Pitchfork

Nearly 40 years after co-founding Teutonic robot band Kraftwerk with Ralf Hutter, Florian Schneider has parted ways with the group (which will apparently continue without him). Though Kraftwerk are famous for their mechanized facelessness, it's hard to overstate Schneider's influence on electronic music in all its forms: David Bowie named his song "V-2 Schneider" after him, and artists as diverse as Afrika Bambaataa, Joy Division, and Derrick May drew from the band's mesmerizing krautrock beat. (His personality is almost as stark as Kraftwerk's songs, as evidenced in this phenomenal interview.)

According to a Speak & Spell-worthy statement on the band's website, "Florian is a great musician, always seeking the perfect sound through technology. Refined and perfected sounds and vocoders to impossible levels of perfection." The exit isn't a complete surprise-- Schneider didn't perform/stand still with Kraftwerk on their 2008 tour (we forgive you for not noticing). One profound consequence of his departure: Pretentious dudes will no longer be able to say "Ralf and Florian" when they really mean Kraftwerk. They'll have to just say "Ralf" instead.

The band's website hints at future projets from both Schneider and the newly Schneider-free group (aka "new Kraftwerk"). Still, computerized mannequins everywhere are shedding tears.

Oof alert! Remember that time you were drinking Purple Stuff with your buddies and throwing out possible mashup project titles: Weezyer, The Fall...Out Boy, Animal Collective [ft. Animal from the Muppets], Jaydiohead. It was dumb; it was great. But there's a difference between spitballing while listening to The Grey Album and actually making a full 10-song album of Jay-Z/Radiohead smashups and calling it Jaydiohead, which is exactly what some New York City guy named Minty Fresh Beats just did. Jay-Z raps, Radiohead play, and you listen curiously for about a minute before groaning. Will somebody please stop the madness?

Who has patience for this type of thing in 2009? Even Girl Talk faltered when he put Jay's "Roc Boys" over "Paranoid Android" on Feed the Animals-- and that was just 30 seconds of Jaydio-ness. This is 38.1 mintues worth! The best thing to come out of the project are the titles, which often cross over into so-bad-they're-amazing territory. There's the possibly Wall-E-inspired "Dirt Off Your Android" and, our personal favorite, "Lucifer's Jigsaw", which sounds like a very difficult puzzle. Of course, this isn't the first time some dude (it's always a dude) downloaded Jay-Z a cappellas and put them over his favorite subversive rock band (lest we remind you of The Slack Album). And it won't be the last time. It should be the last time.

-- Stars, They're Just Like Us-- Economic Meltdown Edition: Arrest-prone rapper DMX is just another homeowner facing foreclosure after his Arizona abode fell into disrepair following a SWAT team raid last May. At least he still has a car (probably?).

-- Robert Ward, Motown collaborator and founder of legendary funk group the Ohio Players, passed away on Christmas Day due to complications from a stroke he suffered in 2001. He was 70 years old.

-- Eclectic Norwegian label Rune Grammofon will release the 2xCD/book set Money Will Ruin Everything, The Second Edition on February 3. The book chronicles the label's past five years with photos, album art, and video stills along with an essay from label founder Rune Kristoffersen; the discs feature new songs from Rune acts like Supersilent, Shining, and Deathprod.

-- As previously reported, down south singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt and fellow Athens, Georgia residents Elf Power will take part in a R.E.M. tribute show at New York City's Carnegie Hall on March 11. And now the two acts are also joining forces for a tour that will take them across the U.S. and Europe through March.

People of France: Bonjour! That's French, right? Also, did you guys know that Pitchfork made a book? We did! We totally did. The book is in English, though. Sorry about that. We hope it's not too much of a problem. Anyway, now that we've already thrown book-release parties in New York and Chicago, it's your turn.

This Friday, January 9, Le Motel in Paris is throwing a party for The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present. Le Motel is located at 8, passage Josset, 75011 Paris. If you're taking the Metro, it's Ledru-Rollin. And from 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., the DJs Bonne Ambiance and Maxence P will be playing selections from the book. I swear I'm not making those names up, either.

And if you haven't heard anything about the book yet, here's the deal: This handy paperback chronologically explores Pitchfork's 500 favorite songs from 1977-2006, constructing an alternate history of the past three decades of popular music-- one that extends beyond the typical Baby Boomer-approved canon of the Clash, Prince, Public Enemy, Nirvana, Radiohead, and Outkast.

From art-rock and proto-punk godfathers such as Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie to today's leading lights such as the Arcade Fire, the White Stripes, and Kanye West; from superstars to cult heroes; and from punk, indie, and pop to hip-hop, electronic music, and metal, we've created the ultimate playlist. Interspersed throughout are sidebars on the most vital subgenres from electro to grime to riot grrrl, along with pieces like "Career Killers: The Songs That Ended It All" and "Runaway Trainwrecks: The Post-Grunge Nadir."

Edited by Pitchfork founder/president Ryan Schreiber and editor-in-chief Scott Plagenhoef, and written by an all-star team of contributors, The Pitchfork 500 is the perfect book for the train ride to work, a cozy winter's night by the fireside, or extended stays on the toilet.

The book is available in your friendly neighborhood bookstore right now. Or you can order it via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Insound, Powells, or Simon & Schuster. 

Norwegian downtempo duo Röyksopp haven't blessed us with a proper album since The Understanding almost four years ago, but that's about to change. On their website, Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge announced that Junior, their third album, will be coming out on March 23. This announcement is both good news, as the duo are quick to announce: "Every once in a while we surface to share our music and shed some light in an otherwise bleak reality. And that time is soon upon us, Ladies & Gents."

This time around, they've recruited themselves an all-star team of icy Scandinavian pop-goddess collaborators: Robyn, Lykke Li, Anneli Drecker, the Knife's Karin Dreijer. Drecker and Dreijer have both laced Röyksopp tracks in the past, Dreijer on "What Else Is There" and Drecker on "Sparks"; Robyn and Lykke Li are both new to the group. And that list of names means this album has a pretty good chance of ruling. Here's the tracklist:

01 Happy Up Here
02 The Girl and the Robot
03 Vision One
04 This Must Be It
05 Röysopp Forever
06 Miss It So Much
07 Tricky Tricky
08 You Don't Have a Clue
09 Silver Cruiser
10 True to Life
11 It's What I Want

The first single, "Happy Up Here", is out March 9.

The duo are also offering a new non-album song, "Happy Birthday", for free download on their site, and you don't even have to supply an email address or anything to get it.

Baltimore-based squeaky-voice manipulator Dan Deacon has revealed the cover for Bromst, his Spiderman of the Rings follow-up, and it is on some creepy Blair Witch-type shit. The album is finally due March 24 on Carpark, after a few delays. When Deacon talked to Pitchfork about the album last May, he described it as a "much darker" affair. But given that 99.9% of albums are darker than Spiderman of the Rings, that's a pretty vague descriptor. So come March, we'll find out just how dark an album can possibly be while still including a song with the title "Surprise Stefani". Here's the tracklist:

01 Build Voice
02 Red F
03 Paddling Ghost
04 Snookered
05 Of the Mountains
06 Surprise Stefani
07 Wet Wings
08 Woof Woof
09 Slow With Horns / Run for Your Life
10 Baltihorse
11 Get Older

Deacon debuted material from the album at a December 11 show at Brooklyn's Masonic Temple, for which he enlisted the services of a large live band featuring all four members of Brooklyn's So Percussion alongside various hyperactive nu-Baltimore dudes from Ponytail, Double Dagger, Ecstatic Sunshine, and Future Islands. As of now, the only tour dates Deacon has lined up are in Australia and New Zealand:

02-19 - 02-23 New Zealand - TBA
02-26 Sydney, Australia - TBA
02-27 Sydney, Australia - Oxford Art Factory (Summer Tones)
02-28 Melbourne, Australia - The Espy (Summer Tones)
03-05 Melbourne, Australia - The Tote
03-06 Brisbane, Australia - The Zoo (Summer Tones)
03-07 Meredith, Australia - Golden Plains Festival
03-08 Perth, Australia - Perth Festival

The 56th Presidential Inauguration will feature plenty of change and hope, along with sure-to-be-classy performances from Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, and clarinet player Anthony McGill. But for those looking to celebrate Barack Obama's takeover with some of the finest lefty indie-rockers out there, there's (even more) hope. Ted Leo and author and journalist Thomas Frank (The Baffler, What's the Matter With Kansas?) are the newest names added to the Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change, which is brought to you by venerable Windy City venue the Hideout and arts-minded political activators Interchange. Frank will MC the event; Leo will presumably play rock music. Chi-town heroes Andrew Bird, Tortoise, and others will also celebrate at the January 19 gig at Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat, too.

And, since it's a "Ball," attendees are encouraged to wear "formal thrift-store attire"-- yes, ladies, now's the time to break out that 100-year-old lacy number with the inconspicuous coffee stain on the left shoulder. And who knows, maybe they'll get a visit from Mr. President-Elect himself! (Ok, that's not gonna happen, but we're sure Mr. Bird can make room for a solo from McGill somewhere inside his winsome folk.) Full line-up:

01-19 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat: The Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change with Andrew Bird, Ted Leo, Tortoise, Waco Brothers, Eleventh Dream Day, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Ken Vandermark, Freakwater, Icy Demons, Judson Claiborne and special guests

Amy Millan photo by Ahmed Klink

-- Stars' Amy Millan has begun work on her second solo album.

-- Ra Ra Riot have announced tour dates in February and March, including stints with Cut Off Your Hands and Tokyo Police Club.

-- Jim O'Rourke has teamed up with experimental guitarist Loren Connors for the album Two Nice Catholic Boys, which will be released by Family Vineyard on January 20.

-- Tindersticks will hit North America for a rare tour in March.

Header photo from I Can Has Cheezburger?

At the end of every year, Pitchfork News takes a few weeks off to celebrate the holidays and remember what life is like away from the computer. Now, after a well-deserved break, we're back in full swing, ready to keep you up-to-date on the goings-on of all your favorite (and least favorite) artistsin 2009.

Here's a brief run-down of a few notable things that happened during the break.

Happy new year!

WILCO TO RELEASE LIVE DVD; JEFF TWEEDY'S SON REVEALED TO BE A SURPRISINGLY GOOD BLOGGER

The day before Christmas, Wilco sent out an email newsletter outlining their plans for 2009. In addition to a new album in the spring, the band will release the concert DVD Ashes of American Flags in February or March via Nonesuch. Consisting of footage from Wilco's February 2008 tour in support of latest album Sky Blue Sky, Ashes of American Flags was created by Brendan Canty (yes, the drummer from Fugazi) and Christoph Green at Trixie Films.

Wilco will hit the road in the South in April, including a show at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 25, and will hit Spain in May. In January, Jeff Tweedy will play a trio of Midwestern solo shows, while Nels Cline will tour California with various combos.

On a (literally) related note, if you'd like to feel woefully inadequate as a blogger, writer, or human being in general, check out Jeff's son Spencer Tweedy's blog, which everybody seemed to discover the week before Christmas. A shockingly erudite 13-year-old, Spencer writes about world travel (he's hanging out with his dad and Neil Finn in New Zealand right now), technology, music, politics, and Bar/Bat Mitzvot. Let's hope he doesn't discover drugs or sex any time soon.

KRAFTWERK OPENING FOR RADIOHEAD

As previously reported, Radiohead will spend a good chunk of March 2009 touring Central and South America.

Over the break, Radiohead revealed that German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk will join them for the entire trek.

Good for them -- both of those bands could use some nice, healthy tans.

SIGUR RÓS ALSO WORKING ON CONCERT FILM

Like Wilco, Sigur Rós are also preparing a live concert film for release in 2009. Director Vincent Morisset (of Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" clip/Miroir Noir movie fame) filmed the band's November 20 and 21, 2008 performances at Alexandra Palace in London.

Sigur Rós' website reports that the film "is currently being edited in montreal and promises to be a nice contrast to Heima, which had a lot of links to context, time and surroundings, whereas this forthcoming concert footage will be purely performance-based."

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO RELEASE GREATEST HITS ALBUM...AT WAL-MART

Because there aren't enough Bruce Springsteen greatest hits albums already, and because Wal-Mart needs more stuff to sell, Billboard.com reports that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Greatest Hits will hit the discount behemoth's shelves exclusively on January 13. It features 12 tracks spanning the time period between 1973's "Rosalita" and 2007's "Radio Nowhere", and is completely and totally unnecessary.

Expect Bruce overload this winter, what with the E Street Band's Super Bowl halftime show, a Golden Globe nomination-- and possible Oscar nomintion-- for "The Wrestler" (from the Darren Aronofsky film of the same name), and brand new studio album Working on a Dream, out January 27 via Columbia.

That's the Working on a Dream album cover up there. Man, this guy hasn't had a good album cover since Born in the U.S.A., has he?

BJÖRK PUTS HER MONEY WHERE HER MOUTH IS

Photo by Ashley Williamson

Björk spent much of 2008 working on ways to improve the environmental and economic situations in Iceland, as has been well-documented in Pitchfork's pages. Billboard.com reports that she ended the year taking a financial stake in her home country's future, by partnering with the Reykjavík venture capital firm Audur Capital to create the BJÖRK venture fund.

According to Audur's website, the BJÖRK fund "is intended for investors seeking investment opportunities in new venture creation and the business development of small companies with the objective of catalyzing the recovery of the Icelandic economy." These companies "must be sustainable, both in terms of financial returns as well as being socially and environmentally responsible."

THE HOLD STEADY ANNOUNCE SPRING U.S. TOUR

The Hold Steady just keep on truckin. Following a run of dates in Australia in late January/early Februrary, not to mention keyboardist Franz Nicolay's solo trek in support of his album Major General, the Hold Steady will hit the road in the States in late March and early April. Secretly Canadian rockers The War on Drugs support on all of the spring U.S. shows.

However, before all of that, the Hold Steady will play a one-off gig at the House of Blues in Chicago on January 15. The show is presented by Cubs Charities, and Tom Morello is also on the bill.

R.I.P. EARTHA KITT, DELANEY BRAMLETT, FREDDIE HUBBARD

Over the break, we said goodbye to three musical leading lights: legendary singer/actress/activist Eartha Kitt (pictured), eternal star of stage and screen (including her memorable stint as Catwoman on the "Batman" television show in the 1960s); guitarist Delaney Bramlett, known for his work as a sideman to Eric Clapton and George Harrison as well as half of the duo Delaney & Bonnie; and influential jazz trumpet player Freddie Hubbard.

Welcome once again to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to upcoming releases! Four times a year, we round up a big ol' list of albums, singles, EPs, and DVDs set to be unleashed over the coming months, hoping to get you pumped about going out and buying records. (You do still do that, right? RIGHT?) This installment covers early 2009.

Compiling such a list isn't easy in this day and age, with different release dates for digital and physical versions of albums, as well as different release dates for different countries. So we tried to stick with North American physical release dates as much as possible, with exceptions as noted. When an album's North American release date differs from its overseas one, we also made a note of that. Keep in mind that release dates are as slippery as an eel on rollerskates, and any one of these is subject to change at any moment.