The Year: 1971
The Album: Bill Fay, Time of the Last Persecution
Who it Influenced: Damon & Naomi, Jim O'Rourke, Wilco, Damien Jurado, Okkervil River, Destroyer

Once upon a time, I assembled a list of biblically-influenced indie records, a look at a slew of '90s/'00s albums that found alt acts, both secular and faithful, taking cues from the Good Book as inspiration for works of devotion, satire, and/or transcendence.

Bill Fay's 1971 freakout Time of the Last Persecution is a spiritual antecedent (so to speak) to these works. Inspired by the Books of Daniel and Revelation, it's a hymnal for the imminent End Times; a singer-songwriter album from a singer-songwriter whose faith, in the space of one album has gone from reassuring to terrifying.

As his sad piano songs are laced with lacerating electric guitar and free-jazz horns, Fay sings constantly of Christ and Caesar, two symbols of mankind's capacity for kindness and cruelty. There's no a doubt in his voice that a rapture is looming —and, in 1971, there were plenty of cultural cues that the end of the world could be nigh— and that sincerity carries Time of the Last Persecution to some wild places.

• Full review: Bill Fay, Time of the Last Persecution

After announcing their reformation to play and curate for All Tomorrow's Parties back in March, Afghan Whigs have been added to some notable festival bills, including Primavera, Lollapalooza, and Splendour in the Grass.

Now, Greg Dulli and crew have announced a full run of reformation shows, with dates through Europe, in Australia, and even Israel. It's their first tour since their 2001 breakup.

Come and Get It, Come and Get It:
May 23: New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
May 26: Landgraaf, Netherlands - Pinkpop
May 27: London, England - ATP
May 29: Athens, Greece - Vox
May 31: Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
June 2: Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival
June 4: Milan, Italy - Arena Fiera
June 5: Bologna, Italy - Estragon
June 7: Rome, Italy - Ippodromo Delle Capannelle
June 9: Porto, Portugal - Optimus Primavera Sound
June 11: Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Den Atelier
June 12: Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
June 13: Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royale
June 15: Tel Aviv, Israel - Barby
June 16: Tel Aviv, Israel - Barby
July 25: Melbourne, Australia - Hi-Fi Bar
July 26: Sydney, Australia - Factory Theatre
July 27: Byron Bay, Australia - Splendour in the Grass
August 3: Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
August 9: Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
August 10: Goteborg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
August 11: Rees-Haldern, Germany - Haldern Pop Festival
August 14: Warsaw, Poland - Palladium
August 15: Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna
August 17: Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop
September 22: Asbury Park, NJ - ATP
October 5: New York, NY - Terminal 5

Beach House's fourth album, Bloom, has just come out, and it's clearly one of the best albums of 2012 so far. In support, they've added even more tour dates to their slate of forthcoming dates, adding a July's worth of shows in America.

Given that a host of songs on the album —"Myth," "Troublemaker," "Wishes"— seem to be about feelings elusive and difficult to grasp, perhaps it's not surprising that when speaking with Beach House guitarist Alex Scally last week, we didn't have a particularly concrete, light-shedding conversation.

"I think elusiveness is a big feeling in everyone's life," the ever-philosophical Scally said. "Ideally we want a song to be an honest reflection of reality. You know, you look at it, you gaze into it, and what's given back to you carries with it a truth; it's something real, something very real. That's what we want, more than anything. What exactly you see, in your own mind, is your own experience of that truth. That's our only goal. Does that help at all?"

These Days Go By:
May 23: Brighton, England - The Haunt
May 24: London, England - Village Underground
May 25: Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun
May 26: Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
May 27: Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne
May 29: Paris, France - Maronguinerie
May 31: Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Kilbi Festival
June 2: Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
June 3: Montpellier, France - Le Rockstore
June 4: Bordeaux, France - Theatre Barbey
June 5: Nantes, France - Stereolux
June 6: Lyon, France - Epicrerie Moderne
June 7: Biarritz, France - L'Atabal
June 8-9: Porto, Portugal - Primavera Sound
July 1: San Diego, CA - House of Blues
July 3: Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
July 6: Aspen, CO - Belly Up
July 7: Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
July 9: Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
July 10: Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
July 11: St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
July 12: Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
July 13: Louisville, KY - Forestcastle Festival
July 15: Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
July 17: Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
July 18: Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom
July 19: Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
July 20: Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
July 21: Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's Theatre
July 23: New York, NY - Central Park SummerStage
August 31: Sussex, England - End of the Road Festival
November 2: London, England - Roundhouse

As surprising as it was when post-rock heavyweights Godspeed You! Black Emperor rolled out of a seven-year hiatus and reformed in 2010, now the ragged instrumentalists feel like part of the touring landscape; known names ready to create their epic music at artfully-minded rock festivals.

And, so, another Godspeed! tour announcement, and it's getting less strange that the Québécois co-op are alive and functioning in 2012, playing the old 'hits' for the kids. As well as upcoming dates at the Pitchfork Music Fest and a September ATP shindig, they now have an autumnal tour through the United States on tap for October.

Fa-Lala-Lala-La-La:
July 14: Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
September 23: Asbury Park, NJ - ATP
October 1: Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
October 2: Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
October 3: Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
October 4: Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
October 5: Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre
October 6: Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
October 7: New Orleans, LA - Tipitinas
October 9-10: Austin, TX - The Mohawk
October 11: Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
October 12: Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
October 13: Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
October 14: Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre

Photo © Eva Vermandel