Year: 2008

The fifth release from Robert Pollard in three years is aptly titled. The founder of the influential indie rock group Guided By Voices is all business. Robert Pollard Is Off To Business is a bit of a departure from Pollard’s usual body of work. It only has ten songs on it. For a man that usually packs twenty-plus tracks into every album, this is a risk, but Pollard is finally betting on quality over quantity.

“When I was in Come, before we did a show I’d say to the band, ‘We’re going to be as loud as shit and people will have to pay attention to us,” says Thalia Zedek, legendary underground singer, songwriter, and noise guitarist. “They won’t be able to talk ’cause we’re going to be deafening.” She pauses, puffing on her ever-present cigarette.

After six years focusing on various side projects, including Lali Puna, 13 & God, and the Tied & Tickled Trio, The Notwist has finally provided the follow-up to 2002’s critically acclaimed, universally loved Neon Golden. The quartet returns with the layered, idiosyncratic electronica that enabled their last release to be played repeatedly without becoming boring.

Of Montreal have announced a slew of tour dates beginning this summer at major music festivals in Europe and picking up steam this fall starting October. The group will be playing the Roseland Ballroom in New York City as well as a special Halloween night concert in Philadelphia.

Marty Anderson thinks it would almost be best if people didn’t know who he was—at least when it comes to those listening to his albums. “I always try to take the music for what it is,” says the California native in his home in Fremont, “so it can hit you clean and see what kind of reaction it gives you without thinking about who made it or anything like that. That’s the ideal for me. I wish that people don’t know much about me at all. That’s fine. I don’t think it’s that important, as long as the music is there.”

Swedish psych band Dungen are set to release their fourth studio album, 4, this fall. Fresh off the heels of their 2007 album, Tio Bitar, the group plans to embark on a US tour this fall in support of their latest effort. Tour dates have yet to be announced. The album’s full track listing is listed below.

Oxford, England-based Foals recently brought their unique blend of math-rock and post-punk to KEXP in Seattle for a live session of the “The French Open” from Antidotes, their debut LP. Read more about Foals here and check out the video below!

Coheed and Cambria recently announced a new concert project entitled Neverender. A four-night, bi-coastal spectacle, the group will perform all four of their concept albums in their entirety. According to Coheed and Cambria front man Claudio Sanchez, Neverender came about because, “We wanted to come up with an idea that paid proper respect to this phase of our career, while at the same time gave our fans something truly unique and different.” Each night’s theme will be catered to the album being performed and mark’s the end of 10 months of touring in support of the group’s latest LP, No World for Tomorrow. Tickets for the special event will go on sale this Friday through Ticketmaster at 1:00 PM EST.

Beck recently announced new tour dates to follow his summer festival appearances. His latest album, entitled Modern Guilt, is out now. A special vinyl edition of the album will be released on July 22nd. The vinyl edition also includes special download codes that can be used to obtain high quality (320 kbps) mp3s produced from a playback of the final master.

On Saturday July 19th, Coney Island will be the location of the Village Voice sponsored Siren Music Festival. In its eighth annual installment, the festival has just announced that it will add rockers Islands and Ra Ra Riot to an already electrifying lineup (for a full lists of artists, see below). The all-day, all-age, free festival will feature dozens of international, national, and local artists performing on two separate stages, as well as DJ’s spinning throughout at various locations.

Over the years rock has produced its slew of wordsmiths–Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Simon—but perhaps one of the most notable unsung heroes is the Silver Jews’ David Berman. Berman is the type of lyricist who uses music as a backdrop for clever anecdotes that stick with you long after bar-time has been called. But the real genius of his lyrics dwells in the sardonic, blunt manor in which they are delivered (see “Come to Tennessee / ‘Cause you’re the only ten I see” off of Bright Light). As a result, listening to a Silver Jews’ record can require meticulous concentration because while you hear the music in the background, it always seems to be second best to the tale pouring from Berman’s deep croon (except when periodically rivaled by collaborator Stephen Malkmus’ flair).