After digressing a little to collaborate with Danger Mouse as Broken Bells, The Shins (September 22 @ Phoenix Concert Theatre) frontman James Mercer still finds time to tour with his flagship indie band. While it just seems mean-spirited to mock anything the guy does — the title of the last Shins LP, Wincing the Night Away, tells you just about all you need to know about his persona — we will say that we’re pleased to see him focusing on his main project again. The Shins aren’t just that cutesy band from Garden State. Songwriting-wise, James Mercer is the real deal.
Those craving a hard triple-shot of CanRock without a chaser can catch The Reason, Sam Roberts Band and Rolling Stone cover contest winners Sheepdogs (September 22 @ The Sound Academy) this week. Now, we’re way full of Canadian pride for the Sheepdogs, and there’s no doubt they have all kinds of chops, but did that cover really have to include a crack about their hair? Low blow, America.
Former Pavement songwriter Stephen Malkmus will be bringing his Jicks (September 21 @ Phoenix Concert Theatre) and songs to Toronto this week. The 45-year old Malkmus doesn’t seem to age the way normal human beings do, and funnily enough, we’d imagine the audiences at his shows probably don’t either: look for a crowd of skinny jeaned Pitchfork devotees that are way too young to possibly remember Pavement (interspersed with a few slightly-embarrassed-looking cool dads who do).
90s nostalgia alert: remember The Watchmen (September 24 @ The Horseshoe Tavern)? You mean… like, that “Stereo” band? Oh yeah, those guys. They had, like, actual talent and stuff (sorry 90s!), didn’t they? Whatever happened to them? Turns out, they’re back together and doing reunion dates. And, we guess, regretting that they didn’t name their band The Tea Party.
Also, this interview fail (or is it a smashing success?) with Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Sloan’s Chris Murphy is pretty hilarious; thanks, Exclaim. BSS is taking a break soon, which is sad — although honestly, we weren’t too sure how we felt about Forgiveness Rock Record, particularly next to the seminal You Forgot it in People, which some of us may have listened to 1,304,201 times in our cars as angsty emo teenagers, probably because it was the only thing that understood us. Let’s put it all in perspective, though: BSS’ first three albums catapulted them into an indie rock pantheon of geekly worship reserved for big names like Modest Mouse and Radiohead, and perhaps even set the stage for Canada’s mid-noughts indie renaissance, i.e. the rise of that Arcade Fire band who won that little award last night. Good luck and God bless, Broken.
