Sunday, September 4th, 2011
R.E.M. covers Richard Thompson
MusicstackWhen Richard Thompson is discussed, it’s usually in the context of being grossly unknown or underappreciated relative to what the folk-rock pioneer has achieved in his forty-plus year career. He did get a bit of his due with 1994’s high-powered tribute album Beat The Retreat, which featured such wide-ranging acts as X, Shawn Colvin, Bonnie Raitt, J Mascis and R.E.M..
Though at the time the Athens, Georgia quartet were neck-deep in re-establishing their rock’n’roll credentials via Monster, they opted to dial back to a distinctly Out Of Time acoustic style for their bright and strummy take on the closing track from Thompson’s arguably most famous record (with then-wife Linda Thompson) Shoot Out The Lights. And if you’re wondering what the Wall Of Death is – as I did for a long time – Wikipedia has the answer; it’s a carnival attraction wherein a motorcyclist rides horizontally and performs stunts on the inside of a large wooden drum. Let it never be said you never learned anything here.
R.E.M. released their fifteenth studio album in Collapse Into Now earlier this year. Thompson’s last album of original material Dream Attic was released last year but can’t rightly be called a studio album – it was recorded live on tour. Thompson will be in Toronto for a solo show at Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music this Thursday evening. The Hartford Courant has an interview with the man, who was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire earlier this year – okay, maybe he is getting some respect.
MP3: R.E.M. – “Wall Of Death”
Video: Richard Thompson – “Wall Of Death” (live in Toronto 1991)
Video: Richard Thompson – “Wall Of Death” (live)
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Jamie AdamsonWho: Two Door Cinema Club
What: Northern Irish electro-pop trio whose peppy-as-hell debut Tourist History has been a hit with the kids
Why: I’m not ashamed to admit that I thought their catchy but slight sound would make them one of the soundtracks of Summer 2010 but fade shortly thereafter. I guess that now, a year and a half and three ever-escalating North American tours later, it’s safe to say I was wrong.
When: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Where: The Kool Haus in Toronto (all-ages)
Who else: Support comes from fellow UK club-goers Bombay Bicycle Club, with whom they’ve sadly chosen to team up with rather than have a Mods-vs-Rockers-type throwdown on the pierside, and Seattles The Lonely Forest, who are no club at all and presumably have to ride in the trailer.
How: Tickets for the show are $21 in advance but courtesy of Embrace, I have two pairs of passes to give away to the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to join the Two Door Cinema Club” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that in to me before midnight, September 12.
Video: Two Door Cinema Club – “What You Know”
Video: Two Door Cinema Club – “I Can Talk”
Video: Two Door Cinema Club – “Undercover Martyn”
Video: Two Door Cinema Club – “Something Good Can Work”
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
Music blog turns nine, fails to come up with any clever theme that involves turning nine
Here we are, another September 2, another year, another “oh my god am I still doing this” post. As far at themes go, I was torn between the good ol’ Eveready cat logo or some of Gustave Doré’s illustrations from the ninth circle of Dante’s Inferno – but I’ve gotten some grief lately over being a bit of a gloomy gus so I went with the cartoon kitty. And the “nine lives” bit? Maybe, but I’m certainly not on number one.
So yes, still here, doing what I’m doing while noting that the landscape of things continues to change around me and the traditional-form blog, such as this one here, are becoming increasingly archaic. That’s cool with me; I can appreciate the vintage vibe, yo. And as I can feel a pointless ramble coming on, I will check myself and simply say that I have now been doing this for a quarter of my life and can’t remember not doing it… so for reading and validating that effort, I thank you. That’s about all I’ve got to say for this annual state-of-the-whatever post. Kind of weak, but don’t worry – I’ve already got next year’s decade post a-brewing. It’ll be a doozie.
Did you know the traditional ninth anniversary gift is pottery and the modern ninth anniversary gift is leather? Me neither. So what else we got?
The Independent has an interview with Emma-Lee Moss of Emmy The Great.
NOW previews tonight’s Male Bonding show at The Horseshoe by talking with the band about their just-released second album Endless Now. The Boston Globe and I Like Music also have interviews.
The Guardian has a feature profile on Laura Marling, whose third album A Creature I Don’t Know is out on September 13. She is at The Great Hall on September 23.
Spin has posted up a video session with Annie Clark of St. Vincent, whose latest Strange Mercy arrives September 13.
Aquarium Drunkard interviews the members of Olivia Tremor Control, whose reunion tour hits Lee’s Palace on September 16.
Veronica Falls have released a new video from their self-titled debut, due out September 20. They’re at The Mod Club opening up for The Drums on October 1. And speaking of The Drums, they’ve released the second video in their Visiomento series promoting Portamento, out September 13.
Video: Veronica Falls – “Bad Feeling”
Spinner and The Irish Independent talk to Yuck, who will be at The Horseshoe on September 24.
Slicing Up Eyeballs reports that the principals of New Order have put aside their seething hatred of one another enough to agree to release some outtakes from their last studio album, 2005’s Waiting For The Sirens’ Call though they’re still debating the exact format of the release. Live4Ever has an interview with Peter Hook, who brings his new outfit The Light playing material from his old outfit Joy Division to town for a show at The Phoenix on September 24.
Video: New Order – “Jetstream”
Rolling Stone declares Dum Dum Girls a “band to watch”, just in time for the September 27 release of Only In Dreams. They’re at Lee’s Palace on October 16 and if you missed it earlier this week – I added it to a post a little late – a second superb MP3 from the album has been made available to download.
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Bedroom Eyes”
It won’t be here in time for his September 30 show at The Phoenix, but James Blake has announced the release of a new six-track EP entitled Enough Thunder for October 10; details at The Independent.
Blurt has a feature interview with Explosions In The Sky, in town at The Sound Academy on October 7.
Pitchfork reports that the release date for Bjork’s new album Biophilia has been pushed back from September 27 to October 11.
San Francisco psych-rockers Thee Oh Sees have made a date at The Horseshoe for October 21 in support of this Summer’s Castlemania, though Prefix reports they’ve already got another album ready to go in Carrion Crawler/The Dream, due out November 15.
MP3: Thee Oh Sees – “I Need Seed”
I talked last week about how much I was looking forward to Welcome To Condale, the debut album from Summer Camp; well to go along with a brand-new website, the duo have confirmed that the album will have a North American release one week after the UK release on November 8.
The Line Of Best Fit reports that Los Campesinos! will release their fourth album, entitled Hello Sadness, on November 15. And while that’s good news for fans, there’s also some bad news as it was announced via blog that violinist Harriet Campesinos! would be following in keyboardist Aleksandra’s two-year old footsteps and leave the band in favour of university and re-assuming her old surname. Perhaps that’s the sadness the album’s title is referring to?
NPR has a World Cafe session with Anna Calvi. It’s amazing how small her speaking voice is, compared to how massive her singing voice is. Whew. She will be at Lee’s Palace on December 8.
TV On The Radio have a new video from Nine Types Of Light
Video: TV On The Radio – “Second Song”
Also with a new clip are White Lies, from Ritual.
Video: White Lies – “The Power & The Glory”
American Songwriter rounds up some of the releases that will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth next year, including but certainly not limited to a Wilco/Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue box set.
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
Timber Timbre creeping across eastern Canada
Kandle OsborneWhen I last wrote up Timber Timbre back in March, shortly before the release of their latest Creep On Creepin’ On, I commented on how unlikely it seemed that the Toronto trio’s murky goth-blues should make them stars (relatively speaking), but how that seemed to be exactly what was going to happen. And indeed, it’s been a good 2011 for them, to say the least. The decidedly positive critical response and popular demand kept the band on the road through all of North America and Europe through the Spring and Summer, and with their placement on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist, they’ve announced a Fall tour that will keep them living in a van through the rest of the year, covering locales from Ontario through to the Maritimes with a handful of European dates for good measure.
They’ll get a chance to sleep in their own beds and do some laundry, though, as the itinerary now includes their first hometown date since the Trinty-St. Paul’s album release show way back in April – and it’s coming at the decidedly fancy digs of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on November 26. Tickets for that show are $25 in advance and despite it being a seated venue, will be general admission; they’re on sale today at 10AM. And the merch table at this and other shows will have a little something special in the form of vinyl reissues of the first two independently-released Timber Timbre records – Cedar Shakes and Medicinals – dating from when the band was a pseudonym for Taylor Kirk solo.
The band have also released a new, appropriately creepy animated video from Creep On Creepin’ On and over at BlogTO, violinist Mika Posen talks about the Polaris nomination.
MP3: Timber Timbre – “Black Water”
Video: Timber Timbre – “Too Old To Die Young”
Tasseomancy have released another video from their just-released record Ulalalme, which was co-produced by Taylor Kirk. They’re playing The Great Hall on October 20 and will support Austra at The Phoenix on December 1.
Video: Tasseomancy – “Soft Feet”
Also with a new video from a Polaris-shortlisted record is Destroyer, from Kaputt.
Video: Destroyer – “Savage Night At The Opera”
Julie Doiron has a couple of local live dates lined up, as she usually seems to, with a free in-store on September 10 at 3PM to inaugurate the recently-opened Kensington Market location of Sonic Boom. She will also open up for Ohbijou at Trinity-St. Paul’s on September 30.
MP3: Julie Doiron – “When Brakes Get Wet”
If you’re the sort of person who needs an introduction to the works of Sloan, then you’re probably not someone who’s hung around here much – welcome! – but if you do, head over to Noisetrade to grab a pay-what-you-can 17-track sort-of best-of compilation. And yes, you can pay nothing if that’s how you roll.
The Line Of Best Fit gets acquainted with Chad VanGaalen and his unique brand of interview awkwardness. VanGaalen is at The Mod Club on October 28.
Rolling Stone has gotten on the Louise Burns bandwagon, having a quick chat with the singer and offering a new track for download.
MP3: Louise Burns – “Drop Names Not Bombs”
Beirut have discovered one of the perks of staggered digital and physical releases – double the press cycles. There were a flurry of pieces when The Rip Tide came out through online sources back at the start of August, and now that the vinyl and CD are available? Features in The National Post, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Irish Times, Paste, Pitchfork and Time. That Zach Condon is a clever boy.
The Line Of Best Fit talks to Jason Lytle about the legacy of Grandaddy on the occasion of the vinyl reissues of The Sophtware Slump and Sumday.
The Fly gets a courtyard video session from The Antlers.
NPR has a KCRW session with My Morning Jacket.
Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard talks drinking and excessive drinking with Spinner.
The Grid and NOW chat with Peter Bjorn & John, who kick off a two-night stand at Lee’s Palace tonight.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
Review of The Vaccines’ What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Leon DiaperLondon’s Vaccines were really asking for it with the title of their debut album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, what with it sounding like equal parts challenge and excuse. For my part, I didn’t expect a hell of a lot. You see, as Anglophile as I am, I’m also hella suspicious of acts that arrive on a tidal wave of hype as I’ve owned too many CDs from British guitar bands that proved to have very little shelf life. And given The Vaccines arrived with a well-orchestrated, a major label-funded buzz blitz, I assumed they’d be all hat, no cattle.
Well I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again. Rather than lose my interest with each listen, time spent with What Did You Expect‘s brief running time only made me want to hit repeat. They don’t pretend to be anything more than what they are, which is to say a quartet of kids playing rock music, but it’s uncanny the way they manage to evoke the best of British rock from over the last decade – the meat-and-potatoes simplicity of Arctic Monkeys, the scrappy snottiness of The Libertines, the open-hearted romanticism of Bloc Party – without actually sounding like any of them. Most key, however, is the fact that they’re able to write songs that are anthemic in scope yet punkish in packaging and catchy enough to warrant praise entirely on their own creative merits – “All In White” is downright stirring. It may well be that they’re just the next British guitar band of the moment, but it’s The Vaccines’ moment and they’re making the most of it.
And while this would normally be the point in the post where I tell you that The Vaccines are coming to town soon, an announcement yesterday actually instead pulled their entire Fall tour, including the September 27 date at The Phoenix – Justin Hayward-Young will need surgery on his throat for the third time this year, and doctor’s orders do not include gallivanting around the globe singing rock music. While I wasn’t going to be hitting that particular show, I was looking forward to seeing that at Iceland Airwaves in October and that show is also scotched. Here’s hoping Hayward-Young’s recovery is quick and the make-up date is a convenient one.
NME talked the band at Reading/Leeds this past weekend about their plans for album number two and Sabotage Times has an interview with guitarist Freddie Cowan.
MP3: The Vaccines – “Norgaard”
MP3: The Vaccines – “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”
Video: The Vaccines – “Norgaard”
Video: The Vaccines – “All In White”
The Telegraph has an interview with Elbow frontman Guy Garvey. They’re at The Sound Academy on September 28 and the video of a session from this past Spring in the crypt at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral is available to stream for the next week at Absolute Radio.
The Gallagher brothers’ ongoing duel of one-upmanship has spilled over into their North American touring itinerary. Noel Gallagher has announced the first Stateside live dates in support of his solo debut Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, out November 8, and though it’s limited to major markets as the first Beady Eye jaunt was, it’s much more ambitious in scope. For example, while Beady Eye were able to fill if not quite sell out the Sound Academy back in June, Noel has booked not one but two nights at Massey Hall to open up the tour on November 7 and 8 – tickets $39.50 and $99.50 plus fees, on sale on September 9 at 10AM. Now I know that Oasis fans are devoted and Noel has said he’d play material from said band live, but still – that’s kind of… well that’s a lot of tickets to expect to sell. That’s all. Anyways, NME has another new song from the debut album available to stream.
Stream: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – “If I Had A Gun”
Video: Noel Gallagher & The High Flying Birds – “The Death Of You And Me”
Meanwhile, over at BBC6, Liam Gallagher discusses the slander lawsuit that remains against his brother about comments surrounding the end of Oasis and the next Beady Eye record.
Paste has a feature piece on Laura Marling, whose new record A Creature I Don’t Know is out on September 13 and who plays The Great Hall on September 23.
BBC has a conversation with Charlie Fink of Noah & The Whale about their plans for album number four and the influences being applied to it.
Ladytron’s Reuben Wu talks Gravity The Seducer with DIY; the album is out September 13 and they play The Phoenix on October 5.
The Quietus gets Portishead to select thirteen of their favourite albums. They’re at The Sound Academy on October 9 and 10.
Sweden’s The Sounds have set a North American tour in support of their new album Something To Die For; look for them at The Opera House on October 26.
Video: The Sounds – “Something To Die For”
If anyone was wondering – as I was – if there was going to be a way to get hands on a vinyl copy of I Break Horses’ gorgeous debut Hearts on vinyl in Canada without paying crazy import prices, take, um, heart – apparently there is an October 18 street date for physical editions of the record.
DIY reports that Sweden’s Those Dancing Days have decided to go on hiatus to tend to things IRL for a while. This is disappointing as they were one of the bands who had to pull out of SXSW this year due to visa snafus and I was hoping they’d make it up next year. Guess not.
Video: Those Dancing Days – “Reaching Forward”
Danish punks Iceage have released a new video from their debut New Brigade.
Video: Iceage – “You’re Blessed”
The lead track from the forthcoming M83 double-album ridicu-epic Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is now available to stream. They’re at Lee’s Palace on November 18.
Stream: M83 – “Intro”
The Jezabels have released a video to go with the first MP3 from Prisoner, out September 16 in their native Australia but not until next Spring over here. They’re at The Phoenix opening up for Hey Rosetta! on November 24 and possibly the just-announced second show on November 23; still waiting on confirmation of that.
MP3: The Jezabels – “Endless Summer”
Video: The Jezabels – “Endless Summer”
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