Let England Vote

The shortlist for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize '2011 Albums of the Year' were announced yesterday and the list (as always) is pretty amazing.  The twelve albums shortlisted for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize are all worthy contenders.  PJ Harvey would grab my vote.  Yourself? 


Adele - 21
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau
James Blake - James Blake
Katy B - On A Mission
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Metronomy - The English Riviera
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

And Now We Sing for Canada

I would have fought tooth and nail to get the brilliant record, And Now We Sing by London’s Olenka and the Autumn Lovers on this year’s Polaris Prize shortlist. A fist shake to you misinformed Polaris jurors. Mark my words, this talented group will be on that list in due time. Thankfully though, Canadians won’t have to wait to at least see them in concert. This summer, fans will get to experience exactly what makes this band so special as the band have announced a trek across the Westerly half of this nation.

The extensive outing will last for the month of August with a handful of dates in late July and early September. Great news too... A house show at Casa Del Zombie in Calgary has again been scheduled for the middle of August. The tour will wrap up on September 3rd at the beautiful Aeolian Hall in London.

See the full tour schedule below.

Tour dates:

7/29 Toronto, ON - The Great Hall (Out of the Box Festival)
7/30 Peterborough, ON - The Attic
8/1 Sudbury, ON - The Townehouse
8/5 Winnipeg, MB - The Lo Pub
8/6 Bruno, SK - The Bruno Arts Bank
8/8 Calgary, AB - Weeds
8/9 Penticton, BC - Voodoos
8/11 Vancouver, BC - Red Cat Records (early show)
8/11 Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore (late show)
8/13 Kamloops, BC - The Art We Are
8/14 Calgary, AB - haus show
8/15 Edmonton, AB - Wunderbar
8/16 Lethbridge, AB - Tongue and Groove
8/17 Regina, SK - The Creative City Centre
8/18 Saskatoon, SK - Jale
8/19 Yorkton, SK - Fifth Avenue Cup and Saucer
8/20-21 Kelwood, MB - Harvest Sun Music Festival
8/22 Winnipeg, MB - Mondragon
8/24 Thunder Bay, ON - The Apollo
8/25 Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Loplops
8/26 Sarnia, ON - The Urban Nature Centre
9/3 London, ON - The Aeolian Hall

Lastly if by chance you missed this free download nugget I suggest you grab it. Even in this hot July weather Olenka’s voice will give you the chills.

OLENKA AND THE AUTUMN LOVERS - No Coins from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.http://www.olenkalovers.com/home.html

Polaris Prize Shortlist Revealed

Bloggers of the world, boot up your laptops and sharpen those witty retorts. The ten albums vying for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize were announced yesterday by CBC Radio 3 man about town Grant Lawrence and the guy whose band’s name I can’t repeat in my mother’s presence Damian Abraham.

And you know what?  I kinda like this list.  Bands returning to the shortlist include Montreal’s Arcade Fire with their much lauded album The Suburbs, as well as St. John’s Hey Rosetta! with Seeds. Both bands hold the distinction of being previously nominated in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

The remaining eight on the shortlist, are all newcomers.  The listing includes: Montreal’s Galaxie, whose Tigre et Diesel is the only French language album to make the list; Montreal’s Colin Stetson, who played on not only his own album, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, but also albums by Arcade Fire and Timber Timbre.  Rounding out the list were the always stalwart singer-songwriters Destroyer and Ron Sexsmith.

Here is the full list:

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Austra – Feel It Break
Braids – Native Speaker
Destroyer – Kaputt Galaxie – Tigre et Diesel
Hey Rosetta! – Seeds Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd – House of Balloons

Let the prognosticating begin.  The 2011 winner will be revealed at CTV’s Concert Hall studios at Toronto’s Masonic Temple on Monday, September 19th at the Polaris Music Prize gala. The event will again be hosted by Grant Lawrence and Damian Abraham.

Leave your pick for winner in the comments.  I’m still...  Pondering.  Perhaps I’ll have my favourite by the Weeknd.

Past winners of the Polaris Music Prize have been Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson, Caribou, Fucked Up, and Karkwa.


Destroyer - Kaputt from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Outside of Society, That's Where I Want To Be

Do you have a favoured artist that just makes you glad they're around to make art in your world?  Patti Smith certainly does that for me. Her words, her art...  It pleases me to no end that she has been enjoying a much deserved renaissance of late too. Her National Book Award winning book Just Kids, left me and crtics around the globe more than a little gobsmacked; that loving recollection of her life and times with Robert Mapplethorpe and their struggle to create art in the 1970’s nothing short of a masterpiece.  The book though, is just one aspect of a creative canon that continues to influence generations. On August 23rd, Columbia/Arista/Legacy will release Outside Society, a best-of collection of her music on CD and double vinyl. The album encompasses Smith's entire multiple-decade recording career, moving roughly chronologically through her legendary body of work.

Outside Society features the contributions of her bandmates, with Lenny Kaye (guitar) and Jay Dee Daugherty (drums) the longest-serving members. Kaye, Daugherty, Richard Sohl (keyboard/piano) and Ivan Kral (bass) formed the Patti Smith Group, which hit its commercial peak in 1978 with Easter and “Because the Night”. Smith contributes track-by-track liner notes for the new release, and says this of her enduring hit:

“Bruce Springsteen gave me a great gift in allowing me to lend verses to his beautifully constructed anthem. My contribution was written for my future husband, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith. Though we have performed it hundreds of times, the strong response it draws always makes it fresh and exciting to sing.”

The tracklist below, as well as video of Smith performing my favourite Patti Smith number, "Dancing Barefoot" in 1979.

Outside Society:

01. Gloria
02. Free Money
03. Ain’t It Strange
04. Pissing in a River
05. Because the Night
06. Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger
07. Dancing Barefoot
08. Frederick
09. So You Wanna Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
10. People Have the Power
11. Up There Down There
12. Beneath the Southern Cross
13. Summer Cannibals
14. 1959
15. Glitter in Their Eyes
16. Lo and Beholden (Radio Edit)
17. Smells Like Teen Spirit
18. Trampin’

Tracks 1-2 from Horses (Arista AL 4066, 1975)
Tracks 3-4 from Radio Ethopia (Arista AL 4097, 1976)
Tracks 5-6 from Easter (Arista AB 4171, 1978)
Tracks 7-9 from Wave (Arista AB 4221, 1979)
Tracks 10-11 from Dream of Life (Arista AL 8453, 1988)
Tracks 12-13 from Gone Again (Arista ARCD 8747, 1996)
Track 14 from Peace and Noise (Arista 07822 18986-2, 1997)
Track 15 from Gung Ho (Arista 07822-14618-2, 2000)
Track 16 from Lo and Beholden (Arista promo CD ARPCD-3855, 2000)
Track 17 from Twelve (Columbia 82876 87251-2, 2007)
Track 18 from Trampin’ (Columbia CK 90330, 2004)


Patti Smith - Dancing Barefoot from FTP on Vimeo.

The Whole Love and Nothing But

“A Veritable sonic stew” This Time Out

Good news from the Wilco camp today as the band has announced details of their upcoming eighth album.   The Whole Love will be released this fall and will be their first for the newly minted dBpm Records imprint.   The cherry on top though, they're touring this fall too!  (Tour details below)

The album, which previously had the working title Get Well Soon Everybody, was produced by Jeff Tweedy with the help of bandmate Patrick Sansone and Tom Schick, and features 12 new songs.

According to the press release, The Whole Love "is a veritable sonic stew, showcasing Wilco's far-reaching musical prowess (multiple guitars, keyboards, synthesizers and percussion plus Mellotron, strings, loops and more) perfectly accompanying Jeff Tweedy's provocative and insightful lyrics."

The Whole Love will be available on September 27th via dBpm Records, with distribution through Anti-. The tracklisting is available below, while album single "I Might" can be streamed here.


The Whole Love:

01.  Art of Almost
02.  I Might
03.  Sunloathe
04.  Dawned On Me
05.  Black Moon
06.  Born Alone
07.  Open Mind
08.  Capitol City
09.  Standing O
10.  Rising Red Lung
11.  Whole Love
12.  One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)

As I mentioned, Wilco have announced the first leg of their North American tour, including Canadian stops in Toronto and Montreal. All dates are available below.
 

Tour dates:

9|13 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
9|16 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
9|17 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
9|18 Montreal, QC - Metropolis
9|20 Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
9|22 New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage
9|25 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
9|27 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Amphitheater
9|28 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
9|29 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
10|1 Nashville, TN - The Ryman
10|2 Nashville, TN - The Ryman
10|4 St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House
10|5 Madison, WI - Overture Hall

Polaris Prize Long List Announced

The Polaris Music Prize announced its long list yesterday in Toronto, and the forty nominated artists include nineteen musicians who were nominated for the very first time. Musicians vying for the (recently upped) $30,000 cash prize include such established artists as Arcade Fire, Neil Young, Malajube and Stars. The list also included newer performers such as One Hundred Dollars,  Imaginary Cities, Little Scream, Braids and Dirty Beaches. (Criminally not included were local personal favourites Olenka and the Autumn Lovers.) I love you Neil Young but that record was just a little forgettable.

Last year, the prestigious award was won by Montreal rockers Karkwa, and this year’s favourites include Arcade Fire, Buck 65, Land of Talk and Jenn Grant. The long list reveal is the first step leading to the September 19th announcement of the prize. (Once again too, I welcome your Polaris prognostications in the comments section.) Who do I think will take it this year? Two trains of thought there. Head vote would go to Hey Rosetta! but my heart vote would go to the Weeknd. We’ll let them battle it out until that long night in September.


The Weeknd - The Morning (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

The Polaris Music Prize awards, which were started in 2006, are given to the top Canadian artist as decided upon by a 227-member jury of Canadian music writers. Albums are judged solely on artistic merit, without regard of genre or record sales. The prize has ascended to become one of the highest honours in the Canadian music world.

The short list will be announced in Toronto on July 6th.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Austra – Feel It Break
Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart
Braids – Native Speaker
Buck 65 – 20 Odd Years
Louise Burns – Mellow Drama
D-Sisive – Jonestown 2: Jimmy Go Bye Bye
The Dears – Degeneration Street
Destroyer – Kaputt
Diamond Rings – Special Affections
Dirty Beaches – Badlands
Luke Doucet and The White Falcon – Steel City Trawler
Eternia and MoSS – At Last
Galaxie - Tigre et Diesel
Jenn Grant – Honeymoon Punch
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
Hey Rosetta! – Seeds
Hooded Fang – Album
Imaginary Cities – Temporary Resident
Land Of Talk – Cloak and Cipher
Little Scream – The Golden Record
The Luyas – Too Beautiful To Work
Malajube – La Caverne
Miracle Fortress – Was I The Wave?
One Hundred Dollars – Songs Of Man
Doug Paisley – Constant Companion
PS I Love You – Meet Me At The Muster Station
Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath the Willow
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing
Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
Shotgun Jimmie - Transistor Sister
Sloan – The Double Cross
Frederick Squire – March 12
Stars – The Five Ghosts
Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On
The Weeknd – House Of Balloons
Women – Public Strain
Neil Young – Le Noise
Young Galaxy – Shapeshifting

I Love My Wilco

It’s been a while since we heard of any new music emerging from Chicago’s finest. News today that the band have announced that the first single from their upcoming album, “I Might” will debut at their own Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts (June 24th - 26th) . Vinyl fetishists should note the single will be available as a limited-edition clear vinyl 7”, and comes with a b-side cover of Nick Lowe’s “I Love My Label”.

“I Might” is the band’s first release on dPM records, the label they launched after leaving Nonesuch Records in 2010. Note that two more versions of the single will be available to the wider public on July 19th; a limited-edition blue vinyl version, which you can pick up at Wilco’s official store and through the -Anti Records store, and a black vinyl version, which you can pick up at traditional retail outlets. The single is available for pre-order today.

King of Remixes

When I first heard the latest Radiohead release, King of Limbs, I was struck by the 'remix friendly' nature of the tracks.  This was a record whose very structure and instrumentation could be wholly dissected and creatively rearranged to entirely different ends. The fan envisaged The King of Limbs Part 2, perhaps? I think this might just be so much more; this series will feature a host of the best remix producers on the planet. 

The band has announced today that next month they will start rolling out a series of limited-edition twelve-inches featuring remixes from their last full length.  (Or perhaps more accurately three quarter length, it was a little short by all standards). The first release will feature remixes of "Little By Little" by Caribou and "Lotus Flower" by Jacques Greene, and will be available on July 4^th .  (July 5^th in North America.)

XL and Ticker Tape will handle the releases, which will be available in select independent record stores and through the band's website.  CD and digital enthusiasts should note the sites will also have the files in WAV format.
Additional information will be provided when it becomes available.  Let’s hope the band makes some high quality vines (limbs?) available to fans to work their creative remixing magic too.

Sing Along with the Common People

Do you realize Jarvis Cocker formed Pulp when he was just fifteen years old?  Back then they were called Arabicus Pulp but hell, when I was that age I still had my paper route!  Lofty career aspirations aside, it's been less than a week since the band performed their first show in almost ten years and now Pulp have expanded their 2011 reunion plans to include the reissuing of the band’s iconic first three albums. NME reports that their 1983 debut It, 1987′s Freaks, and 1992′s Separations will all be re-released in the U.K. on August 8th with new artwork and updated liner notes from rock critic Everett True. What’s more, Freaks will feature two bonus tracks, “Little Girl” and “Dogs Are Everywhere”, while Separations will contain previously unreleased cuts titled “Death Goes To Disco” and “Is This House”, plus an extended version of the album track “Countdown”.  (Unfortunately, at this time there has been nothing announced regarding North American release.)

In other Pulp news, after conquering the Primavera Sound Festival last week, Pulp will next play the UK-based Isle of Wight Festival on June 11th. They’ll then take a three-week breather before becoming fully immersed in the U.K. and European festival circuits with stops at T in the Park, Wireless Festival, and Oya Festival, among other festivals. The band will be headed down under in late July, but as of now, North American remains without a scheduled performance.  So Cross those fingers and toes now.

Full Pulp tour dates below.

Pulp 2011 Tour Dates:

 06/11 – Isle of Wight, UK - Isle of Wight Festival
 07/01 – Gydnia, PL  - Open’er Festival
 07/03 – London, UK  - Wireless Festival
 07/07 – Novi Sad, SP -  Exit Festival
 07/08 – Trencin, SL - Bazant Phoda
 07/10 – Kinross, UK -  T in the Park
 07/14 – Carhaix, FR -  Vieilles Charrues
 07/15 – Dour, BE  - Dour Festival
 07/17 – Ferropolis, DE -  Melt! Festival
 07/23 – Perth, AU -  On the Bright Side
 07/27 – Sydney, AU -  Hordern Pavilion
 07/29 – Melbourne, AU -  Festival Hall
 07/31 – Woodford, AU -  Splendour in the Grass
 08/10 – Budapest, HU -  Sziget Festival
 08/12 – Oslo, NO - Oya Festival
 08/13 – Gothenburg, SE - Way Out West
 08/18 – Paredes de Coura, PT - Festival Paredes de Coura
 08/20 – Athens, GR -  Terra Vibe Park
 08/27 – Reading, UK -  Reading Festival
 08/28 – Leeds, UK -  Leeds Festival
 09/04 – Stradbally, UK -  Electric Picnic

R.I.P. Gil Scott Heron

Legendary musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron has died at the age of 62, after having fallen ill after returning from a visit to Europe.

Scott-Heron was born in Chicago in 1949 - the son of a former football player in Britain - and grew up in Tennessee before moving to New York where his groundbreaking spoken word recordings helped shape the emerging hip-hop culture.

He was best known for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", the critically acclaimed recording from his first album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. The ubiquitous release,  first recorded in 1970, issued a fierce critique of the role of race in the mass media and advertising age. "The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people," he sang.

This recording marked the first of his collaborations with jazz/funk pianist and flautist Brian Jackson who he met at Lincoln University. The pioneering style he developed while working with Jackson, mixing minimalist percussion with poetry, meant Scott-Heron was often described as the godfather of rap.

But the artist himself frequently rejected this title.

Scott-Heron wrote in the introduction to his 1990 Now and Then collection of poems.

"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks', which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion,"



Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil from Alcohulk on Vimeo.

Scott-Heron's 2010 album, I'm New Here, was his first new studio release in 16 years and was hailed by critics across the globe. The album's first song, "On Coming From a Broken Home", is an ode to his maternal grandmother, Lillie, who raised him in Jackson, Tennessee, until her death when he was 13. He moved to New York after that. 

Gil Scott Heron’s last release was an album of remixes with Jamie XX of the aformentioned 2010 album.

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - "I'm New Here". XL Recordings brief from Chromas Button on Vimeo.

The cause of his death is not clear, but he is believed to have become ill after a recent trip.  Jamie Byng, his UK publisher, announced the news via Twitter: "Just heard the very sad news that my dear friend and one of the most inspiring people I've ever met, the great Gil Scott-Heron, died today."

Byng’s touching elegy, “Gil Scott-Heron, my brave and brilliant friend” appeared in the Guardian yesterday.

Rest in Peace Gil Scott-Heron.

Besnard Lakes Soundtrack On the Way

Actor Mark Ruffalo‘s directorial debut “Sympathy For Delicious” saw wide release this past April and is notable for its killer soundtrack. The film features an original score by Montreal rockers the Besnard Lakes and follows a wheelchair-confined DJ who discovers he has the power to heal. The quirky flick boasts a solid cast including Ruffalo himself, Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich and Christopher Thornton.

Outside of the theatre though, the Besnard Lakes' contributions have remained mostly unheard. All that is about to change courtesy of an official soundtrack heading our way on June 7th via Lakeshore Records. The release will feature the Besnard Lakes' score, as well as contributions from the Kills, Do Make Say Think, the Bee Gees and Burnt the Diphthongs.

“Sympathy For Delicious” Soundtrack Tracklisting

01. Just a Closer Walk With Thee - John Carrol Lynch and Jason Hiller
02. Dean Wakes - The Besnard Lakes
03. Auberge Le Mouton Noir - Do Make Say Think
04. Dean Ponders - The Besnard Lakes
05. U.R.A. Fever - The Kills
06. Playing for Nina - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
07. Matilda Healing - The Besnard Lakes
08. El Mago Cardona - Xocoyotzin Herrera
09. After Gig Dean Burns Oogie - The Besnard Lakes
10. End Of 1st Day Of Healings - The Besnard Lakes
11. 2nd Day Of Healings - The Besnard Lakes
12. Mark’s Master - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
13. Dean Signs With Nina - The Besnard Lakes
14. Wages Of Fame - The Besnard Lakes
15. The Healing Song - Burnt the Diphthongs Feat. Cedric Bixler, Orlando Bloom, DJ Disk, Juliette Lewis, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Deantoni Parks
16. Ariel Collapses - The Besnard Lakes
17. 107 Reasons Why - Do Make Say Think
18. Rene’s Healing - The Besnard Lakes
19. Dean Is Free - The Besnard Lakes
20. I Started A Joke - The Bee Gees

Vic Chesnutt - It Is What It Is

He made some of the most life-enriching and deeply thoughtful music in his all too short existence. Following his tragic passing in 2009, much loved singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt is set to be the subject of a new documentary film. The flick, entitled Vic Chesnutt - It Is What It Is and will be made in association with Saskatoon's Plan9films with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe (Chesnutt’s close friend) serving as executive producer.

While details are few, REMHQ announced that the film will feature concert footage from Chesnutt's 2009 Canadian tour, his last. The outing included dates in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria, and saw Chesnutt performing with various members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Fugazi.

Stipe spoke warmly of his friend via REMHQ:

"Vic was one of the landmark artists and writers of our time," said Michael. "The opportunity to extend his particular brilliance to a wider audience was the impetus to jump onboard this project."

More information and updates on the film can be found here.