Beth Orton will release her fourth album Comfort Of Strangers on Tuesday, and after the rather universal (at least in my universe) indifference to her last studio album, Daybreaker, I’m only mildly curious at best. On paper, it helps that Jim O’Rourke produced the record and as this four-star NOW review correctly points out, Orton has usually only been as good as her collaborators (William Orbit and Terry Callier yes, Ryan Adams no). I will be watching the upcoming reviews to see if there’s any sort of concensus that Beth has got her game back. Exclaim! asks the alt.folkie about her run-in with a naked Keifer Sutherland and Harp finds out why she’s feeling so dang happy these days. And Carl Wilson has a review in today’s Globe & Mail.

I haven’t found any official MP3s to preview, but that doesn’t mean there’s not media out there to audition. There is this KEXP radio session from last month and Prefix has her recent appearance on Late Night With David Letterman available to check out. There’s also this puppet-powered video for the first single, “Concieved” – the song is alright but maybe a little jaunty for what I like to hear from Beth. Is it awful to say I prefer to hear her sing sad songs? Anyway, she’s in town for a show at the Carlu on April 6.

ASX: Beth Orton – “Concieved”

It’s a family thang as Dallas Good gives eye a field guide to the guest stars we can expect to see at Lee’s Palace tonight and tomorrow helping The Sadies record their first live album, brother Travis talks to The Toronto Star how the idea to record a live album came about and Papa Bruce tells NOW what he’s been listening to lately.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian talks to Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett about their extra-Rilo Kiley-cirricular activities. Paste has also run a piece on The Elected to go along with their Jenny Lewis piece from a couple weeks back.

Howling Bells have posted the video for “Low Happening” on their website. It’s dark! Not in tone, but in lighting.

Stars’ Torq Campbell tells The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that Saskatoon is a fantastic place to play. Really. Stars are playing The Docks in Toronto on March 1 with Magnet, who is featured in Filter’s MySpace Booth this week, as part of the Indie Awards.

Simultaneously the most incongruous, yet completely logical bill in recent memory – Franz Ferdiand and Death Cab For Cutie – are going on tour together and will stop at The Docks in Toronto on April 17.

Sweden’s Love Is All will be at Lee’s Palace on March 21 to try and prove themselves worthy of the Pitchfork love. Their website is useless, so hit up their MySpace page for info. And by the by, speaking of PF faves, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s April 8 show has been moved from Lee’s Palace to The Opera House, though the extra 300 or so tickets that freed up are apparently all gone already?

The Guardian declares digital downloads a rip-off, aurally speaking. Via Largehearted Boy.

np – Six By Seven / Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves