Video: The Republic Tigers - "Made Concrete"

the Republic Tigers - Made Concrete

Music video by The Republic Tigers performing Made Concrete with Alicia Solombrino [Video Director], Brian Hicks [Editor] Outpost Worldwide [Production] (C) 2009 Chop Shop Records.

Photos: Thom Yorke In L.A. - 9/16/09

From Dead Air Space. Looks like the Chateau Marmont.

News: Dark Night of the Soul Streaming In Its Entirety From NPR

The release of Dark Night of the Soul, the intriguing collaboration between Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, has been hung up by an unknown legal dispute with EMI. While the project is being self-released by Danger Mouse as a book-and-CD package featuring photos by David Lynch, the included CD is blank and recordable, ostensibly intended to hold Dark Night of the Soul tracks as found on torrent sites or other non-official sources.

Short of downloading something that may never actually see an official release, you can now head over to NPR for a stream of the entire album. The project features a variety of vocalists, with artists as diverse as Gruff Rhys, Suzanne Vega, Iggy Pop, Julian Casablancas, Frank Black and Nina Persson.

Thanks to alert SSM follower Ross for the tip.

UPDATE: Some kind soul (ha ha) has reverse-engineered the mp3s out of the NPR stream.

Link: www.ohhcrapp.net

Bahrain-based MP3 blog, mostly remixes and new material. Enjoy!

News: Super Furry Animals Announce Prototype "Festyval Wynd" Effects Pedal

In celebration of the release of their latest LP Dark Days, Light Years, prolific Welsh psych-pop-rockers Super Furry Animals have released a film documenting the making of their ninth studio album. The documentary touches on inspirations, the recording process, and the challenges attendant to capturing the "enormity" of the band's sound. The solution? A new technology in the form of an effects pedal dubbed "Festyval Wynd" that turns "your crystal clear studio sound into a shit muddy festival experience."

The pedal is intended to replicate the effect of various blends of wind, festival location and drugs. Frontman Gruff Rhys discusses some of the best and worst settings, which include "Natural Disaster", "Coachella", and "MDMA". Apparently the band plans on using it inside clubs to create a drug-induced doppler effect without actually being high at a festival in Brazil. Available soon for $90.

The fun starts at the 12'00" mark. Listen for the great message about how taking drugs and making music do not a good pair make ("Elton John churning out middle of the road crap").

Show Alert: The Little Ones @ Revel With A Cause - 5/9/09

Catch LA's own purveyors of dancing cartoon animal indie pop this Saturday at Santa Monica's Revel With A Cause Festival. The festival takes place from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm in Clover Park, with The Little Ones taking the stage at 5:00 pm. And it's free!

News: Deltron 3030 To Release New Album In May???

In May 2000, hip hop supergroup Deltron 3030--the trio of Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan the Automator--released their eponymous rap opera concept album to near-critical acclaim. Now, nine years later, the group is poised to release its follow-up.

The beats and turntable work for Deltron Event II have reportedly been finished since 2007, leaving Del to lay down the lyrics. On April 12, 2009, at the Tuscon date of his "Funkman Tour", tha Funkee Homosapien himself announced that Deltron Event II is set to be released on May 24, 2009.

No word on what label will be releasing this much-awaited disc, although Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings is a usual suspect. And take this tip with a grain of salt--there has been no official confirmation yet. But wouldn't a new Deltron record make summer great?

Show Alert: Phoenix @ The Wiltern - 6/28/09

At the risk of making this a Phoenix blog, SSM is proud to announce that the slick French pop rockers will be performing at The Wiltern on June 28, 2009. This is the sole U.S. date as of the moment. Amazing Baby opens.

There are a few other dates announced as of now (all across the pond), so here's hoping that the band will take America by storm with a coast-to-coast trek in support of their forthcoming fourth LP Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, out in the U.S. on May 26, 2009.

Tix for The Wiltern show here. Current tour itinerary below. And don't forget about those SNL vids below.

Apr 23 2009 9:00P	HOXTON BAR & KITCHEN - SOLD OUT	London, London and South East
May 20 2009 8:00P	BERGHAIN (SPEX FESTIVAL)	Berlin
May 23 2009 8:00P	E-WERK (ELECTRONIC BEATS)	Cologne
May 28 2009 8:00P	PRIMAVERA SOUND FESTIVAL - SPAIN	Barcelona, Barcelona
May 30 2009 8:00P	SIESTA FESTIVAL - SWEDEN	Hasselholm
Jun 1 2009 9:00P	KOKO LONDON - SOLD OUT	London, London and South East
Jun 6 2009 8:00P	ROCK AM RING FESTIVAL - GERMANY	Nurburg
Jun 7 2009 8:00P	ROCK IM PARK FESTIVAL - GERMANY	Nurnberg
Jun 28 2009 8:00P	THE WILTERN	Los Angeles, California
Jul 24 2009 8:00P	CAMP BESTIVAL - UK	Lulworth Castle, Dorset, Southwest

Video: Phoenix - "Lisztomania", "1901" [Live on SNL]

"Lisztomania"


"1901"

News: Reactable Now Available

Alert reader and regular SSM correspondent Kfuture has recently learned that the amazing Reactable is now available for retail consumption. Kfuture, DJ KRC and I first encountered this mindblowing modular synth at Björk's 2007 Coachella performance.



We were unsure if what we were seeing was real, and research confirmed that the Reactable is in fact a project from the Music Technology Group at Spain's Pompeu Fabra University. The Reactable Experience is now available and is aimed at museums and public entities. Now if only an eccentric, rich musician like Trent Reznor could get his hands on this puppy...