Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Frank YangWho: Tokyo Police Club
What: Local boys play their first hometown headlining show for last year’s Champ
Why: Okay, I already ran a giveaway for this show back in November but this one’s got a little something extra – in addition to seeing the show, you’ll also get to hit up Tokyo Police Club’s afternoon soundcheck at The Kool Haus. Which, I assume, they will go to the trouble of making a little more entertaining than a standard soundcheck – not that standing there listening to them mic a kick drum for 10 minutes isn’t scintillating.
When: Saturday, January 15, 2011
Where: The Kool Haus in Toronto (all ages)
Who Else: The co-headliners for the show are Two Door Cinema Club, the openers are PS I Love You
How: Tickets for the show are $21.50 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation and Smirnoff Canada, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show and access to the aforementioned soundcheck, which will take place around 3:15 PM on the 15th so if you’re entering, please make sure you can attend. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Tokyo Police Club soundcheck” in the subject line and your full name and cell phone number in the body (this is so the LiveNation rep can contact you with specifics, not so that I can crank call you though I don’t promise that won’t happen – hey, nothing’s free). Contest closes at midnight, January 13.
What else: aux.tv has an interview with Tokyo Police Club.
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)”
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Review of British Sea Power’s Valhalla Dancehall
FacebookHow do you like your British Sea Power? Abrasive and anarchic as on their debut The Decline Of British Sea Power? Slick and anthemic as on the follow-up Open Season? Or are you loathe to choose between the two and prefer the middle ground that album number three – Do You Like Rock Music? – treads upon?
If you raised your hand for option c), then the Brighton-based Brits’ fourth effort Valhalla Dancehall – out today – should be on your “to-buy” list because it confirms that BSP have established their own little musical kingdom between the aforementioned territorial extremes where their eccentricities and populist tendencies intermingle and coexist. And if you preferred either a) or b), then Dancehall still has much to offer because, let’s face it, they’re too inherently weird to ever be too conventional and their musical vision is too widescreen to ever allow them to go soft.
Though it treads familiar terrain, Dancehall still carves its own niche, distinct from its predecessors. While opener “Who’s In Control?” sets a frenzied tone, overall the titular qualities the defined Rock Music has been dialed down slightly with grandeur taking priority over bombast. There’s still plenty of the latter, make no mistake, but it’s delivered in a more polished manner with some of the white noise having resolved into more atmospheric qualities and they’re balanced with truly gentle moments such as “Baby” and plenty in between. If Valhalla‘s place in the BSP canon is to be summed up in one word, it’s “refinement” in that it takes all their by-now familiar touchstones and dresses them up in just the right amount of classy. To some that might sound like maturing and/or getting boring, but if it gives us more gems like album closer “Heavy Water”, with its subtle motorik pulse, then call it what you like – I’ll take it.
Clash has excerpted a portion of an interview with the band from their latest issue and The Fly also has a feature piece.
MP3: British Sea Power – “Who’s In Control?”
MP3: British Sea Power – “Living Is So Easy”
Video: British Sea Power – “Living Is So Easy”
Stream: British Sea Power / Valhalla Dancehall
The Line Of Best Fit and The Fly have feature pieces on Esben & The Witch, whose debut Violet Cries is out on February 8. I said after seeing them open for Foals back in September that I’d wait until I heard the album before passing judgement on whether they were worth paying attention to… and having heard it, I’m still paying attention.
The Quietus talks to PJ Harvey about her new record Let England Shake, due out February 15.
The first single from Noah & The Whale’s forthcoming Last Night On Earth has a video and the album itself has a proper release date – it will be out on March 8 and they’ll be at the Mod Club on March 24.
Video: Noah & The Whale – “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.”
NME reports that Glasvegas have given their second album the title of Euphoric Heartbreak; sorry Glasvegas dudes, but I will not indulge you with including the “///” or “\\\” when writing the title because it is, how you say, bullshit. Only M.I.A. got away with that because she’s batshit. The first single from said record will be made available this weekend and the record is due out sometime in the Spring.
The Fly checks in with Patrick Wolf, who’s in the studio working on his next album – it’s still untitled but will be out in May. twentyfourbit has some live video of Wolf previewing new material at a recent London show.
Synth-pop pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark are back, both with a new album in History Of Modern (released last year) and their first North American tour in over two decades – it will kick off on March 5 at The Phoenix in Toronto, tickets $28.50. Between you and me and the internet, I played their best-of In The Dark a fair bit in high school. No I wasn’t cool. Is that just becoming clear now?
Video: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – “If You Leave”
The Radio Dept. talks to Spinner about some of the more political angles of their work. Their compilation album Passive Aggressive is out January 25 and they’re at Lee’s Palace on February 7.
Spin is streaming the new single from Lykke Li; her new record Wounded Rhymes will be out on March 1 and she plays The Phoenix on May 22.
Pitchfork has details on Peter Bjorn & John’s new record Gimme Some, due out March 29. Spin talks to Peter Moren about the record.
Jens Lekman has taken to his blog to announce that 2011 will, if the stars align, see him release a new album. And an EP. If the stars align.
Monday, January 10th, 2011
Wavelength turns 11, throws a party
Myspace Toronto’s venerable Wavelength might have closed out their weekly showcase series last year in favour of intermittent events throughout the year, but they’ve not given up their tradition of throwing a killer birthday party or five. As they’ve done in years past, Wavelength Eleven (or event #515 if you’re keeping track) will commandeer venues around this city from February 16 through 20 and fill them with many of the finest acts the city and outlying regions have to offer, spanning all styles and genres, frequently on the same bill.
I missed last year’s festivities but hit up one of the 9th anniversary shows in 2009 and it’s interesting to see that one of the undercard acts at that show – Hooded Fang – has already graduated to headline status. This they’ve done on the strength of their debut Album, released last October to considerable praise. And indeed, it’s an impressive first effort that reflects the remarkable rate at which they’ve improved as a band since first making noise in late ’08/early ’09 – I saw them three times over the course of 2009 and each time, most flaws I’d have pointed out for the time before had been sorted without diminishing the amount of fun they were clearly having on stage. Album‘s orchestrally-inclined power pop still tends a bit more to the precious/twee side of things than I’d like and can feel a bit samey over the course of its dozen songs, but the degree of songwriting, musicianship and genuine joy it captures is undeniable. As was clear in each of those live reviews from 2009, big things seem an inevitability for this crew.
Hooded Fang will be closing out the Saturday night of Wavelength Eleven at The Great Hall. The rest of the week’s events look like this – tickets for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows are $11 while Wednesday and Sunday are PWYC. There is also a $33 all-access passes available. Check in at Wavelength for descriptions of each act. aux.tv has an interview with Hooded Fang.
Wednesday, February 16 @ Teranga – Anagram, Bruised Knees, The Guest Bedroom, The Jim Storie Juniors
Thursday, February 17 @ The Music Gallery – Kite Hill, Eiyn Sof, Gordon Grdina’s East Van Strings, Not The Wind, Not The Flag
Friday, February 18 @ The Steam Whistle Roundhouse – Woodhands, Minotaurs, Pat Jordache, Romo Roto, Doldrums
Saturday, February 19 @ The Great Hall – Hooded Fang, Maylee Todd, Little Girls, Eric Chenaux Electric Trio, Grimes
Sunday, February 20 @ The Garrison – Lullabye Arkestra, Neon Windbreaker, Simply Saucer, Ghostlight
MP3: Hooded Fang – “Laughing”
MP3: Hooded Fang – “Mutant Beart”
MP3: Woodhands – “Dissembler”
MP3: Eric Chenaux – “Warm Charleston”
MP3: Little Girls – “Growing”
MP3: Lullabye Arkestra – “We Fuck The Night”
In other just-announced live music happenings – guitar goddess Marnie Stern and prog-rockers Tera Melos will be at Wrongbar on March 8 as part of an extensive North American tour.
MP3: Marnie Stern – “For Ash”
MP3: Tera Melos – “Frozen Zoo”
We’re still some ways out from having a Canadian Musicfest schedule to pore over, but you’d be just silly to not keep staying at the Opera House all night – that’s the Billions showcase – circled on your calendar. The lineup will read like Land Of Talk, Hollerado, Cadence Weapon, Isis (ex. Thunderheist) and Little Scream, so while club-hopping is part of the CMF experience, there’s something to be said for staying put all night.
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Quarry Hymns”
MP3: Hollerado – “Americanarama”
MP3: Cadence Weapon – “Real Estate”
And I’m very excited that Sharon Van Etten, after many visits in a support capacity, will be playing her first headlining show here at the Drake on April 12 with Little Scream supporting – there’s a recording of her show at the Bowery in New York City last week up at NYC Taper. You may recall that her epic was one of my favourite albums of 2010, and she’s already started work on the follow-up with Aaron Dessner of The National.
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Love More”
The New Zealand Herald talks to The National’s Matt Berninger about their breakout year of 2010.
There’s a new video from Retribution Gospel Choir’s album 2.
Video: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Your Bird”
The Skinny talks to Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam about his new record Kiss Each Other Clean, due out January 25.
Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance discuss their visual artistic pursuits with Design Sponge.
Inara George of The Bird & The Bee chats with Spinner.
Pitchfork has a feature interview with Dan Bejar of Destroyer. His sax-y new album Kaputt arrives January 25 and he plays Lee’s Palace on March 31.
The Line Of Best Fit and NOW talk to Jonas Bonnetta of Evening Hymns about their new, nude video for “Dead Deer” from Spirit Guides. The band are currently out in the wilds of Ontario somewhere recording their next album, already dubbed Spectral Dusk – the proceedings are being documented on their Tumblr.
Video: Evening Hymns – “Dead Deer”
Diamond Rings’ John O’Regan discusses the therapeutic aspects of music with Spinner. He’s at the Sound Academy January 26 opening up for Robyn.
Sunday, January 9th, 2011
The Decemberists cover R.E.M.
Frank YangWhen you’re an artist who’s been around for a certain amount of time, the phrase “return to form” will begin creeping into descriptions of new works more and more as time goes on. It’s inevitable, whether or not past forms actually need to be returned to or not, and said phrase has been getting bandied about lately in reference to a couple of high-profile releases coming out soon
In the case of R.E.M., who’ve now been at it for over three decades and are set to release album number fifteen in Collapse Into Now on March 8, it’s an acknowledgement that some of their recent output has been patchy and hopefully confirms that this latest effort builds on the positive response their last “return to form”, 2008’s Accelerate.
For the eight year-old Decemberists, it’s less a comment on any clear missteps over their six studio albums and more a reference to the fact that The King Is Dead, due out next Tuesday, has got more of that folky vibe that was at the forefront of their first couple albums or maybe that it’s simply not a rock opera like its predecessor The Hazards Of Love.
It also features some guest guitarwork from R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, who joined the band onstage at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 10 of 2009 for a cover of his own band’s “Begin The Begin”, the lead track from their 1986 classic Life’s Rich Pageant. Colin Meloy actually does a pretty good Stipe growl overtop a fairly straight cover, but hey – when you’ve got the guy who wrote the tune guesting, you don’t put your “reinterpretation” hat on. You just do it.
The Decemberists are at The Sound Academy on February 1. It is unlikely Peter Buck will join them.
MP3: The Decemberists – “Begin The Begin” (live)
Video: The Decemberists – “Begin The Begin” (live)
Video: R.E.M. – “Begin The Begin” (live)
Saturday, January 8th, 2011
jayhawksofficial.comWho: The Jayhawks
What: Legendary Minneapolis-based alt.country forebears
Why: Following a career with no shortage of identity issues – are they The Jayhawks without Mark Olson? Are Mark Olson & Gary Louris together The Jayhawks even if they won’t call themselves The Jayhawks? – the generally-acknowledged classic lineup responsible for Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow The Green Grass is finally back together and touring – just in time for the remastered reissues of those two records on January 18.
When: January 18, 2011
Where: The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Toronto singer-songwriter Kirsten Jones supports.
How: Tickets for the show are $29.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, 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 The Jayhawks” in the subject line with your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, January 13.
What else: Gary Louris and Mark Olson talk to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune on the status of the new Jayhawks record (of course there’s a new Jayhawks record), currently being mixed and to be released later this year.
Video: The Jayhawks – “Blue”
Video: The Jayhawks – “Waiting For The Sun”
Video: The Jayhawks – “Settled Down Like Rain”
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