Frank YangA little into Beach House’s show at the Kool Haus on Saturday night, Victoria Legrand mentioned that this was their twelfth time playing Toronto. And while I was glad she’d saved me the trouble of trying to assemble their 416 gigography, I was surprised that they’d been through so many times in the past six years, since I’m pretty sure the first was in November 2006 when they played to a dozen or so people in the front room of the Tranzac. I hadn’t personally caught any of the subsequent ten shows, but have followed them around the world – Austin, Chicago, and Reykjavik – so they’ve hardly been off my radar. Just not on the local scale.

In any case, checking back in with Beach House in Toronto with some 2000 others revealed a band that had somehow managed to grow and evolve without seemingly changing at all. Which is to say that if you were to compare their latest, the rather exquisite Bloom, with their self-titled debut, there’d be no arguing it’s the same band – the balance of Victoria Legrand’s smoky voice, whirring keyboards and Alex Scally’s slippery slide guitar remains as it ever was, as does their deliberately slow and hazy sonic aesthetic – but there’s also no denying that it’s an exponentially more creative and interesting Beach House that operates circa 2012, one that gleams through the mist. Truly, they’re an example of a band taking the few elements that define what they are and completely mastering them.

The same can also be said for their live show. Early on, there wasn’t much disputing that they were a… understated pair of performers, the best way to experience their shows being to close your eyes and drift away – that’s certainly what they did. Along the way, though, they’d made some tweaks – most notably trading in their rickety drum loops and machines for real-live sticksman Dan Franz – and learned how to become a compelling, if still unconventional, live act. This isn’t something I’d have expected to say a year prior (to the day, actually) when I saw them – or more accurately their silhouettes – as their entire Iceland Airwaves set was doused in smoke and terribly backlighting but for this tour, which they dubbed the “Frightened Eyes” tour, they had wisely prepared something for the eyes to focus on.

With Scally seated stage right, Legrand set back a bit in centre, and Franz stage left, they set up in almost a straight line in front of some horizontally-striped wall panels. These on occasion shone lights out onto the audience but more often gave something for the stage lights to project against for simple but striking visual effects. On paper it doesn’t sound like much – and even to see it it wasn’t much – but like Beach House’s aesthetic, the simplicity of it and the lighting design in general was perfectly matched to the music and it just worked. And though it would have been easy enough to leverage their visual presence for an air of mystery, Legrand was actually rather chatty, at various points giving a shout out to local music shop Paul’s Boutique as a great place to buy a keyboard, running down the band’s history of performances in the city, and while happy to be playing their largest headline show to date, declared prior to “Silver Soul” that they wanted it to feel nice and intimate – or more precisely, “tight and hot”.

For all of this, though, it would be the music and music alone that people left talking about. Almost the entire set drew from either Teen Dream or Bloom, with only a couple nods to Devotion, and as good as it was to hear them touring behind their breakout record last year, the difference of having two albums of superb, dynamic pop to work with can’t be overstated. From the opening beat of “Wild” breaking into Scally’s chiming guitar and then being given form and focus by Legrand’s breathy, wholly enveloping voice, they were able to lift off and not come close to touching the ground for the duration of the show. It’s funny – airborne metaphors would have been the last thing I’d expect to use to describe Beach House at that first show, but in their finest moments – of which there were many on this night – they simply soared.

The National Post also has a review and Metro and The Boston Globe have features on the band.

Photos: Beach House @ The Kool Haus – October 13, 2012
MP3: Beach House – “Lazuli”
MP3: Beach House – “Myth”
MP3: Beach House – “I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun”
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 – “Lazuli”
Video: Beach House – “Zebra”
Video: Beach House – “Lover Of Mine”
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”

Titus Andronicus have released one of those newfangled “lyric videos” for the second single from their new one Local Business. Which is great if you want to learn the words to sing along whilst moshing when they roll into Lee’s Palace on November 27, but if you just want to hear the new songs, you’re probably better off just hitting the NPR stream of the album. It’s out next week.

MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus”
Lyric Video: Titus Andronicus – “Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter”
Stream: Titus Andronicus / Local Business

Also now streaming over at Drowned In Sound is Banks, the new solo record from Interpol frontman Paul Banks. It’s out next week.

MP3: Paul Banks – “The Base”
Stream: Paul Banks / Banks

Members of Band Of Horses chat with Spinner, nooga.com, and The Miami New Times. They play Massey Hall on December 5.

Opening up that Band Of Horses show will be Jason Lytle; The Big Takeover and NPR have interviews with the once and future Grandaddy frontman.

The Boston Herald, Red Eye, and The Boston Globe have interviews and NPR a World Cafe session with Divine Fits. And over at Seattle Weekly, Dan Boeckner analyzes last week’s vice-presidential debate.

Filter talks to Of Montreal. Their new Daughter Of Cloud compilation is out next week.

Release day for Benjamin Gibbard’s solo debut Former Lives bring feature pieces at Consequence Of Sound, PopMatters, Toronto Star, Huffington Post, NOW, Rolling Stone, Interview, and CBC Music.

Clash and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talk to Calexico.

Filter asks Blouse about their impending journey to Iceland Airwaves.

Consequence Of Sound finds out what Peter Buck has been up to, post-R.E.M..

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.

Barbara AnastacioFor a band that’s made their name on stately, carefully crafted chamber pop, Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear are surprisingly polarizing. Their proponents find the intricacy of their harmonies, arrangements, and musicianship exquisite while their naysayers just find them dull. I actually lean more towards the latter than the former, but temper it with a healthy amount of respect for what they do and how they do it.

So with that frame of reference established, take it for what it’s worth when I say their new album Shields is surprisingly raw and raucous. They haven’t changed up what they do or how they do it significantly – okay, maybe the multi-part harmonies are dialed down some – but the songs themselves have more punch and presence than past efforts, and it’s a pleasant surprise. It’s unlikely to change anyone’s opinion on Grizzly Bear dramatically, but if you’re a fence-sitter it’s reasonable to think this effort will fall rather definitively on the “favoured” side.

But don’t take my word for it – hear for yourself. In a week leading up to some pretty major releases, and thus meaning a week of some pretty major pre-release streams, Shields is the main attraction of NPR’s First Listen feature right now. To go along with that, there’s features on the band – surely the first of many this Fall – at Clash and Stereogum, and they’re a central pillar in this Spin feature about the ongoing gentrification of indie rock.

Shields is out next Tuesday and the band are at at Massey Hall on September 26. Tickets for the show range from $29.50 to $42.50 plus fees, but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got a pair of tickets to the show to give away. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see Grizzly Bear” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me by midnight, September 19.

MP3: Grizzly Bear – “Sleeping Ute”
MP3: Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”
Stream: Grizzly Bear / Shields

Also with a new record out next week and in town shortly thereafter is Dinosaur Jr, with I Bet On Sky – their third post-reunion album. It’s doing the stream thing at NPR right now, giving you enough time to learn all the songs so as to be able to sing along with the guitar solos when they hit Lee’s Palace for three nights from September 24 to 26. Don’t pretend you don’t.

MP3: Dinosaur Jr – “Watch The Corners”
Stream: Dinosaur Jr / I Bet On Sky

Not likely to be a whole lot of guitar solos on Charmer, the latest from Aimee Mann, but more superb songwriting is a given. NPR has also got that stream and she’s at the Danforth Music Hall November 6.

MP3: Aimee Mann – “Charmer”
Stream: Aimee Mann / Charmer

Out next week but not streaming at NPR – the band has posted it themselves on Soundcloud – is Band Of Horses’ latest Mirage Rock. Ben Bridwell details the recording of the song “Slow Cruel Hands of Time” to Billboard and also talks to Contactmusic about the new record.

Stream: Band Of Horses / Mirage Rock

New York’s Savoir Adore have already completed their second album Our Nature and given it an October 16 release date, but they’ve turned to Kickstarter to enlist fans’ help to give the record the promotional push they think it deserves. And to help demonstrate what you’re supporting, they’ve made another track from the album available to stream. They’ve also announced their Fall tour in support of the record, and as happy as I am that they’re coming back to Toronto – look for them October 13 at Rancho Relaxo – was it really necessary to schedule the show the same night as Beach House? Le sigh.

MP3: Savoir Adore – “Dreamers”
Stream: Savoir Adore – “Regalia”

Speaking of Beach House, Beatroute and Vice have interviews with the duo. As stated, they’re at The Kool Haus on October 13.

Interview talks to Anna-Lynne Williams about the end of Trespassers William and their final release, the double-disc rarities compilation Cast.

Of Montreal is releasing a rarities compilation covering the last five years in Daughter Of Cloud on October 23. Pitchfork has details, stream one of the rarities below.

Stream: Of Montreal – “Sails, Hermaphroditic”

Spinner talks to Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart have made the a-side of a new 7″ due out in October available to stream; it’s a cover of The Magnetic Fields circa The Wayward Bus, if you were wondering.

Stream: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Jeremy”

eMusic talks to Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing. They’re at The Great Hall on September 18.

Daytrotter has a session with Widowspeak.

Howler have released a new video from their debut America Give Up

Video: Howler – “Told You Once”

Yo La Tengo is doing stuff. A new single entitled “Stupid Things” is coming September 25 and a new full-length will be out in late January, presumably January 28 since the last week of that month is when all the big releases come out. And a new Yo La Tengo album counts as a big release, methinks.

Consequence Of Sound, City Pages, and Blurt talk to Bob Mould about his ongoing career renaissance and Silver Age.

Consequence Of Sound chats with Joey Burns of Calexico and oh yeah, if you’ve always wanted to hear them cover Kenny Loggins, The AV Club is your best friend.

NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and Consequence Of Sound have interviews with Cat Power about her latest album Sun. She’s at The Kool Haus on October 20.

MP3: Cat Power – “Manhattan”

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times and Sun-Sentinel grab a minute with Doug Martsch of Built To Spill.

Greg Dulli tells Billboard he’s non-committal about The Afghan Whigs’ future beyond their Fall North American tour, which hits The Phoenix on October 3.

Beatroute, The Los Angeles Times, and Seattle Weekly profile Redd Kross.

Drowned In Sound talks to James Murphy about life post-LCD Soundsystem.

Frank YangSince I’ve covered the essentials of FME in the first two posts, I’ll just preface this one with a curious statistic. Of all the meals I ordered in Rouyn-Noranda over the five days I was there, I’m pretty sure I got the wrong order at least half of those times. Wrong size, wrong topping, wrong food, whatever. And my French isn’t that bad. I mean it’s bad, but I know what I said. Strange. Anyways.

The Sunday of FME was decidedly light on programming – there were still shows, certainly, but not nearly as much and an itinerary of hanging out with friends new and old doing nothing took precedence. Still, there were a couple of things I definitely wanted to catch before the festival was over. Fanny Bloom was the stage name of Fanny Grosjean, former frontperson for Sherbrooke electro-pop group La patère rose, who came to my attention after being Polaris longlisted in 2009 for their self-titled debut. The band dissolved last Summer and Grosjean released Apprentie guerrière, her excellent debut as Fanny Bloom, earlier this year.

She was showcasing this record with an afternoon show at Salle Evolu-Son by way of a set of piano-led modern pop with a light but distinct synthetic edge. It was less arty than I expected; her persona in La patère rose was kind of manic so I thought that might have carried over to her solo context, but it still got pleasantly unhinged at points. As with all Francophone acts, the language barrier was an impediment to fully enjoying/experiencing the music, but melody, emotiveness, and charisma still go a long, long way.

Photos: Fanny Bloom @ Salle Evolu-Son – September 2, 2012
Video: Fanny Bloom – “Parfait parfait”

For the evening, there was really only one option for FME – indeed, for the entire town. I have never heard of Jean-Pierre Ferland, but I was informed he was something of an entertainment legend in Québec and a quick inspection of his credentials would back that up. A recording career that spans more than a half-century and an Officer of The Order Of Canada and Knight of the National Order of Québec are not accolades that many can lay claim to. Nor would the festival have erected a giant stage on the beach of Lac Kiwanis for just anyone, but they did for this rare live performance, and while I can’t find an estimate of how many people came out for the free show, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was in the five digits.

A performer of the old school chanson tradition with a presence not unlike a mischievous uncle, he was accompanied by a big band and backing singers and while I (again) didn’t understand hardly any of what he said or sang, his charm was self-evident and the songs rich with balladry and melodrama, covering bases from folk-pop to disco-rock. I’m sure that it was all slightly – or maybe very – cheesy, but in the very best way and I can’t imagine a more appropriate or authentic way to close out my visit than lying on a hill beside a lake, watching the sun set and the stars rise and taking it all in.

Photos: Jean-Pierre Ferland @ Range Kiwanis – September 2, 2012

And thus ends my FME coverage. It was a decidedly unique experience and while its location makes it difficult to suggest that people just head over and check it out, if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, can speak passable French – not absolutely necessary, but this ain’t Montréal – and have a taste or interest in Canadian Francophone music, it’s worth investigating. And come on – 24-hour poutinerie. Spinner, The National Post, and Exclaim were also all up there this weekend and have shared their experiences and insights.

Anyone remember Friday Night Videos? Yeah? Congratulations, you’re as old as I am. Here’s some new shorts that came out this week to help distract you from that ugly reality. Stereogum has premiered the new video from Sweden’s Holograms, in town at The Shop Under Parts & Labour on September 11.

Video: Holograms – “Fever”

DIY has premiered the new video from Calexico’s Algiers – out next week – and also talk to director Paloma Zapata about the clip.

Video: Calexico – “Splitter”

Rolling Stone and Vulture talk to David Byrne & St. Vincent, who bust a move in the first video from Love This Giant, out next week. They’re at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 20.

Video: David Byrne & St. Vincent – “Who”

Vulture brings you the first video from Beth Orton’s new album Sugaring Season. It’s out October 2 and she plays The Mod Club on September 30.

Video: Beth Orton – “Magpie”

Ellie Goulding has released a video from her new album Halcyon, out October 8, and has confirmed a date at The Sound Academy on October 14. Tickets for that are $25 in advance.

MP3: Ellie Goulding – “Anything Could Happen”
Video: Ellie Goulding – “Anything Could Happen”

Rolling Stone is first up with the new video from Jason Lytle’s new record Dept. Of Disappearance, out October 16.

Video: Jason Lytle – “Your Final Setting Sun”

Sigur Rós’ Valtari video project has produced another clip.

Video: Sigur Rós – “Dauðalogn”

A Music Blog, Yea? – a new site from the Toronto area – has a chat with The Cribs, who have a new video from In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull.

Video: The Cribs – “Anna”

Frank YangAn interesting thing about Rouyn-Noranda: for a town its size, the venues – though not plentiful – are really nice. Unsurprisingly, FME took most of them over for the weekend and large temporary outdoor stages aside – and those were also nice – each had good sound, lighting, and its own distinct character. The converted church of Agora des arts, the roadhouse vibe of Caberet de la dèrniere chance, the multi-level club attached to a music store of Salle Évolu-son, and for the first part of Saturday night, the converted theatre of La Scène Paramount.

I think I missed the first act but arrived in time to see Julien Sagot, another Karkwa member taking advantage of the band’s hiatus to engage in some solo work – I saw frontman Louis-Jean Cormier the previous night, if you’ll recall. And if Cormier’s set had me marvelling at how accessible his work outside of Karkwa was, percussionist Sagot’s compositions were more what I would have expected. His whole set had a distinct arc, starting with moody pieces built on intricate acoustic guitar figures, moving through some boozy ballads that fit his rough, Waits-y vocals well, and eventually ramping up to some Floyd-worthy prog rock. Sagot’s stage presence also matched this progression, as he started out seated amidst his five-piece band, occasionally looking around at them to inspect their performances and nod in approval, before eventually standing up with his guitar and leading them onwards.

Photos: Julien Sagot @ La Scène Paramount – September 1, 2012
Stream: Julien Sagot / Piano mal

Marie-Pierre Arthur also had a Karkwa connection – besides featuring Cormier and Sagot as guest players on her 2012 Polaris long-listed Aux alentours, Karkwa keyboardist François Lafontaine produced the record. Not that she needed the cachet of her collaborators to get attention – her big, joyous pop-rock sound was maybe the most conventional thing I’d hear all weekend, but in the best sense. Fronting her six-piece band on bass, it was big, melodic, energetic affair and the songs had hooks that transcended any language barrier while leaving room for dueling guitars and drum solo without feeling forced or excessive. Thoroughly enjoyable and it was nice to have some proof that not all rock coming out of Québec had to be some degree of proggy. Though let’s be honest, a lot of it is.

Photos: Marie-Pierre Arthur @ La Scène Paramount – September 1, 2012
Video: Marie-Pierre Arthur – “Pourqoi”
Video: Marie-Pierre Arthur – “Si tu savais”
Video: Marie-Pierre Arthur – “Déposer les armes”
Video: Marie-Pierre Arthur – “Droit devant”
Video: Marie-Pierre Arthur – “Elle”

Prog is one of the many adjectives that could reasonably be applied to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, one of the festival’s headliners by measure of international repute, but obviously that’s insufficient. You’d also have to hypen up post-rock, experimental, political, metal, ambient, orchestral, terrifying… basically the only way to describe Godspeed would be to call it Godspeed. This show came two and a half years after the unexpected announcement that the Montréal collective would be ending their hiatus and touring again, and even though I’d seen them last Spring as part of their four-show run in Toronto, there was still a real sense of occasion around this performance given the scale and setting (Agora des arts holds about 400 people on a good day).

Silently taking the stage a little after midnight – though I think one of them waved to the audience – they started with an orchestra-type tune-up that quickly turned into what I can best describe as industrial strangulation reading of “Hope Drone”. The Toronto version was intense, but this one seemed considerably moreso and that really applied to the show as a whole. While never necessarily refined, this show felt extra primal in its sonic fury and for the first while, any melody or beauty that would escape the tumult would have to do battle to do so. As the nearly two-hour show progressed, the band silent and semi-circled while bathed in film projections (which included scenes of industrial bleakness, interesting imagery to show in a mining town) the brutality was gradually dialed back but not before the crowd had thinned to maybe half of the packed house that it was at the start. One wonders if some were unprepared mentally or physically for what they’d be enduring for the show. For those who lasted throughout – and I admit I was only barely among them – it was an impressive, intimate, and inscrutable experience.

And was poutine consumed after? I’m not saying it was, but I’m not saying it wasn’t.

Photos: Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ Agora des arts – September 1, 2012
MP3: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven”
MP3: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “The Buildings They Are Sleeping Now”

Some more album streams that didn’t quite make Tuesday’s post, starting with The Raveonettes. Observator is out September 11 and NME has the stream. They play The Phoenix October 2.

MP3: The Raveonettes – “She Owns The Streets”
Stream: The Raveonettes / Observator

MTV Hive has a Q&A with Neil Halstead, whose lovely Palindrome Hunches hits next week and is streaming now. He’s at The Dakota Tavern on October 8.

MP3: Neil Halstead – “Digging Shelters”
MP3: Neil Halstead – “Full Moon Rising”
Stream: Neil Halstead / Palindrome Hunches

Stereogum has the new Bob Dylan album Tempest available on demand before being available for sale on Tuesday. Ol’ Bob is at the Air Canada Centre on November 14.

Stream: Bob Dylan / Tempest

Calexico’s new one Algiers is streaming over at Virgin.com. It’s out Tuesday and The Arizona Daily Star and Wall Street Journal have interviews.

MP3: Calexico – “Para”
Stream: Calexico / Algiers