Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
I covered PEI power poppers Two Hours Traffic just a couple weeks ago and I’ve got a lot to do tonight, so I’ll keep it quick. The boys are in the midst of a cross-Canada tour and will be in Toronto this Saturday night, February 23, for a show at the Horseshoe Tavern with locals The Wooden Sky and My Shaky Jane as support.
Courtesy of Killbeat Music, I have a pair of passes to said show as well as a copy of their fine album Little Jabs, autographed by the band, as well as some stickers for sticking and a pin for pinning. If you would like to take a swing at winning this swag, shoot me an email at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to be stuck in Two Hours Traffic” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body and get that in to me by 5PM on Thursday, February 21. All good? Good.
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Backseat Sweetheart” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Better Safe Than Sorry” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Heat Seeker” (live at the Horseshoe – June 9, 2007, via CBCR3)
MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Stuck For The Summer”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Nighthawks”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Stuck For The Summer”
Video: Two Hours Traffic – “Jezebel”
Stream: Two Hours Traffic / Little Jabs
MySpace: Two Hours Traffic
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
I came this close to having to title this post “Maybe Not Tonight” as illness forced Nicole Atkins to cancel Saturday’s show in Buffalo, obviously putting Toronto’s show at risk. By mid-Sunday, however, there came another MySpace note declaring that a night off had done a world of good and the show would go on. Buffalo, we thank you for your sacrifice. Good luck with that fire in Cheektowaga.
Local support on the night was Magneta Lane, who were surprising inasmuch as they still existed. Though they arrived on the scene with some fanfare in 2003, they never seemed to manage to break out the “just bubbling under” cul de sac and eventually they seemed to fade from view but they’re back with a forthcoming new album, Gambling With God. I suppose they should be applauded for sticking to their guns – straight ahead, no frills rock’n’roll with a decent melodic sensibility – even after the garage rock bandwagon they rode in was put up on blocks. Though a few new songs indicated they were trying to branch out a bit – incorporating keyboards on a few songs, having frontwoman Lexi Valentine put down the guitar to just sing on another – they were all still built on the same aesthetic framework which will please their long-time fans, of whom there were more than a few in attendance, but not really give others any reason to start paying attention.
For Nicole Atkins & The Sea, this was their fourth show at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on a Sunday night in just over eight months – consider it the most drawn-out residency ever – but their first headlining slot. And while they’d always seemed to make a good impression as openers, I did wonder how well they’d draw on their own. Answer: pretty damn well. Though not a sell-out, there were exponentially more people there than I’d expected in my own mental worst-case scenario and even better, many seemed genuinely enthusiastic about Atkins and her album Neptune City. The set opened with the title track of said record and if Atkins was still suffering from whatever ailment had laid her up the night before, you couldn’t really tell.
Starting out with the quieter number was probably by design, allowing her to test the limits of her voice and as a result the show got off to a slower start than their previous shows. But after a few songs you could see them picking up steam and by set’s close, you couldn’t imagine there was anything in the world wrong with her voice. The set was a bit shorter than one would have liked but aside from that tentative start, the band did not spare the whip in playing the whole of Neptune City (including a glistening, lap steel-powered rearrangement of “Together We’re Both Alone” and audience singalong in “Brooklyn’s On Fire”), a bit of Bleeding Diamonds, a new song (the girl group-perfect “Teen Creep”) and a couple of covers (Benji Hughes and The Doors). This this was the first show wherein another Toronto date wasn’t already schedule a couple months down the road but based on the appetite this town has shown for her music, it won’t be long before she’s back again. And until then, Sunday’s stunning show will have to carry us over – and to assist, Hater High has a decent-sounding recording of Sunday night’s show available to download.
Photos: Nicole Atkins & The Sea, Magneta Lane @ Lee’s Palace – February 17, 2008
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Maybe Tonight”
MP3: Nicole Atkins – “Party’s Over”
MP3: Magneta Lane – “Broken Plates”
Video: Nicole Atkins – “The Way It Is”
Video: Nicole Atkins – “Neptune City”
Video: Magneta Lane – “Broken Plates”
Video: Magneta Lane – “Wild Gardens”
MySpace: Nicole Atkins
Now speaking of perennial opening acts who deserve a step up to the headline slot, Shearwater will return to town on May 11 for a date at Lee’s Palace opening up for Clinic (full dates here). This jaunt comes before the June 3 release of their new record Rook, so perhaps once that’s been unleashed on the world (do you unleash a bird?) they’ll return in the closing spot they so richly deserve. As for Clinic, their new one Do It! is out April 8 and they’re offering a free MP3 from it in exchange for your soul. Or your email address. Whichever. Coincidentally, it was on May 11 three years ago – my birthday – that I first discovered Shearwater whilst opening for The Mountain Goats.
Speaking of Les Goats, The Guardian, Line Of Best Fit and Paste have interviews with John Darnielle and their new one Heretic Pride is out today.
Some more show notes… Toronto’s Forest City Lovers will be releasing their new record Haunting Moon Sinking on March 11 and are touring out east as well as playing locally – catch them either at an in-store at Soundscapes on March 9 at 2PM or a full show at the Tranzac on March 14 with The D’Urbervilles who they themselves have a new record called We Are The Hunters, out now (and if not, very soon) today. I haven’t heard the former yet but have great expectations (and the samples on their MySpace backs that up) and while I didn’t really have any pre-conceived notions about the latter, I have heard it and am quite impressed.
MP3: The D’Urbervilles – “National Flowers”
MP3: The D’Urbervilles – “Hot Tips”
It was probably too much to hope that a tour date on April 20 at the Opera House would mean that Rachael Yamagata had finally finished her second album. No, she’s touring in support of Sara Bareilles. Which, I suppose is about as productive a form of procrastination as there is, but still.
The Constantines are at The Phoenix on May 1 to celebrate the release of Kensington Heights on April 15. Support comes from Attack In Black, tickets are $20 in advance.
MP3: Attack In Black – “Young Leaves”
That same weekend marks the seventh edition of the Over The Top Fest. Baltimore’s Wye Oak are advertising their participation with a show on May 2. Good news, if you recall this post. Their If Children is out April 8.
Also incoming and with a B-more connection (tenuous, but they got namechecked in The Wire a few eps back), Dead Meadow are at Lee’s on May 24. Their new one is Old Growth and Athens Exchange has a Q&A with the band.
MP3: Dead Meadow – “I’m Gone”
MP3: Dead Meadow – “What Needs Must Be”
Thanks to For The Records for a number of the above show tips.
Get another taste of the new Destroyer record Trouble In Dreams to tide you over till its release date on March 18 and build anticipation for their show at Lee’s Palace on April 19.
MP3: Destroyer – “Dark Leaves Form A Thread”
Bob Mould converses with The Guardian while Bradley’s Almanac is sharing some live audio from a show in Boston last Fall. Mould is at the Mod Club on March 10.
Gary Louris discusses Vagabonds, out today and streamable in its entirety on his MySpace, with The Star-Tribune. He’s at the Mod Club on March 30 and Minnesota Public Radio has a session recorded and up for grabs. Via claudpate.com.
Britt Daniel maps out for Billboard the Spoon master plan in 2008, including the release of an 8-song EP for new single “Don’t You Evah” on April 8 as well as a video for said song, viewable below.
Video: Spoon – “Don’t You Evah”
The Hartford Courant and Boston Herald profile Jason Isbell.
Monday, February 18th, 2008
Tribute nights are always better on paper than in reality. Whatever the scale of things – be it an all-star salute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden or a low-key night in honour of My Bloody Valentine as occurred at the Drake Underground last Thursday – I find the idea of hearing a favourite artist cover another favourite artist is always more exciting in the abstract.
Note that this sweeping generalization is really only with respect to the live affairs where there’s not really a lot of time or incentive to really learn, rehearse or be creative with their interpretation – covers worked into live sets or recorded are exempt. Add in the fact that in most of these situations you have audiences who are presumably in attendance because they’re fans of the band being paid tribute and would reasonably expect to hear the songs done in, if not a faithful style then at least a familiar one – also known as the least creatively interesting approach for the artist. The net result is almost always some degree of disappointment and in the worst cases, the performance is less tribute than parody.
In the case of the show dubbed Loveless and appropriately scheduled for (My Bloody) Valentine’s Day, it was only announced a couple weeks earlier with some acts added afterwards so preparedness was not to be taken for granted. Five acts in all participated and to their credit, the heavy guitar-based jams were not the norm. Things were led off by Hollowphonic, performing a few more esoteric MBV songs (as if their repertoire wasn’t esoteric enough to begin with) on solo guitar with laptop, followed by Gravity Wave – who claimed to have never heard any My Bloody Valentine until just a few weeks prior – karaoke-style overtop pre-programmed beats in an iPod. Continuing the one-man band trend was To Downcast Your Eyes, who coaxed some fine, thickly-distorted keyboard sounds out of his Yamaha but undermined things with an unnecessarily affected vocal delivery. The night rounded off with a couple of proper bands – Buffalonians Sleeping Kings Of Iona only played one MBV song, I believe, and filled their set out with originals but being the most upbeat tunes of the evening, were welcome anyways and finally Germans, who closed things out with, well, heavy guitar-based jams including an extended (read: didn’t know how to finish) finale with “You Made Me Realize”.
By no means was it a bad night of music, but there wasn’t anything especially outstanding either. But it did get me out of the house on Valentine’s Day, and that’s something of an achievement.
Photos: Loveless: My Bloody Valentine tribute night @ The Drake Underground – February 14, 2008
NME talks to the Coachella organizers about why the much-rumoured My Bloody Valentine appearance isn’t happening this year and offers some comfort for those who were disappointed (and echo what I’ve been telling everyone who’ll listen, which about five people) – “Don’t worry–they’ll come to America.”
Portishead, on the other hand, are going to be at Coachella and their new record – the cryptically titled Third – has a North American release date. Look for it April 29, a couple weeks after the UK release. The Guardian has an interview with the band’s Adrian Utley about their time away and now their return.
Also at Coachella, St Vincent, with whom The Independent has an interview, and The National, whom Pitchfork reports have released a live, digital-only EP that’s also Rhapsody-only.
Thanks to Bradley’s Almanac for the news that a new, Steve Albini-produced record from Wedding Present is due out in May. El Rey – ask for it by name.
Sunday, February 17th, 2008
Plants & Animals come into 2008 with the weight of expectation on them what with being signed to a wunderkind new label – 100% of whose domestic roster has been nominated for Polaris Music PRize (and half of whom have won) – and garnering some breathless reviews for their live shows and their brief-yet-sprawling EP Avec/With. So with the release of their first full album Parc Avenue on February 26 in Canada and March 25 in the US, the Montreal trio hope to prove themselves worthy of the attention.
My reactions to the full-length are approximately what they were to the EP. The band is undeniably talented and are striving to create some perfect (or unholy) hybrid of pop, folk and jam rock but they haven’t reached the point where my appreciation for the former two styles can overrule my aversion to the third and as a result, listening to the record ends up something of a zero-sum experience though with repeated spins, it does seem to be listing towards the favourable side of things (barring a few songs). Time will tell. The Toronto Star has a feature profile on the band.
Plants & Animals are marking the release of the album with a show at the Drake Underground this Thursday night – February 21 – and courtesy of Secret City Records, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away to the show. Additionally, I’ve got two sets of CDs – one copy of Avec/With and one copy of Parc Avenue in each – to give away. Entry is as follows – if you want to go to the show, send me an email to contests AT chromewaves.net with “I’m a herbivore” in the subject line and your full name in the body. If you want to CDs (Canada entrants only, please), send an email with the subject line of “I’m a carnivore” and your full mailing address in the body. Omnivores are disqualified. Contest closes at midnight, February 19.
MP3: Plants & Animals – “Faerie Dance”
MySpace: Plants & Animals
Friday, February 15th, 2008
With Amy Winehouse proving that there’s a British soul-revival diva market is a lucrative one (and also that utterly sabotaging one’s own career is no longer as simple as you might have thought), there’s no shortage of candidates for the “next big thing” in that particular style and at the moment, the two biggest names are the mono-monikered Duffy and Adele. Both come with the same set of adjectives – raspy, soulful, retro, Dusty – and their emergences onto the music scene are so synchronized that comparisons are unavoidable. Adele’s already won a Brit Award and her debut 19 hit #1 on the UK charts when it was released in January and it’s not much of a reach to expect Duffy’s Rockferry to do the same when it arrives on March 3.
The Guardian posited the question of “who’s better?” head-on last week and garnered no small amount of responses from their readership, and in typically British fashion, many of them electing to choose option c) – neither. For my part, I like them both better than Winehouse (whose music does nothing for me) but will have to give the edge to Duffy, if for no other reason than her record is produced by and features Bernard Butler. All things being equal, Bernard will always win.
And Torontonians get the chance to compare for themselves next month as both are coming to town. Duffy strikes first, with what’s likely to be a glitzy sort of show at the Mod Club on March 18 (hey, is Bernard in the touring band? Hmm…) while Adele rolls in a week later on March 26 with a gig at the Rivoli which easily has the edge on intimacy and “I saw her in a tiny room” bragging rights down the line. Incidentally, that’s the night that another UK act with a hot Butler-produced record, Sons & Daughters and This Gift, are in town and playing Lee’s Palace. The Butler is onmipresent.
Video: Duffy – “Rockferry”
Video: Duffy – “Mercy”
Video: Adele – “Chasing Pavements”
MySpace: Duffy
MySpace: Adele
Feist talks to the BBC about the unexpected attention that iPod commercial garnered her.
CMJ reports on former Rainer Maria vocalist Caithlin De Marrais’ forthcoming solo record My Magic City.
Rock Sellout interviews GlasVegas, an act it occurs to me I’m a bit disappointed will not be at SxSW. But on the plus side, the SxSW artists listing? Now with MP3 links. Can the torrent be far behind?
Black Kids undertake their first North American tour later this Spring and stop in at Lee’s Palace on May 9. Full dates at NME.
Chart talks to Kathleen Edwards about her new record Asking For Flowers, due out March 4. She plays The Phoenix on April 23.
Nicole Atkins tells The Boston Globe that success means being able to pay one’s dentist bills. Lee’s Palace this Sunday night. Yes.
Billboard and Reuters have features on the Drive-By Truckers
PopMatters ponders the meaning of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. As if “I am an American aquarium drinker” couldn’t be more self-explanatory.
Lucero, who have been recommended to me many times but whom I’ve never seen, have a date at the Horseshoe on April 19. The only catch? That’s the night of the Destroyer show at Lee’s. Decisions, decisions.
MP3: Lucero – “The Mountain”
And finally, check out the new Indiana Jones trailer if you haven’t already. So nice to see Harrison Ford in a non-catatonic role for a change.
Trailer: Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
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