photos by Lori Baily

Many predicted that Deerhunter would get Pitchfork's #1 album of 2008, but in fact they gave it to Fleet Foxes. Bradford Cox should still be happy with both Deerhunter at #5 and Atlas Sound at #26 though. Speaking of Bradford Cox, he blogged this...

Just got of the phone with Brian Weitz [Geologist of Animal Collective]. This was sent out via the bands email earlier this morning:

"it has come to my attention that 2 full length tracks off of our upcoming album, merriweather post pavilion have surfaced online. david, noah, and I please ask that someone assist us and leak all of the remaining tracks on the album.

the album is intended to be heard as a whole, and nothing bothers us more than individual tracks leaking and ruining the the overall album experience

-brian Geologist"

Total Bullshit. Someone actually had the nerve to hack into their e-mail account and send this out. The truth is that AC do not want their album to leak and are trying very hard to avoid the drama around said album that has risen to a fever pitch.

I am not trying to involve myself in AC's business, I am just voicing my own independent opinion.

Back in the 90's when I was first starting to make 4-track tapes I had a game where I would make a fake version of an album I was anticipating. If Pavement's Brighten the Corners were coming out soon, I had to wait till release day to hear it. I would record a set of songs that I would want the Pavement album to sound like. Some of those songs ended up becoming Atlas Sound and Deerhunter songs years later.

My advice to those who are so desperate for AC's album to leak is to pick up instruments and make your own version of what you would want it to sound like. Respect the BANDS wishes and wait till release day. Then you can compare your new songs with theirs. Who knows. Maybe your album will be the one people are wanting to leak next year. -Bradford

The pictures in this post were taken at the Stereogum Gummy Awards at Music Hall of Williamsburg earlier this month. More of them below...

Continue reading "Deerhunter not P4K's #1, Gummy pics, Animal Collective leak"

State Magazine: What do you make of the whole album leakage scenario with Web Sheriff policing your album?
Avey Tare of Animal Collective: I obviously think it's a bummer for the fact that [the French magazine who first leaked the track 'Brother Sport'] would leak one of our tracks or do that kind of thing because I feel like more often than not, we're so willing to comply with certain requirements that magazines have, doing things that are almost a little bit hard for us to organise like special photoshoots and stuff like that. It feels like you're kinda being taken advantage of when you put all this work into something and you're doing this for somebody else and they go behind your back almost and do that kind of thing. It doesn't bother to me that's its out on the web.

Have you met Ed from Grizzly Bear? It was quite a silly situation he was in a few weeks back?
I've met Ed a couple of times and he's a really nice guy. None of that stuff came from us personally.

But it is a representation of your band..
Totally and to look like we have no idea what's going on is a little bit unfortunate. To attack people that just kind of enjoy the music. I think that's kind of a shame but at the same time, the [French] magazine was also reprimanded. Once it's out there there's not a lot you can do. I find it a little intense and almost tabloid-esque that it becomes so newsworthy at this point. I think that blogs or websites like Pitchfork have to take it to that level where it becomes this like they have nothing better to write about. I think it's a little unfortunate.

In related news, Ed Droste picked his top 10 albums of 2008 and Animal Collective added a show at Bowery Ballroom and are playing ATP NY.

Grizzly Bear @ Hammerstein Ballroom (more by Zach Dilgard)

This is to inform you that, currently your relevant artist's web-site is acting as the global-leak-source of the track, "Brother Sport", by our aforementioned client,Animal Collective, which track is not due for release by Domino until January 2009 (please see http://www.grizzly-bear.net/media/brothersport.mp3 ). As such, both the individuals collectively trading / performing as "Grizzly Bear" and, indeed, yourself are personally liable to our said clients for all commercial and other losses arising from this blatant act of piracy.

In all of the circumstances, we must insist that you now A. removethis pirated file / track without further delay and that you also B. publish the following apology on the Home Page of the Grizzly Bear web-site :-

Animal Collective - Apology
Following contact from Web Sheriff, we can confirm that Grizzly Bear
has withdrawn its stream of unreleased material by the Domino Records artist Animal Collective :
Grizzly Bear wish to apologize to Animal Collective, Domino and Web Sheriff
for the disruption caused to their marketing and release plans by this leak.

This apology must be published for a minimum period of 7 days.

As you will appreciate, this is no laughing matter and, as such, should you refuse or otherwise fail to comply with the above request, we would ask you, in the alternative, to simply provide us with the details of the US attorneys, UK solicitors, French advocats and German advocats whom you would instruct in relation to the service of such multi-jurisdictional proceedings as shall ensue. [Grizzly Bear's blog]

Tickets are still on sale for Grizzly Bear's upcoming show at BAM.

If I didn't know better, I would think the whole Web Sherriff thing was some kind of practical joke, but their surreal messages left all around the Internet are actually real.

by BrooklynVegan Mike

"For me the most depressing, the worse thing, that has happened with Wolf Parade, is how the media pit me and Spencer against each other."

Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) @ Terminal 5 (more by Kyle Reinford)

We first spoke with Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade two years ago. He had just had a rough set and a kerfuffle with a mid-90s college act. Last year we caught up with him again - that time with Alexei Perry and we talked Handsome Furs. Another year has passed and the ever prolific Boeckner (and the rest of Wolf Parade) are back with a new record called At Mount Zoomer. We spoke with Dan AGAIN - this time after Wolf Parade's biggest Montreal (August 3rd) show to date (a show that was still smaller than the two NYC shows they played a few days earlier). We talked about the NYC shows, the record, the upcoming Furs record, Fine Young Cannibals, and those persistent Dan/Spencer rivalry questions.

--

Before we talk Wolf Parade, I just read online that there is already a title for the new Handsome Furs record?

Continue reading "another interview w/ Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs"

"In the dying days of the music business as we once knew it, record labels are waging war on leaks—only to discover that many of the saboteurs come from within the industry itself." [NY Magazine]

Continue reading "new RADIOHEAD VIDEO - "Jigsaw Falling Into Place (thumbs down version)" (and yes, the CD leaked)"

SPIN Magazine has this interesting article on Leaks:

...The new Linkin Park album, for instance, wasn't given to anyone at all -- reportedly, no one but the band members and their manager had copies before the album was sent off to the plant. Despite the extra security, Minutes to Midnight still leaked 11 days early (after a CD is manufactured in bulk and sent out to distributors two weeks or so before the official release date, there's no containing it) but sold a healthy 623,000 copies its first week. Would that number have been different if it had leaked even earlier? "I don't think anyone's come up with a direct correlation as far as how it affects numbers," says Martin Hall, publicist for Merge Records, whose big releases for the year, Arcade Fire's Neon Bible and Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, both leaked more than a month before their release dates.... [SPIN.com] (via)

DOWNLOAD: Stars - The Night Starts Here (new MP3)

Stars' new album In Our Bedroom After The War will be officially released on September 25, 2007, but to fight the inevitable leak, Arts & Crafts is selling the album digitally NOW. The free track above is off that album.

Stars kick off a tour in Vermont on October 17th. The next day they play Town Hall in NYC. There's a presale going on now. All dates, and more album info, below...

Continue reading "STARS - 2007 Tour Dates, presale, buy new album now, MP3"

DOWNLOAD: Filmcan podcast May 2007 video podcast (MP4)

This video podcast "features 15 minutes of free content, including Blaine Thurier's "Intimate Portrait," a self-made introduction to this New Pornographers member's filmmaking capabilities, plus a look at the recording of the latest New Pornographers' album Challengers in Brooklyn, NY."

Has Challengers (out August 21, 2007) leaked yet (besides the one track)? I don't think so, but you can buy it now through the "Buy Early Get Now" website, and have instant (within 48 hours) access to a full stream of the album which you can listen to all the way until until the album actually comes out. This is a great idea, and actually this is the 4th Matador album to be released this way - Yo La Tengo, The Ponys and a Pavement reissue were first.

Not only that - New Porn is offering even more incentives to BUY their album. More album info, new tour dates, and presale info, below....

Continue reading "NEW PORNOGRAPHERS beat the leak? CHALLENGERS: "Buy Early Get NOW" + more 2007 TOUR DATES"