Matias CorralIt gives me great comfort to live in a world where Ted Leo & The Pharmacists continue to put out records. When it comes to marrying punk fury with pop hooks and striking the right balance of lyrical cynicism and optimism, all served with a good dose of humour and via a relentless work ethic, there’s few better or more consistent. With the release of his newest record The Brutalist Bricks tomorrow, he cements that opinion even further into fact.

Like pretty much everything Leo has ever put out, Bricks is loud, punchy and pogo-friendly with a couple moments of acoustic thoughtfulness to punctuate proceedings, but within the frame of reference of his discography, it stands apart for a couple reasons. His last effort, 2007’s Living With The Living, was a sprawling effort both in length and stylistic forays and while you hate to suggest that ambition or experimentation are bad things, it didn’t have the impact or staying power as his prior works. And whether the follow-up is a reaction to that or not, Bricks is both tighter-sounding and more focused and possibly Leo’s most outright rocking effort since 2003’s Hearts Of Oak. It’s a comparison which makes it worth noting that Bricks is the first record to be recorded as a four-piece since Hearts, though once-and-again Pharmacist James Canty’s guitar is a decidedly more in-your-face presence on the new album than Dorien Garry’s keys ever were.

Stepping back to regain perspective, Bricks nestles quite comfortably alongside its fellows – if you were to randomly grab a Ted Leo record to spin and came up with this one, you wouldn’t be at all disappointed. It also won’t likely be anyone’s long-term go-to Pharmacists record – all in all, Hearts Of Oak and The Tyranny Of Distance remain his finest moments – but as a reminder that the world is a better place with Ted Leo in it and making music, it does quite nicely.

The Brutalist Bricks is streaming in its entirety over at Ted Leo’s MySpace and Spinner just posted an Interface video session with the band.

MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “The Mighty Sparrow”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Even Heroes Have To Die”
Stream: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists / The Brutalist Bricks
MySpace: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

Annie Clark of St. Vincent tells Spinner about her contributions to Together, the new New Pornographers record, due out May 4.

Eater talks about the joys of being full of stomach with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.

Headlights have released a new video from Wilderness

Video: Headlights – “Secrets”

Black Book talks to Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward of She & Him, who will release Volume 2 on March 23.

The Independent profiles Joanna Newsom, in town at the Phoenix this coming Saturday night, March 13.

Spinner talks to Ume about gearing up for this year’s SxSW.

If you, like me, are going to miss all three of Dan Mangan’s upcoming shows at Canadian Musicfest this week – Thursday night at The Great Hall, Friday night at The Courthouse and Saturday’s in-store at Criminal Records – take heart: he’s already scheduled a return engagement for April 22 at the Horseshoe, tickets $12.

MP3: Dan Mangan – “Road Regrets”

Aussies An Horse are looking to make my first post of the year even more correct, having scheduled another Toronto show for April 26 at The Garrison. They’ll release Beds Rearranged, a remix EP of last year’s Rearrange Beds, on March 23.

MP3: An Horse – “Postcards”

Caribou have announced a massive world tour to go along with the April 20 release of Swim. Toronto can catch them on May 3 at The Phoenix.

Video: Caribou – “Odessa”

Vancouver disco duo Fan Death will bring their debut EP A Coin For The Well to Wrongbar on May 21.

MP3: Fan Death – “Cannibal”

PopMatters pays tribute to the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse while Blurt reprints an interview with him regarding the Dark Night Of The Soul project, which will finally see an official release this Summer. Hopefully the almost-completed last Sparklehorse record will eventually see the light of day as well. So immensely saddened by Linkous’ untimely passing.

Frank YangWhen I was out last night drinking myself into a mild state of oblivion, I thought it was for a friend’s bachelor party but in fact, I was saluting the memory of one of my favourite musicians – I just didn’t know it at the time. It was pleasant to wake up this morning without a hangover. It was far less pleasant to have the first thing I saw when going online that Sparklehorse mastermind Mark Linkous had committed suicide.

Since 1995’s debut Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – which I think I first heard on the radio of all places – Linkous’ cracked and mysterious brew of Appalachian loneliness with occasional bursts of rock heroics has held a special place in my heart. One that was Sparklehorse’s alone, because few were able to tap into that place of beautiful sadness which Linkous seemed to have a direct line to, let alone refine it into glittering, dusty gems of song as he was able to. Sparklehorse records always seemed to be transmissions from another world, with themes of spirits, the afterlife recurring throughout. Linkous frequently wrote from a place of sadness, but always yearned for a happiness that was as simple as it seemed elusive. I hope he’s found some of the peace he was looking for in the next world; this one is that much sadder and far less beautiful without him in it.

I expect there’ll be no shortage of tributes to the man and his music over the next few days, and on the covers front, his take on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” will be ubiquitous for a while. So while it’s a brilliant re-interpretation and does stand as as good a tribute to the man as anything (besides his own work), I’ve dug through my own archives to find something a little less somber – a couple of live renderings that you probably wouldn’t associate with an act as downcast as Sparklehorse. The first is a doomed version of the Rod Stewart classic recorded for XFM back in 1998, which starts out well but quickly goes off the rails and which they eventually put out of its misery by segueing into The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up”. The second comes from the 2001 Werchter Festival in Belgium and is an appropriately white noise-y take on one of Guided By Voices’ finest.

Goodbye Mark, I’m so sad you had to go but am thankful for the music you left behind and that I was able to finally see you live three years ago.

MP3: Sparklehorse – “Maggie May”
MP3: Sparklehorse – “Smothered In Hugs”
Video: Rod Stewart – “Maggie May” (live)
Stream: Guided By Voices – “Smothered In Hugs”

Andy WillsherDo not get me wrong, I’m as excited as anything to be heading down to Austin, Texas in a week and a half for my sixth (!) SxSW, but there’s more than a twinge of regret over what I’ll be missing back here at home: my cat, my own bed and a hell of a double-bill at the Horseshoe on the Friday night with The Clientele and Field Music.

The former will be touring in support of last year’s lovely (and rumoured swan song) Bonfires On The Heath while the latter will be playing songs from their just-released return to active duty, (Measure). Verily, for an Anglophile such as myself, it’s the sort of bill that one dreams about and missing it, as I will be? Well, it hurts. It really does.

So for those of you remaining in the 416, I ask that you go, bid these weary travelers welcome and bear witness to this show in my stead. I’ll even make it easy for you – courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got a pair of passes to the show to give away. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see The Clientele” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, March 14.

There’s an interview with The Clientele at The Los Angeles Times and with Field Music at Tour Dates UK.

MP3: The Clientele – “Harvest Time”
MP3: The Clientele – “I Wonder Who We Are”
MP3: Field Music – “Measure”
Video: Field Music – “Them That Do Nothing”
MySpace: The Clientele
MySpace: Field Music

Luciana Val & Franco MussoI’ve never seen them live so I can’t say for certain, but I feel pretty comfortable in saying that the upcoming North American tour from French duo Air in support of last year’s Love 2 is going to one smooth affair.

I imagine that on the evening of March 23, 2010, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel will stride out onstage at a fashionably late hour, through a cloud of smoke that provides just the right balance of obfuscation and ambience – perhaps combined with a tasteful laser light show – and proceed to bathe The Phoenix in effortlessly elegant electronic pop, eliciting gentle nodding in time with the rhythm from the impossibly stylish audience, obviously all dressed to the nines without looking like they’re trying at all. Which is perhaps the reason that I’ve never seen Air live – they wouldn’t let me past the velvet rope.

You, however, might well be someone who meets those high standards of taste and class – after all, you’re on this site, aren’t you? Clearly someone who appreciates the finer things in life. Tickets to the show are $32.50 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation, I have three pairs of passes to give away to the show and really, isn’t it just SO much better to be able to say, “I’m on the list”? To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I need some Air” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, March 14.

Video: Air – “So Light Is Her Footfall”
Video: Air – “Sing Sang Sung”
MySpace: Air

djchampion.netCanadian Musicfest is almost upon us and, while I’d intended to hold off on preview-y things till next week, some of this just won’t keep. Actually, it probably would, but I needed something to post today and this needed to go out… so.

I’ll start, actually, with some giveaways. The typical way of doing CMF/CMW is via the wristband, which grants access to many of the clubs throughout the week, so long as it’s not at capacity, and in recent years the whole “limited wristbands” policy – which had been laughably token in the past – has gotten much better so that if you’re up for some late Winter club hopping, it’s a good value. Of course, for some the too-ing and fro-ing isn’t their idea of a fun time, so picking a spot and camping out is the way to go. For them, and courtesy of LiveNation and The Musebox, I offer the following giveaways for a pretty wide cross-section of acts coming to town next week for the festival.

Who: Champion & His G-Strings
What: Montreal dance/rock multi-threat showcases his latest album, Resistance
When: March 11, 2010
Where: The Guvernmnet
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be a Champion” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
Video: Champion & His G-Strings – “Alive Again”

Who: Postdata
What: Soul-baring, stripped-down solo project from Wintersleep frontman released self-titled debut in January
When: March 12, 2010
Where: The Music Gallery
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be see Postdata” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Postdata – “Tobias Grey”

Who: Boats
What: Winnipeg quirky-pop quartet will release Cannonballs, Cannonballs on May 1
When: March 12, 2010
Where: Rancho Relaxo
How: One pair of passes and a copy of the CD to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be ride Boats” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Boats – “Chrome Eyelids”

Who: Milow
What: Belgian singer-songwriter does the sexy-sensitive thing on acoustic guitar.
When: March 13, 2010
Where: The Drake Underground
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be see Milow” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Milow – “You Don’t Know”

Not giveaways but still CMF-relevant:

Spinner, Subba-Cultcha, The Line Of Best Fit, The Brooklyn Rail and The Quietus interview The Besnard Lakes, whose new record The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is out on Tuesday and currently streaming at Spinner. They play an in-store at Criminal Records on March 10 at 6:30PM and the Horseshoe on March 11 at 12:10AM.

Stream: The Besnard Lakes / The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

Chart tries to get The Wooden Sky excited about playing Canadian Musicfest by asking them stock questions. They play the Horseshoe at 11PM on Saturday, March 13.

Spinner talks to Fucked Up about their plans for SxSW and make a guest list for Pitchfork. They’re at the El Mocambo on March 10 to kick off CMF and have also made some very early demos from CIUT, the University Of Toronto radio station, available to download for free.

The Brock Press has an interview with The Acorn wherein frontman Rolf Klausener discusses their new record No Ghosts, set for release in June. They are at Lee’s Palace on March 12.

Plants & Animals have released a first video from La La Land, due out April 20. They play Lee’s Palace on March 12 and the Indie Awards on March 13.

Video: Plants & Animals – “The Mama Papa””

NOW puts Zeus on this week’s cover. They’re playing an instore at Soundscapes tomorrow at 6PM and will be at Lee’s Palace on March 10.

Ca Va Cool interviews The Balconies while Toro has a studio session. They’ve got an in-store at Criminal Records on March 12 at 6PM and play the Horseshoe at 9:20PM on March 13.

eye and The Brock Press have features on Born Ruffians, who will release Say It on June 1. They’re at the Opera House on March 14.

And not participating in Canadian Musicfest but still Canadian music:

Owen Pallett has released the first official video from Heartland and has made available for sale the complete orchestral score of the album – perfect for aspiring Owen Pallett cover orchestras. The Line Of Best Fit has an interview with Pallett, who plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 8.

Video: Owen Pallett – “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”

Chart has details on the sophomore effort from Tokyo Police Club, entitled Champ and still awaiting a release date.