Search Results - "Tilly "
Friday, May 20th, 2005
It’s been an eventful eight months for Rilo Kiley since they were last in town at the Horseshoe in October. Their profile and fanbase has grown immensely, More Adventurous has shown up on plentiful best-of lists for 2004, they’ve signed to a major label (Warner Bros) and will be playing the biggest venues of their careers later this Summer when they open for Coldplay across North America. In fact, I fully expect this to be perhaps the last time I see them – if they continue this trajectory, they’ll be playing far larger venues at far higher prices than I’ll probably be inclined to pay. Having gone to a number of bigger shows in the last few months, I know for a fact that I really prefer the smaller ones. I was fairly disappointed in Rilo Kiley’s Horseshoe show – the performance was decent (more on that in a bit) but the sound was awful (at least from where I was) and I had some pretty high expectations of that one that were not met. I was certainly hoping to bring some more positive gig memories away with me last night.
The bill last night was oddly similar to the one that came through last Fall. Two openers – the first one a saccharine-sweet co-ed pop collective (The Brunettes instead of Tilly & The Wall) and the second a mildly brooding but sensitive indie-rock outfit fronted by a really skinny guy (Nada Surf instead of Now It’s Overhead). Deliberate? Coincidence? I do not know.
The Brunettes were such an unexpected treat when they opened for The Shins last month that I did wonder if they’d be as beguiling the second time around. One thing was certain, anyway – they were smaller. Last time, they were touring as a 7-piece – this time, there were only five. Maybe two of them got confiscated at the border? Their set was an abbreviated and somewhat stripped down version of the one they played with The Shins and it went over wonderfully. I suspect much of the crowd had already been converted at that Shins show (same audience demographic) – the response had the zeal of the converted. They were much fun and knowing some of the songs this time around made it that much more enjoyable. Yay, Brunettes.
The last time I saw Nada Surf was the last time I was at the Opera House – a year and a half ago opening for Death Cab. I thought it a little odd that they were touring without a new record to push and almost two years since Let Go came out, but hey – you gotta pay the rent, I guess. I’m not a huge fan of the band. I like them alright on record – Let Go was a pretty good pop album – but live, they scored pretty low on the charismo-meter and pretty high on the bland-o-tron. Well after having a couple years to work out the kinks and refine their live show… they’re still rolling threes. Their overly-long set drew mostly from Let Go and also included a couple of new numbers from their next album, out in September. I didn’t really mind them, per se, but when you’re standing on the most painful floor in Toronto, you don’t want to spend any more time waiting around than is absolutely necessary. I’m sending the bill for my Robaxacet to Nada Surf.
While my next-day review of the last Rilo Kiley show wasn’t especially harsh, my long-term memories are a little less kind. Besides the craptacular sound at that show, I recall that the band seemed a little grumpy. Not a lot of smiling or good vibes, and the performance, while polished, seemed more perfunctory than passionate (oh, the alliteration!). So as I said, I was hoping this one would make up for it. And that it did – in spades. It’s rare that I end up prefering the large venue gig to the small club one, but this show simply stomped all over the Horseshoe show from last October. The band has gotten much tighter and more confident – there was a swagger in their performance that certainly wasn’t there before and they took full advantage of the additional onstage real estate. That they seemed to really be enjoying themselves this time around probably helped the mood of the show as well. The set list was an almost perfectly-paced mix of numbers from More Adventurous and Execution Of All Things (as well as one new song). It took them a couple songs to get the mix sorted out but when they did, it sounded fantastic. At long last I was able to hear Jenny Lewis’ voice loud and clear and it really is a marvelous thing. I’m a little sad that Rilo Kiley’s star is rising so fast and so high. They’re moving onto bigger and better things but I had selfishly hoped that they could stay underground not forever, but just a little bit longer. But if they have to go – and go they do, stardom beckons – then last night’s show was one hell of a farewell gift.
I didn’t make it up to the front for this show – whole lotta tall folks in line ahead of me – so I was shooting from the front of the mezzanine, maybe 15 metres back. The pictures turned out somewhat better than I expected, but not great. Noisy, a lot of crowd in the shots (the stage at the Opera House is low!) and not especially dynamic in composition. Not terrible, but certainly not worth staying up later than I already did to go through them. Check back tomorrow if you wanna see.
Oh yeah, note to the Opera House – bathroom attendants? What the fuck?
And on the topic of the band getting bigger, Jenny Lewis talks to Boston.com about the indie/major tightrope they’re trying to walk (via LHB). Update: The National Post’s Adam Radwanski also covers the topic with Ms Lewis.
Pop (All Love) calls me the Canadian indie blogosphere’s “own Bill O’Reilly. Only less evil”. Thanks, man! I’ll work on those sexual harrassment suits as soon as I can. It is now my mission to have someone register www.sweetjesusihatechromewavesdotnet.com. Oh, and there is a context for his comments, thanks.
PopMatters starts to talk to Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers about The Holy Bible‘s 10th anniversary, and then… digresses.
np – Godspeed You Black Emperor! / Yanqui U.X.O.
Saturday, January 22nd, 2005
Curious time at the Bright Eyes show last night. The transportation gods were with me as I managed to get to the Phoenix with an absolute minimum of time spent outdoors in the -19 cold. Unfortunately, the band had requested that cameras not be allowed in so I had to check mine – a completely futile gesture, judging from the stroborific light show all the camera flashes in the audience created when the headliners took the stage. Y’know Conor, I don’t use a flash… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
What this meant, besides the fact that the photo accompanying this post is NOT from last night or taken by me, is that I spent a rare show somewhere besides right up front (which is good, as I hear Conor is a spitter…). Instead, I was up on the balcony in the licensed section, overlooking the teeming sea of Livejournals, asymmetrical haircuts and black-framed glasses down below.
Tilly & The Wall had just gotten started when I arrived at 5:30 sharp. Punctual, nice. The crowds were still filtering in while they played their typically bubbly tap-pop, but those in attendance were quick to get into the spirit of the show. Their performance didn’t translate quite as well in a large concert hall as it did when they played the Horseshoe last Fall – the mix was excessively boomy, making Jamie’s tap dancing sound like a John Bonham kick drum and Kianna and Neely’s vocals were kinda raspy – but their exuberance and energy helped make up for that. Judging from the number of Tilly & The Wall shirts and tote bags I saw being bought up after the show, I’d say they made some fans.
Paris-based CocoRosie had a tougher time winning over the crowd. Most didn’t seem to know how to take the band’s peculiar circus-folk sound, and the applause was mostly polite. I couldn’t get into them either, I confess – maybe in a different environment they might have come across a little more effectively, but last night I just wasn’t interested.
And then Bright Eyes. From the sound of crowd when they took the stage, you’d think it was the second coming – and for some, it possibly was. It took a couple songs to get the mix sorted out but once it was, the next hour and a half consisted of a very solid set of moderately energetic and nicely arranged folk and country-rock – I can’t get into set specifics because I didn’t actually know most of the material. They played only one song from Lifted and I think one from Fevers And Mirrors – the rest were all new and technically unreleased since I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, from which the rest of the set was taken, isn’t technically out till Tuesday (though they were selling copies of it and Digital Ash at the show). I bought a copy of the record there and while I liked the show alright, the songs definitely impress more on record – probably because Conor Oberst’s lyrics are easier to understand. But my point is is that limited my ability to get into the show somewhat. But seeing Conor fall over a couple times did add to the entertainment value.
But that’s not the curious thing about the show. I went down onto the floor between the main set and the encore to retrieve my camera from the coat check, and some of the audience down there were behaving like they’d just witnessed the rapture (the Biblical event, not the band). There was one girl I saw crying through the whole encore, and others who looked on the verge of tears or ecstasy. It was as if they were experiencing a completely different show than me – they were taking it in on another level entirely… It’s sort of hard to explain, but it was strange. I felt like a tourist.
Anyway. Bright Eyes. Yeah.
Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover has confirmed (though a contact at Capitol) that Idlewild’s Promises/Warnings has NO North American release date, despite what I’ve read and reported. Apologies to anyone who had March 8 circled on their calendars to camp out at their local record store. Hopefully it won’t be too long in coming after the UK release, or Capitol’s Canadian division will import a bunch of copies for our consumption before a proper domestic version is released, as frequently happens. Sometimes there are perks to being a colony! But as some small compensation, here’s the video for the first single “Love Steals Us From Loneliness”. Link from Torr.
The video for Charlotte Hatherley’s new single “Bastardo” is one of the most fun things I’ve seen in ages. But I’ve always had a soft spot for cute girls with Fender Jaguars.
The Independent talks to Mercury Rev about their new album, The Secret Migration, which is out in the UK on Monday but not over here (in CD format, anyway) till April. Boo.
Aimee Mann’s The Forgotten Arm is out May 3.
I’m waiting for The Wedding Present to announce a Toronto date – My money is on April 26, seeing as how they’re in Montreal the 27th and Boston the 28th. Probably Lee’s?
So my apartment decided to celebrate the one-year anniversary of my flood with – get ready for it – another flood. Not nearly as bad this time, it was a pipe in the laundry room, not my apartment proper, but still a real mess and the timing – 12:30 AM – was just gravy. It was almost an hour and a half before the plumber showed up and was able to shut off the water, and I didn’t get to bed till almost 4. FUN. Nothing I like better than being up for 20 hours under significant stress. I don’t know how Jack Bauer does it.
How was YOUR Friday night?
np – Bright Eyes / I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Friday, January 21st, 2005
I owe Mystery & Misery a big heapum thanks for introducing me to The Radio Dept (XL Recordings artist page). I was hankering for something new and his post on these Swedes was just what the doctor ordered. To my ears, they’re the perfect mix of Belle & Sebastian folksy tweeness, eclectic Boo Radleys-ish pop, the gentle electronic flourishes of Trembling Blue Stars and a healthy dollop of Jesus & Mary Chain-approved fuzztones – a perfect mix of grit and delicacy.
It’s like being wrapped in a warm, static-y blanket with soft boy-girl vocals. Bassist Lisa Carlberg only takes lead vocals on one track, but hopefully there’ll be more of her on future recordings. Despite being wonderfully poppy, it took a little time for it to properly sink into my consciousness but now it’s definitely in heavy rotation – highly recommended. Their debut, Lesser Matters, came out in North America last November and they released the This Past Week EP consisting of five all-new songs, uh, this past week. I expect to have a helluva time getting a copy.
I’m not the only one who’s discovered the joys of The Radio Dept., either – Bradley’s Almanac has just twigged onto them and Bob Mould describes one of their b-sides, “You And Me Then”, as “one of the most haunting pieces of music I’ve heard in a while” – he’s got the track available to download from his site. If you want to hear more, check out Labrador Records for mp3s, streams and videos, or this BBC interview.
The Fiery Furnaces tell Billboard their master plan for 2005 – release as many albums as humanly possible.
The House Of Love message board recently conducted a brief interview with Guy Chadwick about the reunion and the new album Days Run Away, out February 28. Read it here, thanks to Joyce for the link.
That Donnas show at the ACC I mentioned yesterday on April 12? Don’t quote me, but it could be opening for U2… Interesting that the date has disappeared from Pollstar’s listings – mayhap someone in Camp Donna jumped the gun in announcing the dates? Conjecture! Hearsay! Shazam! I blame Tori Spelling, or “evil Donna”. Update: So all the press is saying that Kings of Leon are opening the U2 tour… so who’s at the ACC on April 12?
Watch Feist’s new video for “Inside & Out” – very stylish and sexy, a shame about the stream quality. If anyone finds a better one, let me know s’il vous plait. From Brooklynvegan.
Thanks to More Cowbell for bringing the Lawrence.com Turnpike to my attention – there’s a tremendous archive of video interviews and live performances with a slew of great artists, like Arcade Fire, The Shins, Spoon and Neko Case dating back over the past couple years. Great stuff.
Tonight’s Bright Eyes show is early to a ridiculous degree. Doors are at 5pm, Tilly & The Wall start things off at 5:30 and I expect the whole to-do to be over by 9/9:30. The curfew is on account of the fact that the Phoenix turns into a meat market discotheque later in the night, and they have to clear out all the sensitive and impressionable Conor-ites before the debauchery begins. But what this means, practically, is that even if I high-tail it outta work at 5 sharp, I will still probably not make it before things start (assuming they stick to schedule, which honestly is not likely). Never mind trying to get any dinner, either. Oh, and did I mention it’s ridiculously frigid out today? Yeah, that pretty much goes without saying.
Sympathies to Information Leafblower on the passing of his cat, Jarvis.
np – Trembling Blue Stars / Alive To Every Smile
Sunday, November 28th, 2004
Corrections – Neva Dinova is not opening for Bright Eyes at the Phoenix January 21. I’m not sure where I heard that, but it was wrong. Instead, support will be Touch And Go creaky-folky sister act CocoRosie and… Tilly & The Wall! “T! I! L! L! Y! T! I!…” Yay! That show starts at 5:30, so be there early. And if you’re procrastinating in getting tickets… don’t. The Horseshoe was already sold out of their allottment on Friday. Rotate still has some, but I would not be surprised if this one sold out sooner rather than later.
And some of you may have noticed that I’ve taken Gentleman Reg off my concert calendar as opening for Stars at the Mod Club December 18 – that’s because he’s not. The ad in NOW ran incorrect info and I went with it. Reg has corrected me. Support for that show still to be announced.
The Futureheads, who apparently didn’t draw all that well at their show earlier this month but rocked anyway, are determined to win Toronto’s fickle affections. They’re back at Lee’s Palace on February 27.
A member of the Wheat mailing list who knows the band is reporting that the band has indeed split, confirming my earlier fears. I would expect an official statement from the band shortly, considering the shitstorm this will create among the listers, but I’m not surprised – I was afraid of this the day they announced they’d signed to Columbia subsidiary Aware. I am chalking this up as another casualty of the major label grinder. Thanks, guys, we’ll miss you. Update: Ricky from Wheat has responded to the mailing list and emphasizes that while they have NOT broken up, they are taking a hiatus to get their heads together following the roller-coaster experience of the last few years.
I went back to my old old hometown (and college town) of Waterloo yesterday for a dinner party with some old classmates and to inspect Chris’ new (and second) child. Helluva grip at three months old. Babies are cute, but I think I’d rather have a puppy.
Okay all you slacker American bloggers who’ve been MIA for the past four days, you’ve had your turkey gluttony and debaucherous retail orgy – now get back on the job. I can’t do this alone, people.
np – Sufjan Stevens / Seven Swans
Friday, October 29th, 2004
Merge has been extraordinarily tight-lipped about what we can expect from the Dinosaur Jr reissues it’s putting out next year. They’re giving the deluxe treatment to the three SST albums – Dinosaur, You’re Living All Over Me and Bug, and it’s known there will be bonus material but no info on what exactly that will entail. B-sides? Demos? Videos? Expanded liner notes? Photos of embaressing fashion crimes like this one? Apparently, yes. It’s encouraging that J and Lou are at least on civil terms these days. If they’re cooperating on assembling the materials, that’s good news for the fans. While we await further details, there is at least a finalized release date to report – all three albums will be coming out on March 22 of next year. Write it down.
I’ve been a big Dino Jr fan for ages, after all – any band that calls it’s best-of compilation Ear Bleeding Country is a-ok in my books. I don’t know if I’ll replace my copies of Bug and Living, though. Depends what the bonuses turn out to be. Personally, my favourite albums are from the tail-end of the Barlow years and the start of the Warner years. Bug through Where You Been, though “Feel The Pain” is still one of my favourite tunes to play really loud.
Back in the present, J Mascis and his Fog have been busy with some touring on both coasts (but not up here – don’t think I haven’t noticed, J), but no news on when we can expect the follow up to 2002’s Free So Free, and Merge will also be releasing Lou Barlow’s next solo record, Emoh, on January 25.
Glorious Noise takes a peak at Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, the new biography of the late musician.
Tilly & The Wall justify their existance to The Onion AV Club. I would think their almost sickening cuteness would be reason enough.
Click here for live rarities from Leonard Cohen. If you were ever looking for the, uh, ‘circumcised’ version of “Chelsea Hotel”, you’re in luck. His latest album Dear Heather came out this past Tuesday.
Subpop is running a “Take photos of Subpop artists” contest to win a digital camera. Hmm, I’ve only got Rogue Wave and Iron & Wine pics to choose from, and there’s nothing really good in either gallery. Grumblecakes. Not that I need another digital camera, I just like to feel like a winner.
At a loss for what to dress up as for Hallowe’en? The Stranger has some timely suggestions.
np – Drive-By Truckers / Southern Rock Opera
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