Friday, April 9th, 2004
Tanya Donelly’s third solo album Whiskey Tango Ghost is coming out in late July, if all goes according to plan, with a late summer tour to follow. Fort Apache has a tracklisting of the new record.
Another year, another Guided By Voices album. Half Smiles of the Decomposed is out August 24 on Matador. Possible tracklisting here. As with all things Bob, expect the album title and tracklisting to change several dozen times more before release.
Yep Roc has some unreleased tracks from the sessions that yielded The Minus 5’s Down With Wilco album last year. It’s one of five extra songs that will appear on an EP included with the vinyl release of that album June 1. I never really got into this record – it was alright, but it never clicked for me. Pretty much a case of the whole not equalling up to the sum of its parts or some such nonsense. It’s pleasant and clever and all, but there’s not that alchemical spark. I’d trade fifty discs of this for just one more Golden Smog record. You can download an mp3 of one of the unreleased tracks, “Formerly Hail Centurion”, here.
Get yer full-length, full-size Spider-Man 2 trailer while it’s still fresh. Which should be another thirty minutes or so.
It hasn’t quite sunk in that I have today off – this long weekend totally snuck up on me, but I’m not totally unprepared. I’ve got some movies to watch, some books to read, some mushy foods to eat. Doin’ alright.
np – American Music Club / 1984-1995
Thursday, April 8th, 2004
Matador will be celebrating their 15th anniversary this autumn with a double-disc retrospective in the spirit of What’s Up Matador and Everything Is Nice. Matador At 15 will feature “one disc of much-beloved songs by Matador hitmakers circa 1999-2004, along with a second disc comprising unreleased or too-tough-to-find tracks by many of the same superstars”. This will be hot on the heels of Merge’s 15th anniversary multi-disc collection Old Enough To Know Better, out July 13. Two indie label powerhouses, both celebrating fifteen years in the biz? I know a prospective steel cage match when I hear one, thank you… And Merge has a new website. Most of it still doesn’t work, but it’s somewhat prettier than the old one.
Elvis Costello has two albums coming out this Fall – one rock album and one orchestral album. The former will be recorded with the Imposters and be released on Lost Highway, the latter, entitled Il Sogno with the London Symphony Orchestra and be released on Deutsche Grammophon. Obviously the rock record is more interesting to me, but I did like the album he did with the Brodsky Quartet so I will be paying attention to the orchestral release as well. What catches my eye is that the Imposters record is coming out on Lost Highway – does that mean this’ll be a country-inflected record? And how about despite putting four records out on four different labels (Island and Decca for When I Was Cruel and North respectively), they’re really all the same company? It blows my mind.
The Neko Case show on the 28th at the Horseshoe doesn’t seem to have The Sadies on the bill – just Carolyn Mark and Kelly Hogan in what’s being dubbed, “Lipstick & Dynamite”. Tickets are $18 and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Good Brothers showed up anyway.
Still trying to find out specifics on the Neko/Sadies shows at the Matador this weekend. Well, ‘trying’ might be too strong a word. ‘Waiting for someone to come by and tell me’ might be more accurate. Looks like it’ll just be a matter of showing up at 2AM Friday or Saturday and hoping to get in.
Hayden will be opening both Toronto shows for Sarah Harmer at the Winter Garden Theatre April 26 and 27 after all. He had originally been scheduled to open, then pulled, and now has been put back on. His Elk Lake Serenade comes out May 11.
The San Francisco Chronicle tries to puzzle out why Wonderfalls got the axe and reflects on the inanity of television scheduling in general. Perhaps I should recap the reasons – Fox are dumbasses, stupidheads and other epithets involving the words ‘dumb’ and ‘ass’. Use your imagination, they’ll all apply.
A day and a half after wisdoom tooth extraction and I still look like Marlon Brando in The Godfather. And, it seems, so does everyone else who has dental surgery.
np – Metric / Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Wednesday, April 7th, 2004
Okay, that wasn’t so bad I guess. The dentist was nothing if not efficient – three wisdom teeth in under 30 minutes. I didn’t get a general anaesthetic, just novocaine and some nitrous oxide to take the edge off. I remained pretty damn lucid through the whole thing, with the drilling and the grinding and the yanking, but yeah – relaxed. That laughing gas is pretty good stuff. I remember coaxing my contact lenses out of the dixe cups of saline solution they were floating in (forgot to bring a case), going “here, fishie fishie fishie”. The bleeding is pretty much done now and it’s just swelling and a general ache, like I got punched in the face a couple times. Pain is perfectly manageable right now but half my face is still (!) numb and swollen, so I’m not assuming I’m getting away with anything just yet. At least I can feel my tongue again. I haven’t eaten in nearly 24 hours. Funny how some things can take away your appetite.
Oh yeah, this is what they’ve prescribed me – Toradol. I don’t think it’s that legendary Tylenol 3 or codeine that I’ve heard so much about. A little disappointed there.
Pitchfork interviews The Shins. Isn’t it interesting how non-smartass and just… nicer? Pitchfork is when they’re acually talking to their subject rather than reviewing a record or writing up a news story?
As much as I’ve lost interest in Radiohead on the whole, I’ve still put their Japanese b-sides collection on my shopping list. They’re pushing it as follows: “To coincide with their tour of Japan in April, Radiohead have agreed to release a limited quantity of a special Hail to the Thief-related CD of B-sides entitled COM LAG. This B-sides compilation CD also contains a “live” audio version of “2+2=5 and is enhanced with a “live” video clip of “2+2=5”. This is a “Japan only” CD release that EMI Music Canada is importing in a ONE-TIME ORDER for Canadian Radiohead fans”. Damn the completist in me. Old habits die hard. I guess that means I can sell off the Hail To The Thief singles I own.
Paul Atkinson, guitarist for 60s British invasion group The Zombies, has died. (Name corrected).
Tim Story, director of Barbershop, has apparently been confirmed as director of the Fantastic Four movie. Some are assuming from his resume that this will be a comedy… Er. They’re also reporting casting rumours of Michael Chilkis (The Shield) as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Tim Robbins as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Which would make for an uncomfortable age difference if Jessica Simpson is cast as Sue Richards/The Invisible Woman. I don’t understand that last rumour, though – isn’t Jessica Simpson the sort of girl you want seen and not heard, not the other way around?
I’ve finally figured it out – this season’s 24 is actually Die Hard 3. Think about it. The bad guy turns out to be linked to the plot/villain of the first season (Jeremy Irons/Alan Rickman) and has a personal vendetta against our hero. He exacts that revenge by putting him (and the President) on a wild goose chase of sorts around the city by putting innocents at risk, etc etc. Granted, Jack’s no John McClane with the smart quips, but the parallels are there. Which means, of course, that the finale is going to take place in Candada somewhere… Final showdown in Victoria! But while the link between Jack and Saunders was a little disappointing to me as being kinda predictable, the twist with Palmer being ordered to kill Chapelle was a nice one. This week’s episode didn’t turn things up a whole notch, but did offer a good, steady climb.
np – Laura Cantrell / When The Roses Bloom Again
Tuesday, April 6th, 2004
Listen to A Ghost Is Born, officially and with the blessings of the band.
A little later than expected, but my info was good after all.
Tuesday, April 6th, 2004
I’m going to retract any bitching I did after hearing A Ghost Is Born was pushed back two weeks. The reason is that Jeff Tweedy has checked into a Chicago rehab clinic. Says Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribute:
“Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy canceled a European promotional trip for the band’s new album last week to check himself into a Chicago rehab clinic.
Tweedy has had a long history of migraines, and has unsuccessfully battled them with prescription painkillers. In response to the rehab stint, Wilco’s Nonesuch label has postponed release of the band’s fifth album, “A Ghost is Born,” by two weeks, to June 22.
The band, recently expanded to a sextet, was to begin a brief tour April 21 in Missouri and ending June 1 at the Coachella Festival in California, but a Wilco spokesman said a decision won’t be made until this week about whether those dates will be fulfilled.”
Best wishes to Jeff and his family and I hope he gets through this soon.
Attention Toronto: Pixies are skipping our fair city for the exotic destination of… Mississauga. MISSISSAUGA. November 24, Arrow Hall. Yeeeeeesh. I can’t remember the last time I had to borrow the car to get to a concert! Someone needs to build a large-capacity venue in the city NOW. Tickets on sale April 15. Other North American dates just announced:
September 4 – Les Schwab Amphitheatre, Bend, OR
September 6 – Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
September 18 – Austin City Limits, Austin, TX
October 14 – Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA November
November 11 – Wilkins Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
November 13 – Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
So east-coasters waiting for dates should plan around early November. From NME
Lazy i is reporting that Rilo Kiley have jumped ship from Saddle Creek to a major label, one of EMI’s imprints (it’s unclear which – either Capitol or Virgin) for the release of their new album. It’s unknown how this affects the original July release date.
Pierce Brosnan has left the 007 franchise. I never liked Brosnan anyway – he looked the part, but was too smooth and too smug. I’m probably one of the four or five who liked Timothy Dalton in the part. The question is – who shall replace him in the sort-of flagging series? Bond films used to be special, but there’s been such a glut of high-tech spy movies of late, the last few have had a hard time standing out of the crowd. It’d be nice if there was someone who could breathe some life into the character, but I don’t think it’s going to be Quentin Tarantino.
Pics of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne from the set of Batman Begins.
I reread the entire run of Miracleman this weekend, and having just finished issue 24, am left with the same irritation I felt eleven years ago when it was published… WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I’ve found this ad for issue 25 which shows the cover painting by Barry Windsor-Smith and a plot synopsis, but that does nothing to quell my hunger. But I’ve bitched about this before, and will stop. Grr.
My Jays got drubbed 7-0 yesterday by Detroit in the season opener. That’s right, DRUBBED. A good old fashioned drubbing. Mr Cy Young Roy Halladay on the mound, no less. Not an auspicious start. I blame the new uniforms. Back to the powder blue outfits, gentlemen!
I don’t know if I should make jokes about painkillers as one of my musical heroes goes into rehab, but I should warn you in advance that I’m getting my wisdom teeth removed this afternoon, so tomorrow’s post will most likely be written under the influence of something under-the-counter and potent. Here’s a sneak preview:
“Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow”
I can’t wait.
np – Pavement / Terror Twilight
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