Strange environment at Rachael Yamagata’s Toronto debut last night, not least of all because it got started at the wee hour of 7:15 in the evening. Presented as a ‘showcase’, it certainly didn’t feel like a regular concert. The audience was probably split pretty evenly between devoted fans and indifferent industry types – and maybe a few like me, just curious and taking advantage of a free show.

The buzz on Yamagata is that she’s the new Fiona Apple, but without the psychosis – this is based mostly on their vocal ranges (low), their instrument of choice (the piano) and their preferred songwriting subjects (girl done wrong by boy). I’m not really familiar with Ms Apple’s work, nor do I especially like what I’ve heard, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of the comparison. Last night was my first real exposure to Ms Yamagata, however, and I was fairly impressed. She spent about equal time on both the keyboard and the guitar, singing her songs about love gone bad and guys who were dicks to her (her words) in her soulful, raspy voice. There were a few really standout tracks (I had “Be Be Your Love” in my head all day) but there was a definite consistent level of quality across all the material. I wonder how long she can continue working that particular wellspring of inspiration, but that’s her problem, not mine. If she wants to keep getting involved with unsuitable men for the artistic inspiration, more power to her.

Though she seemed a little nervous at first – perhaps the ‘showcase’ atmosphere had her spooked as well, she loosened up as the set went on and engaged the crowd, telling stories about her band with whom she was completing a six-week American tour. I was initially a little skeptical/suspicious of her band, who looked a little too note-perfect hipster/Hot Topic for my tastes but that was probably just the cynical indie kid in me talking. They were fine musicians and the song arrangements were nice and lush, but I will maintain they’re trying a little too hard with the wardrobe choices. Anyway, it was an enjoyable show (Pics here), especially since it didn’t cost me anything and I didn’t have to stay up late. She seemed uncertain as to whether her record Happenstance was available in Canada – well it is, and I’ll probably be keeping an eye out for it. She’s not doing anything revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still good listening.

Luna’s final album Rendezvous, comes out today, and if there’s one thing that’s as certain as me hoofing it to Soundscapes after work today to pick it up, it’s that they won’t have it in stock yet. This is one of the few occasions in which I curse the unreliable independent label distribution system. Curse you! To dull the inevitable tang of disappointment, we’ve got a couple pieces on the band from The Japan Times and The New York Post, wherein it’s revealed that a film crew will be accompanying the band on their final tour for a future documentary. Pitchfork and Metacritic are also on the case with reviews of the last record.

Nerve interviews Interpol about suits and groupies. Y’know, I still don’t have Antics. And that doesn’t bother me. From Largehearted Boy.

Anyone who missed Jon Stewart on 60 Minutes this past Sunday night (like me) can read a pretty thorough summary of the segment here.

Acid reflux. Who in the Ashlee pool had ‘acid reflux’? Damn, I said ‘terrorists’. I was going to go with acid reflux but figured that the terrorists had sabotaged her performance because they hate freedom. But no, acid reflux. I don’t think any of us expected them to say that.

Update: Legendary British DJ John Peel has died at age 65. The man’s influence on independent music was incalculable. Respect.

np – Elliott Smith / From A Basement On The Hill

Comic artist extraordinaire Alex Ross expresses his deep regard for George W Bush in the best way he knows how for The Village Voice. Here’s the accompanying article.

A live Steve Earle album and DVD dating way back into the Skinny Steve Earle (Mark 1) era is coming out on November 2. Live From Austin Texas is taken from a show in, uh, Austin, on September 12, 1986. Fast-forwarding back to the future, Skinny Steve Earle (Mark 2) talks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about – shocker – his politics. I wonder if he ever wishes someone would ask him about, I don’t know, his thoughts on extra-terrestrial life or something.

The Guardian challenges one of their music writers to listen to every CD released in October and try to take the temperature of the musical zeitgeist at what it considers to be “a critical juncture in the history of pop music”. Their conclusions? I’m not actually sure, but the writer did apparently end up with a bad haircut.

Achtung Baby discovers a running meme amongst several sites casting a fond eye back on the music of 1994 in list format. We’ve got ‘best albums of 1994’ lists from Listology, Mojo and Alternative Rock Review. I was in my last year of high school/first year of university in 1994, and I’d say it was a pretty key juncture in the development of my musical tastes. It’s interesting to note the number of albums on these lists that mattered to me then (six, two and thireteen respectively) and now (seven, five and six, respecitvely), and how much overlap there is between the two lists (Pavement and Neil Young are about it). There’s hindsight for ya.

The Mazzy Star Anthology, which has been pushed back almost an entire year now, has yet another release date – April 26. In an attempt to make up for the endless delays, the compilation will be available in both a standard edition and a deluxe one, complete with DVD.

I bought season one of Arrested Development this weekend, and have been having a grand time wading through this terrific show. I think I got turned onto it about halfway through last season (I haven’t seen a familiar episode yet, about a third of the way through) but couldn’t find an appropriate jumping-on point so I decided to just wait until the inevitable DVD set and get ready for season two, kicking off next Sunday. Update: I mean the Sunday after next. November 7. I’m not good with dates. Or time. Or math.

davidartemiw.com follows up on my observations last week about ex-Jays in the ALCS with some interesting numbers on former Blue Jays in the World Series since the glory days of 1992 and 1993.

I wasn’t going to talk any more about the Ashlee Simpson debacle, but there’s just so much worth commenting on. Here’s a random hit list – you can probably click anywhere on my blogroll to get more scathing commentary:

• Lipsync.us is a blog dedicated to the whole incident – I imagine it will be the top resource for everything Ashlee-gate. From LHB
• Pop (All Love) claims to have the party line on the ‘microphone malfunction’
• The Modern Age has a comment from someone purporting have been work ing at SNL on Saturday
• Tiny Mix Tapes zings Saturday Night Live with, “This performance, ironically enough, was the funniest thing SNL ever broadcasted”)
• This would be my new wallpaper if I wasn’t certain it’d cause a seizure (The AP graciously describe it as “some exaggerated hopping dance moves”)
• The “remixed” performance had me peeing myself. Seriously, Ashlee Simpson has made me incontinent.

Surely this sort of fiasco was inevitable – it’s the laws of thermodynamics, baby. Ashlee is like a 20th generation copy of someone with a modicum of talent. She’s riding on the coattails of her sister, herself a b-list pop diva who needs to be propped up by a reality TV show while stealing the ‘rocker’ schtick from Avril. I think she’s just lucky that she didn’t spontaneously combust on stage. Literally, not just figuratively. I would have been satisfied if she should be eaten by wolves. Again, literally – not just figuratively.

np – Suede / Sci-Fi Lullabies

The Delgados are one of those bands I’ve always liked – I go back to the Peloton days – and yet I’ve always been oddly dispassionate about them. As much as I like their records, they’ve always fallen just short of really grabbing hold of me and shaking like an English nanny. Maybe the bombast of The Great Eastern and Hate were just a little to much for me to really take – just a little too dramatic and over the top. That’s why their latest, Universal Audio, is such pleasant surprise. By stripping away a lot of the sonic overload that characterized their sound and instead putting the energy into the songs and arrangements, they’ve made what for my money is their best album yet.

And so, Saturday night was spent at the Toronto stop of their just-underway Universal Audio tour at Lee’s Palace. They’ve always had a habit of coming through town twice per album, and I usually make it to the first show – like last night. Opening things up was Eric Bachmann, aka Crooked Fingers. Although Bachmann has been an indie rock icon of sorts for years, going back to his days with Archers Of Loaf, this was my very first time being exposed to any of his music (seriously) – and I was impressed. Performing solo and accompanied only by guitar or sampler, Bachmann played the role of downbeat troubadour with a set of beautifully glum songs, at times evoking a less-whacked out Tom Waits. At the end of his 45-minute set, he mentioned that he’d be back with a full band in March after their next album is released.

In keeping with their more stripped-down aesthetic, The Delgados were touring with a somewhat smaller lineup this time – gone were the string section that accompanied them for their last two tours, replaced with two utility players with great banks of keyboards for filling out the sound. They seemed in good spirits, gamely putting up with various Scottish-themed hollers from the audience throughout the night. Bassist Stewart Henderson, who was celebrating his birthday last night, was particularly entertaining shouting back at the audience in his mostly incomprehensible Scottish brogue. I also noticed that Emma is possibly the only person in the world small enough to make a Telecaster look like a huge guitar. I was a little disappointed that Universal Audio had about an equal share of the setlist as the two previous releases since I’m especially keen on the new record (as I’ve already said) and I’ve heard the older material live a number of times already, but when they nailed the older material like they did for “No Danger” in the encore, it’s hard to complain. Also a shame was the relatively short set – even though it was an hour and a half, the hard curfew of 10:00 (they double-booked the venue) made it feel prematurely cut off. Still, all in all, a very solid show from a band that gets better every time I see them. The fact that I’m enjoying their albums and shows more and more each time around would bode well for the future, I think.

Not too many photos this time as about halfway through the set, Alun requested the stage lights be dimmed and dimmed they were. After that, even from right up front they were barely more than red-outlined silhouettes. But before then, I snapped these shots.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a review of the benefit concert for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Meuller, which went off on Friday. One of the highlights was the reunion of 2/3 of Husker Du, with Bob Mould and Grant Hart sharing a stage for the first time in 16 years to perform “Hardly Getting Over It” and “Never Talking to You Again” – could no one have called Greg Norton and made it a full-on reunion? Regardless, the show sounds like it was a blast and I have full-on envy for anyone who was there. Bob Mould blogs about the reunion show but doesn’t make particular mention about playing with Grant again. Hmm…

Chart talks to Rilo Kiley about the process of recording More Adventurous.

Scotland’s peculiarly-named Dogs Die In Hot Cars are at Lee’s Palace on November 24, tickets $10. 75 Or Less reviews their debut record, Please Describe Yourself.

Okay, those clips of Ashlee Simpson’s performance on Saturday Night Live last night are too funny – if you missed it (which I did, I admit), the recording she was lip synching to stopped playing just as they started the song, leaving her dumbfounded. So she does a little Elfin jig, storms offstage and then blames her band for “playing the wrong song” during the show’s closing. LAME. For full commentary and links (read the comments section), visit Stereogum – your one-stop manufactured pop diva humiliation shop. Check her out in the clips from the show closing – man, she is one ugly chick.

np – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists / Shake The Sheets

Last night’s main event: Mission Of Burma at Lee’s Palace. Since their surprise reunion last year after a break of almost 20 years, I’d been hoping that their erratic touring schedule would bring them to Toronto, so I was pretty stoked that they were finally finding their way to my neck of the woods. Though obviously before my time (I will not pretend I was rocking out to Vs when I was 7 – it was more like Huey Lewis’ Sports), they were already legends by the time I discovered them – oft-covered and spoken of in reverential tones. Especially encouraging were reports that despite the extended layoff, the band were just as good as they were in the 80s and the release of their second album, onOffon this past Spring seemed to prove they still had plenty left in the tank.

Taking the stage at midnight, Peter Prescott and Clint Conley (do they sound like Marvel Comics secret identities or what?) still looked lean and fighting fit, even in their forties. Roger Miller looked kinda like a high school shop teacher, especially with the industrial-grade earmuffs. But from the word go, they tore into their material with a ferocity and intensity that would have put to shame musicians half their age – Prescott’s thunderous drumming, Conley’s sledgehammer bass and Miller’s abraisive and jagged guitar work were ably augmented by Bob Weston at the soundboard on the tape loops, filling the role originally occupied by Martin Swope. Playing two half-hour sets and an encore, they powered through a set list comprising old material and new, and it’s worth noting the new stuff stood alongside classics like “Peking Spring” and “Trem Two” – no mean feat. The decent-sized but not overwhelmingly large crowd went fairly nuts all the way through but the best response was naturally reserved for set closers “Academy Fight Song” (imagine a whole room screaming, “I’M NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT YOUR ACADEMY!” – it’s good), “Fame and Fortune” and of course, “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver”. While the band seemed to be having a terrific time and there’s no reason to think that Mission of Burma will be put back into mothballs any time soon, I’m certainly thankful I got the chance to see them while they’re still going at it full tilt.

Locals From Fiction opened up the night and their spastic mathy/post-rock/whatchamacalit set proved an excellent match for MoB. I had seen them last year opening for Wilco, and that was a more incongruous lineup. That time, they seemed a little overwhelmed in the cavernous Kool Haus with a mostly unimpressed audience – this time, in a smaller club with a crowd more receptive to their sound, it worked much better. I can’t say that I’d ever want to listen to one of their records, but they’re amazing to watch live – it’s like seeing four guys being simultaneously taser-ed.

This is not a photograph. But these are.

Before going to Lee’s for the show, I went to see Michael Mann’s Collateral at the Bloor. Quick premise if you don’t know – Jamie Foxx the cabbie finds himself driving Tom Cruise the hit man around Los Angeles while he makes his rounds. Both Foxx and Cruise start out as fairly basic character types (icy-cold killer, nice guy cabbie) but become somewhat more interesting as the film goes one, though not really expanding beyond those one-line descriptions. Of course, this wasn’t really a film about character development – it was a suspense/thriller flick and it was both effectively suspenseful and thrilling where it needed to be. It takes a little while to get moving but when it does, it’s a steady climb through to the climax on the MTA (do trains in Los Angeles really run that late at night?). Despite noting a few overly-convenient plot twists peppered throughout to keep things moving, it was definitely enjoyable. And Tom Cruise should keep that grey hair thing going, it works for him.

One of my favourite album discoveries of this past year was Tresspassers William’s Different Stars. Originally released independently last year, it’s a gorgeous blend of slow, spacey shoegaze and country influences, anchored by Anna-Lynne Williams’ sad, soaring voice. They recently signed to Nettwerk who rereleased the record in North America this past Tuesday (and it will come out worldwide in December) with enough of a different tracklisting to warrant picking up again. Says the band,

“This version is significantly different, in addition to the slightly different art and full album lyrics. there are three tracks replacing three old album tracks (‘Vapour Trail’ and the two new b-sides that were released on the UK singles), and one live track from our KCRW) performance.”

While I will gripe a little about buying a second copy of the record, I suppose it’s different enough to warrant it – and I’ll probably be able to turn up a copy used… At least the fact that the band will be putting out a new record next year and touring in March makes me happy.

Junkmedia gets the first Luna interview I’ve seen with more of the band than just Dean since they announced their dissolution, and they’re pretty frank about the reasons. For example, says Sean: “If I told you how much I made from Luna last year, it would not be funny.” Sniff.

np – Neko Case / The Tigers Have Spoken

Call off the celebrations – Designer Magazine claims to have spoken to Graham Coxon since the rumours that he’d rejoined Blur began circulating, and he pretty much shoots them all down. While he admits that he’d been out socially with his (former) bandmates, he dimisses the reunion by saying:

“It’s not true at all. Of course not. Is anything you’ve ever read in the Mirror true? Can you read any evidence that what the headline said was true within the piece? All that piece says is that I’m definitely recording another solo album with Stephen Street, it doesn’t really say anything about me joining Blur at all. So the headline is wrong for what the piece is. It should be ignored.”

So that would appear to be that. I’m not surprised, but am disappointed – I’ve taken to relistening to my Blur records and they really were brilliant with him. And YES I will get around to listening to Think Tank. Leave me alone, already. But if some good has come out of this little brou-ha-ha, it’s that I’m rediscovering how much I love his guitarwork and am trying to work a little more of his style into my hamfistedness.

Gothamist continues their “What do you love about New York City” series with Death Cab For Cutie, Largehearted Boy has links to a couple recent Death Cab shows in FLAC/Bit Torrent format and Punk Rock Vids has a video of their performance of “Title and Registration” on The John McEnroe Show from this past July. It’s a little ways down the page, be careful not to get any emo on you on your way there.

The Morning News takes a look at Arthur Lee and Love, touring Forever Changes nearly 40 years after the album’s release. I wish wish wish he’d bring the show up here – he was supposed to play Lee’s Palace back in the Summer of 2002, but was stopped at the border because of his criminal record (Lee served some jail time for weapons charges in the 90s) – as much as I wish otherwise, I don’t expect they’ll clear that up any time soon. A damn shame, sez I. Link from Coolfer.

Joe Pernice is really really happy about the Red Sox winning the AL pennant. From For The Records.

Pop (All Love)’s day job is writing for The National Post and he’s started a second blog for his past articles since much of their online content is for subscribers only (resisting temptation to take cheap shot at National Post…) – instead, he’s got a second blog to publically archive his work, like this interview with Elvis Costello

Jeff Tweedy rates all of Wilco’s albums for The Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Comic Book Resources talks to scribe Mark Millar about the second volume of The Ultimates, which starts next month. I’ve never liked The Avengers but The Ultimates was a terrific take on the super-team concept. The first series was done in by constant delays in production and shipping, hence Marvel’s decision to cancel the title, regroup, and start a second series when they had enough material to guarantee a publication schedule.

The New York Times weighs in on the Jon Stewart-Crossfire incident.

I was riding my bike home from work yesterday and this little bird flies right into my chest, bounces off and onto the street. I stopped to see if it was alright and it was just sort of staggering around. When I reached down to pick him up, he managed to get his little birdbrain together enough to fly off into a nearby park to get his head together. You gotta be careful out there, fella.

np – Blur / The Great Escape