Though not the big release of the day – I’ll get to that just below – as of today Dirty On Purpose’s new EP Like Bees is now out. As good as their debut Hallelujah Sirens was, Like Bees does a better job of crystallizing what’s great about the band, namely the way they balance their noisier inclinations with their innate pop sense. It’s something many attempt, some do well but few do really well.

Over the course of five tracks, DoP prove they’re one of the few leading off with the gentle squall of “Audience In The Room”, hearkening to their early days with the boy-girl duet of the title track, jogging a memory of a song long forgotten with their cover of ’80s Aussie outfit Real Life’s “Send Me An Angel” and closing with the unexpected post-rock instrumental sprawl of “Airshow Disaster” – the title may well be a nod to Explosions In The Sky because the song is certainly inspired by them. Dirty On Purpose may have gotten lost amongst the deluge of briefly buzzed-about new bands last year, but these 23 minutes prove they’re worthy of your long-term attention.

They’ve also made a video for “Audience In the Room”, which is all well and good but still doesn’t touch the trebuchet-powered goodness of their clip for “Car No Driver”, and you can stream the whole of the EP at Spinner this week. And as previously reported, they still have plans for another release this year – a download-only EP called Dead Volcanoes which they’re still offering a preview of at RCRDLBL. Paper Thin Walls talks to guitarist George Wilson about the choice to cover the song from BMX flick Rad.

Stream: Dirty On Purpose / Like Bees
Video: Dirty On Purpose – “Audience In The Room”
Video: Dirty On Purpose – “Car No Driver”

And if you’re the sort to play Brooklyn musician-spotting, you may have noticed Au Revoir Simone’s Annie Hart in the video – that’s on account of her being married to DoP drummer/vocalist Doug Marvin (happy birthday, Doug) and refusing to appear probably would have been awkward. SF Station has an interview with bandmate Heather D’Angelo and Au Revoir Simone are kicking off a brief bi-coastal tour tomorrow night here in Toronto at Lee’s Palace.

As for the week’s big release, that’d be The Magnetic Fields’ new one Distortion. It’s also streaming in its entirety at Spinner and there’s a feature piece on Stephin Merritt at the New York Times.

Stream: The Magnetic Fields / Distortion

For The Records points out that the skeletal schedule for this year’s Canadian Music Week is now up though there’s little there besides a list of presumably confirmed acts and venues (with showcase sponsors) but hardly any actual lineups around which to plan your evenings from March 6 through 8. One that does have some familiar names is the Indie Awards ceremony on the 8th, held this time at the Royal York rather than The Docks (thank goodness). The lineup there will feature The Cliks, The Lowest Of The Low, Tokyo Police Club and The New Pornographers. To anyone looking at the Low’s name in that list and thinking, “hey, you fuckers broke up – I was there” – namely, me – Steve Stanley clarifies by saying that this is an induction into the Canadian Indie Hall of Fame (really? We have one of those?) and that they will “show up, play a couple of songs and graciously and gratefully accept this honour”. Cruising the list of bands I see mostly the usual suspects that I’d expect to be playing though Mike’s singling out of Finns Pooma could be a good recommendation. I’ll investigate the acts more closely over the next few weeks, leading up to the fest, and report back on my findings as I do.

Spinner Interfaces with Earlimart.

Harp, Athens Exchange, Creative Loafing and Red & Black get lessons in freewheeling from Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan.

PopMatters talks to Magnolia Electrician Jason Molina.

Sad news if you’re a Weakerthans fan – their February 1 in-store at Sonic Boom is off. If you want to see them, you’ll have to freeze your buns off at Nathan Phillips Square on the 2nd. Just think of it like the complete Winnipeg experience.

Good news if you’re a Metric fan – they’re shifting back into live performance mode with a gig at the Sound Academy (nee The Docks) on February 7. Tickets are on sale now for $20 plus vague facility charges.

Austin ambient outfit Stars Of The Lid are heading out on tour this Spring and that includes a date at the Music Gallery on April 28.

DCist offers up an interview with Tom Smith of Editors. He also talks to XFM about their odds of winning a Brit Award (not good). They’re in town at the Kool Haus next Tuesday, January 22.