Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
Father John Misty and Har Mar Superstar at The Horseshoe in Toronto
Frank YangCosmic questions: What makes an artist put a respectable if underappreciated solo career on hold in order to play drums for a band that’s sold hundreds of thousands of records and gone platinum in the UK? And what makes that same artist leave that band in order to not resurrect their former solo career but start a completely new one? Okay, the first one is kind of a no-brainer but the second one is more of a puzzle, one that Baltimore-born, Los Angeles-based Josh Tillman is uniquely positioned to answer. He was plugging away as J Tillman since 2005 before joining Fleet Foxes in 2008 to tour behind their self-titled debut and while he continued to release solo albums, following the end of the Helplessness Blues touring cycle he announced he was leaving the band – but not to go back to being J. Tillman; instead to begin being Father John Misty.
If you do find yourself in a position to pose the above questions to Tillman, don’t be surprised if by way of an answer he just hands you a copy of Fear Fun, the just-released Father John Misty debut because it does, indeed, tell you why. Whereas the J. Tillman-branded material was pretty easily slotted as acoustic singer-songwriter fare, Fear Fun is nowhere near as easy to categorize. Suffused with ’70s-era country-rock vibes , it sounds as though Tillman gathered inspiration on his drive home from Seattle by routing through Bakersfield, the Laurel Canyon, Joshua Tree National Park, and Reno, Nevada before pulling up in Hollywood on the Sunset Strip. Gram Parsons’ “cosmic American music” quote gets trotted out a lot when describing music with a country-rock lineage but it applies to Father John Misty more than anything I’ve heard in recent years. Parsons would have approved of the album art as well, I think. In short, it’s not called J. Tillman because it sounds nothing like J. Tillman. Or Fleet Foxes, for that matter, though you can bet that was the hook for many/most of those who piled into the Horseshoe on Monday night for the band’s Toronto debut.
Support came from another Tillman, the unrelated Sean who himself had a few musical projects to juggle. I had seen him with Sean Na Na when they opened up for The Hold Steady in this same room back in 2006, but rather than showing off that project’s classic rock stylings, he was here as Har Mar Superstar and he was going to take off his pants. But that’s getting a bit ahead of things. Things started with Tillman fully-dressed – overdressed, really – and fronting a four-piece band that included Josh Tillman on drums but as their set progressed and their funk-soul groove gathered steam, he stripped down item by item until, by the final song of their set, it was just Tillman in his short, sweaty, paunchy glory clad only in a pair of briefs (and socks and shoes). Even a cursory bit of research about Har Mar beforehand would have revealed this was what they were about but even if you knew what was coming, it was still something to behold. Like with Sean Na Na it was almost a shame that Tillman’s onstage persona overshadowed the music – which was more than legit – but the net entertainment value was nothing to complain about. Though I wish there was more breakdancing.
Besides being a superb drummer and vocalist, Josh Tillman’s main contribution to Fleet Foxes was as the comic relief during their live shows – the guy was all kinds of funny from behind the kit. So while seeing him up front with no instrument in hand was a bit odd, you at least knew that there’d be no feeling awkward about being the centre of attention and really, you can’t keep presence like his behind a drum kit. Tillman was a litany of stage moves – shimmies, points, mic stand dancing – while leading his five-piece band through bigger, more rockier renderings of the Fear Fun material that emphasized the psychedelic aspects of the material. And of course there was the banter, which was random and hilarious and came with the added bonus of Tillman feeling extra punchy thanks to the Pitchfork review of his album earlier in the day, which despite being positive caused great offense. Towards the end of the show, Tillman mentioned that he had been “way too stoned” for the entire show – and the band passed around a lit joint as emphasis – and while that might have explained some of the the more out-there comments he made through the night, it made how tight and note-on their performance was even more impressive. Some folks may have came to the show as J. Tillman fans, most were probably Fleet Foxes fans but by the end of the show, they were all Father John Misty fans.
NOW also has a review of the show and Father John Misty already have a return engagement scheduled for July 12, when they open for Youth Lagoon at the Opera House.
Photos: Father John Misty, Har Mar Superstar @ The Horseshoe – May 14, 2012
MP3: Father John Misty – “Nancy From Now On”
MP3: Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”
MP3: Har Mar Superstar – “Cry 4 Help”
MP3: Har Mar Superstar – “Power Lunch”
MP3: Har Mar Superstar – “Brothers And Sisters”
Video: Father John Misty – “This Is Sally Hatchet”
Video: Father John Misty – “Nancy From Now On”
Video: Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “Tall Boy”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “DUI”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “Power Lunch”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “EZ Pass”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “Brothers & Sisters”
Video: Har Mar Superstar – “Body Request”
I don’t really know who Jonathan Coulton is – I gather he’s big on/via the internet – but the fact that he’s touring with John Roderick of The Long Winters makes the fact that said tour includes a June 6 date at The Mod Club worth noting. As is the fact that we are well overdue for a new Long Winters record.
MP3: Jonathan Coulton – “Washy Ad Jeffy”
MP3: The Long Winters – “Pushover”
The NXNE schedule is due out any day now, but word of some of the bigger shows are coming out a little beforehand. Like that White Rabbits and Vacationer will be at The Mod Club on June 14. The Independent ran a feature on the band a few weeks back.
MP3: White Rabbits – “Heavy Metal”
MP3: Vacationer – “Trip”
Your festival wristband will also be good for admission to see A Place To Bury Strangers at The El Mocambo on (I believe) June 14, where they’ll be previewing their new record Worship, out June 26. The Stool Pigeon has an interview with the band about the new record.
MP3: A Place To Bury Strangers – “You Are The One”
Rolling Stone is offering for download a version of the title track from Guided By Voices’ next record Class Clown Spots A UFO from when it was a Robert Pollard song. Which it still is, technically. The album is out June 19.
MP3: Robert Pollard – “Class Clown Spots A UFO”
State interviews Lower Dens, who’ve released a new video from Nootropics. They’re at Lee’s Palace on July 17.
Video: Lower Dens – “Nova Anthem”
DIY talks to Andrew Bird, who plays Echo Beach on July 19.
It being release week for Best Coast’s new one The Only Place, there’s plenty of press going around with Bethany Cosentino. Check out pieces at LA Weekly, The Guardian, Under The Radar, GQ, The Line Of Best Fit, and Vice. They play The Phoenix on July 21.
By the same token, lots of people are talking to Beach House about their just-released Bloom – people like The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Interview, and eMusic.
Loud & Quiet talks to Chairlift.
Daytrotter has a session with Shearwater and The AV Club an interview with Jonathan Meiburg.
Greg Dulli talks to The Village Voice and John Curley to Cincinnati.com about the Afghan Whigs reunion, which finally gets underway next week in New York.
NPR welcomes Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt for a WFUV video session.
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Review of Cold Specks’ I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Jim AndersonMy first encounter with Cold Specks wasn’t a terrific one. Though opening up a sold-out show for St. Vincent in one’s hometown as Al Spx did last December would seem as ideal a scenario as one could hope for, the reality was decidedly less so. Despite having already accumulated some overseas buzz with a couple singles, Cold Specks as a seated, two-guitar duo had trouble holding the attention of the audience with her low-key, self-described “doom soul” though those of use close enough to the stage to feel the heaviness of her songs could attest to feeling their gravity. It would have been nice to have been blown away but getting filed under, “keep an ear out for” isn’t bad.
Making a note to pay attention turns out to have not been necessary, as it turnes out, as Cold Specks’ debut album I Predict A Graceful Expulsion – out next Tuesday – does a fine job of demanding attention all on its own. It’s a fully-produced affair – not what I would have expected based on those early impressions – with Spx’s raw yet delicate vocals augmented by a full band, tasteful horns and strings, and even backing choir when necessary. While some may have wished for a more skeletal sound to reinforce the desolate bluesiness inherent in Spx’s voice, the musical dressings never become ostentatious and create a necessary amount of sonic variety and dynamicism across the run of the album.
And most importantly, Spx’s remarkable voice is given a goodly amount of space at all times and remains firmly in the fore, delivering songwriting filled with stark imagery. It’s well-suited to Spx and draws the most direct line to her most obvious musical roots, the gospel spirituals and field hollers of early 20th century. Cold Specks probably would have impressed if it were devoted simply to reviving that sound, goodness knows Spx has the gifts to do so and could easily have gotten away with it, but Expulsion instead channels it through more modern musical filters and it comes out timeless.
Cold Specks is at The Music Hall on June 2 supporting Great Lake Swimmers. DIY and Exclaim have feature while The Guardian is streaming the album in its entirety ahead of its release. And to round things out, Rolling Stone have premiered a new video from the record.
Video: Cold Specks – “Winter Solstice”
Video: Cold Specks – “Holland”
Video: Cold Specks – “Blank Maps”
Stream: Cold Specks / I Predict A Graceful Expulsion
Feist has finally relented to reissue her long-out of print debut album Monarch – but only on vinyl. Which is fine because you all have turntables, right? Of course you do.
Video: Feist – “It’s Cool To Love Your Family”
Neil Young & Crazy Horse have put out another video from Americana, out June 5. Using stock film footage is letting them just churn these things out.
Video: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Jesus’ Chariot (She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain)”
Stereogum talks to Emily Haines of Metric about their new record Synthetica, out June 12.
Uzine chats with Dan Mangan. He plays a free show at Pecault Square the afternoon of June 16 for LuminaTO.
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Review of Allo Darlin’s Europe
Nik VestbergThere’s many things I loved about Allo Darlin’ 2010 self-titled debut. The jangly guitars, strummy ukulele, and ebullient melodies that put the London-based foresome at the forefront of current bands unashamed to call themselves indie pop – absolutely – but what I found set them apart and made them really special was the way they used those traits to deliver songs that evoked the wistfulness and insecurity of growing up and out and apart. Far too often pure pop music feels strictly a youth movement but here was a band whose songs spoke to me in my mid- (okay now late-) thirties while still making me want to bop up and down like I did in my twenties.
It’s not hard to understand, then, why I’m so enamored with their just-released follow-up Europe. It continues the journey started with that first record but informed with the extra wisdom, regret, and experience that life brings as you live it. As I did in that previous review, I need to stress that Europe is not some po-faced, navel-gazing collection of songs – songs like “Capricornia”, “Northern Lights”, and “Still Young” are like manna from heaven for those with a sonic sweet tooth, all shimmer and shine and Elizabeth Morris’ sweetly smoky Aussie accent.
But you’ll likely not find anyone who’s listened to the album who wouldn’t point to “Tallulah” as the album’s centrepiece, despite it being the most skeletal and downcast song on the record. It stars just Morris and her ukulele – it’s worth noting there’s much less uke on this record than on the debut, with Morris strapping on a conventional 6-string as need be – and ruminates beautifully on distances of the geographical, temporal, and emotional varieties. The reminiscences may be Morris’, but despite their specificity they’re rendered in a way that makes you feel like they’re your own. These aren’t necessarily the notes you expect a band as outwardly cheerful as Allo Darlin’ to hit, but that’s what makes them so special.
On a scorecard that assigns points to pop criteria such as immediacy, buoyancy, what have you, it’s entirely possible that Europe might place a bit below the debut. There’s nothing as sweet and charming as “Polaroid Song” or “My Heart Is A Drummer” or, if go back to their early singles, as fun and cutesy as “Henry Rollins Don’t Dance” – but I don’t think you’d find anyone who’d try to argue that Europe isn’t still the superior record because it’s the one that confirms that Allo Darlin’ are a band that are so much more than you probably thought.
DIY talks to the band about the making of the album and they play a World Cafe session for NPR.
Video: Allo Darlin’ – “Capricornia”
Video: Allo Darlin’ – “Tallulah”
Stream: Allo Darlin’ / Europe
Belle & Sebastian guitarist Stevie Jackson released his solo debut (I Can’t Get No) Stevie Jackson in the UK last Fall, but is preparing to put it out Stateside come July 3. To pave the way, he’s farmed out some audio and video tastes to American publications Paste and Blurt who’ve got a video and MP3 to share. Okay the video came out a while ago but the MP3 is new, and sits nicely alongside another one that came out when the album did initially.
MP3: Stevie Jackson – “Where Do All The Good Girls Go”
MP3: Stevie Jackson – “Man Of God”
Video: Stevie Jackson – “In The Morning”
The Line Of Best Fit chats with Gerard Love of Lightships.
Time Out Hong Kong have an interview with Elizabeth Sankey of Summer Camp.
Trailer Trash Tracys have released a new video from their debut Ester.
Video: Trailer Trash Tracys – “Los Angered”
DIY talks to the Collete half of the Thurlow sisters of 2:54, who’ve made a track from their self-titled debut available to download ahead of its May 29 release. They’re at Lee’s Palace on June 15 during NXNE.
MP3: 2:54 – “The March”
Drowned In Sound talks to the Ryan third of the Jarman brothers of The Cribs.
NPR has a video session with Laura Marling, who’s at The Phoenix on June 17.
NME has not one but two short features on Charlotte Hatherley about her Sylver Tongue electro persona.
The Calgary Herald and Pitchfork have features on Arctic Monkeys.
The Sun talks to Richard Hawley, who gets analog in the new video from his latest Standing At The Sky’s Edge.
Video: Richard Hawley – “You Haunt Me”
Billy Bragg talks to The West Australian about the Mermaid Avenue sessions, which are again topical thanks to the recent release of The Complete Sessions.
The Dallas Observer talks to Jason Pierce of Spiritualized’s, whose show in Washington DC last week is streaming at NPR.
The Quietus talks to Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine about this, that, and the other thing.
NME points to a Facebook post from Suede wherein Brett Anderson gives a status update of the band’s new material – they’ve chucked it all, recruited Dog Man Star producer Ed Buller to take charge and are starting over.
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
PS I Love You covers Rush
Paper Bag RecordsIn writing up PS I Love You’s new album Death Dreams earlier this month, I made reference to the record’s more overt prog-rock influence which had only been hinted at on their debut Meet Me At The Muster Station.
And while you might assume that growing up in southern Ontario that Toronto’s own Rush would have been a logical assumption as influence, that’s not the case. As Paul Saulnier told Rolling Stone, he hated the band – as many do – until his mid-teens and it was “Subdivisions”, from the band’s 1982 album Signals, that turned him around – now he’s a self-proclaimed, “mega Rush fan” – as many are. I don’t count myself among them, but those early ’80s Rush albums do hold a special place in my heart. For serious.
Their cover of the Damascene tune appeared on last year’s Figure It Out, a stop-gap compilation of singles and EPs released to satiate fans while they worked on Death Dreams, and while it doesn’t get as fret-shredding as you’d expect a tribute to Alex Lifeson by a player as accomplished as Saulnier might be, remember that he’s also gotta pretend to be Geddy Lee with his feet. Cut the guy some slack.
PS I Love You kick of their Spring tour in support of Death Dreams at The Garrison in Toronto on Tuesday. Rush release their millionth (approximately) album in Clockwork Angels on June 12 and play the Air Canada Centre on June 12.
MP3: PS I Love You – “Subdivisions”
Video: Rush – “Subdivisions”
Saturday, May 12th, 2012
Frank YangWho: Paul Weller
What: Britrock legend thanks to his time in The Jam, The Style Council, and his fruitful solo career. The Modfather, dammit.
Why: His latest album Sonik Kicks topped the UK charts on its release in March. His stature’s not quite as high in North America, but still enough to justify a handful of dates on this side of the pond.
When: Monday, May 21, 2012
Where: The Sound Academy in Toronto (all-ages)
Who else: Toronto’s own Brit-worshipping The Holiday Crowd have been tapped to open this one up.
How: Tickets for the show are $59.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got one pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Paul Weller” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, May 17.
MP3: Paul Weller – “Around The Lake”
Video: Paul Weller – “Around The Lake”
Video: Paul Weller – “Green”
Video: Paul Weller – “That Dangerous Age”
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