I begged off on trying to review Bat For Lashes’ Fur & Gold in last week’s post because their music doesn’t really lend itself to easy description and I’ll all about easy. I was hoping that seeing them live this past Friday at the El Mocambo would help crystallize things in my head and while the show didn’t make finding the words any easier, I’m now at least able to add the fact that they’re a fascinating live show into the mixture.

Playing to a much larger crowd than I anticipated, Bat-woman Natasha Khan and her three bandmates dress live a collision between a Renaissance fair and a Pat Benetar video and eschew traditional musical roles onstage, instead playing whatever instrument needed for the particular song. As such, each of them moved from keys to strings to guitars to percussion throughout the set as well as adding vocals, helping recreate the unusual sonics of Fur & Gold in the live setting.

But front and centre was Khan, both embracing and defusing her mystical, high priestess persona by being simultaneously engaging and eccentric. You could tell she didn’t play up or down any quirkiness for the stage – she simply was. Similarly, Bat For Lashes’ music dwells equally in a past that never was and the here and now of reality, a hypnotic blend of urbanity and myth, all anchored by Khan’s rich voice. Though they played for barely an hour including one-song encore (we got the Waits cover, not the Springsteen), it was enthralling for every minute.

The aforementioned large crowd was also, unfortunately, a loud crowd much to the dismay of openers Lewis & Clarke (named not for the explorers but for authors CS Lewis and Arthur C Clarke). Even bolstered by the massive low end being put out by Eve Miller’s (formerly of Matt Pond PA) cello, the duo had to struggle to be heard over the TGIF drinkers in back. Those of us up front and inclined to pay attention, though, were rewarded with a really pretty set of Lou Rogal’s thoughtful Drake/Cohen-esque folk songs. They sounded great with just guitar and cello but listening to the lusher recorded arrangements of Blasts Of Holy Birth, I can only imagine how good a full band would have sounded. Might have shut up everyone in back, even.

Afrique En Ligne has an interview with Khan while Paper Thin Walls gets a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the really quite awesome “What’s A Girl To Do” video. Lost At Sea and Muzzle Of Bees have interviews with Lewis & Clarke.

Photos: Bat For Lashes, Lewis & Clarke @ The El Mocambo – September 28, 2007
MP3: Bat For Lashes – “I’m On Fire”
MP3: Lewis & Clarke – “Before It Breaks You”
Video: Bat for Lashes – “Whats A Girl To Do”
Video: Bat for Lashes – “Prescilla”
MySpace: Bat For Lashes
MySpace: Lewis & Clarke

The Pipettes’ October 5 show at the Opera House has been postponed till December something something due to Visa issues. Those of you who were going, now that your Friday’s open, why not head to Tiger Bar to see The Brother Kite and Fjord Rowboat? Plug plug. Update: Pitchfork has some of the rescheduled dates – The Pipettes are back in Toronto on November 18 at Lee’s Palace.

The Globe & Mail talks to Steve Earle about leaving Guitar Town behind on Washington Square Serenade.

Pitchfork has an interview with Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam.

Ambrosia Parsley talks to Spinner about the selection process for Shivaree’s covers album of love songs, Tainted Love: Mating Calls & Fight Songs.

Will Sheff talks to Filter about bringing Okkervil River into the here and now and being persona non grata with Austin by drug dealers. NPR also has an interview and is currently streaming their performance in DC from last night.

Radiohead’s new album In Rainbows is out next Tuesday in PWYC digital form and second mortgage-inducing, 40 quid deluxe CD/double-LP format on December 3. Pitchfork has specifics. Seeing how it’s been nigh on a decade since Radiohead released an album I actually enjoyed, I’m not sure how much I care but watching the internet collectively lose their shit over this – regardless of whether or not the album is any good (any guesses which way I’m leaning?) – is going to be entertaining.

So, Toronto – how was your Nuit Blanche this weekend? I had no grand ambition to make it through the whole night and as such, was in bed by 2:30 but even if I was trying to see the sun rise, I don’t know that there’d have been enough to keep me interested in staying up that late. Even though I saw far more this time around, I think I enjoyed last year’s more. This year the crowds were so dense that down in Parkdale, there was really no opportunity to just hang out and take things in – you had to keep moving lest you get run down by other pedestrians or traffic. And the installations didn’t seem as grand or imaginative, either. But with all that said, I still love the idea of the event and am looking forward to next year’s. Maybe now that we’ve gotten past the sophomore slump, 2008 will be a return to form. But general disappointment aside, Nuit Blanche is still one of the top photo ops in the city all year – check out my Flickr set.

And here we have the final installment of my previews for the Bleating Heart Shows at Pop Montreal next week. Having talked to Danielle Duval, My Dad Vs Yours and The Airfields already, we finish up with our guests from “The Ocean State” that’s not really an island, Rhode Island’s The Brother Kite, represented here by guitarist Jon Downs.

1) Inspect your official Pop Montreal bio below and respond. How accurately do you think they capture the essence of your band?

Very interesting. They did a fine job.

2) Given the same approximate amount of space to write your own bio, what would it be?

A modified AllMusic bio sums up our history pretty well:

Providence, RI’s the Brother Kite had their beginnings in the collaboration between musicians Patrick Boutwell and Jon Downs in 2001, but the group itself didn’t come together until the following year with the addition of bassist Andrea Mason and guitarist Mark Howard. The group released a split 7″ with Vaguely Starshaped in 2003 and followed it up with their first full-length, thebrotherkite, the following year. They recruited drummer Matt Rozzero soon after that, and recorded their second full-length, Waiting for the Time to Be Right, an album that cobbled together the band’s trademark shoegaziness with psychedelic power pop reminiscent of Smiley Smile-era Brian Wilson.

3) Besides playing the best showcase of the festival, what else do you plan to do with your time in Montreal?

We haven’t been to Montreal in a couple years, so there is plenty of sigh-seeing to be done. Any recommendations? I’ve heard Canadian strip clubs are all-nude, but we’re far to shy to take advantage of that.

4) Why should festival-goers come see your show over all others going on at the same time?

Many of the acts at the festival play Montreal quite frequently. But TBK visits are few and far between (unfortunately). So if you like us, you shouldn’t miss it. And we can’t promise this, but it looks like we’ll probably be selling our new EP at the show (providing they arrive in time) which we’re not supposed to sell until November 6th.

MP3: The Brother Kite – “Get On Me”
Video: The Brother Kite – “I’m Not The Only One” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Brother Kite

The Brother Kite plays on October 4 at 11PM at the Green Room (5390 St-Laurent) le Gymanse (4177 rue St-Denis), admission is $8 at the door or free with a Pop Montreal bracelet.

Show poster by Cheryl Cheung

Welcome to part the third of my Bleating Heart Shows previews for Pop Montreal next week. Already haven taken their turns on the hot seat were Danielle Duval and My Dad Vs Yours. Today we talk to David Lush of The Airfields and we’ll wrap up tomorrow with The Brother Kite.

1) Inspect your official Pop Montreal bio below and respond. How accurately do you think they capture the essence of your band?

Fleetwood Mac? Okay, maybe we borrowed the ending bit from “the Chain”, but we don’t use nearly enough drugs and there have been no divorces in our band (yet). I would love to fill a room with hipster-looking bobble head dolls as our audience for the show. They look more friendly than real humans.

2) Given the same approximate amount of space to write your own bio, what would it be?

We are drowning in the labour-based music economy of this brave new digital era. Be a revolutionary and come to our rescue. Come to the show, buy our new 3-song e.p. and everything else we have to sell you (pretty please). We’ll have a new album later this autumn and you should buy that too. For better or for worse, it sounds nothing like Belle & Sebastian. Our van broke down last night and we need all of your money. (ed note – you can stream a couple of the songs from the EP on their MySpace right now)

3) Besides playing the best showcase of the festival, what else do you plan to do with your time in Montreal?

Probably checking out Film Pop. Our friend Vitalyi Bulychev made a video for a song of ours called “Red Fox” and, incredibly, that will be showcased at Film Pop! I’d be a really inconsiderate friend if I didn’t show up. I’d also be out of a place to stay whilst in Montreal.

4) Why should festival-goers come see your show over all others going on at the same time?

It’s too confusing to think about all of the other shows. Just come to ours and spare yourself the trouble of trying to drunkenly navigate the Metro in a desperate search for Pere Ubu.

MP3: The Airfields – “Lonely Halls”
MP3: The Airfields – “Nowhere Left To Go”
Video: The Airfields – “Red Fox” (YouTube)
MySpace: The Airfields

The Airfields play on October 4 at 10PM at the Green Room (5390 St-Laurent) le Gymanse (4177 rue St-Denis), admission is $8 at the door or free with a Pop Montreal bracelet.

Show poster by Cheryl Cheung

We should all be thankful that Patrick Wolf is full of shit. If he was a man of his word and made good on his promise to retire from music then we would have his Fall tour, stopping in at Lee’s Palace on October 6, to look forward to. As wonderful as his show back in May was, it was curfew-shortened and you know that given a proper-length set to work with show would be even more outrageous.

So while I’ll have to miss the Lee’s show – but will be catching him at the elegant Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire in Montreal the night previous – I do have a two pairs of passes to give away to the show courtesy of REMG as well as a copy of Wolf’s latest CD The Magic Position. To enter, send me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I’m hungry for the Wolf” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, October 1.

MP3: Patrick Wolf – “The Magic Position”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Accident And Emergency” (YouTube)
Video: Patrick Wolf – “The Magic Position” (YouTube)
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Bluebells” (YouTube)
MySpace: Patrick Wolf