XL Recordings

Devo photo by Kathryn Yu

Age 12-17 demographic, get ready: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (not to be confused with Pitchfork's own long-gone Infinite Mixtape), a new film based on the 2006 young adult novel, is coming to a theater near you October 3!

This tale of an unlikely, spontaneous romance between a hapless indie rockin' character played by Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad, "Arrested Development") and a straight-shooting indie rock lovin' character played by Kat Dennings (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Charlie Bartlett, Big Momma's House 2) is sure to strike a chord with, well, all the people toward whom it will be relentlessly marketed.

But hey, that's not why we're here today. We are here today because, like a lot of films, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist will have a soundtrack. And not just any soundtrack: a soundtrack that includes an exclusive new jam from indie rock heartthrobs Vampire Weekend! And not just any exclusive new Vampire Weekend jam: this is one they recorded in cahoots with Devo mad genius Mark Mothersbaugh, who oversaw the rest of the soundtrack too. Well hot dog!

"Ottoman" (some kind of joke about Vampire Weekend being über-rich Ivy League yacht pilots who get to kick their legs up on ottomans often goes here) arrives nestled amid popular previously-released favorites from Devendra Banhart, Band of Horses, Richard Hawley, Shout Out Louds, Bishop Allen, and Ben Gibbard/Elvis Costello buds Army...

Read More

CLICK HERE to support our friends at Arthur Magazine!

Photo by Alissa Anderson

We Meet is a collection of poetry, prose, and illustrations from the late, underappreciated West Coast artist and writer Kenneth Patchen. Devendra Banhart is a West Coast writer, songsmith, and occasional doodler who fancies himself a bit of a Patchen fanatic. Banhart recently took time out from confusing the hell out of the folks at TMZ and working up that Megapuss record to pen a brief preface to We Meet, a new collection of Patchen's work.

As these things go, Banhart's intro is sorta silly and roundabout, but it's a fine fit for the whimsical words that follow. "Within these pages," Banhart writes, "mystery becomes little cartoon legs with a cosmic giggle for a head, ramblin' out the difference between sincerity and honesty, reminding us that its one thing to have the gift but it's a whole other thing to GIVE it." We Meet is out now from New Directions.

Ever the giver, Banhart will play a couple of West Coast dates in the next couple months. As for Megapuss, their MySpace lists a show at Los Angeles' Spaceland on August 11, and they'll play Festival in the Forest in Big Sur on September 26. Bring the family!

Devendra:

08-11 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland !
08-21 Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Theatre *
08-23 San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival
09-26 Big Sur, CA - Festival in the Forest !

!...

Read More

Devendra Banhart has recruited his real-life girlfriend Natalie Portman to star in the video for his new single 'Carmensita'.

Devendra Banhart has been writing and recording a full-length album with his side project band, Megapuss.

Devendra Banhart joined one of his idols - veteran Brazilian artist Gilberto Gil - onstage at the Hollywood Bowl last night (June 29).

Plus: Megapuss album due this year

Photos by Ben High of Spectre

Forkcast got the jump on this one, but us news freaks here have the details. Wacko Renaissance man Devendra Banhart and Priestbird percussionist/ multi-instrumentalist Greg Rogove have gone and started a band called Megapuss (not to be confused with that other group of weird folkies, Megafaun-- or Megadeth, for that matter.)

As you can see in the photos above and below, Megapuss made their live debut last night (June 18) at Los Angeles' Hammer Museum, treating the gathered to eight originals and a "loose" cover of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", according to a FADER report. The originals included "Duck People, Duck Man" (sung by Aziz Ansari-- why not?), "Crop Circle Jerk '94", "Chicken Tits", "Hollywood", and "Surfin".

Oh, and they projected what appear to be nude photographs of Devendra behind the band. And Devendra wore a skirt made out of penises. (Or maybe it's a belt? FADER thinks it's a skirt.) Los Angeles, you never fail to bewilder.

And indeed, as it turns out, Megapuss won't be stopping there. According to Devendra's publicist, the band has already finished recording "an album's worth of material which will be released in 2008." According to FADER, Devendra announced that the album will be called Surfin.

In the meantime, check out the recently Forkcasted "Crop...

Read More

Shows visual art in Brussels

Photo by Don Felix Cervantes

It seems like we've been hearing a lot from Antony these last few months, but then again, somebody around the office always has that Hercules and Love Affair disc on repeat. Integral though his role is on H&LA, it's been a minute since Antony had his own name in lights (despite his promises). But it sounds like that'll change in a season or so.

According to an update on his website, the singular-voiced singer is preparing a new single to come out in October, and in the run up to its release, he's scheduled dates in Portland, Milan, Zaragoza, Spain, and London. Each night, Antony and the Johnsons will be joined by a local symphony conducted by nu-classical wunderkind Nico Muhly.

Thanks to Mike Carli for the tip.

This summer, you might not get to hear Antony's most distinctive characteristic at work up close and in person, but another one of his talents will be on display for all to see. If you live in Belgium, that is. From June 20 through September 14, the Palais Des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Belgium will be hosting the visual art exhibit "It's Not Only Rock 'n' Roll, Baby!", featuring work by a wide variety of rock types, from Patti Smith, David Byrne, Yoko Ono, and Brian Eno to Pete Doherty, Nick Zinner, Jonsi...

Read More

Devendra Banhart, Matt Sweeney, Archer Prewitt contribute to liner notes

Cat Power is great, but her music's not exactly a picker upper. And Malkmus is sometimes funny, but in more of a heady way than a spit-coffee-at-your-computer-screen way. Thus, Matador has rectified its comedy void with the forthcoming reissue of Earles and Jensen's out-of-print double-disc Earles and Jensen Present... Just Farr a Laugh: The Greatest Prank Phone Calls Ever! Vols. 1 & 2. After a few delays, the record finally arrives April 22.

The duo consists of Brooklynite Jeffrey Jensen and Memphis resident Andrew Earles, both writers and jacks of several other trades as well (e.g., Jensen was once the bass player for Homestead Records' Smack Dab). The Just Farr a Laugh reissue package comes with a book of photos, drawings, and written forewords from a host of cool contributors. Devendra Banhart, Matt Sweeney, and Archer Prewitt all lend drawings to the book, and the list of foreword writers includes Matador co-head Gerard Cosloy, Gregg Turkington (aka Neil Hamburger), and Neil Pollack.

As for the audio contents of the record, the title pretty much says it all, although the MP3 samples linked below say it even better.

Read More

Hollywood actress Natalie Portman is dating folk artist Devendra Banhart, according to various reports.