The Austin Chronicle looks at another trend in pop music, this one not so new – the hip cover version. Obviously, I am a big fan of cover songs though at the same time, I’m absolutely infuriated by the number of cookie-cutter pop-punk/nu-crapola bands who are making a career, brief as they’ll be, out of doing incredibly dull or ironic covers of former hits. Like whoever those fuckheads who did “Boys Of Summer” are, or the other fuckheads who did Madonna’s “Music”. Yeah, that’s good. Figure out the power chords and scream it angsty-like. Fuckwits. The kids’ll eat it up. So what’s the difference between these guys and the tracks I champion every week? If you have to ask… Let me put it this way – Cover song because you love the song? Fine. Cover songs as a calculated career move run by focus groups? You deserve to be fed leeches and have them eat you from the inside out. From The Global Pop Conspiracy.

I don’t know if ever linked it, but the Covers Project is a terrific resource for tracking down cover song information.

Also from the GPC – The San Diego CityBEAT consults with Adam Schlesinger of Fountains Of Wayne about the best ever songs about hot moms. Just for the record, it was more than eight months ago that I coined the phrase “MILF-rock”. It hasn’t quite taken the world by storm yet, but it will. Just wait.

And speaking of MILF-rock, the horribly named “Maybelline Chicks With Attitude” tour comes to the Kool Haus August 28. That’s the show with Liz Phair, Charlotte Martin, Katy Rose and Nina Persson. After Thursday’s glorious Cardigans show, all I can say is, “Why, Nina, why?!?”

In more Cardies news, it seems the US release of Long Gone Before Daylight on the 25th will be including enough bonuses to make me buy the damn thing again. It will “..include all 13 tracks from the European releases including a new track, entitled “For The Boys” exclusive to the US release. The Bonus DVD will include the videos for the first two singles, “For What It’s Worth” and “You’re The Storm” as well as a segment containing an interview, band documentary and three live performances from the recent Quart Festival in Europe.” I hate buying stuff twice. But I like DVDs. Hrmm.

Spookihaus (née Blogna) has the tracklisting for the Low box set A Lifetime Of Temporary Relief, in stores July 20.

The teaser trailer for the Constantine film is now available. I dunno – on a very superficial level, they seem to have gotten the tone of the visuals right for being set in Los Angeles rather than Londong. Things look a lot more new and modern rather than old and historic. Still not accepting Keanu as someone with knowledge of his own phone number let alone the secrets of Heaven and Hell. I’m beginning to be glad they decided to not call it Hellblazer after all. Maybe some distance between the film and the source material is a good thing.

Ever wonder what the X-Men movie would have been like with Michael Chabon doing the screenplay? Wonder no longer.

np – Neil Young / Decade

Cardies rule, ok?

I think it’s been about five years since the Cardigans last visited our fair city, promoting the patchy Gran Turismo. I missed that show but remember the reviews being lukewarm and some of the live material I’ve heard from that era backs that opinion up. Thankfully, it looks like the band has made the most of their time away as the unit that took the stage to a packed house at Lee’s Palace last night was anything but lukewarm. Their choice of venue definitely underestimated their draw – even though they’re seven or eight years removed from their days of MTV ubiquitousness thanks to “Lovefool”, they’ve maintained a sizable fanbase worldwide, including Toronto, and I know of a number of people scrambling to find last-minute tickets. For those of us fortunate enough to have gotten tickets, though, the choice of a smaller venue was definitely a blessing. It’s not that often you get an opportunity to get that close and intimate with a veteran band perhaps more accustomed to playing European festivals.

Long Gone Before Daylight was one of my favorite albums of last year and I’m pleased to say the material translates even better live. The production on album inched perilously close to being overly-precise and -polite (some would say it crossed that line), but in performance it gained some excellent roughness around the edges that gave it a real kick. It certainly didn’t hurt that the band, augmented for this tour with a backup singer/guitarist/keyboardist (hooray for more cute Swedish girls!) are all stellar musicians and Nina’s voice was amazingly strong. I don’t think their musicianship is something they get enough credit for, as much of the lazy journalism about the band focuses on their perceived tweeness and Nina’s dimples. In truth, there’s always been a real thread of darkness through the band’s material and while it was brought to the fore a little too much with Gran Turismo, it sits quite nicely within the band’s new downbeat, country-flavoured rock direction. While the bulk of the set list was drawn from Daylight, they did include a few Turismo numbers re-arranged to fit their newer sound. “Explode” got the most dramatic overhaul and in my opinion, sounded a world better for it. A couple of new songs that sounded promising rounded out the set. Nitpickers might grouse about the absence of anything from First Band On The Moon or older, but honestly that material wouldn’t have fit in the band’s current repetoire and anyone who thinks it was anything less than a stellar show because of that is just silly. The band seemed genuinely enthused about the excitement of the crowd, so hopefully that’ll encourage them to not wait another half-decade before their next visit.

Opener Jonathan Rice was decidedly underwhelming. It became apparent three songs into his set when he decided to “go local” by covering Neil Young’s “The Old Laughing Lady” that this boy had little concept of restraint or delicacy. Pretty much everything was drowned in overwrought and over-emoted delivery that overwhelmed any redeeming qualities his songs might have had. Only Chad Kroeger can get away with holding a single syllable that long, and Chad Kroeger still sucks. By the end of his set, I was rooting around in my bag looking for a Game Boy, and I don’t even have a Game Boy.

On going into the club, security poked through my bag and said that cameras were discouraged – I said I wouldn’t use the flash and while they still didn’t seem wholly satisfied, they let me in. True to my word, I didn’t use the flash, but everyone else certainly was. Trying to stop concert-goers from snapping pics of Nina Persson is like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a fork. Just ain’t going to happen. My photos are here.

News from the Centro-Matic camp – a new Will Johnson solo record entitled Vultures Await is out late August or early September, and work is progressing on a new South San Gabriel record.

The Waxwings are going to be in town for the NXNE! June 11 at Healeys, 1AM. That will rule. Also in the list of things that rule is the fact that they have a new album, Let’s Make Our Descent, out July 13.

Got my Magnetic Fields tickets! That’s a load off my mind. Seriously, I was paranoid that it’d sell out on me.

np – Fruit Bats / Mouthfuls

Luna’s seventh studio album, Rendezvous, will be out in September with extensive touring to follow. The tracklisting is as follows:

Malibu Love Nest

Cindy Tastes of Barbecue

Speedbumps

The Owl and the Pussycat

Astronaut

Broken Chair

Star-Spangled Man

Motel Bambi

Still at Home

Buffalo Boots

Rainbow Babe

Those paying attention may notice that “Astronaut”, which was arguably the best track on either Romantica or the companion Close Cover Before Striking EP makes another appearance. Hopefully it’s at least a re-recording or different mix, though I can’t imagine the song getting any more perfect than it was.

Detroit’s Slumber Party will be opening for Camera Obscura at their July 23 show at the Horseshoe.

For those wondering just how incestuous the Toronto music scene can be, check out the Broken Social Scene family tree. Honestly – you can’t swing a stick on College St without hitting a member.

Matt Pond PA tours their new record Emblems, out next Tuesday, to the Mod Club on June 15 with the UK’s Keane and Seattle’s Aveo.

Check out the lineup for the Cisco Systems Toronto Bluesfest July 16 through 18 and the 22nd through the 25th. It’s shaping up to be a pretty sharp lineup of roots/rock music. Acts of note (IMO) – Lyle Lovett, Kathleen Edwards, Chris Isaak, Cake, Wilson Pickett, The Weakerthans, Gillian Welch, The Sadies, The Unintended, plus a Gram Parsons tribute by fellow Flying Burrito Brother and Byrd Chris Hillman… A shame it’s spread out over a week – there’s no way I could/would do $20 admission for multiple days, nor attend enough to make the $120 festival pass worthwhile, but may consider the $45 weekend pass. More acts are still likely to be announced.

eye talks to the Cardigans to find out where they’ve been hiding all this time. The answer will shock and amaze you. If you’re easily shocked and amazed by not-so-shocking or -amazing things, that is. They’re at Lee’s Palace tonight! Caloo Callay!

The non-SACD editions of the first batch of Bob Dylan remasters will hit stores June 1 (except for Love And Theft). They’ll be packaged in jewel cases instead of digipacks, which is too bad because I like the idea of paying less for the remasters but I also liked the look of the digipack. However, I think the real question is – what retailer is going to stock these? Most shops are already overloaded with Dylan stock if they’re carrying the discounted original editions and the new remasters – are they really going to add mid-price editions to their inventory that will render the deluxe ones of no interest except to the three or four people out there who own SACD players?

Oh, and speaking of SACD – I still can’t play them, but my hi-fi obsession the last little while has finally subsided as I picked up a new CD player last night to go along with the new speakers I got a few weeks ago – one of these bad boys. Everything sounds so good now, it’s making me tear up just thinking about it. Not to sound too evangelical, but anyone who listens to a lot of music owes it to themselves to invest in a good stereo system at some point in their life so that they can properly experience it. It’s something else. And this is coming from someone who’s only got a relatively cheap mid-fi system. You better hope I never get into vinyl, or I’ll probably never shut up.

Isn’t it cute? Newsweek discovers indie rock.

OH! Mikey is easily the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen. Look at it. It’s freakish. FREAKISH.

np – The Cardigans / Gran Turismo

There is simply no rest in this man. Ted Leo and his Pharmacists are coming back to Toronto June 21 to rock our collective casbahs, just three months after his last time through. For some, this sort of market saturation might be a bad idea, but there’s simply no such thing as too much Ted. Tickets are $10 in advance at the usual outlets. His last show was awesome so if you missed it, don’t do it again. I think I’ll be going again in hopes that they’ve restocked their merch trunk. I want one of those Pharmacists t-shirts!

Sarah Harmer follows up her fancy theatre show with a grungy bar show June 10 at Lee’s Palace as part of NXNE. Fembots and Ox support. The next night will see NYC’s Ambulance LTD at Lee’s in another NXNE showcase. Note – I believe this is the NYC Ambulance… I reserve the right to be totally wrong on this one. Will confirm when I can. Update: The Sarah Harmer show is $20 at the door. Presumably a NXNE wristband will get you in as well, or at least some people.

Hayden must have really enjoyed playing the Winter Garden Theatre last month with Sarah Harmer, because he’s going back to headline his own show there June 12. Won’t be cheap, though – tickets are $32.50 before service charges.

John Vanderslice will be touring with Pedro The Lion this summer. That tour brings them to the Horseshoe June 24, tickets $11.

Maritime, the new band featuring Eric Axelson (ex-Dismemberment Plan), Davey von Bohlen and Dan Didier (ex-Promise Ring), will make it’s T.O. debut June 9 at the ‘Shoe.

Some ticket info – Magnetic Fields tickets go on sale at Rotate, Soundscapes and Ticketmaster this Saturday, May 15 at 10:00 AM and will run you $25 plus service charges. Camera Obscura tickets for July 23 are $10.50 at Rotate, Soundscapes and the Horseshoe. They should be available very shortly if not already.

Rolling Stone has an interview with Jeff Tweedy where he speaks frankly about A Ghost Is Born, his mental health and his time in rehab.

Five years after their last proper album, Macha are finally releasing a follow-up to See It Another Way, Forget Tomorrow is out early August.

NME has the beans on the new Belle & Sebastian single and has no compunctions about spilling them. Books is out June 21.

Kurt Vonnegut does not have great hopes for the fate of humanity.

Last night, this was the top story on the Globe & Mail website – today, it’s nowhere to be found. Was it a slow news day… or were they told to suppress it? Hmm? HMM???

24: Two more hours to go! Silly Tony, don’t you know by now that Jack has his name in the credits before you for a reason? He’s simply more cleverer than you. A touching moment between Kim and Chase before he goes back into action. I hope they both get head lice. I wonder who was in charge of deploying the CTU team at the bridge? “Don’t worry, Tony, they’ll be invisible. See these guys? They’ll be hiding behind these tires. And those guys are not only going to be on the other side of that wall, but they’ll be crouching. Yeah. Totally invisible. And we’re not going to bother putting anyone in that exitway over there because he’d have to jump at least five feet to make it down that, and not even Saunders is crazy enough to try a stunt like that. We’ve got all the bases covered”. Sheesh. But I totally dug the F-18s. Doesn’t matter how clever the villain is, or how intricate the game of cat-and-mouse between him and the hero is – when you can call in an air strike, it’s over.

Thanks again to everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday. You will all be spared when I unleash my army of robotic hamsters on the world and take my rightful place as master and despot of the entire human race. Yessir, got big plans for 29. Big plans indeed.

np – Macha / Macha Loved Bedhead

Caught my first movie at the Bloor in many many months last night – The Triplets Of Belleville. Visually, it was amazing. I always have and always will maintain that there’s nothing like hand-drawn cell animation to capture the true essence of an animator’s vision. Nuts to computers, celluloid and ink is where it’s at. The Triplets Of Belleville is packed to the gills with amazingly inventive imagery and sweet comic touches. I had no idea what it was about going in – it’s basically the story of a grandmother who travels from France to Belleville (read: America) to rescue her kidnapped cyclist grandson from the clutches of the French Mafia with the help of a trio of former cabaret singers from the ’30s. I had expected the storyline to be a somewhat more outrageous – something to match the visuals for their sheer creativity – and was just a little disappointed with the slightness of the plot. That’s just a minor complaint, though. Interstingly, the tale is told with an absolute minimum of dialogue – None of the main characters speak (or just barely), except to sing, and the tale is told almost like a silent movie. Which is good, because what little spoken dialogue there is is in French, and my French ain’t so good. Which is to say, it sucks. But the movie is fun and different – recommended.

While Rachel Goswell’s The Sleep Shelter EP will be released in the UK next Monday, people on this side of the pond might have some trouble finding it in their local shops. If you don’t think your local Walmart will be stocking enough copies or if you just don’t want to wait, 4AD has the entire EP, complete with artwork, available as a 192 kps mp3 digital download here for the reasonable sum of 3 pounds sterling. 4AD also has her artist page up now. Thanks to Ed, webaster of the Mojave 3 website for reminding me of this.

And speaking of things you can buy online, Magnetic Fields tickets are on sale now – click here. They’re not cheap – $25 USD each, and after service charges and shipping and all, they’re running about $45 CDN a piece. Ouchie. I’m going to take a chance and see what they’ll sell for locally… Never thought I’d be counting on Ticketmaster to save me some cash.

And another segue – Stephin Merritt and Sufjan Stevens sound off on the current state of pop music.

I found a used copy of the new Modest Mouse last night and we’re taking one last flyer on the band based on so many positive reviews of the record and the fact that the couple songs I’ve heard are pretty good. Verdict so far? Hmm. Still deliberating. Will report back later.

The powers that be must’ve known it was my birthday – yesterday in the mail, I got a couple free movie passes from Bell Canada for the debacle that was my busted phone line last month, and the Toronto Star is giving me free Monday to Friday papers even though I’m only paying for weekends. Of course, I won’t have time to read most of it and it’s just exponentially more recycling for me, but it’s the thought that counts.

Yeah, it’s my birthday today, or at least that’s what my mom said when she called this morning. She should know, I guess – she was there. It’s the big 2-9 today. Should I initiate a full-on panic for the last 365 days of my 20s? Whatever. I was going to post a picture of me as a wee toddler from way back when, but upon closer inspection it appears that the photo I’ve been toting around with me for the past few years is in fact probably not me, but my brother. So never mind that, maybe I’ll post it on his birthday.

np – The Magnetic Fields / i