Alt-rock kingpins the Pixies will make their live return to the U.S. this fall!

Frontman Frank Black tells SPIN.com that the Boston-born quartet will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking release, Doolittle, by playing the album in its entirety in Oakland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, New York City, and "maybe Montreal" this fall.

"I believe we're doing the Wang Center in Boston," he says of his hometown gig at the 3,600-capacity venue.

Exact dates have yet to be confirmed. The U.S. tour is expected to follow a run of Doolittle shows in Europe scheduled for October.

The gigs will coincide with the release of the Pixies' ambitious Minotaur box set, which will arrive in October on 4AD Records (order yours now via Artist in Residence).

It was also just announced that the Pixies will play the Ontario Virgin Festival on August 29th. The full lineup of that two day festival also includes Grizzly Bear, Sloan, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Pet Shop Boys, Plants and Animals, and one of Nine Inch Nails' final performances. All European Pixes dates below...

Continue reading "Pixies planning US/NYC Doolittle shows - current dates include Europe & Virgin Festival Ontario (full lineup)"

Grizzly Bear @ MHOW in May (more by Tim Griffin)

Grizzly Bear will head out on a month-long North American tour in September and October. Before and after, the group will play a series of overseas/European shows (including one with the London Symphony Orchestra). This summer will also find Grizzly Bear at Pitchfork Music Fest on July 19th, and the final Williamsburg Waterfront Pool Party with Beach House on August 30th.

The Late Show with David Letterman will host Grizzly Bear on Thursday, July 16th (two nights after Grizzly Bear's friend Feist plays the show with Wilco). If you remember, the band was scheduled to play the show in May, but got bumped.

Trent Reznor, who's playing a series of final NIN shows at the end of August, commented on his Grizzly Bear love in June.

Newsweek: What music do you listen to that might shock your fans?

Trent Reznor: ...The band Grizzly Bear, I think they're excellent. There's a beauty and a musicality there that I wish would have been in vogue in the late '80s, when I was forming bands. The aesthetic I was tuned into was a more dumbed-down kind of thing. Sometimes listening to stuff like they're doing makes me feel irrelevant. That's a nice, healthy kick in the ass. And it's interesting to see there's room for that in what's considered hip these days.

Continue reading "Grizzly Bear - updated tour dates, Letterman, Trent Reznor"

the official word...

NIN @ the Izod Center (more by Zach Dilgard)

Nine Inch Nails has confirmed ten final dates after which the NIN live experience will go on indefinite hiatus.

As always, a significant percentage of the best tickets for the shows will be reserved for exclusive pre-sale on NIN.com. In this case, NIN.com pre-sale will include every ticket for the most intimate farewell shows at New York's Bowery Ballroom and Webster Hall and Los Angeles' Henry Fonda Theater and Echoplex.

NIN.com pre-sales will begin July 17 with general on-sales following July 31.

The Horrors will support the August 22, 23 and 25 New York dates. Mew will support August 28 in Chicago and September 2 and 3 in Los Angeles. Support for the remaining dates will be announced at a later date.

Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails confirms 10 final shows - 2009 tour dates"

Nine Inch Nails @ House of Blues in AC (more by Zach Dilgard)

NIN's FINAL SHOWS IN NYC - 2009
Aug 22 @ Bowery Ballroom (tickets available exclusively at nin.com)
Aug 23 @ Webster Hall
Aug 25 @ Terminal 5
Aug 26 @ Terminal 5

--

All three four shows go on sale July 17th in some form. We'll have to wait and see if a fourth show gets added.... They are updating the dates on the tour page as I type this... there were three when I first posted. Now there are, as predicted, four.

UPDATE: All "final" (hiatus, whatever) dates HERE.

Trent Reznor revealed his plan to play final NYC shows at Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall, and Terminal 5. What was not evident in his statement is that he plans on playing one of those venues twice.

NIN @ Jones Beach (more by Zach Dilgard)

Getting right to the point, we're going to play a handful of shows in NYC, Chicago and LA starting August 22nd. They will be informal affairs in medium to small venues with longer set-lists, possible special guests, cool openers and other surprises. Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight - it just didn't feel right to end NIN that way. An offer to headline V-Fest in Toronto (being announced soon) set the idea in motion to play some FUN shows to end this up with. If we can get it together we'll film these shows, too.

In NYC we'll be playing Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal 5. In Chicago, the Aragon Ballroom. In LA we'll be at The Wiltern, The Henry Fonda, The Palladium and The Echoplex. These should be cool, unusual and unique shows and I hope you come out - this is it.

So far, The Horrors will be joining us for some shows in NYC, Mew will be with us at other shows in NYC, Chicago and LA, and perhaps more.
Details and ticket info will be announced shortly, so check back.

Thanks,
Trent

Morrissey did something similar, but it was Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall, and Carnegie Hall (and Wellmont Theater). Though he just did it to promote a record, not to quit touring. Green Day also just did the Bowery/Webster Hall thing.

photos by Zach Dilgard

...the brazenness that once defined Jane's Addiction has leveled off into something rigid and dutiful. (This was never more obvious than on "Jane Says," a signature ballad, and a diffuse and lackluster final encore.) Mr. Farrell sang in his piercing, theatrical whine, and as the alternative-rock front man most often pegged as Dionysian, he fulfilled a given role, shimmying and writhing, sometimes with a bottle of wine. "Still partying!" he crowed at one point. These days his freak show is a happy place.

By contrast Nine Inch Nails, which played a potent preceding set, delved into the colder aspects of freakishness. This too was true to form: Trent Reznor, the group's mastermind, has always been a brooder. But he sends his energies outward in performance: most of his songs reached eruptive fervor, even if they began in shadowy quietude. Mr. Reznor's lean backing band was equally engaged by thrashing post-punk riffs and thudding electronics, and his vocals created a calculated impression of soul baring at every degree of intensity. [NY Times]

Street Sweeper Social Club (a band with Tom Morello and Boots Riley) opened both shows. More pictures and all setlists below...

Continue reading "NIN/JA played Jones Beach (pics) & PNC BAC (all setlists) "

Jane's Addiction @ Sasquatch 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

A Letter from Trent Reznor:

I am very happy to announce the inclusion of a really cool VIP package for Jane's Addiction fans that is strictly limited - so if this unique offer sounds cool to you, act quickly.

Since this fundraiser began, the Jane's guys have been wanting to contribute somehow and they've come up with something really cool. These guys actually set up and play for a good chunk of time in a room backstage to warm up and jam together BEFORE they hit the stage. Jane's stuff, covers, who knows. What they've come up with is this:

For $1,000. PER PERSON, they'll allow 10 guests per show (strictly limited) to come backstage and hang out with them while they play in their practice room (literally standing right next to them in a small, intimate living-room type environment), grab autographs and then watch Jane's Addiction from the side of the stage if you'd like.

Please note: some of this takes place the same time NIN is onstage, so realize you will be missing a PORTION of NIN's show if you participate in this.

If you're a Jane's fan, this is an incredibly rare opportunity to see and meet these guys in action close up like you've never seen before.

All proceeds from this will go to help Eric De LA Cruz get a new heart and a new chance at life. Eric is of the many left behind by a broken, uncaring health-care system.

Trent

Details on Eric here:
http://www.veronicadelacruzonline.com/
http://weloveeric.com/

Perry got hit in the head with a water bottle cap at the June 1st MA show, and he got pissed, as you can see in the video below (he gets hit 50 seconds in)....

Continue reading "get a private backstage Jane's Addiction show (NIN charity)"

photos by Chris Graham

The Wrens

"Some major changes have been made to the lay-out of the [Sasquatch] festival. The medium-sized stage (Wookie Stage) had been moved, as had the small stage (Yeti Stage) to make room for the new Comedy/Dance Tent. It didn't take long to get used to that, though...

...[The Wrens] did most of the songs from "Meadowlands", their bassist/keyboardist Kevin Wheelan exhorted the crowd multiple times and climbed atop his amplifiers, and the guys played like their lives depended on doing the best they have ever done. Their approach to the music is, in a word, fierce. [VARIOUS ECSTASIES]

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2009 - Day 2 in pics "

photos by Chris Graham

"The Sasquatch! Music Festival wrapped up yet another installment of drawing a massive overflow-campground, sold-out crowd.

I'm still trying to understand why.

I remember when it was a lowly one-day event. Kanye West rocked the stage with a white-on-white sports jacket and suit combo, lavender shirt and white Keds. Arcade Fire opened my eyes and ears. Modest Mouse played sober. The Pixies were a wave of rock royalty.

I've gone every year for five years, now. Each year progressed with its setup and lineup. This year was the worst." [Seattle University Spectator]

Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails & Janes Addiction @ Sasquatch - pics, setlist"

NIN @ the 2009 Virgin Fest (more by Bao Nguyen)

A letter from Trent below...

Continue reading "Trent Reznor: thoughts on ticket re-sellers / scalping"

Street Sweeper (Staciaann Photography)

"Nine Inch Nails and the original Jane's Addiction lineup will embark on a May/June co-headlining tour that will see these seminal artists sharing a stage for the first time since the historic debut of the Lollapalooza festival in 1991...

The NIN/JA tour will feature a streamlined NIN with Reznor on vocals, guitars, keys, Robin Finck on guitars and keys, Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass and keys, and newest NIN member IIan Rubin on drums and keys. NIN's stripped down configuration for the upcoming dates was inspired by a pair of club shows toward the end of last year's wildly ambitious Lights In The Sky tour. Leaving the massive production in the trucks for those two nights freed up the band for spontaneous performances including several seldom-aired NIN classics and inspired NIN to take a similarly unencumbered and unpredictable approach to the May/June dates, which include previously announced NIN appearances at the Sasquatch and Bonnaroo festivals...

...Support for all NIN/JA dates will be Street Sweeper, a collaboration between Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/The Nightwatchman and Boots Riley of The Coup.

Tickets go on sale beginning March 13th, visit NIN.com, JanesAddiction.com and LiveNation.com for additional ticket and tour information.

Trent Reznor & Dave Navarro in the studio (via NIN.com)

After compiling a list of FAQ, the most popular inquiry on Twitter has been, "When are we gonna get tour dates?" Well those are coming SOON! Right now we are in high gear routing the upcoming tour with NIN and as soon as we have a confirmed tour, you will know. Trust me... It's not like we have the dates and are holding them hostage... We want you to come! I can't think of a better way to start up again then a tour with the original four members of Jane's and NIN.

The original Jane's line up: After many years of different versions of Jane's Addiction, Eric Avery has re-claimed his position. We have had the honor of working with some great bass players over the years... Flea, Martyn Le Noble and Chris Chaney... But the Jane's sound was never complete without Eric. With Eric holding down the bottom, the Jane's rhythm section is once again complete. It's almost as if he and Perk live together symbiotically, to create a singular overwhelming sonic onslaught that ebbs and flows like a musical ocean. Perk and Avery not only bring out the best in each other, their ability to lock and weave with one another challenges and inspires me as a guitarist.

NIN/JA: Since our reformation, we have been spending a lot of time with Trent in the rehearsal studio and in the recording studio, working on new stuff, addressing some old stuff and more importantly, creating a friendship and working relationship. It's rare that touring partners have an opportunity to spend so much time together creatively before a tour. Regardless of the collaborative outcome our time with Trent has brought forth a new focus and sense of purpose that we plan to share with you on a nightly basis. NIN and Jane's are vastly different bands, for sure, but we have always had a connection as a result of our time together on Lolla One and various shows together. NIN/JA shows have always been "events" more than anything. Back in the day, Jane's was winding down as NIN was taking off. Our musical lives crossed each other at a very important time in music. A time where artistry and live performance meant something more. A time when the corporate structures took notice of the value in what was happening, but hadn't yet destroyed it. Touring with NIN is an invitation for us to re-capture that spirit that was at a time, inspiring, dangerous and emotionally compelling, as they have always maintained the same integrity that brought me to love music in the first place.

-dave

Jane's Addiction will also probably be at SXSW in March, and though neither band listed it in the announced dates, they are also both playing Sasquatch in Washington in May. NIN is also playing Bonnaroo in June, and I think it's safe to say that Jane's Addiction will be playing Lollapalooza in August.

Perry Farrell is also playing SXSW solo, and is listed on the Coachella lineup.

All NIN/JANES dates, and a video of Ben & Greg of Dillinger Escape Plan playing live with NIN in Australia the other day, below...

Continue reading "Jane's Addiction & NIN - the REAL 2009 Tour Dates & stuff"

"Day off, headed to the beach" - Feb 17, 2009 by Trent Reznor

As people are already talking about, Trent Reznor posted the following letter to NIN's website on Monday...

Continue reading "NIN taking a break after a 2009 tour w/ Jane's Addiction?"

Jane's Addiction - @ Echoplex, Los Angeles - Feb 16, 2009 (revolute)

Live Nation and Adam Zacks are pleased to announce this year's line up for the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the legendary Gorge in Eastern Washington. The festival, now in its eighth and most ambitious year yet, has evolved from a unique, homegrown & low key fest into a full blown three day extravaganza. A festival-goer's dream, it comes complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets, three stages and new this year, an expanded comedy and dance music tent. The tent will feature performances from comedians throughout the day, and then come dusk, will spotlight electronic and dance music artists.

Already the official opener to summer for music fans, the Sasquatch! Music Festival is becoming a certified monster of a musical event: this year features another exciting and diverse line-up for the musically adventurous, and ups the ante on an event already hailed for its independent spirit. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM

Today it was announced that Jane's (feat. all four original members), NIN, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santigold, and many others are playing this year's Sasquatch Festival (May 23, 24, 25, 2009 @ The Gorge in Quincy, WA). Full lineup and ticket info below...

Continue reading "Jane's Addiction played LA, headlining SASQUATCH Festival (which just announced most of the 2009 LINEUP)"

Crystal Castles @ MHOW - New Years Eve (more by Ryan Muir)

Al Green @ the Wellmont Theater - Nov 2008 (more by Eric M Townsend)

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

Coachella announced their initial lineup less than a week earlier.

Metallica played Bonnaroo in 2008. Metallica played NY & NJ this past weekend.

Full (initial) 2009 Bonnaroo lineup below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo announces initial 2009 lineup (Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys, NIN, Wilco, Animal Collective...)"

by Black Bubblegum

NIN in Atlantic City, NJ (more by Zach Dilgard)

Got a few weeks to kill? Time to break out that new hard drive that you got over the holidays.

"The internet is full of surprises these days.
I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent". -Trent Reznor

There is about 405gb of HD footage available. It was recorded with multiple consumer HDV cameras during three shows: Victoria 12.05.08, Portland 12.07.08, and Sacramento 12.12.08.

This is raw, unedited, un-color-corrected HD footage. It will be primarily of interest to advanced users, who may wish to attempt to edit it together into something. It could be really interesting to see what creative users can put together using this and other fan-recorded footage. These guys are off to a great start already.

...The footage is available as a free download via bitTorrent. If you don't know what bitTorrent is, please go to this link and read every word of it before you ask anyone on the forums what to do with the torrent files. [NIN Forum]

In related news...

NIN's other new album "The Slip" is still available as a free download.

NIN keyboared player Alessandro Cortini has left the band "to concentrate on his own projects".

Marilyn Manson wants Dita Von Teese and Trent Reznor to testify in court.

Jim DeRogatis says the Trent-produced Saul Williams album Niggy Tardust was one of the best of 2008.

NIN are playing some shows in Australia in February. No other tour dates at this time.

DOWNLOAD: Steinski - The Payoff Mix (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Steinski - Lesson Two (James Brown Mix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Steinski - Lesson Three (History of Hip Hop) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bon Iver - Skinny Love (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Shearwater - Leviathan Bound (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (Dj Doc Rok Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - No Epiphany (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fucked Up - Twice Born (MP3)

Plush's Fed & The Dodos' Visiter

It's the time of year when people start talking which album was the best this year. That usually means I start cramming and trying to figure out what I still haven't heard and look forward to what others have to say to make my selection process slightly easier. Part of what I'm saying is, I'm not ready to answer that yet. According to the aggregated critics at MetaCritic, this is what was best this year...

1 London Zoo by The Bug
2 Fed by Plush
3 For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver
4 Dear Science, by TV On The Radio
5 Exit by Shugo Tokumaru
6 Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes
7 Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
8 Robyn by Robyn
9 Hercules And Love Affair by Hercules And Love Affair
10 What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective by Steinski

Other bands currently ranking in Metacritic's Top 30: The Dodos, The Music Tapes, Shearwater, Portishead, Harvey Milk, Torche, The Hold Steady, Drive By Truckers, and Fucked Up.

Also put out albums this year: Sigur Ros, Jamie Lidell, Laura Marling, Lykke Li, Marnie Stern, Jenny Lewis, She & Him, Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket, MGMT, The Black Keys, Calexico, Crystal Stilts, Crystal Castles, Crystal Antlers, Grails, Al Green, Anathallo, Flight of the Conchords, Frightened Rabbit, Wolf Parade, Vampire Weekend, Vivian Girls, The Walkmen, Santogold, Parts & Labor, Cut Copy, Hot Chip, David Byrne, Death Cab For Cutie, Beck, Beach House, Elbow, REM, M83, NIN, No Age, Of Montreal, Destroyer, Department of Eagles, Deerhoof, Deerhunter, The Dears, and Deer Tick (though Deer tick was out in 2007 and reissued in 2008) (and I guess Radiohead is qualified too) (and Metallica, AC/DC and Guns N' Roses) (and JACK JOHNSON) (and a million others).

Who else? What are your favorites this year? Who will Pitchfork pick as #1?

The Bug is going on tour with Nine Inch Nails. Those dates are below...

Continue reading "What is the best album of 2008? (when did it come out?)"

Photos by Zach Dilgard

"The surprise of the night was when Peter Murphy from Bauhaus added some extra spookiness to "Reptile". It reminded me of how disappointed I am that Bauhaus broke up again. The lighthearted moment of the evening was when Trent Reznor (Vocals/Guitars) lamented how he had apparently messed up the lyrics in the breakdown of "Closer". Luckily, a fan helped Trent out by repeating the correct lyrics when he was tossed the microphone. Trent would later incorporate the lyrics into "Discipline" to the delight of the audience." [Amateur Chemist]

Continue reading "NIN (w/ special guest Peter Murphy) @ House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ - pics & setlist"

Angel Deradoorian (Dirty Projectors) @ Bowery Ballroom (more)

They hadn't announced the openers last time I posted about tonight's Health show at Knitting Factory (11/7). They are: Videohippos and Angel Deradoorian from Dirty Projectors. I have a pair of tickets to giveaway. To win them, email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Health). Include your first and last name. A winner will be picked and cotacted ASAP.

Angel, who goes by her last name Deradoorian for her solo stuff, recently announced...

Hey I just signed on board to work with the label LovePump United! It's run by two great dudes Mookie and Jake. I will be releasing an ep with them soon. Date is not announced yet, but there will be one some day. Some other cool bands up on LovePump: Genghis Tron, Health, and Indian Jewelry. Sweeet.

Health has been on the road with NIN, surely playing to many new people on stages bigger than they've ever stepped foot on before. It can't be easy, especially with critics like this one from Jacksonville, Florida...

"Health has a lot to learn and hopefully Nine Inch Nails, who were playing their instruments consistently, will show them the true way to success in alternative synthesized hard rock. Nine Inch Nails did not rely on the short samples recorded into floor based effect pedals like Health did, and played their instruments, as a rock band should. The refreshing performance by Nine Inch Nails should be the inspiration for a new rock generation that plays actual music, not just sound, and respects the old definitions of melody, harmony, rhythm and form."

Continue reading "Health tonight, Lovepump's Deradoorian, win tix, tour dates "

Trent @ the Izod Center (more by Zach Dilgard)

From: Nine Inch Nails [mailto:no-reply@nin.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 10:15 PM
To: ###@####.###
Subject: *Important* Regarding Tuesday's Election

Next Tuesday [Today] we will elect the next President of the United States. The result will have great consequences for the nation.

This election offers a choice between two men with dramatically different visions of the future. We have strong feelings about this choice. But we feel even more strongly that all Americans, regardless of political preference, have a stake in the outcome and should vote in this critical election.

This is likely to be a close election. Your vote matters. Please use it and make a difference.

Sincerely,
Trent Reznor

Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)

BSODs have been plaguing NIN on their current tour. In fact, one has been popping up on the giant display behind them at just about every concert. So what's the deal? Will Trent be forced to fire his tech guy? Hardly. The truth is that it is all part of the act. The BSOD pops up for a split second near the end of the song The Great Destroyer, and there are videos after the break from two separate concerts to prove it. We all know Trent is a Mac man--so this is obviously a subliminal jab at Windows. I'm sure the nerds in the audience get a kick out of it. [Gizmodo] (thx die)

Continue reading "NIN (not actually) suffering BSOD, Boris tour dates "

Health @ P4K Fest 2008 (more by Joseph Juechao Xu)

Health, currently at work on a new album, will be playing at least 18 shows before the end of the year. Nine of those shows will be as opener on a portion of the previously announced NIN tour. That includes the show on November 6th at House of Blues in Atlantic City. Tickets for that go on presale Thursday. Tickets are on sale now for a Health headlining show one day later at the Kntting Factory in NYC.

Boris and The Bug were also added as openers on some of the upcoming Nine Inch Nails shows. All Health dates below...

Continue reading "Health - 2008 Tour Dates (NYC, AC & NIN) "

photos by Zach Dilgard

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails isn't generally given to diverting any energy from his music by speaking much from the stage. But after playing the first of several encores at the Izod Center last night in East Rutherford, Reznor said he "felt suddenly possessed to talk." The singer pointed out how primed he and his band mates and crew felt backstage, talking about they couldn't wait to "blow these peoples' minds tonight." (Except that instead of "peoples," he used a word that rhymes with truckers.)

Reznor and company went on to do just that, with a two-hour audiovisual, senses-blurring assault that made most arena-rock shows seem lazy and locked in the past. The leading-edge, three-dimensional lighting effects were spectacularly attuned to the intensity of the music, which was a blend of the sophisticated and the visceral, the electronic and the organic, the angst-driven and the moodily atmospheric. [NJ.com]

Continue reading "NIN - Izod Center pics & setlist ++ more 2008 Tour Dates "

"Over the weekend, Cox, doing what he's done countless times before, gave away free music on his blog, this time in the form of a "Virtual 7-inch" that contained two Atlas Sound songs. The only problem was that this time, when fans attempted to download the tunes, they somehow ended up also downloading the entire contents of Cox's MediaFire account (he had accidentally left it unlocked) -- which included demos, song sketches, two fully completed albums and a whole bunch of photos of his friends and family.

Naturally, when that material began to make their way around file-sharing sites, Cox reacted much in the same way anyone would: He sort of lost it, posting (and then deleting) a series of messages on his blog that ran the gamut from denial to anger to bargaining and finally, at around 3 a.m. Sunday morning, acceptance. Basically, he rifled through the entire grieving process in a little more than 12 hours. Could he have taken a step back, perhaps counted to 100, or physically separated his fingers from the keyboard? Yes. Did he? No. And maybe neither would you or I, for that matter.

Of course, on Monday, when I wrote about the entire incident on MTV's Newsroom blog, I wasn't considering any of that. I basically recapped the entire event in a condescending tone, put words in Cox's mouth (the whole "Blames You" headline), and did not bother attempting to contact him for further comment or clarification. I was irresponsible and one-sided. In other words, I covered the whole thing the way your average blogger would...." [says MTV's James Montgomery]

"Today, more than two months before its physical release, Deerhunter's third LP Microcastle has made its way to the iTunes Music Store. The disc is still due in physical form October 28 via Kranky in North America and October 27 on 4AD in the rest of the world, but it remains an iTunes digital exclusive until then. [Pitchfork]

Continue reading "Deerhunter - accidental leaks, an early release & MORE 2008 Tour dates (including Le Poisson Rouge in NYC?)"