Mike Doughty Played Le Poisson Rouge - Pictures And Review

On Saturday night we had the pleasure of stopping in at Le Poisson Rouge and checking out an intimate set from Mike Doughty. The former Soul Coughing frontman delivered an acoustic set comprised exclusively of tunes from his solo career to a room of devout fans. Despite our desire to hear the earlier material, we have to say that Doughty's newer compositions unquestionably hold their own. Moreover, his unique lyrical style and delivery are firmly in tact, making for an entertaining set.

The evening was filled with banter, and it was clear that much of the room had seen Doughty before. Much of the banter was fueled by a "question jar" where Doughty answered questions submitted by the audience. However, it was by no means the highlight of the night, as Doughty delivered a lengthy set that included a number of strong tunes from his latest, Sad Man Happy Man.

Doughty managed to create a solid compliment to his songwriting with the addition of a cellist/electric guitarist for the entirety of the set. The two men clearly had a strong rapport, and the benefit of diversified instrumentation did a lot to enhance Doughty's rhythmic, acoustic arrangements.

More than anything, the set reenforced what we already knew: that Mike Doughty is a solid showman with his own distinctive style. Unquestionably, his solo work has landed him in slightly less intricate space than in his Soul Coughing days. Still, the combination of poetic delivery juxtaposed with Doughty's memorable voice made for a show that is well worth your while.

More photos at the HAD Archive

Hot Chip and The xx Played Terminal 5 - Pictures, Review

Sometimes it feels like only a ridiculously awesome double bill will get us motivated to head to Terminal 5 – maybe our least favorite venue in New York – but if the British one-two punch of Hot Chip and The xx don't fit that description then we're not sure what does! It makes sense these bands are pals. Members of both hail from The Elliot School in the UK and now they’re crisscrossing paths on tour in the States (Both recently rocked Coachella.)

First the xx took the stage. Probably no other band has been hyped more in 2009/2010 and in this case it's well-deserved. They were mesmerizing. People have constantly thrown out words like "mellow," and "minimalist," to describe the black-and-white clad trio, but we were impressed with how the xx took their addictive debut album up a notch for their live show.

They've been hitting the festival circuit hard and the practice has paid off. Even at their quietest moments they had our full attention. It’s clear this band isn't going to burn out on the flames of their own hype. They're going to be around awhile and we can't wait to see what they do next!

Next came the headliners: the greatest Brit nerd dance rock band on the planet. Their new album "One Life Stand" is by far their most chilled-out so far, but fans expecting to jump, sweat (and even crowd surf!) weren’t disappointed. Some of the new songs sounded even better live, like "We Have Love" and "Take It In," and familiar classics like "And I Was a Boy From School" and "Over and Over" rocked.

Still, maybe we were spoiled by witnessing Hot Chip absolutely tear down the house at the much smaller Highline Ballroom at the MySpace secret show there in February. Blame jetlag or the poor sound at Terminal 5, but two of our favorite songs “No Fit State” and “I Feel Better” sounded a bit murky during the encore.

Even on an off night, Hot Chip are better than 90% of the bands out there - and the young and drunk crowd didn’t seem to notice.

Words and Pictures by Chris Goldberg

Many more photos at the HAD Archive

Fuck Buttons Video From Yours Truly, US Tour

You may recall that Fuck Buttons' second full length was one of our faves of last year. This week we decided to dig around a bit and see what the band have been up to in 2010, and we had a few surprises. First, we found an awesome video of the band from our buddies over at Yours Truly that is well worth watching. Check it out above.

Second, we discovered that the band will be descending on North America in May for a quick tour. That includes one night in SF at GAMH, and two nights in New York, one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan. We haven't caught them live since their second record dropped (the last time was as openers for Caribou), so we're psyched to take in these shows. See you out there!

Fuck Buttons Spring 2010 North American Dates

May 11 Troubadour Los Angeles, California
May 12 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California
May 13 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon
May 14 Biltmore Vancouver, British Columbia
May 15 Sugar Victoria, British Columbia
May 16 Chop Suey Seattle, Washington
May 19 Horseshoe Toronto, Ontario
May 20 Il Motore Montreal, Quebec
May 21 Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York
May 22 Le Poisson Rouge Manhattan, New York

An Horse Deliver Remix EP, Return To US

It's been a while since we last saw An Horse, but we will tell you this: we've missed them. The Australian duo have a swagger and sensibility that's all their own, and carries over equally well on record and in a live room. Given that, we were pretty psyched to learn that the band has taken their killer debut Rearrange Beds and wrapped it into a five track remix EP.

The EP (which is available digitally, and as a physical bonus for a limited time) features remixes from Gerry Smith (of TV On The Radio) and Bodega Girls (mp3 below), among others. More importantly, the release of the record marks the band's return to the US, as they open for Kaki King throughout the spring.

We have to say, we're glad to have some interim material from these guys (we eagerly await their next full length), and moreover, you should definitely check them live. It's a show well worth your while.

An Horse Spring 2010 US Dates
Apr 23 La Sala Rossa w/ Hannah Georgas Montreal, Quebec
Apr 24 Mavericks w/ Dan Mangan Ottawa, Ontario
Apr 25 The Red Dog w/ Hannah Georgas Peterborough, Ontario
Apr 26 The Garrison w/ Hannah Georgas Toronto, Ontario
Apr 28 Theatre Of Living Arts w/ Kaki King Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 29 9:30 Club w/ Kaki King Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 30 at’s Cradle w/ Kaki King Carrboro, North Carolina
May 1 Criminal Records instore w/ Local Natives Atlanta, Georgia
May 1 Variety Playhouse w/ Kaki King Atlanta, Georgia
May 2 3rd & Lindsley w/ Kaki King Nashville, Tennessee
May 4 Beachland Ballroom w/ Kaki King Cleveland, Ohio
May 5 The Ark w/ Kaki King Ann Arbor, Michigan
May 6 Park West w/ Kaki King Chicago, Illinois
May 7 High Noon Saloon w/ Kaki King Madsion, Wisconsin
May 8 Varsity Theatre w/ Kaki King Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 9 The Waiting Room w/ Kaki King Omaha, Nebraska
May 11 The Fox Theatre w/ Kaki KIng Boulder, Colorado
May 12 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom w/ Kaki King Denver, Colorado
May 14 Neumo’s w/ Kaki King Seattle, Washington
May 15 Wonder Ballroom w/ Kaki King Portland, Oregon
May 16 WOW Hall w/ Kaki King Eugene, Oregon
May 19 Knitting Factory w/ Kaki King Reno, Nevada
May 20 Mystic Theatre w/ Kaki King Petaluma, California
May 21 The Fillmore w/ Kaki King San Francisco, California
May 22 El Rey Theatre w/ Kaki King Los Angeles, California
May 23 elly Up Tavern w/ Kaki King San Diego, California
May 25 The Glasshouse w/ Kaki King Pomona, California

mp3: An Horse - Listen (Bodega Girls Remix)

The 22-20's Played Rickshaw Stop - Pictures, Review

On Monday night, we stopped in at San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop to check out the recently reunited 22-20's. We had gotten wind of the band's reunification, and subsequent US tour, in the past few weeks. After digging a couple of tunes from their forthcoming full length, we decided it would be worthwhile to head out and check out the band. We were definitely right.

Despite being one of two opening acts, it was pretty clear that a lot of the crowd was there to see the 22-20's. The venue filled up early on, and the band's set finished (sadly, without an encore) at 11 PM. After a lengthy hiatus, it made sense to see the devotees come out in droves, and they definitely got what they came for.

The band delivered a killer set comprised of tunes both from their 2004 debut and their forthcoming full length Shake Shiver and Moan, which drops in May. The new tunes held up extremely well, and integrated easily with the rest of the set. What's more, the band had a free live EP (which you can also grab at their website) up for grabs after their set.

Frankly, we have no idea why these guys decided to take a break a few years back, but we were psyched to see them back on stage. If you still love rock and roll (and we know you do), then you should really get on this shit. Stat.

Photos by Brian Fong

Many more photos at the HAD Archive

Broken Social Scene Augment Full Length With EP

The new full length from Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record, is set for imminent release on May 4th, and this week began streaming online. On top of that, the band has a spring tour mapped out in support of the album. However, not to be outdone by their own hype, the band has kicked it up a notch further: This morning the band announced an EP that is set to accompany their latest release.

Entitled Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights, the ten track record will be comprised of songs culled from the SOMA studios "B-Room" during the recording of Forgiveness Rock Record. Apparently (according to band member Charles Spearin), the B-Room provided a facility for musical catharsis and creation during the recording sessions. In a press release from the band, he had this to say:

"I know that some bands write their songs, rehearse them and then record them. Not Broken Social Scene. In recording Forgiveness Rock Record we did it our usual way: swimming in chaos and making it up as we go along. We started by loosely sketching out 30 songs in my garage, driving to Chicago, recording 20 of those, and then writing 20 more. The point was to never stop working. Whenever we got exhausted or overwhelmed we would take a breath, pick up our instruments and jam purely ‘for spirit purposes’. It was musical-therapy of sorts. Part of what kept the ideas flowing was Soma’s smaller, second studio where we could test out new ideas and experiment with overdubs. While John worked in the main room, this B-Room quickly became our musical kitchen where we cooked up soups of sound without the pressures time and money.

One evening, as a kind of exercise in spontaneity, Kevin, Brendan and I each took turns writing and recording minute-long “songs” with minimal overdubs just to see what would happen. We kept saying to John “we’re making you an EP!” It was a sort of first-thought-best-thought approach to music making. Within a few hours we had six lovely little soundscapes, one of which ended up being the closing song on Forgiveness Rock Record, ‘Me & My Hand’, and the rest became the beginnings of Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights.

As we continued to work on Forgiveness the B-room became more and more important as both a musical and social outlet - there are a lot of us in Broken Social Scene and it’s hard for us to sit on our hands – so naturally Ohad, Sam and Sebastian each recorded a song in the same spontaneous way. ‘Song For Dee’, the only traditional “song” on Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights, Brendan, Kevin and I recorded when we found out that our good friend Wayne’s dog died and we wanted to cheer him up.

All of the songs on Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights were recorded in Soma’s B-Room while Forgiveness Rock Record was being made. What these songs have in common is that they were all written in a spirit of playfulness and fearlessness where we could throw our discrimination to the wind and let the judges and critics take the night off. This tiny B-Room sanctuary fomented a very positive frame of mind, ultimately leading to one of the most enjoyable album-making experiences we’ve ever had. We hope you enjoy listening to these songs as much as we enjoyed recording them. "

Needless to say, we're pretty damned excited to hear the news that we'll be getting what essentially an entire bonus Broken Social Scene record this spring. That being said, the EP is apparently a limited time offering associated with the inital release of the record, so pay attention if you want to get your hands on a physical copy.

In other news, the Broken Social Scene family will be appearing on Letterman tomorrow night to perform "Forced To Love". Yes, we'll be watching.

Forgiveness Rock Record drops on May 4th.

mp3: Broken Social Scene - Forced To Love

Caribou Streams Album, Announces Remix Contest

Caribou at Slim's in 2007, from the HAD Archive

News just came over the wire that the new Caribou album Swim (which is obscenely fantastic, btw), is now streaming in full over at Soundcloud. We've had our hands on the record for a month or two, and are truly loving it. We highly recommend you head over and check it out as soon as you get a chance.

Additionally, the band has announced a remix contest centered around a track from the record, "Sun". All the multi-track parts are downloadable here, and once complete, remixes are to be uploaded here. While we haven't heard it yet, we're sure the Record Store Day "Odessa" remixes 12" will certainly serve as a source for inspiration.

Finally, as previously noted, the band are out on an extensive tour of Europe and North America. Take our word for it when we say that this is a band you definitely want to see live. Check out the dates below.

mp3: Caribou - Odessa

stream: Caribou - Swim

Caribou Spring 2010 Dates

Apr 17 Freebutt Brighton
Apr 19 Deaf Institute Manchester
Apr 20 Corsica Studios London London
Apr 21 Paradiso (Upstairs) Amsterdam
Apr 22 Beursschouwburg Brussels
Apr 23 Le Point Ephemere Paris
Apr 24 Le Romandie Lausanne, Waadt
Apr 25 Palace St. Gallen, St-Gall
Apr 26 Magnolia Milano
Apr 27 Feierwerk Muchen
Apr 28 Berghain Berlin, Berlin
Apr 29 Prinzenbar Hamburg
Apr 30 Pop Revo Festival Århus
May 1 Hornstull Strand Stockholm
May 3 Phoenix Concert Theatre (AA) Toronto, Ontario
May 4 Babylon (AA) Ottawa, Ontario
May 5 La Tulipe (AA) Montreal, Quebec
May 6 Middle East Downstairs (18+) Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 7 Music Hall Of Williamsburg (18+) Brooklyn, New York
May 8 Bowery Ballroom (18+) New York, New York
May 9 First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia (AA) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 10 Rock And Roll Hotel (AA) Washington, Washington DC
May 11 Jefferson Theater Charlottesville, Virginia
May 12 Cat’s Cradle (AA) Carrboro, North Carolina
May 13 Earl East Atlanta, Georgia
May 14 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana
May 15 Warehouse Live Studio Houston, Texas
May 16 Emo’s (AA) Austin, Texas
May 18 Clubhouse Music Venue (AA) Tempe, Arizona
May 19 El Rey Theatre (AA) Los Angeles, California
May 20 asbah San Diego, California
May 21 Teatro Fru Fru Mexico City
May 24 The Independent San Francisco, California
May 26 Hawthorne Theatre (AA) Portland, Oregon
May 28 Sugar Nightclub Victoria, British Columbia
May 29 Rickshaw Theatre (AA) Vancouver, British Columbia
May 30 Sasquatch Festival George, Washington
May 31 Republik Calgary, Alberta
Jun 1 tarlite Room Edmonton, Alberta
Jun 2 Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Jun 3 oyal Albert Hotel Winnipeg, Manitoba
Jun 4 7th Street Entry At First Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jun 5 Rock Island Brewing Co. Rock Island, Illinois
Jun 6 Granada Theatre Lawrence, Kansas
Jun 7 The Firebird (AA) St. Louis, Missouri
Jun 8 Zanzabar Louisville, Kentucky
Jun 9 The Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Jun 10 The Casbah Hamilton, Ontario
Jun 11 Paragon Halifax, Nova Scotia
Jun 16 Heaven London
Jul 31 Victoria Park London, London and South East

The National To Stream High Violet Starting Friday

Ah, the inevitable album leak: these days it seems there's just no way around it. Case in point, The National's High Violet (cover art above). Apparently the record has leaked in what the band is calling a "low quality" form, and is currently making its way around the interwebs.

While we don't have that crappy version for you, we do have this: To lay it down against the haters, the band has decided to begin streaming the record this Friday in its intended high quality form. Where, you ask? Well, we're guessing you'll be as surprised as we are: The New York Times.

Yes, we're not exactly sure what the deal is either, but we're definitely not complaining. High quality free album streams are the bomb, even if they are hosted at the old gray lady.

High Violet drops on May 11th on 4AD

mp3: The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

Pixies Announce London Shows, Release Live Version Of "La La Love You"

Aw, those irresistable Pixies: the band have just announced a pair of off-the-cuff London dates on June 3rd and 4th at Troxy in London. The shows are on sale, and available exclusively through the band's own site. Take that Steve Jobs!

What's more, the band has released a new live version of "La La Love You" in both video (above) and audio (below) form.

Now that's a nice way to start the week, eh?

mp3: Pixies - La La Love You (Live 2009)

Spoon Plays Kimmel & Coachella, Rough Mixes Surface

As we roll out of bed this afternoon, we find ourselves with three delightful pieces of Spoon news to send your way. The first is that the band played Jimmy Kimmell last week, and it was completely killer. Not only did they play two of our fave tracks off of Transference ("Is Love Forever?" and "Who Makes Your Money"), but they also asked tour mate Bradford Cox to join them on stage playing guitar, along with White Rabbits' frontman Stephen Patterson on percussion. Yes, sicktastic indeed - you can check out the vids above.

The second piece of news stems from Coachella, and an interview the band did with KROQ on site. In addition to giving a somewhat mundane chit-chat session, the band delivered a killer version of "Got Nuffin", performed all acoustic-like. Given the fuzzed out nature of the original, we were a little skeptical of the song going acoustic, but we have to say it really works. Check out the vid above.

And finally, perhaps even more exciting for us true Spoon die-hards, is that a fan recently discovered a CD in a record shop entitled A Series Of Sneaks Rough Mixes (cover above). The disc contains the tracks "Car Radio", "The Minor Tough", "Utilitarian" and "Advance Casette". This ever generous fan then did us all a solid by posting the tracks to the web for download.

While the tunes do sound incredibly similar to the album versions (they are, after all, simply alternate mixes), they do have a slightly different feel, and the occasionally obvious alternate take or track. While they don't present a revelatory experience of any kind, they are quite the treat for Spoon nerds such as ourselves.

And that, friends, should be enough to tide you over. Enjoy your Sunday!

mp3: Spoon - A Series Of Sneaks Rough Mixes

New Blur Single Drops Tomorrow

Now, there are lots of reasons to head out to head out tomorrow and support Record Store Day tomorrow: the economy, the awesomeness of record stores, and all the ridiculously exclusive merch that comes along with the event. But this year, there's something far more monumental on tap for the annual event: The return of Blur.

By all accounts, the band has recorded their first single in seven year for an exclusive 7" that will be available exclusively through shops participating in Record Store Day, and even then in extremely limited (1000 total, according to the band's site) quantities. The 7" will be one-sided (!?!?!) and contain a track called "Fool's Day", which will feature all four members of Blur. Yes!

Obviously it'll make it's way on to the interwebs in no time, but we have say that swiping such an exclusive little piece of wax just might make our Saturday.

We'll see you out there!

Grand Lake's Blood Sea Dream Out On Hippies Are Dead Records, May 2010

So, you know how last night we dropped the ultra exciting news of HAD starting a record label? Well, it gets better. People don't start record labels for no reason, and in this case we had very, very, good reason: Grand Lake has signed on with HAD to release their first full length, and it's a doozy.

Blood Sea Dream is set to drop next month, and was produced and recorded by the band along with Maus Haus' Jason Kick. It's a fantastic record, filled with all the things that we love about Grand Lake: texture, melody, experimentation, and fantastic songwriting.

So, you ask, why do I have to wait until May? Well, you don't! Lucky for you, we've decided to stream the record in full over at the band's web site. What more, we're offering up a video (above) and mp3 (below) of "Louise (I Live In A Fantasy)" that we think you'll dig quite a bit.

In short, we're very excited about this record, and we're even more excited that it's the first release on Hippies Are Dead Records. Now, let the fun begin!

mp3: Grand Lake - Louise (I Live In A Fantasy)

stream: Grand Lake - Blood Sea Dream

Announcing Hippies Are Dead Records

Dear Friends,

For the past three years Hippies Are Dead has provided surfers of the world wide interwebs with daily insight into some of the best music, both live and recorded, that the world has to offer. Through a strong focus on photo journalism, the blog has tracked the musical events all over the US, with offices based in New York and San Francisco. Now the time has come for Hippies Are Dead to enter a new era of creativity and music creation.

Today we are pleased to announce the formation of Hippies Are Dead Records. The new label, formed by the editorial staff of Hippies Are Dead, will be host to musicians who embody the musical ideals that have come to define Hippies Are Dead. We will aim to release records that we truly love, and in doing so we hope to gain your faith in the albums we put forth. Sometimes we will challenge you, sometimes we'll make things easy for you. But, rest assured, we will always put forth music of the utmost quality and more importantly, music that holds true meaning for us.

Undoubtedly, in these tumultuous economic times. it's questionable to be starting a record label . As we always have, we have faith in rock and roll, and we know you do too. We're confident that this venture, no matter how financially risky, will succeed in its true goal: to bring amazing music, created by amazing people, to the masses. It promises to be a very interesting and exciting ride, and we hope you'll join us.

Patrick Proctor
Hippies Are Dead Records

Plants and Animals Played Union Hall: Pictures, Review, Setlist

Last night at Union Hall, we were lucky enough to drop in on a last minute, super intimate show from Plants and Animals. Seeing the trio in such a small room was really a blast, and their energy (and noise) seriously threatened to overflow the small underground room. As the band hammered through a one hour set, they not only got us even more excited for their new record, but also demonstrated why we continue to keep talking them up as one of the most dynamic live bands today.

The set was a quick one, and consisted almost entirely (save for "Faerie Dance") of tracks from the band's second full length La La Land, which drops next Tuesday. Hearing the songs live definitely served to enhance their dynamics considerably, and really drew attention to how solid the songwriting is on the tracks. Moreover, hearing some of the live arrangements (particularly the transition from "Swinging Bells" to "American Idol") served to give the songs context outside of the scope of the record.

More importantly, the set thoroughly illustrated that the band has been anything but lax since the release of Parc Avenue. They have managed to craft a set of songs that have their own identity, and a life that goes beyond the (admittedly awesome) sounds of their first records. Specifically, the band have further embraced their rock influences, and crafted songs that are more straight-ahead in their tone and demeanor, yet still contain the eclecticisms that made the first record so fantastic.

All the songs in the world won't do anything without live chops, however, and Plants and Animals are unquestionably a live act to the core. Put simply, they deliver so much energy and enthusiasm in the live environment that it's almost impossible not to be completely engaged with the music making that takes place on stage. The trio has continued to become more and more musically connected, and at this point they interact less like individuals, and more like a single musical organism.

As the band wrapped up "Faerie Dance", there was clear audience demand for another tune, but the venue (sadly) turned up the house music and left everyone in attendance slightly confused. Luckily for us, this show was just the tip of the iceberg, and the band will be playing another show at the Bowery Ballroom on June 9th. We would be remiss if we did not tell you, dear reader, that you really, really, should be in attendance.

Setlist

--

Tom Cruz

Undone Melody

Swinging Bells->

American Idol

Fake It

Celebration

Game Shows

Jeans Jeans Jeans

Faerie Dance

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

New Band Of Horses On Tap For May

While it took a while for it to happen, Band Of Horses' second record Cease To Begin quickly became one of our favorite records of the past few years. The record is an expertly crafted songbook, with melodies and arrangements that are as at home on a sweet pair of headphones as they are on an old mono radio.

Given that, we were psyched to hear that the band's third full length, Infinite Arms (cover art above) is on tap to drop on May 18th. The band has released a single from the record entitled "Laredo" (stream below), and if it's any indication, they're right on track with the same elements that made Cease To Begin such a treat.

On top of the new material, the band is also touring in support of the record, with dates (below) throughout the spring. Apparently, more people are (deservedly) digging on these guys then we realized: most of the dates are at arenas or amphitheaters. While it breaks our hearts a little to see bands get away from the up close and personal, we have to admit these dudes deserve it.

Band Of Horses Spring 2010 Dates

Apr 23 Walnut Creek Amphitheater Raleigh, North Carolina
Apr 24 Walnut Creek Amphitheater Raleigh, North Carolina
Apr 26 40-Watt Athens, Georgia
Apr 28 The Fillmore Miami, Florida
Apr 29 House of Blues Orlando, Florida
May 1 Jazzfest New Orleans, Louisiana
May 2 Beale Street Music Festival Memphis, Tennessee
May 3 Sprint Center Kansas City, Missouri
May 4 Scottrade Center St. Louis, Missouri
May 6 Nationwide Arena Columbus, Ohio
May 9 Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, Ohio
May 10 HSBC Arena Buffalo, New York
May 13 Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, Virginia
May 15 XL Center Hartford, Connecticut
May 17 Verizon Wireless Music Ctr. Noblesville, Indiana
May 17 TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts
May 21 Madison Square Garden New York, New York
May 30 Les Schwab Amphitheater Bend, Oregon
May 31 Sasquatch George, Washington

Rufus Wainwright Returns With New Record

Here at HAD, we happen to love Rufus Wainwright. The unfortunate problem is that in the past few years, his interest in becoming more and more of a pop diva has left us pining for his more subtle, singer song writer-y moments. Well, apparently Rufus was starting to feel the same way, as he's just dropped some enticing details about his new album.

The record, entitled All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu (cover art at the top of this post), drops on April 20th. More importantly, it pares down Rufus to being a man behind the piano, right where he belongs. So far the only taste we've had are the videos of "Zebulon" (above), and "Sonnet 10" (video here). However, if those are any indication, this record is set to be just what we've been wanting to hear from Wainwright for the past couple of years.

So far, the only US date is on July 11th in Westhampton Beach, NY. That being said, we can't imagine that a full US tour isn't in the works. Very exciting news, to say the least.

Land Of Talk Coming To Bowery In May

Land Of Talk at Mercury Lounge, from the HAD Archive

You may recall how stoked we were at Land Of Talk's sold out show at the Mercury Lounge back in November. Well, apparently we weren't alone: the band will be back at the end of May (the 28th to be exact) to play a double bill with The Besnard Lakes at Bowery Ballroom. Granted, it's a bigger room, but we're pretty confident they'll do a damn good job at filling it.

Tickets are on-sale now.

Wilco Played Lupo's In Providence - Pictures, Review, And Setlist

Last night at Lupo's in Providence, Wilco took to the stage as part of their current small theater tour, and delivered an epic 35 song set that not only traversed the band's career, but also offered up one of the best sets we've ever had the pleasure of seeing the band play. They have collectively gotten such a handle of their back catalog that they can delve into any point in the 15 year history, and expertly bring any song forward. Combine that with a 3+ hour electric/acoustic/electric set configuration, and you have the ingredients for a near-perfect Wilco show.

The first set could best be characterized as the more experimental and electronic set of the show, and it was loaded to the top with raucous noise and sonics. Drawing upon much of their catalog, it really emphasized the band's forays into noise cacophony and multi-guitar interplay. The chaos was somewhat balanced, however, by some more straight-ahead moments, including "Wilco (The Song)", "One Wing", "Sonny Feeling", and "California Stars". As the tail end of "Poor Places" exploded across the crowd, the band moved about to allow for the arrival of a new stage setup and instrumentation.

These items were setup for the middle set, which was ostensibly acoustic. It found Nels Cline and Jeff Tweedy both on acoustic guitars, Glenn Kotche on a reduced drum kit, and John Stirratt playing (for part of the set) an acoustic bass. In the middle set were perhaps the biggest setlist surprises for us, specifically a stripped down version (closer to its original live incarnation) of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)", and the return of "Not For The Season", a staple back on the band's tour for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The set closed with a killer version of "Airline To Heaven" that built and built as the stage returned to its original setup for the third set.

The third set was perhaps the most straight ahead of the three, and featured the band playing a rock-centric set that would have been just as comfortable in their late 90's tour configuration as it does now. It reached into the band's back catalog for gems such as "I Got You" and "Too Far Apart", but also put some of their more recent material in context with the older stuff. "Theologians" and "Walken" both felt right at home amongst their older brethren. The set closed with a cover of Big Star's "Thank You Friends".

When the band returned to an unrelenting crowd for the encore, the show was well into its second hour. Apparently of limitless energy, the band summarily delivered the 1-2-3 punch of "Dreamer In My Dreams", "Casino Queen", and "Outtsite (Outtamind)". It was a killer way to end the evening, and when it did all wrap up, even after 3+ hours of music, the crowd was still cheering for more.

In hind sight, the show was so many things at once that it was difficult to absorb them all at the time. There was the light hearted awesomeness of both the crowd and the band. There was the incredible technical skill and tightness that seems to get better every time we see Wilco. There was the unbelievable setlist of more than three hours, with hardly any breaks. More than anything, there was just the fact that Wilco, no matter what, every time we see them, reminds exactly why it is that we're so in love with live rock and roll.

If you haven't gotten the gist by now, we'll spell it out for you: now is the time to see Wilco. It doesn't matter if you've seen them before, or if one particular album is your favorite, or if you're just too tired or broke. Just do it. Get out there, go to one of these small theater shows, and be prepared to have your mind blown. And, if you really, really, can't make it, then you're still in luck: the band is webcasting Tuesday and Wednesday nights' shows. Yum.

Many more photos in the HAD Archive

Setlist

--

Wilco (The Song)

Bull Black Nova

You Are My Face

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

One Wing

Sonny Feeling

Summer Teeth

Misunderstood

She's A Jar

Handshake Drugs

Impossible Germany

California Stars

Poor Places ->

--

(Acoustic Set)

Spiders (Kidsmoke)

What's The World Got In Store

Forget The Flowers

Heavy Metal Drummer

Not For The Season

Passenger Side

Airline To Heaven->

(End Acoustic Set)

--

Shot In The Arm

Jesus, etc.

You Never Know

I'm Always In Love

Hate It Here

Easter Party (joke song for Easter)

Theologians

Too Far Apart

Walken

I'm The Man Who Loves You

Red Eyed And Blue->

I Got You

Thank You Friends (Big Star Cover)

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Dreamer In My Dreams

Casino Queen

Outtasite (Outtamind)