The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, The Henry Clay People @ The Mod Club (March 4, 2009)

concert review: The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, The Henry Clay People @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - March 4, 2009

The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Mod Club (Mar 4, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Oh Los Angeles. I'd been through Los Angeles as I'd arrived and departed from there back in 2004 when my friend and I went to Coachella. Los Angeles is such a sprawling monstrosity of a city, both beautiful and ugly, and when it comes to it's music scene, from my outsider perspective it's hard to pinpoint anything indentifiable of it. From my understanding, it's probably more likely that bands from Los Angeles identify themselves more by their neighbourhood than Los Angeles proper. Last Wednesday night at The Mod Club, headliners The Airborne Toxic Event came to represent Los Feliz while one of the openers The Henry Clay People came to represent Glendale. As much as the Los Angeles music scene has been under the radar for me lately (in comparison to say the London[UK] and NYC), the show last Wednesday showed that it was alive and kicking.

I came in to the venue just after first openers The Henry Clay People had started their set it seemed and there was already a healthy crowd there. I was fortunate to catch most of their set but had I'd only seen the Pavement sticker on one of the guy's guitar cases and their set-closing cover of The Rolling Stones' 'Honky Tonky Woman', it would have been more than an accurate reflection of their influences. Singer Joey Siara sang with a bit of Malkmus' slackness, but otherwise the songs were a rollicking stab at rock n' roll as I'd ever heard. Joey's younger brother Andy on guitar also took turns at lead vocals and at the tender age of 22 [I believe I recall Joey saying that Andy just turned 22] showed that he's no slouch in the vocals department. It was just a bonus to their set when Airborne's Steven Chen joined them for one song to contribute some of his guitar virtuosity. It's a shame that they live all the way on the west coast but hopefully they'll make a trek through Toronto again soon.

Perhaps a bit of cross-country ambassadorship brought Brooklyn's Alberta Cross to the bill, filling the second opener slot. Although based in Brooklyn, their MySpace reveals they're an Anglo-Swedish outfit - as to how they ended up in Brooklyn, that alone is probably a story into itself but I haven't read that much into the band. Musically they have one foot in classic rock, maybe most notably Neil Young as on 'Song Three Blues' which churns slowly with it's keyboards, crunchy guitars and vocalist Petter Ericson Stakee's high-pitched croon. The band does reflect a more contemporary alt-rock sound on the sombre but urgent 'Leave Us Or Forgive Us'. Most notable in the instrumentation department in my opinion was guitarist Sam Kearney who's meaty guitar arrangements added much to the band's sound. I'm undecided as to whether Petter's high-pitched vocals are the best fit to the band's sound although the more I listen to the band's songs on their MysPace the more I'm thinking the band's music speaks for itself. Overall, they had a more serious tone to their set than the one preceding it but ultimately it was inspired.

If I could go back in time I would have not skipped The Airborne Toxic Event's set at last year's Virgin Festival purely on the basis of what I still believe is an awful band name. Maybe it was with a little serendipity that I heard their magnificent single 'Sometime Around Midnight' on The Edge a few months back and actually enjoyed it immensely - it's a song that builds from quietly sung vocals and guitar strums to a swell of instrumentation and strings with the urgency and sonic similarities of Arcade Fire. And I here I thought that mainstream alternative rock radio had gone down the shithole. It's surprising to me that the band is from Los Angeles as they don't meet any of my preconvieved notions of what a band from LA should sound like (nor look like, taking cues it seems from Interpol in their mostly black attire). Aside from the aforementioned Arcade Fire comparison with 'Sometime Around Midnight', just a sampling of their sounds on their MySpace bears to mind New York City with the Strokes-ian pop textures of 'Gasoline' and the Interpol-ish post-punk and deadpannedness vocals on 'This Is Nowhere'. As their live set would attain to, violinist Anna Bulbrook's playing as well as guitarist Steven Chen's atmospheric guitar melodies added a anthemic dimension to their music at times. With only one album, their 2008 self-titled debut, under their belt, their set was understandbly short(although they did play a few new songs) but ultimately satisfying. During the end of their third last song of their main set, a fight broke out around the front of the stage (near me actually, but I had nothing to do with it, I swear) between two groups of patrons and the guilty party was subsequently kicked out as the band played on. In some way it felt the whole incident was on cue as just as the guilty part was led out by security, the band seemingly cued into 'Sometime Around Midnight' and the crowd's euphoria was almost tangible. The show could have ended their for me and I'd have been satisfied but they played one more song('Innocence') then came back for an encore towards the end of which they invited audience members to jump up on to the stage with them as people gladfully did and the band brought the song to a rousing conclusion. Expect big things from them in 2009. And Toronto, consider yourself lucky as the band had to cancel their subsequent Ottawa and Montreal dates due to aggravation of vocalist Mikel Jollett's laryngitis, which I'd never have guessed he had based on their Toronto show.

Photos: The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, The Henry Clay People @ The Mod Club (March 4, 2009)

MySpace: The Henry Clay People
MySpace: Alberta Cross
MySpace: The Airborne Toxic Event

Concert Announcements & Music News (March 4, 2009)

Still plugging last year's "Narrow Stairs", Death Cab For Cutie will return for a show at Sound Academy on April 5. Openers are Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot. Tickets onsale tomorrow, for $40.50 a pop.

Willie Nelson is at Massey Hall on April 8 & 9. Full dates here.

UK soul-pop songstress Adele is at Massey Hall on April 29.

Locals Spiral Beach and Vancouver's Hey Ocean are at the Horseshoe Tavern on April 24.

Gavin Rossdale stops in for a show at Music Hall Theatre on April 25. [last four items via Pollstar]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart return to Toronto for a repeat performance at Lee's Palace on April 28, tickets $10.00. Lead singer Kip Berman did mention at their last show there on February 12 that Toronto had been their largest crowd ever. They have a little crush on Toronto now I guess. [Via rootmeansquare]

UK's Lady Sovereign returns to these shores and will play Lee's Palace on May 1, tickets $20. Her newest album "Jigsaw" is out April 6 in the UK. [Via rootmeansquare]

Montreal band Patrick Watson are at Trinity St Paul's on May 2 according to Pollstar.

Loney Dear who I really don't know much about but everyone else(well bloggers anyway) seems to have heard, is heading out on a North American tour, stopping in for a show in Toronto at the Rivoli on May 8.

May 8 will also see Vivial Girls and Crystal Antlers stopping in for a show at the Horseshoe Tavern. Via Ground Control Touring.

chartattack reports that The Tragically Hip will tour North America to promote their new album "We Are The Same" due out April 7. Their playing Massey Hall May 11-12 and then May 14-16. Wonderin' why they might be taking May 13th off? Rest day perhaps? Check out Ticketmaster.ca for presales which are happening as we speak, but the public onsale goes down Friday March 6, with tickets topping out at $89.50 with some 3rd level Gallery seating between CA $49.50 - CA $69.50.

UK's Doves are at Kool Haus on June 1. Via Chromewaves.

It's been confirmed that Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors will open for TV On The Radio at Sound Academy on June 2. Tickets to that show are $22.50. [Via rootmeansquare]

Grizzly Bear move up to a larger venue this time around, when they stop in for a show at the Phoenix on June 5.

It's been confirmed that Coldplay will be playing Rogers Centre(rather than Molson Ampitheatre) on July 30. Interested parties should probably consider the advice over at Stille Post who point out that a special time limited offer at Ticketmaster.ca tomorrow at 10 AM - "Be first to purchase Argos single game vouchers for $33 each, and as a bonus you will instantly be able to purchase your Coldplay tickets to the band's July 30th show ahead of the public."

London's (Ontario that is) Olenka and The Autumn Lovers have a brand spanking new website. Some dates are listed over at her site including what might be her last Toronto date for a while (since her May and June seems to be booked up for now) taking place at the Rivoli on April 9 as part of Megan Hamilton's CD Release show (I guess Olenka and her band will be opening).

The Coast, The Diableros, Oh No Forest Fires @ Horseshoe Tavern (February 28, 2009)

Oh No Forest Fires @ Horseshoe (Feb 28, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


The Diableros' Pete Carmichael @ Horseshoe (Feb 28, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


The Coast's Ben Spurr @ Horseshoe (Feb 28, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Photos: The Coast, The Diableros, Oh No Forest Fires @ Horseshoe Tavern (February 28, 2009)

MySpace: Oh No Forest Fires
MySpace: The Diableros
MySpace: The Coast

Concert Announcements & Music News (Feb 26, 2009)

According to Pollstar, Depeche Mode will be playing the Molson Ampitheatre on July 24. The music video for their first single "Wrong" from their upcoming new album ("Sounds of the Universe" set for release on April 21 in the U.S.) is streaming over at MySpace:

Video: Depeche Mode - "Wrong" (music video)

The new single 'Black Hearted Love' from PJ Harvey's forthcoming collaborative album with John Parish will be premiered on BBC Radio One Zane Lowe's show on March 2 at 7 pm (UK time). Listen here. The track will then be available to download digitally straight after the play from www.pjharvey.net and www.johnparish.com and from all usual outlets the following day.

Dan Deacon with Teeth Mountain, and Future Islands will be playing The Deleon White Gallery in Toronto on May 10. Via The Windish Agency.

Chartattack has full-dates for the co-headlining Nine Inch Nails / Jane's Addiction tour which stops at Molson Ampitheatre on June 23.

Also via Chartattack, yes it's the 90's all over again, No Doubt are back together from their extended hiatus and will go on tour, stopping in Toronto for a show at Air Canada Centre on June 16.

Dinosaur Jr. just signed with Jagjaguwar and have now announced some tour dates though the closest one to Toronto will be April 6 in Buffalo at The Town Ballroom. Via Pitchfork. Pitchfork also caught Dino Jr live in the studio - and they're actually getting along!

The mp3 of the title track from Neko Case's upcoming album "Middle Cyclone" is now available(via Pitchfork):

MP3: Neko Case - "Middle Cyclone"

Leonard Cohen plays Copps Coliseum in Hamilton on May 19.

Cowboy Junkies will be at The Studio at Hamilton Place on May 2. More dates over at their website.

Fischerspooner will be at Phoenix on June 1.

Minneapolis rap duo Atmosphere play the Phoenix on May 6, tickets $25.

Making a second round through Ontario, Neil Young will play Kingston on April 13, London on April 15 and Sault Ste. Marie on April 17. Got this info from yesterday's Toronto Sun and it did not list venues but I'm assuming the info is accurate.

Toronto's The Coast will release debut full-length, "Expatriate," stateside, on Afternoon Records May 5th, and digitally April 7th. Congrats to them. Returning from a UK tour they'll be headlining the Horseshoe on February 28 with The Diaberos, Oh No Forest Fires, and Ryan Masters also on the bill.

Concert Announcements & Music News (Feb 23, 2009)

Calgary's Azeda Booth bring their ambient pop to Rancho Relaxo for a show on April 10. More dates over at their MySpace. Their album "In Flesh Tones" is out now through Absolutely Kosher.

The Mavericks' Raul Maulo will be at Lee's Palace for a show on April 14, tickets $20 onsale Feb 26.

Maria Taylor is at the El Mocambo on April 17, tickets $10 onsale Feb 26.

Vancouver's Ladyhawk return for a show at the Horseshoe on April 23, tickets $12.50 onsale Feb 26. More dates over at their MySpace. [last three items via Against The Grain]

The noisy Scottish double-header of Mogwai and The Twilight Sad makes its way to Toronto for a show at the Phoenix on May 4. Tickets $27.50. Note: Original tickets from the postponed Wednesday September 24, 2008 show at the Phoenix will be honoured at this show.

Although I'd previously posted that Vetiver are to play the Horseshoe on May 15 (and which is listed as that on their MySpace), Ground Control Touring lists that Vetiver and Papercuts will be at The Music Gallery on May 15.

UK sensitive types Keane, with openers Mat Kearney and The Helio Sequence are at Sound Academy on May 23 for a 19+ show. Tickets $39.50 or perhaps if the VIP balcony area fancies you then that'll set you back $100.00. The band apparently has a presale right now but the Ticketmaster presale starts Wednesday Feb 25 at 10:00 AM and ending Thursday Feb 26 at 10:00 PM and the general onsale starts Friday Feb 27 at 10:00 AM EST.

Edgefest goes Canadian (for the most part) this year when it takes over Downsview Park on June 20 with the lineup including mainstage acts AFI, Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, K-OS, Metric, The Arkells and The Stills. The sidestage includes Beast, Clothes Make The Man, Dean Lickyer, Dinosaur Bones, Flash Lightnin', La Casa Muerte, The Midway State, Moneen, Still Life Still, and The Waking Eyes. Tickets are $40.50 - $56.00 CDN with an Edge onsale starting tomorrow at 10:00 AM and ending Friday Feb 27 at 11:59 PM and the public onsale starting Saturday Feb 28 at 10:00 AM.

Depeche Mode return to Toronto for a show on July 24 at a venue TBA - but I couldn't imagine it being any other place but Air Canada Centre.

A gander at Saint Etienne's website currently reveals the band'll celebrate the 18th anniversary of its debut album "Foxbase Alpha" with a special edition rerelease and will also be taking the album on the road this May with three UK dates scheduled. Apparently during Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley's interview with Pitchfork posted recently, he did reveal that they're in the process of rereleasing their albums, from "Foxbase Alpha" through "Continental", in expanded format. So looking forward to this as well as them coming back to North America.

Keeping on the noisy angle, Pitchfork reports that Dinosaur Jr. have signed with indie label Jagjaguwar to release their new album which should be out this summer hopefully.

NME points to video of The White Stripes' 'reunion' performance on Conan O'Brien's last day hosting Late Night on February 20. Hope Conan continues his funny streak over at The Tonight Show when he starts hosting that show in June - I fully bet he will.

You perhaps have noticed that I haven't updated my blogroll in a while, although it wasn't my fault as Blogrolling had been working out some bugs and I wasn't able to edit it - however, they have finally informed that the new Blogrolling will be rolled out March 2 at which time I can finally do a little house cleaning on the blogroll.

Concert Announcements & Music News (Feb 19, 2009)

Chartattack does a good song-by-song rundown of Jenn Grant's new album "Echoes". She's at the Reverb for a midnight CMW set on March 14.

The Dears play The Mod Club on April 30, ticket $20 onsale now.

Californians Vetiver play the Horseshoe on May 15 in support of their new album "Tight Knit" just released on Sub Pop. Brooklyn Vegan has more North American and European tour dates.

Now on Kill Rock Stars, Portland's The Thermals will release their fourth full-length "Now We Can See" on April 7 and will hit the road in March starting with SXSW on March 18 before getting to Toronto for a show at the Horseshoe on May 3. Via Pitchfork. Openers for their Toronto show will be fellow Portland band Shaky Hands (who forced NZ band Cut Your Hands Off to their current band name prior to which they were also called Shaky Hands.)

King Khan and The Shrines move on up to the Phoenix for a show on May 12.

Free jazz legend Ornette Coleman returns to Toronto for a show at Massey Hall on September 24. (Via)

Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Depreciation Guild @ Lee's Palace (Feb 12, 2009)

concert review: Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Depreciation Guild @ Lee's Palace (Toronto, Ontario) - February 12, 2009

As a fan of shoegaze and indiepop in particular back in the 90's, I regret not having seen some of the best shoegaze acts that came to town, and indiepop was such an underground movement that I don't even recall some of the best acts(mostly American and British) ever coming to Toronto. Since then my interest in those genres waned although only perhaps my musical tastes gravitated elsewhere. However like a blast from the past, Lee's Palace brought those genres back to the forefront with a bill featuring NYC's Pains of Being Pure At Heart as well as The Depreciation Guild. I missed first openers Don Mills though perhaps it was for the best at least based on the opinion of one person I spoke to.

The second opening act of the night were 3 piece NYC shoegaze outfit The Depreciation Guild. Reminding me at various times of My Bloody Valentine, Lush and Cocteau Twins I'd think they'd be a shoegaze fan's wet dream. Pains' Kurt Feldman steps out from being the drums to take frontman role for The Depreciation Guild to handle vocals, guitar and their Famicon 8-bit programmed beats. The band's remaining members are Christoph on guitar and vocals and Anton on drums. They performed their set energetically while a friend of theirs worked a video projector offstage which displayed various colourful geometric shapes and pixelated imagery white backdrop behind the drummer, as well as blanketting the drummer. The visuals did add an attractive element to the show and complimented the swirling guitars and hypnotic beats nicely. Initially I was a bit turned off by the band's too-obvious debt(especially with some of their noisier guitar songs) to My Bloody Valentine though through the course of their set they did display more diversity and were able to tone down the guitar histronics and show more dynamics in their sound. If this sounds like something up your alley, you can download their album "In Her Gentle Jaws" for free at their website.

I was surprised as Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's Kip Berman at the turnout for their show at Lee's Palace last Thursday. Berman addressed the crowd saying that it was the largest crowd they'd ever played for and it really just swelled me up with pride that Toronto music fans came out. Frankly when the show had originally been scheduled for the much smaller venue Neutral (a venue I have not yet been to but can imagine is small) I had imagined perhaps they wouldn't even fill that venue. But packing Lee's last Thursday night - bravo. NYC's Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, made up of Alex on bass, Kip on guitar/vox, Kurt on drums and Peggy on keys/vox are a band that wear their heart on their sleeve; it's no surprise that indiepop label Slumberland Records picked them up as they are reminiscient of some of that label's best acts like Velocity Girl, Rocketship and Black Tambourine with their infectious melodies, sweet boy/girl vocals and swirling instrumentation. The Pains had more of a punch live than on record which does bode well for the band as a live act but also did perhaps translate the diversity of the record less effectively, in particular some of the prettier guitar sounds and especially Peggy's vocals. For example, a favourite of mine from the record 'Young Adult Friction' had a rougher translation live with the instrumentation and vocals feeling harsher, losing a bit of the sweetness(especially Peggy's vocal parts) of the recorded version. Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are a band that as I said wears their influences on their sleeve and that's seem to have divided fans on them - I'm sure a lot of you love them. I do like them a lot but that which makes me from loving them outright is that I don't think they add any more to the genre of indiepop(or whatever you want to call them) that hasn't been done before. Hey, if they existed 15 years ago, who knows. I've come to realize that indiepop was a phase I went through and shall likely never enjoy with the same exhiliration again but Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are a welcome reminder of something I once loved.

Photos: Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Depreciation Guild @ Lee's Palace (Feb 12, 2009)

MySpace: Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
MySpace: The Depreciation Guild

Concert Announcements / Music News & Links (Feb 16, 2009)

The Diableros played part of the Wavelength afterparty festivities last week at the Cameron House and video of the band performing two new songs from their upcoming new album are up on YouTube:

Video: The Diableros - "Wandering Dry" (live @ Cameron House - Feb 12, 2009)
Video: The Diableros - "Heavy Hands" (live @ Cameron House - Feb 12, 2009)

The Diableros play the Horseshoe Tavern on February 28.

Jenn Grant was in town last week at The Mod Club for her "Echoes" CD release show for which my review is now up. Check out some videos of Jenn and her band as they perform some of the new songs live at The Verge studios in Toronto:

Video: Jenn Grant - "Heartbreaker" (live @ The Verge)
Video: Jenn Grant - "You'll Go Far" (live @ The Verge)
Video: Jenn Grant - "Where Are You Now" (live @ The Verge)
Video: Jenn Grant - "I Was Your Woman" (live @ The Verge)
Video: Jenn Grant - "Everybody Loves You" (live @ The Verge)

Jenn returns to Toronto to play a midnight set at the Reverb on March 14 as part of Canadian Music Week.

Bruce Peninsula continue their quest for world domination (ok, local domination) with another local show scheduled for Lee's Palace on March 28, tickets $8, onsale February 19.

90's electronica act The Prodigy come to the Kool Haus for an all-ages show on March 25, tickets $30/$35/$40. I'm not sure why there's different ticket prices but that's what Ticktmaster.ca is showing.

Due to overwhelming demand, The Rolling Tundra show featuring The Constantines and The Weakerthans, as well as The Waking Eyes, have added a third show for April 2 at the Phoenix, tickets $25, onsale February 19.

Tricky with special guest Natalie Stewart (from Floetry) will be playing a show at The Mod Club on April 2, tickets $29.50, onsale Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 10AM. via REMG.

According to Ground Control Touring the Ladytron and The Faint show at the Phoenix on April 6 will also feature Telepathe, and a FIGO DJ set.

Added to the Mates of State / Black Kids bill at the Phoenix on April 10 are Jacksonville, Florida indie band Sunbears!. Via The Windish Agency.

Robyn Hitchcock returns to Toronto for a show at The Mod Club on April 16 to promote his new album "Goodnight Oslo" being released in the US and Canada tomorrow.

Indie folk takes over The Drake Hotel April 14 with a show by Damien Jurado and opener Laura Gibson.

Last time TV On The Radio played Kool Haus but their next show in Toronto on June 2 will be at the even larger Sound Academy. Do I hear the not-so-faint sound of 'ugh'? Tickets go onsale Friday February 20 at 10 am.

Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Feb 12, 2009)

concert review: Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - February 12, 2009

Jenn Grant and friends @ The Mod Club(Feb 12, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Prince Edward Island's Jenn Grant is poised to reap the rewards of her hard work of writing and touring over the last few years, releasing a quiet gem of an album "Orchestra For The Moon" in 2007 and with her more than worthy second album "Echoes" just being released through Toronto's Six Shooter Records. She and her band (which includes Kinley Dowling on violin, David Christensen on bass clarinet, Sean MacGillivray on bass and Gary Craig on drums, and "Echoes" producer Jonathan Goldsmith on keyboards a few times) were at The Mod Club last Thursday night for a CD release show and although she quipped that she only was used to see venues that packed back home where most of the attendees have the last name Grant, I was always confident she'd reached this stage in her career. Her star's just taking off when you come to think of it and it's only going to get bigger.

Opening the show was Kevin Hearn whose set with his band Thin Buckle as well as few guests on background vocals and cello(string extraordianaire Michael Olsen) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. While his role in the Barenaked Ladies always seemed to be limited to his multi-instrumental talents, I'd never have guessed that his songwriting abilities were as good as they were on display last Thursday night. Hearn's vocals never registered louder than a gentle timbre but they suited the music just fine as Hearn competently led his technically proficient band through a set of intelligent mid-tempo folk-rock numbers. Although the instrumentation was mostly organic there were sprinkles of electronic sounds. While I wasn't paying enough attention to the lyrics, there seemed to be some wordplay at hand that fit the melodies like a glove. A very authentic-sounding cover of The Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' was a highlight especially during the vocal interplay of the coda as the female background vocalist cooed "what I'd be without you" and cellist Michael Olsen sang "God only knows what I'd be with out you" over and over. Kevin and band ended the set on his song 'Map Of The Human Genome' that featured just a touch of vocoder, a gentle reminder he can have fun too.

As was on display last Thursday, Jenn Grant has become a more confident performer. Though her humbleness and modesty remains, she's traded in some of her nervousness for a very much likable comfort-in-her-own-skin. She skillfully played off some of the audience banter especially that of one overly-enthusiastic individual asking for her to play 'Dreamer' (which we didn't get unfortunately). The evening gown and attire donned by her and her band was a nice touch for the evening's celebration of the new album but also hinted at Jenn's acceptance of her rising star and her willingness to glam it up a bit. The evening was devoted primarily to her new album which was performed just about in its entirety except for her cover of Noel Coward's 'I'll See You Again' which closes the album and is a mere throwaway at less than 10 seconds long. Although her first album "Orchestra For The Moon" has an introspective tone there's more melancholy to be found on "Echoes". 'Heartbreakers' chugged away slowly with David Christiansen's baritone sax in the background while Jenn's desperate 'oh oh's popped up periodically. The acoustic folk of 'Where Are You Now' was guided along with gentle guitar and violin. Jenn's repetition of "keep your head high" on 'Everybody Loves You' sounded absolutely desperate. Jenn's cover of Neil Young's 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' was in a word, heartbreaking.

But all was not dour. 'Parachutes' was a mid-tempo playful pop romp with nice ba-ba background vocals. Jenn jokingly made reference to Dr. Claw with Sean MacGillivray's sinister bass guitar intro to 'I Was Your Woman' a song that found Jenn's vocals aspiring towards a sultrier, jazzier vibe. '(I've Got) The Two Of You' trotted along with an ever-so slight reggae tinge. It was a slight disappointment not to get many of the older material although it was slight consolation that while 'Dreamer' wasn't performed she did give us 'Unique New York' which has a similar urgency to it. Also adding to the evening was Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker who was in the house to perform background vocals on a few songs.

It's been a pleasure to be a fan of hers since that day back in 2005 in Hamilton when she performed as a vocalist for The Heavy Blinkers. With only two albums under her belt now, it really is only the beginning.

Although it'll be an abbreviated set, you can catch her playing a midnight set at the Reverb on March 14 as part of Canadian Music Week.

Photos: Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Feb 12, 2009)

MySpace: Jenn Grant
MySpace: Kevin Hearn

Concert Announcements / Music Links

Sorry for the lack of posts lately - 'real life' took over lately. I'll leave it at that. Don't you ever have those times [good or bad] when blogging is just the furthest thing from your mind? But I'm ready to start out fresh this week so here goes:

I'm all for supporting indie record stores but sometimes the big stores like HMV have decent sales - The Constantines' "Tournament of Hearts" is currently selling at HMV for the featured price of $7.99 so I couldn't pass that up today. Jenn Grant's new album "Echoes" is selling for $10 at HMV - I might just pick that up tomorrow. The Constantines team up for a co-headlining gig with The Weakerthans at the Phoenix on March 31 and April 1. Jenn Grant plays an early show at The Mod Club on February 21 and then will return for Canadian Music Week for a midnight set at the Reverb on March 14. Jenn talks about her new album with chartattack. Jenn's song "Make It Home Tonight" (from her first album "Orchestra For The Moon") was featured in the closing scene of this episode of "Flashpoint".

On a tangent from that last Jenn Grant info bit, there is a preliminary schedule for Canadian Music Week now up. Take a gander and start piecing together your own personal club-hopping schedule.

The CMW schedule does interestingly note that Sloan will perform during the festival at The Mod Club on March 12 & 13.

The Airborne Toxic Event gig on March 4 which was originally going to be at the El Mocambo has been moved to The Mod Club according to Ticketmaster.ca.

Whippersnapper Gallery will host Chain and The Gang(feat. Ian Svenonius of Weird War, Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up), The Hive Dwellers(feat. Calvin Johnson) and Toronto's own Tropics on Friday April 24, tickets $11 in advance. Via Stille Post.

Kings of Leon are returning to Toronto sooner than later and this time have upgraded from the Kool Haus(the venue of their last show) to Air Canada Centre. I suspect it might be a concert-bowl setting rather than the whole arena but that's just my guess. The guys will be at the ACC on April 21 with tickets onsale February 13.

Detroit garage rockers The Von Bondies will tear it up live I suspect at Criminal Records for an instore on February 13 at 5 pm. Via Narratives. They play a proper show at the Horseshoe that night.

Ladytron and The Faint play an all-ages gig at the Phoenix on April 6, tickets $28.50 in advance.

Neil Halstead plays The Drake Hotel on March 21, tickets $20.

From The Jam's gig at Lee's Palace on March 27 has been cancelled - refunds available at point of purchase.

Bandstand Busking currently features UK singer songwriter Emmy The Great in live busking style video performance. I'm starting to see why she's such a hit at least among the internet crowd - her vocals do possess a lovely timbre and combined with her simple guitar strums her songs are quite charming.

IRS Records was more that just R.E.M.'s early record label and hope to remind many they had other bands - "...starting February 10, Capitol/EMI will begin releasing the digital debuts of more than 100 tracks and albums that have previously been out-of-print...". Via Magnet Magazine.

Chartattack spoke with Lily Allen whose new album "It's Not Me, It's You" is out in Canada tomorrow. The new album is streaming over at her MySpace. I think her show at the Phoenix on April 22 is just about sold out (if it isn't already) - no worries for me at least, as I jumped on it and got my ticket last Friday (as well as my tickets for Franz Ferdinand and Bat For Lashes just to be safe).

On The Road

The Toronto Star speaks with Jenn Grant who'll be coming to Toronto for a show at The Mod Club on February 12. BTW, check out her spiffy and much better navigable website. Also check out a video of Jenn performing in a quaint vintage shop Aunt Olive's in Ottawa recently:

Video: Jenn Grant live at Aunt Olive's (Ottawa, ON)

Sebastian Grainger and the Mountains are at the Horseshoe on March 6.

As Beggars Group Canada points out, Toronto's Holy Fuck will open the Bloc Party show at Kool Haus on March 14.

Julie Doiron plays a CD release show at the Horseshoe on March 26 in promotion of her new album "I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day" being released March 24. Her Eric's Trip partner Rick White will be opening the show. If she catch her in Hamilton(Mar 25), Kingston(Mar 27) or Montreal(Mar 28) you'll get $100 as openers. Full dates over at her official website.

Junior Boys with openers Max Tundra will be at The Mod Club for two shows, March 28 and 29. The first one is an all-ages shows, and tickets for both shows are $18. Via Blacking Out The Friction. "Parallel Lines" the lead track off Junior Boys' new album "Begone Dull Care" (out in Canada on March 24, April 7 in the US and May 11 in the UK) can be streamed over at Pitchfork

Punk legends UK Subs will be playing a show at Sneaky Dee's on April 4. Via Stille Post. Tickets onsale February 5 are $15 through Rotate This, Soundscapes and Ticketweb.

Quintron & Miss Pussycat bring their trippiness to the Horseshoe on April 18.

Ohbijou return to promote their new album "Beacons" with a show at The Opera House on April 18. Thanks to Chromewaves for the tip.

Musical comedic duo Flight Of The Concords bring the funny to Massey Hall for two shows, April 21 and 22, with tickets $49.50. Pollstar indicates that the opener for both shows will be fellow comedian Eugene Mirman.

Scottish lads Travis return for a show at Sound Academy on April 21. Tickets onsale February 6 at 10 am, with an Internet presale starting this morning at 10 am and ending at tomorrow at 10 pm.

I couldn't believe it for a second when I saw the listing on Pollstar, but their MySpace confirms it - The President Of The United States Of America return to Toronto (after what seems like a lifetime) for a show at Lee's Palace on April 21, tickets $20.50 in advance. Capitalizing on Obama as the new US president, the band has a new song "Movin In Obama" available for a free download over at their MySpace.

Lily Allen again bestows Toronto with one of a few North American dates when she returns for a show at the Phoenix on April 22 with openers Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. It'll be in support of her new album "It's Not Me, It's You" which will be released on February 10. Thanks to Kat at Muchmusic Blog for the early tip.

Thanks to Lycanthropy for pointing out that UK's Bat For Lashes will be playing The Mod Club on April 25.

Via REMG, Exclaim's 17th Anniversary tour whill feature Thunderheist who'll be at the Phoenix on April 30, tickets $15.

Pollstar lists US indie band Mice Parade at the El Mocambo on May 2. Verified over at Flower Booking.

Thanks to Chromewaves for confirming that Franz Ferdinand will be playing the Kool Haus on May 4. I remember how much I'd liked their show at the Kool Haus back in 2004, so I may just have to make a return visit.

Making up for the cancelled January 15 date at The Opera House, Femi Kuti will return this summer for a show at Harbourfront on July 4 (and that being a Saturday, I'm assuming that'd be part of Harbourfront's free summer concert series).

Phew! I suspect I will be very busy concert-wise come March and April.

Shad/Thunderheist @ Nathan Phillips Square(31/01/2009); Cuff The Duke @ Lakeside Terrace - Harbourfront(31/01/2009)

I wasn't going to let the frigid temperatures this past Saturday night stop me from taking in a few of the free events happening in Toronto. First up I headed down to Nathan Phillips Square to catch some of the evening WinterCity theatrical performance [a nautical-themed piece] , then sets from Shad and Thunderheist. Shad, with bassist and DJ, performed some cuts off his album "The Old Prince" and even busted out some freestyle acappella style when his DJ was having some technical difficulties. He asked us if we liked '80's music to which the audience cheered then Shad and band dropped into a cut which used The Cure's "Close To Me"'s familiar keyboard arrangement as a backing track. That only went on for about a minute or so before Shad continued with some old-school hip hop sounds.

Shad @ Nathan Phillips Square(Jan 31, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Crowd excitement heightened in anticipation for Toronto duo electro-dance-rock duo Thunderheist. Vocalist did her best to get the crowd involved and to dance, if only to stay warm and there were eager ones who were only happy to comply. DJ Graham worked the rhythm tracks on the laptop and did some rudimentary record scratching and at the encouragement of Isis broke out into his funky white boy dance style. Isis invited the audience to stay for the afterparty(a DJ party taking place at the WinterCity Lodge across the way), though as she expressed humourously and as she chuckled, the afterparty would be starting at 9:30. They brought out a drummer for one song though the highlight of the night for me was when the group's all-girl dance crew did some b-girl dancing to several of their songs. Saving the best for last, Thunderheist pulled out "Jerk It" as the audience transformed into a full-out dance party.

Thunderheist @ Nathan Phillips Square(Jan 31, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Photos: Thunderheist, Shad @ Nathan Phillips Square (January 31, 2009)

After Thunderheist, I jumped on the subway and travelled down to Harbourfront for CBC Radio 3's live broadcast at the Natrel Rink. Inside Harbourfront's Lakeside Terrace, a few artists were performing. I got too late to catch Toronto's Castlemusic but made it in time for Oshawa's Cuff The Duke. It was a surprisingly light crowd, although it did fill up more respectably by the time Cuff The Duke hit the stage. No new material was played although vocalist Wayne Petti did make reference to the new album. A relatively low-key set of their country-rock tunes, although guitarist Dale Murray displayed some delicious guitar licks. Funniest moments of the night perhaps was when in between songs CBC Radio 3's promo could be heard through the venue's PA, to which Wayne responded that that's a guy they usually kept behind the curtain. Believe me, it was hilarious.

Cuff The Duke @ Lakeside Terrace - Harbourfront(Jan 31, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Photos: Cuff The Duke @ Lakeside Terrace - Harbourfront (January 31, 2009)

Coachella 2009

Tickets for the 2009 edition of Coachella, taking place April 17-19 as it does very year at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, are on sale now.

The Canadian contingent going down this year seems smaller from what I recall at least over the past several years. Canadian artists you can look forward to seeing at this year's festival are as follows:

April 17
Leonard Cohen
Crystal Castles

April 18
MSTRKRFT
Billy Talent

April 19
Fucked Up
K'Naan
Junior Boys

What does everyone think of the lineup? I think it's a perfectly good mix up-and-comers, indie favourites, and established headliners and I'm sure there'd be a lot of interesting music to keep one entertained. If I've learned anything from my Coachella experience in 2004, it's two things: 1)it's damn hot, and 2)on the other hand when night falls and the headliner hits the stage, that realization of being thousands of miles away from home and experiencing the moment of being there is truly like no other feeling.

Fitz & the Dizzyspells

Andrew Bird @ WFUV (image capture from The Alternate Side)
Andrew Bird performed live on Late Show With David Letterman a few nights ago. Take a gander at him performing "Fitz & the Dizzyspells". Andrew performed the same song at Electric Lady Studios for WFUV. Andrew performs live in Toronto at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on April 3. Andrew's new album "Noble Beast" is out now.

I'd planned to post about these over the last few days, but was so pooped. By now you may have read about these on Chromewaves:

- Crooked Fingers are scheduled to open for both Neko Case shows(April 17-18) at Trinity St. Paul's.
- the experimental pop stylings of Danish group Efterklang take over the El Mocambo on April 1, tickets $10
- and most excitingly, UK postpunkers White Lies who currently have the number one album in the UK will be at Lee's Palace on March 31 with Friendly Fires and The Soft Pack. Via The Windish Agency.

As previously announced, Toronto's The Diableros play the Wavelength afterparty at The Cameron House on February 12 and according to Outside Music are scheduled to perform(as "Tropical Pets") opening for The Von Bondies at the Horseshoe on February 13. They're playing Marcello's in Mississauga on January 30, Guelph at Wally's on the 31st and are back in Toronto for a show at the Horseshoe Tavern with The Coast on February 28.

From The Jam pump out the hits at Lee's Palace on March 27. Via Against The Grain.

Ariel Pink and Duchess Says are at the El Mo on March 30, tickets $10. Via rootmeansquare.

Howie Beck has a show at The Mod Club on April 1, tickets $12. His new album "How To Fall Down In Public" is out February 24.

The English Beat are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a tour of course and will be at Lee's Palace on April 17. They'll also play shows Waterloo at The Starlight Room on April 16 and London, ON at Call The Office on April 18. Full dates over at their MySpace.

Marissa Nadler and The Handsome Family are at El Mocambo on April 21. Via High Road Touring.

Bell Orchestre play the swanky The Courthouse on April 24, tickets $15. Via rootmeansquare.

Shout Out Out Out Out bring it to Lee's on April 25 to promote their new album "Reintegration Time". Via Against The Grain.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will rock the Air Canada Centre on May 7. Via Pollstar. The Boss' new record "Working On A Dream" is out now. For some Springsteen goodness check out Ted Leo's really good cover of "Dancing In The Dark" over at Pitchfork.

BSS' Charles Spearin's new project The Happiness Project have 2 shows planned for The Music Gallery on March 11 and 12. Tickets $20 each. Laura Barrett opens the first show while Muskox is the support for the second. Via Eye Weekly.

Stereo Total w/ Leslie and the Ly’s are at Lee’s Palace on March 21, tickets $13.50. Via Eye Weekly.

Jon-Rae Fletcher has a planned instore at Criminal Records on March 14, time still to be confirmed. Following the instore he'll be at Lee's Palace later that night for a CMW showcase along with Cuff the Duke, Basia Bulat, The Acorn and Herman Dune. Also catch Jon at the Horeshoe on March 7 with United Steel Workers of Montreal. [via Criminal Records MySpace]

Chartattack points to a link of Bon Iver performing a live Feist cover of "The Park" for a recent live session for Australian radio station Triple J.

Chartattack also has the entire new In-Flight Safety album "We Are An Empire, My Dear" streaming. Like their music player interface, btw.

And also from Chartattack, they report that the new Metric album is entitled "Fantasies" and will be out on April 14 in Canada through Last Gang. If you preorder the new album from the band's website, you'll get a free mp3 of the first single "Help I'm Alive", currently which you can hear on the band's MySpace. If free is your thing, head over to the band's website and in exchange for your e-mail address you can download an acoustic version of the first single. More electric-synth-y goodness from Metric as you'd come to expect.

People Got A Lotta Nerve

It's an interesting method of fundraising that Neko Case has chose to raise money for charity Best Friends Animal Society - for every blog post that reposts her new song "People Got A Lotta Nerve" (off her upcoming new album "Middle Cyclone" out March 3) and/or iLike user who adds it to their profile, Neko and her label ANTI- will make a cash donation of $5 to the charity. The promotion runs from January 13 to February 3, 2009, so everyone step to it. It's another stellar swooning track from Neko, not quite country, not quite pop - I love how she sings, "I'm a man-, man-, man-, man-, man-, man-eater". Oh yes you are, Neko, oh yes you are.[photo from ANTI-]


MP3: Neko Case - "People Got A Lotta Nerve"

And with that bit of charity, Neko also spoils us with some upcoming tour dates, with not one but two dates planned for Toronto, April 17 and 18 at Trinity St. Paul's Church. Tickets onsale now, $33.50 a piece.

If my media accreditation for the upcoming Canadian Music Week comes through, perhaps it'll allow me access to the festival's film festival component "Music For The Screen" a day-long series running at the NFB Cinema on March 14. The film line-up has now been announced with highlights including the Toronto premiere of the science fiction musical from Wayne Coyne and The Flaming Lips entitled "Christmas on Mars" and a documentary, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" on Canadian cult metal icons Anvil, who'll also be performing during the festival and be inducted into the Independent Music Awards’ Indies Hall Of Fame. Tickets to the film festival are $10.

A bevy of Toronto tour dates have rolled in over the past week (some of which Chromewaves has covered) and highlights include:

- Cuff The Duke, Castlemusic @ Harbourfront Centre (Lakefront Terrace), January 31, free show (via Stille Post)
- Power-pop legends, Paul Collins Beat @ Sneaky Dee's, Feb 3 (via Stille Post)
- Jon Langford with The Sadies (as his backing band) @ Horseshoe Tavern, February 27, tickets $12.50
- Asobi Seksu @ El Mocambo, March 3
- Chartattack CMW showcases (too many bands to list here) @ Horseshoe, March 12-14 (via Stille Post)
- Peter, Bjorn and John w/ Chairlift @ Phoenix, April 25 (via Brooklyn Vegan)
- Animal Collective @ Sound Academy, May 16
- Joel Plaskett @ Massey Hall, May 23

NME posts a remix by Eli Escobar of local electro-rock act Thunderheist's song "Sweet 16". Thunderheist and Shad will be playing live at Nathan Phillips Square on January 31 as part of the WinterCity Festival. Thunderheist's new album is out March 31.

And the repercussions of jumping up onstage unannounced during Oasis' Toronto Virgin Festival set last September and tackling Noel Gallagher from behind - NME reports that Canadian Daniel Sullivan's charge has been upgraded from assault to aggravated assault and could be looking at 14 years in prison if convicted with the maximum sentence. Sucka.

It's with great anticipation that Barrie's Fox Jaws have returned with some local dates. Bob at It's The Band I Hate, Not Their Fans reviews their show from yesterday night at Sneaky Dee's, pointing out that it was their first for Nevado Records the band's new label. Fox Jaws have a few more local dates lined up with a Valentine's Day show at El Mocambo then a show at Clinton's on March 5.

And what is it with vocal surgery these days? First, Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell is set to go in for vocal surgery at the end of this month and second, as Bob points out, Fox Jaws' Carleigh Aikins recently underwent the surgery. Our Canadian girls rock hard.

concert review: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (January 15, 2009)

Land of Talk @ Horseshoe Tavern (Jan 15, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


concert review: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, Ontario) - January 15, 2009

A Montreal musical invasion took over Horseshoe Tavern on a blistery cold Thursday night last week. On the heels of their latest album "Some Are Lakes", Land of Talk made good on a promise to reschedule a previously cancelled Toronto date, and heck no one counted their recent opening set for Broken Social Scene at Sound Academy as a proper substitute. A couple of unknown entities (to me at least and I assume to others) opened up the night giving some proof that perhaps Montreal has not fully tapped it's musical talent pool yet.

The so-obscure-she-doesn't-even-have-a-MySpace first opener female artist who goes under the name Little Scream opened up the night at a point where the Horseshoe had already filled up respectably for an early time slot. I arrived part way through the set though what I'd heard was intriguing enough. Singing with a stark vocal quality that reminded me of Cat Power, there was a rocky folkiness to the lone guitar instrumentation. The cool blue light that draped her person was in a way appropos - the music didn't evoke much warm tones. Performed with a little more dramatic flavour than your average singer songwriter chick, I think she'll appeal to fans of Cat Power, PJ Harvey, and Toronto's own Katie Stelmanis.

Young four-piece Zeroes looked like the sort of lads that you might expect to be your run-of-the-mill indie rock but surprisingly distill a range of influences that you wouldn't expect from a band that young. There music wasn't really pop at all but there was still an accessibility. A solid rhythm section kept things structured while the music had an experimental, post-punk, progg-ish quality reminding most of a less gimmicky Clinic. First impressions are important and I'll admit that Zeroes do make a decent one.

One has to admit that it was mighty decent of Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell to go on with (rather that cancel again) the Toronto date of the band's tour which touched down at the Horseshoe last Thursday, especially considering that she'll be undergoing voice surgery at the end of the month. Her performance last Thursday didn't necessarily point towards any vocal problems, her raspy robust vocals being as delicious as ever, but such satisfaction comes with a slight of level of guilt, at times during the set I was hoping that Ms. Powell wasn't overdoing it at the expense of any permanent damage. Elizabeth, come back from your surgery stronger than ever. Their debut EP "Applause, Cheer, Boo, Hiss", a release I've admired for quite some time now, was mined generously for their set, as was their debut full-length "Some Are Lakes" which I've only really delved into with more effort recently. While the difference between the two might be that the raw visceral quality of their debut EP has been toned down ever so slightly for their full-length, the full-length does manage to continue their streak of scruffy pop songs enveloped within a simple yet robust rock guitar/bass/drums sound. Not a guitar solo to be heard, with only slight forays into simple guitar melodies and arrangements, Ms. Powell's casual guitar playing amplified with a little crunchiness is as perfect a compliment to her raspy vocals, neither one ever overshadowing the other. Wasting little time with banter, the set and encore went by quick, though it was long enough to quell any disappointment. By the time the band walked off the stage, most of us were melting, perhaps a little to do with the body heat and the heating in the venue, but let's not underestimate Land of Talk's contribution.

Photos: Land of Talk, Zeroes, Little Scream @ Horseshoe Tavern (January 15, 2009)
MySpace: Land of Talk
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New all-ages event "Dapslove Presents: All Ages" promises to organize indie rock shows every other month to take place at Rolly's Garage on Ossington. The first one took place last weekend.

Pitchfork reports that Final Fantasy, as well as Johnny Marr, contributed to the latest Pet Shop Boys album entitled "Yes" to be released in Europe on March 23 with a US release date still to be confirmed.

REMG confirms that K'NAAN has a date at The Mod Club on February 24. His new album "Troubadour" comes out February 24.

Globecat has an interview with Love Is All's Josephine Olausson.

Junior Boys - new album "Begone Dull Care", out March 24, 2009

Junior Boys (photo from KindaMuzik)


Their last album "So This Is Goodbye" was released in Canada way back in August 2006 and was shortlisted for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize. The last time I saw them perform live was in April 2007 at The Mod Club. They played Coachella at the end of that month and have seemed to be on tour non-stop since then, rarely coming around these parts it seems for a few years now. However, as Kat had pointed out, Junior Boys have a new album coming out in March and it's now confirmed by the guys themselves - the new 8 track long album is entitled "Begone Dull Care" and is going to be released in Canada on March 24 with a US release to follow on April 7. The first single will be 'Hazel' which will be released in both 12" and digital formats. Now a transatlantic partnership with Jeremy Greenspan still based in Hamilton, Ontario and the newly-married Matthew Didemus now living in Berlin, they spent most of 2008 focusing on the completion of the new album. As I mentioned last week, also look forward to Junior Boys' remix contribution to the Merge Records remix CD coming out (to SCORE! subscribers only) later this year.

An extensive six-week long tour is suppose to kick off in Toronto (at a venue TBA) on March 28 and they'll be joined by Domino roster-mates Max Tundra. Thanks to Pitchfork for the heads up.

So I've been listening to their first couple albums today and I almost forgot how scintillating their electro-pop really is. I'm looking forward to the new album, and if the YouTube link below (of a live performance of first single 'Hazel') is any indication, it should be a good one.

MySpace: Junior Boys
Video: Junior Boys - "Hazel" (live @ 2008 Tim Festival, Brazil)

Just some random concert announcements and music news today. Getting psyched for Land of Talk on Thursday. Not looking forward to the deep freeze that night.

Ruby Coast are getting ready for their trip to SXSW by heading out on tour in Canada and the US through February and March. They're apparently at Hart House on January 22 according to Pollstar while confirmed dates at their MySpace include a Toronto date at Horseshoe Tavern on February 5 with Winter Gloves.

Bell Orchestre, newest Arts & Crafts signees, are set to release their sophomore effort "As Seen Through Windows" on March 10 and their closest(in terms of proximity) date will be February 7 in Guelph at Sleeman Centre as part of Hillside Inside.

Also confirmed for Hillside Inside this year are Stars, Sam Roberts Band, Bedouin Soundclash, Great Lake Swimmers, K'NAAN, Thunderheist, Jay Malinowski, That 1 Guy, and The Magic, with more to be announced. Info from Ticketpro Canada, through which link you can also purchase tickets.

The Hylozoists are at The Mod Club on February 21. Via Outside Music. According to their Facebook page, the band's new album "L'Île de Sept Villes" and will be released through Outside Music on February 3.

Handsome Furs are at the Horseshoe Tavern for CMW on March 13. Via Inland Empire.

Himmelfarb at Stille Post runs down the CMW lineup at Lee's Palace on March 14 which will include Jon Rae, Herman Dune, Basia Bulat, Cuff The Duke and more.

Beggars Group Canada gives the confusing info that Friendly Fires are at The Mod Club AND Lee's Palace on March 31.

Eric Warner posts over at Stille Post that Japanther, Meligrove Band and Ninjasonik will be at Wrongbar for a show on April 5.

Sebastian Tellier is at The Mod Club on April 8. Via The Windish Agency.

Black Kids and Mates of State bring giddiness to the Phoenix on April 10. Via The Windish Agency

NME brings us 10 incredible Motown tracks you haven't heard.

CBC reports that the Pemberton Music Festival has been cancelled this year.

Kat at Muchmusic posts her 11 highly anticipated albums of 2009 which include several that I'm actually looking forward to including new ones from UK outfit White Lies (Jan 20 UK), Lily Allen (Feb 10), Grizzly Bear (March), and especially Phoenix (April) and Junior Boys (March).

Score!

As most of you know, Merge Records is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year with a special music subscription offer, SCORE!, that'll last you the entire year. TODAY is the LAST DAY to subscribe [I got my subscription in yesterday] so get out those credit cards. What you'll get - 14 celebrity-curated compilation CD's from the likes of David Byrne and Peter Buck, a Merge remix CD featuring remixes of Merge classics by the likes of Caribou and Junior Boys, a Merge covers CD featuring non-Merge artists including Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Tracey Thorn and Jens Lekman, and The Shins, a 350+ page cover art book, a full-length comedy CD from Scharpling and Wurster, a SCORE box to put everything in after, plus a variety of other goodies(posters, CD's, digital downloads) that come up throughout the year. Already scheduled as part of the bonus stuff is an exclusive digital download of Superchunk's "The Clambakes Vol 4 — Sur La Bouche — Live in Montreal 1993" available to subscribers for download on January 13. For $199 US plus shipping you'll be getting Merge delivered to your mailbox each month. A lot better than getting that credit card bill right? And if you were thinking it was a tad expensive, just remember that ALL PROCEEDS will be going to charities handpicked by the 14 curators.

Later this year, Pitchfork reports that Merge will further celebrate with a five-day music festival in its native North Carolina from July 22-26. Perhaps this might deserve a visit.

Keep up-to-date with all SCORE!-related things over at the SCORE! blog.

Glasvegas

Scottish quartet Glasvegas just released their debut self-titled full-length this past week domestically but I've been listening to a promo for the last month now. Even before I'd read things like Creation Records / PopTones head Alan McGee, heralding them "The most exciting thing I've heard since Jesus and Mary Chain" or the BBC saying that the band "...draw on rockabilly and pop from the 1950s and '60s, using a backdrop of brooding guitars to create their own wall of sound, a bit like the Jesus and Mary Chain playing the 'Grease' soundtrack", my initial impressions that the band dabbled in a 60's-ish pop sound combined with JAMC's wall-of-sound were already quite evident. Although, perhaps early JAMC's wall-of-sound aesthetics sounded a bit like they were filtered through a tin can, Glasvegas go for broke with a much clearer production, and glorious waves of guitar, bass and drums combined with vocalist James Allan's attractive emotive Scottish drawl leading things along more than competently. Glasvegas sound big, fit for stadiums or big halls, much in the same way that Oasis approaches their influences with a large robust sound. Lyrically, there's a few missteps, but I find myself better able to handle them the more I listen to the album. I'm looking forward to seeing them when they come to Toronto for a just-announced show at The Mod Club on April 3, tickets onsale January 10. They performed on Late Show With David Letterman a few nights ago and will perform on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on January 15. [photo courtesy of William Morris Agency]

MySpace: Glasvegas
Video: Glasvegas - "Geraldine" (live on Late Show with David Letterman)

Brooklyn Vegan informs that Femi Kuti has cancelled all upcoming tour dates in February (including a Toronto date at The Opera House that had been scheduled for January 15) due to illness.

Canoe indicates that Tokyo Police Club have a date at Metro Toronto Convention Centre on April 4. The venue site indicates that the event taking place that day is a Teen Consumer show. Anyone know what that's about.

NME reports that The Watson Twins are kicking off a North American tour on February 16 to support the release of their newest album "Fire Songs". The tour stops in Toronto for a show at The Mod Club on February 22.

Attack In Black post at their Myspace that they along with Baby Eagle and Shotgun Jimmie have started a new record label which will be releasing Shotgun Jimmie's new album "Still Jimmie" on March 10. A MySpace post over at Shotgun Jimmie's page says that the new record label imprint is called "You've Changed". Over at CBC Radio 3, they report that Attack In Black and Baby Eagle will be doing a split LP (perhaps being released on their new label I guess?). Attack In Black will be covering Baby Eagle's "Some Things We Lose".

This Tornado Loves You

Perusing Pitchfork's guide to upcoming music releases during the winter of 2009, I realize that there's a precious few I'm actually eagerly waiting for and majority of artists I've either only heard in passing, read about or not read/heard of entirely at all. So far I'm mostly eagerly waiting for March 3 when Neko Case's newest full-length, the recorded-in-a-barn "Middle Cyclone" is released. [photo from ANTI-]

Video: Neko Case -"Middle Cyclones" (EPK)

For more Neko, YouTuber ktparker also has some video she took of Neko at last year's Bumbershoot where she'd previewed some of the songs off of "Middle Cyclone".

Next up, Great Lake Swimmers release their new album "Lost Channels" (through Nettwerk) on March 31. Exclaim has the tracklisting and points out a few dates for '09 with the only Canadian date so far being February 7 in Guelph at Sleeman Centre as part of Hillside Inside.

While already out in Europe (and available in North America as an import), expect a domestic release in early 2009 for Marianne Faithfull's newest album "Easy Come, Easy Go", featuring collaborations with a number of artists including Chan Marshall, Sean Lennon, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Jarvis Cocker and Keith Richards. I only make note of this after finally getting around to listen to a bit of her 2005 effort "Before The Poison" (mostly a collaborative effort with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave) and being quite intrigued by it. The new album includes a cover of Neko Case's "Hold On, Hold On" featuring Sean Lennon:

Microsite: Marianne Faithful - "Easy Come, Easy Go"
Video: Marianne Faithful w/ Sean Lennon - "Hold On, Hold On" (Neko Case cover, live in the studio)

In the absence of any new album or material from Swedes The Cardigans, perhaps a new album from Nina's side project A Camp will suffice. The new A Camp album "Colonia" will be given a US release through Nettwerk on April 28. The first single is "Stronger Than Jesus" (Video director - Amir Chamdin):

Video: A Camp - "Stronger Than Jesus" (music video)

On a local front, I'm not sure how much I'm really into Jon Rae Fletcher anymore but according to Stille Post his new album "Oh, Maria" is out through Weewerk on February 3, with some of the demos of the songs from the new album available for listening right now over at his MySpace. No date confirmed yet, but he will be playing this year's Canadian Music Fest during Canadian Music Week (Mar 11-14).

And what else? Expecting new albums sometime in 2009 from Depeche Mode (as yet untitled) and Echo and The Bunnymen ("The Fountain") and Morrissey ("Years of Refusal" - UK release Feb 16, US release Feb 17).

Touring in 2009? Hoping and wishing for tours to come to North America and Toronto from Jesus and Mary Chain [or was Coachella and a few select North American dates last year just a tease], Portishead [ok, 2008's over and I know you don't like touring but get over it already], Blur [so far, only a few dates so far confirmed in London, England in July], Morrissey [no Toronto date so far on his current North American tour starting in March] and Depeche Mode [only European dates starting in May confirmed so far]. Yeah, I'm shooting for some biggies this year. Keeping my fingers crossed.

As I wrote recently, part of me hopes to get back into the Canadian and Toronto indie scenes in 2009. We shall see. Any suggestions?

If you've got this far, just at reminder that Iron and Wine will be performing "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" (from the soundtrack of "Twilight") on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday, January 5, 2009 which is tonight.