Dust Sleeve

She and Him Strike Back

If you thought M. Ward was going to slow down after his recent Mogis/James/Oberst Monsters of Folk collaboration, or that Zooey Deschanel was too busy being in really good movies and getting married to really fugly guys – then think again. The sweet and disarming Deschanel and pensive mastermind Ward are back in the studio and getting ready to release their second LP Volume Two. Ward recently told Paste Magazine “I think that the dark shades that were on the last record are maybe a little bit darker on the new record, and the brighter shades on the last record are a little bit brighter on the new record”. Who knew Zooey could get any brighter? Release date is yet to be set, but expect it sometime this spring.

Flaming Lips Go To  The Dark Side

Wayne Coyne fronted weirdo-rock group The Flaming Lips have announced that they will be covering Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in it’s entirety. The album will feature guest collaborations from Stardeath and the White Dwarfs (Coyne’s nephew’s band), Peaches, and Henry Rollins. If you live in Oklahoma City you can check out the Lips perform their cover-to-cover cover in its entirety on New Years Eve. The rest of us that live in normal places will have to wait for the Lips to divulge a release date.

Local Natives Like To French Kiss

As we music obsessed put the finishing touches on our Best of ’09 lists, we are also setting our eyes towards ’10 and wondering what will make our lists a year from now. One that I can assure you will be in my top 10 is the highly anticipated debut from Local Natives, Gorilla Manor, which will finally drop on February 16. And, we now know who will be dropping it – the Les Savy Fav founded French Kiss Records, which also play host to some of our ’09 favorites such as Passion Pit and the Dodos.

Sasha Fierce and Georgie Fruit Unite!

Maybe! Beyonce recently reported that someone she’d love to collaborate with is Athens’ electro-spazzoids Of Montreal, a group she was turned on to by her sister, Solange. Seriously, what is up with the Knowles? Solange recently covered The Dirty Projectors and Beyonce and Jay-Z are known to catch a Grizzly Bear show. Could it be that talented musicians are able to appreciate other talented musicians of a different genre? GASP! I can’t wait for the JT + Animal Collective collab. Seriously though, Barnes is all about it so let’s see it happen you two!

Tours: Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard, Ted Leo, The Thermals & More

Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard
01-23 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
01-24 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
01-27 Austin, TX – Antone’s
01-29 Ann Arbor, MI – Hill Auditorium
01-30 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
01-31 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater

Final Fantasy
12-01 New York, NY – Webster Hall *
12-02 Brooklyn, NY – Bell House *
01-12 Toronto, Ontario – Mod Club
01-14 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
01-16 Chicago, IL – Schubas (Tomorrow Never Knows Festival)
01-18 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
01-25 London, England – Union Chapel

* with the Mountain Goats

Fucked Up
12-01 Vienna, Austria – Arena
12-02 Graz, Austria - PPC
12-03 Dusseldorf, Germany - Rotkompot
12-05 Minehead, England – ATP Nightmare Before Christmas Festival
02-12 Oberlin, OH – Dionysus Disco (Oberlin College) *
02-13 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle *
02-14 Bloomington, IN – Video Saloon *
02-15 Newport, KY - Southgate House *
02-16 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
02-17 Philadelphia, PA – Barbary *
02-18 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s *
02-19 Brooklyn, NY – Europa *
02-20 Boston, MA – Middle East Downstairs *
02-23 St. Catherines, Ontario – L3 Nightclub ^

* with Kurt Vile
^ with Leatherface

The Thermals
12-11 Portland, OR - Berbati’s Pan
12-12 Seattle, WA - Neumo’s (KEXP Yule Benefit)
12-13 Seattle, WA – Vera Project

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
12-02 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
12-03 Washington, DC – The Black Cat
12-05 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
12-06 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
12-10 Madrid, Spain - Primavera Club ’09
12-11 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Club ’09
12-12 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Club ’09