Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Said The Whale, It Hugs Back
Frank Yang
Who: Said The Whale
What: Vancouver quintet sing about what they know – Vancouver, the sea and heartbreak – and their intersections and allegories, rendered in big happy pop styles on their new record Islands Disappear. They’re currently on a cross-Canada tour which stops at the El Mocambo on October 28.
Video: Said The Whale – “Camilo (The Magician)”
MySpace: Said The Whale
Who: It Hugs Back
What: Warm and whispery narcolepsy-rock from English outfit with an American Analog Set record or five in their collections filed alongside their complete Yo La Tengo discographies. Their latest album is Inside Your Guitar.
MP3: It Hugs Back – “Now & Again”
MP3: It Hugs Back – “Work Day”
Video: It Hugs Back – “Now & Again”
Video: It Hugs Back – “Work Day”
MySpace: It Hugs Back
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
AmazonYes, the “I” in IFOA stands for “International” (the rest of it is “Festival Of Authors”), but that’s no reason we can’t celebrate writers that hail from somewhat closer to home, and that’s why eye and Pitchfork scribe Stuart Berman will be the featured guest at the Harbourfront Centre’s Lakeside Terrace this Friday night, October 30, to be interviewed by The Toronto Star’s Ben Rayner about his recent book This Book Is Broken: The Broken Social Scene Story, the biography of Broken Social Scene. Also joining the music scribes in the talk will be Arts & Crafts honcho Jeffrey Remedios and Broken Social principals Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning and the discussion will be followed by a performance from BSS guitarist Jason Collett.
Tickets for the all-ages event are $15 or free for students with a valid student ID, but courtesy of the IFOA, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the evening. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want my book broken” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, October 28.
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
R.E.M. cover Roky Erickson
AmazonThanks go out to Cover Freak for making this one available last week and which I couldn’t resist re-posting for this week’s selection. After all – the only way the timing for it could have been even better is if the annual Toronto Zombie Walk had been scheduled for today rather than yesterday. After all, it’s hard to imagine that this motley crew couldn’t find inspiration in either the original by former 13th Floor Elevators frontman and legendary psych-rock pioneer Roky Erickson or the remake by legendary jangle-rock pioneers R.E.M., taken from the 1990 tribute album Where The Pyramid Meets Eye.
As it is, I’ll have to settle for the double-punch of the Erickson making a rare visit to Toronto this week for a show at Lee’s Palace on Wednesday night, October 28, and the fact that R.E.M. are releasing their new live double CD/quadruple LP/single DVD Live At The Olympia on Tuesday. And the fact that, of course, it is Hallowe’en this Saturday.
NPR talks to R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe about the making of the live document, recorded in Dublin in the Summer of 2007 and are also streaming the album in advance of its release.
MP3: R.E.M. – “I Walked With A Zombie”
Stream: Roky Erickson – “I Walked With A Zombie”
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Joel BarhamandConsidering the sheer number of bands in the five boroughs, laying claim to being “the loudest band in New York” is no mean feat, never mind holding onto it. Brookyln’s A Place To Bury Strangers certainly got a lot of mileage out of that title when they first burst onto the international stage with their 2007 self-titled debut, a searing groin kick of white noise that still managed to pass itself off as melodic and even pop at times. The follow-up Exploding Head doesn’t give up much in the way of decibels, but some aesthetic tweaks in the production allow the songs to shine through even more, giving the record some more substance beyond the visceral sonic attack.
But APTBS’ reputation for eardrum destruction was mainly earned through their deafening, strobe-saturated live shows and there’s no reason to think that they’ve tempered that much, if at all. Their touring roadshow winds its way through Toronto next Tuesday night, October 27, for a date at the Mod Club – tickets are $13 in advance but courtesy of Rootmeansquare, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away to the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to bury strangers at Mod” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, October 25.
The Quietus has an interview with head Stranger Burier Oliver Ackerman.
MP3: A Place To Bury Strangers – “In Your Heart”
Video: A Place To Bury Strangers – “In Your Heart”
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Hordur SveinssonThey may have lost their most recognizable features when the Valtysdottir twins left the band some years ago and took with them the voices that gave their breakout record Finally We Are No One its uniquely childlike and otherworldly qualities, but Iceland’s Mum have soldiered on. Sing Along To Songs You Don’t Know is the outfit’s fifth release and reflects the continued evolution of their lineup from conventional band into loose collective and their sound from tinkertoy electronica to toybox orchestra.
And their fanbase also continues to grow, as evidenced by their playing one of the larger rooms in the city – The Phoenix – when they visit Toronto on October 27. Tickets are $20 in advance but courtesy of Rootmeansquare, 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 my Mum” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, October 25.
MP3: Mun – “Illuminated”
Video: Mum – “Sing Along”
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