Photo via Touch And Go

Writer’s Block, last year’s breakthrough record for Swedish trio Bjorn and John, had a shelf life of about two months for me before it drifted from maddeningly catchy to simply maddening. The fact that the rest of world didn’t seem to suffer a similar burn out and the trio was damn-near inescapable through most of 2007 – I think they sold out three shows at the Phoenix in under a year? – didn’t help endear them to me, either.

Which is why I’m more than a little shocked that I’m enjoying The Last Tycoon, the solo debut from Peter Moren, as much as I am. Loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished final novel, it’s a lot more bummed out than his band work and the downbeat mood, combined with Moren’s superb melodic sense, is a recipe far more up my alley than the processed sugars that saturate his main gig. Arrangements are starker, largely voice and acoustic guitar but with tasteful chamber-pop embellishments and a genuine, understated warmth that’s very welcoming.

Moren is taking this show on the road starting next week and stops in at the El Mocambo (moved from Mod) next Thursday, April 24, and courtesy of Touch And Go Records, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “Nuts to Bjorn and John, I want to see Peter Moren” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest will close at midnight, April 21.

And if you can’t make the show, remember that Moren is also doing an in-store at Soundscapes at 4PM the afternoon of the show. Also check out his recent Daytrotter session, a video performance recorded for This Is Fake DIY and and interview with The Southtown Star.

MP3: Peter Moren – “Social Competence”

Photo via ilovem83.com

Anthony Gonzales has been frequently declared as the new face of shoegaze ever since the release of M83’s 2004 debut Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, so you’d think that I’d like them/him/it more than I do. Because while there’s much I like about M83’s craft, there’s much I just can’t come to terms with either. In the case of the debut, it was the icy electronic-ness of it all. There was no doubt that Gonzalez’ musical vision worked in an ultra-widescreen that I could appreciate, but I guess I’m old fashioned – I like my square-waves made by guitar signals passed through transistors pushed within an inch of their lives. Synth patches just aren’t the same.

The follow-up Before The Dawn Heals Us was a great leap forward, as far as being a much more organic affair with vocals and more pop-ish song structures, balancing out the synth textures with more conventional instruments. It also came with an air of grandiose melodrama that fell on the wrong side of fromage a few too many times for me to embrace it the way some others did. A large part of that, however, was the one track “Car Chase Terror” which I abhor so much I pretty much refuse to play the album. Yes, I know there’s a skip button. It’s a matter of principle.

And so now we come to the new record, Saturday=Youth, which Gonzalez describes as a tribute to the technicolour pop culture of the ’80s. Given that context, it’s a triumph. I grew up in the ’80s on a steady diet of the synth pop, television and movies from which Gonzalez draws inspiration and, well, it’s a bit uncanny. And for all the grief the ’80s get – much of it deservedly so – there was some great pop music made in that era, although much of it suffered from production that’s horribly dated now. Gonzalez recasts it in a sheen that’s more contemporary (though it may also sound horribly dated in a couple of decades) and tones down his cosmic tendencies to keep things sounding as appropriately huge, sweeping and romantic as you’d expect M83 to sound, but somehow not so over the top. There’s still a distinct, cheesy aroma but it wouldn’t be M83 without it – appreciating M83 requires a large degree of buy-in – but if you’re willing to let yourself be swept up in it, it’s quite a ride.

Drowned In Sound and Exclaim both talked to Gonzales about the new record. A North American tour kicks off next month and stops at the Mod Club on May 30.

Video: M83 – “Graveyard Girl”
MySpace: M83

Chart has details on this year’s edition of Montreal’s Osheaga festival, which will take place on August 3 and 4 at Parc Jean Drapeau. First thought – hey, they’re not going head-to-head with Toronto’s V Fest this year. Instead, they’re on the same weekend as Lollapalooza. Smart. Second thought – hey, it’s during the August long weekend. Nice. Said thought is followed immediately by, hey that’s the Sunday and Monday so if I wanted to go, I’d still need to take a day off on the Tuesday though to be fair, if it was running Saturday and Sunday, you’d probably still need to take the Friday off for travel. If you’re a local, however, I bet you’d prefer that Monday off to recover. Anyway, as for the lineup, neither day’s headliners of The Killers or Jack Johnson does a blessed thing for me, but you’ve also got Iggy & The Stooges, Cat Power, Broken Social Scene and The Black Keys in there here’s hoping that the DeVotchKa appearance on the Sunday means there’s a Toronto date coming immediately before or after.

Tomorrow marks Record Store Day, wherein you’re encouraged to go to your local independent record store and hug a clerk. And buy something. Soundscapes here in Toronto will be taking part and offering 10% off CDs, DVDs and books. I will mark the day by taking my CD player into the shop, as it decided the other night that it would never open it’s tray door again. Stupid technology.

Obviously not having gotten the memo that my Fleet Foxes post went up on Wednesday, Daytrotter has posted the session recorded with the band back in February during Noise Pop in San Francisco. The Portland Mercury also has an interview with frontman Robin Pecknold.

Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchinson tells The Daily Record that he’s just as messed up as those who’d seek solace in his music.

The Birmingham News talks to Yan of British Sea Power. They’re at Lee’s Palace on May 16.

The AV Club declares Headlights fit for Spring.

To mark the release of I’m Not There on DVD come May 6, there’s an MP3 available from the soundtrack featuring My Morning Jacket’s Jim James backed by Calexico doing Bob Dylan’s “Going To Acapulco”.

MP3: Jim James with Calexico – “Going To Acapulco”

The Sadies have been added as support for The Raconteurs’ show at the Ricoh Coliseum on June 5 alongside The Black Lips.

The Duke Chronicle talks to Dan Bejar, who brings Destroyer to Lee’s Palace tomorrow night.

The New York Times talks to Matt Ward and Zooey Deschanel about being She & Him.

Photo by Dean Chalkley

It’s kind of funny – The Verve reunion has been so fruitful in terms of gigs in the UK that The Guardian is using them as a case study for the growing homogeneity of the lineups of the British and Irish Summer festival season. In North America, however, they’ve only got a half-dozen dates scheduled starting next week in San Francisco, running through Coachella and finishing up on May 1 here in Toronto. And while you can debate just how popular the Verve were in the US and how much of a draw they’d be almost ten years on from their last visit, it’s probably safe to say that those six gigs, across a continent, aren’t meeting demand.

Perhaps, if and when that fourth album is completed and released they’ll return to visit more of North America but for now, it’s just the limited engagement. Which is why I’m pleased to be able to give away, courtesy of Emerge, a pair of passes to the Verve’s Toronto show on May 1 at the Ricoh Coliseum. Specifically what kind of seats (reserved or floors) I’m finding out but whichever they are, you can be there for the Verve’s return to Toronto – and really, when was their last show? Wasn’t the last time they were in the area actually in Hamilton at Copps, circa 1998? Anyway, to enter shoot me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to pretend it’s 1997 again and see the Verve” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Do this before midnight, April 27 and you could be on your way.

MP3: The Verve – “The Thaw Sessions”
Video: The Verve – “Bittersweet Symphony”
Video: The Verve – “The Drugs Don’t Work”
Video: The Verve – “Lucky Man”
Video: The Verve – “Sonnet”
Video: The Verve – “History”
Video: The Verve – “All In The Mind”
MySpace: The Verve

Another British reunion tour starting off at Coachella is that of Swervedriver, though there’s a month-long gap between that first gig and the start of the tour proper (which hits Lee’s Palace on June 13). Billboard talked to Adam Franklin about how the early rehearsals have gone and also gets some information on Magnetic Morning, his project with Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino. They’re releasing their self-titled EP on Saturday in conjunction with Record Store Day. Black Book talked to Fogarino about the project.

MySpace: Magnetic Morning

And sticking with the old English dudes for a bit longer, The Charlatans may have given away their latest album You Cross My Path for free last month but they’re still giving it a conventional, physical release on May 12. Like many/most/all of you, I forgot about this album a day or two after I downloaded it but if I recall, I thought it sounded pretty decent considering I’d written them off some records ago. Good on them. They’ve made a new video, too.

Album: The Charlatans / You Cross My Path
MP3: The Charlatans – “Oh Vanity”
Video: The Charlatans – “The Misbegotten”

Stereogum has got an interview and exclusive b-side from Frightened Rabbit – I had thought that their excellent new record The Midnight Organ Fight was released this week but according to ye olde Catbirdseat, that was just the digital release – physical object fetishists will have to wait a couple weeks till the 29th to get our hands on a CD.

Some show announcements – Mogwai have a date at the Phoenix on June 30, The Go! Team and CSS will do their damndest to make the Kool Haus a fun place on August 5 and Oneida will strike a venue to be determined on August 15.

The AV Club meets Wye Oak, who just released If Children last week and will play Sneaky Dee’s on May 2 with The Ten Kens, Singer and Cloudland Canyon as part of the Over The Top Fest.

PopMatters asks 20 questions of Jaymay.

The Cleveland Free Times discusses New Pornography with Carl Newman.

The Dallas News talks to Feist.

eye examines the very welcome rise of in-store performances at the various independent record stores in Toronto. And tangentially with regards to the local retail scene… Rotate This will soon be moving down the street to the premises formerly occupied by instrument shop Songbird Music. It’s nice to see, after a rather disturbing number of record shop closures in the downtown over the last while, that one shop is healthy enough to justify a move to bigger digs.

Photo by Sean Pecknold

The AV Club has declared this week “Spring Music Week” and as such, are running features about newish artists releasing records worth hearing this Spring. Leading things off is a piece on Seattle’s Fleet Foxes who have already released their Sun Giant EP and will be following that up with their self-titled debut full-length on June 3.

And if you missed their rather stunning performance at the El Mocambo last month, it looks like you’ll have another chance to see them before too long. It’s not official, but is you consider this tour routing for A Hawk & A Hacksaw, which stops in at the El Mocambo on July 16 and this announcement at Muzzle Of Bees that has both A Hawk & A Hacksaw and Fleet Foxes in Madison just two days later on July 18, it’s a reasonable leap to assume that the two bands are touring together and that Fleet Foxes will be in town that day as well. That and I was told they were coming back around then.

Obviously I will confirm/disavow this information when actual facts become available, but for now if you’re the sort to plan your Wednesday nights three months in advance… pencil this in.

MP3: Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
MP3: A Hawk & A Hacksaw – “Portlandtown”

The AV Club also delves into the iPod of DeVotchKa leader Nick Urata.

The Rosebuds are giving away a remix album of their last release, Night Of The Furies, in honour of… well, just because. It’s called Sweet Beats, Troubled Sleep and you can grab it at the Merge Records store. The Rosebuds are in town May 16 opening up for British Sea Power at Lee’s Palace.

The Daily Collegian talks to John Vanderslice while The Riverfront Times gets him to assemble a Springtime mix for them, which they’ve put into Muxtape form.

If you were shut out of Adele’s show at the Rivoli last month, and certainly many were, take heart – she returns on June 6 for a show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, which is apparently at the CNE grounds somewhere. Full dates at Music Snobbery and there’s a new video from 19, which will be available domestically on June 10. ICWales offers an interview.

Video: Adele – “Cold Shoulder”

Last week I was only able to offer up some new audio from the El Perro Del Mar and Anna Ternheim portions of the bill that hits the Mod Club on May 11. Well make that complete set now that there’s a new MP3 from Lykke Li’s Little Bit EP, out May 6. Update: New video, too.

MP3: Lykke Li – “Dance Dance Dance”
Video: Lykke Li – “I’m Good, I’m Gone”

Richard Thompson, hopefully fully recovered with his tussle with a scorpion, will play a solo show at the Danforth Music Hall on July 6.

Pitchfork interviews Spoon.

The Blakes, in town at the Horseshoe next week for a show at the Horseshoe on April 25, answer 20 questions from PopMatters.

The tour dates on MGMT’s MySpace reveal that they’re going to be playing Toronto’s V Fest on the Saturday, September 6. BlogTO talked to them in advance of their show at the Mod Club last night.

The Daily Swarm sleuthes out news of a Japan-only My Bloody Valentine box set comprised of new editions of Loveless and Isn’t Anything, both remastered by Kevin Shields, a disc collecting the band’s EPs of the era, a disc of unreleased tracks (!) and a DVD of video clips. SURELY this material will be made available in other markets in some form? I mean, come on?

Photo by Frank Yang

Though I run the risk of stating the obvious, I want to make sure we’re all on the same page here. Chris Funk IS The Decemberists. I mean, with his lightning-fast guitar riffery, seven-octave vocal range and long, flowing locks, it’s nigh impossible to keep your eyes off him. Which is why it’s understandable that rhythm guitarist Colin Meloy has opted to strike out on his own for a bit, to maybe establish himself from outside of Funk’s imposing shadow, maybe show off a song or two of his own.

And so it is that the bookish, introverted fellow has released a solo record, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, and is hitting the road to support it. That tour brings him to the Phoenix in Toronto this Saturday, April 19, and courtesy of Against The Grain I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. If you want, shoot me an electronic mail (or “email”, as the kids say) to contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Colin Meloy even if Chris Funk isn’t going to be there” before midnight tomorrow night, April 16.

The Lamron and The Hook have interviews with Meloy while The Guardian talks to him about songwriting and challenges him to turn in a composition on the spot – it doesn’t quite reach completion, so they’ve solicited reader input to help finish it off.

MP3: Colin Meloy – “We Both Go Down Together”
Video: Colin Meloy – “We Both Go Down Together” (live at Jackpot Records)