In its 23 years of existence, nobody has managed to adequately explain why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to exist. Apparently it's necessary for an entire generation's self-esteem that a museum in Cleveland anoint some arbitrary crew of rock stars every year. Well, the Hall of Fame just announced its 2009 inductions, so here we go again. (Via Rolling Stone.)

Run-DMC and Metallica are probably the two most interesting inclusions in this year's list of Hall of Fame inductees. Run-DMC is the second rap group in the Hall, following Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five a couple of years ago, and Metallica is one of the Hall's first metal bands-- the exact number depending on how exactly you choose to define "metal." This year's class also includes baby-boomer guitar hero Jeff Beck, soul great Bobby Womack, doo-wop group Little Anthony and the Imperials, and early rockabilly star Wanda Jackson. There's also a sideman category, and this year Elvis bassist Bill Black and drummer D.J. Fontana and longtime session pianist Dewey Lyndon "Spooner" Oldham get the nod.

As ever, it's more interesting to contemplate who didn't make it in than who did. Every year, the Hall picks a bunch of artists to nominate and then lets most of them in. This year, the Stooges were nominated for like the umpteenth millionth time, but they were cut again, even after paying tribute to Madonna at last year's induction ceremony.

Another near-indefensible exclusion is Chic, the group responsible for like half the really great disco songs ever, and this also isn't the first time the Hall passed them over. Apparently it was so urgent and necessary to throw Jeff Beck a bone (even though Beck's already in the Hall as a member of the Yardbirds) that the Stooges and Chic just didn't make the cut. Latin funk pioneers War also failed make the final cut.

The induction ceremony will go down at the Cleveland museum on April 4, and Fuse will broadcast it. Run-DMC will perform for the first time since Jam Master Jay's 2002 murder.

Posted by Tom Breihan on January 14, 2009 at 2:45 p.m.

Tags: Award Show, Commentary, Metallica, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Run-DMC

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-- In indie rock musician circles, Stephen Malkmus has long been a known and feared master of fantasy basketball. (Ask Janet Weiss.)

And in this interview with sportswriter Steve Alexander, he dodges most of the music questions, reveals his love for Kendrick Perkins, and names the player who currently epitomizes punk in the NBA. (Spoiler alter: It's Matt Barnes, obviously.)

-- Itchy-scratchy postpunk OGs the Slits have signed with Narnack. Next month, all three original members will start recording their first album since 1981's Return of the Giant Slits. Pray to Jah that it doesn't suck.

-- Cursive will tour the American Southwest in March. The trek follows their run through the East Coast and Midwest in January.

-- Bedroom synthpop master Max Tundra will play his first-ever American shows this weekend, both in New York. He'll be at the Bowery Ballroom on Friday and Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday. After that, he'll return to the UK and Europe for a run of headlining dates. And Domino will release the single for "Which Song", Pitchfork's 65th favorite track of 2008, on February 2.

-- Nights Out, the second album from British electro-pop partiers Metronomy, will be out digitally in the U.S. on January 19, and it's being sold exclusively on iTunes. To celebrate, Metronomy will tour North America through the end of January.

Posted by Tom Breihan on January 14, 2009 at 2:20 p.m.

Tags: Album, Cursive, Max Tundra, Metronomy, Narnack, Single, Stephen Malkmus, The Slits, Tour

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During the first season of "Flight of the Concords", you could watch a new episode on Sunday night, and you could YouTube all the songs the next morning when you got to work (until HBO made YouTube take them down, anyway). But you couldn't listen to the songs on your iPod on the way to work on Monday morning. You had to wait for the album to actually come out. It was unbearable. Well, that's not a problem any longer.

The next season of "Flight of the Concords" starts January 18 on HBO, and it'll include the New Zealand comedy-rock duo's new song "Angels". According to Billboard.com, on the morning of January 19, you'll be able to buy "Angels" from iTunes and jam that shit on your way to work.

Just like last season, "Flight of the Concords" will feature new Flight of the Concords songs every week. But unlike last season, you'll be able to download all those songs the morning after the episode runs. For all ten weeks of season two, every Monday morning iTunes will sell a song from the previous night's episode. And just after the season ends, there will be a new Flight of the Concords album with all ten of those songs plus five new ones. The next Flight of the Concords album doesn't have a name yet, but it'll be out on Sub Pop April 14. Billboard also reports that Sub Pop will offer an album pre-order that will give fans a track per week.

The songs on the show are usually short, but the versions for sale on iTunes will be blown-out and extended and reworked, so it's not a ripoff or anything, don't worry. According to Billboard, kooky Australian pop starlet Sia sings backup on "at least one song," and a Conchords tour is in the works for this spring in North America.

You have to love it when someone figures out exactly what you've been wanting and then sells it to you. That's what we call a win-win around here, my friends. And just watch: Sub Pop is going to make Bleach money off this. The only possible negative side-effect of this whole deal will be the increased likelihood of hearing your friends do bad Flight of the Concords impressions.

And just because Flight of the Concords love everybody who uses the internet, they're streaming the whole first episode of the new season here.

Posted by Tom Breihan on January 14, 2009 at 1:45 p.m.

Tags: Album, Flight of the Concords, Single, TV

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Every rap star needs his own sneaker these days. So, apparently, does every abstract crate-digging instrumental rap producer. At least, that seems to be the thinking behind Reebok teaming up with DJ Shadow to create this sneaker .

At first glance, this shoe has nothing whatsoever to do with Shadow. It's just a pretty standard-looking Reebok running shoe. But the back features the artwork from Shadow's 1995 What Does Your Soul Look Like EP. (And yes, the web store description does include a "What Does Your Sole Look Like" pun.)

Anyway, the sneaker is yours for an only-moderately-indefensible $104.99, and it includes the Quannum Stone Cold Winter Volume 1 mix CD, a label sampler mixed by Matthew Africa.

Posted by Tom Breihan on January 14, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.

Tags: DJ Shadow

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Leonard Cohen has been touring Europe lately, but he has not played one single American show since 1993. That will change on February 19, when he'll step onstage at New York's Beacon Theatre.

This is basically the musical equivalent of discovering a tribe of lost dinosaurs still living in some Amazon basin. Or something. I haven't figured it out yet. But anyway, you should go to that show.

And if you, the person reading this Pitchfork news update, are Leonard Cohen, you should play a bunch more American shows right now please. We elected Obama. We are good guys now. We deserve it.

As Reuters points out, the inspiration behind Cohen's recent flurry of activity might not be just a well-meaning desire to bring his music to his adoring public. Remember back in 2005 when he sued his former business manager for draining his retirement fund? According to Reuters, he won the suit, but his ex-business manager hasn't paid up. Dude's broke and needs money, so he's hit the road.

Posted by Tom Breihan and Amy Phillips on January 14, 2009 at 10 a.m.

Tags: Leonard Cohen, Tour

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Barcelona is, we understand, a nice place, and you probably shouldn't need any excuse to visit, but now you've got one anyway: This year's edition of the Primavera Sound Festival will go down May 28-30 at Barcelona's Parc Del Fòrum, and Pitchfork is curating a stage! Time to start brushing up on your Spanish (or your Catalan), kids.

Already confirmed to play the Pitchfork stage (in alphabetical order because they all rule): Bowerbirds, the Bug, Crystal Antlers, Crystal Stilts, the Mae Shi, Plants & Animals, Ponytail, the Tallest Man on Earth, Vivian Girls, and WAVVES. More to come, too.

And that's only a part of the otherwise completely ridiculous festival lineup, which also includes two sets from the reunited My Bloody Valentine, along with a couple of other can't-miss reunions from the Vaselines and Throwing Muses. Also on the bill: Spiritualized, Gang Gang Dance, Damien Jurado, Alela Diane, Extra Life, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, Michael Nyman, and the Soft Pack (formerly the Muslims).

Posted by Tom Breihan on January 13, 2009 at 6 p.m.

Tags: Bowerbirds, Crystal Antlers, Crystal Stilts, Festival, Pitchfork, Plants and Animals, Ponytail, Primavera, The Bug, The Mae Shi, The Tallest Man on Earth, Vivan Girls, Wavves

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