Fall frontman Mark E. Smith might be in the same category as those aging, iconic iconoclasts who still insist on rocking out, but The Fall are still making albums well into the 21st century. Anyone who heard their music in the late ’70s probably never would’ve imagined it, but at least The Fall have been consistent in shaking things up as their discography continues to grow exponentially. Smith has also hired and fired so many members since the band’s inception that it’s hard to keep track, but currently, The Fall’s members are significantly younger than Smith. Perhaps their youth has something to do with the band’s continuation.

The post-punk band will release their 27th (I did say “exponentially”) studio album on the well-respected Domino Records, sharing the roster with artists such as Animal Collective and fellow Brits Four Tet and Robert Wyatt. The album, cynically titled Your Future Our Clutter, will be released on April 26 in most parts of the world, and North America will have to wait until May 4.

Catch the tracklist below, along with a few U.K. tour dates.

Your Future Our Clutter:

01 O.F.Y.C. Showcase
02 Bury Pts. 1 + 3
03 Mexico Wax Solvent
04 Cowboy George
05 Hot Cake
06 Y.F.O.C. / Slippy Floor
07 Chino
08 Funnel of Love
09 Weather Report 2

The Fall:

04-24 Edinburgh, Scotland – Studio 24
04-29 Dublin, Ireland – Tripod
05-02 Keele, England – Keele University Ballroom
05-04 Nottingham, England – Rock City
05-07 London, England – Shepherds Bush Empire
05-08 Aldershot, England – Palace
05-09 Brighton, England – Concorde 2
05-16 Minehead, England – ATP
05-21 Wakefield, England – Balne Lane Working Mens Club

Last year, the Arctic Monkeys released Humbug (which ranked number four on our “Best of 2009″ list), and they are not quite finished touring in support of it. The band is currently making rounds in Europe, and in March, they have a stop in their native England before they skip across the pond to the U.S. Check and see if they’re hitting a city near you:

Arctic Monkeys:

02-08 Munich, Germany – Zenith
02-09 Offenbach, Germany – Stadthalle
02-10 Dusseldorf, Germany – Philipshalle
02-13 Valencia, Spain – Ciudad De Las Artes Y Las Ciencias
03-27 London, England – Royal Albert Hall
04-01 Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre *
04-02 Tampa, FL – The Ritz *
04-03 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live *
04-05 Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club *
04-06 Raleigh, NC – Disco Rodeo *
04-07 Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live *
04-09 Covington, KY – Madison Theatre *
04-11 St. Louis, MO – The Pagent *
04-12 Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall *
04-13 Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom *
04-15 Tempe, AZ – The Marquee *
* with Sleepy Sun

In other news, these Sheffield guys will release a single from Humbug digitally and physically (vinyl format, both 10″ and 7″) through Domino. The digital single will become available on March 23, but vinyl-loving types will have to wait until April 13 when the single hits stores.

“My Propeller” 10″–

A1 My Propeller
A2 Joining the Dots
B1 The Afternoon’s Hat
B2 Don’t Forget Whose Legs You’re On

“My Propeller” 7″–

A1 My Propeller
B1 Joining the Dots

(P4K)

Four Tet

There Is Love In You

[Domino; 2010]

Links: Four Tet | Domino | Purchase on Insound

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Owen Pallett

Heartland

[Domino; 2010]

Links: Owen Pallett | Domino | Purchase on Insound

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Dirty Projectors are wasting no time in these early days of 2010. Following the gushing praise the band has received at numerous end-of-year (and decade) lists, they have kept up the momentum and Dirty Projectors fever by releasing the single “Ascending Melody,” which is being offered as a free download.

Just fill out your e-mail address in the cool little widget provided below, and voila! You get a free Dirty Projectors song (and probably a newsletter, but that’s alright).

If you are wondering about a physical release, fret not, because the band will be releasing the single in 7″ vinyl format with Domino Records, which you can order here for a reasonable $5.99 USD. The song “Emblem of the World” will be featured on the opposite side. Both songs are said to be coming from the Bitte Orca recording sessions.

Dave Longstreth and his crew will also be making rounds to Australia and New Zealand in the coming months, as well as a couple of coastal stops in the U.S.

Dirty Projectors:

02-19 New York, NY – The Allen Room @ Lincoln Center
02-27 Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Concert Hall
03-03 Auckland, New Zealand – Montechristo Room
03-04 Wellington, New Zealand – San Francisco Bathhouse
03-06 Brisbane, Australia – The Lost Weekend
03-07 Meredith, Australia – Golden Plains Festival
03-09 Melbourne, Australia – The Hi Fi
03-10 Sydney, Australia – The Metro
03-13 Perth, Australia – The Rosemount Hotel

(Via Pitchfork)

It’s been such a long time since the late, great Elliott Smith has come up on the news media radar, but like a kindly spirit, his name is back to haunt us (and for good reason). The indie label Kill Rock Stars will be re-releasing Smith’s albums Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill and putting them in their own catalog alongside their other Smith releases (namely his self-titled album from 1995 and Either/Or). Kill Rock Stars is also providing a “new” (i.e. previously unreleased) track called “Cecilia/Amanda” to go along with the news of the reissues.

Roman Candle, Smith’s extremely raw, lo-fi debut, was originally released on Cavity Search Records and Domino Records. The posthumous album, From a Basement on the Hill (released in ‘04 after Smith’s death in ‘03), was originally available through ANTI- and Domino.

Larry Crane, the editor of Tape Op Magazine and Elliott Smith archivist, has re-mastered Roman Candle for the Kill Rock Stars re-release. Crane has commented that he wanted to make the album “more listenable,” and thus perhaps more inviting to people not so familiar with Elliott Smith.

The new song “Cecilia/Amanda” was recorded back in 1997 by Larry Crane, and it is supposedly a re-working of a song Smith had originally written and recorded for a band back in high school. It sounds like unbelievably mature songwriting for a high schooler, yet it radiates nostalgia and youth. Listen for yourself.

The re-issues of Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill are set to be released on April 6 of next year. Oh, and as if Kill Rock Stars didn’t give us a big enough surprise with that free mp3, they also have Elliot Smith’s back catalog on sale until January 4.

Animal Collective

Fall Be Kind EP

[Domino; 2009]

Links: Animal Collective | Domino | Purchase on Insound | Download on Domino

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Written by Larry Weaver and Adam Clair

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10″ Single Tracklist:

01. Brother Sport
02. Bleeding (Live)

SI-DNO-247 | Domino | Available for pre-order on 10/09/09 | Released 12/08/09

Sure, it’s not an EP, or a visual album, but the addition of the live b-side is quite nice.