Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
A Los Angeles punk legend and an Ottawan country-rocker might seem an odd pair, but X frontman John Doe and Kathleen Edwards appear to be kindred spirits, with the pair duetting on “The Golden State”, from Doe’s latest solo record A Year In The Wilderness, and the two setting out on a co-headline tour dubbed the “Hurtin’ & Flurtin'” tour.
And while that tour begins officially November 5 in Virginia, the pair are doing a special, intimate warm-up show in Toronto at the Dakota Tavern on Monday night (November 3), and courtesy of Eggplant Entertainment, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I am both hurtin’ and flurtin'” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, October 30.
And if you don’t win, tickets are only available at the door. Those open at 8 and the show is at 9:30 so if you HAVE to go, get there early and cross your fingers. I haven’t been to the place yet but I hear it’s pretty tiny.
MP3: John Doe – “The Golden State”
Video: Kathleen Edwards – “The Cheapest Key”
Video: Kathleen Edwards – “I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory”
MySpace: Kathleen Edwards
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Emmy The Great at The Delancey and Pianos, New York City – CMJ
Frank YangThere had been a plan, back at SxSW earlier this year, to follow – “stalk” is such an ugly word – Emmy The Great to as many of her various day shows and performances as possible. As it happens, I failed utterly and was only able to see her play once, at her official showcase but it was as good as I’d hoped.
And so I planned to spend Saturday afternoon in New York City again following Ms Moss around and though I got a late start, having to hoof it from Greenwich Village to the Lower East Side – I was actually running through the subway at 14th and 8th – I managed to make her first show of the day on the roof of The Delancey. Now while I’m sure the building housed a proper stage somewhere in its environs, but the roof was just a shadowy patio with dense foliage with Emmy set up to one side with only a very basic PA – the very opposite of fancy. But she and her band do scrappy, stripped-down arrangements well – they were like a gang of buskers – so the setting wasn’t any real sort of detriment, though the sound could have been a bit better and they were basically playing in darkness. With only a handful of people paying attention – I guess 1PM was a bit early for the last day of CMJ, most likely everyone was still hung over in bed – they zipped through a set that contained songs both familiar and not, but presumably focused on the songs that had made the cut for her debut album, First Love. It was short but sweet and highlighted by drummer Pete Baker adding percussion to “Gabriel” by banging his shoe on a plastic drum case.
It was a few hours till the next engagement so I wandered the Lower East Side a bit before impending foul weather drove me to the venue – the cozy upstairs lounge at Pianos – early. This turned out to be fortuitous as the acts preceding her were certainly worth my time. The Dutchess & The Duke, a Seattle outfit built around the dual voices and guitars of Kimberly Morrison and Jesse Lortz who sound like a ’60s blues-rock band who decided to become a folk-pop band and turned out to be quite good at it. There’s melody and harmony a-plenty, but also a gruff sort of swagger that gives it all a nice bit of edge. Though they played a short set on account of a late start, but it made an impression – when I got home I dug up their new album She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke and will spend some time with that.
The were followed by Brooklyn’s The End Of The World, a four-piece best described as dealing in an appealing blend of classic rock and country-noir – not especially groundbreaking, but well-written and executed. Their set fell victim to a drum kit seemingly hell-bent on self-destructing, but what they did manage to get through was promising. Their new album French Exit is out November 4 and in addition to the MP3 below, another is available for frees at RCRDLBL.
Emmy’s second set of the day started out much like her first, but with a better sound system behind her and a much larger audience in front of her. Interspersing her casually confessional folk songs with hilarious between-song banter (requests for “M.I.A.” were met with, “she’s not here – she’s knocked up”), she and her band were entertaining and beguiling. It was initially disappointing when she broke a string midway through and it turned out they didn’t have a spare, but instead she borrowed bandmate Euan Hinshelwood’s guitar and completed the set solo, including absolutely stirring readings of “24” and “City Song”, the latter accented by Hinshelwood’s note-perfect harmonies. I don’t know if they’d have made the set otherwise, and if so if they’d have been as affecting, so let’s just say thank goodness for happy accidents.
I had been saving a place on my year-end list for First Love, but with its September release now moved to January of next year, I guess it’ll have to keep for another year. Based on what I saw and heard this past Saturday afternoon, I have no problem keeping that particular seat warm – this record is going to be an absolute gem.
Photos: Emmy The Great @ The Delancey, New York City – October 25, 2008
Photos: Emmy The Great, The End Of The World, The Dutchess & The Duke @ Pianos Lounge, New York City – October 25, 2008
MP3: Emmy The Great – “Easter Parade”
MP3: Emmy The Great – “Two Steps Forward” (live)
MP3: Emmy The Great – “MIA” (live from Black Room Sessions)
MP3: Emmy The Great – “The Hypnotist’s Son” (live from Black Room Sessions)
MP3: The End Of The World – “I Don’t Wanna Lose”
MP3: The Dutchess & The Duke – “Reservoir Park”
Video: Emmy The Great – “We Almost Had A Baby”
Video: Emmy The Great – “Gabriel”
Video: Emmy The Great – “Easter Parade”
Video: Emmy The Great – “MIA”
MySpace: Emmy The Great
MySpace: The End Of The World
MySpace: The Dutchess & The Duke
Duffy has a new video for a single that doesn’t appear on Rockferry, but does appear on the forthcoming deluxe edition of Rockferry, due out November 24. It’ll feature seven new tracks, including the aforementioned single. Details at MTV.
Video: Duffy – “Rain On Your Parade”
Patrick Wolf gives NME some details about half of his next record, which will be a double-album. Battles will feature his much-discussed collaboration with Alec Empire while the as-yet untitled other half will be much mellower in mood. He’s aiming for a February release.
Thousand Islands Life talks to Great Lake Swimmer Tony Dekker about choosing the Thousand Islands as the recording locale for their fourth record.
John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats talks to The Arizona Daily Star while both Darnielle and collaborator Kaki King discuss their EP Black Pear Tree with The North County Times.
Okkervil River’s Will Sheff talks The Stand-Ins with Chart. And congratulations to Corey Higgins, who won the Insound poster.
Only a trickle of concert announcements rolling in as the year winds down, but while there may not be so much in terms of volume, ones like this certainly make up for it in density – case in point, the “Jingle Bell Rock” tour which features Metric, Tokyo Police Club, The Dears and Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains winding their way across Canada in a one-horse open sleigh. Look for them December 13 at the Sound Academy and experience the special kind of hell that is being on the waterfront at night in December.
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
Timothy SaccentiSo how exactly do you, as a band, know when you’ve arrived? Is it when you quit your day job? When your parents accept that you’re not just wasting your life? In the case of Toronto’s Born Ruffians, is it when your debut album Red, Yellow & Blue proves popular enough that you’re able to headline a venue the size of the Opera House, as they are this Saturday night? When you’re the subject of a documentary program by Bruce McDonald following you around SxSW?
No, I think it’s when you can justify having tote bags as merch. How loyal do your fans have to be to want a tote bag? I mean, how many tote bags can an individual need? How much does one person have to tote at any given time? I do not know. It confounds me. But indeed, the Born Ruffians have their very own tote bags for sale and courtesy of Stage Fright Publicity, I’ve got one to give away – along with a remix 12″ of their latest single “Little Garcon” and a t-shirt. If you want, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want the Born Ruffians swag” in the subject line and your full mailing address and t-shirt size (and gender) and get that in to me before midnight, October 31.
Video: Born Ruffians – “Hummingbird”
Video: Born Ruffians – “I Need A Life”
Trailer: The Rawside Of… Born Ruffians
MySpace: Born Ruffians
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
Lucky Soul at Webster Hall and Joe's Pub, New York City – CMJ
Frank YangJust to give you how tightly I have my finger on the pulse of what’s hot in music… in all the CMJ coverage that my RSS reader has been barfing up at me, I’ve seen exactly one mention (at Pitchfork) of the band that got me on a plane to New York City – London’s Lucky Soul. All these other buzz bands that everyone’s talking about? Whatever.
The band had two dates scheduled as part of their North American debut, and in the interests of making the most of the opportunity, I hit up both. One was their official CMJ showcase, the other was their own show as presented by the good people at Music Snobbery, and in terms of vibe and setting they couldn’t have been more different. The former came first, and took place in a new live music room underneath Webster Hall called The Studio, and it can generously be described as a dark basement. They were the penultimate act in a showcase dubbed “Bring On The Brits” and featuring a lineup of bands whom I don’t doubt were here from the UK, but apart from Lucky Soul, none of whom I’d ever heard of. I arrived in time to catch one of said bands, a Brighton-based outfit called Passenger who played emotive acoustic-based rock and sounded not unlike The Frames if The Frames weren’t as good at what they do. Certainly nothing offensive but also nothing that had me wishing I’d arrived earlier to catch all their set. And, after all, they were in the way between me and Lucky Soul.
But they left of their own accord – no need for an incident – and right on schedule, Lucky Soul and their wonderful brand of retro soul-pop met North America. And as much as I’d like to say otherwise, it wasn’t the smoothest introduction. For starters, singer Ali Howard’s voice had gone AWOL just a few hours before the show and while she was able to perform, the clear, beautiful vocals of the record were replaced now decidedly raspier and she no longer had the range to hit some of the high notes. Her bandmates did their best to compensate with backing vox and it definitely helped, but when she dropped back, it was very noticeable. She did seem to find some more strength as the short set progressed, but a dodgy mix didn’t help matters much.
On the plus side, the band was obviously determined to not let this setback deter them and did their very best to put on an energized and enjoyable show and I’d say they succeeded, though I can’t honestly say how much of that was fact and how much was my own excitement – having played last year’s The Great Unwanted damn near to death, it was great to finally be able to hear (and see) them live, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal. I left satisfied, though also hoping that between that night and the next, Howard would discover some mystery apothecary in the Lower East Side and her voice would be magically healed.
For though that first night was the “official” show, the second night was the “real” show – a bill featuring them and them alone in the decidedly more upscale and posh surroundings of Joe’s Pub. Surprisingly, though the previous night was a free show and this one ticketed, this one was much better attended, presumably by genuine fans rather than just random CMJ punters. And while most of the observations from the previous night still held, on this occasion there was simply more. More energy, more showmanship, more songs. Howard’s voice, sadly, was still hurting but again it improved as things went on and spared the PA dropouts from the Webster Hall show she was able to make the rasp work in her favour, mostly, giving the songs more of an edge from the sweetness of the recorded versions. The band were just as tight but the positive vibe of the room seemed to give them more pop. They sounded great and they looked great, the boys in suits and Howard in a sleek strapless dress. Between the two nights, I had a marvelous time and was absolutely thrilled to have been able to see them live – and considering how swarmed by fans the band were after the gig, seeking merch and autographs, I was not nearly the only one.
Both nights had similar setlists, though the Joe’s Pub one was obviously longer. In addition to covering most all of The Great Unwanted, they played more new material than I’d expected – it sounded less overtly throwback-y with a touch more country-soul, but still wonderfully hooky and quite strong. The debut was not a fluke. As I understand it, a second album is still a ways off but this bodes well for whenever it comes. Which raises that ever-present rhetorical question – why aren’t these guys, if not huge, then at least more talked about? Most everyone whom I’ve made to listen to it has fallen in love with them and it’s not as though it’s difficult music or would be at all tough to market. But these… these are questions that there’s no rational answer for and dost make one’s head hurt. So I’ll simply say that their two shows made the trip totally worthwhile and this had better not be the last time I get to see them perform.
Music Snobbery has a review of his own show. He thinks it went alright. And the band has blogged their eventful sojourn to the new world – terrific reading.
Photos: Lucky Soul, Passenger @ The Studio at Webster Hall, New York City – October 23, 2008
Photos: Lucky Soul @ Joe’s Pub, New York City – October 24, 2008
MP3: Lucky Soul – “The Great Unwanted”
Video: Lucky Soul – “Lips Are Unhappy”
Video: Lucky Soul – “My Brittle Heart”
Video: Lucky Soul – “Add Your Light To Mine, Baby”
MySpace: Lucky Soul
MySpace: Passenger
Pitchfork talks to Gwenno about the differences between The Pipettes mark one and two (more ’80s, less ’60s) and the precognitive powers of her hair colour.
Frightened Rabbit are offering up an MP3 from their new live album Liver! Lung! FR!.
MP3: Frightened Rabbit – “Old Old Fashioned” (live)
Making an appearance on said record is Twilight Sad frontman James Graham, and to mark the start of that band’s Fall European tour with Mogwai, they’re releasing a limited-edition album collecting live tracks, unreleased goodies and covers… of course, the only place to get it right now is their Fall European tour with Mogwai, but surely there’ll be other avenues and when I know, I’ll let you know. More details on the release at Pitchfork.
This Is Fake DIY, Wales Online and MusicOhm talk to Los Campesinos! about their new record We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, out November 11.
Kele Okereke of Bloc Party doles out sex advice at The Guardian, NME reports that the band is considering ditching the physical CD single. Intimacy is out today and streaming at Spinner.
Stream: Bloc Party / Intimacy
Minnesota Public Radio serves up a session with The Rumble Strips, in town at the El Mocambo tomorrow night.
Monday, October 27th, 2008
O’DeathIf you were under the impression that Appalachian folk music was all about banjos and fiddles and hoe-downs… well, that’s not unreasonable. But if you thought that this recipe precluded the possibility of all-out rock… well get thee to the El Mocambo on November 4.
That’s the night that local self-proclaimed purveyors of “death country”, Elliott Brood, bring their tour in support of new album Mountain Meadows through town and with them, they’re bringing an outfit who could very well make them look and sound reserved, New York’s O’Death. They’re releasing their new record Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin tomorrow and to call it ragged or rollicking doesn’t really do it justice. Though there are points where the band pauses to take a breath, most of it is a non-stop moonshine-powered bender that doesn’t intend to leave anything standing.
Courtesy of Sneak Attack, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away to next Tuesday’s show at the ElMo so if you want, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see O’Death in the subject line and your full name in the body and get that to me before midnight, October 30.
You can currently stream the whole record at Spinner and there’s an interview with the band at Drowned In Sound.
MP3: O’Death – “Lowtide”
Stream: O’Death / Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin
MySpace: O’Death
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