The Daily Swarm

This video game will have the best new music.

Business Wire (via Forbes):

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today a partnership with renowned and influential music outlet Pitchfork Media in support of the highly anticipated title, Major League Baseball 2K8. Pitchfork has made a name for itself since its inception in 1996 as the de facto online source for quality and discerning music reviews and news. The Pitchfork staff also shares passion for the game of baseball and it is the combination of their passion for music and baseball that makes them the perfect partner in constructing a truly epic soundtrack for Major League Baseball 2K8.

2K Sports has invited Pitchfork Media to select half of the music to be featured in Major League Baseball 2K8, guaranteeing that, along with the deepest and most authentic baseball simulation experience available, fans will also be able to enjoy a cutting-edge selection of the hottest music around – including artists such as Modest Mouse, Peter Bjorn & John, The Cure, The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Each artist and song selected for the game by Pitchfork Media will be denoted as a “Pitchfork Pick,” and will include additional bio information as well.

Full press release and song list below.

EARLIER:

Pitchfork:

What is it with indie rock and baseball? White Sox and Cubs hats abound among Chicagoland gig-goers, Insound harbors a borderline neurotic obsession with “Steady” Eddie Murray, and right at this very moment the P-fork brass are agonizing over Fantasy League picks. I mean, bats and guitars are similarly phallic and all, but so are badminton racquets. So what is it? Maybe we all evolved from feverishly collecting Topps and Donruss to feverishly collecting Sub Pop and Matador?

Pitchfork:

Playing video games, listening to Tapes ‘n Tapes…it’ll be just like an average night in your bedroom. But with other people.

Business Wire (via Forbes):

2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today a partnership with renowned and influential music outlet Pitchfork Media in support of the highly anticipated title, Major League Baseball 2K8. Pitchfork has made a name for itself since its inception in 1996 as the de facto online source for quality and discerning music reviews and news. The Pitchfork staff also shares passion for the game of baseball and it is the combination of their passion for music and baseball that makes them the perfect partner in constructing a truly epic soundtrack for Major League Baseball 2K8.

2K Sports has invited Pitchfork Media to select half of the music to be featured in Major League Baseball 2K8, guaranteeing that, along with the deepest and most authentic baseball simulation experience available, fans will also be able to enjoy a cutting-edge selection of the hottest music around – including artists such as Modest Mouse, Peter Bjorn & John, The Cure, The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Each artist and song selected for the game by Pitchfork Media will be denoted as a “Pitchfork Pick,” and will include additional bio information as well.

In the shared spirit of promoting independent artists and music, 2K Sports will join the 3rd Annual Pitchfork/Windish Agency day party at the SXSW 2008 conference in Austin, Texas on Friday, March 14th. The lineup will include Major League Baseball 2K8 “Pitchfork Pick” and garage-rock mainstay Jay Reatard performing alongside other breakout acts. Featuring over fifty stages and venues in downtown Austin, SXSW 2008 showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe and is known as one of the premier and most influential music events of the year.

“Pitchfork Media is a respected and reliable part of the independent music community and an integral part of the lives of hundreds of thousands of music enthusiasts worldwide,” said Tim Rosa, director of brand and lifestyle marketing at 2K Sports. “This is the first time Pitchfork Media has partnered with a videogame publisher, which is exciting since we share the same dedicated passion for highlighting new artists and being involved in independent music. We’ve always respected their impeccable taste and no-holds-barred voice in the music industry because it complements our approach to games – we both want to push our respective industries further by supporting independent substance over mainstream smoke.”

“Baseball and video games are two of Pitchfork’s favorite hobbies, so the opportunity to select music for Major League Baseball 2K8 is a dream come true,” said Chris Kaskie, associate publisher at Pitchfork Media. “Partnering with 2K Sports is a natural fit for Pitchfork, as they’re a like-minded company that shares a passion for music and a desire to promote forward-thinking and exciting new projects instead of following a more traditional path. We’re thrilled to work with 2K Sports to select one half of the Major League Baseball 2K8 soundtrack, and can’t wait to play the game.”

Below is the list of songs that will be included in the soundtrack of Major League Baseball 2K8.

—Battles—Atlas**

—Black Rebel Motorcycle Club—Need Some Air

—Blitzen Trapper—Wild Mountain Nation**

—Dinosaur Jr.—Almost Ready**

—Jay Reatard—My Shadow**

—Kasabian—Reason Is Treason

—LCD Soundsystem—Watch The Tapes**

—Modest Mouse—Dashboard

—Peter Bjorn & John—The Chills

—The Cars—Moving In Stereo

—The Cool Kids—88**

—The Cure—Never Enough

—The Flaming Lips—The W.A.N.D. – no MF edit

—The Hold Steady—Stuck Between Stations**

—The Presidents Of The United States Of America—Cleveland Rocks

—The Revolution Fox Experiment—Hyper Charlie

—The Strokes—Someday

** Denotes a “Pitchfork Pick” selection