Frank YangIt’s less accurate to say that Mark Eitzel was/is/ever shall be the frontman for American Music Club than it is to simply say Mark Eitzel is American Music Club. Over both of the band’s incarnations – their original run from 1982 to 1994 and the reunion from 2004 to 2009 – Eitzel released solo records whose songbooks intersected liberally with AMC but roamed more musically, most curiously on The Ugly American, which saw him arranging old songs for traditional Greek instruments, and Candy Ass, which took him electronic.

His latest Don’t Be A Stranger isn’t one of those sidebar releases, being both his first record for Merge and first since the book was formally closed on American Music Club for the second and probably final time. It also provided occasion for Eitzel’s first visit to Toronto since leading AMC through an excellent but lightly-attended show in Spring 2008. Despite Stranger being a fully-produced affair, Eitzel was touring light – just himself and a piano player, the same setup I saw him with during SXSW 2011.

Given that he was performing to his own, appreciative fans rather than drive-by hipster festival-goers, Eitzel was in a decidedly better mood than that show. Even though the dour dimension gave that performance a memorable intensity, it was nice to have him be able to show off his more jovial side instead with his humour thankfully stayed on the right side of the self-deprecating/self-loathing line. The set list was impressively career-spanning, offering four selections from the new record amongst old AMC favourites like show opener, “What Holds The World Together” off of San Francisco, and “Apology For An Accident” and “Hollywood 4-5-92” from personal favourite Mercury, all dramatically rearranged for the cabaret show configuration but still just as powerful as in their rock band format, thanks in no small part to Eitzel’s massive and emotive vocals – the mic often seemed more stage prop than necessary sound reinforcement. He may have only gotten through a baker’s dozen worth of songs in the hour-fifteen show, but most were accompanied by anecdotes that offered illuminating insights into the song. It was amazing how many of Eitzel’s songs are actually literal rather than allegorical; aspiring songwriters could do far worse than to study his works to learn how to transform daily experiences into compelling lyrical works.

Eitzel had to take a mulligan on the encore after a monologue hilariously derailed things, but wrapped up strongly with “We All Have To Find Our Own Way Out” off of Stranger, and closing with “Chanel No. 5”, a song that’s so much an essential part of the AMC canon that I’m astonished it was only released as a b-side. Mark Eitzel doesn’t come through town very often – he’d do well to take the advice of this album’s title – but when he does, it’s always special.

Back To The World also has an excellent review of the show. The Plain Dealer and Columbus Alive have interviews with Eitzel.

Photos: Mark Eitzel @ The Rivoli – November 28, 2012
MP3: Mark Eitzel – “I Love You But You’re Dead”
MP3: American Music Club – “Only Love Can Set You Free”
MP3: American Music Club – “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”
Video: American Music Club – “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco”
Video: American Music Club – “Rise”
Video: American Music Club – “Wish The World Away”
Video: American Music Club – “Electric Light”

The new Memory Tapes album Grace/Confusion is available to stream in whole right now; it’s out on Tuesday.

MP3: Memory Tapes – “Shelia”
Stream: Memory Tapes / Grace/Confusion

Pitchfork compiles an oral history of Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights, the deluxe edition of which is out this Tuesday.

Nuvo has an interview with Jason Lytle, who’s just released a new video from Dept. Of Disappearance. He’s at Massey Hall on December 5 opening up for Band Of Horses.

Video: Jason Lytle – “Somewhere There’s A Someone”

The Fader talks to Christopher Owens about the end of Girls. His solo record Lysandre is out January 15 and he plays The Mod Club on January 18.

Eater talks food with Yo La Tengo. Their new album Fade is out January 15 and they play The Phoenix on February 9.

Spin talks to Ra Ra Riot, whose new album Beta Love is out January 22 and who are at Lee’s Palace on March 6.

Local Natives have released a video from their next album Hummingbird, due out January 29. They play The Opera House on March 28 and talk to NME about what it was like to make the record with Aaron Dessner of The National.

Video: Local Natives – “Breakers”

Ameri-Kiwi psych-rock outfit Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Los Angeles’ Foxygen are teaming up for a North American tour in support of their new albums – UMO’s II is out February 5 and Foxygen’s We Are The 21st Century Ambassarors Of Peace & Magic is out January 22. They’re at Wrongbar on March 4, tickets $13.50 in advance.

MP3: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “I’ll Come Back 4 U”
MP3: Foxygen – “Make It Known”

Jukebox The Ghost and Matt Pond are in town for a show at The Horseshoe on March 11. Jukebox released Safe Travels earlier this year and Pond has a new one in The Lives Inside The Lines Of Your Hand due out on February 15.

MP3: Matt Pond PA – “The Hollows”
Video: Jukebox The Ghost – “Don’t Let Me Fall Behind”

Low have announced details about their next album – The Invisible Way was produced by Jeff Tweedy and will be out on March 19. Check out the trailer below and inspect details – and also exchange your email for a live six-song set – over at Pitchfork.

Trailer: Low / The Invisible Way

Spinner talks to Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

That song The National recorded for Boardwalk Empire last week is now available to download.

MP3: The National – “I’ll See You In My Dreams”

Rolling Stone has premiered another James Franco-directed – and starring – video from R.E.M.’s final album Collapse Into Now, and if you prefer your Stipe & co a little more vintage, Slicing Up Eyeballs has video of a complete R.E.M. live show from Atlanta circa 1981 available to stream.

Video: R.E.M. – “That Someone Is You”

DIY chats with Sharon Van Etten about her exceptionally good year.

Under The Radar has an interview with Oliver Ackerman of A Place To Bury Strangers.

Nashville Scene and The Arizona Daily Wildcat talk to John Darnielle and Peter Hughes of The Mountain Goats, respectively.

Frank YangTo the person who said they’d hoped S. Carey would play a Bon Iver cover at the Horseshoe on Sunday night – really? Though to be fair, I can understand it – without the angle of Sean Carey also being Justin Vernon’s drummer, there might well have been far fewer people in attendance, and that’d have been a shame as Carey’s solo debut All We Grow is a jewel of a record on entirely its own merits. But even if they didn’t know that in advance, by that point in Carey’s set – nearing the end – any right-thinking person would have been so taken by the performance that they shouldn’t have even been able to muster a “Bon who?”

That should probably say “performances” – plural – because opener White Hinterland was pretty terrific as well. I’d only listened to Casei Dienel’s stuff in passing before, but clearly I’ve been missing out. With Shawn Creeden alongside her, Dienel crafted a set that was earthy and organic despite hardly utilizing a single acoustic instrument. Using keys, samples and loopers, Dienel would subtly loop and layer her birdlike vocals into a swirling cloud of folktronica that had more than a hint of Lykke Li-like sultriness. She also offered up a cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” (how I was able to recognize the song without ever having actually heard it, I do not know) before bringing out S. Carey to back her on a couple of songs, a favour which she would later return. I know I have a copy of her latest album Kairos kicking around somewhere… I really need to find it.

If White Hinterland’s set was an exercise in making something wholly organic-sounding out of inorganic instruments, S. Carey’s was a study in rendering a studio-crafted record entirely live. We All Grow is a record rich with layered sounds, clearly indebted to late-era Talk Talk, and I certainly wouldn’t have expected all of them to be recreated live… so I was very pleasantly surprised when they were. Fronting a five-piece band and sticking mainly to keyboards, Sean Carey led his bandmates through one of the simply prettiest hours of music I’ve experienced in recent memory. Be it the immaculate four-part harmonies or the masterful musicianship of all hands with through the gentlest atmospheric moments or the crashing crescendos, they sounded amazing and the only time the only thing greater than enjoying the moment was anticipating how they’d do the remaining pieces from the album justice. I appreciate this sounds a touch overly effusive but it really was lovely, and perfectly capped in the encore when Dienel came out contribute vocals to their cover of The Notwist’s “Consequences”. Just oh so pretty.

Photos: S. Carey, White Hinterland @ The Horseshoe – December 19, 2010
MP3: S. Carey – “In The Dirt”
MP3: S. Carey – “In The Stream”
MP3: White Hinterland – “No Logic”
MP3: White Hinterland – “Dreaming Of The Plum Trees”
MP3: White Hinterland – “Chant de Grillon”
MP3: White Hinterland – “Icarus”
Video: White Hinterland – “No Logic”
Video: White Hinterland – “Amsterdam”
Video: White Hinterland – “Icarus”
Myspace: S. Carey
Myspace: White Hinterland

Pitchfork and The Telegraph have interviews with The National while NYC Taper is sharing a recording of their set opening for Yo La Tengo during their Hannukah residency at Maxwell’s at the start of the month.

My Old Kentucky Blog interviews Nicole Atkins – her new record Mondo Amore arrives January 25 and she will be at The Horseshoe on February 26.

Interview talks to Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes about the rocking direction of their next record The People’s Key, out February 15 and the first MP3 from which is available in swap for an email over at Pitchfork. They’re at the Sound Academy on March 13.

aux.tv chats with Ra Ra Riot.

Spinner chats with Antony Hegarty of Antony & The Johnsons.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was still waiting for Minnesota’s Now Now to make up their cancelled Summer 2009 date; good news is they’re finally making it here on February 13 for a show at the Mod Club, bad news is it’s part of a large bill of emo-punk-pop acts that I’d rather not have anything to do with (Hellogoodbye, Gold Motel, You Me And Everyone We Know) so yeah, maybe next time.

MP3: Now Now – “Neighbors”

Rocky Votolato and Matt Pond (presumably solo, sans PA), will be teaming up for a Spring tour that stops in at the Drake on March 23.

MP3: Rocky Votolato – “Red River”
MP3: Matt Pond PA – “Starting”

Munekazu ShimizuWho: Matt Pond PA
What: Philadelphia-born, Brookyln-based, Pennsylvania-saluting, orchestral-popping, always poignant indie rocker. And his band.
Why: Though their eighth album The Dark Leaves was released back in April, their touring itinerary is only bringing them up to Toronto now.
When: Friday, October 1, 2010
Where: The Mod Club in Toronto (early show)
Who else: Openers right now yet to be announced. But it’ll be someone. And they’ll be on first.
How: Tickets are $12 in advance but courtesy of Canvas Media, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Matt Pond PA” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight , September 29.

MP3: Matt Pond PA – “Starting”
Video: Matt Pond PA – “Remains”

Julien BourgeoisThe inimitable Jens Lekman has been a bit quiet since wrapping up support for 2007’s Night Falls On Kortedala but a the last couple weeks have seen not quite a flurry of activity from the Swedish singer-songwriter, but definite signs that he’s not been idle while away.

First came what he called “A Summer In 3/4 Time”, a downloadable mix/mash-up that started as a remix he did for Au Revoir Simone and turned into an extended aural treatise on 3/4 and 6/8 tempos spanning all eras and genres of pop music with some film quotes thrown in for good measure. There’s a breakdown of the what and the why at his Small Talk journal, but really all you need to know is this.

And while that was very unexpected and enjoyable, the real treat came last week when a new song surfaced and was made available for free in exchange for an email. It also came with an extended backstory describing its origins – your boilerplate boy loses girl on the eve of the US election, fakes being happy on Swedish TV and writes a song about it – but what’s most important is that the song is big and sweeping and pure Jens. And bodes very well for his next record, whenever it’s done.

MP3: Jens Lekman presents A Summer in 3/4 Time

Yours Truly solicits an acoustic performance from First Aid Kit; they’re back in North America this Fall and are at the El Mocambo on October 15.

The San Francisco Chronicle interviews Joanna Newsom.

NYC Taper is sharing a recording of The National at Terminal 5 in New York last week.

The Fly solicits an In The Courtyard video session from The Morning Bender. See them in a similar setting on Wednesday afternoon when they play a free acoustic set outside The Big Chill ice cream in Little Italy, in between opening gigs for The Black Keys at the Kool Haus on August 4 and 5.

Spinner talks to Greg Edwards of Autolux. Transit Transit is out this week and they are at Lee’s Palace on August 24.

Matt Pond PA will be at the Mod Club on October 1. They released The Dark Leaves back in the Spring.

MP3: Matt Pond PA – “Grave’s Disease”

Punk legends Bad Religion will be in town on October 14 at a venue to be announced in support of their new record The Dissent of Man, out September 28.

Video: Bad Religion – “New Dark Ages”

How do you know Broken Social Scene are down under? Interviews in Australia’s The Vine and New Zealand’s Under The Radar. And oh yeah, their new video is out.

Video: Broken Social Scene – “Forced To Love”

If you haven’t heard it yet, NPR is streaming the whole of Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs – out now if you’re analog and tomorrow if you’re digital. They play the Toronto Islands on August 14.

Stream: Arcade Fire / The Suburbs

And last but certainly not least – Grinderman is at the Phoenix on November 11, full dates at Pitchfork. Grinderman 2 is out September 14.

Trailer: Grinderman 2

Selena SalfenSometimes stuff sits on my shelf for ages before I get around to listening to it, and all I can do is slap myself upside the head for having wasted time that could have been spent with that record. Such is the case with the self-titled debut from Oklahomans The Uglysuit – it was released back in mid-August, which implies that I probably got the promo sometime in early August, and since I only gave it an airing in the last few weeks, that’s like two and a half months lost.

Two and a half months I could have spent basking in its sun-kissed, pastel-coloured, prog-adelic pop made up of sounds and styles all dear and familiar, yet combined so seamlessly and perfectly that you’d believe that they were invented for the sole purpose of crafting this record. Built on cascading guitars, majestic piano and keening vocals, The Uglysuit is epic in scale yet intimate in sentiment – an ornate and remarkably cohesive and unified record. It’s a suite of songs stretching and sprawling into one another, each one made up of even more miniature pop jewels, strung together like a necklace sparkling in the sun. And even when storm clouds gather – and there are points where things get loud and intense – the beauty remains, like watching thunderheads rumble over great plains.

Am I being overly effusive? Maybe. Probably. But The Uglysuit – a misnomer if ever there was one – is so welcoming and enveloping that it’s hard not to get swept up in it. This would be an astonishing record from anyone – the fact that it comes from a band this young makes it even more of an achievement. If you haven’t made its acquaintance yet, you now have no excuse. Beyond the first single and video, available to grab/watch below, Daytrotter posted up a session with the band last week. They were supposed to come through town last month opening for The New Year but that didn’t happen for whatever reason – here’s hoping that 2009 keeps them on the road and with a Toronto stop on the agenda. Rolling Stone also has a short profile.

MP3: The Uglysuit – “Chicago”
Video: The Uglysuit – “Chicago”

Matt Pond PA are celebrating (American) Thanksgiving by giving away a free EP lovingly entitled Freep. Sample the lead track or just grab the whole thing.

MP3: Matt Pond PA – “Hearts & Minds”
ZIP: Matt Pond PA / Freep

eye looks at the sudden and well-deserved boost given to the Rural Alberta Advantage by being selected by eMusic as their Featured Artists for the month of November. They’re playing tonight at Lee’s Palace with The Acorn and Ohbijou and are on at 9. If you’re going, go early! And note that in that eMusic link is an extensive interview where it’s clarified once and for all that only singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff has Albertan roots – the other 2/3 of the band do not. Mystery solved! Of course, I could have just asked them but where’s the fun in that?

Muzzle Of Bees reports that Jason Isbell will return with his second solo album on February 19 of next year, though it’s not technically a solo album anymore since it’ll be named for he and his band – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit. Catchy.

Muzzle Of Bees also has an interview with Calexico’s Joey Burns, while Minnesota Public Radio is offering up a studio session with the band.

A man with a lot of names and a lot of positive press is making his Toronto debut early next year – Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson will be at the El Mocambo on January 14 in support of his self-titled debut, tickets $8.

MP3: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – “Buriedfed”
Video: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson – “Buriedfed”

Pitchfork talks to AC Newman (Carl to his friends) about his forthcoming album Get Guilty!, out January 20. Did I link the first MP3? Can’t remember, too lazy to check. So here you go.

MP3: AC Newman – “There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve”

The Hold Steady have finally released the first video from Stay Positive, for the title track. The Los Angeles Times has an interview with Craig Finn.

Video: The Hold Steady – “Stay Positive”

The first single from A Camp’s Colonia is currently available to stream. The album is out February 2.

Stream: A Camp – “Stronger Than Jesus”

Clash quizzes My Morning Jacket’s Patrick Hallahan about some of his favourite things.

NPR is currently streaming the whole of Neil Young’s forthcoming Sugar Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968 live set, which is going to be released next Tuesday. The first set of Archives is set for a January 27 release and Neil is at the Air Canada Centre on December 4 and 5.

Stream: Neil Young / Sugar Mountain – Live At Canterbury House 1968