XLR8R reviews the week’s musical happenings, and wonders when it became trendy for artists to stare blankly to the left of the camera when posing for photos.

This week:

Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service stirred up scandal when their electro-pop anthem “Give Up” was heard playing in the background of a UPS commercial. That’s United Parcel Service, not United States Postal Service, who had struck a name-sharing deal with the duo some time back. Neither Gibbard nor Tamborello have made an explanation, which means they might be too busy, hard at work on that new FedEx commercial.

Mid-week we learned that popular mixtape DJs Drama and Don Cannon had been arrested for music piracy–and apparently advertising and having a website as well. As usual, the RIAA offered minimal and not-so-informative commentary, but they did confiscate just about everything inside the DJs’ downtown Atlanta studio.

In less-scandalous news, Hefty Records holds its Your Formula Life event tonight (January 19) at Sonotheque in Chicago, where Plus Device, Daedelus, Derek Plaslaiko, and Atomly will grace the speakers with a wide range of genres. If you haven’t yet, enter the Your Formula Life Contest to bag some releases from a few of Hefty’s best artists.

Tickets for the March 30 LCD Soundsystem show at Bowery Ballroom in New York sold out in less than an hour, but thanks to a little bird, we found out that a second show has been scheduled. Get your tickets while you still can, otherwise you might end up forking over hundreds to a scalper with a goofy haircut.

Have a safe, fun-filled weekend, and if you hear of anything strange, scandalous, or just plain hilarious, be sure to let us know.

Not everyone can drop $250,000 on a piece of artwork with the words “I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit” scrawled on it, (though we’d like to) and guerrilla art sensation Banksy is well aware of that. He also knows that since the success of his warehouse show in L.A. this fall, his stuff has been in such high demand that people have begun creating illegal t-shirts and posters featuring his designs.

We can assume that’s why he’s begun offering a selection of his work for download at his online shop. All downloads in the shop are free, and come with a lovely note suggesting that “prints look best when done on gloss paper using the company printer ink when everyone else is at lunch.”

Seriously, how can you not love this guy?

Oh, joy. It’s another alt-indie-electroinc-pop album from an über-hip band being hyped on Pitchfork. But wait, there’s something unusual about the overlooked second full-length from Danish outfit Figurines, something that makes you reconsider the previous statement.

Though it’s clearly a guitar-heavy album, Skeletons is not necessarily the tracks you’d expect from a band who’s been tagged with the indie rock label. Soft, pleasant piano notes open things, accompanied by Christian Hjelm’s soaring (and charming, in an imperfect way) vocals. The mood is shattered three minutes later when some pounding guitar riffs barge in, and from then on the band explores punk, bluegrass, a huge spectrum of tempos, and even some seventh chords. The experiment comes off surprisingly well.

Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) liked the record so much he decided to re-release it as the first album on his new Strange Feeling imprint, to remind all those people in the UK who bypassed the album what they’re missing. Which is not just another indie band, but a band with some strong indie-rock roots and a willingness to explore beyond the narrow confines of the genre.

Skeletons is out March 12, 2007 on Strange Feeling.

Tracklisting
1. Race You
2. The Wonder
3. All Night
4. Silver Ponds
5. Ambush
6. Rivalry
7. Remember
8. Other Plans
9. Ghost Town
10. Continuous Songs
11. Fiery Affair
12. Wrong Way All The Way
13. Back In The Day
14. Release Me On The Floor

For our latest in the DJ Mix Podcast Series, XLR8R friend and techno stalwart Ellen Allien, label boss of BPitch Control, hand selected and mixed a collection of some of her freshest new cuts. No Snow In Berlin showcases her own work as well as some of the hottest tracks from artists like Dabrye, Feadz, Modeselektor, and more. 

Listen to this podcast via iTunes (recommended) or use the RSS reader of your choice by clicking here.

No snow in Berlin Tracklist
1. Ellen Allien “Trashscape Vox”
2. Modeselektor “Fake Emotion (Dabrye Rmx)”
3. Paul Kalkbrenner “Krank”
4. Feadz “B! Run That”
5. Modeselektor “In Loving Memory”
6. Amoon “Get Higher”
7. Ellen Allien “Fensterbrettmusik”
8. Amoon “Red Light”
9. Paul Kalkbrenner “La Force”
10. Ellen Allien & Apparat “Jet (Ben Klock Remix)”
11. Ben Klock “Journey”
12. Ellen Allien “Your Body Is My Body (Troy Pierce Remix)
13. Zander VT “Dig Your Own Rave”
14. Sascha Funke “Semi”

Deerhoof‘s latest album, another slice of noise-pop innovation entitled Friend Opportunity, hits record store shelves next week. Always a band to throw its listeners off (in a good way), Deerhoof blends traditional rock riffs with horns, bleeps, and melodies sung in quirky falsetto ranges.

Directly after the album’s release, the band will hit the road for a North American tour that will keep them busy until spring. In the meantime, amp up for the show by going to the Kill Rock Stars site and listening to “+81,” the band’s latest single.

Friend Opportunity is out January 23, 2007 on Kill Rock Stars.

Tour Dates
01/24 Los Angeles, CA: El Rey
01/26 New York, NY: Irving Plaza
01/27 Chicago, IL: Metro
01/30 San Francisco, CA: Great American Music Hall
02/01 Seattle, WA: Neumo’s
02/02 Vancouver, BC: Richards on Richards
02/03 Portland, OR: Wonder Ballroom
02/04 Eugene, OR: W.O.W. Hall
02/11 Washington, DC: Black Cat
02/12 Carrboro, NC: Cat’s Cradle
02/13 Asheville, NC: Grey Eagle
02/14 Charleston, SC: Cumberland’s
02/15 Columbia, SC: Headliners
02/16 Jacksonville, FL: Jack Rabbits
02/17 Miami, FL: Poplife
02/18 Tampa, FL: Crowbar
02/19 Orlando, FL: The Social
02/20 Gainesville, FL: Common Grounds
02/21 Athens, GA: 40 Watt Club
02/22 Nashville, TN: The Mercy Lounge
02/23 Winston-Salem, NC: The Warehouse
02/24 Charlottesville, VA: Sattellite Ballroom
02/25 Baltimore, MD: Ottobar
03/02 San Diego, CA: The Epicentre
03/03 Tucson, AZ: Club Congress
03/04 Phoenix, AZ: Rhythm Room
03/07 Oklahoma City, OK: Conservatory
03/08 Dallas, TX: Gypsy Tea Room
03/09 Austin, TX: Emo’s
03/10 Houston, TX: Numbers

Strange but true: Electro-rock powerhouse MSTRKRFT, usually seen sharing the turntables with acts like Justice and and other indie stars, has formed an unlikely partnership with none other than John Digweed for the upcoming Diamonds 07 Tour. Even stranger is that the Toronto-based duo engineered the partnership themselves, citing “the need for something different on the club circuit” as a reason for choosing Digweed.

“Different” is certainly the word that comes to mind with this latest move. After all, MSTRKRFT was preaching the gospel of rock to indie dance fans only a year ago. While their DJ sets have always been undeniably aimed at tearing up the dancefloor, partnering with one of the biggest names in mainstream dance music wasn’t the most predictable next step.

Still, we can’t help being intrigued, and the 19-date tour will provide ample opportunities for the boys to show us the tricks hidden up their sleeves, and maybe even drop a few hints on how club music might evolve in 2007, on both the indie and mainstream circuits. One thing is certain: There will be dancing involved.

Tour Dates
03/01 Portland, OR: Roseland Theater
03/02 San Francisco, CA: Ruby Skye
03/03 Los Angeles, CA: Vanguard
03/04 San Diego, CA: Belo
03/07 Phoenix, AZ: Axis/Radius
03/08 Las Vegas, NV: Jet
03/09 Minneapolis, MN: Myth
03/10 Denver, CO: Vinyl
03/13 St. Louis, MO: Dantes
03/15 Houston, TX: Warehouse Live
03/16 Austin, TX: Spin
03/17 Dallas, TX: Karma
03/18 New Orleans, LA: Ampersand
03/20 Miami, FL: Pawn Shop (WMC)
03/27 Atlanta, GA: Blue
03/28 Nashville, TN: Club Play
03/29 Charlotte, NC: The Forum
03/30 Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
03/31 New York, NY: Pacha

The music world had been offering up collective prayers that dance-punk band !!! wouldn’t go the way of its sister band Outhud after the latter split in 2006. Rest assured, a new album, Myth Takes, has been announced, with a release slated for spring. The first single, “Heart of Hearts” is available for download from the band’s official site, to whet your appetite for the coming full-length. Prepare to dance!

Myth Takes is out March 4, 2007 on Warp.

Tracklisting
1. Myth Takes
2. All My Heroes Are Weirdos
3. Must Be the Moon
4. A New Name
5. Heart of Hearts
6. Sweet Life
7. Yadnus
8. Bend Over Beethoven
9. Break in Case of Anything
10. Infinifold

The band will hit the road in support of the album starting February. Why they’ve chosen to eschew any North American dates is a mystery, so European fans, catch them at one of these dates and report back to us.

Tour Dates
02/20 Newcastle
02/21 London
03/02 Tokyo
03/03 Osaka
03/05 Nagoya
03/08 Sydney
03/09 Brisbane
03/10 New South Wales
03/11 Victoria
03/12 Melbourne
03/16 Galway
03/17 Dublin
03/19 Glasgow
03/20 Manchester
03/21 Leeds
03/22 London
03/23 Nottingham
03/24 Bristol
03/26 Lille
02/28 Torino
03/29 Roma
03/30 Bologna
03/31 Milano
04/02 Montpelier
04/04 Oporto
04/05 Lisoa
04/06 Madrid
04/07 Barcelona
04/08 Marmande
04/10 Nantes
04/11 Paris
04/12 Brussels
04/13 Rotterdam
04/14 Hamburg
04/16 Copenhagen
04/17 Aarhus
04/19 Stockholm
04/20 Oslo
04/21 Malmo
04/23 Berlin
04/25 Wilen
04/26 Graz
04/28 Indio, CA

Modular’s originalLeave Them All Behind comp appeared in 2005 and was a snapshot of the indie-dance scene that included Tom Vek, Cut Copy, Soulwax, Erol Alkan, and others.

The Australian label has announced a release date for Leave Them All Behind 2, a double-disc compilation featuring, you guessed it, a snapshot of the current indie-dance scene. Tracks from Simian Mobile Disco, The Knife, The Presets, Franz Ferdinand, and Wolf Mother will appear on the compilation, and Disc One will be mixed by the Bang Gang DJs. A full tracklisting will be available shortly.

Leave Them All Behind 2 is out March 6, 2007 on Modular.