Andrew YouseffShoegaze as a genre is generally considered to be a British sort of thing, which is reasonable since the concept of playing guitars really loudly while avoiding eye contact with the audience largely originated on that side of the Atlantic, but since the early ’90s, introverts everywhere have picked up guitars and daisy-chained distortion pedals and not a few of those who formed bands call California home. And a couple of the best-known of them are back with new records.

Hailing from San Francisco, Film School have gone through considerable changes since their 2006 eponymous release, both in terms of personnel and sound, softening the somewhat hard edges of that record on the more melodic 2007 follow-up Hideout and from the sounds of the first MP3, their new record Fission – due out August 31 – looks to be their most pop-oriented effort yet. They’re hitting the road this Fall with New York’s The Depreciation Guild, who know a thing or two themselves about building walls of sound as evidenced on their latest album Spirit Youth, and both will be at the El Mocambo in Toronto on October 4.

Los Angeles’ Autolux have managed to remain one of the state/country’s the most revered dreampop acts despite not having released a record since their debut Future Perfect in 2004, but the long wait for a follow-up will finally end next week with the release of Transit Transit. And though you could argue that after waiting six years to hear a new record, what’s another week, the band are now streaming the whole album at their MySpace, giving folks a little extra time to cram on the new tunes before the trio kicks off a North American tour in a couple weeks that rolls through Lee’s Palace on August 24.

MP3: Film School – “Heart Full Of Pentagons”
MP3: Autolux – “Supertoys”
MP3: The Depreciation Guild – “Dream About Me”
Stream: Autolux / Transit Transit

Owen Ashworth has decided that it’s time to pull the plug on Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and as such, his upcoming Fall tour will be his last. Local fans can say thanks and goodbye when he plays The Piston on October 10. Ashworth talks to Exclaim about the decision to hang it up.

MP3: Casitotone For The Painfully Alone – “Optimist Vs. The Silent Alarm (When The Saints Go Marching In”

Two acts keeping Canada safe for down-home rock – The Wooden Sky and Yukon Blonde – are teaming up for a cross-Canada tour which will wrap up on November 6 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto.

MP3: The Wooden Sky – “Something Hiding For Us In The Night”
MP3: Yukon Blonde – “Wind Blows”

Diamond Rings has finally set a release date for his full-length debut Special Affections – it will be out in North America on October 26. He plays the Lower Ossington Theatre as part of Summerworks on August 11.

MP3: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs”

77 Square talks to Kathryn Calder about both her forthcoming solo debut Are You My Mother? and The New Pornographers.

Under The Radar throws Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham at Devo; interviewing ensues.

The Santa Barbara Independent checks in with Robin Pecknold, who is hitting the road solo as a break from recording the second Fleet Foxes record. There’s also a short tour documentary about Pecknold’s adventures on his own.

MPR has a studio session with Band Of Horses. They’re at the Kool Haus on October 21.

NPR is streaming a session with Retribution Gospel Choir.

Billboard talks to Sam Fogarino of Interpol. Their new self-titled record is out September 7 and they preview it on August 10 at the Kool Haus.

Interview does its thing with The Morning Benders. In addition to two dates at the Kool Haus opening up for The Black Keys next Wednesday and Thursday, they’re giving a free acoustic performance at The Big Chill ice cream on August 4 at 5:30 PM. Free ice cream for the early birds!

Ryan Edward MillerCanadian Musicfest 2010 is almost upon us, and while some of my blog brethren have offered their suggestions of what to see by way of their own schedules, I’m going to take a more free-form approach because following my own schedule will probably not yield the optimal experience. Logistics and workloads, not to mention still needing to get my act together for SxSW the following week, are keeping my plans relatively limited in scope but if none of that was a concern, then here’s a day-by-day breakdown of what I can endorse or would at least be curious about – above and beyond what I’ve mentioned in past posts – without concern for how you’d get across the city in 15 minutes without aid of a jetpack.

Wednesday: Canadian Musicfest (and Canadian Music Week) have traditionally been Thursday-Friday-Saturday affairs, but this year they’ve done a pretty good job of making Wednesday more than a token addition to the schedule. No, there’s not as much slated to go for hump day, but if you’ve got a wristband and are looking to maximize it, there’s more than a few options.

Spirits (Bread & Circus @ 10PM) – These ’80s-inflected Hamiltonian synth-rockers can legitimately say that they had Pixies open up for them – the alt.rock legends used a Spirits show as a cover for their secret show prior to V Fest last year. And beyond that, they’ve got some pretty slick new wave/new romantic moves of their own.
Video: Spirits – “Forbidden Flame”

Fucked Up (The El Mocambo @ 1AM) – The reigning Polaris winners are much too big to play the El Mo anymore – but they’re gonna do it anyways. Chaos (and nudity) is pretty much guaranteed. Exclaim has an exclusive on where they’re going on their next record.
MP3: Fucked Up – “Neat Parts”

The Wilderness Of Manitoba (Painted Lady @ 10PM) – This hotly-tipped, harmony-laden folk outfit wins over more and more fans with each performance, so catching them in intimate environs such as this while you can is recommended.
MP3: The Wilderness Of Manitoba – “Bluebirds”

Styrofoam Ones (The Roosevelt Room @ 9PM) – I used to play in a band with Styrofoam Ones’ drummer. He certainly gets to play louder/faster/harder with these post-punk/dance-rockers than he did with us.
MySpace: Styrofoam Ones

Thursday: Yeah, you’ll have to work in the morning but really – who gets anything done on a Friday? Really? You do? So it’s just me? Huh.

Forest City Lovers (The Drake Underground @ 10PM) – One of the cities finest folk-pop bands just finished recording their third record and are about to head off to their first SxSW. To say they’ll be at the very top of their game is an understatement.
Video: Forest City Lovers – “If I Were A Tree”

The Darcys (The El Mocambo @ 11PM) – Despite some major recent lineup changes, their forthcoming Murray Lightburn-produced album Young Believers should introduce a much larger audience to their unpredictable guitar-laden epics. Also playing at Sneaky Dee’s on Saturday at 3PM. Read an interview at The Brock Press.
MP3: The Darcys – “House Built Around Your Voice”

And So I Watch You From Afar (The Hideout @ 1AM) – Belfast instrumental post-rockers eschew the quiet-quiet-quiet-LOUD-LOUD-LOUD thing for something more lively and melodic than many of their more bombastic peers.
MP3: And So I Watch You From Afar – “The Voiceless”

Neon Indian (Lee’s Palace @ 10:30PM) – Okay, mostly this is curiosity as to what all the fuss is about. Chillwave? What? Really? And the kids are into this, you say?
MP3: Neon Indian – “Deadbeat Summer”

Dinosaur Bones (The Silver Dollar @ 10PM) – These guys have come a long way since I last saw them in August 2008 – or so it would seem, as I’ve done a lousy job of following up on them since them. But people are talking about their grand and moody rock and they’re clearly on the cusp of something.
Video: Dinosaur Bones – “Ice Hotels”

First Rate People (The Garrison @ 9PM) – Mysterious and apparently big in Owen Sound, there’s something undeniably compelling about their synthesis of old school Motown soul, electronic cut-and-paste aesthetic and indie rock earnestness. Plus The National’s Matt Berninger is apparently a fan. Also playing Sneaky Dee’s on Friday at 3AM.
MP3: First Rate People – “Girls’ Night”

Friday: I’ll be camping out the whole night at Lee’s Palace for my co-presented showcase with Billions and would certainly think you wise if you did the same, but if you’re inclined to see what else is out there, maybe add these to your list.

Hannah Georgas (The Drake Underground @ 10PM) – Could this Vancouverite be the next in Canada’s long, proud tradition of terrific female singer-songwriters? From what I’ve heard from her and about her, I wouldn’t bet against it.
Video: Hannah Georgas – “Thick Skin”

Old World Vulture (Neutral Lounge @ 11PM) – Despite giving them a thumbs up at the end of last year, I haven’t yet gotten to see/hear/feel their intense post-rock action in a live setting yet. Operative word “yet”.
MP3: Old World Vulture – “Benny”

PS I Love You (The Silver Dollar @ 12AM) – I’d like to say it didn’t take Pitchfork rave to put something from almost by own backyard on my radar… but it did. And as embarrassing as that may be, I thank them for it.
MP3: PS I Love You – “Facelove”

Phantogram (Supermarket @ 1AM) – The were here just a few weeks ago, but they were awesome and deserve another “hey go see these guys they’re awesome”. So go see these guys they’re awesome.
MP3: Phantogram – “When I’m Small”

Saturday: It’s kind of odd that the biggest show happening during Canadian Musicfest isn’t associated with Canadian Musicfest, but the first part of Saturday night will be spent at the Phoenix to see Joanna Newsom. Happily, it’s an early show so after that there’ll still be time to catch some or all of these.

The Brother Kite (Rancho Relaxo @ 10PM) – I’m so very excited that Rhode Island’s finest guitar-pop band are coming back to Toronto and that I’ll finally be here to greet them – their last album Waiting For the Time To Be Right remains one of my favourites of the past decade and the follow-up, Isolation, is finally being prepared for release. If there’s any show this week that I will put the “don’t miss” label on, it’s this one.
Video: The Brother Kite – “I’m Not The Only One”

Yukon Blonde (The Horseshoe @ 8:30PM) – Yeah, the Horseshoe is always jam-packed from the moment doors open and this year will be no different, but at least the first band is definitely worth seeing. Lots of people like to call Yukon Blonde “classic” rock. I prefer to think of it as timeless – big guitars and harmonies never really go out of style.
MP3: Yukon Blonde – “Wind Blows”

Gemma Ray (Painted Lady @ 11PM) – This Brit’s swaggering, throwback guitar pop ranges from dark noir to folky light. I think I’ve been meaning to see her live for some time – too bad I’m unlikely to catch either this showcase or her other one at The Silver Dollar on Friday night at 10PM.
MP3: Gemma Ray – “100 mph in 2nd Gear”

Revolvers (The Comfort Zone @ 9PM) – Hazy, vintage-tinged psychedelic garage rock that doesn’t bring a whole lot new to the table – almost nothing, actually – but it still done well enough that if you’re into it, you won’t care.
Video: Revolvers – “Rock Y Roll”

Whew. Obviously there’s loads else going on through the weekend, but hopefully if you’re looking for somewhere to start, the above will offer some ideas.

And elsewhere in Canadian music… Spinner has words with The Russian Futurists – they’re playing the aforementioned Billions/Chromewaves show at Lee’s Palace on Friday night.

Chart chats with Amos The Transparent, playing the Horseshoe on Thursday night at 9:20.

Canadian Interviews talks to Gavin Gardiner of The Wooden Sky. They play the Horseshoe on March 13.

Spinner catches up with Woodhands, playing the Opera House on March 11 and the Paper Bag/Chromewaves showcase at SxSW on March 18.

Spinner checks in with Holy Fuck.

The Portland Mercury has an interview with Basia Bulat.

Spinner asks Owen Pallett to list off his favourite video games. And no, none of the Final Fantasy titles make the list. Pallett plays The Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 8.

djchampion.netCanadian Musicfest is almost upon us and, while I’d intended to hold off on preview-y things till next week, some of this just won’t keep. Actually, it probably would, but I needed something to post today and this needed to go out… so.

I’ll start, actually, with some giveaways. The typical way of doing CMF/CMW is via the wristband, which grants access to many of the clubs throughout the week, so long as it’s not at capacity, and in recent years the whole “limited wristbands” policy – which had been laughably token in the past – has gotten much better so that if you’re up for some late Winter club hopping, it’s a good value. Of course, for some the too-ing and fro-ing isn’t their idea of a fun time, so picking a spot and camping out is the way to go. For them, and courtesy of LiveNation and The Musebox, I offer the following giveaways for a pretty wide cross-section of acts coming to town next week for the festival.

Who: Champion & His G-Strings
What: Montreal dance/rock multi-threat showcases his latest album, Resistance
When: March 11, 2010
Where: The Guvernmnet
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be a Champion” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
Video: Champion & His G-Strings – “Alive Again”

Who: Postdata
What: Soul-baring, stripped-down solo project from Wintersleep frontman released self-titled debut in January
When: March 12, 2010
Where: The Music Gallery
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be see Postdata” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Postdata – “Tobias Grey”

Who: Boats
What: Winnipeg quirky-pop quartet will release Cannonballs, Cannonballs on May 1
When: March 12, 2010
Where: Rancho Relaxo
How: One pair of passes and a copy of the CD to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be ride Boats” in the subject line and your full name and mailing address in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Boats – “Chrome Eyelids”

Who: Milow
What: Belgian singer-songwriter does the sexy-sensitive thing on acoustic guitar.
When: March 13, 2010
Where: The Drake Underground
How: Three pairs of passes to give away – email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want be see Milow” in the subject line and your full name in the body before midnight, March 8
MP3: Milow – “You Don’t Know”

Not giveaways but still CMF-relevant:

Spinner, Subba-Cultcha, The Line Of Best Fit, The Brooklyn Rail and The Quietus interview The Besnard Lakes, whose new record The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is out on Tuesday and currently streaming at Spinner. They play an in-store at Criminal Records on March 10 at 6:30PM and the Horseshoe on March 11 at 12:10AM.

Stream: The Besnard Lakes / The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night

Chart tries to get The Wooden Sky excited about playing Canadian Musicfest by asking them stock questions. They play the Horseshoe at 11PM on Saturday, March 13.

Spinner talks to Fucked Up about their plans for SxSW and make a guest list for Pitchfork. They’re at the El Mocambo on March 10 to kick off CMF and have also made some very early demos from CIUT, the University Of Toronto radio station, available to download for free.

The Brock Press has an interview with The Acorn wherein frontman Rolf Klausener discusses their new record No Ghosts, set for release in June. They are at Lee’s Palace on March 12.

Plants & Animals have released a first video from La La Land, due out April 20. They play Lee’s Palace on March 12 and the Indie Awards on March 13.

Video: Plants & Animals – “The Mama Papa””

NOW puts Zeus on this week’s cover. They’re playing an instore at Soundscapes tomorrow at 6PM and will be at Lee’s Palace on March 10.

Ca Va Cool interviews The Balconies while Toro has a studio session. They’ve got an in-store at Criminal Records on March 12 at 6PM and play the Horseshoe at 9:20PM on March 13.

eye and The Brock Press have features on Born Ruffians, who will release Say It on June 1. They’re at the Opera House on March 14.

And not participating in Canadian Musicfest but still Canadian music:

Owen Pallett has released the first official video from Heartland and has made available for sale the complete orchestral score of the album – perfect for aspiring Owen Pallett cover orchestras. The Line Of Best Fit has an interview with Pallett, who plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 8.

Video: Owen Pallett – “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt”

Chart has details on the sophomore effort from Tokyo Police Club, entitled Champ and still awaiting a release date.

Wilkosz + WayUnder normal circumstances, it’d be logical to consider the record that followed a band’s breakthrough album through the lens of how those successes might have affected their creative process and output. You can’t quite do that in the case of Woodpigeon’s newest record Die Stadt Muzikanten, however, because even though its predecessor Treasury Library Canada was the album that brought the Calgary outfit national recognition via the Polaris Prize long list, Muzikanten was already completed and in the can before the Treasury roller coaster ride began.

That makes the growth in sound and style from one record to the next that much more natural. The basic Woodpigeon recipe hasn’t changed much – Mark Hamilton’s compositions continue to be exemplary folk-pop rendered with delicacy in a widescreen scale, but this time the songs are delivered with more confidence and verve than before and are simultaneously more musically rangy and focused. Relative to what’s come before, Muzikanten is both louder – “My Denial In Argyle” is an unqualified rocker while “The Street Noise That Gives You Away” is epic in scope – and softer, with record closer and Jamie Fooks duet “Our Love Is As Tall As The Calgary Tower” one of their loveliest moments to date. Though it’s Hamilton’s vision that defines Woodpigeon, the record wouldn’t be nearly what it is without the contributions of his ever-expanding cast of supporting players, whose ability to bring to life the sounds in his head can’t be overstated. In particular, the backing vocals of Annalea Sordi-McClure and Foon Yap are a persistent, angelic choir hovering overhead throughout. Much of the charm of Treasury came from how it felt like a perfectly-matched collection of individual, snowglobe-like vignettes – Muzikanten pulls all those vignettes together into a single wondrous diorama, alive with song.

CMJ, Log Driver’s Waltz, Spill, The Record and Xtra all have feature pieces on Woodpigeon, who kick off their tour of Ontario and Quebec this week. They play the Drake Underground this Thursday, February 11, and will do an in-store at Soundscapes on February 14 at 5PM. Die Stadt Muzikanten will be released in the US on March 9 and in Europe on April 19.

MP3: Woodpigeon – “Empty-Hall Sing-Along”
MySpace: Woodpigeon

Beatroute and Spill have features on Woodhands, who are playing the Opera House on March 11.

The Wooden Sky are profiled by Beatroute and The Manitoban. They’re at the Horseshoe on March 13 as part of the Chart showcase for Canadian Musicfest.

Southern Souls has posted a video session with Forest City Lovers, of which one of the songs is “If I Were A Tree” and thus continues the “wood” meme running through the first bit of this post. Hey, I make my own fun.

Beatroute and The Winnipeg Free Press talk to The Rural Alberta Advantage, who will be performing on March 13 at the Royal York Hotel as part of the Indie Awards at Canadian Musicfest. Yeah, the Indie Awards. That’s right.

Chart talks to Zeus, whose Say Us arrives February 23 and who will be at Lee’s Palace on March 10.

Spinner talks to Laura Barrett about how she found herself opening up for The Magnetic Fields on their current North American tour, which stops in at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre tonight.

Vue, Alive Sydney and The Gateway have feature pieces on Dan Mangan, who has two showcases (at least) at Canadian Musicfest this year – March 11 at The Great Hall and March 12 at The Courthouse.

Ottawa X-Press and Aux interview Basia Bulat. She has an in-store at Soundscapes on February 16 at 7PM.

The Montreal Gazette, The Globe & Mail and PopMatters have interviews with Owen Pallett, whose next hometown show is April 8 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Good news for those who were still in diapers the last time Thrush Hermit were an active band – a third reunion show has been added to go along with their two sold-out gigs at Lee’s Palace – there’s now a dry, all-ages matinee show scheduled for March 28 at 4:45PM – tickets are $17.50 and go on sale Wednesday. Joel Plaskett has also just announced details of a Thrush Hermit Complete Recordings box set coming out in time to coincide with the reunion tour and consisting of all of the band’s albums and EP as well as a wealth of rare and unreelased material and a DVD. Seven discs in all, and suitable for kids of all ages.

Sloan announced via Twitter that they will be releasing a digital compilation of all their official b-sides this week, aptly entitled B-Sides Win.

The Sadies give Exclaim a guided tour of their equipment.

NOW and The National Post pay tribute to Wavelength, whose weekly concert series wraps up for good this weekend with the 500th show blowouts.

Updates could be slim/intermittent/non-existent this week – woke up to a laptop with a DOA logic board, so until that gets fixed, I’ve got my work machine (which is for work – ahem), my iPhone and my 7-year old Windows machine which is going to be pressed back into emergency service. Sounds like fun, right? Right? Wrong.

Jeremy R. JansenA birthday party is a bit of an odd time to announce a memorial, but such was the case this past February when, at the end of the successful 9th anniversary bash for Toronto’s venerable Wavelength weekly music series, it was announced that the 2010, 10th anniversary shows would also mark the final edition of the showcase… at least in its present form. While the weekly showcases are ending, the Wavelength marque and ethos will continue on via monthly showcases and one-off events, thus ensuring that the stages that gave countless Toronto acts – including Broken Social Scene, The Hidden Cameras and Constantines to name but a very few of the better known – will remain open and inviting.

But before the new Wavelength can begin, the old must be celebrated and put to bed, and that’s what the second weekend of February is going to be all about. Wavelength 500 will bring together acts from all throughout its history, some of whom have gone on to bigger things and some who have simply gone but all of whom are crucial parts of Toronto’s musical tapestry over the past decade. The festival will run over five nights at five venues, starting on February 10 and running through to February 14 for what’s sure to be the loudest, sweatiest Valentine’s Day bash on record. The lineups and locales for each night are as follows:

February 10 @ The Music Gallery: Bruce Peninsula, Evening Hymns, Pony Da Look, Deep Dark United, Canaille ($12)
February 11 @ The Steam Whistle Roundhouse – Holy Fuck, The Russian Futurists, Fembots, Diamond Rings, Professor Fingers ($18)
February 12 @ Sneaky Dee’s – From Fiction, The Bicycles, Laura Barrett, Magic Cheezies, Young Mother ($12)
February 13 @ The Polish Combatants Hall – Constantines, Rockets Red Glare, Donne Roberts, Picastro, Danger Bay ($20)
February 14 @ The Garrison – Kids On TV, Barcelona Pavilion, Mean Red Spiders, Neck, Boars (PWYC)

Advance tickets for the first four nights are available at the prices noted, while the fifth and final night will be pay-what-you-can. In addition, festival passes guaranteeing admission to all five shows will go on sale January 7 at the wholly reasonable price of $50. The timing of the festival is a bit unfortunate as there’s a lot a lot of other stuff going on before, during and after that weekend, but it’s not Wavelength’s fault – they’ve had this date circled on the calendar for, oh, a decade.

MP3: Laura Barrett – “Robot Ponies”
MP3: Bruce Peninsula – “Crabapples”
MP3: Canaille – “Vincent Massey” (live)
MP3: Constantines – “Nighttime Anytime It’s Alright”
MP3: Diamond Rings – “All Yr Songs”
MP3: Evening Hymns – “Dead Deer”
MP3: Fembots – “Good Days”
MP3: Holy Fuck – “Lovely Allen”
MP3: Picastro – “Hortur”
MP3: The Russian Futurists – “Paul Simon”

Constantines are no strangers to anniversary parties, having just wrapped up four Toronto shows to mark their own decade mark this past weekend. Spinner talked to frontman Bry Webb about the milestone.

Southern Souls is featuring a couple of video performances from Evening Hymns, who in addition to playing the Wavelength anniversary will be at the Garrison on January 22 for the Out Of This Spark 3rd anniversary show, alongside The D’Urbervilles, Forest City Lovers and Jenny Omnichord. Evening Hymns are also on HeroHill’s “best of 2009” list with a couple of unreleased tracks up for grabs and interviews with many of their picks.

Forest City Lovers frontwoman Kat Burns offers a couple of solo performances and an interview in this video feature from The National Post.

BlogTO has a feature on the Third Floor Sessions which have been happening at Ryerson University and yielding downloadable sessions from the likes of Ohbijou and The Wooden Sky… and yes, that is your cue to make with the clicky and download the goods (while watching the videos, of course).

NXEW is offering a free Christmas EP from Oh No Forest Fires that’s probably louder and fuzzier than your usual holiday fare. Thank goodness.

The Line Of Best Fit’s “Oh! Canada” series of compilations is also back with another volume, just in time for the holidays. Go get.