Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009
Tour dates announced from Bat For Lashes, Franz Ferdinand, Lily Allen, Travis and more
Jeaneen LundThe old inbox was overflowing with local concert announcements yesterday – certainly makes cobbling together a post easy. In chronological order…
Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains, who just played an instore at Sonic Boom last week, are heading out on a European tour through most of this month but will be having a little homecoming party at the Horseshoe on March 6. Tickets $10.50. Grainger has a little chat with Spoonfed.
MP3: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains – “American Names”
MP3: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains – “By Cover Of Night (Fire Fight)”
Julie Doiron is set to release a new album on March 24 in I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day and will follow that up a trio of dates up the 401 including a March 26 date at the Horseshoe. Tickets $10.
MP3: Julie Doiron – “Consolation Prize”
Their new album Beacons is complete, but there’s still no firm release date for the sophomore effort from Ohbijou… but considering they’ve just announced a CD release show for said record on April 18 at the Opera House, it’s probably safe to say that it’ll be out around then. Tickets for that fete will be $13.
I will admit to being mildly astonished not by the fact that Travis are coming back to North America this Spring in support of last year’s Ode To J Smith, but that they’re playing – at least here on April 21 – venues the size of the Sound Academy. 3000 people to see Travis in 2009? And at $34.50 a ticket? Really? Huh. The Daily Yomiuri has an interview with the band about the making of the album.
Video: Travis – “J Smith”
Video: Travis – “Song To Self”
The Appleseed Cast have a new album in Sagarmatha coming out February 17 and they’ve got a date at the Horseshoe for April 21, tickets $10. Songs from the record can be heard at Stereogum and RCRDLBL.
Despite being rather fond of most of the “sassy English female singer-songwriters” which followed in her wake, Lily Allen has never done much for me. Might her new record It’s Not Me, It’s You, out next week, change my mind? The album is currently streaming in its entirety over at her MySpace – let’s find out. She’s also playing a show at the Phoenix on April 22, tickets $27.50, and Spin has posted online an excerpt of this month’s cover story on the singer. Update: Full North American tour dates at The Music Slut.
Video: Lily Allen – “The Fear”
Stream: Lily Allen / It’s Not Me, It’s You
I need no such persuasion to get excited for the return of Bat For Lashes (pictured). Her second album Two Suns, which will feature unlikely guests Scott Walker and Yeasayer, is coming out on April 6 and following a set of European dates will come some North American ones. In addition to a previously announced New York and Philadelphia dates, she will be in Toronto on April 25 for a show at the Mod Club, tickets $15. Their last show here in September 2007 was amazing, no reason to believe this one will be anything less. Rolling Stone talks to Natasha Khan about the split personality conceit behind her new record while MTV has a video interview. And check out this live performance of a new song on BBC2:
Video: Bat For Lashes – “Moon And Moon” (live on BBC2)
And last but not least for the show announcements, Franz Ferdinand are coming back on May 4 and playing a venue considerably larger than their cozy little Lee’s Palace gig last December, but if you don’t think they’ll sell out the Kool Haus in a heartbeat, you’re dreaming. Tickets for that one are $30 and go on sale February 7 at 10AM. Pitchfork has an interview with the band conducted here during their last visit.
In a rather drastic change of venue, the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart/Depreciation Guild show originally slated to happen at Neutral next Thursday has been moved to Lee’s Palace. Which pleases me because the lights at Neutral are, to put it mildly, abhorrent. All tickets will be honoured and there will probably be a lot more available now.
And some bits related to already-announced shows that are upcoming… Exclaim has a feature on Antony Hegarty of Antony & The Johnsons and Radio Free Canuckistan has posted up the complete transcript of the interview that went into the piece. They play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on February 17.
Soundproof features The Rural Alberta Advantage, who will play Wavelength at Sneaky Dee’s on February 22 and then do a CMW showcase at the Gladstone in the wee hours (1AM) of March 12. The band made their NYC debut last week and accounts are that it went really well. They play New York again this Friday and Saturday nights.
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit is out February 17, and Muzzle Of Bees has five questions with Mr Isbell. They play the Horseshoe on March 4.
The Montreal Mirror profiles Basia Bulat, who will play Lee’s Palace on March 14 as part of CMW, and will be getting to work on album number two later this Spring. Hour.ca also has a little chat about her decision to record a Sam Cooke cover for a 7″ single.
Aquarium Drunkard gets Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers to offer a brief guide to his favourite places in Toronto. There’s also a trio of intimate performance videos from Dekker over at Aux.tv. Their new album Lost Channels is out March 31 and they play the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 25.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
An Introduction To The Depreciation Guild
Katelyn RoofMuch of the buzz surrounding next Thursday’s show at Neutral is focusing on the evening’s headliners, Brooklyn’s The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, and with good reason – their new self-titled album, out tomorrow, is wonderful and will be discussed soon enough. But it’s a shame that all the attention is falling on them when their tourmates are just as noteworthy.
That would be The Depreciation Guild, also from Brooklyn, and talking points around the band generally center around the fact that they’re giving their debut album, In Her Gentle Jaws away for free on their website and also that their band’s sound is built off of an old 8-bit Nintendo gaming system. Which, as far as angles for getting noticed go, are pretty good. But putting those aside and focusing on the music, there’s still plenty to comment on.
Like how they take those tones and textures that evoke memories of pixelated plumbers amongst those of a certain generation and build soaring, shoegazing soundscapes of pop wonder out of them. And while the 8-bit aesthetic is fundamental to their sound, they’re not beholden to it – they also use more conventional instruments like guitars and drums to get where they’re going and the songs would more than stand up even without the Nintendo backbone – it just might not be quite as much fun.
Exclaim and Gothamist talk to The Depreciation Guild about, um, their Nintendo-fi sounds and their free album. And you can also get their EP Nautilus for free at 8-Bit Peoples. Update: This show has been moved to Lee’s Palace.
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Darklooming”
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Butterfly Kisses”
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Nautilus”
Video: The Depreciation Guild – “Nautilus”
MySpace: The Depreciation Guild
Rolf Klausener talks to The National Post about the utter bizarreness of The Acorn’s world right now, where just before setting out on an arena tour of the UK in support of Elbow, they get the Kanye West seal of approval for their video for “Crooked Legs”.
Video: The Acorn – “Crooked Legs”
The Village Voice and Exclaim talk to Matt & Kim, though it’s really just Matt.
Spinner interfaces with Of Montreal, feels vaguely dirty about it the next morning.
It’s a kiwi invasion! First, Cut Off Your Hands will make their Toronto debut at the Horseshoe on March 30 – tickets $10 in advance.
And then Flight Of The Conchords will play not one but two nights at Massey Hall on April 21 and 22. Presale goes today at 10AM, tickets $49.50. That’s… a lot.
Cloud Cult and Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s are at the El Mocambo on April 3, tickets $10.
Super Furry Animals have a new album in the can, if not a name for it, and will release it digitally via their website on March 16 and give it a physical release on April 21. Details at Beggars blog.
This Is Fake DIY interviews The Airborne Toxic Event, playing the El Mocambo on March 3.
Stereogum gets a progress report on the new Wrens record.
Spin gets the backstory on the AC Newman song “Submarines Of Stockholm”.
White Lies’ chart-topping (in the UK) debut To Lose My Life will get a North American release on March 17 – none of this, “wait a year before jumping across the pond” nonsense. Tickets for their March 31 show at Lee’s Palace with Friendly Fires and The Soft Pack will run you $15.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
GiganticLet it never be said that NoCal’s Morning Benders are afraid of doing a cover version or two. Though they’d just released their second album Talking Through Tin Cans in May of last year, they still found the time to put together an album’s worth of covers a couple months later, which they released for free download as The Bedroom Covers (still available to grab!).
One of the selections on the compilation was “Lovefool”, the song which both acted as a worldwide breakout hit for Sweden’s Cardigans back in 1997 and lightly damned the band as a one-hit wonder to those who couldn’t perceive the deliciously dark undercurrent that ran through both that song and really, their entire oeuvre. And watching the two videos the band made for the song, I have to wonder if that would have happened had they released the rather sexy and very European version over here rather than the cutesy one with Nina Persson batting her ridiculously blue eyes? Persson will release her second album with A Camp, Colonia, in Europe this Monday and in North America on April 28.
And to mark the Morning Benders’ upcoming tour with The Submarines, which hits the Drake Hotel on February 15, the two acts have released a digital single of each band covering the other. The Morning Benders will also be releasing a new EP in Grain Of Salt on February 24 to coincide with the finale of the tour. OC Weekly has an interview with the band.
MP3: The Morning Benders – “Lovefool”
MP3: The Morning Benders – “1940”
MP3: The Submarines – “Waiting For A War”
Video: The Morning Benders – “Lovefool” (live)
Video: The Cardigans – “Lovefool” (European version)
Video: The Cardigans – “Lovefool” (North American version)
Video: The Submarines – “1940” (live)
MySpace: The Morning Benders
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
Jim NewberryOriginally coming to prominence as part of the great American garage rock wave of the early aughts, Detroit’s Von Bondies have managed to stick around beyond that scene’s expiry date despite undergoing a number of lineup changes and not being especially prolific – Love, Hate & Then There’s You, out Tuesday, is their first album in five years and just their third since 2001.
But back they are and with the new record comes touring, starting off with a visit to Canada that brings the band to the Horseshoe in Toronto on February 13 and courtesy of Universal Music Canada, I’ve got a pair of passes to said show to give away. But that’s not all – to the rest of Canada, and to any Toronto folks who can’t make the show, I’ve also got four prize packs consisting of a copy of the new album on CD alongside either a copy of the album on LP or a 7″ of their new single “Pale Bride”. So that’s five winners in total. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with a subject line of “I want Von Bondies live” if you want to see the show, “I want 7 inches of Von Bondie” if you want the CD and single or “I want 12 inches of Von Bondie” if you want the CD and LP. Also include your full name and mailing address. You can enter for the show and either of the records, but only one entry for either of the record prize packs please. And as mentioned, contest is open to residents of Canada only. It closes at midnight, February 2.
Exclaim! has an interview with head Bondie Jason Stollsteimer about the band’s extended, involuntary half-decade layoff while Filter asks one question of drummer Don Blum.
MP3: The Von Bondies – “Pale Bride”
Video: The Von Bondies – “Pale Bride”
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