Frank YangEditors are from Birmingham in the UK and are weathering criticism for daring to mess with their sonic formula on their latest effort In This Light And On This Evening. The Antlers are from Brooklyn in the USA and are basking in acclaim and ever-growing attention in the wake of last year’s Hospice. Two bands who wouldn’t appear to have a whole lot in common except for this – both steep their music deeply in dramatics for effect and both were at the Phoenix in Toronto on Tuesday night.

For The Antlers, the drama extended into their very arrival, having been held up at the border by some extra-conscientious immigration officers and only beginning to load in at their designated set time. Still, they were set up and ready to go just 10 minutes later than scheduled and immediately launched into a sprawling reading of “Kettering”, clearly not willing to be rushed for the sake of expediency. When I saw them in September 2009 at their Criminal Records in-store, what stood out most was how in a live context, they were able to transform the the anguish that permeates Hospice into something more cathartic, and in a large setting such as this, that was even more the case. Despite the late start, they were able to stretch out five songs over about 40 minutes, each filled with crescendos, false endings and emotion, and when they left the stage, it was to an ovation that you might have thought marked the end of the evening.

But no, as much as the crowd appreciated The Antlers, they were here for Editors, mixed reactions to In This Light be damned. Opening with the title track from the new album, it became clear how they’d be handling its synth-heavy sounds while maintaining the dynamicism of their live show – it began with Tom Smith seated at the piano and then midway through, getting up to grab his guitar while Chris Urbanowicz switched off from guitar to synth, a routine that would continue throughout the night as some or all would handle keyboard duties while the others kept it analog. Not a bad arrangement, allowing them to maintain the walls of keyboards while Smith did what he does best, and that’s lurch around stage and providing the kinetic energy necessary to get the show into gear. Though the rest of the band was more animated than the last time I saw them, it’s Smith’s presence and delivery that allows Editors to sell their songs to those, such as myself, who might otherwise have difficulty embracing the dubious lyricism of their grandly appointed anthems.

Clearly believing their new material is more worthy than the critics do, Editors played In This Light in its entirety, and to be fair, its shortcomings are less evident when interspersed with the stronger, more guitar-driven material from their first two records. Both An End Has A Start and The Back Room were well represented, with five tracks from each getting aired out. There were stretches where my attention began to wander but there was usually a big single strategically placed to pull it back in and keep me hanging around and my endurance was rewarded with pretty intense readings of “Munich” and “Papillon” in the encore. Critics of Editors like to point at the band’s over-emotive and unabashedly melodramatic approach, and yeah, they’re pretty well over the top in that department, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as good a show if they weren’t.

eye has a review of the whole show Panic Manual some thoughts on the Antlers’ set while Chart only has eyes for Editors. The Boston Herald and Metro have interviews with Editors and WOXY a Lounge Act session with Antlers, who were just announced as support for The National’s upcoming Spring tour, including the June 8 and 9 dates at Massey Hall.

Photos: Editors, The Antlers @ The Phoenix – February 16, 2010
MP3: Editors – “Papillon”
MP3: Editors – “Munich”
MP3: The Antlers – “Two”
MP3: The Antlers – “Two” (remastered)
MP3: The Antlers – “Bear”
MP3: The Antlers – “The Universe Is Going To Catch You”
MP3: The Antlers – “On the Roof”
MP3: The Antlers – “Stairs To The Attic”
MP3: The Antlers – “Cold War”
MP3: The Antlers – “Keys”
Video: Editors – “You Don’t Know Love”
Video: Editors – “Papillon”
Video: Editors – “An End Has A Start”
Video: Editors – “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors”
Video: Editors – “All Sparks”
Video: Editors – “Munich”
Video: The Antlers – “Bear”
Video: The Antlers – “Two”
MySpace: Editors
MySpace: The Antlers

Rolling Stone checks in with Aaron Dessner of The National, who still don’t have a title for the new record but should have one before it hits stores on May 11. As mentioned, they have two nights at Massey Hall on June 8 and 9.

There’s a second MP3 available from Ted Leo & The Pharmacists’ new record The Brutalist Bricks, out March 9. And Ted has excuses as to why there’s not Toronto date on the tour itinerary yet, but promises one is coming soon.

MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “The Mighty Sparrow”

The Calgary Herald has an interview with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields talks to Chart about Realism.

Quasi have released a second MP3 from American Gong, due out next Tuesday. They’re at The Horseshoe on April 18.

MP3: Quasi – “Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler”

Spinner has an Interface session with Beach House – look for them March 30 at the Opera House.

The Futureheads have rolled out a video from their new album The Chaos, due out April 26. Drowned In Sound has it and a making-of clip for the video.

Video: The Futureheads – “Heartbeat Song”

The Quietus interviews Field Music. They’re at The Horsesehoe on March 19.

The Dallas Observer profiles We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Frank Yang Editors have been garnering their share of mediocre reviews for their latest effort In This Light And On This Evening, largely for abandoning their tried-and-tested anthemic post-punk guitar rock for something decidedly synthier – I seem to be more favourably inclined to the record than most, but can certainly see where the criticism comes from.

My bigger concern with the record, however, lies in how it will translate live. For all their faults, Editors are one of the more dynamic acts I’ve seen in recent years. Or more accurately, Tom Smith is a tremendously dynamic frontman, more than making up for his largely immobile bandmates – at least that was the case when I saw them back at V Fest 2007. So with the guitars, on record at least, taking a back seat to keys, how will they manage it on stage? Rearrange the songs? Strap on a keytar? Give up the rock star poses and stay anchored to the synths? I hope not.

Toronto shall find out what it will be come February 16, when they play the Phoenix – tickets are $25 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away to the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I need an Editor” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, February 11.

MP3: Editors – “Papillon”
Video: Editors – “You Don’t Know Love”
Video: Editors – “Papillon”
MySpace: Editors

The Control GroupSadness is Sarah Assbring’s stock in trade, a point I’ve rather drilled home in my reviews of her output as El Perro Del Mar – the 2007 self-title and 2008’s From The Valley To The Stars. While both records were beautiful in their downbeat demeanor, you couldn’t help but hope that Assbring would find a way to cheer up, if only for her own emotional well-being.

Unfortunately for Assbring – but fortunately for her listeners – delectable heartache is still the order of the day, and her third album Love Is Not Pop is again chock full of it, but the record stands a good distance apart from its predecessors for other reasons. Rather than the spare, ’50s doo-wop stylings that defined her previous work, Pop draws on a distinctly different aural palette. The core songwriting style and Assbring’s signature forlorn vocals remain, but the introduction of electronic textures and rhythms and Shields-y glider guitar overtop the spare (but occasionally orchestrated) arrangements is unexpected and welcome. Of course, the fact that the album proper is only seven tracks long, and the rest is padded out with remixes adds to the impression that this is a fresher, more sonically adventurous and dance-friendlier El Perro Del Mar. Actually, danceable might be a bit of a reach, but the extra tracks do showcase Assbring with an extra spring in her shuffle.

El Perro Del Mar is at the Mod Club on February 21 as part of a co-headlining tour with fellow Swede Taken By Trees, with the latter closing out this particular show. This is exciting as Victoria Bergsman – she who is Taken By Trees – isn’t especially predisposed to life on the road and hasn’t been to Toronto since the last visit from The Concretes. Unfortunately, it’s meant that Anna Ternheim, previously slated to open for El Perro Del Mar, will no longer be appearing. But maybe it’s a bit of a consolation that another MP3 from Taken By Trees’ East Of Eden is now up for grabs and is, appropriately enough, entitled “Anna”.

MP3: El Perro Del Mar – “Change Of Heart”
MP3: El Perro Del Mar – “Change Of Heart” (Rakamonie Remix)
MP3: Taken By Trees – “Anna”
Video: El Perro Del Mar – “Change Of Heart”
MySpace: El Perro Del Mar

Also Swedish but totally not sad are Love Is All. Their new record Two Thousand and Ten Injuries is out MArch 23 and they’re at the Horseshoe on April 3. Check out another track from the new album.

MP3: Love Is All – “Repetition”

Danish orchestral post-rock outfit Under Byen will release a new album in Alt Er Tabt on April 6.

Magnet Q&As Los Campesinos!, whom they’ve made guest editors of their site this week. Hope they hid all the breakables. Spinner, Islington Tribune, CMJ and Wales Online also have conversations, but don’t hand over the keys to the car. Los Campesinos! are at the Phoenix on April 20.

Laura Marling talks to NOW, The Visalia Times Delta and The San Francisco Examiner about making her new album I Speak Because I Can, out April 6. She plays Lee’s Palace on Tuesday night.

Chart, The Georgia Straight, The National Post, The Aquarian, San Jose Mercury News and The San Francisco Examiner talk to various members of Editors, who play the Phoenix on February 16.

Spin asks Dev Hynes about the secret origin of Lightspeed Champion. His second album Life Is Sweet! Pleased To Meet You, out February 16.

State has a word with Massive Attack, who’ve released a new video from Heligoland, out next week.

Video: Massive Attack – “Splitting The Atom”

Ska fans prepare to skank: The Specials reunion tour will include a stop in Toronto – the two-tone pioneers play the Sound Academy on April 19 – tickets $36.50 for floors, $46.50 for VIP balcony and The English Beat have a date at Lee’s Palace on May 18, tickets $23.50.

Video: The Specials – “Message To You Rudy”
Video: The English Beat – “Mirror In The Bathroom”

Pitchfork talks to Phoenix’s Thomas Mars about how it feels to be a Grammy Award winner.

The Music Fix has details on the next batch of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds reissues, which will arrive in 5.1 surround sound and with a plethora of bonus goodies, on April 5.

Aux.tv has assembled a guide to the many, many online video session sites out there in the wilds of the internet. Not comprehensive – five more started up while I was typing this sentence – but a good start.

Jannica HoneyIt’s probably over-pedantic to point out that by the time Frightened Rabbit’s third album, the marvelously-titled The Winter Of Mixed Drinks, is released on March 9, there’ll be only 12 days left in Winter. Certainly enough time for a a righteous bender or four with it as a soundtrack, but before you know it we’ll be into a Springtime of body shots and that just doesn’t sound quite as epically melancholic, though possibly more fun.

Even so, the Scottish quintet will be doing their best to make it a season to remember for North American fans, first with a commando strike trip to SxSW in March and then a massive cross-continental tour that will start at Coachella and go from west to east then west again, including a May 4 stop at the Opera House in Toronto – tickets are $15 and go on sale this Thursday. I had to miss their July 2009 show at the Horseshoe because of an unfortunate incidence of real life, so this show – a week prior to my birthday – is ranking pretty highly on things I’m looking forward to in the next few months. And the album, too – Frightened Rabbit just released a second video from the album, this confirming that at least two songs from the record will be nigh-on brilliant.

Quarter-Life Crisis has an interview with drummer Grant Hutchinson while Spin questions frontman Scott Hutchinson about the origins of the band’s name.

Video: Frightened Rabbit – “Nothing Like You”
Video: Frightened Rabbit – “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”

Tom Campesinos! takes point on press duties for Los Campesinos!, talking to The AV Club and MusicOmh while giving The Line Of Best Fit a list of 12 albums that influenced their latest Romance Is Boring. Metro talks to frontman Gareth Campesinios! and Drowned In Sound chats with the other members of the band about a myriad other topics. Los Campesinos! have a date at the Phoenix on April 20.

MP3: Los Campesinos! – “There Are Listed Buildings”

Spin checks in with Kate Nash on the status of her second album, recorded with Bernard Butler. The record is due out sometime this Spring, and she’s one of the artists supposed to appear on this year’s Lilith Fair.

Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme tells BBC6 the trio are hoping to put together a live documentary film covering life on the road in addition to performance footage in the near future. They’re at the Air Canada Centre on March 8.

MusicOmh interviews David Brewis of Field Music. Their new record (Measure) is out February 16 and they’re at the Horseshoe on March 19.

There’s a new video from Mumford & Sons’ debut Sigh No More, filmed during their recent tour of India. The album gets a North American release on February 16 – one day after their Toronto show at Lee’s Palace. The Sydney Morning Herald talks to Marcus Johnstone, aka Marcus Mumford.

Video: Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”

Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard talks to Spinner about the possibility of the band putting out a live album while Al Doyle chats with The Yorkshire Evening Post and The Times talks to Alexis Taylor and solicits a list of his favourite things. Their new studio album One Life Stand is out February 9 and is currently streaming at the band’s MySpace. They’re at the Kool Haus on April 20.

Stream: Hot Chip / One Life Stand

Tindersticks’ new album Falling Down A Mountain isn’t out until February 16 but is currently available to stream. There’s also a new video to go with the first available MP3.

MP3: Tindersticks – “Black Smoke”
Video: Tindersticks – “Black Smoke”
Stream: Tindersticks / Falling Down A Mountain

They Shoot Music has an acoustic video session with Editors frontman Tom Smith, wherein he reinterprets “Papillon” from the In This Light And On This Evening on acoustic guitar.

Ladytron’s Reuben Wu talks to Clash about his love of photography – ironic, considering his outfit seems to take extra care to make life hell for photographers…

Never Enough Notes talks to Tim Crompton of The High Wire. Their debut The Sleep Tape is out in March.

NME reports that Liam Gallagher and the other refugees from the wreck of Oasis hope to have a new record out by July.

And rather out of left field comes the news that first-generation shoegazers Chapterhouse will be reuniting for a North American tour this Spring. I can’t imagine anyone has been waiting for this to happen, but if the tour comes around this way I’ll certainly check it out – Whirlpool was a pretty good record. But really, of all the original shoegaze bands to get back together and cross the Atlantic… Chapterhouse?

Video: Chapterhouse – “Pearl”

Frank YangIf Alan Sparhawk is looking to avoid Neil Young comparisons with his Retribution Gospel Choir work, you wouldn’t know it. Taking the stage at the Drake Underground on Monday night, the Low frontman was almost a tribute to Shakey boasting an impressive pair of muttonchop sideburns complimenting his black, P90-equipped, Bigsby-ed Les Paul. Okay, you’d probably never catch Neil dressed as classically dapper as Sparhawk and his bandmates, but sartorial concerns aside, you don’t have to look to hard for at least one source of inspiration.

And, of course, you could hear it. Their new album 2 – which they would technically be able to sell as of midnight – is a fiery document of rock filled with the sort of extended solos that Sparhawk only occasionally gets to showcase in Low. Not as all-out chaotic as the sort that Young wrings out of Old Black – Sparhawk’s technique is decidedly more precise if no less furious – but of the same spirit. And though their set was relatively compact at an hour including encore, there were plenty of epic guitar excursions to astonish the modest-sized Monday night crowd not to mention their intensely focused songs. The fittingly titled “Electric Guitar” was a particular standout, a sonic atom bomb in a set filled with explosive numbers.

In between aural assaults, there was an almost reverent silence from the audience, almost as though they thought were at a Low gig and chatting was verboten. The band took the opportunity to engage in some hockey banter, Sparhawk mentioning he’d recently fallen on his ass while skating and drummer Eric Pollard pre-emptively congratulating us on winning the Olympic gold. “Who’ve you got in net? Luongo? Aubin? You’ve got Aubin? Fuck.”

The News-Herald has an interview with Alan Sparhawk and 2 is currently streaming over at Spinner.

Photos: Retribution Gospel Choir @ The Drake Underground – January 25, 2010
MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Video: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Stream: Retribution Gospel Choir / 2
MySpace: Retribution Gospel Choir

Drive-By Truckers will be hitting the road in support of the March 16 release of The Big To-Do, and are opting to do multi-night stands in smaller rooms this time around – case in point, their April 6 and 7 dates at Lee’s Palace with Langhorne Slim opening. They’ve also let loose the first MP3 from the new album and will be the subject of a new documentary film entitled The Secret To A Happy Ending, which will begin screening at festivals starting next month.

MP3: Drive-By Truckers – “This Fucking Job”

Wolf Parade will return to active duty with a short eastern Canadian tour accompanied by We Are Wolves, possibly timed around the release of their third album which is rumoured to be complete. The Toronto date is April 7 at the Phoenix, with tickets $20 going on sale January 29.

MP3: Wolf Parade – “Language City”
MP3: Wolf Parade – “Call It A Ritual”

Following up last November’s utterly sold-out show at the Mod Club, Florence & The Machine are coming back on April 10 for a show at the Phoenix, tickets $20. Holy Hail will support.

MP3: Florence & The Machine – “Kiss With A Fist”
MP3: Florence & The Machine – “I’m Not Calling You A Liar”

The Reverend Horton Heat will be at the Phoenix on May 20 with Cracker in tow.

Though yesterday’s pre-sale for the June 8 National show at Massey Hall sold out lickety-split, another block of pre-sale tickets goes on sale today at 10AM – same link and password as yesterday and, sadly, same big-ass service charges.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released a new video from It’s Blitz!.

Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Skeletons”

Holly Miranda is featured in video sessions at Yours Truly and PitchforkTV, while The Guardian declares her their “New band of the day”. The Magician’s Private Library is out February 23; here’s another track from it.

MP3: Holly Miranda – “Waves”

Clash labels The Antlers “one to watch for 2010”, which is interesting considering they’d have a pretty hard time topping their breakout 2009. They’re in town on February 16 at the Phoenix opening up for Editors.

And Editors have offered up a track from their latest album In This Light And On This Evening to download.

MP3: Editors – “Papillon”

Despite what was promised just last week, The Radio Dept.’s third album Clinging To A Scheme will NOT be coming out in March. Instead it will be out in April. The 21st of April, to be precise. That’s right, an actual firm date. Firm until they move it, anyways.

And Jonsi tells Spinner that contrary to previous reports, there will be no new Sigur Ros record out this year, or in the foreseeable future. So enjoy his solo record Go when it hits on March 23, because that’s all there’s going to be for a while.