Sunday, January 15th, 2006
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Dungen / Stadsvandringar (Astralwerks)
Listening to this reissue of Dungen’s first album, made available in North America thanks to the success of their latest Ta Det Lungt, I have to wonder. Would people over here be as gaga about this record if Gustav Ejstes were singing in English rather than his native Swedish? Because listening to this collection of psychedelic, hippy-dippy aural patchouli, I can’t imagine Ejstes is singing about anything besides mystical badgers or pirate unicorns. It doesn’t sound at all unpleasant, but not especially remarkable and it sounds suspiciously like good soundtrack music for flower weaving. I mean, flutes? Flutes?!? No codpiece music for me, thanks.
Dungen @ MySpace
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Boards Of Canada / The Campfire Headphase (Warp Records)
I have never been an electronic music guy. Too much of the time when I listen to it, I find myself getting impatient, waiting for something to happen. And I understand that’s just as much my problem as it is the music’s. In the case of Scotland’s Boards Of Canada, the journey seems to be just as important as the destination – or to be a little less cliched and metaphorical, the sounds used are just as important as the songs themselves. They find very pleasant and soothing combinations of laid-back beats, samples and sounds and then just let the run, creating perfect soundtracks for low-impact activities. It’s easy to just close your eyes and let the music carry you away, but it’s kind of weird to open your eyes fifty minutes later and realize you’re still in exactly the same place.
Boards Of Canada @ MySpace
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Sailboats Are White / Turbo! (Let’s Just Have Some Fun)
Wavelength described this Hamilton quartet as “Big Black meets Black Flag” and while I can neither confirm nor deny these comparisons since I barely know either act, I can say that Sailboats Are White are buzzsaw abraisive, spastically tempoed and full of screechy, mealy-mouthed vocals. But perhaps despite their best efforts, there’s usually some sembalence of melody underneath it all and the keyboard lines are kinda nice. I fully expected to hate this album, but don’t really. That said, I don’t think I’ll be listening to it again.
MP3: Sailboats Are White – “Veto”
MP3: Sailboats Are White – “Mutiny Disease”
MP3: Sailboats Are White – “Let’s Set Up North On Fire”
Sailboats Are White @ MySpace
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np – Low / Trust
Saturday, January 14th, 2006
I’m having a little trouble typing this morning. Towards the end of Bluescreen’s set at the Horseshoe last night, I dropped my pick during a bout of particularly frantic strumming and had to make do with my fingers for a while and now have a lovely blister on my right middle finger (“I got blisters on me fingers!”) to show for it. But such is the cost of rock.
Last night was the culmination of over a month of moderately intense rehearsals and crash-course song-learning as I stepped in on guitar duties for the CD release party for Bluescreen’s second album, A Survival Guide To Mishaps And Losses. The bill was definitely a family affair, with Fjord Rowboat (featuring Bluescreen’s other guitarist), In Support Of Living (featuring Bluescreen’s old guitarist) and Raised By Swans (featuring Bluescreen’s producer). But nepotism aside, all the bands fit terrifically together with each act represented a different wavelength of the space-rock/shoegaze spectrum – similar enough in style to appeal to the same audience, but different enough to not get tedious.
I’d been told that the other time I saw Fjord Rowboat was one of their worst shows ever, and after seeing them again last night, I’m inclined to agree. This time their old-school shoegaze, recalling Ride and Chapterhouse, came across leaps and bounds better. Better sound, better performance, better energy. They were graciously giving out free CD-R singles to anyone interested but if you weren’t in attendance (and shame on you if you weren’t) then you can download the tracks here.
In Support Of Living certainly took the title of lushest (that’s a lower case “L”) act of the night, with a seven-piece lineup playing over top of some densely arranged samples. As with Fjord, I enjoyed them a lot more than when I saw them last June. Then, they seemed very loose and free-form – this time, while they still had a very ambient vibe, they were much more structured and song-oriented. No doubt the addition of a vocalist helped out greatly in that department. If I were to draw more shoegaze parallels, I’d put them alongside late-era Slowdive (or maybe their Morr Music disciples) with a dash of less goth-y Cocteau Twins.
London’s Raised By Swans recalled the more modern brand of space rock, akin to acts like Doves or maybe moments of Elbow. Very Mancunian, anyway. I’d been told by a few sources that they were excellent, but hadn’t done any preliminary research to see what to expect. If it wasn’t our show, I’d have said they were highlight of the night. Delicate, dramatic and just great overall. I wish I’d remembered to get one of their CDs…
As for Bluescreen? I think we played pretty damn well, if I do say so myself. It’s all a blur when you’re onstage, but people clapped, cheered, danced, shouted things… all pretty good signs, I think. I managed to not fuck up in the spots I expected to (but did find some new spots to botch up) but all in all – no complaints. It had been so long since I’d played live (over a year and a half, I think) that I was a bundle of nerves right up until we got onstage but once we got going, it was over before I knew it. Playing live is always a blast and when it’s combined with a good audience, well shit. It don’t get much better than that.
And now it’s done and band’s future is a little hazy (geography issues) so I’m a little sad, but god it’ll be nice to have some of my time back. Two to three rehearsals a week really takes a chunk out of one’s free time, let me tell you. Thanks to everyone who came out last night, it was really appreciated – I think the night went well beyond anyone’s expectations. I have photos from the first three acts and would like to thank my lovely assistant for keeping the pics coming for our set. And again, thanks to everyone – audience, bands, sound and visuals people, Horsehoe folk, for a great night.
np – various artists / Almost You: The Songs Of Elvis Costello
Friday, January 13th, 2006
At SxSW 2005, one of the buzzier acts on the slate were Austin natives I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness who, if such a thing existed, would have taken the prize for best band name. They wouldn’t have gotten any blue ribbons for seizing the moment, however, as they promptly dropped off the musical radar shortly thereafter. Well mine, anyway. Well in the interim, it seems that though they were quiet, they weren’t unproductive. Now signed to Secretly Canadian, they’re going to be releasing their debut full-length Fear Is On Our Side on March 7. For whatever reason, I expected them to be awful when I saw them last March, but while I wasn’t blown away I was pleasantly surprised. Enough to remember them (the name helped) and to have my interest piqued when news of the album’s impending release came out.
Secretly Canadian has a track from the new album available to preview, and it’s interesting to compare that with a track from their debut 2003 eponymous EP. The newer track has a more interesting, atmospheric quality to it than one of the older ones (“When You Go Out”), which sounds very much of the jaggy indie-disco style that will hopefully be dead and buried soon. Interestingly, the older one was produced produced by Spoon’s Britt Daniel, who should really have known better. But the other EP track floating around online, “Your Worst Is The Best”, is a surprisingly pop number that shows the bands versitility (or potential for).
MP3: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – “According To Plan”
MP3: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – “When You Go Out”
MP3: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness – “Your Worst Is The Best”
ILYBICD will be at SxSW again this year, according to this expanded list of attending artists which Angryrobot has thankfully converted into a proper tabular form. God bless his angry, robotic heart. On a quick once-over, I’m a little disappointed that there’s no Radio Dept or Howling Bells on the list – bands I had no reason to expect would attend, but one always hopes – but the opportunity to see Gemma Hayes and Charlotte Hatherley (who will have a new solo album in the middle of this year!) for the first time as well as catch Dirty On Purpose and Shearwater again is awfully exciting. But while I’m keeping a preliminary “to see” list, things won’t really get into high gear until the official site posts all the band bios and sample tracks. Seeing the acts you already like is all well and good, but it’s the stuff you’ve no idea about that really makes fests like this worthwhile. That and the BBQ.
The Chronicle-Herald talks to Feist about her Nova Scotian roots.
Jenny Lewis talks about going solo with Rabbit Fur Coat to CMJ. I was lukewarm on the album at first, but am beginning to appreciate it’s rather subtle charms. I’ll have a full review soon. The album is out January 24.
Pitchfork really likes Belle & Sebastian’s live If You’re Feeling Sinister album. Shocker. Tickets for their February 25 show at the Docks are on sale now! I can’t imagine 3500 tickets will go THAT fast, but don’t dawdle too long. And if you’re still kvetching about the venue, get over it. It’ll be a great show. Just make sure you have transportation back into the city arranged beforehand – it’s a long, cold February walk back to civilization. Oh, and keep an eye out for the new issue of Under The Radar, in which the band graces the cover looking fairly bad-ass. It’s the anoraks. They make anyone look tough.
And a final plug for the Bluescreen show at the Horseshoe tonight. Four bands! $7! We’re on at 12:30. It would be lovely to see you. And hey – you can pick up your Belle & Sebastian tickets at the bar and save the service charges! You can’t turn that down.
np – New Order / Power, Corruption And Lies
Thursday, January 12th, 2006
The University of Georgia’s Red & Black tells of Professer Patterson Hood teaching Drive-By Trucking 101 at the school while fellow DBT Jason Isbell cut class to hang out with The Chatanooga Pulse. Luckily, Billboard was in the front row taking notes and learned that their new album, A Blessing And A Curse. will be out April 25. And he’s willing to share the tracklisting, but that’s all.
While the official website for the new album used to have a download of the leadof track, “Feb 14”, it’s now only got that streaming in the background as a soundtrack to a shot of the new album art, photos (from their Flickr group) and videos of recent DBT live performances.
Paste has a pre-independence interview with Nellie McKay.
The Toronto Sun catches up with A Northern Chorus, who are at the Lula Lounge with Sianspheric tonioght. And if that doesn’t satisfy your space-rocking joneses. come see Bluescreen at the Horseshoe tomorrow night. Their/our new album A Survival Guide To Mishaps And Losses got a shiny 4-star review from eye.
I was supposed to go to the Over The Top Fest launch party last night with Final Fantasy, Akron/Family and Great Lake Swimmers, but alas – something came up and I had to bow out. It’s no biggie – I’m sure the opportunity to see FF and GLS will come again soon enough, and Akron/Family are already due back in town on March 21 for a show at the Music Gallery with Deep Dark United and Laura Barrett (tickets $12).
But I will still put forward this question: How has Owen Pallett managed to not get sued by Squaresoft (now Square-Enix, apparently) yet? When he first began performing under the moniker of Final Fantasy, I assumed it would be a temporary, low-profile creative outlet that wouldn’t attract the attention of anyone’s lawyers… but now, as official Arcade Fire alumnus and New York Times profilee, surely someone has taken notice? Or maybe they’re just not saying anyting to avoid anyone remembering their megabomb film of the same name?
The final nominees for the New Pantheon awards are out – the short list (can I call it that?) is up at Billboard. If I were a betting man, and I’m not, I’d have to say it was between Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire (say what?). Because that’s what bloggers like and bloggers are never wrong. Except a lot of the time.
What Would Jesus Blog, a fun new blog with delusions of grandeur, has compiled some 1-star Amazon reviews of otherwise critically lauded indie rock albums… Jesus vs sacred cows. There’s a joke in there somewhere.
Because no one demanded it – Degrassi: The Comic Book. I just don’t get the Degrassi thing. Never have, never will.
np – The House Of Love / Days Run Away
Wednesday, January 11th, 2006
Vincent Moon has directed some gorgeous videos for singles from The National’s Alligator, namely “Lit Up” and “Daughters Of The Soho Riots”, which you can view here. And now he’s added to his impressive videography with some live videos taken from the band’s performances in Paris at La Guinguette this past December, which you can view or download here. They’re so artfully done, they’re practically proper promo clips unto themselves. He’s currently got “Abel” and “Baby, We’ll Be Fine” up, and hopefully “About Today” will be following. Note – these files ain’t small. Which is good news when you’re watching but not so good when you’re downloading.
And speaking of vids, check out the video for “Funny Little Frog”, the first single from Belle & Sebastian’s The Life Pursuit, out February 7. I ordered the CD/7″/DVD package from merry olde Englande yesterday, but since I don’t expect the DVD to play properly in my DVD/TV setup, I will settle for the mildly crappy version from the NME.
KVRX has made available audio from Explosions In The Sky’s very first ever live performance, and I’m sure the band is thrilled about that… Naked post-rock instrumental baby photos! Awww. Via Largehearted Boy.
Some show to note – KT Tunstall is at the Mod Club on March 1, tickets $15. There’ll probably be some dancing at Lee’s Palace on February 10th with OK Go! and controller.controller and on March 22, Lee’s will host Richard Butler, sans Psychedelic Furs.
Thanks to Eugene for sending me the link to this podcast at Public Radio International’s The World, exposing Toronto’s “underground” music scene. Points off for misspelling Jason Collett’s name, but it’s a decent general interest piece otherwise with interview bits with eye‘s Stuart Berman and Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew and Feist.
And speaking of Ms Leslie, JAM! takes a few minutes of her time and gets a peek at the upcoming year in Feist. No mention of the live album but look for the new studio record this Fall.
I got my first cease-and-desist yesterday! Someone objected to the mp3s I’d posted for my year-end list and, via DMCA, contacted my webhosting to lay the smackdown on me. Thankfully, they just removed the offending directory and didn’t shut me down, but I guess I’ve found the limits of what I can get away with in terms of posting files. All this means, really, is that my list for 2006 will only have links to legally available tracks already online. The year-end is really the only time I ever rip tracks myself, but I guess that’s not kosher. I don’t know which track in particular raised the ire in question, but I have my suspicions. Y’know, a quick email is all it would have taken. No need to involve the authorities.
Also fun – I spent the night re-upping about 25GB of music to my iPod. It has been crashing with increasing frequency, doing the “won’t play” thing now once a day… A reset and it’s fine, but it’s annoying. So I wiped the drive and reinstalled the software and hopefully that will set it straight. If not… guh. I don’t want to think about that.
But on the plus side, I did get a copy of The Radio Dept’s Lesser Matters on LP for a mere $10 and to tie today’s post alllll back up in a tidy bow, I also got a copy of Alligator on vinyl the day before yesterday. So you DMCA punks can keep your digital music. I got records.
np – Crooked Fingers / Crooked Fingers
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