July 08, 2009 21:07
John Vanderslice
JULY 10. HORSESHOE, 370 QUEEN W.
Romanian Names, the seventh LP from the producer who made The Mountain Goats and Spoon, reprises the sun-kissed indie of The Shins and Built To Spill, adding brooding torch songs, and a little Supertramp-style prog. Raise your lighter for the anthemic “Forest Knolls” — it’s about deer hunting but without Bradford Cox spazzing all over you. $15. 10pm.
BeirutJULY 9. PHOENIX, 410 SHERBOURNE
In spring 2008, Zach Condon, a.k.a. Beirut, cancelled a whack of tour dates, citing exhaustion. Several months into the tour for the alternately Balkan-, Mexican- and synth-pop–influenced brass-stravaganza that is Beirut’s March Of The Zapotec/Holland, here’s hoping he’s stocked up on ginseng. With The Dodos. $25. 9pm.
Broken Social SceneJULY 11. HARBOURFRONT CENTRE, 235 QUEENS QUAY W.
The annual island show fizzled out in a hail of bad timing, but a free Harbourfront show — where BSS will debut the fruits of their sessions with John McIntyre of Tortoise fame — beats trying to hear “7/4 Shoreline” over the blare of the Honda Indy. (Not to mention the strike-related lack of ferries!) Free. 8pm.
Bishop MoroccoJULY 11. WHIPPERSNAPPER GALLERY, 587A COLLEGE
Almost six years after trading Toronto rock city for Berlin techno paradise, Jake Fairley and his old friend James Sayce (Ex–Deadly Snakes, Tangiers) have collaborated on a new project perched on herky-jerky, new-wave guitars and drum machines, as well as cool synth-pop tones and disaffected vocals. Who says you can never go home again? With Josh Reichmann, more. $5. 10pm.
Jason LytleJULY 14. MASSEY HALL, 178 VICTORIA
Listening to the man behind now-defunct indie-pop oldsters Grandaddy will make a nice contrast with headliner Neko Case’s beautifully brassy wail — Lytle and Case are both experts at tracing the contours of the human heart, but on Yours Truly, The Commuter, Lytle coos like a child — or a reincarnated grandpa. $29.50-$40.50. 8pm.