Monday, July 18th, 2011
Review of Centro-Matic’s Candidate Waltz
Matt PenceConsistency is a fine trait for an artist to possess; so is prolificity. And yet possessing both in great measure isn’t always a formula for greatness as there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Consider Denton, Texas’ Centro-Matic – I discovered them circa 2004’s Love You Just The Same and instantly fell for its ragged and anthemic rock, proceeding pretty much immediately to search out most of their back catalog as one did back in the day when instantly downloading everything wasn’t quite as easy as it is now. There was a good long while that Will Johnson’s rasp was a fixture in my ears.
But keeping up with Johnson’s post Love You releases in his various guises – there was Centro-Matic, South San Gabriel for his gentler songs and his own name for compositions that somehow didn’t fit either – for whatever reason didn’t yield the same rewards and by the time the project-crossing Centro/San Gabriel double set Dual Hawks was released in 2008, my ability to distinguish one record from the last had gotten rather blurry. Each was sure to contain a solid batch of songs but when you’re staring at a dozen CD spines trying to decide which one to listen to, the level playing field can be a bit maddening (and for the record, Love You Just The Same would usually get the nod).
All that said, the latest Centro-Matic album Candidate Waltz sets itself apart from its peers from note one by opening not with a thickly distorted guitar chord or dry, declarative drum hit but an insistent motorik pulse the likes of which I certainly never thought I’d hear on a Centro-Matic record. Granted, the guitar riff and Johnson’s distinctive vocals follow close behind, but already the tenth Centro-Matic album has already made a statement that it’s not going to be business as usual. They’re still in the same business, make no mistake, but there’s a leanness and hunger in Candidate Waltz that I certainly haven’t heard in the last few records. Though uncharacteristically brief with its 32-minute running time, each of Waltz‘s nine songs are standouts in their own way, possessing a distinct personality that makes it the most engaging and satisfying release from any of Johnson’s projects in some time. And the best part is, having had Candidate Waltz on repeat for the last few weeks has made me hungry to re-explore their other records… and it turns out I’ve got a tonne of them.
Quick DFW, The Dallas Observer, NBC and Illinois Entertainer all have feature pieces on Centro-Matic.
MP3: Centro-Matic – “Only In My Double Mind”
Video: Centro-Matic – “Iso-Residue”
Pitchfork reports that Drive-By Truckers will have their eleven-year, nine-album legacy condensed down into 16 tracks on the forthcoming compilation Ugly Buildings, Whores & Politicians: Greatest Hits 1998-2009, due out August 2.
MP3: Drive-By Truckers – “Zip City”
4AD Sessions offers a set of performances from Iron & Wine. They play The Sound Academy on October 15.
NPR has a World Cafe session with Okkervil River.
Jonathan Richman will be in town for a couple nights as part of a Fall tour, camping out at Revival on the evenings of October 5 and 6.
Video: Jonathan Richman – “New England” (live on Top Of The Pops)
Prefix, The Chicago Tribune, Madison Square and The Phoenix interview Erika Anderson of EMA, in town at The Garrison this Saturday night, July 23.
Stereogum talks influences with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, because the contents of their record collections is so inscrutable based on the music they make. They play an in-store at Sonic Boom on August 1 and a show at The Opera House on August 2.
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
Gillian Welch covers Radiohead
gillianwelch.comThat Gillian Welch is a deft hand with folk and Americana stylings is a bit of an understatement; she and partner David Rawlings are about as good as it gets when it comes to songs evoking the starkness and beauty of the best of their musical roots. And, as it turns out, they’re pretty good at Britrock as well.
For an act with as traditional a sound as theirs, Welch and Rawlings have always had unusually strong ties to the realm of indie rock but when they began adding a version of one of Radiohead’s most unguardedly romantic songs to their repertoire in the mid-aughts, it was still something of a surprise – and a very pleasant one as their version is gorgeous and delicate and I’m the last person who’d want to hear less Jonny Greenwood guitar from back when he was actually into playing guitar, Welch and Rawlings’ acoustic breaks are pretty dang nice. A live version of their version was recorded in Minneapolis in September 2004 and released as a single.
Welch released her first new record in eight years with The Harrow & The Harvest at the end of June; she plays The Phoenix on July 25. There’s features on Welch at The Georgia Straight, Metromix, The Corriere Tandem and USA Today. Radiohead released The King Of Limbs back and March and have spent the months since then releasing live broadcasts, remixes and performing secret one-off shows. Not so much with the touring.
MP3: Gillian Welch – “Black Star”
Video: Gillian Welch – “Black Star” (live at Bonnaroo 2007)
Video: Radiohead – “Black Star” (live)
Saturday, July 16th, 2011
FacebookWhat: Out Of The Box Music & Arts Festival – a new mini-festival spread out over three days and seven shows and showcasing some of the region’s best up-and-coming acts
Why: Because it’s the August long weekend (even though it’s in July), because each show features art vendors and potentially entertaining themes (3D! Origami!), because there’s all-ages matinee shows and because it’s a lot of music for not a lot of money
Who: Olenka & The Autumn Lovers, Heartbeat Hotel, Foxes In Fiction and The Ruby Spirit are just a few of the acts who may well give this weekend a serious “I was there” cachet in a few years.
When: July 29, 30 and 31, 2011
Where: The Great Hall and Toronto Underground Cinema in Toronto (all-ages matiness, 19+ evening shows)
How: All shows are $10 at the door or $15 in advance for a festival pass – you don’t need a pocket calculator to figure out which is the best value – and courtesy of the festival, I’ve got five pairs of festival passes to give away. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to be Out Of The Box” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. Contest closes at midnight, July 24.
MP3: Olenka & The Autumn Lovers – “Odessa”
MP3: Foxes In Fiction – “School Night”
MP3: Heartbeat Hotel – “The Hello Barrel”
Saturday, July 16th, 2011
Frank YangWho: Cass McCombs
What: Nomadic and rangy American singer-songwriter now based out of Los Angeles and favouring a stark, baroque aesthetic for his darkly-hued country-folk songwriting
Why: His generally critically acclaimed career got an extra bump when his latest effort Wit’s End garnered a Pitchfork “Best New Music” nod.
When: Saturday, July 23, 2011
Where: The Rivoli in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Baltimore dream-pop outfit Lower Dens supports.
How: Tickets for the show are $13.50 in advance but courtesy of Domino Records, I’ve got a pair of passes and a copy of Wit’s End on LP to give away. To enter, email me at To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Cass McCombs” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, July 20.
What else: The AV Club has an interview with McCombs.
MP3: Cass McCombs – “County Line”
MP3: Cass McCombs – “The Lonely Doll”
Video: Cass McCombs – “County Line”
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Cut Off Your Hands notice that hands have not been cut off, plot return
VCPNew Zealand’s Cut Off Your Hands made some noise a couple years ago with their debut You And I, an enjoyable if not especially original collection of hepped-up, post-punk pop tunes intended to incite pogoing. And they worked that record pretty hard in North America, eventually losing both founding guitarist Mikey Ramirez to the rigours of touring and drummer Brent Harris to damaged hearing.
A couple years on and both are back in the fold to some degree and the band is back with a new album in Hollow, out in North America August 16, and they really want you to hear some of it. There’s a download of the more-Bunnymen-than-Bunnymen “Hollowed Out” along with some commentary at Spin, a video has been released for the first single and over at Facebook, a Like will get you another download from the new record. And oh hell, the whole thing is available to stream at Soundcloud. It’s definitely a more jangly/shimmery/classically Kiwi-pop record than the debut, more romantic-sounding and less in-your-face – still not breaking any new ground but it’s kind of nice to know that they’ve got a broader record collection to steal from than the first album implied.
Under The Radar has an interview with frontman Nick Johnson.
MP3: Cut Off Your Hands – “Hollowed Out”
Video: Cut Off Your Hands – “Fooling No One”
Stream: Cut Off Your Hands / Hollow
DIY and The Irish Independent with New Zealand’s current top musical export, The Naked & Famous. They play Lee’s Palace on August 9.
Billy Bragg has done what all good protest singers do and written a song about the News International phone hacking scandal currently unfolding in the UK – download the song for free, watch the video, read an op-ed by Billy in The Guardian and do what the man says – same applies in Toronto, by the way.
MP3: Billy Bragg – “Never Buy The Sun”
Video: Billy Bragg – “Never Buy The Sun”
The Guardian has premiered another new video from Cat’s Eyes’s self-titled debut.
Video: Cat’s Eyes – “Over You”
The Alternate Side has a session and interview with James Blake while inthemix and Time Out have feature pieces. He plays The Phoenix on September 30.
A public service announcement: The Two Door Cinema Club show originally scheduled to take place at The Phoenix on September 17 has been moved to Kool Haus. Also, Metro discovers frontman Alex Trimble listens to Lady Gaga.
Blood Orange has released a video from his debut Coastal Grooves, which is now set for an August 30 release.
Video: Blood Orange – “Sutphin Boulevard”
One of the new tracks from Ladytron’s forthcoming Gravity The Seducer, out September 13, is now available to download. They’re at The Phoenix October 5.
MP3: Ladytron – “White Elephant”
NPR are streaming a KCRW session with Friendly Fires, in town at The Phoenix on October 23.
Veronica Falls have supplemented the recent audio preview of their debut album, out in October, with a video.
MP3: Veronica Falls – “Come On Over”
Video: Veronica Falls – “Come On Over”
Allo Darlin’ will release a new non-album single in “Darren”, named for and inspired by Darren Hayman, former frontman of Hefner and featuring as a b-side a cover of “Wu Tang Clan”, originally by his project The French. Stream the a-side at Bandcamp.
The Daily Star chats with Florence Welch about some of the studio shenanigans that have gone into recording the second Florence & The Machine album.
PopMatters uses the occasion of the recent reissues as an excuse to reexamine the legacy of Suede. BBC also has an audio interview with Brett Anderson about getting the band back together; his new solo record Black Rainbows is out September 26. And regarding those Suede reissues; just noticed that eMusic has both Suede and Dog Man Star listed under “London Suede”. If you have an account and wanted to cherry pick the bonus material without re-buying everything a third time (like I do/don’t).
And alas, Gomez have cancelled the remainder of their North American tour due to illness, including Sunday’s show at The Phoenix.
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