Slovenian industrial / neo-classical band Laibach are known for their intense live shows, and now fans in the US finally have another chance to experience their performances. Tonight (9/22), Laibach kick off their first American tour since 2004 with a show in Seattle. In an email interview, member Ivan Novak told us a bit about what to expect from the shows, the motivation behind doing an album inspired by national / pan-national anthems (last year’s “Volk”), their views on the internet and more. Click here to read it!

This October, Cranes will be releasing a new, self-titled album and embarking on a European tour. “Cranes” comes out on 10/13 in Europe, with the tour kicking off in Paris the following day. A full list of dates can be found on the official Cranes website. Vocalist Alison Shaw is also featured on “Other Electricities,” the debut album from Dokkemand. For more info on that project, check out dokkemand.no.

Clint Mansell (Pop Will Eat Itself) has teamed up once again with director Darren Aronofsky to provide music for the new film “The Wrestler.” The movie, which stars Mickey Rourke, recently won the Best Picture ‘Golden Lion’ Award at the Venice Film Festival. Mansell had previously scored Aronofsky’s “The Fountain,” “Requiem for a Dream” and “Pi.”

Legendary Slovenian industrial band Laibach will be returning this fall for their first US tour since 2004. The dates are:

09.22.08 Seattle, WA Showbox @ The Market
09.23.08 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
09.25.08 San Francisco, CA Independent
09.26.08 Los Angeles, CA Key Club
09.28.08 Tijuana, Mexico El Foro
09.30.08 New York, NY Fillmore

For more info on Laibach and their other recent projects (which include LAIBACHKUNSTDERFUGE - “the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s work The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge)”), check out their website at : www.laibach.nsk.si.

One of the more pleasant musical surprises of last year was the release of new material from Information Society, the electronic pop group best known for the 1988 dance club hit “What’s On Your Mind? (Pure Energy).” Though the “Oscillator” EP and “Synthesizer” full-length featured newcomer Christopher Christopher Anton on most of the lead vocals, original members Paul Robb and James Cassidy maintained the essence of classic Information Society while giving it a modern edge. In an email interview, Robb discussed reasons for the band’s return, clarified that original vocalist Kurt Harland IS very much part of the current line-up, and more.

From the official Devo website:

McDonald’s & American Idol Go Low
By Co-Opting DEVO’s Energy Dome

We recently discovered that DEVO has once again unwittingly intersected with mainstream pop culture.

McDonald’s fast food restaurants are offering a series of American Idol TV show themed toys in their children’s Happy Meals. One of the toys is named "New Wave Nigel", who sports an orange jumpsuit, punk shades, and an unmistakable DEVO Energy Dome. Flipping a switch plays a DEVO-esque song (which sounds a bit like a mutated version of DEVO’s Doctor Detroit.)

See video here.

Was DEVO ever contacted by McDonald’s, American Idol, or anyone else involved in making and distributing this toy wearing their trademark headgear?
Of course not.

Pioneers who got scalped….again.

UPDATE: According to an Australian Associated Press article (brought to our attention via a boingboing post), Devo are now taking legal action against McDonalds.

“We are in the midst of suing them,” [Bass player Gerald] Casale told AAP.

“This New Wave Nigel doll that they’ve created is just a complete Devo rip-off and the red hat is exactly the red hat that I designed, and it’s copyrighted and trademarked.

“They didn’t ask us anything. Plus, we don’t like McDonald’s, and we don’t like American Idol, so we’re doubly offended.”

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our interesting interview with Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo!

“With this album, I just wanted it to be different, more like an iPod on shuffle,” says Juno Reactor’s Ben Watkins on why the recently released ‘Gods & Monsters’ is his most varied album to date. \”The way people listen to music nowadays, and the way I listen to music, isn’t to sit down and listen to a whole album. I listen to a whole lot of stuff flung together. And I thought maybe that would be a good way to approach an album.”

Working with a wide variety of musical collaborators, Watkins has come up with a highly cinematic sounding collection that ranges from pounding dance tracks to jazzy down-tempo to the first Juno Reactor songs driven by his own lead vocals. In a phone interview, Watkins discusses the making of “Gods & Monsters,” his approach to collaborations, why he chose to do his own vocals, and more.

By continually pushing the creative limits of sampling technology, Meat Beat Manifesto have managed to remain just as innovative as they were when they unleashed “Storm The Studio” back in 1988. Elements of such styles as dub, hip hop, industrial and jazz have been heard in Meat Beat Manifesto’s music throughout the years, but their sound has never been derivative of any particular style. Rather, founder Jack Dangers and whomever he is collaborating with at a particular time use electronic music technology to get around any type of musical boundaries that a more traditional band may encounter. Meat Beat Manifesto are back with a new CD, “Autoimmune,” and are hitting the road with a truly multimedia live. We recently did another phone interview with Jack, where he talks about the beginnings of the band, video sampling technology, and more.