Tuesday, February 15th, 2005
Shows! Shows! Shows!
Newly reunited UK post-punk legends Gang Of Four are coming to town to play the Phoenix on May 14. Tickets are on sale February 24 and run a steep $27.50, but what are you gonna do? They’re doing it for the money and by God, they’ll have their money.
On a more contemporary tip, France’s Phoenix make their Toronto debut on April 8 at the Opera House, ably supported by Dogs Die In Hot Cars and Joy Zipper. Tickets for this one run $17.50. Phoenix made quite the impression on some of the music bloggers down south during their last US tour. This may not be one to miss.
The Decemberists bring Picaresque to Lee’s Palace on May 21. Their show at the Horseshoe last year was fantastic. I missed the second show at Lee’s in June, but will definitely be in attendance this time around. Willy Mason supports. Thanks to Donewaiting for the info.
Finally, Prefuse 73 and Battles are at Lee’s Palace May 8, tickets $15.
The Wedding Present’s new one Take Fountain is in stores today! Or it is in theory, anyway. I don’t expect it to actually be in stores today. Maybe this week, but today? Not likely. Pitchfork thinks it’s just okay. Spoilt Victorian Child celebrates the occasion with a tribute and some MP3s. If you don’t know the Weddoes, that’s a good place to start. From Indie MP3.
Death Cab For Cutie’s last release on Barsuk, The John Byrd live mini-album, is out March 1. Details here, from LHB.
Tandem and The Baltimore Sun (bugmenot:johnq@mailinator.com/bugmenot) talk to Shivaree’s Ambrosia Parsley. Shivaree are doing two shows at the Lula Lounge tonight and Thursday. I’m going tonight, so if it’s good I’ll report it Wednesday and the rest of you can scurry down for Thursday.
I am listening to Emm Gryner’s Songs Of Love & Death. Hearing Therapy?’s “Nowhere” done as a folky campfire song is just… strange. I used to have a copy of Troublegum on tape. No, that’s all I have to say about that.
Zoilus contemplates the “two solitudes” of Canadian Music. Celine Dion vs Arcade Fire, the Junos vs Wavelength. That sort of thing. A good read.
And speaking of Arcade Fire, Pitchfork interviews em.
24: God, it was like the Behruz says stupid things hour. “My father is a terrorist! We’re all terrorists!” What was more amazing is that no one in the hospital reacted to this one bit. “I hate you! I’ve always hated you!” That’s great, kid. Did you forget your dad has been trying to kill you for the past four hours? He doesn’t want to bond. Otherwise, not the most engaging episode so far. The plot moved along and it’s always nice to see parallel story threads converge (ie – the Araz family, Jack & Tony’s travelling roadshow). The bit with Edgar and his mom? Not as moving as they’d probably hoped. Or maybe I’m just a cold sonofabitch.
np – Chapterhouse / Whirlpool
Monday, February 14th, 2005
Thrasher’s Wheat has started a petition to get Neil Young’s “lost” album Time Fades Away rereleased. The third part of the so-called “Ditch” trilogy, it’s companion records On The Beach and Tonight’s The Night are for my money Neil’s absolute best works and I’d love to hear Time Fades Away in any form. But while I’ll certainly sign the petition, I’m not sure how much good it’ll do. It’s my understanding that it’s Neil, and not Reprise, who doesn’t want the album released, and if there’s one thing that’s certain about Neil Young, it’s that no one – and no one – is going to make him do anything he doesn’t want to do. But still, it’s worth a shot.
Just last night, I was commenting to a friend that it’s been well over a year since I’ve been to the Opera House (October 2003, to be precise), my least favourite venue in the city. Well, that little streak is coming to an end on June 4th when Low come to town for the first time since October 2002. If you want an idea of what to expect from the Low live experience, Bradley’s Almanac has some mp3s recorded at their show last week in Somerville, MA.
icWales profiles Doves. Some Cities out March 1. From Largehearted Boy.
I have nothing to say about the Grammies. Yes, I know Wilco won a couple. I still don’t care. The only thing about the Grammies that could possibly have interested me was if a giant lizard rose up out of the Pacific and destroyed the venue where they were holding the ceremonies. THAT would have interested me. But did it happen? No. So there.
Dear NHL and NHLPA – Go fuck yourselves. Both of you. I’ve been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. I was buying hockey cards before a third of the players in the league were even born. I have lost copious amounts of money in hockey pools (hey – I said I was a hockey fan, not a SMART hockey fan). But you know what? I don’t miss the season one bit. Anytime I think I MIGHT start getting a little wistful that there’s no hockey this year, I read any of the news stories about your so-called labour negotiations, and I’m disgusted. Nothing makes me happier than the fact that you – and I mean ALL of you – are losing money. You swear you’ll never play under a salary cap and yet, you have no problem going to the European and minor leagues and playing for far less money, all the while taking jobs away from other players – but I bed you’d all cry bloody murder if the owners tried to bring scabs into the NHL, right? And to the owners – it’s your own goddamn fault. No one forced you to pay $12-trillion dollars for Bobby Holik or Darius Kasparitus. Salaries are where they are because you’re idiots. So to the players and the owners, I give you a hearty YOU ALL SUCK. I hope your children go hungry. I hope your dogs pee on your carpets. I don’t care if you ever come back. Seriously. It’s actually nice to not have to be disappointed by the Leafs in the playoffs for a change.
And the Raptors suck, too. We traded Vince Carter for what? An opportunity to buy out Alonzo Mourning for $10M? NICE DEAL. God, is it baseball season yet?
And while I’m ranting, damn do I hate computers sometimes. Without getting into details, one of my IDE ports decided to take a little vacation last night for about an hour, and then inexplicably return just as I was about to tear my hair out. That, I did not need. Update: Now my computer at work will no longer play CD-Rs. I HATE COMPUTERS.
Ahh, piss and vinegar. Happy Valentine’s Day… Bah, humbug. Heavy Black Frames is somewhat less cynical about the occasion, offering a rather nice MP3 mix that covers many facets of that many-faceted thing that is love. Of course, I don’t see anything to represent my favourite facet: seething, festering bitterness.
Oh, I’m kidding. My bitterness doesn’t seethe. It just sort of… I dunno, percolates? Do you think that if I made dinner reservations for tonight for two at a fancy restaurant, showed up all dressed up and sat there for an hour looking progrssively more dejected and stood up, I’d get a free pity meal? Because I’m not above that.
np – My Bloody Valentine / Isn’t Anything
Sunday, February 13th, 2005
The latest batch of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli DVD releases weren’t supposed to be out until February 22, but Queen Video somehow had them available for rent already so I finally got to see Miyazaki’s first film, Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Winds. I am flabbergasted that this film is over 20 years old. While the animation isn’t as lush or intricate as, say, Spirited Away, it’s still lovely to see onscreen bears the unmistakable mark of its creator.
The story and themes are also vintage Miyazaki – the blend of fantasy and science fiction, the heroic young girl protagonist, the pastoral yet post-apocalyptic setting, the environmental themes. I think the narrative is somewhat simpler than his later work, not as ambitious or confusing (I admit, I get confused by some of his stuff), but is in no way lacking for it. The simplicity is actually a large part of Nausicaa’s charm.
Usually I watch these North American editions in the original Japanese with subtitles, but this time I wanted to hear it with the English voice talent (Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Uma Thurman). Surely heresy to some, but I think they did a pretty good job of it. There’s still a second DVD of bonus materials that I hope I will get the chance to go through before I have to return it to the shop, but considering I’m sort of hip-deep in stimulus right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t.
I can’t wait until the next Miyazaki film, Howl’s Moving Castle, gets a North American release on or around June 17.
SF Weekly contemplates a life informed by Luna, and bids farewell to a friend.
Given the extent and quality of pure pop music coming out of Sweden lately, I’ve been known to declare, often without prompting and at inopportune times, that Sweden is the new Scotland (“How do you plead to these charges?” “Sweden is the new Scotland, your honour”). But how does one keep up with the goings-on in that strange and foreign land of blondes, massages and affordable furniture? With Hello! Surprise!, a guide to Swedish pop music. Hallelujah. They’ve got news, bios, links, mp3s, the whole whiz-bang. God bless the Swedes. From LHB.
Yeah, I’m excited about the music at SxSW, but as SxSW Baby correctly points out, there’s another grand attraction… BARBEQUE. Oh yeah.
Oodles of Batman Begins trivia, courtesy of IMDB (via Achtung Baby). Cinescape also has an early early review of the film, not due out till June 17.
np – Shivaree / Who’s Got Trouble?
Saturday, February 12th, 2005
Because it’s really starting to back up and make me feel guilty, I’m going to try and round up some of the freebies I’ve gotten from various kind folks who read this here site. That’s right, on occasion, I get sent free stuff, but not nearly as much as you might think. However, in the case that you (being everyone and anyone) want to send me stuff, my formal policy on review material is as follows:
1) I may or may not like it
2) I may or may not write about it
3) I may or may not remember that I have it
4) My opinions on your music, or lack of opinion, in no way reflects on my feelings for you as individuals and human beings. I’m sure you’re all lovely people.
Thank you. Now to business.
When The Futureheads’ self-titled debut came out last year, I admit I didn’t pay too much attention. A cursory listen and I wrote them off as another mucho-hype 80s new-wave revivalist band. Which they sort of are, but they don’t use the disco hi-hat so I give them props for that. My first impression was that they sound almost exactly like early XTC – singer Barry Hyde is an almost dead ringer for Andy Partridge – but more in-depth listening reveals they actually sound almost exactly like early XTC crossed with The Jam, equal parts spastic and soulful. That’s a good thing. The record has grown on me quite quickly and I’m sorry I won’t be able to catch them in town on February 27 but hope to see them at SxSW next month.
I am going to try and talk about Robbers On High Street’s debut record Tree City (out February 22) without mentioning Spoon.
…
Okay, can’t do it. The singer sounds like Britt Daniel. The songs sound like Spoon songs in arrangement and structure. It’s… I… COME ON. There’s cribbing, everyone does that, but geez. If I have to find a point of difference, it’s that ROHS’s stuff is a little less experimental and therefore more accessible than Spoon’s, but considering that Spoon is pretty damn accessible, that’s not saying much.
Joy Zipper are a husband-and-wife two piece from Long Island, their latest record is American Whip, out on the 22nd. Their ultra-laid back dreamy burbling pop is pleasant enough, but is so laid back, dreamy and burbly that it’s almost insubstantial. A couple of listens and what had been sort of nice to begin with just became completely forgettable.
LCD Soundsystem is apparently one of those ultra-hip outfits that people who read Vice like. I’ve never read a copy of Vice in my life. It’s sorta dance-y/disco-y, sorta rock, sorta jokey and quite interesting though not really my thing. I don’t know how often I’d listen to this, but now if I hear “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House” when I’m out, I can nod knowingly and say, “Ah, LCD Soundsystem” and seem cooler than I am. I suspect it’s meant to be played loud and in a club rather than at modest volumes in my living room, but what can you do. The self-titled record is a two disc set but I think only one disc is the proper album, the other is a compilation of singles and whatnot. It’s in stores on Tuesday.
Judging from the large wad of PR that accompanied the debut North American EP (out February 22) from London’s Little Barrie, some folks on the other side of the Atlantic think these guys are the shit (note the definite article there, please and thank you). Blues/punk/funk saviours, etc etc. What I heard from these four tracks were some proficiently-played, fairly soulful blues-rock. My idea of funk is like, Prince, so maybe we’re coming at that facet from different directions. Little Barrie are not as funky as Prince. The production is also a little flat – there’s not enough weight in the low-end to really get grooving and not enough rawness to really leap out of the speakers. I dunno, again, what they’re doing really isn’t my thing, but Mojo likes em. They’ll be at SxSW so if any of them take exception to my opinion, they’re welcome to hunt me down and punch me out there.
Okay, that’s everything for now.
Six By Seven’s latest, :04, finally gets a North American release almost half a year after coming out in the UK. It will be available on May 3 via The First Time Recordings, the good folks who brought you the Ride box set and reissues. :04 is an excellent record, I’ve had an mp3 CD-R since last Fall but will be happy to get a proper legit copy.
Photos from Thursday’s Bettie Serveert show here. I think Carol and Peter may have had the brightest-coloured stage garb, like, EVER.
np – Ambulance LTD / LP
Friday, February 11th, 2005
Without actually doing calculations, I think I can say that Bettie Serveert is possibly the band I’ve been a fan of the longest without ever seeing live. I first got their sophomore record Lamprey way back in the Summer of 1995, and was hooked ever since – yet have never caught them on tour. Granted, there haven’t been many opportunities since they’re based out of the Netherlands and really don’t come through town much, but still – a decade is a long time. Well I’m happy to say that was rectified last night at the Horseshoe where they played in support of their sixth album, Attagirl, and in grand fashion. No one ever told me they were so good live!
The show had been advertised in the local weeklies as “90s Alternative Rock” but anyone who showed up hoping for a blast from the past was likely disappointed. The band drew exclusively on their last three albums (though mainly the last two) for the first three quarters of the set before venturing back to their debut Palomine for “Tom Boy” (they eventually played three Palomine songs, nothing from Lamprey or Dust Bunnies). Actually, I would hope those folks weren’t disappointed because those last three albums contain some really strong material which translated even stronger in a live setting. Whereas the albums leaned more toward the tasteful side, on stage they embraced the chaos and rocked out wholeheartedly – more than a few songs in the one hour, forty-five minute set turned into frenzied, extended jams. I honestly hadn’t expected the Betties to be quite so high-energy, but was pleasantly surprised. They did mix up the dynamic of the set some with a few slower and more groove-oriented numbers, but it was the rockers that came across best (and were actually the better songs, even on record).
Guitarist Peter Visser was most animated, leaping all over the stage while spewing copious Young/Mascis-approved guitar leads… a note to anyone going to see them later on this tour – watch out if you find yourself standing in front of Visser. When he stands at the edge of the stage and waves his guitar around, he’s swinging for the fences. Singer/guitarist Carol van Dijk also proved she has one of the more distinct voices in indie rock, equal parts husky and sweet, world-weary and naive. I thought she sounded splendid. And bassist Herman Bunskoeke is a large, sweaty man whose shirt seemed to open up further as the night went on. The man is hirsute, let’s leave it at that.
van Dijk estimated it had been nine years or so since they had last been in our fair town – an absolute crime, that. I was glad to see that they drew a pretty healthy crowd to the ‘Shoe, particularly since there hadn’t been a whole lot of advertising or press leading up to it (a couple reviews of Attagirl in the local papers was about it). It may have been a while since they’ve been college radio sweethearts or even remotely hip, but it’s good to see the band continue to make great music and find an appreciative audience for it.
Openers Walker’s Line are named after a street in Burlington (Toronto suburb, the burg that gave us Finger Eleven) and they sound like a band from Burlington. Very “alternative/emo” in the radio genre sense, not my bag at all. I don’t think they had any idea who they were opening for (“There’s a great band coming up next!”). Sometimes I wonder what the people who put these bills together are thinking… maybe it was sort of a joke? Alternative in the 90s vs alternative in the 00s? Who knows.
I’ll have my photos up tomorrow – thank God for good lighting – but in the meantime, some additional Bettie Serveert goodies. You can download the title track from Attagirl courtesy of Minty Fresh, watch the video for “Dreamaniacs”, also from the new album, and find out why Vancouver native Carol still identifies as a Canadian.
TTIKTDA has a couple tracks from the new House Of Love album, Days Run Away, available to preview. Still not really digging the first single “I Think I Love You Too Much”, but “Gotta Be That Way” is a little better. If these tracks are representative of the album as a whole, we could be looking at a more intimate record along the lines of Guy Chadwick’s solo work than the widescreen epic-ness of the first couple HoL records. The album is out in the UK on February 28.
Dig into some Guided By Voices bootleg material here. It’s on their old label’s website so I assume it all kosher. Via Golden Fiddle.
Wilco are celebrating Yankee Hotel Foxtrot going gold by holding a contest for one of the gold record plaques. How nice. Enter here. Wilco are great. They’re the future of music, you know. Wired says so. And Jeff Tweedy don’t care much ’bout no Grammy-winning, no sir. Via Largehearted Boy.
Pollstar puts The Raveonettes, Autolux (yeah, them again) and Sweden’s The Peels at Lee’s Palace on June 4. I’m beginning to suspect they automatically put Autolux on EVERY bill that comes through town.
Watchmen. It’s actually happening. They’ve got a website.
To all the sick fucks out there with Nielsen boxes (do they still have Nielsen boxes?) who are not watching Arrested Development – what the hell is wrong with you? I mean, seriously? Hollywood Reporter says that Fox has reduced their episode order of AD and come May 1, it will be replaced in the schedule with American Dad for a few weeks at least. BOO. The CBC fears that if AD fails to convince the network to keep it on the air, it will pretty much sound the death knell for decent programming (at least of the sitcom variety) anywhere but cable (via 10:51AM). Creator Mitchell Hurwitz tells the Onion AV Club they’re doing okay ratings-wise, but I’m not convinced. Update: The news gets worse and worse. Or not quite so worse? Update 2: Saveourbluths.com. Talk amongst yourselves.
Hey, Salon.com likes me! Neato.
np – Slowdive / Just For A Day
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