Friday, May 13th, 2005

Jenny, You're Barely Alive

Rolling Stone gets a preview of Jenny Lewis’ solo record, tenatively titled Rabbit Fur Coat and due out in January of 2006. Thanks to Achtung Baby for the link. Lewis also tells The Kansas City Star (and repeats it to The Detroit News, via LHB) that Rilo Kiley has graduated from the distribution deal that they had with Warner Bros through their own label Beaute/Brute, and have officially signed with the major label. More Adventurous will be getting re-released in the near future, which seems an odd move considering that the album has not been hard to find at all in major retail stores – in fact, it’s already been discount priced. But the majors will do what the majors will do… Rilo Kiley are at the Opera House next Thursday.

Chart has a tenative list of all the artists scheduled to appear at NXNE next month. I’m looking at the list and… to be honest, save for the local bands who are usually playing around Toronto anyway, I don’t know hardly any of them. I’d certainly like to make it out to a couple of the shows this year, but am going to need some guidance on what’s worth seeing. Recommendations anyone? I like what I’ve heard of Catlow and Marah put on a good show, but otherwise nothing’s jumping out at me.

Billboard talks to Sleater-Kinney about the writing process of their new album, The Woods. Word is is that this is their heaviest album yet, and I believe it – the audio clip on their webpage nearly blew my speakers.

Drowned In Sound interviews British Sea Power siblings Yan and Hamilton. British Sea Power are at Lee’s next Tuesday.

Portastatic have completed a new album, Bright Ideas, slated for release in August. The last Portastatic album was practically a Superchunk record anyway, so it’s hard to be disappointed that Mac is concentrating on the side-project these days, but still – I hope this isn’t a sign that the ‘Chunk are going to be in mothballs for the long term.

Stream half the new Pernice Brothers album off their shiny new website. The stuff certainly sounds different from the solo acoustic renditions, that’s for sure. Discover A Lovelier You, out June 14, seems to continue to mark Joe’s progression further and further away from the orchestrated pop of his first few records and into more rock territory.

Someone please remind me when this comes out, please?

Daily Yomiuri previews the Canadian Wet tour hitting Japan this weekend. Via Pop (All Love).

Here are my photos from Wednesday night’s Mountain Goats show. And as a chaser, check out Zoilus’ piece on The Sunset Tree from last week’s Globe & Mail.

My stereo amplifier, an NAD 302, sounds great but is old school and has no remote. I, being lazy, don’t like having to get up and walk over to it everytime I want to switch a source or adjust the volume. Buying a new integrated amp just to address this seems unnecessary and buying a receiver is also not in the plans at this time, so I am going to build a remote. I figure a length of wooden dowel around 2 meters long will be sufficient to let me poke the channel buttons from my couch. I haven’t figured out how I’m going to handle the volume knob, though. Maybe magnets.

np – Swervedriver / Ejector Seat Reservation