Andy WhiteOkay not the whole internet – Obama’s AMA probably did more to clog those tubes yesterday – but for a certain demographic, an interview Neil Halstead gave to MTV Hive certainly registered as a major event. Not because Neil doesn’t talk – he’s got a new solo record in Palindrome Hunches coming out on September 11, of course he’s talking – but because he addressed the topic of a potential Slowdive reunion not with denials or dismissals, but with a rather positive-sounding “It’s definitely possible at some point”.

He goes on to point out that there’s no bad blood to be overcome – three-fifths of the shoegazing/ambient trailblazers went on to a long and fruitful career as Mojave 3 following Slowdive’s dissolution in 1995 – and presumably if the stars aligned and the offer was right, it could happen. Obviously this is far from definite, but considering it seemed a non-starter for as long as Mojave 3 and his solo career have been going concerns – he’s always declined to even play Slowdive songs live in either of those contexts – it’s certainly a more open door than we’ve seen, and seeing as how he’s playing a few M3 gigs (in China!) before beginning the Palindrome Hunches promo circuit, the man can multi-task and keep his musical identities straight.

Of course, the current Mojave 3 lineup doesn’t include bassist Rachel Goswell, who largely retired from music after fighting a debilitating ear ailment a few years back. I’d be happy enough to see her back in Mojave 3, but if we’re dreaming, why not go all the way? Further, it’s been pointed out to me that Halstead has begun playing Slowdive songs live… someone call out “Alison” when he’s at The Dakota on October 8, please? Toronto was the site of the final live Slowdive show; maybe we can talk Neil into the symbolic value of making it the site of the first reunion show… Or not. Anyways. It’s something to dream about. Ideally while Souvlaki plays in the background.

There’s another, less momentous interview with Haltead at LA Music Blog and another track from Palindrome Hunches has been made available to download.

MP3: Neil Halstead – “Digging Shelters”
Video: Slowdive – “Alison”

Richard Hawley chats with State and Worksop Guardian; his latest Standing At The Sky’s Edge came out in North America this week.

Two Door Cinema Club have made their new album Beacon available to stream at NME ahead of its September 4 release date. They play The Sound Academy on October 11.

Stream: Two Door Cinema Club / Beacon

The Guardian, NPR, MTV.ca, and JAM talk to Kele Okereke of Bloc Party. They play The Danforth Music Hall on September 10 and 11.

The xx are streaming another new song from Coexist, out September 11, and aux.tv have made the cover feature on the band from their iPad magazine available online.

Stream: The xx – “Sunset”

Django Django’s self-titled debut still isn’t out in North America until September 25, but the band have got a new EP in Hail Bop ready to release back in the UK on September 4, and have made it available to stream. They play Wrongbar on September 29.

Stream: Django Django / Hail Bop

Dramatic atmospheric rock sister act 2:54, who made their local debut at NXNE, return for a date at The Horseshoe on October 22 – tickets are $14.50 in advance.

MP3: 2:54 – “The March”

That Saint Etienne show I was so excited about last week will still be happening on October 24, but has been moved from The Mod Club to The Opera House. Tickets are $28.50, go on sale today at 10AM, and sorry – still no sign of the other North American dates.

The Guardian has got some new music from Anna Calvi – not as a precursor to a new album, but a cover she recorded of a song by The Invisible from their latest album Rispah – but hey, new music from Anna Calvi.

MP3: Anna Calvi – “The Wall”

Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite walks The Quietus through some of his favourite albums.

DIY interviews Charli XCX.

And Pluck Your Strings has an interview with Maxïmo Park.

Clash and The Limerick Leader grab a quick word with Metronomy.

NPR welcomes Spiritualized for a World Cafe session.

DIY catches up with The Cribs at Reading & Leeds Festival.

State talks to Faris Badwan of The Horrors ahead of their appearance at Electric Picnic in Ireland.

FacebookLet it never be said that The Joy Formidable are lacking in work ethic. Having toured endlessly and constantly behind their 2011 debut The Big Roar as late as the end of April this year – they hit Toronto alone four times in the preceding two years – it’s an understatement to say that the Welsh trio were due a break. But instead they headed straight back into the studio, put lie to the old adage that you have a lifetime to write your first record and a year to write your second and have apparently already banged out the so-called “difficult” second album.

And further, they’re already sharing some of it. Well, sort of. The new track “Wolf’s Law” may be the title track of the new record – it’s also called Wolf’s Law – it won’t actually appear on the album. Of course, the record isn’t due out until early next year so there’s plenty of time to change their minds about that. But even so, the relatively somber, piano-led arrangement points to an interesting direction for a band who’d made their name with massive, aggressive, guitar heroics. It certainly intrigues, and while it’s nice they’ve given their fans such a treat – in both video and downloadable form, no less – it also makes the likely half-year wait for the rest of the new record that much more difficult. Thanks?

MP3: The Joy Formidable – “Wolf’s Law”
Video: The Joy Formidable – “Wolf’s Law”

Billboard, LAist, The National Post, and Interview all want to talk to Bloc Party about their just-released new album Four. They bring it to the Danforth Music Hall on September 10 and 11.

Rolling Stone, MTV, and Pitchfork talk to The xx about their forthcoming album Coexist, out September 11. They’ve just released a video of them playing the lead track in a hotel room in Japan.

Video: The xx – “Angels” (live in Tokyo)

TOY is a hotly-tipped new British outfit whose self-titled debut gets a North American release on September 11; think a sunnier, more psychedelic Horrors. At least that’s what I think. Check out a couple of their videos, listen to their Daytrotter session, and read a feature at DIY whilst you decide for yourself.

Video: TOY – “Lose My Way”
Video: TOY – “Left Myself Behind”
Video: TOY – “Motoring”

Interview talks to The Heavy. They play Lee’s on September 23.

Patrick Wolf has released the first video from his forthcoming Sundark & Riverlight, an acoustic reworking of the lead track from The Magic Position. The album is out September 25, the same day he plays The Music Gallery, and The Sydney Morning Herald has an interview.

Video: Patrick Wolf – “Overture”

Blood Red Shoes have released a video for the title track from their latest, In Time To Voices. That record brings them to the Drake Underground on September 26.

Video: Blood Red Shoes – “In Time To Voices”

New Order have added a second show at The Sony Centre on October 24. Just like the one on the 23rd, tickets range from $55.50 to $99.50 and go on sale Monday at 10AM.

Video: New Order – “Blue Monday”

Darren Hayman is offering up a second track to preview his forthcoming album The Violence, out November 5.

Stream: Darren Hayman & The Long Parliament – “How Long Have You Been Fighting For?”

Drowned In Sound examines the tools of and i-D has a video session with Little Boots.

Beth Jeans Houghton has released a new video from her debut, Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose. It already had a video, but now it has a new one. She also chooses six meaningful songs for The Guardian.

Video: Beth Jeans Houghton – “Dodecahedron”

Spinner has a chat with Charli XCX.

Stevie Jackson talks to PopMatters about his solo forays.

Elaine ConstantineThe show was only announced last night, but I’m just going to go ahead and say that I don’t think people are nearly as excited about Saint Etienne’s first show back in Toronto in, if my calculations are correct, in almost a decade. I know this a) because I made note of this in the very salad days of this blog, and b) because I’ve regretted my indifference to that show since I finally wised up to the dance-popping glory of the London trio.

Granted, they met me a little of the way in, what with them moving away from being just a dancefloor concern to a properly brilliant pop band. Of course that’s not really an excuse since that transition started as early as their second album, So Tough, but in my defence for the longest time I only really knew their discotheque-friendly debut Foxbase Alpha and guys, this was in the ’90s when buying imported UK albums was effin’ expensive. Also, my musical tastes were less refined in my twenties; Saint Etienne were far too happy for my tastes. Yeah, I know. I inevitably saw the error of my ways when I picked up a copy of their 1996 Too Young To Die compilation, but that was too late to catch that November 2002 show at The Opera House in support of Finisterre.

So hooray for second chances, even if they’re a while in coming. The band are returning to North America for some dates in support of this year’s Words & Music By Saint Etienne, and it includes an October 24 date at The Mod Club, tickets $28.50. The tour – I don’t have the other dates yet, sorry, but understand it’ll run from October into November so it’s not that short – also coincides with the DVD release of the What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day? documentary. The 2005 film was written by and featured a soundtrack by the band and examined the Lower Lea Valley area of London, much of which became the site of the 2012 Olympics. A precise date for the release is still forthcoming, but details on it can be had at Pitchfork.

MP3: Saint Etienne – “Downey, CA”
Video: Saint Etienne – “Tonight”
Video: Saint Etienne – “I’ve Got Your Music”
Trailer: What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?

Also a pleasant surprise – less so because he never visits, because he does, but because when the dates for Neil Halstead’s Fall tour were announced, we weren’t on there. Happily that’s been rectified and Neil will be here with songs from his new solo album Palindrome Hunches – out September 11 – and snappy rejoinders to anyone who yells out a Slowdive request. And lest that discourage you from attending, know that he’s generous with forays into the Mojave 3 songbook – so at least there’s that. He’s at The Dakota Tavern on October 8, so if you don’t have plans for Thanksgiving Monday and $22.50 burning a hole in your pocket, you’re all set.

MP3: Neil Halstead – “Full Moon Rising”

Spinner talks to Bloc Party about some of the influences that went into their latest effort Four, out today. They play two nights at The Danforth Music Hall on September 10 and 11.

Paste has a quick chat with The Heavy and debuts the new video from The Glorious Dead, out today. They’re at Lee’s Palace on September 23.

Video: The Heavy – “What Makes A Good Man”

It could have been a hat trick of excellent concert announcements from across the pond yesterday if, say, Richard Hawley announced a jaunt to support the North American release of his latest Standing At The Sky’s Edge – out next week – but no luck. We’ll have to make do with the fact that it no longer costs an arm and a leg for a physical copy and a free MP3 from the record courtesy of Rolling Stone. And also this interview with the man at The Yorkshire Evening Post.

MP3: Richard Hawley – “Down In The Woods”

Tender Trap have a new video from their new album Songs About Girls, out September 10.

Video: Tender Trap – “Step One”

Frightened Rabbit have released a video for the title track of their new EP, behind which they’re touring North America this Fall. State Hospital is out September 25 and they play The Mod Club on October 10. Forres Gazette chats with frontman Scott Hutchison about the Rabbit’s return.

Video: Frightened Rabbit – “State Hospital”

The Guardian sees what Little Boots is up to; announcing details about her second album, due out this Fall, is not one of those things.

Spinner interviews Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine.

Stacey HatfieldAs performing names go, Daughter certainly exists pretty far on the “not very” end of the Google-ability scale, but they’re worth the effort. Originally a pseudonym for London’s Elena Tonra, its scope eventually expanded to include guitarist Igor Haefeli and now, with drummer Remi Aguilella in the fold, represents the trio and is a proper band – one whose dark, quietly dramatic, atmospheric folk turned out to be one of the highlights of this year’s SXSW.

Considering that hot on the heels of their festival appearances came the word that they’d signed on with 4AD worldwide – but on the less legendary but still impressive Glassnote in North America – I expected there’d be much more news and music from them before long. And indeed, their earliest but still fully-realized recordings were released via a couple of EPs – The Wild Youth and His Young Heart – were released in late March, but since then it’s been radio silence.

A silence that is now happily breaking. Though it’s not a debut album – that’ll have to wait until next year as it’s currently in the process of being created – they will release a 7″ single on October 1, the A-side of which has been made available to stream and does an excellent job of taking me right back to that evening in March when I got so very excited by this outfit. And more importantly, it’s enough pretence for the band to embark on a short North American tour which includes an October 22 date at The Drake Underground, tickets $13.50. This will be very good.

Their His Young Heart EP is available to stream in whole below, and three-quarters of The Wild Youth can be heard at the band’s Soundcloud. Oh, for me the correct Daughter comes up in spots two through five in Google, so maybe it’s not such an unworkable name after all.

MP3: Daughter – “Love”
Stream: Daughter – “Smother”
Stream: Daughter / His Young Heart

Bloc Party have made their new record Four ahead of its formal release next Tuesday, August 21. Life And Times and Montreal Gazette have feature interviews with the band and The Guardian solicits six songs of specific purpose from Kele Okereke. Bloc Party play The Danforth Music Hall on September 10 and 11.

Stream: Bloc Party / Four

Billboard has an interview with The Heavy and a stream of their new record The Glorious Dead, due out next week. They play Lee’s Palace on September 23.

Stream: The Heavy / The Glorious Dead

NME and BBC chat with Two Door Cinema Club frontman Alex Trimble. Their new record Beacon – from which they’ve just released a video – is out September 4 and they play The Sound Academy on October 5.

Video: Two Door Cinema Club – “Sleep Alone”

The Fader, Tone Deaf, FasterLouder, Exclaim, and Spin all have features on The xx as the September 11 release of Coexist draws nearer. A second track from the album has been made available to hear via stream.

Stream: The xx – “Chained”

Rolling Stone talks to Mumford & Sons bassist Ted Dwane about their new record Babel, out September 25 and from which they’ve made the first track available to stream.

Stream: Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”

Beth Orton has made a new track from her next record Sugaring Season available to stream at Rolling Stone; NPR also has a Tiny Desk Concert from the singer-songwriter. She plays The Mod Club on September 30 and the album is out on October 2.

Stream: Beth Orton – “Magpie”

The Vaccines are hoping to make the wait for the October 2 North American release of Come Of Age a little more bearable by giving away a free EP of covers and whatnot entitled Please Do Not Disturb in exchange for your email address. The Daily Record has a conversation with singer Justin Young.

The Fly has a feature on Ellie Goulding, who has made the first single from Halcyon available to stream at Billboard. The album is out October 9, and though the released clip is technically just a “lyric video”, its audience-sourced Instagram visuals are more entertaining than many peoples’ official videos.

Lyric Video: Ellie Goulding – “Anything Could Happen”

Scotland folk-pop outfit Admiral Fallow will be at The Drake on October 13 in support of their second album Tree Bursts In Snow. Tickets are $13.50 and Filter has their full North American tour itinerary.

Video: Admiral Fallow – “Guest Of The Government”

In indie-pop news, Allo Darlin’ are streaming the b-side of “Northern Lights”, their next single from Europe, while Tender Trap are doing the same for the first single from their next album Ten Songs About Girls, out September 10. And Darren Hayman continues to be prolific in his post-Hefner years, releasing an instrumental album in Lido as a tribute to Britain’s open-air swimming pools and on November 5, will release The Violence, an album about the witch trials of during the 17th century English civil war. Yeah, another one. Exclaim has some details.

Stream: Allo Darlin’ – “Golden Age”
Stream: Tender Trap – “Step One”
Stream: Darren Hayman & The Long Parliament – “We Are Not Evil”

Their possibly last-ever show in the books, Blur have announced plans to release the live set from Hyde Park as a double-live album entitled Parklive in November; Consequence Of Sound has specifics and there’s pre-final show interviews with Graham Coxon at Shortlist and Damon Albarn at The Sun.

Exclaim collects some information on the next M.I.A. album, which will be called Matangi and should be out in December.

This Music Is Love talks to Alisdair Mclean of The Clientele and Amor de Días, whose second album is due out in or around January of 2013.

The Line Of Best Fit has an interview with London’s Spector, whose debut Enjoy It While It Lasts was released in the UK this week and is pretty great in that tailored-trousered, arched-eyebrow, steal-your-girlfriend, throwback Britpop sort of way. I’ve heard nothing about a North American release, but at one point they were supposed to open up some of Florence & The Machine’s Summer dates over here – including Toronto – and while that didn’t end up happening, at least it shows they’ve an eye on us.

Video: Spector – “Chevy Thunder”
Video: Spector – “Never Fade Away”
Video: Spector – “Grey Shirt & Tie”
Video: Spector – “What You Wanted”

Daytrotter has posted a session with Wild Beasts.

2:54 have released a new video from their self-titled debut.

Video: 2:54 – “Sugar”

Summer Camp have made a video for the lead track of their recent Always EP.

Video: Summer Camp – “Life”

The Fader interviews Mica Levi of Micachu & The Shapes.

Clash finds out how Primal Scream has been doing since Mani left the band to rejoin The Stone Roses.

The Space has a lovely video session with Lanterns On The Lake recorded in a disused shipyard.

Frank YangYou may have noticed my first two dispatches from Osheaga dwelled a bit on the hot, humid weather – this was partly because it was one of the defining factors of the weekend and certainly affected mine and everyone else’s experience, but also for some context. Because for the third and final day of the festival, things went from just hot to hot and wet – great adjectives for search engine optimization, not so great for spending the day outside. Indeed, the same storm system that shut down Lollapalooza the day before looked like it was aiming to put another notch in its belt and wallop Montréal and while it wasn’t sever enough to consider cancelling anything pre-emptively – the forecast was mainly for scattered thundershowers – it certainly had people keeping an eye on the sky as well as on the stages.

The stage manager at the Forest stage certainly was, and though Nika Danilova of Zola Jesus was certainly taking the weather in stride – soundchecking with a bit of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was cute – but just two songs in and under a steady but not excessive rainfall, the stage lights went off and they declared the set over even though at that point the sky was actually beginning to clear. Danilova pleaded her case but for naught, and much to the vocal dismay of the audience, the show was over. Now I can appreciate wanting to err on the side of caution, particularly in light of the rash of stage collapses at festivals in the last couple years, but this seemed excessively paranoid and raised the question of what the festival’s “rain or shine” policy actually meant – people couldn’t get their money back, but they weren’t necessarily entitled to any of the performances they paid for? Troubling. If there was any silver lining to these rain clouds, it’s that in the 10 minutes that Zola Jesus performed – I’d never heard her save her contribution to the last M83 record – I quite liked what I heard of her operatic goth-pop and would be seeking some more out. So there was that.

DIY and The Moscow News have feature interviews with Danilova.

Photos: Zola Jesus @ Scène des arbes- August 5, 2012
MP3: Zola Jesus – “Vessel”
MP3: Zola Jesus – “Sea Talk”
Video: Zola Jesus – “Seekir”
Video: Zola Jesus – “Vessel”
Video: Zola Jesus – “Sea Talk”
Video: Zola Jesus – “Night”
Video: Zola Jesus – “Clay Bodies”

Also in them “I’d never really heard them or paid much attention but I’ll go see them anyways” category was Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Passion Pit, though I’ll admit that my curiosity was more due to the drama that had surrounded frontman Michael Angelakos as they released their second album Gossamer a couple weeks earlier – specifically the announcement that he was battling a bipolar disorder and cancelling a swath of tour dates as a result. Not that I went to gawk – I just found it interesting that this date, along with a few other festival dates, were still on and even though what I had heard of their first record Manners was at best annoying – Angelakos’ falsetto and I did not get along – most accounts were that this new record was much better.

Not that I know what a bipolar condition looks like – probably nothing overt – but Angelakos looked pretty hale and hearty on stage, and certainly energetic. As his bandmates pounded out declarative synth-rock riffs, he was leaping on monitors, waving around mic stands, and generally working the crowd like a pro. And happily, there was minimal to no falsetto to be heard, or at least I didn’t notice it. The guy’s got a reasonably soulful voice in its normal range, it was nice to hear him use it instead of resorting to gimmickry. And though I’m sure it was just coincidence, there was something fitting about how the weather went from overcast to a downpour to sunshine in the first 15 minutes of their set. Because it stayed sunny.

Rolling Stone has an in depth interview with Angelkos about his mental health issues.

Photos: Passion Pit @ Scène de la montagne – August 5, 2012
Video: Passion Pit – “Take A Walk”
Video: Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”
Video: Passion Pit – “Little Secrets”
Video: Passion Pit – “To Kingdom Come”
Video: Passion Pit – “The Reeling”
Video: Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”

One of the festival’s bleach-blonde witch-pop artists had already been taken down by the weather; what were the odds that both would? Thankfully, pretty bad. I had thought that the otherworldly environs of Iceland, where I last saw them, was the perfect setting for Toronto’s Austra but it turns out a suddenly sunny Montréal Summer afternoon worked pretty well, too. Dressed for the season in brightly-coloured dresses, Katie Stelmanis and her bandmates successfully got those assembled at the Green stage to ignore the burgeoning mud pit at their feet and dance. There was one new song in her set which from a single cursory listen shouldn’t alienate any fans, and I want to say that some of the lyrics were sung in French, but honestly with Stelmanis’ operatic delivery it was hard to say for sure.

Exclaim has a video session with the band where they perform the aforementioned new song “Painful Like” and Spinner has an interview. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, Austra have been announced as the special guest for the Saturday, September 29 lineup at Paper Bag Records’ 10th anniversary show at The Great Hall.

Photos: Austra @ Scène vertes – August 5, 2012
MP3: Austra – “Lose It”
MP3: Austra – “Beat & The Pulse”
Video: Austra – “Spellwork”
Video: Austra – “Lose It”
Video: Austra – “Beat & The Pulse”

I like Australia’s Tame Impala alright – their 2010 debut Innerspeaker was a nice bit of psychedelic space-rock – but that they were not only popular enough to be playing a late afternoon mainstage slot at a festival of this size but draw a pretty big and enthusiastic audience genuinely surprised me. Their fans clearly knew and liked their prog rock and they like it chilled out and spacey, seemingly cheering every key and tempo change and certainly every extended guitar solo. They’ve a big sound, but not an aggressive one, and their stage presence is similarly subdued. I wouldn’t say they’re much to look at or watch up there, but you’d have to open your eyes from you reverie to notice, and not many of those listening were prepared to do that. Enjoyable overall, but not quite able to keep my festival-ADD interest for the duration. And considering that the last time I saw them in May 2011, frontman Kevin Parker felt obliged to inform us all that Osama Bin Laden had been killed – the least he could have done this time out was announce the official fall of the al-Assad regime. Alas, no dice, but at least there was that evening’s episode of The Newsroom ready to indulge my nostalgia.

Stereogum and Spin talk to Parker about their new record Lonerism, due out October 9.

Photos: Tame Impala @ Scène de la rivière – August 5, 2012
MP3: Tame Impala – “Runway, Houses, City, Clouds”
Video: Tame Impala – “Expectation”
Video: Tame Impala – “Lucidity”
Video: Tame Impala – “Solitude Is Bliss”

When James Mercer and his reconstituted Shins came through Toronto last September – fully six months before their new record Port Of Morrow would be released – there were a lot of questions, not least of which being that it had almost been a half-decade since their last album came out; did anyone still care? The success of that record and the fact that the band were playing as large stages as they did before they went on hiatus proved quite unequivocally that they still did, and was a testament to the power of a good pop song. And if there’s one thing The Shins have, it’s good pop songs.

They also had some bad luck with the weather. Though the skies stayed fairly clear through Tame Impala’s set, they darkened in a hurry as soon as The Shins took the stage and as opener “Kissing The Lipless” built to the first big chorus, they opened up and utterly drenched everyone and everything. Everything save their spirits – the fans seemed to love it and if the band were concerned about little details like electrocution, it didn’t show. Mercer was as animated and energized up there as I’d ever seen him, and certainly seemed more integrated with his bandmates than in the Fall where they looked very much like hired hands. I stuck around for a while, savouring all the old, familiar tunes, but my tolerance for getting soaked was apparently lower than everyone elses.

The Wall Street Journal and Entertainment Weekly have conversations with James Mercer.

Photos: The Shins @ Scène de la montagne – August 5, 2012
MP3: The Shins – “Australia”
MP3: The Shins – “Phantom Limb”
MP3: The Shins – “Kissing The Lipless”
MP3: The Shins – “So Says I”
MP3: The Shins – “Know Your Onion!”
Video: The Shins – “It’s Only Life”
Video: The Shins – “No Way Down”
Video: The Shins – “The Rifle’s Spiral”
Video: The Shins – “Simple Song”
Video: The Shins – “Bait & Switch”
Video: The Shins – “Australia”
Video: The Shins – “Phantom Limb”
Video: The Shins – “So Says I”
Video: The Shins – “Turn On Me”
Video: The Shins – “The Past & Pending”
Video: The Shins – “New Slang”
Video: The Shins – “Kissing The Lipless”
Video: The Shins – “Know Your Onion!”

With my obsessions with the weather pretty much established, I’ve no problem admitting that I’d spent much of the day tracking the incoming storm via satellite radar maps. Based on the accumulated data, I figured that I would be able to take in Bloc Party relatively unscathed and then skip out on mainstage headliners Metric and The Black Keys just when the brunt of the storm hit. Science! That it was already raining moderately to heavily by the time I got to the Green stage certainly didn’t fit the plan, but it was good to see that the conservative attitude towards the weather that opened the day had seemingly been replaced with a sturdy, “the show must go on” attitude – the roadies were wrapping just about everything electronic on stage in plastic sheeting, but showed no signs that they weren’t going to go ahead with the set.

Kele Okereke was certainly up for it. Clad in a colourful shirt louder than some of the PAs at the festival and sans guitar, the Bloc Party frontman was all party, rain be damned, and led the London quartet through a ripping reading of “Octopus”, the lead single from their forthcoming album Four. It was – and is – an odd song, with its stuttering riff and loopy vocals, and taken as a representative of the new material does indicate that the random and experimental (and polarizing) direction of 2008’s Intimacy was more a signpost than a detour. Live, however, it was delivered with enough energy and conviction to persuade even the hardest skeptic that it was a winner.

Only one other track from Four made the set – the power chord-heavy “Kettling” – with the rest dedicated to older material and rewarding the audience for their willingness to wait in the weather by soundtracking their collective decision to ignore the “no crowd surfing” signs with gusto – Okereke thanked security for their diligence in making sure no one got hurt by dedicating “This Modern Love” to them; I’m sure they appreciated the gesture. It was certainly the most raucous audience I’d seen all weekend, with no one caring about the rain but instead revelling in it and the mud, both figuratively and literally. Though allotted a full hour for their set, Bloc Party wrapped their set at 45 minutes with a thundering and exhausting “Helicopter”; I would have liked for them to keep playing, sure, but that was also as perfect a place to wrap the set as any. And the fest. Though the rain had let up by this point – apparently the storm that I’d expected to hit the headliners had gotten there early and instead soaked me – I was tired, hungry, wet, and just done. Osheaga was the first big outdoor fest I’d done in over two years, and as much fun as it was, I’ve got a feeling it might have been my last.

Four is out August 21, and in addition to their September 10 show at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Bloc Party have added a second show on September 11 – tickets $25 and $35 in advance. BBC and The Fly talk to them about their new record. Their set from New York earlier this week will be available to stream on demand today – sometime – at YouTube.

Photos: Bloc Party @ Scène vertes – August 5, 2012
MP3: Bloc Party – “Banquet”
Video: Bloc Party – “Octopus”
Video: Bloc Party – “One More Chance”
Video: Bloc Party – “One Month Off”
Video: Bloc Party – “Talons”
Video: Bloc Party – “Mercury”
Video: Bloc Party – “Flux”
Video: Bloc Party – “Hunting For Witches”
Video: Bloc Party – “I Still Remember”
Video: Bloc Party – “The Prayer”
Video: Bloc Party – “Helicopter”
Video: Bloc Party – “Two More Years”
Video: Bloc Party – “Pioneers”
Video: Bloc Party – “Banquet”
Video: Bloc Party – “So Here We Are”
Video: Bloc Party – “Tulips”
Video: Bloc Party – “Little Thoughts”

The Quietus has details on the next album from Patrick Wolf. A double album entitled Sundark & Riverlight, it doesn’t feature new songs but completely acoustic re-recordings of selections from throughout his recording career, all of which makes the intimate and acoustic setup of his upcoming Fall tour so much more logical. The album comes out on September 25, which just happens to be the day that Wolf is in Toronto at the Music Gallery, and support on this tour comes from Canada’s own Woodpigeon. More special than you can shake a stick at. Same Same and Q News both have interviews with Wolf.

MP3: Woodpigeon – “For Paolo”

Ladyhawke has made a date at The Hoxton on September 15 as part of a North American tour in support of her second album Anxiety.

Video: Ladyhawke – “Blue Eyes”