Pitchfork

[Posted Wednesday, September 17th, 2003 05:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Robyn Hitchcock, former frontman of the jangly, unpredictable and ridiculously influential Soft Boys (who reunited last year for spurts of live shows and the shockingly enjoyable Nextdoorland, their first studio output in over 20 years), has released a new solo album, entitled Luxor. Available on Hitchcock's website and through Redeye Distribution, Luxor is an acoustic folk-pop affair with a bare-bones approach and an unquenchable thirst for the blood of the innocent. Here's what the man himself had to say about the record, courtesy of a PDF file stashed away somewhere on the Redeye site:

"Records of singer-songwriters are mostly blueprints, showing the listener what goes where. Add an audience and the songs come to life; this, in theory, is captured by making a live album. Inevitably, there is (mostly) a trade-off in sound quality-- live recordings capture the feel of the show, but the sound itself doesn't translate so well to the folks back home and their stereo sets. At least, not as far as musicians are concerned, who in the end prefer the control over sound that a recording studio gives them. So, I thought, screw it, I'll just put a fresh set of strings on my guitar and play through whatever I can find in my notebook. Luxor was recorded one afternoon last June,and subsequently modified over the next few months. Performance was the only criteria-- if the essence of the song was caught by the voice and guitar, then it was a master take. Of course, what musician can resist overdubs with all those juicy, untouched tracks rolling past on the recording console? I succumbed on a number of occasions, and then spent as much time again erasing what I'd added on." Tracklist:

01 The Sound of Sound
02 One L
03 Penelope's Angels
04 The Idea of You
05 You Remind Me of You
06 Luxor
07 Keep Finding Me
08 Maria Lyn
09 Round Song
10 Ant Corridor
11 Idonia
12 The Wolf House

Though no information has been released regarding a full solo tour, the following random smattering of shows have been confirmed:

10-08 Athens, GA - TBA
10-17 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
10-31 New York, NY - Bottom Line
11-12 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
11-15 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe
11-17 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11-22 Los Angeles, CA - Largo

In addition to his new album, Robyn Hitchcock will also be appearing on the Hedwig and the Angry Inch tribute album, Wig in a Box. Though previously reported upon, the list of contributors to the project has changed a bit (and is still by no means finalized), so here's an updated lineup for ya:

Frank Black: "Sugar Daddy"
Robyn Hitchcock: "City of Women"
Rufus Wainwright:"Origin of Love"
Sleater-Kinney wieh Fred Schneider of the B-52's: "Angry Inch"
The Bens (Folds, Kweller, and Lee): "Wicked Little Town (Tommy Version)"
Imperial Teen:"Freaks"
Bob Mould: "Nailed"
Yoko Ono with Yo La Tengo: "Hedwig's Lament/Exquisite Corpse"
They Might Be Giants: "The Long Grift"
The Breeders: "Wicked Little Town (Hedwig Version)"
Jonathan Richman: "Origin of Love (reprise)"
Cyndi Lauper with The Minus 5: "Midnight Radio"
Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell: "The Water Song"

Courtesy of Off Records, the star-studded compilation features both songs from the film and original tunes based on the Hedwig mythos. The record is a charity affair with proceeds headed to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, managers of the Harvey Milk High School in New York City (the first public school for gay, bisexual, and transgender students). The packaging will feature both drawings by students of Harvey Milk High and art by Emily Hubley, sister of Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley and animator of segments from the original film. Wig in a Box is set for release on October 21st.