Radio 4 Ready Astralwerks Debut
Clear Channel in preliminary stages of buying them out

C'mon, guys, dancepunk is soooo last year! Now, I know that ass-tastic grooves were a welcome departure from the usual, plain ol' guitar riffs, and grinding to the funky bass beats sure beat looking down at the ground and shifting your feet back and forth. Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. But 2003 is six months gone, and it's about damn time to regain a little bit of indie rock's collective composure. And for Christ's sake, take a shower, you sweaty bastards!

Yet, despite the passing of The Year of Groove, dancepunk seems to continue on its interminable roll through the underground. !!! has already updated their sound for the election year and are sticking it to the Prez with their new single, "Pardon My Freedom", with its intelligent rallying cry, "You can tell the President to suck my fucking dick!" And now, Radio 4 are ready to release their new album, entitled Stealing of a Nation, to be released on September 7th.

Not only is Stealing of a Nation a more creative title than Hail to the Thief; it's also Radio 4's debut for electronic heavyweight Astralwerks. The band recorded the album over a three-month period with producer Max Heyes. Frontman Anthony Roman spoke to Billboard recently about the new release, saying, "We wanted to make it dancier and more song-oriented. I think the vocals are a lot better and more melodic and there's a bit less of that twitchy hyperactive thing going on." But what about !!!'s newfound political conscience? Can Radio 4 match their intelligentsia, beyond an in-your-face album title? "We feel at this stage in history and the state of the world as it stands today people have to speak out. There is no time for apathy or silence," says Roman. Right on, sir.

Radio 4 will soon head out on a short European tour before playing three sets with Ted Leo/Pharmacists in July. The band will then play a few foreign festivals. Dates:

06-21 Birmingham, England - Academy
06-22 London, England - 93 Feet East
06-25 Brussels, Belgium - Cafe Belga
07-21 Farmingdale, NY - Downtown
07-22 Washington, D.C. - The Black Cat
07-23 Wilkes Barre, PA - Café Metropolis
08-20 Koln, Germany - SPEX Festival
08-27 Wetherby, England - Leeds Festival
08-28 Paris, France - Rock En Seine
08-29 Reading, England - Reading Festival

Radio 4: http://www.r4ny.com
Astralwerks: http://www.astralwerks.com