With the release of ‘F***ed Up Friends’ on the immediate horizon, an unlikely supporter has swooped in to offer help for beat-pysch sideshow Tobacco.

Indeed, the star of the Truth anti-smoking ads, Derrick Beckles, has apparently gone pro-Tobacco. Surprising or not (if you’ve caught his work at Street Boners and TV Carnage, probably not), Beckles has created an absurdly hillarious multi-part video series in support of Tobacco and the forthcoming ‘F***ed Up Friends’, due October 14th, 2008 via Anticon.

Check out the first clip in the series below, which premiered over on Beckles’ site, and keep an eye out for more to follow over the coming weeks.

Watch Tobacco Sounds Delicious:

For the uninitiated, ‘F***ed Up Friends’ is the solo debut from one half of analog-adoring space psychsters Black Moth Super Rainbow, whose critical smash ‘Dandelion Gum’ was released last year. Tobacco’s debut bristles with the same life, but flirts with even more sinister undercurrents and far out textures. Recently, the Hood Internet gave the album the serious mash up treatment, taking sections of more than a half dozen album tracks and turned them into a seamless mix featuring catalog highlights from Aesop Rock, who appears on the single, “Dirt.”

Tobacco – Download Truck Sweat MP3

Fresh off a run of dates with WHY?, Tobacco is getting set to perform later this month alongside Fujiya and Miyagi at the annual CMJ music marathon in NYC. Full list of dates, and track listing below.

10/22 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge w/Fujiya & Miyagi
10/23 New York, NY – TBA

Track Listing:

01 Street Trash
02 Truck Sweat
03 Hairy Candy
04 Hawker Boat
05 Side 8 (Big Gums Version)
06 Yum Yum Cult
07 Berries That Burn
08 Get My Nails Did
09 Dirt (Featuring Aesop Rock)
10 Gross Magik
11 Little Pink Riding Hood
12 Backwoods Altar
13 –
14 Tape Eater
15 Pink Goo
16 Grease Wizard

For more music and information:

Tobacco MySpace

You know Tobacco well. As a member of the genre-flaying space-collagists Black Moth Super Rainbow, he masterminded one of last year’s finest records, ‘Dandelion Gum’. But under the Tobacco banner, the work this pastiche-adoring Pennsylvanian creates is darker, starker and altogether more badass, filled with jagged beats, glowing melodies and pronounced tension.

His debut, ‘F***ed Up Friends’, is due October 14th, 2008 via Anticon Records, and has already won a boatload of praise from the likes of XLR8R, who’re currently featuring a Tobacco-helmed podcast entitled “Songs To Get Killed In The Woods To,” and Pitchfork, who recently premiered the video for “Street Trash,” available below.

Watch “Street Trash” video:

As always, Tobacco recorded ‘F***ed Up Friends’ using analog synths and tape machines, which gives his work a timeless distance from digital pop music at large. Much of the album is instrumental, save for a few electronically-mutilated vocals, and a welcomed turn from San Fran emcee Aesop Rock, who appears on the album-standout “Dirt,” which can be heard below.

Listen: Tobacco – “Dirt” (featuring Aesop Rock):

Later this month, Tobacco hits Chicago and Minneapolis with WHY?, before making an appearance at SUNY Purchase, and stopping in for CMJ in New York City to play alongside Fujiya and Miyagi. Full list of dates, and track listing below.

Tobacco 2008 Tour Dates:

09/26 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge *
09/27 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock *
10/03 Purchase, NY – SUNY Purchase
10/22 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge w/Fujiya & Miyagi
10/23 New York, NY – TBA
*w/ Why?

Track Listing:

01 Street Trash
02 Truck Sweat
03 Hairy Candy
04 Hawker Boat
05 Side 8 (Big Gums Version)
06 Yum Yum Cult
07 Berries That Burn
08 Get My Nails Did
09 Dirt (Featuring Aesop Rock)
10 Gross Magik
11 Little Pink Riding Hood
12 Backwoods Altar
13 -
14 Tape Eater
15 Pink Goo
16 Grease Wizard

For more information, go to:

Tobacco MySpace
Tobacco on Anticon Records