Weekender

IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE RECORD THIS WEEK...
You Thought You Saw A Shooting Star But Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears And That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving With The Sky So Clear And Sea So Calm. A title, Alexei says, that "came from smoking too much weed late at night and not having anyone to say, well, maybe that’s a bit impractical for a title", none of that entirely out of character for him. This of course a new release, a six track EP on new home Alcopop!, from Birmingham kings and queen Johnny Foreigner. Some of it is almost calm and melodically inclined, in a very Pavement sense. Some of it cleaves to the frantic and fretboard abusive, perhaps more abusively than ever. One track has a violin coda. Half of one track is based on electronic beats and namechecks George Pringle. It's reliably ace. Buy from the label.

SOMEWHERE TO GO
Just to get in before the end of the year, three American guitar and black shirt-toting relative giants. A cult of believers will flock to the blessed feet of Berninger as The National play Bristol Academy Wednesday, Warwick Arts Centre Thursday, Glasgow Academy Friday and Manchester Academy Saturday before three nights at Brixton Academy. The only date of the lot not sold out at time of writing is the first Brixton date. Also on the 24th Interpol emerge at Nottingham Rock City, followed by Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh and three nights in Dublin and one in Manchester. Vampire Weekend arrive a day later, starting at Blackpool Empress Ballroom, then Wolverhampton Civic Hall Friday, Edinburgh Corn Exchange Saturday, Sheffield Academy Sunday, then a Brighton stop before the 2nd and 3rd at Ally Pally with special guest support slots for Laura Marling and Janelle Monae respectively. Countering the Yankee charge, two very British bands. The Fall, already labelless and back in the studio, take a trip out to Camden Electric Ballroom on Tuesday, Bexhill on Sea De La Warr Pavilion Wednesday, Holmfirth Picturedrome Thursday, then Leamington Spa, Exeter and Bath next week. Iconoclasts to the last. No such searching subtlety of booking for the annual Madness Christmas tour - actually, Christmas tours plural are annual by nature, aren't they? - which starts next Friday at Blackpool Empress Ballroom, continues through to December 19th.