Soul Asylum and I have a bit of history. During their 15 minutes of mainstream fame in the early 90s, I had my high school band cover “Runaway Train” because I thought it’d get us girls. It didn’t. Neither did being in a band at all, come to think of it. I would have rather done “Somebody To Shove” but that opening riff was way too hard for my amateur fingers.

Anyway. I had Grave Dancers Union, of course, and I think I liked it a lot. That sort of melodic alt.rock with a folkish undercurrent was – and still is, to some extent – my thing. I was probably a little too cool for Soul Asylum by the time Let Your Dim Light Shine came out, but recall filing the singles under guilty pleasures whenever I caught them on MuchMusic, or at least the one with Claire Danes… But anyway, Soul Asylum and I parted ways – Dan Murphy stayed on my radar via Golden Smog but the band, after releasing the barely-there Candy From A Stranger in ’98 quietly went away.

But like so many acts from their era, they got the reunion bug a few years ago and started work on a new record – sadly, bassist Karl Mueller was diagnosed with cancer and though benefits ensued, even managing to reunite Bob Mould and Grant Hart of Husker Du for a split-second, he succumbed to his illness in June of last year. But before he passed on, he finished work on the new Soul Asylum record, The Silver Lining, which will be released July 11. Dan Murphy talked to Billboard a bit about the new album.

The first single is “Stand Up And Be Strong”, which while not a classic by any stretch is a decent enough comeback tune for a band that’s been out of the game for a while. There’s some more clips from the new album on their MySpace page and also on their website. You’ll also find some Summer tour dates for the band there.

MP3: Soul Asylum – “Stand Up And Be Strong”

Ironically, Soul Asylum’s return is being overshadowed by that of the Minneapolis band that once called them “the B-teamers” – The Replacements. As reported previously, the band reconvened to record two new tracks for their Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was? best-of, due out June 13. All remaining original members were on board, though for some reason hired gun Josh Freese handled drums and original drummer Chris Mars only contributed vocals? Either way, I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has a radio rip of one of the tracks – “Message From The Boys” – available to download. It’s a satisfyingly raucous tune very much in the spirit of Tim or Pleased To Meet Me – certainly better than anyone probably had a right to expect. Pitchfork is similarly impressed. The songs were intended to premiere on sports radio dude Jim Rome’s show (he’s apparently a big ‘Mats fan) but for whatever reason, Westerberg didn’t show up leaving Tommy Stinson (who, coincidentally, is Soul Asylum’s new bassist) to handle all the PR duties. Rome wasn’t impressed and The Pioneer Press’ blogs have some coverage of the fallout from that.

The Stranger tries to be a little less of a stranger to Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers. The Canadian release of their new one, A Blessing And A Curse, has inexplicably been delayed more than a month from the US release and will be out here on May 23.

Jordan of Said The Gramophone talks to Joey of Calexico for Ukula.

And if you really needed another reason to hit up Sneaky Dee’s tonight for Asobi Seksu, Catfish Haven and PAS/CAL, I’ll give you three more: Betty Marie Barnes. According to PAS/CAL’s website, the former(?) Saturday Looks Good To Me singer will be joining PAS/CAL on backing vocal duties for their quick-like-bunny Canadian tour which finishes with tonight’s Over The Top show. This isn’t the first time Barnes has played with the PAS/CAL folks – last year ago they recorded a cover of Blondie’s “Call Me” for kicks (via The Modern Age).

MP3: PanicBettyBurgandy – “Call Me”

Amy Millan explains Honey From The Tombs to Chart.

My photos from Thursday night’s Concretes show are now up.

np – Grizzly Bear / Sorry For The Delay

It was a festive sort of night last night at the Horseshoe – Swedish pop orchestra The Concretes was kicking off their North American tour in support of In Colour and in addition it was head Concrete Victoria Bergsman’s 29th birthday. As they got started, she pleaded jet lag as an explanation for any discombobulation that might occur during the show but such excuses weren’t necessary at all – for the hour and change that they played, the eight-piece band, dressed (almost) all in white, were as lovely and entertaining as could be.

Bergsman and guitarist Maria Eriksson are something to see up there at the front of the stage, providing you were close enough – so very tiny they are. Actually, all the band were rather small save for one of the horn players. He was huge. While Eriksson swaggered around the stage in baby-doll dress and guitar, Bergsman spent much of the show anchored to her mic, eyes closed and barely moving. But as lead singer, she was naturally centre of attention and while she didn’t seem uncomfortable, it seemed for most of the show she might explode from shyness or cuteness, whichever reached critical mass first.

But the combination of her druggy, low-key vocals and the energetic Motown-driven pop of the band sounded damn near perfect. I’ve heard some bemoan In Colour‘s sprightlier tone, preferring the more melancholic tone of the debut, and that’s fine. Personally, I was only a moderate fan of the first record and definitely like the second one more, whichever side of the fence you’re on I defy you to tell me that the rotating lead vocals between Bergsman, Eriksson and drummer Lisa Milberg on “Song For The Songs” are anything but pure pop perfection. There were moments where I missed some of the extra-lush production touches that appear on the record (oh the strings) but that’s a miniscule complaint. If it’s true that they were off their game, I didn’t notice and it bodes well for anyone with an opportunity to catch them at a later date. If you get the chance to see them, you should. So says me.

Opening things up was Sally Seltmann, aka New Buffalo, who would be along for the ride for the whole tour. Notable as being Arts & Crafts’ first international signee, the ‘Shoe was crawling with Broken Social Scenesters out to support the extended family from down under. I’d never heard a note of New Buffalo before, and am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. A girl (or guy) with just a guitar can be a hard sell, but a girl with a guitar, keyboard, iPod and maraca has my attention. While fundamentally singer-songwriter material, New Buffalo had a curious amalgam of styles going on that sounded rather fresh. She was like a folksinger subbing in for a lounge singer playing torch songs while backed by half a big band. Or something like that. I particularly liked how she managed to come off as confident yet shy and her music strong yet wounded.

Photos will be up in a day or two – this delay will now be more the norm than the exception. ‘m doing more processing, etc these days so while it takes longer, I’d like to think the results will be worth the extra time and effort. Update: Photos are up.

Just a couple days too late to piggyback onto Tuesday’s post, The Ottawa Sun offers a brief conversation with local sons (and daughter) My Dad Vs Yours. I Heart Music has also got a nice profile of the band up right now. I like his description of their sound – “post-pop”.

And tangential to a point I made in that post, The AV Club lists off 10 acts who’ve found success despite awful band names.

Wondering what David Bowie’s been up to? The answer – Nothing. Via Brooklynvegan.

Editors return to… edit. August 2 at the Opera House. Bring your red sharpies. Full North American tour dates at The Tripwire. Tripwire was a great G.I.Joe figure. He came with a metal detector. So when not fighting Cobra, he could go looking for pirate treasure on the beach.

np – Camera Obscura / Let’s Get Out Of This Country

Oh, Mates Of State, if only we could bottle your energy and pep and sell it to the masses. Well until someone comes up with a way for us to mainline Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, we’ll have to settle for aural fixes. Though on paper there’s many angles from which to apply the gimmick tag to the drum-and-keyboard duo (They’re married! They have no guitars! They’re as cute as kittens riding puppies!), the bottom line with them is they make some unbelievably hooky pop records and their latest Bring It Back may well be their best one yet.

What I’d heard of Mates Of State in the past was undeniably fun and catchy, but was always a bit too much on the saccharine side for safe prolonged exposures. Something about the new record is different though – while all they’ve still got all the exuberance, there are some laugh lines showing, a little bit of weariness. It’s subtle, oh so subtle, but I hear it and it gives things a little more emotional heft. There’s some newfound sonic heft as well, the arrangements being unbelievably full for just a two-piece act.

But the husband-wife angle does make for some entertaining interview dynamics. Nerve asked the duo about their porn habits and groupie action (of course they did), Suicide Girls wants to talk about their daughter and Indieinterviews does the podcast thing with the band.

The band has material new and old available on their MySpace page while new label Barsuk has put together an eCard for the new album with a bunch of songs streaming as well as the video for the single “Fraud In The 80s”, which you can download below:

MP3: Mates Of State – “Fraud In The 80s”
Video: Mates Of State – “Fraud In The 80s” (MOV)

NME has the whole of Howling Bells’ self-titled debut album available to stream right now. The record is officially out in the UK on Monday, but pre-orders were sent out in advance – I’ve had mine since Tuesday and it’s good. Go listen.

And more previews – the Golden Smog MySpace page has got one complete track and three teasers from their new album, Another Fine Day, out July 18. Smogger Gary Louris tells The San Francisco Chronicle that despite all the “yes we’re broken up no we’re not” back-and-forth last year, The Jayhawks are basically done.

And a Louris segue – Billboard finally has info on the all-star (including Gary) live Sadies album recorded at Lee’s Palace back in February. It’s a 41-track (!) double-disc set called In Concert Volume One and will be out August 8. Yep Roc has the official release.

NOW and The Toronto Sun preview the Over The Top Fest, happening right now. As we speak. This very second.

And on the concert tip – The Concretes will be performing an instore at Soundscapes tonight at 7 before their headlining show at the Horseshoe later this evening. Pitchfork previews the tour. Tap-tacular sugar buzz Tilly & The Wall will be at the Mod Club June 11 (tickets $13.50) to celebrate their new album Bottom Of Barrels, out May 23, and alt.country veterans The Bottle Rockets are at Lee’s June 12 ($10.50). Their new album Zoysia is out June 6. July 26 sees The Futureheads, whose News And Tributes is out June 13, along with new XL Recordings signees and blogosphere darlings Tapes N Tapes at the Phoenix.

Some of the festivals taking place at Harbourfront this Summer are getting announced. Some highlights – The Dears and Jason Collett as part of Power of Place, happening over Canada Day weekend, Konono No 1 and Jamie Lidell with Beats, Breaks & Culture the following weekend while The Weakerthans headline rom the Peg!, a salute to the music of Winnipeg, July 28, 29 and 30.

The AV Club’s rundown of this summer’s movie crop is almost certainly more entertaining than most of the films coming out between now and September.

np – Wilco / A Ghost Is Born

I’ve been grappling with Hind Hind Legs, the debut from The Lovely Feathers, for a few weeks now, trying to figure out what I think of it. Is it silly? Is it catchy? Is it a put-on? Is it amazing? Is it annoying? I think the answer to all of these is yes, and sometimes all within a single song. As is practically mandatory for indie bands hailing from Montreal, the Lovely Feathers produce frantic, demented, smart-ass, ADD indie rock with kitchen sink instrumentation and hepped up, yelpish vocals from Mark Kupfert and Richard Yanofsky. Stuff like this walks a fine line for me and depending on my mood, Lovely Feathers can fall on either side of it at any given time. But not matter what my disposition, Hind Hind Legs runs a little bit long for my tastes, thirteen tracks of maniacism (word? Not a word?) does try the patience.

But as they told The Toronto Sun, they’re more about the live experience than the studio and I’m inclined to believe they’d put on a damned entertaining show – what can come off as overly awkward or odd on record is often much more engaging in its undiluted live incarnation. Torontonians can see for themselves when the Feathers headline the Pop Montreal showcase of Over The Top this Friday night at the Drake Underground with Duchess Says and Telefauna. Advance tickets are $10 or $12 at the door.

To hear some Lovely Feathers and determine if you fall on the “amazed” or “annoyed” side of the fence (or sit on the fence), check out the MP3 and video from Hind Hind Legs below, with more available at their MySpace and New Music Canada. And the once again MIA Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again’s last dispatch has some more Feathers tracks for grabbing.

MP3: The Lovely Feathers – “Fudgicle”
Video: The Lovely Feathers – “Frantic”

The Lovely Feathers’ album was produced by one James Shaw of Metric, who also tapped the Feathers as opening act for some of their recent shows – no doubt a polarizing experience for some of Metric’s fanbase. Prefix talks to Shaw about Metric and Canada in general.

Voxtrot have bolstered their otherwise skimpy website with a vault of live, unreleased and otherwise unavailable goodies for your downloading pleasure. Covers-heavy at the moment, which naturally makes me happy.

Paste has made their recent cover story on Flaming Lips available online.

Since the Wilco website still lists ticket info for the July 7 Toronto show as “TBA”, I think it’s safe to assume that the presale does NOT start this morning at 10AM. Note that other Canadian shows are selling for around $30-$32 USD a ticket, so not too dear.

And if you can’t scrape together the dosh for Wilco tickets, maybe The Fiery Furnaces show are at the Phoenix that same night will be a little more in line with your budget June 7. Please disregard any previous attempts to segue from the last item to this one. Nothing to see here. Move on. (via For The Records). Update: I’ve been told this info is incorrect by one who would no. So disregard for now.

Oh, and I’m officially maintaining ye olde blogroll again – it had fallen into neglect recently, but I think I need to expand my universe again. What am I missing that I should be reading?

np – Howling Bells / Howling Bells

What’s that you say? You like that dense, beautifully chiming instrumental post-rock sound but you’re a busy person and don’t necessarily have the time for epic-length songs? Well fear not, for I present to you Ottawa’s rather unfortunately-named My Dad Vs Yours. This five-piece outfit craft beautifully dense and melodic instrumental pieces in pop-sized pieces that somehow still sound fully-realized. Their interest in the song rather than orchestral dynamics, visceral impact or sheer sonic terrorism (though those are all there in appropriate amounts) set them apart from a lot of other bands who don’t need no stinking singer. There’s a place in this world for the Mogwais, the Godspeeds and the Explosions In The Skies and there’s definitely a place for My Dad Vs Yours.

Here are a couple tracks from their debut Winning Hearts & Minds EP – pretty, but kind of restrained and a bit the sound of a band feeling itself out. It looks like the whole of the EP is available to hear on New Music Canada. You can also watch a Hearts & Minds-era television session they did for CBC’s ZedTV. But in addition to these, be sure to click through to their MySpace page and check out the two tracks from their new full-length, After Winter Must Come Spring. They’re superb. The album is due to come out this week and the band are currently travelling all around Southern Ontario to get the word out. Tonght they play Pitter Patter Nights at The Session on Queen W in Toronto, admission free. Free!

MP3: My Dad Vs Yours – “Law Of Unintended Consquences”
MP3: My Dad Vs Yours – “Sea Song”
MP3: My Dad Vs Yours – “Canyons (grand or otherwise)”

Update: Okay, linking those files no workie. Go here. The one MP3 that is available isn’t the most representative, so do yourself a favour and check out the other tracks.

Ted Leo tells Billboard that he’s “not very far along” on his new album , but still hopes to have it out by year’s end.

Stylus wonders why albums these days sound so bad, audiologically speaking, and makes a very valid point in saying “Keane should NOT be twice as loud as Nirvana”.

A nice concentrated dose of local buzz will be hitting the Drake on May 20 with Tokyo Police Club, The Coast and The Ghost Is Dancing. Tickets are just $5 and available in advance at Rotate and Soundscapes. New York City’s Levy are in town at the Drake on June 17 and looking WAY ahead, it appears that Clinic will be at Lee’s Palace on October 6.

The Washington Post profiles a little tastemaking website called Pitchfork, and a little tastemaking website talks to Calexico’s John Convertino about their upcoming tour which includes a stop at the Phoenix on July 6 with Jason Collett as support.

24: One of the stewardesses should have told Jack it’s not safe to use cellphones on planes. They can interfere with navigational systems. They seem to be doing whatever they can to fill time now, witness the Chloe with taser gags. May as well be a rimshot in the soundtrack. I’m definitely counting down the hours, as much to get my Monday nights back as anything else. You know what would have made this episode better? If there was a crate full of snakes on the plane.

np – Shearwater / Palo Santo