla
09-23 Troy, NY - Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
09-24 Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
09-25 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
09-26 Durham, NC - The Carolina Theatre of Durham
09-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-29 Millvale, PA - Mr. Smalls Theatre
09-30 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10-02 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
10-03 Boston, MA - The Wilbur Theatre
10-15 Dublin, Ireland - National Concert Hall
10-16 Glasgow, Scotland - The Garage
10-18 Bristol, England - Colston Hall
10-19 Coventry, England - Warwick Arts Center
10-20 London, England - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
10-23 Paris, France - La Cigale
10-24 Holland, Amserdam - Paradiso
10-25 Leuven, Belgium - Het Depot
10-27 Berlin, Germany - Heimathafen
10-28 Koln, Germany - Kulturkirche
10-30 Bologna, Italy - Teatro Antoniano
10-31 Rome, Italy - Parco Della Musica
11-05 Chicago, IL - The Vic Theatre
11-06 Madison, WI - Barrymore Theatre
11-07 Minneapolis, MN - Pantages Theatre
11-09 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
11-13 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel
11-14 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
11-18 Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
11-20 Seattle - Neptune Theatre
11-21 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre
Bio by Lambchop's Kurt Wagner:
“There is power in knowledge learned and perceived jointly then presented as an original sin” (1)
It seems like almost every other spring one of the robins in our front yard builds a nest on our front porch. It’s always in the same spot above a column in a corner. This is one of those years. A nest appeared as it always has and in time three baby robins poked their heads above the lip of the nest with their beaks pointed to the sky, open wide and requiring. I took to calling those chicks Georgia, Ira, and James. They are in my eyes.
Like the nest, the arrival of a new Yo La Tengo record is a wonder of nature indeed. Constructing in their own fashion a nest for the making of recordings in a comfortable, familiar setting. Assembled from a variety of materials both natural and synthetic, their nest is a strong one. Yet unlike the bird’s nest held together by poop, theirs is a nest that rarely needs such an adhesive to some relief. With occasion, the splendid nature of both endeavors requires the new and its relations.
Between us I honestly wondered if either would in fact return at all following Fade and a tough winter. But I’m a dumbass. The robins showed up again this year and the trio has returned to a concept from which in nineteen ninety they made another F-word-titled record: Fakebook. It was the first record by them I ever heard.
That was nineteen ninety three or four.
It’s now twenty fifteen and I’ll be damned.
Stuff Like That There.
Time has an unfunny way of moving pretty fast as we move with it. As artists we benefit from the accumulation of experience. A professor once told me “most artists only have maybe two or three ideas through the course of their lives. Try as they might they are doomed to repeat and refine those ideas. Sometimes they turn out to be good ideas.” That guy was full of beans but the notion of it gives me pause from time to time. What if he’s right?
Stuff Like That There may well be a 25th anniversary sequel to the idea of Fakebook but to my ears it makes a case for simply returning to what moved Yo La Tengo to make things in the first place: embracing the people who they still hold close and making a spirited noise about it.
Does it not sound like fun to work with old friends like guitarist Dave Schramm and engineer Gene Holder? It also seems like a good way to try something “McNew,” like James McNew on upright bass, an elemental contribution whose significance cannot be overstated. With Fakebook as template, Stuff Like That There is a record with ties to the past which contribute to the sound they make furthered by an affinity for the sounds they love. Somehow they compose the already composed by return. It's clear-eyed. It's clever and concealed.
Rare is the band that can cover themselves. Rarer is the band that would even think of it and rarer still is a band that would return to the conception and re-imagine its first breakthrough record. Someone may have read recently that old quote about how “in not knowing history one is doomed to repeat it.” There’s not another band that I know that is less doomed than Yo La Tengo.
I thought it would be a good idea to listen to this record while writing the bio for it. It’s not. It is distracting. I drift away from the virtual page and fall deep into the virtual sound. Suddenly all sounds are amplified all around me, my dogs are barking and I’m in love all over again. “All Your Secrets” is playing and I hallucinate that the intro is from one of my old songs. I searched “Automatic Doom” to see what “cover” it was and it appears to be a song by either @mistersparrow or Special Pillow. My money is on the pillow though both are in the same key.
“Awhileaway” has got to be an original, I wrote one recently with the same title. Lucky for me I abandoned it. “I Can Feel The Ice Melting” turns out to be a Parliaments song. And “Naples” seems pretty dang original to me and it was originally by Antietam. “Somebody’s in Love” is a Sun Ra song. Darlene McCrea’s “My Heart’s Not In It” kicks things off and The Lovin' Spoonful gets a nod with “Butchie’s Tune” (I still wonder who Butchie was). For me, my favorite track on the record is “Before We Stop To Think,” a cover of the great Great Plains. In a way it is the one that sums up their approach at its best.
One thing I’ve noticed is that once you learn who these songs are by originally it some how makes you seem much smarter when you can reveal its origin to another listener. Imagine yourself saying, “yes, it’s a great song and it’s by Great Plains!”
It makes you the wiser. Yo La Tengo choose sources that make you enriched if not empowered. There’s a word I swore I’d never use.
Power up, people, this is stuff like that there.
Cordially,
(1)Kurt Wagner
Watch Yo La Tengo play "Here to Fall" on a rooftop via Pitchfork.tv:
Afropunk Festival returns to Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park August 22-23. The initial lineup has now been announced. Headliners include Grace Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, and Danny Brown. Kelis, Suicidal Tendencies, Kele, Thundercat, Cakes Da Killa, Gold Link, Petite Noir, Kaytranada will also perform, along with many others. A second festival has been scheduled for October 3-4 in Atlanta's Central Park; that lineup is TBD.
Jones will headline the first-ever Afropunk Ball to benefit the Afropunk Global Initiative, which pushes for “a holistic, democratic and enlightened representation of people of color within all facets of society with the goal to create unique programming that encourages diversity in media”.
Unlike past years, tickets for this year’s Afropunk must be purchase, or earned via a community service iniative called the Afropunk Army. By doing one of a number of projects – landscaping, meal preparation and serving, advocacy, and more – you can earn a spot in the crowd.
Barnett is currently the subject of Pitchfork.tv's Contours series, which offers an inside look at behind-the-scenes moments on the road as they occur in real time. Tune in here until Sunday, June 7 for regular updates from the road.
Beak> – Geoff Barrow's not-Portishead band – are putting out a split EP...with themselves. The four-track offering, out this July via Barrow's Invada label, features two tracks from Beak> (Barrow, Billy Fuller, and Matt Williams), and two tracks from <Kaeb, which is being described as Beak>'s "alter-ego" featuring "an ever expanding and floating membership." <Kaeb's "There's No One" features vocals by Jonwayne.
The split EP follows 2012's album >>. Earlier this year, Barrow scored the film Ex Machina. Beak> will score the upcoming film Couple in a Hole, directed by Tom Geens. Beak> also have a few shows coming up; find the dates below.
BEAK>:
01 The Meader
02 The Broken Window
<KAEB:
01 When We Fall
02 There’s No One [ft. Jonwayne]
Beak>:
06-26 Brussels, Belgium - Out Loud @ Beursschouwburg
06-27 Paris, France - Petit Bain
06-28 Metz, France - Tcrm-Bilda
06-29 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Muziekgebouw Aan Tij
06-30 London, England - Roundhouse *
Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford fronts a band called Future User, and his new music video features actual footage of him getting spinal surgery, Stereogum reports. The video for "Voodoo Juju", co-directed by Ian Clampett and the band, is a satirical criticism of the health care industry. It features Tom Morello as a money-focused American doctor and Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as friendly Canadian doctors.
Of course, the clip cuts between comedic footage with Morello and the actual, graphic shots of Commerford's surgery.
Commeford talked about the clip in a statement (via Blabbermouth.net):
"I got the idea for the video after I ruptured a disc in my back and needed emergency surgery. As someone who often goes under the knife, I've always been a bit overwhelmed by the process, paperwork, approvals and costs. Luckily, I have insurance, but it got me thinking about all the people in this country who can't afford medical treatment. I read an article recently that said there are over 40 million uninsured people living in the States, which is insane. I talked my doctor into letting me shoot the surgery, then explained the concept to Tom [Morello], who was totally into the idea. And of course, you can't talk about universal health care without bringing Canada into the conversation, so I called Geddy [Lee] and Alex [Lifeson] and asked if they'd be part of it and was blown away when they said yes. And all that footage of my back being opened up is real, no joke."
As you ride around on your Daft Punkskateboard while wearing your Daft Punk T-shirt and belt buckle, do you get the feeling that something's missing? How about a Daft Punk hat, Frisbee, or yo-yo? Lucklily, the Robots have you covered—they're now selling those things, too. Check out the ads for the new merch above and below.
During St. Vincent's live shows, Annie Clark likes to climb. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well last night. When she started climbing a speaker stack during her show at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, she fell. Although she was cut, she got up and finished the show. There's video of the incident below—it's scary stuff! Watch it via Stereogum.
Next week, Faith No More will release expanded reissues of 1989's The Real Thing and 1992's Angel Dust. Each album comes packed with rarities, B-sides, and live cuts. Listen to every bonus track from the Real Thing reissue, including their cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", below via Rolling Stone.
The bonus disc features remixes of "Epic", "From Out of Nowhere", and "Falling to Pieces". There are live versions "Surprise You're Dead", "Chinese Arithmetic", "Underwater Love", and "As the Worm Turns". It also includes B-sides "Cowboy Song" and "The Grade".
Method Man is releasing his new album The Meth Lab on August 21 via Hanz On/Tommy Boy. The album features guest spots from Raekwon, Redman, Inspectah Deck, Hanz On, Streetlife, and others. Watch the animated and violent "Breaking Bad"-themed album trailer below via Nerdist.
The LP will feature production from Ron Browz, Allah Mathematics, J57, and 4th Disciple. A limited double LP will be pressed on "Crystal Blue Virgin Vinyl".
In an interview with Nerdist, Method Man talked about his Staten Island focus on the new album.
I wanted this one to be a platform for more Staten Island artists to be heard that aren’t getting heard, because you know if it isn’t Wu Tang–I mean, we never blocked anyone from trying to get a record deal. I mean the way the record industry works is, if something’s not broke, don’t fix it. Bottom line is there’s a lot more talent to be heard from Staten Island outside of Wu Tang artists, and these kids are dope. I wanted to just give them a platform to be heard.
It's unclear exactly what role they play in the new service, which is expected to be unveiled at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference next week. Some rumors indicated that they're signed on as "guest DJs" for a rebooted iTunes Radio. According to Billboard's sources, the rumor going around that Drake is being paid $19 million by Apple is untrue.
Drake was reportedly approached by Jay Z to be one of Tidal's artist partners. In Jay Z's recent "Tidal Freestyle", he alluded to asking Williams for advice.
Pitchfork.tv's "Director ID" series, a collaboration with Portuguese music and arts television network Canal 180 that profiles some of the best directors working in music videos today, continues with new episodes. The latest features Claire Marie Vogel, who's directed clips for Mikal Cronin, Iron and Wine, MUTEMATH, Atlas Genius, and more.
In this episode, Vogel discusses her drive to present true-to-life cinematic reflections of the songs she sets to film. She also discusses the surrealist aspects of her work, and how such insights stem from her own personal experiences.
This fall, you can have your dreams reenacted in real life by the members of DIIV... for the low, low price of $10,000.
It's part of a fundraiser for Houseworld, a self-described "immersive theater performance" created by artist Andrew Hoepfner that takes audience members through a historic Brooklyn property, interacting with characters (such as "The Bathtub Guru" and "The Spirit In The Attic") who "each represent a different facet of the human psyche."
Houseworld's upcoming season is being funded through Kickstarter. One of the rewards is listed as "Describe a dream you've had. When you attend this coming season of Houseworld, your dream will be reenacted for you by the band DIIV. Act fast, as are only three experiences available.
According to the Kickstarter page, the fundraiser seeks to transform the show into a long-running performance, publicized and open to the public (previously, it was invite-only).
The follow-up to 2011's The Rip Tidewasrecorded last winter in Brooklyn by Condon, bassist Paul Collins, and drummer Nick Petree. According to a press release, its creation followed a physical and mental breakdown Condon suffered in Australia in 2013, as well as a divorce. "I had completely broken down and my body was making me pay for it," Condon said in a statement. "For the first time in my life, I was facing extreme self doubt. I had hit rock bottom." But the start of a new relationship provided Condon with a new outlook on life. "Having a positive presence like her both provides a healthy guiding force and shines a light on all the negative things in your life," he said. "I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without her."
Beirut will be heading out on tour this summer and fall. Find the dates below.
No No No:
01 Gibraltar
02 No No No
03 At Once
04 August Holland
05 As Needed
06 Perth
07 Pacheco
08 Fener
09 So Allowed
Beirut:
06-19 Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theatre
06-26 Montreal, Québec - Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
06-28 Ottawa, Ontario - Ottawa Jazz Festival
07-16 Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Music Festival
08-22 Portland, OR - Musicfest NW
09-14 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
09-17 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
09-20 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
09-22 Paris, France - Zenith
09-24 London, England - Brixton Academy
10-01 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
10-04 Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe National Historic Landmark
10-06 San Diego, CA - Open Air Theatre
10-07-08 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
10-10 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
10-13 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
11-03 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
11-06 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
11-07 Boston, MA - House of Blues
11-10 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
10-13-14 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Music Hall
In the video, Dessner and Claus are joined by Stevens, Greenberg, and others.
One Night Stand is available to purchase via crowd-funding website Microcultures. You can find a full list of contributors here. Find some additional videos of Claus and Remiddi discussing the project below.
Joanna Gruesome's new lineup, photo by Rachel Hodgson
Alanna McArdle, frontwoman of Welsh punk outfit Joanna Gruesome, has announced on Facebook that she is leaving the band for mental-health related reasons. Her statement reads:
Lately, my mental health problems have become a lot worse and I've gone through a pretty shitty time. I've realised I need to actually take some time out to focus on some kind of 'recovery', so I won't be singing in Joanna Gruesome anymore. I hate to sound cheesy but the time I had in jgro was life-changing. I made friends with so many amazing people, had the chance to play with some of my favourite bands, went to places I'd never been before (metaphysically and geographically) and pissed off a lot of men in the process. I am really proud of everything I've done with the band, especially Peanut Butter, and I think we've made some really great records. Thanks to everyone who ever put up with me on tour, and anyone who stopped any assholes from hurting other people at our shows xo
McArdle joined Joanna Gruesome after their former vocalist left the band, and appeared on their two LPs: 2013's Weird Sisterand this year's Peanut Butter. She is succeeded by two new singers: vocalist Kate Stonestreet, of Glasgow feminist/queer punk band Pennycress, and Roxy Brennan of Two White Cranes, Grubs, and others. (The new lineup is pictured above).
According to Joanna Gruesome's Facebook, the latest incarnation of the band have already begun plotting new tunes, with a 7" due to arrive in the coming months. They've also announced a tour; find full dates below.
Joanna Gruesome:
07-04 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
09-18 Manchester England - Islington Mill
09-19 Newcastle, England - Head Of Steam
09-20 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
09-22 London England - Scala
09-23 Edinburgh, Scotland - Summerhall
09-24 Glasgow, Scotland - Glad Cafe
09-25 Hebden Bridge, England - Trades Club
09-26 Cardiff, Wales - Clwb Ifor Bach
09-29 Brighton, England - The Haunt
10-24 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
10-25 Detroit, MI - UFO Factory
10-26 Toronto, Ontario - Silver Dollar
10-27 Montreal Quebec - La Sala Ross,
10-28 Cambridge MA - The Middle East (Upstairs)
10-29 Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
10-30 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
10-31 Brooklyn, NY - Shea Stadium
11-01 Washington, DC - DC9
11-02 Carrboro NC - Cat’s Cradle Backroom
11-03 Atlanta GA - Drunken Unicorn
11-04 Tallahassee FL - Club Downunder
11-06-08 Austin TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11-09 Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge
11-10 Los Angeles CA - The Echo
11-11 San Francisco CA - Rickshaw Stop
11-13 Portland OR - Analog Cafe
11-14 Seattle WA - The Vera Project
11-15 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Cobalt
Watch Joanna Gruesome perform "Sugarcrush" at 285 Kent:
Nicolas Godin has released seven albums as half of Air. This year, he'll release his debut album Contrepoint via Because Music. He's shared a video for the album's opening track "Orca", which was directed by Sean Pecknold (brother of Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold).
Godin was inspired by the work of pianist Glenn Gould's performances of Bach when making the album. Each track uses a different Bach piece as a jumping-off point.
A press release points out that though Air haven't split up, Godin says, "We weren’t surprising ourselves anymore, like other bands after ten years or more. The big challenge for an artist is to have a reason to be, because there are already plenty of records out there. I’d made a statement with Air and I wanted to go back to the classical world, to grow up musically, to renew myself."
Pecknold said of the video:
When I first heard this song, I was like: Whoa.... this rules. Then I listened to it for a few days on repeat with my eyes closed. It felt like some sort of instrument battle, and I kept thinking of the ways they visualize music in Japanese play-along video games. I also kept thinking of the opening for a science show from the early 90’s called 3, 2, 1 Contact. Because the song moves so fast, I thought it’d be cool to do a quick-cut montage as this was the opening song on the record. That lead to the idea to create a graphic visual loop for every sound we hear in the song.
The album features percussion by Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley. It was recorded in San Francisco and Hoboken. A vinyl release will be available later in the year. It features the previously shared tracks "The Possum", "Ali/Spinks 2", and "Garden of Lavender".
