World's Fair

Prefix Mag: How should the music of British Sea Power best be enjoyed?
British Sea Power: On a bicycle with headphones, most definitely.

Prefix Mag: How is England doing now that Beckham is stateside?
British Sea Power: We miss him personality-wise, but he never wrote any songs for the band, so we’ve been able to cope. He’s been to see us live a few times and we’ll let him come on stage and bang around on the drums. He’s not a full-time member of the band or anything. We don’t expect to see him on tour.[READ MORE]

British Sea Power - “Atom” Edit [DOWNLOAD]

British Sea Power - “Down On The Ground” [STREAM]

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace

“… Yep, you read right. LaBeouf is looking to play Def Jux rapper Cage, aka Chris Palko, in a forthcoming film about the MC’s life, according to an article in the December issue of SPIN. “I have been listening to Cage since I got into hip-hop when I was 12,” LaBeouf said. “I grew up on the West Coast listening to a lot of 2Pac and Eazy-E, so when I found out that Cage was white, it was incredible. I’d never heard anything like that.” - via Pitchfork & LAist

As evidence, we present to you, via Cardboard City (a NYC arts & music collective including Cage, El-P, Yak Ballz, & others, headed up by Daryl Palumbo of Head Automatica), Shia representing on SNL…!

Stream various tunes on Cage’s insane new website… but make sure to hide all sharp objects around you first

CONNECT: Cage | Definitive Jux | World’s Fair | Myspace

Aesop Rock - “Puff Tuff” [STREAM]
B-side to the limited edition 7″ for “None Shall Pass” available directly from Def Jux Pharmacy:

Plus, peep the sweet Aes Rizzle Ts & merch…

“The label said they were cracking down on us for samples more than ever before, and that we couldn’t use five of the songs,” Rock remembers. “I kind of had a nervous breakdown, because we were basically done with the record. I’d never been busted for a sample before, and all of the ones we’d used were pretty obscure. I was almost like, ‘Fuck it—take it or leave it. I’ll give it to someone else or I’ll give it away for free.’ It was that frustrating. But we went in with people who could play the instruments and basically reworked stuff…. I ended up thinking that most of them turned out.” - Aesop Rock @ Nashville Scene [READ MORE]

“Rock has said he has no interest in signing to a major label, maintaining his longtime loyalty to acclaimed New York outfit Definitive Jux. Nonetheless, his indie cred was called into question last year when he composed a 45-minute track for the Nike + iPod Sports Kit. (The gizmo is designed to get you pumped up while jogging.) He added fuel to the flames after agreeing to be MTV’s artist of the week in September. Hecklers on his MySpace page accused him of selling out… Rock denies the allegation, and adds that the outcry mystified him. He was nonetheless pleased when None Shall Pass opened to bigger sales than any of his previous albums, however, debuting at No. 50 on the Billboard 200.” - Creative Loafing [READ MORE]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | Aesop Rock Wins

In case you missed - enjoy 1990s Tour Diaries @ iMeem!

And even though 1990s have left us in America to head back home, they still left us with “Cookies” which we like to think is definitely a highlight of rock & roll for 2007, and a recent johnny-come-lately review by our friends at Harp Magazine seems to confirm that we’re all enjoying ourselves!

“We’re talking huge hooks, riffs that just won?t quit and choruses catchier than a rabid spider monkey on crack. We?re talking British Glam Rock at its most moronic with a healthy dash of ?70s NYC attitude in the shape of the New York Dolls, the Ramones, Jonathan Richman and Lou Reed at his camp best. If this fails to elicit at the very least a wry grin of recognition, then you, my friend, are quite possibly dead. It?s all been done before of course, but it?s played with such flash and pizzazz, with such unfettered glee that, ultimately, resistance is futile…” - Harp Magazine

CONNECT: 1990s @ iMeem | 1990s.tv | 1990space | 1990s @ World’s Fair

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Interview on NPR Fresh Air [LISTEN]

“… Gabriel “Bosco Mann” Roth, co-founder of Daptone Records and bass player for The Dap-Kings, talks about the band’s increased involvement in songwriting and arranging on 100 Days, 100 Nights. He wrote many of the songs himself, including the title track. The Dap-Kings’ members have kept busy, as well. They backed Amy Winehouse on several tracks off her album Back to Black, including “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good,” and they served as her band during her first tour in the U.S.” - NPR Fresh Air [MORE]

Sharon & her Dap-Kings hit the road again this weekend - headed west! Don’t miss yr chance to shake & strut yr stuff on stage to the groove that don’t skip a beat!

CONNECT: Dapsite | DapSpace | DapMeem | DapTube

Amoeba Records, Los Angeles
6400 Sunset Blvd
Monday, December 3rd
7pm
Call 323-245-6400 for info
Free and open to the public

Recently, live in Montreal…

The 100 Days, 100 Nights tour kicks back up…!

Dec 1 @ San Diego (Solana Beach), CA @ Belly Up
Dec 2 @ Santa Ana CA @ Galaxy Theater
Dec 4 @ Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
Dec 5 @ San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s SOLD OUT
Dec 7 @ Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Dec 8 @ Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
Dec 9 @ Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Dec 10 @ Bellingham, WA @ The NIghtlight
Dec 14 @ Philadelphia PA @ Theatre of Living Arts (Budos Band supports)

CONNECT: Dapsite | DapSpace | DapMeem | DapTube

CD 1 Daptone Remixes - Get all the mp3s in a convenient Zip file [DOWNLOAD] - or download the tracks individually below…
1. The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix) feat. Mark Ronson & Wale
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Keep On Looking (Kenny Dope Remix)
3. The Daktaris - Eltsuhg Ibal Lasiti (Mad Professor Remix)
4. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Stranded In Your Love (Cool Calm Pete - Sweet Nothing Mix)
5. The Sugarman Three & Co. - Take It As It Come feat. Charles Bradley (Afrodisiac Soundsystem Remix)
6. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? (Ticklah Remix)
7. The Budos Band - T.I.B.W.F. (Hank Shocklee Remix)
8. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - My Man Is A Mean Man (DJ Spinna Remix)
9. The Sugarman Three & Co. - Bosco’s Blues (Bull Jun Remix) feat. Large Professor

CD 2 Daptone Originals
1. The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Keep On Looking
3. The Daktaris - Eltsuhg Ibal Lasiti
4. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Stranded In Your Love
5. The Sugarman Three & Co. - Take It As It Come (Featuring Charles Bradley)
6. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?
7. The Budos Band - T.I.B.W.F.
8. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - My Man Is A Mean Man
9. The Sugarman Three & Co. - Bosco’s Blues

Also available on iTunes now.

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | World’s Fair | iMeem

Good God, the entire blazing set from Pela’s Bowery Ballroom gig this CMJ @ Baeblemusic [WATCH]

Pela - CMJ Live In-Studio Performance for KEXP [DOWNLOAD]

From the archives…
Pela - Live In-Studio Performance for WOXY [DOWNLOAD]
(thnx for the tip Music Slut!)

… and in case you missed, the brilliant video for “Lost to the Lonesome”, which premiered recently at Stereogum to gushing praise at how well the video mimics Pela’s anthemic live intensity!

Pela is working on their follow-up to the critically acclaimed full-length debut earlier this year, “Anytown Graffiti“, and you can catch up with all the action at their Studio Blog.

CONNECT: Website | Studio Blog | Studio VLog | World’s Fair | Myspace

BLACKBOOK: Tell me the story about the nightjars.

BRITISH SEA POWER: Oh you mean with Mr. Jarvis Cocker?

BB: Yeah that’s the one.

BSP: Well, we asked Jarvis to come along with us to go see the nightjars—which are birds—in a forest near where we were doing a show. But really we just went out to get a little loaded in the woods. Anyways, Martin [Noble, guitarist] really likes climbing, so he started climbing this tree like usual, a bit drunk, quite good fun, then suddenly this big beam of light shines on him and a voice comes out of nowhere and says, “One more move and you might die!” He was fine but they wouldn’t let him come down. They had to call in this whole operation and bring him down with a harness. He didn’t get stuck, it was just because he was a bit wankered, and they thought it was dangerous. He always climbs trees. - Black Book Mag [READ MORE]

In case you missed… Pitchfork featured one of the two amazing bonus videos from the Krankenhaus? CD-EP - “Water Tower”; of which they had this to say: “The instrumental jam to go with it [the video], however, is a monster. Noisy riff, blaring distortion, everything way the hell in the red; ah, to be in this space while these sounds were bouncing off the concrete walls.”

Artist: British Sea Power
Album: Do You Like Rock Music?
Label: Rough Trade / World’s Fair
Street Date: Feb. 12th, 2008
Formats: CD, mp3

British Sea Power - “Atom” edit [DOWNLOAD]

British Sea Power - “Down On The Ground” [STREAM]

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace

“This album is what might’ve happenned if Elliott Smith had been blessed with Ray Davies’ sense of humor and Coldplay’s self-esteem. The songs swirl and shimmer, gently oscillating in the gravitational pull between Darling’s leathery falsetto and deceptively asinine lyrics.” - Paste Magazine [READ MORE]

Artist: The Grey Race
Album: Give It Love
Label: Unfiltered Records / World’s Fair
Street Date: August 28th / September 18th 2007
Format: CD, digital
Shop: iTunes | eMusic | Amazon

Get some love:

The Grey Race - “On the Chin” [DOWNLOAD]

The Grey Race - “Stop Inside Your Start” [STREAM]

The Grey Race - “Through Your Eyes” [STREAM]

CONNECT: Greyspace | World’s Fair