Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

Heat Seeker

You may have noticed I’m on a bit of a Winter-hating trip this week, and with another 20 cm of snow forecast for today to go along with the 30 or so we got on Friday, that’s probably not going to end anytime soon. And while I’m not so naive as to suggest that music is a strong enough anodyne to counter the February blahs, putting on a record of concentrated Summer-y power pop goodness like Two Hours Traffic’s Little Jabs does help a bit.

I responded favourably to it when I first reviewed it last July but am a little surprised how a record that at first glance seemed to be just a solid bit of guitar pop has stayed in moderate to heavy rotation over the subsequent six months. Why? Well, it may just be solid guitar pop, but it’s also nearly perfect guitar pop. With buoyant melodies, breezy lyrics about girls and cars and an obvious appreciation for the finer points of six-string jangle, it may just get me through to the Spring.

And just in case an extra boost is needed, next week they’re setting out from their hometown of Charlottetown, PEI on a nationwide tour sponsored by CBC Radio 3 that hits the Horseshoe on February 23. Tickets for that are $8. They’re also offering up some live tracks recorded there this past June at NxNE (and where I saw them in July) and which you can stream in its entirety here. They’ve also just finished up a video for the ultra-infectious “Nighthawks”. The Chronicle Herald talks to the band about the successes of 2007 and working with producer Joel Plaskett on Little Jabs.

MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Backseat Sweetheart” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Better Safe Than Sorry” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Heat Seeker” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Stuck For The Summer”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Nighthawks”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Stuck For The Summer”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Jezebel”
Stream: Two Hours Traffic / Little Jabs
MySpace: Two Hours Traffic

Also on the bill that night are The Wooden Sky and My Shaky Jane, both of whom I’ve seen recently and make for a very solid bill. The Wooden Sky have also just completed a new video for the title track from their album When Lost At Sea.

Video: The Wooden Sky – “When Lost At Sea”

Also making the trek from the Maritimes to Toronto in the next month are Dog Day, with two Canadian Music Week shows scheduled for March – at the Horseshoe on the 6th and then the Rivoli on the 8th. They’ve let loose a couple more MP3s from their excellent Night Group record, just in case you weren’t convinced by what you’d heard so far.

MP3: Dog Day – “Oh Dead Life”
MP3: Dog Day – “Sleeping Waiting”
MP3: Dog Day – “Lydia”

The Chicago Tribune talks to Dean & Britta about life after Luna. They’re at the Mod Club on Saturday night.

Paste features Tapes’N’Tapes on April 14. Their new one Walk It Off is out a few days prior on April 8.

Spinner is streaming a bunch of new releases from artists who, incidentally, are all coming to town soon. Bob Mould’s District Line came out yesterday and he plays the Mod Club on March 10. Falling Off The Lavender Bridge from Lightspeed Champion came out last week and he’s at the Horseshoe on March 4. And finally, Sons & Daughters’ new Bernard Butler-produced album This Gift also came out last week and they’re at Lee’s Palace on March 26.

Stream: Bob Mould / District Line
Stream: Lightspeed Champion / Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Stream: Sons & Daughters / This Gift

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Ghost Under Rocks

So the sabbatical I’ve been taking from seeing live music for the past few weeks has evidently done me a world of good because not only was my narcolepsy under control before heading into Saturday night’s triple-bill at the El Mocambo, but I was actually eager to get out and see some bands play. And the lineup that was going to ease me back into things was a varied one. You had the headliners – Syracuse’s Ra Ra Riot – whom I covered last week, Toronto’s own The Coast, whom I’ve covered many times before, and from New York City The Virgins – whom I’d never heard of before this show.

But just because they were a blank slate to me, it was obvious right away that they weren’t unknowns as the front of the stage was packed with showgoers ignoring the proud Toronto tradition of standing at least 10 feet back during opening acts. And when the four piece got started, they broke another hallowed Toronto custom – and danced. Which is good, because it was pretty obvious that The Virgins’ manifesto is to get the pretty girls to dance, and there’s nothing wrong with that. With an air of insousciant cool that was pure NYC, the played a sort of post-Strokes-y, Velvets-y guitar rock with a healthy dose of groove that got the crowd moving early and when their half-hour set wrapped up with the unabashed disco of “Rich Girls”, the crowd up front either dispersed to other partying venues or swarmed the band for photos and autographs (and then dispersed to other partying venues). Apparently these guys already have quite the following.

And with that crowd cleared out, an almost completely new one swarmed the front of the stage for local boys The Coast. They’d been relatively quiet during the latter part of 2007 what with working on their debut full-length but with that in the can and set for release on April 1 (Expatriate – ask for it by name), the band is looking to deliver on the promise of their self-titled EP from a couple years ago and if this performance was any bellwether, they’re ready. I’d seen them a number of times before but not in over a year and in that time, they’ve certainly grown as a band. Actually, in the past their perfectly show suited the sustained, melancholic mood of the EP but as the new material – of which the set almost completely consisted of – is more diverse and energetic, it makes sense that the band’s performance would follow… or maybe it’s the other way around. Whatever the case, they impressed me all over again and I’ll happily join the chorus of those calling for 2008 to be a breakout year for The Coast.

When The Coast were done, the front of the stage once again cleared out – I’ve never seen a turnover like that at a show before – but was pretty much full when the headliners came out, which is good because it’d have been a bit awkward otherwise (“yeah, the mostly full house? Not here to see you. Sorry”) and for those of us lucky enough to be up front, we got a faceful one of the most energetic live shows I’ve seen in recent memory (and that’s not just relative to the very few shows I’ve seen lately). Usually when someone says a band is really high-energy, they mean that there’s one or two extroverts who’re the centre of attention while the rest of the band sits back, does their thing and ponders the cold cuts awaiting them backstage. Not so, Ra Ra Riot. With them, everyone is a dervish onstage, dancing and playing and just exhibiting such pure joy at being up there and playing music with each other (okay, drummer Cameron Wisch is kind of anchored but you know that if he could, he’d be all over the place as well). It really was something to see. Led by the hyper-animated Wesley Miles on vocals and occasional keys, the band tore through most everything on their self-titled EP as well as a smattering of new material, though not as much as I’d expected considering that their debut full-length is already done, and a Kate Bush cover they’d done at their Daytrotter session last year. As a result, their set was over in a lightning-quick 35 minutes – far too short for as much fun as I was having – but given the response they got, when the album drops later this Spring, I’m sure they’ll be back.

Photos: Ra Ra Riot, The Coast, The Virgins @ The El Mocambo – January 26, 2008
MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “Each Year”
MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “St Peter’s Day Festival” (Daytrotter Session)
MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “Each Year” (Daytrotter Session)
MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “Suspended In Gaffa” (Daytrotter Session)
MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “Dying Is Fine” (Daytrotter Session)
MP3: The Coast – “Circles”
MP3: The Coast – “The Lines Are Cut”
Video: Ra Ra Riot – “Dying Is Fine”
MySpace: Ra Ra Riot
MySpace: The Coast
MySpace: The Virgins

Thanks to Jack in the comments for pointing out the other day that No Rock & Roll Fun had themselves a Ride weekend, searching out and embedding various YouTube clips from the band – live and promo – and generally waxing nostalgic. Oh, Ride, why do you have to be so noble? Just cash in and do the reunion for the money. And do it in London sometime between May 20 and 24 of this year. And save me a ticket.

Pitchfork reports that Mogwai will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut Young Team with a deluxe reissue set sometime in April, complete with requisite remastering, liner notes and bonus tracks. Hey, maybe the 43-minute version of “Mogwai Fear Satan” will finally see the light of day. Back in the present, work continues on their next album with recording slated to wrap up next month, mixing in March, a release sometime in the Summer/Fall and gobs of touring to follow.

The Scotsman profiles The Twilight Sad, who wish to never be called “Highland emo” again.

Drowned In Sound talks to the principles of Pin Me Down, half of whom are Russell Lissack of Bloc Party. BlogParty talks to the other half, NYC singer/guitarist Milena Mepris. How’s it sound? Like a danced-up, female-fronted Bloc Party which, at first blush, works for me. Samples at their MySpace. First single out in March.

MySpace: Pin Me Down

Drowned In Sound, The Scotsman and Harp converse with Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion, in town March 4 at the Horseshoe in a 2-piece configuration – Hynes on acoustic guitar, guy from Hope Of The States on violin.

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

The Harrowing Adventures Of…

Tokyo Police Club will finally release their debut full-length Elephant Shell in late April and have put together some extensive touring plans to promote. It kicks off tonight in Oakville (my hometown and a burg that didn’t even have a rumour of a live music scene when I lived there), winds around a number of Ontarian campuses and stops in at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on the 26th for a free show. Then, in mid-March they launch a full-scale North American tour for six weeks, hitting pretty much every town you can think of and will return home – hopefully triumphantly – for two shows at the Opera House on May 2 and 3. So far the only taste of the new record is this single, which was released as a single last Summer.

Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Your English Is Good”

Feist has a new video, another one-taker wherein she trades her sequin-clad dance troupe for lots of explosives. I dunno, after conquering 2007 it seems kind of unfair that she doesn’t just sit ’08 out. She has a sold-out show at the Sony Centre on May 13.

Video: Feist – “I Feel It All”

Pitchfork talks to Patterson Hood about the Drive-By Truckers’ new album Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, out now. If you had trouble with the CMT stream I posted last week or just didn’t want anyone thinking you watched Country Music Television, Spinner now has the album up and streaming. Truckers are at the Opera House on March 19.

Stream: Drive-By Truckers / Brighter Than Creation’s Dark

Also out yesterday, Cat Power’s Jukebox. The New York Sun has a profile of Chan Marshall, who is in town at the Kool Haus on February 9.

Pitchfork has specifics on the forthcoming album from the M Ward/Zooey Deschanel project dubbed She & Him. Volume 1 is out March 18 and will be released by the good people at Merge, Ward’s usual label. They also confirm they’re playing the Merge showcase at SxSW in March. Excellent. My plan is all coming together. And keep an eye out for the new issue of Under The Radar – the one with the cover that looks like this. Le sigh.

The Verve bassist Sion Jones promises NME great things from their comeback album, targeted for a Spring release. Great great great great things. Unicorns and rainbows and flying cars for everyone.

The long-awaited and oft-delayed new record from Spiritualized still doesn’t have a title, but it does have a release date. In the UK, anyways. Pitchfork reports that the record will be out over there on May 19 and that details about the North American release as well as a full-on, presumably electrified world tour will be along shortly.

Also returning from a bit of a hiatus, Supergrass. Their new album Diamond Hoo Ha Man is out in the UK March 24 and there’s a video for the title track, which seems to find Gaz Coombs getting in touch with his inner Jon Spencer. Album details at Ultimate Guitar.

Video: Supergrass – “Diamond Hoo Ha Man”

Elbow’s Guy Garvey talks to NME about their new record The Seldom Seen Kid, due out in March.

Wireless Bollinger talks to Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion whose album Falling Off The Lavender Bridge is out here next week (and which I’m enjoying more and more with each listen) and has a free acoustic show at the Horseshoe on March 4.

The Kooks, tipped to be the “next big thing” oh so long ago (last year, I think), are in town at the Mod Club on February 11.

Just five months after their last visit, Gogol Bordello return with a gig at the Sound Academy on March 2.

Toronto’s venerable Wavelength concert series celebrates its eight anniversary next month with a series of shows across the city from February 14 to 17. Grok the full lineup and schedule (and general excitement) over at Stille Post.

Wired has the Shortlist of Music shortlist and predicts an LCD Soundsystem win.

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Midnight Surprise

Test Icicles. The name alone was all I needed to decide to completely ignore the short-lived UK trio who broke up in early 2006, just as their popularity was set to either bust out or simply burst. So with that complete indifference in mind, it’s a bit surprising how much I’m enjoying guitarist Dev Hynes’ new incarnation as Lightspeed Champion.

His debut is Falling Off The Lavender Bridge, out next week in the UK and the following week over here, and it’s not at all what I would have expected given his CV. It’s a remarkably polished bit of pop with some serious country influence and orchestral accents, courtesy of producer Mike Mogis, better known as the sven gali of Saddle Creek. Lyrically, things are still a bit on the crude/filthy side but the songwriting sentiments are solid and when delivered with earnest vocals and terrific melodicism and adorned by backing vocals from Emmy The Great, who can resist? Fans of his more anarchic old outfit might be disappointed in Hynes’ new direction but he’s now got my attention.

Lightspeed Champion is coming to North America in March for SxSW but to make the most of the jaunt, he’s doing some additional shows around the continent including one in Toronto on March 4 at the Horseshoe. That’s a Tuesday and Tuesdays are Nu Music Nite so odds are that’s a free show and as good a way as any to get primed for Canadian Music Week. Gigwise has an interview with Hynes about the new record, his old band and his new project. Update: And Pitchfork has the first sanctioned MP3 from the record. Check it out. Update 2: BrookylnVegan just posted an interview with Hynes and pointed to another MP3. Looks like I posted a day too early to link up the good stuff… Update 3: And full North American tour dates at NME. It shall be an acoustic tour.

MP3: Lightspeed Champion – “Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk”
MP3: Lightspeed Champion – “Waiting Game”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Galaxy Of The Lost”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Tell Me What It’s Worth”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Midnight Surprise”
Video: Lightspeed Champion – “Midnight Surprise” (short film)
MySpace: Lightspeed Champion

Also coming to town is Ingrid Michaelson with a show at the El Mocambo on February 19, tickets $13.50. Harp talks to the songstress, star of countless television soundtracks and recent Billboard cover girl about her record and the awkwardness of receiving online marriage proposals. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer also has a little chat.

Video: Ingrid Michaelson – “The Way I Am”
MySpace: Ingrid Michaelson

Thanks to Karl for pointing out in yesterday’s comments that MuchMusic is now streaming Cat Power’s Jukebox in its entirety in advance of its release on Tuesday. She’s playing the Kool Haus on February 9. Update: And stream go bye bye. Oh well.

Stream: Cat Power / Jukebox

MSNBC talks to Bob Mould about wrestling, politics, blogging and band reunions (though not his own). His new album District Line is out February 5 and he plays the Mod Club March 10.

eye has published the results of their 2007 music critics poll, to which my submission was essentially this list put in a mostly arbitrary ranking. And in case you don’t feel like clicking, I’ll just confirm what you suspect – Feist uber alles.