Damon Albarn, the main force behind The Gorillaz, recently invited the Hot Topic poster children down to his studio, 13, to work on the followup of the 2005 album Demon Days.

In an interview with BBC, Horrors bassist Rhys Webb revealed how it all went down, explained Albarn initially sent him an email saying only “Would you guys be able to come down to my studio at some point?”

When they met up, Albarn expressed his adoration for the band and asked them to collaborate on the new Gorillaz album.

“He played us a lot of tracks he’d been working on and musically they were just in a really similar place to where we were at the moment — rhythmically and the instruments that were going through the sound — so it made perfect sense for us,“ Webster explained.

Previous Gorillaz collaborations have included Dan The Automator, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, D-12, Redman, Dangermouse, and De La Soul. However, The Horrors are the first guitar based band to collaborate on a Gorillaz album, which was one of the reasons they were chosen for the job.

In return for their talents, Albarn mixed The Horror’s new single, “Whole New Way,”, as the band was not happy with the original version.

As previously reported, the new Gorillaz album is due out sometime soon, however, neither title nor release date for the project has yet to been revealed.

Like all good Girl Talk proteges, Mantena relies on the sample as the root of his music. However, he goes about it in a rather unique approach. For his debut EP, the Mississippian captured field recordings, samples of songs he really liked, and samples of himself playing instruments on a cheap pocket recorder, “all of which sounded fresh to his ears.” He took all these recording and created a bunch of “sound tapestries,” with the end result being an effort described as “Deepak’s manifesto of energetic raw sound that transcends rigid genres, and is textural, emotive and compelling.”

Add in the “live performance” and it only gets more interesting. Going for a “live” feel, the Junk Culture live show also involves Deepak’s younger brother, Nitin, on drums. The performance is said to include the jamming jamming to a tight string of sequences that involve sampled patterns, live percussion, synced visuals of films from the 50′s/60′s, and Deepak’s singing.

The world will get an opportunity to check out Junk Culture from both settings in the coming months. As mentioned, West Coast EP will hit stores on October 27th and will be followed by another EP in the spring of 2010. In support of the releases, Junk Culture will play a handful of west coast shows with Girl Talk this fall.

Check Out:
“West Coast”

Junk Culture 2009 Tour Dates:
09/18 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sodo *
09/19 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
09/20 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *

* = w/ Girl Talk

Train was raised in Savannah, Georgia, and this is reflected in her music, which has been described as bluesy and soulful. Grammy nominee Eg White, who co-wrote most of the songs on the album, has been aiding Train as she breaks into the struggling music business, and the two teamed up with hot producer Jimmy Hogwarth over in London. The collaboration tips over on October 20th.

For those unwilling to wait, a stream of the album is available via bluenote.com. In the meantime, Train is touring alongside established rock guitarist Chris Isaak this summer. Tour dates after the jump.

Spilt Milk Tracklist:
01. Spilt Mile
02. No Man’s Land
03. Don’t Remember
04. Don’t Beg For Love
05. It’s Over Now
06. You’re Still Going To Lose
07. Moon Rivers
08. I Can’t But Help
09. Call In The Maker
10. Half Light
11. Waltzing Back
12. Far From The Country

Krista Train 2009 Tour Dates:
08/16 – Denver, CO @ Chatfield Amphitheatre *
08/19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café
08/21 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery *
08/22 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery *
08/23 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery *
08/25 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s *
08/29 – Santa Rosa, CA @ Wells Fargo *
08/30 – Arcata, CA @ Van Duzer at HSU *
09/01 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion *
09/02 – Troutdale, OR @ Edgefield Winery *
09/04 – Woodinville, WA @ Chateau St. Michelle Winery *

* = w/ Chris Isaak

What’s different this time around, however, is that Minus the Bear is financing the album themselves, in classic, DIY, indie fashion, giving the band greater creative control. According to a recent Twitter Q&A session, the band’s going for as much of a live sound as possible, with everyone recording all at once. There’s more, though. In addition to that raw, untamed sound, the band’s been fiddling around with new pedals, too — everything from a Pitch Pirate and a Mu-Tron Phasor to a Line 6 M13 Stompbox Modeler. What does that all mean? Go ask that cool-but-still-dorky guitar expert down the hall.

For those interested, and not looking to make new neighborhood friends, there’s a new video on the band’s website which documents their studio time.

“Do You Know Who I Am”, the first single off The Fountain is certainly a selection that offers a mass appeal, reminiscent of Weezer and The Cure, when simple rock songs were not whiney, legitimately catchy, and emotive. And that’s without mentioning the song’s upbeat energy which could also be categorized as “Feel Good.” Needless to say, it’d probably be a good idea to stream it right now via bunnymen.com.

As mentioned, “Do You Know Who I Am” comes off Echo & the Bunnymen’s new album, The Fountain, the band’s first studio album since 2005’s Siberia. The album is slated for release on October 13th, while the single will be officially unveiled two weeks prior on September 28th.