Here we are, another September 2, another year, another “oh my god am I still doing this” post. As far at themes go, I was torn between the good ol’ Eveready cat logo or some of Gustave Doré’s illustrations from the ninth circle of Dante’s Inferno – but I’ve gotten some grief lately over being a bit of a gloomy gus so I went with the cartoon kitty. And the “nine lives” bit? Maybe, but I’m certainly not on number one.

So yes, still here, doing what I’m doing while noting that the landscape of things continues to change around me and the traditional-form blog, such as this one here, are becoming increasingly archaic. That’s cool with me; I can appreciate the vintage vibe, yo. And as I can feel a pointless ramble coming on, I will check myself and simply say that I have now been doing this for a quarter of my life and can’t remember not doing it… so for reading and validating that effort, I thank you. That’s about all I’ve got to say for this annual state-of-the-whatever post. Kind of weak, but don’t worry – I’ve already got next year’s decade post a-brewing. It’ll be a doozie.

Did you know the traditional ninth anniversary gift is pottery and the modern ninth anniversary gift is leather? Me neither. So what else we got?

The Independent has an interview with Emma-Lee Moss of Emmy The Great.

NOW previews tonight’s Male Bonding show at The Horseshoe by talking with the band about their just-released second album Endless Now. The Boston Globe and I Like Music also have interviews.

The Guardian has a feature profile on Laura Marling, whose third album A Creature I Don’t Know is out on September 13. She is at The Great Hall on September 23.

Spin has posted up a video session with Annie Clark of St. Vincent, whose latest Strange Mercy arrives September 13.

Aquarium Drunkard interviews the members of Olivia Tremor Control, whose reunion tour hits Lee’s Palace on September 16.

Veronica Falls have released a new video from their self-titled debut, due out September 20. They’re at The Mod Club opening up for The Drums on October 1. And speaking of The Drums, they’ve released the second video in their Visiomento series promoting Portamento, out September 13.

Video: Veronica Falls – “Bad Feeling”

Spinner and The Irish Independent talk to Yuck, who will be at The Horseshoe on September 24.

Slicing Up Eyeballs reports that the principals of New Order have put aside their seething hatred of one another enough to agree to release some outtakes from their last studio album, 2005’s Waiting For The Sirens’ Call though they’re still debating the exact format of the release. Live4Ever has an interview with Peter Hook, who brings his new outfit The Light playing material from his old outfit Joy Division to town for a show at The Phoenix on September 24.

Video: New Order – “Jetstream”

Rolling Stone declares Dum Dum Girls a “band to watch”, just in time for the September 27 release of Only In Dreams. They’re at Lee’s Palace on October 16 and if you missed it earlier this week – I added it to a post a little late – a second superb MP3 from the album has been made available to download.

MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Bedroom Eyes”

It won’t be here in time for his September 30 show at The Phoenix, but James Blake has announced the release of a new six-track EP entitled Enough Thunder for October 10; details at The Independent.

Blurt has a feature interview with Explosions In The Sky, in town at The Sound Academy on October 7.

Pitchfork reports that the release date for Bjork’s new album Biophilia has been pushed back from September 27 to October 11.

San Francisco psych-rockers Thee Oh Sees have made a date at The Horseshoe for October 21 in support of this Summer’s Castlemania, though Prefix reports they’ve already got another album ready to go in Carrion Crawler/The Dream, due out November 15.

MP3: Thee Oh Sees – “I Need Seed”

I talked last week about how much I was looking forward to Welcome To Condale, the debut album from Summer Camp; well to go along with a brand-new website, the duo have confirmed that the album will have a North American release one week after the UK release on November 8.

The Line Of Best Fit reports that Los Campesinos! will release their fourth album, entitled Hello Sadness, on November 15. And while that’s good news for fans, there’s also some bad news as it was announced via blog that violinist Harriet Campesinos! would be following in keyboardist Aleksandra’s two-year old footsteps and leave the band in favour of university and re-assuming her old surname. Perhaps that’s the sadness the album’s title is referring to?

NPR has a World Cafe session with Anna Calvi. It’s amazing how small her speaking voice is, compared to how massive her singing voice is. Whew. She will be at Lee’s Palace on December 8.

TV On The Radio have a new video from Nine Types Of Light

Video: TV On The Radio – “Second Song”

Also with a new clip are White Lies, from Ritual.

Video: White Lies – “The Power & The Glory”

American Songwriter rounds up some of the releases that will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth next year, including but certainly not limited to a Wilco/Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue box set.

Frank YangWhat’s in a name? If you were at The Drake Underground on Friday or Saturday nights, possibly a lot. Over those two nights the marquee outside the front doors read Jonny and Apex Manor, as the two acts were kicking off their North American tour with a two-night stand in Toronto, but had the top billing read Teenage Fanclub and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – as Jonny is the collaboration of those two bands’ Norman Blake and Euros Childs – then maybe there’d have been a little less elbow room for those who were in the know enough to show up.

The identity issue might have also applied to the support, as Apex Manor is the new band of Ross Flournoy, who used to front Los Angeles power pop outfit The Broken West, who once upon a time were called The Brokedown. Got that? Good. Though advance listings had stated that this show would feature Apex Manor as an acoustic duo – presumably Flournoy and bassist Brian Whelan, also from The Broken West – but when things got underway it was just Flournoy, his Martin acoustic and a brace of songs drawn mostly from Apex Manor’s debut The Year Of Magical Drinking. And though the stripped-down nature of the set necessarily diminished the “power” half of the equation, the “pop” of things was still very much in effect thanks to the sophisticated hookiness of the material. It was good to be reminded of how good a band The Broken West were – particularly when Flournoy busted out their song “Down In The Valley” – and satisfying to see that carried over into their new incarnation.

No one would accuse Jonny of being an overly serious side-project, but assuming that Childs and Blake – the former with a couple of keyboards to go with his acoustic guitar and the latter handling guitar, drum machine and laptop duties – would treat it as a joke would have been a mistake. Okay, that’s not entirely accurate; there were plenty of jokes as the duo bantered back and forth in a manner worthy of a seasoned stand-up duo, their ultimately aborted attempt to cover the Saxons’ “It Ain’t Right” was more comedy sketch than musical performance and there were running gags of a sort with Childs’ collapsing homemade keyboard stands and Blake’s orchestration of the drum machine, but with the talents on hand, even the silliest songs were immaculately executed.

Considering the Jonny album barely clocks in at 40 minutes, their set was considerably longer than you might have expected. Of course some of that was for the aforementioned between-song back-and-forth, but they also included a number of non-album songs and made what could have been a brief-ish affair not only feel like a full and proper set, but one that reinforced Jonny as its own entity, separate and distinct from the resumes of the two artists who made the band up. Not so much, however, that one of the biggest highlights of the show was the encore wherein each of them busted out a couple of the former/other bands’ tunes. Jonny was charming and all, but hearing “I Don’t Want Control Of You” and “Spanish Dance Troupe” was the guaranteed way to close the night on the highest possible note.

Photos: Jonny, Apex Manor @ The Drake Underground – June 4, 2011
MP3: Jonny – “Candyfloss”
MP3: Jonny – “Gloria”
MP3: Apex Manor – “Under The Gun”
Video: Jonny – “You Was Me”
Video: Jonny – “Candyfloss”
Video: Apex Manor – “My My Mind”
ZIP: Jonny / Free

With reunions must come reissues, and so Pitchfork reports that Pulp’s first three albums – It, Freaks and Separations – will be reissued with bonus material come August 8.

The Independent finds out Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s secrets to staying grounded while The Sydney Morning Herald chats with guitarist Mark Potter.

Emmy The Great offers a guide to staying virtuous to Clash. Her new album Virtue is out next week.

Exclaim and Metro interview James Blake, in town at The Phoenix on September 30.

Gruff Rhys has released a new video from Hotel Shampoo, just in time to wrap up the North American tour that hits The Horseshoe on June 11.

Video: Gruff Rhys – “Honey All Over”

TapeDek gets The Vaccines to indulge in some old-school Britpop trash talk. The National Post also has a chat.

Clash interviews Ladytron, whose new album Gravity The Seducer arrives September 13.

Beatroute interviews The Raveonettes.

Billboard has got a live video session from Peter Bjorn & John, while Metro, The Province and OC Weekly have interviews. They play Lee’s Palace on September 2 and 3.

aux.tv talks to The Naked & Famous, in town at Lee’s Palace on August 9.

Austin’s Ume have finally announced details of their new long-player; The AV Club has all the details but the key information is that it will be called Phantoms, be released on August 30 and the band will be in town on June 15 at the Drake Underground as part of NXNE. This is not a song from the new record but a good reminder of why they’re a band worth getting excited about.

MP3: Ume – “The Conductor”

The War On Drugs, last seen hereabouts opening up for Destroyer back in April will be back on August 24 at a venue to be named in support of their new record Slave Ambient, out August 16. Pitchfork has full dates and check out the Springsteen-ish first MP3 below.

MP3: The War On Drugs – “Baby Missiles”

Peter Hook brings his new band the Light and their rather questionable re-production of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures to The Phoenix on September 24. “Atmosphere” isn’t from Unknown Pleasures but this video should give you an idea of how they’re doing it. The Spectator has an interview with Hook.

Video: Peter Hook & The Light featuring Rowetta – “Atmosphere”

Once again announcing a new show before their last one has actually happened yet, Foster The People will be at The Sound Academy on October 1, tickets $23.50. More immediately, they’re at The Mod Club on June 18 but that’s sold out.

MP3: Foster The People – “Pumped Up Kicks”

Officially back from Europe/vacation, and let me tell you I am thrilled about it. THRILLED.