Saturday, October 6th, 2012
Ryan RussellWho: Benjamin Gibbard
What: Though you’d think that being frontman and songwriter for Washington state indie rock fixtures Death Cab For Cutie would provide sufficient creative outlet, apparently there are some songs that demand to be released under his full, given name. These must be the really personal, emotion-baring ones.
Why: His solo debut Former Lives is out October 16 but Gibbard will preview it at a special, one-off show in Toronto a couple days prior – the rest of the tour doesn’t start until November.
When: Sunday, October 14, 2012
Where: The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (all-ages)
Who else: Local hero Julie Doiron opens up.
How: Tickets for the show are $25.50 to $35 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Benjamin Gibbard” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that to me by midnight, October 11.
MP3: Benjamin Gibbard – “Teardrop Windows”
Stream: Benjamin Gibbard – “Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)”
Saturday, October 6th, 2012
Shervin LainezWho: Savoir Adore
What: New York synth-pop duo capable of crafting some of the more sublime moments of melody you’re likely to hear anywhere.
Why: They’re about to release their long-awaited second album Our Nature on October 16 and make their long-awaited return to Toronto as part a Fall tour in support of the aforementioned album.
When: Saturday, October 13, 2012
Where: Rancho Relaxo in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Royal Canoe, Philip James, and Santah round out the bill.
How: Admission for the show is $8 at the door but courtesy of the artist, I’ve got a prize pack consisting of a pair of guest list spots for the show and a copy of Our Nature on CD. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to Savoir Adore” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that to me before midnight, October 11.
MP3: Savoir Adore – “Sparrow”
MP3: Savoir Adore – “Dreamers”
Friday, October 5th, 2012
Titus Andronicus say it’s time for Local Business; it’s Local Business time
Kyle Dean ReinfordMuch has changed for New Jersey punks Titus Andronicus since they unleashed the grandiose historical allegory/saga of The Monitor on the world in 2010. On the plus side, the success of that record raised their profile by an exponential degree, expanding their audience well beyond the dudes looking for a soundtrack to their mosh pit demographic. But on the down side, after they wrapped the heavy touring regimen in support of The Monitor, guitarist Amy Klein – who despite not being on the record was a crucial part of their intense live shows – left the band for her own project in Leda. And on top of that, an ill-fated late 2011 rehearsal left them down one mighty beard when frontman Patrick Stickles was electrocuted. He survived; the facial hair did not.
STill, they’ve soldiered on and already made a new record which they’ve dubbed Local Business, and while there’s little chance that it’ll will be quite as epic in scope or ambition as The Monitor – that’s not mathematically possible – it should offer more than the requisite amount of furious melody, righteous riffing, and dense lyricism. And it also gives them an excuse to get back on the road. The record is out October 22 and they’ve already put together a Fall tour and are bringing New York Bay area punks Ceremony with them for the ride. They’re at Lee’s Palace on November 27, tickets $18.50.
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus”
MP3: Ceremony – “Hysteria”
Lyric Video: Titus Andronicus – “In A Big City”
That new Yo La Tengo single “Stupid Things” is now available to download. The new full-length is out next January.
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Stupid Things”
Perfume Genius has released a new video from Put Your Back N 2 It, just in time for tonight’s show at 918 Bathurst. Pitchfork talks to Mike Hadreas about the video.
Video: Perfume Genius – “Take Me Home”
Paste are streaming a new song from Savoir Adore’s forthcoming Our Nature, out October 16, and God Is In The TV has a video session with the band. They’re in town at Rancho Relaxo on October 13.
Stream: Savoir Adore – “Empire Of Light”
The Atlantic, Interview, Buzzfeed, Stereogum, Pitchfork, and The Thread all have features on The Mountain Goats as they mark the release of their latest album, Transcendental Youth. They play The Phoenix on October 20.
Spinner, The Wall Street Journal, The Irish Independent, HitFix, and Denver Westword talk to Aimee Mann. She’s at The Danforth Music Hall on November 6.
The 405 has got a stream of the first new Saturday Looks Good To Me song in who knows how long, available on 7″ come November 6 and presumably appearing on their new record One Kiss Ends It All, which is slated for a Spring 2013 release.
Stream: Saturday Looks Good To Me – “Sunglasses”
Rumours of a new Sufjan Stevens Christmas set have been kicking around for a little while, and now they’re confirmed. The super-fancy Silver & Gold box set of five EPs – yes, just like the Songs For Christmas set – will be out November 13. Stream one of the selections below.
Stream: Sufjan Stevens – “Christmas Unicorn”
I’m not entirely sure what the deal with Death Grips is, but people seem to care when they spontaneously cancel entire tours or leak their new album without telling their label first. So those same people may be interested to know that they’re hitting the road – unless they cancel again – and will be at Wrongbar on November 18.
MP3: Death Grips – “Deep Web”
Critical Mob and The Awl talk to Mark Eitzel, coming to town for a show at The Rivoli on November 28.
Pitchfork has details on the new record from Memory Tapes, to be entitled Grace/Confusion and due out on December 4. A first MP3 from the album is already available to download.
MP3: Memory Tapes – “Shelia”
Band Of Horses chat with Drowned In Sound and Metro Pulse. They play Massey Hall on December 5.
Paul Westerberg has told Rolling Stone that he and Tommy Stinson – the only Replacements still alive and active in music – have recorded a limited edition covers EP which will be auctioned off later this year to raise funds for former guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke back in February. And yeah, I guess they’re calling it The Replacements – so that’s happened.
Divine Fits have released a first video from their debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits.
Video: Divine Fits – “Would That Not Be Nice”
Vulture delves into the life, times, and finances of Grizzly Bear. The Skinny, Portland Monthly, and Pitchfork also have features.
Spin has posted an extensive feature piece on Dinosaur Jr, including a sidebar about how J Mascis almost joined Nirvana and Built To Spill back in the day.
The Line Of Best Fit interviews Beachwood Sparks.
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
Niki & The Dove and Moon King at The Drake Underground in Toronto
Frank YangMaybe it’s because I tend to exist in a very Brit/Scandi/indie-centric music bubble that I figured by the time Niki & The Dove’s first proper North American tour rolled into Toronto, they’d have already been the buzziest thing going; this based on both the power of their performances at Iceland Airwaves last year and at SXSW this Spring, the overall impressiveness of their debut Instinct. So while they did indeed sell out the Drake on Tuesday night, I had expected demand would have moved it to a bigger room, that there’d be people offering to trade their kidneys for ducats on Craigslist, et cetera. Not so. But that’s okay.
I didn’t especially rate them while they were active, but if there comes a day in the not-too-distant future when Spiral Beach are held up as one of those important Toronto bands whose DNA can be found in countless others, I don’t think I’d be surprised. Already the band’s descendants includes Austra and Doldrums, and the for those wondering what former frontwoman Maddy Wilde and drummer Daniel Woodhead have been up to, the evening’s openers Moon King were the answer. But using Spiral Beach as a reference point wouldn’t get you very far, as Wilde has shifted to guitarist and backing vocal duties while Woodhead has stepped out in front of the kit and is now the frontman. Performing as a four-piece with drummer and keyboardist, they put on an impressive set that thanks to Woodhead’s affected feyness and Wilde’s aggressively chorused guitar work, you could reasonably describe as Kevin Barnes fronting a punk rock Cocteau Twins. It’s understandable if you’re unsure that that’s something you’d want to hear, but to my ears it worked quite well. And unlike Spiral Beach, whom I found overly precocious at times, Moon King are happy to indulge their pop instincts and let their talent and inherent eccentricities keep it from getting too obvious. There’s getting to be plenty of “Moon” bands out there, but this one is worth distinguishing and remembering.
You would think that having seen Niki & The Dove twice in the past year would give me a pretty good sense of what to expect from their show, but that was far from the case. This was one of a handful of headlining dates between high-profile support slots for Twin Shadow and Miike Snow, and so they were travelling on the cheap – it was just Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, no dancers as in Iceland and not even drummer Magnus Böqvist, who accompanied them in Austin. And also, apparently, no lights. Perplexingly, they took the stage in total darkness and remained so for the first two songs – a curious choice for such a visual band, not that the lack of illumination kept Dahlström from dancing while performing – you could see her vague outline doing so. Eventually a single dim spot was raised and the house could get a reasonable look at the Swedish duo, who certainly didn’t look like they had any reason to be hiding, what with Dahlström donning a fancy headdress and some illuminated LED rings for the occasion.
Speaking of visuals, if someone were to look at their stage setup – a haphazard array of keyboards, sequencers, samplers, and guitar pedals but no acoustic instruments besides a single floor tom and snare drum – they might assume that this was a band that would have to adhere to a rigid show structure; after all, laptops aren’t necessarily the best instruments for live improvisation. They would, however, be wrong. Their set was surprisingly jammy with Karlöf taking his time to build and manipulate layers of synthetic sounds before Dahlström would begin singing, and she herself was more than equipped to at her own electronic workstation to add to the sonic melee. Most songs were extended from their album versions to some degree of live remix, often to the benefit of those in the audience who wanted to groove or dance. “Tomorrow” didn’t fare as well as the most anthemic number in their repertoire should have, sounding all out of time with itself, but I wouldn’t assume that it wasn’t deliberate.
Though they expressed some shyness about their English – which was fine, by the way – the duo were genuinely enthused about being in Toronto and the response they go, not least of all because it allowed them to break out a cover that they said they’d been preparing especially for the occasion – a sweet, low-key reading of Joni Mitchell’s, “A Case Of You”. It was a highlight of the hour-long set which closed with a particularly free-form “Drummer”, and for an encore which I’m not entirely sure they were prepared for but that was demanded, an extended “Gentle Roar”. An auspicious debut and even in the dark, they shone.
The Stool Pigeon also had a foreign correspondent on hand. Houston Press and The Phoenix have interviews with Niki & The Dove.
Photos: Niki & The Dove, Moon King @ The Drake Underground – October 2, 2012
MP3: Niki & The Dove – “Tomorrow”
MP3: Niki & The Dove – “Mother Protect”
MP3: Niki & The Dove – “DJ, Ease My Mind”
MP3: Niki & The Dove – “The Drummer”
MP3: Moon King – “Only Child”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “Dance Floor”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “Tomorrow”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “The Fox”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “DJ Ease My Mind”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “Mother Protect”
Video: Niki & The Dove – “The Drummer”
Video: Moon King – “Only Child”
In preview of tonight’s show at The Phoenix, NOW has an interview with Jens Lekman, who has released a new video from I Know What Love Isn’t.
Video: Jens Lekman – “Become Someone Else’s”
DIY has an interview with Victoria Bergsman of Taken By Trees, who opens up for Lekman tonight.
Norway’s Team Me have released a new video from To The Treetops.
Video: Team Me – “With My Hands Covering Both Of My Eyes I Am Too Scared To Have A Look At You Now”
NPR is streaming Efterklang’s recent New York concert with the Wordless Music Orchestra and The Epoch Times has an interview.
Irish power-pop vets Ash are finally coming back to town as part of a North American tour to mark their twentieth anniversary as a band. They’ll be at Lee’s Palace on November 17.
MP3: Ash – “Burn Baby Burn”
The Skinny, The Quietus, and Spin talk to Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes about her new record The Haunted Man, due out October 22.
The New Yorker and The Chicago Sun-Times interview Beth Orton.
The Fly has a sit-down with The Vaccines.
The Stool Pigeon and FasterLouder interview Tame Impala about their new album Lonerism, out next Tuesday. They play The Phoenix November 12.
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
The Vaccines Come Of Age, come around
Christiaan FelberThe answer from many to the question posed by the title of The Vaccines’ debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines was, “great things”. That may have been overreaching – What Did You Expect was a solid bit of guitar rock that didn’t necessarily pin them down in any one stylistic cul de sac, ranging from punky throwaways to stadium-ambition anthems – but there’s no arguing they built up a pretty good head of steam on it before it all crashed to a halt at the end of the Summer when frontman Justin Young’s voice was shut down for vocal cord surgery.
One of the casualties of that bit of misfortune was the entirety of their Fall North American tour, including a date at The Phoenix last October, but on the bright side being put into dry dock meant they could get down to writing their second album when they would have normally kept at touring the first. As a result, they’ve put out Come Of Age – which is less rangy but maybe hookier, finding the Londoners happily settling into a simpler, garage-rock vein. And they’ve finally gone ahead and made up those North American dates – if a year and a quarter later – planning to again hit The Phoenix on February 4. Tickets for that are $18 in advance.
Video: The Vaccines – “Teenage Icon”
Video: The Vaccines – “No Hope”
Marina & The Diamonds, who’s enjoyed chart-topping success back home in the UK with her second album Electra Heart will be looking to see how much that – and her stint this Summer supporting Coldplay – has translated into in North American success. She’s coming across the pond this December and bringing Swedish duo Icona Pop – themselves riding a pretty good buzz – and will be at The Phoenix on December 3, tickets $25.
Video: Marina & The Diamonds – “How To Be A Heartbreaker”
Video: Icona Pop – “Nights Like This”
Maxïmo Park have released a new video from their latest, The National Health and The Sun talks football with frontman Paul Smith.
Video: Maxïmo Park – “The Undercurrents”
The Dumbing Of America talks to Claudette Thurlow of 2:54, in town at The Horseshoe on October 22.
Bat For Lashes has released a new video from The Haunted Man, due out October 22. The Line Of Best Fit and Loud & Quiet have interviews with Natasha Khan.
Video: Bat For Lashes – “All Your Gold”
Bat For Lashes bandmate – or at least she was the last time out – Charlotte Hatherley continues with her Sylver Tongue electro-pop project by scheduling the release of her debut EP in that guise – Something Big – for November 6. Altsounds has some details.
Black Cab Sessions has a session in a black cab with Hot Chip; eGigs also has an interview.
The Line Of Best Fit has a video session with Richard Hawley.
Pet Shop Boys have a new video from their latest, Elysium. There’s also a feature at BBC.
Video: Pet Shop Boys – “Leaving”
eMusic and The Telegraph have interviews with Beth Orton.
Mumford & Sons stop in at Daytrotter and NPR for studio sessions and also offer The National Post and New York Times interviews.
DIY has a feature on Tame Impala, who are streaming their new record Lonerism over at NPR. It’s out next Tuesday, October 9, and they are at The Phoenix on November 12.
Stream: Tame Impala / Lonerism
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