Four months into 2005 and we’ve got a front-runner for best show of the year. The revived Wedding Present exceeded all expectations with their set at Lee’s Palace last night, and they were pretty high expectations to begin with. I’ve done several posts recently about the band and how much I like them, so I’ll just get right to it.

Opening things up were Seattle’s Crystal Skulls – they were scheduled to start at 9:30 but they must have gotten the show time mixed up with the load-in time, because they only arrived with all their gear at half past. The didn’t get started until a little after ten and played a truncated set because of it. For whatever reason, I’d thought they were a power pop outfit or something, but they really weren’t. In fact, the pop was the one thing I found particularly lacking in their material. The dual intertwining guitars were very impressive, even stepping into amazing territory a couple times, and the musical arrangements were quite sophisticated without getting too “muso”. The only problem was that the hooks were too subtle, and while you could feel them fired across the bow, none of them actually hit. Perhaps the album would be a little more forthcoming with their charms? Either way, they ended up taking as much time setting up and tearing down as they did playing. Pity.

It’s funny what difference a name makes. Last time Gedge & co came through town, back in May 2001, it was as Cinerama and there were barely a couple hundred people in attendance, if even (they rocked the house regardless, for the record). This time, despite it being the same band, Lee’s was very nearly packed with folks itching to hear the old Wedding Present hits from back in the day (never mind that Cinerama had already incorporated Wedding Present tunes into their set in ’01). So despite having an excellent new album to promote in Take Fountain, the Wedding Present gave the crowd what they wanted with essentially a greatest hits set, drawing on the entire Wedding Present and Cinerama catalogs, from George Best through Torino, for one incredibly solid set of music. From the slow build of opener “Interstate 5” to the Seamonsters doubleshot of “Dalliance” and “Dare”, the band didn’t let up for nearly an hour and a half.

While I in no way felt that Cinerama had necessarily run its course as a vehicle for Gedge’s songs – I actually thought each subsequent album was better than the last – it’s undeniable that reverting to the Wedding Present moniker, and all the attention that has come with the move, has reinvigorated him. All night he was a study in intensity, all facial grimaces, impassioned vocals and a blur of a strumming hand, and a wry and charming frontman in-between. And there’s no way that he and guitarist Simon Cleave weren’t having a great time recreating the churning wall of guitars that defined so much of the earlier Wedding Present material. It’s good to see that even after being at it for twenty-odd years (Gedge doesn’t look anywhere near his 45 years), The Wedding Present is still a formidable act both in live performance and songwriting. And ever humble, despite being something of a legend to his fans, Dave Gedge still heads straight from the stage to the merch table to meet, greet and sell t-shirts. Fanboy that I am, I got my Take Fountain CD booklet autographed.

Maybe it’s a bit obvious declaring a veteran favourite band playing their best tunes as top show of the year thus far – I wouldn’t have expected anything less – but it doesn’t change the fact that it was one helluva show. And any concert where I come in at the young end of the age demographic is okay with me. Unless we’re talking, like, Yanni or Paul Simon or something. Voila les photos. Pretty good lighting made for some decent shots last night. I am pleased.

Drowned In Sound catches up with Interpol guitarist Daniel Kessler in his native England.

Happy news from Matador – the new New Pornographers album, Twin Cinema, will be hitting the streets August 23. The use of the definite article in the URL of the band’s website is very important. Update: Pitchfork has some more details on the album.

The Tears’ debut album Here Come The Tears has a new release date of June 6 in the UK. Not hearing anything about a North American release. Their website has been redone as well, though there’s still not too much in the way of info there – the only thing of note is the official bio.

Sweden’s Caesars are at the Mod Club June 13.

MTV asks Britt Daniel about the making of Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, out May 10. Thanks to Achtung Baby! for the link.

I have a review of The Decemberists’ Picaresque over at Torontoist. Not the most fluid piece of writing I’ve ever done…

Arcade Fire tonight! By all accounts, last night’s show – the first of three – was epic. I am not anticipating getting close enough to get any decent pictures tonight, I’ll bet you there’s kids already lined up outside the Danforth Music Hall, but I will report back tomorrow regardless.

np – The Sleepy Jackson / Lovers

It’s Mountain Goats day!

Like it says over in the sidebar, the band are releasing their new album The Sunset Tree today. Amazon.com (who are really getting into this ‘hosting actual content’ thing) talked to John Darnielle about the making of the new album. He also offers up a suitably eclectic list of recommended listening. I don’t think there’s a single sanctioned MP3 from the album circulating so the four sample tracks on Amazon are the first I’ve heard from the record. And me likey. Much looking forward to picking up the new record and attending their show at Lee’s Palace on May 11.

More non-Largehearted linkage – The Reader chats with John Darnielle about the record, mountaingoats.net is a fansite with downloadable goodness, The BBC is hosting an unofficial video for “Slow West Vultures” from their last album, We Shall All Be Healed (though it’s sadly low-res) and both principals in the Goats keep blogs – Peter Hughes has The One Hundred Thousand Songs Of Me and John Darnielle has Last Plane To Jakarta. There’s also pics of the recording sessions for The Sunset Tree at producer John Vanderslice’s website.

And speaking of the ‘Slice, he will be releasing his new album Pixel Revolt on August 23. He’s been keeping a recording diary of the proceedings. He’s planning to tour in September.

Exciting news from Trespassers William – the band are working on the follow-up to Different Stars, one of my favourite albums of the last five years, with one of my favourite producers, Dave Fridmann. Some might think from his work with The Flaming Lips and Delgados that he’s all about bombast and is ill suited to working with such a delicate and quiet band, but I point you at his work on the new Low album – he took a band known for being delicate and quiet and, um, helped them make their loudest and most bombastic record to date. Okay, bad example, but The Great Destroyer is still a great record and I look forward to the fruits of his work with Trespassers William. It should be out on Nettwerk this Fall.

The Tarbox Studio news page mentions that the Flaming Lips were there recently recording a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for an upcoming Queen tribute album… oh my. Wayne Coyne is also on the cover of the new Harp and you can download the trailer for the Lips documentary Fearless Freaks here.

In the “not really useful news” category, the new Mojave 3 album is almost done. It’ll be out, um, sometime.

Shows – Aimee Mann brings her tour for The Forgotten Arm, out next week, to The Phoenix on July 29.

The Toronto Star (bugmenot: rats@rats.com / ratsrats) talks to Seth McFarlane about the return from the dead of Family Guy and his other project *cough*ripoff*cough*, American Dad. Both return to the Fox sched this Sunday, May 1.

Mary Lynn Rajskub tells The Boston Herald that it’s fun playing a freak like Chloe. And speaking of 24: Dear CTU: In the future, you may want to secure the weapons in your vehicles in the front of the vehicle where your agents sit, and not in the back where your prisoners sit. Love, a concerned citizen. And Chloe takes this season’s Kim Bauer award for most ridiculous hostage situation, trapped in a car while I guy with a shotgun takes potshots at her from all sides. And everyone who wants a high-res pic of Chloe toting the assault rifle for their new wallpaper, hands up. Yeah, thought so. Fun finale – obviously contrived for the Chloe fan club, but whatever. Yay for the return of Palmer – can Zombie Nina be far behind? I think not. I’ll bet you when it all shakes out, SHE’S the one responsible for today’s attacks. And I’m glad they’re done with President Dumbass, there was really only so much of that guy I could take. That is all.

np – The Flaming Lips / Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

I owe the good people at Disney my thanks a) for making all of Hayao Miyazaki’s films available in North America and b) doing a good enough job with them that I’m not embaressed to watch the dubbed versions. Case in point – Porco Rosso. I found the voice acting from Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes and Kimberly Williams as well as the translated script to be thoroughly enjoyable on its own merits, and wish I understood French so I could have watched the French version with Jean Reno in the lead role.

Porco Rosso is a bit of a departure for Miyazaki as it’s a pretty straight comedy with none of the weighty themes or high fantasy of most of his other work. Porco Rosso is an ace seaplane pilot based in the Adriatic in the 1920s. He’s working as a bounty hunter, wanted by the Italian air force for desertion and oh yeah, he’s a pig. A group of seaplane pirates enlist an ace American pilot of their own to take down the flying pig, forcing him to enlist some help of his own in the form of a genius airplane engineer (who happens to be a teenage girl – first rule of Miyazaki, there will always be a heroic teenage girl). Dogfights, boxing matches and general hijinks ensue.

I really liked Porco Rosso, probably because it was so lighthearted and funny. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoy Miyazaki’s weightier works, but sometimes some straight fun is just what the doctor ordered. There’s more reading on the film to be had at Nausicaa.net. I believe this leaves me with just My Neighbour Totoro and this year’s Howl’s Moving Castle to see of Miyazaki’s full-length features.

The new Posies album is called Every Kind of Light and is out June 28. There’s a clip of a new song off the album here.

Dressy Bessy release their new album Electrified on June 14 and will be touring to support this Summer. Boo to using Java applets on their website – come on, what year is this? Fluxblog has an mp3 from their last self-titled album and manages to spark up a discussion about Belly’s King, an album much beloved by myself. Album info from Delusions Of Adequacy.

Video footage of Wilco performing “I’m A Wheel” in London. From Hold My Life.

Following up from yesterday… more videos! Both these production houses are based right here in Toronto and have produced some terrific stuff. Check out Plates Animation and watch the video for Arcade Fire’s wonderfully Triplets Of Belleville-ish “Neighbourhoods #3 (Power Out)” clip, as well as vids for The Shins and Mogwai. And also visit Ghostmilk to see part of the video for Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl”… Anyone know where I could find the whole thing online? 517 also recommends Spy Entertainment for your high-res video viewing needs.

Update: Thanks to Tab for providing a hookup for the BSS video – click here.

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt the apartment building in which I was living broke off its foundations, slid down through the city (which was built on a very steep embankment) and fell into a 50-storey deep crevice, taking with it all my material goods. Apparently my subconsciousness hates the idea of moving even more than my consciousness does.

Early post! Got a meeting off-site this morning.

np – British Sea Power / Open Season

Today, I direct you to Magnacyd.com, the website for video director George Vale. Sort of the unofficial Arts & Crafts director, there’s high-res clips there for Broken Social Scene, Stars and Feist, among others.

Most I’ve linked to before, though probably in lossier formats. This is a nice page to just browse and watch the vids. The Broken Social Scene promo short is especially cool – it’s interesting to see them making You Forgot It In People, unknown and unbearded (for the most part), just making music with no idea of what they were about to unleash upon the world. Hopefully the site will be updated soon, as there’s at least one new Stars video in the can.

Also check out the video section of Feist’s website – they have her performance on the Juno awards a few weeks ago (where she remained unflappable when the PA cut out for a few moments) as well as her acceptance speech for the Best New Artist award. Note that you can increase the size of the site content with the little magnifying glass in the bottom right corner. And if anyone can figure out exactly what you’re supposed to do with that “vr” link, you’re a smarter person than me.

And on a lark, I checked ebay for what copies of Feist’s first album Monarch are going for… $100+ CDN. Holy shit, I knew I shoulda grabbed a copy from the cutout bin at Chapters a couple years ago. Metric need to become bigger so I can sell that Emily Haines solo record I’ve got and put a down payment on a house.

And finally, Japan Times previews the upcoming Canadian Wet invasion tour of Osaka and Tokyo, introducing readers to the unique dynamic that is the Scene and extended family. Torquil Campbell and Brendan Canning provide commentary.

And if you want some non-A&C video goodness, check out the new Doves vid for “Snowden”, courtesy of NME (via Poptart).

np – Teenage Fanclub / Thirteen

So what is this? Get Arrested? It looks like a Fox-maintained site, and it says that Arrested Development is back this Summer – what’s up with that? Reruns? Like that’s going to satisfy anyone… Is this their way of telling us it’s been renewed, or are they just taunting us? Philly.com wonders exactly what the deal with the “loyalty oath” is. Via Bradley’s Almanac.

It took me two or three days to getting around to watching the season finale from this past Sunday. I couldn’t help noticing, a little sadly, that they made a point of wrapping up all the plot threads to some degree, such that if they didn’t get renewed there wouldn’t be any cliffhangers dangling for all eternity. If, as the cynic in me expects, Fox declines to renew it (ASSHATS!), I would hope that someone like HBO would jump in and pick up the show, even though that means that I’d have to bit torrent it since I don’t get HBO up here (nor do I have the pay-tv channels that would carry it domestically). It would be a complete travesty of justice if they didn’t. Complete and utter.

Matador celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of their flagship artists by commissioning a very special tribute – Yo La Tengo Breakout. It’s harder than it looks, especially when you’ve got the two balls going at once, but that Ace Tone isn’t going to save itself. Via Largehearted Boy.

A couple show announcements – Montreal’s Dears are at the Phoenix June 10 and Seattle instrumental post-rock outfit Kinski tour through Lee’s Palace on August 20.

The geekosphere is all abuzz about the first official image of Brandon Routh as Superman, and the buzz is not unlike the sound of a swarm of angry bees. My first reaction? Gads, that looks bad. The small insignia looks dumb – it draws attention to the fact that it’s a big-ass leotard. The reds are horribly muted and almost brown, though some speculate that’s to make digital enhancement in post-production easier. And the little insignia on the belt? Pure cheese. One of the commenters over at The Beat has colour-corrected the image and resized the insignia, and it looks much better (though they left in the silly belt). I’m still willing to give Bryan Singer the benefit of the doubt that he’s putting together a decent film, but I would have liked a better first impression.

Scanning the TV guide for next week, I see the following in the description for Monday’s 24: “Chloe is forced into field duty”. Oh God oh God oh God.

np – The Sadies / Stories Often Told