Photo by Elizabeth Weinberg

So most everyone I know is referring to next Tuesday night’s show at Lee’s Palace as “the Frightened Rabbit” gig, and quite reasonably so – they released one of the year’s best records in The Midnight Organ Fight back in April and have toured North America a few times since then, but have yet to visit Toronto and also, we do love those thick Scottish accents. But as much of an attraction as they are, there’s another touring band on the bill, the one that goes on after them. What’s the word… oh yeah – the headliner.

And the lucky band that gets to follow Frightened Rabbit (and possibly see the crowd thin considerably?) is the hottest thing out of Deleware right now – Joe Biden. Okay, second-hottest – The Spinto Band, who just released a new album in Moonwink. As was established when the tour was first announced, it’s an odd pairing of acts. Frightened Rabbit trade in deadly earnest folk-rock with a particular interest in bodily fluids and listening to The Spinto Band is like mainlining pure refined sugar through your eyeballs (or eardrums), but apparently they’re quite big in Europe so there you go.

Moonwink is unrelentingly cheerful and bursting with tight harmonies, runaway off-kilter melodies and quirky instrumentation. Imagine Clap Your Hands Say Yeah overdosed on cotton candy or Of Montreal without the general batshit crazy. Moonkwink‘s unrelenting glee gets a bit exhausting, even over the record’s brief 35-minute running time, but its masterfully executed and all evidence is that the sextet put on a terrific show so if your blood sugar is within safe levels, they may offer the perfect pick-me-up to follow Frightened Rabbit.

Metro and ArtistDirect have interviews with The Spinto Band.

MP3: Spinto Band – “Summer Grof”
MySpace: The Spinto Band

The Quietus has an interview with one of Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes’ alter-egos. As I said: batshit crazy. Skeletal Lamping is out next week, they play the Queen Elizabeth Centre on October 28, and if that show is even a fraction as insane as the New York one – though I think the venue IS next door/part of to the equestrian building at the CNE – it’s going to be ridiculous. Update: New video!

Video: Of Montreal – “Id Engager”

Spinner and LiveDaily talk to Rachael Yamagata about her new record Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart.

Pitchfork has an interview with Sigur Ros bassist Georg Holm about the making of Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust, which NME points out will be re-released on November 24 with a fancy 200-page hardcover book and DVD video content and costing a pretty penny (approx $85). Gotta combat that collapsing Icelandic economy somehow, I guess.

The Globe & Mail and Canadian Press talk to Feist about the charitable aspect of her upcoming cross-Canada tour which has two dates in Toronto – November 1 at Massey Hall and November 3 at the Air Canada Centre.

JAM, The Portland Mercury and Canada.com have features on Chad Van Gaalen.

Minnesota Public Radio welcomes The Magnetic Fields to their studios for a session.

Daytrotter has a downloadable session with Black Kids.

NPR is streaming Ra Ra Riot’s show in DC this past weekend in its entirety.

Photo by Frank Yang

Some people spend Thanksgiving with their families. I spend mine with rock’n’roll bands. Two years ago at Pop Montreal, last year at The Phoneix with The National and this year again at the Phoneix with Okkervil River and Crooked Fingers. It’s okay – my parents have a habit of being out of the country on Thanksgiving so it’s not like I’m a total no-account son. Just mostly. Anyways.

It’s not like I was the only one – the Phoenix was pretty much full of people skipping out on turkey day to welcome what was pretty much one of the best touring bills you’d be likely to see. And while I was, as always, excited to see Okkervil River, this would be the fourth time in less than a year that I’d be seeing them – Crooked Fingers, on the other hand, had been ages. Eric Bachmann had come through as a solo artist (with band) two years ago and as a solo act under the Crooked Fingers name (opening for The Delgados back in 2004 but the last time Crooked Fingers came to Toronto as a proper band was March 2005 and while I went to that show I wasn’t a fan at the time and… you know what? Never mind. It’d been a while.

One consequence of Bachmann’s constantly shifting musical identities is that you’ll rarely get the same band from one tour to the next. This time out, Crooked Fingers was the four-piece who recorded their new record Forfeit/Fortune but in addition to the new material, they were tasked with covering songs from throughout Bachmann’s varied career and results were a bit mixed. For starters, they had to fight through a mix that just didn’t sound quite right – the balance between Bachmann’s powerful rasp and the softer vocals of bassist Miranda Brown and violinist Elin Palmer never managed to find the sweet spot – and while airing out Archers Of Loaf classic “Web In Front” brought many cheers, the arrangement didn’t have the necessary muscle to do it justice. On the plus side, the new songs sounded mostly excellent stripped of the album’s heavier production and the older Crooked Fingers repertoire sounded terrific, no qualifiers. Though they could have played more from Dignity & Shame.

Okkervil also came in with their own share of lineup shuffling – while keyboardist Justin Sherburn had been Jonathan Meiburg’s official replacement since March, guitarist Charles Bissell, who’d stepped in for new father Brian Cassidy at the same time had done his tour of duty and returned to the Wrens and his replacement was Austinite Lauren Gurgiolo, tasked with handling guitar, mandolin and steel duties. But such fluidity is in the nature of every river, even the Okkervil. Yes, I went there. Let’s move on.

Every time I’ve seen Okkveril River live – and I think this was time six or seven – they’ve put on an even better show and considering their last couple visits set the bar pretty high, that’s an accomplishment. This time out, they had the advantage of touring behind their most out and out rocking record in The Stand-Ins, sequel to last year’s The Stage Names. Kicking off with “Plus Ones”, Okkervil barreled through an over ninety-minute set that focused on their last two opuses, Stage Names/Stand Ins and Black Sheep Boy, only reaching back to their debut Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See for the rousing encore-closing double shot of “Okkervil River Song” and “Westfall”, the latter featuring a boisterous audience sing-along. And while I’d hoped to hear the lyrically-updated version of “The President’s Dead” that’s been making appearances this tour, it wasn’t to be this night. Did they not know we also have an election tomorrow?

The band’s steady evolution from a folk to rock band has done wonders for their live set – originally, they had to deliver the slower end of their repertoire with a solid dose of slop and anarchy to generate the energy necessary for a riveting live set. And while it was an exhilarating experience, it wasn’t always pretty. Now, with the relentless touring having tightened them up immeasurably, Okkervil are an amazing live act to behold and there was no need to make excuses for missing notes or being off-key, because it didn’t happen. Though if you were looking for a little of the old chaos, it was there when Will Sheff pulled the mic off the stand and knocked it down, directly on the head of a girl in the front row (she was fine). Accidental assaults notwithstanding, Sheff was a magnetic frontman, starting off besuited and bespectacled and steadily shedding his wardrobe as he became more and more sweat-soaked from bounding around stage and working the crowd, the patron saint of English majors who secretly wish they were rock stars.

The Toronto Star has an interview with Sheff covering topics such as the fertile Austin music scene and Canadian Thanksgiving traditions. Chart talks to Eric Bachmann about Forfeit/Fortune.

Photos: Okkervil River, Crooked Fingers @ The Phoenix – October 12, 2008
MP3: Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”
MP3: Okkervil River – “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe”
MP3: Okkervil River – “The President’s Dead”
MP3: Okkervil River – “No Key, No Plan”
MP3: Okkervil River – “Black”
MP3: Crooked Fingers – “Phony Revolutions”
MP3: Crooked Fingers – “Call To Love”
MP3: Crooked Fingers – “Big Darkness”
MP3: Crooked Fingers – “Devil’s Train”
MP3: Crooked Fingers – “New Drink For The Old Drunk”
Video: Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”
Video: Okkervil River – “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe”
Video: Okkervil River – “Girl In Port”
Video: Okkervil River – “For Real”
Video: Crooked Fingers – “Let’s Not Pretend (To Be New Men)”
MySpace: Okkervil River
MySpace: Crooked Fingers

Photo via Tell All Your Friends

A while back – a long while – I got an email from a reader asking if I could perhaps help him identify a video he’d seen somewhere by an English band and which featured a single take of the singer riding a bicycle around London’s streets (or street – most of it’s a single circle). Not the most original idea for a vid, but apparently memorable enough to warrant hunting down. I’d never seen the clip, however, and was no help but he eventually tracked it down and let me know that the song was “Motorcycle” by a band called The Rumble Strips. Naturally my curiosity was piqued and I checked out the video myself and, indeed, it’s a fun little vid and a memorable song with jaunty horns, simple yet clever lyrics and a big-voiced singer who seemed to appreciate the proper balance between showiness and restraint.

Which eventually brought me to their debut album, Girls & Weather, released last year in the UK but only getting a North American release this Fall. Everything that made “Motorcycle” a good time is here in the proper doses, with a charming blend of working-class soul, ska and ’50s-era retro pop that in the wrong hands could wear out its welcome quickly, but in this case retains its appeal over extended listens – and this is from someone with very limited patience for horns in his pop music.

Credit for this goes to the band’s ability to tap into their innate flair for the dramatic judiciously while maintaining a boisterious sense of fun delivery throughout. Frontman Charlie Waller, in particular, has an engaging on-record charisma to go with his powerful pipes and demonstrates an equal lyrical facility for pathos and humour, with more depth to his words than you might initially guess. Girls & Weather is a rare record that succeeds no matter how closely you want to listen.

The Rumble Strips are currently undertaking their first North American tour and will roll into the the El Mocambo on October 29 with San Francisco’s Birdmonster. In addition to the tracks below, the band has a few more MP3s available to download over here. Waller talked to Clash about having UK uber-producer Mark Ronson helming their next album, targeted for a March 2009 release.

MP3: The Rumble Strips – “Time”
MP3: The Rumble Strips – “Motorcycle”
Video: The Rumble Strips – “Girls And Boys In Love”
Video: The Rumble Strips – “Alarm Clock”
Video: The Rumble Strips – “Motorcycle”
Video: The Rumble Strips – “Oh Creole”
Video: The Rumble Strips – “Time”
MySpace: The Rumble Strips

According to this pre-order writeup from Rough Trade for the first single from Emmy The Great’s First Love, the album is now set for a January 2009 release. Obviously some months later than I’d like but at least it’s sorta firm.

Liam Gallagher talks to Spinner about the vibe in the studio whilst making Oasis’ Dig Out Your Soul and bitches about England. NME reports that Liam Gallagher would like to beat up the guy who beat up his brother. Tangentially, The Mirror has compiled a list of the best Noel Gallagher quotes from over the years, and yes there’ve been some doozies.

The Quietus talks to Jim Reid of The Jesus & Mary Chain. And part two.

Peter Hook, formerly of New Order, discusses the process of going through the band’s back catalog for the forthcoming series of reissues – due November 11 – with Spinner.

The first three Swervedriver records will be remastered and re-released with bonus tracks on November 3 in the UK and January 6 in the US. Magnetic Morning, Adam Franklin’s project with Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino, will release its debut album A.M. on October 21 and you can hear a sample over at Stereogum and read an interview with Fogarino at Plug In Music. They play the Horseshoe on October 23.

Pitchfork is streaming the first single from the as-yet untitled third album from Asobi Seksu, due sometime in the new year. They’re at the Horseshoe on October 20.

The Duke Spirit, whose tour with System Of A Down offshoot Scars On Broadway has apparently been cancelled, have found another tourmate in Eagles Of Death Metal – they’ll open up their November 13 show at the Mod Club.

NOW talks to Will Sheff of Okkervil River, who’re at the Phoenix on Sunday night.

The AV Club plays Random Rule with Kurt Wagner of Lambchop. NPR also has a video “Tiny Desk Concert” with the man.

Rolling Stone has a video session and interview with Gemma Hayes.

Even though the release date for Of Montreal’s new album Skeletal Lamping has been pushed back from this past Tuesday to October 21, Spinner is still streaming the thing in its entirety. There’s also a track to download. Rolling Stone has a profile of the band, who are at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on October 28. NPR are streaming last night’s performance in Washington DC.

MP3: Of Montreal – “Id Engager”
Stream: Of Montreal / Skeletal Lamping

QRO interviews The Jealous Girlfriends.

Jay Reatard has got an in-store scheduled at Sonic Boom on October 16 at 7PM. He’s at Sneaky Dee’s that night.

New Pornographer Carl Newman chats with The Sydney Morning Herald.

Liz Powell talks to Spinner and Blurt about being the newest part of Broken Social Scene and oh yeah, her other band too. The Star-Tribune has an interview with Brendan Canning. Broken Social and Land Of Talk are at the Sound Academy on November 27 and 28.

Photo via Facebook

“There’s a new album from The New Year” is all the review that longtime fans need. Those less familiar with the works of the brothers Kadane may need a little more to go on. They began as Bedhead, a mid-90s Texan band known for their slow, languid songs built on a nest of intricately intertwined and unfailingly melodic guitar lines, and when that outfit dissolved in 1999 the principals went on to start a new band – The New Year – who quickly became known for their slow, languid songs built on a nest of intricately intertwined and unfailingly melodic guitar lines. And for also stepping up the tempo just a bit and working some piano into things as well.

Their third album under the New Year brand is a self-titled affair and contains another batch of songs that, much like the band’s career path, takes its own slow, sweet time getting where its going but makes the trip there so relaxing, you wouldn’t mind if it took forever. In the past, each successive record has seen Bedhead and The New Year push the boundaries of what defined their sound by shifting tempos or incorporating a new sound or two but most always favouring evolution over revolution. And while that’s not fundamentally changed with The New Year, it does seem to find them in a more exploratory mood than you might have expected. There’s a definite spring in their step and they sound almost anthemic at points. There’d have been no complaints from this end if they’d done the expected and kept things low-key, but this more sprightly New Year? This works too.

Though Matt and Bubba Kadane’s visit in July – which I believe was their first time in Toronto at least this century if not longer – was special in its own way (hit up Bradley’s Almanac for audio of their show in Boston on the same tour), the arrival of The New Year as a complete band at Lee’s Palace next Wednesday night, with Angela Desveaux as support, is going to be something special in every way. Matt Kadane talks to The Los Angeles Times about their secret connection to the Dixie Chicks, to The Colorado Springs Independent about the flexibility of the “-core” suffix and to Stereogum about his day job as a college history professor.

Update: There’s a new MP3 from the album available as of now and according to this, Will Johnson of Centro-Matic is filling in on guitar for Peter Schmidt on the current tour – sweet!

MP3: The New Year – “The Company I Can Get”
MP3: The New Year – “X Off Days”
MySpace: The New Year

Daytrotter welcomes Baltimore noiseniks Wye Oak to their studios for a session. The duo also just recently released their first video.

Video: Wye Oak – “Please Concrete”

Pitchfork reports that The Decemberists have completed their fourth album and given it a name – Hazards Of Love will almost certainly not see the light of day until 2009.

Rachael Yamagata gives Paste a guide to Chicago for dating and breaking up. She also talks to The Kansas City Star about the delay behind her new double-album, Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart. The album is finally out and streaming at Spinner and there’s also a couple videos.

Video: Rachael Yamagata – “Elephants”
Video: Rachael Yamagata – “Sidedish Friend”
Stream: Rachael Yamagata / Elephants … Teeth Sinking Into Heart

Also currently streaming at Spinner is one of the new albums from Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos, the band-approved Animal!. The Arizona Daily Star reports on the unique arrangement between the band and their label that yielded it and the companion Not Animal, and also reviews the pair.

Stream: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s / Animal!

State interviews Bon Iver.