Derek Branscombe’70s-styled radio rock – the sort marked by tight multi-part harmonies, guitars that go from chunky rhythms to smooth leads like the peanut butter aisle, and a laid back sort of pop songcraft that’s inviting like a pitcher of beer on a hot Summer’s day – has been back in style lately, and no one’s done a better job of repping it locally than Zeus. Their 2010 debut Say Us won them plenty of fans both across Canada and abroad.

Somehow amidst all the touring the band did for their debut, they managed to write and record a new batch of songs and they’ve been collected as Busting Visions, which has been given a street date of March 27. To build anticipation, a couple of new songs have been released into the wild – a first MP3 is downloadable at Rolling Stone and another is streaming over at NPR.

If you want to hear the new songs – and probably some old ones – previewed live in front of a hometown crowd, Zeus have been announced as the headliner at the Horseshoe on the Friday night of Canadian Musicfest. That’s March 23 and they’re slated to go on at 1AM, but be prepared to be there at doors if you’re planning to see them because the ‘Shoe always fills up during CMW regardless of who’s playing and this will surely not be any different. Advance tickets will guarantee you entry and cost $15, otherwise you can try your luck with a festival wristband.

And I’m not saying that they’re related at all, but it’s interesting that Say Us came out just a couple months before Clash Of The Titans and now Busting Visions hits days before Wrath Of The Titans. At least I think so.

MP3: Zeus – “Anything You Want Dear”
Stream: Zeus – “Are You Gonna Waste My Time?”

The Darcys – another Toronto band with a pronounced affection for the “me” decade – have released a video from their Steely Dan cover record Aja. It’s premiered over at aux.tv and drummer Wes Marskell talks about it with Interview. The band are at The Phoenix on March 1 opening for Bombay Bicycle Club and are on the bill of Edgefest at Downsview Park on July 12.

Video: The Darcys – “Josie”

PunkNews has an interview with Damian Abraham of Fucked Up, whose new Chinese zodiac single “Year Of The Tiger” is now available to stream – all fifteen minutes of it. They’re at Steam Whistle Brewing on February 17 as part of Wavelength 12.

Stream: Fucked Up – “Year Of The Tiger”

Also part of the Wavelength anniversary fest, though two nights later on February 19 at The Garrison, are PS I Love You. They’ve finally completed their second album and on May 8, will be wishing Death Dreams on everyone. How kind. Chart has more info on the record.

Exclaim has got the new Islands record A Sleep & A Forgetting available to stream ahead of its physical release next Tuesday. They’re at The Music Gallery on February 28 and Nick Thorburn discusses the new record with New York Magazine and hour.ca.

MP3: Islands – “This Is Not A Song”
Stream: Islands / A Sleep & A Forgetting

Spin has made a new MP3 from Plants & Animals’ forthcoming The End Of That available to download. It’s out February 28 and the Montrealers are at Lee’s Palace on April 21.

MP3: Plants & Animals – “Song For Love”

Spinner has premiered a new video from Little Scream’s 2010 debut The Golden Record. She’s at The Great Hall on March 1 opening for The Barr Brothers.

Video: Little Scream – “Boatman”

Vancouver retro-soul outfit Chains Of Love have finally announced details of their full-length debut, to be entitled Strange Grey Days and due out on March 13. Specifics and a first taste is available to stream over at Exclaim, and the band have a couple of local dates coming up – a March 24 date at The Horseshoe as part of Canadian Musicfest (they’re on at 9:20) and then one on April 13 at The Great Hall opening up for Said The Whale.

Stream: Chains Of Love – “He’s Leaving (With Me)”

Beatroute has an interview and Exclaim a video session in two parts with John K Samson, in town at The Great Hall on March 22 for Canadian Musicfest.

NPR has posted video of a KEXP radio session and The New Zealand Herald an interview with Austra.

Stereogum has posted streams of a few selections from the Leonard Cohen covers CD currently gracing – which is to say glued to – the cover of Mojo. Hear Cohen redos by the likes of Cass McCombs, Field Music and Bill Callahan.

The Line Of Best Fit has unleashed their 20th Oh Canada compilation. Have at it.

FacebookNestled amidst some concert announcements in a post last week were a couple of odd one-offs for No Joy and PS I Love You which were not part of any announced tour or timely promotional cycle. It didn’t occur to me to ask why, but just a little bit of thought would have made the answer obvious – Wavelength. The dates of their shows corresponded to the four-day weekend of the Toronto music series’ twelfth anniversary festival, and though neither of those acts is properly local – they hail from Montreal and Kingston, respectively – it makes perfect sense that they’d be invited to perform.

The rest of the lineup was announced earlier this week and as with every year it’s a doozie, occupying a different venue around the city each night and boasting a loaded and eclectic bill of bands. Tickets are available for each show or you can get a festival pass for $36, which is a bargain any way you look at it. They go on sale January 17 and the schedule shakes out as follows – for the “who they are / where they’re from / what they do”, head over to the Wavelength website.

Thursday, February 16 @ Parts & Labour: Metz, Odonis Odonis, Slim Twig, Man Made Hill, Eucalyptus ($10 advance)
Friday, February 17 @ Steam Whistle Brewing: Fucked Up, Bonjay, Catl, Silver Dapple, Hut ($17 advance)
Saturday, February 18 @ The Great Hall: No Joy , Sandro Perri, Nat Baldwin, Off The International Radar, The Weather Station ($12 advance)
Sunday, February 19 @ The Garrison: PS I Love You, Burning Love, Army Girls, Mötem, Most People ($10 advance)

MP3: Nat Baldwin – “Weights”
MP3: Fucked Up – “Queen Of Hearts”
MP3: No Joy – “Hawaii”
MP3: Sandro Perri – “Love And Light”
MP3: PS I Love You – “Get Over”
MP3: The Weather Station – “Everything I Saw”
Video: Bonjay – “Stumble”
Video: Odonis Odonis – “Blood Feast”
Video: Off The International Radar – “Sans Olo”
Video: Silver Dapple – “(Pauses)”

Islands are going small for their tour in support of A Sleep & A Forgetting, due out February 14 – the Toronto date is February 28 at the tiny Music Gallery, tickets for that are $22.50 in advance.

MP3: Islands – “This Is Not A Song”

Hot on the heels of the release of their self-titled debut, The Darcys have announced the release of their next album, a redo of Steely Dan’s Aja. The record will be available on January 24 and Rolling Stone has got the first MP3 from it available to download, while NOW asks drummer Wes Marskell, “why Aja?”. They play The Phoenix on March 1 in support of Bombay Bicycle Club and are also on the bill for Edgefest at Downsview Park on July 12.

MP3: The Darcys – “Josie”

The video surfaced at the end of last year, but the title track from Woodpigeon’s new For Paolo EP is now available to download.

MP3: Woodpigeon – “For Paolo”

Spinner spends some quality time chatting with The Wilderness Of Manitoba.

NPR is streaming the whole of Kathleen Edwards’ new record Voyageur ahead of its release date next Tuesday. She plays The Phoenix on February 11.

Stream: Kathleen Edwards / Voyageur

Austra has released a new video from the breakout Feel It Break, and if that’s not enough there’s also an interview and session at The Alternate Side to read and watch.

Video: Austra – “Spellwork”

Yours Truly has a video session with Grimes to share. Visions is out February 21 and she plays The Horseshoe on March 19.

NPR welcomes Kathryn Calder for a World Cafe session while The Province has posted an interview.

NYC Taper is sharing a recording of a recent Suuns show in New York.

The second single from Leonard Cohen’s new album Old Ideas is available to stream. It’s out January 31.

Stream: Leonard Cohen – “Darkness”

Frank YangJoel Plaskett is a guy who’s established that he’s not averse to applying a little bit of high concept to his brand of friendly, meat-and-potatoes rock – recall that his last release of new material, 2009′s Three, was both triple-disced and triple-themed – so one shouldn’t be too surprised that his next record also has to come with a bit of an explanation.

As aux.tv reports, Plaskett and his band The Emergency will endeavour to record and release a new song every week – and endeavour they’re likening to the pace of artists in the ’50s and ’60s – and calling it “Rock’n'Roll in Record Time”; probably a bit of an overstatement but a noble mission statement nonetheless. Each week’s track will be premiered on CBC Radio 2 on the Tuesday starting on January 10 and straight through to March 13, with the ten tracks then being collected as Scrappy Happiness and released as an album proper on March 27.

Shortly thereafter, they’ll set out on a cross-Canada tour that stops in Toronto for two nights at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on May 18 and 19, though the itinerary listed at Exclaim certainly leaves plenty of room for more dates, including his native Maritime stomping grounds.

Since each song reveal is going to be an event unto itself, there’s obviously no preview tracks – so instead lend your ears to a couple samples from his last couple releases, the attic-clearing EMERGENCYs, false alarms, shipwrecks, castaways, fragile creatures, special features, demons and demonstrations comp and the aforementioned triple-threat Three.

MP3: Joel Plaskett – “When I Go”
MP3: Joel Plaskett – “Deny Deny Deny”

Exclaim is streaming Rae Spoon’s new record I Can’t Keep All Of Our Secrets ahead of its official release next Tuesday, January 10; Spoon plays the Gladstone Hotel on January 27.

Stream: Rae Spoon / I Can’t Keep All Of Our Secrets

Salon talks to Kathleen Edwards about her new record Voyageur, out January 17. She plays The Phoenix on February 11.

Though I declared last Fall that labels should be tripping over each other for an opportunity to release And We Thank You, the debut album from The Elwins, the band have opted to not wait for a knight in shining armour and will put it out independently on February 21. NOW has a conversation with the band about the decision to DIY it. They just played The Silver Dollar last night but will also be at 918 Bathurst on January 21 if you’ve not yet caught them live.

MP3: The Elwins – “Stuck In The Middle”

Exclaim is streaming another new song from John K. Samson’s forthcoming solo debut Provincial. It’s out January 24 and he plays The Great Hall on March 22 as part of Canadian Musicfest.

Stream: John K. Samson – “Letter In Icelandic From The Ninette San”

Montreal noise merchants No Joy have made a date at the Great Hall for February 18; with their debut Ghost Blonde coming up on being a year and a half old, perhaps this is an opportunity to preview some new material?

MP3: No Joy – “Hawaii”

PS I Love You, just seen a couple weeks ago opening up for Fucked Up, have made a date of their own at The Garrison on February 19.

MP3: PS I Love You – “2012″

Pitchfork reports that Montreal electro-pop artist Grimes, who entered 2012 with a good bit of buzz already, will be taking it up a notch what with having signed to legendary label 4AD for the February 21 release of her new album Visions. Expect her March 19 show at The Horseshoe to be jammed. And have jams.

MP3: Grimes – “Genesis”

Paste invites The Wooden Sky into their kitchen to play a few songs; the band have just released the first MP3 from their forthcoming album Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun, due out February 28. They play The Opera House on April 20.

MP3: The Wooden Sky – “Child Of The Valley”

Frank YangThe baseline for any Fucked Up show is glorious mayhem. Add in factors like a hometown show, a full-album recital of their ridiculously ambitious and critically-acclaimed, concept rock opera David Comes To Life, the last gig of an insanely busy year in support of said album that took the band around the world from bars to festivals to arenas, a fundraising benefit for Barriere Lake Solidarity, and a lineup made up of some of the band’s favourite acts from Toronto (and outlying regions), and expectations will not unreasonably be increased to ludicrous heights.

Things opened with Quest For Fire, the only act of this two-night mini-festival that I’d never seen despite them having been around for some time. And though I’d been briefed on what they were about, musically, I could have guessed from their pedalboards – any band with that many Big Muffs on stage is likely to be stoner-rock inclined, and indeed they were inclined to the big lumbering riffs, but their brief set showed they were also able to move with some velocity when needed. First band of the night and our daily recommended dose of head banging and guitar solos were well covered.

It’d been a while since I’d last seen PS I Love You, and apparently in the interim they’ve decided the two-man band thing wasn’t cutting it. For this show, at least, they’d expanded to a three-piece with Tim Bruton of Matters and countless other local acts helping out on guitar and keys. Not that Paul Saulnier necessarily needed the help – he’d also acquired a double-neck guitar to beef up his already massive sound, and on this night PS I Love You were easily the loudest I’d ever heard them. And also the proggiest – it’s interesting how when they first emerged, all the reference points were ’80s and ’90s college rock because now there’s little chance you’d peg their influences any more recent than the ’70s. There are still plenty of fret-shredding solos, but now you couldn’t ignore the sophistication in the ideas and arrangements – that Rush cover they released a little while back wasn’t ironic, I’ll tell you that.

I don’t think it’s a slight to say that The Sadies are always The Sadies, because if you’ve seen The Sadies live before, you know that means they’re always awesome. As with when I saw them last, opening up for another not-immediately obvious act in Godspeed You! Black Emperor back in April, their set skewed a little more to the rock side of things than the country – Travis Good’s fiddle did not make an appearance – and it may have felt a little looser than they normally are – at one point Dallas Good dedicated a song to everybody in the whole world – but favourites like “Ridge Runner Rell” and “Tiger Tiger” were givens for the set and as jaw-dropping as ever. That there was a mic set up in the centre of the stage but unattended for most of the set was clear sign that a guest would be joining them, but it really could been anyone since the band have worked with pretty much everyone. Who it ended up being was Andre Ethier – the former Deadly Snake, not the current Los Angeles Dodger – who led the band through a couple of tunes reminiscent of Rolling Thunder-era Dylan, this ensuring that the ’70s theme that had been running through the night remained unbroken.

And then it was time for Fucked Up. Speaking objectively, it was hard to ignore that Damian Abraham’s mic sounded either broken or deliberately distorted beyond reasoning, or that the mix wasn’t nearly as balanced as it should have been to allow a work as sonically complex as David to really shine (though standing right in front of Ben Cook’s amp probably didn’t help my perspective), or that at a few points in the set I heard the band’s usual uber-tightness waver some. But none of that mattered one whit. This was the band that had improbably become this city’s musical ambassadors to the world over the last few years celebrating an amazing year with their friends and family for a worthy cause, and any nit-picking about the technical details – which were mostly minor – were rendered completely invalid by the spirit and energy of the show.

For his traditional foray into the audience early in the show, Abraham climbed right up off the stage into the balcony and traversed the entire perimeter of the venue while his bandmates churned through “Turn The Season”. Beneath him, as they did from note one and would through the duration of the show, a relatively small but unquestionably determined mosh pit did what they do; Abraham would encourage the horseplay but also clearly kept a watchful eye on his charges. And though he’s the indisputable focal point of the band, enough can’t be said about the rest of the band and their ability to keep up the exhausting and unrelenting pace that the material demands, be it unloading massive riff after riff or providing the melodic backing vocals so essential to tempering Abraham’s gruff roar. I can’t imagine the endurance necessary to pull off a show like this, but they did it.

Surprisingly, the show seemed to go by quicker than the album itself seems to and with the set finale of “Lights Go Out”, you couldn’t help but feel a huge swell of hometown pride for what had just gone down. Arguably the city’s best band right now, for whom epithets like “punk” or “hardcore” are now so stylistically inadequate, gave us a fantastic gift and reminded us that in a year when so much seems to have gone wrong civically, there was still so much to love about this city. Toronto the good, Toronto the Fucked Up.

Exclaim and BlogTO also have reviews of the show and The AV Club has an interview with drummer Josh Zucker. Pitchfork has the whole of the Fucked Up performance of David in New York City available to watch.

Photos: Fucked Up, The Sadies, PS I Love You, Quest For Fire @ The Great Hall – December 20, 2011
MP3: Fucked Up – “The Other Shoe”
MP3: Fucked Up – “Ship Of Fools”
MP3: Fucked Up – “A Little Death”
MP3: Fucked Up – “Queen Of Hearts”
MP3: Fucked Up – “Neat Parts”
MP3: The Sadies – “Another Year Again”
MP3: The Sadies – “Anna Leigh”
MP3: PS I Love You – “Subdivisions”
MP3: PS I Love You (featuring Diamond Rings) – “Leftovers”
MP3: PS I Love You – “Get Over”
MP3: PS I Love You – “2012″
MP3: PS I Love You – “Butterflies & Boners”
MP3: PS I Love You – “Facelove”
Video: Fucked Up – “Turn The Season”
Video: Fucked Up – “The Other Shoe”
Video: Fucked Up – “Queen Of Hearts”
Video: Fucked Up – “Black Albino Bones”
Video: Fucked Up – “Crooked Head”
Video: The Sadies – “Another Day Again”
Video: The Sadies – “Cut Corners”
Video: The Sadies – “Postcards”
Video: The Sadies – “The Horseshoe”
Video: The Sadies – “Flash”
Video: PS I Love You (featuring Diamond Rings) – “Leftovers”
Video: PS I Love You – “Get Over”
Video: PS I Love You – “Facelove”
Video: Quest For Fire – “I’ve Been Trying To Leave”

Kathryn Calder has released a new video from Bright & Vivid.

Video: Kathryn Calder – “Turn A Light On”

Exclaim has details of the new Woodpigeon EP For Paolo, which will be released digitally on January 24. There’s also a new video for the title track.

Video: Woodpigeon – “For Paolo”

Colin Stetson also has a new video for his new 10″ single for “Those Who Didn’t Run”.

Video: Colin Stetson – “Those Who Didn’t Run”

Amos The Transparent have released a video from their forthcoming album Goodnight My Dear… Im Falling Apart, which compiles a pair of previously-released EPs and will be out on February 14. They play a release show for the record at The Horseshoe on February 25.

Video: Amos The Transparent – “Sure As The Weather”

It’s a two-night stand of the in sound from out west at Lee’s Palace on April 12 and 13 when Yukon Blonde and Library Voices roll into town.

MP3: Yukon Blonde – “Fire”
Video: Yukon Blonde – “Water”
Video: Library Voices – “Generation Handclap”

The first official taste of Memoryhouse’s debut full-length The Slideshow Effect is available and it’s very… awake. The album is out February 28.

MP3: Memoryhouse – “The Kids Were Wrong”

Daniel BoudIf the ubiquity of decorations, lights and carols wasn’t enough of a hint, let me be the one to break it to you – like it or not, the Christmas season is upon us. And with the holiday season comes Christmas concerts and performances, but if Handel’s Messiah or The Nutcracker Suite aren’t your speed, local hardcore heroes Fucked Up would like to offer you an alternative – a complete album recital of David Comes To Life.

As touring commitments for David kept them from offering as much hometown love as they usually do – this was the first year without a Hallowe’en show in some time, was it not? – the band are making up for it in spades with a pair of charity benefit shows to take place at The Great Hall on December 20 and 21. Some details are still to come, but the salient points are these: On the 20th, PS I Love You will open things up and then Fucked Up will perform their rock opera David Comes To Life in its entirety, as they did in New York last week. The 21st won’t feature an encore performance, but it will feature a stacked bill of Sloan, Ohbijou and Bonjay with more to be announced for both nights. Maybe Sloan can be persuaded to play Twice Removed start to finish as they did at Halifax Pop Explosion last year?

Details like ticket pricing and availability is still to come, but keep in mind that the Great Hall only holds about 500 – and that’s with the balcony open – so whenever they go on sale, they’ll be gone fast. Proceeds from the first evening will go to support Barriere Lake Solidarity and the second to COUNTERfit; both worthy causes.

The band have posted everything that’s available to know about the shows at their blog and Rolling Stone talked to the band right before the NYC recital of David. The Georgia Straight has an interview with Ohbijou as their cross-Canada tour swings out west and Daytrotter has posted a session with PS I Love You to download and keep for your very own.

MP3: Fucked Up – “Queen Of Hearts”
MP3: Sloan – “The Answer Was You”
MP3: Ohbijou – “Niagara”
MP3: PS I Love You (featuring Diamond Rings) – “Leftovers”

In other concert announcement news, Thee Silver Mt. Zion are kicking off a North American tour at Lee’s Palace on January 27, ticket $12 in advance.

MP3: Thee Silver Mt. Zion – “Kollapz Tradixional (Thee Dirty Olde Flag)”

Kathleen Edwards will team up with Hannah Georgas for a North American tour that wraps up at The Phoenix on February 11. The Independent talks briefly to Edwards about her new record Voyageur, out on January 17; Georgas has just begun work on album number two.

MP3: Kathleen Edwards – “Asking For Flowers”
MP3: Hannah Georgas – “Chit Chat”

Montreal avant-pop artist Grimes will be at The Horseshoe on March 19; tickets $8 in advance.

MP3: Grimes – “Vanessa”
MP3: Grimes – “Oblivion”

Filed under more immediate concerns than shows happening next year – how do you know that tonight’s Darcys record release show at The Horseshoe will be a big deal? Feature pieces in all of The Grid, The National Post, Queen’s Journal, The Vancouver Sun, Plaid, The AV Club, and NOW are pretty good signs. As is the fact that advance tickets are just about sold out, meaning if you don’t have one then your best recourse is to get there early and get one at the door.

The Vancouver Sun talks to Kathryn Calder. She’s at The Horseshoe on November 26 for a free show.

Timber Timbre have released a new video from Creep On, Creepin’ On. See them at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on November 26.

Video: Timber Timbre – “Swamp Magic”

JAM talks to Katie Stelmanis of Austra, who’ve begun posting a series of stripped-down performance videos. They’re at The Phoenix on December 1.

Video: Austra – “Lose It” (Paper Bag Sessions)

The Irish Times and Georgia Straight profile Feist. She’s at Massey Hall on December 1 and has released the first official video from Metals.

Video: Feist – “How Come You Never Go There”

The A-side of the new Chains Of Love 7″ “In Between”/”Breaking My Heart” has been made available for download courtesy of Yours Truly; the b-side went up a few weeks ago at Pitchfork.

MP3: Chains Of Love – “In Between”
MP3: Chains Of Love – “Breaking My Heart”

Also with a new 7″ are Suuns, who’ve made a video for the b-side of their “Bambi” single.

Video: Suuns – “Red Song”

CBC Radio 3, The Canmore Leader and The Argus Q&A Snowblink.

The Vinyl District interviews The Wilderness Of Manitoba

aux.tv talks to Radio Free Canuckistan’s Michael Barclay about the Have Not Been The Same ’90s Can-rock tribute compilation.

And finally, while it doesn’t fit with the rest of this post’s Canadiana theme, this bit is timely – Laura Marling will be in town for two shows at Camera on December 7, one early at 7PM and one late at 9PM. Tickets for either show are $20 and go on sale today at 10AM at TicketWeb. It’s funny how when I wrote up her visit in September, I held out hope that the next time she came to town, she’d play a room appropriately sized to her not-inconsiderable fanbase. Instead, she’s playing a room that holds maybe 100 people – even smaller than the Rivoli where she made her local debut in October 2008. We get it; you like it cozy.

Video: Laura Marling – “Sophia”