Ok, I’ll admit it, I haven’t been a hardcore fan of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World for years. I saw the trailer a couple months ago, thought it looked interesting and sounded familiar. In time I recognized Scott Pilgrim mainly from from geek conversations and a string of tweets from my local West Hollywood nerdery @meltdowncomics. Finally a couple weeks ago just before the TV trailer melee began I was able to read all 6 of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s books and they were nothing short of life-changing. His storytelling style is a multi-layered ADD blend of vintage video game humor and indie rock kitsch set against the background of the amazing maple mecca of Toronto. Needless to say I laughed my ass off while it burrowed it’s way into my heart. It’s not that often where you can read something that you just “get” and you feel like in some way it gets you back. So of course I’ll be seeing the movie on opening night Friday, August 13.

Normally when I’m anticipating a movie I’ll do my best not to spoil any of it but since the commercials and cross-platform marketing have been doing their best to remind me every 5 minutes of this movie’s release I decided to go the opposite route and absorb as much as I can. I started by watching the director, Edgar Wright’s (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) production vlogs starting at the end and working back to the beginning of shooting.

Then I found the soundtrack…oh man. The range of talent involved in bringing the music of SPvsTW is a who’s who of Toronto Indie (Metric, Broken Social Scene). In the comic Scott is in a band called Sex Bob-omb (after the SMB enemy natch) which is brought to life by the LA-native OT Clear Folk-wierdster Beck. Scott himself got his name from a song by a Can-band called Plumtree which is actually on the soundtrack. (track listing below)

The soundtrack and score (by Nigel Godrich) were released last tuesday and are available on iTunes. You can stream the soundtrack at Spinner and check back to AvantTrash this week for more Scott Pilgrim including a Scott Pilgrim giveaway!

Teaser video for Metric‘s “Black Sheep” as fictional indie-pop breakouts The Clash at Demonhead

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing:
1. We Are Sex Bob-Omb – Sex Bob-Omb
2. Scott Pilgrim – Plumtree
3. I Heard Ramona Sing – Frank Black
4. By Your Side – Beachwood Sparks
5. O Katrina! – Black Lips
6. I’m So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad – Crash and the Boys
7. We Hate You Please Die – Crash and the Boys
8. Garbage Truck – Sex Bob-Omb
9. Teenage Dream – T. Rex
10. Sleazy Bed Track – The Bluetones
11. It’s Getting Boring By The Sea – Blood Red Shoes
12. Black Sheep – Metric
13. Threshold – Sex Bob-Omb
14. Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl – Broken Social Scene
15. Under My Thumb – The Rolling Stones
16. Ramona (Acoustic) – Beck
17. Ramona – Beck
18. Summertime – Sex Bob-Omb
19. Threshold 8 bit – Brian LeBarton

I’ve categorized this as “You Should Know:” but really, if you haven’t heard of Montreal fireball Melissa Auf der Maur then you need a serious lesson in Alt Rock history. After Kristen Pfaff’s overdose, Melissa became her replacement as bassist of Hole and in 2000 MAdM would replace D’Arcy Wretzky in Smashing Pumpkins until it’s initial dissolution. Her 2004 solo album titled simply Auf der Maur would go on to sell over 180,000 copies worldwide.

Now that you know who she is you should know that her latest SELF-RELEASED solo album Out Of Our Minds is a vibrant, layered work with touches of Kate Bush with newer hints of artists like A Perfect Circle, Azure Ray and Blonde Redhead. Her electro-rock orchestrations have a very epic swing and play into the delicate blasts of her voice. And it could be my stubbornly approaching 30 yrs-old ears but in songs like “Meet Me On The Dark Side” I still hear a bit of that 20th century “alternative rock” sound remaining in the songs structure which might actually be a welcome appeal to people of my generation and the Gen X’ers just before us. Of the 5 tracks I have been given to preview the standout is still the title track but a close 2nd is “The Key” which almost has a Queens of the Stone Age vibe, not so coincidentally. MAdM has also worked with them in the past. Album guests include Jordon Zadorozny (Sam Roberts), Chris Goss (QOTSA, UNKLE), Alan Molder (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins), Mike Frazer (Franz Ferdinand, ACDC) with a special duet with Glenn Danzig.

Out Of Our Minds is following the modern trend to remonitize music by appealing to hardcore fans by offering the solo record along with various other media in cost escalating tiers. Along with the solo record there is also an accompanying Graphic Novel by Brooklyn artist Jack Forbes as well as a 28-minute HD film, directed by Tony Stone which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and a vinyl picture disc (among other standard merch). All of this is set for release this March 23rd.

A free MP3 of the title track is available at xmadmx.com when you sign up for updates. Warning for sensitive listeners: In title track Out Of Our Minds, “Fire” and “Desire” lyrically interchange. But because she is a redhead, I think we can make an exception.

Official Press Release:
Born and raised in Montreal Canada with a Fine Arts education, Melissa Auf der Maur (MAdM) spent 1994-1999 as a member, songwriter and bass player of Hole, culminating in the Grammy and Billboard nominated album “Celebrity Skin” (Geffen Records). In 2000 she joined the Smashing Pumpkins for their farewell world tour. In 2004, MAdM released her debut solo album, “Auf der Maur”, on Capitol Records / EMI. She toured Europe and North America for over a year in support of the self-titled album and sold over 180,000 copies worldwide.

MAdM’s artistic journey has taken her through various art forms. Her photography has been published in Spin, Elle, Nylon and American Photo among others, and exhibited internationally. She has toured and collaborated with bands and members of QOTSA, Marilyn Manson, The Cure, Indochine, NIN, Muse, Ryan Adams, Ric Ocasek and more. In addition to her passion for collaborating, she has remained consistently dedicated to pursuing her solo work and has maintained her position as an influential, passionate, relevant and indefinable artist over the last 15 years.

“OUT OF OUR MINDS”
(OOOM ) is MAdM’s upcoming solo album and is the key component of her independently produced 21st century concept album – a multi-media experience that beyond the rock album, includes a short film with an original score and a comic book. All these elements will come together in an elaborate website that explores the multi-layered MAdM/OOOM adventure. The film portion premiered at Sundance film festival 2009, and the rest is set to unfold throughout 2010.

OOOM ALBUM:
12 track follow-up solo album. Guest Stars: Glenn Danzig, members of NIN, Helmet / Battles and Priestess.

OOOM Film:
Film: 28min, H-D.
Color, Fueled on Solar Power, directed by Tony Stone (“Severed Ways”).
Original score to the film by MAdM and the Entrance Band.

OOOM COMIC:
Illustrated by the young and exceptionally talented Jack Forbes from Brooklyn, NY.

For Your Consideration: Evelyn Evelyn
Sounds Like: Vaudvillians!
For Fans Of: The Dresden Dolls, The Ditty Bops
Album: Evelyn Evelyn
(Pre-Order Soon – March 30th Release – Eleven Records)
Websites: Myspace.com/evelynevelyn | @EvelynEvelyn

Evelyn Evelyn is a conjoined-twin duo under the “production” of Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls) and Seattle folk-minstrel Jason Wembley. 3 arms, 2 heads, 1 sound. Album and Comic book coming later in the year on Dark Horse Comics. They will be playing Boston and touring Europe before a summer US tour. It’s good to see weirdness and creativity hanging out shamelessly in the world.

Evelyn Evelyn Tour Dates:
April 12 – Boston, MA – ART Theater
April 12 – Boston, MA – ART Theater
April 17 – Glasgow, UK – Òran Mór
April 19 – Dublin, IE – The Academy
April 22 – London, UK – Koko
April 23 – London, UK – Bush Hall
April 24 – London, UK – Bush Hall
April 25 – London, UK – Bush Hall
April 27 – Paris, FR – L’Européen
April 28 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkwag
April 29 – Hamburg, DE – Kampnagel
May 01 – Berline, DE – Babylon
May 03 – Cologne, DE – Gloria
May 04 – Antwerp, BE – Arenbergschouwburg
May 16 – June 25 – Full tour of US and Canada. Dates posted soon!

Full Press Release:
Discovered and launched by punk-cabaret queen Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls) and endless minstrel Jason Webley, Evelyn Evelyn is one of the most anticipated acts of 2010. After three full years in the studio, the Evelyn sisters are gearing up for a world tour in support of their debut album which hits the shelves on March 30th on Eleven Records.

Epic in scope and production, the twelve tracks on “Evelyn Evelyn” showcase the twins’ uncanny talent and versatility as musicians. With a background in circus performance and a wide, bizarre range of influences, the twins compose original timeless songs full of humor, sadness, and double entendre.

Rather than being limited by their unique physical condition, the Evelyn sisters prove that two heads are indeed better than one. Audiences will marvel at the twins as they dexterously perform their original compositions on piano, guitar, ukulele, accordion and even drums.

“When I first heard their songs, I was astounded at the sheer, raw talent and super-clever songwriting,” says Palmer. “But when I found out they were actually conjoined twins who had spent their lives trapped in the circus industry, I wanted to help them reach a new audience.”

These songs, which could be at home in a lost Tim Burton movie or a warped sequel to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, flash seamlessly through styles, eras, and genres. With lyrics that hearken back to simpler times, the twins’ vocals are reminiscent of a ghostly counterpart to the Andrews Sisters. Encompassing everything from old-school dancehall to new-school indie show tunes, their songs range from the country-tinged “You Only Want Me ‘Cause You Want My Sister” to an utterly heartbreaking ukulele rendition of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Other notable tracks include a ragtime song called “Have You Seen My Sister, Evelyn?”, the child-friendly “Elephant Elephant”, and their commentary on the loneliness of online social networking – an anthemic 80′s power ballad entitled “My Space”. The latter features gang vocals recorded by many of the twins’ supportive friends, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Andrew W.K., Amanda’s recent fiancé Neil Gaiman, twin comrades Tegan and Sara Quin, Gerard Way, Frances Bean Cobain and many others.

All involved parties are crossing their fingers and toes in hopes that the world will not only accept these astonishingly unique young ladies, but embrace them with warm, open arms.

“We’re all just really proud of them. I think people are going to love them, and we are excited to see how the twins react to performing in a climate where people are more receptive and respectful than they were in the circus,” says Webley who co-produced the sisters’ album.

………………

ABOUT THE TWINS:

Lyn and Eva Neville were born in September of 1985 on a small farm in Western Kansas. The girls are Parapagus Tripus Dibrachius twins, conjoined at the side and sharing between them three legs, two arms, two hearts, three lungs, and a single liver. Orphaned when their mother died in labor, little is known about their early life until 1996 when they made their first public appearance with Dillard and Fullerton’s Traveling Circus. It was here that the “Evelyn” sisters developed their love of song and performance.

Unsatisfied with the grind of circus life, at the age of nineteen the twins decided to explore a solo career. It was then that they were discovered by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley, who heard the twins’ music on MySpace. Webley and Palmer encouraged the twins and offered to help them record a proper album.

The album will be accompanied by a full US and European tour and – later this year – a graphic novel about the twins’ inspiring life, illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler and published by Dark Horse Press.

Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley (along with their legion of supportive fans) will be traveling with and musically supporting the sisters on their ambitious world tour of Europe and North America.

For Your Consideration: One eskimO
Sounds Like: UK Acoustic mellowness
with subtle electronic support and Animation!
For Fans Of: Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Gorillaz
Album: The Adventures of One eskimO
(Warner Bros./Shangri La)
Websites: Myspace.com/oneeskimo | findlittlefeather.com

One eskimO 2010 Tour Dates
2/04: New York, NY @ City Winery
2/05: Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theatre
2/08: New York, NY @ The Living Room
2/12: Akron, OH @ Akron Art Museum
2/13: Detroit, MI @ Winter Blast Festival at The Atrium at Compuware Corporation Building
2/25: Minneapolis, MN @ KTCZ Oake On The Ice Concert Series
3/04: Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre*
3/05: Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre*
3/06: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe*
3/08: Denver, CO @ Odgen Theatre*
3/09: Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Tavern*
4/18 Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival
With Gomez = *

Brings new meaning to the phrase “going to the mattresses”.

via Design You Trust/My Modern Met

Good thing about the economy being in the can, less people exchanging awkward gifts.

Day 12 = 2002′s Ding Fries Are Done!

This dude always reminded us of our good friend and former roommate Russell.

via http://friendfeed.com/advertlover

Beavis sounds a bit different. I guess that’s what a decade of Hank Hill will do to your voice, I tell you what.

Taxidermia is an Hungarian Indie about 3 generations of men, none of them what I would consider “normal”. I say this because my regular definition of normal doesn’t include pig-fuckers, competitive binge eaters or fetal taxidermists. This movie is not a jovial fantasy adventure like the trailer would have you believe. It is however a visually arresting, gritty and inventive piece of cinema for adventurous viewers. Should you consider yourself someone with a strong stomach for on-command vomiting, bestiality and flagrant obese lovemaking then you might enjoy Taxidermia. You sick fuck. I would not consider this a “date movie” no matter how much your date claims to like subversive foreign films. This is borderline horror.

6.5/10 Twisted, Inventive, Tasteless. Taxidermia. (Distributed by Regent Releasing)
http://www.taxidermia-themovie.com/

It’s like he took everything that Warhol ever said about Art but could never actually do and fucking did it.

From Arkitip via popwhore via Design You Trust

Although it was revealed on a Bump I just heard from a friend of series creator Brendan Small that Metalocalypse will be back on [Adult Swim] for it’s 3rd season around November of this year. As us nerds will recall the season ended in an Empire Strikes Back down note with band manager Ofdensen in pretty bad shape and the questionable safety of the bands world-saving next album. Speaking of albums Dethklok’s Deathalbum II is finished and will be released on September 8th.

In other [Adult Swim] news the similarly cliffhangered (cliffhung?) next season of The Venture Bros. will also pick back up in November.

“I’d rather die than go to heaven.”

Holy Goddamned Wow! This could have the potential to blow wads of crazy art juice all over Disney Digital 3-D glasses next March! Here are some production photos of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway in the upcoming Tim Burton helmed “Alice in Wonderland” live-action flick.

via FirstShowing.net via @Berkorules.