Monday, September 10th, 2012
Divine Fits at Lee’s Palace in Toronto
Frank YangTo call Divine Fits and their debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits, formulaic will probably be interpreted as a slight, but it shouldn’t. The album is rather exactly the sum of its songwriting parts – half Spoon, half Handsome Furs; a taut and lean thing built on spikes of square waves – be they made by synthesizers or fuzz pedals – and beats so tight they may as well have been quantized through state-of-the-art technology (though they almost certainly weren’t).
That it’s not more magical than that is probably more the fault of those with heightened expectations of what a Britt Daniel-Dan Boeckner collaboration might sound like, and one would have to question where they got those expectations from in the first place – it’s probably safe to say that the first people who thought that Daniel and Boeckner should work together were Daniel and Boeckner. In fact, it’s more remarkable that Divine Fits is as consistent and solid as it is, considering how relatively quickly it was written and recorded, with its high points ranking amongst anything they’ve done with their other bands. Boeckner’s contributions are arguably the more potent ones, not surprising considering the circumstances in which they were written, but none of the songwriting is b-list or cast-off material.
But what may have been mathematical in the studio was more akin to alchemy on the stage. Eschewing traditional tour routing for their first shows – their debut performances were in each of the band principals’ hometowns of Austin, Montréal, and Columbus – they played their twelfth-ever show last Wednesday night at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, a day after playing Los Angeles. Both Boeckner and Daniel have played much larger rooms in the city – the former with Wolf Parade, at least – so it was less a surprise that the room was fairly jammed than the fact that it wasn’t completely sold out.
As a band boasting the two lankiest frontmen in indie rock, Divine Fits have a striking visual presence, made moreso by their decision to dress with Boeckner in all black and Daniel in all white, sartorial etiquette be damned. And while they contrasted visually, live the complimentary nature of their musical aesthetics was so much more pronounced. Swapping guitar and bass duties as well as lead vocals – sometimes touring keyboardist Alex Fischel would cover on bass when a double-guitar attack was needed – they brought a strut and swagger to the show, but also a sincere sense of gratitude for everyone coming to see them – they didn’t take peoples’ attention for granted based on their past works. And while it was impossible to take your eyes off of Daniel and Boeckner, drummer Sam Brown’s contributions were surely felt. He may suffer from being the guy from the band the fewest people have heard of (though I did see someone in a New Bomb Turks t-shirt in rural Québec last weekend, so there’s that), but hearing him lay down the complex beats of the album on only acoustic drums gave the songs a more deliciously primal feel without coming at the expense of any of its rhythmic precision.
With the acoustic drums and heavier reliance on guitars than on the album, Divine Fits sounded almost uncannily Spoon-like at points, with less of the egalitarian Handsome Spoon sonic balance of the album even though it seemed that Boeckner took more lead vocal turns. They played the whole of Divine Fits with a couple of covers – The Wipers and Tom Petty – thrown in to round proceedings out to a full hour, with most songs remaining true to their recorded versions and letting the live arrangements make them into new things, energized and animated by sweat and rock’n’roll. If anyone was lukewarm on the record, the show would have made them believers and if they were already converted, it was nothing short of divine.
The National Post, Post City, and BlogTO were also at the show and have thoughts. Divine Fits are one of the music stories of the Fall, so it’s no surprise there’s feature pieces at – deep figurative breath – Spinner, NOW, JAM, Rolling Stone, The Line Of Best Fit, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, and CBC Radio 3.
Photos: Divine Fits @ Lee’s Palace – September 5, 2012
MP3: Divine Fits – “Would That Not Be Nice”
Stream: Divine Fits / A Thing Called Divine Fits
Rolling Stone talks to Fucked Up about the success of David Comes To Life and their plans for what comes next.
Beatroute, The Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and Exclaim talk to Sloan about the twentieth anniversary of Twice Removed and their plans – tour and reissue – to mark the occasion.
Modern Superstitions have released the first MP3 from their (presumably) self-titled debut album, due out October 23, and I’d say it augurs well.
MP3: Modern Superstitions – “Bad Habit”
NPR has a video session with Diamond Rings. The new album Free Dimensional is out October 22.
Ex-Forest City Lover gone synthpop Kat Burns’ new project Kaska has released a video for the title track of her debut album Vichada, and will also play a hometown record release show for it on October 5 at The Drake, capping off a short run of Canadian shows. Dates and details available at Exclaim, and there’s an interview with Burns at Aside/Beside.
Video: Kashka – “Vichada”
The KW Record interviews Daniela Gesundheit of Snowblink about their new record Inner Classics, out tomorrow. They play the Bicycle Music Festival at Christie Pits on September 15 and have a record release show at The Music Gallery on September 27.
Stereogum, The Montreal Gazette, and Spin chat with Stars. They open for Metric at The Air Canada Centre on November 24.
Le Blogotheque presents a Take-Away Show with Cold Specks
Sunday, September 9th, 2012
Bloc Party covers Nelly Furtado
WikipediaIt’s turning into a bit of a Bloc Party weekend hereabouts, thanks to the band’s upcoming 2.5-night stand in Toronto starting tomorrow night – that’s two nights at the Danforth Music Hall and a free show on Tuesday evening at 7:30PM at Sugar Beach – and this weekend’s giveaway for passes to the Tuesday show.
Clearly they have no small amount of affection for Canada, as further evidenced by their contribution to the 2008 NME Awards magazine cover compilation CD, to which they contributed a cover of BC pop singer Nelly Furtado’s 2006 hit, originally recorded for a BBC1 Live Lounge session. It’s interesting that as much as Bloc Party have sought to incorporate more electronic textures into their music, in covering a slick, synth-friendly Top 40 pop song, they give it a scrappy, all-guitar treatment reminiscent of their debut Silent Alarm.
Bloc Party are currently on tour in support of their new record Four. Nelly Furtdao will release her fifth album the Spirit Indestructible on September 18.
MP3: Bloc Party – “Say It Right”
Video: Nelly Furtado – “Say It Right”
Saturday, September 8th, 2012
Alissa AndersonWho: Vetiver
What: San Francisco-based folk-pop classicists led by Andy Cabic and known for the company they keep, including Devendra Banhart and Gary Louris.
Why: They released their fifth album The Errant Charm back in June. They’d like to play it for you.
When: Friday, September 14, 2012
Where: The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto (19+)
Who else: Support is Brooklyn’s Habibi.
How: Tickets for the show are $15 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want Vetiver” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, September 12.
MP3: Vetiver – “Wonder Why”
MP3: Vetiver – “Can’t You Tell”
Saturday, September 8th, 2012
Frank YangWho: Bloc Party
What: London four-piece given to jagged dance-rock, romantic balladry, occasionally frustrating musical experimentation, and not a little journalist-baiting.
Why: After an almost three-year hiatus that, at times, didn’t seem like it was temporary, they returned this Fall with their fourth album, the cryptically-titled and mostly well-received Four. They’re playing two nights in Toronto – this giveaway is for the second night.
When: Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Where: The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (19+)
Who else: New York punks Ceremony support.
How: Tickets for the show are $35 in advance but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got two pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with, “I want a Bloc Party” in the subject line and your full name in the body and have that in to me by midnight, September 9 – that’s tomorrow. I don’t know if the tickets are for mezzanine seats or general admission floors, but I do know they’re free.
What else: The Sun talks to frontman Kele Okereke.
Video: Bloc Party – “Octopus”
Friday, September 7th, 2012
Jean-Pierre Ferland and Fanny Bloom at Festival de musique émergente 2012
Frank YangSince I’ve covered the essentials of FME in the first two posts, I’ll just preface this one with a curious statistic. Of all the meals I ordered in Rouyn-Noranda over the five days I was there, I’m pretty sure I got the wrong order at least half of those times. Wrong size, wrong topping, wrong food, whatever. And my French isn’t that bad. I mean it’s bad, but I know what I said. Strange. Anyways.
The Sunday of FME was decidedly light on programming – there were still shows, certainly, but not nearly as much and an itinerary of hanging out with friends new and old doing nothing took precedence. Still, there were a couple of things I definitely wanted to catch before the festival was over. Fanny Bloom was the stage name of Fanny Grosjean, former frontperson for Sherbrooke electro-pop group La patère rose, who came to my attention after being Polaris longlisted in 2009 for their self-titled debut. The band dissolved last Summer and Grosjean released Apprentie guerrière, her excellent debut as Fanny Bloom, earlier this year.
She was showcasing this record with an afternoon show at Salle Evolu-Son by way of a set of piano-led modern pop with a light but distinct synthetic edge. It was less arty than I expected; her persona in La patère rose was kind of manic so I thought that might have carried over to her solo context, but it still got pleasantly unhinged at points. As with all Francophone acts, the language barrier was an impediment to fully enjoying/experiencing the music, but melody, emotiveness, and charisma still go a long, long way.
Photos: Fanny Bloom @ Salle Evolu-Son – September 2, 2012
Video: Fanny Bloom – “Parfait parfait”
For the evening, there was really only one option for FME – indeed, for the entire town. I have never heard of Jean-Pierre Ferland, but I was informed he was something of an entertainment legend in Québec and a quick inspection of his credentials would back that up. A recording career that spans more than a half-century and an Officer of The Order Of Canada and Knight of the National Order of Québec are not accolades that many can lay claim to. Nor would the festival have erected a giant stage on the beach of Lac Kiwanis for just anyone, but they did for this rare live performance, and while I can’t find an estimate of how many people came out for the free show, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was in the five digits.
A performer of the old school chanson tradition with a presence not unlike a mischievous uncle, he was accompanied by a big band and backing singers and while I (again) didn’t understand hardly any of what he said or sang, his charm was self-evident and the songs rich with balladry and melodrama, covering bases from folk-pop to disco-rock. I’m sure that it was all slightly – or maybe very – cheesy, but in the very best way and I can’t imagine a more appropriate or authentic way to close out my visit than lying on a hill beside a lake, watching the sun set and the stars rise and taking it all in.
Photos: Jean-Pierre Ferland @ Range Kiwanis – September 2, 2012
And thus ends my FME coverage. It was a decidedly unique experience and while its location makes it difficult to suggest that people just head over and check it out, if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, can speak passable French – not absolutely necessary, but this ain’t Montréal – and have a taste or interest in Canadian Francophone music, it’s worth investigating. And come on – 24-hour poutinerie. Spinner, The National Post, and Exclaim were also all up there this weekend and have shared their experiences and insights.
Anyone remember Friday Night Videos? Yeah? Congratulations, you’re as old as I am. Here’s some new shorts that came out this week to help distract you from that ugly reality. Stereogum has premiered the new video from Sweden’s Holograms, in town at The Shop Under Parts & Labour on September 11.
Video: Holograms – “Fever”
DIY has premiered the new video from Calexico’s Algiers – out next week – and also talk to director Paloma Zapata about the clip.
Video: Calexico – “Splitter”
Rolling Stone and Vulture talk to David Byrne & St. Vincent, who bust a move in the first video from Love This Giant, out next week. They’re at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 20.
Video: David Byrne & St. Vincent – “Who”
Vulture brings you the first video from Beth Orton’s new album Sugaring Season. It’s out October 2 and she plays The Mod Club on September 30.
Video: Beth Orton – “Magpie”
Ellie Goulding has released a video from her new album Halcyon, out October 8, and has confirmed a date at The Sound Academy on October 14. Tickets for that are $25 in advance.
MP3: Ellie Goulding – “Anything Could Happen”
Video: Ellie Goulding – “Anything Could Happen”
Rolling Stone is first up with the new video from Jason Lytle’s new record Dept. Of Disappearance, out October 16.
Video: Jason Lytle – “Your Final Setting Sun”
Sigur Rós’ Valtari video project has produced another clip.
Video: Sigur Rós – “Dauðalogn”
A Music Blog, Yea? – a new site from the Toronto area – has a chat with The Cribs, who have a new video from In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull.
Video: The Cribs – “Anna”
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