Jenny Lewis

And so the turkey weekend begins. As you read this, I will have already cracked open a can of Nestea, on the train to Montreal. But thank the lord for Wi-Fi on the train, as I will be able to catch up on some serious listening.

To start off, I really have to listen to Ms. Jenny Lewis’ latest release, Acid Tongue. Funny enough, I also had a delayed start on her previous record, Rabbit Fur Coat. I immediately fell in love with that one, but from the looks of some reviews I’ve read recently about Acid Tongue, I don’t know if I’ll have the same luck this time around. Oh well, I’ll just have to see for myself, won’t I? After all, I ended up loving Mother Mother’s new record, O My Heart, even after reading terrible reviews on it. But quickly back on the subject of Jenny Lewis, as I noticed today, she just so happens to be gracing the cover of this season’s Under the Radar – and as always, looking gorgeous as ever! Gosh, can she ever look bad?

Another band that I’ll most likely be listening to on the train would be Department of Eagles. I remember hearing about them and checking out their track, “No One Does it Like You” about a month ago and loving it. But since then, I forgot about them. Then, I started to see their name everywhere on Pitchfork and Stereogum lately, what with their appearance on Conan O’Brien and stuff, so I’ve decided to dig them up yet again. And I’ve got to say, they are amazing. If you haven’t checked them out yet, do it! I’d especially suggest them to fans of Grizzly Bear since both bands share members… but I’m pretty sure fans already knew that. Check out their recent little rooftop appearance at Pitchfork!

So since I’ll be in Montreal, I thought I’d give a quick, tiny list of French bands to check out (most of which was originally suggested by our soon-to-be MTL correspondent, Christine). Pay attention and take note as some of these bands are totally worth listening to: Camille, Malajube, Karkwa, Dumas, and The Hot Springs.

In addition to those five, I was brought to the attention of a girl named Coeur de Pirate a couple of months ago. She played Osheaga, but due to ridiculous schedule constraints, I missed her. Here’s a simple summary of her music though – Regina Spektor. There. When I first paid a visit to her MySpace, my initial reaction was, “Holy shit that is a French Regina Spektor – literally!!” Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Back to Toronto news though…

Sonic Boom is on a roll when it comes to in-stores lately. Last week, the ever-amazing Chad Vangaalen played a sweet, short set there and coming up on Tuesday (as I mentioned already) will be Toronto’s very own Lioness. To add on to the joy, Torontonians will be treated to a free performance by Memphis’ Jay Reatard on Thursday October 16th (7 pm). Though he’s had his share of problems with the city, it’s good to see him back. Hopefully the in-store will be a peaceful, joyous one. Let’s make beautiful music, not war.

For those who read my old blog, you would know that I’m a huge fan of the online series, Nirvana the Band the Show. So just a heads-up that an alternative ending for their 6th episode was put up recently, which will help segway into the 7th episode beautifully. At first, I didn’t like the new ending, but come to think of it now, it’s so much more fitting to the show’s humour and light-heartedness. Anyway, go watch the show… now. For more goodness, an exciting interview with Matt and Jay will be posted on the Singing Lamb sometime next week, as I will be writing it up on the train. Yeah, I’ve got lots of work to do on the train – but most of which will probably just start with an ‘s’ and end with ‘leeping’.

Looking for some December fun? Well Sarah Slean just announced that she and “friends” will be hosting their Annual Holiday Show at Harbourfront’s Enwave Theatre on Friday December 19th. Sounds enticingly good.

For now, I shall bid you a good weekend. I will continue to make daily posts, regardless of how hungover I may get! Because you guys mean that much to me! Hope Torontonians don’t rock out too much without me.

Musically,
Melody