One of our favorite past times is yelling at bicyclists who don’t wear helmets (we have reason to), so perhaps the invention of this fine new head covering and maybe an endorsement from Franz Ferdinand could help that out. Seriously, couldn’t you kinda see Alex Kapranos wearing one?

Just in case you needed to accessorize with your new Pucci Moped on your way to the next Kings of Leon show, Danish company Yakkay unveiled a new line of helmets for those inclined to travel on two wheels. Designed to look like caps, fedoras, and even a Yeti-meets-mink fur masterpiece, you can purchase just the material to cover your own helmet, or a pre-made creation to don. Note the price tag before buying online, but we think the roads now can be stylish and safe with these guys. [via The L.A. Times blog]

Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand will be releasing Blood — a dub version of their recently released third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand — June 1 on Domino Records.

The album was mixed by Dan Carey, who mixed Tonight as well. Originally Blood was featured as part of the box set and double disc versions of Tonight, but the new version will include an extra song, “Be Afraid”, and a new version of “Dream Again”. Blood is being released in conjunction with this past weekend’s Record Store Day, and the group is planning to release 500 limited edition vinyl versions of the record exclusively to select independent record stores.

As well as pumping out their second record of 2009, Franz Ferdinand kicked off their North American tour last night in Denver, CO at the Ogden Theatre, which will end on May 8 at Providence, RI’s Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel.

Franz Ferdinand tour dates
04.22.09 – Denver, CO (Ogden Theatre)
04.24.09 – Dallas, TX (House of Blues)
04.25.09 – Austin, TX (La Zona Rosa)
04.27.09 – Kansas City, MO (The Beaumont Club)
04.28.09 – Minneapolis, MN (First Avenue)
04.29.09 – Milwaukee, WI (Eagles Ballroom)
04.30.09 – Chicago, IL (Riviera Theatre)
05.02.09 – Columbus, OH (Newport Music Hall)
05.03.09 – Pontiac, MI (Clutch Cargo’s)
05.04.09 – Toronto, ON (Kool Haus)
05.06.09 – Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
05.07.09 – New York, NY (Roseland Ballroom)
05.08.09 – Providence, RI (Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel)

With Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Franz Ferdinand, Morrissey and Buraka Som Sistema.


[Leonard Cohen]

[Conor Oberst]

[Franz Ferdinand]

[Morrissey]

[Buraka Som Sistema]

Have you ever thought “Man, I like Vampire Weekend, but I wish they added a bit more electro to their Afro-beat”? Well, that’s what we’re here for. Meet Cartridge, four dudes from Denmark who mix funky bass grooves, ethereal vocals, traditional pop and oh, yeah — those lovely synth notes.

Cartridge is Mathias Wullum Nielsen, Thomas Hjorth Vesterbaek, Alex Phumoon Thomsen and Niels Fibaek Bertel. We mentioned they were Danish, right? We’ve got their latest single, “The Woods”, for you to check out. It’s out digitally now, and you can get the 7″ single (with a bonus track!) May 9. It’s tearin’ up the charts in Europe, and we can see why.

They’ll be playing Rock-A-Field in Luxembourg June 28 alongside Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand, The Ting Tings and others. And as always, you can check out more tracks on their MySpace.

Cartridge – “The Woods”

Just when we were wondering what Justice was going to remix next, we got our answer — and a quite surprising one at that. The French remixing-master duo will be pairing up with U2 to remix the No Line On The Horizon single, “Get On Your Boots”.

Sure it might sound like an odd couple to be joining forces for an electronic remix, but both Justice’s publicist and a newsletter from the groups record label confirmed the pairing. We’re curious how the Edge’s guitar riffs in “Get on Your Boots” is going to match up to the electric touch of Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay. They’ve done wonders with Franz Ferdinand, MGMT, and Justin Timberlake tracks, so this should be and ear full to say the least, and really, we’re more concerned about Bono’s ego exploding if the track becomes a success.

For now, U2 is heading out on tour in support of their new album, but maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see Bono and the gang team up with Justice for a few shows along the way. Now that would be something worth watching.

It looks like Bruce Springsteen is making his way through the festival circuit this spring and summer. It was rumored just last week that Mr. America himself might possibly be headlining Bonnaroo Festival, but now Bruce will be making his way over to the U.K. for the Glastonbury Festival, where he will be the Saturday night headliner as well.

While we’re a little curious as to how “Born In the U.S.A.” will pan out over on the other side of the pond, the sold out music festival — which will take place on June 26-28 — and the its organizers are very excited to have Springsteen grace their stage. “I’m so pleased that Bruce Springsteen has agreed to come to Worthy Farm for the first time,” said festival chief Michael Eavis. “He’s one of the all-time rock legends and I’m confident that this will be one of our best shows ever.”

Just last week, Emily Eavis, who helps run the festival, dismissed rumors that The Rolling Stones and U2 would be headlining the festival, but said “I’m knocked out that we’ve managed to get Bruce to play. It’s the icing on the cake of this year’s bill, which I’m sure will take everyone’s breath away when we announce the full details.”

So far, only a hand full of acts along with Bruce have been confirmed for the festival, including Bon Iver, Lilly Allen, and Franz Ferdinand. Among other artists rumored to play are Neil Young,Blur, Coldplay, and Oasis.