The Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver (555 Nelson Street) opens a new group exhibition called Following the A Line this Thursday night. While the website description of the show might make you want to put a sharp hammer claw through your eyeball (total didactic nightmare), check out the opening reception just the same. This is a good line-up. Pretty sure they have a bar set up.

Or there’s “FLAKEY: The Early Works of Glenn Lewis”. “This exhibition marks the first in-depth investigation of the early works of Vancouver artist Glenn Lewis [...] whose socially engaged spirit helped incite the cross disciplinary and interactive practices informing west coast art in the late 1960s and 1970s.” Should be a cool body of work, but I think it’s also worth mentioning that this is the only thing going down this week that also involves a kimchee cooking demonstration. I have no idea what the connection is…but I’m pretty sure the best way to find out will be to hit the Presentation House Gallery on Saturday, September 11th. Check it.

Hit the opening reception for the new Pierre Coupey show, “Between Memory and Perception”, this Saturday, September 11, 7pm at Gallery Jones (1725 West Third Avenue). Coupey’s abstract works are at once muted and active. I’m partial to “Postscript: Rendition”, a 50 x 38 oil and beeswax work on prepared paper (sucks that it’s already old). Not that it has a terrific amount to do on the artists work, but if you’re writing a thesis on Comparative Aesthetic Temperaments in the Early 21st Century, it’s interesting to note that he was also a founding editor of The Georgia Straight and The Capilano Review.

The Grace Gallery is opening a show of Jennifer Mawby’s new works this Thursday, September 9 at 7pm (1898 Main at 3rd. It’s called The Sun, The Moon and the Stars. Jennifer looks to have it going on, so don’t miss out on…short version: an installation on the obsessive themes of love, loss, and conquest (full scoop here).

An opening/reception/exhibition showcasing Emily Carr’s Design, Media + Visual Arts Faculty goes down this Thursday, September 9, at 5:30pm in the North Building’s Concourse Gallery. “The annual Faculty Exhibition once again opens in conjunction with the start of the academic semester. This show offers a glimpse at the diverse range of interests and creative investigation of Emily Carr’s distinguished faculty, comprised of 61 regular and approximately 100 contract (non-regular) faculty members. The Faculty Exhibition affords an opportunity for both students and the public to appreciate the diverse areas of professional development of these educators, whose personal research and practice informs their teaching.” Details.

The Track

!!!’s AM/FM video, directed by Black Dice, from the new album Strange Weather Isn’t It? (Warp).

On !!!’s fourth outing the band pulls out one of the classic rock moves by recording Strange Weather Isn’t It? in Berlin. Does this album sound particularly like a Bowie, Iggy or Lou album? No, not really, but that’s OK because Strange Weather is full of dense, rhythmic party bangers designed to carry from the late night right into the early morning, as this first single AM/FM makes clear. The colourful, psychedelic video was directed by NY art pranksters Black Dice, which brings !!! back to their roots as a Williamsburg loft project. It’s a great late summer video, guaranteed to make you feel like somebody slipped something into your drink. Enjoy.

The Playlist

Click the links for a listen…

SLOWDIVE – Souvlaki, Just For A Day – Reissues (Cherry Red)
Sowdive’s classic moody, shoegaze, triptych gets reissued so that we can again enjoy their smeared melodies.  My fave is Pygmalion.

THE FRESH AND ONLYS August In My Mind (Captured Tracks)
These SF garagey poppers have gained steady acclaim over the last several years (especially among Zulu staff) for their fun take on home recorded jangle-tastic tunes.

TIM COHEN Laugh Tracks (Captured Tracks)
And on a related note, Fresh And Onlys front man Tim Cohen issues his second solo LP of genius level bedroom pop.

EMBRYO Embryo’s Rache LP reissue (Get Back)
And for the prog-minded set, I know you’re out there and I know that you need Embryo’s Rache because it slays. Hard.

BRIAN JONESTONE MASSACRE Take It From The Man 2LP reissue (a Recordings).
Here it is: Anton Newcombes piece de resistance, lovingly remastered for vinyl release.  This is a high point from a band known for many high points.  Dig it.

SPIRITUALIZED Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space 2LP Reissue (Plain)
Praise Jesus, Jason Peirce’s masterpiece is finally brought back on vinyl!  The 2LP which this band will forever be known and judged, Ladies And Gentleman… is a stone cold classic.

SUPERCHUNK On The Mouth LP Reissue (Merge)
Superchunks’ fine On The Mouth established so much of the template for indie rock that it persists to this day and for that reason we should be grateful for its reappearance in LP form.

ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs (Merge)
Their masterpiece continues to dominate our little record store.  The Suburbs is gangbusters with songs that can only be considered modern classics.

BEST COAST Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
From a couch of an Eagle Rock California bungalow comes the fuzzed out Best Coast, and fourteen tracks of teen anguish and heartache.

LOCAL NATIVES Gorilla Manor (Frenchkiss)
This raucus five piece blew our minds when they played town a few months back, and the album continues to offer one golden nugget after another.

The Gig

THEE OH SEES play Venue on Wednesday Sept 8th

SF’s Thee Oh Sees are easily one of our favourite modern garage rock combos going right now, and this will mark their second appearance in town.  Be prepared for spastic, yelpy singing and tunes that will be stuck in your craw looong after the fact.  It’ll be a fun, high energy night, so rest up before hand.

The Glance

The better shows to see in the next two weeks…

Thu AUG 26
MAT KEARNEY – RIO THEATRE
DATSIK – FORTUNE
STRUNG OUT w/ Rufio, We Are The Union – RICKSHAW

Fri AUG 27
CALVERTRON – POP OPERA
FELIX CARTAL – CELEBRITIES
NAUTICAL DISASTER BOAT CRUISE – ATIBI BOAT
VAMPIRE WEEKEND, BEACH HOUSE, DUM DUM GIRLS – MALKIN BOWL – WE ARE SOLD OUT

Sat AUG 28
VAMPIRE WEEKEND, BEACH HOUSE, DUM DUM GIRLS – MALKIN BOWL – WE ARE SOLD OUT
BUSINESS – VENUE

Sun AUG 29
MUMIY TROLL w/ Run Run Run – *VENUE CHANGE* CLUB 560
MICKEY AVALON – FORTUNE SOUND CLUB
ANGRY SAMOANS – VENUE

SEPTEMBER

Wed SEP 01
NEKROMANTIX – RICKSHAW

Thur SEP 02
EASY STAR ALL STARS – VENUE
ALBERTA CROSS – BILTMORE

Fri SEP 03
CHRIS LAKE – CELEBRITIES
SMOOTH SAILING – BILTMORE
DIMITRI VEGAS & LIKE MIKE – POP OPERA

Sat SEP 04
SOUND CLASH OF THE TITANS – SQUAMISH

Sun SEP 05
LOTUS LONG WEEKEND – LOTUS/HONEY/LICK

Mon SEP 06
TED LEO + THE PHARMACISTS – RICKSHAW
JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – BILTMORE

Tue SEP 07
THE PROTOMEN – BILTMORE
PAVEMENT w/ Quasi – QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE
BELLRAYS – RICKSHAW

Wed SEP 08
DANIEL, FRED & JULIE – BILTMORE
CALVIN JOHNSON -THE CULTCH
THEE OH SEES -THE VENUE
MAGIC KIDS – Now Playing with Thee Oh Sees @ The Venue
TALLEST MAN ON EARTH – RICKSHAW- WE ARE SOLD OUT

Thu SEP 09
MAN MAN w/ Let’s Wrestle – RICKSHAW – WE ARE SOLD OUT
SHONEN KNIFE – BILTMORE
MEN- THE MEDIA CLUB
THE NATIONAL w/ The Walkmen – MALKIN BOWL- WE ARE SOLD OUT

Fri SEP 10
THE NATIONAL w/ The Walkmen – MALKIN BOWL – WE ARE SOLD OUT
ENGLISH BEAT – COMMODORE
LEE MORTIMER – POP OPERA
THE ZEROES – VENUE
TITUS ANDRONICUS w/ Free Energy – BILTMORE
LEE MORTIMER – POP OPERA

Sat SEP 11
COLD CAVE – BILTMORE – CANCELLED
AA BONDY w/ JBM – MEDIA CLUB
GASLIGHT ANTHEM – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT
MODERN ENGLISH – FORTUNE

Mon SEP 13
CROOKED FINGERS – BILTMORE

Wed SEP 15
CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE (last show in Vancouver) + NO KIDS – BILTMORE
RATATAT – COMMODORE – WE ARE SOLD OUT

Thu SEP 16
HELMET w/ Bison BC – VENUE

(via Kuriositas) Patrick Jean’s new short depicts an all out 8-bit attack on New York City.

“The First Snow” by Reid Carrescia.

“I looked out the window late this afternoon to see the rain turned to snow—so I grabbed the Canon 7D and fired away.”

(via Likecool)

It has since closed, and now will transmogrify into Refuel, a casual restaurant of refined comforts at accessible price points. It opens on Wednesday (that’s the new logo to the left).

Times are tough, and when the going gets tough, the tough adapt. If they don’t, well…they die, and dying isn’t very tough, is it?  The change is a smart, necessary move, and the new food menu looks mighty fine, making Refuel a story of prudence I’m particularly looking forward to reading eating.