Pemberton Festival 2008

We are t-minus 127 days until the first ever Pemberton festival, located at the base of Mount Currie, about 30 minutes from Whistler, BC. This 3-day long event is sure to provide a bit of musical bliss for everyone in attendance, and hopefully becomes an annual affair. The headliners for this festival are sure to attract the masses, with the likes of Jay-Z, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, and Tom Petty taking the main stage. But surprisingly, check out who else is showing up for the shindig: MGMT, Vampire Weekend, MSTRKRFT, Interpol, Chromeo, and Wintersleep, just to name a few of the bands that we often rant and rave about. You would be crazy not to show up! BTA will be there to cover the action and hopefully get a chance to talk to some of these guys during the festival. Tickets go on sale March 28th, and I wouldn't sit around thinking about going or not because they are sure to go fast, even with the hefty price tag of $290.00. Make sure to also look into camp site passes or other accommodations as well. Check the official site for the full line up and details. See you there!

Matty B.

Reading Videos Available Online

For those of you interested in seeing just what went on at Reading this year, the BBC is offering video coverage from the majority of the big-name acts online here. Entire sets from Klaxons, Albert Hammond Jr, Interpol, CSS, Arcade Fire, Gossip, Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem, Patrick Wolf and many others are available, as are individual acoustic tracks including the Hold Steady's rollicking 'Chips Ahoy' and Peter Bjorn and John's iconic 'Young Folks'.

You can also check out photos of the festival site and crowds, 360 degree pictures and crowd reaction video interviews here.

Hurry, though; they're only available for viewing online until September 3rd.

- a.m.p.m.

The Hold Steady - Chip Ahoy!

Admirable Love

As is the trend these days, the new Interpol album Our Love to Admire has leaked weeks before its intended July 10th official release. After just a few listens, it's clear that there are no weak tracks to be found here - first single 'Heinrich Maneuver' is classic high-energy Interpol, and bloggers are currently going bananas over album opener 'Pioneer to the Falls' and the introspective 'No I in Threesome'. However, in my opinon the real gems are to be found in the latter section of the album.

'Pace is the Trick' nods to the album's theme of predator vs. prey, love vs. lust. Soaring vocal tracks overlap, stating 'Now I select you, slow down and let you, see how I stun' while simultaeneously declaring 'I've seen love, and I follow the speed and the starlight'. The album's flawless production shines through particularly well on this one.

Penultimate track 'Wrecking Ball' is one of this year's best (thus far). Think 'NYC' with less New York and more Cares; while Interpol has always been sombre, the sad beauty here represents the band at their best. Regal horns, a swelling string section and Paul Banks' back-tracked vocals flitting from left to right close out the track in Arcade Fire-esque glory.

Do yourself a favour and pre-order your copy now or trot down to your local record store on July 10th. Make no mistake: this is one of the year's best albums.

Interpol - Pace is the Trick
Interpol - Wrecking Ball

As a side note, a series of menacing video clips featuring prey and predator in their natural habitat has been created to promote Our Love to Admire. Feast your eyes (and ears) on these two:

- a.m.p.m.