All right hands up -- who has got Rush's Retrospective I and II? (I got two hands up right now, cause I got 'em both.) Retrospective IIIhas just been announced for a March 3rd release. The album covers Rush's Atlantic Records years (1989 - 2008) and includes tracks from 89's Presto to 07's Snake & Arrows (which isn't half bad if you give it a shot).

Retrospective III will also feature a DVD that includes ten music videos and a candid television interview with the band. Rush has sold close to 35 million records in the past three decades. They are Canadian. -SB

Don't forget to watch the Fleet Foxes perform on SNL this weekend. Rosario Dawson hosts. Here's a tease:

Gavin McInnes, a founder of Vice magazine, Streetcarnage.com, and contributor to Death+Taxes, is getting into the movie game. Asshole, a new short film starring and produced by McInnes, will premiere at the Sundance Festival, which kicks off tomorrow. If you're one of the lucky few snowboarding with Adrian Grenier and catching up with James Cameron over hot cocoa be sure to catch Asshole at the fest. If not, you can watch the trailer here.
-AM

Thursday January 15th, 2009

Alternative rock hero and Huskur Du founder Bob Mould is celebrating his 30th year in the music business. Huskur Du formed in Minneapolis in 1979, then went on to release some fantastic records, namely Zen Arcade and New Day Rising, two albums oft-referenced in the halls of indie and alternative rock influence. They broke up in the late eighties after a failed attempt at major label stardom and mix ups with drugs.

Mould's career as a solo artist continues to flourish -- last year's critically acclaimed District Line featured some of Mould's best songwriting since the eighties. On April 7th, he'll release its follow up Life and Times some twenty years after his first solo record, Workbook.

Mould will be touring here and there before the record release. Life and Times tracklisting and tour dates are available after the jump. -SB

LIFE AND TIMES TRACK LIST
1. Life and Times
2. The Breach
3. City Lights (Days Go By)
4. MM 17
5. Argos
6. Bad Blood Better
7. Wasted World
8. Spiraling Down
9. I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Any More
10. Lifetime

TOUR DATES
02/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall (Noisepop Festival)
03/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
03/11 - New York, CA @ Carnegie Hall (R.E.M Tribute Show)
03/29 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk
03/30 - Minneapolis, IL @ Varsity Theatre
04/05 - Charlottesville, VA @ Gravity Lounge
04/07 - Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
04/08 - New York, NY @ Joe's Pub
04/09 - New York, NY @ Joe's Pub

Indie Activist:

This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience -

Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option --- to play the corporate radio game.

We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.

This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative - simply put, only the best music.

For those of you with a computer at home or at work, log on to www.indie1031.com and listen to the new Indie 103.1 - which is really the old Indie 103.1, not the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.

We thank our listeners and advertisers for their support of the greatest radio station ever conceived, and look forward to continuing to deliver the famed Indie 103.1 music and spirit over the Internet to passionate music listeners around the world.

I never thought I'd hear myself saying those words, but the hottest short man on the planet looks pretty fug in this promo for his new movie, Rudo y Cursi. Granted, the promo is still amazing despite his troll-like appearance. I mean, he's singing Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" in Spanish!

For those of you that care, the movie is (from what I gather) almost identical to A League of Their Own, 'cept it's set in Mexico, and the two rival siblings (Bernal and that other sexy Latino, Diego Luna) are boys and they play soccer, not baseball. Other than that it seems like the exact same movie to me. It's directed by Alfonso Cuaron's brother, Carlos Cuaron, which makes me think that the Cuarons have some issues, but who am I to judge. The movie will be premiering at Sundance which starts tomorrow.

San Diegan? San Diegite? San Diegon? Ahh, who knows. Not Ron Burgundy that's for sure! Either way, Nathan Daniel William a.k.a. Wavves, who is from San Diego (there's the tie in -- yes, it was a reach) signed to Fat Possom Records. The album, Wavvves, will be released on March 17th. A short tour has also been scheduled. Dates after the jump! - IL

WAVVES

Fri-Jan-23 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall*
Sat-Jan-24 Los Angeles, CA El Rey*
Wed-Feb-04 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY SMOG - Bard College #
Thu-Feb-05 Poughkeepsie, NY Vassar College #
Fri-Feb-06 Brooklyn, NY Market Hotel #
Sat-Feb-07 New York, NY Less Artists, More Condos
Mar 18 - 21 Austin, TX SXSW

* = w/ TAPES N TAPES and WHITE DENIM
# = w/ BLANK DOGS, WOODS

That's right folks, Sarah Palin will not be in our faces for the next four years--if you're looking for your own personal Jesus, you're gonna have to look elsewhere. Fortunately Depeche Mode have just announced the release date of their first studio album in 4 years. Sounds Of The Universe (we can't wait to hear what that sounds like!) will be released on April 21. The record was produced by Bill Hillier (who also produced the new one by super-hot but relatively talentless Natalie Imbruglia). Tour dates and additional info available here.
-AM

Each track will be played for one day only on the album's website, http://www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight, beginning today and ending on February 1st. The album will be officially released on February 17th by 4AD. It will be a double CD/triple vinyl/download, with all proceeds beneffiting an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture. So there you have it, get excited!

mp3: David Byrne and Dirty Projectors - Knotty Pine

Well, it's not subtitled -- so good luck understanding it. Juuuuuuuust kidding. The Gallagher brothers don't do a whole lot of speaking (Noel isn't even in it). The video documents a neat little marketing ploy Oasis did to promote their latest, Dig Out Your Soul. Here it is:

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets

Ok ok, so maybe it didn't show up today--it probably showed up last week, but with all the post-holiday pile-up around here we didn't actually find it until today. The much anticipated album from Cut Off Your Hands You&I was released January 1st on Frenchkiss Records. Not what we'd necessarily expect from Frenchkiss, but we dig it. These Kiwis (yes, that's what you call people from New Zealand) are a little bit Pet Shop Boys, a little bit The Cure, and a little bit The Killers (when they're not wearing white pleather tuxedos.) If you're looking for something to keep you moving while you continue to wait for a Smiths reunion tour, this should do the trick.
-AM

Steve Jobs, who has done more to change the landscape of consumer interaction with digital media than any CEO of any company, has finally stepped down as CEO of Apple. In an open letter to the Apple community Jobs says his "health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought."

Jobs refers to his stepping down as a temporary leave of absence. Tim Cook will take over as CEO.

This ends an era of rampant speculation and rumor-mongering concerning the star CEO's health. He did say he was looking forward to seeing everyone this summer, which gives fans and followers of the man and his brand temporary reprieve from the notion his sickness is terminal. -SB

The much-anticipated Jay Reatard full length set to be released on Matador Records has been delayed for the second time. The album, his first studio effort for the label, was slated for an early '09 release but was pushed till Spring. Now the record won't see the light of day until August or September according to Matador.

Jay Reatard developed a following after the release of 2006's Blood Visions and went on to release a set of singles on Matador, appropriately titled Matador Singles 08 that showcased his particular brand of snotty, post-punk pop. The delayed release is sure to bum fans out. In the meantime, expect tons of lo-fi psychedelia records to be released throughout 2009. -SB

From Gothamist.com:

"Notorious is on the big screen, and everyone in the shadow of the late rapper is starting to speak out. Well, at least Lil Kim is—who allegedly hasn't even seen the movie (but read an early script). She said in a statement: 'The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line. Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry his legacy through my hard work and music.' She also said in an interview that she 'believed Big's wife, Faith Evans, and his mother, Voletta Wallace, were behind the snub.'"

Oh snap! Man, I might have to rethink my plans for Friday night. Battlestar Galactica or the opening of Notorious? Too many decisions! Here's the preview in case you haven't seen it. And for those of you were wondering the same thing as me, YES! The kid that plays Puffy (Derek Luke) is indeed the same kid from Friday Night Lights! -SK

I speak a little Spanish and unless I'm mistaken, I believe "La Llorona" translates to "the crying woman." Either way, it's the name of the first single off Beirut's latest, March Of The Zapotec, which will be released on February 17th. Below please enjoy the video for "La Llorona." - IL

The always-pleasing Elvis Perkins in Dearland has a new album forthcoming March 10th on XL Recordings, and now you can check out a stream of some of the new material here. Perkins also has new tour dates coming up, including 4 (count em--4) shows at SxSW and a March 25 show at Bowery Ballroom. Pre-sale tickets for the Bowery show are now available here.
-AM

NYC darlings, Lissy Trullie, will release their debut EP, Self-Taught Learner, on February 17th. Track listing and North American tour dates with The Virgins after the jump. Enjoy this video of Lissy and Adam Green performing Biz Markie's "Just A Friend," below. - IL

Track Listing is.

01. Boy Boy
02. She Said
03. Self-Taught Learner
04. Money
05. Forget About It
06. Ready For The Floor (Hot Chip Cover)

Tour Dates:
Jan 21 2009
Johnny Brenda’s
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jan 22 2009
Rock & Roll Hotel
DC, Washington DC

Jan 23 2009
Local 506
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Jan 24 2009
Tasty World
Athens, Georgia

Jan 25 2009
Drunken Unicorn
Atlanta, Georgia

Jan 26 2009
3rd & Lindsley
Nashville, Tennessee

Jan 28 2009
Grog Shop
Cleveland, Ohio

Jan 29 2009
Schubas
Chicago, Illinois

Jan 30 2009
The Gargoyle Club
St. Louis, Missouri

Jan 31 2009
Maintenance Shop
Ames, Iowa

Feb 2 2009
First Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Feb 3 2009
The Annex
Madison, Wisconsin

Feb 4 2009
Blind Pig
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Feb 5 2009
El Mocambo
Toronto, Ontario

Feb 6 2009
Les Saints
Montreal, Quebec

Feb 7 2009
Great Scott
Allston, Massachusetts

Feb 11 2009
Mercury Lounge
New York City

In case you haven't heard, TV On The Radio's Dear Science is the best record of all time. The most lovable, sad Jewish crooner to ever pick up a guitar in New York City, Leonard Cohen, has returned. Pavement just keeping blabbing on and on about their reunion. What's the matter -- those Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks records not doing it for everyone? Kelly Clarkson, the pop princess that hipsters love to love, is releasing new music, and My Morning Jacket has released a (kind of) live EP that's an iTunes exclusive.

Bearded crooner Matthew Houck and his band Phosphorescent will be hitting the road in support of To Willie, an album of covers celebrating the best of the not-so-famous Willie Nelson tunes like "Reasons To Quit." (Phospho's cover is all over the Internet right now.) The album will be released February 3rd on Dead Oceans, the band will start touring February 26th, playing the album in its entirety. The eternally cool Willie Nelson was also subject to in-depth Rolling Stone article recently where he gave the sound advice, "Open up your heart and let love in, everyday." The man's got a message worth spreading. Phosphorescent's national tour dates are available after the jump. -SB

To Willie Tour Dates

02/26/09 Northhampton, MA - Iron Horse
02/27/09 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs
02/28/09 Brooklyn, NY - Bell House (Performing To Willie)
03/02/09 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
03/03/09 Columbus, OH - The Summit
03/05/09 Bloomington, IN - The Cinemat
03/06/09 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03/07/09 Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin - Memorial
03/10/09 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
03/11/09 Portland, OR - Holocene
03/13/09 San Francisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord (Performing To Willie)
03/14/09 Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theatre (Performing To Willie)
03/17-03/20/09 Austin, TX - SXSW
03/21/09 Houston, TX - Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
03/25/09 Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn w/ Deer Tick
03/26/09 Durham, NC - Duke Coffee House w/ Deer Tick
03/27/09 Baltimore, MD - G Spot: Audio/Visual Playground w/ Deer Tick
03/28/09 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's w/ Deer Tick

In major news, the music industry has decided to stop suing kids for downloading music, the Wall Street Journal reports today. The decision was made last month, about seven and a half years after the shut down of Napster, that the Recording Industry Association of America would not pursue charges against the roughly seven million people regularly downloading music online. After 35,000 lawsuits filed in connection with downloading music, the industry apparently felt the suits just weren't having the desired effect. [More after the jump.]
In a new strategy the RIAA is encouraging Internet service providers to identify users downloading exorbitant amounts of music, and to "remind users that downloading music illegally is a violation of service agreements that could lead to the service being cut off." Apparently the threat of losing your Internet connection trumps the threat of being personally sued by a giant music company (or by Metallica).

The gist of the WSJ article is to celebrate the music industry's embrace of digital technology and its ability to thrive in the era of iTunes. "The music industry is the first disrupted industry," it claims, "to understand that people are willing to pay for what's otherwise free (albeit illegal) if it's convenient, well-packaged and reasonably priced." I beg to differ. iTunes wouldn't be nearly as successful as it is today if Napster and all file-sharing platforms were allowed to develop and were never shut down. Sure, people will buy a product if it's convenient, well-packaged and reasonably priced, but if they can get the same thing when it's convenient, well-packaged and free, you can bet your ass they're going to go for the free one every time.

Which is why the movie industry hasn't faced the same problems as the music industry. A major portion of the excitement of Netxflix's expansion of the "watch now" platform is due to the fact that there is no simple way to download a movie for free online. You ever try to Bit Torrent a movie? It's a monumental pain in the ass. There's no convenient, free replacement for Netflix. But if one comes along, they're screwed - unless they sue to have it shut down. People want what they want, and they want it the cheapest way they can get it, all the way down to zero. And if Napster had been developing as an open-source platform for the last 8 years, I'm willing to bet it would play host to all the album art, podcasts, etc that iTunes currently offers.

So to all those starry-eyed dreamers who say that people will always be willing to pay for what they can also get for free, let's not kid ourselves. The moment people want to start reading 3,000-word interviews with Animal Collective, Will Oldham, and Jorma Taccone, (all of which you'll find in our next issue!) only online instead of in print, D+T is going strictly digital.
-AM

Anticipation is mounting for the February 24th release of The Black Lips critically-acclaimed Good Bad Not Evil follow-up, 200 Million Thousand. The band's first single from the album, which is their third on Vice Records, is "Starting Over," a jangley sixties-era garage pop tune with a melodic guitar refrain and a catchy call-and-response chorus. You can stream the song here. The band has also set up a contest on video-sharing site vimeo.com, where contestants create their own video for the song, upload it, and wait to be named victorious. The contest runs till February 15th, so you had better get cracking. -SB

Here's the cover. Looks a bit like New Order's album cover for Power, Corruption & Lies (pictured as well). Cruise on over to NPR to listen to the album in its entirety. Husky voice. Acoustic balladry. It's nothing like New Order, but we're smitten anyway. - IL

Here's a little snippet from Elvis Costello's show on the Sundance Channel. The show featuring Rufus Wainwright airs again tomorrow night at 9 PM. Previous guests include Elton John, Lou Reed & Julian Schnabel, and Bill Clinton. The show is a blend of performance and interview segments. We're, admittedly, a little late to the dance on this one -- but well, better late than never! Enjoy the clip - IL

Well, maybe not beat the recession, but at least keep your head above water. Even if you haven't lost your job or your salary hasn't been cut, you certainly feel poorer than you did this time last year. (It's called "affluence deprivation.") The good news: If you're reading this, you're probably in your twenties, live paycheck to paycheck, rent and don't own, and have no 401K to be mauled. You're ahead of the curve. And there are five easy-to-follow tips that'll help you stay that way after the jump.


1. Cut Your Own Hair
It's easy and nobody gives a shit how you look anyway. And don't spend four-hundred bucks on a pair of professional haircutting shears. Just go to Staples and buy a pair a scissors. Guys, run your hands through your hair and cut off anything that sticks out over your knuckles. Ladies, do whatever it takes to give yourself cute little bangs.

2. Stop Buying Bottled Water
The water out of the bathroom sink in your office tastes "metallic." Deal with it. Did you know that for every calorie you ingest, it takes a liter of water to grow? We're going to run out of water before oil if that keeps up. It's not a renewable resource, and bottling it only creates more trash.

3. Stop Shopping at Whole Foods
Whole Foods has been rightly assessed as a bourgeoise circle jerk. Do you need to pay $3.29 for a pound of organic apples? Not in this economic climate. Probably not ever.

4. Banish Your Credit Cards From Your Wallet
So, you make $50,000 a year and Bank of America decided to give you a $16,500 credit limit. After taxes, that's fifty per cent of your salary. Bananas! Keep your plastic in your underwear drawer or promise yourself it's for emergencies only. That Marc Jacobs jacket is not an emergency.

5. Save -- But Not Too Much
Americans don't save money. But our ideology of vapid consumption is what drives our economy. Fifty years ago, Americans saved about nine per cent of their salaries. Now it's less than one per cent. Find a happy medium: After all your bills are payed, try to store away three or four per cent of your yearly intake. Nine might be a little steep. And if everyone did that, it would result in five hundred billion dollars of unspent money, which would put us right back into a recession.

Sometimes Mondays aren't all bad. The Boss took home a Golden Globe last night for his song "The Wrestler," which was written for the movie of the same name. The last movie he wrote a song for was Streets of Philadelphia. He called the song "Streets of Philadelphia." The Boss is lazy. Also, after making crowds the world over barf at the sound of their side projects, Blink-182 just might be getting back together. Speaking of getting it together, Amy Winehouse has apparently cleaned up and dirtball British rapper Lady Sovereign is making a comeback. It's the second week of January so, of course, rumors about summer fest line ups are already starting to trickle in, especially for Coachella.

It's always a pleasure to watch some of our favorite bands appear on late-night broadcast television. I mean, we're Americans. We're all about "nationalizing" right? And what better way to nationalize your audience than the late-night telly appearance.

Up first, Sub Pop's Fleet Foxes will appear on SNL this Saturday (1/17) alongside chesty husband stealer Rosario Dawson. Then, on January 27th, M83 will appear on Conan O'Brien performing the hit off Saturdays = Youth, "Kim and Jessie." You've probably heard that M83 will be supporting The Killers throughout January, who, by the way, aren't half bad live. -SB

Interest in the Omaha scene isn't as crazed as it used to be, but Cursive is still a great band that sells out shows wherever they tour. After the huge success of 2003's The Ugly Organ, Cursive released Happy Hollow in 2006 to tepid response. (Hey, no one ever said we needed another album about the Wizard of Oz.) Anywho, Cursive will be touring in January and March. The dates are available after the jump. -SB

New Cursive tour dates:
MAR. 10 NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM
MAR. 13 LOS ANGELES, CA THE TROUBADOUR
MAR. 14 SAN DIEGO, CA THE CASBAH
MAR. 15 PHOENIX, AZ RHYTHM ROOM
MAR. 16 ALBUQUERQUE, NM THE LAUNCHPAD

Previously announced dates:
JAN. 14 MINNEAPOLIS, MN TRIPLE ROCK
JAN. 15 MARQUETTE, MI N. MICHIGAN U.
JAN. 16 CHICAGO, IL SCHUBA'S TAVERN (SOLD-OUT)
JAN. 17 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP
JAN. 18 BROOKLYN, NY UNION HALL (SOLD-OUT)
JAN. 19 NEW YORK, NY MERCURY LOUNGE (SOLD-OUT)
JAN. 20 PHILADELPHIA, PA THE BARBARY (SOLD-OUT)
JAN. 21 COLUMBUS, OH THE SUMMIT
JAN. 22 COLUMBIA, MO MOJO
JAN. 23 OMAHA, NE SLOWDOWN
JAN. 24 OMAHA, NE SLOWDOWN
MAR. 9 BROOKLYN, NY MUSIC HALL of WILLIAMSBURG

Despite pervasive economic turmoil and an incoming president who predicts the creation of a one-trillion-dollar-plus deficit during his term, Rock The Vote, the Beastie Boys and Sheryl Crow have declared, "Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool, Again." To support the sentiment, the artists will be performing full sets at an Inaugural Gala on Monday, January 19th at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

Both the Beastie Boys and Sheryl Crow were particularly active during the 2008 campaign season, organizing a Get Out and Vote tour to raise awareness during the historic campaign season. For years, drug-related and misogynystic themes characterized the Beastie Boys music, until they decided to become social activists in the mid-nineties, organizing the first of many Tibetan Freedom concerts in 1996. Not much has changed in Tibet in the past 13 years. Also, America doesn't feel kinda cool, sorta cool, or even marginally cool. Still, everybody loves a concert. And while we party, try to remember markets will continue to mmmmmmmdrop. -SB

Behold of Montreal's video for "An Eluardian Instance" by Jesse Ewles (Grizzy Bear).