The Ipecac Dolls

Once a month next year, teeny boutique toymakers UNKL will issue a series of limited-edition figurines inspired by the Ipecac Recordings roster. Yep, that Ipecac: The Mike Patton co-founded label with a bent for dumping disc after disc of weird-ass experimental punk/noize/sludge/rap on a gleefully suspecting public. And that UNKL, the people responsible for those Wilco figures. It is, to say the least, a strange pairing.

There is one releases per month, and they are in the order of the following picture ...


Still, these Ipecac toys are really nifty-looking, with a lot more personality (if a slightly higher chance of coming to life and murdering your face) than, say, a Kindercore set might. Each figure will be available individually in a limited edition of 500, with a new one arriving each month.

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The Salt Mine Show

Now that their "Duluth Tour" is over, Queens of the Stone Age have to get their non-traditional touring kicks somehow. And since we already know they have 1.) a refined palate (see: their appearance on an upcoming holiday episode of chef Anthony Bourdain's Travel Channel show) and 2.) an affinity for all things rock (see: their music and the "Stone Age" in their name), the announcement that the band will play one mile underground in a former German salt mine next month seems just about perfect.

The mine is in Sondershausen, Germany (check out pictures here), and the show is on November 20. And the venue isn't the only special thing about the performance: Queens plan to unearth (I'm sorry) plenty of songs they have never before played live for the exclusive unplugged set.

Unfortunately, the show is only open to winners of various worldwide competitions (including some radio promotions), but the band has plenty of regular ol' dates as well, including a few more UK shows in February. Their next show is tomorrow night, October 27, in Las Vegas at the Vegoose festival.

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Alles Wieder Offen

Experimental Berliners Einstürzende Neubauten will release Alles Wieder Offen-- their 20 gazillionth album in a career that has spanned gazillions of years-- via their own Potomak label tomorrow (October 23) November 6 in the U.S. (it's already out in Europe).

The title of the record, the official public follow-up to 2004's Perpetuum Mobile, translates to "all open again," which refers to the fact that the band has taken almost all matters related to the album into its own hands.

The reason the phrase "official public" modifies the "follow-up" above is that Neubauten released over 10 albums since Perpetuum Mobile came out. These albums were self-released to subscribers to the band's website (creepily called Supporters), and the material on them ranged from piano compositions by Neubauten members to something a press release calls "the musical possibilities of ritualized wine consumption."

Many of these albums were conceived through alternative compositional techniques, and both these techniques and some of the material from these albums ended up on Alles Wieder Offen in one form or another.

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Out Today ...

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Follow the Lights EP
Of Montreal - If He's Protecting Our Nation...
Prefuse 73 - Preparations
Ween - La Cucaracha
Rob Zombie - Zombie Live

The Bedlam In Goliath

The Mars Volta have revealed details of their forthcoming studio album.

'The Bedlam In Goliath' is due out on January 29, 2008 in the US, and features 12 tracks.

The follow-up to 2006's 'Amputechture' was produced by guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and again includes contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante.

The tracklisting is:

'Aberinkula'
'Metatron'
'Ilyena'
'Wax Simulacra'
'Goliath'
'Tourniquet Man'
'Cavalettas'
'Agadez'
'Askepios'
'Ouroboros'
'Soothsayer'
'Conjugal Burns'

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R.I.P. Paul Raven

Paul Vincent Raven-- bassist for post-punk pioneers Killing Joke and, in more recent years, industrial elder statesmen Ministry-- was found dead Saturday, October 20 in a private home in a small French village on the border of Switzerland, near Geneva. According to initial reports, his death was the result of a heart attack.

The 46-year-old Raven was in the thick of a couple different musical projects at the time of his death. He was in Geneva to record with French band Treponem Pal, and he planned to release an album by Mob Research-- a collaboration with members of Warrior Soul and the Mission UK-- on Ministry leader Al Jourgensen's 13th Planet Records next year.

After Raven's death, Jourgensen released a statement saying, "I am in total shock. The world of music is a sadder, emptier place. Not only was Raven an extraordinary talent, but one of my closest dearest friends. Our condolences and prayers go to his immediate family. He will be truly missed by artists, musicians, and his fans the world over."

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Swervedriver Plan '08 Tour

U.K. rock act Swervedriver will reunite for a worldwide 2008 tour after a nearly decade-long hiatus. Dates and other details have yet to be announced.

The group (vocalist/guitarist Adam Franklin, guitarist Jimmy Hartridge, bassist Steve George and drummer Jez) split on the heels of its 1998 album "99th Dream." Although it never enjoyed major commercial success in the U.S., Swervedriver was beloved by fans for its psychedelia-tinged rock sound, best heard on the 1993 album "Mezcal Head." (Note: Great album!)

Of late, Franklin has recorded with his band Toshack Highway and as a solo artist. He's presently in the midst of a solo outing in support of his recent album, "Bolts of Melody," and will perform tonight (Oct. 19) in Milwaukee.

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Fuck Tha Police

December 4, get ready to bear witness to its strength all over again, as N.W.A.'s landmark Straight Outta Compton-- in all its grisly glory-- is reissued on CD, vinyl, and digital download formats from Capitol/Priority.

On the new Compton, the second-to-none progenitor of West Coast gangsta rap is amended with five bonus tracks, including covers of choice Compton cuts from Snoop and C-Murder, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Mack 10, and WC, as well as a live rendition of "Compton's N the House" by Dre and MC Ren.

On the same day, Capitol/Priority will issue Featuring... Eazy-E, a collection of rare and notable solo tracks and guest appearances from the late great Eric Wright. Several tracks on Featuring have been out of print for years, making them exclusive to this disc. Parental discretion for both iz, as always, advised.

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Cat Power Track List

Recorded in Dallas, Miami, and New York with the Dirty Delta Blues and Stuart Sikes, Cat Power's Jukebox -- due out at the end of January -- picks up where The Covers Record left off, with Chan Marshall lodging ten new interpretations of other folks' music, along with a new version of her "Metal Heart" and a newbie "Song To Bobby."

01 Theme From "New York, New York" (Frank Sinatra)
02 "Metal Heart" (Cat Power)
03 "Ramblin’ (Wo)man" (Hank Williams)
04 "Song To Bobby" (Cat Power)
05 "Aretha, Sing One For Me" (George Jackson)
06 "Lost Someone" (James Brown)
07 "I Believe In You" (Bob Dylan)
08 "Fortunate Son" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
09 "Silver Stallion" (Lee Clayton)
10 "Dark End Of The Street" (Dan Penn & Chips Morman; originally sung by James Carr)
11 "Don’t Explain" (Billie Holiday)
12 "Woman Left Lonely" (Janis Joplin)

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Spankin' New Albums ...

Del The Funky Homosapien - The 11th Hour
Jimi Hendrix - Live at Monterey
Motorhead - Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live At Hammersmith
Soulsavers - It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land
Underworld - Oblivion with Bells

PJ In NYC

Here are some cool pictures from PJ Harvey's performance last night in NYC ...







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Fall Road Shows, Vol. II ...

Here's some more Fall road gigs coming up (oh and Vol. 1 has a few left in case you missed it) ...



11/03 - She Wants Revenge @ Emo's
11/03 - Fun Fun Fun Fest! @ Waterloo Park
11/04 - Fun Fun Fun Fest! @ Waterloo Park
11/17 - Aesop Rock @ Emo's
11/23 - Marky Ramone and Friends @ Emo's
11/26 - Gwar @ Emo's
11/29 - Jose Gonzalez @ The Parish
12/11 - Iron & Wine @ La Zona Rosa
12/15 - The Walkmen @ Emo's

A Few Releases ...

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Melvins/Brian Walsby - The Making Love Demos / Manchild 3
She Wants Revenge - This Is Forever

Radio Radio

I ran across this old SNL clip with Beasties Boys playing with Elvis Costello ...

Christmas on Mars

The Flaming Lips are eyeing next March's South by Southwest film festival for the release of their long-forthcoming feature film, Christmas on Mars, according to a recent Billboard.com interview with frontman Wayne Coyne.

"It is coming. In fact, it's better than ever. Because it's taken so long, we've become better filmmakers. There's better computer effects. I think it will be much better," Coyne said. Come to think of it, it makes sense that the Lips would need to build UFOs before traveling to Mars.

After Christmas on Mars' SXSW premiere, Coyne mentioned that the band plans to take the film on a tour of some sort. "I want the Flaming Lips audience to shape this. It'll be like our live show, which evolves as it goes. We'll show it to the audience and let them talk out there on message boards, and then maybe we'll take that and go back and change it and put it out there again and see what they think. It'll be a different experience than sitting at home and watching a DVD, for sure. I don't know if a lot of bands can do that, but the Flaming Lips sure can."

Currently, Christmas is in the final editing stage. The band is also transferring it to HD and adding "in-depth special effects."

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Spankin' New Albums ...

David Byrne - Live from Austin, TX
The Cult - Born into This
Bob Dylan - Dylan
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
The Ramones - It's Alive 1974-1996 DVD
Siouxsie - Mantaray
Slayer - Unholy Alliance DVD

Update: You can stream The Cult album in its entirety here. Just click on "See+Hear."

What Made Milwaukee Famous

WMMF are showcasing their new album this week and Austinist has some tickets to give away here.

"Austin's own geographically misleading rockers What Made Milwaukee Famous will be debuting their new album at The Parish Room over two nights this Thursday and Friday. Both bills feature diverse acts with personality to spare: Thursday, they'll be supported by local contenders White Denim and the one and only Pink Nasty; Friday's show features pseudo-metallic slashers Ume, The Black And White Years, and a few of the friendly folks in Zykos. Tickets are on sale now, but of course you'd rather get in for free like the insider that you are, right?"

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