Saturday, April 6th, 2013
Frank YangWho: The Joy Formidable
What: Welsh power trio who put the emphasis on “power”, as well as big hooks, guitar heroics, and general rock.
Why: Despite playing three shows in Toronto last year, most recently in November, this their first official tour in support of their second album, Wolf’s Law. But if the pattern holds, it certainly won’t be the last.
When: Friday, April 12, 2013
Where: The Phoenix in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Brookylnites Team Spirit and RIBS will support.
How: Tickets for the show are $18.50 in advance but courtesy of , I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want The Joy Formidable” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that in to me before midnight, April 9.
What else: The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, The Lantern, and Minneapolis Star-Tribune have interviews with the band.
MP3: The Joy Formidable – “Wolf’s Law”
Video: The Joy Formidable – “Little Blimp”
Video: The Joy Formidable – “The Ladder Is Ours”
Video: The Joy Formidable – “Cholla”
Video: The Joy Formidable – “Wolf’s Law”
Saturday, April 6th, 2013
AmazonIt was a surprising thing to realize as I cued up my review copy of Delta Machine a few weeks ago, but it would actually be the first time I’d ever listen to a Depeche Mode in its entirety. I’ve heard many/all the big singles, of course, but never sat down with an album start to finish. It’s not been a deliberate shunning of their now thirteen album-deep discography, but their synth-first sounds didn’t click with me in my more impressionable high school days (circa Violator/Songs Of Faith & Devotion), and I’ve just never circled back around to re-investigate.
And while critical reception of Delta Machine has been decent, there’s been no Damascene moment that’s sent me on crash course to fill the Gahan-shaped hole in my musical education. But it’s alright, I guess. Sounds very much like what I would expect a Depeche Mode album to sound like. Maybe I’ll brush up with a best-of and see where that takes me. Maybe even to their Molson Amphitheatre show on September 2? Maybe.
None of which is especially salient to this giveaway, which is this. Courtesy of With A Bullet, I’ve got two prizes to give away – one for analog fans consisting of a copy of Delta Machine on LP and a copy of the “Heaven” 12″ single, and one for digital fans consisting of a copy of Delta Machine on CD – to give away. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want Depeche Mode on CD” or “I want Depeche Mode on LP” in the subject line, as the case may be, and your full name and mailing address in the body and have that to me by midnight, April 13. Contest is open to Canadians only.
Video: Depeche Mode – “Soothe My Soul”
Video: Depeche Mode – “Heaven”
Friday, April 5th, 2013
The Wilderness Of Manitoba explores the wilderness of Leslieville
Jennifer RowsomFor a band with such a clear and steady aesthetic – delicately pretty, harmony-laden folk with direct spiritual and sonic roots in the ’60s – The Wilderness Of Manitoba have gone through their fair share of changes. The lineup that emerged from Toronto’s Deleware House with 2009’s Hymns of Love and Spirits and 2010’s When You Left The Fire lost vocalist Melissa Dalton and added drummer Sean Lancaric and vocalist/violinist Amanda Balsys for last year’s Island Of Echoes, and as the band prepares to release a new short collection of songs next Tuesday as The Leslieville Sessions – so named for the east-end Toronto studio where it was recorded live off the floor.
And The Wilderness Of Manitoba that recorded these songs is again not the same outfit that assembled their last record. Frontman Will Whitwham is the only one remaining from the band that first emerged in 2009, and while the source of their inspiration remains unchanged, the way that its manifested is quite different. Their signature three- and four-part harmonies have largely given way to focusing on the interplay between Whitwham and Balsys voices, with Balsys also taking a turn at lead vocals, and while Leslieville is still a far cry from being filed under “rock”, the increased presence of electrified instruments and percussion give it a welcome weight that, until now, was only present in their live shows. For all the changes that The Wilderness Of Manitoba continue to undergo, probably the most important one is that they continue to get better.
The Leslieville Sessions is out on Tuesday, and I’m pleased to be able to host an advance stream of it. Check it out, as well as a live video of the recording of the opening track. Another performance video of an Island Of Echoes track can be seen at Exclaim. Their current tour itinerary takes them through the Maritimes this week, and then after a few New York dates, their next local show is April 28 at Campbell House Museum, at the corner of Queen West and University.
Video: The Wilderness Of Manitoba – “The Ark” (live)
Stream: The Wilderness Of Manitoba / The Leslieville Sessions
Interview has premiered the new video from Decades’ self-titled debut, due out April 16.
Video: Decades – “In Sequins”
The Dumbing Of America talks to Odonis Odonis, who open up for METZ at Lee’s Palace on May 17 and have just put out a new video from last year’s debut Hollandaze. They also have a new EP in Better coming out April 16, and are streaming a couple new tracks from that.
Stream: Odonis Odonis – “Intelligence”
Stream: Odonis Odonis – “Better”
Video: Odonis Odonis – “New World”
No Joy are streaming another new track from their new album Wait To Pleasure. It’s out April 23 and that night, they play The Garrison opening for Clinic.
Stream: No Joy – “Hare Tarot Lies”
aux.tv and The List get to know Rachel Zeffira, who plays The Drake Underground on May 2.
Noisey interviews Airick Woodhead of Doldrums. He plays The Horseshoe on May 11.
Majical Cloudz has a new video from his forthcoming debut Impersonator, out May 21. He opens up for Youth Lagoon at The Great Hall on May 13 and will be back the following month for NXNE.
Video: Majical Cloudz – “Childhood’s End”
NYC Taper is sharing a recording of a couple Stars shows in Brooklyn last month, and if you’re more of a “see” than “hear”, Paste has video of their entire Mercury Lounge show from that same week and The Alternate Side a video session available to watch. They’re back in town as a part of Field Trip at Garrison Common on June 8.
Exclaim and The Quietus talk to The Besnard Lakes, who’ve just premiered the first video from the just-released Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO at Rolling Stone, and if anyone missed it, a non-geoblocked stream of the album is up at Pitchfork.
Video: The Besnard Lakes – “People Of The Sticks”
Stream: The Besnard Lakes / Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
Snowblink have rolled out a new video from Inner Classics.
Video: Snowblink – “Inner Miss-Mississippi”
Prefix has premiered a new video from Woodpigeon’s Thumbtacks & Glue.
Video: Woodpigeon – “Robin Song”
Exclaim has premiered the new video from July Talk’s self-titled debut while aux.tv gets Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay to go behind the scenes of the making of the clip.
Video: July Talk – “Guns & Ammunition”
Thursday, April 4th, 2013
England’s oldest hit makers The Rolling Stones are coming to town and other notes from abroad
Mark SeligerApologies for going for the low-hanging fruit with this one, but I don’t have the time or energy to squeeze out something more interesting. So you get this. And pro tip: providing a current photo with credit really goes a long way towards leading off a post.
Anyways, The Rolling Stones – perhaps you’ve heard of them – finally announced their long-rumoured, basically inevitable 50th anniversary North American tour yesterday, and while it’s only nine dates long, at least for now, Toronto makes the cut – the Stones will be at the Air Canada Centre on May 25, with tickets running a not surprising but still eye-popping $147.25 to $597.25, on sale April 8 at 10AM. Update: And a second show has been added for June 6. No, it’s not any cheaper.
The Chicago Tribune has a well-timed interview with Mick Jagger where such topics as, “why arenas and not stadiums?”, “why so expensive?”, and “what special guests might we expect?” are covered – the last of which was already covered earlier in the day when it was confirmed that former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor would be making appearances with the band on all of the North American dates – good news for those for whom the early ’70s is their favourite Stones era. And who have lots and lots of money to spend on a single concert.
Video: The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar” (live)
To celebrate the North American release of For Now I Am Winter this week, Ólafur Arnalds submitted to an “Ask Me Anything” at Reddit, is the subject of features at Interview and Live High Five, and has a video session up at Yahoo!.
The Quietus, The Guardian, and Digital Spy talk to Guy Chadwick of The House Of Love, whose new album She Paints Words In Red was finally released this week.
Exclaim and BBC America talk to Jessie Ware, who has also compiled and annotated a mixtape for The AV Club. The makes her Toronto debut at The Opera House on April 6 and releases Devotion in North America on April 16.
James Blake has released a new video from Overgrown, out next week on April 9. He plays The Danforth Music Hall on May 4.
Video: James Blake – “Voyeur”
Pitchfork have the advance stream of Shaking The Habitual, the new opus from The Knife, while Filter has an interview. The album is due out next week on April 9.
Stream: The Knife / Shaking The Habitual
The Joy Formidable talks Record Store Day – for which they’re releasing a cover of Springsteen’s “Badlands” as a b-side on a 7″ – with Rolling Stone and answers other questions for Columbus Live, The Chicago Sun-Times, and London On The Inside. They play The Phoenix on April 12.
Charli XCX has rolled out a new video from her debut True Romance, due out April 16. She opens up for Marina & The Diamonds at Echo Beach on May 23.
Video: Charli XCX – “What I Like”
Spin, MTV, Rolling Stone, WNYC, and Stereogum talk to Phoenix about their new album Bankrupt!, which is out April 23.
And that provides a good segue into some developments with The Grove Fest that Phoenix were supposed to headline in Niagara-On-The-Lake on August 3. You’ll note the use of the past tense there, and that’s because it’s no longer happening in Niagara-On-The-Lake, but as of yesterday was moved to Garrison Commons at Fort York in Toronto, with the lineup being trimmed of Macklemore, Pretty Lights, and Bob Mould and ticket prices being dropped to $59.50. And before you chalk it up to a dearth of Phoenix and Hot Chip fans in western New York, this Hamilton Spectator piece hints that it may have been as much NIMBY-ism as soft sales responsible for the relocation and doubling-down on the GTA market. In any case, it’s a bit of 416 festival nostalgia as the lineup that felt mostly like a Rogers Picnic is now enjoying some V Fest-esque drama.
Consequence Of Sound interviews Palma Violets, who are in town at Lee’s Palace on May 3 and again on August 3 at Garrison Common as part of the relocated Grove Fest.
Clash, The Province, Vancouver Sun, The Guardian, and Beatroute have interviews with Billy Bragg, in town at The Danforth Music Hall on May 3.
Cosmopolitan and The Line Of Best Fit talk to Victoria Hesketh of Little Boots about her new album Nocturnes, out May 6.
Primal Scream have released a new video from the forthcoming More Light, out May 13.
Video: Primal Scream – “It’s Alright, It’s OK”
Still Corners have released a new video from their forthcoming Strange Pleasures, out May 7. And their previously-announced June 14 NXNE date is now the endpoint of a full North American tour – dates at Spin.
Video: Still Corners – “Berlin Lovers”
Exclaim talks to Savages ahead of the May 7 release of their debut Silence Yourself.
A Music Blog, Yea chats with Stornoway, in town at The Horseshoe on May 9.
Le Blogotheque has an Empty Space video session with Foals. They play The Kool Haus on May 11.
DIY gets a look at the making of Desire Lines from Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell. The album is out June 4 and they play Garrison Common for the Toronto Urban Roots Fest on July 4.
The xx stop in at NPR for a World Cafe session. They stop in for a big-ass show at Downsview Park on June 6.
Daytrotter have posted a session with Bloc Party, in town at Garrison Common as part of the Field Trip fest on June 8.
Spinner, Spin, and Consequence Of Sound chat with CHVRCHES, who’ve just premeired a new video from their debut full-length, due in September. They’re at The Hoxton on June 12.
Video: CHVRCHES – “Now Is Not The Time”
DIY, Clash, and Artrocker profile Peace, coming to town as part of NXNE on June 15.
At this point, I suspect only Chris Olley knows on any given day if Nottingham’s Six By Seven are a going concern or not, but for the moment it appears they once again are with a new album in Peace And Love And Sympathy slated for a June 10 release. And while it’s been a while since they’ve done anything really memorable since 2004’s :04, the two sample tracks they’ve got available to stream sound way more intense and focused on either Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves or If Symptoms Persist, Kill Your Doctor – “Truce” is all kinds of angry, and an angry Six By Seven is a potent Six By Seven. And if you’re not familiar with this criminally underappreciated band, treat yourself to a free compilation of what band principal Olley has been up to over the past decade. Or just listen to “Bochum” on repeat all day.
Stream: Six By Seven – “Sympathy”
Stream: Six By Seven – “Truce”
Polly Scattergood has a video for the first single from her forthcoming album Arrows, slated for June 14 release.
Video: Polly Scattergood – “Wanderlust”
For those waiting for some east coast Bat For Lashes dates in support of The Haunted Man, good news and bad news. The good news is word has it she’s here on September 2. Bad news is it’s at the Molson Amphitheatre opening for Depeche Mode. Now if you’re a Depeche Mode fan as well, great. If not, then… oh well.
MP3: Bat For Lashes – “Oh Yeah”
NPR welcomes Richard Thompson for a World Cafe session.
PopMatters has excerpted some of The Stone Roses: War And Peace, the new book about – wait for it – The Stone Roses.
NPR serves up a video session with Frightened Rabbit.
Spinner talks riot grrl with Kate Nash.
The Line Of Best Fit has a video session with Melody’s Echo Chamber.
A Heart Is A Spade interviews The Deer Tracks.
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
Kurt Vile streamin’ on a Pretty Daze
Shawn BrackbillYou have to wonder in Kurt Vile ever regrets leaving The War On Drugs after touring their 2008 debut Wagonwheel Blues, considering the level of success the Philadelphia outfit would achieve with their second album, Slave Ambient. Or maybe not. Given that Vile’s laid back, groovingly psychedelic guitar-rock travels a fairly parallel path to what Adam Granduciel is doing with The War On Drugs, their fanbases probably overlap pretty significantly and Vile’s own 2011 effort, Smoke Ring For My Halo, probably did as well as Slave Ambient in terms of sales and raising the profile of its creator. So yes, wondering is reasonable, but the answer is “probably not”.
Vile can probably expect his star to rise even further with his new album Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze; it offers a little more variety in pacing than Smoke Ring – mostly in some of the slower numbers – without messing with its overall hypnotic effect, largely courtesy of the loping guitarwork and Vile’s drawling vocals. The album is out next week, but is available to stream right now courtesy of NPR. There’s also feature pieces at Exclaim, The Line Of Best Fit, and The Guardian. He plays the Toronto Urban Roots Fest at Garrison Common on July 7.
MP3: Kurt Vile – “Never Run Away”
MP3: Kurt Vile – “Wakin’ On A Pretty Day”
Stream: Kurt Vile / Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze
Seattle grunge veterans Mudhoney marked yesterday’s release of their latest album Vanishing Point with the release of a new video and also the announcement of a Summer tour which brings them to Lee’s Palace on September 2, tickets $23.50.
MP3: Mudhoney – “I Like It Small”
MP3: Mudhoney – “The Only Son Of The Widow Nain”
Video: Mudhoney – “I Like It Small”
Pitchfork is doing the advance stream thing for the Rilo Kiley rarities comp rkives, which is out this week.
Stream: Rilo Kiley / rkives
Interview has a talk with Caitlin Rose, who graces The Garrison with her songs and presence this Friday night, March 5.
The Thermals have released a lyric video for the next single from Desperate Ground, out April 16, and you can download the MP3 in exchange for an email via Consequence Of Sound. They play The Horseshoe on May 21.
Lyric Video: The Thermals – “The Sunset”
Rolling Stone has premiered a stream of a new Iron & Wine song, taken not from their new record Ghost On Ghost, out April 16, but the soundtrack of the TV show Copper.
Stream: Iron & Wine – “Hard Times Come Again No More”
Casually buried in the sidebar of this New York Times feature on Yeah Yeah Yeahs is a stream of another new song from Mosquito, out April 16. Sneaky Times. Spin has no such gimmicks in their feature story on the band. If you want an advance listen of the album, hit up Noisey tonight at 3PM EDT, as they’ll be hosting a one-shot listening party for it.
Stream: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Under The Earth”
The Flaming Lips may have a new record in The Terror coming out in a couple weeks on April 16, but they’ve just released a video from last year’s collaborations album …And Heady Fwends, this one featuring one Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
Video: The Flaming Lips w Bon Iver – “Ashes In The Air”
Deerhunter are streaming the title track of their new album Monomania, due out May 7.
Stream: Deerhunter – “Monomania”
Spin and eMusic interview Charles Bradley, who has released a video for the title track of his new record Victim Of Love. He’ll be at The Phoenix with His Extraordinaires on May 11.
Video: Charles Bradley – “Strictly Reserved For You”
Los Angeles-based, Kill Rock Stars-signed quartet Hands will be at The Drake on June 6 in support of their debut album Synesthesia, out April 30. Tickets for the show are $10.50 in advance.
MP3: Hands – “Magic Fingers”
MP3: Hands – “Warm Night Home”
NPR has posted a World Cafe session with Calexico, who will be releasing a live symphonic album entitled Spiritoso for Record Store Day on April 20; details on that are available at Glide. They’re in town for NXNE at The Mod Club on June 12.
Neko Case updates NPR on the status of her new album, presently with the working title of The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight. The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You. She’ll preview it at the Toronto Urban Roots Fest at Garrison Common on July 7,
Spin talks to Britt Daniel about what’s going on with both Spoon – new album being written – and Divine Fits – a couple new songs coming soon, second album later on. And further to the Divine Fits end of things, Consequence Of Sound talks to both Daniel and Dan Boeckner.
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