Photo by Dave Gourley

I have a hunch that UK label Fat Cat Records has a secret lab, somewhere in the Scottish highlands, where they have a team of scientists concocting bands specifically engineered to be addicting to my ears. Last year, they got me hooked on The Twilight Sad and this year, the aural drug of choice is The Midnight Organ Fight, the second album from Frightened Rabbit due out next Tuesday.

The parallels are more circumstantial than quantitative, however, related more to the timing of the discoveries – I got the Twilight Sad record in early April of last year and discovered Frightened Rabbit just before SxSW this year – and the sheer gobsmacking effect both records have had on me. Musically, there are some comparisons to be drawn – thick Scottish accents delivering declarations of angst, in particular – but there’s more differences than similarities. Whereas The Twilight Sad deal with with abstracted, existential concerns bellowed overtop a churning wall of sound, Frightened Rabbit are focused more on the personal and mundane and are less an aural wall than a wire fence in a meadow, albeit a fence that’s electrified and barbed.

But despite the rootsiness inherent in their songs, there’s little on Midnight Organ Fight that you’d call pastoral. Head Rabbit Scott Hutchison’s anxious ponderings and perplexions on matters of the heart are delivered with a healthy dose of downcast desperation – consider lines like “Twist and whisper the wrong name/I don’t care and nor do my ears… I need company/I need human heat” from “The Twist” and “You’re the shit and I’m knee deep in it” from “My Backwards Walk” – but thanks to producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), they still manage to be grand, anthemic and uplifting without losing their essential dourness.

The Twilight Sad’s Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters proved to have the legs to remain a favourite through 2007 to today, and while it’s obviously early on, I’m not seeing any reason that The Midnight Organ Fight can’t do the same – it’s held up quite well to heavy rotation thus far. I can only hope that there is an intention to work this record hard on this side of the Atlantic, and a tour is forthcoming sometime soon. The half hour or so I saw them play at SxSW wasn’t nearly enough, especially when it was obvious they were just as potent live as on record. And if they are putting together a tour, I have a suggestion for tourmates…

WOXY features a downloadable Lounge Act session with the band recorded at SxSW, The Scotsman talks to Scott Hutchinson about the differences between the new record and their debut Sing The Greys while FatCat is offering downloads of the demos from that record that attracted the label’s interest in the first place.

MP3: Frightened Rabbit – “Head Rolls Off”
MP3: Frightened Rabbit – “The Modern Leper”
Video: Frightened Rabbit – “The Grey”
Video: Frightened Rabbit – “Heads Roll Off”
MySpace: Frightened Rabbit

Pitchfork has details on a new release from The National. Almost a year to the day after the release of Boxer, the Vincent Moon-helmed film detailing the creation of said masterpiece – A Skin, A Night – will be getting a release on DVD come May 20. It will be accompanied by a 12-song companion disc entitled The Virginia EP (EP?) comprised of live tracks, demos and whatnot. The National are in town June 8 at the Molson Amphitheatre with R.E.M. and Modest Mouse. Speaking of which, I love how my $30 lawn seat managed to pick up 66% worth of service charges en route to the checkout. Oh Ticketmaster, I hope you get gout.

Trailer: A Skin, A Night

Spinner interfaces with Eric Bachmann, who covers all stages of his career including Archers Of Loaf and Crooked Fingers.

Chart talks to Billy Bragg about politics, activism and a possible return to Mermaid Avenue. And also his new album, Mr Love & Justice, out tomorrow. Bragg also recaps some music currently catching his ear for The New York Times. He’s playing Harbourfront Centre on June 17.

Support for the upcoming Rilo Kiley tour, which stops in at the Phoenix on May 28, has been announced as Thao, who is working her solid new record We Brave Bee Stings And All. I missed her show at Sneaky Dee’s last month thanks to a post-SxSW hangover and will have just returned from Europe a couple days before this one. Figures. QRO and Washingtonian.com have Q&As with Ms Nguyen.

MP3: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – “Beat (Health, Life and Fire)”
MP3: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down – “Bag Of Hammers”

Chart talks to Dean Wareham about Dean & Britta while The New York Times gets Liz Phair to review his memoirs, Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance. Which I still haven’t read. Don’t tell me how it ends.

A couple new additions to the V Fest lineup via their Facebook group. On Saturday you’ve now got The Midway State and Sunday will now feature The Cribs.

And speaking of festival lineups, how is it that the Lollapalooza 2008 roster can feature some of my favourite bands ever, past and present, and yet I’m feeling almost no compulsion to attend? Maybe it’s the fact that I already checked and there are, like, no hotels whatsoever to be found anywhere near Grant Park. Oh bitter irony that last year, I had a hotel booked across the street as far back as January and then cancelled it when I saw the lineup…

Pitchfork TV is now live and they’re kicking things off with a pretty sweet Radiohead performance vid. Thom Yorke drums? Who knew. Update: Pre-sale for Radiohead’s August 15 show at the Molson Amphitheatre – Grizzly Bear is opening – will have a presale on Wednesday, April 9, with general on-sale this Saturday, April 12. And if you’re getting lawns, Thierry’s point in the comments about maybe going down to the Amphitheatre box office and dodging service charges is a good one. Assuming it doesn’t sell out in two minutes. Which it will.

Video: Radiohead – “Bangers & Mash” (live)

The Catbirdseat pays tribute to the late Chuck Heston.

Photo via Crime Wave

The 2008 edition of the Over The Top Fest doesn’t formally begin until April 30 but the film component of the programme is getting a jump on things early. Next week, on April 10 at 7PM at The Royal, they’re offering a rare double-bill screening of the works of Winnipeg director John Paizs, who will himself be in attendance.

The programme consists of Crime Wave, his 1985 film about the making of “the greatest color crime movie ever” and Top Of The Food Chain, a spoof/homage to the sci-fi invasion flicks of the 1950s. I’ve not seen either film but judging from the trailers below, they definitely look interesting.

Courtesy of the festival, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the evening. To enter, send me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to ride a crime wave to the top of the food chain” in the subject line and your full name in the body. The contest will close at midnight, April 7 and if you don’t win but still want to go, tickets are $10 for each film, available at the door.

Trailer: Top Of The Food Chain
Trailer: Crime Wave

Photo via MySpace

…So The Acorn’s Glory Hope Mountain. What’s left to say? Review the record? Check. See them live in different countries? Check. Finally find a linkable, high-quality version of their stunning video for “The Flood, Pt 1”? Check, thanks to Shots Ring Out. Mention their upcoming American tour dates? Check. Get my ass handed to me in Facebook Scrabulous by guitarist Jeff Debutte? Check.

What’s left? I guess, just to give away a couple copies of the album on CD. Courtesy of Pirate! PR and Paper Bag Records, I have two CDs of Glory Hope Mountain to give away to whomever, wherever. Yes, Americans – that means you. If you would like to throw your hat into the ring, shoot me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I am a little acorn but will grow to a mighty oak” in the subject line and your full mailing address in the body. I will select the winners after midnight on April 12. Then I will put the CDs in padded envelopes, apply correct postage and send them off to you.

MP3: The Acorn – “The Flood, Pt 1”
MP3: The Acorn – “Crooked Legs”
Video: The Acorn – “The Flood, Pt 1”
MySpace: The Acorn

Photo by Frank Yang

Heading in to Wednesday night’s show at the El Mocambo, I was wondering if maybe the buzz around Seattle’s Fleet Foxes, which seemed omnipresent in my online circles over the past month or so, had been held up at the border because while there was some local press covering Portland-based headliners Blitzen Trapper leading up to the show, I was hearing nary a peep about the support act.

I wasn’t in time to catch local openers Fox Jaws but was pleasantly surprised to see that the club was quite full and obviously waiting in patient anticipation for Fleet Foxes to start. And patience was the key word as they were having some technical difficulties with the monitors and were taking their time in sorting it out. It was worth it, though, as otherwise they might not have been able to hear correctly and their four-part harmonies might have suffered and that would have been an absolute crime.

There is much to recommend Fleet Foxes – their timeless blend of British and American folk music filtered through country, soul and chamber pop styles, for example – but what strikes you first and hardest is the stunning vocal interplay. Their voices, led by songwriter Robin Peckold, were simply mesmerizing to listen to. Some have compared the band to My Morning Jacket or Band Of Horses and, while fans of those bands will surely find a lot to like in the Seattle quintet, those similarities are based largely on Peckold’s high voice and the thick blanket of reverb that cloaks their new Sun Giant EP (the self-titled debut album is out June 3). Live, you appreciate how much more delicate and intricate Fleet Foxes’ craft is – there are far fewer rock moves in their arsenal, instead choosing more spiritual musical path.

Throughout their set, the band were openly astonished at how enthusiastic the crowd was, cheering loudly for even for songs that hadn’t been officially released yet. I may not have heard the buzz and anticipation for the show, but obviously it was there. This energy made for an atmosphere of real occasion, as though everyone acknowledged that they were witnessing something pretty special, as though realizing the band is not only as good as everyone says they are, but are quite probably even better.

With this sort of praise following the tour around the continent, you might be tempted to feel sorry for Blitzen Trapper with them having to follow this act every night. But such pity is unnecessary. Though perhaps not as critically acclaimed as their tourmates at the moment – the crowd was noticeably thinner when they came out – they still know how to put on a show and bring the house down. I wasn’t especially taken with their latest record Wild Mountain Nation but, as they did when I saw them in the Fall opening for John Vanderslice, they put on a thoroughly entertaining show.

Their amalgam of roots, classic, country and psychedelic rock influences – all stored in the garage, natch – sounds like it could and should collapse at any second yet the band is simply too tight and too together to ever let that happen. The ensuing musical tug-of-war is a delight to behold. And they were funny as hell, too, with guitarist Marty Marquis paying tribute to Canada by pointing out his faded Alpha Flight t-shirt. They closed out their show in gloriously chaotic fashion with all of Fleet Foxes out on stage with them along with some fans from the audience and drummer Brian Adrian Koch deciding that one of his cymbals had outlived its usefulness and trying to put it out of its – and his – misery.

If you’re anywhere near the remaining tour dates, I highly recommend hitting the show up. It’ll be beautiful, cacophonous and all points in between, guaranteed.

Tiny Mix Tapes has an interview with Blitzen Trapper and, while a few months old, this profile on Fleet Foxes by The Stranger is worth a read.

Photos: Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes @ The El Mocambo – April 2, 2008
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation”
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Sci-Fi Kid” (Principal Participant Kingswood’ Remix)
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Sci-Fi Kid” (40 Thieves Remix)
MP3: Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Devil’s A-Go-Go”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Woof & Warp of the Quiet Giant’s Hem”
MySpace: Blitzen Trapper

A very welcome addition to the June concert calendar is Lightspeed Champion’s return to town on the 11th for a show at Lee’s Palace… this time accompanied by a full band. The two-piece configuration we saw at the Horseshoe in March worked quite well, considering, but it will be great to hear the rich arrangements of Falling Off The Lavender Bridge done proper justice in a live setting. Full tour dates are here and support will be Flowers Forever, the side project from Tilly & The Wall’s Derek Presnall.

MP3: Flowers Forever – “Black Rosary”

Matmos will be at the Music Gallery on July 21.

NPR is streaming a session from Jens Lekman recorded at SxSW last month. Jens is at The Great Hall on April 8.

NOW and Commercial Appeal talk to Will Sheff of Okkervil River, who kick off their tour with The New Pornographers starts in Toronto next Wednesday night, April 9.

Chart reports that The Coast’s cross-country tour got off to a lousy start when the band’s van was burgled in Victoria and many personal effects – and frontman Ben Spurr’s clothes – were stolen. The band will be back home, hopefully fully clothed, for a record release show at the Horseshoe on April 18. Expatriate was released this week.

PopMatters asks questions of American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel, gets pithy responses. The Georgia Straight and The Province also offer up interviews. AMC are at Lee’s Palace on April 19.

Beatroute profiles The D’Urbervilles, playing the UKULA store on May 1 as part of the Over The Top Fest.

The Calgary Sun bears witness as Feist is reunited with her old Fender Mustang bass. Awwwww. Feist plays a sold out show at the Sony Centre on May 13 and will also appear on Sesame Street in the near future.

JamBase profiles British Sea Power, in town on Monday for a Beautiful Noise taping and again on May 16 for a gig at Lee’s Palace.

Matt Berninger of The National talks to Spinner about how R.E.M. soundtracked his high school days. Non-$90 tickets for their show at the Molson Amphitheatre on June 8 go on sale tomorrow at 10AM.

InsideVandy, The River City Reader and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talk to Jim Eno and Britt Daniel of Spoon, who have a new video and a new EP, Don’t You Evah, out April 8. Watch and stream below, respectively.

Video: Spoon – “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”
Stream: Spoon / Don’t You Evah

And speaking of new videos, Elbow has one from The Seldom Seen Kid, out April 22.

Video: Elbow – “One Day Like This”

Minnesota Public Radio has Headlights in their studio for a session.

Sons & Daughters kept a tour diary for Billboard during their recent North American jaunt.