I’ve been making much of the fact that this past Tuesday and Wednesday night’s Built To Spill shows were the band’s first in Toronto, but it wasn’t my first time seeing them – I got to check them off my “must see” list at Lollapalooza last year. But a rigid festival-length set really isn’t enough to fully contain the majesty that is Built To Spill, so I was still pretty stoked to see at least half of their Hogtown debut.

The opener for the Toronto and Montreal dates seemed an odd choice for the indie rock legends – Attack In Black share a label with screamo mall-punks Alexisonfire as well as a point of origin in the Niagara Peninsula (AiB are from Welland, of canal fame). A quick MySpace listen didn’t do much for me and I considered missing their set in favour of naptime but I headed out regardless and learned that you can’t judge a band by their MySpace (except that usually you can). Rather than the shouty, adolescent angst-rock I’d expected, I found band channeling old sounds – well, 80s old – with great youthful energy. Raw and rootsy in the vein of Springsteen or The Replacements but enough suburban sheen to appeal to modern rock radio. Still not a band I’d have thought would appeal to the BTS demographic but worth skipping a nap for.

Lee’s Palace was rightly packed well before the headliners’ scheduled start time and it’s just as well as they got started a good 20 minutes early. I suspect a good portion of them had been there on Tuesday night as well and the investment paid off well as the setlists for Tuesday and Wednesday had minimal overlap – just four songs – and were overflowing with awesome. Surely appreciating the fact that this was the first time many/most in attendance had ever seen them, Doug Martsch led his band on a leisurely stroll through their whole catalog, from the compact spiky pop gems of the earlier independent records to the expansive, prog-psych rock outs of the Warner years.

Built To Spill are not much to look at onstage. Five guys, about as middle-aged and unassuming as you can get and dressed for comfort but put guitars in their hands and oh man. Though technically you can call it jammy, but the noodly connotations of the word don’t do Built To Spill justice – I prefer to think of it as sonic sculpture. Martsch, Brett Netson and Jim Roth’s guitars create cascades, torrents, DELUGES of sound that intertwine, tease, attack and make sweet love to each other – it’s a 22-string orgy up there – and yet it’s all done within the context of superb pop songs and none of it is self-indulgent, it’s all in the service of the song.

Of course, this is what every jam band fan would say about their bands but Built To Spill are just different. Only on the 27-minute encore of “Randy Described Eternity” did they seem to really start to wander but they’d been playing nearly two hours at that point, so they can be excused. But my favourite part of the encore was watching Scott Plouf begin packing up his drum kit while the guitarists were still playing. A too-funny cap to an amazing show that, while I don’t know if it was worth the fifteen-year wait – what possibly could be? – was certainly a fine debut. Here’s hoping it’s not a decade and a half wait for their next visit.

You can stream both sides of BTS’ new reggae single at Spinner and The Toronto Star has a quick review of Wednesday’s show to which I’d like to point out that while guys do love guitars, I noticed there was a significantly higher proportion of XX-chromosones in the audience than I’d have expected at the show. Which isn’t a complaint at all. But a guitar geek question – does anyone know how Doug’s Strat is wired? He had no pickup selector and only one volume control. My Lollapalooza pics show he stayed on the middle pickup the whole time (or at least the first three songs), maybe he got tired of accidentally knocking it out of place? I guess that makes more sense than assuming he’s got all three wired in series for triple output and the volume control actually turns up the awesome when he needs it…

Photos: Built To Spill, Attack In Black @ Lee’s Palace – July 11, 2007
Video: Built To Spill – “Conventional Wisdom” (YouTube)
MySpace: Built To Spill
MySpace: Attack In Black

So really, the best thing about this week’s Polaris Music Prize finalists announcements weren’t so much seeing which records made the cut but the fierce discussion/debate/hand wringing that inevitably followed, most of which focused mainly on the Anglo indie-rockness of the final ten. AOL Music Canada looks on the bright side (and calls the Besnard Lakes alt-country? Wha?) but eye opted to consult former Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau on the matter and he suggests that the 170 jurors that contributed to this year’s list constituted too many cooks and a watered-down meal. Similar topics are raised in Zoilus’ comments as well as some analysis of the regionalism of the jurors and finalists while CBC Radio 3’s commenters are far more fixated on the language issue and at Torontoist, they rather gauchely debate how last year’s winner spent his $20,000, prompting Final Fantasy to chime in in his own defense.

And some bits from some of the finalists – Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry talks to Drowned In Sound about the European festival circuit, JAM! and Radio Free Canuckistan talk to Miracle Fortress who, profile-wise, has arguably benefited most by the Polaris attention and The Besnard Lakes have got a new video. Grok it. Grok it now.

Video: The Besnard Lakes – “For Agent 13” (YouTube)

And (hopefully) a candidate for next year’s list, The Acorn will release Glory Hope Mountain on September 25.

JAM chats with Sloan about opening for the Rolling Stones.

Thanks to For The Records for pointing out that the Sadies release date reported yesterday is likely for the US – Chart reports that Canadians can celebrate New Seasons on September 18.

Happy to see The Last Town Chorus will be opening for Camera Obscura at the Phoenix on August 26. I wasn’t planning to go to this having seen CO tour Let’s Get Out Of This Country twice already but the combination of the two acts in a very slow concert month may prove too tempting to resist.

Also just announced – former Jayhawk Mark Olson is at the El Mocambo on August 28 in support of his new solo record The Salvation Blues and legendary popsmith Nick Lowe brings his new record, At My Age, to the Mod Club on September 24.

Britt Daniel gives eMusic a look at the working process behind Spoon’s Ga⁵.

Sea Wolf will release their debut full-length Leaves In The River on September 25.

Filter and The New York Post admire Interpol’s love.

The AV Club rightly commits Luna’s Penthouse to their Hall Of Fame. I still prefer Bewitched by a hair, but that’s probably because it was the first of their albums I discovered.

The Balitmore Sun talks to Colin Meloy of The Decemberists about the intricacies of staging an orchestral tour, as they’re doing right now.

The Scotsman says hello to Wilco.

Inside Bay Area talks to Nicole Atkins, who has pushed back the release of her new album Neptune City from July 24 to… sometime after that. I’m still trying to sort out if she’s opening for The Raveonettes at Lee’s Palace on October 14 – she’s with them in Chicago and Minneapolis the following week, but I haven’t figured out when she joins the tour. I suppose I could just ask, but where’s the fun in that?

I have to wonder if, when preparing his first solo album Sirens Of The Ditch, out this past Tuesday, if Jason Isbell had any inkling that he was going to be leaving the Drive-By Truckers? And if not, did that affect the selection criteria for the material? Did he set some songs aside for the next Truckers record? Would this have been a different record otherwise?

These are all strictly rhetorical questions that hinge largely on whether or not Isbell jumped from the truck or was pushed and that’s not something that’s likely to be addressed by either camp any time soon. The fact is, Isbell would sound like Isbell no matter what band he was in and Sirens Of The Ditch sounds like Isbell. Sirens is a mix of searing rockers and plaintive ballads which showcase his fearsome guitar chops and whiskey-soaked vocals respectively, as well as serving as a reminder that he was responsible for some of the poppiest stuff the Truckers ever put out. And while his last outfit is a tough act to follow, his players on this record – the 400 Unit – definitely don’t let Isbell or the material down. Sirens more than proves that for Isbell, there’s plenty of life after the Truckers. We’ll have to see if there’s life for the Truckers after Isbell… of course the answer to this is “yes”, as there was plenty of life in the band before Isbell. I guess the real question is as to the quality of that life.

Isbell is on the road in support of the record and will be at the El Mocambo on July 24. He was in town back in April and turned in a fine set of new and old material opening for Son Volt – I would expect this tour is more of the same. Only more. Isbell talked to The AV Club, Style Weekly, The Day, The Huntsville Times and Creative Loafing about his new record and his old band. And Philadelphia City Paper talks to his old band.

MP3: Jason Isbell – “Dress Blues”
eCard: Jason Isbell / Sirens Of The Ditch
MySpace: Jason Isbell

The National have announced a Fall tour that brings them back to Toronto for a show at the Phoenix on October 8. That’s both Thanksgiving and the day I roll back into town after Pop Montreal, which they are almost certainly closing out with their show the night before at Le National. The National at Le National. Oprah, Uma, Uma, Oprah.

Will Sheff of Okkervil River talks to Billboard about crafting The Stage Names, out August 7. Jagjaguwar is offering folks who pre-order either the regular or double-disc deluxe version of the record through them the opportunity to download the album (almost) immediately. Folks like me who pre-ordered through Insound get to pay a couple dollars more and receive nothing in advance. Boo. They’re in town September 21 at Lee’s Palace and then down the QEW in Hamilton at the Pepper Jack Cafe on September 22.

Some MP3s and details from the forthcoming Mendoza Line release have surfaced on the band’s website. Out August 21, 30 Year Low comprises new recordings and the final ones with vocalist Shannon McArdle while companion disc The Final Remarks Of The Legendary Malcontent clears out the vaults of live tracks, rehearsals and covers. The future of the band got discussed quite thoroughly on this very site a few months ago – sift through the birthday greetings in the comments for news on the current state of the band and even a message from McArdle herself.

MP3: The Mendoza Line – “Since I Came”
MP3: The Mendoza Line – “Thirty Year Low”
MP3: The Mendoza Line – “Aspect Of An Old Maid (alt)”

Also coming out August 21 is The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter from, well, Josh Ritter. He tells Billboard the new long-player will be his most “rock” record yet.

Paste reports that The Sadies’ new album New Seasons will be out October 2.

Nellie McKay will release her third album, Obligatory Villagers, this September. Since she’s releasing it on her own label, there’s unlikely to be the same major label drama that plagued and delayed Pretty Little Head for almost a year.

Scottish all-girl punk-pop band The Hedrons are at the Boat on Sunday night and at the Horseshoe on Tuesday night for a free show. PopMatters likes them.

Early yesterday afternoon at a press conference I couldn’t attend because I have a job, the finalists for this year’s Polaris Music Prize were announced and after the surprising eclecticism of last year’s list, this year’s list was just as surprising but for its uniform indie rock-ness.

Interesting geographical observations: Half the nominees call Montreal home but all are Anglophone acts. The only Ontario-based nominee is from Hamilton, thus scuppering any claims of Toronto-centricism. Two hail from the Maritimes, only one from the west and one is really of no fixed Canadian address.

The ten records that will be fighting it out for the $20,000 prize are:

Arcade Fire / Neon Bible (Merge/F>A>B)
The Besnard Lakes / The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse (Jajaguwar/Outside Music)
The Dears / Gang of Losers (MapleMusic Recordings/Universal Music Canada)
Julie Doiron / Woke Myself Up (endearing records/Fontana North/Universal Music Canada)
Feist / The Reminder (Arts & Crafts/EMI Music Canada)
Junior Boys / So This Is Goodbye (Domino/Outside Music)
Miracle Fortress / Five Roses (Secret City Records/Fusion III)
The Joel Plaskett Emergency / Ashtray Rock (MapleMusic Recordings/Universal Music Canada)
Chad VanGaalen / Skelliconnection (Flemish Eye/Outside Music)
Patrick Watson / Close To Paradise (Secret City Records/Fusion III)

Shockingly, 4/5 of my list made the cut – the Miracle Fortress wasn’t on my original list but in the second round of voting I swapped it in and the Great Lake Swimmers out – sorry Tony – as well as shuffled my order a bit. Of all the nominated records, it’s probably already benefited the most from its inclusion as it was arguably the lowest profile of the releases before yesterday and now, all respect to the Besnard Lakes, is almost certainly the dark horse favourite.

A betting man working off of logic should and would give short odds to the Arcade Fire and Feist records, but consider this – everyone I talked to about my selections and the Polaris in general shook their heads when those records were mentioned and responded that they hardly needed the money. After all, this is Canada where rooting for the underdog is part of our national character and probably part of our constitution. We did, after all, select Final Fantasy last year over big names like Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers. I’d go so far as to suggest that The Reminder and Neon Bible are long shots. The mandate of the Polaris is for the winner to be selected “solely on artistic merit, without regard to genre or sales” – a lovely sentiment but pretty pie in the sky when you get down to it. Everyone’s got an agenda. Alls I know is that I’d much rather be a fly on the wall of that Grand Jury room in September than I would an actual juror.

Some blog commentary from Zoilus, Torontoist, the CBC Radio3 podcast and Public Broadcasting.ca. A compilation album featuring tracks from the ten nominees will be available on August 28 and the winner will be selected at a ceremony in Toronto on September 24.

And that’s just one of many things happening around town in September. Also consider: Minneapolis’ Cloud Cult are at the El Mocambo on September 4, The Clientele have been added to the second day of Virgin Fest on September 9, Andrew Bird is at the Opera House on September 25 and the thought of having to hear him in as acoustically unfriendly a room as that makes me sad. Opening acts for Bloc Party’s show at the Ricoh Coliseum on September 28 have been announced – show up early and catch the arena-rocking stylings of Deerhoofand Smoosh. Strange lineup? Yes. And finally, Great Lake Swimmers face the task of trying to make the Phoenix and intimate environment when they play there on September 29 (via For The Records).

Those of you waiting impatiently for the September 25 release of Stars’ In Our Bedroom After the War would do well to scurry off to the iTunes store or Arts & Crafts’ boutique as it’s been made available digitally a full two and a half months early in an effort to foil those who leak and those who download leaks. Pitchfork has details on the unusual move by the label. Stars play day two of V Fest on September 9.

Billboard talks to Matt Pond PA about the long, hard road to their new album Last Light, out September 25 and they just released an EP – If You Want Blood – last month.

Stereogum celebrates the 10th anniversary of Radiohead’s OK Computer with a free tribute album featuring the likes of The Twilight Sad, John Vanderslice and My Brightest Diamond. Pitchfork declares it to be as great as a box of kittens.

Spoon have achieved that rare and enviable position in modern music where you can truthfully say that sound like no one else, and no one else sounds like them. From this, you can conclude that only Spoon sounds like Spoon, ergo only Spoon albums sound like Spoon albums and it therefore follows that all Spoon albums sound alike. QED.

This is not intended as a criticism, not at all. Since 2001’s Girls Can Tell they’ve been honing their craft, building lean, indie rock skeletons and infusing them with and hip-shaking soul and by now they’ve got the process down to an art. Their latest Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, out today and henceforth known as Ga⁵, doesn’t stray far from the blueprint with its jagged, stacatto guitars, pounding piano, impeccable drums from Jim Eno and Britt Daniel’s cryptic lyrics and ragged vocals. More than on previous records, certain songs seem like direct descendants of past works but rather than rehashes they sound more like refinements. If you’re looking for distinctions, it’s arguably looser and more upbeat as well as a bit poppier compared to Gimme Fiction but even these variances stay well within Spoon’s tight musical tolerances.

If there is a downside to Spoon’s consistency, it’s that while they always meet expectations and never disappoint, they don’t astonish either. I will always welcome a new record but I don’t think I’ve ever counted down the days to one. By the same token, I don’t ever get into those intense moods where I need to listen to Spoon, the way I do some other bands. You might take this as meaning that I take Spoon for granted, and I probably do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate them or that I won’t be in the audience when they’re at the Phoenix on October 15, dancing awkwardly. This really isn’t much of a review but come on. It’s a Spoon album. You know what you’re getting and you know you’ll love it so why ask why.

The Globe & Mail talked to Daniel about the new record a couple weeks ago in Calgary, Austin360 has an interview and Metacritic has aggregated a number of reviews thus far.

MP3: Spoon – “The Underdog”
MP3: Spoon – “The Ghost of You Lingers”
Stream: : Spoon / Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Video: Spoon – “The Underdog” (MySpace)
MySpace: Spoon

Daytrotter has posted their interview and session with The National. Surprisingly, they cover The Psychedelic Furs. Unsurprisingly, it all sounds great.

September 11 brings the release of Hideout, the new album from San Francisco’s Film School. With 3/5 of the lineup that recorded last year’s eponymous album replaced, it’s sure to be a different affair and based on the first MP3, it’s a positive step. It’s still got the driving, hypnotic droniness of that album but new bassist Lorelei Plotczyk’s vocals add a new, softer counterpoint to Greg Bertens’ voice that I like quite a bit. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the record.

MP3: Film School – “Lectric”

Billboard gets some hints from Robert Smith about what to expect from the next Cure record, which will be out in October and not be previewed much on their Fall tour which hits the Air Canada Centre on September 27.

Another Smith from the UK, Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, talks to MTV UK in an interview from mid-June but which I never posted. The Boston Herald has a more recent chat and either way, it gives me an excuse to remind you that they’re at the Mod Club this Saturday but since it’s sold out, said reminder doesn’t really do anyone much good. Ahem.

Added and then removed from the lineup for V Fest Toronto, The Hives will still be coming to town this Fall – the only catch? You have to see Maroon 5. Well I suppose you don’t technically HAVE to stay for the headliner, but otherwise that’s an awful expensive ticket for just the opener. Your call. That show’s at the ACC on October 4.

CMJ has details on the Pixies tribute album coming out this Fall and all its myriad configurations. Normally the formats would be so confusing I wouldn’t bother but the lineup is tasty enough that I’ll keep paying attention. For now.

As CD sales plummet, The Guardian considers the resiliency of vinyl in the music marketplace.

So yesterday I pulled the trigger on a Macbook Pro – one of the 15″ jobbies. My Windows machine is creeping up on four and a half years old and for desktop replacements, the Mac simply looked like the best option. After a lifetime on Windows – and I’m never personally had any problem with it, particularly XP – it’s a little strange and fearful to be moving to a new OS to say nothing of how much trouble it’s going to be getting everything I’ve got currently, both data and hardware organized (I’m keeping the desktop as a storage unit for now). I’ll let you know when it arrives since I know there’s nothing Apple acolytes (Mac-olytes) like more than patting themselves on the back whenever another PC user crosses over.

Having already seen the resurrected Buffalo Tom twice this year – once at SxSW and again at NxNE, there wasn’t the sort of trepidation you might normally have when approaching a beloved band’s comeback album – in this case, Three Easy Pieces, out tomorrow. Those performances proved that they still had the fire and energy of a much younger band and the new material didn’t sound out of place alongside the classics but still – I didn’t expect the album as a whole to impress as much as it does.

Unlike other more high-profile reunions making the rounds this Summer, the Buffalo Tom story doesn’t come with a lot of excess baggage or drama. The band never officially disbanded – they just set about getting jobs and starting families when they reached the age where people do such things. They continued to play one-off shows here and there, but eventually decided that without new material it was starting to feel a little too much like a nostalgia act, hence the new record. And it really does sound like they picked up where they left off – there’s no indication that the boys have mellowed with age or that they’ve even been away for as long as they have.

The recipe doesn’t stray far from that which made Let Me Come Over and Big Red Letter Day staples of college radio in the 90s. Bill Janovitz’s rasp trades off with Chris Colbourn’s boyish vocals overtop strummy ballads and barn-burning rockers and while there might be a little less angst in the brew, the anthemic earnestness and yearning remain. But excepting maybe the first two records, and even that’s not necessary if you strip away some of J Mascis’ white noise production, Buffalo Tom have always been incredibly consistent from record to record in sound, style and songwriting and even a nine-year layover hasn’t disrupted that streak. Anyone who has any interest in the existence of this album, and based on the enthusiasm of the crowd at that SxSW show there’s still a lot of them, should find nothing whatsoever to be disappointed in here and anyone who isn’t interested, well it’s their loss.

Naturally, their return has piqued the interest of their hometown media – The Boston Globe and The Phoenix talk to band about the end of the first phase of their career, their time off and their return.

MP3: Buffalo Tom – “Three Easy Pieces”
MySpace: Buffalo Tom

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips gives The AV Club a survival guide for Summer concert festivals. The outhouse tips are all well and good but he neglects to mention the benefits of giant plastic bubbles for maintaining personal space and UFOs for quick arrivals and departures from the festival grounds.

The Independent talks to The National’s Matt Berninger about anthems, cats and cobras.

Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino took some time to talk to JAM! about Our Love To Admire during their recent Canadian tour while The Sun scores face time with Paul Banks and Daniel Kessler. The album is out tomorrow.

The New York Times goes to dinner with Dean & Britta and discuss Justine Bateman.

Austin’s Peter & the Wolf are at the Music Gallery on August 10.

The Guardian goes on a quest for the lost soul of the UK indie scene and coming up with the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Art Brut. I have to think they can do a little better than that…? Tangentially, Art Brut’s Eddie Argos contributed a piece to Filter, also pondering the state of the UK indie scene and dividing it into two camps he calls “Crackheads” and “Gang Of Fours”.

And congrats to recent contest winners – Hijab gets the Ryan Adams lithograph, Derek and Ginette are going to see Cat Power and a different Tom won each night of the Built To Spill giveaways.