Frank YangIf Alan Sparhawk is looking to avoid Neil Young comparisons with his Retribution Gospel Choir work, you wouldn’t know it. Taking the stage at the Drake Underground on Monday night, the Low frontman was almost a tribute to Shakey boasting an impressive pair of muttonchop sideburns complimenting his black, P90-equipped, Bigsby-ed Les Paul. Okay, you’d probably never catch Neil dressed as classically dapper as Sparhawk and his bandmates, but sartorial concerns aside, you don’t have to look to hard for at least one source of inspiration.

And, of course, you could hear it. Their new album 2 – which they would technically be able to sell as of midnight – is a fiery document of rock filled with the sort of extended solos that Sparhawk only occasionally gets to showcase in Low. Not as all-out chaotic as the sort that Young wrings out of Old Black – Sparhawk’s technique is decidedly more precise if no less furious – but of the same spirit. And though their set was relatively compact at an hour including encore, there were plenty of epic guitar excursions to astonish the modest-sized Monday night crowd not to mention their intensely focused songs. The fittingly titled “Electric Guitar” was a particular standout, a sonic atom bomb in a set filled with explosive numbers.

In between aural assaults, there was an almost reverent silence from the audience, almost as though they thought were at a Low gig and chatting was verboten. The band took the opportunity to engage in some hockey banter, Sparhawk mentioning he’d recently fallen on his ass while skating and drummer Eric Pollard pre-emptively congratulating us on winning the Olympic gold. “Who’ve you got in net? Luongo? Aubin? You’ve got Aubin? Fuck.”

The News-Herald has an interview with Alan Sparhawk and 2 is currently streaming over at Spinner.

Photos: Retribution Gospel Choir @ The Drake Underground – January 25, 2010
MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Video: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
Stream: Retribution Gospel Choir / 2
MySpace: Retribution Gospel Choir

Drive-By Truckers will be hitting the road in support of the March 16 release of The Big To-Do, and are opting to do multi-night stands in smaller rooms this time around – case in point, their April 6 and 7 dates at Lee’s Palace with Langhorne Slim opening. They’ve also let loose the first MP3 from the new album and will be the subject of a new documentary film entitled The Secret To A Happy Ending, which will begin screening at festivals starting next month.

MP3: Drive-By Truckers – “This Fucking Job”

Wolf Parade will return to active duty with a short eastern Canadian tour accompanied by We Are Wolves, possibly timed around the release of their third album which is rumoured to be complete. The Toronto date is April 7 at the Phoenix, with tickets $20 going on sale January 29.

MP3: Wolf Parade – “Language City”
MP3: Wolf Parade – “Call It A Ritual”

Following up last November’s utterly sold-out show at the Mod Club, Florence & The Machine are coming back on April 10 for a show at the Phoenix, tickets $20. Holy Hail will support.

MP3: Florence & The Machine – “Kiss With A Fist”
MP3: Florence & The Machine – “I’m Not Calling You A Liar”

The Reverend Horton Heat will be at the Phoenix on May 20 with Cracker in tow.

Though yesterday’s pre-sale for the June 8 National show at Massey Hall sold out lickety-split, another block of pre-sale tickets goes on sale today at 10AM – same link and password as yesterday and, sadly, same big-ass service charges.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released a new video from It’s Blitz!.

Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Skeletons”

Holly Miranda is featured in video sessions at Yours Truly and PitchforkTV, while The Guardian declares her their “New band of the day”. The Magician’s Private Library is out February 23; here’s another track from it.

MP3: Holly Miranda – “Waves”

Clash labels The Antlers “one to watch for 2010″, which is interesting considering they’d have a pretty hard time topping their breakout 2009. They’re in town on February 16 at the Phoenix opening up for Editors.

And Editors have offered up a track from their latest album In This Light And On This Evening to download.

MP3: Editors – “Papillon”

Despite what was promised just last week, The Radio Dept.’s third album Clinging To A Scheme will NOT be coming out in March. Instead it will be out in April. The 21st of April, to be precise. That’s right, an actual firm date. Firm until they move it, anyways.

And Jonsi tells Spinner that contrary to previous reports, there will be no new Sigur Ros record out this year, or in the foreseeable future. So enjoy his solo record Go when it hits on March 23, because that’s all there’s going to be for a while.

Lilja BirgisdottirWhen it was revealed that Jon Thor Birgisson was going to be working on a project separate from Sigur Ros, many – well me, at least – assumed that the instrumental Riceboy Sleeps record which came out earlier this year was it. But in fact, it was credited to Jonsi & Alex, the titular Alex being Alex Somers of Parachutes and Birgisson’s boyfriend and the project being something else completely. Which is just as well because while it was a pretty piece of atmosphere, Riceboy Sleeps didn’t really engage as a piece of music and didn’t do much to tide one over while waiting for the new Sigur Ros record.

When flying solo as just Jonsi, however, the results are more satisfying. Details on Birgisson’s debut album entitled Go were revealed last week alongside the first MP3 – “Boy Lilikoi” – and it’s definitely not lacking in substance. Big and colourful, it finds Birgisson singing in English overtop buoyant and burbling pop arrangements, courtesy of Bjork arranger Nico Muchly and The National producer Peter Katis. This track and the extra audio samples available on the Jonsi website seem to ensure that Go will be enough like Sigur Ros to entice and satisfy fans of Sigur Ros, but different enough to justify not being Sigur Ros.

The album will be out on March 23 of next year, and a world tour to support will follow. Which basically ensures that the new Sigur Ros record won’t be out until Fall at the earliest.

MP3: Jonsi – “Boy Lilikoi”
MP3: Riceboy Sleeps – “Boy 1904″
MySpace: Jonsi

Rolling Stone talks to Ted Leo about his new album The Brutalist Bricks, available March 9. For a sneak preview of the new material, check out this downloadable live show from last week courtesy of NYC Taper.

Magnet does the over/under thing with Built To Spill’s oeuvre.

BrooklynVegan reports that The Antlers will be opening up for Editors on their upcoming North American tour, including the February 16 date at the Phoenix in Toronto. The Irish Times interviews Peter Silberman.

The Fader has posted their recent cover story on Bon Iver online while NME reports that a charity album entitled A Decade With Duke, pairing Justin Vernon with his Eau Claire, Wisconsin high school’s jazz band in performing Duke Ellington songs, Bon Iver songs and a few standards. NPR has a feature piece on the collaboration.

Though they just announced details of their next studio album, entitled Beat The Devil’s Tattoo and out on March 9, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club don’t want folks to forget they also just released a live album – they’ve released a video of four live performances and are offering up one of the tracks to download. Their two worlds collide when they play songs from the new studio album in a live setting on April 1 at the Phoenix.

MP3: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll (Punk Song)” (live)
Video: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Live

Paste kicks off their new “Moog Sessions” – featuring videos of performances recorded at the Moog factory in Asheville, North Carolina – with Yo La Tengo.

The Skeleton Crew Quarterly interviews Venice Is Sinking.

For Folk’s Sake interviews Jenn Wasser of Wye Oak.

Drive-By Truckers will release their new studio album The Big To-Do on March 16 – details at Muzzle Of Bees.

This week, PitchforkTV is streaming the 2004 Superchunk documentary, Quest For Sleep.

Video: Superchunk: Quest For Sleep

The Thermals’ Hutch Harris talks lyrics with Paste. Their next album is out September 7, 2010.

The Line Of Best Fit interviews Beach House about their new album Teen Dream, out January 26.

The Independent has an extensive interview with Wilco.

Austinst has information on The Golden Dossier component of Shearwater’s new album The Golden Archipelago, which they are hoping to finance via Kickstarter. The album is out February 23.

Christmas has come early for fans of over-the-top British arena rock and those with nostalgic memories of the ’90s-era Canadian indie rock. Different gifts, though they could well be the same fans. To the former, word that Muse have added a March 8 date at the Air Canada Centre to their Spring 2010 North American tour in support of this year’s The Resistance. Support on the tour will come from Silversun Pickups.

Video: Muse – “Uprising”

And to the latter, the long-rumoured Thrush Hermit reunion appears to be a go. Official confirmation and full dates are still forthcoming, but an eastern leg of the tour appeared on last week and puts the reunited Haligonians at Lee’s Palace in Toronto for two nights, March 26 and 27. Once and future Thrush Hermit frontman Joel Plaskett also just released a new video from Three. Update: Plaskett has confirmed the reunion in an interview with Exclaim.

Video: Joel Plaskett – “You Let Me Down”

Frank YangWhen I got all effusive about seeing Austin’s Ume way back at SxSW in March, it wasn’t just because they their showcase blew me away – it did – but because I also figured that it would be my last chance to see and write about the trio until SxSW next year, so there was no point in being measured. After all, they were a small band with no label, no tour support and hailing from a long ways away from Toronto meant the odds of catching them up live again were remote. Sound logic, and also completely wrong. They found their way up here in June to play NXNE, turning in a fiery performance at Neutral that proved to everyone I’d harassed to attend that I wasn’t full of it and they were, indeed, the awesome.

And it must be true that good things come in threes because they were back – again – this past Tuesday night for a free show at the Horseshoe. This time, it was a combination of a modest Canadian tour appended onto a jaunt to CMJ in New York and the proper (read: physical) Canadian release of their Sunshower EP, which had heretofore only been available digitally. But the whys were unimportant – all that mattered was that Ume were back in town; rock would ensue.

For a review of the actual performance itself, I can really just refer you back to the other two I did, or offer the Coles/Cliffs notes: songs that balance sweet pop hooks with snarling heaviness, equal debts to punk, stoner, shoegaze and alt rock, insane guitar abuse/heroics and awesome hair-whipping from frontwoman Lauren Larsen and an audience awestruck and won over. It’s hard to say for sure, but I think there were at least a couple of new songs in the mix compared to the Neutral gig and considering that the unfamiliar stuff still sounded great; as much as I like the fact that they’re touring relentlessly hither and yon, I hope that once they’ve returned home and taken a breather, that they’re hitting the studio to work on a new album. Sunshower has done a fine job of sustaining me, but its only five songs – I need more.

There’s an excerpt of Ume’s cover feature in Austin’s Soundcheck magazine available online and the full magazine (and article) are downloadable in PDF form.

Photos: Ume @ The Horseshoe – November 3, 2009
MP3: Ume – “The Conductor”
MP3: Ume – “Pendulum”
MP3: Ume – “Wake”
Video: Ume – “The Conductor”
MySpace: Ume

Girlysound.com is offering downloads of the famous early Liz Phair demos of the same name. Oh Liz, where did it all go wrong (that’s rhetorical – everyone knows exactly where it all went wrong).

MP3: Liz Phair – “Fuck And Run”
MP3: Liz Phair – “Polyester Bride”

The Guest Apartment has a video session with Headlights.

Crawdaddy profiles White Rabbits.

State interviews Yo La Tengo.

Beatroute talks to Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. Barlow will play the Phoenix on January 21 both solo and with Dino Jr.

Neko Case talks to The Seacoast.

Soundproof and Clash have features on The Dodos.

HeroHill solicits five funky stories from Oh No Forest Fires, who’ve got a show at the Horseshoe on December 12.

Jenn Grant, who plays the Glenn Gould Theatre on November 26, has released a new video from Echoes.

Video: Jenn Grant – “You’ll Go Far”

The Aquarian interviews Peter Moren of Peter Bjorn & John, who have a date at the Phoenix on November 11.

Swedish electro-soul outfit Miike Snow, who is a “they” and not a “he”, are at the Phoenix on April 3.

Video: Miike Snow – “Black & Blue”

The Music Slut asks eight questions of Mew. They have a date at the Mod Club on December 6.

The Raveonettes are giving away a free b-side from In And Out Of Control. The San Francisco Examiner and North Country Times also have interviews.

MP3: The Raveonettes – “The Chosen One”

Sigur Ros are streaming their Heima concert film at PitchforkTV for a week.

Video: Heima

Pitchfork reports that Mogwai’s live documentary film Burning will premiere at a Danish film festival next week and that an accompanying soundtrack album entitled Special Moves will follow.

New Jarvis Cocker video! Watch Jarv bring the title track and cover art of Further Complications to life.

Video: Jarvis Cocker – “Further Complications”

Radio Free Canuckistan has an interview with Jon Cook, the author of the Merge Records book Our Noise, which I look forward to picking up now that I’ve finally finished A Confederacy Of Dunces. A wonderful book which should not have taken me anywhere near the 6 months or so it took me to get through it; I just stopped reading anything, really, through the Summer. And now I have much to catch up on.

Frank YangSure, it was billed as the Nylon Summer Music Tour, implying a traveling roadshow with all performers on some sort of equal footing, but everyone knew that this was the Patrick Wolf tour and the other three acts were just the openers. Or at least that’s what I’d thought going into Wednesday night’s stop at the Mod Club in Toronto – and even if the audience was on board with that train of thought, it was obvious from the get-go that the bands didn’t necessarily agree and were set to make the most of their time on stage to win over the Wolf disciples.

Lead-off hitters Jaguar Love seemed to me the most curious additions to the bill, at least considering their pedigree. Formed from former members of The Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, I thought they might be too loud or aggro for the crowd, not that I really had a notion of what the very much all-ages crowd were expecting. But my preconceived notions went right out the window when the duo, backed by beats off a laptop, tore into their set of super-energized, adrenaline-infused party rock. Singer Johnny Whitney and guitarist Cody Votolato were in constant motion, the former belting it out with his remarkable classic rock wail while the latter never stopped riffing the hell out of his Rickenbacker, whipping the crowd into a frenzy that you never see at a show at 8PM. Not once but twice did the duo leap into the audience, never missing a beat, and quite literally got this party started right. Absurdly fun, it was evident that anyone hoping to be able to stand back and have a nice, passive night out was at completely the wrong show.

Any momentum built up from the opening set, however, ground to a halt before France’s Plastiscines took the stage. Though you think that the tour would have had the routine for switching between sets down to an art by this point, it seemed that each band member was having some sort of mic or equipment problem that turned into a 30-plus minute wait to get sorted out. By the time they were ready to go, the natives were a bit restless and the quartet probably had more than their share of work cut out for the to win the house over. The Plastiscine recipe is pretty straightforward – four attractive French girls playing what would be considered garage rock if it weren’t so immaculate-sounding. Think The Donnas with less rock attitude and slightly more poppy gleefulness. Perhaps the snarliness will develop as they become more seasoned – though not awkward, per se, they were still a bit reticent in performance. Perhaps counting on our alleged bilingualism, they addressed the crowd in French and whether they were actually understood or not, it got a positive response, as did their charming if predictable cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made For Walking”. Despite the rough start, they were able to shake off the delay and turn in a good set that steadily improved and finished on a high note.

If the Plastiscines were lacking in genuine rock grit, the quota was more than made up for by St Louis’ Living Things. With a singer that looked like some genetic crossing of Ian Astbury, Iggy Pop and Richard Ashcroft, they served up good, old-fashioned rock laden with attitude and a healthy dose of photo-friendly posing. Musically it wasn’t the most distinctive stuff you’d hear, but the delivery was just right and the performance engaging – literally. The band pulled audience members onstage to dance and gyrate with them and also leapt into the crowd, not the first act of the night to do so nor would they be the last, but they definitely ratcheted the already-high energy level up another notch, and set the table nicely for the headliner.

Oh, Patrick Wolf. Seen him twice before, and even when you think you know what to expect, you never know what to expect. Given the darker tone of his latest excellent album The Bachelor, a heavier approach was likely – and this was borne out when he stepped out in an giant black… I don’t even know what the hell he was wearing, but rather than pick up his viola or ukulele, he strapped on a decidedly rock-correct Flying V electric guitar before tearing into “Oblivion”. He didn’t do much with it besides play one-finger barred power chords – no shredding solos, thanks – but symbolically, it set the tone for the show.

As dramatic as his recordings are, they pale compared to Wolf the live performer. Every move, every sound, is rich with theatricality and imbued with his intense and mercurial personality – it might come across as ridiculous if he wasn’t so utterly committed to it, and his fans are no less devoted to him. They hung on every syllable, every note and shrieked with every piece of clothing shed. Personal highlights were an intense “Count Of Casualty” (disrupted a bit by some idiot screaming, “Afghanistan!” behind be through the extended outro) and the string-laden “Damaris” – I realize that the the sound was far too lush for just the violin and viola being played live, implying some pre-recorded enhancement, but who cares – it sounded amazing. As the show progressed, he got progressively more undressed until around 50 minutes into the show, when down to just suspenders and his lederhosen, he started into “Tristan” from Wind In The Wires and just a minute or so in, abruptly declared the stage monitors to be the worst he’s had all tour and stormed off stage. After a few awkward bars, his band stopped and followed him off.

It was unclear whether this was it, a most disappointing end to what had been a terrific night, or if he might return to at least give one last song and say goodbye. Hopes were raised when the crew came out and began re-soundchecking the stage setup and after about 10 minutes, the tour manager apologized and said that Wolf would be back in a moment. And it seemed that Wolf had taken the unscheduled intermission to raid the costume closet, because when he did return to the roar of the house, it was clad in an undone shirt and a leather thong. Appropriately, the band kicked off the unusual encore with “Hard Times”, Wolf taking full advantage of the Flying V’s phallic imagery, and then he went to the keyboard for the crowd-pleasing “Magic Position”. Considering that that had been the show-closer for the rest of the tour, most were probably expecting that it was the finale, the show salvaged with a proper finish, but Wolf wasn’t done – not by a long shot. He then tore into a gloriously aggressive “Accident & Emergency”, then shed the shirt – just the thong now – and put on a bizarre knit headdress and collar for a stirring, “Who Will”. Any one of these could have been a fitting finale, but Wolf was apparently dead set on making up for his earlier outburst – say what you will about his diva-ish tendencies, but the man will not let his fans down and for that he deserves respect.

After a lengthy monologue to the crowd about how much Toronto means to him – not just lip service, the city and its residents were a great influence around the era of The Magic Position – and also announcing he was going to get married soon and Patrick “Wolf” would be no more as he would take his husband’s surname, he nearly stripped off the thong while mocking his body and demanded that the pictures go on the internet (happy to oblige). And then donning a giant feathered vest, he tore into a ferocious reading of “Vulture” which saw him leap off the stage and onto the bar running down the length of the room, singing all the while, and then into the audience basically inciting a riot. Though breathless at the end of it, he had enough left for one more mosh – the even more chaotic “Battle” – before climbing back on stage to serenade a bit of “My Heart Will Go On” as a farewell.

And then that was the end of the show. After looking like he was going to cut the show short, Wolf extended it to a near-marathon. Bizarre and unforgettable, it was easily one of the most manically wonderful and bewildering performances I’d ever seen. Overheard as we staggered out of the club was, “what the hell was THAT?” That, anonymous concert compatriot, was Patrick Wolf.

Wolf gave Black Book a listing of his favourite spots in London. NYLON blogged the Toronto show and Chart was there, but left when Wolf did (the first time around). Panic Manual wisely stuck around.

Wolf promised to return later this year, and it’s a shame that he probably won’t choose to play the Mod Club again, given his disdain for their sound system because Wolf’s stage show plus the gorgeous lighting at the club makes for some great photos. Slightly NSFW depending on your work’s tolerance for sweaty, pasty white British asses.

Photos: Patrick Wolf, Living Things, Plastiscines, Jaguar Love @ The Mod Club – June 17, 2009
MP3: Patrick Wolf – “Who Will?” (Buffet Libre mix)
MP3: Patrick Wolf – “A Boy Like Me”
MP3: Living Things – “Oxygen”
MP3: Jaguar Love – “Bats Over The Pacific Ocean”
MP3: Jaguar Love – “Highways Of Gold”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Hard Times”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Vulture”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Accident And Emergency”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “The Magic Position”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Bluebells”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “The Libertine”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “Wind In The Wires”
Video: Patrick Wolf – “To The Lighthouse”
Video: Living Things – “I Owe”
Video: Living Things – “Let It Rain”
Video: Living Things – “Bombs Below”
Video: Living Things – “Bom Bom Bom”
Video: Plastiscines – “Barcelona”
Video: Plastiscines – “Loser”
Video: Jaguar Love – “Highways Of Gold”
MySpace: Patrick Wolf
MySpace: Living Things
MySpace: Plastiscines
MySpace: Jaguar Love

The Daily Growl solicits a seven songs list from Fanfarlo.

6 Day Riot have completed the first video from their forthcoming album 6 Day Riot Have A Plan, due out July 6.

Video: 6 Day Riot – “Run For Your Life”

Decider talks to Adam Franklin, who is playing the El Mocambo on July 6.

The Quietus has an interview with Elly Jackson of La Roux. Her self-titled album is out June 29 and she has a gig at the El Mocambo on July 31.

Spinner’s Interface welcomes Sigur Ros to their studios.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco chats with The Las Vegas Sun. Wilco (The Album) is out on June 30.

The Star-Tribune talks to Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. They’re at the Kool Haus on August 3.

Jenny JimenezAs I’ve been complaining to anyone who’ll listen, the fact that it was the first of June yesterday – less than three weeks to Summer – and only ten degrees centigrade on my bike ride to work (that’s 50 Fahrenheit for you residing in non-metric backwaters) was simply unacceptable.

But maybe it’s the result of some sort of climatological karmic balancing act to make up for one of the Summeriest records of the year so far, the almost self-titled debut (the record title has an “!” tacked on) from Seattle’s Telekinesis, being released in the dead of Winter back in February. The brain-child of Michael Lerner, Telekinesis is a delicious glob of chewy power-pop goodness that has moments as infectious as anything you’ve heard this year – hear the chorus to “Tokyo” just once and you’ll be ready to sing right along by the time it comes around again. The record strays from the recipe enough to offer sufficient variety over its barely-half an hour running time to establish that they’ve got range beyond just peppy hooks – there’s some quieter, melancholic moments and slightly more ragged rockers – but all share the most important ingredients, namely Lerner’s unaffected vocals, the unfussy and effective arrangements, and an unerring sense of melody. There’s not much new here, but complaining about that is like complaining your cold drink on a sunny afternoon is like your last cold drink on a sunny afternoon. Shut up and enjoy.

Telekinesis, who gear up as a full band for live performances, are currently on the road and will be in town next Wednesday, June 10, for a show at the Horseshoe. God willing, it’ll have warmed up some and feel a bit more like Spring, never mind Summer, by then. Decider interviews Lerner and Rolling Stone has a profile of the band, and another one on Aussies An Horse, who are also on the bill with locals Oh No Forest Fires. This will be an excellent show.

MP3: Telekinesis – “Coast Of Carolina”
MP3: Telekinesis – “I Saw Lightning”
Video: Telekinesis – “Tokyo”
Video: Telekinesis – “Awkward Kisser”

Daytrotter has The Submarines in for a session.

Clash and MusicOhm have interviews and Spinner’s Interface a session with Grizzly Bear. And Drowned In Sound has basically gone Grizzly-crazy the last week and a bit. The Grizz are at the Phoenix on June 5.

Stereogum gets a status report on Heartland from Final Fantasy – look for it before the year is out, but no further specifics were forthcoming.

Pitchfork reports that Sigur Ros are working on a new album with an eye towards an early 2010 release.

Son Volt have a new album in the can called American Central Dust and will be releasing it on July 7.

MP3: Son Volt – “Down To The Wire”

Exclaim has the official announcement of Ohbijou as the newest signing to Last Gang Records. Which makes perfect sense, as I’d always thought they would be the perfect labelmates to Crystal Castles. Beacons is out now in the UK and here digitally and will get a physical release June 16 – there’s a release party at the Opera House on June 25.

VIMBY has a backyard performance and video interview with Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker. Paste also has a video performance, but they stay indoors.

Two Hours Traffic tell CBC Radio 3 that they’ve completed work on their sophomore effort and will be releasing Territory on or around September 8. More endless touring to follow.

Sprung from the ashes of Mclusky, Wales’ Future Of The Left are staging a North American tour this Summer in support of their new album Travels With Myself And Another, out June 23, and will be at the El Mocambo on July 15, tickets $10. The Washington Post and Clash have interviews with the band’s Andy Falkous.

MP3: Future Of The Left – “Arming Eritrea”
Video: Future Of The Left – “The Hope That House Built”

Minnesota’s Now Now Every Children have a date at the El Mocambo on August 2 with Bad Veins. Their new album Cars has been on fairly heavy rotation all this past weekend – there’ll be a proper review sometime in the future – but for now I’ll just say I’m very much looking forward to this show.

MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Everyone You Know”
MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Sleep Through Summer”
MP3: Now, Now Every Children – “Cars”
MP3: Bad Veins – “Gold And Warm”

The Weakerthans are returning this Fall for a gig decidedly more intimate than their April Phoenix gigs – look for them at the Mod Club on September 23. Via NXEW.

And if you think late September is way too far into the future to start blocking off time, you may not want to know about the Destroyer date just announced for the Horseshoe on October 3, or the fact that tickets will be $13.50. There’s no new album news to report but there will be a new vinyl/digital EP released on August 18 with the epic-length “ambient disco” track “Bay of Pigs” as the a-side. In the meantime, here’s some stuff from his last excellent full-length, Trouble In Dreams.

MP3: Destroyer – “Dark Leaves Form A Thread”
MP3: Destroyer – “Foam Hands”