Well, this beats the hell out of trying to get excited about another eye-gougingly bad season of 24.

After hearing the “best show on television” praise bandied about for years, my curiosity finally overcame my laziness and I picked up season one of The Wire back at the end of last April. A couple days later, I picked up seasons two and three. Then I downloaded four (which I picked up on DVD over the holidays and devoured again in under a week). And since then I’ve been one of those people randomly initiating conversations with, “do you watch The Wire? It’s the best show on TV”.

When asked what it’s about, the short answer is that it’s a cop show – which is true – but it’s so much more than that. Each season has been a thirteen-hour epic, moving at a steady, stately pace to a finale that’s anything but final. The first season was the most formulaic, pitting a group of cast-offs from the Baltimore Police Department against the powerful drug dealers that ruled west Baltimore but from there, it grew to encompass what you can only describe as “the system”. City Hall, the school system, the penal system, the judicial system and the unions, in addition to the police, the dealers and the citizenry. And what I find the most compelling, besides the terrific writing and acting of pretty much everyone involved, is how everything is rendered in greys, no blacks or whites (except racially – then it’s almost all black and white). Whichever side of the law they’re on, everyone is as flawed as they are honourable (in their own way). There’s no supercops or evil geniuses – just people. That’s the real strength of the show, it’s humanity. You care about the characters and are never emotionally manipulated into doing so. Their world just sucks you in.

It’s long been known that season five would be the final one, assuming that the series made it that far – for all the critical acclaim it’s gotten, it’s never been a ratings hit nor even an award-winner. Season four, which focused on the schools, wrapped up looking like they were going to hit the ground running with five – a major break in the case against the ruthless young turk running the West Baltimore corners, the reconstitution of the major crimes unit, a new mayor in office promising a new day had come. And yet, as the final season begins set a year after the last (and kicking off with what is possibly the funniest police interrogation scene ever shot), we find that new day is as grey and overcast as the last. No headway has been made against the dealer, the city is broke and police morale is at rock bottom. Welcome back to Baltimore. I’ll be so very sad when it’s over but for now, the next nine weeks will be awesome.

The media has also been celebrating the return of the show, running features left right and centre with The San Francisco Chronicle and Time previewing the final season while The Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail talk to series creator David Simon and PBS transcribes an interview with him. New York Magazine has made the season premiere an event, offering a review of the premiere, a pretty off-base interpretation of the current promo graphic (the one I’ve used with this post) and interviews with cast members Jamie Hector (“Marlo Stanfield”), Michael K Williams (“Omar Little”) and Andre Royo (“Bubbles”). LAist also has an interview with Royo. Remote Access has similarly gone Wire-happy. Check out conversations with Clarke Peters (“Lester Freamon”), Wendell Pierce (“Bunk Moreland”) – probably my two favourite characters, incidentally – Andre Royo, Dominic West (“Jimmy McNulty”), Jermaine Crawford (“Dukie”) and producers David Simon and Nina Kostroff Noble.

Every season of The Wire has featured the same theme song – Tom Waits’ “Way Down In The Hole” – but performed by different artists. Season one’s was performed by The Blind Boys Of Alabama, two featured Waits’ original, three by The Neville Brothers, four by a Baltimore Boys Choir and this season’s by Steve Earle, who also has a recurring role on the show as recovering heroin addict Waylon. Here’s a live performance of the song by Waits, backed up by The Kronos Quartet.

MP3: Tom Waits with The Kronos Quartet – “Way Down In The Hole”

Daytrotter kicks of their new season – well, the new year anyway – with a session featuring Mobius Band. I had intended to catch them when they were in town last November but… didn’t. And so I haven’t properly written up their record Heaven though I’ve meant to – it’s good. And maybe I will yet. But in the meantime, check out the session and a couple tracks from the record (and new video) and judge for yourself.

MP3: Mobius Band – “Friends Like These”
MP3: Mobius Band – “Hallie”
Video: Mobius Band – “Friends Like These”

Fresh off his last North American tour which brought him through town not even a month ago, Jose Gonzalez is coming back again, this time for a show at the Phoenix on March 15. Full dates for his hopefully carbon-neutral tour can be found at Pitchfork.

Scotland’s Sons & Daughters will have a new record – This Gift – in stores on January 29 and North American touring will follow. You can check them out at Lee’s Palace on March 26 and see videos for the first two singles from the record below.

Video: Sons & Daughters – “Gilt Complex”
Video: Sons & Daughters – “Darling”

Pitchfork reports on a new EP from Under Byen, Siamesisk, which was recorded with the aid of a symphony and will be released on March 27 in North America. A taste:

MP3: Under Byen – “Plantage”

Chart talks to Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes about their new record Lust Lust Lust, out February 19. They’re at the Opera House on March 21.

The Playlist has a status update (or lack of update) on the new Spiritualized record as well as some film score work for Mr Spaceman.

Billboard has info on the new record from Death Cab For Cutie, targeted for a late May release.

Typically, the turnaround time for my receiving a press release-y email to getting around to listening to whatever it’s pimping to formulating some sort of response to actually writing something is on the order of months. But this little gem gets the express treatment because a) it’s from Merge and they have a bit of a track record for releasing good music, b) I’m trying out a New Year’s resolution of sorts to get to music faster – either to relish it or rubbish it, whichever, but not leave it in a never-ending queue, c) it’s a slow day and d) it’s pretty dang good.

The band is Wye Oak, they’re from Baltimore and they used to be called Monarch. They’re a duo who look like they’re barely out of school and they sound like they’ve been marinating in my CD collection, with one foot in a bucket of fuzzy noise pop, the other in a pail of introspective folkiness and held together with sweet co-ed vocals. Their debut is called If Children and is out on April 8. Something to look forward to more of.

MP3: Wye Oak – “Warning”

The New York Dolls, at least both the remaining living original members, will be in town at The Phoenix on February 18. I’m under the impression that this is one of the reunion acts that isn’t an embarrassment and may well be worth your $29.50 plus service charge.

If you can’t make it to the Nada Surf in-store at Sonic Boom next Wednesday night, take heart – they’ll be back for a show at the Opera House on April 7. On the downside, it’ll cost you $16.50 more and be considerably less intimate but on the upside, it’ll last longer than half an hour and feature electricity.

Other shows – Spectrum plays a proper show (not just DJ-ing) at the Silver Dollar on February 2, Vampire Weekend, whose self-titled debut is out January 29, return for a show at the Horseshoe on February 11 and hailing from Los Angeles (but sounding more Paris), Eleni Mandell is in town at the El Mocambo on February 16, tickets $10.50.

The Independent Mail discusses the Drive-By Truckers’ latest Brighter Than Creations Dark with Patterson Hood. The Truckers roll into the Opera House on March 19.

The List talks to Steve Earle, in town at Massey Hall on March 4. Hey, did anyone tape/TIVO/whatever his Live At The Rehearsal Hall show this past Tuesday? Anyone?

Drowned In Sound checks in on how their picks for the hot new acts for 2007 actually made out. Interesting that the two Canadian acts on the list – The Besnard Lakes and Patrick Watson – arguably had the best year out of the lot. Though I guess Klaxons did alright with that whole, “winning the Mercury Prize” thing.

Drowned In Sound and NOW have rung in 2008 with year-start lists that rounds up their picks of new albums scheduled for release this year that are worth keeping an eye on. The DiS one is a bit Brit-centric (that’s British, not Britney) and NOW‘s more mainstream but they cover a lot of ground so get your new release spreadsheets updated, kids! What, you mean I’m the only one who keeps one of those? Now I just feel… awkward. also previews the upcoming year in record releases.

One of the records near the top of DiS’ list (though that’s because it’s ordered chronologically) is the new one from Vancouver’s Black Mountain. In The Future is slated for a January 22 release in North America and will be available in both a regular edition and a fancy-pants deluxe edition with a second disc and three bonus tracks.

The band are also hitting the road this Winter to promote, and that jaunt will bring them to town on March 5 for a show at Lee’s Palace. Fellow Jagjaguwar-ian Bon Iver will support on that leg of the tour, drumming up anticipation for his debut For Emma, Forever Ago, out February 19. Get a taste (or in the case of the epic-length Black Mountain track, a three-course meal) below.

MP3: Black Mountain – “Tyrants”
MP3: Bon Iver – “Skinny Love”

Also namechecked on the DiS list is Atlas Sound, the solo project of Deerhunter Bradford Cox. The debut album from that project, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel, is out February 19 and he will bring it to the Horseshoe on February 28.

The Magnetic Fields are unleashing Distortion on January 15 and you can grab an MP3 from it at RCRDLBL.

One of the most anticipated new records for the first part of the year for me, personally, is the new one from The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride – also out February 19. Over the holidays, Darnielle gave fans a nice gift via the Goats’ website – a sample of a long-awaited but probably not forthcoming anytime soon collaboration with John Vanderslice, which they’ve apparently dubbed “The Comedians”. It sounds like a JD solo piece but if he says the ‘Slice was involved, then the ‘Slice was involved. And Goats fans would do check back later in the day. I should have a treat for you. Operative word “should”.

M4A: The Comedians (John Darnielle & John Vanderslice) – “Surrounded”

The Tripwire recounts some words from Guy Garvey about choosing the title of Elbow’s new album, The Seldom Seen Kid, and their reasoning between switching labels in the UK. They currently have none in North America so while the album drops in March over there, there’s nothing on the radar for here.

Pitchfork talks to Bjork about her new single “Declare Independence” and the Michel Gondry-helmed video for it. Which you can watch below.

Video: Bjork – “Declare Independence”

Radio Free Canuckistan welcomes 2008 by reaching way back into the middle of 2007 and posting the transcript of an interview with Weakerthan John K Samson. They’re in town for a free show at Nathan Phillips Square on February 2.