Photo by Liam Henry

Before my recent trip to the UK, people were asking me what shows I was going to catch across the pond. As if the whole point of going on vacation was to continue doing what I do when I’m not on vacation. That said, I did have a couple things lined up, big and small. The former – Richard Hawley at the Royal Albert – went marvelously but my efforts to catch some British baby bands on their home turf didn’t go so well.

On my last full day in London, there was supposed to be a Drowned In Sound-sponsored free matinee at a Notting Hill community centre featuring a band that had been on my radar for a little while, Leeds-based outfit Sky Larkin, which I was actually rather excited about, but a little over a month before the trip they announced they’d pulled out of the show in order to go to New York City and record their debut album. I was disappointed, obviously, though it was probably for the best for two reasons. One, I ended up having an absolutely marvelous day without having to hoof it to the west end and two, the first sample of their efforts in New York is scorching.

It’s an immediate and visceral blend of pop and punk that manages to not be pop-punk that grabs me in a way that I don’t think I’ve been grabbed since I first heard Land Of Talk – in other words, in a very good way. Like their earlier recordings, it’s loud and brash but there’s an extra dimension of confidence (not to mention audio fidelity) that implies that the band have found the next level. It’s still a long way off before the still-untitled album is released – I’m told February 2009 – but it certainly gives something to look forward to.

In the meantime, check out a song they made available via RCRDLBL and an video of the song that initially caught my ear.

MP3: Sky Larkin – “Molten”
Video: Sky Larkin – “One Of Two”
MySpace: Sky Larkin

I had thought New York’s Longwave had called it a day, but the space-rock outfit are still at it and back with a new album called Secrets Are Sinister, due out November 11. They’re streaming a goodly portion of the new record at their MySpace.

Fans of The Stills may be interested to know that the band will be playing a free show at the Horseshoe on August 19 to mark the release of their new record Oceans Will Rise, out that same day. So if you were planning on heading down to see Dog Day, on just before them, be forewarned that the ‘Shoe will be a mite busier than usual that night. The Calgary Herald and Chart have interview with The Stills.

Video: The Stills – “Being Here”

The Irish Times and Sky News talk to Noah & The Whale and considers the current “anti-folk” scene in the UK, which has inadvertently began making up more and more of my current music rotation. Sneaky anti-folks!

September 9 is a good day to hit the record store with new releases from Okkervil River – The Stand-Ins – and Calexico – Carried To Dust. There’s a new MP3 available from the former and a new video from the latter.

MP3: Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”
Video: Calexico – “Two Silver Trees”

Reveille Q&A’s The Coast, currently gallivanting around the USA on tour.

Bad Religion have a date at the Sound Academy on September 24 while Beck and MGMT are there on October 5.

The National talk festivals and politics with Drowned In Sound.

They Shoot Music Don’t They films Saturday Looks Good To Me playing a couple songs in an abandoned cattle hall in Austria. Which is only just slightly less of a musical cliche than having your band photos taken beside railroad tracks. SLGTM’s Fred Thomas has also been blogging.

Photo by Marc Rimmer

Those of you inclined to follow such things may have noted that the members of the Grand Jury for this year’s Polaris Music Prize was announced yesterday and you may also have noted that yours truly is there at the bottom of the list. I’m proud to be taking a great step towards respectability for fake media outlets and helping decide whom out of Black Mountain, Basia Bulat, Caribou, Kathleen Edwards, Holy Fuck, Plants & Animals, Shad, Stars, Two Hours Traffic and The Weakerthans will be taking home the giant cheque for $20,000.

You might think you know from my personal tastes how my vote is going to swing, but you might be surprised about where my thoughts are leading. For my ballot that went toward the long and short lists, I just went subjectively with the eligible albums I liked best but for the grand prize, I’m taking the more objective approach and considering the prize’s stated purpose of rewarding the record with the “highest artistic integrity”… and whatever that means, it’s not the same as “I like this one best”. I think. I’m not sure. Anyway, what this all means is that this year, since I’ll be locked in a dark, smoky room with ten others figuring out who gets to be this year’s Patrick Watson, I won’t get to sit in the balcony of the Phoenix with the cream of the Canadian music industry’s b-list (a-list gets tables down on the floor) and snap photos like last year.

But apparently you can – there’s a contest on to give away six passes to the Polaris Gala on September 29 in Toronto. The performers for the gala haven’t been announced yet but I can’t help but notice that Black Mountain, Holy Fuck and Two Hours Traffic all have local shows scheduled around the time of the festivities, while Stars and Kathleen Edwards are on the road and almost certainly no-shows. Either way, it’s a fun night and they have decent cheese and cracker platters in the cheap seats.

So what does this have to do with the handsome group of people in the photo up top? Nothing and everything. That up there is Calgary’s Woodpigeon, whom I first heard of from discussions in the Polaris jurors Google group as being a worthy nominee for last year’s list for their 2007 release Songbook. That prompted be to see their showcase at last year’s Pop Montreal, which I enjoyed quite a bit. And even though their set opening for Calexico back in June was even more impressive, I still wasn’t prepared for how revelatory their new record Treasury Library Canada is.

The first and prevailing impression is – “damn, this thing is pretty”. Listening to the record is like trying to carry on a conversation with an uncommonly attractive person – you want to listen to what they’re saying, to get to know them better, but you can’t help being distracted by just how good they look. Or in this case, sound. And when you finally do manage to pay proper attention, you discover they’re just as interesting, witty and/or charming as you could possibly hope… and you’re smitten.

Orchestral folk-pop at its core, Treasury is a remarkable achievement of songwriting, arrangement and performance. Built around bandleader Mark Hamilton’s soft vocals and stunning harmonies from almost everyone in the band, the eight-piece outfit strike a perfect balance of grandeur and intimacy, delight and melancholy. When things sound like they might get too twee, a well-placed bit of electric guitar toughens things up just enough. I don’t know if Canada really needs its own Sufjan Stevens, but in Woodpigeon we may just have found one – just as delicate but not nearly as precious. But what I do know is that if “7th Fret Over Andres” doesn’t break your heart, at least a little, then you don’t have one. Go see a doctor immediately.

Treasury Library Canada is being released independently by the band – an ambitious move to say the least, and one that I commend them on though I do worry a bit that this might keep the record from reaching as many ears as it deserves, which is to say all of them. They’re selling the album on their website digitally using the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, pay what you can model, digitally via Zunior with a bonus ten track album of rarities called Pixie Children Crying and for old schoolers like myself, as a physical CD though only in limited quantities. Fans of tactile objects, get a move on.

The band have also gained friends/fans in high places – in addition to opening for Calexico on their North American tour, they’ll also be joining them for a string of dates in the UK in September and also support Iron & Wine for a pair of Alberta shows in October. The Calgary Herald has an interview with head ‘Pigeon Mark Hamilton. And to bring it all back home, even though we’re just over two months into the eligibility period for NEXT year’s Polaris prize, Woodpigeon have already got the inside track to one of the spots on my ballot. And if their already in-progress next album Die Stadt Muzikanten, slated for early 2009 release, is anywhere near as good, maybe they’ll have two.

MP3: Woodpigeon – “Knock Knock”
MP3: Woodpigeon – “I Live A Lot Of Places”
Stream: Woodpigeon / Treasury Library Canada
MySpace: Woodpigeon

It’s been out since May but I think I only just noticed that Basia Bulat has a 7″ out via Rough Trade featuring the Sam Cooke cover that’s been a staple of her live set, “Touch The Hem Of His Garment”, and on the b-side, an extended version of “Before I Knew” which you’ve probably also heard live.

There’s a new video from Mogwai’s forthcoming release(s) – The Hawk Is Howling, the new album out September 23, and the Batcat EP, out September 9 – that’s just all KINDS of unsettling. They’re at the Phoenix on September 24.

Video: Mogwai – “Batcat”

Pitchfork has, via Norwegian TV, a live performance from Okkervil River of a song on the forthcoming The Stand-Ins, out September 9. They’ll be at the Phoenix on October 12.

RCRDLBL has an exclusive first MP3 from The New Year, the new album from The New Year. They also have an interview with Bubba Kadane. The record is out September 9 and they play Lee’s Palace on October 15.

Thanks to Adam for the tip that Frightened Rabbit are finally coming to Toronto! The date is October 21, the venue is Lee’s Palace and the context is as support for The Spinto Band… I don’t know who that is. But Frightened Rabbit! Yeah!

Also newly announced – Yeasayer will be at the Horseshoe on October 25 and Dungen will be there on October 31. Full tour dates for each are available at Pitchfork and BrooklynVegan, respectively.

Opening up for Iron & Wine on their Toronto date at the Danforth Music Hall on November 13 will be Blitzen Trapper – those expecting a nice, quiet night are advised to show up a bit late. The Trapper dost get raucous. Full dates at Pitchfork. Blitzen Trapper’s new record Furr is out September 23.

MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Furr”

Photo via MySpace

I think this past week was the first time this year I’ve come back from a trip and not had Thao with The Get Down Stay Down roll into town within the next 72 hours. There was a show at Sneaky Dee’s opening for Xiu Xiu in March the day after I got back from SxSW and then in May they were at the Phoenix as support for Rilo Kiley three days after I got back from the UK. And while it might be for the best – like those past couple times, I would have been way too busy/tired to go even if she was here – I’m still a bit disappointed that I haven’t been able to see them live yet as their live show comes highly recommended.

As does their debut album, We Brave Bee Stings And All, released way back in January (I’m nothing if not timely). The lazy frame of reference for Thao Nguyen’s husky rasp of a voice is Cat Power, but beyond the timbre and texture there’s not much else in common. Rather than engage in soulful naval-gazing, Nguyen is a musical extrovert crafting spirited bits of folk-pop, rich in hooks and melodies if a bit deficient in accurate vocal pitch. I’m usually a bit of a stickler or that sort of thing but in this case I’m happy to make an exception – Nguyen’s delivery is so earnestly exuberant that rather than a flaw, it becomes and endearing trait. Most times.

Thao is wrapping up an east coast tour this week, which probably means that odds of her making it up this way on a headlining tour anytime soon are slim. Maybe I should go book myself another trip. U Weekly has an interview with Thao, as does Consequence Of Sound – in MP3 format. Update: WOXY has a lounge act session available to download now.

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

Filter gets to know Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion.

Metro has a feature on Noah & The Whale, whose debut Peaceful, the World Lays me Down is out September 16 and who’ve just announced a Toronto-less US tour, though that five day gap between Boston and Chicago is awful conspicuous. Five will get you six that a local date is in the works. Mayhap they’ll be touring in one of these, or at least on the dollars earned from it.

Rolling Stone is shrinking. The end of an era. Seriously. Via No Rock & Roll Fun.

Goldenfiddle pays respects to the newly late Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac, tells Samuel L Jackson to look out. The movie from which that’s taken – Soul Men – is out November 14.

While technically it wasn’t a quiet weekend at all – celebrity passings aside – I didn’t get up to much hence the brief post. When I wasn’t having to work from home, I found the time to go out and pull the trigger on one of them iPhone thingies… first impressions? Kinda disappointed. Not just in that I’ve spent a lot of money on a phone when no one really calls me, but I didn’t think that having one device to combine my iPod, cellphone and PDA into one Voltron-style would come with as many compromises as it has.

First, while I know that 16GB is but a fraction of 60GB, I didn’t realize how much less music I’d be able to carry around with me. I’d gotten used to being able to toss whatever onto my old iPod without really worrying about space, but now its almost to the point of one album on, one album off. But in a sense, it’s good because it’ll make me actually think about what I want to have with me rather than having everything and being overwhelmed by choice. And if I want to be overwhelmed, I can always bring the old iPod with me.

Second, I didn’t expect that the iPhone would be so limited in its text-handling abilities, in particular the inability to sync the notes with, well, anything. On my Palm, I used the notepad and to-do lists pretty heavily and now, they’re no longer available to me. Research seems to imply that that functionality is coming – along with cut and paste, perhaps – in a later version of the firmware and I’ve already figured some workarounds but I had taken for granted that I’d be able to write on the unit and then easily transfer it to my laptop. Apparently not.

Thirdly, the headphones that came with the unit, and the little mic/iTunes control, are crap. Sound like crap and fit like crap, but everyone knows that. I’ll keep using my Shure in-ears for now, but one of these combos may be in order.

But on the good side, it’s a neat little unit and just getting rid of all the AC adapters I had on my desk for charging all my other various devices has been a reward unto itself. Clutter begone! I’m still figuring out what apps I want or need – not installing stuff willy-nilly yet – but this having access to my email from anywhere… it’s pretty sweet. Now I can start ignoring your “hey check out my MySpace” emails that much quicker! I’m kidding. Sort of.

Photo by Guillermo Herren

I discovered Brooklyn trio On!Air!Library! a bit too late to be of use – they were already done promoting their debut self-title and before long, would quietly announce their disbanding. It’s a shame, too, because the trio, fronted by twin sisters Claudia and Alley Deheza, had managed to craft a unique style of beautifully fractured dreampop that was as compelling as it was confusing. Claudia Deheza and third On!Air!Librarian Phillip Wann would go on to form the underappreciated and decidedly more pop Daylight’s For The Birds, though she would leave before their debut album Trouble Everywhere was completed.

Eventually, she found her way back to her sister who had started a new project with husband and ex-Secret Machine Bejamin Curtis, which brings us to now – and School Of Seven Bells. They made their recorded debut in Fall of last year with the Face To Face On High Places vinyl-only EP and not at all surprisingly, with the angelic harmonies of the Deheza sisters SVIIB evoke the same blend of dream and delirium that defined O!A!L! – less hazy in production but simultaneously more oblique and anthemic in songcraft. But in the past year, it seems they’ve rediscovered the joys of pure pop – they’ll be following that up with a 7″ single on September 16 for “Half Asleep”, which is available to stream at Stereogum, and their first proper full-length Alpinisms on October 28, from which you can grab another song below. Based on those two tracks, I am very very looking forward to this record – the songs are both stunning.

School Of Seven Bells is opening up for M83’s on their upcoming Fall tour, including a November 20 date at the Opera House. Prefix has an interview with that band’s mastermind Anthony Gonzalez.

MP3: School Of Seven Bells – “Connjur”
MP3: On!Air!Library! – “February”
MySpace: School Of Seven Bells

And because it’s just a gorgeous song, “World’s Away” from Daylight’s For The Birds featuring Claudia Deheza on vocals. I’m a bit concerned that the band has been silent for some time, and haven’t even logged into their MySpace in a couple months. Never a good sign.

MP3: Daylight’s For The Birds – “World’s Away”

Holy Fuck have a date at the Phoenix for September 25.

November 12 brings Deerhunter, The Neighbourhood Council and Times New Viking to Lee’s Palace. Deerhunter will release Microcastle on October 28, details and full dates at CMJ.

Ladytron have released a new video from Velocifero.

Video: Ladytron – “Runaway”

Bradley’s Almanac has recordings of Swervedriver’s show in Boston this past June.

Matador reports that Yo La Tengo will release a compilation of their instrumental, soundtrack material on September 5 entitled They Shoot, We Score.

Photo by Frank Yang

Since they cancelled their last scheduled Toronto show – also their first – back in Spring of 2006, I’ve been waiting for Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos to set a make-up date. Their debut The Dust Of Retreat was one of my favourites of that year and while the album has fallen out of rotation somewhat since then (though not completely) and I’d seen them last year at SxSW as part of the inaugural Hot Freaks, the fact that they had unfinished business here has always been in the back of my mind.

And so while it was great that they finally made a date to come visit this past Wednesday, the timing was a bit odd. Sure they were on the road anyways, having played Lollapalooza this past weekend, but with their new albums Animal and Not Animal not due out till October 7, I’d have figured they’d save any border-crossing for when they had the records to flog. But I’m not complaining.

Support for this night was Ruby Coast, whom I’d seen not even two weeks ago at the last show I was at. Usually I wouldn’t expect to have a significantly different opinion after such a short interval – it wouldn’t be unreasonable if the band played the same set – but such was not the case. Well, maybe they played the same songs – I’m not familiar enough with their material to say either way – but for whatever reason, the delivery was more impressive this time out. The negatives that I took particular note of last time – their penchant for cribbing from their contemporaries – stood out less and their positives – the fact that they definitely know their way around a melody and have great presence onstage without necessarily trying – were more evident. It’s obvious they’ve got a lot of upside and as they inevitably develop and discover their own identity, they could do something really interesting. Keeping an eye out.

As for Margot, it may have been an odd time for them to visit what with them being between albums, but it also made it interesting. The Indianapolis eight-piece has obviously been playing from the Dust songbook for so long that the live arrangements on some of the songs were beginning to mutate as the band tried to keep it interesting for themselves, and the Animal material is also probably still fresh enough that it’s still finding its form onstage. It was difficult to gauge the new stuff from just a listen (I haven’t had time to acquaint myself with the Daytrotter recordings), but it seemed to be a bit more sprawling than the older stuff, less immediate. Which makes sense – with two LPs worth coming out of the recording sessions, concise pop is probably not going to be the elevator pitch, but fans will be pleased to note that their melancholic streak seems to be running as deep as ever.

Performance-wise, the band got off to a bit of a slow start but when frontman Richard Edwards commented on how much he liked Toronto and how much he didn’t like Vancouver – much to the modest crowd’s approval – things seemed to find a new gear. Buoyed, I guess, by performer and audience bonding in distaste for the left coast, the show had a good build-up from that point with the band walking the fine line between intricate orchestration and all-out cacophony. Though their set was rather short – maybe an hour including one-song encore – it was a worthy Toronto debut with hopefully more to come soon after Animal/Not Animal is finally unleashed.

Photos: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s, Ruby Coast @ The Horseshoe – August 6, 2008
MP3: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Skeleton Key”
MP3: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence”
MP3: Ruby Coast – “Brittle Bones”
Video: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Quiet As A Mouse”
MySpace: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s

Though they were just here on Tuesday as part of the The Go! Team/CSS show, too-happy-for-words Brooklyn drum-and-keys duo Matt & Kim are coming back on November 8 for a show at the Whipper Snapper Gallery with Texans Best Fwends. Their matinee show as part of Over The Top last year was one of the most enjoyable things ever. Very much looking forward to seeing them again.

MP3: Matt & Kim – “No More Long Years”
MP3: Matt & Kim – “Yea Yeah”
Video: Matt & Kim – “Yea Yeah”
Video: Matt & Kim – “5K”

BlogTO catches up with Bruce Peninsulan Neil Haverty on the road out east. They’re at the Whipper Snapper Gallery tomorrow night, congrats to Jordan who won the passes to the show.

NOW and eye preview tomorrow’s Wolf Parade at the Kool Haus.

PopMatters meets The Dodos, coming to town for a show at the ‘Shoe on October 6.

Fredericksburg.com, BrookylnVegan and Washington Blade interview Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear, in town next Friday opening for Radiohead at the Molson Amphitheatre.

Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit tells Highland News that he’s actually rather afraid OF rabbits – on account of potential allergies.

The News & Observer checks in with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

Travis Good of The Sadies gives JAM an update on upcoming collaborations and projects. They’re playing Dog Day Afternoon outside of Guelph next weekend and the Horseshoe on October 3 and 4.

The Valley Advocate and The Hartford Courant talk to New Pornographer Carl Newman.

Further to the news yesterday of the new Dears album Missiles, due out October 21, Chart points to a MySpace blog post from Murray Lightburn that confirms the rumours that had been circulating about some shuffles in the Dears lineup… namely, that everyone who’s not married to himself or Natalia Yanchack is no longer in the band.