Ruffa LaneHow’s your Sunday afternoon? Good? Enjoying the sun and warm weather? Well it just got a little bit better, because hot off the mixing desk, I have for you the new single from Lucky Soul.

The tune is called “Whoa Billy”, it’s going to be released as a single come May 4 and it is, in a word, divine. The ’60s throwback pop sound that made their debut The Great Unwanted one of my absolute favourite records of this century (not being hyperbolic either) is undiminished and is now accented with a bit of disco in the bridge… not enough to break out the glitter ball, but it does have an extra bit of swing in it. Need I come right out and say I love it? Didn’t think so.

The new album is targeted for a June release in the UK and at last update, had a working title of Dark Times Ahead – an ironic name if ever there was one, because with every listen it feels like Summer is just that much closer.

MP3: Lucky Soul – “Whoa Billy”

Frank YangI don’t think many would argue the fact that Ryan Adams’ skull must be a fascinating and somewhat frightening place to be – probably less an efficient expressway than a random series of backwoods laneways, dead ends and cul de sacs. His entire career has been marked with odd public behaviour, countless career left turns, bizarre online personas and an incomparable creative prolificness punctuated with with moments of brilliance. Or put more succinctly, the man is batshit but it works for him.

And apparently he’s tired of it. He announced earlier this year that he was retiring from music after the end of this current tour, which wraps this Friday in Atlanta, and will instead be turning his attention to his burgeoning career as an author and new wife Mandy Moore. It’d be foolish to assume that this shift in professions will be permanent – a man who put out three albums in a year is not someone who can just hang it up – but it looks as though we might have a little less DRA to gawk at for the next while.

This Sonic Youth cover was a regular part of he and the Cardinals’ repertoire in the mid-00s, an interesting detour in a set heavy with Grateful Dead-ish numbers. This particular recording dates to a July 2005 show in Melbourne, Australia. Sonic Youth’s next album The Eternal is due out on June 9.

MP3: Ryan Adam – “Expressway To Yr Skull”
Video: Sonic Youth – “Expressway To Yr Skull” (live @ Bonnaroo 2006)

Aaron McKenzie FraserOn her last record Woke Myself Up, Julie Doiron found a way to reconcile the noisier inclinations of her early work with Eric’s Trip with the listen-too-hard-and-it’ll-break delicacy of her solo works to find the perfect balance of frailty and volume and craft what was arguably the best record of her career, garnering a Polaris Prize nomination along the way. The winning formula continues on her new album I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, which finds her in stronger voice and with even more of a spring in her step than I think I’ve ever heard her.

To mark ther record’s release on March 24, Doiron is hitting the road, starting out at SxSW next week and then roaming the roads of southern Ontario in the later part of the month. One of the stops will be the Horseshoe on March 26, and courtesy of Killbeat Music, I’ve got three prize packs consisting of a pair of passes to the show and a copy of the new CD. If you’d like to enter, email met at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. I will let this run until midnight, March 22.

Chart has an interview with Doiron about her headspace when making the new record.

MP3: Julie Doiron – “Consolation Prize”
Video: Julie Doiron – “Heavy Snow”
MySpace: Julie Doiron

MySpaceI’m just About hip-deep in Canadian Musicfest stuff at the moment and also trying desperately to get my SxSW junk together, but a handful of tasty concert announcements showed up yesterday and if I don’t get them out there now, who knows when I will.

I first noticed unabashedly ’80s-loving English electro-pop outfit La Roux when they showed up no small number of “next big things for ’09” lists at the start of the year. And while it’s still far too early to see if Elly Jackson and her interesting hair will deliver on those expectations – she’s only just released her second single with an album in the works for sometime this year – the Londoner and co-conspirator Ben Langmaid are coming across the Atlantic this Spring to try and make an impression. They’ll be at the Drake Underground as a special presentation of the Sticky Fingers DJ nights on April 5, tickets $13 in advance.

Video: La Roux – “Quicksand”
Video: La Roux – “In For The Kill”
MySpace: La Roux

The Rosebuds are coming back to town on the back of last year’s Life Like – they have a date at Lee’s Palace on April 13, tickets $10.50. They just rolled out a new video for the title track of said record.

MP3: The Rosebuds – “Life Like”
Video: The Rosebuds – “Life Like”

M Ward’s Spring tour in support of Hold Time has slated a Toronto date for April 27 at the Phoenix. Tickets $23.50.

MP3: M Ward – “Never Had Nobody Like You”
Video: M Ward – “Hold Time”

Baltimore’s Ponytail will be at the DeLeon White Gallery on April 27.

MP3: Ponytail – “Celebrate The Body Electric”

Country Club, the collaboration from John Doe & The Sadies, is out April 14 and they will follow that up with at show at the Horseshoe on April 30. Tickets $17.50. Currently on a western swing, Dallas Good talks to The Georgia Straight and Pique Newsmagazine.

And possibly the toughest decision I’ll have to make this year… A Camp who are going on tour in support of Colonia – out April 28 – have set a date at the Mod Club for June 1. A date that is already circled on the calendar as it’s also when Doves are at the Kool Haus. Nina Persson’s first visit to town in five years or Doves’ first in four? Swedish babe or Mancunian beardies? Hmm. Tickets for the A Camp show are $15 and already on sale. MusicOHM has an interview with Persson.

MP3: A Camp – “Stronger Than Jesus” (Harlem Session)
Video: A Camp – “Stronger Than Jesus”

There’s a new vid from Franz Ferdinand, who have a gig at the Kool Haus on May 4.

Video: Franz Ferdinand – “No You Girls”

PJ Harvey discusses her new album with John Parish, A Woman A Man Walked By, with Billboard. It’s out March 30.

And finally, the divine Mary-Louise Parker gives Esquire a list of ten types of albums no man should own if they ever hope to have sex again… (scans CD collection)… Yes! I still have a shot!

Steve GullickBritish music is full of long, rich traditions. There’s the long rich tradition of bands sounding like Joy Division. And there’s the long rich tradition of bands denying that they sound like Joy Division. White Lies don’t actually sound like Joy Division. They sound like Editors, who sound like Interpol, who sound like The Chameleons and Joy Division (there’s also a long, rich tradition of bands sounding like The Chameleons and no one noticing, but I digress). And yeah, you can call them on it and dismiss them for the same reasons, but to do so would be to miss the point. The world needs bands that sound like this, for vaguely disaffected alt.kids to glom to and for snootish muso-types to rage against. Without such, well sir, there’d be anarchy.

And while the critics have a valid point in that White Lies bring nothing especially new to the gloom/anthem-rock canon, it’s impossible to deny that when they get the formula exactly right, as they do a few times on their debut To Lose My Life, it’s just as potent as when their forebears did it – “A Place To Hide” in particular is a bullseye and a half. Harry McVeigh isn’t the most elegant or eloquent lyricist but his vocal range covers Ian Curtis lows and Mark Burgess highs, he’s able to turn a phrase with at least as much vague import as Editor Tom Smith and can deliver the choruses with the necessary drama to sell it. Bolster it with stadium-size guitars, a thick bed of synths and some strategically placed strings at the really profound points and you’ve got a number one record. Congratulations.

Having topped the charts in the UK with the record’s release in January, White Lies now set their sights on North America, with the record hitting stores next Tuesday. They’re also touring North America starting with SxSW next week in Austin, Texas. The Toronto date is March 31 at Lee’s Palace and is, unsurprisingly, sold out. but courtesy of Universal Music Canada, I’ve got a pair of tickets to said show to give away as well as a copy of To Lose My Life on CD and last year’s “Death” EP for good measure. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to tell White Lies” in the subject and your full mailing address in the body. Contest closes at midnight, March 22.

MP3: White Lies – “Death”
MP3: White Lies – “Death” (Crystal Castles remix)
Video: White Lies – “Farewell To The Fairground”
Video: White Lies – “Death”
Video: White Lies – “Unfinished Business”
MySpace: White Lies

Also on that March 31 bill are Friendly Fires, with whom Clash has an interview.

NOW and hour.ca talk to Bloc Party’s Matt Tong – they’re at the Kool Haus tonight and tomorrow.

Prefix seems to think that Patrick Wolf has already assigned a release date to his second album of 2009, before the first one is even out. They’ve got The Conqueror down as a December 29 release (good luck making the year-end lists), following the already-announced June 1 release of The Bachelor.

Pitchfork recounts the story of the Jesus & Mary Chain.

Magnet plays over/under with The Smiths, tabulating their five most overrated and underrated songs.

There’s finally a proper first video from Bat For Lashes’ new album Two Suns, out April 6. She has a date at the Mod Club for April 25.

Video: Bat For Lashes – “Daniel”

Crawdaddy interviews Bishop Allen.

Spinner talks to Jason Lytle about the end of Grandaddy and the start of Jason Lytle. Yours Truly, The Commuter is out on May 19 and Stereogum has a track from it to download.

Wireless Bollinger interviews AC Newman.

BlogTO has a large photograph of and interview with Nils Edenloff of The Rural Alberta Advantage. They play the Trash Palace tomorrow afternoon – doors at 1, tiny room. Go early.

Those who enjoy watching their music rather than just listening will find lots of time to kill at rockpeaks.com, who are trying to become the online authority of televised live music performances. It will be interesting seeing them trying to do this legally – be prepared to find lots of “clip removed” notices – but there’s plenty of stuff that still manages to stay online and is worth a browse.