Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
NXNE announces 2010 lineup; even skeptics admit it’s a little bit of alright
Mick RockFor those of us who’ve become accustomed to the all-encompassing scale, splendour and chaos of that grandaddy of all club-level music festivals – that’s SxSW, in case you were wondering – It can be kind of fun to pick on the Toronto versions CMW/CMF and NXNE for, essentially, not being South-by. It’s not a fair comparison by any means, but it’s inevitable. We’ve had to check those darts and break out some laurels in recent years, however, as both fests have made significant improvements in terms of organization, public relations and most importantly, bookings. NxNE, in particular, has been wise in making use of the public space at Yonge-Dundas Square to get right in the faces of Toronto for the middle of June and make it feel like much more of a major city event, instead of one of many things going on in the Big Smoke at a given time. They started out with modestly interesting day shows but as of a couple years ago, began booking some of the biggest names of the fest there for shows that were completely open to the public. That is how you build good will.
And with the initial announcement of artists coming to town from June 17 to 20, they’ve really kind of outdone themselves. The big coup is clearly Iggy & The Stooges, who will play for free at Yonge-Dundas Square on the evening of June 19, and the punk legends set the tone for many of the other names announced yesterday, many of whom come from the big, loud and sloppy side of the tracks. Obviously the actual schedule is still a ways away, but some digging has revealed at least some of the when and where of some of the acts playing the festival – just to give you a taste of some of the tough choices that the Toronto club-hopper will have to make (besides the obvious one of Iggy vs Pavement/Broken Social Scene). These are not complete and are subject to change, but do come from legitimate sources.
Thursday, June 17 2010
X, Mudhoney @ Yonge-Dundas Square (free)
Warpaint, Free Energy, Elliott Brood @ The Horseshoe
The Besnard Lakes, Young Galaxy @ The Mod Club
HEALTH, Gold Panda, Indian Jewelry @ Sneaky Dee’s
Friday, June 18 2010
Sloan @ Yonge-Dundas Square (free)
Man… Or Astro-Man?, Mudhoney @ The Horseshoe
AA Bondy, Simone Felice, Avi Buffalo @ The Great Hall
Japandroids, Wavves @ Lee’s Palace
Inlets @ TBA
Saturday, June 19 2010
Iggy & The Stooges, Wavves @ Yonge-Dundas Square (free)
Quintron & Miss Pussycat, JEFF The Brotherhood @ The Garrison
Cold Cave, Avi Buffalo @ Lee’s Palace
Sunday, June 20 2010
De La Soul, Kid Sister, Phenomenal Handclap Band @ Yonge-Dundas Square (free)
And playing free shows at Yonge-Dundas at some point during the week will be The Raveonettes and Surfer Blood, while confirmed but still without a date or venue are Les Savvy Fav, Thee Oh Sees, The Soft Pack and The Strange Boys, amongst many, many others. And these are just the “bigger” names – by June, surely there’ll be a whole new batch of buzz bands to complain about being booked into undersized venues. Such is the joy of NXNE. But at least it will be warm.
Elsewhere and/or elsewhen. Rae Spoon has just released the thereisafire EP as a preview of his new record Love is A Hunter, due out in August. The EP is available to download for free and he will be at the Holy Oak in Toronto on Friday night, April 16, for a show.
MP3: Rae Spoon – “Come On Forest Fire” (CPI Remix)
MP3: Rae Spoon – “There Is A Light”
ZIP: Rae Spoon / thereisafire
Her time as a Decemberist at an end, at least for now, Shara Worden is returning to work as My Brightest Diamond and will be at the El Mocambo on May 4, presumably to showcase material from the follow-up to 2008’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. Tickets for that show are $10.50 in advance.
MP3: My Brightest Diamond – “Inside A Boy”
MP3: My Brightest Diamond – “The Diamond”
Local heroes-in-waiting Zeus have set a date at the Mod Club for May 27. Tickets for that will be $12 in advance.
MP3: Zeus – “Marching Through Your Head”
Blitzen Trapper have added a Toronto date to the end of their North American tour in support of their new record Destroyer Of The Void, due out June 8. Look for them on August 3 at the Opera House, accompanied by Avi Buffalo who – with their two NxNE shows – are going to be hanging around Toronto a lot this Summer.
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Heaven & Earth”
MP3: Avi Buffalo – “Remember Last Time”
MP3: Avi Buffalo – “What’s In It For?”
Dan Snaith of Caribou talks to Chart about new album Swim, out April 20. Caribou play the Phoenix on May 3.
MySpace Transmissions has a watchable/listenable/downloadable session with Broken Bells. They are at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on June 2.
A second MP3 from The National’s High Violet is now available. The record is out May 11. They play Massey Hall on June 8 and 9.
MP3: The National – “Afraid Of Everyone”
Filter gets to know She & Him; they have a sold-out show at The Phoenix on June 9.
BBC6 talks to Ryan Monroe of Band Of Horses about their new record Infinite Arms, from which they’re previewing another new track on their website. The record is in stores on May 18 and they play the Toronto Island Concert on June 19.
Mother Jones and Spinner talk to Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, who’ve just released a new video. Yeah, it’s weird.
Video: The Flaming Lips – “Powerless”
Josh Ritter previews his new record So Runs The World Away via Daytrotter session. The record is out May 4.
Le Blogotheque is hosting a Take-Away Show with Megafaun.
aux.tv Q&As Liz Powell from Land Of Talk, who also stopped in at Explore Music to perform a Big Star cover.
Video: Land Of Talk – “Thirteen” (live at Exploremusic)
Woodpigeon have a video for the title track of their new Spirehouse EP, which also appeared on Die Stadt Muzikanten. You can download the song for free in exchange for your email at Bandcamp.
Video: Woodpigeon – “Spirehouse”
OMG Blog has premiered a new video from Gentleman Reg for his cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Wild Heart” from his Heavy Head EP.
Video: Gentleman Reg – “Wild Heart”
Forest City Lovers have christened album number three as Carriage. Look for it around July.
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Review of Lucky Soul’s A Coming Of Age
Lucky SoulHere’s a little bit of trivia for you. Of the 66 artists who’ve either placed in my year-end lists since I began recording them in 2003 or made my “favourite records of the past seven years” list, 18 of them have or are about to release new records this year, eight more were due to put one out this year, eight have put out solo records or collaborations and five more are currently in the studio. Which is to say that if past history is any indicator, 2010 is going to be an exceptional year for music.
While it’s presumptuous to assume that many or even any of those acts will be making repeat appearances on any list of this year’s favourites, one follow-up that’s pretty much a shoo-in is A Coming Of Age, the sophomore effort from London’s Lucky Soul. Their 2007 debut The Great Unwanted was and remains one of my favourite releases of this century, a pretty much perfect collection of classically-styled, throwback pop built on Andrew Laidlaw’s songwriting and Ali Howard’s sun-kissed vocals. So while I was clearly going to be favourably inclined towards the follow-up, it also had some huge footsteps to follow in – footsteps which it uses not so much as a starting line but a launching pad.
It was already clear from the new material previewed when I went to see Lucky Soul make their live US debut in October 2008 that the band had ambitions beyond the northern soul/girl-group vibe that they had pretty much perfected their first time out, but I was still more than surprised by the range of influences that come into play on A Coming Of Age. There are the disco inflections of the irresistible leadoff track, “Whoa Billy!”, the ’80s indie jangle of “White Russian Doll”, the classic Motown stylings of “Love 3”, the light country twang of “Upon Hilly Fields”… and that’s just the first third of the record. Of course, such ranginess wouldn’t be something to laud if they weren’t able to pull it all off but they certainly do, all without losing any of their own distinct personality – quite the opposite, in fact.
The more they push outwards from what The Great Unwanted defined Lucky Soul as, the more they prove they’re so much more than what that implied. It certainly reinforces their ability to craft a pop hook for the ages, and addition to the greater blend of styles, the material also covers a greater emotional spectrum. The charming girlishness of Ali Howard’s presence, which so perfectly captured the spirit of their debut, has matured and grown more experienced on the follow-up with Howard’s stronger voice proving up to the task of expressing those emotions. The best examples of what Lucky Soul are capable of now come at what would logically be the final tracks of sides A and B – the title track and “Could It Be I Don’t Belong Anywhere” – both of which ride sweeping string sections to dramatic effect but stay just on the right side of tasteful, evoking grandeur rather than excess. The latter, in particular, deftly runs the gamut from daydreamy wistfulness to swirling tumult so naturally, you don’t even notice the storm clouds gather until they’re upon you and it does it in under three-and-a-half minutes, providing a remarkable finale to a remarkable record from a most remarkable band.
Lucky Soul have just released a new puppet-powered video for “Whoa Billy!” which was written, shot, edited entirely by the band. A Coming Of Age is out next Monday in the UK, with no domestic release at the moment but amazon.ca and amazon.com both have it listed as imports. The Von Pip Musical Express talks to songwriter Andrew Laidlaw, who has also taken to the band’s blog to annotate a song from the new record each day over the next twelve days or so. Touring over here is probably far too much to hope for, but if they manage to make it over here for a date or two again, you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll be there.
MP3: Lucky Soul – “A Coming Of Age”
MP3: Lucky Soul – “Whoa Billy!”
Video: Lucky Soul – “Whoa Billy!”
Video: Lucky Soul – “White Russian Doll”
MySpace: Lucky Soul
The New York Times gets a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion and styling of Florence & The Machine; NPR and Blare also have interviews with Florence Welch.
Spinner talks to Doves about their new best-of collection The Places Between, from which they’ve released a video for the one new song.
Video: Doves – “Andalucia”
There’s also a new Lightspeed Champion clip from Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You. NME reports that Dev Hynes recently had a bad time with some medical issues, but is feeling better now.
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Madame Van Damme”
And also one from Emma Pollock, taken from her second solo record The Law Of Large Numbers.
Video: Emma Pollock – “Red Orange Green”
Metro and Love Shack Baby have interviews with members of Fanfarlo.
The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The Province and The Vancouver Sun have features on and MPR a streaming radio session with The xx. They’re at the Kool Haus on April 20.
Song By Toad has a lovely session with Mumford & Sons available to download.
A first sample of Been Listening, the second album from Johnny Flynn, is now available to download. The record is out June 7.
MP3: Johnny Flynn – “Kentucky Flynn”
The Quietus has details on The Boxer, the debut solo effort from (former?) Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke. It’s out June 21.
NME reports that Richard Hawley will release a new digital EP on June 8 entitled False Lights From The Land, featuring “Remorse Code” from last year’s Truelove’s Gutter, one new song and two covers.
Fyfe Dangerfield will be playing a handful of North American dates in support of his solo record Fly Yellow Moon, including a May 23 date at the El Mocambo. Leeds Music Scene and The Linc have interviews with the lead singer of The Guillemots.
MP3: Fyfe Dangerfield – “She Needs Me”
Video: Fyfe Dangerfield – “She Needs Me”
Athlete will bring their new record Black Swan to Lee’s PAlace on June 7 – full North American dates at The Music Slut.
Video: Athlete – “Black Swan Song”
The June 1 release of The Futureheads’ new record The Chaos will be accompanied by a North American tour, including a June 10 date at the Mod Club. There’s a feature piece on the band at News Of The World.
MP3: The Futureheads – “Struck Dumb”
The Guardian reports that Supergrass will be calling it a day this Summer, after 17 years of power-pop.
Video: Supergrass – “Richard III”
If you’ve got 90 minutes to kill, then this episode of BBC6’s The Record Producers on Bernard Butler is well worth a listen – it examines his works from Suede through his solo career to his role today as one of the most in-demand producers in the UK, complete with interviews and exclusive audio samples.
The Sun reports that Blur will release their first new single in seven years this Saturday for Record Store Day in the UK. The head of their label Parlophone tells BBC6 he hopes this is just the start of more new music from the band. Of course he does.
Spinner talks to Bernard Sumner about both Bad Lieutenant and New Order.
Drowned In Sound gets to know Chapterhouse, whose May 1 show at the Horseshoe has unfortunately been cancelled.
Roger Waters will kick off the 30th anniversary tour for Pink Floyd’s The Wall on September 15 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The Toronto Star talks to Waters about the tour, which he says will likely be his last.
Eardrums talks to the makers of a documentary currently being made about legendary Sarah Records label. The Story Of Sarah Records isn’t due out until the end of the year, but a teaser trailer is up now and call for stories and memorabilia about the label open.
Trailer: The Story Of Sarah Records
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Titus Andronicus, Hollerado and Sandman Viper Command at Sneaky Dee’s in Toronto
Frank YangKids and their punk rock. That none of the bands on the bill at Sneaky Dee’s on Friday night were really what anyone who gave it some thought would call punk was irrelevant – the youth of Toronto were out and were gonna get drunk and smash some shit up. And Titus Andronicus would be their soundtrack.
The evening began relatively politely, with Burlington’s Sandman Viper Command making a strong argument against the attitude that nothing good has ever come out of Burlington (that’s my attitude, anyways). The quartet, who have one album under their belt in last year’s Everybody See This, impressed with a breed of rock that clearly had its eye on interesting and unconventional musical horizons while keeping sight of the directness and melodicism of their garage-y roots. Usually the most a local act opening for a hotly-tipped touring act can hope for is politeness, but when their set was cut a bit short by frontman Rob Janson’s Gibson SG ceasing to function, there was genuine disappointment from the crowd.
That feeling wouldn’t last, however, as Hollerado – who proudly hail from Manotick, Ontario and not Ottawa thank you very much – would turn any frowns upside down with their set. Though almost a year has passed since I first saw them last June opening up for The Dead Weather at the Horseshoe, they were still working their debut Record In A Bag, though in the interim it had gone from free download to actual physical product you could buy (but it’s still available for free). Also the same as last time was the fact that they put on a fantastic show that made it clear that they knew that playing rock’n’roll was supposed to be fun and if there was one thing clear through their loud, tight riffs and big hooks was that they were having fun and when the band’s having fun, the audience is almost certainly having fun. Those seeking angst would find it in spades with the headliners.
It was last week that I declared my obsession/admiration for Titus Andronicus’ new record The Monitor, which is something that really took me entirely by surprise considering their debut The Airing Of Grievances didn’t make all that much of an impression when it was reissued last year. I suspect that put me in the minority of those who were piled into the front of Sneaky Dee’s as the Glen Rock, New Jersey band was setting up shop. If they weren’t already long-term believers, then they were new converts with the zeal that comes that and as soon as the band kicked things off with “A More Perfect Union”, it became very clear to me that my position up front and centre was a very bad place to be if I wanted to survive the night. After basically being pushed onstage and on top of frontman Patrick Stickles’ monitor and pedalboard, I fought my way towards the relative safety of the sides of the stage and let those hell-bent on moshing the night away do their thing.
Without my body to act as a buffer, the mosh pit quickly surged onto the stage and knocked out Stickles’ vocal monitors completely and his appeals to try and keep the bedlam off of his pedals so that he could keep playing looked like they were falling on deaf ears. And right there, in a nutshell, was the odd position that Titus Andronicus seemed to find themselves in with this record and tour – its scope, cerebralness and general awesomeness make The Monitor an album that deserves to be listened closely to, to be meditated upon, but their more visceral qualities – which are legion, especially live – will just make the kids want to freak out. They eventually gave up on the monitors, just crossed their fingers for their gear and aside from a request to try not to crush anyone, plowed ahead.
Now I’d heard many tales of Titus Andronicus’ live prowess at SxSW last month, but even forewarned it was something to behold. With slightly crazy eyes and a thick black beard, Stickles was a magnetic figure on stage, wringing out anthemic guitar lines from his abused Gretsch, screaming himself hoarse into the mic – in key, no less, despite not being able to hear himself – and even going for a crowd surf. And his bandmates managed to recreate far more of the sounds and nuances of The Monitor than we had any right to expect, thanks in particular to keyboardist David Robbins and second guitarist/violinist Amy Klein. As it should have, the set leaned heavily on The Monitor with some of the quieter tracks swapped out for a healthy selection of Grievances‘ raucousness – as such, the only lulls came within the songs and the overall energy level of the hour-plus performance never waned. When the last notes of “Four Score and Seven” rang out, all that was left was a haze – or daze – of sweat and beer and the understanding that as insane as the crowd was, the opportunity to have seen Titus play before their die-hards should be appreciated because as they continue to blow up – and they will – the number of fans whose musical appreciation manifests itself as head-nodding (which largely includes me, tis true) as well as the size of the rooms they play in will only grow. The bruises and aches will fade, but the memory of seeing Titus Andronicus utterly demolish a small club with a little help from their friends – that will remain. Titus Andronicus forever.
Live Music Project, Chart and eye also have reviews of the show. The Boston Herald, Hartford Courant and Philadelphia Inquirer talk to Patrick Stickles about the themes of The Monitor. Hollerado tells Chart why they’re giving away their old van and Brock Press interviews Sandman Viper Control, who have a neat video session over at Southern Souls.
Photos: Titus Andronicus, Hollerado, Sandman Viper Command @ Sneaky Dee’s – April 9, 2010
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “A More Perfect Union”
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Four Score And Seven” (Part One)
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Four Score And Seven” (Part Two)
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Titus Andronicus”
MP3: Hollerado – “Juliette”
MP3: Hollerado – “Fake Drugs”
MP3: Hollerado – “Americanarama”
MP3: Sandman Viper Command – “Strawberry Quick”
MP3: Sandman Viper Command – “Oh Yeah, It’s Fusion”
ZIP: Hollerado / Record In A Bag
Video: Titus Andronicus – “A More Perfect Union”
Video: Titus Andronicus – “Titus Andronicus”
Video: Hollerado – “Juliette”
Video: Hollerado – “Americanarama”
MySpace: Titus Andronicus
MySpace: Hollerado
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review talks to Mike Cooley of the Drive-By Truckers.
Daytrotter has posted up a session with The Dutchess & The Duke, who will be at the Sound Academy on June 15 opening up for The New Pornographers.
Bring Back The Boombox talks to Rolf Klausner of The Acorn, whose new album No Ghost comes out June 1.
The Sadies’ new album Darker Circles isn’t out till May 18 but is currently available to stream. They play Lee’s Palace on May 18 and Harbourfront Centre on Canada Day.
Stream: The Sadies / Darker Circles
Paste declares Timber Timbre the “best of what’s next”. He/they play the Toronto Island Concert on June 19.
The Besnard Lakes will be at the Mod Club on June 17 for what’s sure to be a NxNE-affiliated show.
MP3: The Besnard Lakes – “Albatross”
Chart has details on the unexpected return of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, who will curate this year’s Nightmare Before Christmas edition of All Tomorrow’s Parties, taking place December 3 to 5 in Minehead, UK and follow that up with a number of European and “9 american towns” before again fading into the shadows. Whether they mean “United States of” or “North” is unclear, and they’re unsurprisingly refusing to do press so the answer to whether or not they’ll be playing anywhere near here will have to wait until they say so.
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
The Wedding Present covers Pavement
The Moment’s GoneConsider this entry a bit of an adjunct to yesterday’s contest post wherein I wondered exactly which edition of Bizarro we’d hear The Wedding Present perform on the album’s 20th anniversary tour. Because if they do what’s probably the right thing and stick to the original album’s 10 tracks, then we may not get to hear their version of Pavement’s “Box Elder”, which was originally included as a b-side on the Brassneck EP and added to the US edition of the album as well as the 2001 reissue.
For further information and context, refer to this FAQs.org piece on the band, particularly item 5.2 which I’ve helpfully copied out here below:
Q5.2 Did TWP cover a Pavement song? Where can I find the original?
A5.2 David Gedge: “Keith returned from a holiday in America in 1989 with a cassette of [“Box Elder”] which we all liked and decided to cover on the Brassneck E.P. ”
It can also be found on the American version of Bizarro, as well as Hit Parade 3.
The original version by Pavement can be found on the Slay Tracks record, as well as their Westing (By Musket & Sextant) compilation.
This question comes up because Pavement were not credited on the US version, though they were on the UK version. Also the copyright date on Westing is later than that of Bizarro, leading people to believe that Pavement covered TWP.
Though it should be noted that according to this, “Box Elder” never actually did appear on the France-only mini-LP Hit Parade 3. So interestingly, what was one of the band’s more popular early tracks was also one of the more elusive to actually get a hold of in some parts of the world, at least until the digital age.
Anyways, what’s important is this – The Wedding Present are at the Horseshoe this Wednesday night, April 14, and may or may not play “Box Elder”. The reunited Pavement are headlining the Toronto Island Concert on June 19 and almost certainly will.
MP3: The Wedding Present – “Box Elder Mo”
Video: Pavement – “Box Elder” (live)
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Jon BergmanKids, they grow up so fast. It was just a couple years ago that those Welsh scamps in Los Campesinos! were causing a ruckus via a free show at The Horseshoe with only their Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP to warn folks what hijinks they were up to, but since then they’ve already released three albums, including this year’s Romance Is Boring, and have moved on to playing much bigger rooms. Case in point, their upcoming April 20 show in Toronto which will see them doing their thing in front of 1000 people at the Phoenix.
Tickets for the show are $16.50 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 Los Campesinos!” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Winners will be chosen after midnight, April 15 and because I’ve realized that this is important to some, this is an all-ages show. Come one, come all.
Spin declares the band to be breaking out. As in popularity, not as in their skin. Though that’s probably still happening too.
MP3: Los Campesinos! – “There Are Listed Buildings”
MP3: Los Campesinos! – “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future”
Video: Los Campesinos! – “There Are Listed Buildings”
Video: Los Campesinos! – “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future”
Video: Los Campesinos! – “Romance Is Boring”
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