Julian Koster selling banjo from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - 08.21.2012


Julian Koster, the multi-instrumentalist behind The Music Tapes and various other Elephant 6 projects, is selling the banjo he played on Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. And it's priced at a slim $3,000!

The banjo sale is part of a Kickstarter campaign to fund an elaborate tour behind the Music Tapes' new album, Mary's Voice, due Sept. 4 via Merge. Funding from the campaign will go toward a tent, a sound system, vehicle repairs and "various amusements and contraptions." The tour event, titled the "Traveling Imaginary" is described thusly:

‘The Traveling Imaginary’ is an invitation into The Music Tapes’ world. We will tour the United States in a circus tent, transforming spaces into cozy, dreamlike environments for evenings’ worth of music, games, stories, films, and amusements. ‘The Traveling Imaginary’ is a long-dreamt-of undertaking on a grander scale than anything we have ever done. You, the audience member, will be an honored guest in The Music Tapes’ world – the one in which Julian has lived and recorded in for years.

As of right now, the band is $2,000 past its $5,000 goal, and unfortunately, the banjo purchase commitment has already been made. So better luck next time E6 aficionados!

Ted Leo to embark on North American solo tour - 08.21.2012


Singer-songwriter and one of the most punk rock dudes in indie rock Ted Leo is embarking on a solo tour of the United States and Canada, supporting Aimee Mann. However, on Twitter, Leo also said on the way back, he'll be "visiting yr living rooms, basements, punk spaces, and VFW halls," so more on that when and if there's more info.

Tour (with Aimee Mann):

10/24 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
10/25 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
10/26 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10/27 New York, NY - Town Hall
10/29 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
10/30 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
11/3 Boston, MA - The Berklee Performance Center
11/4 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
11/6 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Music Hall
11/8 Columbus, OH - Capital Theater
11/9 Cincinnati, OH - 20th Century Theater
11/10 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater
11/11 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
11/13 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
11/14 Chicago, IL - ParkWest Theater
11/15 Chicago, IL - Parkwest Theater
11/16 Stoughton, WI - Stoughton Opera House
11/17 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

The Faint to reissue Danse Macabre - 08.21.2012


Saddle Creek has announced that it will be reissuing The Faint's 2001 album Danse Macabre, on Oct. 30, just in time for Halloween! The reissue will be packaged with several bonus tracks released during the era in which the album was originally released, and will be available in 2LP and 2CD/DVD sets. The vinyl version also comes with the CDs and DVD, as well as a 12-page booklet. The CD version contains a 48-page booklet. In addition, the group is heading out on tour, check out the dates below along with the Danse Macabre tracklist.

Tracklist:

1 Agenda Suicide
2 Glass Danse
3 Total Job
4 Let the Poison Spill from Your Throat
5 Your Retro Career Melted
6 Posed to Death
7 The Conductor
8 Violent
9 Ballad of a Paralysed Citizen
10 Take Me To The Hospital (from Saddle Creek 50 compilation)
11 Mote (Sonic Youth cover)
12 Dust [ft. Bright Eyes]
13 Falling Out Of Love At This Volume (Bright Eyes cover)
14 The Conductor (Thin White Duke Remix)
15 Glass Danse (Out Hud Remix)

Tour:

11/8 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
11/9 Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
11/10 Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
11/13 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
11/14 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
11/16 Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
11/17 San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
11/20 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
11/23 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
11/24 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
11/27 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
11/28 Austin, TX - Emo's East
11/30 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
12/1 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade – Heaven Stage
12/2 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
12/5 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
12/6 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
12/7 New York, NY - Terminal 5
12/8 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
12/9 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
12/11 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
12/12 Chicago, IL - Metro
12/13 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
12/14 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium

New releases: 8/21 - 08.21.2012


From right now until Thanksgiving, more or less, the music industry will be flooding stores with amazing new releases, so we hope you're ready. Some stellar records are out today, including our Album of the Week. Here's what's out this week in independent shops and at Insound.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
Bloc Party - Four
Bill Fay - Life Is People
Four Tet - Pink
Six Organs of Admittance - Ascent
Teengirl Fantasy - Tracer
Yeasayer - Fragrant World

Video: Dinosaur Jr. - "Watch the Corners" - 08.21.2012
Dinosaur Jr. are back with another doozy of a video, this time for "Watch the Corners," from I Bet On Sky, out Sept. 18 via Jagjaguwar. The video stars Tim Heidecker as an overprotective parent, and features creative use of digital blurring. Watch it below, courtesy of Funny or Die.