Dan Auerbach Flies Solo

Black Keys frontman announces solo album release date

Dan Auerbach, voice and guitar of the Akron duo Black Keys, announced that he will be releasing his debut solo album on February 10, 2009. The album, entitled Keep It Hid, will be released on Key's label Nonesuch, and it will feature a "mixture of things [Dan] likes to listen to: psychedelia, soul music, country harmonies." Written on the road during the Black Keys' Attack and Release tour, the album will showcase Auerbach playing a variety of instruments, including drums, guitar, percussion, and keyboards. Auerbach's friends and family have also contributed to the record, with appearances from fellow Ohioans Jessica Lea Mayfield and Bob Cesare, as well as a song originally written by Auerbach’s father. According to Auerbach, the record has a “live, organic sound - nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity.” Track listing and tour dates for both the Black Keys and Dan Auerbach are posted below. Notably, on March 10, The Showbox Market will host Auerbach!

Keep It Hid:
01 Trouble Weighs a Ton
02 I Want Some More
03 Heartbroken, In Disrepair
04 Because I Should
05 Whispered Words
06 Real Desire
07 When the Night Comes
08 Mean Monsoon
09 The Prowl
10 Keep It Hid
11 My Last Mistake
12 When I Left the Room
13 Street Walkin'
14 Goin' Home

The Black Keys tour dates:

11-17 Bristol, England - Carling Academy
11-19 Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generali
11-21 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli
11-22 The Hague, Netherlands - Royal Theatre
11-23 Ghent, Belgium - Vooruit Arts Centre
12-29 Fremantle, Australia - Fremantle Arts Center
12-30 Adelaide, Australia - HQ
12-31 Phillip Island, Australia - Pyramid Festival
01-01 Byron Bay, Australia - Great Northern Hotel
01-03 Coolangatta, Australia - Coolangatta Hotel
01-04 Bokarina, Australia - Lake Kawana Community Centre
01-05 Brisbane, Australia - The Arena
01-07 Coffs Harbour, Australia - Coffs Ex-Services Club
01-08 Newcastle West, Australia - Panthers
01-09 Sydney, Australia - Luna Park
01-10 Towradgi, Australia - Waves
01-11 St Kilda, Australia - Palais Theatre
01-29 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
01-30 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
02-04 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
02-05 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
02-06 New York, NY - Terminal 5

Dan Auerbach tour dates:
(all dates with Those Darlins and Hacienda)

02-28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03-01 Boston, MA - Paradise Club
03-02 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
03-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-05 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
03-06 Chicago, IL - Metro
03-07 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03-10 Seattle, WA - The Showbox (Market)
03-11 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
03-13 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
03-14 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre

Hansome Furs - Face Control Official News!

A rumor no more...

Posted over at Sub Pop today, Handsome Furs have verified that their second album is indeed titled Face Control, that it will be released February 3rd, and that the track listing is as follows:

Track list:

1. "Legal Tender" - Studio Q performance
   
2. "Evangeline" - Wolfe Island '08
3. "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues"
4. "(Passport Kontrol)"
5. "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)
6. "I'm Confused"
7. "(White City)"
8. "Nyet Spasiba" - Wolfe Island '08
9. "Officer of Hearts" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)
10. "(It's Not Me, It's You)"
11. "Thy Will Be Done" - Studio Q performance
    
12. "Radio Kaliningrad" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)

Also stated on the band's page was this quote about the album making process:

Face Control is the second album by Montreal’s Handsome Furs, 2007’s Plague Park was their first. Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner wrote the songs on Face Control together, as one. The album was recorded and mixed by Arlen Thompson at Mount Zoomer. It was mastered by Harris Newman at Hotel2Tango. It will be released on February 3rd, 2009.

Handsome Furs - Rumors of Face Control

photo credit: Liam Maloney

Just posted at Wolf Parade's fan page, we should expect the band's sophomore effort in early February. The album, currently titled Face Control, has apparently been fully recorded, mixed, and mastered. I think I had read in an interview earlier about how Sub Pop was just waiting for all the hype of Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer to die down before dropping another bombshell to hungry fans. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

And the Country Celebrates

Yes We Did!

Head over to Spoon's website and you'll find something quite interesting. The band has compiled 15 videos from various cities and college campuses, documenting the country's reaction to Obama's victory Tuesday night during the 2008 Presidential Election. It's pretty awesome that the young vote actually came through this time. Even more unbelievable were Indiana's results. Growing up in a state that had only voted once for a democratic presidential candidate since 1932, I never thought I would see the day when the Hoosier state went blue again. It was a very pleasant surprise. Below is Seattle's reaction in Capitol Hill:

Go Out and Vote Today, Please.

Today is voting day, have you voted, yet?

Just a friendly reminder that you should go and vote if you haven't already. Since this no longer applies, I can now post Wilco & Fleet Foxes' cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" which was performed live in Bend, Oregon on August 23, 2008. The tune was originally available to anyone who pledged to vote in the 2008 Presidential Elections. Rather than deter people from showing up to the voting polls, I've waited until today to post this song. I hope you enjoy it, ONLY AFTER you've gone and voted.

MP3: Wilco & Fleet Foxes - "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan cover)

Seattle Power Outage: Goose Responsible

Evil Goose responsible for turning off my alarm this morning.

I had the displeasure of waking up (late) to no power this morning. Apparently, so did 4,000 other Seattleites living in the Fremont-Wallingford area. Not only was I late for work, but I also had very limited hot water during my shower. Who was responsible? More like what... as it turns out, the reason for the power outage was a damn goose. It was reported that its wide wingspan caused a short circuit in a main power line in the area. Sadly, the goose did not survive the electrocution...

So in light of the situation, I thought I'd share Eagles of Death Metal's new song "High Voltage" off of their third album, Heart On. Enjoy... oh, and go vote tomorrow!

MP3: Eagles of Death Metal - "High Voltage"

Wolf Parade - New Tour Dates!

Just announced, new Wolf Parade dates

November 2008

*North America
11-01 Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall (inside Babeville)
11-02 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
11-03 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
11-05 Tulsa, OK - Marquee Room
11-06 Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Room
11-07 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
11-08 St. Louis, MO - Gargoyles @ Washington University
11-10 Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
11-11 Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
11-12 Newport, KY - Southgate House
11-13 State College, PA - State Theater
11-14 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater

*Europe
11-17 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia Club
11-19 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
11-20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega (small hall)
11-21 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg
11-22 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich
11-23 - Stuttgart, Germany - Manufaktur
11-24 - Zurich, Switzerland - Mascotte
11-25 - Paris, France - Trabendo
11-26 - Lille,France - Grand Mix
11-28 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Ruby Lounge
11-29 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street-venue change

December 2008
12-01 - London,United Kingdom - KCLSU
12-02 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
12-03 - Cologne, Germany - Luxor
12-04 - Gent, Belgium - Vooruit - Montreal Festival
12-05 - Brussels, Belgium - AB

Here's an oldie, but a goodie: Wolf Parade covering Blackout Beach's "Claxxon's Lament" for a Believer Magazine Compilation. Speaking of Blackout Beach, expect a new album to drop December 2, 2008, entitled Skin of Evil.

MP3: Wolf Parade - "Claxxon's Lament" (Blackout Beach cover)