The much-anticipated Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers North American tour kicks of tomorrow night right here in Toronto (doors 7:30, TNP @ 8:30, B&S @ 10:00, if you were wondering), and the local weeklies are doing their part to build some excitement, not that anyone really needs the help. NOW talked to Sarah Martin about how they ended up working with producer Tony Hoffer on The Life Pursuit and how “Dressed Up In You” isn’t necessarily about Isobel Campbell, but isn’t necessarily not while eye gets a brief moment with guitarist Bob Kildea. For The Records directs us to this piece in Time’s European edition that discusses the new album with Stuart Murdoch as well as this Montreal Mirror chat with Martin.

The Put The Book Back On The Shelf comic anthology finally came out this week – it’s a nice little package but I wasn’t especially blown away by any of the works. Some were overly literal, some overly interpretive, but the ones that used the lyrics as a jumping-off point to tell a new story rather than just illustrate them were the more interesting, if not always successful. Matador has provided a bunch of Life Pursuit-related downloads like screen savers and wallpapers, for those of you inclined to dress up your computers, and is also running a contest that will give the best karaoke version (audio or video) of “Dressed Up In You” flight, hotel and tickets to the March 25 show in Seattle, as well as the opportunity to get onstage and sing with the band. They’ve even provided an instrumental version of the song to help you along. The contest closes on March 1, so think carefully before entering (you may win) and get cracking. Oh, and Filter has also got a new MP3 from the album for those who haven’t gotten it yet. “Another Sunny Day” is as buoyant as the title suggests.

MP3: Belle & Sebastian – “Another Sunny Day”
MP3: Belle & Sebastian – “Dressed Up In You” (instrumental)

Ms Isobel Campbell is getting a fair bit of press of her own, and it’s finally based more on her work than her status as former Belle & Sebastian cellist. Her album with Mark Lanegan, Ballad Of The Broken Seas, just came out and she’s in town for a CMW-branded show at Revival next Saturday, March 4. She tells NOW that if it sounds like her and Lanegan weren’t in the same room at the same time singing their parts, it’s because they weren’t. The Toronto Star offers up quite possibly the worst-titled article ever and The Sunday Herald has a piece on the truly odd pairing of Lanegan and Campbell.

I’ve been listening to the album a bit, and I think that when you get past the fact that you’re listening to the guy from The Screaming Trees and the girl from Belle & Sebastian (well, formerly in both cases), you’ll find it’s really an interesting record. Campbell has said she wanted to create a record that was timeless, and it definitely sounds out of time. I had sort of stopped paying attention to Campbell’s solo jags after the second Gentle Waves record, but she could well turn out to eventually be more than a B&S sidebar… though she tells Gigwise that she’d still be willing to play cello for them. Maybe.

And while I’m cribbing stuff from NOW, here’s a list of what Emily Haines of Metric is listening to right now. She also tells The London Free Press that the band’s Juno nomination isn’t exactly validating and The National Post that CFNY no longer hates them. And Hour.ca has a chit-chat with both Haines and Jimmy Shaw. It was just brought to my attention that Haines’ Cut In Half And Also Double solo album from years and years ago, which I found a copy of a couple years ago, is going for crazy money on eBay. I may well put my children through college with this CD. Metric plays two sold-out shows at the Kool Haus tonight and tomorrow.

The (almost) whole of Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins’ Rabbit Fur Coat is now available to download free and legal from Team Love (her label). Her website has also been on the ball with press roundups, collecting scans of pieces in Elle, Uncut, The LA Times, New York Times and Time. Lewis and Twins are at the Opera House in Toronto on March 16 with Jonathan Rice and Whispertown 2000. Don’t have tickets yet but want to go (but not pay)? Keep checking back here – I’ll be in Austin that week, but I may be able to hook you up…

Try as I might, I cannot get any of my torrents for this past week’s 24 to complete. They can’t find any seeders and top out at around 98%. ANNOYING.

np – Elliott Smith / From A Basement On The Hill