Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007
Every year, I try to come away from SxSW with at least a couple of wholly new band discoveries – I’m talking above and beyond confirming or dismissing the quality of the acts heading into Austin already possessing a considerable amount of buzz. Just bands come across randomly either by club hopping or maybe from the MP3 mega-torrent who I’d never heard of previously. Past discoveries include Dirty On Purpose (random club hop), Decoder Ring (MP3 torrent) and The Oktober People (didn’t even see them – handed a free CD) and for 2007, you can add San Francisco’s Minipop to the list.
I caught them the first night of the fest and to recap – despite a set plagued with technical problems (how often do you blow a power circuit at one of these showcases?) and a generally crummy venue (sports bar!), I was won over by their winsome but not wimpy dream pop. The copy I got of their debut album A New Hope confirmed the potential on display before the power went out – Minipop are tapped into something special. Much of that comes from the pipes of lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist Tricia Kanne, which possess a weary sweetness that remind me of of The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler – Sundays fans know that this is not a comparison to be made lightly, but I think it’s deserved. Her voice is that beguiling.
The band behind her does a fine job of adding weight and where necessary, rock, to the proceedings without ever becoming overwhelming and the songs range from solid to sublime. The opening one-two punch of “Fingerprints” and “Like I Do” should be enough to win over anyone but the rest of the record is hardly filler – it’s a remarkably solid and consistent collection of sparkling, melodic, dreamy pop, especially for a debut from a band just two years old. Even though their star deserves to rise high, I don’t expect that a cross-continental (to say nothing of international) tour will be in the offing anytime soon so I’ll be happy to have caught them, be it briefly and sort of calamitously, in Austin and be patient.
Performer has a nice feature/interview with the band. And note that the video below is for the version of “Fingerprints” on 2005’s The Precious EP – the version on A New Hope is different.
MP3: Minipop – “Like I Do”
Video: Minipop – “Fingerprints” (YouTube)
MySpace: Minipop
Pitchfork offers up an expansive interview with Jarvis Cocker, who releases Jarvis in North America today, and ironically the only working link I can find for it at a reasonable price is the import version. Eiter way, you can stream the whole thing at Spinner below:
Stream: Jarvis Cocker / Jarvis
Also on offer this week – the new one from Fountains Of Wayne.
Stream: Fountains of Wayne / Traffic and Weather
Shots Ring Out talks to Scott Cudmore, director of the first video from Great Lake Swimmers’ new album Ongiara
. Great Lake Swimmers are in town in a couple weeks for a double-header at the Church Of The Redeemer (April 14), but are currently out west, as evidenced by interviews with the University of Calgary’s Gauntlet and Edmonton’s Vue Weekly.
Video: Great Lake Swimmers – “Back Stage With The Modern Dancers” (YouTube)
Things I’d Rather Be Doing has a terrific interview with Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg about the reissue of Palo Santo next Tuesday, including the best description of the Shearwater/Okkervil River relationship you’ll ever read. And for some Okkervil content, head over to NPR where they’ve got a session recorded for KEXP during SxSW available to download. The double-disc Black Sheep Boy: Definitive Edition is out now.
24: You want an update? How’s this – the question isn’t whether or not Jack finds the two remaining bombs before the day is up, it’s whether or not I can make it through the remainder of the season without gouging out my eyes as punishment for continuing to watch such an inane show. You’ve got a President who’s going to be hooked on trucker speed before the day is out and who just launched a nuclear strike to prove he’s a man, a hardass CTU agent who’s really just looking for spiritual fulfillment and a Russian traitor who’s willing to cut off his arm to… well, I’m not really sure what Gridenko’s plan was but I suspect that selling out his accomplice to a bunch of drunken bar patrons and then dying under the boardwalk wasn’t part of it. Eight more hours? Seriously? I suspect I’ll stick it out for the rest of this season but after that… we’re done.
And I don’t know if this is especially useful for anyone but I’ve tweaked my concert calendar to hyperlink to the websites of all the bands listed. Now since this is still just my own personal calendar of stuff I’m planning to attend, it’s only useful if you want to get a sample of what I’m going to see, but maybe you’ll discover something interesting. You never know.
Monday, April 2nd, 2007
I mentioned yesterday that due to visa problems, Aereogramme were no longer headlining the show at the El Mocambo on Friday – they won’t be getting into North America until the second week of April and will pick up the tour on April 13 in Seattle. But this isn’t to say that it’s not still worth your while to spend Good Friday at the venerable ElMo or to catch any of the Aereogramme-less first leg of the tour. The rest of the bill will still be playing and you’ll still be able to get a dose of epic-style Scottish rock thanks to The Twilight Sad.
Led by James Graham’s wonderfully thick brogue, their latest album Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters (out tomorrow) is like nine feature-length soundtracks of anthemic melancholy, bellowed from the rooftops. Taken all together they can sound rather alike from one to the next but it’s a bit like complaining that Die Hard 2 was a lot like Die Hard. Not incorrect, but also irrelevant. I would say that they sound like Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffatt fronting Mogwai, but they’ve already done that and it sounded nothing like this. But if they hadn’t then maybe it would.
I heard some impressive things about their numerous shows at SxSW last month so there’s no reason to think that they won’t be equally impressive here on Friday, more than making up for the absence of their countrymen. Volume-wise, at least. Bring earplugs.
MP3: The Twilight Sad – “That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy”
MP3: The Twilight Sad – “And She Would Darken The Memory”
Also on the bill are Hamilton’s own A Northern Chorus and the always reliable purveyors of dream-pop have actually managed to surprise me with their new album The Millions Too Many. The gauzy drift that heretofore defined the ANC sound has been brought into sharp focus, with a drier, vocals-up-front production and shorter, more concise song structures. It’s a welcome shift as on record, I’d always found them to be more dream-inducing than dream-invoking. This isn’t to say that they’ve given up their signature sound – keening vocals still dance upon swirling guitars and strings – it’s just that however good you thought they were half-asleep, they’re even better awake. You can stream the whole album right now at Sonic Unyon.
MP3: A Northern Chorus – “The Millions Too Many”
MySpace: A Northern Chorus
Spinner has a video interview with Land Of Talk. Nothing of consequence is revealed.
This week on Daytrotter – Tilly & The Wall in session and in conversation.
Aversion talks to Low about drums, guns.
Lou Barlow talks to NME about the working dynamic in the new old Dinosaur Jr: “J doesn’t say anything directly, he only speaks through his manager. It’s weird, but it’s part of the comedy.” The new album Beyond is out May 1 and they’re at the Phoenix on June 8.
Norway’s DATAROCK will be opening up for Brazil’s CSS on June 4 at a show that has apparently been moved from the Horseshoe to Lee’s Palace, at least according to their booking agency. Bonde Do Role was also supposed to be on that bill though the aforementioned booking agency says nothing about that – they do, however, say they’re playing at the Social in Toronto this Thursday night and are opening for Klaxons next Sunday at Lee’s…? Brazilians. Who knows.
Fujiya & Miyagi will follow up their opening gig for Peter Bjorn & John at the Phoenix on May 6 with a show of their own at the Horseshoe on July 11.
Watched Children Of Men on the weekend – holy hell what a good film. Bleak yet utterly engaging, and man – that one-take battle in the refugee camp. Wow.
Saturday, March 31st, 2007
Items of note in an email from Wilco yesterday. First, they will be streaming Sky Blue Sky on Sunday night starting at 1AM EDT and continuing for 24 hours. So if you missed it the first two times, third time’s the charm.
Second, when Sky Blue Sky is released in physical form on May 15, it will come in three formats – the standard CD and double 180-gram LP versions previously mentioned, and a deluxe CD/DVD package that will include a 48-minute film about the making of the record by Brendan Canty and Christoph Green called Shake It Off. The perfect addition to the massive pile of music DVDs I haven’t watched yet. You can preorder the record right now but honestly, the $7.25 shipping to Canada isn’t as off-putting as the “arrival 8-24 business days after the release date” promised. Ummm, no.
And thirdly, and most interestingly, they will be announcing tour dates next week for June for eastern North America, which last time I checked included Toronto. I wonder if this will be again at their usual haunt of Massey Hall or if they’ll be taking advantage of the warmer weather and doing something outdoors? Molson Amphitheatre or Old Fort York?
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists were at the 9:30 Club in DC last week and NPR has it available to stream or download. Express talked to Ted before the show and Leafblower was in attendance. The first video from Living With The Living is now up. Ted is at the Mod Club on May 2.
Video: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.” (YouTube)
Exclaim! examines the current wave of Swede-pop conquering the world.
Nerve starts out interviewing Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan perfectly normally, but eventually manages to steer things to group(ie) sex. Bravo.
OregonLive Q&As Elvis Perkins very briefly. The Seattle Times and The Georgia Straight also have pieces on the singer-songwriter, who plays the Kool Haus with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on April 14.
np – Chris Garneau / Music For Tourists
Friday, March 30th, 2007
Exclaim!‘s cover story this month is on Grinderman, the new band from Nick Cave and a subset of Bad Seeds. The new identity was chosen to reflect the different working process, whereas normally Cave would bring finished songs in to the band, here he was using the band’s musical chemistry to inspire his writing.
The net result? Some of Cave’s rawest, nastiest and most abrasive musical output in years. Many are comparing it to his earliest work with The Birthday Party, and while I’m not familiar enough with that period to comment, it’s definitely not the Bad Seeds. This is the sound of a man tired of simply singing murder ballads and is looking to get his nails dirty with some first-hand experience. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Cave’s stately, dignified work but hearing his blues amplified to 11 in a raging garage band is exhilarating as well.
The band’s self-titled debut is out on April 10 and there’s some video interviews available from the BBC and Spinner’s DL. The band’s website is also rich in audio and video content – check it out.
Video: Grinderman – “No Pussy Blues” (YouTube)
MySpace: Grinderman
Also in the new Exclaim! – a short feature on Great Lake Swimmers, whose Ongiara was released on Tuesday. Michael Barclay has the whole interview for the piece with Tony Dekker posted at Radio Free Canuckistan and The Gateway also talked to Dekker about the new album. Great Lake Swimmers play two shows at the Church Of The Redeemer on April 14.
So Much Silence has ripped The Broken West’s session for WOXY at SxSW a couple weeks ago.
Centro-Matic’s Operation Motorcide EP will be available starting April 3.
Stylus has finished the countdown of their top 50 one-hit wonders. The presence of The Cardigans on the same list as Right Said Fred makes me sad.
Whole bunch of show announcements in the last day or so. Quickly: Silversun Pickups, who are at the Ricoh Coliseum tomorrow night opening a sold-out show for Snow Patrol, will be back on May 9 for a headlining show of their own at Lee’s Palace. Tickets for that will be $17. The Clipse are at Tonic (in everybody’s favourite entertainment district!) on May 19, tickets $27.50. May 28 you’ve got a choice between seeing The Bravery at The Opera House (noooo) and The Rosebuds at the Horseshoe (yesss), tickets $10.50 – full tour dates at Pitchfork. Their new one Night Of The Furies is out April 10. And finally The Ladybug Transistor will be in town at a venue to be announced, one day after their new album Can’t Wait Another Day is released.
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