Saturday, February 9th, 2008
Seriously, I intended to take today off but in my meanderings around the internets, I found some concert announcements. And then some more concert announcements. And then some more. And so I took them, threw them in a pot, added some broth, a potato. Baby, I’ve got a stew going. So here we go, quick like bunny. ‘Cause I need to go get groceries.
Of all the announcements, the only one that I would have immediately decided to attend was The Long Blondes’ May 22 date at Lee’s Palace, and I say “would” rather than “will” because on that date, I will be in London. It figures – I go to the UK, they come to Canada, and that’s not the only UK band I like that’s coming to town while I’m away. As for the other, well, scan the last few days of posts and you should be able to figure it out (not officially announced yet so I can’t say). Anyway, they’re releasing their sophomore record Couples on April 8 and Pitchfork has full tour dates and album info.
MP3: The Long Blondes – “Once And Never Again”
Video: The Long Blondes – “Weekend Without Makeup”
Video: The Long Blondes – “Giddy Stratospheres”
Video: The Long Blondes – “Separated By Motorways”
Video: The Long Blondes – “Once And Never Again”
And now the rest of the shows, in chronological order. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to spend a fortnight in April camped out at the ElMo, your ship has come in.
One of the biggest bands in Ireland, Bell X1 try to win over North Americans with a tour in support of their album Flock, which has a February 19 release on these shores. The tour starts in Toronto on March 12 at the El Mocambo.
MP3: Bell X1 – “Rocky Took A Lover”
Video: Bell X1 – “Flame”
One of the next big things out of the UK – Duffy – is at the Mod Club on March 18, tickets $15.50.
Video: Duffy – “Rockferry”
Video: Duffy – “Mercy”
Sunset Rubdown are at Lee’s Palace on March 30, tickets $12. They’re still touring in support of last year’s
Random Spirit Lover.
MP3: Sunset Rubdown – “Winged Wicked Things”
MP3: Sunset Rubdown – ” Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days”
Wolf Eyes hit Lee’s on April 1, no foolin’ (that was so bad). $12 in advance. Full dates here.
MP3: Wolf Eyes – “Stabbed In The Face”
MP3: Wolf Eyes – “The Driller”
Mick Jones’ new outfit Carbon/Silicon tour their debut Last Post to Lee’s Palace on April 2. Matt Pond PA support. Their new record Last Light was released last year.
MP3: Carbon/Silicon – “What The Fuck”
Video: Carbon/Silicon – “The News”
Video: Matt Pond PA – “Locate The Pieces”
VHS Or Beta are at the El Mocambo on April 3 in support of 2007’s Bring On The Comets. Admission is $10.
Video: VHS Or Beta – “Can’t Believe A Single Word”
Seattle’s Throw Me The Statue, coming off last year’s About To Walk EP and set to release their full-length Moonbeams at on February 19, are at the El Mocambo April 4. Tickets are $10. Other tour dates here.
MP3: Throw Me The Statue – “About To Walk”
The Dodos, all the way from San Francisco, will be at the El Mocambo on April 9 in support of their new record Visiter, out March 18. Full tour dates here.
MP3: The Dodos – “Jody”
MP3: The Dodos – “Fools”
Video: The Dodos – “Fools”
Minneapolis’ Cloud Cult have a new album in the can – Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) – set for an April 8 release and will tour in support, stopping at the El Mocambo on April 14. That show will cost you $10.
Video: Cloud Cult – “Chemicals Collide”
Saul Williams and Dragons Of Zynth have a date at the Mod Club on April 14. This is a musical show for Williams, not just spoken word. Though he’s likely to speak at some point during the show as well.
MP3: Saul Williams – “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
Video: Saul Williams – “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
From the ashes of Pretty Girls Make Graves come The Cave Singers, who released their debut Invitation Songs last year. They’re at the Horseshoe on April 30, tickets $10.
MP3: The Cave Singers – “Seeds Of Night”
Video: The Cave Singers – “Dancing On Our Graves”
Laura Veirs, still working last year’s Saltbreakers, returns to town for a show at the El Mocambo on May 24 with Liam Finn. His debut is Call Me Lightning and yes, from his surname, you can surmise he grew up in a somewhat crowded house. Admission is $10 in advance.
MP3: Laura Veirs – “Galaxies”
MP3: Liam Finn – “Second Chance”
Video: Laura Veirs – “Cast A Hook In Me”
Video: Liam Finn – “Second Chance”
And finally, this Pitchfork piece indicates that on July 4, Harbourfront Centre will play host to both Ladytron and Datarock, almost certainly as part of their annual Beats, Breaks & Culture festival… which would mean this show is free. Yay for free. Ladytron’s new record Velocifero is out June 3.
MP3: Ladytron – “Destroy Everything You Touch”
MP3: Ladytron – “Destroy Everything You Touch” (Hot Chip remix)
MP3: Datarock – “Fa-Fa-Fa”
Video: Ladytron – “Destroy Everything You Touch”
Video: Datarock – “Fa-Fa-Fa”
Video: Datarock – “Bulldozer”
Reveille welcomes Basia Bulat back to Minneapolis. She plays Lee’s Palace on March 29.
Spinner features The New Pornographers in an Interface session. They play the Phoenix with Okkervil River on April 9.
With the Grammy Awards set for tomorrow night, the media has finally found a reason to give multiple nominee Feist some attention. Witness pieces in The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Sun, The Vancouver Sun, The Belfast Telegraph and The Los Angeles Times. Feist plays the Sony Centre on May 13.
Efrim Menuck tells Drowned In Sound why Godspeed You! Black Emperor had to stop, and how you can essentially change their status from “hiatus” to “defunct”. His current project, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band will release 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons on March 25 and play two nights at Lee’s Palace on June 7 and 8.
Apparently Arcade Fire aren’t the only Canadian band whose music was used by Fox in last week’s Super Bowl broadcast without permission. Chart reports that Ottawa’s My Dad Vs Yours had about 90 seconds of their song “Habla Paisano” used as background music in an interview segment without permission and, more crucially, without compensation. They are currently investigating the legalities of their situation.
Best news ever – according to this Globe & Mail travel piece on Austin, Texas, Air Canada will begin offering direct flights from Toronto starting May. NO MORE LAYOVERS IN O’HARE, BITCHES. I just did a quick test reservation for mid-May… $474 return. Hot diggity dog. If that holds for March as well, SxSW just got $200 cheaper and four hours faster. Of course, one flight a day means I have to book next year, oh, right now to get a seat but I’m willing to do that. I am.
Friday, February 8th, 2008
So as everyone and their dog has already blogged, the official SxSW 2008 lineup was released yesterday. In the past, they’ve parceled out the lineup in smaller bundles but this looks to be the whole thing. Of course, it’ll change some between now and mid-March – there’s acts on there that I’ve been told aren’t going to be attending and other acts absent that I know will be in Austin. But by and large, that’s it.
And while I had a pretty good idea before this came out of who I liked or wanted to see that would or wouldn’t be, scanning the whole thing my initial reaction to this year’s lineup – relative to the past three years I’ve attended, anyway – is pretty meh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure I’ll see lots of terrific stuff, old faves and new discoveries, but when I scan the band list I’m looking for those up-and-coming acts that’ve already caught my ear but who are too small to mount a tour to North America and whom I can only reasonably expect to catch at something like Sx. Those bands – the ones I’ve never seen and want to – are the ones that seem sorely lacking this year.
I am, however, very pleased that I’ll finally get to see Trespassers William live and previewing material from their forthcoming fourth album (they’re streaming one of the new songs on their MySpace). That’ll take some sting out of the fact that The Radio Dept are once again going to absent, but there’s some good news from them as well – the new album is done and will be out in May!
But the lineup announcement is really only the beginning – now we can wait for the gigantor-sized MP3 torrents featuring a good chunk of the showcasing bands, the deluge of day show announcements and the actual schedule, which is where the real fun/nightmare begins. So those of you who’ve taken a closer look at the lineup than I and have some recommendations, send them over. Torr, for example, has already singled out a bunch of UK (and some other) acts that have piqued his interest and if I feel like rooting for the home team, Chart has filtered out all the Canadian acts making a run for the border. Goodness, there’s a lot of us. And as always, Donewaiting and SxSW Baby are your best two sources of info for anything and everything Sx-related. Bookmark them or add them to your RSS for the next month and a half. Photo of 6th St in Austin via New York Magazine.
Related – though it’s been getting updated bit by bit over the last few weeks, the Canadian Music Week schedule has been declared as officially released. Still some gaps in there, but you should get a good idea of what’s going on in town the week of March 5 through 8. Note the Ace Frehley show at the Guvernment on March 5 – this is NOT the long-rumoured Frehley’s Comet reunion. It’s just Ace. Don’t get your hopes up.
Some of you may have heard about the feature Spin ran about Toronto – aka “Rock City” (say what?) – in this month’s issue. Well rather than loiter at Chapters checking it out, you can see it on their digital edition, which reproduces the magazine in its entirety – ads and all. To see the article, head to the very back of the ish – page 140 102-103 to be precise – and bask in the warm glow of a formerly relevant American music magazine give Hogtown big props (and without namechecking Rush or the Barenaked Ladies even once).
Indie MP3 has graciously posted up the list of “50 Greatest UK Indie Records Of All Time” as declared by the latest issue of Mojo. The biggest question that it raises in my mind is exactly what is their definition of “record”? Some of their picks are songs, others are albums, or are they referring to the actual physical format? Like, if it was released on shiny slab of black vinyl, be it album, single or EP, it’s fair game? Weird.
Anchorage Press, who incidentally have possibly the worst website layout I’ve ever seen, has an interview with Mountain Goat Peter Hughes. Heretic Pride is out February 19.
Those of you undergoing Decemberist withdrawal will be pleased to know that the Colin Meloy solo tour will indeed be stopping in Toronto. He’s at the Phoenix on April 19 and his live solo record Colin Meloy Sings Live is out April 8.
Spinner has it that Jenny Lewis is working on a second solo record and has invited a bunch of her showbiz friends along to help out.
Kathleen Edwards will play songs from her new record Asking For Flowers, out March 4, at The Phoenix on March April 23.
Bob Mould returns to his own Minneapolis stomping grounds to record a session for Minnesota Public Radio. Mould is in Toronto at the Mod Club on March 10.
Chart chats with Two Hours Traffic’s, in town at the Horseshoe February 23.
The Brooklyn Paper talks to Matt Berninger of The National about making the jump to bigger venues, as they will this Summer on tour with R.E.M.. That tour stops in at the Molson Amphitheatre on June 8.
And a last minute update courtesy of Bradley’s Almanac – Okkervil River’s show in Amsterdam tomorrow night will be webcast live at Fabchannel starting at 8PM local, 2PM Eastern standard time.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
The mention of Athens, Georgia in a musical context tends to bring to mind a certain sound or aesthetic – be it the jangly college rock of R.E.M. in the ’80s, the whimsical psychedelia of the Elephant 6 movement in the ’90s and since the late ’90s through today, the blistering Southern rock of the Drive-By Truckers (though some, myself included, tend to think of them more as an Alabama band).
And while you can find traces of the aforementioned bands in their DNA, it was in the spirit of the Truckers that Athenian trio The Whigs brought into town this past Tuesday for a free Nu Music Nite showcase at the Horseshoe to coincide with the Canadian release of their second album Mission Control. Their songwriting isn’t as ambitious in scope or narrative depth but they more than compensated with a ferocious live show built on Julian Dorio’s thunderous drumming. Seriously, his kick drum could have punched a hole through a bank vault and the rest of the band was just as tight. The Whigs aren’t up to anything that hasn’t been done many times before and sometimes they’re a bit too obvious with their cribbing but what they do, they do well and there’s always a place in this world for good, loud rock’n’roll.
The good-sized crowd that had gathered for The Whigs all but cleared out by the time their tourmates – Birmingham, Alabama’s Wild Sweet Orange – came on and that was their loss. The people who left, not the band’s. Summing up their sound succinctly isn’t easy – their roots run country but with space-rock aspirations. The resulting pushme-pullyu of delicate folkiness and psyched rock-outs definitely had my attention though there weren’t any specific songs that grabbed me – it was more the overall strategy at work that I found engaging. They were touring their debut EP Whale but should have a full-length out sometime this Spring. Should be worth checking out.
Chart, The Tripwire, The Post-Tribune, The New York Daily News and Creative Loafing all have features and interviews with The Whigs while LiveDaily.com and Gibson.com have features on Wild Sweet Orange. Live In Toronto has some recordings of The Whigs’ set on Tuesday already available to download and they’ll be back in town on March 19 at the Opera House opening for the Drive-By Truckers. Of course.
Photos: Wild Sweet Orange, The Whigs @ The Horseshoe – February 5, 2008
MP3: The Whigs – “Right Hand On My Heart”
MP3: Wild Sweet Orange – “Wrestle With God”
Video: Wild Sweet Orange – “Wrestle With God”
Myspace: The Whigs
And speaking of R.E.M., Pitchfork is streaming the first single from their next album Accelerate, out April 1. Hey, electric guitars. Hey, Mike Mills backing vocals. Welcome.
Stream: R.E.M. – “Supernatural Superserious”
Is there anything more chocolate-and-peanut butter than shoegaze fans with nothing to do on Valentine’s Day? I think not. Which is why the timing of a tribute night to My Bloody Valentine entitled Loveless for February 14 at the Drake Underground is just perfect. Participating bands so far include Germans, Sleeping Kings Of Iona and Gravity Wave but more will be announced. I expect most of the performances will be of the incredibly loud, incredibly droning variety and since the selections won’t be restricted to Loveless, there’s almost certainly going to be some takes on the louder, bashier numbers from Isn’t Anything and admittedly, “Feed Me With Your Kiss” has got to be loads of fun to play, but it’d be nice to see someone take the Japancakes approach and focus on the wonderful melodicism in My Bloody Valentine, not just the noise.
MP3: Japancakes – “Loomer”
British Sea Power appear to have a puppet fetish. First, there’s the new video for “No Lucifer” which features both real puppets and band members dressed as puppets – quite unsettling – and then there’s this YouTube clip which showed their stage setup from their recent appearance on Jools Holland… more puppets. In lieu of foliage. Also unsettling. Do You Like Rock Music? is out on these shores next week and more North American tour dates covering the east coast should be along shortly.
Video: British Sea Power – “No Lucifer”
The Courier Mail talks to PJ Harvey.
NOW‘s cover feature this week is Cat Power, playing the Kool Haus this Saturday night. Congratulations to Elva, who won the contest for passes to the show.
This Is Fake DIY talks to Land Of Talk’s Liz Powell as the band prepares for an upcoming European tour.
Dean Wareham talks to eye about both Dean & Britta, at the Mod Club on Saturday, and his memoirs Black Postcards: A Rock & Roll Romance, out March 13. And he answers five questions from NOW.
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
You may have noticed I’m on a bit of a Winter-hating trip this week, and with another 20 cm of snow forecast for today to go along with the 30 or so we got on Friday, that’s probably not going to end anytime soon. And while I’m not so naive as to suggest that music is a strong enough anodyne to counter the February blahs, putting on a record of concentrated Summer-y power pop goodness like Two Hours Traffic’s Little Jabs does help a bit.
I responded favourably to it when I first reviewed it last July but am a little surprised how a record that at first glance seemed to be just a solid bit of guitar pop has stayed in moderate to heavy rotation over the subsequent six months. Why? Well, it may just be solid guitar pop, but it’s also nearly perfect guitar pop. With buoyant melodies, breezy lyrics about girls and cars and an obvious appreciation for the finer points of six-string jangle, it may just get me through to the Spring.
And just in case an extra boost is needed, next week they’re setting out from their hometown of Charlottetown, PEI on a nationwide tour sponsored by CBC Radio 3 that hits the Horseshoe on February 23. Tickets for that are $8. They’re also offering up some live tracks recorded there this past June at NxNE (and where I saw them in July) and which you can stream in its entirety here. They’ve also just finished up a video for the ultra-infectious “Nighthawks”. The Chronicle Herald talks to the band about the successes of 2007 and working with producer Joel Plaskett on Little Jabs.
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
Also on the bill that night are The Wooden Sky and My Shaky Jane, both of whom I’ve seen recently and make for a very solid bill. The Wooden Sky have also just completed a new video for the title track from their album When Lost At Sea.
Video: The Wooden Sky – “When Lost At Sea”
Also making the trek from the Maritimes to Toronto in the next month are Dog Day, with two Canadian Music Week shows scheduled for March – at the Horseshoe on the 6th and then the Rivoli on the 8th. They’ve let loose a couple more MP3s from their excellent Night Group record, just in case you weren’t convinced by what you’d heard so far.
MP3: Dog Day – “Oh Dead Life”
MP3: Dog Day – “Sleeping Waiting”
MP3: Dog Day – “Lydia”
The Chicago Tribune talks to Dean & Britta about life after Luna. They’re at the Mod Club on Saturday night.
Paste features Tapes’N’Tapes on April 14. Their new one Walk It Off is out a few days prior on April 8.
Spinner is streaming a bunch of new releases from artists who, incidentally, are all coming to town soon. Bob Mould’s District Line came out yesterday and he plays the Mod Club on March 10. Falling Off The Lavender Bridge from Lightspeed Champion came out last week and he’s at the Horseshoe on March 4. And finally, Sons & Daughters’ new Bernard Butler-produced album This Gift also came out last week and they’re at Lee’s Palace on March 26.
Stream: Bob Mould / District Line
Stream: Lightspeed Champion / Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Stream: Sons & Daughters / This Gift
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
Saturday night wasn’t done with the Weakerthans, no sir. After a quick pit stop at home to change into some dry socks and shoes, it was back out the door to Sneaky Dee’s to catch The Airfields’ release show for their debut album Up All Night (officially out today), which I previewed last week. Most of it, anyway. I arrived too late to catch Terror Lake and based on the number of people who told me I missed out, I was under the impression that I’d missed out. Alas. Next time, Lake of Terror. Next time.
I was in time, however, to catch Love Kills who had been recommended to me a number of times in the past with the pitch, “they sound like the Jesus & Mary Chain with boy-girl vocals”, which is to say they sound like The Raveonettes. And as reductive as that sounds, it’s actually pretty accurate though I enjoyed Love Kills more than I did The Raveonettes when I saw them live. Love Kills weren’t nearly as abrasive as either of the above reference points and were more willing to let their pop side show, particularly as delivered by Heather Flood and Pat Rijd’s spot-on harmonies. And while Rijd, all stoic in his mirrored shades, offered a reasonably lifelike facsimile of either Reid brother or Sune Wagner, Flood was far too giddy onstage to compare to Sharin Foo’s icy Nordic cool. But that’s alright, I think I’d rather see someone having a good time.
I’ve seen the Airfields numerous times in the past and while they’ve always been enjoyable shows, there always seemed to be a caveat to go with the performance, whether needed or not. They had new members, they hadn’t played in ages, they hadn’t slept in days, whatever. But if there was ever a night that would suffer no excuses, it was this one. A release show they themselves had organized for a CD that was sold out long before they took the stage before a packed house of friends and fans – a band couldn’t ask for a better set of circumstances under which to perform and in response, The Airfields delivered the best show I’ve ever seen them play.
Their strengths on record – the terrific melodicism, delicate arrangements and their ability to wear their influences on their sleeve without them becoming the whole outfit – were on display alongside their strengths in performance which aren’t as immediately obvious from their recordings, namely a healthy amount of reckless energy and an appreciation for the finer points of making a good, loud racket. Given the opportunity to play a full-length set – and well-earned encore – for the first time since I’ve seen them, they were able to visit material from all three of their releases as well as throw in a Field Mice cover for good measure. As a fan, it was really gratifying to see a band that’s had more than its share of fits and starts finally deliver on their immense potential. Bravo.
Their next show is on March 6 at the Wrongbar as part of Canadian Music Week. It’s a showcase for the Unfamiliar Records, with whom the band will be releasing an EP of their noisier material in the near future.
Photos: The Airfields, Love Kills @ Sneaky Dee’s – February 2, 2008
MP3: The Airfields – “Never See You Smile”
MP3: The Airfields – “Yr So Wonderful”
MP3: The Airfields – “Lonely Halls”
Video: The Airfields – “Red Fox”
MySpace: The Airfields
MySpace: Love Kills
Pitchfork has an interview with The Raveonettes, whose Lust Lust Lust is out February 19 and play the Opera House on March 21.
NPR is streaming a World Cafe session with Richard Hawley and both Scotland On Sunday and The Times Online offer extensive profiles of Sheffield, England’s favourite son.
Daytrotter unloads a session with The Thermals.
Visa issues resolved, England’s New Model Army will finally be in town for a show at the Horseshoe on April 14.
Two-Way Monologues talks to Jane Vain & The Dark Matter, in town on Thursday at the Drake and again on Sunday at Sneaky Dee’s. Congratulations to Heath, who won passes to the Drake show as well as a copy of their new CD Love Is Where The Smoke Is.
JAM! checks in with multiple Grammy and Juno award nominee Feist. She plays the Sony Centre on May 13. Update: Add Shortlist Of Music winner for 2008 to her CV.
Cover Me has assembled a tribute album of sorts to Neil Young’s greatest album (in my mind), On The Beach.
E! has more positive news on Arrested Development: The Motion Picture. Time to settle that writer’s strike, fellas.
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