Toronto concert-goers would do well to get acquainted with Oakley Hall as they’ll be passing through town not once but twice in the next few months as support for such notable shows as Calexico at the Phoenix on Thursday and M Ward at the Mod Club on September 11.

Initially formed by ex-Oneida member Pat Sullivan, Oakley Hall hail from Brooklyn but sound about as un-stereotypically New York as you can get. They draw heavily on traditional country forms and arrangements but add a healthy dose of indie rock intensity and psychedelic-fuzz guitar. You know, the sort of thing that once upon a time might have been called (whispers) “alt.country”. But I don’t think people use that term anymore, so I’ll just say that Oakley Hall will appeal greatly to folks who might have once come out and said they listened to (whispers) “alt.country”. But be prepared for an emphasis on the “country” half of the equation. You wouldn’t think it’d be necessary, but some people like only a very specific amount of twang in their tunes. True story.

Oakley Hall have released not one but two new full-lengths in 2006 – Second Guessing back in February and Gypsum Strings last month – so they’ll have plenty of material to choose from on their upcoming tours. They’ve got a reputation as a scorching live act so I’ll be able to report back on the truth of that later this week. In the meantime, check out some of their recorded output – the first one comes from Gypsum Strings, the other three from Second Guessing.

MP3: Oakley Hall – “Lazy Susan”
MP3: Oakley Hall – “Landlord”
MP3: Oakley Hall – “Eyes, Lock & Steel”
MP3: Oakley Hall – “Light Of My Love”
MySpace: Oakley Hall

Amusement Parks On Fire will release their second album Out Of The Angeles in the UK next Monday and from the sounds of the new tracks on their MySpace page, they may have gotten over their My Bloody Valentine-wannabe phase just a little, which is probably a good thing. No word on a North American release of the album yet.

AZNightBuzz talks to Band Of Horses’ Ben Bridwell. Via Largehearted Boy.

Largehearted Boy also has his best-of 2006 so far list up, covering not just music but literature as well. Pitchfork offers up suggestions of great music you might have overlooked (so far) this year.

The New York Daily News talks to Voxtrot (whose EPs are on that PF list) about their recent signing to Play Louder, and I’ve got my photos from their Friday night show in Brooklyn – along with TV On The Radio and Matt Pond PA – processed and uploaded for you viewing pleasure. Not the best set of pics I’ve ever taken but considering I was shooting from dozens of rows back with a 300mm lens in the dark, not too bad.

Still recovering from NYC. In case you were wondering.

np – The Grates / Gravity Won’t Get You High

Dear New York City:

Thank you for your hospitality. Thank you for Madison Square Park, the Shake Shack, Grand Central Station, the MTA, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, B&H Photo Video, the MoMA, Union Square, the Staten Island Ferry, the Statue Of Liberty, Wall Street, Brooklyn, Prospect Park, the United Nations, the East River, the Public Library, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, the Courthouse, Ground Zero, Washington Square, Greenwich Village, the East Village, the Hotel Chelsea, Central Park, the Central Park Zoo and the Met.

You’re lovely. Don’t ever change. Except that humidity thing. That can go.

Frank

PS – Happy Fourth of July – don’t take it personal that we’re clearing out before you guys go all crazy patriotic celebratory-like. I’ll send photos in the next few days.

So in brief – Friday night we went to Prospect Park in Brooklyn to catch a free show as part of Celebrate Brooklyn, featuring locals TV On The Radio, Matt Pond PA and Austinites Voxtrot. It had been a long day of walking around Manhattan, so arriving early enough to get seats was a real boon.

Voxtrot got a brief set but made the most of it. It was kind of strange to see them on such a massive stage and they played it like it was a small one, staying mostly clustered together up front (except the keyboardist, who was shunted off way to stage right). The set did contain one new song amongst old favourites which was more like the jaunty pop of the first EP rather than the leaner rockingness of the second, but still sounded good. I don’t think I’ll ever hear Ramesh’s voice as loud and clear at a club show as they were this night, that’s for sure. I like these fellows, they’ll go far.

Matt Pond was apparently celebrating his last night in Brooklyn and I think he might have been more than a little drunk. The weather had begun turning a bit foul during their set, and rather than hurry up through their show to get the headliners on before everyone got drenched, he wasted time by talking about how the weather was turning a bit foul and how they were going to hurry up through their show to get the headliners on before everyone got drenched. I haven’t heard Several Arrows Later so I can’t really comment on that stuff but surprisingly, the Emblems material was quite sped and rocked up. The new cellist sounded as good as the old cellist which is to say it sounded like cello. A good set but I was distracted by the fear of getting drenched. As previously stated.

I have never actually heard TV On The Radio, but can now say they put on one hell of a live show. Playing off the energy of the super-enthused hometown crowd and bringing out guest singers and horns, they definitely impressed with their rocked-up, fuzzed-out soul music. Now THIS was a band who knew how to work a stage the size of the Prospect Park bandshell. It’s also worth noting that the skies cleared up and the air warmed up the minute TVOTR took the stage and remained mostly warm and clear right till the end of their set, with a little rain only coming back during the encore. Not many bands can control the weather like that. I am going to have to check out their stuff, including the new one Return To Cookie Mountain, which is released this week in the UK and which NME is streaming the whole of right now.

Hey, I told you it’d be brief. I got some okay super-telephoto pics, but won’t be getting to them until I get home. Update: Okay, photos are up.

MP3: TV On The Radio – “Staring At The Sun”
MP3: Voxtrot – “Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives”
Video: Matt Pond PA – “Look Out (Closest)” (MOV)
MySpace: Matt Pond PA
MySpace: Voxtrot

BrooklynVegan was also there, natch, and from the camera angles was backstage. And also for Voxtrot’s set.

So the official V Festival lineup was announced yesterday. The time and place are old news – Olympic Island, September 9 and 10 – but the some of the big names in the lineup have been revealed. As I understand it, this is not the complete lineup, only about 2/3 of it. But anyway, this is what Richard Branson announced yesterday:

Saturday, September 9:
The Flaming Lips
Gnarls Barkley
Alexisonfire
Eagles Of Death Metal
The Dears
The Hidden Cameras
Buck 65
Phoenix
Starsailor
Plaster

Sunday September 10:
Massive Attack
The Raconteurs
The Sam Roberts Band
Wolfmother
Thrice
K’Naan
Zero 7
Jose Gonzales
We Are Wolves
Mickey Avalon

I like this lineup because while it’s certainly respectable, there’s no one there that compels me to attend, thus allowing me to do other things with that weekend like hit the TIFF and such. Tickets are $57.50 for one day or $104.50 for both days, including ferry to and from the islands. They go on sale today at Future Shop. Yeah, Future Shop.

The LA Times talks to Doug Martsch of Built To Spill.

The Broken Mascis Scene show from the Mod Club last week has been torrented. I haven’t heard it yet, but hopefully the quality is good.

Congrats to The Diableros on their 8.4 Pitchfork review.

And oh yeah, the Starflyer 59 show at Lee’s has a new date. It’s happening August 6, not August 5. FYI.

Happy Canada Day! NYC continues to be a blast. More dispatches later.

I was recently asked by Insound to submit my top ten albums of 2006 for use in one of their newsletters, the only caveat being that the releases had to be available via Insound. That did exclude a couple things that would have gotten some serious consideration (Trespassers William, Howling Bells), but on the whole the pool of candidates was pretty deep.

I’m as curious as anyone as to how this’ll stack up against my final year-end list. The second half of ’06 is pretty loaded with new offerings from veteran acts, but that’s not necessarily a free pass. After all, what’s more impressive – an album simply meeting expectations, no matter how lofty, or a surprise one completely surpassing them? We shall see. But odds are it’ll be a little lighter on acts with female vocalists or names starting with “C”.

And yes, I created that awesome cover art collage all by myself. Well, okay, my mom helped a little, but otherwise – ALL ME.

Anyway, this is what I came up with (listed alphabetically), and oh yeah – apparently all of the following are now on sale at Insound because of yours truly. How about that.

Asobi Seksu / Citrus (Friendly Fire)
MP3: Asobi Seksu – “New Years”
MP3: Asobi Seksu – “Strings” (Remix)

Camera Obscura / Let’s Get Out Of This Country (Merge)
MP3: Camera Obscura – “Let’s Get Out Of This Country
Video: Camera Obscura – “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” (MOV)

Neko Case / Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Mint)
MP3: Neko Case – “Star Witness”
Video: Neko Case – “Maybe Sparrow” (Real)

Cat Power / The Greatest (Matador)
MP3: Cat Power – “The Greatest”
Video: Cat Power – “Living Proof” (MOV)

Centro-Matic / Fort Recovery (Misra)
MP3: Centro-Matic – “Triggers & Trash Heaps”
Video: Centro-Matic – “Triggers & Trash Heaps” (YouTube)

The Concretes / In Colour (Astralwerks)
Video: The Concretes – “On The Radio” (WMV)
Video: The Concretes – “Chosen One” (WMV)

Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s / The Dust Of Retreat (Artemis)
MP3: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s – “Skeleton Key”
Video: Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s- “Quiet As A Mouse” (YouTube)

Mojave 3 / Puzzles Like You (4AD)
MP3: Mojave 3 – “Big Star Baby”
Video: Mojave 3 – “Breaking The Ice” (YouTube)

Josh Ritter / The Animal Years (V2)
MP3: Josh Ritter – “Girl In The War”
Video: Josh Ritter – “Lillian, Egypt” (YouTube)

Shearwater / Palo Santo (Misra)
MP3: Shearwater – “Seventy Four, Seventy Five”

And some press clippings from some of my picks – Nichi Bei Times delves into Yuki Chikudate of Asobi Seksu’s Japaneseness, Gav of Camera Obscura talks about falling into volcanoes while Kenny McKeeve talks to The Boston Globe. The Georgia Straight talks to Neko Case, The Dish and San Diego City Beat have interviews with The Concretes, Each Note Secure interviews some Margots and Michigan Live talks to Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg.

From Blown Speakers also has a mid-term 2006 round-up.

First day in New York was good, if a little damp with spot torrential thunderstorms. Forecast is better for today, though. This town is great. So anyway, if this felt like a placeholder post written days in advance… well it was. Have a good long weekend.