More like “Let’s get out of this venue”. The Camera Obscura/Essex Green show on January 31 has been moved from the ideally-sized Lee’s Palace to the grumble-inducing Opera House. I’m obviously not very thrilled with this news, but I remain confident/hopeful that the combined pop goodness of both acts will defeat the general crumminess of the new venue.

But on to other things – namely, my wondering why The Essex Green doesn’t get more respect? And that includes from me. Their latest album, last year’s The Cannibal Sea, is a rather splendid piece of folk-rock, blending a pastoral, laid back-ness with some urban pop smarts all seen through a soft-focus 60s filter. Chris Ziter and Sasha Bell’s boy-girl vocals are supremely smooth and elegant together – in fact, that’s a fair description for the album as a whole. If there’s any complaint to be filed, it’s that they’re a bit too polite – maybe if they were a bit more in your face, more people would pay attention – but I rather like them just the way they are. But Canadians appreciate politeness, dontchaknow. Looking forward to seeing them, even if it is at the Opera House.

MP3: The Essex Green – “Don’t Know Why (You Stay)”
MySpace: The Essex Green

As for the headliners, they’ve just released the third single from Let’s Get Out Of This Country, the Motown-eriffic “If Looks Could Kill”. The CD version of the single comes with two new b-sides while the 7″ has a cover of The Paris Sisters’ “I Love How You Love Me”. There’s also a shiny new video!

MP3: Camera Obscura – “If Looks Could Kill”
Video: Camera Obscura – “If Looks Could Kill” (YouTube)

Also schedule-shifting – the Rob Dickonson show that had been scheduled for February 7th at Lee’s Palace has been moved up to Monday, February 5th. Purchased tickets will be honoured and if you just can’t bear to miss an episode of Heroes or 24 and need a refund, those are available at point of purchase. And speaking of Rob, he’s made a new MP3 available on his website, which he describes thusly: “I recorded ‘Hush Little Baby’ in the spring [don’t ask] and listened to it again tonight ….it sounded OK so thought I’d share it”. …but Rob, I want to ask!

MP3: Rob Dickinson – “Hush Little Baby”

Congoese kalimba orchestra Konono No 1 will be at the Phoenix on May 1, tickets $20 in advance.

Poster boys for blog-hype/backlash Cold War Kids are at the Mod Club on April 4. I saw them at Lollapalooza and my verdict then? “Nothing astonishing, but alright.” File under: blog indifference. Full tour dates at You Ain’t No Picasso.

Zoilus directs us to “the only article about Joanna Newsom’s Ys you ever need to read,” over at Arthur.

I Heart Music has got Amy Millan’s radio session for KCRW from last month MP3-ed and available to download.

And “Black Mirror”, the first single from the new Arcade Fire album Neon Bible (no, “Intervention” wasn’t it) is now streaming off their website – go to Win’s scrapbook and make with the clicky. Final album release and touring info (including T.O.) should be coming in the next few weeks.

I got a copy of El Perro Del Mar’s self-titled album on the same day as the Frida Hyvonen record I talked about on Wednesday, and while I listened to them both, I admit I got a little confused as to which one I was listening to at the time. Which unconventional Swedish singer-songwriter is this again?

Well as it happens, just a couple days after it was announced that Hyvonen was coming to town on March 8, it comes out that El Perro Del Mar will also be in town at the same venue – The Mod Club – just three days earlier, on March 5 (via For The Records). It seems some paths are destined to run closely parallel, at least from my point of view. Tickets for her show are $15 and are on sale now.

El Perro Del Mar is the project of Sarah Assbring and is, quite possibly, the saddest record I’ve heard in ages. The inspiration and production hearkens back to an era before retro, all the way back to timeless (aka the 50s), but Assbring’s take on it is less going down the five and dime for a soda and more standing desolate in the rain, poodle skirt soaked and shapeless. On the more upbeat numbers like “God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)”, there’s not a hint of a smile in Assbring’s delivery and on the sadder songs, well damn. Her voice is strong and her vibrato sounds like it’s on the edge of tears, but thankfully the end result isn’t maudlin or overwrought – it feels quite genuine and the duality of the inherently sunny music with Assbring’s mournfulness gives El Perro Del Mar a strange, emotionally rich and resonant friction. It will be interesting to see how it translates in a live environment.

Washington Square News talks to El Perro Del Mar about what it is to be Swedish and the inspiration for her stage name, which means “dog of the sea” in Spanish.

MP3: El Perro Del Mar – “God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)”
Video: El Perro Del Mar – “God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)” (YouTube)
MySpace: El Perro Del Mar

Check it – new Charlotte Hatherley video, via Stereogum. She talks a bit about the inspiration behind the vid here. Her new album The Deep Blue is out in March and the EP for the single in question, “Behave”, is available on eMusic.

Video: Charlotte Hatherley – “Behave” (YouTube)

Men’s Vogue talks to the ever-stylish Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips about new album Back Numbers, which they will be touring in March to support.

The Sydney Morning Herald discusses cuisine and songwriting with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. Via Largehearted Boy.

James Mercer of The Shins talks to Pitchfork about making Wincing The Night Away (out January 23) and the weight of expectation surrounding the new release. He also mentions that Fruit Bat Eric Johnson is now in the band on guitar – an interesting development as the implication seems to be that it’s a permanent position. A gifted songwriter in his own right, I guess we won’t see what Johnson can contribute to the band in terms of writing until the next record, but a second guitar will certainly beef up their live sound. Also look for a new Fruit Bats record sometime this year.

Mercer also talks to NOW about the new record as part of the magazine’s hot upcoming releases feature in this week’s issue. Finally, also note that The Shins will be on Saturday Night Live on January 13, Late Night With David Letterman on January 23 and are expected to begin touring in in support of the new album in February and March.

And if you haven’t heard and seen the first single yet, well here you go, along with an alt. version of one of the album tracks. I’d really forgotten how much I liked The Shins, but the new stuff sounds great.

MP3: The Shins – “Phantom Limb”
Video: The Shins – “Phantom Limb” (MOV)

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, I suggest checking out Basia Bulat at the Drake Underground tonight. Said The Gramophone has all the aural and written persuasion you should need.

As people get back to work, there’s been some movement on lineups for a few of the Spring music festivals. Firstly, the lineups for the Wavelength 7th anniversary celebrations taking place February 8 to 11 at various venues around Toronto have been announced. The website hasn’t been updated yet but all the info has been posted at Stille Post including links to artist MySpace pages as applicable. I’ll be making use of those because I’d be lying if I said I knew who (m)any of the bands playing are but I’ve seen some good stuff at past Wavelength anniversaries so I’d expect/hope the same could be said of this year’s edition.

Swinging to pretty much the opposite end of the cred-o-meter, Canadian Music Week has revealed the first batch of bands confirmed to be playing the festival this year from March 7 to 10. As usual, a whole lot of unknowns, a couple familiar faces (The Coast, Jenn Grant) and an intriguing import – in this case, Scotland’s My Latest Novel, who I wrote up in November. They’ll be at the Drake Underground on March 9.

Also running concurrently (and oppositely) to CMW over March 7 to 11 is the Pitter Patter Festival, named for the weekly music series that runs at cozy little venues around town like The Boat and The Supermarket. Though much smaller in scale, the announced bands are arguably a lot more interesting. A great alternative to those who’d otherwise be spending their time complaining about CMW.

And information on the daddy of them all, SxSW, is starting to trickle out. The Donewaiting SxSW blog is once again getting into gear with all the confirmed appearances and a healthy dose of rumour and hearsay. Honestly, in a way the anticipation is the best part of the festival. No one hugely exciting in the confirmed acts yet, but give it a few weeks – things usually get really silly/fun by late January/early February and hit a fever pitch by early March. SxSW Baby will also be back by mid-Month offering survival tips for March Madness in Austin.

And bringing things back to Toronto, this year’s edition of Over The Top Fest is scheduled for May 3 to 6. No bands announced yet, but I have faith that it’ll be ridiculously solid as ever.

And that’s just the stuff that’s happening before it’s warm enough to head outdoors…

We begin the 2007 concert queue with some local flavour – Toronto outfit Forest City Lovers is centered around the duo of Kat Burns and Mika Posen, who craft folk songs that are soft and pretty but with a more than a hint of darkness around the edges. Understated but compelling stuff. They play Supermarket on January 10 and roll out a full band for a show at the Tranzac on January 25.

Courtesy of the band, I’ve got a copy of the debut full-length The Sun And The Wind to give away, along with a t-shirt and pin. Entering is easy – just email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want the Forest City Lovers stuff” in the subject line. The contest closes at midnight, January 8.

MP3: Forest City Lovers – “Closet Genius”
MySpace: Forest City Lovers

I was pleased to see Pitchfork report that Danish orch-rock combo Under Byen will be returning to North America this March including a show March 8th at the Mod Club. My appreciation for the band and their 2006 release Samme Stof Som Stof is well documented and the venue (and its elaborate lighting rig) is a perfect choice for one of the most visually striking bands I saw last year.

But also noteworthy is their tourmate for this visit – singer/songwriter Frida Hyvonen. Her debut Until Death Comes was released in her native Sweden in 2005 to much success and in North America last Fall by Secretly Canadian. Based around her austere but perfectly appropriate piano playing, Hyvonen’s simple songs are compact (the album’s ten tracks clock in at under half an hour) and initially sound a bit cold and emotionally detached. Upon further listens, however, it’s evident that’s as much the characteristic Swedish accent and delivery as anything else, and the songs are actually bubbling with emotion as well as a healthy dose of humour – they’re not so much distant as just guarded and maybe a bit prickly. But charming through and through.

She also has another release due out on January 24 as part of a new series entitled, “Frida Hyvonen Gives You”, intended to be an outlet for anything and everything Hyvonen decides should see the light of day. If that sounds like a ticket for strangeness, you’re probably correct – the first release is called Music From The Dance Performance PUDEL and if you were wondering, “Pudel” means “poodle” in German and the dance performance in question indeed apparently featured 20 dancing poodles. For real. More info on the release here.

MP3: Frida Hyvonen – “You Never Got Me Right”
Video: Frida Hyvonen – “I Drive My Friend” (MOV)
Video: Frida Hyvonen – “The Modern” (MOV)
MySpace: Frida Hyvonen

Hyvonen’s labelmate and tourmate from this past Fall, Jens Lekman talks a bit about his new album which apparently sounds like Kortedala, circa 2001. It’s currently untitled but he hopes it’ll be out before Summer of this year and so do I.

Idlewild have released the first video from forthcoming album Make Another World, due out February 26. Though they warn that it’s not representative of the record, “If It Takes You Home” is arguably one of the punkier and fiercer tracks the band has recorded in some years and for those who think that 100 Broken Windows is still their finest hour (that’s my hand in the air), it’s encouraging. You can stream the song at their MySpace or watch the vid below.

Video: Idlewild – “If It Takes You Home” (WMV)

The Ottawa Sun talks to Emily Haines, who plays the Danforth Music Hall on Saturday.

PopMatters and I had the same taste in television last year. And I really do mean to catch up on The Wire soon.