Photo via MySpace

If the coming of December traditionally means the season of year-end lists amongst the music geekery, it seems more and more that the coming of July means the season of mid-year lists is at hand. While it’s not a practice I’m especially fond of, I admit they can make for interesting reading for perhaps catching on to something before the “press/touring cycle” for a particular record is over. And while I’m not going to offer up a list of my own, I will present the undisputed album of the year for me so far – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!.

For well on eight years, my Nick Cave needs have been satiated by the decade-old The Best Of, which got considerably heavier rotation than many other best-ofs that played token representatives of storied careers in my CD collection, but didn’t quite compel me to start seeking out the individual albums. I had assumed, correctly or not, that Cave had settled into a dignified middle age, favouring piano ballads and orchestration and leaving the rough and raw rock leanings of his early days far behind – in other words, I figured I missed out on his good stuff.

But after the amped-up blast of lechery that was last year’s Grinderman , all my preconceptions were put on notice. This was not the sound of a man who was getting old gracefully, or perhaps more accurately, it was the sound of a man who was getting old gracefully but then changed his mind. I liked the album a lot, but it was more a sort of respect than genuine affection – this I know, because it’s honest to god love I feel for Lazarus. Taking some of the abrasiveness of Grinderman and blending it with the more grandiose sonics and songwriting of the Bad Seeds has yielded what, for my relatively limited frame of reference, is everything I would imagine and hope Nick Cave could be. Ranging from the darkly hilarious storytelling of the title track through the sinister drone of “Night Of The Lotus Eaters” to the guitar-shredding fury of “Lay Down Here (And Be My Girl)”, Lazarus is grim, gleeful and glorious.

Their Fall North American tour and the October 1 show at the Kool Haus in particular is currently circled on my calendar (figuratively speaking) as the single event this year I’m most looking forward to – there’s not many acts that I’ve not yet seen live yet, let alone ones that I’m as enthused about as I am about Cave, currently. In the interim, I’m getting better acquainted with his back catalog – I picked up Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus whilst in London and it’s as stunning as everyone said, and I’ve also gotten No More Shall We Part which, while also good, is exactly the mellowed-out Cave that I expected before this whole discovery process got underway. Anyone want to make more suggestions for essential Cave? I want – nay, NEED – more.

MP3: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!”
Video: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!”
Video: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Night Of The Lotus Eaters”
Video: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “More News From Nowhere”
MySpace: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

We were talking about mid-year lists, weren’t we? Drowned In Sound picked a dozen records from the first half of the year, listed in three parts with a tally of the best songs of the year to follow today. No Nick Cave, unbelievably, though The Chicago Sun-Times and Michigan Live make no such oversight. The AV Club also offers up their picks for the best songs of the year so far. AllMusic Guide takes a slightly different tact, compiling a list of their indie pop Summer crushes for the year.

Junkmedia, Billboard, An Aquarium Drunkard and Paste talk to David Berman of Silver Jews and Pitchfork has the full dates of their Fall tour to go along the already-announced September 2 Toronto date at Lee’s Palace.

Liz Phair’s reissued Exile In Guyville is currently spinning on Spinner. New York Magazine talks to Phair about the power of a topless photo.

Stream: Liz Phair / Exile In Guyville

Muzzle Of Bees asks five questions of Maria Taylor, who is at the El Mocambo tonight. Congrats to Jordan, Kelly and Hok who won the passes to the show.

NOW chats with Alex Maas of The Black Angels, who’re playing Lee’s Palace tonight. Congrats to Thierry, Matt and Stuart who won the passes to the show.

Spin, The Arizona Daily Star and The New Zealand Herald get acquainted with Fleet Foxes, in town at the Phoenix on July 16.

Billboard Q&As Neil Young about the forthcoming CSNY: Deja Vu documentary coming out July 10.

Trailer: CSNY: Deja Vu

Exclaim! and The Globe & Mail profile Wolf Parade, who will bring their new record At Mount Zoomer to the Kool Haus on August 9.

Reuters examines the Feist-powered boom for Arts & Crafts. Spinner talks to Brendan Canning, whose Something For All Of Us… will be the label’s next release on July 22.

Some more local stuff worthy of note – the July 26 show at Sneaky Dee’s featuring Miracle Fortress and Think About Life now features a couple of bands with a significant amount of chatter around them – Adam & The Amethysts and Ruby Coast. Tickets are $12 in advance.

MP3: Adam & The Amethysts – “Stupid Ocean”
MP3: Adam & The Amethysts – “The Return”

SummerWorks is a staple of the Toronto theatre scene every Summer, but this year they’ve added a music component to things. Running August 8 to 16 at the Theatre Centre – aka The Great Hall – it will feature a host of local talent including Gentleman Reg, The Diableros, Rock Plaza Central and The Rural Alberta Advantage in double-bills each night. Full details and schedule at their website.

Speaking of the RAA, they’ll be at Rancho Relaxo on July 10 and tonight, said venue will play host to Oh No Forest Fires and Hot Panda. Both shows definitely worth your time.

Photo via Matador

Yes, I know I’ve been going a little giveaway-crazy this week. Sorry, but it can’t be helped – either it’s this, or I don’t give stuff away and that just seems like a waste of free stuff.

Next up are Times New Viking who are coming all the way up from Columbus, Ohio to celebrate Canada Day with us at the Horseshoe. Now that’s neighbourly. They’ll be playing selections from their new record Rip It Off which sounds not unlike a Guided By Voices record played through a broken transistor radio turned up to 10, recorded on a broken tape recorder, played back through that same broken transistor radio turned up to 10, again recorded on a broken tape recorder, etc. It’s about a thousand times more abrasive and distorted than I can really take, but even so I can tell that underneath it all are some terrific pop songs. I just wish I could hear them.

If you’re interested in hitting this show up, courtesy of Against The Grain I’ve got three pairs of passes to see them at the ‘Shoe on July 1. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to spend Canada Day with Times New Viking” in the subject line and your full name in the body and fire that off to me by 5PM tomorrow, June 26. And while you wait to find out if you’ve won, read this brief interview at The Weekly Dig.

MP3: Times New Viking – “DROP-OUT”
MP3: Times New Viking – “(My Head)/RIP Allegory “

Photo via mogwai.co.uk

Mogwai has been somewhat quiet – not something you can often say – since the release of Mr Beast in early 2006 and the ensuing tour, excepting the soundtrack to the Zidane film, but they’re getting back into (rock) action. First, there’s just-released tenth anniversary reissue of their debut Young Team, in remastered and double-disc form and come this Fall, they’ll release their new studio album The Hawk Is Howling on September 22, preceded by the Batcat EP on September 9.

So with the band currently standing with one foot in the past and one in the future, it’s reasonable to expect the unexpected in their set list when they play the Phoenix on Monday night, June 30. Courtesy of Against The Grain, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show so if you want to spend Canada Day eve getting your ears pummeled by some irascible Scots, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I will not feed Mogwai after midnight” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Get that in to me by 5PM tomorrow, June 26.

MP3: Mogwai – “Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home”
MP3: Mogwai – “Tracy”
MP3: Mogwai – “7:25”
MP3: Mogwai – “Folk Death 95”
MySpace: Mogwai

Photo by Frank Yang

For all the times I’ve seen Shearwater live – a half dozen times prior to Monday night – I’ve never seen them play what I’d call a full set. It’s always been shorter showcase slots at SxSW or opening slots for other bands here in Toronto. The critical praise laid at the feet of their last record Palo Santo didn’t prove to be enough for them to graduate to the headlining circuit, but it wasn’t until this year’s even more-lauded Rook that they would finally get to see their names on the top of the marquee… except here.

In deference to the hometown (or home-country, at least) advantage of their tourmates in Frog Eyes, Shearwater took the middle slot in Monday night’s bill at the Horseshoe. I got there a bit late, missing openers Evangelicals completely (but I’m okay with that, I saw them in March and that was plenty) as well as Shearwater’s opening number – an a capella cover of Nico’s “Nibelungen” – and arrived as they began “Red Sea, Black Sea”.

With the five-piece touring configuration of the band swapping instruments both conventional and esoteric, the early portion of Shearwater’s set was beautiful yet seemed strangely ghostly. I felt as though it was viewed/heard through a soft-focus lens (no my camera lens wasn’t dirty), an impression heightened by Jonathan Meiburg’s soaring vocals – I’ve heard it so many times but it always amazes. Not until “Century Eyes”, when Thor Harris settled in for some serious drum kit abuse, did their feet touch the ground and the sound began to hit with some serious weight and snapped into focus. That extra dimension really propelled the band through the finale of their set, culminating as always with a feedback-laden “White Waves”. But as they were readying to leave the stage, the smallish but vocal crowd persuaded them to stay for two more songs.

The encore in all but in name added two more Rook songs to the set including the almost never-played “Home Life” (Meiburg said it was the second time they’d ever played it), tilting the balance of the set to the new material and cementing the performance as a remarkable one. As much as I like Palo Santo, I had hoped that Rook would get more time in the spotlight – those who caught the “Rook live” shows in Austin and NYC have my envy. I was also a little sad though completely understanding that none of the pre-Palo Santo material was included and probably never will be again. That was practically a different band, but it’s still sad that some great songs have essentially been retired from the stage.

The contrasts between Shearwater and Frog Eyes are significant, and yet the two bands were more complimentary than I’d expected. Where Shearwater are airy, led by Meiburg’s angelic voice and have between song banter explaining how an exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History inspired a song, Frog Eyes are similarly earthy, defined by Carey Mercer’s manic on-stage persona and fill in the space between songs with lines like, “it’s hotter than two rats fucking in a wool sock”. I wouldn’t claim to be a Frog Eyes fan by any measure, but their last album Tears Of The Valedictorian has grown on me some and though it’s not the best setting for getting acquainted with their songs – they’re rather dense and tend to sound samey at first pass – I’ve enjoyed them the couple times I’ve seen them live. Mercer is quite entertaining to watch as he spends as much time singing/bellowing straight up into the air to no one in particular as he does into the mic.

I didn’t stay for all of Frog Eyes’ set – I’d gone mainly to see Shearwater and was quite satisfied with the night before they even started their set. What with being tapped to open up some dates for Coldplay later this Summer, it seems that Shearwater are finally getting the notice they deserve and I expect that next time through town, they’ll be firmly entrenched as the headliners no matter who else is on the bill or where they’re from.

The Arizona Daily Star talks to Carey Mercer and eye also has a review of the show.

Photos: Frog Eyes, Shearwater @ The Horseshoe – June 23, 2008
MP3: Frog Eyes – “Bushels”
MP3: Frog Eyes – “The Oscillator’s Hum”
MP3: Shearwater – “Rooks”
MP3: Shearwater – “Leviathan, Bound”
MySpace: Frog Eyes
MySpace: Shearwater

Will Sheff talks to The Calgary Herald in advance of Okkervil River’s appearance at Sled Island this week. They will release The Stand Ins on September 9 and play the Phoenix on October 12.

In advance of their show at Lee’s Palace tomorrow night opening up for The Black Angels, Warlocks will be doing an in-store set at Sonic Boom June 26 starting at 6PM.

The August 5 show featuring The Go! Team, CSS and Matt & Kim appears to have been moved from the Kool Haus to the Phoenix.

Sigur Ros’ new album Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust is currently streaming at Spinner. If you, like me, missed out on last week’s presale for their September 22 show at Massey Hall – and may I just say that staggering the on-sale times throughout the whole day of the floors, balconies and gallery seats without any hint of when each was actually going on sale was kind of lame – take note. The “Friends Of Massey Hall” presale goes today at 10PM and the regular onsale via Ticketmaster goes Friday at 10AM.

Stream: Sigur Ros / Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust

Billboard reports that The Verve have thought long and hard about what to name their comeback record, out August 19, and come up with… Forth. Man, bet Portishead are kicking themselves for not thinking of that one. The first single from the album is currently streaming on the band’s MySpace and it’s called “Love Is Noise”, aka the song with the annoying sample in the encore of their Spring tour. As a first taste of where their collective muse is these days, it’s not terribly impressive but at least I know the other new song they were playing live – “Sit And Wonder” – is considerably stronger.

Also of delight to old Anglophiles is the news that Oasis have also set a release date and title for their next album. Dig Out Your Soul will be out on October 7 and I imagine they’ll preview some material from it when the close out the second day of V Fest on September 7 – but hopefully not too much. Noel Gallagher delivers the first salvo of album hyperbole to Billboard.

Prefix and Exclaim! interview Jason Pierce of Spiritualized. Exclaim! have also assembled a timeline tracking the career of J Spaceman over the years. They’re playing day one of V Fest.

Prefix also has an interview with Adam Franklin of Swervedriver. If you were at their NxNE show, check out this photo shot from the stage and see if you can find yourself. I see me!

The Times examines the return of a kinder, gentler Primal Scream with their new album Beautiful Future, out July 22. You can download the first single from their website for free by signing up to their mailing list. The Sunday Mail also has a chat with Bobby Gillespie.

Billboard talks to Adele.

Stereogum has got the first MP3 from Neil Halstead’s forthcoming solo record Oh! Mighty Engine, due out July 29.

The AV Club dips into their record collection. Comes up with a Field Mice 7″. Reminisces.

The Guardian gets psyched for Glastonbury this weekend by compiling a downloadable mixtape of some of the performers. Via No Rock And Roll Fun.

Photo via MySpace

Eef Barzelay used to be in a band called Clem Snide, but then decided to go solo and has just released a new record called Lose Big. Casey Deinel used to be a solo artist but decided to become a band called White Hinterland and has just released a record called Phylactery Factory. Perhaps they’re comparing notes as to who’s now better off as they tour together, including a stop at the El Mocambo this Friday night.

Courtesy of Against The Grain, I’ve got three pairs of passes to see Eef Barzelay and White Hinterland at the El Mocambo on Friday, June 27. If you want em, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Eef Barzelay and White Hinterland” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Get that in to me before midnight tomorrow night, June 25. Thanks for playing.

The Cleveland Free Times chats with Barzelay.

MP3: White Hinterland – “Dreaming Of the Plum Trees”
MySpace: White Hinterland