Modern Rock

Feb. 1, 2006

Beth Orton spent a mere two weeks in New York recording her fourth album, dubbed Comfort of Strangers, with producer/composer Jim O’Rourke (yes, of Sonic Youth), and the result is 14 tracks that will hit stores on February 7 via Astralwerks Records. Songs set to make the tracklist include “Heartland Truckstop,” “Shadow of a Doubt,” “Shopping Trolley,” “A Place Aside,” “Countenance,” and, of course, that title track. Orton is also finalizing plans for her 2006 Spring Tour, which will kick off on March 12 and on which she’ll bring along special opening act Willy Mason. Orton’s stops on the tour will include San Diego (3/23), Vancouver (3/29), Minneapolis (4/1), Chicago (4/3), Detroit (4/5), and Toronto (4/6)...

Saves the Day may not have chosen a label yet - the band funded the recording of their latest album after their label home, Dreamworks, folded - but that aforementioned album is now wrapped, and has been titled Sound the Alarm. The band themselves - who also recently saw bassist Eben D’Amico depart - are reconfigured, too, with the lineup now including singer Chris Conley, drummer Pete Parada, guitarist David Soloway, and new bassist Manny Carrero. To help promote the new disc, Saves the Day will hit the road for a late winter/early spring tour that will start early in March and will run until nearly May. Catch Saves the Day live in, among other cities, Hollywood, California (3/11), Atlanta, Georgia (3/24), Boston (4/2), Cleveland (4/6), Detroit (4/8), and Chicago (4/9)...

More White Stripes news this week - nope, Jack hasn’t recovered quite enough to get back onstage yet, but we do have details on the Stripes’ upcoming guest appearance on the animated TV series “The Simpsons.” Set to air in March 2003, the episode will feature both Jack White and Meg White playing themselves, and they’ll meet up with Simpsons character Bart in a parody of the Stripes’ music video for their track “The Hardest Button to Button.” The episode itself will deal with Bart’s attempts to become a jazz drummer, and will be called “Jazzy and the Pussycats”...

Wilco’s Glenn Kotche is proving himself to be quite the busy man, and in four different directions, to boot. First of all, obviously, is his work as drummer/percussionist with Wilco. Next up, it’s Kotche’s solo album, Mobile, due out on March 6, on which he wrote eight tracks, and on which fans will find featured a wide range of tracks featuring such eclectic instruments as kalimba and vibraphone, and one tune - “Monkey Chant” - that is played entirely on just a drum kit. Kotche is also one-third of an experimental rock trio with Jeff Tweedy and Jim O’Rourke - that trio has a new disc on the way later this year - and he’s half of the jazz experimental duo On Fillmore, on which he collaborates with bassist Darin Gray; On Fillmore’s latest disc snagged them a slot at the 2005 Percussion Pan Festival in Brazil. Now the question is, when does Kotche find time to sleep and eat?...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Icelandic modern rockers Sigur Ros are returning to the U.S. in February, with stops planned in Boston (2/7), Grand Rapids, MI (2/18), and Indianapolis (2/20), among other places - and they’re dropping the new music video for their latest single, “Hoppipolla,” too - check it out early online, along with more cool Sigur Ros concert footage, at http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/...
MINI BUZZ:
Is it true?? Irish rockers U2 have reportedly stated that they might just quit touring for good after they wrap up their mega-long Vertigo World Tour - we’ll keep you updated...
Buzz singer-songwriter James Blunt will be hitting U.S. shores in March for his first headlining tour...
Built to Spill are finally ready to grace their fans with their first studio album in five years - their new collection, dubbed You In Reverse, will contain 10 tracks and will hit stores on April 11...
While Jimmy Eat World are currently back in their hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, working on new songs for what will be their 6th full-length disc...
Canadian media hotshots have picked the Top Ten Canadian Independent Releases of 2005 (based on artistic merit), and among them are Republic of Safety’s Passport, Elliott Brood’s Ambassador, and The Diableros’ You Can’t Break The Strings In Our Olympic Hearts...
And if you’re a fan of 70s heavy cheese rock band KISS, and are perhaps planning to be in South Carolina this summer, make sure you stop by the new KISS Coffeehouse, set to open in Myrtle Beach complete with “signature KISS coffees,” sweet treats, and “The KISS Frozen Rockuccino”...

ON CD: Rock Star INXS second-place finisher (and now INXS support act on tour) Marty Casey & Lovehammers’ eponymous Marty Casey & Lovehammers... Hall and Oates’ Rock and Soul Pt. 1... Roseanne Cash’s Black Cadillac... Cat Power’s The Greatest... The Elected’s Sun, Sun, Sun... and Romeo Void’s Benefactor... ON DVD: Glenn Tilbrook - One for the Road... The Velvet Underground’s Velvet Redux... Collective Soul’s Home... and The History of Rock and Roll box set... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions about this column or your fave musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!