Love, Love Will Tear Us Apart Again

Brooklynvegan(via the ArcadeFire.net forums) points to a download of a live video of The Arcade Fire performing with U2 a cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in Montreal. Does this prove that U2 are post-punk?

I've never bothered unsubscribing from the Plumtree Yahoo! Message Group(I guess I'm always hoping for a reunion) but every now and then someone(sometimes one of the Plumtree'rs) posts a message. Bassist Catriona posted a message today. Her and her new band Dearie Hunter and her Screaming Elks(which includes Dana from The Bicycles and Andy from Spitfires and Mayflowers) have a show at Embassy(223 Augusta in Toronto) on December 7th. Sounds like a good show even though I haven't heard a note of their music. How's that for optimism! Also, Catriona has her own web page.

A second Metric show's been added for Kool Haus, this time on February 25th. Public onsale is this Saturday December 3rd at 10 am. House of Blues presale started this morning.(ok, so I'm a little late with that news.)

Listen to/watch the live session that Super Furry Animals performed this morning(well, afternoon EST) for Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Here's a torrent(registration required) of a live show of The Organ at Abordage in Evreux, France on November 11, 2005. [via Largehearted Boy]

Exclaim Reader's Poll 2005/2006 - fill it out for your chance to win some cool prize packs! I was assuming that it's only open to Canadian residents but then the 'Province/State' field got me thinking that maybe it's also open to U.S. residents.

Goodnight Jack

chartattack reports on the Canadian release of Saint Etienne's new album which is scheduled to see the light of day on January 24th in the new year. The Canadian version will feature a slightly different tracklisting than the European release which is already out. News of the band's fanclub CD compilation "Nice Price"(whose tracklisting you can see over at chartattack or on the new's page of the band's website) should also be available in the coming weeks.

video.antville.org points to a link to a music video of Saint Etienne's "Side Streets" from the new album. The video is pretty much a walk through London town. Kinda of a weak video actually and the song itself is a little too smooth for my liking(in particular the background vocals) but I like Saint Etienne and I really want to see them live this time around. Please come to Toronto! [photo from http://../]
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Jeff Tweedy of Wilco performed a live acoustic session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe this morning. They played "Muzzle of Bees" and "I'm The Man Who Loves You". Listen here(session is about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the program and the link is only valid for a week).

My Old Kentucky Blog seriously regrets now not asking The Watson Twins out when he was in college, now that the girls are cozy with a one Jenny Lewis. Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins release their debut album "Rabbit Fur Coat" on January 24, 2006 through Team Love Records. The thing's leaked already but I'll just point you to Radio Free Internet who has some mp3's from the new album.

You Can't Break The Strings In Our Olympic Hearts

concert review: The Diableros w/ Henri Faberge and The Adorables, Lipstick Machine @ Sneaky Dee's(Toronto, Ontario), November 26, 2006

This past Saturday I finally got around to seeing The Diableros again, this time being their CD release show. My first time seeing them was when they were openers for The Two Koreas' CD release show at The Boat in Toronto back in June. My first impressions of them were good but I didn't give 'em the props then that they so truly deserve. I managed to miss all their local shows since they played The Boat in June but the mp3's they had on their website during the summer(as well as the streaming audio they have on their MySpace site) were more than enough to get me more acquainted with their music. It's damn fine stuff.

I made it to Sneaky Dee's just in time for the start of Henri Faberge and The Adorables ' set. Having read comments over at Stille Post about the band on occasion, their local Toronto following seems totally giddy about them. The band setup a monthly residency at Embassy in Kensington Market and each show seems to draw rave reviews over at Stille Post. This was the first time I've caught them live and I'll say they were just alright. They were charming as hell and the music was peppy, but musically they didn't really connect with me. The handclaps, horns, tambourines, keyboards, and exuberant singing are right up my pop music alley, but the melodies didn't always connect with me. Apparently they were missing a couple of members that night and I've been advised that I really should check them out their Embassy shows. I'm more than willing to give 'em another chance in the future. I'm sure we'll meet again. If anything, they are fun with a capital 'F'. On a quick note, I'd like to mention that preceding their set was a poet friend of theirs from New York who performed this brief spoken-word performance anectdote about going to the 'butt doctor' which lead into his introduction, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Henri Faberge and The Adorables". The most hilarious band intro ever!

My recollection of The Diableros' set is sort of hazy, in no small part due to a couple of psycho dancer dudes near me busting out the moves. I give 'em props for having fun but they ALMOST elbowed me a couple of times. With a interesting video projection behind them, the band played their tunes from their awesome debut album "You Can't Break The Strings In Our Olympic Hearts". I don't have too much to say about their live show itself. There was enough energy on stage I suppose but really they're a band that's more about music than stage persona. They remind me a bit of that sort of cool British aloofness a la Echo and The Bunnymen which really is all fine with me. And like Echo, The Diableros have the tunes to back it up. I assume that The Diableros played most(if not all) of the tunes from their debut CD so at this point I think a song by song rundown of the album is in order:

"Working out Words"
- This reminded me of that sort of driving C-86 inspired indie-pop like The Wedding Present.

"Push It To Monday"
- This song has a Walkmen-like organ-drenched rock sound but also features a killer pop chorus.

"Tropical Pets"
- Brooding guitar rock intro that suddenly swells with an assault of organ sounds.

"Sugar Laced Soul"
- Guitar/bass guitar driven melodic indie rock sound.

"No Weight"
- This simply is one of my FAVOURITE songs of 2005, after having heard the mp3 many times. It features a vibrant punctuated guitar arrangement and energetic melodies, complimented by the urgent vocals of Pete Carmichael.

"Olympic Island"
- This song features a delicate distant-sounding guitar intro that leads into swirling drum fills, emotive vocals and a driving organ melody.

"Through The Foam"
- Another melodic, guitar-driven rocker.

"Smash The Clock"
- The opening guitar strains of the song, which are reminiscent of Echo and The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon", leads into a slightly psychedelic-sounding organ fill, before diving head first into some further guitar rock melodicism.

"Golden Gates"
- This song is a nice melodic closer to the CD. Its ringing guitars, marching-band-like drum fills, and sweeping melodic chorus, reminded me of post-"Psychocandy" Jesus and Mary Chain.

This is a damn fine record, even if it's only a brief 9 songs. Like someone said on Stillepost, "Not a dud in the bunch." Seek it out, and ye shall be rewarded.

Related info/links
- suckingalemon has photos from the show.
- The band'll be playing another CD release show(and free admission, btw) on December 3rd in Mississauga ON at The Duke of Marlborough Pub.
- The Diableros' MySpace site
- the band's New Music Canada site
- an older post of Are You Familiar? has some mp3's of several Diableros' songs. Preview at your leisure, but please buy the CD.

Oh You're So Silent

Limeworld.com has some photos and video clips from a recent Broken Social Scene/The Most Serene Republic show in Edmonton AB. The last photo of new female vocalist Lisa Lobsinger, with guest violinst Julie Penner in the background, is magnificent. I watched and listened to the clip for "Shorelines" and heard Lisa's vocals for the first time. I think Lisa does a more than adequate job in the female vox department. But judging from some of the photos, I'm wondering what sort of presence she has on stage. Well, I'm looking forward to BSS' show at the Kool Haus in Toronto on January 21st in the new year to find out.

Three Imaginary Girls has a way-detailed review of Jens Lekman's wonderful EP/rarities compilation "Oh You're So Silent, Jens". I'd already picked this CD up before I read the review, but if this review doesn't convince you to buy the CD, I don't know what will.

chartattack reports that Vancouver's The Organ who are signed to Mint Records in Canada, have just inked a deal with Too Pure in the UK.

A little bird told me that Uncut had to back out of tonight's show at Sneaky Dee's because their drummer has an infection in his leg. So opening for The Diableros will be Henri Faberge and The Adorables.

Sugar Laced Soul

NOW and Eye Weekly give props to The Diableros' debut CD "You Can't Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts". The band's website had posted some mp3's over the summer which I had the opportunity to download and listen to. (The mp3's are unfortunately not available anymore but you can hear some streaming audio over at New Music Canada.) Song titles include "No Weight", "Push It To Monday", "Tropical Pets" and "Smash The Clock". It's terrific stuff that has echoes of The Walkmen and Echo and The Bunnymen at least to my ears. I'd have definitely included their album in my submission to i(heart)music's poll had their album come out earlier. [original photo from http://../]

Back in June, Are You Familiar? posted an exclusive mp3 of The Diableros' "Sugar Laced Soul". Go download it!

The Diableros play their CD Release show this Saturday November 26th in Toronto at Sneaky Dee's and their New Music Canada page indicates they're playing The Duke of Marlborough Pub in Mississauga(which is practically in my neighbourhood) on December 3rd.

Eye Weekly and Jam!Showbiz spoke to controller.controller in advance of their CD Release show in Toronto at Spin Gallery which takes place tomorrow(November 25th).

I read over at chartattack that Stars just added a matinee all-ages show at Lee's Palace for Sunday December 18th. 6 shows in 4 days. This has to be some kind of record. Someone please call Guinness World Records.

cleverlazy's most recent podcast features an interview with Bell Orchestre/Arcade Fire member Richard Reed Parry.

Ya da, ya da, ya da...everyone's already blogged about this but I'll post about it anyway. Take Your Medicine polls UK music bloggers and compiles a list of the 48 Hottest Bands in the UK. Anyone in Australia willing to bite, 'cause I'd be interested in seeing a list of the hottest bands in Australia.

'Net Music

Couple of House of Blues presales of interest:

Supergrass at Kool Haus February 6, 2006, $23.50, all-ages
Presale Begins: Wed, Nov 23 @ 10:00am
Public On-sale: Fri, Nov 25 @ 10:00am

Metric at Kool Haus February 24, 2006, $22.50, all ages
Presale Begins: Wed, Nov 23 @ 10:00am
Public On-sale: Sat, Nov 26 @ 10:00am

The Decemberists performed a live session yesterday)(November 22nd EST) for BBC Radio 2's Janice Long program. Listen here(session is about 28 minutes into the show and the program is only archived for a week.)

Junior Boys will be at Supermarket in Toronto for a show on December 2nd. [via Pollstar]

Kristin Hersh performed a live session yesterday for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe. Listen here(session is about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the program and the link is valid for a week).

Listen to the session that the Super Furry Animals did for MPR: 89.3 The Current on November 21, 2005, when they performed "Laser Beam","The Horn", and "Colonize the Moon".

My Top 10 Hottest Canadian Bands in 2005

Inspired by Information Leafblower's recent Top 40 Bands in America Today - 2005 Edition list for which he polled a select group of music bloggers for(including Canadian music blogger Chromewaves), i(heart)music has conducted his own poll amongst Canadian music bloggers to come up with a list of the 33 hottest bands in Canada. Thanks to i(heart)music for including me in the poll. My ranked list is below with their final ranking in parentheses. My reasons for what made each artist below 'hot' in 2005 differed from artist to artist but it was another stellar year for the Canadian music scene overall.

1. The New Pornographers (6)

They released one of my favourite Canadian albums of the year, "Twin Cinema", toured the heck out of it, and played one of my favourite shows in Toronto of the year(with Neko Case and Dan Bejar!). And no single this year, Canadian or otherwise, surpasses the greatness of "The Bleeding Heart Show".

2. Broken Social Scene (2)

They released one of the most anticipated indie albums of the year, their self-titled third album. While not as immediate as it's predecessors, their new album's melodic, chaotic beauty reveals itslef each time I listen to it. Speaking of hot, their label Arts and Crafts has been growing steadily this year with the inclusion, for the first time, of non-BSS related artists including The Most Serene Republic, The American Analog Set and New Buffalo. I only managed to catch BSS live once this year when they played a free show at Dundas Square as part the Celebrate Toronto Festival but BSS have been on the road constantly and still have managed to play the Greater Toronto Area no less than three times this year. And they're coming back in January at the Kool Haus for a two night stint.

3. The Constantines (9)

They are another touring machine who quietly released their new album "Tournament of Hearts" this year. Sadly, I believe it was the last release for Three Gut Records who quietly closed shops after 5 years of releasing quality indie rock. With their new album they add some stellar tracks to their catalogue including the fantastic soul-punk of "Love in Fear" and the whispered acoustic folk of "Windy Road".

4. Cuff The Duke (16)

Their self-titled second album, released this year, is full of confident songs that straddle the line between twang and pop. They pulled off a stellar instore performance at Soundscapes in Toronto this past summer, even with the intolerable heat in the store. They also packed Lee's Palace for a fantastic CD Release show.

5. Stars (7)

Even though their record "Set Yourself On Fire" came out last year, I thought they deserved to be mentioned on this list, 'cause they've been blowing up all over the world in 2005!

6. Jon-Rae Fletcher and The River (15)

Of the countless times he's played Toronto this year, I've seen him twice and his live show is a must see. Well, more of a a must-hear. From acoustic traditionals, to twangy soulful rompers, to Neil Young-ish guitar rock, Jon-Rae has injected a gospel-like intensity into the somewhat stale alt-country/No Depression/American scene. If you manage to catch the configuration of Jon-Rae and The Choir - an up-to-17 members choir - count yourself fortunate. His music is joyous.

7. Final Fantasy (4)

I probably should have included The Arcade Fire on this list since they had a banner year, but I figured their awesomness was just an extension from the previous year. However, frequent Arcade Fire contributor, violinist Owen Pallet has been making leaps and bounds with his own project aka Final Fantasy. He released his excellent debut album called "Has A Good Home" full of wonderful chamber pop gems and he also released a terrific video(filmed at The Boat in Toronto) for his song "This is the Dream of Win and Regine". Oh, and "This Is The Dream of Win and Regine" is one of my favourite songs of the year. Add to the list that his cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" has been all the rage in the music blog community, and yes, Mr. Pallett has had one hot year.

8. Jason Collett (27)

Mr. Collett has been making a name for himself this year outside of his work with Broken Social Scene. I think he has succeeded well with his new album "Idols of Exile" which is full of summery pop-rock tunes.

9. The Fembots (19)

Leaving behind the sound gimmickery(like tape loops and sound effects) of past albums, The Fembot's most recent album "The City" is musically more straightforward and the end result is a much more satifsying effort.

10. Bella (didn't make the final list)

2005 was only the beginning for this young Vancouver foursome. They released a great EP "Pretty Mess" full of bright synth-pop and indie-pop tunes at a time when I thought those genres had been just about played out. They only played live in Toronto once this year(at The Drake Hotel as part of NXNE for which they got a rave review from chartattack) and are long-overdue for another Toronto show. Let's see them hit their stride in 2006.

The Equaliser

There's exciting news about the mystery men of Clinic. Firstly, they have a brand new spanking website. I found out about their new site when I was checking my Site Meter stats and found that their website linked back to my review of their November 5, 2004 show at Lee's Palace. That was awfully nice of them.

Secondly, according their website, their new album was recorded over this Autumn. They describe it as "heavily upbeat and party based", and "less dark" than their previous album "Winchester Cathedral". The lads offer further description of the album: "It ranges from several severely fuzzed out riff manglers to skewed doo wop and raw punk. A pop strain runs throughout the major tracks , albeit cut-up and turned inside-out." They have the album scheduled for a release in early 2006 with the single "Tusk" preceding.

Oh, make sure you have pop-up blockers disabled because when you visit the main site, an additional window should open giving you an opportunity to download a FREE mp3 EP. [photo from Tag Team Media]
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Cha Cha Charming has an interview with Feist.

Kid Koala will be playing a New Year's Eve DJ set at Lava in Hamilton ON.

I was perusing Pollstar a couple of days ago and came across some exciting news about Final Fantasy and Torngat. The following show dates are purely unconfirmed as the respective artists' websites make no mention of them but here they are:

January 11, 2006 - Final Fantasy @ Berkeley Theatre(Toronto)

July 22 and 23, 2006 - Final Fantasy, Torngat @ Guelph ON's Hillside Music Festival - (This doesn't gel with the Hillside Music Festival website which indicates that 2006's festival will take place from July 28-30, 2006.)

Black Market Kidney posts his top 50 records of 2005, PORN STYLE!(Oh, go visit the link. You'll see what I mean. And yes the link's work-friendly ie. no raunchy photos.)

Santa, Baby

With the Greater Toronto Area already getting a little of snow flurry activity starting yesterday(and with the 101st Santa Claus Parade happening in Toronto on Sunday), I'm already getting into a holiday mood. Christmas is nice and all but there are parts of it that I also dread. Did any of you commuters notice how fucked up the traffic was yesterday going home from work? Of course, I had to pick yesterday to drive in to Toronto to get to work since I was running late. Traffic'll only get worse as the holiday season approaches. Not to forget to mention the malls, stores and shopping centres, but those are gonna be a zoo. If the mall I went to yesterday night was any indication, this year's gonna be worse than last year. I may just go in to hibernation until the whole thing's over, but not without drowning myself in good music during those waking hours.

Thanks to Making Its Home In Your Radio and There's Always Something Cooler Than You for linking back to yesterday's post regarding Neko Case's live performance on WYNC's Soundcheck. And both blogs above have graciously provided links to mp3 downloads of the two songs that Neko performed!

The Decemberists performed a live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe yesterday(November 18, 2005). Listen here(program is only archived for a week; session begins about 1 hour and 40 minutes into the program).

Here's a torrent(registration required) of a live show from November 15, 2005 of The Constantines at Batofar in Paris, France. [via Largehearted Boy]

Copy, Right? posts a throwback to some 50's covers performed by the likes of Rogue Wave, Oranger, Clem Snide.

You Ain't No Picasso celebrates his one year anniversary with a selection of his favourite tunes for your downloading pleasure. Which reminds me, MY BLOG'S SECOND ANNIVERSARY occurred October 27th. Happy anniversary to me!(Better late than never.)

At Last

WYNC's Soundcheck featured in-studio guest Neko Case. She was interviewed and also performed live some new songs which'll be on her upcoming new album, "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood". With band members Jon Rauhouse and Paul Rigby in tow, Neko performed the title track of the new album as well as a song called "At Last". [photo from http://../]

I have no idea WHO the Review Crew are over at Newsday.com but I'm wondering if their generally middling first impressions of Broken Social Scene's new album are on target and that the rest of us are just blinded by our devotion to fawn over whatever BSS release. In other words, if I'd never heard of Broken Social Scene before would I still think favourably of their new album? Coincidentally, I was listening to it today, and it's definitely less immediate than it's predecessor "You Forgot It In People". It's a dense album for sure, but I find that the more time I invest in it, the more the album reveals its subtle melodic charm.

While the news of the soon-to-be demise of indie rock magazine Comes With A Smile is sad news, at least it's last issue(#20) has it going out in style. According to the most recent CWAS news update, the line-up for issue # 20 will include the following names, with others still to be confirmed: Arab Strap, BC Camplight, Billy Mahonie, Tim Bluhm (Mother Hips), The Constantines, Death Cab for Cutie, Drive-By Truckers, The Eighteenth Day of May, Gravenhurst, Neil Hagerty (Howling Hex), Mick Harvey (Bad Seeds), Matt Pond PA, (cover stars) The New Pornographers, Silver Jews, Spoon and 31 Knots. I'm looking forward to The New Pornographers magazine cover as well as the accompanying CD which usually features rare or unreleased songs. I'm giddy in anticipation for which Constantines' and New Pornographers' songs will be included.

The East Bay Express examines the "best twenty-second moment of 2005", specifically 1:15 through 1:35 of Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On."

PopMatters reviews a recent Final Fantasy show in Brussels.

MP3 Blog last night an mp3 saved my wife bids farewell.

Here's a torrent of the live session The Organ performed for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe on November 16, 2005. [via Largehearted Boy]

There'll be a New Year's Eve show at The Boat in Toronto featuring Kids On TV, Republic Of Safety, Jon-Rae & The River with late-night DJ'ing by the Ninja High School crew. Tickets $10 in advance, onsale soon. [info via Stille Post]

Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)

Download the new music video for Broken Social Scene's "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)". [via donewaiting via the Panda Canoe] It just so happens that George Vale is again the video director and the music video is listed over at his website. However, I couldn't access the video at his site so I suggest that you jump on the download link above, since it's a yousendit link and it'll probably be gone by next week. (If anyone misses downloading the video, you can contact me by e-mail and I'll be happy to post it up through yousendit.)

The war uniform motif of the new Broken Social Scene music video nicely segways into my next topic. My friend and I watched "Jarhead" yesterday. I'll spare you the formal review but I will say it was well-acted, visually stark, and it provided a unique perspective of 'war'. In addition, the soundtrack was fairly of the times(early 90's) and featured a selection of songs by Public Enemy, Naughty By Nature, Nirvana, Tom Waits, Bobby McFerrin, and others that within the context of the film added an additional emotional element. The Virginian Pilot recently posted an article by The Associated Press which examines some of the songs used in "Jarhead". My favourite musical moment of the film was hearing "Something In The Way" by Nirvana, apparently the first time one of their songs was used in a film.

NME reports that Supergrass will be kicking off a world tour starting in Toronto with a show at Kool Haus on February 6, 2006. Rest of the dates over at NME. [via Rock Snob]

chartattack speaks with Vancouver-based indie-synth pop band Bella who admit they don't feel like part of the Vancouver music scene.

Laura Veirs performed a live session yesterday for Morning Becomes Eclectic. Listen to or watch the session.

Finally, I was over at the Matt Pond PA website which is currently featuring short profiles of each of the members. Matt's in particular stands out: "Matt enjoys these things, in no particular order: swimming, rice and beans, Maker's Mark, pants, a cat named Pickles, Crime Mob, potato pancakes and Canada." Matt, you slay us. BTW, their single "Halloween" is one of my favourite singles of 2005.

The True North Strong And Free

For the rest of the month I don't forsee going to many, if any, shows so lately I've turned to posting links to downloads or streaming live sessions which have been rockin' my boat. Mostly, I've been focusing on Canadian indie artists and I find it interesting reading about Canadian artists from music fans outside of Canada.

Kofi's Hat has a review of a recent Death Cab For Cutie/Stars live show in Los Angeles at the Wiltern. While Stars have a loyal indie fanbase, at least in Toronto(and other parts of Canada), I wonder how well-known they are in the States. Stars were scheduled for an acoustic in-store performance(according to Kofi's Hat) at Amoeba Music recently. I highly recommend any serious music fan check out Amoeba Music. When my friend and I went down to Coachella in 20032004(coincidentally the first time I saw Broken Social Scene live) we spent our last day and night in Los Angeles, hardly long enough to really check out the expansiveness of the city, but we did quite a bit of driving and drove through many interesting parts of town. I made a point that we check out a couple of record shops including the Virgin Megastore and Amoeba Music(Hollywood location). While the Virgin Megastore was really just like HMV in my opinion and not terribly interesting, Amoeba Music is a music fan's paradise. Torontonians, think of Rotate This and Soundscapes combined, but Amoeba Music was many times bigger, and had a HUGE used CD section. I walked away purchasing a bunch of good merch including an Afghan Whigs' "What Jale Is Like" EP, and the Japanese edition of Jale's "So Wound". On top of that they have ALOT of instores(none on the day we were there unfortunately), and recently played host to some of our Canadian indie artists including Stars[photo gallery] and Feist[photo gallery]. So to get back to my original statement above, do our beloved acts like Stars and Feist get the same sort of feverish response down in the States that they get in Canada? Unlikely perhaps. All this talk of a Canadian indie music renaissance but I still have this suspicion that we're just but a speck on the American musical radar, The Arcade Fire excepted. Or maybe it's just my Canadian inferiority complex.

Here's a torrent of Stars' acoustic instore performance at Amoeba Music(in Hollywood) on November 11, 2005.

I didn't end up going to either of Bell Orchestre's shows at The Music Gallery in Toronto this past Saturday but here's a torrent of their show from November 10. 2005 at Theatre Plaza in Montreal.

Final Fantasy played a video release show at The Boat in Toronto last Thursday November 10, 2005 which I unfortunately missed. You can find here(courtesy of has_a_good_home) links to a couple of digital camera videos including Final Fantasy and Gentleman Reg performing a cover of Mariah Carey's "Fantasy", a performance of "The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead" and a partial clip of Owen performing Bloc Party's "This Modern Love". These are yousendit links so get on 'em before they're gone. [via suckingalemon]

suckingalemon was also at that Final Fantasy shindig and has a number of great photos as well her personal spin on how the show went. Rock // Paper // Pixels was also there and has some terrific photos to share.

Check out the gig poster over at Stille Post for the upcoming The Diableros CD release show at Sneaky Dee's on November 26th. Their debut CD is entitled "You Can't Break the Strings in Our Olympic Hearts" which is hands-down one of my favourite album titles of the whole year. Listen to audio samples over at their MySpace site. I can't wait for this album.

From Blown Speakers has photos and some good things to say about Broken Social Scene's recent show in Vancouver, including the oh-so-subtle comment about new member "Lisa Lobsinger (who may steal the crown of hottest BSS female singer)." Read the comments of the post in particular, where the debate with regards to who the hottest female BSS band member is gets into full swing.

Here's a torrent of a live session of The New Pornographers who performed for Morning Becomes Eclectic on August 25, 2005.

i(heart)music has available for download a live session that Julie Doiron(with Radiogram) did for CBC's Just Concerts.

Vancouver's The Organ performed a live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe this morning. Listen here(session around 1 hour and 40 minutes into the show; link is valid only for a week but hopefully will be archived in the future).

Baroque Social At Kool Haus

Broken Social Scene have added a second show at Kool Haus on January 20, 2006, and tickets go on sale Monday November 14th at 10 am. Tickets for their show at Kool Haus on January 21st are going fast.

The Guardian examines the jargon, and sometimes nonsensical language, that music blogs have given birth to.

The Magic Numbers performed a live session for MPR: 89.3 The Current on November 11, 2005, performing "Forever Lost", "Close Your Eyes", and "Love Me Like You". Listen here.

iTunes is offering a free podcast download of Sons and Daughters' KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic session from a couple of weeks ago. Download the podcast here.

Watch a clip of Belle and Sebastian performing their new song "White Collar Boy" from the special they filmed for BBC Scotland's The Music Show. Check back in the future for the complete archived episode which'll feature the band performing songs from their forthcoming album "The Life Pursuit".

The Arcade Fire will be performing a live session for Virgin Radio today, sometime between 3 pm and 5 pm EST. (Anyone know exactly when the session will start?)

Turn The Music Up

The Coast speaks to Toronto-based artist Shary Boyle. I saw her most recently when she provided a beautiful overhead projection visual performance during part of Jens Lekman's recent show at The Music Gallery in Toronto.(The photo at the left is from that show.) Her work is rather unconventional and it is stunning for that reason. She layers slides, utilizes mirrors to project images onto the ceiling, injects movement with her images and adds drawings-on-the-go during the visual performance. Her work is just so alive. I'm so glad to have experienced it. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. I think it was also her that provided a visual projection performance during Final Fantasy's sets when he opened for The Arcade Fire during the three-night stint at Danforth Music Hall earlier this year. I stand corrected; it wasn't Shary according to Katie in the comments.

Blog Party has video of Final Fantasy performing a live cover of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love". [via More Cowbell via The Smudge of Ashen Fluff]

The Over The Top Fest 2006 launch party will take place Wednesday January 11, 2006 at the Great Hall (1087 Queen St. West @ Dovercourt) and will feature performances from Final Fantasy w/ string quartet, Akron/Family and Great Lake Swimmers. Tickets $12, at Rotate This and Soundscapes. [info via Stille Post]

If you can't wait till January for Great Lakes Swimmers, they'll be playing a show at the Rivoli in Toronto on December 14th. [via Villains Always Blink]

Belle Orchestre are playing an early show and a late show tonight at The Music Gallery in Toronto and while I haven't made up my mind about going yet, I've been hoping to decide based on a live set of the band that I've been listening to which Bradley's Almanac recorded and posted earlier this week. Check it out.

NOW gives Bell Orchestre's album "Recording A Tape The Colour Of The Light" top marks.

The Straight speaks with Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene who admits that their new album is "a slow burner".

FFWD Weekly speaks with Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene who could be laying the foundation for a red-headed rock revolution with his stated interest in working with New Pornographer Carl Newman who he met at a music festival in Chicago this past summer.

MTV News speaks with Carl Newman of The New Pornographers who mentions that he is currently in the process of writing the next record and there are band talks about recording the album in the first half of 2006.

The Houston Press speaks with Metric's Emily Haines about pop and 'politics'.

Links(and Licks)

Mostly just some multimedia links/downloads I'd like to offer to you right now. I dig these and you should too.

Broken Social Scene performed a live session for Morning Becomes Eclectic yesterday(November 8, 2005). Download the torrent of the session or listen to/watch streaming media of the session. [torrent link via Largehearted Boy and streaming media link via Just Keep Bloggin']

chromewaves has one of his all encompassing Broken Social Scene updates which I'm always up for. I think I'll be buying tickets for their Kool Haus show on January 21, 2006... even if, ugh, it is the Kool Haus. Gotta support the hometown boys on their quest for world domination.

I'm still reeling after the terrific Jens Lekman show at The Music Gallery in Toronto this past Saturday. I haven't come across any bootlegs of that show on the 'net yet, but there's some recent torrents of some other Jens' shows here and here.

Je Suis Bien Calee has a radio show called Music Is My Boyfriend on campus radio station on WRUW(in Cleveland) and she recently did a show that was a "tribute to the handclap." God, when it comes to pop music, I LOVE the handclap(just like I love a good string or horn arrangement.) You can download the archived show[in mp3 format] here, but get to it because the show's only archived for a week. (The original broadcast date of this particular episode was I believe last Sunday November 6th, so you should have at least until the weekend to download the episode still.)

There'll be a Matt Pond Pa interview on CJIQ FM's The Backstage Pass. Two chances to listen to it, November 10th(7 pm EST) or November 11th(11 pm EST). The shows are eventually archived here where you can either listen to or download past shows.

NOW gives Juliette and The Licks' performance at Lee's Palace(on November 3rd) it's highest rating of NNNN. For those of you not in the know, Juliette is actress Juliette Lewis. I think I saw part of one of their music videos on The Wedge once but wasn't overly impressed. But maybe I should have been. Hmmmm. Actress makes leap into music ring with favourable reviews. Isn't this one of the signs of the Apocalypse?

Songs For A Blue Guitar

Today's post is all about Mark Kozelek who's best known for recording under the name Red House Painters but has also recorded under his own name and more recently as part of Sun Kill Moon(who recently released "Tiny Cities" featuring covers of eleven Modest Mouse songs). I won't pretend to know much about him but I was inspired to post about him after coming across several Mark Kozelek related weblinks last week. His vocals, as is his quiter acoustic guitar instrumentation, are reminiscent of Nick Drake in my opinion. While I like Nick Drake's music, thankfully Mr. Kozelek never exclusively remains in that folky mode and isn't afraid to turn up the volume on the guitars. Even when he turns up the volume on the guitars or throws in some country-ish guitar sounds there's still something very innocent about his songs. My introduction to this talented gentleman was around seven or eight years ago when I purchased used Red House Painters' Island Records-released CD "Songs For A Blue Guitar". It's a lovely melancholic album containing quiet, introspective songs above love and loss. It's lead-off track "Have You Forgotten" is achingly beautiful. Although I've subsequently purchased(used) some of Red House Painters' earlier releases on 4AD, I've somehow let them slip to the bottom of my collection without ever really listening to them thoroughly. (I could have never lived without used CD's or bargain bins but on the other hand, I've managed to accumulate ALOT of CD's.) I was surprised though when I came across a re-recorded(and somewhat glossy) version of "Have You Forgotten" which was included on the "Vanilla Sky" soundtrack. At that point, I would have figured the big-time was just around the corner for Mr. Kozelek, but he still seems to remain in obscurity. Whether that's good or bad depends on your perspective I guess. Recently, I've been in an introspective mood, and I'd rather not get into personal details, but Mr. Kozelek's music seems like the perfect soundtrack.

a soundtrack for everyone has a song-by-song commentary on Sun Kill Moon's recently released album, "Tiny Cities". He also has some related mp3/review links.

There's some Sun Kill Moon mp3 links over at False 45th.

And finally, Pimps of Gore has promised that within the month of November he will post 60 songs within the 30 days. He's started off the month with some Kozelek-related mp3's. Get to it.

Just FYI, Mark is currently on a solo tour in Europe and has a couple of US dates lined up for San Francisco and Los Angeles in January '06. Hopefully, a full North American tour will pan out.

Tram # 7 To Heaven

concert review: Jens Lekman w/ The Phonemes, Steve Shiffman & The Land Of No @ The Music Gallery(Toronto, Ontario), November 5, 2005

I've been to a fair share of shows this year but Jens Lekman seems to have topped every other act I've seen this year. He's done it through a combination of irresistable charm, spontaneity, and simplicity. There was a good lineup of openers leading into Jens' headlining set. I sauntered into The Music Gallery about half way through first opener Steve Shiffman & The Land Of No's set. The trio of gentlement performed an admirable set of tuneful indie rock that while instrumentally wasn't too adventurous still held its ground with solid melodies and off-kilter vocals. For the most part, I think I've outgrown that sort of lo-fi aesthetic indie rock but it does make me partially nostalgic for the glory days of the 1990's indie rock scene.

Next up on the bill were The Phonemes. Usually a trio, their lineup featured another gentleman who played a variety of instruments, with his playing of a saw using a violin bow which stood out the most. I believe this gentleman also played with The Fembots when I saw them last summer at Harbourfront.(Anyone know his name?) Lead vocalist Magali Meagher mentioned that her 'husband' was away on tour, which prompted fellow Phonemes member Liz Forsberg who mentioned that that was the first time she heard Magali say 'husband'. I'm guessing it's a recent marriage. During their next song, Magali jokingly whispered the word 'husband' during some quieter song passages to the delight of the crowd. Upon further web surfing, I found out that she is married to Bob Wiseman. I really enjoyed harmonizing vocals of Liz and Magali. In general their arty folk pop music had interesting, if sometimes excellent melodies and instrumentally was very creative, including the aforementioned musical saw and the use of typewriter as a percussive instrument on one song. In particular, I really enjoyed when the drummer and the gentleman who played the saw, performed the glockenspiels during one song at the end of the set. The Phonemes turned up the tempo for one song which had a Decemberists-esque jaunty feel to it. Overall, they're one of the better local bands I've discovered over the last little while. Too bad their 4-song debut EP(released through Blocks Recording Club) was sold out by the end of the show.

If ever I could call an artist's live performance perfect, Jens Lekman came awfully close. Any fawning that you might perceive over this next paragraph, well, is justified. Given the intimate surroundings of The Music Gallery, one couldn't have asked for a more perfect venue. In addition to a warm sound that the acoustics of The Music Gallery provided, the environment itself with it's nice wooden floors, pews and chairs made for the BEST sit-down concert ever. When the lights dimmed, I heard Mr. Lekman on ukelele singing the opening strains of "Julia" and then suddenly realized that he was at the back of the church. As he strolled down the aisle towards the front, serenading the crowd, I couldn't help think how perfect an entrance that was. His special guests for the evening were Paul, Maggie and Joel from The Hidden Cameras and Jens' songs during the night featured a number of different lineup configurations. I particularly enjoyed when Joel took drum duties with Paul on standup bass and Maggie on back-up vocals for a rousing rendition of "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill". The stripped down version of "You Are The Light" with Paul on standup bass and Joel on background vocals was also delightful. Preceding his performance of "Do You Remember The Riots?", Jens entertained the audience with a poignant and slightly humourous story of how George Bush Jr. was the cause of him and his girlfriend breaking up(you had to be there).

Around midset, a special treat was granted to the audience in the form of a slide show presentation(created by Shary Boyle) during which Jens and company performed a selection of tunes. The screen was set up right in front of the stage, and although Jens performed at least one tune solo standing just to the right of the screen, the rest of the tunes during the slide show were performed with him and company onstage behind the screen. From my vantage point I could still see Jens at his mic, seemingly inwardly focused on his singing and nothing else and that was all the more gratifying to watch since most people couldn't see him. When they performed "Black Cab" with Jens singing that heavenly melody and Maggie pounding that Phil Spector-ish drum beat, it was pure ecstasy.

I think I could have heard Jens perform all night. At one point in his set, Jens performed a song solo which he sang in what sounded like Japanese. I believe he said it was a cover song. Towards the end of the set, with the lights fairly dim, Jens strolled over to the church organ at the right side of the church(coincidentally, near where I was sitting on the floor) and if somewhat appropriately, performed a lovely, serene version of "Tram # 7 To Heaven". That was suppose to be his last song, but then almost immediately he decided to perform one more song which turned out to be "Maple Leaves". As he put it, he probably performed the song hundreds of times in the past, so to change things up, he sung it in Swedish! The crowd was very appreciative and encouraged Jens to come back for an encore. What better note to end the evening than to hear Jens on piano and Paul on standup bass with their vibrant take on "The Opposite of Hallelujah". I'm so glad that the show featured a band setup because, even if a solo performance would have been delightful in itself, the band setup was so much more lively. At the end of the show, Jens mentioned that he would be in the courtyard to perform face-to-face with the crowd. Actually, I didn't think he was serious and I anticipated that he might just mingle with the crowd and maybe strum his guitar and sing a few bars here and there. So I left pretty soon after the show ended, but not before purchasing his "The Opposite of Hallelujah" EP. Disappointedly, I found out later that he DID perform a couple more songs solo in the courtyard. While that could have been the icing on the cake had I stuck around, the main show itself(plus the encore) was so good that I'm not too disappointed for missing this bonus mini-set. I can't say much more than, Jens, please come back soon.

Related links
- my photos from the show.
- suckingalemon has a review and photos from the show.
- Erin Stotle has some comments and photos from the show.
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cleverLazy has a podcast for download featuring an interview with Jens Lekman, or as she calls him, "the 11th sexiest man in Sweden."

Elva has some comments and a couple of photos of Jens Lekman's set in Guelph ON @ Club Vinyl from the previous night(November 4th).

And finally, not Jens-related: Metric's Emily Haines and James Shaw offer Toronto Star readers a peak into their personal thoughts about their life on the road.

(Sorry for the late post; got free tickets to tonight's Raptors game against Cleveland and went with my friend, nephew and his friend's. Raptors lost. Better luck next time.)

I Would Cut Off My Right Arm To Be Someone's Lover

Tonight, Swedish pop crooner Jens Lekman is performing in Toronto at The Music Gallery. I'm quite excited to finally get the opportunity to see him perform live. The last time he swung through Canada he performed at Wavelength and also did a Soundscapes instore, but unfortunately I didn't attend either. At the time, he also made a special guest appearance at a Republic of Saftey show(which I did go to) but he only contributed background vocals on one song. Guelph-ites yesterday had the sweet luck of seeing Jens Lekman who had been added, apparently at the last minute, to The Hidden Cameras/Spitfires and Mayflowers bill at Club Vinyl.(Stillepost, how did the show go?) I pondered yesterday afternon and evening about driving down to Guelph but decided not to go. So it comes down to tonight. I will be there no matter what. Mr. Lekman, have a great show. (Yes, he looks a little down in the photo, but I hear he's much happier in person.)[original photo from www.jenslekman.com]

Adrian is Rad reviews Jens Lekman's show from October 30, 2005 in San Francisco at Bottom Of The Hill and also has an mp3 of Jens' song "The Opposite of Hallelujah" for your downloading pleasure.

Purely unconfirmed so far, but Ken Taylor says that he's been told by a friend that Jens Lekman is moving from his native Gothenburg, Sweden to San Francisco. I find this interesting if only for the fact that this could mean more frequent North American touring for Jens!

Bradley's Almanac has an mp3 of Ted Leo performing "Sons of Cain" from a live session at KEXP. And yes, Ted Leo does in fact say in the introduction to the song that the name of the song is "Sons of Cain", which confirms my guess back in August.

Here's a torrent(registration required) of Stars' live set from this year's SXSW at Emo's in Austin,Texas on March 17, 2005. [via Arts and Crafts Broken Telephone forum]

(Oh, sorry for the late post. This should have been up earlier in the afternoon, but Blogger was on the fritz(again).)

Juxtaposed With U

concert review: Super Furry Animals w/ Caribou @ The Phoenix(Toronto, Ontario), November 2, 2005

What could have been a stellar show, the Super Furry Animals/Caribou show at The Phoenix yesterday turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. Opening the show was Canadian artist Caribou whose name I've been hearing on and off in the press for a while. With many of his songs featuring a dual drum assault, Caribou's music had elements of subtle electronica, indie rock guitar noodling, playful keyboard melodies and modest pop vocals. Variety is the spice of life, and his music went from beat-driven World Music-sounding compositions, to indie rock guitar instrumentals, to instrumental dual-drum excercises. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, especially when Mr. Caribou took the drumkit. Interesting music to say the least, but I'm not yet converted. Some other time perhaps.

The Super Furries show yesterday was the second stop of their North American tour which began the previous night in Montreal. It's not like the band didn't try to put on a good show yesterday. On the contrary, I appreciated their efforts but in the end it didn't come together for me. Preceding the band's entrance onto the stage was a screen projected video of the band riding around in one of those film-studio lot vehicles, with a Rocky-sounding theme song playing in the background. Then a triumphant voice over the PA introduced the band and the Super Furries took the stage. The band was dressed in matching hooded jump suits which had been splattered with fluorescent glow-in-the-dark paint. It was more than a fitting representation of their wacky sonic eccentricities.

My previous knowledge of their Super Furries' music was limited to their albums "Fuzzy Logic" and "Rings Around The World" and their luscious single "Hello Sunshine". The lush "Hello Sunshine" came out early in the set and I wallowed in its beauty. Predictably, the band performed a substantial portion of new tracks off their new album "Love Kraft". I do recall a jammier, spacier feel to most of these tracks, but nothing really stood out for me. In general the set leaned towards the Furries' jammier, and slower psychedelic pop numbers with less emphasis on their more manic pop tunes and in the end I think this was the downfall of the evening. When you got the Super Furries dressed in matching fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark paint splattered jumpsuits, wouldn't you expect a little bit of rocking out? Not to pick on lead singer Gruff, but his heavy Welsh accent made his stage banter barely comprehensible, leaving me scratching my head to whatever he said.

Disappointedly, the Super Furries' back catalogue had only minor representation in the set. At least they managed to squeeze in "Rings Around The World" tracks like the fun, rocking self-titled track and the gorgeous "Juxtaposed With U"(although disappointedly, the song featured an unusually thick-sounding vocoder). During the performance of "Juxtaposed With U", Gruff put on a Power-Ranger-ish helmet which he then wore while he sang to the crowd. I thought that was hilarious. "Fuzzy Logic" was represented by only one track, "Something 4 The Weekend"(wtf, no "God! Show Me Magic"). A smattering of other tracks from some of the Super Furries' other albums were also included, but I'm not familiar with those. Musically, the band was on target but their stage presence left a little to be desired. Toronto was only the second date of their current North American tour so hopefully they'll perk up later on in the tour. For godsakes, they have the goofy matching jumpsuits; have fun with it.

The night ended with the band members crossing their guitar knecks like Knights crossing swords, then waving to the crowd as they walked off the stage. The keyboard/programming band member stayed onstage to keep the beat-driven, sonic collage playing as a video montage was projected onto the screen, first showing the individual band members(like credits in a movie), then showing a montage of scenes that the band shot in and around Toronto. I appreciated their video efforts, really, but after a while it just got awkward, because it went on for a long time and we all just stopped clapping. I thought the band might come out for a final bow but it never happened, and eventually the audience realized that and we all slowly filtered out of the club. It pains me to says this but I think I prefer the Super Furries on record than live. Of course, if they start to rock out again I might be tempted to give their live show another chance. Call me if that happens.

Related Links
- my photos from the show.
- someone else's photos from the show. [via Super Furry Animals Fans...Unite!]
- the setlist.
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The Straight spoke with UK's The Magic Numbers in advance of their show in Vancouver on November 6th. The band'll be performing a live session for KEXP on November 7th at 3pm PST(6 pm EST).

Sons and Daughters perform a live session for KEXP today(November 4th) at 2 pm PST(5 pm EST).

The Boston Globe speaks with The Constantines Steve Lambke about how the Canadian landscape figures itself into the band's music.

note: This post was suppose to have been up yesterday evening, but fucking Rogers Hi-Speed Internet service was down. Grrr.

Merchants of Soul

concert review: Spoon w/ Mary Timony @ The Phoenix(Toronto, Ontario), November 1, 2005

I saw Spoon and Mary Timony yesterday live for the first time and they both didn't disappoint. While Spoon has only hit my musical radar this year, I've been casually familiar with Mary Timony since her Helium days. It was great to finally see her live(and adorable as ever, I'd like to add). Mary opened the show, performing as The Mary Timony Band. In actuality it was just Mary on vocals/guitar and her drummer. I wasn't expecting a duo setup but in the end I was quite impressed how full their sound was. It was a joy to watch the kinetic drumming style of the drummer and it was interesting to watch how Mary and her drummer fed off each other's energy. Songs straddled the line between Sleater Kinney-ish style rockers propelled by the drummer's manic drumming and Mary's urgent guitar work, and artier pop-rock numbers featuring Mary's imaginative guitar arrangements and dry vocals which were reminiscnent of her work with her old band, Helium. While the crowd was thin at the start of her set, as more people filtered into the club, it seemed the crowd got more into it. In addition to her own material, she also did a fantastic version of a Richard Hell song called "I'm Your Man".

After seeing Spoon's fantastic performance yesterday at The Phoenix, I'm wondering why it took me so long to discover this great band. I picked up their album "Gimme Fiction" earlier this year, the day it was released in Canada, based mainly on the recommendations of music blogs and the music press, and since then it's slowly been seeping its way into my subconscious. It's a good album, for sure. Simply put, Spoon were fantastic yesterday and their set just about clinched it for me that "Gimme Fiction" will end up as my favourite album of 2005. While the "Gimme Fiction" songs were my favourites yesterday(I thinked they played most of if not all of the songs from the album), in general, I found their whole set to be inspiring. Britt Daniel had a wonderful ragged voice that fit quite nicely along side the danceable rock rhythms and effortlessly performed melodies. The "Gimme Fiction" songs didn't deviate much from the album but that's more an observation rather than a criticism. The band displayed a genuine enthusiasm that was fully illustrated by frontman Britt Daniel's soul-man-like physical dexterity onstage. While musically they were superb overall, the electric piano on "Beast and Dragon, Adored" didn't quite meet the awesomeness of a live piano which I believe they used on the album. Overall, I enjoyed the melodic keyboard arrangements and was pleased to see the keyboardist add some maracas and additional guitar arrangements to the fold. Although I was near the front of the stage, my view was partially obstructed by some taller people so while I managed to get some good photos, I also missed some good photo opportunities. C'est la vie.

The live show only proved how 'pure' their songs are. Crowd enthusiasm was high and I saw a number of people singing along to almost every word. The danceabilty(or at least grooveability) of their music is probably one factor that appeals to the hipper indie crowd. However the nitty gritty of it all is that their melodies and arrangements are so damn irresistible. Who else could cop a "Miss You"-era Rolling Stones influence and get away with it?

[photos from the show]
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Jason Collett will be at Lee's Palace on December 10th with openers Paso Mino. [via Emerge]

The New Pornographers performed a live session for BBC 6 Music's Gideon Coe yesterday, performing songs "Use It" and "Bones of an Idol". Listen to the session here(session starts around the 20:40:00 mark; program is only archived for a week).

Listen to/watch the live session The Magic Numbers did for Morning Becomes Eclectic yesterday.