Frank YangGiven the unrelenting heat that defined the first two days of Pitchfork 2010, a forecast of rain for Sunday wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world and indeed, we got an impressive flash thunderstorm around noon – perfectly timed as I was still holed up in the hotel room. Unfortunately, said mini-monsoon didn’t actually wash away any of the heat, it just made it more humid. Awesome.

I don’t imagine the heat was bothering Best Coast, hailing as they do from the sunny climes of southern California. Their early afternoon slot on the B stage was pretty good proof that the festival schedule had been set some time ago, because if it had been put together in the last few weeks, the buzz around them and their forthcoming debut Crazy For You – out next week – would have warranted either a larger stage or later set time or both. As it was, the trio packed the field in front of the Balance Stage and delivered a set whose delivery wasn’t especially remarkable, but stripped of the lo-fi, garage-friendly production that has been one of their main talking points, it was evident that their songwriting smarts were for real. Great, hooky throwback pop however it’s marketed. They play Lee’s Palace on September 25.

Photos: Best Coast @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
MP3: Best Coast – “Something In The Way”
Video: Best Coast – “When I’m With You”
MySpace: Best Coast

Over at the Aluminum main stage, Girls were late getting started as girls often are, with frontman Christopher Owens looking dazed and maybe confused. Though their debut Album was one of 2009’s biggest records, their live show got only middling reviews, which was approximately what I thought when I saw them at SxSW last year. You couldn’t go so far as to say that heavy touring had turned them into a lean rock machine, but they did sound fuller and more assured than they once did, if still kind of sloppy. Like their fellow Californians in Best Coast, their jangly pop gleamed in the sunlight where it couldn’t hide behind the fuzz but rather than dispense with the noise and static entirely, the just saved it up for an epic and unexpected shoegaze-worthy guitar squall in the coda of “Hellhole Ratrace”. Wakey wakey.

Photos: Girls @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Girls – “End Of The World”
MP3: Girls – “Laura”
MP3: Girls – “Lust For Life”
Vide: Girls – “Hellhole Ratrace”
Video: Girls – “Laura”
Video: Girls – “Lust For Life”

If it had been the pre-Teen Dream Beach House coming up next on the Connector Stage, then the Girls wake-up call might have gone to waste. But the band circa 2010 is quite a different beast, having given their hazy dream pop enough energy and substance to not only keep an audience awake but enthralled. Their music may have originally been built for dark rooms in the wee hours of the night, but their ever-growing popularity seems to keep forcing them out onto outdoor stages – the last two times I saw them was in front of huge audiences lolling about in broad daylight. And such will again be the case on September 7 when they play the Molson Amphitheatre.

Photos: Beach House @ Connector Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Beach House – “Zebra”
MP3: Beach House – “Norway”
MP3: Beach House – “Gila”
MP3: Beach House – “Heart Of Chamber”
MP3: Beach House – “Master Of None”
Video: Beach House – “Walk In The Park”
Video: Beach House – “Silver Soul”
Video: Beach House – “Used To Be”
Video: Beach House – “You Came To Me”
Video: Beach House – “Heart Of Chambers”
MySpace: Beach House

Over at the Balance Stage, I managed to finally rectify a four month-old wrong in catching Local Natives, whom I’d missed at SxSW something like eight times. And the Los Angeles quintet was as impressive a live beast as I’d been told, with them reproducing the complex harmonies and rhythms of Gorilla Manor with even more energy than on record. It almost felt as though they themselves were being propelled by the music and while they lost control early on, with the drums clearly falling out of step with the rest of the arrangements, they quickly got hold of the reins again and didn’t misstep again. I’m looking forward to seeing them again when they play the Mod Club on October 19. Baeble Music is streaming a complete live Local Natives show recorded at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.

Photos: Local Natives @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Local Natives – “Sun Hands”
Video: Local Natives – “World News”
Video: Local Natives – “Airplanes”
MySpace: Local Natives

After a brief break from the day’s programme to hydrate and cool down in the media tent, it was back to the Connector Stage where St. Vincent was patiently waiting for the sturm und drang of Lightning Bolt over on the main stage to dissipate. And you couldn’t ask for greater polar opposites than Lightning Bolt and St. Vincent; the change over from their set to hers was like having a post-apocalyptic landscape morph into an animated fairy tale forest. It doesn’t seem like a year since I saw St. Vincent last, but indeed its been and while this show felt very similar to that one, I’m tempted to say that they sound and feel more like a cohesive band than just Annie Clark and some backing players. And while most of the set showcased the more delicate/pretty side of St. Vincent, their set-closing “Your Lips Are Red” indulged her noisier inclinations, building into an instrumental cacophony that those Lightning Bolt fans across the field would have appreciated.

Photos: St. Vincent @ Connector Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: St. Vincent – “Actor Out Of Work”
MP3: St. Vincent – “The Strangers”
MP3: St. Vincent – “Now Now”
Video: St. Vincent – “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood”
Video: St. Vincent – “Actor Out Of Work”
Video: St. Vincent – “Jesus Saves I Spend”
MySpace: St. Vincent

I have to confess my tweet prior to Major Lazer’s set was a bit disingenuous as I wasn’t completely ignorant of what Major Lazer was about. That’s because when their debut Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do came out last year, it was accompanied by one of the most annoying and incessant PR campaigns in recent memory. So while I couldn’t help know that it was a faux-cartoon hip-hop/dancehall project by DJs Diplo and Switch, I pretty much refused to pay it any more attention than that. Not that that knowledge would have prepared me for their live show, which was pretty much all party and spectacle. With Diplo on hand to lay down beats, live MC Skerrit Bwoy and two dancers led a ridiculous assault on the senses with faux sex, crowd surfing, dragon dancers and I don’t even know what else. It was something to see if not comprehend.

Photos: Major Lazer @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
Video: Major Lazer – “Pon De Floor”
Video: Major Lazer – “Hold The Line”
Video: Major Lazer – “Keep It Goin’ Louder”
Video: Major Lazer – “Zumbie”
MySpace: Major Lazer

Choosing between Sleigh Bells and Big Boi was a tough one, and while I’m sure some are shaking their heads at the decision, I opted to go for Sleigh Bells over at the Balance Stage. Their debut Treats has been a bit of a guilty pleasure, with its ridiculously loud production and unrelentingly chipper vocals, and I was curious to see how the Brooklyn duo pulled it off live. And the answer was a qualified “pretty well”. On the downside, they seemed to be taking full advantage of their moment in the hype spotlight, starting a good 15 minutes late, setting up the stage with prop guitar amps and using a lot of prerecorded tracks. The only live elements were Derek Miller’s guitar, though good luck distinguishing what he was actually playing from what was on tape, and Alexis Krauss’ vocals, which largely made the previous points irrelevant. Though the diva persona she affected on stage was at odds with her sugar buzz cheerleader vocals, their set was delivered with so much energy and volume that you probably couldn’t form a coherent enough thought to care. I was only able to stick around for a couple songs as the crush of media was being rotated through the photo bit in waves, and anyways I didn’t want to be late for an appointment with a certain legendary band. The Detroit News, NOW, The Weekly Dig and Prefix have Sleigh Bells interviews.

Photos: Sleigh Bells @ Balance Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “Infinity Guitars”
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “Crown On The Ground”
MP3: Sleigh Bells: “A_B Machines”
MySpace: Sleigh Bells

And finally, at the end of it all, there was Pavement. Following a bizarre introduction where Drag City’s Rian Murphy pretended to be a washed up radio shock jock (I only found out for certain it was a gag after the fact, but it was fun to have an excuse to yell profanities at a stranger), the reunited indie rock forebears took the stage to a riotous response and promptly messed up their first song. Okay, it was barely a false start but it definitely set the tone for a show that would be less about big rock moves or a barnburning festival finale than just playing the songs everyone wanted to hear and having a good time. And they started with “Cut Your Hair”, possibly so that anyone who just wanted to hear the hit could go home early, and continued through their entire catalog front to back, one classic track after another, like an amble down a shady memory lane. And while it would have been impossible to play everyone’s favourites in the 90 minutes allotted, they did make the most of the available time by forgoing the ceremony of an encore to squeeze in as much as possible, personal highlights including “Shady Lane”, “Stereo” and “Spit On A Stranger” (I like the s-songs?). And while the reasons for their reunion were more financial than personal or artistic, it really looked as though they were having fun, Stephen Malkmus sporting a subtle but genuine smile (and no handcuffs), Mark Ibold on bass happily bobbing up and down, a (presumably) ironic “Fuck Pavement” t-shirt hung over Steve West’s kick drum and Bob Nostanovich doing what Bob Nostanovich does, which was a lot more than I thought – many of the vocal parts I thought were Scott Kannberg were in fact their invaluable utility player.

There’s been a lot of talk about whether Pavement will or even should continue after their reunion tour is over and the cheques are cashed, and as great as it was to see them and finally hear these songs live, I find myself falling in the “walk away” camp. They and their sound is so intrinsically tied to the ’90s college/alternative rock boom that they sound out of time and place when compared to the bigger, more aggressive sounds of contemporary acts. And I don’t think I’d want to hear them try to keep up or catch up… Pavement had a nearly perfect artistic arc from Slanted & Enchanted through Terror Twilight and this victory lap has introduced their legacy to a new fans and reaffirmed it to old. I think it should be left at that.

Photos: Pavement @ Aluminum Stage – July 18, 2010
MP3: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
MP3: Pavement – “Rattled By The Rush”
MP3: Pavement – “Heckler Spray/In THe Mouth Of A Desert” (live)
MP3: Pavement – “All My Friends”
MP3: Pavement – “Greenlander”
Video: Pavement – “Major Leagues”
Video: Pavement – “Carrot Rope”
Video: Pavement – “Shady Lane”
Video: Pavement – “Father To A Sister Of Thought”
Video: Pavement – “Stereo”
Video: Pavement – “Painted Soldiers”
Video: Pavement – “Cut Your Hair”
Video: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
Video: Pavement – “Range Life”
Video: Pavement – “Here”
MySpace: Pavement

Pitchfork – of course – has lots of coverage of their own party including interviews with many of the performers.

So that was my first Pitchfork Festival, and I would recommend it for anyone looking to do a festival without drowning in a sea of humanity. Yeah, there’s not really anyone on the lineup that you couldn’t see touring any other time during the year but seeing these acts test their mettle in front of much bigger crowds than their accustomed to is a different experience. On top of that, it’s quite a well-run fest, not too big and not too small (approximately 18,000 people), well-priced and located and with there’s a good selection of food and vendors and a poster and record fair that I wish I was able to spend more time at. In short, I had a great time. I’m not prepared to commit myself to attending next year – or any festival, for that matter – but if I get the itch to hang out in dusty photo pits while sweating my ass off for a weekend again, it could do the trick.

Check out my Flickr set from the fest for audience shots in addition to artists, though there’s not a lot of LATFH action – people looked disappointingly normal. And my best discovery of the festival? The Arnold Palmer – that is some tasty stuff. Thanks, Matt Picasso!

A return to non-‘Forky stuff tomorrow.

The AntlersBeach House on their own – particularly circa their 2006 self-titled debut, were no slouches at crafting lazy, hazy dream pop, but when used as raw material for another artist who also trades in languid atmosphere, the results can be, well, barely there. In a good way.

The Antlers circa 2007 had already mostly evolved from a Peter Silberman solo project into a proper band, but the dynamic between ethereal and crushing that helped define their breakout Hospice hadn’t yet coalesced – or at least wasn’t in play for their Cold War EP, which they’re currently giving away for free.

The three songs on the release are ghostly, even by Antlers standards, but the cover of Beach House’s “Apple Orchard” is the most gossamer of the bunch, more a cloud of reverb held together by Silberman’s quavering falsetto, the suggestion of guitar chords and a steady, distant kick drum. Mathematical proof that when dream pop meets dream pop, the results aren’t additive so much as exponential.

The Antlers are in town for two nights this week, opening up for The National at Massey Hall, and Beach House are here next Saturday as part of the Toronto Island Concert as well as on September 7 at the Molson Amphitheatre opening for Vampire Weekend.

MP3: The Antlers – “Apple Orchard”
Video: Beach House – “Apple Orchard” (live)

MySpaceThere’s bad luck, there’s worse luck, and then there’s Library Voices luck. Back in February of 2009, the boisterous Regina-based pop outfit had approximately $10,000 worth of equipment stolen in Vancouver; despite the loss, they managed to regroup, re-equip and record a new album which was released last month as Denim On Denim and were gearing up for a Summer tour to support when disaster struck – again. This time, it was an act of god – at least as far as their insurance is concerned – in the form of a burst water main in their rehearsal space, which in addition to causing immense damage to the Regina Cultural Exchange all-ages venue and community centre, destroyed all their gear.

While the band struggle to salvage what they can out of the situation, some of their prairie brethren are stepping in to lend a hand. Winnipeg’s Weakerthans, already in town for next week’s May 26 show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, have commandeered the preceding evening’s Nu Music Nite at the Horseshoe – that’s May 25 – and turned it into a fundraiser for Library Voices. Advance tickets for the night go on sale Thursday for $25 and a portion of proceeds will go to help out Library Voices get back on their feet. I really can’t remember the last time The Weakerthans played such a small room – that alone should be incentive to go, let alone the charitable angle. So yeah, good on The Weakerthans for chipping in, and here’s hoping that Library Voices are back on their feet by the time they arrive in town to play that very same Horseshoe stage on June 19 as part of NXNE.

MP3: The Weakerthans – “Sun In An Empty Room”
MP3: The Weakerthans – “Night Windows”

Chad Van Gaalen talks to Exclaim about what he’s been up to of late, working on “an electro record, there’s a rock record and then there’s a pretty much straight-up folk record,” which may see the light of day as individual efforts of mashed together into one typically all-over-the-place Van Gaalen album. He estimates a late 2010/early 2011 release window for whatever it ends up being.

Paste catches up with Carl Newman of The New Pornographers. They will be at the Sound Academy on June 15.

Chart talks to Hannah Georgas.

Examiner.com chats with Dan Mangan. He will be back in Toronto on June 9 taking part in the Alli’s Journey fundraiser at Koerner Hall in the Royal Conservatory of Music and his album Nice Nice Very Nice will be getting a US release via Arts & Crafts on August 10; Mangan talks to Spinner about how he came to work with the label.

The Balconies are featured in a new video session with Southern Souls to go along with their first one. They will play the Steam Whistle Roundhouse on May 28, cover $5.

So it appears Arcade Fire are finally ready to start off the feeding frenzy that will surround their third record. Dose reports that the band announced via handwritten postcard (scanned and posted online, of course) that a new single will be ready in a couple weeks and various sources around the interwebs point to it a) being available as a 12″, b) containing songs entitled “Suburbs” and “Month of May” and c) available June 1. Some or all of this may be true or untrue. What is for sure is this: GUYS, ARCADE FIRE ARE DOING STUFF.

Emily Haines of Metric talks to Spinner about being tapped to write the theme song for the next Twilight film. They are at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 9.

Wednesday night’s Hurricane Bells show at the El Mocambo is now free. So if you were looking for something to do that night… there you go.

So yeah, they sold out the Sound Academy lickety-split earlier this year, but can they do it with a venue five times the size? Vampire Weekend will find that out when they play the Molson Amphitheatre on September 7. Tickets range from $44 to $59.50 – seriously – but to sweeten the deal, they’re bringing along Beach House and Dum Dum Girls as support. Convinced yet? Presale starts today, regular on sale starts Friday.

MP3: Vampire Weekend – “Horchata”
MP3: Beach House – “Norway”
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La”

Frank YangPeople seemed generally disappointed on Tuesday when I answered their queries of, “so what are you doing for your birthday?” with “having sushi, watching TV and editing photos”. Apparently the correct answer was some permutation of “getting loaded and causing shit” but fact was, I had been out a lot in the past few days and a quiet night at home getting caught up on whatever sounded like a great plan. It would have taken a lot to get me to abandon that plan.

Something like a last-minute, surprise show from Band Of Horses.

The band were in town, enjoying a day off from their tour supporting Pearl Jam in Buffalo the night before and doing press for their forthcoming album Infinite Arms when the opportunity arose to insert themselves into the weekly free Nu Music Nite series at the ‘Shoe. After the decision was made and thanks to the marvels of modern mobile and social technology, I got word of the show around 7:45PM, a decision that those two episodes of The Pacific would keep at least another night was made by 7:47PM and I was one of just a few people at the Horseshoe by 8:30PM when the doors opened. This guaranteed a front-row spot but also meant waiting through the other bands on the bill, an experience that’s not really worth recounting. Band Of Horses were due to start at or around 11:15PM and by 10:30 or so, coincidentally just about the time that people who’d opted to stay home and watch Lost would have been able to get in gear, the ‘Shoe was full to an extent befitting the specialness of the occasion.

I’d only seen Band Of Horses live twice before, circa their debut Everything All The Time at SxSW 2006 and again a few months later at Lee’s Palace. What I remembered most about the Lee’s show was that while the show sounded marvelous, it wasn’t the most energetic affair what with frontman Ben Bridwell spending most of the show seated at the pedal steel. Well with no steel guitar on hand this night – all of their equipment was begged and borrowed – Bridwell would have to stand on his own legs and this would have to be a more physically engaging show. To say the least. Bridwell and bandmates rolled out on stage around 11:30, greeted by a packed house – congratulations Toronto, you’re capable of hustling when you need to – and, after prefacing their set with the disclaimer of, “we never do this”, put on as tremendous a display of flying by the seat of your pants as you’ll ever see.

Understand that Band Of Horses, by indie rock standards, are getting pretty big – and with Infinite Arms as their major label debut, can probably expect to just get bigger – so performing in a small bar setting is probably a rare opportunity for them, and as far as cutting loose and having a good time goes, they didn’t squander it – it was hard to gauge who had the bigger grins on their faces, the audience or the band. Unequipped to properly recreate their more atmospheric side – as stated, Bridwell was steel-less and, after breaking a number of strings, more often than not guitar-less, and Ryan Monroe was on six-string duty rather than keyboards – they opted to indulge their more raucous side, which doesn’t get to rear its head on record all that often. And any concerns about Bridwell’s willingness to move around and play frontman were wholly unfounded – the man was all over the stage, singing to the audience, singing to the sky (or ceiling, whatever), and proving without a doubt that there was nothing wrong with his legs.

Unsurprisingly, a number of tunes from Infinite Arms were previewed and while some have fairly criticized the album as being overly soft around the edges, they certainly toughened them up this time out. A few more familiar songs from Cease To Begin and handful of well-chosen covers – Gram Parsons’ “Song For You” and head-spinning encore of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” among them – filled out the hour-long set. They even thoughfully snuck in a “Happy birthday” into the set – ostensibly for drummer Creighton Barrett, but I just imagined it was for me. Not that they needed to – simply showing up and playing a fantastic set for my impromptu 35th birthday party was plenty. Though handing out the beer from their rider to the audience at show’s end was a nice touch. There should always be loot bags.

NOW, eye and Panic Manual all made it to the ‘Shoe in time for the show but the weeklies didn’t seem to have a great time, for some reason. Band Of Horses return for the show at the Toronto Island Concert on June 19 – expect them to play the “majestic” angle at that show. Infinite Arms is out on Tuesday.

Photos: Band Of Horses @ The Horseshoe – May 11, 2010
MP3: Band Of Horses – “Factory”
MP3: Band Of Horses – “No One’s Gonna Love You”
MP3: Band Of Horses – “Is There A Ghost”
MP3: Band Of Horses – “The Great Salt Lake”
MP3: Band Of Horses – “The Funeral”
Video: Band Of Horses – “NW Apartment”
Video: Band Of Horses – “Compliments”
Video: Band Of Horses – “No One’s Gonna Love You”
Video: Band Of Horses – “Is There A Ghost”
Video: Band Of Horses – “The Great Salt Lake”
Video: Band Of Horses – “The Funeral”
Stream: Band Of Horses / Infinite Arms
MySpace: Band Of Horses

Also playing Toronto Islands that day are Beach House; the DVD they made to accompany Teen Dream, comprising a video for each song on the album, is streaming this week at PitchforkTV.

Video: Beach House / Teen Dream

Spin investigates how Blitzen Trapper got their name. Their new record Destroyer Of The Void is out June 8 and they bring it to the Opera House on August 3.

Crooked Fingers have managed to fan-fund Reservoir Songs 2 in its entirety via Kickstarter, and as a thank-you, are offering an MP3 of the John Hartford cover. The 12″ EP will be out on July 6; a new Crooked Fingers full-length will follow later this year.

MP3: Crooked Fingers – “Gentle On My Mind”

NPR has a World Cafe session and Drowned In Sound an interview with She & Him. They’re at the Sound Academy on June 9.

Josh Ritter talks to Spinner about his new record So The World Runs Away.

Joanna Newsom trash talks some Lady Gaga in an interview with The Guardian, while her chat with The Quietus stays much more focused on Have One On Me. She’s also the cover girl on the current issue of Under The Radar; the piece isn’t online but Stereogum has a bit of a precis.

BrooklynVegan interviews Laura Marling.

Music Snobbery talks to Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons.

Sky Larkin have announced their sophomore album will be entitled Kaleide and be available in August; you can download a mini-EP consisting of the title track and a couple of b-sides from their website right now.

The Georgia Straight and Twin Cities Daily Planet profile Shout Out Louds.

For Folk’s Sake has an interview with Basia Bulat, who will be at the Phoenix on June 3.

Chart talks to Hannah Georgas.

Broken Social Scene is featured in Clash, Spinner and The Independent. They play the Toronto Islands on June 19.

Frank YangThanks to the rather depressed state of both the music and publishing industries, it’s not really surprising that in Canada we’re down to just one national music magazine, the venerable Exclaim. So it’s kind of telling when heading into a month where two of the three biggest names in Canadian rock (at least from the indie POV) are releasing new records, they instead opt to put a relative unknown just releasing their first full-length on the cover; which is to say they’re clearly pretty high on Hannah Georgas.

Though originally hailing from Newmarket, out on the outskirts of Toronto, Georgas is now based in Vancouver and it’s there that her just-released debut This Is Good was recorded. The title of the record might be an easy mark for critics, but by and large it delivers on that promise – she probably even could have gotten away with calling it This Is Very Good. It takes Georgas’ seemingly disparate jazz and folk influences and finds a common ground in the realm of radio-friendly pop music. Some of the stylistic ranginess smacks more of trying to cover bases rather than genuine eclecticism and the production could use a little less gloss and more atmosphere, but those quibbles fade in the light of the sheer catchiness of many of the numbers. Georgas has a flexible voice, possessing some of Feist’s breathiness, some of Sarah Harmer’s folksome twang as well as a quirky extrovertedness that’s hers entirely, and puts it to good use on standouts like “Chit Chat”, “Bang Bang You’re Dead” and the title track.

She put both her voice and songs on display Tuesday evening, when she marked both the release of her album and her issue of Exclaim with an in-store performance at Criminal Records, following a proper show at the Garrison the night before. Backed by a two-piece band, Georgas turned in set that showcased both her subdued and scrappy sides (alliteration unintentional) in front of a decently-sized, if maybe overly respectful audience. Not to suggest that there should have been acting out, but sometimes the between-song silence at in-stores just feels… awkward. But she seemed grateful for the attentiveness, and in return proved that while it’s probably overreaching to suggest she’ll ever attain the status of either of the acts she bumped off the Exclaim cover, it’s pretty much certain that for the next little while, at least, you’ll be hearing more of and about Hannah Georgas.

The Vancouver Sun has a feature interview with Georgas.

Photos: Hannah Georgas @ Criminal Records – April 27, 2010
MP3: Hannah Georgas – “Chit Chat”
Video: Hannah Georgas – “Thick Skin”
Video: Hannah Georgas – “The Beat Stuff”

The San Francisco Chronicle talks Forgiveness Rock Record with Broken Social Scene’s Charles Spearin. The record is out next Tuesday and the band play the Toronto Islands on June 19.

Also out next week is The New Pornographers’ Together. The National Post talks to that band’s Kathryn Calder; they play the Sound Academy on June 15.

The Calgary Sun, Georgia Straight and JAM talk to Jace Lasek of The Besnard Lakes, who will be at the Mod Club on June 17 as part of NXNE.

NOW previews Caribou’s May 3 show at the Phoenix by talking to Dan Snaith.

Holy Fuck have released the first video from their new record Latin, due out May 11. They’re at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 9 opening up for Metric.

Video: Holy Fuck – “Latin America”

The Hold Steady are also making May 4 a day to hit up your local record store – their new one Heaven Is Whenever is out that day, and they talk to Spinner about some of the themes of the new album. They’re at the Kool Haus on July 17.

The Skinny talks to Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National while GQ finds the band showered and blue blazered in a fashion spread, alongside some of their New York indie rock brethren. Their new opus High Violet is out May 11 and they play two nights at Massey Hall on June 8 and 9.

The Antlers, who open up both of those National shows, are featured in The Georgia Straight and their video session series at PitchforkTV ran three parts this week.

Interpol appear ready to get back in the game, offering up a new MP3 for free from their website and sporting a shiny new logo. They promise more information – presumably an album release date and touring news – soon, but in the meantime, offer you “Lights”. Not bright, just lights.

Under The Radar interviews Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand of Beach House at Coachella. They’re playing as part of the Toronto Islands show on June 19.

Le Blogotheque Take-Away Shows Quasi.

Clash gets a behind the scenes look at Disconnect From Desire from School Of Seven Bells – the new record is out July 13.

John Stirratt of Wilco tells Faster Louder the band are going to be spending the Summer recording and offers some speculation on what the next record might sound like.

Because apparently three months is all it takes for bruises to heal, Titus Andronicus are coming back to kick Toronto’s asses all over again when they play the Horseshoe on July 14. The Courier-Journal talks to frontman Patrick Stickles.

MP3: Titus Andronicus – “A More Perfect Union”

The Specials have finalized their make-up date for the canceled Toronto show last week – they’ll now be at the Sound Academy on August 27.