Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Show Me Something New
Shout Out Louds get back to Work
MergeLast week, I was complaining that with the US holiday season, there wasn’t nearly enough blog fodder trickling out of the interwebs. This week, it’s like a deluge.
We begin wading through it all in Scandinavia, particularly Stockholm, Sweden, home of the Shout Out Louds. The quintet turned in one of the indie-pop highlights of 2007 with Our Ill Wills and are set to follow it up with the release of Work. For this outing, they’ve opted to not work with Bjorn Yttling, who manned the boards for Our Ill Wills and have instead enlisted producer Phil Ek, best known for his work with The Shins and Built To Spill, amongst many others. And if the band’s idea of adding an American accent to things means going for a drier, less shiny sonic approach without giving up any of the hooks, then judging from the just-released first MP3 and video they’ve succeeded.
Work is out on February 23 of next year and they promise to spend most of the year touring to support. They posted up a short video clip of the recording sessions back in September.
MP3: Shout Out Louds – “Walls”
Video: Shout Out Louds – “Walls”
PopMatters interviews Anna Ternheim, who will be supporting El Perro Del Mar on her Winter 2010 tour including the February 21 date at the Mod Club. After her too-short set opening for Loney Dear at the Horseshoe in October, I had hoped she’d be back soon for a longer performance – wish granted.
MP3: Anna Ternheim – “What Have I Done”
Serena Maneesh are offering a taste of their new record, still untitled and due out in March 2010, by way of a Norwegian television session.
Clash gets a guided tour of Reykjavik from Mum.
DCist interviews Jonas Bjerre of Mew, who will be at the Mod Club in Toronto on December 6.
Chart talks to The Raveonettes.
The National Post profiles Jonas Bonnetta of Evening Hymns, who are playing an in-store at 7PM at Soundscapes tonight and a full show at the Tranzac on Friday night.
Resonancity interviews Matt Cully of Bruce Peninsula.
One of the great mythical unicorn-griffin-dragon hybrids of the indie rock world, the solo debut from Beulah frontman Miles Kurosky, should become a reality on March 9 under the title of The Desert Of Shallow Effects… unless it doesn’t. Details at AntiMusic.
There’s still no North American release date set for Sigh No More, the debut album from Mumford & Sons, but considering they’re cobbling together a North American tour for February, including a February 15 date at the El Mocambo (tickets $12), mid-February seems like a reasonable guess.
Video: Mumford & Sons – “Winter Winds”
Video: Mumford & Sons – “Little Lion Man”
Johnny Flynn, with whom Mumford & Sons made their Toronto debut last October, has put out a new EP entitled Sweet William, from which you can download a track, courtesy of Drowned In Sound.
The third member of that bill, Laura Marling, is still targeting a Winter 2010 release for her sophomore effort and will release the first single from album number two in “Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)” as a Christmas single on December 14.
Magnet and Filter Q&A Ray Davies.
Daytrotter has offered up a session with The Swell Season.
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12/2/09 12:56 pm
I hate to tell you, Frank, but for most people, Shout Out Louds’ clunky, angsty first album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (VERY LOUD anyone?) was far superior to the over-produced 80s shlock of Our Ill Wills. And your last sentence – a “drier” description of their new sound reminds of of what I loved about the band on their first album, that lost me on their 2nd. This new song reminds me of The Velvet Underground and I can’t wait to see how they’ve pulled it back again for the new record. Thanks for the news!
12/2/09 12:59 pm
for reasons unclear to me I never really listened to their first record. But I should probably rectify that…
I like Ill Wills, glossiness and all. what can Isay.
12/2/09 2:25 pm
I like both. Settled? Didn’t think so…
But yeah, Frank, you should get around to listening to Howl Howl – a couple tracks might not be your fancy but I think several of them you’ll enjoy. Earnest is probably the word I’d use to describe it.
12/5/09 8:35 am
100°…