Didn’t I tell you that Sunday night’s show with Howe Gelb and the ‘Sno Angel Project would be something special? You’re damn right I did. And I was right.

The third of three Canadian shows with Ottawa’s Voices Of Praise gospel choir with whom he collaborated on the ‘Sno Angel Like You album, there was a very laid back electricity in the club – like everyone knew it was going to be a great show, but there was no need to get all worked up about it beforehand. It’d come. And so it did when Gelb, his four-piece band (three Ottawans and one Torontonian) and the eight-piece choir ambled onstage and began performing.

As good as the material on ‘Sno Angel is, it was evident that the extra time spent between Gelb and the choir touring and playing since the album was recorded has paid off huge. The songs maintain their low-key, wise and weary resonance but the choir sounds richer and more powerful behind them, lifting them up without overwhelming. Particularly moving were the songs of Rainer Ptacek – they sounded marvelous and the obvious love Gelb had for his late Giant Sand collaborator, essentially dedicating the show to his memory, made them that much more poignant.

I kind of regret having used up all my good Gelb descriptors in my review of Giant Sand’s show at Pop Montreal in October. Allow me to reuse the “visiting, vagabond uncle with a twinkle in his eye” line again, as it was just as apt on this night as it was on that one. The biggest difference was that he seemed much more focused, which only makes sense as you can’t really meander when you’ve got a dozen other people onstage playing with you. Wry, warm and a wholly entertaining storyteller, Gelb mentioned that this – meaning the ‘Sno Angel project – was the best time he’s ever had and even as long and storied as his musical career has been, I totally believed him. Likewise, the Voices Of Praise seemed to be having an outstanding time, dancing, smiling and sounding simply marvelous and uplifting, their energy contagious. Though Gelb is confessedly non-religious, there was no denying the deep spirituality being manifested musically by those onstage.

They closed off the encore in charming fashion as well – wanting to dust off an old Giant Sand Christmas song for the season but not remembering the words, they played it karaoke style with the track coming over the PA and Gelb lip synching along and attempting to sing where possible. Goofy but utterly endearing. I know this wasn’t my last gig of the year, but if it was? What a perfect way to finish up.

Radio Free Canuckistan has posted the complete transcript of the interview with Gelb that yielded last week’s eye feature as well as a 2003 interview dug out of the archives. And Zoilus has a review of the show in yesterday’s Globe & Mail.

Photos: Howe Gelb & The ‘Sno Angel Project @ Lee’s Palace – December 17, 2006
Stream: Howe Gelb / ‘Sno Angel Like You
MySpace: Howe Gelb

Aimee Mann’s special holiday session for WOXY is now available to stream. She also talks to The Washington Times about her career choices and her Christmas album One More Drifter In The Snow.

And in happy news, I’ve been granted a photo pass for SxSW 2007 which, as the long time reader will recall, has been a holy grail of sorts for me for years now. And as much as fun as it’s been to smuggle the ol’ SLR and be able to say, “why yes – that IS a Canon in my pants”, this will be better.

np – Spacemen 3 / The Perfect Prescription

Who knew that Elliott Brood had such a huge and rabid fanbase? Not me, and yet Lee’s was packed to the gills on Friday night with rowdy punters keen to take in a little of the Toronto trio’s “death country” stylings. I was there more to see middle act The Acorn but having seen and heard the headliners for the first time last month at the Toronto Reference Library show and gotten a copy of their latest album Ambassador (from the library, natch), I was pretty happy to check out the whole lineup.

Openers Sunparlour Players drink deeply from the same well as Elliott Brood, hearkening back to another musical era, one of stomping, hollering and managing to sound downright fearsome whilst seated. Ranging from raw country to gutbucket blues, there was little chance that the duo wouldn’t win over the Brood crowd with selections from their new album Hymns For The Happy and damn if that’s not just what they did with their barnburner of a set. They play the Tranzac tomorrow night, if you’re curious.

With the musical synchronicity between the first and last acts, Ottawa’s Acorn seemed to be the odd band out with their earnest and emotive pop. I wasn’t the only one to think so, either, as some of the audience around me seemed less than interested in what the outfit had to offer. Their loss, though, as The Acorn put on a wonderful set drawn from their Blankets! and Tin Fist EPs – not the most technically polished performance, but definitely enthusiastic and enjoyable. And I daresay that even the grumblers in the audience were, if not converted by sets end, at least more polite about it. For my part, I was just happy they didn’t go with the photographically awful if seasonally correct Christmas lights-only stage illumination like they did at Pop Montreal.

Elliott Brood’s brand of country isn’t so much geographically prescribed as chronologically. To be specific, they sound – to me, anyways – like 1800s America, post-Civil War. Of course, I may just be saying this because I’ve been watching Deadwood. A little grim and dark humoured but raucous and rollicking, the Brood’s bluegrass-punk got the joint rocking like a roadhouse near last call, a live experience that certainly didn’t come across in the subdued environs of the Reference Library. With his gravel-gargling voice and downright sinister banjo, Mark Sasso sounds like Hell’s own square dance caller. On record they’ve also got a gentler side, but whenever the band tried to slow things down, it was obvious that the crowd wanted to party so they obliged, set dynamics be damned. I had to bail before the show was over in order to catch the last subway home, but I’ve no doubt that they kept it going well into the night.

Photos: Elliott Brood, The Acorn, Sunparlour Players @ Lee’s Palace – December 15, 2006
MP3: The Acorn – “Blankets”
MP3: The Acorn – “Plates & Saucers”
MP3: Sunparlour Players – “Talk It To Death”
MP3: Sunparlour Players – “Shake & Bake For Goodness-Sake”
Video: Elliott Brood – “The Bridge” (YouTube)
Video: Elliott Brood – “Second Son” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Acorn
MySpace: Elliott Brood

Chart has posted an interview with The Futureheads that was almost certainly conducted this past Summer, before the band was dropped by their UK label.

The Guardian contemplates about the Swedish indie invasion in the UK. The piece is a few months old but interesting reading.

Apparently taken with the idea of original lineup reunions, Lou Barlow is reassembling the charter members of Sebadoh – himself, Jason Lowenstien and Eric Gaffney – and heading out on tour. They hit Lee’s Palace in Toronto on March 23 and have made all sorts of bootlegs available to whet your appetite. And Chart has the tracklisting for the forthcoming Dinosaur Jr DVD Live From The Middle East, due out May 8.

PopMatters talks to Spoon’s Britt Daniel about his foray into the world of cinematic scores with Stranger Than Fiction.

Daytrotter has posted the fruits of a Mates Of State session for you to share and enjoy. In that order.

Got some time? Try this year’s XFM album cover quiz. Harder than it looks… or maybe exactly as hard as it looks. But hard, either way.

I used to be a big fan of the year-end list. Way back in the days before the internet, there was print media and as such, you were only really exposed to as many lists as you had money to buy magazines. I would devour these lists, count off the number of records accounted for that I owned (I usually batted a consistent .300, no matter what year it was) and made lists of stuff to add to my shopping list. All very simple and innocent.

And while more choice is always a good thing, there’s something very numbing about being told that Return To Cookie Mountain is a good album 4000 times over. And as I scan this year’s lists, be they from blog, magazine or wherever, I find very few records that I’ve never heard or heard of. Most I’ve already formed some opinion on at some point in the past year and while minds can be changed, there’s no longer the thrill of discovery, of reading a synopsis or review that jumps out and says, “you must hear this!” – just the dull satisfaction of having an opinion reinforced. This does nothing to help the musically jaded. This isn’t to say that the records that are being celebrated ad nauseum aren’t worthy – far from it – but after a while it just turns into white noise.

But I also recall that back in the day, Spin had a list after their top 40 or however many titled, “The Top 10 Albums You Didn’t Hear”, wherein they picked out records that flew completely under the alternative radar but deserved recognition. In particular, I remember their top such pick in 1996, one If You’re Feeling Sinister that had me hunting high and low for a copy for months if not years (finally purchased at import prices in Fall of 1998 and worth the wait and cost). And since then, it’s been those diamonds in the rough, those unexpected surprises, that I’ve most enjoyed at this time of year. And so it’s lists of new and underrated discoveries like those in The AV Club and AllMusic that I enjoy reading most – I hardly even bother with the regular lists anymore.

So for my part, here’s a few records that I felt deserved more ink than they got in 2006, either from me or from anyone, for whatever reason. Poor publicity, poor timing or poor distribution but certainly not poor music. Do check em out.

Howling Bells / Howling Bells (Bella Union) It’s a crime that no one in North America saw fit to distribute the debut album from these Aussies formerly known as Waikiki. A perfect blend of pop, rock, blues and country and fronted by the seductive twang and ridiculously good looks of Juanita Stein, Howling Bells should have been easier to sell than ninja stars to ninjas. And yet no one did. Mercifully, those across both oceans had enough sense to make them decent rookie successes in both the UK and Australia, so if there’s any justice their conquering the New World is only slightly delayed. MP3: Howling Bells – “Blessed Night” Stream: Howling Bells – “The Bell Hit” (WMA) Video: Howling Bells – “Broken Bones” (YouTube) Video: Howling Bells – “Setting Sun” (YouTube) Video: Howling Bells – “Blessed Night” (YouTube) MySpace: Howling Bells

Trespassers William / Having (Nettwerk) For the record, I loved – LOVED – Trespassers William’s second album Different Stars so the follow-up had some big shoes to fill. And while the new record delivered more of the same beautifully hazy and mournful dream pop, it wasn’t Different Stars so I didn’t take to it fully for a while. Now, however, I am now fully outraged that their atmospheric folk-gaze is not getting love and respect from anyone and everyone. Anna-Lynne Williams’ voice is pure, undiluted sadness and Dave Fridmann’s mix gives the band a thundering fragility that suits it so well. A downcast gem. And extra fondness points are awarded as they were the first interview I ever conducted, for the University of Toronto’s Varsity. MP3: Trespassers William – “Safe Sound” MySpace: Trespassers William

The Radio Dept / Pet Grief (Labrador) I know that back in May I declared The Radio Dept’s Pet Grief a disappointment, but since then I’ve gotten past much of the hard feelings over their turning from a “Belle & Sebastian meets JAMC” into a maudlin Pet Shop Boys. There’s still much to appreciate in their glacial popcraft, and even if no one else was celebrating that, I at least wish there’d been more people bemoaning this new record out of love for their debut Lesser Matters. Instead, it seems no one cared either way and that’s just unfortunate. The band also released a new song as a digital single called “We Made The Team” and are heading to Peru (!) next year to record album number 3. MP3: The Radio Dept – “The Worst Taste In Music” Video: The Radio Dept – “The Worst Taste In Music” (YouTube) MySpace: The Radio Dept

Loose Fur / Born Again In The USA (Drag City) Certainly the highest profile of these records, Born Again In The USA still seemed to come and go without making a ripple. Sure, a complete lack of touring and almost no press certainly didn’t help, but you’d think a Wilco side-project like this would have gotten a little more attention. I myself only got it out of a sense of Tweedy-completist obligation, having been none too overwhelmed with the first scattershot album, but was more than a little surprised at how much more cohesive, fun and all-out rocking the follow-up was. If, like the first record, it acts as a signpost for what to expect from the next Wilco record is going, well I for one am liking it. And even if you have no idea or interest in what the members of the band do for their day jobs, there’s still a lot here to recommend it and that’s saying something. Video: Loose Fur – “Hey Chicken” MySpace: Loose Fur

So that’s mine. What are some of your favourite albums of this year that are getting no love from the year-end listmakers? I saw some interesting left-field choices in the readers poll submissions, so I know they’re out there. Speak up or forever be buried under the Cookie Mountain avalanche. And if you find any more hidden gem lists, the ones that sidestep the usual suspects – and not in a contrarian, “those albums suck, THESE are the best of the year” way – please let me know.

What with the holiday season, December is usually a wasteland for live music, and the last week of the month even moreso. Which is unfortunate because for many that stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is either off from work or majorly slack, at the very least (unless you work retail in which case you have my deepest sympathies).

But this year the Drake Underground has seen fit to remedy this with what they’re calling “What’s In The Box”, a solid working week’s worth of live shows. Five bands, every night from the 26th through the 30th and for only $5 cover. Well, at least the stuff I recognize. Can’t vouch for the rest, but the page linked above has links to everyone’s MySpaces so you can investigate for yourself. I’ve got three of the five shows penciled in my calendar and that could easily grow.

Anyway, the lineups are as follows:

December 26, 2006:
Pawa Up First
Liz Powell of Land Of Talk (solo)
Woodhands
We Are The Take
Foxfire Forest

December 27, 2006:
Sunriser
inUniform
Foxes
Stonefox
Ken Reaume

December 28, 2006:
The Russian Futurists
Vitaminsforyou
The Ghost Is Dancing
Fjord Rowboat
Now YR Taken.

December 29, 2006:
Mahogany
Off The International Radar
Detective Kalita
Hexes And Ohs
Sandro Perri

December 30, 2006:
The Coast
Barons & Lengthy
The Rural Alberta Advantage
Graham Wright of Tokyo Police Club
Noyan Hilmi of Five Blank Pages

While the solidity of the lineups is without question, pay particular attention to the 29th when Mahogany will be in town. They’re an exciting young outfit out of Brooklyn that mashes together atmospheric dreampop tendencies with straight-up electro-dance rhythms with a chaser of classic Spector pop for good measure. Marathonpacks has some nice commentary on the first single from their new album Connectivity!, “Supervitesse”, which they’re quite proud of having been produced by Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie. The album has also gotten a modest Pitchfork seal of approval, for what that’s worth. Check them out, both below and on the 29th.

MP3: Mahogany – “My Bed is My Castle”
MP3: Mahogany – “Supervitesse”
MP3: Mahogany – “Springtime, Save Our Country”
Video: Mahogany – “Supervitesse” (YouTube)
Video: Mahogany – “One Plus One Equals Three Or More” (YouTube)
MySpace: Mahogany

Chart talks to Liz Powell of Land Of Talk, who’s playing a solo set on Boxing Day, the first of the five nights.

The New York Sun eulogizes the soon-to-be-departed Rainer Maria, playing their final shows this weekend in NYC. Via Largehearted Boy.

Emily Haines tells Billboard how her solo work has affected the writing of the new Metric record, namely in mellowing out. And don’t forget I’m giving away a pair of passes to Haines’ Toronto show at the Danforth on January 6 – go here to enter.

The Boston Globe welcomes back native son Evan Dando and his Lemonheads.