Pitchfork

So we've already gone on the record to declare our love for NME's recent cover depicting Gossip frontlady Beth Ditto in a state of undress. Girl keeps it real, and we'll take real over whatever synthetic material Fergie is molded out of any day.

But, in the interest of gender equality and the eradication of body-image issues and so forth, we would also like to show some love for NME's recent, er, spread of Art Brut's loutish Eddie Argos. Forget your Seth Cohens and your Gideon Yagos; speaking as a dude in a room well-stocked with dudes who don't get much sun and eat a lot of burritos, I assure you that this is the face (and belly!) of the American indie rock male in 2007. If you don't like it, well, there's always other genres: that Toby "Big Dog Daddy" Keith's usually good for an oggle.

Thanks to BrooklynVegan for alerting us to the image. Both Art Brut and the Gossip have tours on the way. Dates after the jump.

Art Brut:

07-09 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom *
07-13 Turin, Italy - Traffic Festival
07-14 Saint Petersburg, Russia - TBA
07-15 Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy - Soundlabs Festival
07-20 Carhaix, France - Vieilles Charrues Festival
07-21 Angoulême, France - Garden Nef Party
07-27 Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic - Hrachkova Festival
07-28 Sumène, France - Les Transcevenoles
07-31 Sédières, France - Sédières Festival
08-09 St. Tropez, France - Les Plages du Rock
08-15 St. Malo, France - La Route du Rock
08-17 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop
08-25 Dortmund, Germany - Area 4 Festival
08-26 London, England - Get Loaded in the Park Festival
08-30 Stockholm, Sweden - Wrangler
09-02 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
09-15 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks (Monolith Festival)
09-22 Milan, Italy - Wrangler

* with White Rabbits

The Gossip:

07-07 Naas, Ireland - Oxegen
07-08 Balado, Scotland - T in the Park
07-09 Liverpool, England - Carling Academy
07-11 Nottingham, England - Rock City
07-13 Madrid, Spain - Summercase Festival
07-14 Barcelona, Spain - Summercase Festival
07-15 Manchester, England - International Festival
08-24 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-25 Leeds, Festival - Leeds Festival
08-26 Manchester, England - Pride Festival
08-27 Stuttgart, Germany - Schocken
08-28 Frankfurt, Germany - Cookys
08-30 Vienna, Austria - Full Hit of Summer
08-31 Munich, Germany - Atomic Café
09-01 Milan, Italy - Idroscalo Rock
09-02 Zurich, Switzerland - Abart
09-05 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino
09-07 Birmingham, England - Academy
09-08 Bristol, England - Academy
09-09 Newport, England - Bestival
09-11 Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange
09-12 Preston, England - 53 Degrees
09-13 London, England - Forum
09-14 London, England - Forum
09-15 Brighton, England - Dome