Will Bryant reports:
The Dismemberment Plan, currently on tour with John Vanderslice, has announced a month-long headlining tour kicking off October 24th in St. Louis and winding its way across the Western states to the left coast and back with tourmates including Engine Down, French Kicks, Hot Hot Heat, (International) Noise Conspiracy, Ex-Models, Need New Body and Jets to Brazil.

Meanwhile, the D-Plan continue their pleas for fan-made remixes, having recently added raw tracks for five more cuts from last year's Pitchfork Top 20 fave Change. The downloadable ZIP files contain complete lead and harmony vocals and instrumentation for aspiring Fenneszes and Kid606s to slice and dice with abandon. As previously reported, the best remixes will be selected for inclusion on a remix CD to be released via DeSoto Records later this year or early next. The five tracks released most recently are "Superpowers," "Following Through," "Time Bomb," "Secret Curse," and "Pay for the Piano." The resource files for Change offerings "The Face of the Earth" and "The Other Side" are still available, as well as backing tracks for four Emergency & I cuts. Tour dates:

10-04 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle (w/John Vanderslice)
10-05 Richmond , VA - Alley Katz
10-24 St. Louis , MO - Creepy Crawl
10-25 Fayetteville , AR - JR's Lightbulb Club
10-26 Dallas, TX - Trees (w/Jets to Brazil)
10-27 Austin, TX - Emo's (w/International Noise Conspiracy)
10-28 Houston , TX - Engine Room (w/International Noise Conspiracy)
10-30 Tucson , AZ - Solar Culture Gallery
10-31 San Diego , CA - The Scene $
11-01 San Diego, CA - The Casbah $
11-02 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour $
11-03 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall $
11-05 Chico, CA - Brickworks $
11-06 Portland, OR - Hollywood Theater $
11-07 Seattle, WA - Graceland (w/Hot Hot Heat) $
11-08 Seattle, WA - Graceland (w/Hot Hot Heat) $
11-09 Vancouver, BC - TBA $
11-10 Victoria, BC - Thursday's $
11-13 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court $
11-15 Denver, CO - TBA $
11-16 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck #
11-17 Omaha, NE - Sokol Hall (w/Need New Body)#
11-18 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue #
11-19 Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis #
11-21 Chicago, IL - Metro #
11-22 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick (w/Ex-Models) #
11-23 Pittsburgh, PA - The Upstage #

* with John Vanderslice
$ with Engine Down
# with French Kicks

.: Pitchfork Review: Dismemberment Plan: Change
.: Pitchfork News: The Dismemberment Plan Want Your Remixes
.: The Dismemberment Plan: http://www.dismembermentplan.com

Catherine Lewis reports:
The Black Heart Procession will be touring extensively for the rest of 2002 in support of their new album Amore del Tropico, due next week on Touch and Go as a CD or double LP. The album was recorded at the Procession's newly constructed 24-track analog studio, Stereo Disguise Recording Laboratories, and mastered by John Golden (Calexico, Mark Kozelek, Spoon). The album has a fuller sound than previous recordings, with violin and cello throughout and backing vocals provided by singer/songwriter Liz Janes. According to the Southern Records website, the album somehow revolves around a "tropical murder mystery" whose story will be revealed on a forthcoming DVD, for which each song marks a chapter. Tracklist:

01 The End of Love
02 Tropics of Love
03 Broken World
04 Why I Stay
05 The Invitation
06 Did You Wonder
07 A Sign on the Road
08 Sympathy Crime
09 The Visitor
10 The Waiter #4
11 A Cry for Love
12 Before the People
13 Only One Way
14 Fingerprints
15 The One Who Has Disappeared

The Black Heart Procession's fall tour commences next week in the U.S. and continues in Europe from late November to mid-December. They will be joined on some dates by Calexico, and featured at Touch and Go's CMJ Showcase alongside Blonde Redhead, Enon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Tour dates:

10-10 Sacramento, CA - Capitol Garage
10-11 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
10-12 Hollywood, CA - Knitting Factory
10-17 Phoenix, AZ - Nita's *
10-18 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress- Outdoor *
10-19 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
10-21 Austin, TX - Mercury at Jazz
10-22 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10-23 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's
10-24 New Orleans, LA - The Parish/House of Blues
10-25 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10-26 Athens, GA - Tasty World
10-28 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
10-29 Boston, MA - Paradise *
10-30 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts *
10-31 New York, NY - Irving Plaza (CMJ Showcase)
11-01 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
11-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
11-03 Asheville, NC - Stella Blue
11-04 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge *
11-06 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers
11-07 Cleveland, OH - Beachland
11-08 Kalamazoo, MI - Club Soda
11-09 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
11-10 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
11-13 Seattle, WA - Showbox
11-14 Vancouver, BC - Richards on Richards
11-15 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater

* with Calexico

.: Pitchfork Review: Black Heart Procession: Three
.: Pitchfork News: Black Heart Procession's Fourth Due in October
.: Black Heart Procession: http://www.blackheartprocession.com

Ray Suzuki reports:
Twee surrealists Of Montreal are celebrating the release of their latest confoundingly titled Kindercore effort, Alhils Arboretum, with an extensive fall tour (in progress) and a free live album downloadable from the band's official website. The 12-cut live show was recorded at the Eyedrum in Atlanta last April. Tracklist:

01 Good Morning Mr. Edminton
02 Peacock Parasols
03 Look at the Bell
04 An Introduction for Isabell
05 Let's Do Everything for the First Time Forever
06 A Man's Life Flashing Before His Eyes While He and His Wife Drive Off a Cliff
07 It's a Very Starry Night
08 Sleeping in the Beetle Bug
09 Penelope
10 Miniature Philosopher
11 The Frozen Island
12 Rose Robert

Of Montreal's fall tour continues through the end of the month, with the lo-fi Lilliputians hooking up with fellow Elephant 6 compatriots The Minders, Marshmallow Coast, and The Late B.P. Helium as noted. Tour dates:

10-03 Eureka, CA - The Babettas (w/The Minders)
10-04 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill (w/Call and Response)
10-05 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland (w/The Minders)
10-07 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
10-09 Denver, CO - Bluebird
10-11 Norman, OK - Opalis
10-12 Austin, TX - Mercury at Jazz
10-13 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10-14 Jackson, MS - Martin's Lounge
10-16 Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under (w/Marshmallow Coast, Late B.P. Helium)
10-17 Orlando, FL - Back Booth (w/Marshmallow Coast, Late B.P. Helium)
10-18 Gainesville, FL - Common Ground (w/Marshmallow Coast, Late B.P. Helium)
10-19 West Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street (w/Marshmallow Coast, Late B.P. Helium)
10-25 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10-26 Murfressboro, TN - Red Rose
10-27 Lexington, KY - Mecca
10-28 Newport, KY - Southgate House
10-30 New York, NY - CBGB's (CMJ festival)

Finally, if you really, really want your portrait painted by Of Montreal's resident Dali, David Barnes, a c-note should just about do it. That's right, for $100 prospective patrons can send a photograph to Barnes, who will "paint their portrait and add fun characters into the picture with them." What, like the photo booth at the mall, with Pikachu and Hello Kitty and shit? "The photo should be a head shot," Barnes explains. "Whatever facial expression they'd like, and include a list of 3 or 4 things they would like to be included in the picture... ideas or animals or whatever. I want it to be a challenge, so they can be abstract ideas as well." Knock yourself out, David!

.: Pitchfork News: Of Montreal: Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse
.: Of Montreal: http://www.ofmontreal.net
.: For David Barnes (please add Elton John glasses, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Sears Tower, and a surreally gigantic pack of smokes): http://pitchforkmedia.com/ryan.gif

Brandon Dameshek reports:
We often get sentimental about things that remind us of home. For me, I can't help but get a bit choked up anytime someone mentions Middlesworth potato chips, Lebanon bologna, and Jim's Steaks on South Street (okay, so they're all memories of food-- shoot me.) Home, after all, is where the heart is, not to mention all of the people you screwed over in the wake of your leaving. So it is with a lump in my throat that I happily spread the news in town-cryer fashion of fellow Pennsylvanian Matt Pond PA's forthcoming release The Nature of Maps (See, not all of us share Rob Mitchum's cynicism). Like Pond's last effort, 2001's The Green Fury, the new album is being brought to us by the good people at Polyvinyl, and is due on shelves October 16th.

According to frontman Matt Pond, The Nature of Maps is "a little more rock than usual." While I've yet to listen to the album, it's safe to say that you probably shouldn't go gettin' those "rock" expectations too high, a la The White Stripes. Known for their earnest, orchestrated blend of waltzing melody and chilling vocal arrangements, Matt Pond PA's latest will likely hit closer to Bryter Layter than Brighten the Corners. And for those of you who doubt the omniscient, omnipotent voice that is Pitchfork, Pondand the gang have signed on for a handful of November dates with additional shows to be announced. Pond and crew have also enlisted labelmates Rainer Maria and Aloha for a handy-dandy record release show in Philly on October 18th. Tour dates:

10-18 Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero (w/Rainer Maria, Aloha, Aspera)
11-04 Buffalo, NY - Broadway Joe's (w/ Helio Sequence)
11-05 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe (w/ Helio Sequence)
11-07 Detroit, MI - Lager Bar (w/ Helio Sequence)
11-08 Chicago, IL - Schuba's (w/ Helio Sequence)
11-16 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
11-21 Denton, TX - Rubber Glove
11-22 Jackson, MS - Martin's Lounge (w/ Fin Fang Foom)
11-25 Carrboro, NC - Go Lounge

.: Pitchfork Review: Matt Pond PA: The Green Fury
.: Matt Pond PA: http://www.mattpondpa.com
.: Polyvinyl: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com