Pitchfork

"A world without objects is a sensible emptiness," the poet Richard Wilbur once wrote. Guess ol' Wilbur won't be preordering any of the awesomely ridiculous digital download packages for Of Montreal's forthcoming Skeletal Lamping-- you know, the tote bag, or the wall decals, or the freakin' paper lantern. Hey man, his loss.

And besides, Kevin Barnes calls the sensibility of an object-free world into question in a manifesto released to Pitchfork today and entitled "We Will Only Propagate Exceptional Objects", which explains the motivations behind the so-called "Skeletal Lamping Collection".

As Barnes writes, "We've always felt that the packaging was just as important as the music inside of it. We've worked within the constraints of conventional album packaging, and have tried to create something fantastically uncommon every time.

"We find ourselves in the middle of an exciting epoch: A time when new technology has shattered the conventional business model and has set a paradigm shift in motion. For some people in the music biz, this is terrifying. For us, it is a fucking miracle! While the kings are in a stupor, we are going to take full advantage of the changing guard."

That said, Barnes isn't down with useless clutter, which is why he and the band decided to "produce [only] objects that have a function and that can be treasured for their singularness...objects that can transform a room, bend the mind, and inform your dreams." Totally, dude.

Muses Barnes in conclusion, "We hope this idea catches on and, in the future, square CD packaging will be abandoned forever and only interesting art objects will fill record stores. We envision a time when you'll be walking around your local record shop and be like, 'What's the new Radiohead album again? Oh yeah, a bonsai tree in the shape of a deformed goat, I see it over there.'"

To be fair, Kev, Radiohead have done pretty well already in the unconventional packaging department.

Take a closer look at some of Of Montreal's exceptional (and functional!) objects below, where you'll also find the complete text of Mr. Barnes' eye-opening and very-much-worth-reading essay.

As reported last week, Skeletal Lamping and all accompanying goodies are now due October 21 via Polyvinyl, while a white label "Id Engager" remix 12" lands September 30 via Mad Decent.

Chat consumer theory with Barnes at the merch table (irony!) as he and Of Montreal take to the road beginning October 7 in Durham, North Carolina.

T-shirts

What oh what have we done to call forth the "Fist of God" and let it descend upon us? Well, really, we were just looking to dance.

That's right, the "Fist of God" tour is coming fast and hard, bringing with it the likes of hockey mask donning Toronto electro-funkers MSTRKRFT. The jaunt begins in L.A. tonight (September 26), and continues across North America for a month and then some.

All this comes in advance of MSTRKRFT's previously discussed sophomore album, not coincidentally called Fist of God. Barring any intervention from on high, that one should hit shops January 6 thanks to Dim Mak/Downtown. Details on the disc are scant at this point-- intentionally so, I'm told-- but the first big reveal on the collabo-friendly set is a guest verse from N.O.R.E. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

The Eagle Rock Music Festival will host its 10th annual event in the titular Los Angeles neighborhood on October 4.

Crystal Antlers, Abe Vigoda, Earlimart, Mika Miko, Radar Bros., Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley), Dublab Soundsystem, Build an Ark, the Parson Red Heads, and Edward Sharpe will be among the bands playing "16 unique one-night-only venues ranging from tire shops and formal stages to coffee shops and even [a] motel poolside," according to a press release.

Best of all, Eagle Rock is free, so be happy, Eagle!

Photo by George Chin

Clear a little room in your fridgethe RAWK section of your record shelf: According to Billboard.com, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy will indeed be released before the year's up. And it's an exclusive deal with blue-and-yellow store Best Buy. Details on the release-- okay okay, EVERY LITTLE THING ABOUT IT, including more on this lamewad Best Buy business-- will presumably follow soon.

But Chinese Democracy, an album three Bush terms and a decent chunk of a bailout check in the making, will actually be a thing you can buy in your lifetime. I know, right? It feels weird just to type.

In other GN'R news, lead single "Shackler's Revenge" is in the recently released Rock Band 2, and that Skwerl guy's only gonna be shopping at Circuit City from now on.

Just in time for lead vest season, Beck and Jay Reatard will beam that "Gamma Ray" single on over to the States in the coming weeks.

You know, "Gamma Ray", the one that's out now in Europe via XL and finds Beck's original cut from Modern Guilt joined by Jay's own take on the tune? The set, which emerges digitally Stateside September 30 and on vinyl October 7 from Interscope, also sports a non-album cut from Mr. Hansen entitled "Bonfire Blonde".

Beck also has a rather elaborate vinyl box set of his 2006 LP The Information out this very instant from Artist in Residence. For the price of $175 American, you'll receive the album on four 180 gram virgin vinyl 12" LPs and one 140 gram virgin 10". What's more, those nifty sticker sets that came with the CD release have been resized to match the scale of the handcrafted, individually-numbered clamshell box a little better. This monster also comes with a 24-color fine art pen set for all your doodling needs, and it's limited to 3,000 copies worldwide. I mean, jeez, just look at the thing.

Furthermore, Beck has added a few dates to his already-in-progress North American tour since our last report.

As for Jay, he'll be back in Memphis this weekend for a show before he hits the road in earnest next month. That compilation of Jay's recently wrapped Matador singles series, Matador Singles 08, is due October 6 in the UK and October 7 in the States from Matador.

Feist, Jarvis Cocker, and a bunch of other artists board a ship to the Arctic to investigate climate change. It sounds like a strange reality show, but it's actually straight-up reality.

Yesterday (September 25), a crew of scientists, artists, engineers, and journalists boarded a science research vessel in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland bound for Disko Bay. Soon, they'll travel across the front of the Jakobshavn Glacier, "one of Greenland's largest glaciers moving at a faster rate than ever before, losing 20 million tons of ice every day," according to the description from expedition organizers Cape Farewell.

The point of the trip, in addition to scientific research, is "to inspire the creative team to respond to climate change both in the Arctic and on their return." Apparently, at the airport, "Feist checked her guitar (Robyn Hitchcock requested that everybody who has one bring it for a little Arctic jam)."

In addition to Feist and Jarvis Cocker, the list of musicians on board includes Robyn Hitchcock, Martha Wainwright, Ryuichi Sakamoto, KT Tunstall, Laurie Anderson, and...Vanessa Carlton. How fitting!

Here's a photo of Jarvis Cocker (that beard!) and KT Tunstall at the airport:

Folks can follow the expedition's progress through blogs, pictures, videos, and a podcast on Cape Farewell's website. The voyage ends October 6.

Thanks to Feist, whose MySpace blog tipped us off about the expedition.

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

Now let me tell you 'bout the Bird and the Bee and their forthcoming LP. It's called Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future, and it's due January 27 from Blue Note. The disc is the jazzy L.A. pop duo's follow-up to their 2007 self-titled debut, and because it comes out in 2009, it is indeed like an album from the future. Teach us more, magical fauna of tomorrow!

In the stark reality of today, however, the Bird and the Bee are touring through the next week or so. Though they do have a date off in March. Which is totally the future. A future where we will have ray guns. Etc.

Hyperkinetic loon (and we mean that in the best way possible) Jamie Lidell launches into the home stretch today (September 26) with dates that will carry him across the world until Christmas, save for a month off in the middle. Today he plays twice: at the Austin City Limits festival, and at the Parish in Austin.

Lidell's been going non-stop this year in support of his new album, Jim, but for those who haven't caught him and his new-ish backing band yet, below we have a video of them performing "Figured Me Out" live at this year's Lowlands Festival in the Netherlands. The clip is vocoderiffic.

There are some slight changes to Lidell's itinerary since our last report. Now, in addition to his jaunt with Elton John, he's also got a handful of dates with Janelle Monáe.

Santogold is out there right now on her North American headlining tour, but that tour will get a boost in the energy department when the singer joins up with hyperactive organ-n-drums duo Mates of State in a matter of days.

Mates of State are out there right now too in support of new disc Re-Arrange Us, and they have quite a few dates apart from the Santogold party caravan.

In other Mates of State news, the duo put in an appearance on "Yo Gabba Gabba!" earlier this week.

Secretly Canadian's so-called "Season of Danielson" is in full swing, what with the Trying Hartz double-disc anthology due November 4, a sizable Danielson tour set to kick off on Halloween, and today's news of a handful of vinyl reissues and a brand-spankin'-free digital EP.

Stylus-mongering Danielson Famile fanatics will be thrilled to know that both 1997's Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block and 2001's Fetch the Compass Kids made their way to wax anew this week thanks to Secretly Canadian and Sounds Familyre, respectively. SC also has a double-LP set collecting 1998's Tri-Danielson (Alpha) and Tri-Danielson!!! (Omega) into one package, available now as well.

Broke-ass Danielson fanatics with just enough paper for a computer and internet access will be thrilled to know that Danielson have put together a special six-song EP, available for free download via NYC shop Other Music's digital webstore and Secretly Canadian's site, and due to hit eMusic soon. Alive! collects previously unreleased radio sessions and live versions of songs from the early days of Danielson, including a few numbers that also appear in studio form on the upcoming Trying Hartz set.

And now, to answer the question that has surely been burning a hole in your brain since we announced Danielson's tour several weeks ago: just what crazy get-up is the Danielson gang going to don on this jaunt?

And the answer is, uh, this:



What it lacks in ridiculous tree-ness, it more than makes up for in mobility.

In other news, the mark of Danielson is all over that recently released Wovenhand LP, and a Danielson Sacred Harp cover appears on Help Me to Sing: Songs of the Sacred Harp, the second disc of that fancy two-disc set due October 14.