A comment was left to yesterday’s post regarding the breakup of Pretty Girls Make Graves that caught my attention for a couple of reasons. First, someone actually left a comment and second, it made mention of some information regarding Alina Simone. I eagerly responded with hopes that this may be regarding Alina’s yet to be released Placelessness (see end of the Alina Simone Interview for some additional information regarding the release), but it turns out that she has actually recorded a couple of songs for a digital split EP with Gabriel Miller-Phillips titled Get Going. The release is being put out by The Mayan Empire Recording Empire in February via a variety of online distribution channels (iTunes, eMusic, etc.).

The first two tracks, “Memorial Drive” (GMP) and “Winter In Massachusetts” (AS), are available for streaming on The Mayan Empire Recording Empire MySpace page and if those don’t convince you that this is a release worth getting, accept my assurance that the two tracks not available for streaming, “24 Karat Man” (GMP) and “On Being Complicated” (AS), are even better.

The quick picking of Gabriel Miller-Phillips on “24 Karat Man” provides a good contrast to the softer, laid-back nature of his vocals. “On Being Complicated” pairs sparse, somewhat muted instrumentation with the slightly breathy vocals of Simone. The occasional use of multiple vocal tracks also adds great depth to portions of the vocal performance that is quite effective.

The pair of performers will be embarking on a brief, week-long tour in February to promote the release.

Tour Dates

02/18: Boston, MA (private show)
02/19: Worcester, MA @ Java Hut Cafe
02/21: Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean
02/23: Portland, ME @ Strange Maine w/ Sydnes Bourke, FLYER
02/24: Cambridge, MA @ Nadav’s House Show w/ Tiger Saw, Ponies in the Surf, Finches
02/25: New York, NY @ Pianos

In other Alina Simone-related news, and actually rather old news at that, when I interviewed Alina last year she mentioned that she “didn’t blog”, but late last year, I discovered that this was actually a lie! She has been maintaining “My So-Called Indie Rock Blog” over at her Mog profile since last June and has completed more than 20 posts so check it out.

Earlier today Pretty Girls Make Graves announced on their website that their tour in May will be the band’s last due to the departure of Nick DeWitt.

From the PGMG Website:

We are sorry to announce that our upcoming tour in May will be our last. Nick quit the band and the rest of us feel like it wouldn’t be right to continue on without him. The 5 of us feel very lucky to have met and worked with some truly amazing people over the years. Thank you all so much….

I checked the PGMG tour page, PGMG MySpace page, and Matador Records, but couldn’t find a list of these dates, so keep your eyes open for the last chance to see Pretty Girls Make Graves live.

Subscription Feed

1. Stipplicon – “The World Is A Brain”

   Stipplicon
   Pro-Anti Records
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: Only Son MySpace | Stipplicon MySpace

2. We Versus the Shark – “This Graceless Planet”

   Ruin Everything!
   Hello Sir Records
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: Review | MySpace

3. Only Crime – “Eyes of the World”

   Virulence
   Fat Wreck Chords
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: MP3 | MySpace

4. Cex – “Earth-Shaking Event”

   Being Ridden
   Temporary Residence Limited
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: MP3 | MySpace

5. Supersystem – “Born Into the World”

   Always Never Again
   Touch & Go Records
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: MP3 | MySpace

6. Wolf Parade – “Modern World”

   Apologies to the Queen Mary
   Sub Pop Records
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes
   Links: MySpace

7. Helms – “The Smallest World in the World”

   The Swimmer
   Kimchee Records
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes
   Links: MySpace

8. Vaz – “White World of Death”

   If the 21st Century Didn’t Exist, It Would Be Necessary to Invent It
   5 Rue Christine
   
   Buy It: Amazon | iTunes | eMusic
   Links: MySpace

Joystiq posted last week that Brian Eno will be working on the soundtrack for Spore. For those of you not familiar with Spore, it is the latest creation of Will Wright, the man behind The Sims and Sim City. Basically, the game takes The Sims and expands it to everything from the beginning of time to space colonization — it’s a simulation of the evolutionary process.

The music produced by Eno for the game will mimic in its own way the process of the game itself. Back in June of 2006, Eno and Wright spoke together and a video of the talk is available at Fora.tv.

Update: I just saw on Billboard.com that Eno is apparently going to be working with Coldplay as well.

Barbara Trentalange is embarking on a brief tour this Friday with a new drummer, Rodney Elliott from San Diego and then after a three-week break, she’ll be heading back out on the road across the country with a stop in Austin for SXSW along the way.

Here are some photos from one of Trentalange’s previous performances in Seattle and an MP3 of the track “Monster”.

Trentalange Tour Dates

01/26: Monterey, CA @ Lava Lounge
01/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Pehr Space
01/28: San Diego, CA @ Casbah
01/31: San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Center

02/01: Long Beach, CA @ The Prospector
02/02: Upland, CA @ The Wire
02/03: Glendale, CA @ Scene Bar
02/04: Portland, OR @ Towne Lounge

02/24: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

04/01: Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
04/02: Denver, CO @ 15th Street Tavern