As strange as it may sound, I can’t help but feel some pity for the executives at Columbia Music. After all – when they dropped wunderkind Nellie McKay at the end of last year following a very public and snippy tiff over the release of her second album Pretty Little Head (they wanted it a 16-track single disc, she insisted on a 23-track double-disc), it looked to be another case of majors trying to stifle a creative soul who would have no part of it.

But now that Pretty Little Head is out, independently on McKay’s own label and as the artist originally intended, it’s actually pretty easy to see Columbia’s POV. Besides the fact that the two discs clock in at under 65 minutes and could easily have fit on one, more than a few of the songs could easily be labeled throwaways or indulgences (or just outright bad) and if excised, would have made the record an easier and theoretically more sellable listen, though whether Nellie McKay’s idiosyncratic jazz-cabaret-pop could ever really be considered sellable on major label terms is debatable. Some have theorized that the blow-up over the record actually served both parties well – Columbia got rid of an artist whose payoff/headache ratio likely wasn’t nearly as favourable as they hoped and McKay got the full creative control over her work she so obviously demands. Sure, it stalled the release of the record by over a year but it’s here now – so let’s examine.

Firstly, I don’t know about others, but it can take me a few listens to get into a Nellie-appropriate headspace as she’s generally several degrees removed from my usual listening fare, but once there it’s generally quite an enjoyable visit. The sound is very much in the vein of Get Away From Me, though broader and more ambitious with more instrumentation and denser production and though you’d expect. The wit, precociousness and smart-aleckery are still very much intact, though – you’d expect that for an artist as young as she is (how old is she claiming to be these days?), there’d have been some significant and detectable maturation between albums one and two but not so much here – so either she was preternaturally mature on the first record or a little arrested on this one. But considering that two of the strongest songs on the record(s) are the ones that lean on veterans Cyndi Lauper and kd lang (“Beecharmer” and “we had it right”, respectively), it shows that as talented as McKay is, there’s still much she can learn.

But watching and listening to the process is quite gratifying, even if it means having to sit through (or skip past) ill-advised rap-dramas like “Mama & Me”. So while I can empathize with Columbia’s position on the now-ancient history kerfuffle, I remain steadfastly on Team Nellie. And as critics go, I’m not alone. It’s unclear what sort of touring or promotion will be undertaken for this record (this is when you miss the major label pockets, I guess) but my understanding is that even when she hits the road, she’ll be pulling a Mozzer and giving Canada a pass as means of protest over the seal hunts in Newfoundland. Because obviously that’s something that her fans in Toronto have a whole lot of control over. Thanks a lot.

MP3: Nellie McKay – “There You Are In Me”
Video: Real Life
MySpace: Nellie McKay

Maybe making a post about hardcore vegan McKay on a day when millions of her countrymen will be devouring turkeys isn’t the most appropriate, but whatever.

Futurehead Barry Hyde talks to Pitchfork about their newfound label-less status.

I got passed a copy of the debut, self-titled album from London’s The Early Years this week and while I don’t want to get into it too much just yet, I’ll just say that if a mix of Velvet Underground, Stereolab, Six By Seven, Spiritualized and early Verve sound up your alley, you should check this out. The album isn’t out stateside till late next January but in the meantime, you can sample some of their brew below including an exclusive MP3. I’ll surely be talking more about them come next year.

MP3: The Early Years – “All Ones And Zeros”
Video: The Early Years – “All Ones And Zeros” (YouTube)
Video: The Early Years – “So Far Gone” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Early Years

The Toronto Star talks to Montreal’s Malajube, in town at Lee’s Palace Saturday night to get all Francophone on your asses.

Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady tells The Independent Weekly he wishes when people talked about his band, there’d be less Springsteen, more Zeppelin.

np – Cat Power / The Greatest

Remember last month when I opened myself up to scorn and ridicule by fretting about how I should file the new EP and album from Dean & Britta (as in Wareham and Phillips and alphabetically filed under “D”), considering their last release came out credited to Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham (alphabetically filed under “P”)?

Well as it turns out, I’m not the only one losing sleep over it – Dean told Pitchfork that it was actually a conscious choice to change the band name and that henceforth, Dean & Britta it shall be. So I wasn’t crazy, it actually a thing. Sort of. Oh, and they talk about other stuff in the Pitchfork piece, like making the new record, what the rest of Luna are up to and what it would take to get a Galaxie 500 reunion to happen (cash, lots of cash).

Anyways, the recently-released EP Words You Used To Say has been happily spinning in my CD player for the last while and if it’s a sample of what to expect from the full-length Back Numbers next year, expect more lush and laid-back (though apparently string-less) strummy pop covers and originals in the vein of 2003’s L’Avventura. You can hear the title track from the EP on their MySpace and 30-second clips from all the songs on the album at Zoe Records, who will be releasing it on February 27 – a full month later than originally reported.

The Dears (who, incidentally, are filed right beside Dean & Britta in my CD racks) tell The Winnipeg Sun they’re really very happy. Really.

Also uncharacteristically happy these days – Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, who tells Pitchfork why. Though the accompanying photo is kind of creeping me out.

And how can we forget the poster girl for “feeling much better now”, miss Cat Power? She tells McGill Daily, “I never realized that [audiences] liked me before. I was so filled with self-hatred; I never realized that people were coming to see me play. I never knew that before. These people stuck with me”. Toronto will show Chan some love when she plays the Phoenix tonight. And her show from Washington DC this past Monday night is now streaming at NPR.

The first single from the new Shins record is now available to download from SubPop. Wincing The Night Away is out January 23.

MP3: The Shins – “Phantom Limb”

Billboard finds out what’s happening in Bob Mould land – a new album slated for a June release and a live DVD from the Body Of Song tour.

What’s that, you say, you got a hankering for some hot vibraphone action? Well have I got a contest for you – courtesy of the good people at Boompa, who continue to suffer from excess turbidity, I have prize goodness from Toronto’s own vibraphone orchestra – The Hylozoists – to give away.

They’re playing a show on December 1 at the lovely (or so I’m told, I’ve never been) Music Gallery and I have a pair of passes to give away, along with a copy of their lovely album La Fin Du Monde. And in addition, I have two additional copies of the CD to give away to contest runners-up.

To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see The Hylozoists” in the subject line and your full name in the body. And if you’re not able to make the show you can still try to win one of the CDs – just tell me so in the email. This contest will close at midnight, November 26.

MP3: The Hylozoists – “Straight Is The Gate”
MySpace: The Hylozoists

So guess where I spent my Saturday night? That’s right, where all the cool kids hang out – the public library. No, I wasn’t microfiche cruising (everyone knows that Thursday is microfiche night), but was instead at one of the shows celebrating the library’s new Local Music Collection, a commendable move on the library system’s part to load up on CDs from all sorts of independent Toronto bands (with some assistance from the good folks at Soundscapes).

This was the second of two shows held at Toronto libraries, the first being a Blocks-loaded event at the North York Central Library earlier this month. The downtown lineup was considerably more laid back though on account of nursing a cold I only stuck around for Great Lake Swimmers, Elliott Brood and Lal – The Old Soul could very well have blown the roof off the Reference Library, I’ve no idea.

But what I did see was mostly very good. Well, Lal didn’t do much for me with their rather dated-sounding, world music trip-hop and hit-you-over-the-head, socially conscious lyrics. But it was nice to see laptop-jockey Nicholas Murray using a library book cart for his workstation. Elliott Brood was definitely more up my alley as they (not a he) tore things up with their rollicking, banjo-plucking, self-proclaimed “death country”. With a set liberally dosed with library humour (there is such a thing), they impressed and got me to reserve one of their CDs through the library. They’ll also be at Lee’s Palace on December 15. Probably not so much with the library humour at that show. It’s all about context.

I was glad that the set order didn’t correspond with what was listed in the advertising because it was Great Lake Swimmers that I most wanted to see and I don’t know that I’d have made it through a couple more acts to get to them. Since I finally got around to properly discovering the songs of Tony Dekker a few months ago, I’ve really been won over by both his songwriting and performances. Dekker’s voice is so understated but enveloping, it really is always a treat to see and hear him live, especially in an unconventional yet wholly fitting venue like the atrium of a closed, five-storey library. Marvelous. The library should do stuff like this more often.

The Toronto Star talked to people from both the bands and library at the North York show to find out how the new collection came together.

Photos: Great Lake Swimmers, Elliott Brood, Lal @ The Toronto Reference Library – November 18, 2006
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “Various Stages”
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “Bodies And Minds”
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “Moving Pictures, Silent Films”
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers – “I Will Never See The Sun”
MP3: Elliott Brood – “The Bridge”
MP3: Elliott Brood – “President 35”
MP3: Lal – “Shallow Water”
Video: Great Lake Swimmers – “To Leave It Behind” (YouTube)
Video: Elliott Brood – “The Bridge” (YouTube)
Video: Elliott Brood – “Second Son” (YouTube)
MySpace: Great Lake Swimmers
MySpace: Elliott Brood
MySpace: Lal

Dekker also contributed to the new Barzin record My Life In Rooms, from which a new video has just been released. I talked a bit about Barzin a few weeks ago.

Video: Barzin – “Leaving Time” (YouTube)

Pitchfork has a sit-down with Joanna Newsom about her new album Ys. Curiously, the one question they neglect to ask was, “hey – remember that time we leaked your new record to the internet three months before the release date? Wasn’t that great?” Unsurprisingly, Ys is ruling Metacritic something fierce right now.

John Stirratt gives Billboard an update in all things Wilco (new album almost done, looking at late Spring release), The Autumn Defense (new album January 9, touring to follow) and procreation (new baby fully gestated, due today). And head over to RBally who is posting a recent Jeff Tweedy solo set over the course of this week.

Pernice Brothers recently stopped by the WOXY Lounge and their set is now available to download.

Explosions In The Sky’s new record All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone isn’t out for another three months but one of the songs is already available to download – check it out. And no, that’s not a typo – the file is an MP4.

MP4: Explosions In The Sky – “Welcome, Ghosts”

Reax talks to Craig Finn about The Hold Steady as musical comfort food.

Guster will be in town at the Phoenix on February 26.

More contests! This one is for Vancouver power popsters The Yoko Casionos, whose debut album These Are The New Old Times I reviewed last month. Then I called it “loud, brash and hooky with the right balance of sweet and snotty” and I’m willing to wager it’s still true. Wanna find out?

Courtesy of Boompa, I’ve got a grand prize to give away of a copy of These Are The New Old Times and a pair of passes to their November 30 show at the Kool Haus in support of some band you might have heard of called Sloan. Two runner-up winners will win copies of the CD.

To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see the Yoko Casionos” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Also tell me if you are not able to attend the show and only want to win one of the CDs, that’s cool too. This contest will close at midnight, November 23.

MP3: The Yoko Casionos – “Loose Cannon”
MP3: The Yoko Casionos – “Cameras On”
MySpace: The Yoko Casionos