Sunday, March 27th, 2011
The Raveonettes cover The Stone Roses
Vice RecordsThough they formed a decade ago, The Raveonettes are still a couple years from being able to mark the 10-year anniversary of their first album Chain Gang Of Love, the duo have been called on to mark some other notable anniversaries of late. Last Summer, they were one of a number of acts tapped to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martens and their iconic shoes by way of a cover.
For their selection they chose the first single from The Stone Roses, whose self-titled debut had itself just turned 20 the year before. It’s a pretty straight reading, though there’s no mistaking Sharin Foo’s icy coo for Ian Brown’s… Ian Brown-ness. And though she doesn’t appear in the video they made for the track – they go for an updated Harold & Maude-type narrative – I would imagine she’s a better dancer as well.
The Raveonettes’ new record Raven In The Grave came out last week and they’ll be in town on April 2 for both a free acoustic in-store at Sonic Boom at 6PM and a fully electrified and surely deafening show at The Phoenix later that same evening. The Stone Roses will, thankfully, probably never reunite and their legacy will remain intact. And though I’m generally loathe to recommend people re-buy records they should already own, I will say the John Leckie-remastered The Stone Roses that came out in 2009 is absolutely worth picking up as the sonic improvements are vast. There is actually some low end now! And Doc Martens remain great shoes.
MP3: The Raveonettes – “I Wanna Be Adored”
Video: The Raveonettes – “I Wanna Be Adored”
Video: The Stone Roses – “I Wanna Be Adored”
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Radiohead have already well proven their ability to break the internet at will – most recently with the digital sneak release of their latest album The King Of Limbs back in February – but like the old-schoolers they are at heart, they still love them some physical media. Witness the cryptic “newspaper album” they were offering with digital presales, comprising a super-deluxe package of CD, two bits of 10″ vinyl and “Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together”, in addition to regular CD and LP editions, all of which is going on sale this coming Tuesday.
But wait, there’s more. It was announced that in addition to releasing the album on Tuesday, Radiohead would also be publishing their own newspaper entitled The Universal Sigh on that date and be giving copies away for free at select locations – Torontonians can snag one at Yonge-Dundas Square. As for what it will contain, no one’s saying but they’ve been clear that this is a different print product than will accompany those who shelled out for the “newspaper album” pre-order. Maybe an advice column from Jonny? Rugby commentary from Ed? Hand-drawn comics from Thom? Actually that last one would almost certainly be disturbing, so maybe not.
Anyways, to do my part in feeding the Radiohead frenzy, I’ve got two copies of The King Of Limbs on CD to give away, courtesy of Maple Music (Radiohead’s Canadian distro). If you live in Canada and want one, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want the Radiohead” in the subject and your full name and mailing address in the body and maybe you’ll win one! Maybe. Contest closes at midnight, March 29.
Video: Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Frank YangWho: Crystal Castles
What: Infamous electro/8-bit/glitch-pop/shit-disturbing Toronto duo who put out a second self-titled record last year that even haters had to admit was pretty good.
Why: Write-ups of their notoriously volatile live shows are just as likely to show up in the police blotter as the entertainment pages, so factor in their biggest hometown headlining show yet and you’ve got, well, something that’s sure to be anecdote-worthy if nothing else.
When: Saturday, April 2, 2011
Where: The Sound Academy in Toronto
Who else: Opening up will be DD/MM/YYYY and Trust
How: Tickets for the show are $29.50 in advance but courtesy of Embrace, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Crystal Castles” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have to to me before midnight, March 30.
Video: Crystal Castles – “Baptism”
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Frank YangWho: DeVotchKa
What: Just another desperately romantic, cinematically-inclined Balkan-Mariachi folk-rock outfit from Denver. You know, swing a stick.
Why: With their new record 100 Lovers just released, the quartet are hittint the road and playing their first headlining show in Toronto in almost half a decade.
When: Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Where: The Mod Club in Toronto
Who else: Support will be New York hardcore act The Bronx in their Mariachi guise, Mariachi El Bronx
How: Tickets for the show are $20 in advance, but courtesy of LiveNation I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see DeVotchKa” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, March 28.
What else: The New York Daily News has an interview with frontman Nick Urata.
MP3: DeVotchKa – “100 Other Lovers”
Video: DeVotchKa – “100 Other Lovers”
Friday, March 25th, 2011
Noah & The Whale, Lanterns On The Lake, Revolver and more at SxSW
Frank YangI went into this year’s SxSW with a shorter than usual list of must-see acts, not necessarily because there wasn’t as much I was keen on seeing but because I just didn’t have the time to do a lot of research leading up to the festival – hence my frequent “what am I going to go see now?” moments throughout the week. One of those on the list, and who had been on my to-see list be it at SxSW or anywhere else, was Baltimore’s Lower Dens.
Their debut Twin Hand Movement had been recommended to me at some point last year and though I wouldn’t say I fell in love with it, I did find myself compelled to keep listening to it over and over again. It sounded to me like a Deerhunter that I actually liked, sharing a sort of garage-gaze aesthetic but with Jana Hunter’s project creating a sense of mystery rather than Bradford Cox’s meandering. Purely subjective and not a popular position, I know, but there it is.
And for the start of the evening’s program, at the unfortunately-named Klub Krucial, there was Lower Dens. I’d been warned that they weren’t the most visually appealing band – not as in ugly but as in not doing much on stage – and it was true, but any shortcomings in that department were made up for in how aurally hypnotic they were, with Hunter’s languid and androgynous vocals and their hazy, spiralling guitarwork. Their allotted time slot was shorter than a standard set at the festival, but I had gotten what I needed.
It was then back to Lustre Pearl, which at this rate I would surely have become Foursquare mayor of had there been any cell reception there. This time it was to see Noah & The Whale, whose Toronto show I’d be missing this week in favour of British Sea Power the same night. The English quartet had just released Last Night On Earth and with it, essentially reinvented themselves for the third time in as many albums. After the bouncy folk-pop of their debut and the depressive orchestration of First Days Of Spring, Night finds them again feeling upbeat and enamoured with ’80s New Romantic synth-pop and The Velvet Underground and trying to make the two mix. And while the lyrics on Night are rather banal – Charlie Fink is not a poet and this record lacks the earnest emotionalism that carried Spring through some of its clunkier moments – the band has an irresistible melodic sensibility and inherent charm that makes them difficult to dislike. And live, they’ve also got volume at their disposal. You wouldn’t expect it, but Noah & The Whale were one of the loudest bands of the fest so far, and the application of sonic force acted as a great unifier for the different styles – folk? Orch? Synth? Rock.
Completely un-rock but wholly enthralling was northern England’s Lanterns On The Lake, who were a recommendation from a reader (thanks Giselle!) and showcasing at the Central Presbyterian Church. Recently signed to Bella Union, the six-piece often playing facing each other on the church dias rather than the audience in the pews while crafting some of the prettiest sounds I’d hear all week. With singer Hazel Wilde’s delicate vocals overtop, their widescreen songs ebbed and tided like the ocean on rocky shores, possessing the dynamics of post-rock, the textures of shoegaze rendered orchestrally and the intimacy of folk or singer-songwriter, with all the unlike facets complimenting each other rather than conflicting. Simultaneously soothing and heart-rending, Lanterns On The Lake would be one of my best discoveries of the festival.
The intention had been to close out the night at Buffalo Billiards for some familiar sights and sounds with The Joy Formidable and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, but I was apparently one of hundreds with the same plan and so while the badge was effective at getting me into the venue, it couldn’t help me get any closer to the stage than about 10 rows of unusually tall people back. Which in and of itself wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker but the fact that The Joy Formidable were running about 20 minutes late made the futility of the situation clear, and I cut my losses and engaged plan B.
This involved battling my way the length of 6th St to the Easy Tiger Patio for Paris’ Revolver, even though I skipped seeing them back home at the start of the month. That choice was more out of self-preservation than lack of interest, however, so I was pleased for the opportunity to make up for it. I wasn’t sure what sort of turnout to expect for a French band in the heart of Texas, but the patio was quite happily full for their set. And really, why not – their vein of power pop has distinctly Americana/rockabilly overtones and you don’t need to be of any particular nationality to appreciate their impeccable 3-part harmonies and classic(al) melodicism. Superb stuff and a top way to end the night. Technically, I could have found one more showcase for the 1AM slot but there wasn’t anything I particularly wanted to see that I could get into and by the third night of SxSW, you’d have to be a pretty damned interesting band to win out over sleep.
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