Divine Fits - Would That Not Be Nice

The second song from the upcoming Divine Fits album we are being allowed to hear is Would That Not Be Nice. It ups the energy from the previous release My Love is Real (listen here), which sounded a bit like awesome new wavey Handsome Furs to me. Would That Not Be Nice focuses on snappy percussion, ethereal keyboards, and the always-brilliant Britt Daniel vocals. The album will be called A Thing Called Divine Fits and is out in Europe/the UK on August 27 and in the US and Canada on August 28.

Tracklisting:
My Love Is Real
Flaggin A RIde
What Gets You Alone
Would That Not Be Nice
The Salton Sea
Baby Get Worse
Civilian Stripes
For Your Heart
Shivers
Like Ice Cream
Neo-politans

A limited-edition 7-inch single of My Love Is Real will be released July 31 and will feature the non-LP B-side cover of Camper Van Beethoven's "I Was Born in a Laundromat."

Eric Hutchinson - Watching You Watch Him

Who's making pop music that isn't exceptionally cheesy or clever or artsy? Eric Hutchinson, that's who. Handclaps, minimal instrumentation, sweet yearning vocals, simple lyrics...a pleasant little diversion.

Lisa Marie Presley - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Lisa Marie Presley? I vaguely remember her releasing cheesy dance pop tunes years ago, couldn't name a song to save my life. But I heard this tune and I was intrigued. Sounds a tad like a T-Bone Burnett production, I thought, and then I learned that it is a T-Bone thing. Like a Chris Isaak slow burner, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet features some fine understated guitar twang and a vocal that also doesn't go over the top, leaving a little bit of space and subtlety in the mix. The drum sound confuses me a little bit, it reminds me of 80's Don Henley tunes, but what the hey, no one promised me a rose garden.

Divine Fits - My Love is Real

Divine Fits is the band comprised of Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), and the trio will release their debut single “My Love Is Real” July 31. If the new record (no release date yet) is anything like the first single, my faith in modern rock music will be restored. Here's to hoping. Side A: My Love Is Real Side B: I Was Born In A Laundromat Comments make the world go 'round, please leave one below.

Drums and Wires - Waiting on the Moon

With a name like Drums and Wires, I can be forgiven for expecting quirky Anglophile pop like XTC, can't I? Well, Drums and Wires mastermind Joel Klaverkamp did live in England for a while, but he's a Winnipegger for the moment, and the songs seem to have more in common with Modest Mouse or Pere Ubu cross-pollinated with some kind of beats/grooves monster. It doesn't taste like a donut cooked in beef fat, that's for sure.

Tragically Hip - At Transformation

The Tragically Hip have released the first single and video, At Transformation, from their upcoming album, which is called...? Coming out...? It's a secret. I'm curious to hear what the band's doing this time. The first tune, or the video anyway, features some artsy rambling from Downie and then moves into what seems like a straightforward mid-tempo rocker. Last time around they released Love is a First as an initial single, a tune that mixed some serious-humour Gord Downie vocals with some unexpected Tom Morello-like guitar squawk. But the album took some left turns, with some Gordon Lightfoot moments of soothing gentle sounds. It turned out to be one of my favourite Hip albums in a long time. How about an orchestral version of a Hip classic? Or some old Hip you may not have heard? Buy At Transformation from iTunes. Find more Hip you might not have heard before, some rare stuff at captain's dead.

Gigposters Vol. 2

Okay, I got sent this book Gigposters Vol. 2 awhile back and have been negligent in posting. It's amazing! The first thing I noticed is that the posters are treated like art as opposed to disposable advertisements. The posters are listed by their artists, not the musical artists or the shows being promoted therein. The book I got comes with 101 posters with perforated edges, perfect for pulling out, framing, or what-have-you. It's also got hundreds of other poster images and designer biographies. Every town has a few people that specialize in making gig posters that go beyond the obvious, moving into the realm of art itself, (Stu Reid in Winnipeg is one that comes to mind), this book and Gigposters.com celebrate great art inspired by art of a different form. Viva Giposters! There's even representation by my favourite Canadian poster artist/rock 'n' roll guy, Jackson Phibes from Forbidden Dimension- see here. Her's a couple more random samples of poster art I like represented in the book - see Two Arms and Tracie Edwards (here and here). You Can purchase here.

JP Hoe - Mannequin

Winnipeg's JP Hoe is a hard-workin' fella, and his labours have produced another new platter, this one called Mannequin - the title can't be a reference to Hoe himself, because he's anything but static and boring. Haven't heard the whole thing yet, but from what I hear Hoe has continued his deft ways with melodies and lyrics. For me so far a highlight is Conversation, a tune that moves into grandiose/epic territory, which makes sense, because he's been stretching his wings in the last couple of years. I can't keep up with the guy, actually. As far as I can tell, he's done a song for Travel Manitoba, performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and did something called the Heart of the Arctic Adventure Cruise, which started in Greenland and explored the southern coast of Baffin Island. How many artists can say they hit that tour route? You can get the new album on iTunes or a physical cd from Outside (or you can get your friendly local music store to order it if they don't happen to have it already). Upcoming Tour Dates: June 4 Thunder Bay, ON The Apollo June 6 Toronto, ON The Cameron House June 7 Wakefield, QC The Blacksheep Inn June 8 Montreal, QC Citizen Vintage June 9 Montreal, QC Grumpy's June 10 Halifax, NS The Carlton June 11 Charlottetown, PE Baba's June 14 Peterborough, ON The Montreal House June 16 Toronto, ON C'est What