Photo via sigurros.com

Hooray for the end of the week and another decks-clearing post, starting off with something of a decidedly time-sensitive nature.

Icelandic ambassadors Sigur Ros are set to release their latest opus Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust on Tuesday, but North American fans had best not be looking past this morning – more specifically about 40 minutes from now – as the presale for their just-announced North American tour begins today at 9AM EDT, including their September 22 date at Massey Hall. I’ve seen them there I think three times now and each one has been a distinct kind of magical. Looking forward to date number four. As for the album, you can stream the whole thing at sigurros.com as well as download the single as an MP3 and watch the nudity-filled video. Scandalous! Update: The Massey Hall presale only appears to have balconies… wish I’d known that before I sat here for 20 minutes hitting refresh trying to get the page to load. I will wait for the regular on-sale, hope for floors…

My Bloody Valentine begin their official comeback starting tonight at the Roundhouse in London and reports from last weekend’s warm-up shows are definitely promising, and it’s good to see that even after all the time away, they band still looks reasonably fit. The absence of any recent photos – promo or otherwise – prior to the show had me a bit worried. The Telegraph charts the long and winding comeback road to tonight’s show, and also mentions that the remastered reissues of Isn’t Anything and Loveless that were supposed to arrive this week have been delayed at least a month while Kevin Shields ponders over the liner notes. I would love it if someone did an A-B, and in the case of Loveless and the two different remasters an A-B-C, between the current issues and the new ones to see how great a sonic difference there is. I’ve never thought that Loveless on CD sounded as good as it should so if they’ve managed to get it right, I’ll be right there in line with everyone else. If it’s just louder, then hell. I have a volume knob on my stereo, thanks. The MBV reunion hits the Ricoh Coliseum on September 25.

Nick Cave, not content to release one of the best albums of the year in Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, will release a book about the creation of the title track from said record on July 8 and, as Undercover reports, he’s also set to get to work on a second Grinderman record with an eye towards an early 2009 release. Cave and the Seeds are at the Kool Haus on October 1.

And how ridiculous is it that if all goes according to plan, I’ll be seeing Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds all in the same week? That is what we call an embarrassment of riches.

Elsewhere on the subject of comebacks, Billboard reports that Mercury Rev will be releasing not one but two new records, their first in three years, on September 29. Snowflake Midnight will be released through regular channels while Strange Attractor will be available digitally for free to everyone on the band’s mailing list. I’m not sure how much I still care about Mercury Rev. Deserter’s Songs was and still is a masterpiece, but All Is Dream was forgettable and The Secret Migration, doubly so, but I’m still prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Or disappointed. Whichever.

Also filed under disappointment – my inability to find a copy of The Wedding Present’s new album El Rey in either of the local stores I tried. Apparently the demand in Toronto is just enough that stores will sell out of the copies they have on hand, but not so much that they’d have any extra. Bah. The Daily Yomiuri talks to Dave Gedge about the return from Cinerama to The Wedding Present, even though that angle is really at least an album old. Anyway, hoping to turn up a copy of the album over the weekend and until then, there’s an MP3 of the first single.

MP3: The Wedding Present – “The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girl Friend”

Liz Phair gets testy with an interviewer from Time Out Chicago – on one hand, I feel for her a bit for being asked the same sort of questions about her rise and fall and attempts to rise again, but on the other hand, she has no one to blame but herself. And whoever told her that using a headset mic when playing live was a good idea. The Los Angeles Times also reconsiders Phair and her legacy. The deluxe, double-disc, fancy-pants reissue of Exile In Guyville is out next week. There’s also a trailer from the DVD portion of the set.

Trailer: Guyville Redux

Junkmedia talks to Los Campesinos!, whose new video I don’t think I’ve linked yet.

Video: Los Campesinos! – “My Year In Lists”

Spin caught up with Aimee Mann backstage at Bonnaroo for a video interview. The Independent also has an interview, MPR has a studio session and there’s a new video from @#%&! Smilers for “Freeway”. She’s at the Kool Haus on August 28.

Video: Aimee Mann – “Freeway”

The Portland Mercury, I Am Fuel, You Are Friends and The Arizona Republic (Kevin from So Much Silence, more specifically) profiles Frightened Rabbit. Still waiting on a local date, fellas. Still waiting.

Don Caballero will be at Lee’s Palace on August 26. Their new album Punkgasm hits a week previous on August 19. First taste courtesy of Pitchfork.

MP3: Don Caballero – “Bulk Eye”

IndyWeek talks to Will Johnson of Centro-Matic

Richard Thompson chats with the Colorado Springs Independent. He’ll be at the Danforth Music Hall on July 6.

Drowned In Sound talks to Rogue Wave.

Maisonneuve contemplates the post-Arcade Fire state of the Montreal music scene.

Photo via Austin Chronicle

If it were still the ’90s and Low were still kings (and queen) of slowcore, then the need for a Retribution Gospel Choir would be completely understandable. There is a time and place for extended rock guitar jams, and that incarnation of Low was not it. But since 2000’s Things We Lost In The Fire, the band’s aesthetic has become far more malleable and if they were willing to release 2005’s hard rocking The Great Destroyer under the Low marque, why would Alan Sparhawk need to assemble a side project to house his more garage-y inclinations?

It’s really a moot point – the band does exist and so does their self-titled debut. Produced by Mark Kozelek and released on his Caldo Verde label, the 30-minute album finds Sparhawk once again fronting a trio, but one with no time for doing things slowly. Sparhawk has always wielded a mean guitar and didn’t necessarily get to showcase those skills in Low – here, he cuts loose, and not just with the six strings but in the songwriting as well. The anger and angst that coloured the last couple Low records show up here as well, articulated not only by Sparhawk’s keening vocals but his fierce guitarwork as well and the band’s thundering rhythm section. Retribution doesn’t have the needle-in-red, modern white noise sonics that Dave Fridmann gave Destroyer, instead favouring a more classic rock-sounding, Neil Young & Crazy Horse approach.

Any one of these songs could fit easily into a recent Low record – indeed, “Breaker” appeared on last year’s Drums And Guns in a skeletal form, but was originally written as a Gospel Choir song – but as a collective it stands rather apart from Sparhawk’s day job. He’s hinted at this more aggressive side of himself on past Low records and demonstrated it more fully in live settings, but as the central theme of the Retribution Gospel Choir, it’s an impressive display. Going so far as to create a new band to exercise these muscles might not have been absolutely necessary, but it’s certainly welcome.

The Retribution Gospel Choir is in town Saturday night for a show at the Rivoli and Sparhawk talks to Express and The Austin Chronicle about the current gig.

MySpace: Retribution Gospel Choir

A few years ago I put together a Velocity Girl post wondering what happened to their brief but shining reunion, and actually got a response back from guitarist Kelly Riles with an update as to the members’ whereabouts. He mentioned that drummer Jim Spellman was now working for CNN, but didn’t mention that part of his job description appeared to be getting tasered on camera (via Pitchfork). On the non-self abuse side of things, he’s fronting a new outfit called Julie Ocean who just released their debut Long Gone And Nearly There, a short and sprightly collection of fuzzy power pop the likes of which you’ve probably got loads of in your collection but always seem to find room for one more.

MP3: Julie Ocean – “Number 1 Song”
Video: Julie Ocean – “Ten Lonely Words”

Bradley’s Almanac has got the audio from R.E.M.’s recent Boston show, again with a set list chock full of old stuff and a Johnny Marr-powered encore. New York Magazine has an interview with Mike Mills and Metromix with Michael Stipe.

Unfortunate news from Hot Press in that Irish shoegazer outfit Butterfly Explosion, who impressed when they visited last April, have called it quits. Unfortunate because though their recorded stuff only demonstrated potential, their live show demonstrated that it was being fully realized. Ah well.

MP3: The Butterfly Explosion – “Sophia”
MP3: The Butterfly Explosion – “Chemistry”

Pitchfork reports that The Broken West have completed work on their sophomore album and will release Now Or Heaven on September 9. They’ve also got the first MP3 from it:

MP3: The Broken West – “Perfect Games”

The Montreal Gazette has a feature on Shearwater, as well as the compete interview transcript with Jonathan Meiburg. He also chatted with The Torture Garden last month and talks to eye about touring and making the almost-universally praised Rook, which brings them to the Horseshoe on Monday night. And they’ve just been picked to open up a number of west coast dates for Coldplay. Seriously.

Muzzle Of Bees asks five questions of Ladytron and gushes about their live show which you can see for free when they hit Harbourfront Centre on July 4.

The Guardian profiles Fleet Foxes, in town at the Phoenix on July 16.

Le Blogotheque has a two part Take-Away Show with Bon Iver. He’ll be at Lee’s Palace on July 22.

NPR is streaming a World Cafe session with She & Him. They’re at the Opera House on July 23.

NME asks Duffy if she’s going to be singing the new Bond theme for Quantum Of Solace. She doesn’t say yes, but doesn’t say no. She has a show at the Phoenix on August 2.

The Telegraph has an interesting interview with Martin Mills, the man who founded and still runs the Beggars Group of record labels, aka the people who put out some of the best records around today.

The Los Angeles Times talks to Bryan Lee-O’Malley about all things Scott Pilgrim. Things I didn’t know before – Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been cast as Ramona Flowers against Michael Cera’s Scott Pilgrim – this, I can get behind – and the film has the official title of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World… but still nothing about whether the Toronto setting will be maintained.

Photo by Frank Yang

Oh the wonders that a solid eight hours of sleep can do. After finally being able to sleep in Saturday, I was actually feeling rather human again and almost eager to tackle the final night of NxNE rather than fearful. Up until Swervedriver, my NxNE had consisted pretty much exclusively of Canadian acts so I opted to devote the last evening of the festival to those acts who, for whatever reason, thought that crossing international boundaries and coming all the way to Canada would be a good career move.

Like the young Scots quartet who kicked off the night at Neutral, Grace Emilys. Some might think an early 8PM slot is a curse, but it can definitely be a blessing as there’s far less competition for attention at that time. A lack of options wasn’t the only reason I was there, though. The samples of the band that I’d heard were compelling enough to make me genuinely interested, a sort of melange of scrappy Futureheads-y peppiness and Libertines-y scrappiness, if more wide-eyed and earnest than either. Though they didn’t necessarily demonstrate a really distinct personality, they showed they’ve got the tools and the talent to cobble together some sharp pop songs – worth keeping an eye on. The National Post interviewed the band before the start of NxNE.

Photos: Grace Emilys @ Neutral – June 14, 2008
MP3: Grace Emilys – “Falling Down The Stairs”
MP3: Grace Emilys – “Air”

Englishwoman Carina Round was a familiar name that I couldn’t place, until some digging revealed she’d not only been around for a while but had kept (touring) company with the likes of Mark Eitzel and Ryan Adams. That, and the fact that my bike was locked up right in front of the Savannah Room, were enough to get me to check things out. It was interesting that an artist as relatively established as she was booked into a room as small as the Savannah, but she seemed to appreciate the opportunity to play a stripped-down, acoustic set (augmented for a couple numbers by an electric guitarist). Even though her recorded output is decidedly more produced and electric, she was still quite impressive in this context showcasing her hugely versatile voice without showing off and moving effortlessly through a range of musical styles. An entertaining and hypnotic set from a veteran performer.

Photos: Carina Round @ The Savannah Room – June 14, 2008
MP3: Carina Round – “Ready To Confess”
Video: Carina Round – “Down Slow”
Video: Carina Round – “Into My Blood”
Video: Carina Round – “Come To You”
Video: Carina Round – “January Heart”
MySpace: Carina Round

From the Savannah Room to the Cameron House, I went from the pro to the newbies with London’s 6 Day Riot but they were no less impressive – in fact, factoring in the thrill of discovery, they may have been my favourite act of the festival. The five piece, fronted by an adorable Scottish girl, work similar terrain as Beirut and DeVotchKa, which is to say indebted to old world, eastern European Gypsy-folk influences. But rather than the dramatic weight of those two acts, they offer up celebration and delight delivered with superb songs, musicianship and period costumes. It’s not necessarily difficult to fill the tiny Cameron House to capacity, but it’s saying something that throughout their too-short set, people kept trying to get in and were turned away. The band have one full-length under their belts and have released a new EP for this year – Bring On The Waves – which I foolishly didn’t grab a copy of. Alas.

Photos: 6 Day Riot @ The Cameron House – June 14, 2008

It was then back to the Savannah Room for Toronto ex-pat Erin Lang, now based in London, England. Utilizing a range of instruments from ukulele to electric guitar to accordion to accompany her sweetly delicate voice, she and her band served up a set of ambient folk in the vein of Lori Carson that I might have been able to enjoy more if not for the constant talking of the two ladies sitting beside me. You know, if you sat in the restaurant section of the club rather than right in front of the PA, you wouldn’t have to shout the whole time.

Photos: Erin Lang @ The Savannah Room – June 14, 2008
MP3: Erin Lang – “Daisy”
MP3: Erin Lang – “You’re Coming Home”
MP3: Erin Lang – “Lightning”
MP3: Erin Lang – “Happy To See You”
Video: Erin Lang – “Daisy”
Video: Erin Lang – “Happy To See You”
MySpace: Erin Lang

I rolled into my final stop for the night and for the festival just before midnight – once again, Lee’s Palace. If I didn’t already know Miss Derringer were from Los Angeles, I could have hazarded a guess – the costumes were a big hint. With the boys dressed as some sort of pirate-cowboy hybrids and lead singer Liz McGrath in a rather eye-catching ’40s cigarette girl outfit, the five piece were really setting themselves to be dismissed as some sort of novelty act, but woe to anyone who was willing to dismiss them so readily. Their blend of girl-group pop and Hazlewood-Sinatra country noir, all delivered with punkabilly verve, was a real treat. And while also entertaining, the costumes were almost an unnecessary distraction – with a happening sound and a couple of killer singles, the band’s good enough to not need to hide behind any gimmickry.

Photos: Miss Derringer @ Lee’s Palace – June 14, 2008
MP3: Miss Derringer – “Black Tears”
Video: Miss Derringer – “Black Tears”
Video: Miss Derringer – “Better Run Away From Me”
MySpace: Miss Derringer

And finally, to finish it all off, Redd Kross. Many had been waiting a long time for the return of the legendary glam-punk-bubblegum-power pop outfit, only recently put back into full-time mode after nearly a decade of being on hiatus, and twenty minutes after their scheduled start time, we were still waiting but when the band, classic Neurotica-era lineup, freakishly tall and natty in suits, strode out on stage no one cared about a few more minutes on top of all the years.

I can’t put myself forward as a big fan, but Phaseshifter has been one of my go-to good times records for over a decade and I’ve also recently begun exploring their earlier works. But theirs is not a sound that requires a lot of research to enjoy – if you’ve a taste for hugely hooky, high-energy, guitar rock then Redd Kross will be your favourite band, at least for as long as they’re playing. The McDonald brothers – Jeff on guitar and lead vocals, Steve on bass – may no longer be the pre-teens who started the band in the late ’70s, but the sheer joy and energy the displayed was eternally youthful. Add in drummer Roy McDonald and unbelievably gangly lead guitarist Robert Hecker – a man who apparently needs more upper fret access on his guitar than Joe Satriani – all going full tilt, somehow cramming upwards of 20 songs into a set just over an hour in length, and you’ve got a good time and for me, an ideal way to cap off an intense week of live music.

The Toronto Sun and Rock Sellout talk to Jeff McDonald about the band’s return to active duty. Chart has a review, Stoner Rock a review and a set list.

Photos: Redd Kross @ Lee’s Palace – June 14, 2008
Video: Redd Kross – “Jimmy’s Fantasy”
MySpace: Redd Kross

The Guardian, who apparently had a writer in town last week, wonders if NxNE is the new SxSW. I can answer that one in a word – no. NxNE has nothing on the scale, size and importance of SxSW but for what it is, it’s definitely getting better. By taking a somewhat less cynical attitude to it going in, I found I had the best time at NxNE that I can recall – no, the lineup didn’t and probably never will have the brand name recognition that its similarly-adjectived Texan counterpart does, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s not a lot of talent on display, you’ll just have to dig a little more.

Mind you, there’s still lots of room for improvement: The website is awful and there’s simply no excuse for having the schedule be as unusable as it was and be completely down for a third of the festival. While clearer than in the past, the whole rigmarole with the wristbands – how it guarantees entry for some shows but not others and the specifics of which are which are still byzantine. The habit of co-opting bigger, touring acts for marketing purposes when only a handful of wristbands and badges will be granted entry to their shows has always been lame. A constantly morphing schedule and lineup, right up until show times. And the whole “lets have bands play at the airport to utterly indifferent travelers” was just a terrible, terrible idea from top to bottom. Keep it to the parks and public places that are actually easily accessible to people who might give a damn.

But that said, there’s a lot going right with NxNE in recent years. Most every show I attended was quite well-attended and people seem genuinely interested and excited to do the festival – a far cry from shows in the past where acts would play to mostly empty rooms (which isn’t to say that didn’t happen this year…). There were more shows and events outside the standard club circuit, like in-stores, day shows and free public events (airport notwithstanding). There just seemed to be more energy surrounding things this time around. Emulating SxSW shouldn’t be in NxNE’s mandate – the culture around Austin and that festival is unique to the world – but Toronto is definitely capable of doing something excellent in its own right, and I’d like to think we’re (slowly) getting there.

PopMatters also contemplates festivals, in particular the logistics and economics of the big multi-day affairs. Alls I know is that just looking at the accompanying pictures from Coachella, Bonnaroo and Glastonbury, among others, totally exhausts me.

The Montreal Gazette talks to Billy Bragg.

With the North American release of her Youth Novels set for August 19, Lykke Li has put together a Fall tour that will bring her to the Mod Club on October 24. BrooklynVegan has full dates and MusicOhm has an interview.

And this just in – The Verve’s new album, still untitled, will be out August 19.

Photo by Frank Yang

You know what they say about the best-laid plans. With the Killbeat/Kelp Records BBQ taking place at the Global Backpackers hostel just down the street from my office, I figured I could arrive right in time to catch the tail end of the day’s performances. Day shows aren’t really entrenched as part of the NxNE culture yet, certainly not anywhere near the scale as at SxSW, but this annual event was certainly becoming one of the daytime to-dos not to be missed.

I’d expected to be met with the rollicking rock sounds of Ottawa’s Camp Radio but unsurprisingly they were running late and I instead found the relatively quieter but still prone to noisy outbursts pop of The Violet Archers, the new outfit from former Rheostatic Tim Vesely. Pleasant enough to make mental note to give their new album Sunshine At Night a listen – I think I have a copy kicking around here somewhere. The Violet Archers play the Cameron House this Friday, June 20.

Photos: The Violet Archers @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: The Violet Archers – “Sunshine At Night”
MySpace: The Violet Archers

And then Camp Radio did take the stage (er, linoleum) and reminded me of what a great blast of hooky, straight-ahead rock their self-titled album. They cut their set a bit short in a futile effort to get back on schedule, but filled the time they did have with a hyper-energetic show that may not have been groundbreaking, but was certainly wall-shaking. And it blew some of the cobwebs out of my head, thank goodness.

Photos: Camp Radio @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: Camp Radio – “Cons At The New Moon”
MP3: Camp Radio – “At The Landing Strip”
MySpace: Camp Radio

Fellow Bytowners in the HILOTRONS may have been celebrating their inclusion the day before on the Polaris long list or may have just been smashed as a matter of course – that was sort of the purpose of the day – but they weren’t as tight, taut or impressive as I’d hoped based on what I’d heard on their Happymatic release.

Photos: HILOTRONS @ Global Backpackers – June 13, 2008
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Dominika”
MP3: HILOTRONS – “Emergency Street”
Stream: HILOTRONS / Happymatic
MySpace: HILOTRONS

By this point, the weight of the week was crushing my skull so I beat feet to get home and take a much-needed nap – it meant missing seeing The Blood Lines at the BBQ as well as Oh No Forest Fires at the Kathedral to start the night off, but it was an absolute necessity of survival. And there was one mother of a thunderstorm barreling down on us – I could see way too much lightning in the western sky for comfort as I biked over to Lee’s Palace for the Friday night main event.

There I was met by Uncut, a Toronto band that seems to have been around forever, opened for many big names but never quite managing to reach that next level of success. I think I’ve seen them at least three or four times incidentally, but never a whole set, and while I salute their perseverance and dedication to the fine art of volume, their blend of post-punk and textured noise didn’t manage to really engage me.

Photos: Uncut @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Uncut – “Dark Horse”
MP3: Uncut – “Understanding The New Violence”

Bionic showed up with an axe to grind with, well, pretty much everyone. But jokingly so, I think. Between slabs of loud, hard rock riffage frontman Jonathan Cummins took shots at stoic Toronto hipsters, shoegaze fans and fellow Montrealers The Besnard Lakes. No matter who you were or what you were there for, he was ready to bait you – it was quite hilarious. But Cummins let his own indie roots show with the band’s closing number, a thundering face-kick of a cover of XTC’s “Travels In Nihilon”. Intense.

Photos: Bionic @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Bionic – “Black Blood”
MySpace: Bionic

As they were taking the stage, Jace of The Besnard Lakes tried a little get-back at Cummins by trying to imitate his aggro vocal stylings. Not so effective. The rest of the Besnards’ set fared better, thankfully – I’ve seen them a goodly number of times now and they never disappoint. They didn’t set any new standards either, but it was interesting to see how much more efficient they’ve become, able to impress without extended jams or noodling. But it could also have been that they were as anxious to see the headliners as everyone else – bassist Olga Goreas mentioned how her old band in Vancouver opened up for Swervedriver back in the ’90s.

Photos: The Besnard Lakes @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “And You Lied To Me”
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13”
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “Devastation”
MySpace: The Besnard Lakes

And Swervedriver. Yes. Though by convenience they’ve usually been lumped in with the “shoegaze” scene but in truth, they had little in common with the usual touchpoints of the genre – certainly as loud, but not nearly as noisy, and built more around being sonically propulsive than monolithic. But however you choose to regard them, they were unquestionably beloved and Lee’s Palace was beyond sold out and sauna-like in anticipation at the Oxford quartet’s return after more than a decade away.

While it might have been nice to say that the boys hadn’t changed a bit since their last visit, that’d be an outright lie. There was nary a dreadlock was to be seen – probably a good thing – and all four looked downright unassuming and wouldn’t have gotten a second look if they weren’t on stage. But there was no mistaking the sound they made, their pummelling rock juggernaut rides having lost none of their potency in the past decade. The set actually started slower than one might have expected, drawing on the defended by some but generally acknowledged to be flawed Ejector Seat Reservation and 99th Dream, but towards the heart of the set, when they rolled out the Mezcal Head and Raise classics, they found another gear and just took off. Numbers like “Duel”, “For Seeking Heat” and “Son Of Mustang Ford” were pure bludgeoning beauty and main set closer “Duress” was hazy psychedelic bliss. It’s not just as a fan that I say that most of Swervedriver’s repertoire has aged marvelously – it’s a statement of fact. Throughout, they were as good as anyone could have hoped though I found Adam Franklin’s utterly serene countenance to be curiously at odds with the band’s aural intensity. The man was positively zen up there, if completely soaked through with sweat.

Capping an almost two-hour set with a single-song encore of “Never Lose That Feeling” – truer words were never spoke – the band gathered at the back of the club to handle their own merch sales, which was a fine gesture but made for slow going as everyone lined up was seeking handshakes and autographs in addition to t-shirts, posters and CDs. Me, I shook Adam Franklin’s hand and made off with the pedals t-shirt straightaway to bed. 4AM was WAY past my bedtime, but so worth it. And a footnote from the show… I feel a real compelling need to get re-acquainted with my Fender Jazzmaster.

Photos: Swervedriver @ Lee’s Palace – June 13, 2008
MP3: Swervedriver – “Rave Down” (live)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Son Of Mustang Ford” (live at St Andrew’s Hall)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Duel” (live on Stockholm radio)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Last Train To Satansville” (live at Maxwell’s)
MP3: Swervedriver – “Bring Me The Head Of The Fortune Teller” (live on Stockholm radio)
Video: Swervedriver – “Never Lose That Feeling”
Video: Swervedriver – “Duel”
Video: Swervedriver – “Sandblasted”
Video: Swervedriver – “Son Of Mustang Ford”
MySpace: Swervedriver

Spiritualized have set up a new website at spiritualizedharmonies.com to celebrate the band’s almost 20-year history as well as the release of their latest, Songs In A & E. The National Post talks to Jason Pierce about his magical guitar. They’re at day one of V Fest on September 6.

Billboard has details on the release of Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s’ follow-up to The Dust Of Retreat and… it’s not simple. The long-announced title Animals! is now going to be applied to a vinyl release while the CD, which presumably is the album they actually expect people to buy and hear, will be called Not Animal. Both will be available digitally Clear? Didn’t think so. The Indianapolis Star has a little more info and some background from guitarist Andy Fry as to why things shook out that way. Both releases will be out October 7 and they will presumably be playing material from both records when they arrive at the Horseshoe on August 6.

Doing things more conventionally are The Dandy Warhols, who will release Earth To The Dandy Warhols on August 19. They’ll also be at the Kool Haus on September 13. They’re still a Kool Haus-sized band? Who knew. Wired also has an interview.

MP3: The Dandy Warhols – “The World Come On”

Tilly & The Wall’s O is out today and you can stream the whole thing at Spinner, as well as download the single and watch the video. They’re at the Mod Club on August 2 and Sentimentalist has a short feature.

MP3: Tilly & The Wall – “Pot Kettle Black”
Video: Tilly & The Wall – “Pot Kettle Black”
Stream: Tilly & The Wall / O

And my episode of WOXY’s “Friends Of The Futurist” is now archived online so you can stream it and my bitching playlist, though I’m sorry to say they didn’t run my voice through the James Earl Jones filter like I’d asked.

Photo by Frank Yang

Things not to do ever again – book myself for shows seven nights out of eight. Especially when three of those nights are extended, club-hopping affairs such as NxNE. As it was, my brain was about 80% fried before the festival even began, so take my diminished cognitive skills into account when reading any reviews from the past weekend.

Starting with Thursday. I had an itinerary heading into things but was already off it before things began, as I was too slow out of the blocks to catch Key Witness at the Velvet Underground. I did make it to The Boat for 9PM, however, and the set from Calgary’s Summerlad. It was probably the shortest set of the festival by anyone, quantitatively speaking, at only three songs long but when one of the songs was a slightly abbreviated version of their epic³-length “City Of Noise” (it takes up three sides of the double-LP 12″ single), it was plenty. As with anything designed as such, it’s inherently proggy but unlike other bands playing in the same sandbox, The Summerlad don’t sound overtly retro – rather than stoned, it sounds wide-eyed and alert. Wired, even. Transitions from section to section isn’t as seamless as one might like – you can definitely see/hear the edges – but still commendably ambitious and remarkably engaging. And I assume the “Funkytown” crib is entirely intentional. I hope.

Photos: The Summerlad @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: The Summerlad – “City Of Noise”
MySpace: The Summerlad

Next up and also visiting from out west were Regina, Saskatchewan’s Rah Rah, proving that large, co-ed lineups weren’t exclusively the dominion of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. They were stylistically rangy, mixing pop, rock, country and folkiness and making it difficult to come up with a quick description of their sound, though there was nothing difficult about that. Amiable if not immediately distinctive, they put on a rambunctious show that was highlighted by violinist/vocalist Kristina Hedlund pouring Pop Rocks into her mouth and stepping up to the mic as they fizzed. It wasn’t actually audible but many many bonus points for trying.

Photos: Rah Rah @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: Rah Rah – “Duet For GP And Emmylou”

Though hailing from Toronto, The Rural Alberta Advantage continued the Prairie theme and were the band I’d come to see. Their debut album Hometowns has been one of my homegrown favourites since its very quiet release back in February. In fact, every time I listen to it I’m flummoxed as to why its not found the audience it deserves. But the band is still managing to find their audience, if the sizable crowd at the Boat was any indication, so it’s just as well that the RAA is as good live as they are on record. The trio, in matching Alberta-boosting t-shirts, put on a clinic of how to make a lot out of a little, using just acoustic guitar, a couple keyboards and inventive percussion to augment Nils Edenloff’s paeans to his home province. Boasting tremendous talent and charm, The RAA are one of those bands that leave me shaking my head in amazement every time I see them play, and this was no exception.

Photos: The Rural Alberta Advantage @ The Boat – June 12, 2008
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Don’t Haunt This Place”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Luciana”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Frank, AB”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “Sleep All Day”
MP3: The Rural Alberta Advantage – “In The Summertime”
MySpace: The Rural Alberta Advantage

The RAA would be a tough act to follow in my mind, but I gave youthful Toronto pop outfit Great Bloomers the opportunity to try, seeing as how they were playing just up the street at Supermarket. I’d heard others speak highly of them and their self-titled EP showed some promise, so why not. And it would be a relief to shoot a band anywhere besides the redder-than-the-depths-of-Hell Boat. I found the Bloomers’ stuff to be eminently likable and the band quite proficient, but residing on the wrong side of generic guitar pop. There were a few flashes of doing something more interesting or distinctive, but on the whole I found it less impressive than their recorded selves.

Photos: Great Bloomers @ Supermarket – June 12, 2008

Chart has been diligently compiling their festival report cards, and The National Post, The Toronto Star, JAM, eye, NOW and blogTO have all been covering the fest. I’ll be running down the rest of the weekend over the next couple days but all my photos are up if you want to peek ahead and see what’s coming. And while I won’t get to the writeup till Wednesday, if you’re looking for something to do tonight, I heartily recommend going to the Gladstone to see 6 Day Riot, who will be playing a post-NxNE show before heading back to the UK. If I can find some final reserve of energy, I may head down myself. Definitely one of the great discoveries of the week.

Otherwise, you may be looking to squeeze a little more value out of your NxNE wristband by heading down to the Kool Haus to see My Morning Jacket – the print ad in this week’s NOW says that ALL wristband/badgeholders who arrive before 9PM will be admitted free, which is a far safer bet than the “first 50” restriction originally imposed. Chart and The Toronto Star have conversations with the band.

The Montreal Gazette profiles Wolf Parade and their new record At Mount Zoomer, which is out tomorrow. The whole thing is streaming at their MySpace and they’re at the Kool Haus on August 9.

Stream: Wolf Parade / At Mount Zoomer

NPR is streaming last night’s Shearwater show in Washington DC and Blurt talks to Jonathan Meiburg about the art and artistry of Rook. Shearwater are at the Horseshoe next Monday night.

The Independent and The Telegraph talk to Leonard Cohen.

Daytrotter. Spoon. Yay.

Tiger Weekly talks songwriting with Jason Isbell.

MPR is streaming a studio session with Iron & Wine.

The National Post spotlights the growth of the Arts & Crafts label, talking to some of their artists including Feist and Brendan Canning.