Freshly sharpened pencils, lumpy apple slices and All Tomorrow’s Parties: it must be back-to-school time! Located in upstate New York at a country club with a capacity of only 2,800, this music festival sounds exactly like the liberal arts colleges I would have sacrificed myself at age 17 to attend. But instead of semesters of boredom and years of loans, this is just one big orgiastic weekend, September 11-13, partially curated by free love-enthusiasts The Flaming Lips.

The Sunday lineup, hand-selected and headlined by the Lips, includes Super Furry Animals, Boredoms, Crystal Castles, Deerhoof with Martha Colburn, and best of all, No Age performing Hüsker Dü with Bob Mould. I’m seeing colors right now. Check out the full line-up here.

In related Flaming Lips news, a new digital EP, titled “Songs from The Future Album Embryonic” is available to ATP ticket purchasers for free, and at basement bargain price for the rest of us. The three-song sampler should get you salivating for their first studio full-length in three years, coming out this fall… It’s about damn time.

Above is a trailer for “Waiting for Something,” a soon-to-be-released documentary about Memphis punk Jay Reatard. We predict his battles with alcohol may be a part of the story, but the teaser we’ve got here isn’t giving much away. Directors Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz will debut the film on Myspace August 4.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Reatard has a slew of free, all-ages, instore performances along the west coast in support of his new album, Watch Me Fall, coming out August 18 (August 4th on vinyl) on Matador Records.

Tour dates are as follows (with times!):
08.18.09 Los Angeles @ Amoeba Music Hollywood, 6pm
08.19.09 Long Beach @ Fingerprints, 7pm
08.20.09 San Diego @ M-Theory, 7pm
08.21.09 Santa Cruz @ Streetlight Records, 7pm
08.22.09 San Francisco @ Amoeba Music, 6pm
08.23.09 Berkeley @ Amoeba Music, 6pm
08.25.09 Portland @ Jackpot Records, 6pm
08.26.09 Seattle @ Easy Street Records, 7pm
08.27.09 Seattle @ Sonic Boom Records, 7pm
08.28.09 Vancouver @ Zulu Records, 8pm

The Decemberists new “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour is almost too high-brow for my brain to take so early in the week. As you might expect from Camp Meloy, this is no ordinary tour—on this here jaunt across the States and through the UK, the Decemberists are playing their most recent album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety.

If they’re not coming to your train stop, NPR Music is going to broadcast the Decemberists’ performance (a special set, not The Hazards of Love) at Newport Folk Festival on August 1. The band also appeared on NPR’s World Cafe with an interview and performance, so get all caught up here.

Tour dates are as follows:

08.01.09 Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival
08.02.09 Montreal, QUE @ Osheaga Music & Arts Festival
08.03.09 Toronto, ONT @ Kool Haus*
08.05.09 Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater*
08.06.09 Chicago, IL @ Metro*
08.07.09 Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08.08.09 Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Egyptian Room*
08.10.09 Louisville, KY @ W.L. Lyons Brown Theater+
08.11.09 Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Theater*
08.13.09 Buffalo, NY @ UB Center for the Arts*
08.14.09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Byham Theater*
08.15.09 Schwenksville, PA @ Philadelphia Folk Festival
08.16.09 Holyoke, MA @ Mountain Park*
09.20.09 Burlington, VT @ Flynn Theater**
09.21.09 Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theater**
09.23.09 Norfolk, VA @ The Norva**
09.24.09 Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion**
09.25.09 Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium**
09.27.09 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium**
09.29.09 St. Augustine,FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheater
09.30.09 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live**
10.02.09 Houston, TX @ House of Blues**
10.03.09 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Music Festival
10.04.09 Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom**
10.06.09 Lexington, KY @ University of Kentucky, Lexington**
10.07.09 Columbia, MO @ Ninth St. Fall Fest**
10.18.09 San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
11.18.09 London, UK @ Forum 11.19.09 London, UK @ Coronet
*with Heartless Bastards
+with Blind Pilot
**Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames

The circumstances of the Beastie Boys dropping off the bill are definitely unfortunate, but for attendees of New York’s All Points West festival (July 31-Aug. 2) there won’t be any wringing of hands… Brooklyn don Jay-Z has stepped up to fill the headliner spot for Friday night, making what is apparently his first US festival appearance. Way to pull through for the boroughs, Jigga!

The head of Kid Sister’s long-awaited album is finally reaching the end of the birth canal: It’s a girl, her name is Ultraviolet and she’s finally coming out October 6 on Downtown Records.
Months of rapid anticipation, encouraged by Kid Sis’s adorable Twitter-ing (“Ew my nails look crazy. I look like I raze barns for a living…”) and ridiculous live performances, have crested to make this one of the year’s most exciting album drops. The buzz from her 2007 single, “Pro Nails,” feat. Kanye West has only grown as Kid Sister keeps on her performing grind and stays real with her fans, delaying her own album release just to get every detail perfect. I smell a classic in the oven.

In addition to Kid Sister’s already infectious flow, I personally can’t wait to check out the production on the album, coming from hard-hitters like Rusko, XXXChange, Herve, and DJ Gant-Man. Don’t sleep on Chicago’s most fully-fitted female rapper this fall!

Ultraviolet Tracklist:
1. Right Hand Hi
2. Life On TV
3. Daydreaming
4. Let Me Bang 2009
5. Big n Bad
6. Pro Nails (feat. Kanye West)
7. Step (feat. Estelle)
8. Switch Board (feat. DJ Gant-Man)
9. Get Fresh
10. 53421
11. You Ain’t Really Down
12. Control