The initial release from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s first album in over four years suggests that the band hasn’t missed a beat since taking their little breather. It should come as no surprise though, as front-man Alec Ounsworth’s 2009 solo debut delivered on the same high plane as the band’s material. Maniac catches the band in party mode as Ounsworth’s neurotic vocals mesh with a uppity synth-pop backdrop, set to a video about a dude who wears antlers. Check it out…

We keep our eyes peeled for new tour dates announcements each week and compile them on Tuesdays for this handy column…

Back in 2005, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were the poster children for the music blog revolution with the then seemingly unknown Brooklyn-based act reaping the benefits of their debut album being justly gushed over by numerous sites. When their sophomore effort didn’t quite live up to the hype, the same sites that built them up were quick to knock them. Now, some four years after its release, and two-plus years since their last live appearance – during which they debuted a new song on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – CYHSY have announced that they will release their third studio album, HYSTERICAL, on September 20, and will play a handful of dates both here and abroad starting with an appearance at Outside Lands this August.

If you’re not into a night with the former blog buzz band, then maybe you’ll be interested in hitting one of these recently announced tours…

• Woods: World Summer Tour (07/11 – 9/08)
• Rickie Lee Jones: World Tour (05/24 – 11/29)
• Queens Of The Stone Age: West Coast Tour (07/23 – 08/02)
• Two Gallants: Summer World Tour (06/19 – 7/23)
• They Might Be Giants: Fall North American Tour (9/8 – 10/1)
• Mountain Man: Summer Tour (07/08 – 7/31)
• Explosions In The Sky: Fall N.A. Tour (09/01 – 10/31)
• Dr. John: Summer World Tour (06/11 – 09/27)

Last month we brought you news of Beck’s latest project called the Record Club, where the musician planned on teaming up with whomever he could grab to head into the studio and record an album by an artist of his choice in one day. The initial installment brought us Mr. Hansen’s take on the Velvet Underground’s self-titled debut. For the second volume of the project, the alt-rocker has recruited Wilco – who stopped by his recording studio on their recent L.A.-swing to tackle Oar, the revered cult classic from former Jefferson Airplane drummer and Moby Graper founder Skip Spence.

• List Time: 12 Bizarre Stories Behind Band Names
• Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard team up for a new project
• Cover Alert: Robin Pecknold (of FF) tackles Neutral Milk Hotel
• Patent discovered that forecasted the invention of the iPod
• Warren Haynes discusses his solo album and new Mule disc
• TGSBF asks was Donna Jean Godchaux really necessary?

Finally, while rumors of the demise of the one-time blog buzz band CYHSY seemed to have been greatly exaggerated, the band’s from man Alec Ounsworth will release his solo debut Mo Beauty on October 20. Recorded at the famed Piety St. recording studio, the album is said to have a distinct New Orleans flavor thanks in part to Ounsworth’s all-star backing band that included George Porter Jr., Stanton Moore and Robert Walter.

The demise of former ultra-hyped blog buzz band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah may have been a bit exaggerated by the same sources that had previously hailed them. The Brooklyn-based band had supposedly played their “final” gig at BAM last month before going on an indefinite hiatus, that was until Wednesday when the newly reunited act stopped by NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to debut their new song Statue.

While CYHSY have made no promises about their future, they have made the new tune available as a free download via their website.

• List Time: Top Ten Songs About Break-Ups
• Feist collaborated on a song with Wilco for their new album
• Cover Alert: The Avett Brothers tackle The Boss
• Daft Punk will score the soundtrack for Tron 2.0
• Do You Realize was named Oklahoma’s official state song
• Will Shef teaches high school kids the art of song writing

Finally, former New York Yankee center fielder and classically trained guitarist Bernie Williams will release his sophomore effort Moving Forward on April 14. The 14 track mostly instrumental album features a  “mixture of classical and jazz guitar topped-off with additional Latin rhythms” and includes a special cover of Glory Days featuring Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on vocals. The one-time Allmans collaborator will celebrate the release with a special show at NYC’s Nokia Theatre on April 18, with tickets currently on-sale.

Australian hard-rockers AC/DC will release their latest studio effort, Black Ice, on October 20. The album – their first in over eight years – will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and through the band’s website. The Aussie-rockers have also announced the North American leg of their Rock ‘N Roll Train tour – their first world tour since ’01. The ferocious live act will kick off the 21-date tour on October 28, with a notable two-night stand at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.

If some balls out arena rock isn’t for you, than maybe one of these recently announced tour will be…

• Looking for your moe. fix while they’re on hiatus? Then check out Al & The Transamericans (begins: 10/31)
• STP front man Scott Weiland heads out on his own for a three week solo trek (begins: 11/11)
• Former BtN artist Nada Surf line up a month long late fall tour (begins: 11/9)
• Psychedelic, freak-folk act Brightblack Morning Light hit the road (begins: 10/01)
• Punk pioneers The Misfits embark on a lengthy U.S. tour (begins: 10/08)
• The Duo will team up with Surprise Me Mr. Davis for a late-night NYE show at B.B. King’s
• Roots-rocker Alejandro Escovedo keeps extremely busy through late November (begins: 09/12)

Finally, DIY indie-rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have lined up a brief Tuesday night mid-Atlantic tour which kicks off on September 16. Alex Ounsworth & Co. will hit the stage for seven consecutive Tuesdays at extremely intimate venues in Philly, D.C., Baltimore and Pittsburgh – where the band will presumably be road testing some much-needed new material for their fans.

Prince is fed up with people stealing his music, and he isn’t taking it anymore. The artist formerly known as a symbol has hired the anti-piracy firm Web Sheriff to put the fear of god (or at least the fear of litigation) into sites like YouTube, The Pirate’s Bay and eBay that don’t respect the purple one’s copyrights. If Web Sheriff is successful, look for other major artists to follow suit.

Let’s finish out the working week with a buncha linkage:

• Stevie Wonder and Wilco each played mind blowing concerts in Chicago this week
• Billy Joel will play a run of concerts to close Shea Stadium after the 2008 baseball season
• J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr.’s recent reunion tour was partially funded by Joe Camel
• Bready shares some photos and thoughts from Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah’s recent gig at the Blender in NYC
• Bob Dylan has announced a post ACL festival show at Stubb’s tomorrow night
• Activision has sold more than $4 million in Guitar Hero 2 song packs [via thedailyswarm]
• The Cure has rescheduled their North American tour for next spring
• Neil Young will give fans who buy tickets to his upcoming tour a copy of Chrome Dreams II
• The Wolfgang’s Vault lawsuit is getting nastier by the day
• Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian attended a Van Halen rehearsal, and filed this report
• Check out a couple of clips from Pearl Jam’s new DVD
• Tommy Lee has quit Motley Crue

That’s all the links we have for this week, but check back on Monday for a whole new slew. Let us know if we missed any worthwhile stories below…

I’m only at about 40 percent today following a fun weekend in Boston and my watching the Super Bowl last night. The first set was fun, but the real highlight was Prince’s guitar playing on a terrific medley that finished with a rousing performance of Purple Rain during a downpour.

I wish today was a national holiday, but at least I can share some interesting news and videos from around Al Gore’s Internet:

• Where are the video game stars of the ’80s?
• A video of Phish playing Destiny Unbound in 1991(via Pipe)
• The Roots and Lupe Fiasco are heading out on tour
• David Lee Roth is officially back in Van Halen
• Tea Leaf Green announces their spring tour
• Rod Stewart and the Faces lip sync through a version of Maggie May
• Neddy lists the NYC shows of the week
• The Greyboy Allstars are playing a few dates in March and May
• Conan O’Brien hosts The Slip tonight (via LMB)
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are touring for three weeks in April
• I’m very excited to see New Monsoon at Langerado
• A new edition of the Taper’s Section from the Grateful Dead
• Stylus analyzes Paul McCartney’s Take It Away
• eJamming allows you to jam with your friends over the web

Have you read any interesting articles that I’ve missed? Kick it down, so we can all get down. And welcome back, Ace – I’m exhausted.

Did this week seem twice as long as usual to anyone? I honestly thought it would never end. Friday has finally arrived, and you will all be pleased to know Ace Cowboy will soon be back from his trip to jolly ol’ England. To keep you occupied, here are Friday’s Leftovers:

• Trey Anastasio has been indicted
• A 16 year old boy isn’t taking any shit from the recording industry
• The Stooges are back
• Jefito takes a look back at Mike and the Mechanics
• High Sierra announces the festival will take place on July 5th – 8th this year. Everything i’ve heard about last year’s festival includes the phrase “police state”
• Using the power of merchandising for good (via Hits From The Blog)
• The Beach Boys win the award for most lawsuits ever
• Neddy reviews the Cold War Kids
• Los Lobos is about to embark on an acoustic tour
• Tony Rice will be performing a tour with Alison Krauss and Union Station as his bandmates
• After four years The Sea and Cake are back
• Stylus looks at Revenge of the Nerds vs. Animal House
• Zero has added a few San Francisco dates to their reunion tour
• Relix’s Josh Baron bartered some hard work for a ride on the moe. cruise; the band recently played at the Fox Theatre
• Wolfgang’s Concert Vault adds new concerts from the Rolling Thunder Review, Commander Cody, The Babys, and Quicksilver Messenger Service
• A look at the music of Allen Toussaint
• Umphrey’s McGee just released the 38th installment of their podcast series

I’m off to the overly paranoid city of Boston this weekend. Are you doing anything interesting? Let us know…..

January may not be big on seeing live music, but it is by far the best month for news about seeing live music. Already this month we’ve digested tons of tour dates, festival lineup announcements, and plenty more. We’ll do our part to keep up that trend with the following links to occupy your time:

• The Police are reportedly poised to announce an ambitious world tour after an appearance at, that’s right, The Grammys. Rock Music Daily provides some mp3s from 1982 to whet your appetite
• Some amazing photos of Pete Townshend and Jerry Garcia
• Ugh, does the world really need a Jimi Hendrix energy drink?
• Wilcoworld will be webcasting Jeff Tweedy’s performance from Charlottesville on Wednesday night
• Here Comes The Flood found an mp3 of Free Delivery covering Phish’s Sample In a Jar
• I always thought Harlem Shuffle was a Rolling Stones tune…but Ickmusic fills us in on the real history of the song
• Sigur Ros, Debbie Harry, and Lou Reed top the lineup of this year’s Tibet House benefit at Carnegie Hall
• Luke Miller of Lotus sits for an interview with Jambands.com’s Jared Hecht
• U-Melt’s Winter 2007 tourdates
• Mississippi Nights, a legendary St. Louis venue, closes its doors
• Bob Dylan wrote more songs than you might have thought
• Top 10 Beatles songs for lapsed Beatles fans from Stylus Magazine (via Largehearted Boy)
• Red Octane’s president talks to MTV News about the future of the Guitar Hero franchise
• A where are they now piece on rock groupies of the ’70s
• Brooklyn Vegan has photos from the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert at the Mercury Lounge on Wednesday night
• A video for The Slip’s Driving Backwards With You
• Bedazzled features a few videos of James Brown on Soul Train
• Van Halen will open their tour at The Palms in Las Vegas
• If you haven’t heard of Spank Rock, you will soon

Any exciting plans this weekend? Don’t be shy, let us know below.

One of the more eclectic collection of musicians since the early days of Lollapalooza gathered last night inside Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall to pay tribute to a living legend: the lucious Bobby Dylan.

Friend of HT Jeremy Welsh was on hand to report from the frontlines, and he’s done a great job of cobbling together a setlist from this once-in-a-lifetime event. And, yes, that’s actually Sandra “World’s Craziest Lesbian” Bernhard who played Like A Rolling Stone last night — now that’s a one-timer!

We at the Hidden Track home office rejoiced when we saw that Phil Lesh fulfilled his contractual and emotional obligation and played the gig. We can only hope his appearance means he’s well on the path to recovery.

Hopefully a recording surfaces soon, and when it does you can be sure we’ll post it here. I can’t even imagine how some of these songs sound. So without any more set-up, here’s a couple of words from Jeremy before we head into the specifics:

“Pretty amazing show last night at Avery Fisher Hall. The highlight of the night was most definitely The Roots’ cover of Masters of War (the first few verses were sung to the melody of the Star Spangled Banner). That was followed by Isis > Lovesick > Isis by Ryan Adams. Almost every other performance was top notch, except for Cat Power’s flake-out (House of the Rising Sun? wtf?) and the anti-climactic Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, despite the effort that Patti put in.”

Here’s an official review from the good people at Billboard. But read on for the setlist, more eyewitness commentary, a Ryan Adams video and a first-hand account of the event from The Roots’ ?uestlove…