I often have to be in the mood to listen to certain bands, but one band I can put on regardless what I’m doing or how I’m feeling is Stereolab. There’s something about Laetitia Sadier’s voice that just mesmerizes me. Her solo work is slightly more intimate and freer than Stereolab’s syncopated, droning machinations. Sadier’s new album Silencio is out now on Drag City. And I could listen to it all day. [via Stereogum]

Tour dates:

09/15 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
09/16 – Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room at Crofoot
09/18 – Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel
09/19 – Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal Festival
09/20 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Cafe
09/21 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
09/22 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
09/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
09/25 – Washington, DC @ DC9
09/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Cafe
09/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Festival
09/28 – Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Music Festival
09/29 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin
09/30 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
10/03 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
10/04 – Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
10/05 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
10/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide Festival
10/10 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
10/11 – Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling Music Festival
11/05 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
11/06 – Glasgow, UK @ Captains Rest
11/07 – Edinburgh, UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
11/09 – Dublin, IE @ The Workman’s Club
11/10 – Galway, IE @ Roisin Dubh
11/12 – Cardiff, UK @ The Globe
11/13 – London, UK @ XOYO
11/14 – Brighton, UK @ Sticky Mikes

An old friend and fellow WUSC alum pointed me to this amazing documentary of early punk and new wave compiled from Tony Wilson’s “So It Goes” series that was originally shown on Granada TV on Channel 4 in the UK. It features (in order) Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, Buzzcocks, John Cooper Clarke, Iggy Pop, Wreckless Eric, Ian Dury, Penetration, Blondie, Fall, Jam, Jordan, Devo, Tom Robinson Band, Johnny Thunders, Elvis Costello, XTC, Jonathan Richman, Nick Lowe, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Cherry Vanilla & Magazine. [via]

Former Cataract Falls drummer and current DJ Chris Lawhorn has pieced together an album of instrumental tracks using samples from every single Fugazi song in the band’s discography. Fugazi Edits will be released on October 30th on Case/Martingale Records. Lawhorn has the band’s blessing and all proceeds of the album’s sales will benefit senior citizens of Washington DC as well as global victims of disaster and civil unrest. To check out samples from the forthcoming record go here, where you can also sign up for more information.

For his second solo LP, Interpol’s Paul Banks has abandoned his Julian Plenti alias in favor of his own name. The album, entitled Banks, will be out October 23, 2012 on Matador Records, home to all but one Interpol record. Having such a distinctive voice is a bit of a double edged sword for singers in high profile bands who embark on solo careers. Most people will simply say, “eh, it just sounds like Interpol.” Well, yes, but also not really. [via Pitchfork]

Paul Banks – “The Base”

He’s supporting the record with a world tour:

11-03 Austin, TX – FunFunFun Fest
11-09 Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
11-10 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
11-13 New York, NY – Webster Hall
11-29 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
11-30 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
12-01 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
12-03 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
12-05 Los Angeles, CA – Fonda Theatre
01-20 Dublin, Ireland – Academy
01-21 Glasgow, Scotland – King Tuts
01-22 Manchester, England – Sound Control
01-24 London, England – Koko
01-25 Brussels, Belgium – AB
01-27 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
01-28 Frankfurt, Germany – Mousonturm
01-29 Cologne, Germany – Gloria
01-31 Lausanne, Switzerland – Les Docks
02-01 Milan, Italy – Magazzini Generali
02-02 Ljubljana, Slovenia – Kino Siska
02-03 Vienna, Austria – Wuk
02-05 Prague, Czech Republic Roxy
02-06 Berlin, Germany – Kesselhaus
02-07 Copenhagen, Denmark – Amger Bio
02-09 Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
02-10 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
02-11 Paris, France – L’Alhambra
02-13 Istanbul, Turkey – Babylon
02-14 Istanbul, Turkey – Babylon
02-15 Athens, Greece – Fuzz Club

Murder By Death is releasing its sixth full-length, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon on September 25th via Bloodshot Records. I have to admit I haven’t kept as close an eye on this band as I once did. There was a time when I didn’t miss a Murder By Death show in my town (or any neighboring town for that matter). There’s no real reason; it’s just one of those things. You get older/busier. Priorities shift. Blah blah. So, when I saw this mp3 download link scroll by in my news feed for the new Murder By Death song, I figured I’d see what they’re up to. And the answer is good things. This band is still up to good things. I need to start paying attention again. [via Rolling Stone]

Got the circle spin of death over at NBC’s official Jimmy Fallon page, so I found this on Vimeo. I’m liking this record just about exactly as much as I thought I would. The David Byrne parts appeal to me, and I can leave or take St. Vincent’s contributions. This song in particular works well as a collaboration, which is why I presume it is the single. Also, the intro is a positive argument for the saxophone.

An opportunistic interviewer brought his bass to a meeting with Joy Division/New Order four-stringer Peter Hook back in 2001 to see if he were playing Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” correctly. He was not, and Hook grabbed the bass and schooled him right. Pretty amazing. [via Slicing Up Eyeballs]