There is a fine musical line that exists between fusion and alternative rock, often blurred by a barrage of wailing guitars, electronics, and a pounding beat.
The shuffle, the hustle, the bump, the mashed potato, however you dance
Thievery Corporation will release their fourth album, The Cosmic Game, on February 22nd. Known for their sleek, world-music-influenced, down-tempo grooves, the electronic duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton composed the follow-up to 2002’s The Richest Man in Babylon over the past year in their home studio in Washington, D.C.
Thievery’s main objective on The Cosmic Game was to explore their “rock and psychedelic influences,” and they got help from ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne (on “The Heart’s Lonely Hunter”), ex-Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell (“Revolution Solution”) and current Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne (“Marching the Hate Machines [Into the Sun]”).
“Growing up, I was always into Jane’s Addiction,” Garza says. “Our tour manager was at a conference, and Perry Farrell kept mentioning Thievery Corporation during his speech, so we thought we’d give him a call. He is a really nice guy — super friendly and open to a lot of suggestions.”
“Marching the Hate Machines,” the album’s opener, was a long time in the making, as Thievery and Coyne first planned to do a track while at an Icelandic festival. “We were backstage all day sharing the same dressing room,” Coyne says. “I don’t know if they were on drugs or not, but they got in the [Lips’ trademark] animal costumes and we really bonded over that, because it is kind of like working out together: You’re up there sweating, and they’re in the suits and they’re all sweaty, and it’s loud and people are all having fun.” Due to the geographical expanses between the two camps — the Lips’ home base is Oklahoma — the collaboration happened over email.
Currently on a DJ tour of Europe, Garza says Thievery will use the holidays to plot a spring tour.
Source rollingstone.com.
In addition to launching two albums on Jan. 25, Saddle Creek act Bright Eyes will stage two distinct U.S. tours in support of the releases. Each outing will promote one specific album, with the second leg featuring Saddle Creek labelmates the Faint. Dates are still being confirmed for the tours.
The first outing will launch early next year, and support the album “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning,” according to a label spokesperson. The “Wide Awake” tour will more closely resemble Bright Eyes outings of the past, with a core band in an intimate setting.
Come spring, Saddle Creek is planning a second trek to promote “Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.” For the tour, which is expected to launch in May, Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst will enlist lablemates the Faint as his backing band. “Digital Ash” is the more atypical Bright Eyes album, apparently containing some electronic experimentation.
As previously reported, the 10-track “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” is described by the label as a “country-tinged melange” that sports guest appearances by Emmylou Harris on three tracks and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on one other. “Digital Ash” boasts five tracks with Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner.
Additional guest appearances spread across the two sets include the Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello, producer Mike Mogis and members of current and former Saddle Creek bands Rilo Kiley, Cursive, Now It’s Overhead and the Faint, among others.
Source billboard.com.
