Catfish Haven’s EP from earlier this year, Please Come Back was a bracing slab of acoustic, trailer-park soul carried by George Hunter’s rough and raw croon. I admit I had some question in the back of my head of whether or not what worked over a six-song EP would hold up over a whole album. Well Tell Me, their debut full-length out next Tuesday, proves that the answer is yes – and they do it by doing exactly the same thing they did the last time out so if you liked Please Come Back – and I did – there’s no reason to not like Tell Me.

Some might scoff at the idea of a big, bearded guy who grew up in a Missouri trailer park (for real) as channelling the spirits of Otis and Marvin, and considering that testimonial is coming from a Chinese indie rock guy in Toronto, maybe you’ve right to be skeptical. But know this – I have the 10-disc Complete Stax-Volt Singles and 4-disc Hitsville USA box sets, so it at least proves I’m willing to make some effort to feign knowledgability.

But seriously, Catfish Haven aren’t genre tourists. From the horns to the super-tight rhythm section to Hunter’s voice – worth singling out again – they’re in this wholeheartedly and every drop of blood, sweat and tears you hear is real. Or they’re really, really good at faking it – maybe Hunter has an even bigger box set. They’re on the road this Fall with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Birdmonster and will be at the Horseshoe on September 11.

MP3: Catfish Haven – “Crazy For Leaving” (from Tell Me)
MP3: Catfish Haven – “Please Come Back” (from Please Come Back)
MySpace: Catfish Haven

I think this might count as a Voxtrot scoop – the band’s first (new) release for new label Playlouder will be a 3-song, Ben Hillier-produced, US-only EP that is scheduled to come out November 7 and their full-length debut will be out in Spring 2007. I say “new” because technically, a UK reissue of Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives due out next month will be their first release to bear the Playlouder imprint. I think.

Fountains Of Wayne have made a new song – the theme song to animated feature Monster House – available to download from their MySpace. I’m trying to remember… I used to really like these guys. Didn’t I? I think so. But I’m also pretty sure they did more than just theme songs and jingles. I’m so confused.

MP3: Fountains Of Wayne – “Monster House”

Look! The Hold Steady’s new album has a website and they want you to upload video testimonials about being a boy or girl in America. So far, there has been… one contribution. One. Hmm. Maybe there’ll be more before Boys And Girls In America is released October 3. Maybe.

MP3: The Hold Steady – “Chips Ahoy!”

Pitchfork talks to Maximo Park’s Paul Smith about the progress made on the band’s second album. They hope to have it out in March of next year.

Sixeyes has an interview with Mountain Goat John Darnielle.

Prefix has done gone and made themselves look all purty-like.

Oh, and I’ve posted the responses from my Virgin Festival Contest wherein people gave me a bit of Toronto trivia in exchange for a shot at winning passes to the Virgin Festival in Toronto this weekend. Some good stuff there. Winners have already been notified, so if you’ve been going back to your mailbox like Charlie Brown on Valentine’s Day… sorry.

And don’t forget I’ve got a pair of passes to Virgin Festival USA to give away – without getting into numbers, odds are very (very) good right now, so if you know anyone in the Maryland/eastern seaboard region who might want to go to this, send them here. I’m not even demanding any Baltimore trivia to enter.

np – Richard Buckner / Meadow