Frank YangA lot can happen in twenty months. God knows my life is completely different (and yet in many was maddeningly the same) from what it was when I last saw Land Of Talk live, in January 2009 at The Horseshoe. Liz Powell and a different crew from which I’d first discovered them 30 months prior were wrapping up support for their debut full-length Some Are Lakes and preparing for an indefinite hiatus as Powell had to tend to some medical issues and write a new record.

With that record – Cloak And Cipher – the pretense of Land Of Talk as a conventional band was dropped in favour of acting as a pseudonym for Powell and whomever she’s collaborating with to bring the songs to life. And though they emerged as a traditional power trio antidote to the big band sprawl that afflicted so much of Canadian indie, the benefits of having whatever sounds and players are needed on hand to do the job have been borne out by records that get better and better with each release.

And it’s not as though the players being called in are a random assortment of ringers. Just as they did in that January 2009 performance, the openers at Lee’s Palace on Thursday night were also part of Land Of Talk though you wouldn’t have known it from the name. Also undergoing a transformation or two during the past year and a half were Suuns, who were formerly known as Zeroes and who went from veritable unknowns to signees to one of the bigger US independent labels, Secretly Canadian. And hearing them play, it was pretty clear what SC saw in them; a year and half ago, they impressed with their recipe for poppy/proggy, electronically-tinted No Wave/post-punk but that was more for the potential on display than the actual product – their sound felt very much like a work in progress. Now, with a new name and a full-length album entitled Zeroes QC in the can and set for October 12 release, that work feels much more complete, coherent and unique, managing to be aggressive without being alienating and as appealing to the head as to the ass. I would say these guys are officially a band to watch.

And those on hand would get to watch them again immediately after they finished up because they would comprise more than half of Land Of Talk. It’s funny that a band who emerged as a power trio antidote – even when revolving players – to the sprawling band phenomenon that still afflicts so much of Canadian indie would now be taking the stage themselves as a collective. While the formal membership of the band is essentially down to one, the band is bigger than ever – Land Of Talk: population seven, including at its largest two drummers, three guitars, keyboardist and bassist. But at the centre of it all, as ever, was Powell and aside from having the best haircut I’ve seen her sport in four years plus, she hadn’t changed – a bit awkward yet undeniably charismatic, still given to extended tuning breaks despite having a rack of guitars on hand and by and large sounding great in the new big band context.

Naturally, the set drew heavily from Cloak And Cipher but surprisingly, only a few from Some Are Lakes. Also surprising were that last year’s excellent but under-distributed Fun & Laughter EP got a couple songs on the set list but less surprising were that “16*” and “May You Never” would be two of the show’s highlights – that release boasts some of the best tunes Land Of Talk has ever put out. Fail to seek it out at your peril. And interestingly, they would strip the lineup down to a core trio – the same as at that Horseshoe show – for the Applause Cheer Boo Hiss material, perhaps respecting that those songs were just right the way they were originally conceived and wouldn’t benefit from that second kick drum underneath or a second (or third) guitar.

And perhaps the most important thing that’s changed in the past 20 months is that Land Of Talk have, apparently, gotten big. Not breakout runaway success big, but Lee’s Palace was pretty well packed with enthusiastic punters and there was an energy and excitement about the show that I’d not felt at one of their shows before. Granted, a cover story in a national magazine can’t hurt, but it felt more like despite more than their fair share of setbacks, years of hard work were finally really paying off. Land Of Talk certainly knew what they were doing, scheduling the first date of their Fall tour in Toronto – you couldn’t ask for a more confidence-boosting send-off than this one.

Chart, NOW and BlogTO were on hand with reviews of their own. Suuns’ debut EP Zeroes is available to download for free.

Photos: Land Of Talk, Suuns @ Lee’s Palace – September 16, 2010
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Quarry Hymns”
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Swift Coin”
MP3: Land Of Talk – “May You Never”
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Some Are Lakes”
MP3: Land Of Talk – “Corner Phone”
MP3: Suuns – “Up Past The Nursery”
MP3: Suuns – “Arena”
Video: Land Of Talk – “Quarry Hymns”
Video: Land Of Talk – “It’s Okay”
Video: Land Of Talk – “Troubled”
Video: Land Of Talk – “The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)”
Video: Land Of Talk – “Some Are Lakes”
Video: Land Of Talk – “Speak To Me Bones”
ZIP: Suuns / Zeroes
MySpace: Land Of Talk
MySpace: Suuns

Spinner and The Line Of Best Fit get to know Shad, who has just released a new video from TSOL and goes into tonight’s Polaris Music Prize heavily favoured – by me as well as others – to win it all.

Video: Shad – “We, Myself & I”

Caribou, who also stands a fair shot at winning and becoming the first repeat champion in the prize’s existence, talks to Spinner.

The AV Club scores an interview with Jeremy Gara and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire.

Work In Progress talks literature with Destroyer’s Dan Bejar.

The Chicago Tribune talks to Neil Young and producer Daniel Lanois about his new record Le Noise, which will be in stores next Tuesday. Another new video from said record premiered last week.

Video: Neil Young – “Hitchhiker”

eye, Spinner and The Globe & Mail participate in the annual Polaris Music Prize credibility hand-wringing, of which I’m sure I’ll find more of as the day progresses. It’s become like a tailgate party to the actual award. And for a proper tailgate party/viewing experience, head over to the Drake Hotel tonight as they’ll be screening the gala live and also play host to the afterparty, where winners, losers and jurors will mingle in epic awkwardness.

Ryan Walter WagnerI had the opportunity/duty of thinking very hard about Black Mountain’s last album, 2008’s In The Future, when it was put on the Polaris Music Prize short list for that year and I was put on the grand jury. And while I respected the craftsmanship and scope of the record, I couldn’t quite take it and its big, vintage stoner-rock moves seriously enough to champion it and couldn’t get past the impression that it was a nudge-nudge kind of joke to the band as well. True or not, it’s what I felt in my gut and that was ultimately what I had to go with (and if you look at my notes from the jury process, you’ll see that my thoughts on Plants & Animals amounted to, “I want a cheeseburger”).

The just-released follow-up Wilderness Heart, however, doesn’t raise any such flags. It keeps most of the requisite ’70s touchstones that define Black Mountain – the chugging guitar riffs, sweeping organs and prevailing mood of dystopic science fiction ominousness – but if feels as though the sludgy, slow-motion haze that permeated Future has been lifted somewhat, and Heart finds the Vancouverites operating with eyes clearer and less dilated.

Added to their repertoire of reference points are some country stylings in the form of some more acoustic textures and more prominent interplay between Stephen McBean’s drawl and Amber Webber’s twang. Putting their voices on a more equal footing establishes them as the band’s greatest strength and gives those who glazed over during their more proggish excursions something to sink their ears into. And for those who liked Black Mountain exactly the way they were, there’s still a goodly amount of rock action, it’s just delivered in more concise packages. There’s almost a temptation to call Wilderness Heart a pop record, but that’s going a bit too far – it’s still a rock record through and through with plenty of opportunities for headbanging – just be prepared to sway for extended periods of time as well.

Spinner, The Quietus, Dose and The Vancouver Sun have feature pieces on the band. They’ll be at the Phoenix on October 31.

MP3: Black Mountain – “The Hair Song”
MP3: Black Mountain – “Old Fangs”
Video: Black Mountain – “The Hair Song”
Video: Black Mountain – “Old Fangs”
MySpace: Black Mountain

Spin has put online a great excerpt from their forthcoming cover story on Arcade Fire and also posted some behind-the-scenes shots from the corresponding photo shoot.

The Toronto Sun asks Shad if he thinks he’s going to win the Polaris Prize. Modesty ensues.

Caribou rates the cover of this week’s NOW, leading up to tomorrow night’s show at the Phoenix and their opportunity to repeat as Polaris winner on Monday. Daytrotter also has a session.

eye talks to Liz Powell of Land Of Talk, who will be lighting up Lee’s Palace tonight.

Billboard talks to Neil Young and Daniel Lanois about Young’s new record Le Noise, out September 28. The first sample of the record is available via a new video and… it’s not what you might expect. Unless you expected something really weird and looped, in which case it’s pretty much exactly what you expected.

Video: Neil Young – “Angry World”

PopMatters interviews Emily Haines in tracking Metric’s journey from the world of indie into the mainstream.

Tokyo Police Club keyboardist Graham Wright tells Chart that he washes his hands of the band’s videos. They play the Ricoh Coliseum on October 22 opening up for Phoenix.

Two Hours Traffic are crossing the country yet again and will wrap up their Fall tour on November 13 at The Horseshoe.

MP3: Two Hours Traffic – “Territory”

The Walrus ties a bit of a sensationalistic title to an otherwise decent article some of the background, ideals and realities of the Polaris Music Prize, the fifth of which is being awarded next Monday night. eye also ponders the credibility and the debates about the credibility of the award. Chart, meanwhile, handicaps this year’s nominees.

Jess BaumungBy the standards of the inherently attention deficient internet, a year can be an eternity – so it’s remarkable that Diamond Rings has not only managed to sustain the interest that began last Summer with the release of his debut single “All Yr Songs”, but steadily build it on both sides of the Atlantic with just three singles and accompanying videos. While it took those at home a little while to comprehend that this wasn’t just the guy from local rockers The D’Urbervilles in eyeshadow, those abroad seemed quick to embrace his unique brand of DIY-chic glammy synth-pop.

So while the careers of some acts have already arced over the past 12 months, anticipation for his debut album Special Affections is hitting just the right degree of fever pitch as its October 26 release date draws near. But before that happens, there’ll be one more single for “Something Else”, due out on limited edition 7″ on September 28, but more interesting (to me) is the choice of b-side – a cover of a song by Milla – as in Jovovich – in that brief period of time between being a model and actress when she was a pop singer. I liked this song, and not just because the video featured Jovovich wandering around in a nightgown. Partly, but not entirely. But the cover is also interesting as it shows Diamond Rings exercising a little more vocal range than he does on his own material, and it works well. Stereogum has a stream of the Diamond Rings version, which was orchestrated by Owen Pallett.

Live shows are also in the works – first a free show at the Parkdale branch of the Toronto Public Library on October 8 at 8PM, and then a series of live dates that bring him across North America (though mostly Canada), including a hometown record release show at The Garrison on October 26, and dates in the UK and Iceland. Exclaim talks to Jon O’Regan about making his glittery debut record.

MP3: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs”
MP3: Diamond Rings – “Wait And See”
Video: Diamond Rings – “Show Me Your Stuff”
Video: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs”
Video: Diamond Rings – “Wait & See”

Owen Pallett has released a track from his forthcoming A Swedish Love Story 10″ EP, out September 28. The Toronto Sun has a chat.

MP3: Owen Pallett – “A Man With No Ankles”

Dose talks to Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman. Broken Social forebear K.C. Accidental will be getting a reissue of their sole recorded output – Captured Anthems For An Empty Bathtub + Anthems For The Could’ve Bin Pills – as a double LP or CD on October 26.

Pitchfork has got a track from the new Caribou live album Live at ATP New York. It will be on sale on their upcoming Fall tour, which includes a September 17 date at the Phoenix. The Toronto Sun talks to Dan Snaith about his odds of repeating as Polaris winner on September 20.

MP3: Caribou Vibration Ensemble – “Every Time She Turns Round It’s Her Birthday”

The Toronto Sun also talks to The Besnard Lakes about their Polaris Music Prize chances.

Spinner talks to Black Mountain’s Amber Webber about their new album Wilderness Heart, out next week. They play The Phoenix on October 31.

The Arcade Fire show at Madison Square Garden is back up and streaming at YouTube for a limited time. Pitchfork talks to the fellow who “directed” the video/online experience for “We Used To Wait”.

G-Man chats with Mark Hamilton of Woodpigeon, currently touring in Europe but back hereabouts in time for a free October 6 noontime show at Yonge-Dundas Square.

Exclaim talks to Salteens frontman Scott Walker about their first record in seven years – Grey Eyes, out October 12.

MP3: Salteens – “Hallowed Ways”

Southern Souls has a video session and Sticky an interview with Newfoundland’s Gramercy Riffs.

Sargent HouseFans of Fang Island residing in Toronto can be forgiven for finding the Brooklyn combo’s Fall touring itinerary a confusing bit of tease. Following some European dates at the tail end of Summer, they’re heading out west with Matt & Kim for September, and then with Coheed & Cambria through the midwest and across Canada in October, inching ever closer to the 416 but stopping juuuuust short, wrapping things in Kitchener on October 29 (Coheed & Cambria having brought their comic book metal act to town back in May).

Surely it wouldn’t have been too much difficulty to just hang around just one more day and bring the arena-sized guitar-tap-happy anthems of their self-titled debut to Toronto, considering they last time they were here was in July opening for The Flaming Lips and there were – generously – maybe 100 people on hand to see them. But as it turns out, we aren’t being neglected but just put off a little bit. The road warriors will be back at it in November and riffing furiously at audiences in the eastern half of North America alongside Delicate Steve and that will include a November 16 date at the El Mocambo; tickets $11.50 in advance.

MP3: Fang Island – “Daisy”
MP3: Fang Island – “Life Coach”
Video: Fang Island – “Careful Crossers”
Video: Fang Island – “Life Coach”
Video: Fang Island – “Daisy”

Hailing from the back woods of rural Michigan, Breathe Owl Breathe will be at Wrongbar on September 22 in advance of the September 28 release of their new record Magic Central. Kind of an odd venue for their pretty and pretty quiet folk-pop, but it is what it is.

MP3: Breathe Owl Breathe – “Own Stunts”
Video: Breathe Owl Breathe – “Own Stunts”

Alejandro Escovedo, just here opening up for Blue Rodeo, will return for his own show at the Opera House on September 29 – tickets $25 in advance

Chart talks to Peelander-Z, whose two-night stand in Toronto begins tonight at The Velvet Underground and wraps tomorrow at The Silver Dollar.

JAM and The Boston Phoenix talk to Kele, who brings his solo debut to the Mod Club on Friday night, September 3.

To mark the late Summer tour that brings them to the El Mocambo on Saturday night, September 3, Telekinesis have released a new EP called Parallel Seismic Conspiracies that is available digitally anywhere people have internets but in physical form only at their shows. And they’ve made a video for one of the songs.

Video: Telekinesis – “Dirty Thing”

Also doing the tour-exclusive release thing are Caribou, who have turned a recording of their incarnation as the Caribou Vibration Ensemble at last year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties in upstate New York into a live album. It will be released as a double-vinyl with accompanying DVD – presumably also of the ATP show and not the Toronto performance a few days earlier – and be sold only at shows. Like the one September 17 at the Phoenix. You can download a few of the tracks at the Free Music Archive but really, you’ll want the whole thing.

MP3: Caribou Vibration Ensemble – “Skunks”

Drowned In Sound meets Avi Buffalo. They’re at The Horseshoe on October 18.

The Fly solicits an acoustic session from The Vaselines. Their new record Sex With An X is out September 14 and they’ll play songs from it at The Horseshoe on October 30.

Spin find out where the name Grinderman came from, when “Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds” seemed perfectly accurate. Their Grinderman 2 is out September 14 and they’re at The Phoenix on November 11.

Miyuki SamataA whole pile of concert announcements big and small came down the wire yesterday, but none more exciting – personally, at least – than this one. Self-proclaimed Japanese action comic punk band Peelander-Z – hands down highlights of our Hot Freaks! showcases at SxSW in 2008 and in 2009 – are finally bringing their absurd (and entertaining) beyond words show to Canada… well, southern Ontario and Montreal, at least. And that includes two nights in Toronto – September 1 at the Velvet Underground and September 2 at the Silver Dollar, tickets $8 in advance for each show.

Describing the Peelander experience isn’t so easy, particularly when their videos say so much, but punk rock power rangers is really about the size of it. Now neither of these venues offers either the open space or climbing apparatus to stage the kind of sheer insanity that they brought to the Mohawk in ’08 and ’09, but I have the utmost faith that Peelanders Red, Green and Yellow will find a way to make it memorable… and now that I think about it, the width of the Silver Dollar would make a great human bowling lane. They’ll ostensibly be touring behind their new record P-TV-Z, due out on September 28, but let’s be honst – the music is secondary to the antics. Which I’m not usually so fond of, but when the antics are as ridonk as theirs, it’s a-ok with me.

And photogs, you won’t want to miss this. It’s a good time. Mad Tiger!

MP3: Peelander-Z – “S.T.E.A.K.”
MP3: Peelander-Z – “Rocket Gold Star”
MP3: Peelander-Z – “Champion”
MP3: Peelander-Z – “Panda Punk”

Yesterday’s poorest-kept secret goes to the fact that Metric will be doing a free show outside of Union Station at 7PM tonight as part of the launch of a new cell phone. Odds that it will be a mad house and that Emily Haines will ramble nonsensically between songs are pretty much even.

Video: Metric – “Stadium Love”

Boston’s Caspian will be hitting the road this Fall and set up at the Soybomb space in Toronto (Bathurst south of Queen) on September 17.

MP3: Caspian – “Of Foam And Wave”

Obviously intending to be around town in time for the Polaris Prize gala the following Monday, Caribou have scheduled a show at the Phoenix for September 17. Tickets are $15 in advance.

MP3: Caribou – “Odessa”

The midwest rises as Indianapolic gothic country-rockers Murder By Death team up with Oklahoma’s Samantha Crain for a Fall tour that stops in at the Horseshoe on September 26.

MP3: Murder By Death – “Foxglove”
MP3: Samantha Crain – “Traipsing Through The Aisles”

Holy Fuck are at the Phoenix on September 29.

MP3: Holy Fuck – “Latin America”

Scout Niblett has slated a Fall tour in support of her latest, The Calcination Of Scout Niblett. She’s at The Garrison on October 2.

MP3: Scout Niblett – “Kiss”

Perfume Genius, the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas, will undertake a short Learning that includes an October 7 date at the Drake Underground. Check out the video session he did for Matador Records, a short interview with him conducted by Huh

MP3: Perfume Genius – “Learning”

Basia Bulat will be joining Josh Ritter on his Autumn cross-Canada tour that includes an October 26 date at The Phoenix. Paste debuted Ritter’s latest video from And So The World Runs Away.

MP3: Basia Bulat – “Gold Rush”
Video: Josh Ritter – “Rattling Locks”

I guess calling it the “None More Black” tour would have been overly obvious, not to mention probably karmically putting their drummers at risk, but The Black Angels are teaming up with Black Mountain for a Fall tour that they’ve dubbed “Dropout Boogie” that will stop in at the Phoenix on October 31, tickets $20.50. Even odds that everyone in attendance will be dressed up as stoners for Hallowe’en and will be fully committed to the role. Both acts have new albums out on September 14 – Mountain with Wilderness Heart and Angels with Phosphene Dream. Spin has a chat with singer Alex Maas about the new record as well as a song to download, while Pitchfork has a tour-previewing download of Black Angels covering Black Mountain.

MP3: Black Mountain – “Hair Song”
MP3: The Black Angels – “Telephone Blues”
MP3: The Black Angels – “No Satisfaction” (Black Mountain cover)

With the magic eight ball apparently having come up, “keep milking Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix for all it’s worth”, Phoenix are doing North America again and this leg includes a Toronto date – October 22 at the Ricoh Coliseum with Tokyo Police Club and Wavves as support, tickets $40 to $45.

MP3: Wavves – “Cool Jumper”
Video: Phoenix – “Lisztomania”
Video: Tokyo Police Club – “Wait Up (Boots Of Danger)”