Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Review of Cold Specks’ I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Jim AndersonMy first encounter with Cold Specks wasn’t a terrific one. Though opening up a sold-out show for St. Vincent in one’s hometown as Al Spx did last December would seem as ideal a scenario as one could hope for, the reality was decidedly less so. Despite having already accumulated some overseas buzz with a couple singles, Cold Specks as a seated, two-guitar duo had trouble holding the attention of the audience with her low-key, self-described “doom soul” though those of use close enough to the stage to feel the heaviness of her songs could attest to feeling their gravity. It would have been nice to have been blown away but getting filed under, “keep an ear out for” isn’t bad.
Making a note to pay attention turns out to have not been necessary, as it turnes out, as Cold Specks’ debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion – out next Tuesday – does a fine job of demanding attention all on its own. It’s a fully-produced affair – not what I would have expected based on those early impressions – with Spx’s raw yet delicate vocals augmented by a full band, tasteful horns and strings, and even backing choir when necessary. While some may have wished for a more skeletal sound to reinforce the desolate bluesiness inherent in Spx’s voice, the musical dressings never become ostentatious and create a necessary amount of sonic variety and dynamicism across the run of the album.
And most importantly, Spx’s remarkable voice is given a goodly amount of space at all times and remains firmly in the fore, delivering songwriting filled with stark imagery. It’s well-suited to Spx and draws the most direct line to her most obvious musical roots, the gospel spirituals and field hollers of early 20th century. Cold Specks probably would have impressed if it were devoted simply to reviving that sound, goodness knows Spx has the gifts to do so and could easily have gotten away with it, but Expulsion instead channels it through more modern musical filters and it comes out timeless.
Cold Specks is at The Music Hall on June 2 supporting Great Lake Swimmers. DIY and Exclaim have feature while The Guardian is streaming the album in its entirety ahead of its release. And to round things out, Rolling Stone have premiered a new video from the record.
Video: Cold Specks – “Winter Solstice”
Video: Cold Specks – “Holland”
Video: Cold Specks – “Blank Maps”
Stream: Cold Specks / I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Feist has finally relented to reissue her long-out of print debut album Monarch – but only on vinyl. Which is fine because you all have turntables, right? Of course you do.
Video: Feist – “It’s Cool To Love Your Family”
Neil Young & Crazy Horse have put out another video from Americana, out June 5. Using stock film footage is letting them just churn these things out.
Video: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Jesus’ Chariot (She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain)”
Stereogum talks to Emily Haines of Metric about their new record Synthetica, out June 12.
Uzine chats with Dan Mangan. He plays a free show at Pecault Square the afternoon of June 16 for LuminaTO.
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Review of Allo Darlin’s Europe
Nik VestbergThere’s many things I loved about Allo Darlin’ 2010 self-titled debut. The jangly guitars, strummy ukulele, and ebullient melodies that put the London-based foresome at the forefront of current bands unashamed to call themselves indie pop – absolutely – but what I found set them apart and made them really special was the way they used those traits to deliver songs that evoked the wistfulness and insecurity of growing up and out and apart. Far too often pure pop music feels strictly a youth movement but here was a band whose songs spoke to me in my mid- (okay now late-) thirties while still making me want to bop up and down like I did in my twenties.
It’s not hard to understand, then, why I’m so enamored with their just-released follow-up Europe. It continues the journey started with that first record but informed with the extra wisdom, regret, and experience that life brings as you live it. As I did in that previous review, I need to stress that Europe is not some po-faced, navel-gazing collection of songs – songs like “Capricornia”, “Northern Lights”, and “Still Young” are like manna from heaven for those with a sonic sweet tooth, all shimmer and shine and Elizabeth Morris’ sweetly smoky Aussie accent.
But you’ll likely not find anyone who’s listened to the album who wouldn’t point to “Tallulah” as the album’s centrepiece, despite it being the most skeletal and downcast song on the record. It stars just Morris and her ukulele – it’s worth noting there’s much less uke on this record than on the debut, with Morris strapping on a conventional 6-string as need be – and ruminates beautifully on distances of the geographical, temporal, and emotional varieties. The reminiscences may be Morris’, but despite their specificity they’re rendered in a way that makes you feel like they’re your own. These aren’t necessarily the notes you expect a band as outwardly cheerful as Allo Darlin’ to hit, but that’s what makes them so special.
On a scorecard that assigns points to pop criteria such as immediacy, buoyancy, what have you, it’s entirely possible that Europe might place a bit below the debut. There’s nothing as sweet and charming as “Polaroid Song” or “My Heart Is A Drummer” or, if go back to their early singles, as fun and cutesy as “Henry Rollins Don’t Dance” – but I don’t think you’d find anyone who’d try to argue that Europe isn’t still the superior record because it’s the one that confirms that Allo Darlin’ are a band that are so much more than you probably thought.
DIY talks to the band about the making of the album and they play a World Cafe session for NPR.
Video: Allo Darlin’ – “Capricornia”
Video: Allo Darlin’ – “Tallulah”
Stream: Allo Darlin’ / Europe
Belle & Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson released his solo debut (I Can’t Get No) Stevie Jackson in the UK last Fall, but is preparing to put it out Stateside come July 3. To pave the way, he’s farmed out some audio and video tastes to American publications Paste and Blurt who’ve got a video and MP3 to share. Okay the video came out a while ago but the MP3 is new, and sits nicely alongside another one that came out when the album did initially.
MP3: Stevie Jackson – “Where Do All The Good Girls Go”
MP3: Stevie Jackson – “Man Of God”
Video: Stevie Jackson – “In The Morning”
The Line Of Best Fit chats with Gerard Love of Lightships.
Time Out Hong Kong have an interview with Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp.
Trailer Trash Tracys have released a new video from their debut Ester.
Video: Trailer Trash Tracys – “Los Angered”
DIY talks to the Collete half of the Thurlow sisters of 2:54, who’ve made a track from their self-titled debut available to download ahead of its May 29 release. They’re at Lee’s Palace on June 15 during NXNE.
MP3: 2:54 – “The March”
Drowned In Sound talks to the Ryan third of the Jarman brothers of The Cribs.
NPR has a video session with Laura Marling, who’s at The Phoenix on June 17.
NME has not one but two short features on Charlotte Hatherley about her Sylver Tongue electro persona.
The Calgary Herald and Pitchfork have features on Arctic Monkeys.
The Sun talks to Richard Hawley, who gets analog in the new video from his latest Standing At The Sky’s Edge.
Video: Richard Hawley – “You Haunt Me”
Billy Bragg talks to The West Australian about the Mermaid Avenue sessions, which are again topical thanks to the recent release of The Complete Sessions.
The Dallas Observer talks to Jason Pierce of Spiritualized’s, whose show in Washington DC last week is streaming at NPR.
The Quietus talks to Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine about this, that, and the other thing.
NME points to a Facebook post from Suede wherein Brett Anderson gives a status update of the band’s new material – they’ve chucked it all, recruited Dog Man Star producer Ed Buller to take charge and are starting over.
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
PS I Love You covers Rush
Paper Bag RecordsIn writing up PS I Love You’s new album Death Dreams earlier this month, I made reference to the record’s more overt prog-rock influence which had only been hinted at on their debut Meet Me At The Muster Station.
And while you might assume that growing up in southern Ontario that Toronto’s own Rush would have been a logical assumption as influence, that’s not the case. As Paul Saulnier told Rolling Stone, he hated the band – as many do – until his mid-teens and it was “Subdivisions”, from the band’s 1982 album Signals, that turned him around – now he’s a self-proclaimed, “mega Rush fan” – as many are. I don’t count myself among them, but those early ’80s Rush albums do hold a special place in my heart. For serious.
Their cover of the Damascene tune appeared on last year’s Figure It Out, a stop-gap compilation of singles and EPs released to satiate fans while they worked on Death Dreams, and while it doesn’t get as fret-shredding as you’d expect a tribute to Alex Lifeson by a player as accomplished as Saulnier might be, remember that he’s also gotta pretend to be Geddy Lee with his feet. Cut the guy some slack.
PS I Love You kick of their Spring tour in support of Death Dreams at The Garrison in Toronto on Tuesday. Rush release their millionth (approximately) album in Clockwork Angels on June 12 and play the Air Canada Centre on June 12.
MP3: PS I Love You – “Subdivisions”
Video: Rush – “Subdivisions”
Saturday, May 12th, 2012
Frank YangWho: Paul Weller
What: Britrock legend thanks to his time in The Jam, The Style Council, and his fruitful solo career. The Modfather, dammit.
Why: His latest album Sonik Kicks topped the UK charts on its release in March. His stature’s not quite as high in North America, but still enough to justify a handful of dates on this side of the pond.
When: Monday, May 21, 2012
Where: The Sound Academy in Toronto (all-ages)
Who else: Toronto’s own Brit-worshipping The Holiday Crowd have been tapped to open this one up.
How: Tickets for the show are $59.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Paul Weller” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, May 17.
MP3: Paul Weller – “Around The Lake”
Video: Paul Weller – “Around The Lake”
Video: Paul Weller – “Green”
Video: Paul Weller – “That Dangerous Age”
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Grimes leads historical reenactment of War Of 1812. Or something.
John LondonoI didn’t study a whole lot of history in school – to my regret – and the topics I did cover didn’t include the War Of 1812. I did, however, take a lot of math courses so I am able to calculate that this is the 200th anniversary of said conflict between the then-British territory that would become known as Canada and the newly-independent United States of America.
The precise causes of the war aren’t entirely clear to me but based on the musical events being scheduled at Toronto’s Historic Fort York – the site of the Battle Of York in April 1813 – this Summer, it was about the inalienable right to get one’s dance on. After all – there’s the HARD fest in August where French electro/disco headliners Justice and M83 will presumably be representing the interests of Lower Canada, and just announced this week for July 13 is the first date of the Full Flex Express tour. It will see Canadian electro artist Grimes teaming up with American DJ types Skrillex and Diplo travelling the country by train to celebrate the way in which our two countries were able to overcome our differences and spend the last two centuries coexisting in harmony through the power of dubstep. Or maybe they’re going to don period uniforms, brandish muskets, and have at each other for a few hours. One can only hope.
Tickets go on sale today with a limited number of early birds available for $41.50 and the rest at $51.50. And to top it off, Grimes has released a new video from this year’s Visions that I assume is an accurate recreation of Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe’s retreat from the American forces at Fort York. There’s more nudity than I would have expected, but hey – I’m not the historian here.
MP3: Grimes – “Genesis”
MP3: Diplo – “Express Yourself”
Video: Skrillex – “Bangarang”
Video: Grimes – “Nightmusic”
Chad VanGaalen has made a date at The Mod Club for July 26.
MP3: Chad VanGaalen – “Willow Tree”
The Wilderness of Manitoba are still being coy about the what and when of their second album, but they’re being generous with where. They’ve got a couple shows planned for the Summer – one on June 1 at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse and another on June 30 on the Toronto Islands as part of the New Traditions festival with a goodly number of artists, both musical and visual. Admission for the Steam Whistle thing is $5 and a festival pass for the latter is $20.
MP3: The Wilderness Of Manitoba – “Hermit”
And if you like your festivals on islands, you’ll be pleased to know that Kingston’s Wolfe Island Music Festival has announced their 2012 lineup – Sam Roberts, Zeus, and Yukon Blonde are just a few of the acts playing on August 10 and 11, early bird tickets are $65, include camping and go on sale next week. I went to the fest back in 2007 and it is a great time, well worth the trip up the 401.
NOW makes cover stars of PS I Love You, headlining The Garrison on May 15.
Metro, The Winnipeg Free Press, and Monday talk to Al Spx of Cold Specks, whose debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion is out May 22. They play The Music Hall on June 2 opening for Great Lake Swimmers.
And speaking of Great Lake Swimmers, there’s feature interviews with the band at Vancouver Weekly, The Victoria Times Colonist, Exclaim, The Calgary Herald, and The Georgia Straight. In addition to the aforementioned Music Hall show, they’ll be supporting Blue Rodeo at The Molson Amphitheatre on August 18.
Japandroids give Exclaim some background on the title of their new album Celebration Rock, out May 29. They’re at Lee’s Palace on June 23.
With the June 12 release date of Synthetica coming up, Metric gives Rolling Stone an acoustic performance of the first single and tell aux.tv where the “reflection” videos they’re using as promotional teasers came from.
aux.tv gets Plants & Animals to offer commentary for their “Lightshow” video. They play Yonge-Dundas Square on June 15 for NXNE.
Spin gets to know Dan Mangan, who plays a free show as part of LuminaTO at Pecault Square on the afternoon of June 16.
The Guardian gets on board with The Magic. Their debut Ragged Gold is out June 25.
Trust have released a new video from their debut album TRST. They play The Great Hall on July 13.
Video: Trust – “Sulk”
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