Thursday, April 25th, 2013
Colin Stetson has made some movies to show you what his music looks like
Robert NetheryAnd the theme of today’s post is videos. Domestic videos if you’re Canadian, and exotic foreign ones if you’re not. And led off by Mr. Colin Stetson – who is in fact American by birth but Canadian by immigration – because he will be releasing his new album New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light next week on April 30, and because the man has a big horn.
He’s actually rolled out a few clips over the past few weeks – one doing double-duty for a couple More Light songs debuted at Pitchfork, and another clip surfaced this week at Interview, so if you were wondering what sort of visuals go with intense, experimental jazz performed on bass saxophone, now you know.
The Skinny also has a feature interview with Stetson, who will be at The Great Hall in Toronto on May 19.
Video: Colin Stetson – “Among The Sef”
Video: Colin Stetson – “In Mirrors”/”And In Truth”
The Wilderness Of Manitoba have released a new video from their second full-length Island Of Echoes, while Baeble Music has premiered the performance video for one of the tracks from their new Leslieville Sessions EP. Their next local show comes this weekend, on April 28 at The Campbell House Museum.
Video: The Wilderness Of Manitoba – “Echoes”
Toronto’s Hooded Fang have put out a clip for the sort-of title track of their new album Gravez, coming out May 28. They play a hometown release show for it at The Horseshoe on May 31.
Video: Hooded Fang – “Graves”
Young Galaxy have put out the first video from their just-released new record Ultramarine and discuss the new record with The Fly, Exclaim, Toro, The Montreal Gazette, and CBC Music. They bring it to Lee’s Palace on May 31.
Video: Young Galaxy – “Pretty Boy”
Hayden has made a new video taken from Us Alone, coinciding with the announcement of a handful more Canadian tour dates which you can find at Exclaim. However, the only Toronto date remains his appearance at the Field Trip festival at Garrison Commons on June 8.
Video: Hayden – “Oh Memory”
This video from Montreal’s Valleys isn’t technically very new – it debuted in early March – but seeing as how I haven’t talked about the band before and their debut Are You Going To Stand There And Talk Weird All Night? comes out next week and is available to stream in whole at Exclaim… I figured I’d post both. Because it’s a good record that does the icy/moody/emotive cinematic electro-pop thing a la Chromatics quite well. So yeah, you haven’t heard about them hereabouts before now, but henceforth you most certainly will.
Video: Valleys – “Undream A Year”
Stream: Valleys / Are You Going To Stand There And Talk Weird All Night?
The Good Family don’t have a new video – though you can bet that home movie footage of Dallas and Travis as toddlers wouldn’t go viral – they are streaming The Good Family Album at Exclaim ahead of its release next week on April 30. The family reunion show runs two nights at The Dakota on May 9 and 10.
Stream: The Good Family / The Good Family Album
Beatroute has words with METZ, coming home to Lee’s Palace on May 17.
DIY talks with No Joy about their just-released Wait To Pleasure.
Spinner talks to Metric about being three-time winners at this year’s Juno Awards.
Grimes has taken to her Tumblr to post a pretty strong statement against the sexism in the music industry that she and many others still have to deal with in 2013.
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Review of Shout Out Louds’ Optica and giveaway
Frode & MarcusI get why people have such affection for Shout Out Louds’ 2005 debut Howl Howl Gaff Gaff; the way it tapped into the scrappy, garage-rock sound in vogue at the time but rather than the insouciant attitude that typically came with the aesthetic, it offered a wide-eyed and sincere charm and stood apart from the pack for it. That said, it was only with 2007’s Our Ill Wills, which polished up their pop and expanded it to widescreen dimensions, that I was personally won over by the band. Happily for me and less so for those on Team Howl, it’s been this template that has informed each Shout Out Louds record ever since, this year’s Optica being no exception.
They did tweak their approach a bit with 2010’s Work tweaked the formula by going for a more organic, live-off-the-floor sound, but while Optica lets things drift back to the more produced side of things a bit, those holding out hope that the band might let things get raucous again should probably just go and find themselves a new, charmingly rough Scandi-pop band to patronize. Shout Out Louds have got this elegant pop thing down pat – “Blue Ice” is tastefully orchestrated and “Walking In Your Footsteps” may offer the best flute hook of the year – and even when they get relatively dark or heavy, they do it more through tone and atmosphere than volume; “14th Of July” is the riffingest number on the record and it really just jangles. Mostly, though, Optica adopts a pleasant midtempo pace and relies on its immaculate popcraft and melodicism to win the listener over.
Shout Out Louds’ North American tour kicks off in early May and will stop in at The Opera House in Toronto on May 14. Tickets for the show are $18.50 in advance, but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away to their show and as a bonus, courtesy of Big Hassle and Merge, a copy of the band’s “Blue Ice” 7″ – no, not the actual ice one, don’t be ridiculous. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to Shout Out Loud” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and if you would also like the 7″, say so and include your mailing address. Have all that to me by midnight, May 6.
Rolling Stone just premiered the newest video from Optica.
MP3: Shout Out Louds – “Blue Ice”
Video: Shout Out Louds – “Illusions”
Video: Shout Out Louds – “Walking In Your Footsteps”
Video: Shout Out Louds – “Blue Ice”
Spin and The San Francisco Examiner check in with Palma Violets, coming to town on May 3 for a show at Lee’s Palace and again on August 3 as part of The Grove Fest at Garrison Commons.
Los Campesinos! have announced details of and a track from their first-ever live album, entitled A Good Night For A Fistfight, recorded last December and to be released digitally May 5. DIY has specifics and some words from Gareth Campesinos! about the recording.
MP3: Los Campesinos! – “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” (live at Islington Assembly Hall)
Noah & The Whale are streaming the title track from their forthcoming album Heart Of Nowhere, due out May 6, and it guest stars the wonderful Anna Calvi. The Yorkshire Evening Post and Gigwise have interviews with frontman Charlie Fink.
Stream: Noah & The Whale – “Heart Of Nowhere”
7 Digital interviews Victoria Hesketh of Little Boots about her second album Nocturnes, slated for a May 7 release.
MTV Hive gets to know Charli XCX; she opens for Marina & The Diamonds at Echo Beach on May 23.
The 405 interviews Elliphant, who is streaming a new song and making her local debut on June 7 supporting Twin Shadow at The Phoenix.
Stream: Elliphant – “Make A New Breed”
Interview chats with Jose Gonzalez of Junip, whose new self-titled album came out this week. They play The Great Hall on June 10.
While the May 13 UK release of Primal Scream’s new long-player More Light was long-confirmed, there’s only just come word that there’ll be a domestic release in North America, coming June 18. Details on that at Spin.
Under The Radar has an interview with Pet Shop Boys, whose new album Electric comes out in June.
Spin, eMusic, The 405, The Guardian, MTV, The Daily Beast, NPR, and Exclaim all have feature interviews with Phoenix with Exclaim offering a sidebar piece on the band, Spin the fruits of their photo shoot, and NPR a KCRW video session. Phoenix headline The Grove Fest at Garrison Commons on August 3.
Filter hangs out with the girls of Icona Pop. You can do the same at The Grove Fest at Garrison Commons on August 3.
MTV Hive takes fashion tips from Hot Chip, also playing The Grove Fest on August 3.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are streaming one of the tracks that appeared on their Record Store Day 7″ release.
Stream: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Animal X”
Mystery Jets have made their Record Store Day release, the self-explanatory Live At The Royal Festival Hall, available to stream for those who missed out on getting a copy on Saturday or who never even had the opportunity what with it only being available in the UK and all.
Stream: Mystery Jets / Live At The Royal Festival Hall
Kate Nash has released a new video for the a-side from her Record Store Day 7″, and later this week she’ll roll out the next clip from Girl Talk. But not yet.
Video: Kate Nash – “Free My Pussy”
Clash gets into the heads of British Sea Power.
The Big Takeover has an interview with Veronica Falls.
PopMatters and Black Book interview Ólafur Arnalds.
Stereogum points out a stream of a new Jens Lekman song, written for an Esopus magazine compilation and about a fan who mailed him a dead bird.
Stream: Jens Lekman – “Regarding A Package”
Rolling Stone sits down with Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich to talk about Atoms For Peace and the state of dance music, and somehow the conversation drifts to the topic of Radiohead.
Rolling Stone got a moment of Jason Pierce’s time at Coachella to talk about things of a Spiritualized nature.
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Richard Thompson team up for shenanigans and misadventures
John ShearerThe era of the touring festival has by and large given way to massive destination and regional festivals – it seemingly being easier to bring a bunch of bands and tens of thousands of fans to one place than it is to bring a bunch of bands to hundreds of thousands of fans in a bunch of places – but sometimes a touring bill is so impressive that it warrants a fancy name of its own. And the bill of Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Richard Thompson which will be hitting amphitheatres across North America this Summer is one of those bills; ergo “AmericanaramA”.
Even though he’s the headliner and by far the biggest act – though if there was justice in the world, Thompson wouldn’t be far behind – Dylan is also the biggest question mark on the lineup. As I mentioned last Summer when the Fall tour in support of his latest album Tempest, Dylan is not someone who suffers nostalgiasts lightly and based on the tweets I saw the night of that Air Canada Show about people walking out after just a few songs, his penchant for rendering his songs nigh unrecognizable live remains undiminished. So caveat emptor, but also know that each of Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Richard Thompson are also absolute known quantities at the other end of the spectrum – they’re incapable of putting on a bad show, even if they’ll most likely be allotted much less than their usual marathon set times.
So whether that math is persuasive enough to convince you to shell out the $49.50, $69.50, or $89.50 for reserved seats or $35.50 for lawns to see them at The Molson Amphitheatre on July 15 is between you and your accountant. But don’t forget to factor in the cost of an “AmericanaramA” t-shirt. The presale goes Saturday, April 27 Tuesday, April 30, at 10AM, with the regular onsale following on Friday, May 3, at 10AM.
MP3: Bob Dylan – “The Times They Are A-Changin'”
MP3: Wilco – “Whole Love”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Heartbreakin’ Man”
MP3: Richard Thompson – “The Sights & Sounds Of London Town”
Austin shoegaze aficionados Ringo Deathstarr have made a date at The Shop Under Parts & Labour for June 3 in support of their second album, last year’s Mauve. Tickets for the show are $7 in advance.
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”
Aussie-fronted Swedish electro-pop up-and-comers Kate Boy have slated a short North American tour that includes a Toronto stop at Wrongbar on June 9. Tickets are $12.50 and if you need to catch up on some of the buzz behind them, there are these features at Pitchfork and Billboard.
MP3: Kate Boy – “Northern Lights”
Video: Kate Boy – “In Your Eyes”
Video: Kate Boy – “Northern Lights”
There was both curiosity and concern when London’s Still Corners canceled their North American tour in support of the forthcoming Strange Pleasures, out May 7, and the reasons for the itinerary change was made clear yesterday – instead of headlining their own Summer tour, they will supporting CHVRCHES on theirs. Exclaim has the new dates, which still include a Toronto date – June 12 at The Hoxton – but raises questions about their participation in NXNE. On one hand, even though that CHVRCHES date falls on the first night of the festival, there’s no sign that it will be associated with it at all – get your $16 ticket while you can – but on the other hand, they’ve got two off days before they need to be in Montreal so there’s technically no reason that their previously-announced June 14 NXNE showcase can’t still happen. Anyways.
MP3: Still Corners – “Berlin Lovers”
With a new album out in Change Becomes Us, British post-punk legends Wire will be at Lee’s Palace on July 10, tickets $25. There’s interviews with the band at Rolling Stone, PopMatters, and Rock Cellar.
MP3: Wire – “Dot Dash” (live)
Born Ruffians will be playing a presumably free show at Harbourfront Centre on July 13 as part of their Sound Clash festival thing.
MP3: Born Ruffians – “Sole Brother”
Guelph’s Hillside Festival announced their 2013 lineup this year, and if you were interested in seeing the likes of Fucked Up, Colin Stetson, Diamond Rings, Hayden, Jim Guthrie, Lee Ranaldo, METZ, The Sadies, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, or World Party (!) with easy access to swimming, camping, and drum circles, then Guelph Lake the weekend of July 26 to 28 is probably where you want to be. If you hate hippies, you may want to reconsider.
Further cementing the possibility that he might just be homeless, Josh Tillman will bring Father John Misty back to town for his fifth show in 15 months, this time headlining the Danforth Music Hall on August 3 with Minneapolis’ Night Moves as support. Tickets will run from $15.50 to $19.50, depending on floors or balcony.
MP3: Father John Misty – “Nancy From Now On”
MP3: Night Moves – “Headlights”
With the new Guided By Voices album English Little League out next week, April 30, the five lead-up 7″ singles have been conveniently collected into a single Soundcloud playlist, and while The Quietus has collected all of the b-sides, as well.
Stream: Guided By Voices / English Little League sampler
Stream: Guided By Voices / English Little League b-sides
Deerhunter have put their new album Monomania up on NPR to stream before it comes out May 7.
Stream: Deerhunter / Monomania
MTV Hive talks to Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club about his relationship with his late father. BRMC are at The Kool Haus on May 9.
Exclaim, Creative Loafing, The Island Packet, and Charleston City Paper interview Charles Bradley, in town at The Phoenix on May 11.
Mudkiss checks in with Nicole Atkins, who continues work on her third album Slow Phaser, due out later this year.
Janelle Monáe has made the first track from her new album The Electric Lady available to stream, and Erykah Badu has helped her do it. The record is due out later this year.
Stream: Janelle Monáe (featuring Erykah Badu) – “Q.U.E.E.N.”
CBC Music and Exclaim have interviews with Steve Earle about his new album, The Low Highway.
Sam Beam of Iron & Wine discusses his new album Ghost On Ghost with Clash.
Elle profiles Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, covering topics including her brush with breast cancer, the end of her marriage to Thurston Moore, and what’s next.
Chan Marshall of Cat Power discusses her personal style with MTV Style.
As much as I love Galaxie 500, they’ve never struck me as a band that required multiple books to be written about them. Of course, Dean Wareham’s Black Postcards obviously had its bias, so maybe Temperature’s Rising – Galaxie 500: an oral and visual history – released last week and featuring input from all three members – will be more balanced and accurate. And if not, it will at least be larger and offer more pictures.
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
Louise Burns continues to be Louise Burns despite not sounding as much like Louise Burns as you might expect
Renata RakshaLouise Burns must not have gotten the memo. You know, the one that stated that any Canadian artist who sought to change up their sound by trading guitars for synths had to adopt a new stage persona to go with it. Or maybe it’s just a Toronto thing? In any case, anyone expecting The Midnight Mass – the follow-up to her 2011 Polaris long-listed debut Mellow Drama – to stick to the same template on account of her name appearing on both records might be a touch surprised.
On the surface, Mellow Drama sounded like a slice of throwback country-pop, but to pigeonhole it as such was to ignore the lead guitar lines which sounded as though they’d been lifted from an early Pretenders session, all jangle and chorus and belying an affection and affinity for ’80s New Wave. If the first sample from Midnight Mass, due out July 9, is any indication, album number two will flip that equation on its head, bringing those ’80s Brit-accented sounds and textures to the fore and running any residual twang through layers of period-correct reverb. What should remain unchanged, though, is Burns’ stellar vocals and songwriting, and her continued ascension as one of the country’s most exciting new talents, whatever name she chooses to operate under.
Of course, it’s possible Burns was able to check off “new band name” on her Can-indie Bingo card when she became a full member of Vancouver’s Gold & Youth between releasing her debut and recording the new record. And it’s not unreasonable to think that her time touring and recording their debut full-length Beyond Wilderness, coming May 14, influenced the direction of Midnight Mass. It also proudly displays its ’80s roots, equally sleek and gloomy and danceable if your preferred dance move is a downcast shuffle or some varient thereof. Anticipation for this full-length has been building for some time – their “Time To Kill / City of Quartz” came out back in November but The Guardian was singing their praises almost a year ago. If both Beyond Wilderness and Midnight Mass take off this Summer, Burns won’t need a new identity as much as clones to help promote them both to the extent they deserve. Not a bad problem to have.
Exclaim has some more details on the new record and We’re A Big Deal has a quick chat with her about her tenure in Gold & Youth.
Stream: Louise Burns – “Emeralds Shatter”
Stream: Gold & Youth – “Jewel”
No Joy discuss their new record Wait To Pleasure, out this week, with Exclaim. They’re at The Garrison tomorrow night supporting Clinic.
That music runs through The Sadies’ veins goes without saying, and anyone who’s seen them live knows not to be surprised if either of Dallas and Travis’ parents or uncle from The Good Brothers joined them on stage. But it is a bit of a surprise that it’s taken this long to officially make a record together. That day has come, however, and on April 30 The Good Family will release The Good Family Album and beyond that, they’ll be playing a couple of shows on May 9 and 10 at The Dakota Tavern. And if you’re thinking that the room is small enough capacity-wise before having to factor in their family-heavy guest list, then you also know not to dawdle on tickets – $15 in advance and on sale now.
Stream: The Good Family – “Coal Black Hills”
NPR has the advance stream of the new Colin Stetson album New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light, coming out April 30. He performs songs from it at The Great Hall on May 19.
MP3: Colin Stetson – “High Above A Grey Green Sea”
Stream: Colin Stetson / New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light
NYC Taper is sharing a recording of METZ’s show at The Bowery Ballroom in New York last week. They play Lee’s Palace on May 17.
The last time The Besnard Lakes were in town, it was for CMF and they were previewing their new record Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO, which was still a couple weeks away from release. The next time they’re in town will again be for a festival – though the date was redacted from the Canadian tour itinerary announced by Exclaim – presumably to allow the festival to make the announcement themselves – the band should be playing NXNE on June 13 with Toronto’s July Talk before hitting the road together. And tangentially, Spinner gets head Besnard Jace Lasek to talk about how he came to host an Arcade Fire secret show at his studio last December while The 405 solicits his thoughts on why the Canadian music industry is turning out so much interesting work (The 405 are British so they’re curious).
Exclaim and Teen Vogue get to know Born Ruffians.
Billboard and Rolling Stone both tracked Grimes down at Coachella to ask about how her next album is coming. It’s expected either late this year or early next.
Friday, April 19th, 2013
This, that, and the new Camera Obscura single thing
Anna Isola CrollaIf you were thinking that Friday meant another housecleaning, link-aggregating post – this time from all points abroad – then you are correct. You get a cookie. From someone else. I have no cookies to give.
Nor do I technically have the new single from Camera Obscura to give, since it’s not mine to allocate, but since it was rolled out in streamable form to the internet earlier this week, I can certainly point you to it. It comes from their forthcoming fifth album Desire Lines, and while it’s been four years since My Maudlin Career, that time hasn’t been spent reinventing their sound. “Do It Again” is very much in keeping with the big, buoyant pop side of their skill set, but if you have a problem with more singles along the lines of “French Navy” or “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken”, well God, Jed, I don’t even wanna know you.
Desire Lines is out June 4, and while the band had to cancel a brace of North American dates in March around SXSW, their Summer tour supporting She & Him is all systems go and will bring them to Garrison Commons at Fort York on July 4 to open the inaugural Toronto Urban Roots Fest.
Stream: Camera Obscura – “Do It Again”
Consequence Of Sound, Pretty Much Amazing, Gigwise, and DIY have interviews with Charli XCX, whose debut True Romance hit the shelves earlier this week. She opens for Marina & The Diamonds at Echo Beach on May 23.
Under The Radar and Billboard talk to Jessie Ware on the occasion of the North American release of Devotion earlier this week.
Pitchfork checks in with Anthony Gonzalez of M83 about the experience of scoring a big Hollywood film. Said film – Oblivion – is out today.
Sweden’s Junip have been streaming their forthcoming self-titled album over at Pitchfork ahead of its formal release on April 23. They’re in town at The Great Hall on May 10.
MP3: Junip – “Your Life Your Call”
MP3: Junip – “Line Of Fire”
Stream: Junip / Junip
Pitchfork and Stuff have feature interviews with Phoenix, who’ve gotten around to making their new album Bankrupt! available to stream via iTunes before it comes out on Tuesday, April 23. They headline the Grove Fest at Fort York on August 3.
Stream: Phoenix / Bankrupt!
Johnny Marr answers questions about Skrillex, Margaret Thatcher, and his solo record from Noisey, Rolling Stone, and The Chicago Tribune, respectively. He plays The Phoenix on April 27.
The Georgia Straight and Filter chat with Palma Violets, coming to town for a headline gig at Lee’s Palace on May 3 and again as part of The Grove Fest at Fort York on August 3.
The 405 interviews Victoria Hesketh of Little Boots about her new album Nocturnes, coming May 7.
Savages have released a new video from their forthcoming debut album Silence Yourself, coming May 7.
Video: Savages – “Shut Up”
Florence & The Machine’s contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack has been made available to stream. The album is out May 7, a few days before the film’s release on May 10.
Stream: Florence & The Machine – “Over The Love”
Swede-pop vetereans Club 8 have released the first video from their next record Above The City, coming out May 21.
Video: Club 8 – “Stop Taking My Time”
Spin points out a stream of another new song from Laura Marling’s next record Once I Was An Eagle, out May 28.
Stream: Laura Marling – “Master Hunter”
Spinner has an interview with Stone Roses biographer Simon Spence about researching his book The Stone Roses: War and Peace, while The Guardian has got a trailer for the Made Of Stone documentary coming out June 5 in the UK
Trailer: The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone
Billboard talks to Oliver Sim of The xx about the writing of their third album, Huffington Post to Romy Madley Croft about the band’s success, and Rolling Stone and MTV Hive have some words with Jamie Smith about his projects. They’re at Downsview Park with Grizzly Bear on June 6.
Empire Of The Sun are streaming the first complete sample of their new album Ice On The Dune, out June 17.
Stream: Empire Of The Sun – “Alive”
New Order details their strategy of releasing EPs of new material to justify their continued existence to Billboard.
The Quietus has an interview with Richard Thompson.
The AV Club gets Frightened Rabbit to step into their studio to cover Cheap Trick’s “Surrender”.
Veronica Falls have rolled out a new video from Waiting For Something To Happen.
Video: Veronica Falls – “Waiting For Something To Happen”
Rolling Stone checks in with the lads of Two Door Cinema Club, getting ready to work on album number three.
Filter has a conversation with Nick Cave.
Billboard has a video session and interview with Little Green Cars.
The Knife put out a new video from their latest, Shaking The Habitual.
Video: The Knife – “A Cherry On Top”
Very sad to hear about the passing of Storm Thorgerson, graphic designer of album art for the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Catherine Wheel. This was always my favourite of his pieces. For purely artistic reasons, of course.
And finally, noting that tomorrow is indeed Record Store Day, The Fly interviewed record collecting geeks in British Sea Power, The Joy Formidable, and TOY, amongst others.
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