FacebookI don’t know what you’ve got planned this weekend – me, I’m going to go buy a curtain rod – but if you think you’ll require a ray of musical sunshine to brighten up the proceedings or, conversely, need a soundtrack to an itinerary full up to the gills with fun, you could do far worse than to fire up the advance stream of Shugo Tokumaru’s new record In Focus?, available to stream now at Under The Radar.

It’s the Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist’s fifth album, and like its predecessors its overflowing with creative instrumentation, chock full of mesmerizingly intricate pop compositions, and imbued with a childlike whimsy designed to beguile and delight. Its melodicism transcends any language barrier, and really – do you know how to say, “la la la” in Japanese? It’s “la la la”.

MP3: Shugo Tokumaru – “Decorate”
Video: Shugo Tokumaru – “Decorate”
Stream: Shugo Tokumaru / In Focus?

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have made a second track from their forthcoming Push The Sky Away available to preview by way of a lyric video. The album is out February 19 and they play Massey Hall on March 23.

Lyric Video: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Jubilee Street”

Aquarium Drunkard has posted a session with Melody’s Echo Chamber that you can download for your listening pleasure, perhaps while you read this interview with Melody Prochet at Tonedeaf.

The 405 reports that Phoenix are getting ready to release the follow-up to 2009’s absurdly successful Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and the record will be called Bankrupt!. Which the band hopefully are not.

Pitchfork checks in with Denmark’s Iceage about their forthcoming album You’re Nothing, due out February 19.

Under The Radar talks to Maria Lindén of I Break Horses about the highs and lows of her 2012, the latter of which included having to cancel their Fall North American tour due to lack of funds. On the plus side, they’re recording a new record this year and will hopefully be making up those aborted dates with new material to play.

The Deer Tracks are ready to mark the February 12 release of The Archer Trilogy Pt. 3 properly – which is to say with a North American tour that includes a February 28 date at The Silver Dollar. They were incredible at NXNE 2012 so you can be sure expectations are high for this show. They’ve also released the first video from the new album, premiering it along with the full routing of their Spring trek at All Things Go. Do catch them if it’s at all possible, and if you happen to make it over to their hometown of Gävle, Sweden, use this handy guide of bands to see they provided to CMJ.

MP3: The Deer Tracks – “W”
Video: The Deer Tracks – “Lazarus”

CBC Music talked to Gustaf Karlöf of Niki & The Dove ahead of their Canadian shows earlier this week.

The Line Of Best Fit has premiered the second video from the new Shout Out Louds album Optica, in stores February 26. They’re in town at The Opera House on May 14.

Video: Shout Out Louds – “Walking In Your Footsteps”

Junip have streamed the first track from their new self-titled album, due out April 23.

Stream: Junip – “Line Of Fire”

Ólafur Arnalds has premiered a sample from his next album For Now I Am Winter over at Drowned In Sound. The album is out February 25.

Stream: Ólafur Arnalds – “This Place Was A Shelter”

Diane SagnierTame Impala’s second album Lonerism topped more than a few 2012 year-end lists, and while it doesn’t do much for me – despite on paper being exactly the sort of thing I should like – if you were to say that Kevin Parker was behind one of the year’s finest psychedelic pop records, I would be inclined to agree with you. Except that I would be talking about Melody’s Echo Chamber.

Describing Melody’s Echo Chamber as the sound of Broadcast’s first album being played at volume in a Parisian apartment with the reverberations captured by a vintage ’60s microphone and run through Kevin Parker’s pedalboard might sound like hyperbolic metaphor, but it could also be a literal account of how the record was made. With words – a combination of French, English, and a made-up language called “Melodese” – voice – a combination of sweet girlishness and continental sophistication – and songs provided by Parisian Melody Prochet, both Prochet and Parker contributing instrumentation, and Parker assuming production and mixing roles, the record is a shining, staticy, psychedelic swirl that sounds indelibly retro yet thoroughly modern at the same time.

Those who’ve found love in Lonerism‘s otherworldly textures should find Melody’s Echo Chamber a worthy companion piece and those who found Parker’s opus unsatisfying – that’s my hand in the air, there – shouldn’t discount it as more of the same because it’s different enough to stand on its own, and Prochet’s voice should be able to convince even the most skeptical. I’m sorry I missed her live Toronto debut last Fall when they opened up for The Raveonettes, but am hopeful that they’ll be here again this year – perhaps opening up for Tame Impala’s Spring tour? It would just kind of make sense.

Drowned In Sound, The Line Of Best Fit and Under The Radar both have extensive feature pieces on Prochet and the creative process behind Melody’s Echo Chamber. Bowlegs also has an interview.

Stream: Melody’s Echo Chamber – “Crystallized”
Video: Melody’s Echo Chamber – “You Won’t Be Missing That Part Of Me”
Video: Melody’s Echo Chamber – “I Follow You”

The first video from the new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album Push The Sky Away, out February 19. Know what’s odd? I still can’t figure out who’s releasing this in North America. I do know that they’re at Massey Hall on March 23, though, so there’s that.

Video: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “We No Who U R”

A new song from Shugo Tokumaru’s new album In Focus? is available to stream. It’s out February 22.

Stream: Shugo Tokumaru – “Katachi”

A new track from the forthcoming Shout Out Louds album Optica has debuted to stream over at The Line Of Best Fit. The album is out February 26 and they play The Opera House on May 14.

Stream: Shout Out Louds – “Walking In Your Footsteps”

What happens when you give Jens Lekman’s keyboard player a ride from New York to Boston post-Hurricane Sandy so he can catch up with the rest of the band on tour? He writes you a song. And shares it with the world. Congratulations, Olivia and Maddy, you have eleven minutes and eighteen seconds of fame left.

MP3: Jens Lekman – “Olivia & Maddy”

Wears The Trousers and MXDWN talk to Victoria Bergsman of Taken By Trees.

The Village Voice interviews Malin Dahlström of Niki & The Dove; they’re in town at Wrongbar on January 16.

NPR is streaming the whole of Somewhere Else, the debut from Denmark’s Søen Løkke Juul as Indians. The album is out January 29 and they play The Drake on March 4.

MP3: Indians – “Cakelakers”
Stream: Indians / Somewhere Else

Iceage have offered a song from their new album You’re Nothing, out on February 19. They also announced a North American tour but while there’s no Toronto date at the moment, that four-day gap between Pittsburgh and Vermont is a bit conspicuous. Just saying.

MP3: Iceage – “Coalition”

Filter interviews Björk.

FacebookA pile of this and that from overseas to get to today, so why not start with the item that I’m sure the fewest people – statistically speaking – care about.

And that’s the return of The House Of Love. A cult band’s cult band, the Guy Chadwick-led outfit has probably become better known for what they didn’t do – which is become the biggest band in the UK, as many/most expected in the late-’80s – than what they did – which was release two brilliant (as well as one decent and one turgid) albums of sweeping proto-Britpop whose influence, despite the band imploding rather than exploding, can still be detected in many British guitar bands of the past quarter-century.

After disbanding in 1993, three-quarters of the original lineup – most importantly frontman Guy Chadwick and guitarist Terry Bickers – reunited in 2005 for some live dates and an album of new material in the impressively solid throughout Days Run Away. Rather than carry that momentum forwards, however, the band seemed to go underground again with most assuming that the reunion had run its course and the band had quietly gone their separate ways, content to keep their legacy alive via a seemingly endless series of reissues of their debut album – most recently this week – and archival live material.

But then would come word of a one-off live show or a festival appearance – not much, but enough to confirm the band as an ongoing proposition – and very occasional rumours of new material being written and recorded. Rumours which coalesced this week with the reveal that, indeed, a sixth studio album had been completed and that it would be out early in the new year. Further details came yesterday via Slicing Up Eyeballs, which pointed out the band had updated their Facebook with the title of the new album – She Paints Words In Red – along with the artwork and a targeted release date of March or April, via Cherry Red Records.

I don’t expect this new record to be life-changing at all – on par with Days would be a gift – nor do I expect there’ll be any kind of effort to play live shows anywhere near this continent, but I find it pleasing to know that this band, who’s had no shortage of opportunities or incentive to simply call it day, are still making music because they want to and their fans want to hear what they have to say. Shine on.

MP3: The House Of Love – “Shine On”

All that unpleasantness this past Summer about Jaz Coleman going missing before turning up in the Sahara apparently sorted out, Killing Joke have slated a North American tour in support of their forthcoming best-of comp The Singles Collection: 1979-2012, due out April 15. They’ll be at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on April 24.

Video: Killing Joke – “Love Like Blood”

She’s gone on to become something of a rising star back in the UK since making her North American debut opening for Bon Iver last December, but Lianne La Havas hasn’t been back for a proper tour in support of her debut Is Your Love Big Enough? since. That changes this Spring, though, as she undertakes an extensive North American tour that brings her to the Opera House on April 4, tickets $21.50 in advance. NPR has a World Cafe session and The Guardian a quick feature.

Video: Lianne La Havas – “Lost & Found”

HungerTV interviews Patrick Wolf.

Esben & The Witch have released the first video from their second album Wash The Sins Not Only The Face, out January 21.

Video: Esben & The Witch – “Deathwaltz”

Frightened Rabbit have released a new video from their new record Pedestrian Verse. It’s out February 5 and they play The Phoenix March 31.

Video: Frightened Rabbit – “The Woodpile”

Foals are streaming another new song from their forthcoming album Holy Fire, out February 12.

Stream: Foals – “My Number”

The Guardian has a video session with Stornoway, who are preparing their second album Tales From Terra Firma for a March 11 release.

Billboard has a talk with Jessie Ware about her American debut and why her forthcoming introductory EP for this market will be called If You’re Never Gonna Move instead of 110%, as originally intended. She’s also released an adorable new video from her debut Devotion and given a year-end interview to The Guardian.

Video: Jessie Ware – “Sweet Talk”

DIY talks to Victoria Hesketh – aka Little Boots – about the long road to her second album, which she’s not quite prepared to share details about but assures us that it’s done and coming next year.

Los Campesinos! may be down a bassist but they’re up on Christmas, as evidenced by this seasonal tune they’re giving away.

MP3: Los Campesinos! – “A Doe To A Deer”

Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp talks holiday plans with DIY, and also offers an update on album number two.

The Wall Street Journal spends some quality time with Richard Hawley.

Matador has dished details on Danish post-punks Iceage’s forthcoming release, their first for the label. It’s optimistically titled You’re Nothing and will be out on February 19.

Junip will release their new album Junip on April 23, and have a wee little trailer for it.

Trailer: Junip / Junip

El Perro Del Mar has released a new video from Pale Fire.

Video: El Perro Del Mar – “Hold Off The Dawn”

LabradorAs predisposed as I am towards things Swedish, melancholic, and anthemic, it took me a little bit to warm to Jönköping’s Mary Onettes because, well, their name is pretty awful; thankfully, their music is most definitely not. Their 2009 album Islands was a glorious thing, all Cure-meets-Bunnymen ’80s romantic angst in stadium dress. And as happy as I’d have been to have more of the same, the band has other ideas.

Their Love Forever EP released back in February made public the first fruits of their sessions with Swedish über-producer Dan Lissvik, probably best known in these parts for helping make Shapeshifter a game-changing record for Montreal’s Young Galaxy. While it doesn’t sound as though he’s been as transformative with The Mary Onettes, Lissvik’s fingerprints are clearly audible from the distinctive gleam about each sonic element – it doesn’t sound so much like the ’80s as what the ’80s thought the future might sound like.

Love Forever did fine as a teaser, and we won’t have to wait long for the main feature. Their third album Hit The Waves will be released on March 12 and a track from it has been made available to stream. Give it a listen below, along with the Love Forever material, and get anxious.

MP3: The Mary Onettes – “Love’s Taking Strange Ways”
Stream: The Mary Onettes – “Evil Coast”
Stream: The Mary Onettes / Love Forever

Correctly interpreting their sold-out show at The Drake in October as demand, Niki & The Dove are responding with supply via a North American tour that brings them back for a show at Wrongbar on January 16, tickets $15 in advance. There’s also a feature interview at Filter.

MP3: Niki & The Dove – “Tomorrow”

NPR has a video session with Jens Lekman, who also chats with The Phoenix New Times and The Dallas Observer.

Culture Fly has an interview with Amanda Mair.

Icona Pop have released a new video from their self-titled debut, out now in Sweden and sometime next year in the rest of the world. They’re also interviewed by The Daily Beast and Buzzine, and will be at The Kool Haus on December 1 opening up for Marina & The Diamonds.

Video: Icona Pop – “We Got The World”

Matador has announced the signing of Danish post-punk young’ns Iceage. Their as-yet untitled second album will be out on February 19.

The Line Of Best Fit has an interview with Björk.

Sigur Rós are almost done with their Valtari Mystery Film Experient – this “Varúð” clip is the second-last one, and the final one should be out before they’re screened in film form in a couple weeks including December 8 at The Bloor. They play The Air Canada Centre on March 30.

Video: Sigur Rós – “Varúð”

Bowery Presents got Of Monsters & Men to perform an acoustic session on the rooftop of the Music Hall of Williamsburg way back in the Spring. But they’ve only posted it now.

Anton RothsteinWho: Iceage
What: Danish teen (or barely no longer) post-punk who proudly carry on their Viking tradition of visiting foreign lands and causing shit.
Why: Though not even a half-hour in length, the buzz around their debut New Brigade continues to sustain – this is their second North American tour in support of it.
When: Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Where: The Horseshoe in Toronto (19+)
Who else: It looks to be a busy bill with some/all of Milk Music, Odonis Odonis, Urban Blight, and S.H.I.T. being listed as openers. Clearly you’d be getting your money’s worth if you weren’t here angling for free passes.
How: Tickets for the show are $12.50 in advance but courtesy of Embrace, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Iceage” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that to me by midnight, July 16.

MP3: Iceage – “White Rune”
MP3: Iceage – “Broken Bone”
MP3: Iceage – “New Brigade”