Renata RakshaIt may not technically be Winter out there yet, but it certainly feels it and so you can’t be blamed for wanting to look ahead to Summer – particularly when NXNE is getting out there months earlier than in the past with artist announcements for next year’s festival, which will run June 13 to 22 – this means the main weekend of shows is a week later than past years and thus will NOT be happening concurrently with LuminaTO, Taste Of Little Italy, the MMVAs… all of which is to say you will actually be able to get around the city that weekend.

Leading announcements off in the biggest font is Ms Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. Yesterday, she confirmed details of her fourth album – a self-titled effort coming out February 25 – and today announced a Spring tour behind the record. NXNE isn’t scheduled contiguously with those dates, though, so either Annie’s getting on a plane just to come see us or more dates are happening this Summer – good news for those in markets not included in the itinerary, though to be fair, there aren’t that many. There’s no details on where she’s playing, but the show looks to be happening on June 20. It’s questionable if she’s big enough to anchor Yonge-Dundas Square that night, but considering her trajectory of local shows has gone from opener at Lee’s in 2007 through packing The Horseshoe in 2009 and then The Phoenix in 2011, it’s not unreasonable – after all, you know how you become a festival headliner? You headline a festival. You can stream a track from St. Vincent below and The Quietus has an interview with Annie Clark.

St. Vincent wasn’t the only notable name amongst those announced yesterday; you also had Danny Brown, Mac DeMarco, Speedy Ortiz, Rhye, Snowmine, and Until The Ribbon Breaks. A pretty good start and six more months to make it even better. Wristbands are on sale now and the early bird price of $75 is good until the end of the year – and 2-for-$75 until December 24; then it goes up to $99 until May and finally $150. Do with that information what you will.

MP3: Mac DeMarco – “Annie”
MP3: Snowmine – “Beast In Air, Beast In Water”
MP3: Danny Brown – “Die Like A Rockstar”
Stream: St. Vincent – “Birth In Reverse”
Video: Rhye – “Open”
Video: Speedy Ortiz – “Tiger Tank”
Video: Until The Ribbon Breaks – “Back To the Stars”

And oh yeah, Canadian Music Week also announced the first batch of bands playing their festival next year during its new dates of May 6 to 10. It’s okay if you don’t recognize any of the names. Not many people do.

Neil Young has announced a special benefit show in support of Aboriginal peoples fighting oil sands development in their territories. That’s happening January 12 at Massey Hall where he’ll be supported by Diana Krall and tickets range from $95 to $250, going on sale Friday. Information on the cause can be found at Treaty 8 and Honor the Treaties. Young’s new archival release Live At The Cellar Door came out this week.

Video: Neil Young – “Love And War”

Solo Stroke Albert Hammond Jr was just here last month promoting his new EP AHJ, but will return on January 14 for a date at the Sound Academy supporting Jake Bugg. Which I’m sure he’s totally cool with. Scotland On Sunday, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Pitch have interviews.

Video: Albert Hammond Jr – “Carnal Cruise”

One of the more talked-about bands of the latter part of this year – Syracuse’s punky Perfect Pussy – have put together an extensive tour behind their debut cassette EP I have lost all desire for feeling that wraps through the end of this year straight through to next, and wraps up in Canada, a January 25 date at The Silver Dollar being the second-to-last of the jaunt. Tickets for that show are $10.50 and their full-length debut is due out next year on Captured Tracks.

MP3: Perfect Pussy – “I”

Making up for the date he had to cancel in September because of a hand injury, Colin Stetson has announced two dates at the Workman Arts Theatre on February 14 and 15 behind his Polaris-shortlisted New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light.

MP3: Colin Stetson – “High Above A Grey Green Sea”

San Fermin, the Brooklyn musical collective headed by keyboardist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, will be at The Garrison on February 15 behind this year’s self-titled debut. Advance tickets are $11.50. DIY and Under The Radar have features.

Video: San Fermin – “Sonsick”

Nicole Atkins has given her crowdfunded new album Slow Phaser a February 4 release date – check out the album art and stream a new song at Paste and read an interview at Speak Into My Good Eye – and while full dates to support it are still forthcoming, it’s confirmed she’ll be at The Horseshoe on February 18, tickets $12.50.

Stream: Nicole Atkins – “Girl You Look Amazing”

North Carolina’s Lost In The Trees will be on the road and at The Garrison on February 23 in support of their new album Past Life, which comes out just a few days before on February 18. It’s the follow-up to 2012’s A Church That Fits Our Needs. Tickets for that show will run $13.50 in advance.

Video: Lost In The Trees – “Rites”

London-based duo Public Service Broadcasting, who blend archival educational film soundtracks and footage with driving, Kraut-derived instrumental rock to bracing effect on their debut Inform Educate Entertain are setting out on a North American tour with a stop at The Drake Underground on February 26. And if you think that a band playing along with visuals is inherently kind of boring, do check out this live performance video at Noisey and also read this interview at The National Student.

Video: Public Service Broadcasting – “Signal 30”
Video: Public Service Broadcasting – “If War Should Come”

Not only have Warpaint offered up a second taste of their forthcoming self-titled effort, out January 25, but they’ve announced a North American tour that brings them back to Toronto for a show at the Danforth Music Hall on March 25.

Stream: Warpaint – “Biggy”

Dum Dum Girls have announced dates in support of their new album Too True, coming out January 28, and it will feature support from Portland’s Blouse, who released their second album Imperium this year. They will be at Lee’s Palace on March 29, tickets $20.

MP3: Blouse – “No Shelter”
Video: Dum Dum Girls – “Lost Boys And Girls Club”

The Head & The Heart and Basia Bulat will team up for a pretty folk-ing great Spring tour that stops at The Kool Haus on March 30; both released acclaimed new albums this Fall – The Head & The Heart with Let’s Be Still and Bulat with Tall Tall Shadow – read an interview with The Head & The Heart at The Georgia Straight and watch a video session with Bulat at Public Radio International. Tickets for the show are $26.50 in advance.

Video: The Head & The Heart – “Shake”
Video: Basia Bulat – “Tall Tall Shadow”

Demand for The 1975 has bumped their May 6 date at The Danforth Music Hall up to The Kool Haus. You have five months to remember this.

Video: The 1975 – “Head.Cars.Bending”

SethA Yo La Tengo show can be a pretty variable thing – even without taking into account the spinning wheel of randomness that dictated the course of their recent tours – seemingly depending on how the band is feeling and regardless of what record they have to promote. I’ve seen them play ultra-extended and often tedious versions of the likes of “Blue Line Swinger” and “Nuclear War”, usually when it seems Ira isn’t in the best mood and might even be taking it out on the audience, and also seen nearly transcendent sets that balance out their pop and experimental sides, replete with jokes, jams and synchronized dancing.

I can tell you one thing, though – when the band visits Toronto next on April 21, you’ll get none of the above. And that’s because it’s nothing like a regular tour stop, but instead an appearance for the closing gala of the Images Festival, wherein they will perform The Sounds Of Science. For the unfamiliar, that’s a series of short nature films made by the avant-garde French director Jean Painlevé in the 1920s and 30s about aquatic life which the band created a score for a screening at the 2001 San Francisco Film Festival and have performed only very occasionally as well as releasing as the album The Sounds Of The Sounds Of Science and the DVD Science Is Fiction: 23 Films By Jean Painlevé (though the DVD features completely different compositions). I have the former and while I can’t claim it’s one of my more listened-to Yo La records – okay, I hardly ever play it – it’s quite lovely and this will be a unique experience.

Tickets for the screening, which will take place at The Toronto Underground Cinema, are $25 in advance. And no, they probably won’t play “Sugarcube”.

MP3: Yo La Tengo – “The Love Life Of The Octopus”
Video: Yo La Tengo – “Sea Urchins”

Norwegian-born, Sweden-based singer-songwriter Ane Brun will pay us a rare visit on May 10 when she plays The Great Hall in support of her new record It All Starts With One, which will be getting a North American release soon. Tickets for the show are $16.50 in advance.

Video: Ane Brun – “Worship” (featuring Jose Gonzalez)

Playground interviews Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds.

DIY has a feature piece on The Big Pink.

SXSW poses some questions to James Graham of The Twilight Sad.

The New York Times profiles Jonny Greenwood’s activities both within and without Radiohead. He’ll be with them when they play Downsview Park on June 16. I assume.

The Joy Formidable have released a nice little session video to coincide with their just-started North American tour, which finishes with a sold-out show at Lee’s Palace on April 2.

Video: The Joy Formidable – “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie” (live in session)

Rolling Stone talks to Steve Earle about his appreciation for The Rolling Stones.

NPR is streaming the whole of the new Lost In The Trees album A Church That Fits Our Needs ahead of its formal release next Tuesday. They’re at The Drake on April 6.

Video: Lost In The Trees – “Red”
Stream: Lost In The Trees / A Church That Fits Our Needs

eMusic and NPR interview Andrew Bird.

Filter and DIY talk to James Mercer of The Shins. Port Of Morrow is out March 20 and they play The Molson Amphitheatre on August 4.

The AV Club’s Undercover series returns, kicking off with Sharon Van Etten and Shearwater – or “Shearwater/Van Etten” – covering Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Stevie Nicks. Awesomely.

Texas bound! Seeya.

David McCrindleA rumour that will undoubtedly surface over and over again over the next few months about Minneapolis young toughs Howler is this – drummer Brent Mayes is the scion of one Prince Rogers Nelson. Even if it were true, it would be irrelevant as future-funk is the furthest thing from Howler’s mandate as you can get. The fivesome face unabashedly backwards in time, staring straight at the ’50s rock and ’70s punk – in particular the garages and dive bars across America where rock’n’roll was being cultivated.

And if they do it all through the lens of the ’00s and in particular The Strokes, well that’s fair game as well. The band are absurdly young – frontman Jordan Gatesmith is all of 19 years old – and Julian Casablancas and his gang are probably as much a part of the classic rock canon to them as Elvis or The Ramones. This isn’t in any way to suggest that Howler will be taking their place amongst the aforementioned anytime soon, if ever. Though their debut album America Give Up has plenty of rough energy and enthusiasm and some immediately likeable tunes but loses some points for striving a bit too hard for some nebulous “authenticity”, particularly when Gatesmith tries to ape Casablancas’ more throat-shredding moments; they fare better when they sound more relaxed and like a bunch of kids having a good time. Still, they manage to stay on the right side of the ledger by keeping the tempos up, guitars loud, hooks sharp and running time short – under 32 minutes and they’re done.

Unsurpisingly, Howler are already critical darlings in the UK – The Guardian has a profile piece on the band. America Give Up is out next Tuesday and streaming in whole at NPR. They play The Drake Underground on April 5.

MP3: Howler – “Back Of Your Neck”
Video: Howler – “Back Of Your Neck”
Video: Howler – “Told You Once”
Stream: Howler / America Give Up

Not so long ago, Crocodiles were super-conspicuous for their absence from Toronto stages – now they’ve practically moved in as they’re back for their third show in eight months (sixth if you count all three NXNE gigs), playing Lee’s Palace on February 23. Tickets are $13.50.

MP3: Crocodiles – “Sleep Forever”

Chairlift’s new record Something will be out on January 24 and they’ll follow that up with a show at The Horseshoe on March 28 – tickets $12.

MP3: Chairlift – “Sidewalk Safari”

North Carolina’s Lost In The Trees continue to work 2010’s All Alone In An Empty House, returning to town again for another date at The Drake Underground on April 6, tickets $11.50. Update: Their new record A Church That Fits Our Needs is out March 20 and NPR is streaming the first song.

MP3: Lost In The Trees – “All Alone In An Empty House”
Stream: Lost In The Trees – “Red”

Amidst a lineup of some of the biggest – and loudest – names in indie rock of the past two decades, not many expected the delicate piano songs of Seattle’s Perfume Genius to stand out, but inexplicably, it did. Now with a second album in Put Your Back N 2 It ready for a February 21 release, Mike Hadreas will hit the road with it and stop in at the Drake Underground on April 8. Tickets for that are $13.50 in advance.

MP3: Perfume Genius – “All Waters”

Real Estate have rolled out a new Scharpling-directed video from Days. They’re at Lee’s Palace on January 20.

Video: Real Estate – “Easy”

Pitchfork has another MP3 from Of Montreal’s forthcoming Paralytic Stalks, out February 7.

MP3: Of Montreal – “Dour Percentage”

Clash talks to Eric Bachmann and Mark Price of Archers Of Loaf. The Vee Vee reissue is out February 21.

White Rabbits have announced a March 6 release date for their new record Milk Famous. You can grab the first MP3 at their website in exchange for an email address.

The Shins have released a stream of the first tune from their new record Port Of Morrow, out March 20.

Stream: The Shins – “Simple Song”

Memory Tapes have put out a new video from Player Piano.

Video: Memory Tapes – “Trance Sisters”

Village Voice interviews Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack of Wye Oak.

Billboard chats with Carrie Brownstein of Wild Flag and other stuff.

I don’t know if this video for Wilco’s “The Whole Love” is technically official, but seeing as how it was directed by Spencer Tweedy – son of Jeff – it’s at least officially acknowledged.

Video: Wilco – “The Whole Love”

PitchforkTV has a video documentary on The Flaming Lips’ masterpiece The Soft Bulletin.

Joshua Black WilkinsIt was an unfortunate on many levels when, last September, Justin Townes Earle got into a dust-up in Indianapolis while on tour for last year’s Harlem River Blues. Beyond the obvious downside of getting arrested for battery, public drunkenness, and resisting arrest, he had to cancel a string of dates in order to enter rehab – including a date in Toronto – and while his American commitments were rescheduled and fulfilled later in the Fall, his record (the police kind, not the musical) made trying to get back up into Canada an unlikely proposition in the short term.

But it would appear that almost a year on, the appropriate paperwork has been done, records expunged and/or promises of good behaviour made because Earle is set to make up his show at The Horseshoe on August 26 with Shovels & Rope supporting, tickets $15.50 in advance. Interestingly, that’s less than a week after his dad – who has had his own run-ins with controlled substances and the law – plays The Molson Amphitheatre. And hopefully Earle will also make up his cancelled in-store at Criminal Records, assuming he has a well-developed sense of irony about the store’s name…

The Tennessean, Grand Rapids Press and The Lantern all have interviews with Earle.

MP3: Justin Townes Earle – “Harlem River Blues”

In other show announcements, cutie patootie Australian pop singer Lenka has made a date at Lee’s Palace for June 15 in support of her second album Two. Beatweek has an interview.

Video: Lenka – “Heart Skips A Beat”

Shoegaze will rule when Hamilton drone-rock veterans Sianspheric come out of retirement to team up with Austin-based MBV-worshippers Ringo Deathstarr at The Garrison on June 30.

MP3: Sianspheric – “This All Happened”
MP3: Ringo Deathstarr – “Imagine Hearts”

North Carolinan orchestral-folk collective Lost In The Trees have set a date for The Drake Underground for July 25; all accounts I’ve heard are that they are amazing live. All Alone In An Empty House certainly offers evidence they’re amazing on record. You should go to this.

MP3: Lost In The Trees – “All Alone In An Empty House”

With the June 28 release of their new record Sound Kapital nigh, Handsome Furs have announced an August 1 show at The Horseshoe; tickets are $15 and go on sale Thursday.

MP3: Handsome Furs – “What About Us”

With both Soundgarden and Foo Fighters coming to town over the next few months, it’s only natural that Pearl Jam also schedule a visit. Their twentieth anniversary cross-Canada tour will feature two dates at the Air Canada Centre – September 11 and 12 – and feature support from Mudhoney. Grunge lives what?

MP3: Mudhoney – “I’m Now”
Video: Pearl Jam – “Even Flow”

Toro Y Moi will be at The Opera House on September 18 as part of a Fall tour in support of Underneath The Pine, released earlier this year.

MP3: Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”

Interview talks to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. They’re at The Phoenix tomorrow night, May 18, and the Molson Amphitheatre on July 29. Their new record Codes & Keys is out May 31.

Peter Silberman of The Antlers takes Drowned In Sound on a song-by-song tour of new album Burst Apart. They are at The Mod Club on June 14.

Head over to Pitchfork to trade your email for the first MP3 from Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, out June 21. They play The Sound Academy on August 9.

Drowned In Sound meets Explosions In The Sky.

Laundromatinee gets all sessional with Ra Ra Riot.

Bradley’s Almanac is sharing recordings of a Pavement show in Boston last Fall.

NYC Taper has posted recordings of Yo La Tengo’s two shows at Brooklyn’s Bell House last week, The Wall Street Journal asks the band about their “Wheel Of Fortune” tour and Wine Enthusiast talks to them about eating (and drinking) on the road.

Eva VermandelAt first, no one even believed it was happening. Apocalyptic Montreal post-rock godheads Godspeed You! Black Emperor, basically inactive since touring behind 2002’s Yanqui u.x.o. ceased and presumed defunct, out of nowhere announced they were reconvening to curate an All Tomorrow’s Parties in the UK in December 2010. And in typically cryptic Godspeed fashion, the accompanying press release mentioned that there would be additional dates in the UK and Europe and “9 American towns” but offered no further details.

Of course, it was that last bit that threw everyone into simultaneous euphoria and panic. Euphoria that those who missed out on their legendary live experiences would possibly get a chance to have their minds expanded/exploded, and panic that their own town might not be one of the lucky nine. Why nine? Did Manhattan and Brooklyn count as one or two? And the whole “America” thing was also alarming – North? United States of? The idea that the band would leave their home and native land out of the loop was unthinkable, but where Godspeed is concerned, nothing could be taken for granted. So a collective sigh was heard when the first set of dates was finally revealed a couple weeks ago, and there were decidedly more than nine municipalities covered and on both sides of the 49th.

Toronto, however, was conspicuously absent from the itinerary despite their routing coming oh-so close, wrapping in Detroit at the end of March. That there wouldn’t be shows here was unthinkable, but the when and the where… showed up last night. Though their shows at the Palais Royale at the start of the decade are nigh mythical (at least to hear it from those who were there, which doesn’t include me), their return will come at the decidedly cozier environs of Lee’s Palace over three nights next Spring – April 22, 23 and 24, the last of those being a dry, all-ages matinee show – you know, for kids! You’d think that would mean that 1500 people would get the chance to see them, but you can expect more than a few three-peat attendees. It might be almost seven months away, but when the $20 advance tickets go on sale this Thursday, hesitate at your peril.

MySpace: Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Chart talks to The Coast about their new album Queen Cities. It’s streamable at their Facebook (each track is embedded on their wall) and the lead track is available to take home for your very own.

MP3: The Coast – “Heartbreak City”
Stream: The Coast / Queen Cities

Soundproof profiles The Acorn.

As expected, here’s another video from Neil Young’s new record Le Noise, due out today. There’s a video interview with both Young and producer Daniel Lanois over at QTV.

Video: Neil Young – “Walk With Me”

Suuns have rolled out a new video from their forthcoming debut Zeroes QC. It’s out October 12.

Video: Suuns – “Up Past The Nursery”

Olenka & The Autumn Lovers have completed their new album and given it the title of And Now We Sing; it will be available for sale on their upcoming Fall tour which includes an October 17 date at The Garrison. Their show there last year was so good, I’m sad I won’t be able to make this one. One of you out there make it for me.

MP3: Olenka & The Autumn Lovers – “Eggshells”

The Chicago Tribune has an interview with and Baeble Music solicits a mix tape from Basia Bulat. She’s at the Phoenix on October 26 opening up for Josh Ritter.

Pitchfork has got another new track from Diamond Rings’ forthcoming debut Special Affections in advance of its October 26 release. He plays a free show at the Parkdale Branch of the Toronto Public Library on October 8 at 8PM and a record release show at The Garrison on October 26.

MP3: Diamond Rings – “Something Else”

Impact 89 has a chat with and NPR a World Cafe session with Dan Mangan, in town at Trinity-St. Paul’s on October 28.

Woodhands are back for a show at Lee’s Palace on November 19, advance tickets $13.50.

MP3: Woodhands – “Dissembler”

The Line Of Best Fit has assembled a thirteenth Oh! Canada download mix of Canadian artists.

And not quite fitting in with the Can-con meme of the rest of the post but time-sensitive, North Carolina’s Lost In The Trees – introduced and endorsed back in June – have announced a last-minute in-store performance at Soundscapes today – as in today – at 5:30PM. I haven’t yet had the privilege of seeing them live but I’m pretty sure it’ll be great. You should totally go.

MP3: Lost In The Trees – “All Alone In An Empty House”

And less good, tonight’s Bettie Serveert show at the Drake has been cancelled due to passport issues. Le boo.