It promises to be one of the best indie rock shows of the year. Spoon, set to release seventh LP Transference on Merge next week, are headlining a series of concerts across the US and Canada, with support from Bradford Cox and his troupe of indomitable indie shoegazers, Deerhunter. The tour kicks off with a special gig on March 17 in Spoon’s home town, Austin, which will function as a showcase for the renowned South By Southwest Festival.

British weird-pop girl Micachu, and fellow Texans The Strange Boys, are also playing on a number of the dates listed below.

March 17 Austin, TX – Stubbs (NPR SXSW showcase) *
March 18 New Orleans, LA – Republic *
March 19 Birmingham, AL – Workplay Soundstage *
March 20 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle *
March 22 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
March 23 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *
March 24 Richmond, VA – The National *
March 26 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall *
March 27 Boston, MA – House of Blues *
March 29 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy *
March 30 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theater *
April 01 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom %
April 02 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue %
April 03 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue %
April 05 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater %
April 06 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater %
April 07 Salt Lake City, UT – In the Venue %
April 09 Seattle, WA – Moore Theater %
April 10 Seattle, WA – Moore Theater %
April 11 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum Theater %
April 13 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater %

All dates listed include Spoon and Deerhunter. The Strange Boys are playing on the asterisked dates, while Micachu is playing on the ones with the percentage signs.

- Via Pitchfork and Merge

Atlas Sound

Rough Trade EP

[Kranky/4AD; 2009]

Links: Atlas Sound | Kranky | 4AD | Purchase on Rough Trade

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Atlas Sound

Logos

[Kranky/4AD; 2009]

Links: Atlas Sound | Kranky | 4AD | Purchase on Insound

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Atlas Sound (aka Bradford Cox of Deerhunter) is set to release his second LP, entitled Logos (onethirtybpm review), on October 19; 20 in the US through 4AD and Kranky.

Those who order through Rough Trade will receive this limited edition bonus disc with their order.

Rough Trade EP tracklist
1. ‘Ruben’ (Traditional)
2. ‘Criminals’ (Electronic Version)
3. ‘Kid Klimax’ (Acoustic Version)
4. ‘Reminder’ (Previously Unreleased)
5. ‘I Know I Will Escape’ (Previously Unreleased)
6. ‘Nightwork’ (Previously Unreleased)

Bradford Cox, frontman of Deerhunter and sole member of experimental bedroom-pop project Atlas Sound, has announced the official release details of his second solo album under the Atlas Sound moniker. Logos will be released Oct. 20 on Kranky and will feature guest appearances from Noah Lennox (Animal Collective, Panda Bear) and Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab).

Read Cox’s full statement:

My last album was a bedroom laptop type thing. Very introverted. Logos is an album that was recorded all over the world. It’s not about me. There are collaborations with other musicians. The lyrics are not autobiographical. The view is a lot more panoramic and less close-up. I became bored with introspection. This was also the case with Deerhunter’s Microcastle LP, which was written during the same period.

I started recording December of 2007. I recorded the first version of the album, which was not intended for release. Due to some unfortunate mistakes on my part, this ’sketch’ of the album was leaked. Many of the songs where simply ‘placeholders,’ songs I created quickly to help design the ‘arc’ of the album.

I did not react well to the leak, in retrospect. It became the kind of internet-fueled drama that I was quickly learning to despise. I had always desired to speak through music, not blog posts and interviews, etc. I considered abandoning the project.

I toured for a period in Europe with Animal Collective, whose band dynamic was very inspirational to be around. On the bus, we often played improvised iPod games. We would take turns formulating a theme or unifying concept and then play three songs. The goal would be for everyone to try and figure out the theme. During one of these games, someone played ‘What Am I Going to Do’ by the Dovers. I was amazed at the hook– a weird organ thing with drums and electric bass. I mentioned to Noah [Lennox] that someone should really sample that riff. He agreed and he taught me a little about sampling and matching up beats. This ended up as the collaborative effort ‘Walkabout’.

Each song on the album has a similar story. That might be my favorite thing about the album. It’s a collection of songs. There is no ‘filler.’ There are little scrapbook details everywhere. Sasha Vine [of Sian Alice Group] provided a double-tracked improvised violin part to ‘Attic Lights’ which was recorded backstage at a Deerhunter/Sian Alice Group show in Brighton. It might be my favorite moment of the album. I played it for some younger friends of mine. They cringed. They wanted more songs like ‘Walkabout’. Something with a big beat. I told them when they get older they will appreciate things like harmonicas and violins more.

Laetitia from Stereolab, who I idolized as a teenager and would later befriend on tour, contributed words and vocals to ‘Quick Canal.’ The song was originally about 15 minutes long. I had zero ideas for vocals and asked if she could give it a shot. Andy Ramsay [drummer for Stereolab ] took a dub of the original and recorded Laetitia’s vocals at his Press Play studio in London. It was quite a treat to hear the finished product, now at an economical nine minutes.

Almost everything you hear on the album is a first take. This makes it almost like a ‘live album’ where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape. There are songs on here I don’t even remember recording.

Tracklist:
01 The Light That Failed
02 An Orchid
03 Walkabout [ft. Noah Lennox (Panda Bear)]
04 Criminals
05 Attic Lights
06 Shelia
07 Quick Canal [ft. Laetitia Sadier]
08 My Halo
09 Kid Klimax
10 Washington School
11 Logos

(via Pitchfork)

new EP coming soon!

Bradford Cox and company are releasing a new EP entitled Rainwater Cassette Exchange which is due May 18 digitally and June 8 on CD and vinyl via Kranky in the US and 4AD internationally. The EP was recorded with engineer Nicolas Vernhes (who worked on their 2008 LP Microcastle) in Brooklyn this past February at Brooklyn’s Rare Book Room studios.

Here’s the title track from the EP:

MP3: Deerhunter – “Rainwater Cassette Exchange”

Tracklist after the jump.

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Check out the moog! And also, keep your eyes peeled here for some mp3s from their performance at Noise Pop soon.

MP3: Deerhunter – Disappearing Ink

(via JP’s Blog)

-Evan Kaloudis

Atlanta’s Deerhunter have announced that they will bring their brand of new wave psychedelia to European shores in early 2009. The tour will last four action-packed weeks from the 11th of February until the 11th of March and will stop off in the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK.
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Deerhunter

Microcastle
[Kranky; 2008]

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Links: Deerhunter | Kranky | Lala album stream

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