The Fiery Furnaces release an album-length EP collecting b-sides and radio session on January 11 via Sanctuary. Fluxblog has one mp3 and Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again has a couple more. The Friedberger siblings’ sophomore effort Blueberry Boat seems to have been one of the most polarizing albums of the year, with folks either loving it or hating it. Me, I’m sort of in the middle (and directly contradicting the polarizing comment, yes). I’m very impressed with the artistic achievement of the record – it’s ambition is pretty damn remarkable in this day and age. That said, I can’t listen to it very often. It exhausts me. I am into it for the first half or so but then my attention begins to drift… That said, I’d like to see one of their live shows – they’re supposed to be quite the spectacles with the band playing the entire set all the way through without stopping.

Support materials: Both Pitchfork and Splendid both interviewed the band a little while back and CBC Radio 3 ran one of their lovely audio/photo features on the band a couple weeks ago. Blueberry Boat is a content-rich fansite for the band.

Following up on the success of their “Moonshot Manny (Pega Luna)” charity single ($1600 raised for Boston’s First Night so far), the Pernice Brothers have opened up the Bargain Centre on their website, where they’ll continue to release downloadable singles in return for charitable donations. The next track is “The Flu”, and it’s inspired in part by the dearth of flu vaccines in the US this season. It’s yours for a small donation ($1 minimum) which will go to DotWell, “a health services partnership of the Codman Square Health Center and Dorchester Multi-Service Center”. On a larger scale, their live DVD/CD Nobody’s Watching/Nobody’s Listening should start shipping this week to lucky pre-orderes like myself, and the new album is still eyeing a March or April release.

Metric are finally playing a proper headlining, all-access show at the Mod Club on January 21. Will this be their first non-radio station listeners only/non-festival/non-surprise/non-supporting crappy band show in Toronto since their Horseshoe gig in September 2003? I think it might. This, of course, conflicts with the Bright Eyes show at the Phoenix the same night, though that one’s an early show so keeners could quite possibly make both. Me, I’m not that keen.

Here are the pics from Sunday night’s Ted Leo cavalcade of stars. I used to love the Mod Club’s lighting, but it’s now starting to annoy me in its persistent over-the-top-ness. It’s impossible to set white balance for and the smoke machines don’t help focusing much either. And as I mentioned yesterday, some artists – like Ted – just don’t fit with big elaborate lightshows.

Daily shoegazing content: Wanna see Slowdive videos? Sure you do.

Donewaiting’s staff of writers have begun compiling their respective year-end lists. Paul from The Rub and Ryan Catbirdseat have put up their lists as well.

Ever wonder what cartoon characters would look like stripped of their skin and organs and hung up on a bio lab hook? Now you can find out… you sick, sick bastards.

I have finally gotten off my ass and started on my site redesign/rebuild. You won’t see anything for now as work is taking place at a remote, undisclosed location. I’m aiming for a January 1 relaunch, but that’s a very very very very soft deadline. Like if you were forced to jump off a building into either a giant pile of down-filled pillows or my self-imposed deadline, you’d go for the deadline without a second thought. But it’s coming.

np – January / I Heard Myself In You

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