-Bradford Cox posted one more collection of new Atlas Sound demos on Thursday, Bedroom Databank Vol. 4, but on Friday, three of the four links were taken down by the anti-piracy wing of Sony Music, citing “unauthorized reproduction and distribution” of their copyrighted material, which is quite odd since Sony doesn’t own any Atlas Sound or Deerhunter recordings. Cox has since re-uploaded the files. Download Vol. 4 here.
-The xx has been chosen to switch on the Christmas lights at the Putney Christmas market in the Putney neighborhood of London, where the band met at school. The Mercury Prize-winning group isn’t playing – that honor goes to a local band called fiN – but that may be for the better, as the occasion doesn’t seem like it’ll be quite as gloomy as their music can get, what with the bouncy castle and old-fashioned carousel that will accompany the 33-foot Christmas tree and generally festive mood.
-Speaking of The xx, the band’s Jamie Smith remixed Gil Scott-Heron’s latest LP, I’m New Here. The project is called We’re New Here and will be out February 21 via XL, Smith and Scott-Heron’s shared label. You can pre-order the record in CD or vinyl box set formats here, where you can also listen to Smith’s synthed-out take on “New York Is Killing Me”.
-Thom Yorke organized a “human sculpture” in Brighton, England on Saturday. According to NME, the design by Yorke and Radiohead album artist Stanley Donwood depicts “11th Century Viking King Canute” and was meant to “send a warning about the precarious global climate situation to politicians attending the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico” today.
-The Black Eyed Peas have been selected to perform during halftime at the Super Bowl. The Peas are the first decidedly contemporary act to take the stage since Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s nipple to billions of unsuspecting, apparently nipple-less Americans, and it’s a pretty bold choice….Just kidding, it probably won’t be any sexier than this. [Billboard]
-The Pirate Bay’s founders lost their appeal against a Swedish court’s guilty verdict on Friday. Three of the torrent site’s leaders had their prison sentences reduced, but their fines were raised. Defendant Peter Sunde has already tweeted they will seek another appeal. In the meantime, the Pirate Bay is still active, though industry folks are pleading for that to come to an end. [Music Ally]
-Peter Hook announced that his Unknown Pleasures band, which will be performing the legendary Joy Division record in full in the U.S. next month, will be re-recording four Joy Division songs for an EP. This sounds to me like a not-very-good idea, although I suppose I wouldn’t mind if Hook proved me wrong. Sure, this would all be way easier if he just never had to, but you can win ‘em all... [Prefix]
-Unless you’re Kanye West, whose brand new fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is expected to premiere number one on the Billboard 200. An estimated 550,000 copies of the album were sold over the holiday week. On Tuesday, West promoted his record by performing it front-to-back at New York’s 550-capacity Bowery Ballroom with guests Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Pusha T, among others. It was probably nuts. Watch videos and listen to a particularly excellent catch-all rant over at Stereogum.
-Finally, Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson, artist, music video director, and founding member of industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, died last week at his home in Thailand. He was 55. A statement was posted on Throbbing Gristle’s website. Stereogum has posted a handful of statements from multiple artists remembering Christopherson for his influential work.
