Sunday, October 21st, 2007

Sunday Cleaning – Volume 80

Tim Gilbertson / Tim Gilbertson (Pop Echo)

Edmonton’s Tim Gilbertson must not have gotten the memo. Someone neglected to tell him that guitar pop was out of style, that these days it’s all about cramming as many of your friends onstage as humanly possible, mandatory audience-participatory clap-happy bridges, angsty yelped vocals and glockenspiel solos. No one told him that simple, tight pop songs with electric guitar hooks and sleepy-eyed vocals were out of style. And it’s a good thing, else he might not have made this gem of a debut record that reminds of a happier Pinback or less-happy Super Friendz. At just 20 years of age, expect terrific things from Gilbertson in the future – as long as someone keeps intercepting his mail.

Currently winding his way through Ontario on tour, Tim Gilbertson plays the Boat in Toronto on Sunday, October 28 as part of Pitter Patter Nights.

MP3: Tim Gilbertson – “Palm Trees & Postcards”
MP3: Tim Gilbertson – “Get Going”

Figurines / When The Deer Wore Blue (Paper Bag)

Imagine if Mercury Rev had opted not to make Deserter’s Songs but instead drew a trajectory between See You On The Other Side and All Is Dream – the in-between album may very well have sounded like third record from Denmark’s Figurines. They tap into the same wellspring of lightly fey psychedelia and run it through a filter of classic ’60s pop inspiration but aren’t as overtly trippy or borderline chaotic as the pride of upstate New York, and that’s a shame. For this sort of music, grandiose is the name of the game and Deer is just a bit too dry and low-key to encourage proper turning on, tuning in or dropping out. Someone get them Dave Fridmann’s phone number.

Figurines are at the El Mocambo on Friday, October 26 with Dappled Cities.

MP3: Figurines – “The Air We Breathe”
MP3: Figurines – “Hey Girl”
Stream: Figurines / When The Deer Wore Blue
Video: Figurines – “Let’s Head Out” (YouTube)
MySpace: Figurines

By : Frank Yang at 10:24 am
Category: Uncategorized
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  1. Karl says:

    I’m liking both of these. And Feist. So there.