Scott Walker is an enigma. The archetypal pop star turned recluse, he's acknowledged to be one of the most important and adventurous musical pioneers at work today.

Taking place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (13th, 14th & 15th), Scott Walker is hosting Drifting and Tilting, a unique show at The Barbican in London. The three shows are the world premiere of live performances of songs from Scott Walker’s monumental albums Tilt and The Drift, and is destined to be one of the major musical events of 2008.

The song-cycle has been been set and designed for the Barbican Theatre stage, with the music being performed by a 42 piece string orchestra playing alongside Walker’s band. Furthermore, although Scott won't be appearing on stage himself, he has called upon a heavyweight cast of vocalists, musicians and dancers for the event; among them, Damon Albarn, Dot Allison, Jarvis Cocker and Gavin Friday.

In a rare interview, Scott spoke to The Observer about the event, his career and why these two albums show a different side to his craft; "Essentially, I am attempting the impossible over and over, trying to find a way to say the unsayable." To read the interview in full, please click here.

For further information and where you can get tickets from, please visit the Barbican website.

"A work of astonishing beauty." Q (4/5) "Jóhannsson's most ambitious and fully realised achievement to date." Rock Sound (8/10) "An ambitiously themed, leftfield, modern classical album that not only impresses, but totally enthrals." Drowned in Sound (8/10) Fordlândia is a fascinating, immersive and deeply rewarding web of ideas and melodies, sure to please fans and win him even more new listeners. It's the second installment in a proposed trilogy based on technology and iconic American brand names and where IBM 1401, A User's Manual (the first in the trilogy released in 2006) was a personal response to the first computer to arrive in Iceland and its inevitable obsolescence (inspired by his father's own work with mainframe computers in the 1960s), Fordlândia springs out of a far more diffuse set of influences. It brings together the soaring grandeur of its predecessor – some sections were recorded with the same orchestra in Prague – and the intimacy of Englabörn, moving between heady, melting cadences and crystalline motifs with gorgeous, dreamlike logic. Jóhann has also recently composed scores for the award-winning animator Marc Craste (Varmints, 2008) and the American independent film Personal Effects 2. Melodia (I)
3. Rocket Builder The (Io Pan)
4. Melodia (II)
5. FordlandiaAerial View
6. Melodia (III)
7. Chimaerica
8. Melodia (IV)
9. Great God Pan Is Dead
10. Melodia (Guidelines For A Propulsion Device Based On Heim's Quantum Theory)
11. How We Left Fordlandia

Next year, we are proud to be releasing an AIDS benefit compilation, as curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National.

The compilation will group together a stellar selection of musicians in the service of the Red Hot Organization, which raises awareness and funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

The title of this compilation will be Dark Was the Night, after the Blind Willie Johnson song, which will be covered by the Kronos Quartet on the record. Release is planned for February 2009, and will feature 32 exclusive songs spread out over two CDs or three LPs. This is the 20th installment in Red Hot's compilation series, and it celebrates the 20th anniversary of the organisation.

Stay tuned for more news updates on this exciting project, and feel free to read Pitchfork's news story on it.

For more information on Red Hot, please click here.

We are very excited to announce that The Breeders have been chosen as curators of ATP Weekend 2 taking place from the 15th - 17th May 2009. The Breeders will perform at ATP and will pick a bill of 40+ artists to join them. The event will take place at Butlins Holiday Camp in Minehead, England. Confirmed so far: The Breeders
Throwing Muses
Bon Iver
Teenage Fanclub
Holy Fuck
For further information on ATP festivals, and artist confirmations as they arrive, please visit the All Tomorrow's Parties website. Tickets to the event are on sale today from See Tickets, Stargreen, We Got Tickets, Gigantic and Last Minute.

“Microcastle could be 4AD’s best release in well over a decade.”
Mojo

“This is without doubt one of the albums of the year."
Rock Sound

“A real treat. Let it wash over you.”
The Fly

New to 4AD, Atlanta-based Deerhunter are one of the most exciting new bands around and with their stunning new album, Microcastle, are finally releasing music beyond just their homeland.

Released today, Microcastle - the follow-up to 2006’s critically lauded Cryptograms - was recorded over the course of a week at the Rare Book Studios in Brooklyn, NY and as you can see from the above quotes, has captured attention. Time Out heaped much praise on it, “(Deerhunter) weave ethereal, wraithlike songs that touch the heights of Flaming Lips, Pavement and My Bloody Valentine,” while Pitchfork scored it an impressive 9.2, citing it to be a "call to arms."

In addition to Microcastle, the band have added Weird Era Cont., a bonus disc of brand new material. An album in it’s own right, the band wanted Weird Era Cont. to appear with little fanfare and as a surprise on release day. It’s more than just bonus material though; it’s also further proof of this band’s prolific and unerring ability to make timeless music.

Deerhunter head out on tour in the States with Times New Viking on October 31st with a hometown gig in Atlanta. We hope to have them back in Europe in the New Year.

The full tracklisting for Microcastle reads like this…

Deerhunter Microcastle
CD (CADD 2822CD), LP (CADD 2822) & DL (EAD 2822A)

Disc One (Microcastle)
1. Cover Me (Slowly)
2. Agoraphobia
3. Never Stops
4. Little Kids
5. Microcastle
6. Calvary Scars
7. Green Jacket
8. Activa
9. Nothing Ever Happened
10. Saved by Old Times
11. Neither of Us, Uncertainly
12. Twilight at Carbon Lake

Disc Two (Weird Era Cont.)
1. Backspace Century
2. Operation
3. Ghost Outfit
4. Dot Gain
5. Vox Celeste
6. Cicadas
7. Vox Humana
8. VHS Dream
9. Focus Group
10. Slow Swords
11. Weird Era
12. Moon Witch Cartridge
13. Calvary Scars II / Aux. Out 13

Below is a video diary of the band making the album, courtesy of Pitchfork TV.