The Metric System
If you haven’t heard yet, new wave rockers Metric will be releasing their latest studio album, Synthetica, on June 12. That’s 6/12/12 — there must be some kind of astrological mojo at work. Here’s what guitarist Jimmy Shaw says about the new LP — the band’s fifth — in a press release: “[It’s] the culmination of everything we’ve done. We’ve always had a sound in our heads that we hoped to realize. We finally heard it coming back out of the speakers this time.”
Singer Emily Haines, meanwhile, first envisioned the word “Synthetica” as the name for a particularly resilient skin-job from Blade Runner, a female replicant who voices an inner monologue of all your human imperfections. “If you imagine a nightmarishly fake version of me as a pop star, that’s her,” she says. “And this record was about me saying, I’m going to give more to the music than ever, but there’s no way I’m going to turn into someone like that.” As she sings on the album’s hard-rocking title track, “We’re all the time confined to fit the mold / but I won’t ever let them make a loser of my soul."
A couple of festival dates have already been posted to Ticketmaster (Sasquatch in Washington state and Buzz Beach Ball in Kansas City), but nothing local just yet. Stay tuned.
Carole Pope, Army Girls and Sir Ian Blurton!
It’s looking to be an interesting night of rock at the Bovine Sex Club on Saturday. Local legend Carole Pope of Rough Trade and that “High School Confidential” song we all know (and are slightly creeped out by, but still enjoy) will be headlining. She released her second solo album in 2011, dubbed Landfall. Joining Pope on the bill are two cool local acts including an excellent two-piece outfit called Army Girls, who are really doing some good things, as well as another indie legend from the Toronto scene, Sir Ian Blurton, who retired his hard rocking’ trio C’mon late last year. That’s a damn fine night of music folks. Check it out.
Caribou opens for Radiohead
Ontario’s acclaimed electronic music artiste Caribou (a.k.a. Dan Snaith) will continue his great Radiohead adventure this spring and summer. It’s been announced that the kid wonder will open for the band on its upcoming world tour, which incidentally stops at Downsview Park on June 16. This is big. Originally, Caribou, a Juno Award and Polaris Prize-winning musician, was one of the re-mixers included on Radiohead’s 2011 album TKOL RMX 1234567. Apparently, they liked it.
Cold Specks readying her breakout album
Etobicoke’s Al Spx, better known by her stage name Cold Specks, has announced a release date of May 21 for her debut album, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion. The Arts & Crafts artist relocated to the U.K. and released her debut single “Holland” last year, and she’s been riding a wave of acclaim ever since, including an appearance on Later With Jools Holland. It does help that she describes her sound as “doom soul” and is just shy enough to get people’s attention as we all try to figure out what she’s about. She cites the Lomax field recordings as an influence, similar to Brad Barr from the The Barr Brothers. Cold Specks will be touring Canada with the Great Lake Swimmers in May and June, including a Toronto date at the Danforth Music Hall on June 2. A not-to-be-missed show.
Plumb-ing the depths
Do you remember The Waltons? No, no, not John-Boy and that American TV show from the ’70s. I’m talking about that Canadian indie band from the ’90s. Remember their debut album Lik My Traktor? Pretty good stuff. They won a few awards including a Juno for Best New Group in 1994. They broke up around 2001, but apparently the singer, Jason Plumb, never really went away. He’s got big plans this month, too. Long story short, he’s started a new record label, SoccerMom Records, and he’s going to be releasing a new album with his band, Jason Plumb and the Willing, entitled All Is More Than Both on March 27. Sure, that’s cool. But what is really exciting is that Plumb is also releasing new solo albums from all of his bandmates: Cody Gamracy, Creosote (a.k.a. Gord Smith), Dan Silljer and Jeff McLeod. In a press release, Plumb says, “I couldn’t be more proud of all these guys. Their recording projects crushed all expectations. I am truly one of the luckiest singer/songwriters in the world to have such a talented bunch of dudes to make music with.” The label is also going to have a big, whizbang showcase for Canadian Music Week on March 24 at The Painted Lady on Ossington.
So hip it hurts
The Tragically Hip are back in the studio, working on a follow-up to the 2009 release We Are The Same — another platinum-selling, number one album for the iconic Canadian band fronted by Gord Downie. The new release will be the band’s 12th full-length studio record since 1989, when the album Up to Here launched the Kingston-based quintet onto the world with now-iconic tracks including “New Orleans Is Sinking” and “Blow at High Dough.” In honour of the occasion, we dug up this clip from one of the band’s early club dates, followed by a clip the band released of the current studio session. Watch, all you shoe-gazers out there, and learn how to front a band from a true master. Enjoy.
Death From Above, minus the Above
Sebastien Grainger, a social media provocateur, musical mastermind and member of the explosive Toronto. duo Death From Above 1979, who are playing Edgefest this year on July 14, is readying a new song as a solo artist. “Ghosts,” which Grainger tweeted will be produced by Dave Hamelin, formerly of The Stills and currently in Eight and a Half. Given the generally electronic direction Hamelin has taken since leaving The Stills, my guess is that Grainger was digging the analog shenanigans and wanted to get in on the action. He’s a talented dude, and I’m expecting a cool song. The big question though, is when DFA is going to go into the studio. Tweet that Grainger.
Animal House: The Musical, featuring music by the Barenaked Ladies. Seriously?
According to an article in the New York Times, Universal Pictures Stage Productions is developing a musical based on the 1978 comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House. The article goes on to state that the production will feature a score by the Barenaked Ladies. Back in the Steven Page days, the band composed music for the Stratford Festival production of As You Like It in 2005. Page subsequently left the band, but continues to work at Stratford from time to time.
Swim with the fishes
Speaking of the Great Lake Swimmers, as the band prepares to release its bitchin’ new album, New Wild Everywhere, another gem from their catalogue is up on a site called noisetrade.com for free. Right now, fans can log on and get Great Lake Swimmers’ The Legion Sessions. Once you get the album sent to your email inbox, you have the option of leaving the band a tip. And, in this case, all the money collected will be most generously donated to the environmental group Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. That is just cool.
Cookie!!
So we already know that one of the artists formerly part of Broken Social Scene has popped up in the band Eight and a Half, and now one of the founding members of the aforementioned hipster collective has announced a new (and yet old) project. Bassist Brendan Canning, along with Bernard Maiezza, Damon Richardson and Jeen O’Brien will be releasing a new Cookie Duster album called When Fly Was Easy on May 15 through Maple Music Recordings. This is the band’s second album, a follow-up that took about a decade. The band, as the story goes, was formed when By Divine Right and Change of Heart toured together. The moniker is, of course, a cheeky reference to a moustache. The first single, “Two Feet Stand Up,” is a poppy, toe-tapping number buoyed by the sparkling vocals of O’Brien. And, I have to say, I’m a bit excited.
Diamonds are forever
Local basketball-lovin’ glam rocker Diamond Rings is finishing work on a new album, in addition to being up for a Juno Award in the Best New Artist category. After leaving his first band, indie rockers The D’Urbervilles, John O’Regan reinvented himself as the glam-tastic Diamond Rings. It wasn’t a home run right away, but thanks to the catchy pop hooks and a breakout single in “Wait & See,” it wasn’t long before John O was garnering significant attention, including an Artist to Watch mention in Rolling Stone — all of it well-deserved — leading up to his debut album, Special Affections. Now, it’s time for the follow-up. Oh, the pressure! The timing is right: new album, possible Juno Award, growing fan base around the world. This could be the year of Diamond Rings.