Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
Mark Eitzel doesn’t want to be a Stranger
Cynthia WoodA lot’s happened with Mark Eitzel since he last set foot on a Toronto stage. That would have been back in April 2008, when he was leading the reunited American Music Club on tour in support of their second album of the 21st century, The Golden Age. The American Music Club machine slowly wound down again and was officially declared on indefinite hiatus again by Eitzel last Fall, and he also released a couple more solo records in that time: Klamath in 2009 and Brannan Street the following year, both low-key in both presentation and distribution. Oh, and last Spring he had a heart attack (but is okay now).
But as has been the pattern over a career that has swung from the cultiest of cult artists to getting a modicum of the respect that his songwriting talent deserves, Eitzel again appears ready to step a little more into the spotlight. His new solo record Don’t Be A Stranger is coming out on Merge, who rightly believed those two AMC reunion albums deserved to be shepherded into the world, and Eitzel is undertaking what he’s dubbed “The Warm Gentle Rain Tour”, which will traverse North America and bring him to the Rivoli in Toronto on November 28, tickets for that $15.50 in advance. It’s hard to say what form the show will take, be it solo or with a band, but when I last saw Eitzel at SXSW 2011, it was just him and a keyboardist and he was singing AMC songs lounge/cabaret-style, so it could really be anything. What is certain is that it will be hilarious, depressing, and excellent.
After all – the promotional campaign for the record involves Eitzel getting career and performance advice from the experts on video; there’s clips of him consulting with Lady Gaga’s make-up artist Billy B. and at Gawker, you can watch him discuss his lyrics with comedienne Nadya Ginsburg. Yes, hilarity ensues.
Stream: Mark Eitzel – “I Love You But You’re Dead”
GQ, The Chicago Tribune, and Spinner talk to Bob Mould about what has turned out to be the year of the resurgence of Bob Mould.
Gothamist and Newsday talk to Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs, finally bringing their reunion tour to The Phoenix on October 3.
Consequence Of Sound, DIY, NOW, and Clash all talk to members of Dinosaur Jr about their new record I Bet On Sky. They’re at Lee’s Palace on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week.
Exclaim has specifics on the third Guided By Voices album of 2012, The Bears For Lunch, out November 13.
Salon, NPR, and Stereogum talk to Aimee Mann about hew new record Charmer, from which she’s just released a new video that has a few guest stars you might recognize and is a shot-for-shot remake of a video you might recognize if you’ve been following Aimee’s career from the outset… Don’t worry, I’ll help you out. You’re welcome. Aimee Mann is at The Danforth Music Hall on November 6.
Video: Aimee Mann – “Labrador”
Video: ‘Til Tuesday – “Voices Carry”
DIY, NOW, The Quietus, and Billboard all want to talk Shields with Grizzly Bear. They’re at Massey Hall on September 26.
Cat Power goes blonde zombie-fighting road warrior in the first video from Sun. Of course. She’s at The Kool Haus on October 20.
Video: Cat Power – “Cherokee”
The 405, DIY has a feature and The Line Of Best Fit a video session wtih Band Of Horses.
The Lab sends Saturday Night Live and Portlandia‘s Fred Armisen to interview St. Vincent, while The Montreal Gazette talks to both her and David Byrne. They’re at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre tomorrow night.
The AV Club talks to Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, and his right-hand guitarist Nels Cline will be at The Great Hall on November 2 as part of this year’s Sleepwalk Guitar Festival.
MP3: Nels Cline – “Don’t Threaten Me With Your Threats”
Dum Dum Girls are streaming their new EP End Of Daze over at Stereogum. It’s out next week, and Houston Press talks to Dee Dee about it.
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Lord Knows”
Stream: Dum Dum Girls / End Of Daze
Titus Andronicus have unveiled the album art and first lyric video from their new record Local Business, coming October 22. See the art at Pitchfork and hear the first song from the new record below.
Lyric Video: Titus Andronicus – “In A Big City”
Trespassers William have released a video from their farewell compilation Cast.
Video: Trespassers William – “Believe Me”
Hospitality has released a new video from their self-titled debut.
Video: Hospitality – “Eighth Avenue”
NPR and Spoonfed chat with Calexico.
Check out the latest video from The Kills’ Blood Pressures.
Video: The Kills – “Wild Charms”
I speculated that The Killers’ show at the Sound Academy this weekend was a precursor to something bigger, and I was right. Las Vegas’ favourite sons return for a show at the Air Canada Centre on December 15, tickets ranging from $39.50 to $65.00.
Video: The Killers – “Runaways”
A Place To Bury Strangers have a new video from Worship.
Video: A Place To Bury Strangers – “Leaving Tomorrow”
Benjamin Gibbard – he’s only Ben when he’s in a band, apparently – discusses his solo album Other Lives with Stereogum. It’s out October 16 and he’s at The Danforth Music Hall a couple days earlier, on October 14.
Magnet welcomes Beachwood Sparks to their website editor’s chair with a Q&A.
You Me & Charlie interviews Josh Tillman of Father John Misty. He plays Lee’s Palace on October 27.
The Quietus interviews James Murphy.
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
Frightened Rabbit check into State Hospital; diagnosed with fear
ClashWhen you’re a couple years on from your last album and still a calendar year off from your next, yet you want a pretence to stage a North American tour, what do you do? If you’re Frightened Rabbit, whose Winter Of Mixed Drinks was back in 2010 and major label debut isn’t due out until early 2013, you put together five-song EP of new songs, call it State Hospital, release it on vinyl and digital only – because the kids love their vinyl and MP3s – and you hit the road.
Not that they needed the excuse to tour – their October 10 show at the Mod Club was well sold out a while ago – but if they wanted to remind folks of why their decidedly Scottish, anthemically miserable folk-rock has made the band beloved, they’ve begun streaming the EP at Pitchfork ahead of its release on September 25, setting the stage for them to finish up some European dates before crossing the pond. For whatever reason, Winter didn’t have quite the charm of its predecessor, the breakout Midnight Organ Fight, but the new EP is whetting my appetite for the band again, which is to say it’s doing its job.
The Daily Record, The 405, and The Banter have interviews with frontman Scott Hutchison about the new EP and the next album.
Stream: Frightened Rabbit / State Hospital
Lots of angles from which to get your daily Neil Halstead fix: a new MP3 from Palindrome Hunches is available to download courtesy of IFC, a new video has premiered at Nowness, and an EP to go with the Fall tour that brings him to the Dakota Tavern on October 8 is available for free – or you can leave a tip if you like – at Noisetrade, and includes songs from all points of his career. Including Mojave 3. And Slowdive. Yeah.
MP3: Neil Halstead – “Tied To You”
Video: Neil Halstead – “Hey Daydreamer”
Billboard has a conversation and The Alternate Side a session with Alt-J, making their Toronto debut at Wrongbar tomorrow night.
Bat For Lashes has made another track from The Haunted Man available to download; it’s out October 23.
MP3: Bat For Lashes – “Marilyn”
Beatroute and The Boston Phoenix talk to Bloc Party.
The Toronto Star has a feature on The xx, who’ve made another track from Coexist and a new track not on the album available to download.
MP3: The xx – “Sunset”
MP3: The xx – “Reconsider”
Billboard profiles The Vaccines.
Under The Radar reports that Ladytron frontwoman Helen Marnie has begun work on a solo record and is hoping to crowdfund it via Pledge Music. And by selling her car.
The AV Club reports that Manic Street Preachers will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album Generation Terrorists with a slew of special edition reissues coming on November 5. This is the album, if you’re recall, that was supposed to outsell Appetite For Destruction, propel the band to global superstar status, culminate in a three-night stand at Wembley Stadium, and then allow the band to burn out and disappear. Fancy-pants twentieth anniversary editions weren’t in the manifesto, but what really turns out the way we expect?
The Guardian profiles the career of Amelia Fletcher, now fronting Tender Trap.
For Folks Sake chats with Stevie Jackson
The AV Club offers a starter’s guide to the musical genre referred to as “shoegazing”. Perhaps you’ve heard of it.
Monday, September 17th, 2012
Ladyhawke and Computer Magic at The Hoxton in Toronto
Frank YangIt would have been nice to think that the many well-dressed folks milling about on King West Saturday evening were winding their way to The Hoxton, where New Zealand’s Pip Browne – aka Ladyhawke – was set to make her first Toronto appearance in almost three years exactly. But no, they were probably just out taking in the final night of TIFF, because The Hoxton was basically empty when I got there.
Being an early show with a curfew, waiting around for the more fashionably late wasn’t an option to Computer Magic got to play for a mere handful of people. The project of Brooklyite Danielle Johnson, they played as a two-piece with Johnson on keys and vox and a drummer. It wasn’t much and their on-stage mobility was decidedly limited, but they more than made do. Johnson’s synth-pop melodies were both hooky and interesting, and while her drummer favoured the pads on his hybrid acoustic/electronic drum kit, the fact that he could hit the conventional drums and hit them hard gave it all a lot more power and presence than you would have expected. My understanding is that some live versions of the band have guitar and bass to fill things out, and while I don’t doubt the extra bodies make for a more compelling live show, Computer Magic as a duo had all they really needed to make a good impression – namely, solid tunes.
For reasons entirely not her fault, Ladyhawke’s first Toronto show in September 2009 was something of a clusterfuck. It was part of a seemingly-cursed tour presented by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, beset by low attendance, a patchwork bill, and a self-destructing headliner in Ida Maria who bailed from the tour entirely the day of the Toronto show. Ladyhawke’s first set as the de facto sole headliner of the tour was actually fine, showcasing the ridiculously catchy ’80s-styled pop of her self-titled debut, but it’s hard to separate the performance in memory from the circus that surrounded it.
This outing came without the sideshow, thankfully, but also without the degree of buzz that was there the first time around. Her second album Anxiety has been rather unjustly dismissed for being built more on guitars than synths, but the electro-pop movement that she was lumped into back in 2009 was no longer fashionable anyways and if she’d stuck with the same formula, the complaints would probably be that she was sounding dated. Fact is, the change in instrumentation is more cosmetic than fundamental; the songs on Anxiety are less immediate than those on Ladyhawke, but also less obvious. Pip Browne’s melodic instincts are still more than intact, though, and it’s a solid work that will age quite nicely.
It also meant that the couple hundred people in attendance – the room had thankfully filled in some – were genuine fans, else three years behind on hearing what was supposed to be hip. Fronting a five-piece band where, perhaps fittingly given their shift in direction, the massive drum sounds and big, fuzzy guitars often drowned out the keyboardist, the Ladyhawke live experience hadn’t necessarily become more exciting. Though friendly, they’re still very businesslike on stage, having evidently drawn on plenty of glittery/glammy ’80s sonic influence but not the excess of presentation. Browne’s vintage Bryan Adams t-shirt got the most audience approval and the guitarist Danny Blanco provided most of the on-stage animation, which wasn’t really much. But the low-key presentation meant that they were able to power through an extensive set list, cramming eighteen songs into an hour and change including an unexpected cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” to open the encore. See, she knows her ’60s as well! And she knows how to write great songs that don’t need the benefit of a gossip blogger patron or fleeting musical fashionability to impress.
Computer Magic has a bunch of EPs available for free download.
Photos: Ladyhawke, Computer Magic @ The Hoxton – September 15, 2012
MP3: Ladyhawke – “Sunday Drive”
MP3: Ladyhawke – “Sunday Drive” (acoustic)
MP3: Ladyhawke – “Black White & Blue” (acoustic)
MP3: Computer Magic – “Grand Junction”
MP3: Computer Magic – “Electric Fences”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Blue Eyes”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Sunday Drive”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Black White & Blue”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Magic”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Paris Is Burning”
Video: Ladyhawke – “My Delirium”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Dusk Till Dawn”
Video: Ladyhawke – “Back Of The Van”
Video: Computer Magic – “Trinity”
Video: Computer Magic – “The End Of Time”
Evidently with a little time to kill before hitting the stage at The Great Hall on the evening of September 18, DIIV will be setting up at Sonic Boom’s Kensington location for an in-store on Tuesday afternoon at 5PM. They just released a new video from their debut Oshin last week.
MP3: DIIV – “Sometime”
Video: DIIV – “Doused”
Australian folkies Husky have a date at The Drake Underground on November 12 in support of their debut Forever So. They were here back during Canadian Musicfest, if you think you might had seen or heard them before. A Daytrotter session with the band also just went up.
MP3: Husky – “Tidal Wave”
MP3: Husky – “History’s Door”
NPR’s big-deal advance album stream this week is Piramida, the latest from Denmark’s Efterklang. It’s out September 25.
MP3: Efterklang – “Apples”
Stream: Efterklang / Pirmada
Even though their latest Observator just came out, Sune Rose Wagner of The Raveonettes tells Paste he’s already compiling ideas for their next album. They’re at The Phoenix on October 2.
Interview has an interview and I Love Sweden a video session with Amanda Mair.
The Quietus has an exit interview with the retiring Soundtrack Of Our Lives.
Interview talks to ascendent Swedish electro-pop duo Icona Pop.
PopMatters poses twenty questions to múm.
Rolling Stone has premiered a new video from Of Monsters & Men’s debut My Head Is An Animal.
Video: Of Monsters & Men – “Mountain Sound”
Dash Shaw and John Cameron Mitchell offer more a short film than video as their contribution to Sigur Rós’ Valtari “Mystery Film Experiment”, using both “Rembihnútur” and “Ekki múkk” as a soundtrack to their clip.
Video: Sigur Rós – “Seraph”
Laetitia Sadier has premiered a new video from Silencio. She plays The Drake on September 18 and Laetitia Sadier – “Find Me The Pulse Of The Universe”
NPR is streaming M83’s recent concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, September 16th, 2012
Wild Nothing covers Kate Bush
Captured TracksIt was last December that I posted a couple of covers of Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” – perhaps my favourite song of hers – and while both Neil Halstead and Gemma Hayes’ reinterpretations were good, they were both built on stripped-down acoustic arrangements. A reasonable approach for letting the lyrics, melodies, and performance shine through, but also kind of safe.
Acoustic guitars don’t really fit into the Wild Nothing aesthetic, so that avenue wasn’t so open to Jack Tatum when he decided to record a version of the song for a 7″ single in 2009. Instead, he turned to his usual arsenal of synthetic instruments and processors and turned out a glistening version that successfully evokes the dramatic strings of the original while being entirely its own thing. Pretty.
Wild Nothing released their second album Nocturne at the end of August and will be at The Great Hall on Tuesday night to play it live. Many expected Kate Bush’s 2011 comeback album 50 Words For Snow to make the Mercury Prize shortlist last week; it did not. But that is Donald Sutherland in the “Cloudbusting” video. So there’s that.
MP3: Wild Nothing – “Cloudbusting”
Video: Kate Bush – “Cloudbusting”
Saturday, September 15th, 2012
Frank YangWho: First Aid Kit
What: Stockholm-based folk-pop-slinging Söderberg sisters whose second album The Lion’s Roar has just gone platinum in Sweden.
Why: This is their second North American tour for The Lion’s Roar and if I were one to give out “Single of the year” accolades – which I’m not – I would probably give it to “Emmylou”. Perfection made song. That’s why.
When: Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Where: The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto
Who else: American singer-songwriter Dylan LeBlanc opens up.
How: Tickets for the show are $26.50 in advance but courtesy of Embrace, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I need a First Aid Kit” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me by midnight, September 23.
What else: The band released a new iTunes session EP last week and the fourth single from Lion’s Roar – “Wolf” – is out next week. Expect a video to follow. Details on both at Plug In Music.
Video: First Aid Kit – “Emmylou”
Video: First Aid Kit – “Blue”
Video: First Aid Kit – “The Lion’s Roar”
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