Bumbershoot 2007: The Shins, Wu-Tang, more!

As festivals pop up everywhere with silly names, especially in the Pacific Northwest, Bumbershoot continues the trend. Slated for September 1-3 at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA, tickets arepriced at $75 for all three days (if you buy before 8/17).

The juicy info, of course, is the lineup: The Shins, the Wu-Tang Clan, Panic! At The Disco, Crowded House, Lupe Fiasco, Gogol Bordello, Kill Hannah, Norma Jean, Plain White T's, The Gourds, Lyrics Born, Holmes Brothers, Steve Earle, Devotchka, Devendra Banhart, Roky Erickson, Allison Moorer and Magnolia Electric Company, with many more TBA.

The Shins and Clinic In Washington, DC In March (Separate Shows, Of Course)

Clinic will play DC's Black Cat March 6. Tickets are on sale now.



The Shins will be playing DAR Constitution Hall on March 12. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 16.

Free MP3: The Western States Motel - "Powerlines"

The Western States Motel wants to capitalize on the success of The Shins by sounding just like them. Indie pop lives!

Download "Powerlines" by The Western States Motel.

The Shins Blow Up The Charts With Wincing The Night Away

In an age where Johnny Cash can posthumously debut at Number 1 on the Billboard charts, and the Dreamgirls soundtrack can hold the pole position for weeks on end by posting the lowest numbers for any #1 album in Billboard history, The Shins have debuted at #2 with Wincing the Night Away, after moving 118,000 units in the first week of release.

Today's New Release Picks: The Shins, Deerhoof, Of Montreal, Etc.

A couple releases worth noting today:


The Shins - Wincing The Night Away - getting buzz since "Garden State" and Natalie Portman, this album seems calculated to distance The Shins from people who fell in love with the Chutes Too Narrow sound.


The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Damon Albarn brushes aside The Gorillaz and joins forces with Simon Tong (of The Verve), Paul Simonon (The Clash), and Tony Allen (influential Afrobeat drummer).


Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - Full of blogger buzz, let's see where it goes.


Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - A different sound on virtually every album, this is their third release on Polyvinyl


Rob Crow (of Pinback) - Living Well - this one precedes an expected new album from Pinback this Spring.

Click the album cover to purchase online.

Bonnaroo UPDATE: Pearl Jam, The Police, Bob Dylan? Official Lineup Soon!

As good as the Coachella news is, there's more: Bonnaroo has allegedly confirmed Pearl Jam as well as a comeback of The Police, and even a showing by Bob Dylan.

The other names reported are Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, Umphrey's McGee, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Black Crowes, Ryan Adams, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Keller Williams, Hot Chip, America, TV On The Radio, Fountains of Wayne, Modest Mouse, Les Claypool, The Shins, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Toots and the Maytals, The Roots, The Decemberists, Of Montreal, Cat Power, Ozomatli, Perpetual Groove, Band of Horses, John Butler Trio, Nickel Creek, Medeski Martin and Wood, Lily Allen, Neko Case, The Hold Steady, Earl Scruggs, Charlie Louvin, Man Man, Grizzly Bear, Konono #1, The Slip, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Uncle Earl, Annuals, Beirut, M. Ward, Cold War Kids and Girl Talk.

The official lineup is expected on January 31 for the June 14-17 festival. Source: Stereogum

UPDATE: Stereogum indicates that representatives for a number of the artists, Big Hassle, claim there is no truth to the above. Right now, we'll have to stick to whether the artists are reporting the same or not.

NPR All Songs Considered for January 5, 2007

On this week's All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen delivers stuff you've probably already heard, but even so: The Arcade Fire - "Intervention", Of Montreal - "We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling", yesterday's AGT MP3 from The Shins - "Phantom Limb", and more.

You can subscribe to All Songs Considered as a podcast at the link above. I can't stress enough how wonderful this program is for all you indie hipsters who think The Shins are indeed "music that will change your life." Thanks, Zach Braff, for Garden State and that now-overused line.

Shows At Sonar and 9:30; Free MP3: The Shins - "Phantom Limb"

A couple worthwhile shows coming to Sonar in February:

2/2 - Red Jump Suit Apparatus
2/9 - Yo La Tengo


And a number of winners coming to 9:30

2/20 - 2nd night just added w/ Slayer

Upcoming shows at 9:30 that have yet to be formally announced:
2/17 - Mastodon
2/21 - Gym Class Heroes
2/23 - Anberlin w/ Bayside, Meg & Dia, Jonzetta
2/28 and 3/1 - Guster w/ Mason Jennings
3/6 - Badly Drawn Boy
3/11 - Isis w/ Jesu & Torche
3/16 - Michael Franti & Spearhead
3/18 - Cartel w/ Cobra Starship, Boys Like Girls, New Atlantic
3/20 - Pete Yorn
4/7 - Anti-Flag w/ Alexisonfire, Bid D and the Kids Table, Set Your Goals
4/18 - TV On The Radio

And to top it off, here's the free MP3 of the day:
The Shins - "Phantom Limb"

New Releases In Music For January

Outside of Nas' Hip Hop Is Dead there isn't much to speak of in new releases yet for 2007. In fact, not until January 23 is there much to report, with Deerhoof's Friend Opportunity, and The Shins' Wincing The Night Away. Then, on January 30, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's Some Loud Thunder, Norah Jones' Not Too Late (I like some of her stuff, alright?), and the yet-to-be-proven-not-to-be-overrated Lily Allen's Alright, Still.

Definitely some winners coming down the road in February, but hey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, click on the above links to see more about the albums and to pre-order them at Amazon, if that's your thing.