Friday, April 4th, 2008

Wild Mountain Nation

Heading in to Wednesday night’s show at the El Mocambo, I was wondering if maybe the buzz around Seattle’s Fleet Foxes, which seemed omnipresent in my online circles over the past month or so, had been held up at the border because while there was some local press covering Portland-based headliners Blitzen Trapper leading up to the show, I was hearing nary a peep about the support act.

I wasn’t in time to catch local openers Fox Jaws but was pleasantly surprised to see that the club was quite full and obviously waiting in patient anticipation for Fleet Foxes to start. And patience was the key word as they were having some technical difficulties with the monitors and were taking their time in sorting it out. It was worth it, though, as otherwise they might not have been able to hear correctly and their four-part harmonies might have suffered and that would have been an absolute crime.

There is much to recommend Fleet Foxes – their timeless blend of British and American folk music filtered through country, soul and chamber pop styles, for example – but what strikes you first and hardest is the stunning vocal interplay. Their voices, led by songwriter Robin Peckold, were simply mesmerizing to listen to. Some have compared the band to My Morning Jacket or Band Of Horses and, while fans of those bands will surely find a lot to like in the Seattle quintet, those similarities are based largely on Peckold’s high voice and the thick blanket of reverb that cloaks their new Sun Giant EP (the self-titled debut album is out June 3). Live, you appreciate how much more delicate and intricate Fleet Foxes’ craft is – there are far fewer rock moves in their arsenal, instead choosing more spiritual musical path.

Throughout their set, the band were openly astonished at how enthusiastic the crowd was, cheering loudly for even for songs that hadn’t been officially released yet. I may not have heard the buzz and anticipation for the show, but obviously it was there. This energy made for an atmosphere of real occasion, as though everyone acknowledged that they were witnessing something pretty special, as though realizing the band is not only as good as everyone says they are, but are quite probably even better.

With this sort of praise following the tour around the continent, you might be tempted to feel sorry for Blitzen Trapper with them having to follow this act every night. But such pity is unnecessary. Though perhaps not as critically acclaimed as their tourmates at the moment – the crowd was noticeably thinner when they came out – they still know how to put on a show and bring the house down. I wasn’t especially taken with their latest record Wild Mountain Nation but, as they did when I saw them in the Fall opening for John Vanderslice, they put on a thoroughly entertaining show.

Their amalgam of roots, classic, country and psychedelic rock influences – all stored in the garage, natch – sounds like it could and should collapse at any second yet the band is simply too tight and too together to ever let that happen. The ensuing musical tug-of-war is a delight to behold. And they were funny as hell, too, with guitarist Marty Marquis paying tribute to Canada by pointing out his faded Alpha Flight t-shirt. They closed out their show in gloriously chaotic fashion with all of Fleet Foxes out on stage with them along with some fans from the audience and drummer Brian Adrian Koch deciding that one of his cymbals had outlived its usefulness and trying to put it out of its – and his – misery.

If you’re anywhere near the remaining tour dates, I highly recommend hitting the show up. It’ll be beautiful, cacophonous and all points in between, guaranteed.

Tiny Mix Tapes has an interview with Blitzen Trapper and, while a few months old, this profile on Fleet Foxes by The Stranger is worth a read.

Photos: Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes @ The El Mocambo – April 2, 2008
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation”
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Sci-Fi Kid” (Principal Participant Kingswood’ Remix)
MP3: Blitzen Trapper – “Sci-Fi Kid” (40 Thieves Remix)
MP3: Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Devil’s A-Go-Go”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation”
Video: Blitzen Trapper – “Woof & Warp of the Quiet Giant’s Hem”
MySpace: Blitzen Trapper

A very welcome addition to the June concert calendar is Lightspeed Champion’s return to town on the 11th for a show at Lee’s Palace… this time accompanied by a full band. The two-piece configuration we saw at the Horseshoe in March worked quite well, considering, but it will be great to hear the rich arrangements of Falling Off The Lavender Bridge done proper justice in a live setting. Full tour dates are here and support will be Flowers Forever, the side project from Tilly & The Wall’s Derek Presnall.

MP3: Flowers Forever – “Black Rosary”

Matmos will be at the Music Gallery on July 21.

NPR is streaming a session from Jens Lekman recorded at SxSW last month. Jens is at The Great Hall on April 8.

NOW and Commercial Appeal talk to Will Sheff of Okkervil River, who kick off their tour with The New Pornographers starts in Toronto next Wednesday night, April 9.

Chart reports that The Coast’s cross-country tour got off to a lousy start when the band’s van was burgled in Victoria and many personal effects – and frontman Ben Spurr’s clothes – were stolen. The band will be back home, hopefully fully clothed, for a record release show at the Horseshoe on April 18. Expatriate was released this week.

PopMatters asks questions of American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel, gets pithy responses. The Georgia Straight and The Province also offer up interviews. AMC are at Lee’s Palace on April 19.

Beatroute profiles The D’Urbervilles, playing the UKULA store on May 1 as part of the Over The Top Fest.

The Calgary Sun bears witness as Feist is reunited with her old Fender Mustang bass. Awwwww. Feist plays a sold out show at the Sony Centre on May 13 and will also appear on Sesame Street in the near future.

JamBase profiles British Sea Power, in town on Monday for a Beautiful Noise taping and again on May 16 for a gig at Lee’s Palace.

Matt Berninger of The National talks to Spinner about how R.E.M. soundtracked his high school days. Non-$90 tickets for their show at the Molson Amphitheatre on June 8 go on sale tomorrow at 10AM.

InsideVandy, The River City Reader and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talk to Jim Eno and Britt Daniel of Spoon, who have a new video and a new EP, Don’t You Evah, out April 8. Watch and stream below, respectively.

Video: Spoon – “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”
Stream: Spoon / Don’t You Evah

And speaking of new videos, Elbow has one from The Seldom Seen Kid, out April 22.

Video: Elbow – “One Day Like This”

Minnesota Public Radio has Headlights in their studio for a session.

Sons & Daughters kept a tour diary for Billboard during their recent North American jaunt.

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

From Now On

Methinks I’ve been a little hard on Nada Surf in the past. I’ve never disliked them, per se, but the couple times I saw them live in 2003 and again in 2005, they didn’t impress and it’s that impression – and not the fact that I really quite liked their 2002 effort Let Go.

I think the problem was that I somehow got it in my head that they were a rock band and as a rock band, they rate rather poorly. As a pop band with gentle singer-songwritery inclinations, however, they do quite well. My change of heart towards the band began at their acoustic in-store back in January, which I enjoyed much more than I expected and seemed the ideal setting for the band (or the two-thirds that were there), and was confirmed by their latest effort Lucky.

What I’d been taking as weakness or wimpiness – and this is me, the king of wimp rock talking – turns out to be the band’s strength, bolstering Matthew Caws’ sensitive soul-searching lyricism with occasional bursts of distortion and energy – dare I say, “rock” – but mostly utilizing a reliable bed of guitar jangle, lush harmonies and subtle but effective orchestral flourishes. There’s no macho affectation, just deceptively masterful and melodic pop that wears its heart on its sleeve like a badge of honour.

Nada Surf are in town Monday night, April 7, for a gig at the Opera House and courtesy of Outside Music and Against The Grain, I’ve got goodies to give away. There’s a grand prize consisting of a pair of passes to the show plus a copy of both Lucky and their last record, The Weight Is A Gift, on CD and a runner-up prize of another pair of passes to the show, for which The Jealous Girlfriends – written up yesterday with a contest tied in as well – are opening. To enter, shoot me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to go on a Nada Surf-ing safari” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. And do it today – the contest closes at midnight tonight.

Nada Surf has been on a media blitz on this tour, giving interviews to NOW, The Toronto Star, Filter, New City Chicago, The Westender, The Great Falls Tribune, The Georgia Straight and The Stranger, and they also recorded a MySpace Transmissions session consisting of live performances and interviews.

MP3: Nada Surf – “See These Bones”
Video: Nada Surf – “I Like What You Say”
MySpace: Nada Surf

Billboard brings details of the next installment in Neil Young’s Archives series – an aborted album with Crazy Horse circa 2000 entitled Toast. Look for it sometime. That’s all. Sometime.

The Futureheads’ third album This Is Not The World will see a North American release on May 27. A video and MP3 were released a little while back, if you wanted a preview.

MP3: The Futureheads – “Broke Up The Time”
Video: The Futureheads – “The Beginning Of The Twist”

Drowned In Sound has a two–part interview with Geoff Barrow of Portishead while MTV talks to Adrian Utley. Third arrives April 29.

Video: Portishead – “Machine Gun”

Stephen Malkmus talks to The AV Club, Gothamist and The Village Voice about Real Emotional Trash.

The Boston Herald and Creative Loafing talk to Gary Louris about Vagabonds. And to answer Eugene’s question from yesterday, no, I didn’t make the show on Sunday. Can’t be everywhere.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

How Now

My enthusiasm for Brooklyn’s The Jealous Girlfriends may have been cemented by their ass-kicking, if hardly attended, show at the Drake last October but it was instigated by their self-titled album which I’d gotten in all its CD-R, no artwork glory via CD Baby last Fall. Their killer pop, built off of churning guitars, burbling synths and glorious vocal interplay from Holly Miranda and Josh Abbott, defies easy categorization not by refusing to sound like any specific genre or era, but by sounding like all of them at once and turned up loud. Sufficed to say, I was/am fond of the record.

Which is why I am approaching the upcoming re-release of said record by their new label, Montreal-based Good Fences (April 22 in Canada and May 13 in the US) with a bit of trepidation. You see, it’s largely the same record and while there’s now some nice artwork, liner notes and one new track – they’ve also shuffled the running order. I know in this day and age the things like the album and running order is a bit of an outmoded concept, but it’s still somewhat sacred to me and I’m having a bit of a time wrapping my head around the rebuilt record. The aforementioned new addition “Secret Identity” now starts things off and it’s a decent enough tune, though I’d have preferred to hear a more fully-realized version of “Monkey Brains”, the demo version of which is streaming on the band’s MySpace and which they trotted out at the Drake show.

From that point on, though, things get familiarly unfamiliar. Whereas “Machines”, all mystery and foreboding, felt like the perfect entry point on the original sequence, it’s now traded places with the much bouncier and accessible “How Now” which used to be the penultimate track. Simliarly, the drone of “Heiroglyphics” and the jauntiness of “Robuxulla” have also swapped. I can see the logic – the CD-R version was more backloaded as far as the more straightforward pop songs went but I felt it had a more cohesive arc to it, as a record. I’m glad, however, that the record still closes on a gentle note with “Carry Me”. Definitely the right way to go out. I’m sure a lot of this is just the fact that the final edition is different from what I’m used to and like all right-thinking individuals, I fear change. But for the time being, I’ve got both versions of the record on my iPod and time will tell which one eventually wins the place of favour for good. Though maybe it really doesn’t matter… people are just going to rip them into their computer music library software of choice and hit “shuffle” anyways, right?

Well thanks to Ideal Friends, you could have a copy of the CD to listen to or resequence as you see fit. I’ve got ten (10) copies of the new CD to give away and, if you like, I’ll email you the running order of the old CD-R… To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I wish I had a jealous girlfriend” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body. Contest is open only to residents of Canada – sorry American cousins – and will close at midnight, April 7.

That, incidentally, is the same night the band is here in Toronto opening up for Nada Surf at the Opera House. They’ll accompany them for a couple weeks around the east coast and then, in late May, they pile into the van again for a continent-crossing jaunt with Sea Wolf. Full dates and routing here.

MP3: The Jealous Girlfriends – “Roboxulla”
MP3: The Jealous Girlfriends – “Something In The Water”
MP3: The Jealous Girlfriends – “Machines”
Video: The Jealous Girlfriends – “How Now”
MySpace: The Jealous Girlfriends

The AV Club talks process and Express talks love with Jens Lekman Jens is at the Great Hall next Tuesday night and it appears that that show is now (again) sold out. As it happens, I’ve got an extra ticket for that one so if anyone hesitated and is now lost, drop me a line. Ticket gone!

A few people have been asking me about on-sale dates for the R.E.M. show at the Molson Amphitheatre on June 8… well dig up your Ticketmaster passwords because they’re going to be available this Saturday morning, April 5, at 10 AM and will run $30 for lawns up to $90 for seats. Yeah. You know what? I’ve seen Stipey up close, it’s not all that. And if you’re really keen, there’s a presale that starts today at 10AM, though it appears that you need to be a member of their mailing list to be eligible. It’s probably just the reserved seating – giving hardcore fans first dibs at a patch of grass doesn’t make much sense.

Wireless Bollinger and New York Magazine feature Destroyer, who is in town for a show at Lee’s Palace on April 19.

The Long Blondes would like you to watch the video for the lead-off track from Couples, which will be out next Tuesday. They would also like for you to see them at Lee’s Palace on May 22, but don’t want to be all pushy. Start with the video, see where that takes you. And if that goes well, perhaps get to know them a bit via interviews with Heckler Spray, The Scotsman, The Belfast Telegraph and The Sunday Mail.

Video: The Long Blondes – “Century”

Dayrobber is a Swedish webzine that was recently brought to my attention, in particular their feature called “The Band” wherein they conduct video interviews with different artists… like this one with Lucky Soul.

Thanks to Melody for pointing out in the comments yesterday that Basia Bulat will be playing the annual free show at Harbourfront Centre on Canada Day. Considering that Canada Day falls on a Tuesday this year, I’m assuming this show will happen on the preceding Sunday, June 29, but am not sure. I’ll let you know when I find confirmation.

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

I Will Sing You Songs

See, if going to church was always such an ass-kicking rock experience, then I might go more often. Or at all.

The tapings for season three of Beautiful Noise got off to an unbelievable start last night as My Morning Jacket rolled into town for their first Toronto show in almost two years and considering they played a hall that held but a fraction of the audience they’d normally draw, I don’t know that you could consider their touring debts to the city paid. But that’s more a complaint for those who weren’t inside. For those of us who were… wow.

But with their absence from the stages of Toronto and the fact that they hadn’t released a new studio record in almost three years, My Morning Jacket were suffering from a bit of out of sight, out of mind syndrome for me at least. Which is to say, I’d kind of forgotten how much I liked them and how incredible they are in live performance. Consider me reminded. Ignoring the fact that their show would likely be edited down considerably for broadcast, the band blew through a two hour show that didn’t even feel half as long. In addition to all the gems you’d want to hear from their earlier records, they also previewed a fair number of tracks from their next long-player Evil Urges, which isn’t out until June 10.

While it’s obviously premature to assess the new material from a single listen in a live context, the impression most of it gave was that it was a step back from the determined experimentalism that made 2005’s Z initially challenging but ultimately rewarding and a return to the more straight-ahead rock of It Still Moves and At Dawn… but note that I said most. They’ve still got a few hard lefts in their pocket as songs like the pure ’80s electro-funk of “Highly Suspicious” would attest.

But all songs, new and old, were marked by the band’s unbelievable musicianship and Jim James’ showmanship – the man was a dervish of hair and Flying Vs, whether pogoing around the stage, trying out some dance moves or trying to invade the audience at the show’s close (thank goodness for that velvet rope keeping everyone safe). And that encore! I thought they were going to finish with their haunting reading of Z closer “Dondante”, but then stepped up with a scorching “One Big Holiday” and when I thought they couldn’t top that… they did, with “Anytime”. Unbelievable.

I remember being a bit confused when Magnet ran a My Morning Jacket cover story in their Fall 2007 issue – they were a year on from the release of their live record Okonokos and nothing had been announced about their new album. There didn’t seem to be any context, any reason. Now, after last night’s show, I understand. My Morning Jacket are awesome, and that’s really all the reason you ever need.

Jim James talks to MTV about what to expect from the new record. The above photo comes from their October 2005 show at the Guvernment.

MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Off The Record”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Lowdown”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Bermuda Highway”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “The Bear”
MP3: My Morning Jacket – “Evelyn Is Not Real”
Video: My Morning Jacket – “Off The Record”
MySpace: My Morning Jacket

Pitchfork reports that My Morning Jacket have a new labelmate in Liz Phair, who will try to salvage whatever remains of her career with a re-release of Exile In Guyville in deluxe format on June 24. It’ll contain a handful of bonus tracks and a DVD doc about the making of the record.

Le Blogotheque celebrates the release of R.E.M.’s new album Accelerate today with not one, not two, not three, not four but five Take-Away Shows. Okay, in hindsight, that may not have been the best device to lead into that bit of information. Entertainment Weekly assembles a video history of the band and The Huffington Post talks to Michael Stipe. The critical response to Accelerate, by the way, is pretty solid.

PopMatters follows The Hold Steady around, writes about it.

Wolf Parade’s new record is out June 17 and has the Pitchfork-disavowed title of Kissing The Beehive. Oh come on, maybe they’re just Jonathan Carroll fans. If I recall, I particularly liked that book.

The Independent talks to DeVotchKa frontman Nick Urata.

Good news for those who’d given up waiting on ex-Beulah frontman Miles Kurosky’s solo record – Hard To Find A Friend has an interview with the man and while there’s nothing as concrete as a title or release date, it’s still in progress. Via You Ain’t No Picasso.

Some show announcements big and small. Jim White will be at the Horseshoe on May 11 in support of his new record Transnormal Skiperoo.

Justin Townes Earle – son of Steve – brings his burgeoning solo career to the Horseshoe on May 25. His debut record is The Good Life, Exclaim! has a review and an interview, The Desert Sun just an interview.

The Raconteurs, who tried to be all sneaky deaky about the release and the very existence of their new record Consolers Of The Lonely, will be at the Ricoh Coliseum on June 5 with The Black Lips as support.

Olympic Island, which broke a streak of Summer music mini-fests last year, will again play host to a big to-do (besides V Fest) on June 7 with a lineup featuring Death Cab For Cutie, Stars, Rogue Wave and Young Galaxy. Tickets for the event, which is billed as “sponsorship-free”, are $49.50 plus a $6 ferry fee. Death Cab’s new album Narrow Stairs is out May 13.

Monday, March 31st, 2008

In The Night

Had it really been almost five months since I last saw Basia Bulat live? I know that doesn’t seem like a long time, but considering I’d caught her and her band some half-dozen times last year, that’s a long time. And in that time, she’s released her record Oh My Darling in the US and has been touring south of the border relentlessly, making Saturday night’s gig at Lee’s Palace a homecoming of sorts (yes I know she’s from London – I said “of sorts”).

For the occasion, she enlisted a couple of acts with whom she’d been been playing around southern Ontario – Ottawa’s Amos The Transparent and Toronto’s Katie Stelmanis. The former features what you could call a malleable lineup – the first time I saw them, their lineup numbered in the double digits and the last time, they were a much leaner four-piece. I was hoping that they’d see fit to bring a few more compatriots along this time to fill the larger Lee’s stage but again, it was the quartet and I suspect that I should expect that to be the case from now on. But whatever disappointment I felt about that was dispelled by the reminder that even with just the four of them, they could do the richly melancholy pop of Everything I’ve Forgotten To Forget justice, complete with harmonies and little musical and percussive accents that you might have expected to have been left in the studio.

I’d seen Katie Stelmanis before as part of Bruce Peninsula, but her own music is quite a bit removed from that collective’s rural gospel choir. Here, Stelmanis’ operatic vocals are brought to the fore but mated to electronic and acoustic percussion, guitar, synths and keyboards in way that leaves me at a bit of a loss to try and describe it beyond listing off its component parts. Sufficed to say that I found it interesting if not entirely enjoyable and her take on Roy Orbison’s “Crying” was maybe a little disturbing.

And for Basia, it must be a treat to come back to Canada to play to full houses of fans rather than trying to win over new audience after new audience in America. Which isn’t to say that she’s not succeeding – most accounts I’ve read indicate that she’s leaving a trail of fans in the US wherever she goes – but they’ll probably still have a ways to go before they can equal the excitement and cheer of the Toronto fans. The set ran a bit shorter than I’d have expected or liked, but it still hit all the high points of Oh My Darling and featured a few new songs with Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In The End” now being the cover song du jour. And though the road warrior lifestyle may have given the band some well-earned polish and tightness – I swear their harmonies sound better every time I see them, and that’s saying something – their giddiness and pure joy of playing music comes across as fresh as ever. And when the whole of Lee’s Palace was clapping along for the opening of “I Was A Daughter”, well it felt like Spring had finally arrived.

Chart talked to Katie Stelmanis about her new record Join Us.

Photos: Basia Bulat, Katie Stelmanis, Amos The Transparent @ Lee’s Palace – March 29, 2008
MP3: Basia Bulat – “In The Night”
MP3: Basia Bulat – “Snakes & Ladders”
MP3: Katie Stelmanis – “In My Favour”
MP3: Amos The Transparent – “After All That Its Come To This”
Video: Basia Bulat – “In The Night”
MySpace: Basia Bulat
MySpace: Katie Stelmanis
MySpace: Amos The Transparent

Stereogum has assembled another of their “man the 90s were great” tribute albums, this one for Bjork’s Post. Head over to grab covers by the likes of White Hinterland, Evangelicals and a collaboration between Final Fantasy and Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste.

Spin has put their April cover story on R.E.M. online. CBS News also has an interview and The Times followed the band around London last week. Accelerate is out tomorrow.

And speaking of magazine covers, the release of Elephant Shell on April 22 means that Tokyo Police Club’s faces will be beaming from the cover of Exclaim! for the next 30 days or so. Spinner also has a quick interview. They’ve got two shows at the Opera House on May 2 and 3.

MP3: Tokyo Police Club – “In A Cave”

The New York Daily News talks to Zooey Deschanel, the “she” of She & Him, about the genesis of the project.

Pitchfork interviews Nick Cave. His new album with the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, is out April 8.

MP3: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Bring It On”

Kevchino interviews Beach House.

Stephen Malkmus discusses Real Emotional Trash with The Boston Globe and The Bucks County Courier Times. NPR is streaming the whole of the Jicks’ recent show in Washington DC.