Sara KieslingIt might not have seemed like four years, what with Alan Sparhawk’s Retribution Gospel Choir putting out not one but 2 records in the interim, but it really has been that long since Low released their last album. The wait for a new record finally comes to an end on April 12, though, when their uncharacteristically breezily-titled ninth album C’Mon is released.

Whereas once you sort of knew exactly what to expect from a Low record – beautifully slow, slowly beautiful – they threw expectations out the window in 2005 with the unqualified rock squalls of The Great Destroyer and then followed that with the exceedingly dark and skeletal Drums & Guns. So what will C’Mon bring? Hard to say, but Dave Fridmann, who lent his unmistakeable sonic signature to those last two records is out as producer and Matt Beckley, whose resume skews decidedly top 40 has a co-producer on the record, so there’s that. The first MP3 from the record certainly sounds gentler and more organic than the last couple records, reminiscent of the warm tones of Trust, but obviously this is just one song of ten – the other nine could well be auto-tuned dance floor jams.

In conjunction with the new record, Low have slated a Spring tour that brings them to Toronto for a May 2 show at the Mod Club – their first visit since opening for Wilco at Massey Hall in June 2007 and their first headlining show since January 2006. Stereogum has an interview with Mimi Parker about the new record and how she spent the downtime, and props go to Bradley’s Almanac, who took the photo that’s being used as the cover art.

MP3: Low – “Try To Sleep”

Young Prisms, who are opening up for The Radio Dept.’s sold-out show at Lee’s Palace on the evening of February 7 will warm up with an in-store at Sonic Boom at 4PM that afternoon. And if these two appearances are insufficient or inconvenient, they’re back on April 21 at Parts & Labour supporting The Fresh & Onlys.

MP3: Young Prisms – “Sugar”

Phosphorescent, who had to cancel their show at The Horseshoe last July on account of all their gear being stolen (it was later miraculously recovered) will finally make it to town on April 10 for a show at Lee’s Palace. Their latest is last year’s Here’s To Taking It Easy.

MP3: Phosphorescent – “It’s Hard To Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)”
MP3: Phosphorescent – “The Mermaid Parade”

Parisian pop from Jamaica may sound like a geographic impossibility but it’s a real thing. Jamaica (the band) will release their debut No Problem in North America on April 12 and follow it with a North American tour that includes a stop at Toronto’s Drake Underground on April 19.

Video: Jamaica – “I Think I Like U 2″
Video: Jamaica – “Short And Entertaining”

And whilst on the topic of French pop, Yelle is giving away an MP3 of the title track from her new record Safari Disco Club, which will be released March 29. Her massive North American tour brings her to The Opera House on May 4.

MP3: Yelle – “Safari Disco Club”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune talks to Ira Kaplan and James McNew of Yo La Tengo about the wheel of fortune controlling the destiny (and set lists) of the shows on their current tour – The AV Club examines the possibilities the wheel offers. Beatroute has a regular old interview with Kaplan.

NYC Taper is sharing a recording of The Hold Steady’s show in Brooklyn last week.

Pitchfork has a Q&A with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart as well as a stream of the title track of their new record Belong, due out March 29, while Spinner solicits frontman Kip Berman’s Super Bowl predictions.

Spin talks to The Submarines about their new record Love Notes/Letter Bombs, out April 5. They play The Horseshoe on April 22.

Crawdaddy talks songwriting with Sam Beam of Iron & Wine.

And finally, I – along with what seems like every other website in the country – has made the long list of CBC Radio 3′s survey of “Best Canadian Music Website, which is nice because it’s been a while since I’ve lost any awards. If you’re feeling like exercising your franchise and helping me lose by a smaller margin than usual, please head over there and vote because if you don’t, then the terrorists have won.

VimeoIf your answer when people ask you what you’re doing tonight for New Year’s Eve is presently, “sitting at home in the dark playing Boggle with the cat”, take heart – The Flaming Lips are offering you a better excuse. Their hometown throwdown in Oklahoma City will be streamed live for the broadband-enabled world to enjoy via Rolling Stone starting at 10 PM EST tonight.

There’s no doubt a band whose typical shows are exercises in ridiculous excess will raise their game for a New Year’s Eve party, and in the trailer/commercial for the event, Coyne promises “the world’s biggest balloon drop” and “the world’s biggest mirror ball” and after midnight, a complete performance of their masterpiece album The Soft Bulletin. He also tells The Hollywood Reporter that it will be “out of control”. That it will also be “off the hook” is implied.

Note that OKC is in the Central time zone, so that’d be 9PM local time and so the Soft Bulletin recital won’t start till after 1AM. Which is to say that will be a marathon and half of Flaming Lips goodness. And if you actually have plans tonight that don’t involve sitting in front of a computer (not that there’s anything wrong with that), the show will be re-broadcast on Sunday night at 9PM EST.

Trailer: The Flaming Lips 2011 New Year’s Eve Freakout

NYC Taper is sharing a recording of Jeff Tweedy’s solo set opening up for one of Yo La Tengo’s Hannukah shows at the start of the month and also Yo La Tengo’s headlining set from later in the week. Fun fact: Wilco and The Flaming Lips teamed up for a New Year’s Eve show at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2004.

Spinner talks to Mac McCaughan about the fantastic 2010s for both Superchunk and Merge.

Nowness interviews Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg and her sister, actress and the band’s former drummer, Shannyn Sossamon.

Fucked Up have blogged about how they go about creating artwork for their album covers. Interesting reading.

The March release of Bruce Peninsula’s completed second album has been pushed back indefinitely as bandleader Neil Haverty is treated for leukemia. Details on his condition, which is very treatable, are available over at NOW. Best wishes to Haverty for a speedy recovery.

Spinner talks sexuality with Diamond Rings. He is at the Sound Academy on January 26.

And that’s 2010 in the books. Have a safe one, everybody. See you in ’11.

Frank YangIf there’s an upside to getting a full night’s sleep after turning in at 5AM, it’s that it eliminates a lot of the decision-making around what to do with one’s day. Hauling my ass out of bed at almost 1PM meant that all I had to do for the last day of Matador at 21 was shower, cram myself with enough food to get me through till the wee hours of the morning and stand in line waiting for the doors to the Pearl to open. Easy peasy.

The weekend’s grand finale was led of by Shearwater, who this show and ACL aside, were taking a short break before a final, extensive November tour in support of this year’s The Golden Archipelago. And if this performance was any indication, the US cities on that itinerary had best be prepared for a Shearwater that’s making a strong argument for themselves as a rock band. I’d seen Shearwater a number of times through a number of lineups, including their last visit to Toronto in April, but this was the most punchy and aggressive I can recall hearing them and that they were able to convey that kind of energy and dynamicism without compromising the majesty and mystery that makes up so much of their appeal was really remarkable.

Photos: Shearwater @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: Shearwater – “Black Eyes”
MP3: Shearwater – “Castaways”
MP3: Shearwater – “Rooks”
MP3: Shearwater – “The Snow Leopard”
MP3: Shearwater – “Red Sea, Black Sea”
MP3: Shearwater – “Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five”
MP3: Shearwater – “I Can’t Wait”
MP3: Shearwater – “Room For Mistakes”
MP3: Shearwater – “An Accident”

Though only a recent signee to Matador with this year’s Brutalist Bricks, Ted Leo seemed to have been anointed man-about-fest and label ambassador for the weekend – he was ubiquitous at events and after parties, guesting in MC sketches, karakoeing and generally seemed to be having a great time, as someone who’s finally found a stable home after being on way too many failing labels reasonably would. That positive energy gave his set a distinctly different vibe than the last time I saw him in June during a totally different kind of insane weekend. Highlights included bringing Sally Crewe out to add vocals and tambourine to “Bottled In Cork”, a rampaging “Ballad Of The Sin Eater”, the best one-liner of the weekend (“this is champagne, not my own urine”) and being joined by Carl Newman for a closing cover of “I Love My Label”, though delivered sincerely rather than ironically as songwriter Nick Lowe had intended. This weekend, we all loved his label.

Photos: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Bottled In Cork”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “The Mighty Sparrow”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Even Heroes Have To Die”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Bomb Repeat Bomb (1954)”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “The Sons Of Cain”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Me & Mia”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Squeaky Fingers”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Under The Hedge”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Come Baby Come”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “Under The Hedge” (Treble In Trouble)

I had spent much of the weekend playing The New Pornographer bingo and had managed to spot half the lineup in the wild before they took the stage. I was excited not just because they were one of only two Canadian acts in the lineup – gotta have some national pride – but because I hadn’t yet seen them on tour for Together. Whereas some of their label peers were using the occasion to do something a little different, be it a guest appearance, deep cut or cover, the Pornographers instead went for maximum content, cramming a dozen of their biggest, hookiest songs into their allotted time. Things were hampered a bit by a questionable mix that was far too light on the vocals for a band with so many great vocalists, but the sheer concentration of tunes and the presence of a happy and chatty Neko Case and a Dan Bejar who didn’t look like he wanted to bolt for the nearest exit as soon as his song was done made for a great set that finished with the unbeatable one-two punch of “Letter From An Occupant” and “Bleeding Heart Show”.

Photos: The New Pornographers @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: The New Pornographers – “Your Hands (Together)”
MP3: The New Pornographers – “My Rights Versus Yours”
MP3: The New Pornographers – “Myriad Harbour”
MP3: The New Pornographers – “Twin Cinema”
MP3: The New Pornographers – “The Laws Have Changed”

Of all the acts playing this weekend, the most intriguing was Liz Phair, who was originally listed as a performer when Matador 21 was announced, then mysteriously removed, then added again weeks later. The prodigal daughter, whose disastrous major label reinvention is used as a cautionary tale for others considering same, had been out of the public eye for some years but was apparently staging a comeback with the recent release of the perplexing and deliberately awful Funstyle and upcoming unearthing of the legendary Girlysound recordings on October 19 (as a bonus disc to the physical release of Funstyle, natch). Who would show up? The mainstream pop punch line or the revered indie queen? Would she be welcomed with arms open or crossed? The answer to both was clear when she strode out on stage, looking as great as ever, to huge applause. And in return, she opened with “Supernova” and the great Liz Phair resurrection was underway. Playing with just a second guitarist, the rest of her set was made up of highlights from Exlie In Guyville and Whip Smart that culminated in a terrific duet with Ted Leo on “Fuck & Run”. In the course of a 20-minute set, Liz Phair was able to largely erase the last 10 years from our memories and remind us why we cared so much about her in the first place. Where she takes things from here is anyone’s guess but either way – welcome back, Liz.

Photos: Liz Phair @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: Liz Phair – “Fuck & Run”
MP3: Liz Phair – “Polyester Bride”

It must have been some bad luck the first couple of times I saw Yo La Tengo live because those shows, way back in the early part of this century, gave me the impression that the trio were first mates on the USS No Fun, so sullen and inward did they seem at those performances. But the music keeps bringing me back and every show since then – particularly in recent years – has been better and better as they’ve found a good balance between the extended jams and the pop gems, the deep cuts and the fan favourites. And while they still seem prone to bouts of moodiness, when they’re feeling good their shows are great and at Matador 21, they were feeling good. The trio – as synonymous a band with Matador as ever there was one – started off with the slow-burning “Our Way To Fall” but all the many sides of Yo La Tengo were represented, including the organ-driven “Autumn Sweater”, the goofy synchronized dance-move enhanced “You Can Have It All”, the eternally wonderful “Sugarcube” and epic drone-to-freakout finale “Blue Line Swinger”. I’d commented earlier in the day that the shortened set time might force them to stay focused and hopefully “Nuclear War”, which had been a 20-minute nadir of the worst Yo La Tengo show I’d ever seen, would be omitted but they made be eat my words as the Sun Ra cover was indeed in the set but flipped around lyrically to shout out to every member of the Matador staff. Hilarious and perfect.

Photos: Yo La Tengo @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Here To Fall”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Periodically Double Or Triple”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Beanbag Chair”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “The Summer” (live on KEXP)
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “I Feel Like Going Home” (live on KCMP)
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Little Eyes”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Don’t Have To Be So Sad”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “From A Motel 6″

And finally, at long last, after three days or six years – whichever you like – it was time for Guided By Voices. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen them – I caught one of their final tours, and the last to come to Canada, back in the Summer of 2002 at the Horseshoe – but certainly the first time with this “classic” lineup associated with their very best mid-’90s records. To be honest, I was less excited about the who that was going to be performing, though the presence of Tobin Sprout was a definite plus, than the what – a set made up of exclusively pre-1996 material was going to be pretty sweet. My anticipation was nothing compared to many of those in around me, though, waiting for that iconic “The Club Is Open” neon sign to light up. It seems that there had been convoys of Bud Light-wielding proto-bros from Ohio to Nevada and they spent the entire weekend to this point out in the parking lot having a giant tailgate party. That things were going to get rowdy was a foregone conclusion, as was the fact that my spot right up against the stage – claimed and held onto for the past seven hours or so – would get pretty painful as a result. But these are the prices you pay in the name of rock.

And it was indeed rock. Guided By Voices have never been a young band and were clearly even less so now – Robert Pollard in particular looking older than his 57 53 years – but they clearly weren’t going to let a little thing like age slow them down, at least not while they were on stage. Pollard had all his signature moves ready to go – the mic twirl, the skipping, the scissor kick – and he wasn’t even the most enthusiastic of the band. That honour went to guitarist Mitch Mitchell, who was so gleeful to be back out there with his windmills and rock poses, it was as though he’d been waiting by his phone for the reunion call for the past 14 years; bassist Greg Demos’ enthusiasm levels weren’t far off. Sprout, on the other hand, was more reserved with an amused professorial air about him but I suspect that was the case 15 years ago as well. I couldn’t see drummer Kevin Fennell behind his kit, but I will assume he was having a good time.

It wasn’t the old days – the mandatory cooler of beer wasn’t tapped in to nearly as much as it might have been a decade ago and with this being just their third show, the 90-minute set was a far cry from the 3-hour marathons they were once known for – but they certainly couldn’t be accused of not trying their damnedest. 30 songs ranging that dipped into more obscure EPs, but mostly they gave everyone what they wanted to hear – gem upon gem from Propeller, Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. I would have liked to hear more from Under The Bushes, Under The Stars but couldn’t tell you at the cost of what selections. A show without “My Valuable Hunting Knife”, “Echoes Myron”, “Game Of Pricks” or “Gold Star For Robot Boy” would have been unthinkable. The actual execution of said songs wasn’t perfect; more than once Pollard and his bandmates had to catch their breath and they weren’t overly tight, but even in their heyday slop was part of the mystique and so that it now came from rust rather than beer didn’t matter so much. What did matter was that this was Guided By Voices, one more time, and that they were the perfect cap to an outstanding weekend and something I thought I’d never experience – a good time in Vegas. See everyone at Matador @ 22? Olé.

Photos: Guided By Voices @ Pearl at The Palms – October 3, 2010
MP3: Guided By Voices – “Everyone Thinks I’m A Raincloud”
MP3: Guided By Voices – “Window Of My World”
MP3: Guided By Voices – “I’ll Replace You With Machines”

Las Vegas Weekly, Billboard and North County Times have interviews with Liz Phair, who herself contributed a piece to The Wall Street Journal about the phenomenon of ’90s nostalgia.

Paste checks in with Mitchell and Fennell about the road to the Guided By Voices reunion, and one of the reunion shows is available to download in whole for free at GBV Digital.

The Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Weekly, The AV Club, Wall Street Journal and Rolling Stone have writeups of the final night’s festivities while Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly and Spin opt for complete weekend feature pieces. Also check out the oral history of Matador at MySpace, a complete set of festival feature articles and interviews at Las Vegas Weekly and a list of acts who could have/should have played but didn’t and why not at Spinner.

And tomorrow, back to reality.

Michael LavineI think I spent my 21st birthday at the venerable Phil’s Grandson’s bar in Waterloo, Ontario, and while I feel obliged to point out to American readers that our age of majority (as far as drinking goes) is 19 so the 21st isn’t actually all that meaningful, I still spent it getting well and truly smashed. I won’t lie, It wasn’t classy.

Matador Records is looking to spend their coming of age in slightly glitzier environs. They offered some teasers earlier this year but yesterday made things official with an announcement that pretty much met any and all lofty expectations about what kind of party they might throw. Led by a reunited Guided By Voices – the most classic 1993 to 1996 Bee Thousand/Alien Lanes/Under The Bushes Under The Stars lineup no less – the three-day bender will take place in the Palms hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from October 1 to 3 and feature a who’s who of Matador artists, past and present. In addition to GBV (GBV!), you’ve got label stalwarts Pavement (who if they hadn’t already reunited might have had to for this party), Belle & Sebastian, Cat Power, The New Pornographers, Yo La Tengo and Liz Phair (whose contract probably has a strict “first three albums only” clause) as well as acts like Sonic Youth, Spoon and Superchunk who might be better associated with other labels but who have OLE catalog numbers in their discographies. In short, for anyone who came of musical age with the golden age of college rock in the 1990s, it’s a dream lineup and then some. AND there’s gambling.

Full details about pricing and additional acts are coming next week, but if you aren’t at least taking a look at how much flights and hotels in Vegas for that weekend will run you, you must have stumbled across this site by accident. That said, my attendance is far from certain but damn if I’m not thinking hard about it.

MP3: Guided By Voices – “I’ll Replace You With Machines”
MP3: Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
MP3: Belle & Sebastian – “Another Sunny Day”
MP3: Sonic Youth – “Sacred Trickster”
MP3: Spoon – “Mountain To Sound”
MP3: Yo La Tengo – “Here To Fall”
MP3: Cat Power – “The Greatest”
MP3: The New Pornographers – “My Rights Versus Yours”
MP3: Liz Phair – “Fuck And Run”

In talking to Aux.tv, Bob Nastanovich of Pavement throws cold water on the prospect of new material coming out of the current reunion.

The National stopped in for a performance at CBC’s Q when in town earlier this month.

Video: The National – “Terrible Love” (live on Q)

aux.tv and The Guardian interview Warpaint, who’ve got two local dates coming up – a headlining appearance on August 11 at Wrongbar and as support for The xx at Massey Hall on September 29.

Insound has posted a video session with The Hold Steady and are offering one track as a download in exchange for signing up for their newsletter. And in related news, the Hold Steady’s Toronto show on July 16 just got twice as intimate, having been moved from The Kool Haus to The Phoenix. All tickets still honoured.

David Bazan (formerly of Pedro The Lion) will be joined by The Mynabirds, aka Laura Burhenn (formerly of Georgie James) at Lee’s Palace on September 18. Tickets $12.50 in advance.

MP3: David Bazan – “Bless This Mess”
MP3: The Mynabirds – “Let The Record Go”
MP3: The Mynabirds – “Numbers Don’t Lie”

Lee’s Palace will host two of Kill Rock Stars’ finest on October 3 when Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu perform as part of a Fall tour.

MP3: Deerhoof – “+81″
MP3: Xiu Xiu – “Gray Death”

Australia’s Temper Trap will be in town at the Phoenix on October 5 – tickets $21.50 in advance.

MP3: The Temper Trap – “Down River”

There’s new music from Sharon Van Etten, via the soundtrack to the film The Builder. The DVD for the film will be released on July 27.

MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “I Couldn’t Save You”
Trailer: The Builder

Offering more proof to the theory that they’re incapable of doing anything that’s not adorable, Mates Of State have released a new video from their covers album Crushes. Actually it’s the second video from the record, the first was for this Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds tune, which isn’t so much adorable but isn’t trying to be. Anyways.

Video: Mates Of State – “True Love Will Find You In The End”
Video: Mates Of State – “Love Letter”

Each Note Secure talks to Free Energy, who’ve recorded an Interface session at Spinner.

Yours Truly has posted up a new video performance from The Morning Benders, in town to open for The Black Keys at The Kool Haus on August 3 and 4.

Pitchfork has got the first sample of The Thermals’ new record Personal Life, due out September 7.

MP3: The Thermals – “I Don’t Believe You”

Vampire Weekend talks to BBC. They’re at the Molson Amphitheatre on September 7.

Best Coast have released an MP3 from their much-buzzed forthcoming debut Crazy For You, coming July 27. They’re at Lee’s Palace on September 25.

MP3: Best Coast – “Boyfriend”

Miami New Times talk to Tampa’s Sleepy Vikings.

NOW welcomes We Were Promised Jetpacks to the Horseshoe on Saturday night. Daytrotter has also posted up a session.

So this past Saturday night’s Thao/Mirah show at the Horseshoe was cancelled on account of burning police cars. The guys from These United States, who were slated to support, have some video of their trip to Toronto. Y’all come back now, y’hear?

Rate Your MusicNo big setup for this one this week; there shouldn’t be any needed. One of the finest, most consistent acts in indie rockdom covering another – pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Of course, when Spoon released their version of the opening track to Yo La Tengo’s Electr-O-Pura in 2001 as a b-side to “Anything You Want”, they had just put out Girls Can Tell, their first release for Merge following an embittering major label experience, and had no idea they were en route to becoming the artist of the decade that they’ve since been mathematically proven to be.

A decade capped by this year’s Transference, which despite the reservations of some is another absurdly solid addition to their canon. It’s this record that brings them back to Toronto tomorrow night to the Sound Academy for their first local appearance in a couple years and my first time catching them live in nearly five. No excuse why, but I’m most excited about taking care of that.

MP3: Spoon – “Decora”
Video: Yo La Tengo – “Decora” (live)