I’m sometimes completely arbitrary in what I choose to listen to or not listen to. Case in point – The Raveonettes, who had the misfortune to arrive on the scene around the same time as the White Stripes and who thus fell victim to my ban on garage-rock duos. Don’t bother explaining to me how that’s irrational and unfair – as I said, completely arbitrary. But that’s how it was that I went into Sunday night’s show at Lee’s Palace almost completely unfamiliar with the band. I’d heard the elevator pitch – Jesus & Mary Chain meets ’50s girl groups, recorded an album written completely in b-flat minor – but aside from the samples on their MySpace, they were a complete tabula rasa. But then, I wasn’t there to see them. It was the presence of tourmates Nicole Atkins & The Sea that got me out of the house and while any excuse to have them play is a good one as far as I’m concerned, they did seem an odd match for the headliners.

Gliss, on the other hand, were a perfectly logical fit. The trio reminded me more than a little of fellow Los Angelenos Autolux with their lumbering, psychedelic dream-rock. Obviously an outfit that believes in instrumental socialism, each of them took turns behind the drum kit and occasionally handling lead vocals from back there while the others handled guitar and bass. They gave full effort for their whole set despite being obviously dismayed at the sparse and only mildly interested crowd. They have my sympathies there, but it was early on a Sunday night and I think that if you have to explicitly ask the audience to come up front and dance, you’ve already lost.

I’d like to say that Nicole Atkins’ set won over everyone in the club as it was good enough that in a perfect world it would have, but considering that Atkins’ aesthetic is almost a polar opposite from the Raveonettes, that band’s fanbase might not be the most inclined to take to her unabashedly BIG songs. And with The Sea coming out with the most energy of the three times I’ve seen them this year (and none of the other shows was wanting for energy), they delivered the songs in a big way. And considering the long, winding road that’s been leading up to the release of Neptune City in two weeks, it figures that they’d be in top shape as a live outfit. Playing almost all of the album and throwing in a cover of The Doors’ “Crystal Ship”, Atkins sounded marvelous and… you know what? I’ve run out of ways to praise her so I’ll just stop trying, though I’m going to have to try at least one more time as she’s back – again – on November 18 at Lee’s opening for The Pipettes.

Which brings us back to the Raveonettes. The club was nearly full by the time they took the stage, which was obviously heartening for the band considering that they were a few years removed from their last album and while their new one, Lust Lust Lust, is going to be out in Europe next month there’s no North American release scheduled until early next year. As such, I was probably one of the few curious in attendance as opposed to the converted. With the band consisting only of principals Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo on guitars and vocals and a drummer on two-piece kit (tom, snare), skeletal was the word of the day though they did dress it up in a billowy coat of fuzz and reverb.

I think the problem with having such a strongly defined aesthetic is that while if you love it, you’ll love all of it, if you aren’t convinced there aren’t a lot of different angles from which you can approach it. And so for the duration of their hour-long set, there were moments that caught my interest – the Stereolab cover came with a most welcome increase in BPM – but for the most part, it all sounded very samey and wasn’t especially engaging. But the fact that the material introduced as being from the new album sounded most interesting to me could be a good sign and there still a future for me and the Raveonettes. Just not yet.

eye was also in attendance and offers some thoughts on the Raveonettes’ set with many more words than I, some of them bigger.

Photos: The Raveonettes, Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Gliss @ Lee’s Palace – October 14, 2007
MP3: Nicole Atkins & The Sea – “Party’s Over”
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Bleeding Diamonds”
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Carouselle”
Video: The Raveonettes – “Attack Of The Ghost Riders” (YouTube)
Video: The Raveonettes – “That Great Love Song” (YouTube)
Video: Nicole Atkins & The Sea – “The Way It Is” (MySpace)
Video: Nicole Atkins – “Neptune City” (YouTube)
Video: Gliss – “Kissing The Blvd” (YouTube)
Video: Gliss – “Halfway Gone” (YouTube)
Stream: Nicole Atkins & The Sea / Neptune City
MySpace: The Raveonettes
MySpace: Nicole Atkins
MySpace: Gliss

I mentioned that I was pleased to hear that Nicole Atkins was opening for The Pipettes next month – here’s some other support act news that helped perk up my Monday. Ohbijou’s November 9 show at Lee’s went from a “must-see” to “really must see” with the news that in addition to Bruce Peninsula, who were terrific at Dog Day Afternoon, Basia Bulat is now also going to be performing. Additionally, Bruce Peninsula will be opening for The Acorn at the Horseshoe on November 24 along with kalimba queen Laura Barrett. Also one to file under “really must see”. Factoid – Ohbijou’s Casey Mecjia provides the vocals on the final track of The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain.

And Basia Bulat is currently on tour out west with Final Fantasy. The Globe & Mail has a nice little feature on Basia while The Torture Garden and Vue have interviews with Owen Pallett and Trendwhore has the audio from his Pop Montreal showcase from a couple weeks ago.

The Cornell Sun talks to New Pornographer John Collins, So Much Silence has an MP3 of the band playing “Myriad Harbour” at KCRW last month and the video for the title track from the new album is now available. They’re at the Phoenix this Sunday night.

Video: The New Pornographers – “Challengers” (YouTube)

The New Pollution documents The Besnard Lakes’ adventures in America.

Feist tells Metro.co.uk she didn’t get a free iPod out of the Apple commercial. Just bags of money.

Much to do tonight, no time for preamble.

Having made their Toronto debut back in June during NxNE, Los Angeles dreampop outfit Great Northern are returning to the Great White North on Wednesday night for a show at Lee’s Palace and courtesy of Against The Grain, you can be there to greet them. I’ve got three pairs of passes to the show to give away as well as a copy of their debut CD Trading Twilight For Daylight to each winner.

If you want them, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to visit The Great Northern” in the subject line, your full name in the body and tell me from what David Lynch-produced 1990s television show about a small lumber town in the Pacific Northwest where all kinds of wacky stuff happened, did the band take their name? Hint – I’ve already referenced it once this week. And let me just add that if you get this wrong, not only do you not win but you’re banned from all contests on this site from now to eternity. Contest closes at 9PM tomorrow night, that’s Tuesday October 16.

MP3: Great Northern – “Home”
Video: Great Northern – “Home” (YouTube)
Video: Great Northern – “Low Is A Height” (MOV)
MySpace: Great Northern

I am fully prepared to accept that I may have been the only music blogger to get excited when I received the press release on Friday afternoon announcing that the new American Music Club record was completed, had a title – The Golden Age – and would be hitting stores on February 19 of next year via Merge.

AMC were never the most popular band in their first go-around and when they reunited a few years ago, the news didn’t necessarily set the world afire. But while all the other bands from the 80s burying hatchets in hopes of a nostalgia-fueled payday might be making more money, they could only dream about releasing a new record half as vital as 2004’s Love Songs For Patriots. Of course, I bet AMC would like to have made half the money that those other bands have, but I digress. Love Songs proved that Mark Eitzel’s pen hadn’t lost any of its wit, pathos, romanticism and venom and years of driving a bus in Los Angeles hadn’t dulled Vudi’s guitar chops either – its place in my favourite albums of 2004 was well-earned.

In the three years between then and now, there’ve been membership changes in the Club – the rhythm section of Danny Pearson and Tim Mooney have left the band on account of the shift of their base of operations from San Francisco to Los Angeles, their places taken by Steve Didilot and Sean Hoffman from The Larks. I am going to resist copying and pasting the notes on the new album on the band’s website, presumably penned by Eitzel, but encourage you to click through and give a read – they’re hilarious.

Also worth noting is that the band is planning a North American tour for Spring of next year – NORTH AMERICAN. To me, that implies Canada. Unless they mean Mexico. But I’m hoping Canada. They passed us by when touring Love Songs – Toronto, anyways, maybe they played Vancouver – necessitating a trip to Chicago to properly pay homage. Which was great, but it’d be much nicer (and economical) to have them come to me this time.

No previews of the new record yet, so in the meantime sample something from the last one and their meagre pickings on YouTube. You know a band is underground when they’ve got videos out there (whither “Johnny Mathis’ Feet”?) and they haven’t made it to YouTube.

MP3: American Music Club – “Another Morning”
Video: American Music Club – “Electric Light” (YouTube)
MySpace: American Music Club

But those of us wanting to hear new material from American Music Club need not wait until February – Hard To Find A Friend has curated a holiday compilation entitled Peace on Earth: A Holiday Album that features a new track from AMC amongst offering from Great Lake Swimmers, The Long Winters and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The comp will be available in digital form on November 13 for $7 and all profits will go to Toys For Tots. A great idea and worth your money. And I apologize for bringing up the holidays in mid-October.

But if we must look to December, let’s not look past the first week of said month for that’s when the venerable Horseshoe Tavern here in Toronto celebrates its 60th anniversary. While festivities will run the whole week, the actual birthday is December 5 and that evening, it will host the first-ever local show by former Pulp and Longpigs guitarist and producer extraordinaire, Richard Hawley. I’m only just discovering his stuff but already I’m certain it’s going to be a pretty special show and though it’s probably too much to hope he tours with an orchestra… I hope he tours with an orchestra. Or a big band at the very least. His latest album is Lady’s Bridge and you can watch the first couple videos from it below. Tickets are $15 and should go on sale this week.

Video: Richard Hawley – “Tonight The Streets Are Ours” (YouTube)
Video: Richard Hawley – “Serious” (YouTube)

Also coming to town for a little ‘Shoe-shaped cake are the Jon Langford’s Waco Brothers – they’re going to be playing on December 7 and if you were planning on seeing any of Joel Plaskett’s five gigs there from December 10th through the 13th, you better call ahead and make sure that the Waco Brothers have left the place standing.

Pitchfork has an interview with Steve Earle covering all breadth of topics (Dylan, Springsteen, Emmylou, Sex Pistols) but not his new record Washington Square Serenade. NPR is also streaming a concert recorded at the World Cafe.

Muzzle Of Bees reports that the new Drive-By Truckers album will be out in early 2008 and be called Brighter Than Creation’s Dark.

Chart and The Montreal Mirror chat with Rolf Klausener of The Acorn. They’re at the Horseshoe November 24.

Jeff Tweedy talks to Billboard about FINALLY working older Wilco material into their live setlists. Now if they could only reach back a little further into the Tupelo vaults…

Justin from An Aquarium Drunkard interviews Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers for The Arizona Republic.

To coincide with their upcoming tour which starts Monday in Baltimore, the folks in Dallas’ Hourly Radio are releasing a new single on November 1 for “Gun In Hand” – a sleek slice of glammy synth rock that marks the band’s first release since last year’s History Will Never Hold Me full-length. In addition to the single, it features eight remix tracks from artists and DJs that the band has toured with, met, fought and defeated, Mortal Kombat-style, over the past year.

And while the CD won’t be out until November 1, they’re latching onto a number of trends on the interweb and a) releasing it digitally in advance of the physical release, b) doing so by premiering the tracks at various sites online and c) offering it up for free. To point a), you can head over here to grab the tracks that have already been released. To point b), I’m happy to offer up the next track – a remix of “He Said / She Said” by Michael Jurin from Stellastarr*. And to point c)… well what part of free don’t you understand?

The remaining four tracks will be rolled out over the next few days, so if you like, check back there over the next week.

MP3: The Hourly Radio – “Gun In Hand”
MP3: The Hourly Radio – “He Said / She Said” (Piano Belly Remix)
MySpace: The Hourly Radio

The Georgia Straight is suspicious of John Vanderslice’s explanations of the background for Emerald City. My Old Kentucky Blog and MPR are offering slices of ‘Slice sessions for download and stream, respectively.

The Edmonton Sun tries to pay John K Samson of The Weakerthans compliments – Samson demurs. The Weakerthans are in town November 7 and 8 for a pair of shows at the Phoenix.

JAM! talks to Ted Leo about his 2007, which he calls “the most devastating year of my life”. And this was before he was revealed as an unwitting Taco Bell endorser.

The Independent Q&As Kevin Drew, who will be playing the Kool Haus on December 8 at a show that’s billed as Broken Social Scene/Kevin Drew – not Broken Social Scene PRESENTS Kevin Drew. Semantics, yeah, but perhaps speaks to more BSS material than his solo stuff in the set list.

The Chicago Tribune chats up Spoon, who’re at the Kool Haus on Monday night.