WilcobaseIt was certainly hinted at with Sky Blue Sky, but with the release of Wilco (The Album) this coming Tuesday, there can be no doubt – Wilco loves themselves some ’70s light-rock. It’s not as laid-back and smooth as its AM country-rock predecessor – there’s some proggier detours and some more menacing clouds do darken the blue sky at points – but they seem to have left the rougher sonic waters of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born far behind. Wilco are feeling fine, sailing smooth and they love you baby.

And so if you were one of those who saw the band at Madison Square Garden in New York on New Year’s Eve 2004, when they broke out this Captain & Tenille cover and thought they were being tongue-in-cheek or ironic… apparently not so much. Thankfully Jeff didn’t don a boat captain’s hat for the number – it probably would have looked silly with his pyjamas.

You can currently stream Wilco (The Album) over at NPR.

MP3: Wilco – “Love Will Keep Us Together”
Video: The Captain & Tenille – “Love Will Keep Us Together” (live on the Grammy Awards)
Stream: Wilco / Wilco (The Album)

Frank YangSure, it was billed as the Nylon Summer Music Tour, implying a traveling roadshow with all performers on some sort of equal footing, but everyone knew that this was the Patrick Wolf tour and the other three acts were just the openers. Or at least that’s what I’d thought going into Wednesday night’s stop at the Mod Club in Toronto – and even if the audience was on board with that train of thought, it was obvious from the get-go that the bands didn’t necessarily agree and were set to make the most of their time on stage to win over the Wolf disciples.

Lead-off hitters Jaguar Love seemed to me the most curious additions to the bill, at least considering their pedigree. Formed from former members of The Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, I thought they might be too loud or aggro for the crowd, not that I really had a notion of what the very much all-ages crowd were expecting. But my preconceived notions went right out the window when the duo, backed by beats off a laptop, tore into their set of super-energized, adrenaline-infused party rock. Singer Johnny Whitney and guitarist Cody Votolato were in constant motion, the former belting it out with his remarkable classic rock wail while the latter never stopped riffing the hell out of his Rickenbacker, whipping the crowd into a frenzy that you never see at a show at 8PM. Not once but twice did the duo leap into the audience, never missing a beat, and quite literally got this party started right. Absurdly fun, it was evident that anyone hoping to be able to stand back and have a nice, passive night out was at completely the wrong show.

Any momentum built up from the opening set, however, ground to a halt before France’s Plastiscines took the stage. Though you think that the tour would have had the routine for switching between sets down to an art by this point, it seemed that each band member was having some sort of mic or equipment problem that turned into a 30-plus minute wait to get sorted out. By the time they were ready to go, the natives were a bit restless and the quartet probably had more than their share of work cut out for the to win the house over. The Plastiscine recipe is pretty straightforward – four attractive French girls playing what would be considered garage rock if it weren’t so immaculate-sounding. Think The Donnas with less rock attitude and slightly more poppy gleefulness. Perhaps the snarliness will develop as they become more seasoned – though not awkward, per se, they were still a bit reticent in performance. Perhaps counting on our alleged bilingualism, they addressed the crowd in French and whether they were actually understood or not, it got a positive response, as did their charming if predictable cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made For Walking”. Despite the rough start, they were able to shake off the delay and turn in a good set that steadily improved and finished on a high note.

If the Plastiscines were lacking in genuine rock grit, the quota was more than made up for by St Louis’ Living Things. With a singer that looked like some genetic crossing of Ian Astbury, Iggy Pop and Richard Ashcroft, they served up good, old-fashioned rock laden with attitude and a healthy dose of photo-friendly posing. Musically it wasn’t the most distinctive stuff you’d hear, but the delivery was just right and the performance engaging – literally. The band pulled audience members onstage to dance and gyrate with them and also leapt into the crowd, not the first act of the night to do so nor would they be the last, but they definitely ratcheted the already-high energy level up another notch, and set the table nicely for the headliner.

Oh, Patrick Wolf. Seen him twice before, and even when you think you know what to expect, you never know what to expect. Given the darker tone of his latest excellent album The Bachelor, a heavier approach was likely – and this was borne out when he stepped out in an giant black… I don’t even know what the hell he was wearing, but rather than pick up his viola or ukulele, he strapped on a decidedly rock-correct Flying V electric guitar before tearing into “Oblivion”. He didn’t do much with it besides play one-finger barred power chords – no shredding solos, thanks – but symbolically, it set the tone for the show.

As dramatic as his recordings are, they pale compared to Wolf the live performer. Every move, every sound, is rich with theatricality and imbued with his intense and mercurial personality – it might come across as ridiculous if he wasn’t so utterly committed to it, and his fans are no less devoted to him. They hung on every syllable, every note and shrieked with every piece of clothing shed. Personal highlights were an intense “Count Of Casualty” (disrupted a bit by some idiot screaming, “Afghanistan!” behind be through the extended outro) and the string-laden “Damaris” – I realize that the the sound was far too lush for just the violin and viola being played live, implying some pre-recorded enhancement, but who cares – it sounded amazing. As the show progressed, he got progressively more undressed until around 50 minutes into the show, when down to just suspenders and his lederhosen, he started into “Tristan” from Wind In The Wires and just a minute or so in, abruptly declared the stage monitors to be the worst he’s had all tour and stormed off stage. After a few awkward bars, his band stopped and followed him off.

It was unclear whether this was it, a most disappointing end to what had been a terrific night, or if he might return to at least give one last song and say goodbye. Hopes were raised when the crew came out and began re-soundchecking the stage setup and after about 10 minutes, the tour manager apologized and said that Wolf would be back in a moment. And it seemed that Wolf had taken the unscheduled intermission to raid the costume closet, because when he did return to the roar of the house, it was clad in an undone shirt and a leather thong. Appropriately, the band kicked off the unusual encore with “Hard Times”, Wolf taking full advantage of the Flying V’s phallic imagery, and then he went to the keyboard for the crowd-pleasing “Magic Position”. Considering that that had been the show-closer for the rest of the tour, most were probably expecting that it was the finale, the show salvaged with a proper finish, but Wolf wasn’t done – not by a long shot. He then tore into a gloriously aggressive “Accident & Emergency”, then shed the shirt – just the thong now – and put on a bizarre knit headdress and collar for a stirring, “Who Will”. Any one of these could have been a fitting finale, but Wolf was apparently dead set on making up for his earlier outburst – say what you will about his diva-ish tendencies, but the man will not let his fans down and for that he deserves respect.

After a lengthy monologue to the crowd about how much Toronto means to him – not just lip service, the city and its residents were a great influence around the era of The Magic Position – and also announcing he was going to get married soon and Patrick “Wolf” would be no more as he would take his husband’s surname, he nearly stripped off the thong while mocking his body and demanded that the pictures go on the internet (happy to oblige). And then donning a giant feathered vest, he tore into a ferocious reading of “Vulture” which saw him leap off the stage and onto the bar running down the length of the room, singing all the while, and then into the audience basically inciting a riot. Though breathless at the end of it, he had enough left for one more mosh – the even more chaotic “Battle” – before climbing back on stage to serenade a bit of “My Heart Will Go On” as a farewell.

And then that was the end of the show. After looking like he was going to cut the show short, Wolf extended it to a near-marathon. Bizarre and unforgettable, it was easily one of the most manically wonderful and bewildering performances I’d ever seen. Overheard as we staggered out of the club was, “what the hell was THAT?” That, anonymous concert compatriot, was Patrick Wolf.

Wolf gave Black Book a listing of his favourite spots in London. NYLON blogged the Toronto show and Chart was there, but left when Wolf did (the first time around). Panic Manual wisely stuck around.

Wolf promised to return later this year, and it’s a shame that he probably won’t choose to play the Mod Club again, given his disdain for their sound system because Wolf’s stage show plus the gorgeous lighting at the club makes for some great photos. Slightly NSFW depending on your work’s tolerance for sweaty, pasty white British asses.

Photos: Patrick Wolf, Living Things, Plastiscines, Jaguar Love @ The Mod Club – June 17, 2009
MP3: Patrick Wolf – “Who Will?” (Buffet Libre mix)
MP3: Patrick Wolf – “A Boy Like Me”
MP3: Living Things – “Oxygen”
MP3: Jaguar Love – “Bats Over The Pacific Ocean”
MP3: Jaguar Love – “Highways Of Gold”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Hard Times”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Vulture”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Accident And Emergency”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “The Magic Position”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Bluebells”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “The Libertine”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Wind In The Wires”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “To The Lighthouse”
Video: Living Things – “I Owe”
Video: Living Things – “Let It Rain”
Video: Living Things – “Bombs Below”
Video: Living Things – “Bom Bom Bom”
Video: Plastiscines – “Barcelona”
Video: Plastiscines – “Loser”
Video: Jaguar Love – “Highways Of Gold”
MySpace: Patrick Wolf
MySpace: Living Things
MySpace: Plastiscines
MySpace: Jaguar Love

The Daily Growl solicits a seven songs list from Fanfarlo.

6 Day Riot have completed the first video from their forthcoming album 6 Day Riot Have A Plan, due out July 6.

Video: 6 Day Riot – “Run For Your Life”

Decider talks to Adam Franklin, who is playing the El Mocambo on July 6.

The Quietus has an interview with Elly Jackson of La Roux. Her self-titled album is out June 29 and she has a gig at the El Mocambo on July 31.

Spinner’s Interface welcomes Sigur Ros to their studios.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco chats with The Las Vegas Sun. Wilco (The Album) is out on June 30.

The Star-Tribune talks to Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. They’re at the Kool Haus on August 3.

MySpaceWhat do you get when you have a pile of random news and links, not a lot of time and definitely not enough caffeine in your system? A post like this.

NME reports that British prog-rock space cadets Muse have announced the release of their fifth studio album, The Resistance, for September 14 with massive world touring to follow. I had thought they might feasible V Fest Toronto headliners, following their shiny red-jumpsuited performance at the first edition in 2006 but they seem to have all their record promotion ducks in a row with the US U2 support dates and the European headlining dates – any visits to Canada will probably come much later.

But there is some V Ontario news – the dates and one of the acts performing have basically been confirmed thanks to Mute Math’s MySpace – they’re listed as performing at V Fest Toronto on August 29 and 30.

The Dodos will release their third album Time To Die on September 15. Expect to hear some of the new material when they open up for Beirut at the Phoenix on July 6 9.

The duo of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have reconvened as Quasi have a new, still-untitled record in the can. Look for it to have a name by the time it comes out on October 27.

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips confirms to the BBC that their new record will be a double-disc affair entitled Embryonic and is targeted for a September, though more likely later in the Fall release. He also gives a video interview to Clash. Hey, maybe they can headline V Fest. They still technically owe us a show.

Drowned In Sound has a two-three-part interview with Manic Street Preacher Nicky Wire. NME quotes bandmate James Dean Bradfield as saying that their next album will be a more upbeat affair than their current release, Journal For Plague Lovers.

The New Yorker salutes Sonic Youth, who have released a video from The Eternal. They are at Massey Hall on June 30.

Video: Sonic Youth – “Sacred Trickster”

NPR interviews Elvis Costello, who will be at Massey Hall on August 28.

Bowerbirds are showing off a second MP3 from their new record Upper Air, due out July 7. They will be at Sneaky Dee’s on July 14

MP3: Bowerbirds – “Beneath Your Tree”

Her Acid Tongue album was released last Fall, but Jenny Lewis has only just released a first video from it.

Video: Jenny Lewis – “Black Sand”

Decider interviews The Decemberists, playing a date at the Kool Haus on August 4.

Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis talks about American Hardcore to The Quietus. Their new record Farm is out next Tuesday.

Magnet has a Q&A with Bob Mould, who is playing guest editor at their website this week. He and his band have a date at the Mod Club on October 5.

Interview interviews An Horse.

Mille-Feuille talks to Anna-Lynne Williams of Trespassers William about her various musical projects.

JAM has an interview with Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker.

Decider has a talk with Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes.

Charleston City Paper has an extensive feature on Band Of Horses.

Washington City Paper talks to John Stirratt of Wilco. Wilco (The Album) is out June 30.

The Quietus examines the thespian endeavours of David Bowie.

Jeremy BaldersonBlog? Don’t blog? Blog? Don’t blog? Fuck it. Blog.

Brooklyn’s Jealous Girlfriends have been good to their word of taking 2009 off, but their individual components have hardly been idle. As reported back in January, singer Holly Miranda was working on a solo project and that’s now manifested itself as a five-song EP entitled Sleep On Fire. You can download an acoustic version of one of the tracks on her website, and she’s playing some US dates through June with AA Bondy. She was also recently featured in a Takeaway Show from director Vincent Moon.

Two of Miranda’s bandmates – singer/guitarist Josh Abbott and drummer Michael Fadem – have also been busy, assembling a new band they’ve dubbed New Numbers. They’ve also completed a new EP entitled Islands which they’re giving away digitally for free, and are also touring behind, starting with a June 22 show at the Horseshoe in Toronto. Like Miranda’s work, New Numbers aren’t far removed sonically from the Jealous Girlfriends’ sound, focusing on the more pop-rock side of things whereas Miranda is exploring the atmospheric. Both augur well for the Jealous Girlfriends’ future works, though.

MP3: New Numbers – “Hinterlands”
MP3: New Numbers – “Islands”
ZIP: New Numbers / Islands
MySpace: Holly Miranda
MySpace: New Numbers

Laundromatinee welcomes Chairlift to their studios for a session.

Japan Times and Newsweek have feature pieces on Sonic Youth, whom it was just announced this week will be receiving their own line of Fender signature guitars. Gotta say, those things are pretty sexy. Sonic Youth are at Massey Hall on June 30.

NPR is streaming their World Cafe session with Grizzly Bear.

Drowned In Sound talks to Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan. Their new record Popular Songs will be out September 8.

The Scotsman talks to The Thermals’ Kathy Foster.

Wilco’s Glenn Kotche tells Cincinnati.com that he likes Cincinnati. Wilco (The Album) is out June 30.

The Guardian welcomes Blur back to active duty with feature interviewing all four members and including rehearsal footage.

Stuart Murdoch talks to The Guardian about assembling his “ultimate girl group” for God Help The Girl, the album for which is out June 23. The List also has a feature on the project.

For Folk’s Sake confabs Fanfarlo.

SubPop is previewing some of their upcoming late Summer collection, releasing MP3s from the new albums from Grand Archives and Fruit Bats. Their new records Mind Frankenstein and The Ruminant Band are out September 8 and August 4, respectively.

MP3: Grand Archives – “Silver Among the Gold”
MP3: Fruit Bats – “My Unusual Friend”

She didn’t particularly impress or disappoint in her Toronto debut back in April, but La Roux is coming back to town following the release of her self-titled debut on June 29 with a date at the El Mocambo on July 31, tickets $12.

Video: La Roux – “Bulletproof”

The Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart have apparently found a favourite restaurant or something here in the big smoke because they’re returning for their third show of the year on September 7 at the Horseshoe. Accompanying them will be The Depreciation Guild, who opened up in their T.O. debut back in February, and Cymbals Eat Guitars. Tickets for the show are $12. Drowned In Sound has an interview with the Pains crew.

MP3: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – “Everything With You”
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Darklooming”

Regina Spektor has a date at the Sound Academy on September 16, Little Joy support. Her new album Far is out June 23.

MP3: Little Joy – “No One’s Better Sake”
Video: Regina Spektor – “Laughing With”

Brantley GutierrezIt’d be foolish to suggest that the guitar has fallen out of its place of supremacy in the indie rock universe – the six-string remains ubiquitous – but there’s a case to be made that the guitar solo is on the wane. And I’m not talking about the concise melodic instrumental break but the full-on, 32 bar, eye-closing, fuzz-spraying, fret-shredding SOLO. That, you don’t see as much of these days.

So for those of us for whom that’s not a positive development, the impending June 23 arrival of Farm, Dinosaur Jr’s new record and second since reforming the original lineup, is good news. Because where there’s Dinosaur Jr, there’s soloing. Lots and lots of soloing. Farm doesn’t stray far from the template J Mascis has worked from for pretty much his entire career – sleepy, croaked vocals over loud, hook-laden tunes and saturated with guitar – but definitely maintains the sense of rejuvenation that made their last album, Beyond, so much better than most expected.

I’ve still not seen Dinosaur Jr live in any of their incarnations – the 2006 Broken Mascis Scene benefit concert with Broken Social Scene was as close as I came – so I’m hoping that the rumours that they’ll be playing Pop Montreal implies a Toronto date come October. In the meantime, a session the band recorded for Daytrotter has been made available to download, featuring a couple of songs from their debut Dinosaur as well as Beyond. There’s also an interview with drummer Murph at Chart.

MP3: Dinosaur Jr – “I Want You To Know”
Video: Dinosaur Jr – “Over It”

Doug Martsch is another fellow who’s been known to take a guitar excursion or two, and there’s sure to be more than a few of them on the next Built To Spill album, which should be arriving this year. Martsch talked to both Pitchfork and Sterogum about how things are going on There Is No Enemy, due out in October. Denver Westword also has an interview, and there’s also rumours of a Toronto live date percolating… more on that when its available.

Sonic Youth are also no strangers to the abuse of six-stringed instruments. Their latest, The Eternal, leans towards the more conventional side of their oeuvre, but with Sonic Youth that’s a very relative statement. They’re the subject of an interview at Billboard and another on-camera two-parter at Pitchfork TV. PFTV also has another installment in their A>D>D video session with the band, who’re at Massey Hall on June 30.

Guitar heroics aren’t necessarily the first thing one thinks of when they think of Wilco, but with Nels Cline in the band, they shouldn’t be much further than the second or at most, third. CityBeat has a conversation with with Cline about his work both within and without Wilco, while Metromix caught up with Jeff Tweedy while the band was in Spain to discuss their new record Wilco (The Album), due out June 30.

Muzzle Of Bees asks five questions of Son Volt’s Jay Farrar. Their new album American Central Dust is in stores July 7.

JAM talks to Steve Earle. He’s playing Massey Hall solo on July 11.

Under The Radar has details on the forthcoming Drive-By Truckers rarities compilation The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008), out September 1. The band’s performance for Austin City Limits will also be released on CD and DVD on July 7, and Patterson Hood’s new solo record Murdering Oscar (and other love songs) is out June 23.

MP3: Patterson Hood – “I Understand Now”

Blurt has information on goings-on in Pernice Brothers-land. Joe’s first novel It Feels So Good When I Stop is set for an August 6 release and it will be accompanied by the release of a soundtrack album – essentially a cover album – which will be out August 4. There will also be string of live dates that seek to combine the book reading/concert performance mediums into, well, some combination of the two. Only a few of the dates have been announced yet, none in Pernice’s adopted hometown of Toronto. Come on, Joe. Do it.

Wheat are offering an MP3 from their forthcoming album White Ink Black Ink, which has pushed back May and June release dates and is now set to be out July 21. Any bets on August? PopMatters readies itself for the new record by revisiting the greatness of their first two, Medeiros and Hope & Adams, both recently reissued together.

MP3: Wheat – “H.O.T.T.”

MPR is streaming a session with Grizzly Bear.

Killabeez talks to Caroline Polachek of Chairlift, who’ve just released a new video.

Video: Chairlift – “Bruises”

Jet will be at the Mod Club on July 6, tickets $25.50.