Happy Valentine’s day to those of you so inclined to celebrate.

In advance of their first new studio album in 16 years, Rykodisc is releasing Accomplished: The Best Of Mission Of Burma on March 16. I’m sure the good people at Ryko are working their asses of putting this together, and that it’s pure coincidence that the comp features the exact same tracklisting and artwork as the promo-only Catalog Sampler disc they released back in 97 when they reissued Mission Of Burma’s back catalog. I’m not complaining, I just find it amusing. The new disc, ONoffON comes out on Matador May 4.

Calla and The Cooper Temple Clause gloom up Lee’s Palace March 13.

Here’s a sign that I’ve got too many mp3s I haven’t listened to on my computer – Burned By The Sun posted this link to downloads of the second half of Uncle Tupelo’s last-ever live show from May 1, 1994 in St Louis (circulating as the bootleg Not Forever, Just For Now). I was all excited but disappointed that the first disc mp3s had already been taken offline, and was going to post a public plea to anyone who had disc one to find it in their hearts to let me have em. Turns out I already had them. From last summer. No idea if I ever listened to them, though. So no begging from me. No sir. Dignity retained.

“Badgers? We don’t need no stinking badgers.”

Finally got my first 2004 release yesterday – Centro-Matic’s Flashes And Cables EP. It’s good stuff, haven’t watched the videos yet. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of ‘enhanced’ CDs I own that I’ve actually watched. I should make a point of pulling all of them off my shelf and just having a big-ass video marathon.

np – Centro-Matic / Flashes And Cables

Rick from Over Anything knows a guy who knows a guy who says Wilco will be starting a tour to support their still-unreleased new album on April 21 in Columbia, Missouri. Presumably this will lead up to their Coachella show May 1, so it’ll probably just be west of the Mississippi. The band is currently in the UK mastering the album at Abbey Road. Tenative release date is June 8.

Update: Direct from the band – the new album will be called A Ghost Is Born, tracklisting as follows:

At least that’s what you said

Hell is Chrome

Spiders (kidsmoke)

Muzzle of Bees

Hummingbird

Handshake drugs

Company in my back

I’m a wheel

Wishful thinking

Late greats

Theologians

Less than you think

I’ve got about half this material in live format, and unless they went nutty in production, can say that this album will be a little more ‘up’ than YHF, harkening back to Being There a bit. Or I could be talking out of my ass, we’ll never know. Tour dates coming soon.

The Posies have stopped pretending they’ve broken up and will be releasing a new studio album in the late summer on Rykodisc.

While I’ve been scared off from the Rainer Maria show April 1 (ahh! Emo kids!), the upcoming release of a live DVD and CD will make up for that some. The DVD features a complete live show from the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina last year, while the CD is a collection of live tracks collected over the past four years. Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows) comes out March 9, full details and tracklisting here.

Of Montreal have jumped from the sinking Kindercore ship to sign with Polyvinyl. Satanic Panic in the Attic comes out April 6. The Polyvinyl website has a sample track, “Disconnect The Dots”, available to download on their website.

Rotate This has been declared Matador Records’ Store Of The Month.

Canadian file-traders who thought they were exempt from the witchhunts south of the border are going to be paid a visit by the CIRA. That’s ‘Canadian Recording Industry Association’ – our own little RIAA. The lawsuits aren’t on the scale of the RIAA – they’re talking about 20 high-volume individuals. That sound you hear is Derek screaming in horror and seeking asylum in Croatia.

Dear God, someone brought in a box of Krispy Kremes. Soooo gross.

np – various artists / The Amos House Collection Volume 3

I picked up the DVD of Just An American Boy a couple nights ago and sat down to watch it last night. It’s a documentary of sorts that follows Steve Earle on tour through 2002 and 2003, in the wake of the release of his album Jerusalem which featured “John Walker’s Blues”, a song which told the tale of American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh from Lindh’s point of view. The controversy that followed Earle over that song, which had certain factions in the US declaring him un-American, unpatriotic and other nice adjectives, actually doesn’t figure into the film much at all – there are a few soundbites and media clips, but it’s not the primary theme. In fact, there’s not really a primary theme – lots of different aspects of Earle’s life are featured, but none particularly in-depth. His work with anti-death penalty activists, his work as a playwright, his time as a drug addict and convict (funniest moment was him chastising one of the Dukes for speeding – “You do not want to get stopped in Nashville with me in the car”), and his musical roots.

The concert footage is decent if a bit rudimentary – often times, it’s just two handheld side-of-stage digital cameras edited together. The performances are very good, though. Surprisingly, the political content seems incidental – you get a much better feel for what’s on the man’s mind from the companion double live CDs. The monologues hang together a lot better. And you get to see Earle eat. A lot. It’s worth noting that after seeing himself onscreen, Earle went on the Atkins diet and lost 55 lbs to bring his girth down to a svelte 165. Important? Of course not, but it’s worth noting that he’s currently unrecognizable compared to the man you see in the film. Shaved, too. All in all, I was a little disappointed. I had hoped for more meat, more substance. Poe doesn’t make much effort to steer the content of the film or debate any points, he’s more of a fly on the wall. The music is great, obviously, but I was expecting more documentary and less concert video. Earle certainly has a lot to say, it’d be nice if someone asked him.

Billboard talks to Sarah Harmer on the occasion of the release of All Of Our Names, her second proper solo record, out March 9.

In addition to opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Opera House February 27, TV On The Radio play their own show at the Horseshoe April 14.

The Constantines and NYC’s Seattle’s Pretty Girls Make Graves play the Phoenix March 31. Tickets $13.50. There’s gonna be a lot of jumping around at this show, yessirree.

Paul Westerberg is soliciting opinions from the faithful about how he should tour his next record, Folker. Band? Solo? With whom as support? What songs? First person to suggest Chris Mars and Tom Stinson as a backing band will get a swift boot to the head. Either way – hooray for being part of the process. From Hold My Life.

Hey Conan – why’d you have to do your walking tour of Toronto on the snowiest day of the year? So much for any trickle-down jump in tourism dollars. Hell, after seeing that I don’t want to be here anymore. Nice bit with the mud wrestling towers, though. And no, I did not stay up for Nickelback.

np – Pavement / Wowee Zowee

Ahhh, Conan. Night one of Late Night in Toronto was… well, I can’t be objective – I was kinda giddy, as was the audience. You got the impression Conan could have done anything – ANYTHING – and he would have been met with rapturous applause. The jokes and the sketches were just on the right side of corny, but shoot, it was just neat. I love this city, and it was very neat to see scenes and places I come across every day used in the opening montage and commercial lead-ins. I do wonder for viewers south of the border… was it like watching some bizarro looking glass version of the show? “That… *looks* like Conan… but I have no idea what anyone is talking about…” Har. That stand up comedian, however, sucked ass. Sorry about that – somehow they managed to book the one non-funny Canadian alive. Reports on the show from The Sun and The Star. Looking forward to night two.

The once and future Spiral Stairs will be bringing Preston School Of Industry to the Horseshoe on April 1 to support Monsoon, out next Tuesday. I was recently set straight on how much Mr. Kannenberg contributed to Pavement’s sound (I was under the impression SM did all the work and SS was just essentially a hired gun for touring), so maybe I should take another look at the PSOI stuff. Anyone have opinions?

Also coming to town April 1 are Rainer Maria on a bill with a bunch of bands I’ve never heard of (Coheed & Cambria, Brazil and Funeral For A Friend) at the Opera House. I like RM, but I suspect this show will be waaaaay too emo for me.

Aussies Sekiden and BC’s Salteens play a CMW hangover gig Sunday March 7 at the 360. It’s likely an all-ages matinee show. I missed both these acts their last time through town last year, so I’ll try to make it this time.

Elf Power have made a rip-roaring, two-fisted track from their new album available on their website. “Never Believe” is from Walking With The Beggar Boys, out April 6.

Rashomon asked me to contribute my top-10 desert island discs list for no particular purpose. It actually took some thought because after the first handful, I don’t actually have a preset list, it’s mostly what I feel like at the moment. But here’s what I came up with last week (in no particular order):

Belly / King

Ride / Going Blank Again

Elvis Costello / King Of America

Luna / Bewitched

Neutral Milk Hotel / In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

The Shins / Oh, Inverted World

Teenage Fanclub / Bandwagonesque

Uncle Tupelo / Anodyne

Wilco / Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Yo La Tengo / I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

…though I am already kicking myself for omitting a bunch of crucial records. Like completely forgetting The Replacements’ Let It Be, or bumping Steve Earle’s El Corazon at the last minute. I suck at these lists… I could do one per decade, easy, but all-time? No way.

Tick… tick… tick… 24 – Man, I know how they felt at CTU when that worm hit. Once, I was like, using the internet? And then the internet connection went down? And I was all like, “Hey, I can’t get to the internet”. And it sucked. But at least now I know what happened… it was Nina. NINA. And Sherry? Damn, that woman is COLD. I won’t even comment on the baby. Unless Chase is the mole, and the baby is some kind of evil human/mole hybrid, THERE IS NO GOOD THAT CAN COME OUT OF THIS PLOTLINE. None at all.

np – Centro-Matic / Love You Just The Same

Christopher Nolan had this to say to Variety about his new Batman film:

“This time around, it’s about the genesis of Batman: How billionaire Bruce Wayne makes a series of decisions that turn him into the Caped Crusader. Batman will be more realistic and less cartoonish. There are no campy villains. Wayne — younger, more vulnerable, more human — will be getting as much attention as his masked alter-ego. ‘felt like doing the origins story of the character, which is a story that’s never been told before,’ says Chris Nolan (“Insomnia,” “Memento”), who takes the reins of “Batman” from Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher … ‘The world of Batman is that of grounded reality,’ he says. Burton’s and Schumacher’s visions were idiosyncratic and unreal. Nolan says, ‘Ours will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises.’ Nolan, a self-confessed James Bond fan as a child, is keen on reinventing Wayne as more of a modern-day Bond than hapless playboy — an action-adventure hero who has mythic qualities and battles the odds to save the world … ‘If we’re successful, the thing that will be talked about a lot and on what we worked on the hardest is that the audience will really care about Bruce Wayne and not just Batman,’ [scripter David] Goyer says. ‘It doesn’t matter how much you spend on special effects — if it feels hollow, no one gives a damn.'”

Sounds pretty damn good to me. From Comic Book Resources. Liam Neeson’s name is now also being mentioned in casting for the film, possibly as Captain Jim Gordon. Update: Neeson has confirmed for Batman: Intimidation, but will be playing a villain. Baddies rumoured to be in the film are Ra’s Al-Ghul, The Scarecrow and mob boss Carmine Falcone. Also on the topic of the Caped Crusader on celluloid – There’s a new animated series coming called The Batman. I do love the definite article. There are a couple teaser pictures from the new series here. And as a bonus? Adam West will be voicing the mayor of Gotham City. Hope he’s as nutty as the mayor of Quahog!

And some sad comic book news – former DC head honcho Julius Schwartz has died. Schwartz was largely responsible for the ‘Silver Age’ of DC comics in the fifties, revitalizing many of their flagship characters in the incarnations that they’re best known as now. Rest easy.

Sample tracks from all the performers at SXSW this year, in .ogg format. Yeah, .ogg. Don’t worry – Winamp plays em. What’s that, you don’t use Winamp? Tough noogies. Now those who will be attending SXSW can get a sneak preview of the many many many artists playing, and those who aren’t can turn up the .ogg files real loud, light four dozen cigarettes and turn up the TV so loud that you’re straining to hear the music… Just like being there. Bonus – they have a track from the new American Music Club album on offer – “Ladis And Gentlemen, It’s Time”. Yes, it really is. Give us the new record, already. Link from LHB.

As part of their 2003 year in review, Magnet has officially declared Toronto the next big ‘scene’ town, citing the successes and potential of the local heroes The Constantines, Stars, Royal City, Metric, Hidden Cameras and Broken Social Scene. I don’t know if we’re going to be the next Brooklyn or Seattle, but at least the sounds of all these bands is certainly different enough that no one’s going to pretend there’s such a thing as “the Toronto sound”. But if we are going to be the next Seattle, then goddamn we have to finish recording our album soon so we can get in on the inevitable major label feeding frenzy… I want to be the next Candlebox!

np – Elf Power / A Dream In Sound