FN News Roundup: April 9, 2012

Hey FN fans! Catch up on all the nostalgic music news from the weekend that's fit to print below.

• "This Is A Low," indeed: In a particularly revealing interview with The Guardian, Blur frontman Damon Albarn confirmed that their Hyde Park 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony concert will likely be ::gulp:: the last of the band's career. And also no more new Blur recordings. And probably no more Gorillaz. Damn. So, see you all in London in August then. (The Guardian)


• ...But to quickly brighten the mood, stream the new Spiritualized album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, in its entirety two weeks before its release! (NPR)


• Oh, and just to hammer home the point that Jimmy Fallon's music supervisor is crazy good at his/her job: Pulp is playing Late Night TONIGHT!! (Consequence of Sound)


• ...AND TOM WAITS IS TOO LATER THIS MONTH! BOOM! (BrooklynVegan)
• 
  Dance party starters !!! (Chk Chk Chk) performed a brand-new song, "Byron," on Pitchfork.tv - check it! (Pitchfork)


• And just because it's really great: stream former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy's DJ set from London's The Boiler Room (Boiler Room)

FN News Roundup: April 2, 2012

James Murphy @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar, 12/15/11

Happy April, babies. There was quite a bit of April Fool's-related tomfoolery happening in the music world over the weekend, but rest assured that the news below is legit and exceptionally awesome.

• In what may be the best LCD-Iversary gift short of a reunion, LCD Soundsystem has announced that their long-awaited documentary film, Shut Up And Play The Hits, will be seeing a North American theatrical release in special one-night only premieres this summer. Oscilloscope Laboratories will be distributing the film, which - as the hardcore among you know - is the production/distribution studio owned by none other than Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. Seriously, show us a more badass release story than THAT (Oscilloscope Laboratories)


• I waited a full day to confirm that this wasn't an elaborate hoax, and thankfully it isn't - the legendary Patti Smith is putting out Banga, her first new album since 2004's Trampin', on June 5. The first single "April Fool" (see how I'd be skeptical?) is available now on iTunes, and the LP also features tributes to Amy Winehouse, Johnny Depp, and the nation of Japan (Exclaim!)


• Feeling bummed now that Portlandia is over? Chill - not only is Carrie Brownstein still rocking faces with WILD FLAG (who were just in NYC last night), she's got a memoir coming out through Riverhead Books and was just on Marc Maron's consistently hilarious WTF? podcast (Stereogum)


• In more let's-wait-and-see-if-this-was-a-prank news, yesterday Jack White premiered "Freedom At 21," the next track off of his new album Blunderbuss (out April 24) by... putting it on 1,000 Flexi Discs and tying those to helium balloons launched from Nashville. We kid you not, this actually happened. Check the video below the jump (Third Man Records)


• Hot on the heels of the announcement that their album would be dropping on June 5 (seriously, great day for musics), Liars have revealed the name of said album - WIXIU (pronounced "Wish You") - AND thrown down the LP's great first single "No. 1 Against The Rush" (Beats Per Minute)


• The Walkmen stopped by Pitchfork.tv to play "Heaven" off of their upcoming album, which is also named Heaven (Pitchfork)    

Listen: Magic Sundae - "Rockne Roll"

It's been a while since we posted the latest episode of Magic Sundae. What can I say, we've been ridiculously busy lately. But fear not, Magic Sundae is here with a brand new episode including tunes by LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Jonny Greenwood, John Coltrane, Doe Paoro and listener mail. Enjoy...

FN News Roundup: March 8, 2012

Yeah let's do this!

• We got our first look at a couple of scenes from LCD Soundsystem's long-awaited documentary Shut Up And Play The Hits today - check out the footage after the jump. (Pitchfork)


• Hot on the heels of their new single "Myth" yesterday, Beach House has confirmed that they're releasing their fourth LP Bloom on May 15 via Sub Pop, as well as going on a tour this summer that'll include a July 23rd Central Park Summerstage slot! (Beats Per Minute)


• Uh, Marilyn Manson has a new single out from his upcoming album Born Villain (full LP out May 8). In case you were wondering. (Consequence of Sound)


• Go see Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields) at Barnes & Noble in Union Square tonight, dummy! (BrooklynVegan)

Watch: Gorillaz / James Murphy / Andre 3000 -- "DoYaThing" (Official Video)

You've heard the single version - hell, you may have even heard the epic 13-minute long version - and now the official video for the Gorillaz / James Murphy / Andre 3000 Converse collab track "DoYaThing" is out now. Check it out below in all its weird, half-real half-animated glory!

Download The New Gorillaz / James Murphy / Andre 3000 Collab Track "DoYaThing" From Converse

As we reported, the latest iteration of Converse's "3 Artists, 1 Track" series is a collaboration between a dream team of FN favorites: Damon Albarn's animated hooligan band Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy, and Andre 3000 of ATL's finest, OutKast. The track is called "DoYaThing," and is now available on Converse's website for your streaming and downloading pleasure.

Check it out over here, and don't say we didn't warn you that Andre's contribution will knock your head clean off your shoulders. You can also pick up some limited edition Chuck Taylors Gorillaz sneakers while you're at it. Enjoy!

New Converse Song To Feature Gorillaz, James Murphy, & Andre 3000

This is the kind of news that makes me a proud wearer of Chucks. Converse's ongoing "Three Artists, One Song" series has produced original songs featuring team-ups of artists as far ranging as Kid Cudi, Best Coast, Soulja Boy, Hot Chip, and New Order's Bernard Sumner. And as Pitchfork reports, the next song in the series is set to feature the best and weirdest artist partnership yet.

"DoYaThing," set for release on Converse's website on February 23, will feature Damon Albarn's most beloved non-Blur project Gorillaz throwing down with former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and OutKast's own Andre 3000. Gorillaz posted the above artwork on their Facebook today, and I've gotta say I'm loving the cartoon versions of Murphy and Andre 3000 right off the bat.

We'll post up the track as soon as it's available, and in the meantime you can stream Gorillaz's announcement of the collaboration below.

Tim & Eric &... James Murphy? Watch A Clip From "The Comedy"

By Geanna Barlaam

In today’s I’m-not-sure-how-to-feel-about-this-news, James Murphy is making an appearance in two of this year’s Sundance films. Aside from the much Much MUCH anticipated LCD Soundsystem documentary, Shut Up and Play the Hits, Murphy has a supporting role in Rick Alverson’s The Comedy. Also featuring actors Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! fame), the film’s eye-roll-worthy plot follows Heidecker’s main character as he acts like a baby and upsets people with his other privileged friends in Brooklyn. The clip that’s circulating the interwebs is obnoxious and often unbearable.

In other words, it’s why I generally avoid hanging out with spoiled, middle-aged men. Right? Right.

Since Mr. Murphy can often do no wrong in my world, I’m holding off total judgment until I see the whole thing. In the meantime, you should probably watch this clip below and see for yo’self, fools!

New Build (members of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip) playing Mercury Lounge

By Geanna Barlaam

Please welcome Geanna as our new associate news editor. Already a contributor to FN, Geanna will be posting news stories on new and exciting bands in addition to our usual stream of nostalgia-related acts. All typos are 100% intentional. Enjoy! --Chris

In this sometimes bleak post-LCD Soundsystem world, hope for the future now comes in small snippets, as we do our damnedest to follow what dem band members be up to.

Cue New Build--a London-based band whose members (Al Doyle, Felix Martin and Tom Hopkins) hail from the very likes of LCD, Hot Chip and Planningtorock. Working as a kind of collective, the group's sound is like an atmospheric dance party, with hints of clubby trance mixed with their oh-so-catchy beats! It's the kind of stuff that makes you want to be in a warehouse. With sequins. And sweaty people. In the best way possible.

The band's second release is due out early this year (now available for pre-order ova here: http://newbuildband.com/), with tour dates scheduled through the spring. You can listen to New Build’s track “Do You Not Feel Loved?” below via the band’s Soundcloud page. We're totes excited to see them here at the Mercury Lounge on March 13th and 14th, so do get yo' dance shoes on and get ready fo' the par-tay! The March 13th date sold out fast, but tickets for the 14th go on sale tomorrow at 12pm.

We will be there, disco balls in tow.

Watch The First Trailer For LCD Soundsystem's "Shut Up And Play The Hits"

More shots of James Murphy spinning post-LCD at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar over here!

So as most of our readers should be able to guess by now, this has been the post that the staff of Fucking Nostalgic has been waiting to put up since the night of April 2, 2011. That was the night that NYC's dance-punk legends LCD Soundsystem performed their final show ever at Madison Square Garden - an event that was unanimously our favorite concert of the entire year.

We weren't kidding when we said that it was our generation's Stop Making Sense, and now you can see for yourself thanks to the exclusive world premiere trailer for Shut Up And Play The Hits, the documentary capturing this epic show and the 48 hours surrounding it that is set to premiere in full at Sundance later this month (beginning January 22). You can find the full schedule of showings at the new SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS website. 

I'm just gonna shut up now and let you check it out over here until we get an embeddable version. It is absolutely glorious.

UPDATE: Oh hey there we go. Watch it below the jump.

Photos/Review: James Murphy @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar

James Murphy (DJ Set) @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar – December 15, 2011
Photos: Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Josh Kurp

James Murphy, proudly sporting a scruffy salt-and-pepper beard, looked oh-so-happy. Over eight months after wrapping up LCD Soundsystem at Madison Square Garden (holy st), he was back in his borough, at the spacious Brooklyn Bazaar, spinning records as a DJ in front of a Thursday night crowd only a fraction of the size he played for in April. Murphy has said that the reason he retired LCD was because the band’s fame was becoming too large for him; he only intended them to be a part of what he did, career-wise, not become all encompassing. Because, obviously, if you release songs as great and era-defining as “All My Friends” and “Dance Yrself Clean,” you feel like you just HAVE to do more.

Now Murphy, with LCD (temporarily?) in the rear-view mirror, can focus on his truest passion: DJ’ing, playing everything from a re-mix of the Orbs’ classic “Little Fluffy Clouds” to a selection from the Batman soundtrack. Oh, and try his hand at acting in Tim Heidecker’s Sundance-accepted The Comedy; and head to Japan with Aziz Ansari and David Chang for a GQ story, and continue to lord over the label he co-founded, DFA Records; and work on the soon-to-be-released documentary, the Win Butler-titled SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, about LCD’s final 48 hours as a band.

His beard is well deserved.

---

Check out a bunch of photos of the night shot by Nadia below, as well as the official video for LCD Soundsystem's new video for their older cover of Franz Ferdinand's "Live Alone" below...

LCD Soundsystem Documentary To Premiere At Sundance 2012, James DJing BK Bazaar On December 15

We've made no secret of our love for recently-defunct dance heroes LCD Soundsystem, and have been watching for updates on the release of the DVD documenting their final show at Madison Square Garden with a pretty laser-like focus.

Well it looks like we'll want to start checking out plane ticket prices, as Sundance has announced that it will be premiering said documentary at its 2012 Festival next month. Entitled SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, the documentary will cover not only the show itself but the entire 48 hours surrounding it, including what I assume must have been a MASSIVE post-show hangover for frontman James Murphy the next morning. PFork notes that the admittedly hilarious title of the doc came from Arcade Fire frontguy Win Butler (who showed up at the MSG show to rock through "North American Scum"), and that Murphy also has a featured role in another Sundance-premiering flick called The Comedy along with  Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job's Tim Heidecker... whose new movie Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie will also premiere at Sundance.

Yeah that's a lot of awesome to pack into one sentence, and it'll be a great Sundance for anyone who can go. If you're in NYC and want to see Murphy even sooner, however, he's got a headlining DJ set at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar on December 15, so go get tickets to that right now.

LCD Soundsystem To Release Final Concert DVD In Early 2012

Seminal dance-punk band and hometown heroes LCD Soundsystem broke many a heart when they disbanded earlier this year - mine included, as I've stressed many times. But of course, they bid their goodbye on April 2 by rolling into Madison Square Garden and putting on one of the greatest concerts I've ever had the pleasure of attending, the memories of which continue to get me awesomely verklempt every time it's brought up. Like now.

Which is why I'm extremely happy to share that frontman James Murphy provided an update this morning on the status the official DVD of the show. He's been flying back and forth between here and London to get everything perfected, and estimates it'll finally be out by early next year. We'll obviously provide more details as they arise, and we fully expect to appear in the credits as "Those People Who Were Totally Losing Their Minds From The Awesomeness Of The Show." Maybe we'll ask him about it when he spins at House of Vans next week.

In the meantime, re-familiarize yourself with the amazingness via the below YouTube video, why don't you.

James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem) DJing House of Vans For FREE

New York LCD (Still) Loves You

Longtime readers of Fucking Nostalgic know that we all collectively have a Big Thing for anything LCD Soundsystem-related. We've been skipping pebbles wistfully across ponds ever since they called it quits in April, but always get very excited whenever former band members pop up for DJ gigs around the city. We're also pretty big on House of Vans, which over the summer served as a great venue to see bands like OFF! and Superchunk on the same night.

Which is why it is HUGE news that former LCD masterminds James Murphy and Pat Mahoney have once again let their powers combine as Special Disco Version for a FREE show on November 1 at House of Vans. DFA labelmate (and LCD frontlady Nancy Whang's other band) The Juan Maclean will be on hand to DJ as well, already making this a night designed to make my head explode even before you throw the free beer into the equation.

RSVP for that now over here, and infinite thanks to our friend and FN reader Mariel for the tip. And now I'm gonna throw that LEGO version of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" music video up after the jump so we can all get wistful.

This Week's Nostalgia (9/5-9/11)

Okay, so we took last week off again, but that won't happen again for a while, because the next two months are ridiculously busy in terms of live shows in New York City. Hope everyone is having an awesome Labor Day and enjoying the last few weeks of summer weather. Let's take a look at what's in store for us this week.

Tim @ Bowery Ballroom (more)

Les Savy Fav @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Tuesday, September 6

Have you never seen Les Savy Fav live? No?!? Well then you've been missing some of the greatest live performances you'll ever see. For well over a decade, Les Savy Fav have been a staple of the New York City music scene, and for good reason. Forget how good their music is, seeing LSF live is a completely seperate experience. Expect frontman Tim Harrington to be half naked the entire time, and if you don't want to be kissed by a big sweaty bearded dude, don't stand in front of the stage because that will definitely happen. Tickets are still on sale for $15. Do it.

TVOTR @ Radio City (more)

Broken Social Scene/TV on the Radio @ Williamsburg Waterfront
Thursday, September 8

Thursday night holds a few options for you, but this show is certainly a great pairing of modern indie heavyweights. Broken Social Scene are still touring behind last year's excellent Forgiveness Rock Record, and considering how larger than life the band is, I'm a little surprised that they're the opening act. But it doesn't really matter since TV on the Radio are equally great, and are sure to put on a great outdoor performance in their hometown. I caught TVOTR at Radio City Music Hall back in April and though the set was a little short on length, it was nothing short on amazing. Tickets are still on sale.

James @ Hudson Hotel (more)

James Murphy (DJ set) @ VPL
Thursday, September 8

The dust has settled, and it has finally sunk in that LCD Soundsystem is no longer with us. But that doesn't mean LCD mastermind and frontman James Murphy is done with music altogether. On Thursday night at VPL, you'll have the chance to witness one of Murphy's legendary DJ sets. I've had the chance to catch him spinning twice, and both times were just completely epic dance parties. Spinning vinyl that ranges from the most obscure '70s disco to the most recognizable dance-punk of today, James Murphy reminds you that, yes, DJ'ing is truly a lost art form. According to ohmyrockness, this event is free.

Patti Smith @ Webster Hall
Thursday, September 8

The veteran punk queen must have some sort of affinity for playing free shows in New York City because this is the second time Patti Smith has played one this summer. Though the venues she chooses for these performances are often far small than her popularity demands. Her last free show at Battery Park saw plenty of fans being turned away at the door, and though her performance at Webster Hall on Thursday was free with RSVP, that RSVP list was closed pretty quickly. You may have some luck early and waiting in line (RSVP lists are often overcompensated due to the amount of people who just don't show up), but otherwise, this is gonna be tricky to get into. Good luck!

!!! @ SXSW (more)

!!! @ The Bell House
Friday, September 9

Walking the fence of what is and isn't considered fucking nostalgic, !!! (commonly pronounced "chk-chk-chk") will bring their unique dance-punk party to Gowanus in Brooklyn on Friday night at the Bell House. Similar to Les Savy Fav, the band's live show stands apart from their studio recordings, with frontman Nic Offer often performing from within the crowd of dancing fans. I caught !!! at SXSW during one of BrooklynVegan's day parties, and they were so great I rushed to catch them at another party hours later. Tickets are still on sale.

That's all we've got this week. Be sure to subscribe to our Spotify playlist for This Week's Nostalgia so that you'll be able to listen to all of these artists each week if you're unfamiliar with any of them. Also be sure to remind us if there are any shows you feel we missed. Until next week...

TONIGHT: Live (Online) Listening Party For The Rapture's New Album + Q&A

Party Tiiiiiime! On the Internet! One of our favorite labels, DFA Records, is trying out something new tonight to welcome the awesome dance-punk band The Rapture back into the fold in advance of the September release of their new album, In The Grace of Your Love (that's the cover art above). DFA has already dedicated one of their White Out Sessions to premiering the album's excellent first single "How Deep Is Your Love," and tonight they'll have the dudes in the DFA offices for a full-on album listening party starting at 8:30pm ET!

You can stream the party into your own living room tonight via their UStream channel, and The Rapture will also be hosting a Q&A after the album finishes. You can tweet your burning questions to @itstherapture, @dfarecords, or post on the Facebook event wall either now or during the show.

Based on The Rapture's past awesomeness and the strength of that single, I'm excited to hear what they have in store for us tonight. It'll also be a great way to get ready for Saturday's sold-out show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg - highly recommend you find a way into that, or at least the afterparty at Cameo or Nancy Whang's (LCD Soundsystem) free DJ set up the street. Early 2000s dance music is gonna be alive and well in Brooklyn this weekend, for sure.

Nancy Whang (LCD Soundsystem) DJing Brooklyn Bowl On 8/20

Not gonna lie - the Fucking Nostalgic team is still pretty wistful about the end of our favorite NYC dance-punk / electronic band LCD Soundsystem. We all had a blast rocking out on the floor at their final show at Madison Square Garden, and the recent release of an unofficial LEGO-based tribute to the band's "All My Friends" music video definitely tugged at our heartstrings a little more.

But even with the end of LCD, James Murphy has been keeping very busy DJing around the world, kindasortamaybe collaborating with Reggie Watts, and getting ready to cook at fancy food festivals. Not a bad "retirement," I'd say. However, if you're looking for a more immediate, local, and FREE fix of our dance scene heroes, LCD Soundsystem keyboardist and chanteuse Nancy Whang will be over at Brooklyn Bowl next Saturday (August 20) to throw down on the decks with her own DJ set, along with a live performance by Workout.

Brooklyn Bowl is one of my favorite venues in the city and admission for this party is free if you RSVP at GBH.tv, so definitely make it happen. Interestingly enough, this is a couple of blocks away from where another excellent nostalgic dance-punk band, The Rapture - who just returned to Murphy's DFA Records - will be throwing down the dance party of the summer at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Gonna go ahead and assume that's not a coincidence, so be sure to make it out to Brooklyn for a classic DFA-fueled summer night.

[UPDATE: She's also DJing tomorrow night (8/12) at Union Pool. Thanks to My Free Concert for the heads up.]

And because why the hell not, check out multiple Nancies in the video for Shit Robot's "Take 'Em Up" below the jump.

Watch: LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" Unofficial Video... in LEGO

Our mission here at Fucking Nostalgic is to share totally awesome things with you, the reader (and occasionally make fun of the Spin Doctors). Which is why it brings me great pleasure to share this as my third video-related post in a row: a shot-by-shot recreation of the music video for "All My Friends" by one of my favorite (Newly Nostalgic) bands, LCD Soundsystem... shot entirely with LEGOs.

I've spent the past few months telling friends / coworkers / random passersby that LCD's final show at Madison Square Garden this past April was the Stop Making Sense of our generation. High praise for sure, but seeing both tributes to the band like this as well as reliving moments from the show via YouTube clips never fails to stir up the feeling that LCD Soundsystem was a really special phenomenon in modern music.

Check the video out above, and feel free to compare it to the original official video below the jump. Even LCD frontman James Murphy was blown away by it.