Frank YangHowever you choose to bracket the timeline – the three weeks since Saturday night’s show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre was announced, the two months since her First Thursday performances at the Art Gallery Of Ontario were announced, or the 37 years since her first album Horses was released – I’ve been remiss in my Patti Smith education. To be clear: as long as I’ve been a remotely informed music fan, I’ve known who she was and her importance – you couldn’t be an R.E.M. obsessive and not know about how Horses changed Michael Stipe’s life – and over the years I’ve gotten to know her “hits” (quotes only because she’s only had one song that could be called a hit in the record sales sense of the word), but learning more about her life beyond the broad strokes, about the other facets of her art – all of which are as important as her music to understanding who Patti Smith is – just hadn’t really happened.

Which mad this past week was as good a time as any to make up for lost time. On the back of Smith’s “Camera Solo” photo exhibit at the AGO which opened in February and will run through May, she was in town for a series of events including the First Thursday shows, a book signing, and a screening and Q&A of her documentary film Dream Of Life, in addition to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre show. A lot of Smith, certainly, but long overdue considering that I cannot remember the last time she was in Toronto for a show (The Patti Smith Setlists says aside from a short, four-song set at a TIFF event in 2008, it was Convocation Hall in 2000). I’d caught her briefly at Lollapalooza 2006 when she turned up to play an unannounced solo set at the kids’ stage, but for the most part, these events and their build-up were my crash course in just how much people loved Patti Smith and why.

The timing of the QET show may have been practical, coming at the end of the aforementioned multi-day promotional visit, but it was also a meaningful one for Smith, coming on the 24th anniversary of the death of Smith’s former partner and muse – Robert Mapplethorpe – as well as, as she’d tell us, the 37th anniversary of her meeting her future husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith. Given the occasion, the evening was billed as “An Evening af Words and Song in Memory of Robert Mapplethorpe” and as well as performing songs from throughout her career, she offered readings from her 2010 book Just Kids, a memoir of her time with Mapplethorpe.

Performing acoustically with her children Jesse Smith and Jackson Smith on piano and guitar respectively and Tony Shanahan on bass – when asked where long-time guitarist Lenny Kaye was, she replied “Pennsylvania” – the performance had a casual and intimate vibe; Smith was friendly and chatty – though her charisma and presence was such that you never forgot that you were in the presence of rock’n’roll royalty – and the sold-out audience hung on her every word, interrupting only to shout out declarations of love and asking permission to dance. With a set list containing songs both classic and new – last year’s Banga was respectably represented – the laid-back presentation didn’t recreate the overt energy that electrified the original recordings, but they remained unquestionably potent.

The punk rock edge was still there – a bit time-worn, perhaps, and sheathed but still tangibly razor-sharp. “Dancing Barefoot” was a jaw-dropper and the screams of “Holy shit!” that rang out as the last note of a scorching “Pissing In A River” faded aptly reflected the thoughts of the 1200 or so who’d just borne witness. And I couldn’t help but feel for those who’d seen Smith in a more conventional concert format where presumably she’d be less free to speak and offer anecdotes like the wonderful backstory to “Because The Night”; as brilliant as the music was, those stories were as much a part of the magic of the show.

Over the course of the almost two-hour show, it became clear this wasn’t a regular concert and not just because it was a musical legend on stage. Whereas others might perform their songs, Smith was sharing facets of her own life set to music, exemplifying the difference between a life in art and a life as art. Ghosts may have pervaded the show, but they did not haunt; rather, they hovered and were honoured, the overwhelming emotion being joyous. I might not have known that much about Smith going into the show, but coming out I now felt I knew her intimately. An utterly unforgettable evening.

Exclaim also has a review of Saturday’s show, while The Globe & Mail, Rolling Stone, and The Toronto Star were in attendance at the First Thursday shows. NOW has an interview with Smith, while The Victoria Times Colonist, CBC, Spinner, The Toronto Star, and Exclaim report from a Q&A session about her photo exhibit. And The Grid offers some thoughts on why Smith remains so important a figure to people of her children’s generation.

Photos: Patti Smith @ The Queen Elizabeth Theatre – March 9, 2013
MP3: Patti Smith – “Wing”
Video: Patti Smith – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Video: Patti Smith – “People Have The Power”
Video: Patti Smith – “Summer Cannibals”
Video: Patti Smith – “Rock’N’Roll Nigger”

Low is streaming their new record The Invisible Way at NPR. It’s out March 18 and they play The Great Hall on March 16.

MP3: Low – “Just Make It Stop”
MP3: Low – “So Blue”
Stream: Low / The Invisible Way

NYC Taper is sharing a show by The Thermals in New York last week. Their new record Desperate Ground is out April 16.

She & Him are streaming the first new track from Volume 3, due out May 7. They play the Toronto Urban Roots Fest at Garrison Commons on July 4.

Stream: She & Him – “Never Wanted Your Love”

The Concordian talks to Ra Ra Riot, who were just here last week but return on June 8 for Field Trip at Fort York’s Garrison Commons.

Stereogum have offered up a track from John Vanderslice’s whole-album cover of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, which is available to those who support his Kickstarter to fund his next album Dagger Beach, out this Summer.

MP3: John Vanderslice – “Big Brother”

Beach House have released a new video from last year’s Bloom.

Video: Beach House – “Wishes”

Pitchfork solicits a guest list from The Men.

The Guardian talks to Alison Mosshart of The Kills.

Frank YangUnderstand that I am in no way, shape, or form complaining, but I was pretty surprised when it was announced that Bob Mould would be playing The Horseshoe this past Friday night. Not that one legendary artist doesn’t deserve a legendary venue, but considering that his profile arguably higher than its been in years thanks to a 2012 that included the 20th anniversary Sugar reissues and tour, the publication of his memoirs, and his best-received new album in some time with Silver Age, to say nothing of the fact that he hadn’t played Toronto in almost half a decade, I thought he’d have been booked into a larger room. At least something on the scale of Lee’s or The Mod Club, where he played the last two times through including the last time I saw him here at home in Fall 2005. But no, it was to be The Horseshoe and so unsurprisingly it was sold out and jammed and primed to go off.

Amidst the… older demographic that was gathered to see Mould celebrate his 30-plus year career, were a smattering of decidedly younger attendees who you could reasonably assume were here to see the opener. Minneapolis trio Now, Now – formerly Now, Now Every Children – have been through town a number of times, but usually attached to bills of a more pop-punk-emo persuasion. That’s why, despite having liked them for a few years, I’d only finally gotten to see them live at SXSW 2011 where I wouldn’t have to sit a half-dozen sets of tattoos and asymmetrical haircuts. Which is not to say that that’s not their natural scene – their thoughtful grunge-pop with downcast lyrics but delivered with big smiles is definitely of a genre – but thanks to Cacie Dalager’s terrifically emotive vocals and their sharp sense of melody, they’re also better than most of that genre and can definitely break to broader appeal. Their latest album Threads was both produced and released by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, and his band’s path is one that, with a few lucky breaks and soundtrack placements, Now, Now could reasonably follow them down.

Local fans might have felt disappointed that last year’s Copper Blue tour, wherein Mould, bassist Jason Narducy, and drummer Jon Wurster played the whole of 1992’s seminal Sugar debut in its entirety, didn’t come to town – I was lucky enough to catch one of those shows at SXSW 2012 – but if anyone thought that meant he wouldn’t continue to lean heavily on one of his most-loved records… well they’d have been dead wrong. Mould could have exulted in the roaring response from the audience as he took the stage – it’d have been well-earned – but instead he and his band got straight to work, tearing through side A of Copper Blue in sequence with brutal efficiency. This accomplished two things – it got the audience further worked up into a sweaty lather and got those songs out of the way.

The next block of songs focused on Silver Age and confirmed that these compositions were, as many have pointed out, Mould’s most Sugar-like in years, their balance of melody and white noise existing quite comfortably alongside the older numbers. The new material also elicited more furious guitar soloing from Mould, perhaps him feeling these songs still had room to improvise whereas the Sugar songs were fixed for the ages. Silver Age properly serviced, Sugar material began creeping back into the set, first with a couple of unexpected songs from Beaster – I don’t know that I’ve ever heard any Beaster material live – and then “Your Favorite Thing” from the underrated File Under: Easy Listening.

Finally, inevitably, it was time to reach into the Hüsker Dü songbook for “I Apologize” and “Chartered Trips” before wrapping back in the 21st century with Silver Age standout “Keep Believing”. The first encore contained the only non-Silver Age selection from his solo repertoire – “Egoverride” from his 1996 eponymous effort – and one more Copper Blue selection in “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, while the second encore deviated from their regular set by inviting local music scribe Sam Sutherland onstage to lead a quick and furious cover of The Viletones’ “Screaming Fist” before closing for good with another trifecta of Hüsker songs.

It was a pulverizing set start to finish – the 15 songs of the main set clocked in at under an hour – but with Mould’s glasses fogged and shirt soaked from the sweat and steam of the crowd and Narducy and Wurster somehow managing to match his energy joule for joule, there was no question they’d given their all. And it answered the question of why they played a smaller room than they probably could have – small space, huge pressure, massive explosion. Legendary.

NOW and Backstage Rider also have reviews of the show and The Sydney Morning Herald an interview. Mould is back in the region on August 3 as part of The Grove Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake.

Photos: Bob Mould, Now, Now @ The Horseshoe – March 1, 2013
MP3: Bob Mould – “The Silence Between Us”
MP3: Now, Now – “Dead Oaks”
MP3: Now, Now – “Thread”
MP3: Now, Now – “School Friend”
MP3: Now, Now – “Neighbors”
MP3: Now, Now – “Roommates”
MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Everyone You Know”
MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Sleep Through Summer”
MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Cars”
Video: Bob Mould – “Star Machine”
Video: Bob Mould – “The Descent”
Video: Bob Mould – “Egoverride”
Video: Bob Mould – “Slay/Sway”
Video: Bob Mould – “It’s Too Late”
Video: Sugar – “Gee Angel”
Video: Sugar – “Believe What You’re Saying”
Video: Sugar – “Tilted”
Video: Sugar – “Helpless”
Video: Sugar – “Changes”
Video: Sugar – “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”
Video: Hüsker Dü – “Could You Be The One”
Video: Hüsker Dü – “Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely”
Video: Hüsker Dü – “Makes No Sense At All”
Video: Hüsker Dü – “Love Is All Around”
Video: Now, Now – “Dead Oaks”
Video: Now, Now – “Thread”
Video: Now, Now Every Children – “Friends With My Sister”

Caitlin Rose has marked the release this week of her new record The Stand-In with a new video, premiered over at Billboard. She plays The Garrison on April 5.

Video: Caitlin Rose – “Only A Clown”

Brooklyn’s The Men are the topic of conversations at Consequence Of Sound, The Village Voice, Spin, and Interview what with their new record New Moon coming out this week.

The new Son Volt album Honky Tonk, out this week, is available to stream in whole over at American Songwriter. Blurt, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and The Riverfront Times have feature pieces on the band.

Stream: Son Volt / Honky Tonk

Ra Ra Riot have premiered a new video from their latest Beta Love. They play Lee’s Palace tonight – March 6 – and are back on June 8 as part of the Field Trip fest at Fort York.

Video: Ra Ra Riot – “Dance With Me”

Drowned In Sound talks to Alan Sparkhawk of Low. They play The Great Hall on March 16 and The Invisible Way is out March 19.

The Dumbing Of America has an interview with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, who are prepping for the March 19 release of their new album Specter Af The Feast by giving away an EP for the first single from their website. They play The Kool Haus on May 9.

Also at Dumbing Of America – an interview with Local Natives, who’re at The Phoenix on March 28.

The Black Angels are streaming a new song off their forthcoming Indigo Meadow, out April 2, with some supporting words at Rolling Stone. The new album brings them to The Danforth Music Hall on April 13.

Stream: The Black Angels – “Evil Things”

Even though The Flaming Lips have a new record in The Terror coming out April 2, Pitchfork wants to talk about their old albums, offering up a video oral history of The Soft Bulletin.

Steve Earle has released the first video from his forthcoming album The Low Highway, due out April 16.

Video: Steve Earle – “Invisible”

CBC Music talks to The Thermals, whose have a bunch of reissues out this week and a new record in Desperate Ground out April 16.

Billboard and Rolling Stone have features on Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their new record Mosquito, which comes out April 16.

Exclaim and Men’s Journal has questions for Jim James. He is at The Phoenix on April 24.

Saturday Looks Good To Me have announced details of their comeback album One Kiss Ends It All, out May 21, and made the first song from it available to stream.

Stream: Saturday Looks Good To Me – “Invisible Friend”

Consequence Of Sound has details on the 25th anniversary reissue of R.E.M.’s Green, which will come with the requisite remastering and second disc of period-correct live show. It’s out May 14.

Entertainment Weekly reports The Hold Steady will contribute a new song to the soundtrack of the upcoming season of Game Of Thrones. The show premieres March 31 and they play the Toronto Urban Roots Fest at Fort York on July 4.

NPR has a video session with Yo La Tengo, back in town at the Toronto Urban Roots Fest on July 7.

Spinner interviews Ted Leo on the occasion of Hearts Of Oak‘s tenth anniversary.

Cecil MathieuThere are few musicians out there with a more impressive alt.rock resume than Ken Stringfellow. Starting out as co-frontman of the criminally under-appreciated Bellingham power-pop outfit The Posies, he was part of the final incarnation of the legendary Big Star, he was an unofficial member of R.E.M. both on stage and in the studio for a number of years in the post-Berry era, is part of the massive rotating cast of The Minus 5, he fronts a Norwegian garage rock band called The Disciplines, and oh yeah when he’s not doing all of that, he puts out gorgeous solo records.

Danzig In The Moonlight, out last Fall, is the latest of which and the first since 2004’s Soft Commands. And while that record was commendable for its stylistic ranginess, it lacked the coherence of the gorgeous, country-tinged Touched, which when all is said and done with Stringfellow’s impressive career may well stand as his masterpiece. Danzig does not even attempt to recapture that degree of aesthetic focus, but its forays into jangle-rock, prog, country, and R&B – to name but a few of the flavours that surface – don’t so much strive for authenticity than a reasonably convincing, “in the style of”. This allows Stringfellow’s sweet tenor and melodic gifts to tie it all together, which combined with the rich arrangements let Danzig sometimes feel more like the score to some ambitious musical production than a conventional album. In less deft hands, juggling this many ideas may have resulted in a grandly ambitious failure, but Stringfellow not only knows what he’s doing, he makes it look easy.

MyNorthwest.com and The Santa Barbara Independent have interviews with Stringfellow, who makes a rare Toronto appearance at The Drake Underground on February 19. Tickets are $15 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away to the show. To enter, email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want to see Ken Stringfellow” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that to me by midnight, February 14.

MP3: Ken Stringfellow – “Doesn’t It Remind You Of Something”
Video: Ken Stringfellow – “Superwise”

Because the ’90s are back and you know you love it, The Breeders have expanded their reunion tour in support of the 20th anniversary of Last Splash and will be playing the whole of the album at the Danforth Music Hall on May 11, tickets $22.50 for balconies and $25 for floors.

Video: The Breeders – “Divine Hammer”

Bon Appetit has an interview with Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, which is fitting considering the culinary theme of the new video from Fade. They’re at The Phoenix this Saturday, February 9.

Video: Yo La Tengo – “I’ll Be Around”

Ra Ra Riot have released a video for the title track of Beta Love and Jambands has an interview with violinist Rebecca Zeller. They’re at Lee’s Palace on March 6 and are back again for the Arts & Crafts Field Trip fest at Fort York on June 8.

Video: Ra Ra Riot – “Beta Love”

The Strokes have confirmed a March 26 release date for their fifth album, Comedown Machine. Advance word is that despite everyone complaining it sounds nothing like The Strokes, it will indeed sound like The Strokes.

DIY and Interview talk to Thao Nguyen, who leads The Get Down Stay Down into Lee’s Palace on March 27.

Rilo Kiley have come clean on their forthcoming rarities compilation, cleverly entitled RKives and due out on April 2. Further information on that release can be found at TwentyFourBit.

Pitchfork talks to Steve Drozdt about The Flaming Lips’ forthcoming full-length The Terror – out April 2 – while Exclaim uncovers evidence that the real terror may be the fact that the band are endeavouring to record their own version of The Stone Roses’ first album, which it goes without saying would be a TERRIBLE IDEA.

Steve Earle has announced a new album entitled The Low Highway for release on April 16, and it’ll be the first one since 1990’s The Hard Way to be credited to him and The Dukes, though this one also credits The Duchesses, albeit in parentheses. All of which is to say this ain’t no solo record.

Pitchfork has details on the new record from Iron & Wine, entitled Ghost On Ghost and out April 16. You can stream a new song from it below.

Stream: Iron & Wine – “Lovers Revolution”

The Thermals have also settled on April 16 as the release date for their first record for Saddle Creek, Desperate Ground. Pitchfork has specifics.

Consequence Of Sound, Pitchfork, The Fader, and The Quietus all talk to Jim James about going solo. He’s in town at The Phoenix on April 24.

Spinner talks about hair with Widowspeak, who’ve made another track from their latest Almanac available to download.

MP3: Widowspeak – “Sore Eyes”

Beach House have released their long-promised short film Forever Still, featuring a number of live performances of tracks off Bloom.

Video: Beach House: Forever Still

Trespassers William have released a video from one of the songs off their farewell rarities compilation, Cast.

Video: Trespassers William – “Believe Me”

Interview talks to School Of Seven Bells.

The Alternate Side has posted a video session with Wild Nothing.

Le Blogotheque has posted a Take-Away Show with Titus Andronicus, and PopMatters an interview.

Sam JonesShe & Him are not a band given to mystery. Despite the anonymous name, everyone knows it’s Matt Ward and Zooey Deschanel and their sugar-sweet old-timey country-pop sound is pretty well-established at this point. And if you’re at all surprised that their third album, announced yesterday as coming May 7, is called Volume 3, then you really haven’t been paying attention. But residents of the Greater Toronto Area looking at the tour dates that accompanied the announcement can be forgiven for scratching their heads about the local date on the itinerary. Toronto Urban Roots Festival what?

With a lineup comprised so far of She & Him and Scottish pop darlings Camera Obscura – and presumably there’ll be more, else it’s not much of a festival – we also know it’s happening July 4 at a venue that Pollstar not-so-helpfully lists as “Toronto Urban Roots Festival Grounds”. Possibilities include an Olympic Island concert – it’s been a few years since we’ve had one of those though the Thursday date makes it unlikely to be the full-day event that would probably be necessary to justify the logistics – or maybe an evening-into-night to-do at the new go-to outdoor venue of Garrison Commons at Fort York? Surely it’s something besides an indoor venue show, else why the fancy name? The trail of online bread crumbs also tells us who’s running it, but they’re not talking right now. Next week, perhaps. Until then, we’ve got us a little mystery to chew on.

MP3: She & Him – “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here”
MP3: Camera Obscura – “My Maudlin Career”

Far less ambiguous is the return of “The Screaming Eagle of Soul” – Mr. Charles Bradley – in support of his second album Victim Of Love, out April 2. BrooklynVegan has all the tour dates but all Toronto needs to know is that he and his Extraordinaires will be at The Phoenix on May 11, tickets will be $22.50 in advance, his last visit was incredible, and a song from the new record is available to stream below. See how easy it is, Zooey?

Stream: Charles Bradley – “Strictly Reserved For You”

Austin country-rockers Phosphorescent will release their new one Muchacho – stream a song from it below – on March 19, and the subsequent tour dates bring them to The Horseshoe on April 15. Tickets for that are $15 in advance.

Stream: Phosphorescent – “Song For Zula”

With the release of We The Common less than a week out, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down are streaming the new record over at NPR; there’s also an interview with Thao at Exclaim. They’ll be at Lee’s Palace on March 27.

MP3: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – “Holy Roller”
Stream: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down / We The Common

The 405 and Express Milwaukee talk to Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, and if you’re more of a James McNew fan you’ll be pleased to know his first two records as Dump are getting reissued on vinyl for the first time ever. Superpowerless is out March 19 and I Can Hear Music on April 16; stream a track from each below.

Stream: Dump – “Secret Blood”
Stream: Dump – “Slow Down”

Mount Moriah are streaming a song from their new album Miracle Temple, out February 26. They play a Canadian Musicfest showcase at The Drake on March 20.

Stream: Mount Moriah – “Bright Light”

Whole lotta Bob Mould on your TV (or the computer you use as your TV). His performance from last weekend’s episode of Austin City Limits is now available to stream, and a new video from Silver Age – premiered via Late Night With Jimmy Fallon – was just released. See Bob in person at The Horseshoe on March 1.

Video: Bob Mould – “Star Machine”

Brooklyn’s The Men have gone the live performance route for the first video from their forthcoming New Moon, out March 5.

Video: The Men – “Electric”

Interview has an interview with Ra Ra Riot, who have made the title track of their new album Beta Love available to download. They play Lee’s Palace on March 6 and are part of the Arts & Crafts Field Trip fest at Fort York on June 8.

MP3: Ra Ra Riot – “Beta Love”

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are streaming the first track from their forthcoming Specter At The Feast. It’s a sentimental choice, being a cover of The Call’s biggest hit; Call frontman Michael Been – father of BRMC frontman Robert Levon Been – passed away in 2010. The album is out March 18 and they play The Kool Haus on May 9.

Stream: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Let The Day Begin”

With their new album Hummingbird out this week – and a new MP3 from it available to download – Local Natives are the subject of features at The Line Of Best Fit, The Daily Beast, BBC, Consequence Of Sound, and The 405. They play a sold-out show at The Opera House on March 28.

MP3: Local Natives – “You & I”

The Flaming Lips have confirmed an April 2 release for their new album The Terror and have put out a lyric video for the first single. Details on the release over at The AV Club.

Lyric Video: The Flaming Lips – “Sun Blows Up Today”

The Strokes have released a new single which pretty much guarantees that a new album isn’t far off, but they’re not offering any other details for now. You can download it from their website in exchange for an email address and a promise not to make any a-ha jokes. Update: It’s called Comedown Machine and out March 26.

Stream: The Strokes – “One Way Trigger”

Spin and Washington City Paper have conversations with Widowspeak, who’ve released a new video from their excellent new record Almanac. It’s really excellent.

Video: Widowspeak – “Locusts”

Also with a new video are Grizzly Bear, taken from last year’s Shields. They’ve also offered some director’s notes on the clip via their Tumblr.

Video: Grizzly Bear – “gun-shy”

NPR welcomes Dinosaur Jr for a World Cafe session.

Billboard finds out what Jenny Lewis has been up to – finishing up a new solo record, putting in time on that Rilo Kiley rarities comp, and maybe taking part in the Postal Service tour?

LA Record chat with Redd Kross.

Wears The Trousers and The Telegraph have interviews with Aimee Mann.

NPR are streaming a World Cafe session with Father John Misty.

Mark PetersonIt’s not often you see the words “new” and “Hüsker Dü” together – unless they’re followed, perhaps, but the word “lawsuit” – but that’s what we’re getting as part of the salvo of limited edition releases for this year’s Record Store Day. Okay, it’s not like Bob Mould, Greg Norton, and Grant Hart have secretly buried their many hatchets to follow the lead of fellow Minneapolis legends The Replacements and recorded new material, but they – or those who operate on their behalf – have unearthed some of their very earliest recordings circa 1980, originally released as their first 7″ and decades out of print, and will release them as a limited edition double-7″ on April 20.

Rolling Stone is currently streaming one of the tracks – a Grant Hart vocal which predates their discovery of hardcore and/or methamphetamines, and a far cry from the fury captured on their 1982 debut album Land Speed Record. It’s not an essential document by any means, but one that’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the twice-the-price coloured vinyl edition of a current album you already own that makes up most of the RSD exclusives.

Stream: Hüsker Dü – “Statues”

Dinosaur Jr have rolled out a new video from last year’s I Bet On Sky. And yes, that is Henry Rollins.

Video: Dinosaur Jr – “Pierce The Morning Rain”

Bad Religion have a new album in True North, out today and streamable below, and not one but two local shows coming up in support. They’re at The Horseshoe on January 27 for a private performance to which you can win tickets from CFNY, and then they’re back on March 31 for a date at The Kool Haus as part of the North American tour. Rolling Stone and Billboard have interviews with Brett Gurewitz about the new record and CBC Music with Jay Bentley.

MP3: Bad Religion – “True North”
Stream: Bad Religion / True North

As widely reported last week, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have confirmed the April 16 release of their fourth album Mosquito. Karen O talks to Pitchfork about what to expect from the new record and Rolling Stone talks to the artist responsible for the rather polarizing album art about what he was thinking.

NPR has a stream of II, the new album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra which comes out February 5. They’ll be at Wrongbar on March 3 to play it for you live.

Stream: Unknown Mortal Orchestra / II

Brooklyn-based Here We Go Magic spin-off TEEN – all caps mandatory – will bring their 2012 debut In Limbo to The Drake Underground on February 15.

MP3: TEEN – “Electric”

Divine Fits have a new video from A Thing Called Divine Fits.

Video: Divine Fits – “My Love Is Real”

Today marks the release of Ra Ra Riot’s third album – the rather less orchestral and more electronic Beta Love – and it’s available to stream in whole via YouTube, and there’s features on the band at Spin and Magnet. They’re at Lee’s Palace on March 6 and back in town June 8 as part of the Arts & Crafts Field Trip festival at Fort York.

Stream: Ra Ra Riot / Beta Love

The National Post, Rolling Stone, Consequence Of Sound, CBC Music, and Interview all have feature interviews with Yo La Tengo.

Been wondering what Will Sheff has been up to? Presumably writing the next Okkervil River record, sure, but also establishing a new electronic-y side-project as Lovestreams. The first fruits of that labour is now available in both MP3 and video form.

MP3: Lovestreams – “Shock Corridor”
Video: Lovestreams – “Shock Corridor”

The 405 has an interview with Benjamin Gibbard and boy I bet they’re wishing they’d pressed a little harder about the possibility of a Postal Service reunion.

Of course, maybe they could have just done as Drowned In Sound did and just get Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello, and Jen Wood to provide an oral history of The Postal Service’s watershed indie-pop opus Give Up on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. It’s pretty much assured that the duo will be reconvening for some live dates this year and a deluxe edition of Give Up is en route but no one should be expecting new material. Of course, no one was expecting live dates either, so who knows. Considering his solo album was mostly old material, Ben may have some recent stuff he’s been looking to get off his chest by way of song. Update: The Give Up anniversary edition is out April 9 and has two unreleased songs on it along with other stuff.

The Quietus interviews John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats.

Son Volt will release a new album entitled Honky Tonk on March 5. American Songwriter has details on the release, whose title is as much description of the contents as a name.

LA Music Blog, The Times-Picayune, Dallas Observer, and Blurt talk to Joey Burns of Calexico.