Marius HansenLast July, I was introduced to Spanish site Buffet Libre on account of their releasing a massive compilation of covers – mainly of ’80s pop tunes – by a slew of artists I’d mostly never heard of, but also the likes of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Electric Soft Parade. That was only the first salvo, however, and they’ve rung in the new year with part the second – another massive batch of covers, this one featuring the likes of Headlights, Au Revoir Simone and Amiina… and a whole pile of bands I’ve never heard of. Lots to wade through, and a bit fortuitously timed since I was just soliciting cover versions a couple days ago.

So why the picture of Ms Charlotte Hatherley, who does not appear on the aforementioned comp? Well hearing Headlights’ sleepy cover of XTC’s “Making Plans For Nigel” reminded me how much I enjoyed Hatherley’s own take on Swindon’s favourite sons in “This Is Pop”, recorded for a radio session in 2007. And it also reminded me to check on the progress of her third album, and what do you know? It’s completed and has a title – Cinnabar City – and is set for release in the first part of this year. According to the flowery language of the official release, it was tracked in a single week in London, has uber-producer Alan Moulder’s fingerprints on it in some capacity (probably mixing) and features “prog-pop, pop-punk and electro-junk”. Alls I know is that I’ve really enjoyed both Grey Will Fade and The Deep Blue, so whenever this one sees the light of day, I’ll be there.

Rewinding (ahem) a moment back to Champaign, Illinois’ finest pop band, Headlights, they released a remix record in the cryptically-titled Remixes late last year. It’s limited to 1000 copies so if you want, move it. All racing, no stopping.

I’ll tie up this twisty bit of blog with a trio of XTC covers – Hatherley’s, Headlights’ and SSLYBY’s from the first Rewind comp – and point you to XTC’s MySpace blog, which features extensive interviews with both Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding about a different song of theirs each week… and they’ve been doing this since October 2006. I know some of y’all are crazy XTC fans, so if this is news to you, consider your day/week wasted. You’re welcome.

MP3: Charlotte Hatherley – “This Is Pop”
MP3: Headlights – “Making Plans For Nigel”
MP3: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – “Another Satellite”

The AV Club talks to Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard while Alternative Press has an interview with Chris Walla. I somehow doubt that Walla is going to get his wish for a louder, angrier Death Cab – becoming Mr Zoey Deschanel isn’t really the sort of thing that’d press Gibbard’s “rage” buttons.

Paste declares Gemma Hayes their artist of the week.

Matador continues to play “what the fuck” in announcing the release of a Condo Fucks album in March entitled Fuckbook. The Condo Fucks are a long-running joke alias for Yo La Tengo and it’s unclear if this is actually a new YLT record, an actual YLT side-project record or just an excuse for the Beggars Group to add yet another Fuck band to their roster though I have to say, if they’re not from Toronto – fictionally or otherwise – the critical acclaim isn’t guaranteed.

MP3: Condo Fucks – “Whatcha Gonna Do About It”

NPR profiles Blitzen Trapper, in town at the Horseshoe on February 21.

New York Press and The Daily Record talk to Glasvegas, whose self-titled debut gets a North American release today.

Daytrotter has a session with Thao.

Pitchfork interviews Love Is All’s Josephine Olausson.

Frank YangBrevity is the watchword of the day. ‘Tis been a long weekend.

Heading into Thurday night’s show at the Horseshoe, I was interested to see the headliner, curious about the much-buzzed about support act and completely unfamiliar with the local opener. We’ll start there.

I’d not heard of Tropics but half of the duo was Slim Twig, whom I was also mostly unfamiliar but at least I’d heard his name before. But it was his bandmate, drummer Simone TB, whom I found much more interesting – together, they were turning out some seriously loud garage-a-billy but while Twig’s guitar and vocal approach reminded me of a more abrasive but less interesting Jon Spencer, TB’s drumming was always deft and inventive and pushed their sound into more unpredictable places.

The drummer also stole the show for the Brooklyn outfit Crystal Stilts, but that wasn’t necessarily much of a feat. That’s not meant to take away from what Frankie Rose contributed behind the kit, as she and guitarist JB Townsend did a fine job of giving the band’s Spector-worshipping pop some punch, but more a comment on the sucking charisma vacuum that was frontman Brad Hargett. His droning Ian Curtis-ish vocals, already swathed in metallic reverb on record, seemed to be buried even further in the live mix and when he occasionally stepped on the reverb pedal his mic was run through, he may as well have not been there – an impression augmented by his complete lack of physical presence. Though not turning my world upside down, I do find some of Crystal Stilts’ output interesting, if overly one-dimensional. Live, however, they were wholly unengaging.

This left it up to headliners Love Is All to make the night worthwhile and while their set barely clocked in at forty minutes, they more than delivered. I’ve only recently gotten into the band, mainly on the strength of their latest release A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night, and was pleasantly surprised that they were even more enjoyable live. The scrappy production and clangy reverb of the recorded product gave way to a much fuller and polished live sound and a greater emphasis on their dancier attributes, thanks to a much more prominently feature Markus Gorsch – yes, the drummer once again ruled the day. But he didn’t steal the show – with a frontwoman as manic and energetic as Josephine Olausson, that’s next to impossible. Either banging away on her keyboard or caterwauling gleefully to the audience, and I mean that in the best possible sense, she led her bandmates through a delicate balance of sweet pop and sonic skronk.

The Chicago Tribune has a feature on Love Is All while The New Gay has a short interview with Olausson. The local media was apparently all excited about Crystal Stilts’ visit – there were pieces on the band in eye, NOW and Chart. Pity about their performance. To hear for yourself, check out a show available to download at NYC Taper – I haven’t listened to the particular show they’re offering, but I don’t think that the Toronto show was any kind of aberration from the norm. Call it a hunch. eye also has a review of the show.

Photos: Love Is All, Crystal Stilts, Tropics @ The Horseshoe – December 11, 2008
MP3: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
MP3: Crystal Stilts – “Crystal Stilts”
MP3: Crystal Stilts – “Shattered Shine”
Video: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
MySpace: Love Is All

If there was some way of knowing which Primal Scream was coming to North America next year, I might be more interested in their just-announced March 24 show at the Opera House Phoenix (tickets $35). If we’re talking XTRMNTR or Vanishing Point Primal Scream, I’m in. If we’re talking Give Out But Don’t Give Up or Screamadelica, I’m out (heresy on the second one, I know but whatever). And I have no idea who they are circa their last few records. If they’re going to play “Shoot Speed/Kill Light”, that might be persuasion enough but something tells me the name of the first single off latest release Beautiful Future might prove to be prescient… This Is Nottingham interviews guitarist Barry Cadogan. Update: Venue appears to be different from what I thought – now the Phoenix, not Opera House.

Video: Primal Scream – “Can’t Go Back”

Also just announced – Eagles Of Death Metal at the Phoenix on February 20, tickets $27.50.

Filter interviews Of Montreal.

Pitchfork has details on the new Arcade Fire DVD Miroir Noir, which will be available digitally starting today and in physical form next year.

The AV Club talks to Mates Of State.

The Times talks to Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Adele and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon about their breakthrough 2008s.

2:30 PublicityI was reading a piece in the latest issue of Exclaim wherein Nicholaus Sparding of Love Is All commented on the band’s inability to get arrested in their native Sweden, perhaps on account of their refusal/inability to adhere to what’s typically thought of when you talk about Swedish indie – that is, elegant pop of the orchestrally twee persuasion.

And perhaps that’s why I ultimately ignored their debut, 2006’s Nine Times That Same Song – I really like that elegant, orchestrally twee pop, particularly delivered in a Swedish accent, and that’s most definitely not what Love Is All are about, except maybe the accent part. From Josephine Olausson’s gleeful caterwaul to James Ausfahrt’s skronking saxophone, Love Is All are resolutely scrappy, abrasive and frantic. The Cardigans, they are not.

But score one for personal growth, as I’ve given the follow-up A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night more of a chance and am pleased to find myself coming around to its charms. Within Hundred‘s ten tracks there reside a handful of lustrous pop jewels that no amount of sonic dirt can dull – manic lead single “Wishing Well” and the Spector-iiffic “When Giants Fall” chief amongst them – and the numbers that don’t reach the same level of inspiration do their best to compensate with loads of anarchic energy. I can’t say that Love Is All are an outfit that I necessarily see myself forming a long and lasting relationship with, but for a good night out, you could do far worse.

And on that note, Love Is All are about to kick off a North American tour which will bring them to the Horseshoe next Thursday night, December 11. Courtesy of Against The Grain, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “Love Is All I need” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, December 8.

Exclaim has posted up the complete transcript of the interview that seeded the feature mentioned above, and The San Francisco Bay Guardian also has an interview with Josephine Olausson.

MP3: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
Video: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
MySpace: Love Is All

One of the nicest things to show up in my inbox lately is from New Yorkers The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, whose ’80s-vintage jangly/fuzzy brand of pop is as twee-friendly as their name. Pretty much what you might expect from a band on the venerable Slumberland marque, and totally scratching an itch I’d forgotten I had. Their self-titled debut will arrive on February 3 and a short Winter tour brings them to Toronto on February 12 for a show at Neutral.

MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You”
MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Come Saturday”
Video: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You”
MySpace: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

The Wedding Present, for whom POBPAH are currently opening a string of dates in the UK, have released a download-only, throwaway (my subjective opinion) Christmas single, complete with video. The Gedge is really into this Californian lifestyle thing, from the looks of it.

Video: The Wedding Present – “Holly Jolly Hollywood”

The title track from Los Campesinos’ new record We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is now available to download.

MP3: Los Campesinos! – “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed”

Contact Music interviews Asobi Seksu. Their new album Hush is out February 17.

BBC talks to Noah & The Whale, who are set to release a mini-album under the guise of their A-Sides punk band persona, just in time for Christmas though just barely – it’s out December 22. They also give some hints about the direction album number two – currently in production and the reason for their cancelled North American tour – is taking.

And also cancelled is CSS’s December 15 date at the Opera House. I guess the Brazilians finally discovered that December is COLD in the northern hemisphere (actually they say it’s due to visa issues).

And those of you who didn’t get tickets to Franz Ferdinand’s show at Lee’s tomorrow night – which is most of you – may be heartened to know that they’re doing another tiny show at the Masonic Temple (aka MTV Canada studios) on Friday but the only way to get tickets is to listen to CFNY (aka “The Edge”, to those of you under 30). Whether you’re willing to make that great a sacrifice to try and get tickets is up to you.

March will prove to be a good month for those whose tastes run towards the rootsier end of things. First, March 3 brings the Middle Cyclone (artwork!), the new album from Neko Case (she talks to Paste about making the album and buying a farm – A farm, not THE farm), and on March 31 Great Lake Swimmers will release their latest, Lost Channels.

Swedes Love Is All are celebrating Hallowe’en by recording dark (as in luminescence, not necessarily tone) costume-laden videos for each of the songs for their forthcoming album A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night, out November 11.

I’ve been given one of them, for “When Giants Fall”, to premiere and you can find some of the others at Pitchfork, Stereogum and Gorilla Vs Bear with more to follow.

Love Is All play the Horseshoe on December 11.

Frank YangNormally I try to cover stuff chronologically, but in summing up my time in New York City this past weekend, I’m going to jump around a little bit for the sake of grouping things together. And so I’ll start off at the end of Thursday night in the basement of a little club called Lit in the East Village.

Providence’s The Brother Kite would be well within their rights to ask me to stop coming to their gigs. In each of the three times I’ve now seen them play, their set was… marred by circumstances beyond anyone’s control. The first, last year at my Pop Montreal showcase, was a bit of a mess on too many levels to get into. The second at this year’s SxSW was significantly better but with singer Patrick Boutwell dealing with a cold, they still weren’t in top form. And this past Thursday night, at their CMJ showcase, their supposed headlining slot at the showcase for their label Clairecords appeared at real risk of being cut down to nothing because of every preceding act running long. It’s not my fault, I swear.

They were eventually given a truncated but still decent-length set with which they showcased both new material from the can’t-come-soon-enough follow-up to Waiting For The Time To Be Right alongside highlights from that utter gem of a record (one-liner for those who haven’t heard it – Ride crossed with The Beach Boys, but better). The new stuff sounded good – similar enough to the old in the ways that matter but also exploring enough new ground to not be a retread – but I still loved hearing the Time songs the most. And considering they were playing once again in less than optimal conditions – they hardly got any soundcheck despite having a decidedly complex equipment setup – they once again delivered a superb performance. I can’t imagine how good they’d sound if they were playing under optimal conditions. Though this is a band that gives new meaning to the phrase “flying under the radar”, it’s certainly not for lack of ability – their songwriting and performance both live and on record are sublime.

The band have been documenting the recording of the new record over at their MySpace blog.

Photos: The Brother Kite @ Lit, New York City – October 23, 2008
MP3: The Brother Kite – “Get On, Me”
MP3: The Brother Kite – “I’m Not The Only One”
Video: The Brother Kite – “I’m Not The Only One”
MySpace: The Brother Kite

Yuki Chikudate of Asobi Seksu tells The Georgia Straight she doesn’t buy into the idea of an ongoing shoegaze revival. Their new album Hush will surely do nothing to propagate that idea when it’s released in February.

The Montreal Gazette, JAM and BlogTO converse with Murray Lightburn of The Dears. While over at This Is Fake DIY, the band’s other/better half Natalia Yanchak ponders the meaning(lessness) of labels.

R.E.M. have a new video.

Video: R.E.M. – “Until The Day Is Done”

Sweden’s Love Is All, on the cusp of releasing A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night on November 11, have padded out their tour dates and will now be hitting the Horseshoe on December 11, tickets $11.50.

MP3: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”
Video: Love Is All – “Wishing Well”