Today is the Day! EXPO 86 is officially released. You can get your copy from Sub Pop, Itunes, Insound, Amazon, or your local Independant Record Store of course.

Here are some reviews:

The Globe and Mail
Paste Magazine
Consequence of Sound
Drowned in Sound
Oceans Never Listen
Pop Matters

In other band news, Exclaim.ca got the scoop on what Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown are up to. You can read that write up here.

Here is the brand new video for Sunset Rubdown’s ‘Dragon’s Lair’ off their latest record Dragonslayer. More info from Jagjaguwar:

Ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere, it’s time for a bigger kind of kill.

The skilled visionary that goes by Throneboogie has crafted another gorgeous video interpretation from Sunset Rubdown’s last record, Dragonslayer. The song is “Dragon’s Lair,” and the video follows a young female warrior who is not a widow. Yet.

“Dragon’s Lair” was directed, written and produced by Throneboogie
Cinematography by Bobby Shore
Starring Jessica Dixon and Kendra Malia

Also check out this great interview with Johnny Depp where he sites Sunset Rubdown as the inspiration for his role in the new Alice in Wonderland film.

The second video is from a recent Treasure Hunt show. Hopefully we will get more news on Treasure Hunt soon. Thanks to Vanslyde and IndieQuebec.com for sending us the link.

The third video is of Handsome Furs playing in Shaghai, China. Incredible. Check it out here

I’ll be back in the states in one week, so check back then for more news and a whole bunch of tour photos from Handsome Furs!

From Jagjaguwar:

Marc of Sunset Rubdown Survives Lightning Strike
A few weeks ago SUNSET RUBDOWN’s Marc Nicol, aka The Nuc, was enjoying a lovely lakeside evening when – BLAMMO – Mother Nature sucker-punched the bassist by sending a cascade of electrical spitfire from the heavens straight into his back.

According to The Nuc: “My heart started back up after the electrical shock. I woke up feeling like I was suffocating and was delirious. Then I passed out for an hour, woke back up and saw the hair singed on my leg. Only then I knew.”

Good news is that he’s a-ok.

For those keeping score – The Nuc: 1. Gozer: 0.

We’re really happy you’re ok, Marc.

And so are we! Sunset Rubdown head to Europe this week for another month of touring there. Check the tour dates page for more info.

Yeah i know, this summer I’ve been slacking. There’s a bunch of news so lets get to it.

First off, Sunset Rubdown are going to Japan. This is incredible and I’m extremely jealous. They’ll be playing 6 shows with Ogre You Asshole and a bunch of other bands:

10-30 Tokyo, Japan – O-NEST
11-01 Kyoto, Japan – Club Metro
11-02 Osaka, Japan – Sunsui
11-04 Matsumoto, Japan – Alecx
11-05 Nagoya, Japan – Tokuzo
11-06 Tokyo, Japan – O-NEST

Sunset Rubdown are featured this week on pitchfork.tv. Back in June they stopped by the pitchfork.tv offices in NYC and performed ‘You go on Ahead’, ‘Silver Moons’, and ‘Coming to At Dawn’. Go here to see 3 videos.

In other news, Spencer Krug and Carey Mercer have both contributed short stories to We Are The Friction. The project is a “book of illustration and short fiction created by 12 pairs of international writers and illustrators.” Spencer’s story is entitled: Fable of Yukio. The illustration at the top of this post was created by Ray Fenwick and is linked to Spencer’s story. The image created by Charlie Duck which is linked to Care Mercer’s story, It Is Wonderful To Track This Man, can be seen here. To get more information on how to purchase a copy of the book please check the We Are The Friction site.

It really just amazes me how much touring Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown have done this year. Both bands are gearing up for even more shows in the next few months.

Handsome Furs are going all over the world. In September they’ll make their way to China, Singapore, and Thailand! We also have brand new tour pictures. Go here to check out photos taken while the furs were on tour in the US last month. Thanks again to Blaine Kaplan for making this happen. For a list of full tour dates go here.

09-03 Tianijn, China – Nic Club
09-04 Beijing, China – Mao LiveHouse
09-05 Shanghai, China – Yuyintang
09-06 Hong Kong, China – Grappa’s Cellar
09-12 Bangkok, Thailand – Club Culture
09-13 Singapore, Singapore – Home Club
10-22 Utecht, Netherlands – Tivoli de Heling
10-24 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
10-26 Belfast, Ireland – Spring and Airbrake
10-27 Dublin, Ireland – The Academy
10-28 Cork, Ireland – Cypress Avenue
11-01 Manchester, UK – Ruby Lounge
11-02 London, UK – The Relentless Garage

Sunset Rubdown are heading out on a month long tour of Europe, one which will taken them to some amazing locations. Afterwards they have a short north american tour planned in October. For a full list of dates go here

09-02 Groningen, The Netherlands – Vera
09-03 Malmo, Sweden – Debaser Malmo
09-04 Gothenburg, Sweden – Parken
09-05 Stockholm, Sweden – Strand
09-06 Copenhagen, Denmark – Loppen
09-07 Hamburg, Germany – Knust
09-08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Paradiso
09-10 Glasgow, Great Britian – Stereo
09-11 Belfast, Great Britain – Spring & Airbrake
09-12 Dulbin, Ireland – Crawdaddy
09-13 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
09-14 Manchester, Great Britain – The Deaf Institute
09-15 London, Great Britain – Garage
09-16 Cardiff, Great Britain – The Globe
09-18 Oostende, Belgium – Leffingeleuren Festival
09-19 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique w/ Dirty Projectors
09-20 Berlin, Germany – Magnet Club
09-21 Leipzig, Germany – Ut Connewitz
09-22 Munchen, Germany – 59:1
09-23 Vienna, Austria – B72
09-24 Zagreb, Croatia – KSET
09-25 Ljubljana, Slovenia – Menza Pri Koritu
09-26 Pisa, Italy – Caracol
09-27 Carpi, Italy – Mattatoio
09-30 Lille, France – L’Aeronef
10-01 Paris, France – Point FMR
10-16 New York, NY – Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom
10-17 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
10-18 Columbus, OH – The Summit
10-19 Chicago, IL – Logan Square Auditorium
10-20 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
10-21 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway Nightclub
10-22 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
10-24 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
10-26 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
10-27 West Hollywood, CA – The Troubadour

Just a quick post to congratulate Sunset Rubdown on reaching #1 on the Canadian Music Charts for the second week in a row!!

Upstart label Jagjaguwar continue to hold down the top two spots as Sunset Rubdown’s Dragonslayer remains at #1 followed by Dinosaur Jr.’s Farm at #2.

Amazing!

Pitchfork posted a fun little interview with members at Sunset Rubdown. You can read it here. Here’s my favorite part:

Best thing I Did This Year

Spencer: Hung out in Mexico for three weeks with my 2-year-old nephew. He called me “Uncle Panther” the whole time– a good name. I watched him slowly get over his fear of water and then splash around in the waves giggling– classic stuff. And he loves music, so I showed him the new Sunset Rubdown record. He was the first in my family to hear it. More importantly, it was the first time he’d ever worn headphones, and the look on his face was what I imagine mine would be if I got that call from Wes Anderson. Can anyone remember the first time they heard music on headphones? It must have been so trippy.

Camilla: Go to Mexico for the first time. I saw lizards.

Michael: Winning the 2008 World Telekinesis Championship with the Discriminating Gentlemen’s Club.

Handsome Furs began the next leg of their North American tour today in Detroit at the Comerica Cityfest. For a full list of tour dates, go here.

Also remember that on July 7th the short list Polaris Music Prize nominees are announced. Keep your fingers crossed for both Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs!

A belated congratulations is due to both Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs. They are 2 of 40 bands that have been long-listed for this years Polaris Music Prize. Check back on July 7th for the announcement of the short list, with the award being presented on September 21st in Toronto.

Handsome Furs did a live session recently with KEXP. Hopefully it will be in podcast form soon. Also, it looks like the never ending tour will be making it’s way to Australia and New Zealand!

08-25 Auckland, New Zealand – Montecristo Room
08-26 Wellington, New Zealand – San Francisco Bath House
08-27 Melbourne, Australia – Corner Hotel
08-29 Sydney, Australia – Oxford Art Factory
08-30 Perth, Australia – Amplifier Bar

Dan recently did a short interview with the LA Times music blog. Here’s what he had to say about an upcoming Handsome Furs release and the next Wolf Parade record:

Are there any plans for you guys to record another Wolf Parade record?

We’re going back to Montreal in November to write and record the new album. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to going to China and Beirut, and recording a 12-inch that will be a split between a cover of a Canadian industrial band named Skinny Puppy and an original song.

Sunset Rubdown are out on tour in the US at the moment. If you haven’t done so already, you need to pre-order Dragonslyer! Only 1 more day until it’s finally officially released! Check their tour dates page for an updated list of European tour dates. Also, rumor has it that the rubdown will return to North America in October. We will post those dates as soon as we know them.

Tomorrow begins the North American leg of Sunset Rubdown’s tour in support of Dragonslayer! Their first show being at the Middle East Club in Boston. Check here for a full list of tour dates, including new editions to their fall European tour. You can also stream Dragonslayer in its entirety over at NPR.com.

Handsome Furs are also back on the road in the U.S. They’re playing some west coast dates at present, and it seems like they may be on tour forever. Check their tour dates page for more info.