Seeing Land Of Talk featured in the latest edition of this week’s Spinner Interface – they’ve got an interview and downloadable session, audio and video – reminded me that I had the session that the band recorded for WOXY’s Lounge Acts sitting on my desk.

Recorded in Austin on the Tuesday before SxSW officially began last month, the band sounds fantastic and the audio quality is also terrific – from a straight fidelity POV, even better than the Applause Cheer Boo Hiss mini album from whence five of the six tracks are taken (there’s one new song in the mix). I’d say that they sounded extra fresh since it was the first of seven shows the band would play over the next four days but their penultimate SxSW show at Hot Freaks on the Saturday sounded just as good. How do they do it? My guess is amphetamines. Lots of them.

But anyway – I went to the trouble of slicing up the MP3 of the session so as to be able to load it on the iPod and figured it was good enough that it deserved to be shared. The band are hopefully working on their proper full-length debut right now but are back on the road later this month, first for a handful of dates in the UK (they’re releasing a 7″ of “Speak To Me Bones” over there on May 21, b-sided by a live version of “Death By Fire”) and then on a cross-continent tour opening up for The Rosebuds (whom the The Independent Weekly has an interview with) starting May 28 at the Horseshoe here in Toronto.

MP3: Land Of Talk – “Breaxxbaxx” (WOXY Lounge Act)
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Magnetic Hill” (WOXY Lounge Act)
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Speak To Me Bones” (WOXY Lounge Act)
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Seafoam” (WOXY Lounge Act)
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Death By Fire” (WOXY Lounge Act)
MP3: Land Of Talk – “All My Friends” (WOXY Lounge Act)

And WOXY’s Futurist blog has got Yo La Tengo’s Lounge Act session up now – two tracks to download and/or the whole thing in a lump file.

The fact that it’s now May also means that Wilco are officially releasing Sky Blue Sky in two weeks and are now streaming the whole thing on demand. Jeff Tweedy graces the cover of the new Filter and the band is at Massey Hall on June 30.

The Age looks at how the first two salvos in the Neil Young archives project – Live At Massey Hall 1971 and Live At The Fillmore East. The 10-disc The Archives Vol. 1, 1963-1972 is out in September.

Feist’s The Reminder is in stores today and she talks to The Toronto Sun about the whirlwind of attention and anticipation surrounding said event (though Soundscapes put their copies on sale this weekend, making today somewhat less eventful). Yesterday it received a coveted “Best New Music” from Pitchfork and an 8.8 which has buoyed the aggregate score at Metacritic. All Things Feist has got a radio rip of live show from a couple weeks ago available to download and you can stream the whole album below courtesy of Spinner.com. She’s at Massey Hall on May 25 and 26 (and talks to The Toronto Sun about those gigs as well). Update: Streaming player appears to be busted right now – I notified an AOL person, hopefully they’ll get that sorted out soon. Update 2: But in the meantime, MuchMusic also has it streaming. Go get it (thanks Kat!).

Stream: Feist / The Reminder (Spinner)
Stream: Feist / The Reminder (MuchMusic)

The Toronto Star talks to Feist’s sometime bandmate Amy Millan about opening up for Ron Sexsmith this Friday night at… Massey Hall. The grand old lady of Shuter St is getting a lot of shout outs today.

And to not leave out the last of the ladies of Broken Social, Emily Haines and her Soft Skeleton have scheduled a show at Harbourfront Centre on July 25, Patrick Watson supports. Tickets for that will be $25.

Interpol is going to be at the Guvernment on June 7 to preview material from Our Love To Admire, out July 10 (tickets on sale Thursday). A rather undersized venue for them – didn’t they play the Docks, with double the capactiy (3000 vs 1600) last time? But if you don’t manage to get a ticket to witness Carlos D’s prono ‘stache in person, you can always catch them at day one of Virgin Fest in September.

Ladytron have scheduled a DJ gig at the Spin Gallery on May 19. I like how the tour dates page on their website lists the show as happening in Toronto, Nunavut. Who do they think they are, the White Stripes?

24: Can anyone tell me why I wasted time watching this instead of watching The Wire? “Help me Jack, don’t let them do this to me” is the new “Help me Obi-Wan, you’re my only hope”.