Massive Attack have recently released the latest in their Heligoland series of videos, this one for the Martina Topley Bird sung Psyche. Much like Sigur Ros, I find that most Massive Attack songs are made even more effective when accompanied by slow moving images. Psyche certainly is.

By the way, I’m just a little bit excited for the gig tomorrow here in Vancouver. I’ve been waiting twelve years to see this band live. It might pour rain tomorrow night. I’ll be the guy not caring.

Finally! Seattle radio station 107.7 The End has posted both new songs which you can stream at their site or download below.

Download
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Arcade Fire – Month Of May

Underworld have been tinkering around in their Lemonworld studio for ages and now we can finally hear what Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have been up to. Underworld’s new single is called Scribble and it is perhaps the most positive and joyous thing the band never ever recorded. It’s getting some mixed reviews from the Underworld hardcores (who, like me, seem to prefer their electronic music a bit darker) but I actually really love it. The band are giving the track away for free (click below) and have said that an album will be in our hands toward the end of summer.

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Underworld – Scribble (radio edit)

Scribble is actually a reworking of a song known as You Do Scribble that has been in the Underworld live set for about five years now (including their amazing New Year’s Eve show in Sydney). Whereas the previous iteration of the song was a long instrumental, this new version is incredibly focused and poppy. The band have also made a video for the song…

So excited at the prospect of a brand new Underworld record this year.

Owen Pallett is mesmerizing live. The way he manages to build up what seems like an entire orchestra from just one violin (played in many different ways) and a keyboard is astounding. Last night at the Vogue, the artist formerly known as Final Fantasy once again pretty much blew my mind for the better part of an hour and a half.

Owen opened the set on his own with E Is For Estranged off this year’s impressive Heartland before playing a couple old ones and a “new” song (Scandal At The Parkade) that was in the running for Heartland but was left off late in the game. One of the old ones was This Is The Dream Of Win & Regine which was greeted with cheers from a polite but enthusiastic audience.

During the final moments of That’s When The Audience Died, Owen was joined by a guitarist/percussionist (Tom something?) for the next portion of the gig which focused on the Heartland material. It was interesting seeing Owen with a collaborator on stage and I suppose the Heartland songs do require some extra help but I couldn’t help but feel that the guitar was rather superfluous at times while the percussion seemed almost underused. Regardless, the Heartland material was fantastic with The Great Elsewhere and set closer Lewis Takes Off His Shirt both building into glorious crescendos.

The latter part of the set included a Simon Bookish cover (Interview) as well as another new song called Don’t Stop (The Party On My Account). Owen’s writing always seems to be a step ahead of his live show but I always appreciate hearing some brand new songs even when there’s a new record just out. While there wasn’t a ton of older material last night, Many Lives and He Poos Clouds were powerful reminders of how great that record still is.

The encore started with a beautiful and quiet rendition of Better Than Worse from Owen’s debut record before ending with This Lamb Sells Condos which, being one of my favourite songs of his, was pretty much the perfect end to another impressive evenign with Owen Pallett.

Setlist
E Is For Estranged
This Is The Dream Of Win & Regine
Scandal At The Parkade
That’s When The Audience Died
Midnight Directives
Keep The Dog Quiet
Mount Alpentine
The Great Elsewhere
Lewis Takes Action
Don’t Stop (The Party On My Account)
He Poos Clouds
Interview (Simon Bookish cover)
Flare Gun
The Butcher
Many Lives -> 49mp
Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
———
Better Than Worse
This Lamb Sells Condos

I missed openers Snowblink unfortunately. Were they any good? I’ve also put up a few photos from last night here.

Owen recently performed a show in New York that was recorded by NPR which you can stream here. He played the same two new songs that night as he did here in Vancouver last night. If you’d rather just here one of them…

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Owen Pallett – Scandal At The Parkade (live at Webster Hall)

You may have already seen this today but it’s great enough to get posted at least once more. Here Joanna Newsom performs my favourite song off the magnificent Have One On Me, ’81, on the Jools Holland show. The song seemingly connects Joanna’s own conception (she was born in early 1982) with the Garden of Eden (AD 1, get it?) and is just one of the many examples of the depth of her songwriting. In addition to the brilliance of ’81, this clip is shot beautifully, full of long, sweeping takes and great close-ups of Joanna’s hands as she rocks that harp.

Don’t forget, Joanna Newsom will be playing the Vogue Theatre here in Vancouver on August 5.

Below are the first official noises from Wolf Parade’s new record, Expo 86, out on June 29. As one would expect you get a Dan song and a Spencer song but what’s exciting is that they both sound much more collaborative than the work on At Mount Zoomer.

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Wolf Parade – Ghost Pressure
Wolf Parade – What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)

Pitchfork also has the complete tracklist and an interview with Spencer Krug.

A couple weeks ago PJ Harvey played a new song on The Andrew Marr Show (a BBC political show) which airs on Sunday mornings in the UK. Bizarre right? And it gets better. The song, Let England Shake, featured PJ Harvey on her own playing an autoharp while accompanied by a sample of the Four Lads’ (an old Canadian vocal group) hit Istanbul (Not Constantinople). And current British PM Gordon Brown watched. And PJ Harvey was heavily feathered. The prospect of PJ Harvey mildly losing it bodes extremely well for her next record which I now cannot wait for.

Andrew Marr also interviewed Ms. Harvey.

As Angus Andrew and Liars took the stage last night at Venue it was clear something wasn’t right. Angus quickly addressed the audience telling us that Liars guitarist/synth/percussion/genius Aaron Hemphill “hurt his hand in Portland” and wouldn’t be playing. Angus said they thought about canceling the gig but didn’t “because this is fucking Canada.” He also expressed some genuine worry (he had never once performed on stage without Aaron present) and some nervous excitement that the gig was going to be “punk rock” and the most unique Liars show ever. It helped of course that Liars are actually playing as a five-piece these days with half of the opening band Fol Chen now touring members of the band.

So, to the gig then. First up, Aaron’s absence was most definitely noticeable. His percussion was missing some of Liars more rhythmic material (A Visit From Drum) and his sonic textures are major components of nearly all of Liars’ material these days. Angus did his best to step behind the keyboards on a couple songs (Fol Chen’s keyboardist also helped out on Scissor) but for the most part Aaron’s parts were simply left missing which resulted in a stripped down gig.

While Aaron’s absence was very obvious at times I loved every second of the gig. The Sisterworld songs are great live, especially the ones featuring ferocious guitar like Scarecrows On A Killer Slant. Angus’s stage presence was a combination of goofy and menacing as he delved into the dark lyrical material of Sisterworld and the other nightmare inducing elements of Liars back catalogue.

Liars aren’t particularly renowned for being a groove-based band but bass-heavy Sailing To Byzantium and Proud Evolution, which both came late in the set, were both smoother highlights in a set that was often more jagged and jarring. Whether he was creating havoc or locked in a groove, I was impressed with the drumming of Julian Gross all night. From the short, sharp bursts of A Visit From Drum to the power of We Fenced Other Gardens, he truly is a marvel to watch.

While some may have felt that last night’s Liars gig wasn’t complete, I found myself just enjoying the uniqueness of the performance. While a few songs had to dropped from recent setlists to accommodate Aaron’s absence (Here Comes All The People, The Other Side Of Mt. Heart Attack, Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack and Broken Witch) the inclusion of Freak Out, Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway, and a very surprising (and welcome!) airing of The Garden Was Crowded And Outside off their Never Played Anymore debut record all more than made up for the losses.

Liars may have been shorthanded (and I do hope they come back to town soon so we can get a proper show) but the gig was still a memorable one.

Setlist
A Visit From Drum
No Barrier Fun
Clear Island
I Still Can See An Outside World
We Fenced Other Gardens With The Bones Of Our Own
Scissor
The Overachievers
Scarecrows On A Killer Slant
Sailing To Byzantium
Plaster Casts Of Everything
The Garden Was Crowded And Outside
Proud Evolution
———
Freak Out
Hold Hands And It Will Happen Anyway

My photos from the gig are here. See the handwritten setlist here which was not exactly how the gig went.

As mentioned, California’s Fol Chen opened the show. I didn’t love their set but they are certainly bursting with ideas as far as songwriting goes. I expect they’ll get better as the band matures. They kind of reminded me of a less manic Deerhoof.

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Fol Chen – In Ruins

Now I don’t want to call Liars liars but I have serious doubts about Aaron’s injured hand. The band also mentioned some border crossing issues during the gig and I can’t help but wonder if Aaron maybe got hung up at the border. Or maybe he was too hungover. I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet he plays tonight with the band back in the USA. If he is hurt let’s hope for a speedy recovery.

Though the plan was to hit the Babe Rainbow/No Gold/Japandroids gig at Lifetime later on we bailed on that. Did anyone go? How was it?

I’ve only just recently gotten around to hearing the new Liars record, Sisterworld and I’m actually a little surprised this album isn’t getting more attention. I’m a big Liars fan and have loved everything they’ve done (even the witch record) and I think that Sisterworld may be the the most successful record Liars have made in terms of combining both their rhythmic, arty mood pieces with their more straight-up, distorted guitar-based songs. In fact, if I was going to introduce someone to Liars, it might be Sisterworld I’d give them first.

Scissor, Scarecrows On A Killer Slant, and Proud Evolution are all amazing songs and sit up there with Liars best. And, as so often is the case with Liars, there is a strong narrative core to the record which (again as always) takes a bit of work to decipher. But Liars always benefit from repeated listens and Sisterworld continues to get better every time I listen. If you were one of the many who gave up on Liars years ago, maybe give them another shot.

Download
Liars – Scissor

Liars are playing Venue here in Vancouver on Friday for an early show. I cannot wait. Hopefully I can make it a doubleheader with the Japandroids gig at Lifetime Collective later on.