…en route to Prague.

Did you know…

…The word “robot” comes from the Czech language (robota = “work”, “hard work” in some dialects) and was first introduced in Karel Capek’s science-fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots).

…The soft contact lens was invented in Czechoslovakia by professor Otto Wichterle in 1961.

…The Czech Republic is one of the countries with the highest density of castles in the world.

…Czech astronomers have named an asteroid “Dominik” after Dominik Hasek to thank the goalie for his contribution in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

…The Czechs are the #1 beer drinking nation in the world, consuming the most beer per capita in the world (160 liters or 43 gallons). They have been drinking beer since at least 900 A.D.

…The Academy Award winning film director Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hair, Ragtime, Valmont, Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon) was born in Czechoslovakia and emigrated to the USA in 1968.

(via)

I am also wishing Mike and Rhonda a happy wedding day. Congratulations from Prague!

I did not have a good Tuesday. Already stressed from having twice as many days worth of things to do before I left on vacation than I had days to do them, it was one of those days at work – not one those days, one of THOSE days. Sufficed to say, by the time I got home I had half a mind to just go down to Massey Hall, sell my Arcade Fire ticket to the first scalper I saw who didn’t look to have any communicable diseases and just go back home, watch the now-canceled Veronica Mars and go to sleep. I mean, I didn’t even like Neon Bible all that much and my seat was kind of crap. But, of course, I didn’t do any of that because it would have been overdramatic and silly. But it should give you some idea of my spirits going into the show.

I’d give Plague Park, the debut from openers Handsome Furs a quick listen earlier in the day and was reminded that Dan Boeckner was the vocalist in Wolf Parade that I didn’t mind so much. And despite not having much affection for his main band (though I mean to give them another shot), I rather enjoyed the Handsome Furs stuff, both on record and live – though dressed up in some rather raw synth/blues clothing, there were some classic rock songs underneath that reminded me, though the reference point is way overused these days, of Springsteen. And while this is the part where I’d usually say that the two-piece (guitar and keys) band configuration is unnecessarily limiting, for Handsome Furs I think it actually works just right. Nice stuff.

The Arcade Fire stage setup was an interesting one, with a number of circular screens set up around the back perimeter of the stage, vertical neon lights around the front and a mountain of amps, organs, drums and equipment in the middle of it all. When the lights dimmed at around 8:40 (early shows!), a short film of what looked to be a televangelist-type rambling on was shown on the screens until the band took the stage and opening with a massive church organ swell, it was “Black Mirror” and we were off. Arcade Fire have always been a wholly impressive live band – I’ll wager many of their fans were converted at a show as opposed to by the album – but watching them on the legendary Massey Hall stage, they seemed far more assured than I’d ever seen before. In the past, it seemed like they were attempting to harness an energy that was always within their grasp but also had them at its mercy – this time, they were in full command and were electrifying from start to finish.

Some may yearn for the days when the band played loft parties and tiny clubs, but seeing them in a hall as massive and packed as Massey was an experience that I wouldn’t give up for any of those (except maybe bragging rights). Arcade Fire aren’t about intimacy, they’re about grandiosity. Maybe that’s why their records leave me a little cold, they just can’t contain everything the band is trying to convey. In fact, a live Arcade Fire show is probably more like musical theatre than a typical concert in terms of spectacle, even though the band doesn’t really do anything overtly actorly in the course of the show. But the stage dressings for the current show – the fisheye cameras placed around the stage and projected onto the screens, the projections onto the stage curtains, all certainly felt very theatrical.

It’s probably a bit hackneyed to say, but if I were a religious person this was a day that would have driven me to find some solace in church. And while much of Arcade Fire’s themes are overtly religious (the did dedicate “(Antichrist Television Blues)” to the late Jerry Fallwell), that’s not what made the show feel so spiritually vibrant – it was the sense of celebration and musical communion between the band and the congregation, 2700 strong, the fact that Massey Hall was, for an hour and a half changed from a concert hall into a cathedral. Maybe a bit effusive but I can say that while I didn’t find God in the Arcade Fire nor did I become any bigger a fan of the band than I was before, on that night, after that day, this show was exactly what I needed.

Naturally the local media was also in attendance – the show got thumbs up from The Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, Torontoist and Chart while The Globe & Mail was rather less impressed. eye was in attendance for the Wednesday night show and Michael Barclay has posted the source interviews for this AOL piece from January in three parts at Radio Free Canuckistan.

Photos: Arcade Fire, Handsome Furs @ Massey Hall – May 15, 2007
MP3: Arcade Fire – “Black Mirror”
MP3: Handsome Furs – “What We Had”
Video: Handsome Furs – “Dumb Animals” (MOV)
MySpace: Arcade Fire

The Village Voice talks to Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National and MusicOmh to Berninger alone.

The AV Club has now posted that promised interview with Jeff Tweedy.

Filter gets to know Band Of Horses.

Salt Lake City Weekly chats with Craig and Tad of The Hold Steady.

Sad news from Land Of Talk – in an interview with Gen Art Pulse, Liz Powell revealed that drummer Bucky Wheaton had left the band and was being replaced by a friend by name of Eric (no surname given). While I’m obviously disappointed to see the wicked chemistry of the band disrupted, I assume Wheaton will still appear on the majority of the forthcoming full-length album. Help welcome Eric to the band when they play the Horseshoe on May 28 opening for The Rosebuds.

Pitchfork has release details for the solo debut of former Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman under the name of Taken By Trees. Open Field will be out June 18 worldwide except for the US, which will have a release date announced eventually.

…And that’s everything. That’s all I’ve got before departing this godforsaken continent. I’ve queued up some little daily blips while I’m away so you don’t get too lonesome, but I’ll be back properly and (hopefully) refreshed in some way first weekend of June. Thanks, and see you later.

What was supposed to be a nice bonus show Monday night from Fields, who had just played here on Friday opening for Blonde Redhead, ended up turning into a bit of an ordeal though with a happy ending. First, for reasons unknown, the show was moved from the Amp’d Mobile Studio where it was originally scheduled to the Drake Underground where the band was shoehorned into an Elvis Mondays showcase. Then it turned out keyboardist/vocalist Thorunn Antonia had come down with food poisoning and was very iffy to be able to perform. Great.

Needless to say, the evening was running a bit behind schedule so I arrived in time to catch the act preceding Fields, and it was… interesting to say the least. Fronted by what looked like the bastard offspring of Brandon Flowers and Freddie Mercury, they were all classic rock riffs and new wave synths, studded wristbands, dubious moustache and cheese-rock poses. Initially I was aghast, but when I began to pick up snippets of lyrics – “there is Autobots on the autobahn” and “boobies – I like them very very much” – that I realized that there was the distinctive whiff of irony in the air and then Erick Von Erick & The Raving Psychos – yes, that’s right – went from being one of the worst things I’d ever seen to one of the best. It’s funny, they were all obviously quite good musicians but had opted to use their powers for cheese and hey, that’s cool. Their set was short so as not to belabour the punchline and damn if it didn’t make for some great photos.

I talked last week about my likes and dislikes about Fields’ full-length debut Everything Last Winter but while it earns a qualified seal of approval, I heartily endorse their live show with no such reservations. Thankfully joined by Antonia, the band tore through most of the high-energy numbers from both the album and their 7 From The Village EP and not to belabour the point, but the songs sounded so much more vibrant live, with the rough edges that got polished out in the studio.

One of the smart moves in the making of the record, however, was turning up Antonia’s vocals so that instead of backing Nick Peill, as was her role on the EP, she was harmonizing with him. Though she looked a bit paler than usual from being ill – and she’s plenty pale to begin with – she sounded terrific and really has remarkable pitch. On the record, you’d swear she was being auto-tuned but I’ll bet dollars and doughnuts it’s just her. And it wasn’t just her, the whole band sounded terrific and with great tightness and energy, obviously benefiting from all the recent touring.

I speculated after their first show in Toronto last October that next time through town, they’d be playing to much larger crowds. Not counting Blonde Redhead’s audience, it seems my predictions still haven’t quite come true as the Drake audience was decent, but also made up of friends/fans of the the other bands playing. I think if they’d played the Amp’d Studio as originally intended it’d have been a better measure of their fanbase in Toronto though surely a smaller one. But whether it grows (as it deserves to) or not, it’s a good bet that whenever they come through town again, I’ll be there again.

Photos: Fields, Erick Von Erick & The Raving Psychos @ The Drake Underground – May 14, 2007
MP3: Fields – “Song For The Fields” (Everything Last Winter version)
MP3: Fields – “If You Fail, We All Fail”
MP3: Fields – “Brittlesticks”
MP3: Fields – “Song For The Fields” (7 From The Village version)
Video: Fields – “If You Fail, We All Fail” (MySpace)
Video: Fields – “Brittlesticks” (MySpace)
Video: Fields – “Song For The Fields” (MySpace)
Video: Fields – “Charming The Flames” (MySpace)
MySpace: Fields
MySpace: Erick Von Erick & The Raving Psychos

Thanks to For The Records for pointing out that the NxNE 2007 schedule is now up. Only had time to give it a once-over, but a lot of names are jumping out at me. Some I can endorse whole-heartedly, others tepidly and some just sound familiar. I’ll do more research before things actually get underway but for now, here’s some random selections of what caught my eye:

Thursday, June 7

Future Clouds & Radar @ The Horseshoe – 9PM
Sea Wolf @ The Horseshoe – 10PM
Kathleen Edwards @ Lee’s Palace – 10PM
Buffalo Tom @ The Horseshoe – 12AM
Jason Falkner @ The Reverb – 12AM
Adam Franklin @ The Reverb – 1AM

Friday, June 8

The Pantones @ The Savannah – 9PM
Nicole Atkins & The Sea @ The Reverb – 10PM
Handsome Furs @ The Comfort Zone – 12AM
Jesse Malin @ The Reverb – 12AM
The Sadies @ Lee’s Palace – 12AM
Therapy? @ The El Mocambo – 12AM
Jenn Grant @ C’est What – 1AM
John Doe @ Lee’s Palace – 1AM

Saturday, June 9

Ohbijou @ The Horseshoe – 10PM
Schooner @ C’est What – 10PM
She Keeps Bees @ Holy Joe’s – 10PM
Great Northern @ Lee’s Palace – 12AM
The Silent Years @ Holy Joe’s – 12AM
Urge Overkill @ Lee’s Palace – 1AM

And that doesn’t even include the so-called “NXNeXtra” shows, which are basically all the big name touring bands in town that first week of June to which a limited number of badges and wristbands – like 50 to 100 – will be admitted. Included in that is the Voxtrot show at Sneaky Dee’s on the 8th, for which an early all-ages show has just been added. That’s a 6:30PM start and both touring openers, Favourite Sons and Au Revoir Simone, will be playing.

And NOT appearing at NxNE – Ride. Funnily, the denial made it out before the rumours did.

And some non-NxNE show news of note – Elvis Perkins has been added to the Hillside lineup on the Sunday July 29, Smoosh are opening for The Pipettes at Lee’s Palace on June 1 and latest Arts & Crafts signees Los Campesinos!, who sound pretty much exactly like how you’d expect an A&C band to sound – except Welsh – are in town August 7 at a venue to be announced.

The Hour has a video interview with Rob Dickinson.

Pitchfork announces that Trembling Blue Stars, who I thought had disbanded but I guess they just gave up touring, will release a new album – The Last Holy Writer – on June 4, their first in three years. I should dig out my copies of Broken By Whispers and Alive To Every Smile to see if I still dig them. I do know that the one single from the latter record, “The Ghost Of An Unkissed Kiss”, was and still is sublime. Heard it? No? You should.

MP3: Trembling Blue Stars – “The Ghost Of An Unkissed Kiss”

Spinner 3×3 takes on Bloc Party.

NME talks to Patrick Wolf about touring with Amy Winehouse.