Funny thing about Sloan – while they seem to be like unto indie/college rock cult heroes in the US, they’re equally loved and loathed here in their native Canada. Okay, maybe loathed is too strong a word (but it was alliterative), but they’re one of the few acts that have crossed over from indie icons to mainstream successes in this country with any sort of longevity, and the backlash in some circles is pretty virulent and amusing.

You don’t have to look too hard to find someone who would sooner gnaw off their own leg before giving up their copy of Twice Removed or One Chord To Another (especially the rare Enclave pressing!), but will slag off Between The Bridges or Navy Blues with the sort of venom usually reserved for baby smotherers or puppy kickers. Myself, I think they’ve gotten kind of formulaic and safe in recent years, but there’s always at least a few moments of pop genius on any of their albums (usually courtesy of Jay Ferguson) although the proportion of those versus 70s-ish arena rockers has skewed in the wrong direction of late and I can’t pretend I’ve gotten genuniely excited about a new Sloan album in some time… but I still care.

To back up a bit to the love/hate phenomenon – I suspect that Sloan’s biggest crime, at least to those who believe they’ve committed one, is that they stuck around. If they had actually split up following Twice Removed (recently voted best Canadian album of all-time by Chart readers), and maybe released One Chord To Another posthumously or something, their place as gods in the Canadian music pantheon would have been assured. They’d have been legends. But no, they committed that cardinal indie sin and they got big. They made money (I assume so, anyway, relatively speaking). They dared to make albums that while solid, didn’t reach the same heights as their greatest works.

Another theory is that for people my age, Sloan was “it” during my musical coming-of-age over a decade ago, at least of homegrown talent, and Lord knows it’s not cool to like anything you liked when you were 15. Or maybe they just let themselves become too familiar and have thus bred contempt. Sloan sightings around town are commonplace (I’ve only seen Jay and Chris Murphy, myself) so maybe it’s just a case of instead of thinking, “hey there’s the guy who wrote ‘Snowsuit Sound’!”, it’s, “hey, there’s the guy who spilt a drink on me last weekend!”. Or not. I dunno. For the record, no member of Sloan has ever spilt anything on me, I’m just thinking out loud.

Anyway, it’s hard to believe that the band has been around for some 12 or 13 years now. I remember the drama, the gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands and rending of clothes when they announced they were splitting a decade ago after Twice Removed, though that turned out to be record company politics to get out of their deal with DGC. However, there’s naught better to remind you of how old something is than a retrospective… and it’s Sloan’s turn. Chris and Jay talked to MTV about their forthcoming best-of compilation CD/DVD set, A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005, coming out May 10 and featuring the obligatory two new tracks to infuriate collectors (though the DVD should help make the best-of’s purchase worthwhile). They also reveal that their US label Koch will be re-releasing all their albums (excluding Action Pact and presumably 4 Nights At The Palais Royale) later this year in an expanded format with rarities and b-sides to fill out each of their first five albums which are apparently a pain to find in the US.

I wonder if these will be available up here? After all, it’s their US label that’s releasing them and all of Sloan’s back catalog is available here for super-cheap. Even with the bonuses, it may be a hard sell getting folks to pay import prices for an album they either already have or can pick up at Sunrise for $8. To support, or maybe just because they haven’t done so in a while, Sloan are touring across Canada in May. No Toronto date yet, but they’ve only announced as far as Saskatchewan so far.

Why does Merge rule? Because they’re giving the new Teenage Fanclub record Man-Made a North American release on June 7 and the band will tour our fair continent to support. YAY. Thanks to Catbirdseat for the tip-off.

The Riverfront Times asks Will Johnson exactly what the difference between Centro-Matic, South San Gabriel and his solo work is.

The Ames Tribune talks to John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, who release their new album The Sunset Tree on April 26 and play what I believe is their first-ever Toronto show at Lee’s Palace on May 11, tickets $11. Be there be there be there.

The last two links were brought to you by the letter Q, the number 4 and Largehearted Boy.

Another trailer for The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Out April 29!

np – The Radio Dept. / Lesser Matters

I am slowing down. Used to be that I could power through an entire season of a TV show on DVD in no time at all. Was it that long ago I got through the entire first season and a quarter of the second season of 24 in a single weekend? Yes, it was at the expense of some personal hygeine, but nothing comes without sacrifice. So how on earth has it taken me so long to get through the entirety of Wonderfalls? It’s only 13 episodes, each one about 44 minutes. In theory, I should have been able to get through it all in under ten hours. That’s nothing! But still it took me more than two weeks to get through all three DVDs, not including the bonuses. For shame.

Anyway. Finished watching the complete series on DVD the other night and I can say without reservation that this was my favourite new television show in years, even though it was unceremoniously cancelled after just three (or was it four?) episodes to make room for that bellwether of the utter decline of Western civilization, The Swan. Premiering a year ago next week, the wickedly clever and hilarious show followed the quirky adventures of an overeducated, undermotivated and generally snarky trailer park-living twenty-something retail clerk to whom inanimate objects begin talking, instructing her to do bizarre things and help people… or else. I don’t know if that sounds appealing, but it was actually very very good. Lots of Canadian content in this show – besides being set in Niagara Falls (though they try to pass the Canadian side off as the American side), it was shot in Toronto (at the CNE? I see the wind turbine in some shots outside the store) and the lead role of Jaye Tyler was excellently played by Canadian Caroline Dhavernas, who is easily my #1 domestic celebrity crush du jour.

Even though it was cancelled so quickly (a save the show campaign began immediately after the first episode aired), all thirteen eps of the first season were already filmed and completed, making a DVD release possible (it came out last month) and thankfully, the first season arc ends quite nicely, allowing it to stand as a finite 13-episode mini-series rather than a cancelled mid-season replacement. Even though only a handful of episodes originally aired, another half-dozen or so leaked to the internet, ripped from DVD screeners or something, so I had managed to see most of the series regardless. It also found a second life on Canada’s Vision Television channel, which I believe aired the entire run late last year. I, however, waited for the DVD release and thoroughly enjoyed watching the whole thing start to finish – even the eps I’d already seen were funnier the second time around. Wonderfalls gets my heartiest recommendation – go rent it.

And oh yeah – Andy Patridge composed and performed the theme song, and it sounds like classic XTC.

MP3: Andy Partridge – “Wonderfalls”

The San Francisco Bay Guardian tries to figure out the secret of The Decemberists’ success. The answer? Geeks.

The Chicago Tribune introduces its readers to Stars. Last two links from Largehearted Boy.

Newsweek profiles M Ward… I CALLED HIM “MIGHTY” FIRST!!! Bastards. From Stereogum.

The ‘Gum also points us at this live Ted Leo performance at UGO. The irony police are all up in arms over his cover of a Kelly Clarkson song.

NOW talks to Jens Lekman about his sensitive side in advance of his Wavelength show at Sneaky Dee’s this Sunday night.

Ryan Adams’ new double-disc set Cold Roses has been pushed back a bit to May 3.

Yahoo! has some exclusive features to pump up the Sin City film, coming out April 1.

Aaah! The Blogroll! It is broken!

np – Sea Ray / Stars At Noon

Okay, so SxSW goes next week. I’ve been so busy putting together my tenative schedule for the three days that I haven’t really been paying attention to the more important logistical stuff like, oh, getting US cash, making sure I can get to the airport on time, that sort of thing.

But schedule – here’s my preliminary. This is not nearly everything I’ve got in my calendar, just the stuff that I’m going to try and make it to and maybe some second choices. I’ve actually got third, fourth and fifth choices in the Palm Pilot, as well as some buzz bands that I really don’t care about, but have written in just in case I need to appear hip.

Thursday, March 17:

Wrens @ Emo’s – 1:00 PM

Stars @ Emo’s – 2:00 PM

Rob Dickinson @ Cedar Street Courtyard – 2:45 PM

Feist @ Blind Pig – 3:45 PM Invite only! BOOO.

Midnight Movies @ Emo’s – 4:25 PM

Calexico @ Jovita’s – 5:00 PM

Aaron Booth @ Sake On Sixth – 8:00 PM

Ulrich Schnauss @ Blender Bar – 9:00 PM

Mark Eitzel @ Cactus Cafe – 10:00 PM

The Futureheads @ La Zona Rosa – 11:00 PM

M Ward @ The Parish – 11:00 PM

Hot Hot Heat @ La Zona Rosa – 12:00 AM

Spoon (rumoured) @ The Parish – 1:00 AM

The Salteens @ Sake On Sixth – 1:00 AM

Doves @ La Zona Rosa – 1:00 AM

Friday, March 18:

Asobi Seksu @ Emo’s – 1:25 PM

American Analog Set @ Club DeVille – 2:00 PM

Experimental Aircraft @ Trophy’s – 3:00 PM

Phoenix @ Cedar Street Courtyard – 4:00 PM

Kaiser Chiefs @ Cedar Street Courtyard – 5:00 PM

M Ward @ Pok-E-Joe’s – 5:30 PM

Earlimart @ Red Scoot’s Inn – 9:20 PM

Ash @ Blender Bar – 11:00 PM

Laura Cantrell @ The Parish – 11:00 PM

Saturday Looks Good To Me @ Friend’s Bar – 12:00 AM

Spoon @ La Zona Rosa – 12:30 AM

Centro-Matic @ Maggie May’s – 1:00 AM

Calexico@ Antone’s – 1:00 AM

Saturday, March 19:

Dirty On Purpose @ Spiderhouse – 2:00 PM

Doves @ Waterloo Records – 3:00 PM

Bloc Party @ Urban Outfitters – 3:00 PM

Centro-Matic @ Red-Eyed Fly – 4:00 PM

Tift Merritt @ Jo’s Coffee – 5:00 PM

Trashcan Sinatras @ Speakeasy – 6:00 PM

Earlimart @ Porchlight-Twillery Street Theatre – 7:00 PM

The Meeting Places @ SoHo Lounge – 8:00 PM

Aimee Mann @ Stubb’s – 9:00 PM

Ed Harcourt @ Antone’s – 10:30 PM

Stars @ Blender Bar – 11:00 PM

Son Volt @ Stubb’s – 11:45 PM

Idlewild @ La Zona Rosa – 12:00 AM

Ambulance LTD @ Exodus – 1:00 AM

American Analog Set @ Blender Bar – 1:00 AM

Nada Surf @ Red Eyed Fly – 1:00 AM

…Well, that’s approximately it. I’m actually sorry I’m missing the 16th – there’s a lot of shows that night (Trespassers William, Asobi Seksu, American Music Club, Jon Auer, Wrens) that I’d love to see, but that’s what I get for trying to save a day’s vacation time.

I’m sure a lot of what I am trying to see is logistically impossible (like being in five places at once) and it’s entirely possible that I’ll end up seeing some different bands entirely. I’m not dead-set on seeing anyone in particular, really. Well, Centro-Matic. Not missing them. And SLGTM again, if only to declare my undying love for Betty Marie Barnes (back off Grambo, she’s mine!). Set times are as accurate as I’ve been able to deduce, but are not 100% accurate by any stretch of the imagination, particularly for the day shows. But – if you’re going and are planning on being at any of the same shows, or think there’s something else I absolutely have to see, or just want to try and meet up somewhere or someplace, drop me a line. I have no problem going to shows on my own here at home, but somehow it seems that much sadder in Texas.

And if you want more information on the bands or samples of their music, the SxSW website has all that and more. Oh what a weekend this will be.

I’ve got a review of the new Wedding Present album Take Fountain up on Torontoist, and have dug up a couple more Wedd-o-matic links. Something and Nothing is a new fansite dedicated to archiving all things Gedge and are doing a pretty bang-up job so far and this piece at Manchester Online talks to David Lewis Gedge about how the new record was informed by his breakup with co-Cinerama founder Sally Murrell.

Stylus is offering a guided tour to the first 50 singles from Creation Records. Of the first thirty they’ve posted so far, I think I’ve heard, um, none.

Hear some samples from Aimee Mann’s new album, The Forgotten Arm. They’ll be posting three new songs every Tuesday, presumably until the album is released on May 3. Thanks to Eugene for the link.

Zoilus considers the party line about the fate of CBC Radio 3. Diagnosis? Cynical.

np – Pernice Brothers / The World Won’t End

A reminder that the bonus EP for Wilco’s A Ghost Is Born is supposed to be made available for free on their website today. I’m not sure of the specifics on how you’re supposed to access them, but it’ll either be a link from the CD-ROM material on the physical copy of youre Ghost CD (you do own the CD, don’t you?) or, if it works the same way that the More Like The Moon downloads worked a couple years ago, you’ll follow a link off the website to a protected page that you’ll have to enter the catalog number off the CD case or something to enter. Either way, today’s the day.

Update: Go here for the downloads. You need your Ghost CD to access. Thanks to Between Thought & Expression for the legwork.

The vinyl edition of the album is also out today, and it sports new artwork that looks a little something like the piccy here.

Also new – the video for Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion (Lies)”. A real one this time. How do I know it’s real? MTV has it, and who know more about videos than them? From Arcadefire.net, your one stop shop for Arcade Fire news and kosher groceries.

PopMatters conducts separate interviews with Low’s Zak Sally and Alan Sparkhawk. Maybe they were hoping one would start dishing dirt on the other… “Zak hasn’t bathed in three months. Swear to God”. “Alan keeps his toenail clippings in a little TicTac container. It’s disgusting. I think he talks to them”.

Pitchfork claims exclusive on the details to Sufjan Stevens’ next album, which is out July 5 and takes him back to his ambitious 50 albums about 50 states project. Next up, Illinois.

The New York Times (Bugmenot: kmhybutt / homer) looks at a couple of international-flavoured acts on the New York scene, Brazilian Girls and Ivy. Don’t know anything about the former, but I got the new Ivy album this weekend and initial impressions are that is sounds a lot like Dominique and Andy’s more “rock” sideproject Paco, but still very smooth and polished. Maybe a little bit too much so, but still pleasant listening.

Need an excuse to stay in town Canada Day weekend this year? Feist will be playing at Harbourfront Centre on July 1. No other details yet.

Stream Matt Pond PA’s OC-approved cover of “Champagne Supernova” (Windows Media or Quicktime), taken from the fourth volume of Music From The OC. Matt Pond PA are at Sneaky Dee’s on May 5, the OC album is out April 5.

Take one part hate-on for the NME’s choice of coverage and one part basic HTML skills, combine for amusing results.

There’s a new Sin City trailer… check it out here. April 1 cannot come soon enough…

24: Oh look, the terrorists have yet another endgame in the works. I’m shocked. So this is what Tony’s thinking: Man, when I woke up this morning, I was an unemployed, soccer-watching skid bedding down with a skeezy waitress. Now I’m head of CTU again. This is what we call a good day… Oh look, my ex-wife. HA. Also worthy of filing under “HA”: Oh no, telephone lines and cellular service around the McLennan-Forester building is unstable because of the power being drawn by the EMP! Thank God we still have MSN Messenger!

np – Saturday Looks Good To Me / All Our Summer Songs

Something of an inspired double-bill last night at the Horseshoe – A Girl Called Eddy and Keren Ann don’t have a whole lot in common, but they went together quite nicely. Compare and contrast New Jersey’s A Girl Called Eddy’s lush, lovelorn Bacharachian pop and Keren Ann’s delicate Gallic chamber folk. Wide-eyed innocence versus world-weary heartache. From that thematic point of view, it would have made more sense to have Keren Ann open things up, but I guess she rates as the bigger name so she got the closing timeslot.

I got a sneak preview of the night’s entertainment yesterday afternoon at Soundscapes where A Girl Called Eddy played a brief but excellent in-store set. Playing as a three-piece, her band had a whole lot of equipment for just three songs, but I’m not complaining – even in the stripped-down format, they shined. I got a few pics, but sadly, my camera technique appears better suited to dark clubs than record stores… Anyway, it certainly whetted my appetite for the evening’s performance.

They got a decent 50-minute set in last night, drawing mainly from her self-titled album but with a few new numbers thrown into the mix. Erin Moran has an amazingly emotive voice that tells as much of the story as her lyrics do, it’s really something to behold. Dusty Springfield is the obvious reference point (and Moran knows it, just look at her stage name), but from my frame of reference, there was more than a little Aimee Mann in her delivery. It’s a shame they couldn’t afford to tour with a drummer, as while the trio did an admirable job of filling out the arrangements on most of the material, the more dramatic numbers like “Tears All Over Town” and “Golden” really could have been put over the top with a real drummer instead of programmed beats. Ah well, perhaps next time.

Keren Ann, on the other hand, was touring as a two-piece – just herself on acoustic guitar and a keyboardist behind a wall of equipment. That was more than enough to recreate the lovely sparseness of her first English-language album, Not Going Anywhere, and some material from her forthcoming record Nolita, due out next week. While the roadhouse environs of the Horseshoe were a bit at odds with the hushed folk music being performed, the audience was impressively quiet and appreciative throughout the show that you didn’t really notice you weren’t in a small European jazz club with those little candles on the tables.

You know what Keren Ann’s music reminds me of? Disney soundtracks. Not the awful Elton John/Phil Collins tripe that they win Oscars with nowadays, but the old school, simple classic songs from the original cartoon features. If I close my eyes while listening to her stuff, I can picture the animated woodland creatures peeking out from behind the trees. And she almost looks like a dewey-eyed Disney ingenue. Of course, I mean this all in the most flattering sense.

So quite a good show of different but wholly complimentary singer-songwriters last night. I think I would have preferred a longer set from A Girl Called Eddy (and a drummer), but I won’t complain – I feel quite lucky to have gotten to see both these artists on the same bill. Here are some pics from right up front. It’s a shame the microphone was right in front of Keren Ann’s face, I had no angle on that whatsoever. And for the record, I was not the dude with the camera flashes that pissed off the keyboardist.

If you haven’t gotten your fill of smoky female vocals, head down to Lee’s Palace on April 10 to catch Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter. They were pretty good last time through at the Rivoli, so this could be one to see, though I wonder if they’re playing with someone else? Their free show at the Rivoli in September wasn’t really packed, so moving to a venue three-and-a-half times the size might be a little ambitious?

And speaking of the Rivoli, M Doughty will be there on May 10. The bastard never emailed me back about a guitar he was selling.

Splendid talks to Jens Lekman about his first North American tour which will bring him to town to play Wavelength next Sunday and a Soundscapes in-store that afternoon at 4.

Maybe they should have called it Moving Target… New Order’s Waiting For The Siren’s Call has had it’s North American release pushed back a couple weeks to April 26… which I think is where it was originally scheduled. Make up your minds, people. But! It will contain an exclusive mix of “Guilt Is A Useless Emotion”. If that matters to you.

And also on the calendar, albeit a long ways off, the new Idlewild album, Warnings/Promises, appears to have been given an August 16 North American release. If you can’t wait, you can get the UK edition from CDWow for 8.75 GBP, postpaid. Me, I can probably wait. Who knows – maybe the domestic edition will have an exclusive mix! I guess that means no North American tour till probably the Fall…

I am going to have some soup.

np – Ivy / In The Clear