Joanna Newsom discusses the making of Ys in brief with Exclaim and at length with Harp, who must be thrilled that they’ve finally found an artist whom they can cover without worrying about accusations of false advertising. And The Seattle Times has an AP piece that’s somewhere in between. Photo by/courtesy of Jim Newberry.

The year-end lists are just starting to creep out but I’m curious to see how prescient the Catbird-o-meter will be – if Metacritic is a barometer, then Ys will be topping more than its fair share of critics polls. But not mine, as you may have noticed. This is no comment on the record itself – I only just got it a couple weeks ago and it would have had to be like a thunderbolt to the head to have made the sort of impression to make my list. And it didn’t – it’s not a visceral record (though I only need to think back to seeing her live in October to remember that that’s by no means a blanket statement on her music). It’s a dense and almost overwhelming piece that really lacks any immediate frame of reference for comparison except, perhaps, for The Milk-Eyed Mender and even that one is a considerably different creature from its follow-up.

At the moment I actually rather prefer the first album, but that’s almost certainly because, by comparison, it’s an accessible pop record. Ys, not so much. Choice lyrical fragments and instrumental flourishes jump out unexpectedly but the whole of the record has still been too much to take in and absorb yet. I can appreciate and applaud it on an intellectual, artistic level but there’s not yet any real emotional connection with it. Also not sure how much I like the Van Dyke Parks string arrangements – sometimes they get a bit too Disney for my tastes. But, as I said, a couple of weeks is certainly not enough time to form a real, well-informed opinion on a work like this. Ask me again in a few months.

But in the meantime, check out this edition of NPR’s All Songs Considered for which Newsom recently played DJ. You can stream some of her selections as well as her own songs.

So the Toronto Camera Obscura show next month is happening on January 31 at Lee’s Palace, tickets $17. I had guessed it would be either that date or the 29th and it’s the former, though you may still want to head to Lee’s on the 29th as Kevin Devine and Jennifer O’Connor will be performing. Tickets for that one are $10.

More Cowbell brings tidings of a new record from Son Volt. The Search will be out on March 6 and promises it to be the band’s “most diverse record yet”. Choice adjectives from the announcement are, “Eastern-style electric guitar”, “upbeat Memphis-style horn section” and “Zeppelin-esque” – considering that the last time it was announced that Jay Farrar was expanding his sonic palette we got Sebastapol, which sounded exactly like Jay Farrar always sounds – except with Hawaiian guitar. I’m not saying that it’s impossible that Son Volt could surprise me yet, I just kind of doubt it.

Joe Pernice tells Commercial Appeal he’s not depressed. Meanwhile, Aimee Mann tells the San Francisco Chronicle she’s not depressed. Hmm, you think maybe some artists have a problem with the public not distinguishing between the work and the author?

Pitchfork has a really long and enjoyable interview with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady that touches on pretty much everything.

I’m not rounding up (m)any of the various year-end lists this year – just too damn many of them. But if you want to see how many people love Tapes N Tapes, Largehearted Boy and Fimolicious are happy to play aggregator for you.

np – Sparklehorse / Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain

Just fragmentary bits today.

Austin post-rock heroes Explosions In The Sky are hitting the road this Winter in support of their new album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. The record is out February 20 and they’ve got a date at the Opera House in Toronto on March 24 with The Paper Chase and Eluvium as support. I’m more than a little surprised at the size of the venue – quite a jump from their last time through when they played the Horseshoe. Maybe this is a consequence of the success of the Friday Night Lights television show, which I believe still uses the film score for the theme? Great – a whole new fanbase of high school football fans.

And some other Texans ill-advisedly coming up north in the dead of Winter are Midlake, in town at Lee’s Palace on February 12. I’ve got the good sense not to go to Austin in the middle of Summer, I don’t know what these guys are thinking.

Mojave 3 frontman Neil Halstead stopped in at AOL’s Interface recently and recorded a few songs, solo acoustic style, as well as an interview.

Aversion reports that The New Pornographers’ limited edition live album, which they’ve been selling on the road, will be made available for sale over their website when they’re done gallivanting around the world. Pitchfork has more details, including the title (Live!) and the specific limited edition (1000 copies). If that figure is accurate, I can’t imagine they’ll have any left over to sell when they get home. The recordings were culled from their Fall 2005 tour, which featured the dream team lineup with Dan Bejar and Neko Case, as well as their Winter ’06 jaunt with Belle & Sebastian.

Ted Leo talks to Billboard about making his new album Living With The Living, which will be in stores March 20.

If you missed the link in yesterday’s comments, Things I’d Rather Be Doing has an interview with Richie Edwards of Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s.

Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub ruminates to Harp on how and why Bandwagonesque retains such a fond place in peoples’ hearts after 15 years.

Exclaim recounts the story of Pulp. Apparently Jarvis Cocker’s solo record Jarvis is quite good. This is encouraging – I always thought that Pulp were the best and most interesting of the bands lumped into the Britpop movement. Not that I’d agree they belonged there, but timing, as they say, is everything.

Andy Partridge has an expansive sit-down with Amazon.com about the past, as documented on the Fuzzy Warbles Collectors Album box set, and the future for him, XTC, whoever. He also makes many album recommendations which, conveniently, you can buy right there at Amazon.

Tiny Mix Tapes’ redesign = the awesome.

np – Explosions In The Sky / How Strange, Innocence

The Slip / Eisenhower (Bar/None) Eisenhower is meant to be The Slip’s emancipation proclamation from the jam-rock pigeonhole into which they’d been stuffed over their career thus far, and on it they seem to be diving into the broader musical buffet like a man coming off a long fast. Over the course of eleven songs they offer up pop-culture quoting pop anthems, string-laden orch-rock, power ballads, and all points in-between. While are still traces of their patchouli-stink past, mostly in their impressive instrumental chops and not-quite-conventional song structures, they also demonstrate some solid pop songwriting chops that may well have been lost on the Bonnaroo crowd. The production is a little glossy and bland for my taste, but if they’ve set their sights on some radio crossover action, then they’re on the right track. They’re at the El Mocambo this Saturday, December 9 and I’m giving away Slip stuff till Tuesday. MySpace: The Slip

We Landed On The Moon! / We Landed On The Moon! (independent) Incongruity is the watchword for this Baton Rouge outfit. The name is twee as fuck, the music is alt.indie-approved jangle and singer Melissa Eccles has the pipes and brassiness of a full-on rock diva. Oh, and their bio ill-advisedly credits the band’s existence to the recent Dukes Of Hazzard film. Don’t ask. But they make it work and work well, with their debut album an impressively tight and polished, self-produced effort. Their songwriting seems tailored to showcase Eccles’ range, from brash rockers to more restrained, introspective numbers and while it only makes sense to play to your strengths, it can also encourage oversinging and in some cases, melodrama ensues. But considering the youth of the band and the obvious potential therein, given the time to refine and focus their sound they could well turn out some terrific stuff. Pity about the name, though. MP3: We Landed On The Moon – “Everything Is Fine” MP3: We Landed On The Moon – “Simple Steps” MySpace: We Landed On The Moon

np – Aimee Mann / I’m With Stupid

Final giveaway for today, but it’s a good one – courtesy of Toolshed, I’ve got a stocking full of Aimee Mann to give away. This consists of Aimee’s entire solo catalog – probably not the Magnolia soundtrack or the Live At St Ann’s Warehouse CD/DVD set but her studio material at least, which would include Whatever, I’m With Stupid, Bachelor #2, Lost In Space and The Forgotten Arm and possibly/probably her new Christmas record One More Drifter In The Snow. I’m not exactly sure.

Mann might at first seem like an odd person to be making a holiday album, what with her being the patron saint of glum, but one forgets that Christmas is, for many, the most depressing time of the year. Think about it. But Drifter isn’t about ruining anyone’s Christmas, there’s only one Mann original, the rest are covers and standards, albeit sung with Mann’s characteristically understated and downbeat style (except for “You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch” – how could you not have a good time singing that one?) But for a Christmas record – which are usually inherently dire – It’s actually quite nice. No, this record won’t deter those who complain that Aimee has gone all MOR on us, but whatever.

Also check out the holiday blog started in conjunction with the record wherein they solicit your holiday memories: “Ever have a bummer Christmas? What was the best holiday gift you ever got? What was the worst? When did you discover Santa wasn’t real? When did you find out Santa WAS real?” They say they want to hear about your best holiday but you know they really just want to hear your worst. Just like you really only want to read the sad stories. Admit it.

Anyway, while most Aimee fans will certainly have most if not all of these records, they’ll also make a great gift to someone whose tastes in music are too happy and need a healthy dose of depression. To enter, leave me a comment telling me about your worst Christmas ever. Doesn’t have to be in excruciating detail, just enough to make the rest of us feel better about our own dour holiday memories. As always, be sure to leave your proper email address so the winners can be contacted and gifted (which you can feel free to re-gift at your leisure).

The contest will run until midnight, December 9. Ho ho ho.

CONTEST IS CLOSED – thanks to all who entered and congrats to Jonathan, who won the CDs. And I sincerely hope your Christmases this year better than the ones you wrote about.

MP3: Aimee Mann – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (from One More Drifter In The Snow)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (from One More Drifter In The Snow)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “Dear John” (from The Forgotten Arm)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “She Really Wants You” (from The Forgotten Arm)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “Long Shot” (from Live At St Ann’s Warehouse)
Video: Aimee Mann / One More Drifter In The Snow preview

You may recall me writing a little while back about the Harry Smith Project DVD that came out last month – well as it happens, I now have a copy of the DVD to give away, courtesy of Shout Factory.

Now I haven’t seen the whole thing because, well, the copy I have is for givin’ and not for watchin’, but from the samples below and the quality of the artists participating in these shows (Wilco, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle to name but a few), there’s really no way this can’t be amazing. If you win this, consider yourself lucky. To get lucky (maybe), email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want the Harry Smith DVD” in the subject line and your mailing info in the body.

Contest closes at midnight, December 5.

CONTEST IS CLOSED. Congrats to Lyle, who has won the DVD.

Stream: Wilco – “James Alley Blues” (MOV)
Stream: Beth Orton – “Frankie” (MOV)
Video: Nick Cave – “John The Revelator” (MOV)
Video: Beth Orton – “Frankie” (MOV)