Thursday, January 11th, 2007

The Woods

The Tranzac is the place to be this Friday night as it will play host to the CD release party for the new Friends In Bellwoods compilation. The double-disc set brings together some of the top up-and-comers and already-arriveds from around Toronto and Ontario, collecting new and rare tracks with all proceeds benefiting the Daily Bread Food Bank.

The project was organized by Casey Mecija of Ohbijou and named for her house which has become something of a creative hub for many of the artists in the city and on the compilation, which could serve as an excellent document of an exceptionally creative and exciting time in the Toronto music scene. Her band and the project rate the cover story in this week’s eye and she discusses the project with The Globe & Mail, The Waterloo Record and NOW.

Ohbijou will be performing at Friday’s show along with The D’Urbervilles, Sebastian Grainger (formerly of DFA1979), and Paramedics, featuring Bry Webb of The Constantines. Tickets are $10 at the door and the show starts at 9:30 sharp. Torontoist and blogTO also encourage your attendance. And for those rocking the 519, note that there’s CD release shows tonight and Saturday night February 10 in Guelph and Waterloo respectively – details on the Friends In Bellwoods website.

CMJ introduces their readers to Malajube. They’re heading out on a US tour through February and March that will swing through Austin for SxSW. Prefix has the dates.

Radio Free Canuckistan does his bit to keep people interested in the Arcade Fire by posting full transcripts of interviews with the band circa 2004 with Win and Regine and another with Tim and Richard. Neon Bible is out March 6. (note: edited to correct interview dates).

The Edmonton Journal talks to The Sadies about their hectic but memorable 2006 and gets an update on their next album, due out in September. The band also talks to a reporter from Kamloops This Week who admits right off that she doesn’t know the band at all.

More show announcements! Wolfmother return March 6 for a show at the Kool Haus, tickets on sale now for a stupefying $35.75. Wolfmother are a $40 band now? Seriously? Blonde Redhead will be at the Opera House on May 11 to promote their new album 23, out April 10 – Pitchfork has full album and tour details. Norway’s 120 Days will be on the bill with Shout Out Out Out Out at Lee’s Palace on March 3 and finally, les Apples In Stereo are at Lee’s Palace on February 20 (via For The Records).

Billboard reports that British label Rough Trade has once again got a foothold in North America thanks to a distribution deal with World’s Fair. The first “five marquee releases” to take advantage of this new deal will include Jarvis Cocker’s Jarvis and The Beatific Visions, the new one from BrakesBrakesBrakes (just Brakes in the UK) as well as the new British Sea Power album, whenever it comes out.

And while we’re talking record company news, congrats to Absolutely Kosher and Misra for proving that it’s not just the majors that can play the merger game. Though it’s technically a “strategic partnership” – the two stalwart indies will retain their own names and rosters – the pooling of resources should prove beneficial for both labels. Good luck!

Wednesday, November 1st, 2006

Song For The Fields

I’m tempted to criticize Birmingham, UK’s Fields for being yet another band with a generic, un-Googleable one-word name but in a strange way I can’t quite articulate, it’s a very fitting name for what they do – listening to them, it somehow just feels right.

They were in town this past Monday for a small gig at Revival that didn’t seem to be part of any particular tour. They were also up against a couple of other high-profile shows that same night and not having had much in the way of publicity leading up to it, there was only a modest audience in attendance but probably better than expected. I was there because though I had not heard a note of the band before the previous Friday, what I did sample of their website impressed the hell out of me after just one listen. Plus locals The Coast were added as support so I was fairly assured that it’d be a good show.

It’d been over five months since I last saw The Coast and in the interim, they’ve signed a record deal with Aporia Records and are re-releasing their self-titled EP next Tuesday. Their set was even better than the last time I saw them (read the linked review) though in the same ways, if that makes any sense. It was also good to hear them roll some new tunes into the mix, – They’re playing a free CD re-release show at the Ukula Store next Thursday (November 9). It’ll be worth checking out.

It’s worth noting that I didn’t have a copy of the Fields record, 7 From The Village, before the show. I’d only listened to the online stuff a few times before heading to the show so for most intents and purposes, seeing them onstage would essentially be my first impression of the band – and it was a damn good one. Building towers of sound on the foundation of Nick Peill’s acoustic guitar and bolstered by Jamie Putnam’s shoegazey guitar and Thorunn Antonia’s squalling synths, their set was compact but intense and wholly impressive – an opinion greatly reinforced when I got a copy of the CD yesterday. Considering that the band has only been together for a year or so, it’s a bit fearsome to think about how much better they’re going to get with time. They’re generating some considerable buzz back home and if you were one of the 40 or 50 people in attendance Monday night (rough guess), consider yourself lucky – I suspect they’ll be drawing far more than that the next time they visit.

As for the record, the EP/mini-album draws a line from English folk bands like Pentangle and Fairport Convention and weaves it through a tapestry of electro-tinged, psych-rock goodness. Over the course of seven songs (hence the title) and just 27 minutes, they cover a wide breadth of stylistic bases while maintaining a distinctive and cohesive sound that’s simultaneously ancient, modern and timeless. Some standouts are the barreling rock of “Song For The Fields” and the anthemic pop of “Brittlesticks” but this record is extraordinarily solid top to bottom and bodes very well for their first full-length, due out next Spring.

Photos: Fields, The Coast @ Revival – October 30, 2006
MP3: Fields – “Brittlesticks”
MP3: Fields – “Song For The Fields”
MP3: The Coast – “The Lines Are Cut”
Video: Fields – “Brittlesticks” (MySpace)
Video: Fields – “If You Fail We All Fail” (MySpace)
Video: Fields – “Song For The Fields” (MySpace)
MySpace: Fields
MySpace: The Coast

Just as suddenly as it was announced, British Sea Power’s November 15 show at Lee’s Palace has been canceled. Don’t shoot the messenger, man.

Brett Anderson is previewing material from his forthcoming solo record on YouTube, starting with a new song – “Scorpio Rising”. The man has baby photos of himself on his website. That’s just… too much, man. Too much. Via The Tripwire.

Bradley’s Almanac has posted the recording of Cat Power’s solo show there this past September. Unlike the Toronto shows, which were sublime, the Beantown performance was a little more… classic Chan. The audio evidence is right there. Expect the presence of the Memphis Rhythm Band to (hopefully) keep her a little more focused and on the rails when she plays the Phoenix on November 22.

Eric Bachmann gives the AV Club a look inside his iPod and what they find may shock and titillate you. Okay, not really – it’s folk singers and language lessons.

Torontoist interviews The Fiery Furnaces, also in town this past Monday evening.

np – Fields / 7 From The Village

Friday, October 20th, 2006

Let There Be Rock

It’s been over two years since Toronto last had its ass kicked by The Drive-By Truckers and by god, that’s way too long. If you ever need to have your faith in the power and the glory of rock and roll restored, just hit a Truckers show and be healed.

Since their last visit in September ’04, they’ve upgraded digs from the cozy Horseshoe to the spacious Phoenix – an excellent choice if for no other reason than the club has those big-ass floor PA speakers on either side of the stage that can double quite excellently as guitar soloing platforms, if the performer is so inclined. And Mssrs Cooley, Hood and Isbell took full advantage, stepping up and into the crowd for their leads as they tore off numbers from their latest record A Blessing And A Curse. The set began front-loaded with more recent material but as the night went on and the band got looser (and more lubricated), they went reaching further into their catalog, going as far back as Pizza Deliverance, if not farther – there were a few songs in the set list that I couldn’t place. The Southern Rock Opera numbers, in particular, were simply scorching.

Whereas last time there was a fair bit of monologuing from Patterson Hood, both because of the Southern mythology inherent to The Dirty South and the then-impending US election (this photo is all you need to know about the Truckers’ politics), this time they were intent on cramming as much music into their two-and-a-half-hour set as possible. The show was a non-stop Rocktoberfest celebration with pauses only long enough to pass around the Jack Daniels. It truly boggles my mind that they give so much for so long every night – if you walk out of a Truckers show without a grin on your face and an air guitar in your hand, then by gum there’s something wrong with you. And yeah, at one point I was singing backups (with about a dozen others up front) on “Let There Be Rock” – when Patterson Hood sticks a mic in your face, you bloody well sing.

Tourmates and labelmates The Drams, risen from the ashes of Denton, Texas’ Slobberbone, set the tone for the evening with their opening set of raw, alcohol-soaked but intensely hooky roots rock. Showcasing material from their debut Jubilee Dive (as well as a cowpunk version of Chris Bell’s “I Am The Cosmos”), they rocked and sweat hard and might well have stolen the show if they were playing with anyone else… but no one steals a show from the Truckers. No one.

Just as they split songwriting duties evenly, so also do the Truckers divvy up press duties – Jason Isbell talks to The St Louis Riverfront Times, Mike Cooley to the Cleveland Free Times and Patterson Hood has a quick word with The Lousiville Eccentric Observer.

Photos: Drive-By Truckers, The Drams @ The Phoenx, October 18, 2006
MP3: Drive-By Truckers – “Feb 14”
Stream: Drive-By Truckers / A Blessing And A Curse (Flash)
eCard: The Drams
MySpace: Drive-By Truckers
MySpace: The Drams

The Toronto Star and Ottawa Sun talk to Chad VanGaalen, who performs an in-store at Rotate This tomorrow afternoon at 5PM before his proper show at the WhipperSnapper Gallery that evening.

The November 13 bill at Lee’s Palace just got a little bit louder – in addition to Annuals and Evangelicals, The Big Sleep are now also playing. If curious, you can stream the Annuals album for free right now at AOL, hear the Evangelicals’ new ode to Hallowe’en and check out the Big Sleep’s new video.

Stream: Annuals / Be He Me
MP3: Evangelicals – “Hallowe’en Song”
Video: The Big Sleep – “Murder” (YouTube)

The National’s Matt Berninger gives Chart an update on how the recording of their new album is coming along. Just the idea that the follow-up to Alligator is out there, three-quarters done, makes me squirm just a bit. You can also watch the Saturn commercials featuring The National’s music – “Saturn Question Mark” and “VUE Green Line” – just in case you don’t feel like you’re getting enough advertising in your diet.

Penn State’s Daily Collegian has Q’s, Feist has A’s. Meanwhile, Creative Loafing and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ask BSS’s Brendan Canning about the band’s impending deconstruction. Via LHB.

Portland’s Parenthetical Girls are in town November 9 for a show at The Boat.

Pitchfork asks Jonas Bjerre of Mew, a) what’s with that album cover and b) if Kasabian are dicks. Pitchfok – setting the gold standard for internet music journalism.

The Prestige, aka Batman vs Wolverine, opens today, much to my delight. I could have sworn this wasn’t coming out till next year, but nope – it’s here now and while reviews aren’t overwhelming, I hope it will still be worth my time and money. PopMatters talks to leads Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman while Newsarama chats up director Christopher Nolan.

np – Tanya Donelly / This Hungry Life

Thursday, September 21st, 2006

Maybe Sprout Wings

Goats, goats, The Mountain Goats, Lee’s Palace, Tuesday night. We don’t need no stinking preamble, save to say that Get Lonely is one of my favourite records of the year and the Goats are always an entertaining show so a good time was pretty much guaranteed.

Opening up this leg of the tour was Christine Fellows, Winnipeg-er and singer/songwriter much beloved of John Darnielle. Her four-piece band sported some unconventional instrumentation that added a tinkling, whimsical feel to her set that complimented Fellows’ jolly, perma-grin persona perfectly though it seemed a little at odds with the lyrical content of some of her songs – or maybe it fit perfectly (nudge, wink). Darnielle might be a little overly-effusive in saying, “Christine writes the best damned songs in the whole world” but playing material from her latest record Paper Anniversary, she did put on a charming opening set.

I first saw the Mountain Goats live last year on my 30th birthday and while some thought it was odd way to celebrate, it was far more memorable than the ones where I’ve gotten blotto. This show didn’t have the special occasion behind it, but it was special all the same. And you know, reading over the review of that show, I’m at a bit of a loss on how to expand on that without repeating myself. Sufficed to say, everything there still holds – Darnielle is still and entertaining, engaging and more than a bit quirky frontman with his wildly expressive face displaying what could either be joy or agony – you’re never quite sure. And Peter Hughes remains an invaluable musical companion, contributing perfectly composed, melodic basslines and backing vocals in a manner that’s completely minimal, but with a huge impact on the overall sound.

What was different at this show was the contrast between material from The Sunset Tree, from which they chose to play the more uptempo numbers, and Get Lonely, which was represented by the quieter, more wounded material. At points during the latter, Darnielle practically gasped his way through the lyrics, testing the audience’s ability to stay silent, straining to hear. But as before, the focus wasn’t placed squarely on the new material and drew from all across the Goats repetoire. While this surely satisfied the die-hard fans, I felt it did the new record a little bit of a disservice as it’s the collective mood of the songs is a large part of their power. But, on the other hand, if he’d played the album in its entirety, it may have been too depressing to bear. He probably had the right idea.

Mountain Goats fans are a devout, fanatical lot so when Darnielle seemed to open the door for requests about halfway through the set, it became a game of one-upmanship with everyone trying to out-obscure the other. He deftly dodged these by stating that he preferred playing the new songs to old ones and that would be whoring himself – and he was no whore. My own silent requests were answered in the encores, when he rolled out “No Children” to open the first and “The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton” to close the second. Because there’s no real way to top a club full of indie kids screaming, “Hail Satan”.

I picked a prime spot straight in front of Darnielle so I got some real good, sharp shots of the mic stand. Oh yeah. But the next part of the Amoeba Records instore/interview with Carl Newman is now up on YouTube – I think that’s three in total so far out of… more than three. I think. And Zoilus has a far more expansive and detailed review of the show.

Photos: Mountain Goats, Christine Fellows @ Lee’s Palace – September 19, 2006
MP3: The Mountain Goats – “Woke Up New”
MP3: The Mountain Goats – “Wild Sage”
Video: The Mountain Goats – “Woke Up New” (MOV)
Video: Christine Fellows – “Migrations” (MOV)
MySpace: Christine Fellows

The latest installment of Richard Buckner’s tour diary is up on the Merge Blog. The Toronto show only gets a passing mention (“my summer cold slapped me in the face”) but at least that’s better than how Montreal treated him (“someone had broken out my back window and taken my cell phone and passport”). Dude has not had good luck touring Canada, as he recounts. The Riverfront Times has a profile of Buckner (or someone claiming to be him – they do have his passport, after all).

The New York Times has a revealing interview with Cat Power that details (and quantifies) exactly how bad shape she was in at the start of the year before cleaning up and drying out.

PopMatters documents the long, hard year of Film School.

Rogue Wave drummer Pat Spurgeon needs your help – to help fund a kidney transplant (he was born with one, it failed, he had it replaced, that’s now failing) the band are holding a benefit concert in San Francisco next week to raise funds but those who aren’t able to make it to San Fran can still help out via a PayPal fund set up via the band’s website. And if you’re interested in donating more than just money, maybe you can spare a kidney – Spurgeon’s blood type is O+. I can’t speak for the band but I suspect that if you were a match, you and all your children would be guest listed for Rogue Wave shows for the rest of your lives. But give a little if you can – it will all add up in the end.

Shows – Chad Van Gaalen will be in town at the Whippersnapper Art Gallery at College and Clinton on October 21, tickets $10. French Kicks and OKGO are at the Mod Club November 13. Most interesting, however, is Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 (aka Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin) at the Mod Club on November 10, tickets $20. Word is that Hitchcock’s new one is a scorcher – more Soft Boys than The Soft Boys. Check it out:

MP3: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – “Adventure Rocket Ship”

The Ottawa Sun finds out what’s on Billy Bragg’s mind. The Chronicle Herald also gets a moment or two of his time. He’s at the Danforth Music Hall on Sunday and his Volume Two box set is out October 17.

Chart talks to Final Fantasy’s Owen Pallett about his Polaris win. The more I think about it, the more his victory seemed a no-brainer. Musical merit aside, he’s the perfect winner to inaugurate the award, giving it instant credibility with the oh-so cynical indie nation and handily avoiding accusations of major-label favouritism or general industry out-of-touchness that a more traditional and mainstream winner like Sarah Harmer would almost certainly have gotten. Which isn’t to imply that Final Fantasy wouldn’t have won solely on the artistic merits that the award cites – not at all – but I suspect that the organizers breathed a huge sigh of relief when the winner was announced as it makes their job of promoting the award next year and beyond much easier.

np – Yo La Tengo / I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

Thursday, September 14th, 2006

White Waves

As worn out as I’ve been of late, it didn’t take too much effort to find the energy to see Shearwater at Lee’s Palace Tuesday night. While it was going to be great to see them on the second night of a short jaunt with The Magnolia Electric Co, I was also a little frustrated that while this would be the third time I’d seen them this year (twice at SxSW), none of them were proper full-length sets. But hey, I’ll take what I can get.

Opening was Julie Doiron, once upon a time of Eric’s Trip. I’ve always thought of Doiron’s material as being the epitome of ultra-delicate singer-songwriter-ness, ideal for folks who find Cat Power way too metal. But to my surprise, she came out this night electric and amped up with a four-piece band (including two drummers and a tickle trunk of percussive toys – double drummers is the new black). Her vocals are still frail and wavery, occasionally evidencing only a passing acquaintance with the idea of being in key, but the more forceful musical accompaniment did much to balance out the fragility of her voice and songs, coming across like early Cat Power crossed with electric Neil Young. Unexpectedly good stuff.

I mentioned back in May that Shearwater’s new album Palo Santo was on a shortlist for one of my top records of the year. Well four months and many, many new releases later, I’m still standing by that statement. Interestingly, as I listen to it more, it almost seems to get less accessible and more mysterious but also more engrossing if that makes any sense. But while it’s not a pop record and maybe requires a bit of work on the part of the listener, I make no hesitation about recommending it to anyone and everyone. But anyway, to the show. Jonathan Meiburg had been fighting off a bit of illness that had been affecting his voice, but if you didn’t know I highly doubt you’d have noticed. His vocals still soared where they needed to and the band was electrifying, intense, delicate and affecting throughout.

The 40-minute set drew from many points in Shearwater’s catalog and sounded great – it’s amazing how just four players can create such a rich, textured and wholly organic sound – but I’d also have been happy to hear a Palo Santo-heavier set. Hell, I’d like to hear the whole thing played start to finish though I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon. Like I said before, it’s frustrating to not be able to see Shearwater perform a full set short of flying down to Austin sometime (besides SxSW). If there’s any justice, they’ll be doing headlining tours of their own before long and while the band is unequivocally Meiburg’s vehicle now, there are some Will Sheff-penned tunes in their repetoire that I’d love to hear live. Oh, and if anyone in attendance was wondering, this is the shark that Meiburg dedicated a song to.

As for the headliners, I had to bow out – I’d already seen them twice before and I was beat. Considering Mr Molina and his company come through town about twice a year now, I’m sure I’ll get my chance to see them again before long.

The Daily Texan previews Meiburg’s other band – Okkervil River – in advance of their performance at the ACL Fest this weekend. Meiburg and co will be in Boston that night instead. But the whole band was assembled for a recent show being recorded for a live DVD – eyewitness accounts at Party Ends.

Photos: Shearwater, Julie Doiron @ Lee’s Palace – September 12, 2006
MP3: Julie Doiron – “Goodnight Nobody”
MP3: Shearwater – “Seventy-Four Seventy-Five”
MP3: Shearwater – “White Waves”
MySpace: Julie Doiron
MySpace: Shearwater

The Boston Globe recounts the true-life love story of Mates Of State. Watch them make lovey-eyes at each other from across the stage at Lee’s Palace on Saturday night.

R.E.M. tell Billboard that on their next album, they’re going to rock. For real. Honest. And to prove it, they a rock show at a tribute night to themselves in Athens. Way to make the other bands (including one fronted by Patterson Hood) feel inadequate.

In case you hadn’t heard, on October 1 there will be a free (free!) show at the Kool Haus to celebrate the UNESCO International Day of Music. Sponsored by CBC Radio 3 and Bande à Part (the Quebec equivalent), it will feature two anglo artists and two francophone – The Joel Plaskett Emergency and Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton while Quebec is represented by Les Trois Accords and Les Breastfeeders, whose name I suspect means the same thing in both languages. To reserve a ticket, go here and to read about the event go to Chart and to read an interview with Emily, go to Adam Radwanski’s site. The Toronto Star has a review of her recent solo show at the Gladstone – a hint of what you can expect at the upcoming show.

New City Chicago chats with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats and the second part of his Amoeba Records instore/conversation with Carl Newman is now up on YouTube.

B(oot)log has a Tilly & The Wall radio session from June of this year available for download.

Pitchfork has the tracklist of Pavement’s Wowee Zowee: The Sordid Sentinels Edition, out November 7.

The Arizona Star and The Houston Chronicle talk to John Roderick of The Long Winters. They’re at Lee’s Palace on October 4.

And a couple upcoming shows – Clem Snide frontman Eef Barzalay and Casey Dienel will be at Rancho Relaxo on October 14, Sparta and Sound Team at the Opera House on OCtober 15 and Scritti Politti is at the Opera House November 6. Scritti Politti? The Opera House? Really? That’s… a big venue for a band without a website.

np – Portastatic / Be Still Please