Friday, February 16th, 2007

Brokered Heart

So it’s been a week. In no particular order, I’ve caught a cold, had my hard drive with all my music and photos on it fail, had my internet connection go kaput and various other sundry minor catastrophes not worth itemizing. On the plus side, I think I’m recovering, I managed to get all my data off said drive before it sank (whew) and am back online. The point? I’ve actually had a lot of stuff I wanted to get to writing up this week but it simply hasn’t happened. I’m hoping to use this weekend to get my affairs back in order and finish up the stuff I wanted to.

Let’s start with some good news for Ottawa’s The Acorn, whom eye reports have just signed with Paper Bag Records. I’ve gone on about The Acorn’s wonderfulness before and I’m pleased to see that more folks will get a chance to be enthralled by their quintessentially Canadian pop – and I don’t mean that in a cheesy beaver/Mountie/maple leaf montage sort of way. Just listen, you’ll understand.

They will begin by re-releasing their excellent Tin Fist EP on March 20, to be followed by the equally excellently-named Tin Fisting tour across Canada. But before that, they’re in Brampton tonight playing the Brampton Indie Arts Festival and then on March 10, they will play a show at the Whippersnapper Gallery in Toronto on March 10 along with Montreal’s Hot Springs, Toronto’s Uncut and what’s only being billed as a “special dancey guest band”. My guess is Black Eyed Peas, but I’ve been wrong before. They’ll also be back in town on April 12 for a show at The Drake Underground.

Here’s a couple tracks from 2005’s Blankets! EP – they’re streaming some Tin Fist material on their MySpace but it’s really meant to be heard as a whole – I refer you again to eye‘s review from last December. You can buy both releases at Kelp Records right now.

MP3: The Acorn – “Blankets”
MP3: The Acorn – “Plates & Saucers”

And while rattling off show announcements, Sondre Lerche, Willy Mason and Thomas Dybdahl offer up an evening of non-threatening boy action at the Mod Club on April 2, tickets $16.50. And on April 19, also at Mod, Art Brut are in town. Tickets $15.50, on sale Wednesday.

I would have to turn in my Yankee Hotel Foxtrot decoder ring if I didn’t mention that Billboard has the track list for Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, due out May 15.

Also in May, on the 8th to be precise, a collection of Elliott Smith rarities will be released by Kill Rock Stars. New Moon will span two CDs and Smith’s fertile creative years between 1994 and 1997 – Pitchfork has more details.

CMJ compares acronyms with Peter Bjorn & John. The Sydney Morning Herald points out that their name can be contracted too. No one cares. PBJ are at the Phoenix on May 6.

Pitchfork has the full “director’s cut” of the video for The Decemberists’ “Oh Valencia”, which you may recall from a couple weeks ago. Apparently it’s better. Or worse, depending on how much you liked the original version.

The San Francisco Examiner talks to Camera Obscura guitarist Kenny McKeeve.

Pulse Of The Twin Cities talks to Midlake and Gorilla Vs Bear is offering a new remix from the band. And in my Midlake contest, a few people nominated ELO as a 70s band due for a hipster reevaluation – PopMatters gets the ball rolling.

Nerve lists off 20 comics – er, graphic novels – that can change your life. I’ve read fully eight of them, and I don’t think my life has changed… OR HAS IT?