People hereabouts are getting excited about the April 13 Voxtrot show at Sneaky Dee’s, but it would be an injustice to ignore the other band on that tour, Los Angeles’ Irving. Boasting five singer/songwriters and some uncanny pop sense, the band have expanded their sonic palette on their third platter and the results are, frankly, a lot more interesting. I mean, I like Beatle-y/Beach Boy-y power-pop as much as the next guy, but sometimes it’s like eating a case of pixie sticks. Not all that substantial and can leave you a little queasy. But Irving are like rock sugar – sweet but not overprocessed. And they might make your teeth hurt, but not from decay. Just from… breaking them. I don’t know, this analogy is going nowhere. I’m getting off the bus here.

But don’t take it out on Irving. Their new album, Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers, is out April 4 and like most bands on the planet, they’ve got music available to sample on their MySpace page or via eCard – or you can just grab/watch these. Like many bands, they’re going to be ALL over SxSW – dates and times on their MySpace page – and if you’re heading to their Toronto show to catch Voxtrot, be sure to get there early enough to see Irving. Tickets for that one just went on sale, $6 is all it’ll cost ya.

MP3: Irving – “Situation”
MP3: Irving – “Jen, Nothing Matters To Me”
Video: Irving – “Situation” (MOV)

Exclaim! wants to introduce you to the works of Mr Elvis Costello. What’s that? You’ve heard of him? The devil you say! EC’s new album is a jazz record – Live With the Metropole Orkest: My Flame Burns Blue came out this past Tuesday.

Harp presents ten things you didn’t know about Grandaddy to add to two things you did know – Just Like The Fambly Cat is out April 4 and it will be their final album.

Filter makes their recent Death Cab feature article available online.

The intimate Snow Patrol gig scheduled for March 30 at the Mod Club just got a little less intimate as it’s been moved to the Opera House. End Of Fashion support.

Sarah Harmer talks to The Philadelphia Inquirer about I’m A Mountain.

The Sydney Morning Herald talks to Lou Barlow and Murph about Dinosaur Jr’s wholly improbable reunion. Via Largehearted Boy.

Drowned In Sound reconsiders Low.

Tiny Mix Tapes gets all Charlie Kaufmann with Chuck Klosterman, who Gawker reports is no longer writing columns about nothing for Spin.

np – Elvis Costello / Extreme Honey

So I’ve been cruising the SxSW bit torrents and am over 1/3 of the way through the first one (around 770 artists/songs) and it’s been an interesting experience. It’s a wildly eclectic mix of stuff, and while I do my best to give everything a fair shake, my hand does stray to the skip button on occasion. But in the process, I’ve listened to more hip-hop, metal and experimental noise in the past couple days than I have in, like, ever. Which isn’t to say that I’ve liked it, but I’ve listened to it and it’s been interesting. I can’t say that I’ll make it through all 1000 or so songs in the two torrents, but it’s an educational exercise and is a reasonable sampler and substitute for not hitting every showcase going down in Austin later this month.

But every once in a while, something jumps out at you that really makes you sit up and take notice – I’ve had a few of those moments so far, and one came yesterday courtesy of Australia’s Decoder Ring. Their SxSW profile denotes them as “electronic”, but I don’t think that’s wholly accurate. There’s definitely programmed beats and sequencing at work here, particularly in some of the songs posted on their MySpace page, but there’s plenty of organic instrumentation to be found here including singer Lenka’s gorgeous voice. Some of the material is strictly instrumental fare and some of it is classic pop songsmithery, but all of it is pretty damned impressive.

Their latest album, released late last year, is Fractions and it’s the title track from it that utterly beguiled me from the first note. Starting with a shy, breathy opening and building to a joyous crescendo, it pushes all the right buttons. Reminds me of Bjork’s “Hyper-Ballad”, in that sense – not a bad thing at all. The video is a little hokey, but the song feels like Spring and it makes me happy. Check them both out:

MP3: Decoder Ring – “Fractions”
Video: Decoder Ring – “Fractions” (MOV)

The band will be at SxSW this year, playing both the Aussie Showcase & BBQ at Brush Square Park on March 17 and a proper showcase at 8PM at Red 7 on Saturday, March 18.

And fellow Aussies (and Bella Union affiliates) Howling Bells are offering “The Wild”, the b-side to their Wishing Stone single, as a free download to anyone signed up to the Bella Union mailing list.

Garrick Van Buren has likewise been going through the SxSW torrents, and has listed off some faves from the pack. Via Largehearted Boy.

Belle & Sebastian are the subject of a feature article in the new Harp, Chris Geddes gives good interview to The Swarthmore Phoenix, Steve Jackson to Dailyrecord.com and this interview by Incendiary with Bobby Kildea has been up for a while, but I only just found it now. And finally, an audio interview with Boston NPR. The next single from The Life Pursuit will be for “The Blues Are Still Blue”, all proceeds from which will go directly to Marc Bolan’s estate. Like the “Funny Little Frog” single before it, it will come out in CD/7″/DVD on April 3 and you can pre-order all three from Recordstore.co.uk for 5 quid. The “Funny Little Frog” set cost me around $17 CDN all said in done, if you were wondering.

And since I can’t seem to post any B&S stuff without an Isobel Campbell footnote, here’s today’s – pieces from The Chicago Sun-Times and Chart, and courtesy of V2, I’ve got an autographed Isobel Campbell poster and two copies of Ballad Of The Broken Seas, out Tuesday, to give away. To enter, just send me an email with “Isobel Campbell contest” in the subject. This is a quick contest – it’ll close tomorrow night at midnight. And locals, don’t forget she’s doing an instore at Soundscapes tomorrow at 3PM and playing a full show at Revival tomorrow night. Update: Shit, meant to edit this before posting – I’ve been informed the instore for tomorrow is cancelled. Sorry. Update 2: Just got word from the label that the evening show is cancelled as well. Verify this with the venue, CMW, etc, but that’s what I’ve been told. If Isobel isn’t going to be in town at all, this will obviously affect my ability to give away an autographed poster. I mean, *I* could autograph it, but that wouldn’t look nearly as nice on your wall. Anyway, we will figure something out in regards to the contest.

MTV gets an update in the state of Feist, though she neglects to mention her appearance in the new Broken Social Scene video for “7/4 (Shorelines)”.

Exclaim! looks at the annoying yet understandable reasoning behind staggering international release dates for albums.

np – Sigur Ros / Takk

The new issue of Harp is out (or will be soon) and they’ve made their cover story on Neko Case available online. I’d recap what it covers, but to be honest, I don’t know. I like to pick up the magazine and read it old fashioned-like, so I’ll just point out that it’s there and send you on your way. She also talks about making the new record with Exclaim!. I haven’t picked up that issue yet either, but I did read the article, mainly because it was a lot shorter.

Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is finally out this Tuesday, and if you haven’t seen the gorgeous cover art yet, well you should. It was done by Vancouver artist Julie Morstad, and you can see some more of her stuff here. Neko begins her tour in support of Fox Confessor at the end of this month and stops in at the Danforth Music Hall on April 2 with The High Dials. Her website is still being renovated, but another official MP3 has been released:

MP3: Neko Case – “Hold On Hold On”

And Neko’s fellow part-time New Pornographer Dan Bejar, aka Destroyer, graces the cover of the new Exclaim!. Destroyer’s Rubies is out now and he’s at Lee’s Palace March 25.

Other bits from the new Harp – the most unbecoming photo ever of Sarah Harmer and Will Johnson of Centro-Matic reels off his five favourite cities. Maybe Toronto will make the cut after they visit the Horseshoe on April 5. You guys should totally go and make them feel welcome.

Broken Social Scene tells MTV they’re as tired of the logistics of being a 15-piece band as everyone else is of hearing them complain about it. Via Prefix. Tangentially – Popmatters has an interview with Andrew Whiteman, erstwhile BSS axeman and Apostle Of Hustle.

Some of you have been asking me about the alleged (by me) Stills/Morningwood/DJ Carlos D show that was supposed to happen on March 8 at the Berkeley Church but is now apparently set for The Drake (scroll down to the DJ Carlos D entry here), though the Drake website has nothing about it, nor does Morningwood’s website and while The Stills’ tour schedule shows them as in the neighbourhood with a day off, I am in no way, shape or form standing by my earlier information. Not one bit. Maybe it’s a private party for only the beautiful people, I do not know. But if you’re set on seeing The Stills, circle May 11 on your calendars. It’s my birthday. Buy me something nice. Oh, and The Stills will be at the Phoenix on that date, but that’s secondary to my birthday. Their new album Without Feathers is out May 9 and you can hear the first single on their MySpace page. Update: It’s been confirmed – the March 8 show is indeed a private party for beautiful people only. The May 11 show is open to Morlocks.

And oh yeah, The Flaming Lips are at The Phoenix on April 4 with Wolfmother. Tickets $39.50, on sale Saturday. Glad I don’t have to decide whether or not I want to shell out that kind of cash to be walked on by a man in giant plastic bubble – I’m out of the country (again).

University of Toronto university newspaper The Varsity (Bugmenot) has a feature on local arts and culture blogs, including yours truly (along with Pop (All Love), Zoilus, Sally McKay and Booklust. A nice little piece but that image they photoshopped from my site is downright creepy.

Popmatters eulogizes Arrested Development, which I finally saw the conclusion of last week. While I certainly mourn the demise of one of the best television comedys, oh, ever, I am surprisingly satisifed with the finale. I still like saying “Bob Loblaw” for no particular reason.

np – Cat Power / The Greatest

Brooklyn’s Dirty On Purpose are in town next week and are faced with the somewhat daunting task of playing a large-ish venue (Lee’s Palace) on a Monday night (March 6) in a city they’ve never been to, following their performance the night before closing out the Under The Snow festival in Montreal. They’ve been getting some well-deserved hype in certain corners, but I’m not sure how much of it has trickled up here yet. I’ve been a fan of these guys since catching them at SxSW last year, so I’m going to do what I can to plug their show and encourage y’all to get off your duffs, tape 24 and catch a terrific band on the rise. Cover is $7 at the door and they’re on at 10:15. You can be home by midnight!

The band has been riding their excellent Sleep Late For A Better Tomorrow EP for over a year now, but have just announced their first full-length, entitled Hallelujah Sirens, will be out in mid-May. This is a record that Hearsay listed at the top of their “most anticipated albums of 2006” list, and it’s up near the top of mine as well. I’m not sure if departed vocalist/keyboardist Erika Forster appears on the album, but with or without her contributions I’m sure it’ll be a superb slice of fuzzed-out indie-rock goodness.

But sounds speak louder than words, so I direct you to their MySpace page, this live recording of a show in Boston last year and the video and MP3 for “Mind Blindness”, from Sleep Late:

MP3: Dirty On Purpose – “Mind Blindness”
Video: Dirty On Purpose – “Mind Blindness” (MOV)

Check out the ecard for the new Ambulance LTD EP, New English, out March 14.

Sigur Ros return to Massey Hall on May 13! Happy birthday to me. Tickets go on sale Friday, bookmark here for presale action.

Johnny Marr of The Smiths reflects on making The Queen Is Dead for The Belfast Telegraph. Via Coolfer.

While Nellie McKay’s new album is still missing in action, a video for “Real Life”, which would have presumably been the first single, has surfaced. It’s kinda weird. Via Antville. Newsday has a fast chat with the singer/budding actress.

The New Zealand Herald predicts 2006 will be a very good year for Jenny Lewis. Lewis is at the Opera House on March 16.

Metric’s Emily Haines drops The Toronto Star a note following their show at the Kool Haus on Friday. The Star reciprocates with a show review.

Billboard reports that Rhino will be adding to the Dinosaur Jr reissue landslide started by Merge last year by putting out expanded editions of Green Mind and Where You Been, two of my fave Dino Jr albums, by the by. This comes on top of news that the band is hitting the road (again), working on new material (which you won’t hear on the aforementioned live dates) and putting together a DVD (of their previous reunion tour).

So I’ve been officially shut out of the SxSW press pass action but am actually feeling pretty good about going down there with no wristband or nuthin’. If the opportunity to get one for a fair price comes up, great, but the more I look at the schedule, the more I’m thinking I can happily exhaust myself with just the day/free shows. I’ll probably pay cover for the Kork/Polyvinyl showcase Wednesday night at Emo’s and Emo’s Jr, but besides that, God bless the Eastside Scootenanny. Anyone wants to find me, I’ll probably be there most evenings. Yeah, feeling much better about this whole thing. Bring it on.

24: It’s kind of fun watching Sean Astin come undone. He looks like a fat little boy having a temper tantrum. We also have the same laptop and I know for a fact that it can’t handle having every workstation in CTU funnelled through it. No way. And could it be we’ve seen the big bad for season five revealed? Jack Bauer may finally meet his match in Robocop – but come on, how awesome would it have been if he led him down into that subbasement to reveal… ED-209! But a bomb works as well. Somewhat surprising that he’d have a clipboard bomb handy, though. Finally, weirdest thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time? Logan and Novick getting on their knees and praying. I think it’s the suits that make it weird. Um, wait a second – in my travels around the interweb, I’m getting some chatter about this week’s ep being a two-hour one. What? What hour are we on now? The one I just watched ended at 5:00PM – am I up to date, or do I have to torrent hunting again?

np – Trespassers William / Having

Wilco obsessives – I’m looking at you, me – will have to wait till later in the year for the band’s new album but are going to get some serious fixes in the next couple months with new albums from Loose Fur and
Golden Smog. Billboard has details of the new Golden Smog record, Another Fine Day, which is due out on July 18 via Lost Highway and Drag City has the mighty morphin’ video for “Hey Chicken”, the first single from Born Again In The USA, which is out March 21. And The Indianapolis Star talks to Loose Fur/Wilco stickman Glenn Kotche about his new solo record Mobile, which is coming out March 7. Junkmedia also has a round-up of all the Wilco extra-cirricular activities going on right now.

I don’t hold out much hope of Golden Smog touring, at least not with the “dream” lineup – the logistics would probably be a nightmare to even consider. A fact that makes me even sadder that I missed out on their two-nights at the Horseshoe waaaaay back in 1998. THAT would have been a hell of a thing to see, let me tell you, but I was probably busy not studying for exams or something. And elsewhere in the Golden Smog extend family – Dan Murphy’s Soul Aslyum will release their first album in a dog’s age, Crazy Mixed Up World, on April 4 (Rolling Stone has more).

My favourite album of 2005, The National’s Alligator, was recently quietly reissued (so quietly that I can’t find any actual info about where/why/when) so that it now includes a bonus disc featuring all five of the Alligator b-sides as well as three music videos for the album. Now seeing as how I’ve already bought this album on LP and CD, does it seem fair that I should shell out a third time? I think not, and thankfully, neither does Beggars – they’ve made all the bonus disc material available to download to those already with a physical copy of the album. You have to punch in the UPC to access the goodies, but when you do, everything’s there to download. Awesomeness. If you iTunes-ed it or something… then I dunno. Ask Beggars. And a reminder – The National are in town for a show at the Horseshoe on March 22. Last I checked, tickets were going fast so if you’re snoozing, you’re losing. Also, unofficial National videographer Vincent Moon has uploaded a bunch of his work, including National live footage and videos, to YouTube. Check it out. And a final postscript – National sideproject Clogs are getting some good reviews. Worth checking out?

I’m a little dismayed that I didn’t hear about the release of Saturday Looks Good To Me’s Sound On Sound compilation CD before I got the flyer from Polyvinyl. It’s 30 tracks and almost 80 minutes of SLGTM b-sides, rarities and limited edition goodies, and it came out two weeks ago. Consider it the perfect dose of pop goodness to hold you over till their new (double?) album is out later this year. And they’ll be all over SxSW next month as well – don’t miss em.

And speaking of SxSW, would anyone happen to have an extra wristband kicking around? I thought I had all my ducks in a row with a press pass, but with two weeks to go before I leave, the publication who was going to send me hasn’t heard boo from the Sx people and I’m getting antsy. I suppose I could shell out the $300+ for one on eBay, but dammit I really don’t want to. There’s still a chance my press pass could come through, I guess – I have no idea what the notification procedure/schedule is, but considering my contingency plan right now is to hit all the day shows, then go back to my hotel and watch Soprano reruns at night… Sx veterans – what’re my options here? I’ve heard that sometimes wristbands are still available at certain clubs before the festival starts? I’ll be arriving Tuesday afternoon… And oh yeah, would anyone have a photo pass they’d be willing to donate/sell/trade? And if you think I’m begging now, man, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Update: Alas and alack, I have been officially turned down for a press pass. I am officially checking my dignity at the door…

Proof of Neko Case’s universal (magazine) appeal – both serious newsweekly Macleans and gay mag Fab are over the moon about Ms Case. Billboard is just kind of wishy-washy. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood is out next Tuesday and she will perform selections from the new platter on April 2 at the Danforth Music Hall.

Big shows, little shows – Depeche Mode return to Toronto on May 18 for a show at the Air Canada Centre, Aussies The Grates are at the Horseshoe March 11 and Isobel Campbell will be doing an in-store at Soundscapes this Saturday, March 4 at 3PM before her proper show at Revival, just down the street, that evening. She talks to Billboard about her first-ever North American tour.

Oh, and everyone who was pissed off about The Docks for Belle & Sebastian on Saturday – and I think there were about 3000 of you? The band hated it too. Which raises the question of where can the band play next time they roll through town? Opt for the smaller, more opulant and more expensive Massey Hall again knowing it will sell out in a heartbeat and shut many fans out? Or take a chance on some place like the Ricoh Coliseum, which holds 3500 in its smallest configuration? I’ve never been to the Ricoh and wouldn’t expect an arena would be much better than the Docks (suckage in different ways), but that’s pretty much the extent of options in this town at that size. Someone needs to bulldoze something and build a nice sounding hall.

24 – come back tomorrow. I was out and totally misjudged the time-shifting thing with my TV. Long story short – had to tape it at 1AM last night, will watch later today.

np – Yo La Tengo / I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One