The Constantines In Session at CBC Studio 2, Vancouver, 16 Jan 2006.

The Guelph boys celebrate the raw winning power of Canadian indie rock.

Draw Us Lines
Hyacinthe Blues
You Are a Conductor
Lizaveta
Nighttime, Anytime (It's Alright)

Now Playing: Mermaid Avenue Vols. 1 & 2, Billy Bragg & Wilco.

Mermaid Avenue Vols. 1 & 2 were released 1998 and 2000 respectively. Both volumes are a collection of previously unheard lyrics by folk legend Woody Guthrie, put to music and performed by British folk troubadour Billy Bragg, and Wilco. A match made in heaven. Listen along to some tracks.

Joe DiMaggio Done It Again
Walt Whitman's Niece
California Stars

Buy Mermaid Avenue Vol 1 and Vol. 2.

Xiu Xiu: Live at Hopetoun Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW Australia, April 20, 2006.

It took me a long time to understand Xiu Xiu. Between Jamie's howling and the blatant dissonance of the instrumentation, there was not much to love at first listen. However, I stuck to them stubbornly, and after many repeated plays of Fabulous Muscles and La Foret (my two favorites), it became apparent to me. Disagreement is agreement, discord is concord, weirdness is in. Friends, Italians, countrymen, experience Xiu Xiu.

Don Diasco
Bog People
Hello From Eau Claire, Wisconsin (new song)
Pox
Hives Hives
I Love the Valley, Oh!
Vulture Piano (new song)
Crank Heart
Yellow Raspberry
Fabulous Muscles
Muppet Face
Sad Pony Guerilla Girl

Great sounding set, by the way. Converted to 192kpbs mp3 from lossless files.

Revisiting Some Old Tool Before Attempting To Digest The New One.

Haven't listened to the new Tool yet, but it does appear it's getting no love from the people who judge. The problem could be that it's been a really long time since Tool mattered, so perhaps we should revisit the toolshed to remind us.

Stinkfist
Hooker With A Penis
Reflection
Schism
Sweat
Part of Me (Live)
L.A. Municipal Court/Maynard's Dick

*Tracks 1 & 2 from Ænima, 3 & 4 from Lateralus, 5 from Opiate, 6 & 7 from Salival. Buy all that and newcomer 10, 000 Days.

Monarch: The First Incarnation of the Lovely Feist.

Now here's a post sure to attract excessive mental goose pimples and perennial gratitude. Before putting out Let It Die, Canada's reigning indie rock goddess, the very lovely Ms. Feist, gave the world a subtle, sultry, quiet but smoldering debut titled Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down). Wiki describes this album better than I can.

"Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) is a 1999 album by Feist recorded in Toronto. It is a quiet, subdued indie-rock album with hints of Hank Williams Sr. Upon its independent release, Monarch was a favorite in the Toronto music scene. Despite the success of Feist's follow up album, Let It Die, Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) is now out of print. Indeed its rarity has made it something of a Holy Grail of Indie-rock. Prices of over $100 US have been seen on ebay."

Well, seeing that we don't all have $100 and we all love Feist, I have decided to post some high quality mp3s for your musical enjoyment today. I personally loved it enough to shell out some money for it so if like what you hear, you have a few options.
1. Buy Let It Die, its equally good if not better.
2. See Feist live, she rocks.
3. Go hunting on ebay.
3. Email moi to set up a mp3 trade, no monies involved. Be sure you have something nice to offer.
4. Go here to listen to some more low quality real audio songs from the album.

Monarch
One Year A.D.
That's What I Say, It's Not What I Mean

Morrissey: A Simulated Canadian Farewell Concert On The "Seal Hunt" Tour, Shaw Centre, Edmonton, May 3, 2006.

Ha, finally some great idea for a post. As you very well know, the Moz has ruled out a Canadian tour ever if we don't stop killing seals. So I decided to simulate a Moz "Farewell to Canada" Tour, featuring Moz and a setlist of appropriately titled songs. This particular concert takes place in the city of champions of course (Go Oilers!), because I live here and because seal hunting is not really the rave here. The audience of course is mostly me and a multitude of cool college girls. This arena is packed tight and all through the performance, Moz engages in deductive reasoning, needless hyperbole and mozisms. Add the raucous applause and me and the girls (or the girls and I for you Brits) screaming Oh Moz! Perfect setting, perfect evening. Here are the jams.

The Youngest Was The Most Loved
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
The Lazy Sunbathers
Everyday Is Like Sunday
I've Changed My Plea To Guilty
I Don't Mind If You Forget Me (cheeky, cheeky)
How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
First Of The Gang To Die (dedicated to Toronto inner city kids)
I Have Forgiven Jesus
(encore)
We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
The National Front Disco

Buy Moz sounds and apparel, it's a concert after all.

Cat Power: KCRW Session On Morning Becomes Eclectic, February 27, 2003.

One of my favorite Cat Power sets. And anyone who has seen or read about her famous live shows should know that this is a rare occurence (extra-read all about it). Maybe it's having a live audience that creeps Chan out or she's just weird that way. Any thoughts friends? Anyways, this is a great sounding acoustic set in her usual minimalist style. Cat Power is arguably one of the most important and most tortured singer-songwriters today, and the quiet anguish that she renders through her music is evident on these songs. But as a bonus, you have to listen to her interview with Nic Harcourt where she renders one of my favorite Cat Power quotes of all time when relating a story about her first guitar:

"Last winter in Paris, I saw my boyfriend with another girl, so it was either me or the guitar, so I broke it."

Nice.

Dream
I Don't Blame You
The Werewolf Song (Michael Hurley Cover)
Funny Things
Nic Interviews Cat Power
Maybe Not
Names
Evolution
Can I Get A Witness? (non-album track)

Another Neil Young Post: My Very Brief Review of Living With War

Arrrrghhhh...my third or so post this week on the new Neil Young, but have to do this (the blog world is going agog with this anyway). On Living With War, the legendary rocker abandons metaphor and sticks it to the man, literally. And the effect is astonishingly interesting if not refreshing. This man is clearly a musical genius. The backing choir brings a sense of urgency to the songs, and you get the feeling you may be in some school auditorium rally. Aluta Continua! Victoria Asserta! Hear! Hear!

Let's Impeach The President (features George W. Bush on vocals!)

Buy this album, you deserve to listen to "Families" and "Flags of Freedom". For now, you can stream it all here.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Live at Washington D.C's 9.30 Club, Recorded For NPR's All Songs Considered

It's been a great run this week, with all the bootlegs and live posts. Maybe I should pull a rbally and hibernate for a while. Anyway, I'll let that stew for now-enjoy this YYYs' set which aired on NPR April 3, 2006.

Turn Into
Way Out
Honey Bear
Black Tongue
Mysteries
Art Star
Down Boy
Phenomena
Cheated Hearts
Maps
Gold Lion
(encore)
Warrior
Bang
Date With the Night (audience request)
(second encore)
Porcelain

Rosanne Cash: Live at the World Cafe, Philly, For WXPN/NPR

The lovely singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash delivers a powerful unplugged performance of songs from her intensely personal and critically acclaimed latest, Black Cadillac, on WXPN/NPR live Friday show. This set proves that there's nothing more powerful than a singer, his/her guitar, voice and words. And her husband of course (she performs here with her husband and longtime co-producer and co-writer, John Leventhal). Just listen to the dumbed down version of "Burn Down This Town" if you don't believe me.

God Is In The Roses
Black Cadillac
Burn Down This Town
Interview with Rosanne
The World Unseen
Radio Operator
Tennessee Flat (Johnny Cash cover)
House On The Lake
Good Intent
Seven Year Ache

Buy Black Cadillac.

Neil Young: Living With War Now Streaming

Folks, the new Neil Young anti-Bush album is up and streaming, down to every last track. Click here to take you there.

The Second Coming: Sufjan Stevens, Live at Lee's Palace, Toronto, 16 Nov 2004.

I had posted this Sufjan set before but as a single mp3 file. Took another look at the setlist and realized it's better served as individual mp3s. This is a very intimate set and could pass for a "Best of Sufjan" selection. Songs are drawn from all studio releases except Enjoy Your Rabbit and The Avalanche (obviously!). Includes an early version of "Chicago" and the best rendition of the Star-spangled Banner I ever heard.

50 States
Flint
Chicago
Sister
Upper Peninsula Intro
The Upper Peninsula
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Dress Intro
The Dress Looks Nice On You
Say Yes! To Michigan
Romulous
He Woke Me Up Again
Transfiguration
Star-spangled Banner
All Good Naysayers
(encore)
Super, Sexy Woman
(second encore)
For The Widows In Paradise

My Morning Jacket: Live, Northwestern University, Patten Gym, Evanston, IL., April 22, 2006

A great sounding set from Jim James and the boys on the Z tour. Don't pass this one by, or at least listen to the glorious live versions of "What A Wonderful Man" and "Dondante".

At Dawn
I Will Sing You Songs
One Big Holiday
Off the Record
What A Wonderful Man
Lay Low
I Think I'm Going To Hell
Dondante
Golden
The Way That He Sings
Anytime
(encore)
Wordless Chorus
Gideon
Mahgeetah

Buy Z.