I know lots of you still love Ryan Adams. That’s cool. My thoughts on the man haven’t changed too much since this post a couple years ago, even though afterwards, on the recommendations of many, I picked up what was generally regarded as the strongest of his three 2005 releases, Jacksonville City Nights. And while it was decent enough, like most of the rest of his post-Heartbreaker releases, it failed to engage me for any significant length of time. I really can’t put my finger on why, but I can probably say with some certainty that Ry-ry and my CD collection have parted ways for good.

But he remains a fascinating individual, as this weekend’s New York Times feature proved – as restlessly creative as he is (was?) self-destructive, even if you’re not into the music he’s great tabloid fodder. And with the release of his new record Easy Tiger next Tuesday, the media spotlight will once again be on Mr David Ryan Adams to see what he does next… at the moment that’s doing a small club tour that includes a stop at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto tomorrow night and also playing radio sessions. You can stream his World Cafe show in Philadelphia from last Friday at NPR or you can head over to I Am Fuel, You Are Friends to download the MP3-ified version. Minnesota Public Radio is also offering up the audio from his recent interview. And if you want the studio versions of the new songs, you can stream the new record below.

But wait – there’s a contest component to this post. Courtesy of Universal Music Canada, I’ve got a pretty sweet prize pack to give away to some lucky Canuck (this contest is only open to Canadians, sorry). The winner of this one will get to stare at a poster of Ryan Adams whilst listening to Easy Tiger in either analog or digital form because they’ll have a copy of the new record on LP and CD. That’s Easy Tiger on LP, Easy Tiger on CD and a Ryan Adams poster, just to be clear (don’t know what the poster looks like, sorry). To enter, leave me a comment with your pick for the best song Adams has written. You can pick from either his solo work or his Whiskeytown oeuvre – I’m curious what era of his career gets the most votes. Now though the contest is only open to Canadians, if someone from elsewhere wants to chime in, feel free. Just mention you’re not eligible for the contest (and don’t try to sneak one by me – you’ll have to provide your mailing address if you win). I’ll let this one run for a week – contest closes at midnight, June 28. Update: Congrats to Braden on winning the prize pack. The rest of y’all are still in the running for the autographed litho, though.

Stream: Ryan Adams / Easy Tiger

NPR also has Wilco at the World Cafe with a four-song session and interview while Filter has posted their cover story on the band from their latest issue. Wilco are in town at Massey Hall next Saturday with Low, and Bradley’s Almanac has assembled an almost-complete live version of their latest Drums & Guns pulling tracks from various shows, including one in Boston in April which he’s also sharing in its entirety.

The Age talks to Dinosaur Jr.

Coming July 21 to Sneaky Dee’s – Vancouver’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? accompanied by Montreal’s Shapes & Sizes.

Drowned In Sound has words with Handsome Furs, in town at Lee’s Palace on July 31.

eye and The Toronto Star interview Graham Van Pelt of Miracle Fortress, in town Saturday night for a show at the Whippersnapper Gallery. My contest for the Miracle Fortress vinyl closes tonight so if you wanted to enter but haven’t had any interesting dreams lately… make one up. I won’t know the difference.

Speed Of Dark offers up a combination concert review/interview with Land Of Talk. Among things revealed – the band have signed with One Little Indian in Europe and will release their forthcoming full-length there this year with a domestic release possibly not coming until 2008. Boo, hiss!

When I was in university, there was this girl named Sarah Blackwood. She sang in a British band called Dubstar and their dreamy, sparkly blend of Brit/indie and electro-pop soundtracked a goodly portion of my collegiate years. I found the blend of Blackwood’s sweet, yet distant vocals with Steve Hillier’s synths and Chris Wilkie’s jangly, Marr-ish guitars irresistible – the single-disc US edition of Goodbye, which combined the best parts of their first two UK releases Disgraceful and Goodbye, was never far from my CD player.

But when you graduate from university, you inevitably leave people behind and so it was that as I moved into the working world and my musical tastes wandered elsewhere, Sarah and I fell out of touch. Dubstar’s third and final record, Make It Better in 2000, was only available on import and I wasn’t interested enough to shell out those prices. And while I was excited to find individual copies of the first two UK albums and replaced the US version with them, they didn’t have the same super-concentrated goodness. They’re both good records – the excised tracks still quite worthy – but they mostly just sat on my shelves. Sarah and I had some good times but I figured that was it for us.

But sometimes people from the past have a habit of turning up unexpectedly and so it was when I discovered Client and their third, just-released album Heartland. Certainly that’s Sarah, but gone is the demure, doe-eyed girl who peered out from the Dubstar CD liner notes – instead, she’s now “Client B”, one third of a glammy, sexed-up, duo trio dressed in super-tight, shiny stewardess uniforms (her co-conspirators are “Client A” and “Client E”). Musically, it’s a similar transformation – gone are the airy synth pads and light, Pet Shop Boys-esque rhythms. Client has a much harder, square-wave sound and heavier beats, more suited to proper dance floor ass-shaking than mopey indie head-bobbing. Lyrically, things are also darker but considering that Blackwood was never a credited songwriter in Dubstar and all of Client’s songs (save the covers, natch) are credited to them, this might well be Blackwood’s real voice. Maybe I didn’t know her that well in school after all.

Interesting footnote – Dubstar’s Wikipedia entry states that Steve Hillier announced this year that he was, as they say, “getting the band back together”. Or at least releasing new material as Dubstar. Who’s he working with? Who knows?

MP3: Client – “Drive”
MP3: Client – “Lights Go Out”
MP3: Dubstar – “St Swithin’s Day” (Billy Bragg cover)
Video: Client – “Zerox Machine” (YouTube)
Video: Dubstar – “Stars” (YouTube)
Video: Dubstar – “No More Talk” (YouTube)
Video: Dubstar – “I Will Be Your Girlfriend” (YouTube)
eCard: Client / Heartland
MySpace: Client

You know what the saddest thing about this melange of excised clips from the new Radiohead record is? If this is what the album actually sounded like, I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised.

The Guardian talks to the Brothers Reid about what on earth could have brought the Jesus & Mary Chain back together. Me, I’m far more excited about the fact that ex-Ride drummer Loz Colbert is behind the kit for them. BIG improvement on the old drum machine, let me tell you. And hey, Loz has his own MySpace. And solo material. Of course he does.

Aversion checks in with an interview with The Long Blondes.

While I was away, Pitchfork gave Lucky Soul’s The Great Unwanted a solid 8.0. Even after two months of having this record on heavy rotation, I still love it as much as when I wrote this. That is remarkable. REMARKABLE. Go listen.

Stream: Lucky Soul / The Great Unwanted

The AV Club gets Nick Peill of Fields to put his iPod on shuffle… and the first song that comes up is a Fields song. How mortifying.

And to cap off the Anglo portion of this post, I direct you to this Pitchfork piece about the forthcoming The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit Pop Gems of the Last Millennium box set due out on October 2. At first glance, it certainly seems like they’ve done a decent job of covering the final fifteen years of the 20th century in British indie over four discs – it’s funny, discs one and two represent the era that I wish I’d lived through, disc three represents the era I did live through and disc four pretty much represents the era that drove me away from British music for a good many years. I’ve already got most everything in the set that I care to own but that battery-powered glowing telephone booth packaging looks mighty tempting. No wait, it doesn’t.

The schedule for Austin City Limits is now up and goodness are there some decisions to be made. Queens Of The Stone Age or Spoon? I’m not really a fan of the former but am sure they’d be fun to see and shoot, and I’ll see Spoon here in town in October. Arcade Fire or White Stripes? Same deal – just saw AF (though from a couple stories up) but I’m sure the Stripes would be fun to shoot. Steve Earle or Andrew Bird? Actually, that’ll be Steve fo’ sho’. Wilco or My Morning Jacket? That’s a toughie. Though considering that it’s Texas in mid-September, the determining factor will probably more likely be which stage is closer to a nice shaded area or water station.

Hey Virgin Fest – ACL has THEIR SCHEDULE UP and they’re not happening till the week after you… want to get your final lineup announced or what?

NPR will be webcasting The National’s show in Washington DC tonight – tune in at around 10PM EDT to hear them live from the 9:30 Club.

Check out Batman’s new wheels.

So one of the downsides of being off the continent for the last two weeks of May was that I missed sweeps week. Not that it was that big a deal or caused me a moment’s consternation while abroad but it did mean that there was a lot of television to get through when I got back. And sadly, most of the shows I had to catch up on really weren’t worth the wait – disappointments almost all around. Let’s look at them one by one:

Veronica Mars: Okay, I won’t lie – this one hurt. Not only because the show was canceled but because it went out on such a weak note. Critics aren’t wrong when they say that the second season was worse than the first and the third worse than the second, but even so it was always enjoyable and a highlight of my broadcast week. Granted, the Logan/Veronica thing had gone as far as it could – score me as against their pairing if for no other reason than I’m tired of seeing the bad boys get the girl – but when the season’t major plotline wrapped up with about five eps to spare, it was a bad sign. It stumbled through the remainder of the season and the finale, which would end up being the series’ final episode, tried to cram a half-season’s worth of conspiracy into an hour and ended with a whimper. I appreciate that creator Rob Thomas had the sword of Damocles overhead when writing this season, as he has since the show’s first season, but the way it wrapped didn’t offer a strong finale or a cliffhanger leading into next season. Disappointing.

There are those who will call the show’s ending a blessing in disguise – as stated, if you were to plot the quality of the show over the three years, it’s a definite downward trend but that’s little consolation as I face a future of Kristin Bell-free Tuesday nights. I’m going to have to go find a new imaginary girlfriend. The Toronto Star talked to Thomas about the end of the show and possibilities for how it might yet live on.

Heroes: I only picked this one up reluctantly mid-season after being mildly intrigued but mostly put off by the season premiere. My inner fanboy, almost always willing to give anything comic book-y the benefit of the doubt, wasn’t impressed with the self-important, ponderous and embarrassingly melodramatic tone and dismal acting (and let me state for the record that as an Asian-Canadian, I found the character of Hiro utterly mortifying). What it did have going for it was a dense plot that seemed really well-assembled and capable of delivering a satisfying conclusion after a season-long run, and it seemed to be ready to deliver on that promise leading up to the season finale… only to blow it just short of the end zone. Seriously, that was one of the worst, most illogical and cheesetacular hours of television I’ve ever had to sit through. It may be back for a second season but I sure as hell won’t.

24: Well THAT certainly sucked. I can’t decide if the show has gotten a whole lot worse or if it was always this bad and I just didn’t realize it. Bad enough that Jack got a fraction of the screen time he has in the past and when he was front and centre, it was like he was neutered (his takedown of Fayed notwithstanding). Add in the endless interpersonal dramas of CTU staff about whom no one cares, another security breach of CTU (it’s not a working day if they’re not invaded) and… oh who cares. I actually came home with four hours of this season to watch and put off doing so as long as possible, so low were my expectations. And I wasn’t/was disappointed. Whichever registers a greater level of disgust. I mean, how convenient was it that Secretary Heller lived a ten-minute walk along the beach from where Jack fell into the ocean? Never mind, never mind. If there’s any upside to this, it’s that my Monday nights are now blissfully uncommitted to network television again.

How I Met Your Mother: Have to admit, I was surprised by this one – I realize that the fundamental plot of the series demanded that Ted and Robin split up, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon. My only question is will Cobie Smulders be back next season? I don’t imagine they could just write her out so abruptly but then you also don’t want to spend too much time dealing with the whole issue of lingering feelings between them while (presumably) introducing the titular Mother. And I’m obviously thinking WAY too much about a half-hour sitcom.

The Office: So victory to Team Pam. Again, is that it for Karen then? Shame – I was pro-Pam but didn’t mind having Karen around… Anyway – now that that issue is presumably settled, at least for the time being, now what? Actually not too concerned, I have faith that season four will be great. It better be, I don’t have much other television to look forward to. Stylus has a reasonably objective head-to-head of the UK Office vs the US Office though I (obviously) think the American version stands head and shoulders above the original now, largely on the strength of the supporting cast. I will give them Tim over Jim, though.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip: I will admit I’m surprised that NBC opted to bring the show back from mid-season death to finish off it’s full run of episodes (the final one will air next week). Yes, it was the favoured critical whipping boy show from the second week of the season on but I watched throughout and though it was far from great and constantly frustrates for its squandered potential, I still found more to enjoy week to week than not. And goodness knows that it’s still better than most of the dreck that gets put on the air by the networks… I suspect history will look more kindly upon the show than the present but either way, it’s done. I’m just hoping it goes out on a high note.

Battlestar Galactica: Not much to say here since the season ended months ago, save to say that I’m actually glad they’ve announced next season, starting in January (!) will be the final one. The whole “All Along The Watchtower” stunt bascially forces the show into endgame mode so it’s good to know they’ll be pulling out all the stops for the finale. How they’ll sustain it over 20 episodes is beyond me, but then that’s why they’re producing the show and I’m just watching.

So looking ahead to September, my TV sched seems awfully light. Maybe season five of The Wire will have started up by then? I’m a little into season three on the DVDs and fear what’ll become of me when I’m done those, presumably before season four comes available. I’ll have to leave the house or something. Egads.

What, you want some music content? Okay – This past Saturday was supposed to mark Richard Lloyd’s final show with Television in New York City’s Central Park. Unfortunately, he missed the show on account of being hospitalized for almost a month with pneumonia. Brooklynvegan and his commenters have reports back from the show which went on with Verlaine collaborator Jimmy Ripp covering guitar duties. Obviously best wishes to Lloyd on his return to good health but I wonder if this is how he’ll be willing to close the book on Television or will he want a proper farewell gig once he’s feeling up to it? Either way, it makes their show in Toronto last June feel that much more special.

So much for my quiet weekend. After Friday night’s late night out at Tiger Bar, I was back there again Saturday for an impromptu, intimate show from Tokyo Police Club. While it wasn’t the Rolling Stones at the Horseshoe, it definitely qualified as “an event” for a band whose star has risen considerably in the past year, with them having appeared on Letterman in April and working the UK and US festival circuits this Summer.

I’d seen the band a few times in 2006 and while my initial impressions weren’t all that positive, I was pleased to see their live show improve by leaps and bounds the next couple times I caught them. So with eight months or so passed since the last time out, it was mathematically conceivable that they were now the best live band on the planet. This turned out to not be the case, but they put on a pretty damn good show regardless.

Though they’re now selling out much larger rooms, I think it was evident that the band still thrives best in a small, hot, sweaty club (though you can probably say that about most bands) and if the Tiger Bar was anything on Saturday, it was small (capacity maybe 100 people, probably not), hot and sweaty. Energetic, enthusiastic and displaying a focus that wasn’t there a year ago, Tokyo Police Club turned out a short but dense set that was backloaded with A Lesson In Crime. Most of the set featured new material and it sounded impressive – managing to balance the dreaded but necessary maturity that comes with experience with the youthful vim and exuberance that gets the kids dancing.

Considering that the band has made it as far as they have on the strength of one EP that clocks in at under 20 minutes and a couple singles on top of that, I’m very interested to see where their debut full-length – still unscheduled as far as I know but surely not that far off – takes them. I’m also interested to contrast their next Toronto date with this one – that’s on September 9 at Virgin Festival. Obviously it’ll be a different world but I want to see how they work an exponentially larger stage and crowd.

Photos: Tokyo Police Club @ The Tiger Bar – June 16, 2007
MP3: Tokyo Police Club – “The Nature Of The Experiment”
MP3: Tokyo Police Club – “Citizens Of Tomorrow”
MP3: Tokyo Police Club – “Cheer It On (Trey Told Em Remix)”
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Nature Of The Experiment” (YouTube)
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Cheer It On (version 1)” (YouTube)
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Cheer It On (version 2)” (YouTube)
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Your English Is Good” (YouTube)
MySpace: Tokyo Police Club

The New York Times considers the musical enigma known as Ryan Adams. The man releases his first album of 2007 Easy Tiger on June 26 and plays the Enwave Theatre in Toronto on June 22.

Chart discusses Five Roses with Miracle Fortress’ Graham Van Pelt. Miracle Fortress are at the Whipper Snapper Gallery on Saturday – and don’t forget I’ve giving away Miracle Fortress vinyl just down below there.

Hard To Find A Friend has posted an interview with Centro-Matic’s Will Johnson. Glorious Noise also posted an interview/video session with the man last month that I don’t think I’ve linked.

So since my invite to the MMVAs must have gotten lost in the mail, I spent yesterday afternoon at the Bloor catching The Lives Of Others. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film this year, it’s set in 1984’s East Germany and follows the surveillance of a couple – a playwright and actress – by the state police. Though long and slow, there’s not a single wasted moment and I found it riveting. It operates as both a thriller and character study and where one falters – in particular, the quiet emptiness of the Stasi captain’s life contrasted with the richness of the artists’ is obvious and overstated – the other picks up the slack and more than compensates. Though the East German politics are fundamental to the film, it’s not a film about the politics – just the flawed people who live and work within the system. And even removed from time and place, you can easily imagine the same story occurring in the west. That said, while I didn’t visit any of the former GDR while in Europe, I did visit some of the cities formerly behind the Iron Curtain and seeing a recreation of how life was before it fell was extra fascinating. The DVD is out in North America on August 21 but if it’s running at a rep theatre near you between now and then, catch it. It’s excellent.

Trailer: The Lives Of Others

Also accomplished this weekend – a cull of the promo pile. Basically I went through everything I’ve got and hit up the respective MySpaces for each band and gave a listen to a song or two. More if it intrigued, less if it repulsed. Then they went into two piles – one for further listening and possible/probable writeup, one for gifts to people I don’t really like. Want to guess which is larger? But I now have a stack of stuff that I have some confidence that I can pull something out of randomly and (hopefully) enjoy listening to. Or that’s the theory, anyways.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the years I’ve been running this site, it’s that you – the readers – love the vinyl. And the shoegaze. And the classic pop.

Which is why I’m happy to be offering up, courtesy of Secret City Records, two shiny black slabs of vinyl from Montreal’s Miracle Fortress, who will be in town at the Whipper Snapper Gallery this Saturday evening. These are the 12″ singles for “Have You Seen In Your Dreams”, taken from his/their (I hate dealing with pronouns for one-man bands) beautiful new record Five Roses. Besides the title track, it’s b-sided by a cover of John Cale’s “Hanky Panky Nohow”.

To enter, leave me a comment below describing to me the last dream you had. Feel free to change names to protect the innocent – lord knows I would have to – and if you need to lie to make your subconscious seem like a more interesting place, so be it. You won’t be judged on the quality of your fantasy life, however, winners will be selected randomly. This is just the price of admission. The contest is open to residents of North America only – sorry to those abroad – and will close at midnight, June 21. And be sure to use your correct email address or a reasonably lifelike facsimile so that I can contact you should you win.

MP3: Miracle Fortress – “Have You Seen In Your Dreams”