Photos by Aaron Richter

As pulse-quickening as it was to see A Place to Bury Strangers in broad moonlight at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport on Friday, self-titled was especially psyched about the stateside debut of King Khan and the Shrines. Touring fresh off the release of a catalog-skimming Vice compilation, the BBQ-free band tore through a set that sounded like a Nuggets-schooled death match between the Black Lips and the Dap-Kings.

We managed to snag the following shots in between many an awkward dance move …

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FUCKED UP and their greatest baseball cap-rocking fan

• Fucked Up has signed to Matador.
• Tom Waits has been given a key to the city of El Paso, TX.
• Carl Barat has denied he’s working on a musical with Pete Doherty.
• UNKLE has contributed to cuts to the new X-Files film.
• Ratatat have extended their tour through the fall.
• Wow, what a thorough overview of Spiritualized’s career.
• Snoop Dogg has confirmed the existence of Dr. Dre’s next album.
• Björk and Sigur Rós are streaming a show from Iceland tomorrow.
• Kim Gordon, RZA and more have shared summer mixtapes with New York Magazine.
• American Apparel has signed an exclusive pre-release deal with Sebastien Tellier.
• Is Mark Ronson “too uptight” to work on the next Amy Winehouse album?
• Speaking of Ms. Winehouse, Rolling Stone camped out at her house for an exclusive interview.
• A collection of Michael Stipe sculptures are now on display in New York.
• Nothing says rock ‘n’ roll like Nelson Mandela.
• Couch surfing just got a whole lot easier.
• Jesus & Mary Chain have compiled a ton of rarities in a tidy box set.
• Recovering hippies, rejoice.

And presenting our Summer Jam of the Day after the jump …

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HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR: Where Antony at?

By Aaron Richter

As we all know by now, new releases hit record-store shelves and digital-download services each Tuesday. That’s why self-titled presents the following every week: a new release you’d be stupid not to own (Buy It), one worth checking out if you’re the curious type (Burn It) and something you might have heard about but probably should avoid (Skip It). Simple, ain’t it?

This week’s edition is short & sweet …

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Photos by Andrew Parks

Still think Ladytron’s ‘just another electro-clash act’, a survivor of a subgenre that barely made it past its infancy stage?

Here are four reasons you’re wrong …

“Destroy Everything You Touch”

“Evil”

“Ghosts”

“Runaway”

More evidence is available after the jump …

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BE YOUR OWN PET audition for the next ‘Adam’s Family’ movie

• Daniel Johnston’s frog character, “Jeremiah,” has been immortalized in a limited edition figure.
• Radiohead has released an album worth of live videos through iTunes.
• Be Your Own Pet has canceled their Warped Tour dates.
• The FBI has visited the blogger that leaked key Chinese Democracy cuts.
• Oasis have revealed the details behind their new record.
• Starbucks has decided to ditch most of its music program this fall.
• Brightblack Morning Light has premiered a new track from their new LP, right alongside a ‘trippy video.’
• Barack Obama’s iPod has everything from the Stones to Dylan on it.
• Has Liz Phair really lost her touch?
• Girl Talk’s new album already has people debating all those uncleared samples of his.
• In case you care, Albert Hammond Jr. is apparently dating Agyness Deyn.
• The creator of “Stuff White People Like” just spoke about Coldplay’s fan base in Vanity Fair.
  
• Spoon just performed a decent cover of “Panic” by the Smiths.
• Woah, settle down Kanye!
• Hans Zimmer and RZA are teaming up for a new film score.
• The Castanets have wrapped up their fourth full-length.
• Weezer has completed a new song with the help of their fans.
• EMI’s layoff plan just got nasty.
• The Kooks have announced their biggest North American tour yet.
• Suge Knight has lost a crucial Death Row Records case.
• Another company has joined the battle for licensing Beatles songs in a video game.
• One-half of the Bee-Gees is considering a possible reunion.

COLDPLAY: A view from the crowd

Every week, self-titled scours the streets of New York looking for a good time. This week features the oddest juxtaposition of all time: Coldplay, who needs no introduction, and Harvey Milk, a.k.a. the lost boys of Georgia’s college rock scene …

AIM Chat with Aaron Richter, Tedder.
8:32 PM
Aaron Richter: Please join me in this chat.
Aaron Richter: so i have one request: that the headline for this chat say something about menage a trois
Tedder: No, it has to be like that R. Kelly song “Three-Way Phone Call.”
Aaron Richter: is he talking to usher in that song?
Andrew Parks: enough r kelly references…lets get onto coldplay
Aaron Richter: if you’re r. kelly and I’m usher then I think andrew is the 13 year old in your closet
Andrew Parks: anyway, harvey milk was the sludgiest thing ive ever witnessed
Aaron Richter: was it at europa?
Andrew Parks: great. glad i get to be the underaged one
Andrew Parks: yeah
Tedder: Which you think will be about something nasty, because, you know, it’s by R., but it’s actually, like, two women praying with him.
Aaron Richter: aka whatever it used to be called
Andrew Parks: not a bad place
Andrew Parks: odd
Andrew Parks: but not bad
Andrew Parks: another polish disco situation
Aaron Richter: right

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Julie Christmas, on performing: “Once it starts, I’m off, you know?”

By Andrew Parks

When Made Out of Babies‘ new label, The End, first sent a press release about the band’s third LP (The Ruiner, out today) singer Julie Christmas was positioned as a steel-throated bastard child of PJ Harvey, Karen O and David … Fucking … Yow. Each reference point was fair, but to simply draw a comparison between the Brooklyn native and, say, a former NYU student who became a rock star by showering herself in beer and howling “I’ve been screwing on the tracks of abandoned train stations” is to sell the singer a tad short.

You see, Christmas is the kind of split-personality force that makes you stop and stare as if a train wreck were happening onstage. As she recently explained to Decibel, “I don’t know if I get nervous before a show so much as find it hard to go out because I realize things are about to get rough. Once it starts, I’m off, you know? There’s never been a show where I didn’t feel fully in it, no matter how sick I feel.” (MOoB plays Union Pool tonight and a Myopenbar.com party tomorrow.)

The rest of the band is usually off to the races as well, from a bass-slinging Cooper—a recovering hardcore kid who once hit Christmas in the face by accident—to the pedal-stomping guitarobatics of Brendan Tobin (also an honorary member of Red Sparowes). It helps that Christmas can truly carry a tune, from the soaring melodic passages of “Invisible Ink” to the throat-shredding climax of “Cooker.” In fact, self-titled considers her one of the most versatile, underappreciated vocalists in today’s underground scene, whether we’re talking metal or straight-up indie rock.

“I’ve listened to the staples over and over until I could hear their every breath,” explains Christmas. “Some of the best singers don’t know anything about technique, though. They’re good because they’re doing it wrong.” Singers like Tom Waits, one of five key influences that Christmas shares after the jump in an exclusive self-titled essay.

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FREE BLOOD: VHS or beta style

With so many parties vying for your precious time (and dwindling budget) this summer, self-titled is determined to find out who’s ruling the night these days. That way you can make a more educated decision the next time an evening calls for dancing with someone other than yourself.

And this past weekend’s contenders were …

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My Brightest Diamond, on the guitar: “[It's] like someone you’ve been married to for 35 years, and it’s still a great relationship, but the sex isn’t quite the same.”

Story by Courtney Balestier
Photos by Matt Wignal

With her slight frame, sweet voice and luminous eyes, Shara Worden—the main creative force behind My Brightest Diamond—looks the part of the playful sprite she embodies in MBD’s ethereal, seemingly effortless songs. Funny, then, that Worden had a hell of a time learning how to write a proper song. Yes, it helps that she’s classically trained (see a degree in opera studies from the University of North Texas), but the singer/arranger insists songwriting is not an academic exercise.

Ah, but what is it then?

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THE RAPTURE, getting themselves into it

• Members of Sonic Youth, the Strokes, the Rapture, Art Brut and many more have contributed to an Indie Travel Guide.
• My Bloody Valentine is still plugging away at their new album with no label support.
• Babyshambles‘ drummer has completed a new solo album.
• While Common’s new disc has been pushed back, Jean Grae’s latest is due out in July.
• Smashing Pumpkins are prepping a Gish-era box set.
• Elbow’s frontman has been tapped for Massive Attack’s new album.
• Lily Allen has posted a new song snippet on her MySpace page.
• Doves are working on their fourth disc.
• The Boston Globe has some rather rad footage of Amanda Palmer performing with the Pops.
• New Order’s latest DVD is now streaming over at Imeem.
• Sigur Rós are returning to North America this fall.
• Para One has posted an insightful little video about Institubes’ recent tour.
• Liz Phair doesn’t sound too happy these days.
• Sebastian Bach has shared some revealing Axl Rose stories with Rolling Stone.
• C&C (crack and cigarettes) abuse has given Amy Winehouse a slight case of emphysema.
• Miss Kittin and The Hacker are hitting the road together this fall. 
  
• Vampire Weekend haters will enjoy this MTV story.