Pitchfork

So you're Brian Wilson, probably the most respected living musician of the classic pop era, and you're coming off the triumph of the ultimate comeback-- 2004's completion of the 30-plus years in the making Smile LP-- what do you do for an encore? That's right, you sing fucking Christmas carols! Yes kids, take a seat on Santa Pitchfork's lap, as according to a recent Billboard.com report, the teen-pop maestro has recently announced details of an upcoming holiday-themed album set for release in time for the Christmas season..

Boasting (can we really call it boasting?) the saccharine-drenched title What I Really Want for Christmas, the Wilson-produced disc will be released on October 18, and features 12 new recordings drawn from holiday standards and original compositions-- including a remake of the 1964 Beach Boys hit "Little Saint Nick" and the Bernie Taupin-penned title track. And while most fans deem the release of any new Brian Wilson album a minor miracle, this recent news leaves many pondering the fate of the long-promised Paul McCartney collaboration that was said to be in the works late last year. But hey, the Christmas album thing worked for Jessica Simpson, so who are we to judge? Merry Christmas:

01 What I Really Want for Christmas
02 Christmasey
03 Little Saint Nick
04 The Man With All the Toys
05 The First Noel
06 Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
07 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
08 Oh Holy Night
09 We Wish You a Merry Christmas
10 Auld Lang Syne
11 Deck The Halls
12 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

As previously reported, Wilson will be dropping off an early present to fans, as May 24 will see the release of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE: DVD via LSL Productions. The comprehensive 2-disc set offers a visual feast for the Smile-obsessed, including David Leaf's excellent documentary Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE (which aired on Showtime last fall), a full concert performance of the LP in its entirety, and nearly two hours of never-before-seen bonus footage. A recent fanclub email has also upped the ante on the DVD release, as orders placed for the title through the LSL online store will now yield a bonus CD containing previously unreleased audio content. According to the email, the CD-only material includes an instrumental version of the Smile track "Surf's Up", a new interview with Brian Wilson discussing the album and his recent Grammy win, and commentary by director David Leaf-- who has also lent his autograph to each disc.

And finally, just so we have an excuse to print them again, Wilson will once again be travelling across Europe and North America this summer for another round of concerts on his acclaimed Smile tour. The 39-show trek kicks off in London on June 26th, and is set to feature an eclectic mix of Beach Boys classics, as well as a full performance of the Smile LP. A few dates have changed since our last update, but the current lineup looks like this:

06-22 London, England - Hampton Court Palace
06-23 Bristol, England - Colston Hall
06-25 Werchter, Belgium - Festival
06-26 Pilton, England - Glastonbury Festival
06-27 Liverpool, England - Liverpool Pops
06-29 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
06-30 Cork, Ireland - Showgrounds
07-02 Berlin, Germany - Kulturforum
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-05 Barcelona, Spain - Pueblo Espanol
07-06 Sala Multiosos, Spain - Zaragoza's Auditorium
07-07 Collado Villalba, Spain - Campo Municipal de Futball
07-10 Montreux, Switzerland - Jazz Festival
07-11 Amsterdam, Holland - Pepsi Stage
07-12 Eastbourne, England - Congress Theatre
07-14 Brighton, England - Dome
07-15 Birmingham, England - NIA Academy
07-16 Glasgow, Scotland - The Auditorium
07-18 Monte Carlo, Monaco - Casino
07-20 Ravenna, Italy - Ravenna Festival
07-22 Rome, Italy - Rome Auditorium
08-09 Boston, MA - Bank of America
08-10 Vienna, VA - The Filene Center/Woftrap
08-12 Holmdel, NJ - PNC
08-13 Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach
08-14 Saratoga, NY - SPAC
08-16 Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center
08-17 Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
08-18 Montreal, Quebec - Place Des Arts
08-21 Clio, MI - Clio Ampitheatre
08-23 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
08-24 St. Louis, MO - Orpheum Theatre
08-25 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
08-28 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
08-29 Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
08-31 Portland, OR - Schnitzer Concert Hall
09-01 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
09-02 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
09-04 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl