In this edition:

• Canadian music sales figures for 2009
• The Sadies prep new LP and collaborative projects with Gord Downie, Andre Williams and Garth Hudson
• Noel Gallagher to return to Toronto to speak at VFest attacker's sentencing
• Young Rival sign to Sonic Unyon, prep debut full-length
• Woodhands named X3 artist of the month
• DD/MM/YYYY to blog for Exclaim throughout their forthcoming massive European tour
• The Wooden Sky get their GPS stolen
• S.C.E.N.E. festival in St. Catherines currently accepting submissions for 2010 festival
• Aux.tv offer up photos from last weekend's Hillside Inside festival in Guelph
• Sandman Viper Command announce Toronto residency
• k-os speaks with HipHopDX about his forthcoming tour with Drake

The Sadies Prep New LP and Multiple Collaborative Projects
The Sadies have a plethora of releases in the works for 2010, including their much-anticipated full-length album due to be released sometime in May. In an interview with Exclaim, the quartet also let slip that they are working on separate collaborative albums with Gord Downie (of the Tragically Hip), Garth Hudson and Andre Williams.

Noel Gallagher To Return to Toronto to Speak at Attacker's Sentencing
Remember VFest 2008 when a drunk guy from Pickering named Daniel Sullivan decided to attack the Gallagher brothers just as they were gaining momentum during their headlining set? He was scheduled to be sentenced on February 5 after pleading guilty to assault causing bodily harm, but his sentencing has been delayed in order for Noel to make arrangements to deliver a victim impact statement about the attack to the judge. Noel suffered three broken ribs, and multiple Oasis gigs were cancelled as a result of his injuries. Good luck, Daniel - you pissed off the wrong Brits.

UPDATE: Sentencing is now scheduled for March 23, and Noel Gallagher will not be attending due to scheduling conflicts.

Southern Souls presents: Forest City Lovers - 'If I Were a Tree'

Southern Souls presents: Hooded Fang - 'Sleep Song'

2009 Canadian Music Sales Figures Released
Here is the rundown: compared to 2008, there was a 2.2% drop in album (all formats - digital, CD, vinyl, cassette) sales, with physical sales dropping 6.7% and digital sales climbing an impressive 42.3% from last year. For the fourth year running, Canada has crushed the US in terms of growth of digital music sales (42.3% versus 8% growth).

The best-selling album in 2009 was Susan Boyle's I Dreamed a Dream (319,000 copies), and the best-selling album by a Canadian was glorified karaoke singer Michael Buble's Crazy Love. Just like pretty much everywhere else in the world, Michael Jackson was the best-selling artist of the year after shifting 651,000 units in 2009.

Minilogues - the Balconies

- Hamilton, Ontario's Young Rival have signed with Sonic Unyon, and will release their self-titled debut full-length on April 13 in Canada, with a US release following a month later. The album was recorded with Jon Drew, who has previously worked with Fucked Up and Tokyo Police Club. Young Rival will stop by the Phoenix Concert Theatre for a show with Born Ruffians on March 13.

- DD/MM/YYYY fans should keep an eye on their ongoing tour blog as they embark on a massive journey through Europe. Keep in mind the last time they went on tour they were arrested for having a pillow fight in their hotel, so this might be worth keeping an eye on.

- k-os spoke with HipHopDX earlier this week, touching on his relationship with Drake in antcipation of their forthcoming US tour together.

D-Sisive - Vlog #5 (FebrarySecondTwoThousand&Tn)

- Burlington's Sandman Viper Command have taken up a residency at C'est What (67 Front Street East), playing the intimate venue every Tuesday in the month of February.

- Woodhands have been announced as the X3 artist of the month by CBC Radio 3, Exclaim and Aux.tv, as well as the spotlight artist of the month on NxEW.ca. Remorsecapade hit shelves just a few weeks ago, and the duo recently dropped a P4K diss track for your listening pleasure. Take the internet hype as an open call to check them out, if you haven't already.

- The Wooden Sky were the victims of a recent van break-in, though thankfully all that was stolen was the "shittiest GPS ever made." They might need to invest in a replacement soon, given that they'll be trekking across Canada for Olympic concerts in BC before heading back to Ontario in early March.

Organ Thieves - 'Sinful' (Live in the Studio)

- Aux.tv has photos from Hillside Inside 2010, which took place this past Saturday at the Sleeman Center in Guelph and featured performances from Woodhands, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Basia Bulat, Bahamas, Hawksley Workman and Ani DiFranco.

- S.C.E.N.E. festival 2010 will go down in St. Catherines on June 27, and they're currently accepting applications from artists interested in playing the single-day event.

Basia Bulat - Live On CBC Radio One's GO

Audio / MP3 Downloads
- Epitaph are offering up a live Weakerthans cut from their forthcoming Live At the Burton Cummings Theatre CD/DVD collection. Grab 'Tournament of Hearts' (MP3)

- Folksinger Jenny Whiteley is offering up 'Ripple Effect' for free download via Spinner. (MP3)

- The Line of Best Fit presents Oh Canada Volume 7, featuring tracks from The Wooden Sky, La Casa Muerte, The Darcys, Zeus, Whale Tooth, Spiral Beach, Daniel Fred & Julie, Postdata, Gentleman Reg and many more. (MP3s in ZIP)

- NYC Taper caught Owen Pallett's show at the Bowery Ballroom on January 18, and is available for free download in FLAC or MP3. Need some more Owen? Pitchfork have posted a Simon Bookish remix of 'Keep the Dog Quiet' for free download. (MP3)

Andrew Cash Live in Concert

On blogTO this week
- I spoke with a couple of the guys behind Wavelength Music Arts Project and previewed their upcoming five-day, tenth-anniversary festival.
- Jennifer profiled TTC buskers Sue and Dwight Peters on the northbound Bloor-Yonge platform.
- Jerrold got nostalgic when Vanilla Ice made a half-time appearance at the Raps game on February 3.

Lead photo of Young Rival playing Wavelength 457 in April 2009 by Matthew McAndrew