Supposed Dates For 2010 Daft Punk Tour Leak, Including a Stop in Yankees Stadium on August 15 – Dates are Not Yet Confirmed, But Will Most Likely Be Kept as Robots Have No Place For Scheduling Errors, and Most Likely Have Google Maps Stored in their Titanium Minds [NME]

Sunset Rubdown Frontman/Wolf Parade Co-Frontman/Swan Lake Co-Co-Frontman Spencer Krug Desires More Attention, Records Solo Under Pseudonym “Moonface;” Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums Released January 26 [Pitchfork]

All Tomorrow’s Parties Announce Initial “Don’t Look Back” Line-Up for ATP New York; Iggy & the Stooges Performing Raw Power From Cover to Cover; Remains to be Seen Whether or Not Mr. Pop Will Finally Promise on Walking Street as Cheetah; ATP New York Takes Place September 3, 2010 [Brooklyn Vegan]

Swedish Songstress Lykke Li Releases a Free Cover of the Shirelles’ classic, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.” Stream It Here; Considering the Heartbreaking Pace of the Song, I’m Guessing Li Has Already Answered that Question With a Firm “No” [Gorilla vs. Bear]

Lily Allen (Who, Let’s Remember, “Quit” Music Due to Illegal Downloading (Allegedly (…At This Point, Pretty Sure She Didn’t Quit))) Says She’s Fine With People Buying Burned Copies of Her CDs, as Long as They Pay For Them; Elsewhere, Who Wants to Buy a “Copy” of Alright, Still? [NME]

Merge Reissues Neutral Milk Hotel’s Albums; Releases Two Videos of Jeff Mangum Playing Aeroplane’s “Two Headed Boy” and Avery Island’s “April 8th.” Warning: These Videos Made Me Cry Due to Intensity of Mangum’s Music and Memories. Maybe NSFW, if Your Co-Workers Are Likely to Call You Names [Youtube]

compiled by Max Sebela

IN THE TUBE
So I got to thinking: what, exactly, is the purpose of In the Tube? This may seem like a simple question (“tube” implies “relating to television, i.e., a video; “in the” implies “contained within”), but as I go back through the installments of ITT over the weeks, it really isn’t that easy. Is this space for discussing upcoming albums? Exchanging on current events? Providing a review of a song or album through its video? Drawing an overly intellectualized conclusion about pop culture? Delivering uncensored, unfiltered, sweet, sweet “LOLZ”?

In the Tube has been used for all those things, but I think we all know what this space is really for: watching and discussing music videos that are absolutely bizarre, and trying to make sense of them. So this week, JM.com brings you what possibly could become a regular feature on the website: IN THE TUBE: Battle of the Bizarre. Two videos released over the past week or so are posted, and you, our lovely reader (you really are quite lovely) suggests what in the blue fuck we are supposed to get out of them, and which one, based on the interpretations, is more bizarre.

The Contenders:

Grizzly Bear | “While You Wait for the Others”

This video contains clocks, rabbits, Victorian statues, a seemingly anthropomorphized red ball, babies’ heads, spinning disembodied appendages, a lot of stop motion, and a single dog head puppet, the entire thing looking like one of those “Penny” segments from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse after huffing a bunch of paint. This is all well and good, but for some elusive reason, the protagonist is a fencer. A particularly lonely fencer. A fencer who is rarely seen fencing. This does not make sense.

Sunset Rubdown | “Black Swan”

Lots of skeleton pajamas, death masks, and seizure inducing Rorchach tests. Everything is in black, the skeleton pajamas stab, and the moon goes through a full lunar eclipse, which uhhh…is a lot of scope for a video. But, again, based on the army of skeleton pajama wearing murderers and 30-seconds of flames, followed by what could only be the devil’s eyes (and not to give anything away) but I’m pretty sure this thing has something to do with death. Maybe.

Well faithful readers, go forth and interpret. I have no idea what either of these videos are supposed to mean, and honestly want to figure it out – a FENCER? WHY?!

by Max Sebela

Courtney Love Tweets At Her Disgust Of Kurt Cobain Appearing In Guitar Hero 5; Threatens To Sue Activision; Claims “Ever did intend on allowing GUITARHERO for me or for Kurt am NOT oko fucking ONO;” Meanwhile, Yoko Ono’s Name Remains “Yoko Ono” [Spin]

Watch New Air Video For “Sing Sang Sung” – Follow The Bouncing Ball Through What Looks Like Yoshi’s Island; Love 2 Released October 6 [Pitchfork]

Sufjan Stevens To Play All Of Seven Swans, His Most Christian (And Arguably Worst) Album At All Tomorrow’s Parties NY [ATP Twitter]

Brooklyn Snore-Pop Duo Beach House Sign To Sub Pop; Third LP (Still Unnamed) To Be Released Early 2010 [Gorilla vs. Bear]

Smashing Pumpkins Frontman/Sole Original Member Billy Corgan Launches Spirituality Website; Good For Him: Corgan Has Convinced Himself He’s God For About Twenty Years – Now He Has An Outlet To Prove It! [Pitchfork]

Britpop So-So’s The Cribs’ Fourth Album Ignore The Ignorant Outsell The Beatles Reissues – Americans Remain Unclear As To Whether The Cribs, The Hives, and The Bravery Are Different Bands [NME]

Watch New Sunset Rubdown Video For Dragonslayer Cut “Black Swan” – It’s A Third ITunes Visualizer, A Third Grim Fandango, And A Third Swedish Jeans Commercial (Alternatively: 100% Good, Ol’ Fashioned Peyote Induced Fun!) [Pitchfork]
[Pitchfork]

You’ve Had A Tough Day, I Understand…Here, Have A New Lil Wayne Track…There You Go, All Better Now [Prefix]

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Off-Shoot Grinderman Announce Follow Up To Their 2007 Self-Titled Debut; To Be Released Early 2010 [NME]

compiled by Max Sebela

FRESH BAKED
Sunset Rubdown
Dragonslayer
2009 | Jagjaguwar
B+

It’s a wonder Spencer Krug hasn’t run out of ideas yet. Over the past five years, the Montreal-based indie rock heavyweight has worked with four bands, written nine or so albums, and criss-crossed the country on innumerable tours. In the process, he’s made Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, and Sunset Rubdown household names – to kids who wear cardigans, at least. If anyone ever set up an AA-style support group for prolific songwriters who can’t stop writing and performing, you can be sure Krug would be seated in a semi-circle next to Robert P., Will O., and Ryan A.

But among all of the groups born of Krug’s creativity, Sunset Rubdown has always stood apart as his pet. Originally formed as an outlet for the complex ideas that didn’t fit within the simplified Wolf Parade formula, Sunset Rubdown has evolved into one of indie rock’s most uncompromising bands, writing songs that defy the genre’s conventions. The band’s songs explore snakes growing legs, wicked-winged things, and twentysomethings riding leopards, all the while weaving melodies around song structures that would give Geddy Lee a headache. Perhaps it’s fitting then that sometime between Snake’s Got a Leg and Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown became the most visible force in the fledgling indie prog genre.
More on Sunset Rubdown | Dragonslayer

DAILY NEWS PICKS

Live Nation Offers “No Service Fee Wednesday” Today [Brooklyn Vegan]

Kanye West and Lady Gaga Announce Fall Tour [Idolator]

Perez Hilton Says Christina Aguilera is Recording With Le Tigre [Spin]

Live Nation and Ticketmaster Merger Challenged as Monopoly in UK [NME]

Phoenix and Passion Pit Play Central Park Summerstage [Brooklyn Vegan]

Devendra Banhart Remixes Oasis [NME]

Patrick Wolf Arrested and “Almost Shot in the Face” in San Francisco [Pitchfork]

New Roots Album How I Got Over Announced; Roots May Be Busiest Band in Universe [Prefix]

Stream Sunset Rubdown’s New Album Dragonslayer on NPR [NPR]

Touch & Go’s DIY 70s Punk Zine Becomes Really Nice Book [The Tripwire]

compiled by Max Sebela

DAILY NEWS PICKS

Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz! Tour Won’t Hit Brooklyn [The Tripwire]

The Scoop on Snoop [NYTimes Arts]

Rihanna Tries to Reclaim Rocks [Rolling Stone]

New iPhone Apps Search Blogs [CNET] and Spin Records [Prefix]

Village Voice Siren Fest Still at Coney Island - Initial Lineup Announced [Brooklyn Vegan]

Eminem’s Relapse Track List Leaked [Prefix]

No Age, Deerhunter, and Dan Deacon, Oh My! [Pitchfork]

Decemberists Appear on Colbert Report [Videogum]

Destroyer and Sunset Rubdown Schedule (Separate) NYC Shows [Brooklyn Vegan]

Sonic Youth Summer Tour [Prefix]

Rooftop Films Returns [Brooklyn Vegan]

compiled by Elana Jacobs