Nifty is Matt Smith (Les Mouches) and “A Sparrow! A Sparrow!” is a collection of 7 songs in as many different genres. “Two Figures” is reminiscent of a Tom Waitsian-sonic junkyard while many of the other tracks take off from pop starts into rhythm and drone rhumbas not unlike Arthur Russell or Cluster. You want this.

We’re furiously folding and gluing the first Blocks release by Nifty (aka Matt Smith of Les Mouches). Check in the releases section for more info. Matt is on tour with Final Fantasy this fall , starting soon. In other touring news, Steve Kado aka the Blankket is in Denmark. The Creeping Nobodies are in Finland. We’re working on our “Swedish presence” and Bob Wiseman is opening for Feist for several dates in Europe.

So, recently, someone asked me if Blocks was going to have any ‘presence’ at Pop Montreal this fall. No slur on Pop Montreal, Fucked Up and Final Fantasy are totally playing it this year, but why would an expressly local, Toronto Worker’s Co-op have ‘presence’ at a music conference in Montreal? It just doesn’t make sense: what would be do? Talk about the Argos? Anyway, life: tell me about it! The other reason why there is no Blocks ‘presence’ at PMTL is because the entire board of directors for B.R.C. is heading over to Europe at the end of September for various tours. Bob is opening for Feist (weird!), Steve/The Blankket is doing a clutch of weird Scandinavian shows and James and Matt are going all over the entire continent with the Creeping Nobodies. Owen will be over there soon too!