Photo by Frank Yang

Actually, the title of this post isn’t quite accurate. I turned 33 yesterday. But it was still nice of Aimee Mann to stop by on Friday evening to say hello. Okay, it wasn’t specifically a birthday greeting, but her in-store in the basement of Sonic Boom was still something of an occasion if for no other reason than it’s not often you get a show as intimate as that with an artist of her stature.

I was a big fan in the days of her early solo records – the Roger McGuinn-aided classic pop of Whatever and Bernard Butler-gilded alt.rock of I’m With Stupid were staples of my musical diet through the late ’90s but after her turn of the century triumphs with Magnolia and Bachelor No 2. The follow-up Lost In Space felt tepid and a bit creatively stagnant however, and with a three-year gap between that and The Forgotten Arm my attention had wandered though I was pleased to see that the latter recaptured a bit of the energy that Space was sorely lacking.

Which brings us to her newest effort, @#%&! Smilers, to be released June 3. It was from this record that Mann drew exclusively for this short (half-hour) promo gig with herself on acoustic guitar and accompanied by a bassist and keyboardist. Assuming that the presentation of the recorded versions will differ significantly from this configuration, it was tough to judge the quality of the material based on this performance. Mann has always had an innate pop sense but her recent works have been less immediate and requiring more listens to fully appreciate. But that said, based on first impressions the new stuff sounds quite good and I look forward to hearing the album in whole.

Mann will be back in town for a proper date later this Summer at the Kool Haus on August 28. She also gives Newsweek some background behind the creation of the new record.

Photos: Aimee Mann @ Sonic Boom – May 9, 2008
MP3: Aimee Mann – “Thirty One Today”
Video: Aimee Mann – “Thirty One Today”
MySpace: Aimee Mann

Orgeon Live and The Age interview Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla while American Songwriter talks creative process with both Walla and Ben Gibbard. Narrow Stairs is out tomorrow and they play Olympic Island on June 7.

WOXY has posted the fruits of their Lounge Act labours with Okkervil River, including a new song that will likely make an appearance on their Stage Names companion disc which should be out later this year.

Exclaim! discusses Couples with Long Blonde Kate Jackson. They’re at Lee’s Palace on May 22.

The Nicole Atkins feature in this month’s Spin is now available to read online via their digital issue reader thingie.

Have you been wondering what happened to Ambulance LTD? So has the The Harvard Crimson so they catch up with sole remaining original member Marcus Congleton at a gig and find out how their label going bankrupt has essentially screwed them for the foreseeable future. Brooklyn Rail also checks in with Congleton, gets the same story. Demos of new material are available on their MySpace, and that’s probably the most we’ll be getting out of them anytime soon.

Drowned In Sound talks to Mission Of Burma’s Roger Miller.

A bunch of show announcements to help you plan your Summer. Thanks to Graham for pointing out that Ted Leo will be in town for a show at the Mod Club for the “Converse 100th Anniversary Party” on June 12, an early show with tickets $15 at the door. And then the next day, he’s at Dundas Square for a free 6PM show, this one surely a NXNE event.

Today’s darlings of the internet – No Age – will be at the Horseshoe on July 16 in support of their new album Nouns. MTV and Exclaim have features on the Los Angeles duo.

MP3: No Age – “Neck Escaper”
MP3: No Age – “Eraser”

All done with opening for others, Bon Iver will be headlining at Lee’s Palace on July 22 with the very worthy Bowerbirds, who were recently featured in a Take Away Show, as support.

If that bill’s not to your taste, perhaps the Atlas Sound/El Guincho at the Mod Club the same evening would be more up your alley.

Tilly & The Wall has given up on keeping their new album, due June 17, nameless and will now consent to call it O. They will be in town to promote with a show at the Mod Club on August 2.

MP3: Tilly & The Wall – “Cacaphony”

Stereolab will take their latest Chemical Chords, out August 19, on the road this Fall and be in Toronto at the Phoenix on October 8. Monade, Laetitia Sadier’s side project, will open.

Okay, so as I mentioned many moons ago I’m heading out vacation this week first for a few days in Dublin and then hopping over to London for another while – ten days total. I’ve tried to do some research as to things to do but have been fairly busy and besides a laundry list of the more obvious touristy things, any recommendations in addition to what was rattled off in January? I’m told that getting a copy of Time Out is the place to start? I’ve got no particular agenda – just want to look around, hang out, start a band, become NME flavour of the week and fall out of favour. I figure I can accomplish all that in a week.

This week, a look at the three Swedish ladies who will be taking the stage at the Mod Club tonight. Tickets $15 in advance, a bit more at the door. The tour continues down the west coast through next week.

El Perro Del Mar / From The Valley To The Stars (The Control Group) When we last saw Sarah Assbring, she had crafted an exquisitely sad record in El Perro Del Mar’s self-titled debut that sounded like she couldn’t quite decide whether to go to doo-wop group practice or throw herself off a bridge. But surely time heals all? Judging from her just-released follow-up, such is not entirely the case though things might be looking up. Her vocals are still utterly mournful but lyrically, there’s a sense of – if not hopefulness, then the desire for hopefulness. The sadness is there, as always, but is not to be wallowed in. There’s a greater growth in the musical end of things. Though still spare, the production is broader and brighter – even jaunty at times – and incorporates sounds and arrangements that are generally associated with spiritual matters, organs and chorals and the like. The ensuing blend makes for a juxtaposition of downcast and uplift that ties in nicely with the album’s title, though rather than implying progress from point A to point B, Assbring may well just be suspended halfway. It’d be so much sadder like that. Sarah Assbring offers interviews to The Westender, The Georgia Straight and The Village Voice. MP3: El Perro Del Mar – “Glory To The World” MySpace: El Perro Del Mar

Lykke Li / Little Bit (The Control Group) Lykke Li Timotej Zachrisson (the shorter stage name is probably a wise move) is already a full album ahead in Sweden than the rest of the world, but based on the buzz already around her, the four-song Little Bit EP has obviously proven to be all she needs to impress. The title track kicks things off in sultry and seductive fashion, Li’s vocals slinking coquettishly around a simple but effective arrangement built on mandolin and percussion. The remainder of the EP strike a more innocent, playful tone but after that decidedly tingly first impression, you know it’s just a front and just what’s hiding behind that shy smile. For some reason, these days “sexy” music seems to immediately imply hard, synthetic beats – the resolutely organic sounds make up Little Bit prove that sometimes, simple and naked is sexier. Her debut full-length Youth Novels is due out later this Summer. eye, The Georgia Straight and PopMatters have got interviews with the singer. MP3: Lykke Li – “Dance Dance Dance” Video: Lykke Li – “Little Bit” MySpace: Lykke Li

Anna Ternheim / Halfway To Fivepoints (Decca) Of the three acts on the tour, Anna Ternheim comes across the most conventional, but also the most grandiose. She takes her decidedly melancholic singer-songwriter material, built on skeletons of guitar and piano, and mates them to arrangements that sweep and swell from rock band to orchestra as needed. It’s not anything new, but it’s done exceptionally well and Ternheim has a voice perfectly suited to delivering her downbeat sentiments. It’s interesting, I remember receiving a copy of her self-titled EP from last year which shares a couple tracks with the album and it didn’t make nearly the impression that the full-length has. I guess her Fleetwood Mac cover struck more of a chord with me than her Iggy/Bowie one (I’m never sure who “China Girl” should be credited to/blamed on). PhillyBurbs has a feature on Ternheim. MP3: Anna Ternheim – “To Be Gone” Video: Anna Ternheim – “Today Is A Good Day” MySpace: Anna Ternheim

Photo by Briana Purser

It’s very true that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, except that sometimes you can. Consider the artwork that accompanies Directions To See A Ghost, the new album due next Tuesday from Austin, Texas’ Black Angels. Rare is it that a record’s visuals so accurately describe that which is contained within.

First there’s the colours. Reds and greens that aren’t quite fluorescent but are definitely intense. Combine that with the design, radial lines arranged in concentric circles that could be exploding outwards or sucking inwards, or perhaps both at the same time. It’s more than enough to jump off a shelf or make you dizzy like the opening credits to Doctor Who and then when you pick it up, there’s the kicker. It’s EMBOSSED. Congratulations, your mind has just been blown and you haven’t even left the store.

Moving from sight and touch to sound, Ghost proves that the band is worthy of their name, taken from the Velvet Underground song, as well as offering an argument that they could have just as easily named themselves after your choice of Spacemen 3 recordings. Ghost grafts squalls of abrasive guitar, swirling organ and ominous vocals onto a monolithic and droning bass and drum groove that’s as heavy as it is unrelenting – I’m talking serial killer in a horror film unrelenting – all of it sounding like it was recorded in a wind tunnel decked out as a Hallowe’en funhouse.

This style of music is never intended to sound contemporary, but those who prefer to view their retro sounds through rose-coloured glasses are advised to look elsewhere. The Black Angels do their musical scavenging in the shadows on the seedy side of town, driven by paranoia and shrouded in a narcotic haze. Easy listening or pop music, this is not. It’s designed to be played loud, but my personal recommendation is that you do so via a stereo or some sort of speakers – over headphones, injected directly into your brain, it’s kind of freaky trip.

The Black Angels are on tour this Summer alongside their west coast drone-merchant brethren in The Warlocks and will be at Lee’s Palace on June 26.

And oh, contesting. Courtesy of Light In The Attic, I’ve got five copies of Directions To See A Ghost along with the limited-edition four-song EP that accompanied pre-orders to give away. To enter, leave me a comment below with your choice for album art that best matches the music it accompanies. Include a link to a decent-size image if at all possible and your correct email address – spamproofed as you see fit – in the appropriate field when posting. The contest is open to everyone, everywhere and will close at midnight, May 17.

MP3: The Black Angels – “Doves”
MySpace: The Black Angels

Drowned In Sound talks to Clinic and The Daily Collegian to Shearwater, both of whom will be in town at Lee’s Palace this Sunday, May 11. Shearwater will be back for a show at the Horseshoe on June 23 and release Rook on June 3.

Chart and The Calgary Herald talk to Tokyo Police Club.

Bassist Shonna Tucker of the Drive-By Truckers fields questions from Prefix.

The Lawrence Journal rings up John Stirratt of Wilco; chats.

PopMatters discusses April, the new album from Sun Kil Moon, with Mark Kozelek.

The Colorado Springs Independent talks to violinist Rebecca Zeller of Ra Ra Riot.

The Portland Mercury profiles Kate Nash.

There’s a trailer/preview of sorts for Neil Young’s Archives up on YouTube.

AOL Music Canada contemplates the return of Portishead and what it means for the recently moribund genre that was once called “trip-hop”. Oh yeah, Tricky is back.

A couple new albums are available to stream – the just-released Momofuku from Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Sloan’s Parallel Play, due June 10.

Stream: Elvis Costello & The Imposters / Momofuku
Stream: Sloan / Parallel Play

New additions to V Fest, going down September 6 and 7 on the Toronto Islands. The lineup now features The Fratellis on day one, Ladyhawk and Cadence Weapon on day two. There was supposed to be an announcement of some consequence this week about the lineup, and all respect the the above but I can’t believe that it was them.

Speaking of V Fest performers, Bradley’s Almanac is sharing the audio from a Bloc Party show in Boston last Spring. They’re playing the first day of V Fest.

Coldplay have two dates scheduled for the Air Canada Centre on October 29 and 30.

PopMatters reports that a new online magazine will be rising from the ashes of Harp, which ceased publication this past March. The site – to be located at Blurt-online.com – will be run by the founder of Harp along with their managing and senior editors. While this won’t replace the Harp-shaped hole in my real-world reading habits, I’m glad that there’ll still be fresh content in the spirit of the print publication coming our way.

And along the same lines, Reveille engages veteran music journalists from the print world in a discussion about the rise of digital publications versus the traditional medium.

Entertainment Weekly has cast shots from the G.I. Joe film, out next Summer, and all I can say is Destro – you seem to have forgotten something. YOUR BIG METAL HEAD. No, I don’t care how the special effects people do it, that’s not my problem. But Scarlett, Baroness and Snake Eyes, you can stay. Oh, and not pictured but do you know who’s playing Cobra Commander? This guy. No idea how they’re going to sell THAT.

Photo by Frank Yang

I went into Tuesday night’s Kills show at the Opera House most interested in how the duo of Jaime Hince and Alison Mosshart – Hotel and VV to their friends – would pull it off live. Their latest album Midnight Boom, the only one of theirs I’m familiar with, is not the sound of two people playing live. It’s a patchwork of buzzing guitars, jalopy drum machines and found sound effects – easily recreated with backing tapes, but my experience is that approach rarely makes for a compelling or organic live experience. How would this trans-Atlantic pair do it?

Before that question could be answered, we first had to suffer through a set from Brooklyn outfit Telepathe. Now it’s possible there’s something interesting or redeeming in their amalgam of ambient rock, electronica and, um, hip-hop? But it wasn’t on display here – their aimless set garnered an audience response that would have made a golf clap sound like a football riot. What was most galling was how self-conscious and half-hearted their delivery was – with some awkward and indifferent dancing and half-mumbled/whispered vocals, it was like they didn’t think they should have been up there either. One of the more painful half hours I’ve had in recent memory.

But hopefully they’re taking notes on stage presence over the course of this tour because The Kills absolutely drip chemistry and charisma. So much so that you would have expected someone to come out between songs and mop up the floor between Hince and Mosshart. In front of a backdrop with projections of performances from their punk and garage rock forebears, the pair threw down a ferocious set that was loud, filthy and unbelievably sexy. Though he looks more than a little like Rowan Atkinson, Hince on guitar had the sort of presence that could help a guy who looks like Rowan Atkinson land a supermodel girlfriend and Mosshart… well damn – think Karen O’s younger sister who got sent to reform school instead of art school. Whether prowling the stage, molesting the mic stand or pounding the guitar, she was as alluring as she was terrifying. But impossible to take your eyes off of.

Oh, and as for my initial questions about the live setup going into the show? The answer – who gives a damn. Yeah, they used pre-recorded backing tracks but there was nothing remotely stiff or inorganic about the show and anyway, it probably wouldn’t be safe onstage for any additional players, lest they get caught in the electricity between the two principals and spontaneously combust. It affects a dozen people a year but is not widely reported.

The Montreal Gazette, The Daily Page and The Washington Post talk to Alison Mosshart about the making of the new record and not about Kate Moss. Metro chats with Hince.

Photos: The Kills, Telepathe @ The Opera House – May 6, 2008
MP3: The Kills – “Cheap & Cheerful”
MP3: Telepathe – “The March”
Video: The Kills – “Cheap & Cheerful”
Video: The Kills – “U.R.A. Fever”
MySpace: The Kills

Billboard talks to Mate Of State Jason Hammell about their new album Re-Arrange Us, due May 20. Check out the first video from said record.

Video: Mates Of State – “Get Better”

Daytrotter welcomes Holy Fuck to their studios for a session. They’re at Sonic Academy with MIA on June 2.

New City Chicago, MetroMix, The Seattle Times, Mother Jones, Muzzle Of Bees and The Georgia Straight converse with DeVotchKa.

Drowned In Sound, The Times and The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel all profile Bon Iver.

Chart talks to Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields about their latest, Distortion.

An Aquarium Drunkard talks politics with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan.

Jason Pierce of Spiritualized talks to Spinner about how nearly dying informed the writing of Songs In A & E, out May 27. Spiritualized play day one of V Fest at the Toronto Islands, September 6.

Guitar Player considers the six-string virtues of Radiohead’s catalogue, including a rather harsh dismissal of Pablo Honey – the same album that The Riverfront Times feels is deserving of some advocacy. Though my angsty teenage self loved the album back in 1993, I have to admit it hasn’t aged all that well even if you don’t consider the huge leaps in creativity that began with The Bends. But “Anyone Can Play Guitar” will always rule. Back in the present, Pitchfork rounds up the best of the “Nude” remixes while Wired reports on some disgruntlement about how the contest end of it was handled, and a little into the future, Radiohead are at the Molson Amphitheatre on August 15.

Rolling Stone talks to Liz Phair about the remaster and reclamation project of Exile In Guyville, due June 24. You can check out a sample of the freshly-polished audio job below.

MP3: Liz Phair – “Fuck And Run”

Also buffing up a debut to mark an anniversary are former Phair labelmates Mogwai, who are re-releasing Young Team ten years after it was first inflicted on the eardrums of the world. It’s out May 27, and the band been doing the “play the whole record in its entirety” thing of late – maybe that’s what they’ll have in store when they roll into the Phoenix on June 30?

MP3: Mogwai – “Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home”

And most exciting and probably the only one of these nostalgia trips I’ll actually be picking up are remasters of the only two My Bloody Valentine albums that matter – Isn’t Anything and Loveless. Pitchfork reports that the former will be re-released in a single disc form and the latter as a double set, one disc remastered from DAT, the other from analogue tape. Obviously an incredibly audio-geek, I’m quite intrigued as to what the differences will be but I’m sure they’ll both be far superior to the current CD pressing – it frankly sounds pretty awful and doesn’t do the record sonic justice. I envision many hours of listening to the same album over and over again when they’re released in the UK on June 16 (and will certainly show up in North American shops immediately after). And I probably won’t get tired of mentioning this anytime soon, but My Bloody Valentine will be in town on September 25 at the Ricoh Coliseum. Ooh, goosebumps.

Photo by Frank Yang

How about that – shortly after mentioning last week that I’d never seen the Constantines’ live, I got an invite from Arts & Crafts to see them play a CFNY-presented show at the dinky Supermarket in Kensington Market, the same Kensington from which their latest album Kensington Heights takes its name. I wonder if that’d work for anything else… Hey internet – I’d like a pony.

And now we wait.

In the meantime, I’ll recount my first Cons show. The Supermarket is a fraction the size of the Phoenix, where they played on Thursday night, there was no doubt this would be a rare and intimate show. I didn’t expect an opener but Jennifer Castle, aka Castlemusic, was tapped to warm things up as she did at the Phoenix. Though the smaller room was surely a more sympathetic setting for her tender and trembly folk songs, they were unable to quell the chatty audience who’d shown up for a rock show. Luckily, that’s exactly what the Constantines had in mind.

Though five more unassuming looking guys you’re not likely to find, they’re like a force of nature onstage. A steamroller of sound, powered by sweat and riffs. I don’t need to know that lightning is created by the buildup and discharge of electrical energy between positively and negatively charged areas (ref) to respect and fear it, and similarly I didn’t need to be familiar with the Constantines’ back catalog to be well and properly rocked. That said, it was the older, unfamiliar material that had the most live impact – some of the old school fans have been talking about Kensington Heights as a (relative) disappointment as an album and while I think it’s pretty solid taken on its own merits, I do now understand where they’re coming from. Some of those songs – which I obviously couldn’t identify – were monolithic. In a sense, it was nice to be at a show without expectations of what might or might not be played – I could just take it all in and be impressed. And yes, I get it now. I don’t know that I’d be the first to stand in support of a formal “The Constantines are the best live band in Canada” declaration just yet, but I certainly wouldn’t oppose it.

CBC Radio 3 gets some facts from guitarist Steve Lambke.

Photos: Constantines, Castlemusic @ The Supermarket – May 5, 2008
MP3: Constantines – “Hard Feelings”
MP3: Constantines – “Nighttime Anytime It’s Alright”
MP3: Constantines – “On To You”
MP3: Constantines – “Love In Fear”
MP3: Constantines – “Soon Enough”
MP3: Constantines – “Arizona”
MP3: Castlemusic – “Heaven”
Video: Constantines – “Hard Feelings”
Video: Constantines – “Working Full-Time”
MySpace: Constantines
MySpace: Castlemusic

Pitchfork brings us a taste from the next installment in the “Broken Social Scene Presents” series, also known as the solo but not really solo record from Brendan Canning. Maintaining the tradition of ellipsis abuse started by bandmate Kevin Drew on last year’s Spirit If…, Canning will release Something for All of Us… on July 22 – details here.

MP3: Brendan Canning – “Hit The Wall”

And sometime Broken Social Scenester, all-time ex-Treble Charger Bill Priddle is back with his new outfit The Priddle Concern. Chart, The Sault Star and JAM talk to Priddle about his new self-titled record. He’ll play an in-store at Soundscapes on Saturday, May 10 at 5PM and yes, I think requesting “Red” would be bad form.

MP3: The Priddle Concern – “Back Around”

A couple to file in the “I was wrong” box – I had speculated that Fleet Foxes would be returning to town whilst on tour with A Hawk & A Hacksaw and thus be at the El Mocambo on July16. As it happens, they will be here that day but be playing the much larger Phoenix as support for Stephen Malkmus. PitchforkTV has a video feature on the band recorded at SxSW.

I also figured that the All Tomorrow’s Parties show in upstate New York would be as close to Toronto as My Bloody Valentine’s North American tour would get, especially since early announcements explicitly called it a US tour… well we must have been annexed when I wasn’t looking because the tour dates are up and lo and behold – September 25 at Ricoh Coliseum… My Bloody Valentine. Tickets go on sale Friday at noon and will run $47.50 plus fees, gougings, etc. Not cheap, but certainly more reasonable than the $1200 that the ATP tickets would have run me, though that came with a 5-bed hotel room… Yeah, I’ll take the local show.

The Denver Post talks to Dan Bejar of Destroyer while The Washington Post has a back-and-forth debate about the merits of Streethawk versus This night (via Catbirdseat).

CNET has coverage from Neil Young’s press conference at Sun Microsystems yesterday where he officially announced that the Archives series would be released on Blu-Ray discs – finally, an excuse to get a PlayStation3. They’re still supposed to be released starting this year, so keep an eye open and a grain of salt handy.

The Saturday night (June 14) lineup at the Horseshoe for NxNE has been announced – staying from 8PM till the wee hours of Sunday morning will net you performances from Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Hey Rosetta, Ladyhawk, The D’Urbervilles, Spiral Beach and Rebekah Higgs. A partial list, but not schedule, of NXNE acts is also now up.

As if the The Go! Team/CSS show at the Kool Haus on August 5 wasn’t going to be fun enough, Matt & Kim have now been added to the bill. Ridiculous good times guaranteed.

Aversion talks to Alan Sparhawk about the differences between Low and the Retribution Gospel Choir, whom he leads into the Rivoli on June 21.

New American Music Club video from The Golden Age! Woot. And interviews with Mark Eitzel at The Kansas City Pitch and Arizona Central. Double woot. Or should that be triple woot?

Video: American Music Club – “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”

Former Beulah frontman Miles Kurosky’s return just got a lot more real – he has a MySpace and is streaming a new song from his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled solo record.