Pitchfork

Those lucky Horrors. First, director Chris Cunningham chose the British punk band as the vehicle through which to make his long-awaited comeback. Now, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has shared his production talents with the group (and probably some hair and makeup tips, too.)

Zinner recently stopped by London's KONK studio to twiddle the knobs on two tracks, "Sister Leonella" and "She's the New Thing", for the Horrors' forthcoming debut LP. In an interview that ran October 18 on the band's MySpace page, Nick Zinner said that the Horrors "were very well behaved" in the studio and were "reward[ed] ...upon completion of their final takes with a pint of virgin blood." He also mentioned that he'd like to work with the boys again if his "schedule allowed it."

Fans will have to hold wait for that full-length until 2007, but the Horrors will soon release yet another single, "Count in Fives", October 30 via Loog Records in the UK. The title track was produced by Jim Sclavunos (Sonic Youth, Cramps, Bad Seeds) and mixed by Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails).

"Count in Fives" will be released in two seven inch formats, both with new B-sides-- "A Knife in Their Eye" and "Who Says"-- and as a download.

The Horrors also released a self-titled EP on Stolen Transmission Records last week. It features five numbers plus the Chris Cunningham-directed "Sheena Is a Parasite" video.

Perhaps best of all, however, is the Horrors' upcoming "Trail of Treasures", an ongoing e-mail/tour poster/television/magazine advertisement scavenger hunt.

The group has a U.S. tour ready to go at the end of the month. Until then, however, they'll wrap things up in England with a performance alongside the Raconteurs and Squarepusher as part of Electric Proms. The Horrors will also be featured on MTV's "You Hear It First" and MTV2's "Subterranean" in the near future. And interested parties can check out a Horrors XFM session here.

Finally, in Nick Zinner news, an update to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs website was made yesterday. It reads, "Nick went record shopping on Insound just for you! One lucky winner will receive all ten of Nick's favorite CDs, plus a copy of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' latest, Show Your Bones. To check it out, head on over to Insound." Picks include the Birthday Party's Mutiny/the Bad Seed, David Bowie's Low, Can's Cannibalism 1, Captain Beefheart's Electricity, and the Locust's Plague Soundscapes. No surprise there.

Dates:

10-26 London, England - Electric Ballroom (Electric Proms) *
10-28 New York, NY - Don Hill's (Misshapes)
10-29 Hartford, CT - Sweet Jane (Shag Frenzy)
11-02 Annex (Stolen Transmission CMJ showcase)
11-03 Brooklyn, NY - Club Studio B # (A Night out with ProductShopNYC.com CMJ party)
11-03 Brooklyn, NY - Galapagos (Crashin' In CMJ party) #
11-04 Boston, MA - Great Scott (Plan)
11-05 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel (Tease)
11-07 Los Angeles, CA - Safari Sam's (Check Yo Ponytail)

* with the Raconteurs, Squarepusher
# with the Thermals, Birdmonster, Ferraby Lionheart, Ra Ra Riot, Sam Champion, Echo Station, Brooklyn Playboys