So it’s been almost three months since Radiohead sneak-attacked their new album In Rainbows on the world, with reams upon reams of virtual paper (or litres and litres of digital ink, choose your own hoary metaphor) expended on their brave new model for the music industry and the album topping numerous year-end lists and basically reaffirming the band’s place as the biggest/most important in the world and making the physical release of the album in CD form today (or yesterday or the day before, depending on where you live or where you shop) a bit of an anti-climax.

On a personal level, it’s been interesting to observe as I used to be as big a Radiohead fan as anyone in the mid-90s from Pablo Honey through OK Computer but in over the following years, we basically drifted apart during their more “difficult” phase and after seeing them live in October 2003, I basically broke it off with the band. The themes of alienation and paranoia that informed their music just didn’t resonate anymore. We wanted different things. It wasn’t me, it was them.

But I always remained curious what they were up to and whenever any snippet of new music, in whatever form, surfaced (and whipped their more loyal acolytes into a frenzy), I would still give a listen and almost invariably be left scratching my head. I expected more of the same with In Rainbows, but still placed my pre-order for the download like however many thousands of others, and waited. And I’ve waited this long to write up my thoughts because, well, the last thing the world needed back in October was another blog post about Radiohead – and it’s still probably the last thing the world needs – but whatever.

So from the point of view of a lapsed fan, the best way I can put it is that it sounds like the band has stopped running from themselves. Since Kid A, I’ve felt that the band has been reacting against the successes of The Bends and OK Computer and the pressures that came with it, dodging anything that might sound like a pop hook or a conventional melody lest they again score a hit like “Fake Plastic Trees”. Hence Thom Yorke’s insistence on running his vocals through as many effects processors as possible, Jonny Greenwood’s trading his Telecaster for antique synthesizers.

But In Rainbows has an organic vibe that I never expected to hear from Radiohead again. The production is dense but dry and sounds very much like a rock band playing together in a room, a fact backed up by all the videos and webcasts the band has released showing them in their rehearsal space, just playing. It’s something I’d take for granted with most bands, but for Radiohead, it seems quite remarkable. Similarly, Thom Yorke is more direct lyrically than he’s been in many years with songs dealing with humanity and emotions other than anxiety – there’s hope in the mix, even love. There’s still lots of anxiety, sure, but for the first time in a decade, I might believe he is not a paranoid android.

I’m happy to get on the bandwagon declaring In Rainbows a very good record, and certainly a return to form (assuming you felt Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief demonstrated the band was out of form) though I will back away from those declaring it their best work yet. They’re certainly a more accomplished band now, musically and creatively, but for my money – two quid, if you were wondering – the songs just aren’t as good as the material on the earlier records. There’s no standout song amongst the eleven that I would hold up against their very best. But as an album, start to finish, it’s very strong. I’m not renewing my W.A.S.T.E. membership or anything (actually I never had one) but it’s good to have the band back in my life, even if we’re just friends.

Thom Yorke tells NME which song off In Rainbows is his favourite, The Toronto Star looks at how the band came to join the Maple Music roster in Canada and if you missed their New Year’s Eve webcast wherein they played the whole of the album live, you can watch it below – they’ve called the program Scotch Mist. And if you haven’t heard the album yet, it’s streaming this week at Spinner.

Video: Radiohead / Scotch Mist
Video: Radiohead – “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
Stream: Radiohead / In Rainbows

Also streaming at Spinner this week, a live EP from Interpol, creatively titled Live EP. It was released at the end of November as one of those independent retailer-only Think Indie but I guess they only got around to getting a stream up now. They also have an interview with drummer Sam Fogarino.

Stream: Interpol / Live EP

Nada Surf’s new record Lucky isn’t out till February 5 and they don’t have a tour coming up this way but they’re in town next Wednesday night, January 9, for a free in-store at Sonic Boom Records at 7:15PM. Why? Couldn’t tell ya. Check out the first MP3 from the record below.

MP3: Nada Surf – “See These Bones”

Athenians The Whigs are in town February 5 for a free show at the Horseshoe.

And speaking of Athens, Georgia, R.E.M. have given their new album a title – Accelerate. NME quotes Stipey as saying the album is “the fastest we’ve made in 20 years”, which means it’s going to rock at least as hard as… Document? Green? As long as it’s not another Monster. The record is out April 1 so it’s entirely possible that it’ll actually be an album full of piano ballads. HA HA. But seriously, they’ve set up a website at www.ninetynights.com and will use it to count down the three months to the album’s release with a new video clip each day from director Vincent Moon, best known for his work with the Take Away Shows.

And segueing off the Take Away Shows, they’ve got a new one up featuring Handsome Furs.

To close out 2007, wrap-ups of my Friday and Saturday nights, aka the final shows of the year for me. We’ll start with Saturday.

Night four of the Drake Hotel’s “What’s In The Box?” year-end series of shows could have been subtitled: “Loud, With Guitars”. And that further subdivided into two – “As Improvisational Tool” and “As Blunt Instrument”.

Kicking off the first portion was Love, Anna, a local five-piece whom I couldn’t figure out if they actually had pre-written songs or were making it up as they went. If the former, they only had the barest skeletons of songs because watching them onstage, it was obvious there was a heavy ad-libbed component to what they were doing, with each player coming in one by one and lots of exchanged looks, nods and occasional “this is the chord I’m playing” guitar neck waves. But however prepared they were, they did produce some interesting tunes that maintained a rough pop structure and never straying into aimless jam territory and for that, they should be commended.

And if Love, Anna were the model of discipline, then Dundas were the polar opposite of that. Nominally a two-piece with drums and guitar, they played this show with a fellow named Koushik on Moog and from the get-go, they were a mess. Out of key and out of time, they either couldn’t hear each other or simply weren’t bothering to listen because every “song” – and I use the term loosely – was just a lurching mess of a Frankenstein’s monster. Really one of the more painful sets I’ve ever sat through.

That was the end of the “we don’t need songs” portion of the evening, with The Two Koreas happily stepping up to force things back into sharp focus. A fixture on the Toronto scene for a while now, they specialize in loud, forceful, punk-in-spirit rock music in the style of The Fall, complete with verbose, shouty lyrics from frontman (and local music scribe) Stuart Berman who put lie to the old saying, “those who can do, those who can’t write” with an energetic, engaging and effective stage presence. I couldn’t rightly tell one song from the next but they were just the thing to get my attention back from the video screens on either side of the room showing scenes from the Wonder Woman TV show and Breakin’.

It’d been some time since I’d seen Fjord Rowboat live, at least not since they released their debut album Saved The Compliments For Morning earlier this year. And it seems that since then, they’ve decided that the dreampop vein they’d been mining wasn’t quite as loud or as psychedelic as they’d wanted because they seemed considerably louder and more psychedelic than I remembered. They’ve also amped up the energy of their live show, with singer Craig Gloster knocking over his keyboard several times in the course of the set between doing jumping jacks and otherwise beating the tar out of his tambourine. With their heavy, swirling sound and matching visuals thanks to the video now being projected onto the band (and the screen behind), Fjord set the stage quite nicely for the final act of the night.

New York City’s A Place To Bury Strangers played Toronto once before earlier in the Summer – also with Fjord Rowboat – in a show that was lightly attended but spoken of reverentially by those who were there as a spectacle of smoke, strobes and bludgeoning volume. Since then, the word’s gotten out some about the alleged “loudest band in New York” and the room was fairly packed as the trio took the stage (though I can only guess that their smoke machines weren’t working properly as there was hardly any fog in the room). While their self-titled debut is a cyborg sort of record with drum machines and industrially-effected guitars giving it a mechanical quality, live they’re a straight power trio and that makes the ruthless precision of their attack that much more impressive.

Though the vocals were largely lost in their My Bloody Ministry-ish din, the strength of their songs still came across through it all. And while they were definitely loud, it wasn’t as much about the sheer volume of their attack as the fact that it was the just the right frequency range that was turned up to inflict maximum aural damage. My sympathies to anyone in attendance without proper hearing protection. And just when you thought it was intense as it could get, they hit the strobe lights and things just went stupid. What had been something of a surgical attack turned into brute sonic bludgeoning that could have lasted five minutes as easily as it could have been an hour. Between the noise and the strobes, that was two of five senses rendered ineffective and that tends to distort one’s ability to track time.

It was just nuts.

Photos: A Place To Bury Strangers, Fjord Rowboat, The Two Koreas, Dundas, Love, Anna @ The Drake Underground – December 29, 2007
MP3: A Place To Bury Strangers – “To Fix The Gash In Your Head”
MP3: A Place To Bury Strangers – “I Know I’ll See You”
MP3: A Place To Bury Strangers – “My Weakness”
MP3: Fjord Rowboat – “Carried Away”
MP3: Fjord Rowboat – “Paragon”
Video: A Place To Bury Strangers – “I Know I’ll See You”
Video: Fjord Rowboat – “Carried Away”
MySpace: A Place To Bury Strangers
MySpace: Fjord Rowboat

The night previous was also spent at the Drake, though not in the Underground where Morlocks such as I usually dwell, but in the main floor Lounge. Jenn Grant had been booked into the space and since I’d missed all opportunities to see her perform this year, catching her in (almost) the place I first saw her last year was an appealing idea. Unfortunately, as it turns out the Drake Lounge is maybe the worst place you could possibly see someone perform as it’s really less a lounge than a restaurant and as such, the patrons were largely diners first, concertgoers second (if at all). As a result, Grant had to perform overtop lots of talking and general dinner noise (dishes, glasses, etc) as well as dodge waiters carrying drink and meals and whatnot.

And while I was more than frustrated enough by the setting for her, Grant handled it with grace and aplomb. Commenting that she felt like the lounge singer in Lost In Translation (though without the hooking up with Bill Murray part), she rolled out songs from her lovely debut Orchestra For The Moon as well as a few choice covers – both Wham! and Patsy Cline were represented – and some new material, accompanied on a couple by Justin Rutledge. I look forward to hearing her play again in a setting a little more sympathetic to the performer though I’d like to think that at least one person that night went in planning on just having a martini but left with a CD. And a martini.

Oh, and I forgot my camera battery so no pics. Alas.

MP3: Jenn Grant – “Dreamer”
Video: Jenn Grant – “Dreamer” (YouTube)
MySpace: Jenn Grant

And that’s 2007, kids. Thanks for visiting, have a safe New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you in the ’08.

Over the holidays, I’ve watched a lot of movies. Here are some (cyanide) capsule reviews.

Alien Vs Predator (Paul W.S. Anderson) First off, I only watched this because it was on TV and I was sitting in front of the TV and was fairly comfortable. I remember thinking when it came out in the theatres that there was no way this could be good – and as it turns out, I was right. Now I loved the original Aliens films (first couple, anyway) and liked the Predators as well, but this had train wreck written all over it. Thin – no, transparent – characters, awful acting, not nearly enough Aliens fighting Predators, far too much people being stupid and not dying fast enough. And at the end, it turns into a buddy-cop flick. Really, a travesty on all levels. So of course they made a sequel. Of course they did. Trailer: Alien Vs Predator

The Simpsons Movie (David Silverman) This one was pretty much what you’d expect, like three decent late-era episodes run back to back and with higher quality animation (more detailed environments, more panning, camera angles, etc). Laugh out loud funny at a few points and a steady level of chuckling through most of the rest. Not a film anyone was necessarily asking for but welcome nonetheless. And the fact that it exists (hopefully) means that the live-action one that’s been muttered about for years never, ever will. Trailer: The Simpsons Movie

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (Ten Shimoyama) This was a loaner from a guy at work which sat on my shelf for many many months before getting played. A Japanese period piece about two lovers from rival villages of mystical warriors who are pitted against each other by the emperor, it’s a cross between Romeo & Juliet and Mortal Kombat that plays out far more like the video game than the play. Some great cinematography and decent fight scenes are offset by wooden acting, a negligible script and some clunky CGI resulting in a net viewing experience of total indifference. Trailer: Shinobi: Heart Under Blade

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (Gore Verbinski) I’m perfectly willing to admit that I had no idea what was going on this movie – and yes, I’d seen the first two – but it was still so much fun to watch that I didn’t really care. I suspect that the plot doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny so why bother? Last I remember, Barbossa was back from the dead and they were going to save Jack Sparrow, who had been eaten by the Kraken. Okay. So they have to go to Singapore to do so? Sure. Sail over the edge of the world? Why not. Fight vengeful sea goddesses? Of course. Alls I know is that swashes are buckled, things blow up good and I still don’t like Orlando Bloom. Trailer: Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

Knocked Up (Judd Apatow) So everyone loved this movie. I expected to love this movie. I did not love this movie. I mean, it was mostly alright with some really funny bits but those were mostly the little ad libby bits that had nothing to do with the film itself. But my main problem was that I was not, for one minute, convinced that Katherine Heigl would want anything to do with Seth Rogen. Not before they hooked up and certainly not after. There’s just nothing especially redeeming or appealing about him. But, of course, this is Judd Apatow-land where no matter how clueless or crude, the dork gets the girl – not something I have any issue with, I’d emigrate if I could – but this time out it rang just a little too false for me. Trailer: Knocked Up

When Denmark’s Raveonettes paid us a visit this past October, they were a band with a new album but without a North American label to put it out, not that any of that stopped them from packing Lee’s Palace. Some speculated that this dictated the more stripped down than usual configuration – just Sune Rose Wagner, Sharin Foo and a drummer with a two-piece kit.

So now that they’re signed to Vice Records and will release Lust Lust Lust on February 19, maybe they’ll bring along a few more players when they play the Opera House on March 21 and fill things out a bit – tickets for that show are $16.50 and go on sale January 3. As I mentioned when I reviewed the show, my first exposure to the Raveonettes, I wasn’t especially overwhelmed but I’m finding I’m enjoying listening to the record more than I did watching them play. Perhaps not standing directly in front of Wagner’s Twin Reverb is allowing me to better appreciate the nuances of their songwriting. It sounds more pop and less “kkkkksccccccchhhhhhh”.

AFP and Billboard talked to the band about their new record and they performed “Dead Sound”, one of the standout tracks from the new record, for a Black Cab session. You can sample a bit more of the record and see the first video from it below.

MP3: The Raveonettes – “Dead Sound”
MP3: The Raveonettes – “Aly, Walk With Me”
Video: The Raveonettes – “Dead Sound”
MySpace: The Raveonettes

Nina Nastasia, who put out a much-lauded record this year with The Dirty Three’s Jim White in You Follow Me, will be stopping in at the El Mocambo on February 14. Tickets for that are $8.50, on sale next Thursday.

MP3: Nina Nastasia with Jim White – “Jim’s Room”

If you don’t have plans for New Year’s Eve, consider staying in and watching Radiohead perform In Rainbows in its entirety via webcast at current.com, starting at midnight EST on Monday and repeating three more times through the day. Yes, it’s pre-taped – the band surely has better things to do New Year’s Eve than hang out in a studio entertaining your ethernet-tethered ass. In Rainbows is officially on sale January 1, though most of the record stores around town already seem to be selling it in physical form if you just gotta have it. More details on the webcast at Billboard.

Okkervil River stop in for a session and interview at NPR before heading off to Europe for some shows in February followed by a jaunt down under.

And speaking of jaunts to Europe, I’m contemplating vacation plans for next year and am thinking about the following – eight or nine days, third week of May, half in London and half in Dublin. I’ve never been to either (barring a couple hour layover in Heathrow a few years ago) and, well, that’s about as far as my planning has gotten. Thoughts? Suggestions? If I had more time off, I’d do Glasgow as well but I don’t think that’s in the cards this time around.

One of the best things about the end of 2007 is that now we can turn our microscopic attention spans to the class of 2008, the acts that whose creative blood will grease the gears of music reportage. Not surprisingly, the UK press has already begun setting the stage for their new musical heroes of ’08, with The Guardian soliciting predictions of who’ll be the next big thing from label folks, media folks and artists who’ve already worn that particular sash. AllMediaScotland limits their survey to a representative from HMV who offers up a lengthy list of acts, both domestic and imported, that they expect to make waves of some sort over the next twelve months.

One of which was already put on my radar by a friend over a game of Facebook Scrabulous (challenges always welcome), and that’s Glasgow’s GlasVegas. Already garnering no small amount of praise from the likes of Alan McGee who, in a quote you’re likely to see a lot if they do indeed deliver, called them the “best Scottish band of the last 20 years”. McGee is no stranger to hyperbole but in GlasVegas’ case, there could be something to it. The four-piece deliver Spector-sound doo-wop with leather and pompadour, tough-guy angst, leaning against a Jesus And Mary Chain wall of sound. Obviously all the superlatives need to be taken with some salt but based on the samples on their MySpace – only a single has officially been released and an album isn’t expected till next Summer – there’s definitely something there.

The Guardian speaks highly of them, The Scotsman has not one but two recent interviews with frontman James Allan, as does The Daily Record. And A Certain Romance has got four home demos from the band still available to download from a post made almost a year ago proclaiming the band’s greatness.

Video: GlasVegas – “Daddy’s Gone”
MySpace: GlasVegas

Meanwhile, eye forecasts the year that will be on a more local level, including a release date for the new album from Forest City Lovers – March 11. They’re playing as part of a massive New Year’s Eve bash at the Tranzac which, if you’re still looking for something to do, is certainly your best entertainment value (tickets $10 in advance).

As for what I’m personally looking forward to in ’08, obviously out of already known quantities, I can say that the new British Sea Power album Do You Like Rock Music?, out February 12, is a scorcher and a half. Also really looking forward to hearing the new Radio Dept, already overdue as far as the last status update is concerned, and new works from Doves, American Music Club (The Golden Age, out February 19) and DeVotchKa‘s A Mad And Faithful Telling, out March 18, will also be welcomed with open arms. And that’s just a very random sampling. Stereogum has been trying to keep a running list of forthcoming releases worth watching. But, like every year, it’s the stuff that I have no idea whatsoever about presently that will be most exciting. Just watch.

The Sydney Morning Herald discusses the life and times of Sufjan Stevens.

Take-Away Shows rolls tape with Jens Lekman.

Will Sheff of Okkervil River discusses sandwiches, groupies and porn with Nerve. Of course.

Gibson Guitars solicits thoughts on acoustic guitar tone woods from Mountain Goat John Darnielle. Why they got him to pose with a Les Paul for those photos, I’ve no idea but I’d love to see him break it out onstage sometime. Foot on the monitor, John. You know you want to. Heretic Pride is out February 19.