Spin magazine's Daily Noise

SPIN's Week in Review, September 1-5

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:01:31 -0400

The kids may be headed back to school, but SPIN.com has been on a permanent rock vacation this past week; we've brought you musical dispatches from Seattle's Bumbershoot festival, given you the scoop about reunions and upcoming albums, and let you inside the pages of this month's SPIN cover story about alt-rock journeyman Beck. Check out this week's highlights below:

What we learned from Kings of Leon's music video for "Sex on Fire":The Followills aren't nearly as religious as once thought. Here the boys channel their inner devil and get creepy! Ohhhhh… Check out the full video here.

What we learned from Tegan Quin and author Augusten Burroughs:
Despite having played on stage for much of her life, Tegan of Tegan & Sara gets sweaty palms around author Augusten Burroughs. Watch her perform 'His Love' with the Running With Scissors scribe seated beside her onstage. Plus: Watch Tegan talk about Augusten Burroughs, playing without Sara

News:
-- Coldplay Slate New EP, Discuss Next Album "Despite an already full plate, the mopey Brit rockers get back to work."

-- Ben Folds Five to Reunite "The piano, drum, and bass trio will regroup to play first gig in nearly a decade."

Features:
-- Reverberation: The Beck Sessions "From Switzerland to the Netherlands on what may be his last tour, alt rock's boho alchemist opens up about the road, his family, Scientology, and his next steps.

-- Oasis' World Tour Opens with a Bang in Seattle "With supporting acts Matt Costa and Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, the Britpop mainstay awes a sold-out crowd."

-- Bumbershoot 2008 "Check out SPIN.com's coverage of the massive Seattle festival, including day-by-day dispatches and live performances from Beck, Superchunk, Stone Temple Pilots and more!"

Reviews:
-- Shugo Tokumaru, Exit (Almost Gold)
-- Giant Sand, provisions (Yep Roc)
-- Theresa Andersson, Hummingbird, Go! (Basin Street)
-- Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun (Capitol)
-- Matthew Sweet, Sunshine Lies (Shout! Factory)
-- Slipknot, All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner)
-- Delta Spirit, Ode to Sunshine (Rounder)
-- The Verve, Forth (On Your Own/Megaforce)

New Kanye West Album Soon?

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:41:07 -0400

Sheesh, it appears this whole rushing-an-album-to-market thing really seems to be catching on. And now, in the wake of standard-circumventing pioneers like Beck, the Raconteurs, and Bloc Party, hip-hop problem child and SPIN cover boy Kanye West may be the next to hurry an album to fans with the release of his fourth studio set.

More on SPIN.com:
>> Kanye West's Bonnaroo Debacle
>> Kanye West Finally Addresses Bonnaroo Incident
>> On the Cover: Kanye West

According to a Billboard.com report, West, who is also working on material for Jay-Z's forthcoming Blueprint III, may be eyeing a fourth quarter release for his new album, which, says reports, was tentatively titled Good Ass Job several years ago to fall in line with his College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation series. What's next, Midlife Crisis and Retirement?

Also, reports state West has been performing a new track titled "Love Lockdown" on tour, which may be the record's first single and is rumored to hit iTunes in just days. Furthermore, the rapper -- who just last year said he'd never appear at the event again -- was added to the bill for MTV's VMA ceremony today and may unveil the track live during his performance. Tune in Sunday (Sept. 7) and see for yourself!

Tegan Quin Plays Augusten Burroughs-Inspired Song for First Time in NYC

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:24:57 -0400

Performing for just the third time ever without her sister, Sara, Tegan Quin shared the stage last night at New York's Housing Works Bookstore Café with author Augusten Burroughs (Running With Scissors). During the sold-out charity event, Quin played "His Love," a song she wrote for the audiobook version of Burroughs' latest novel, A Wolf at the Table, for the first time in front of a live audience.

Quin and Burroughs bantered back and forth about the genesis of the song, the lyrics of which developed out of the letter she was writing to him. "What was amazing to me that it was to me," Burroughs said onstage about his reaction to receiving Tegan's song via email and playing it for the first time. "It was so profoundly empathetic. I lost it. It was beautiful. It was so incredibly generous of you." Then she performed a solo acoustic rendition of the track, the original version of which appears on both the audiobook and Burroughs' website.

The Quin-Burroughs pairing was part of SPIN.com's inaugural Liner Notes event -- a celebration of the intersection of music and literature -- and featured performances by Circa Survive's Colin Frangicetto, Elizabeth Seward, and Anberlin's Stephen Christian. The more than $8,000 raised from ticket and merchandise sales for the event benefited Housing Works, a non-profit that strives to ensure that homeless and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families have adequate housing, food, social support, drug treatment, health care, and employment.

SPIN.com will be posting video of the entire show soon, but for right now, enjoy Tegan's "His Love."

Check out pictures of Tegan and Augusten on page 2.

Tegan Quin and Augusten Burroughs / Photo by Jackie Roman

Tegan Quin / Photo by Jackie Roman

Coldplay Slate New EP, Discuss Next Album

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:06:19 -0400

As if this summer's chart-topping success Viva La Vida and its supporting tour weren't enough, Brit mainstay and SPIN cover subject Coldplay have unveiled details for a forthcoming EP and hinted at their next full-length record.

More on SPIN.com:
>> On the Cover: Coldplay
>> Coldplay Unveil Massive North American Tour
>> Coldplay Launch 'La Vida' Live in London
>> Review: Coldplay, Viva La Vida (Capitol)

According to frontman Chris Martin, who stopped by BBC Radio's 6 Music to chat with host Steve Lamacq and R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe [via Pitchfork], an EP composed of Vida scraps -- including "Luna," a Kylie Minogue collaboration -- will arrive before year's end and a new full-length is on the horizon. "We're going to put an EP out at Christmas called Prospects March, and we're going to release an album next December," said Martin. Hooray!

But wait: "Is it [the EP] called Prospects Songs or Prospects March?" Martin questioned drummer Will Champion. Stipe's preference? Prospects March. Done and done.

Catch Coldplay this fall, when the quartet return for the second leg of their U.S. tour. Check out the complete dates here.

Voodoo Music Experience Adds Major Bands to Lineup

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:15:25 -0400

It seems that not even hurricane Gustav can slow New Orleans' Voodoo Music Experience, as festival officials -- unfazed by the recent storm and others on the way -- have added even more bands to the event's lineup.

More on SPIN.com:
>> R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails to Headline Voodoo Music Experience '08
>> Complete Voodoo Music Experience Lineup Unveiled
>> FOB's Pete Wentz Breaks Foot; Product of Voodoo Curse?

The Mars Volta, N.E.R.D., TV on the Radio, Butthole Surfers, Fishbone, Irma Thomas, and Ben Jelen, among others, will join the likes of R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Death Cab for Cutie, and the rest of the previously announced bill at the Big Easy's City Park October 24-26.

And despite the challenges, festival founder/producer Stephen Rehage says backing down was never an option. "I remembered all the struggles of 2005's [hurricane Katrina] and the options we might have to consider, but not moving forward this year never crossed my mind."

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and thetenthritual.com.

Check 'em Out: Rahim

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:35:58 -0400

Who? This Quogue, NY, band's second full-length, Laughter, drops experimental post-punk in favor of a mature vein of indie rock that ponders the differences between town and city life. Fittingly, the music mixes the sounds of New York City hustle and Long Island calm, juxtaposing tense percussive pitter-patter and jangly guitars with langorous vocals. Singer/guitarist Michael Friedrich laments inevitable urban gentrification in "Cities Change," softly emoting the lines "cities change/strangers and fools move in/this neighborhood is gone now/your neighborhood is gone." And the sparse addition of electric blips, melodica, and harpsichord to the sonic mix moves this quartet beyond the traditional indie rock scope (legendary producer J. Robbins -- Jets to Brazil, The Promise Ring -- helped polish this ambitious band's sound). Listen below and experience the ethereal textures for yourself.

Their Latest: The foursome's sophomore full-length, Laughter, arrives September 9 via Pretty Activity.

Recommended if you like… Jets to Brazil, Blonde Redhead, Meneguar

Now Hear This: Rahim, "Tired Man" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

TK Webb and the Visions

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:38:48 -0400

What? With their 2005 debut, countrified-rock outfit Magnolia Electric Co. asked a mind-boggling question: "What comes after the blues?" Three years later, Brooklyn-based troubadour TK Webb has found the answer, and it's pretty heavy, man. With his newly formed backing band, the Visions -- featuring ex-members of Blood on the Wall and Love as Laughter -- Webb returns this week with the riff-tastic Ancestor. A drastic departure from the stark, howling blues perversions of Webb's 2006 solo outing, Phantom Parade, Ancestor owes more to Robert Plant than it does to Robert Johnson, with astral sonic projections, mystical lyrics, and '70s-hard-rock-indebted guitar play that will have you hopping misty mountain tops from the moment the needle drops.

More on SPIN.com:
>> Exclusive: TK Webb & the Visions Announce First U.S. Tour

Who? Born Thomas Kelly Webb in 1977 in Missouri, Webb released his debut, KCK (short for Kansas City, KS), in 2005 on Brooklyn's eclectic Social Registry label. After its follow-up, Phantom Parade, dropped to widespread critical recognition the following year, TK formed the Visions in the summer of 2007. Ancestor is the group's debut and first record on new label home Kemado. The Visions are made up of Webb (vocals/guitars), Brian Hale (guitars), Ben McConnell (drums), and Jordan Gable (bass).

Fun Fact: Webb, who picked up the guitar at age 9, played with numerous bands before going the solo route on his debut full-length. But with the Visions, the singer/songwriter feels right at home. "It felt like gravity pulling the sound towards being bigger," Webb says of working with the new group. "I found myself surrounded by bland half-baked folk acts and wanted out... but this project feels right. It feels like a band should."

Now Hear This: TK Webb & the Visions, "Shame"

Hawthorne Heights Announce U.S. Tour

William Goodman — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:04:55 -0400

Despite relatively recent label troubles and tragic setbacks, emo survivors Hawthorne Heights are still pushing into the future -- specifically, with the recent release of Fragile Future and today's announcement of a headlining U.S. tour this fall.

More on SPIN.com:

>>Artist of the Day: Hawthorne Heights
>>Exclusive: Backstage Video with Hawthorne Heights
>>Hawthorne Heights, 'If Only You Were Lonely' (Victory)
>>Victory Files Countersuit Against Hawthorne Heights
>>Hawthorne Heights Fights Lonely-ness

Frontman JT Woodruff and the gang will strike out on The Never Sleep Again Tour Oct. 17 in St. Petersburg, FL, and make their way through major cities in the South, Midwest, and West Coast before hitting the East Coast for a string of dates, concluding in Norfolk, VA, Nov. 30. "It's been a long time since we did a real headlining tour," drummer Eron Bucciarelli said. "We'll be busting out rarely played HH songs and a healthy dose of new songs from Fragile Future."

Now Hear This: Hawthorne Heights, "Rescue Me"

Hawthorne Heights Tour Dates:

10/17, St. Petersburg, FL (State Theatre)
10/19, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Culture Room)
10/20, Tallahassee, FL (Floyd's Music Store)
10/21, Atlanta, GA (Masquerade)
10/23, New Orleans, LA (House of Blues)
10/24, Little Rock, AR (Village Theater)
10/25, Frisco, TX (Pizza Hut Park -- Edgefest)
10/26, The Woodlands, TX (Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion -- Buzzfest)
11/1, San Antonio, TX (White Rabbit)
11/3, Scottsdale, AZ (Martini Ranch)
11/6, Bakersfield, CA (The Dome)
11/7, Pomona, CA (The Glasshouse Concert Hall)
11/8, West Hollywood, CA (House of Blues)
11/9, San Francisco, CA (The Regency/Grand Ballroom)
11/10, Portland, OR (Crystal Ballroom)
11/11, Boise, ID (Knitting Factory)
11/13, Denver, CO (Ogden Theatre)
11/15, Des Moines, IA (People's Court)
11/16, St. Paul, MN (Station 4)
11/17, Lawrence, KS (Granada Theater)
11/18, Chicago, IL (The Metro)
11/20, Detroit, MI (St. Andrews Hall)
11/21, Newport, KY (The Southgate House)
11/22, Pittsburgh, PA (Rex Theatre)
11/23, Hartford, CT (Webster Theatre)
11/24, Boston, MA (Wilbur Theatre)
11/25, New York, NY (Irving Plaza)
11/26, Poughkeepsie, NY (The Chance)
11/28, Towson, MD (Recher Theatre)
11/29, Richmond, VA (The National)
11/30, Norfolk, VA (Norva)

Old 97's Rock SPIN's Music Fest NW Kick-Off Party

Matt Kiser — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:29:07 -0400

"We want to thank SPIN. We've been on the cover six times, but we've never been part of a showcase," joshed Adam Selzer, lead singer/guitarist for Portland's Norfolk & Western. The Hush Records-affiliated quintet -- reduced to a four-piece due to a viola mishap earlier in the week -- came out roaring last night before an adoring crowd at SPIN's Music Fest NW kick-off party at the sweltering Berbati's Pan, a popular restaurant-cum-nightclub located in the heart of downtown.

Alternating between pretty, radio-friendly pop songs and contemplative, mid-tempo ballads, Selzer and company ratcheted up the rock factor, a decision lapped up by an at-capacity audience eager for more.

Up next was Langhorne Slim, a folksy trio that cribs heavily from the No Depression playbook. Mixing country, classic rock, and Tom Petty-like Americana, the NYC-based act made a game effort to win over the Portland crowd with stage banter ("is anyone at this particular time...ready to get crazy?), platitudes ("it's a pleasure and an honor to be here"), and raw, frenetic energy.

Making their first Portland appearance in some time ("we've been here before... but now there are more of you"), the Old 97's took to the stage shortly after midnight and were promptly greeted by deafening applause. Like a countrified, blue-collar hybrid of the Pogues, Camper Van Beethoven, and Social Distortion, the Dallas band wasted no time blazing through a set that drew on all periods of their now lengthy discography, including their most recent long-player, Blame It On Gravity. Halfway through the performance, the Old 97's broke into a spot-on cover of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," providing further proof that they know how to talk the cowboy talk, and walk the cowboy walk.

Check out pictures from last night on page 2.

Langhorne Slim / Photo by Josh Elliott

Norfolk and Western / Photo by Josh Elliott

Old 97's / Photo by Josh Elliott

Andrew Bird Incites a Babe Riot!

Matt Kiser — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:01:59 -0400

Andrew Bird is a modern-day renaissance man. Beyond his multi-instrumental prowess and penchant for quirky, orchestrated chamber pop, Bird has come to define the sort of bookish, detached cool that can't be bought, styled, or practiced in front of the mirror. And with his mind-boggling skill, Bird looped, strummed, plucked, and whistled with his crack band through a set heavy in new tunes to an adoring crowd last night under the stars in Chicago's Millennium Park.

More on SPIN.com:
>> World Party, Andrew Bird Get Bonnaroo Moving

After the band's exuberant versions of "Plasticities" and "Fiery Crash," audience members rocketed to their feet as soon as Bird ripped into the intro to "Fake Palindromes." Patrons on the lawn poured down into the pavilion, pushing forward in one collective conga line of writhing excitement. In a matter of seconds, the scene went from tame restraint to a crush of dancing bodies, with young girls screaming, "I love you!" The sudden tsunami of activity left the bewildered security staff throwing their hands in the air and exchanging glances that said, "What the hell?! This guy is playing a freakin' violin!"

Though the crowd stopped just short of panty-throwing, the night left this reporter with one thought to ponder: Is VH1 interested in casting a new hunk for the next season of Rock of Love?

Check out pictures from last night on page 2.

Andrew Bird / Photo by Laura Gray