Photo by Laura Heffington

I hate quoting myself, but listening to A Certain Feeling, the new album from Los Angeles quartet Bodies Of Water, I come back to what I wrote when I saw them open up for Sons & Daughters back in March – “a musical mystery tour through the sounds of the ’70s, paying special attention to the lessons of prog rock as well as influences you’d file under psychedelia or country”. All of which I still stand by but I need to amend it by adding what seems to be the single unifying influence on the record – rock opera.

The record’s sudden stylistic shifts, drawn-out arrangements, dramatic delivery and powerful, rotating lead vocals make much more sense in that context, instead of taken as straight pop music. And while the harmonies are the most remarkable part of Bodies Of Water’s sound, they’re not short on instrumental prowess as the extended musical sections will attest – and it’s not jamming, it’s well thought-out and executed composition. Brought together, though, it’s not so much chocolate and peanut butter to my ears. It’s too dense, too overdramatic. A Certain Feeling is something I can certainly respect, it’s just not something I especially see myself wanting to listen to a lot.

The band are playing the El Mocambo on Saturday night, August 9, and courtesy of Against The Grain, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away and courtesy of whoever it was that sent me multiple copies of the album, I’ve also got two CDs of A Certain Feeling to give away. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I will cross this Body Of Water” in the subject line and in the body, indicate if you want to enter for the passes or the CD or both, and include your full name and mailing address. Entrants for the passes should be in the Toronto area, obviously, but if you want a CD you can be from anywhere. Deadline for entry for the passes is tonight at midnight, for the CDs I’ll let that run another few days – say till midnight August 10th.

Muzzle Of Bees asks five questions of the band, NOW has an interview of no fixed number of questions.

MP3: Bodies Of Water – “Under The Pines”
MP3: Bodies Of Water – “I Guess I’ll Forget The Sound, I Guess I Guess”
MP3: Bodies Of Water – “These Are The Eyes”
MP3: Bodies Of Water – “Doves Circle The Sky”
MP3: Bodies Of Water – “We Are Co-Existors”
Video: Bodies Of Water – “I Heard A Sound”
MySpace: Bodies Of Water

Obviously unable to let Brendan Canning enjoy the Broken Social spotlight with Something For All Of Us…, Kevin Drew has released a new song for free download over at RCRDLBL.

Drowned In Sound reports that Los Campesinos! will release the follow-up to their debut Hold On Now, Youngster… and their second album of the year with We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, due out October 13 in the UK and November 11 in North America.

The Dears will return with their new album Missiles will be out October 21. NME has reposted some musings on the new record posted by Natalia Yanchack to her blog. And I think that’s a song from the new album streaming on the band’s website – correct me if I’m wrong.

Billboard offers an early review of The Verve’s Forth, due out August 26. NME reports that even with the return of The Verve, Richard Ashcroft intends to continue with his solo career, which would explain the jammier stylings of the resurrected band – he’s saving all the ballad-y stuff for himself.

Tricky will be at the Phoenix on September 9, the same day as the release of his new album Knowle West Boy. Full North American dates at NME.

The Star-Telegram and IGM talk to The Hold Steady, who recorded a rooftop performance for PitchforkTV. The Quietus also gets a guide to surviving life on the road and Independent Weekly gets song annotations while Rolling Stone settles for a Q&A.

ClickMusic interviews Scott Devendorf of The National.

Scientific American discusses the musician/scientist lifestyle with Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg.

MTV declares Fleet Foxes “the most unlikely breakout band of the year”. Blurt also has a brief feature.

Filter gets to know Grand Archives.

The Indianapolis Star gets a Wilco state of the union from John Stirratt.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin talks to Gary Louris, who will release Ready For The Flood, his collaboration with Mark Olsen, on September 16.

Lucinda Williams will release a new album in Little Honey on October 14.

Yesterday I’d said The Whigs weren’t coming to town anytime soon – wrong. They’re going to be here on November 7 with We Are Scientists opening up for Kings Of Leon at the Kool Haus.

Photo by Christy Bush

Let’s ease back into things with some concert announcements. As mentioned before, Magnetic Morning is the long-brewing side project for Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino and Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin. The collaboration has already yielded a self-titled EP and is currently in the studio working on a full-length for release this Winter or thereabouts.

There’s obviously potential in the pairing – Fogarino’s drums have generally been my favourite part of Interpol’s sound and Franklin has already proved himself both within Swervedriver and without – but those approaching the project expecting it to sound much like one or the other will be surprised. Based on the EP, at least, the duo are using this vehicle to explore their gentler side as it eschews the intensity their day jobs for something more janglesome and gently psychedelic. The songwriting may not be the strongest that either artist has ever been involved with – the best song is a Kinks cover – but for creating a consistent, textured and wholly enveloping mood, it’s pretty successful. I’m not completely sold but am definitely interested in hearing more.

Post-recording, they’re hitting the road this Fall and that jaunt will include an October 23 stop at the Horseshoe, tickets $11.50 in advance.

MySpace: Magnetic Morning

Lymbyc Systym are coming back to town for a show at the El Mocambo on September 11 with Austin’s This Will Destroy You, with whom they’re releasing a split album entitled Field Studies later this Fall. Tickets for that are $7.

MP3: Lymbyc Systym – “Truth Skull”
MP3: This Will Destroy You – “The World Is Our ____”

Okay, puzzle this one out. Originally announced for September 17 at the Horseshoe was the double-bill of The French Kicks and The Whigs. All well and good. Then I get an email that said The Broken West would also be at the Horseshoe on September 17 with the French Kicks, in support of their new album Now Or Heaven, out September 9. What a bill, right? But wait – the tour dates on The Whigs’ MySpace now show the band as being in Costa Mesa, California on that date opening up for Tokyo Police Club. So, instead, it looks like French Kicks and Broken West at the ‘Shoe on September 17, no Whigs anytime and Tokyo Police Club at the Air Canada Centre on September 30 opening up for Weezer. Got that?

MP3: The Broken West – “Perfect Games”

In advance of the release of their Some Are Lakes on October 7, Land Of Talk have a date at Lee’s Palace on September 27. Tickets are $10.

And because they need no reason at all to set up shop for a couple nights, The Sadies will take over the Horseshoe on the eves of October 3 and 4. Tickets to either show are $15.

Also on October 4, New York electronic duo Ratatat will be at the Phoenix delivering their new record LP3, tickets $15. And that’s a live show so if you’ve got Nuit Blanche plans that night (or Sadies plans or Laura Marling plans) you can do both! Or three! But not all four.

MP3: Ratatat – “Mirando”
Video: Ratatat – “Mirando”

Crystal Castles will be at Circa on October 24.

MP3: Crystal Castles – “Untrust Us”

David Byrne will bring the songs of himself and Brian Eno – but contrary to earlier reports, not Eno himself – to Massey Hall on October 29. Their project is Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and an MP3 is available at the website in exchange for your email address.

Some bits from bands coming to town very soon – You Ain’t No Picasso asks Richard Edwards of Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos about some various first times. Margot are at the Horseshoe tonight, congrats to Diana and Matt who won the passes to the show.

Aimee Mann prognosticates bad times for the music industry for The Washington Times. She’s at the Kool Haus on August 28.

JAM recounts the (recent) life and times of Spiritualized, who are at day one of V Fest on September 6. They also have a new video from Songs In A & E. Vice has an interview with video director Jake Chapman.

Video: Spiritualized – “You Lie You Cheat”

Spin welcomes My Bloody Valentine back to the world of active bands with a look back at their history. MBV are at the Ricoh Coliseum on September 25.

New York Magazine profiles Lykke Li, whose Youth Novels is out August 19 and will play the Mod Club on October 24. She also has a new video.

Video: Lykke Li – “Breaking It Up”

And finally, some bits from acts who were just here. The Star-Tribune chats with She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel.

Spin has posted online this month’s cover story on Duffy, who has released a third video from Rockferry. Wales Online also has an interview.

Video: Duffy – “Stepping Stone”

Neil Halstead discusses Oh! Mighty Engine with the blogger types, offering interviews to BrooklynVegan and Muzzle Of Bees.

NOW and Chart make time with Mates Of State.

Photo by Frank Yang

Actually, I have no idea what R.E.M. had against Rockville, though I don’t know whether the song was actually about the Maryland one. I just spent a rather relaxing long weekend there, visiting family and generally being offline – my Aunt doesn’t have an internet connection though I did check my mail Friday night from an Apple Store. But I think this was the longest I’ve been without an internet fix in something like five or six years, and it was actually quite nice. But not something I’m going to be making a habit of.

One thing that Rockville has going for it is that it’s right on the Metro line, so I was able to disengage from the relations on Sunday and head into the District proper for a little sightseeing and hanging out with Information Leafblower. We hit up the new Spy Museum, which started off kinda cheesy but got really interesting as it went along. Other than that, took a leisurely stroll along the Mall from Capitol Hill to the World War II Memorial, with a quick stop in the Air & Space Museum along the way, somewhere I hadn’t been in probably decades. Still looks about the same.

I got back into town a few hours later than intended last night. I spent most of Monday sitting in Dulles airport watching my flight get delayed over and over again in 10-15 minute increments. At one point, United Airlines had five flights slated to depart from my gate within a span of 45 minutes. Obviously this wasn’t going to end well. And after we finally got on our plane, we sat on the tarmac for another hour waiting for who knows what. On the plus side, they managed to shave what was scheduled to be an hour-forty flight down to a tidy hour.

The net result of all this is that after sifting through all my emails and all my RSS feeds, I see nothing that requires immediate blogging attention so I’m going to defer doing anything of consequence till tomorrow, though this whole week will probably be a big of a mess thanks to stuff going on at work and whatnot.

In other words, holiday extended one more day. Back tomorrow.

And sorry about the malfunctioning MP3 of the week the last couple days. Typo. Fixed now.

Photo via MySpace

It’s a shame I used up all my Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos material over the last little while – most notably the link to their recent Daytrotter session – ’cause I got passes to their upcoming show at the ‘Shoe to give away and nothing content-wise to piggyback alongside. But alas, all I can do is remind that their new albums Animal! and Not Animal will be out on October 7, and perhaps point to this archive of old demos and live tracks.

Anyway. Giveaways. Courtesy of Against The Grain, I have two pairs of passes to the aforementioned show – their Toronto debut – on August 6 at the Horseshoe. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Margot and the whatever” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that in to me by midnight, Monday August 4. That is all. Have a good weekend.

MP3: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Skeleton Key”
MP3: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence”
Video: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Quiet As A Mouse”
MySpace: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s

Photo via MySpace

…But before I go, some giveaways.

Next weekend marks the kick-off of the annual SummerWorks Theatre Festival as well as the inaugural edition of the SummerWorks Music Series, which endeavours to bring the worlds of independent music and independent theatre together in one celebration of, um, independence.

The music fest features a terrific lineup of talent from both Toronto and outlying regions, including Gentleman Reg (pictured), The Diableros, Rock Plaza Central, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Laura Barrett and The Bicycles, amongst many many others. They’re playing two a night from August 8 to 16 (excepting the 11th) at the Theatre Centre – aka the space underneath The Great Hall – at Queen West and Dovercourt.

And courtesy of the festival, I’ve got three sets of vouchers to give away, good for two tickets to any one of the shows. If you want some, email musicseries@summerworks.ca with “Summerworks Music Festival Contest” in the subject line and your name, email address and best way to contact you in the body. Do so by Tuesday, August 6th – winners will be selected on the 7th.

And in the meantime, hit up the festival blog for news and interviews from both the theatre and music sides of the festival.