Pitchfork

Forecast for late March and early April: heavy synth-rock with a chance of hipster haircuts. Yup, Brooklyn bangers Ratatat and Norwegian kraut-dancers 120 Days are hitting North America this spring. Both bands also have several U.S. and European dates scheduled separately both before and after the trek. 120 Days will also hit up SXSW, though Ratatat have better things to do, like playing in Buffalo.

Ratatat have a second remix album on the way, creatively titled Mixtape Vol. 2. It boasts 14 new remixes of people like Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, T.I., Beanie Sigel, Ludacris, Juvenile, and Kanye West, as well as exclusive tracks from tourmate (and Def Jux signee) Despot and former Anti-Pop Consortium MC Beans.

As previously reported, Ratatat's E*Vax contributes a remix to the Television Personalities remix EP due February 20 on Domino.

As for those who haven't yet picked up 120 Days' self-titled album that came out on Vice/Smalltown Supersound last fall...well, the early bird doesn't always get the worm. Fans purchasing the record from select independent record stores these days will receive a free limited-edition 7" with an exclusive Secret Machines reworking of 120 Days' track "Come Out, Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone". According to a press release, it features new music and lyrics, which sort of makes it seem like it might be an entirely different song, but whatevs.

In other news, 120 Days walked away from last Saturday's Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian Grammys) with two awards in hand-- one for Best Rock Album, and one for Best New Artist.

Ratatat/120 Days dates (all shows with Despot):

03-21 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
03-23 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
03-24 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
03-26 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
03-27 Seattle, WA - Neumos
03-28 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
03-29 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
03-30 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
04-01 Pomona, CA - Glass House
04-02 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
04-10 Atlanta, GA - Loft

Ratatat dates:

02-02 Sunderland, England - Independent
02-03 Oldham, England - Castle
02-04 Manchester, England - Night and Day
02-06 Aberdeen, Scotland - Moshulu
02-07 Dundee, Scotland - Flash Flash
02-08 Glasgow, Scotland - Arches
02-09 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan's
02-12 Munich, Germany - Atomic Café
02-13 Cologne, Germany - MTC
02-14 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Paradiso
02-16 Paris, France - Point Ephemére
02-17 Brussels, Belgium - Beursschouwburg
02-18 Bielefeld, Germany - Kamp
02-19 Berlin, Germany - Club 103
02-20 Hamburg, Germany - Prinzenbar
02-21 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
02-22 Malmö, Sweden - Inkonst
02-23 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
02-24 Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
02-25 Oslo, Norway - Mono
03-15 Boston, MA - Paradise *
03-16 Buffalo, NY - Showplace Theatre *
03-17 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
03-18 Gambier, OH - Kenyon College
03-19 Newport, KY - Southgate House *
04-11 Orlando, FL - The Social *
04-13 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder *
04-16 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
04-17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
04-18 New York, NY - Webster Hall *
04-21 Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador
04-22 London, England - Astoria
04-24 Manchester, England - Ritz
04-25 Edinburgh, Scotland - Liquid Rooms
04-26 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands

* with Despot

120 Days dates:

02-02 Haugesund, Norway - Stødden
02-03 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
02-08 Trondheim, Norway - by:Larm
02-10 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
02-11 Århus, Denmark - Voxhall
02-15 Volda, Norway - Rokken
02-16 Trondheim, Norway - Blæst
02-22 Lillestrøm, Norway - TBA
02-23 Lillehammer, Norway - Bingon
02-24 Sandefjord, Norway - Verdensteatret
02-26 London, England - Astoria *
02-27 London, England - White Heat #
03-01 Ottawa, Ontario - Zaphod Beeblebrox ^
03-02 Montreal, Quebec - Mile End Cultural Center^
03-03 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace ^
03-04 Hamilton, Ontario - Casbah ^
03-06 London, Ontario - Call the Office ^
03-07 Waterloo, Ontario - Starlight Lounge ^
03-09 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw ^%
03-10 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge ^
03-11 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's ^
03-13 Houston, TX - Mink ^$
03-14-17 Austin, TX - SXSW

* with Kings of Leon, the Hold Steady
# with the Earlies, Bjørn Torske, DJ Joakim Haugland
^ with Shout Out Out Out
% with Lonely China Day
$ with Foreign Islands