Ryan Schreiber reports:
Mary Hansen, singer and guitarist for the experimental pop group Stereolab, died on Monday after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle in London. Martin Pike, co-owner of Stereolab's Duophonic Super 45's imprint with Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier, was extremely saddened by the loss when we spoke with him via telephone this morning. "It's incredibly tragic," said Pike. "We're all going to miss her. It's just a bit too soon. Even though it happened on Monday, all of us only [recently] found out. We're all still very numbed by it all." The band's official statement reads: "The suddenness of her death has shocked the band. Mary was a special person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends who will miss her greatly."

Hansen, originally from near Brisbane, Australia, joined Stereolab in 1992 after the release of Peng!. She also contributed vocals to bands such as Moonshake and The Wolfhounds, and made appearances on releases by Mouse on Mars, Brokeback, and the High Llamas, whose Sean O'Hagan has been responsible for brass and string arrangements on many a Stereolab LP. Mary Hansen was 36.

.: Stereolab: http://www.stereolab.co.uk

Nikhil Swaminathan reports:
Pavlovian Phil Elvrum fans should be drooling at this morsel: for a little cash, and the sake of your impatient souls, K Records has released the vocal and percussion versions of the Microphones' forthcoming Mt. Eerie full-length via their website. As previously reported by Pitchfork, Mt. Eerie is being partitioned into three separate versions: the a capella version Singing from 'Mt. Eerie', the percussion-only Drumming from 'Mt. Eerie', which are out now, and the forthcoming "full-band" version. Better get your hands on this two-thirds of the set before K founder Calvin Johnson decides 1,000 copies of each isn't exclusive enough!

The full version of Mt. Eerie, for which "epic" is apparently "too shallow a word to describe [its] boundless beauty and vision," is presently scheduled for a January 21st release through K. However, you can already order the LP at the label's website. No extensive Microphones tour has been announced, but if you live in Norway or Japan you'll have a good chance of seeing Elvrum and his bare feet sometime in the near future. The K site mentions two shows set for December/January, the second being a CD-release party for Mt. Eerie, where people who "dress up as 'invisible'" will not have to pay. In other words, standard admission procedures. February will take The Microphones to Japan with "Alvin Slonson" (Calvin Johnson?), "Bitter Wings" (Little Wings?), and "Ryan Field" (Ryan Schreiber?). Microphones' dates:

12-13-02 Bodø, Norway - elementary school cafeteria
01-01-03 Bodømarka, Nordland, Norge - north Tårnvika docks

.: Pitchfork Review: Microphones: Song Islands
.: Pitchfork News: Microphones to Unveil Mt. Eerie in 2003
.: Pitchfork Feature: Top 20 Best Records of 2001
.: Pitchfork Interview: The Microphones
.: K Records: http://www.krecs.com|
.: The Microphones: http://www.krecs.com/Microphones

Catherine Lewis reports:
Exotic Fever records has just released a 20-track compilation unwieldily titled Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again: A Compilation to Benefit American Veterans of the Vietnam War. This compilation, which was two years in the making, features Vietnam War-era songs passed through the jaded filters of today's indie-rock stars. Artists like Death Cab for Cutie, J Robbins (Burning Airlines/Jawbox), Q and Not U, and Ted Leo recorded songs by legends like Led Zeppelin, The Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson Airplane, in honor of Vietnam's veterans.

The star-studded compilation benefits the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), an organization which was founded in 1979. According to Bonnie Schlegel Frasure of Exotic Fever Records, the VVA's Benefits Program "provides free legal representation for veterans in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, assisting them in getting the compensation they need and deserve from disabilities incurred in service." Tracklist:

01 Q and Not U: Don't Let It Bring You Down [Neil Young]
02 J Robbins: Fear is a Man's Best Friend [John Cale]
03 Enon: White Rabbit [Jefferson Airplane]
04 Atombombpocketknife: Immigrant Song [Led Zeppelin]
05 The Caribbean: They Just Can't Stop, Games People Play [The Spinners]
06 Big Heavy Stuff: Hello It's Me [Todd Rundgren]
07 The Reputation: For What It's Worth [Buffalo Springfield]
08 The Gooses: 1969 [The Stooges]
09 Cable Car Theory: Come Together [The Beatles]
10 Leigh Sabol: Me and Bobby McGee [Janis Joplin]
11 Death Cab for Cutie: Fortunate Song [Creedence Clearwater Revival]
12 Panoply Academy: Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag [Country Joe & The Fish]
13 Doiron Wood Guilt Trip: Little Boxes [Malvina Reynolds]
14 John Guilt: Song for the Asking [Paul Simon]
15 Rouge: Happy Together [The Turtles]
16 Dame Fate: There Is a Mountain [Donovan]
17 Jessica Skolnik: Everybody's Been Burned [David Crosby]
18 Tony Dolvin: Taps [Traditional]
19 Beauty Pill: I Don't Live Today [Jimi Hendrix]
20 Ted Leo: Many Rivers to Cross [Jimmy Cliff]

.: Exotic Fever Records: http://www.exoticfever.com
.: Vietnam Veterans of America: http://www.vva.org

Chris Leslie-Hynan reports:
Add DJ Shadow to the ever-growing list of people associated with former Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha's solo debut. The Australian website Undercover recently caught up with Shadow while he was touring in Australia and sat his ill-defined ass down for an interview about the de la Rocha LP, which has languished without a title or release date for over two years.

Shadow spoke of "finishing up a few songs... producing a few songs" for the record that began as demos years ago: "I want to get those mixed up and his vocals settled down." He went on to describe the record as "hardcore" and suggested a release date "hopefully by the end of next year." Other artists rumored to be working with de la Rocha include Trent Reznor, ?uestlove, Dan the Automator (Gorillaz), Roni Size, and DJ Shadow's arch-nemeses DJ Premier and Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs. Roots' drummer ?uestlove told Rolling Stone: "[Zack] wanted to work with people he likes. We're just doing a whole bunch of tracks, and then he'll choose the final joints." Spoken like a true stoner.

In addition, DJ Shadow will be performing on a concert wittily called "Not So Silent Night" put together by San Jose radio station Live 105. If you care to plunk down $35, you can hear Shadow along with Jurassic 5, Moby, Sum 41, Papa Roach, Disturbed, Good Charlotte, and The Donnas. Details:

12-13 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

.: Pitchfork Review: DJ Shadow: The Private Press
.: Pitchfork Review: Rage Against The Machine: Evil Empire
.: Pitchfork Review: Audioslave: Audioslave
.: Pitchfork News: Chris Cornell, Rage Against the Machine team up as Audioslave
.: DJ Shadow: http://www.djshadow.com