21 posts tagged “canada”
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07/31/09
Newport Folk Festival Newport, RI
Discography
08/01/09 Newport Folk Festival Newport, RI 08/02/09 Newport Folk Festival Newport, RI 08/06/09 Algonquin Theatre Huntsville, ON 08/08/09 Mont Tremblant Village, PQ 08/13/09 First Canadian Place Toronto, ON 08/21/09 Rose Theatre Brampton, ON 08/29/09 Windsong Fest Powassan,ON 09/12/09 Colourscape Chenango, NY 09/13/09 Colourscape Chenango, NY 09/26/09 Live Wire Music Series, ON 10/01/09 Myer Horowitz Theatre AB 10/02/09 Calgary Folk Club Calgary, AB 10/03/09 Communitea Cafe Canmore, AB 10/22/09 Cobalt Classic Theatre Cobalt, ON 10/23/09 Charles Stockey Theatre Sound,ON 10/24/09 Meaford Town Hall Meaford,ON 11/06/09 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA 11/07/09 Barrie Folk Barrie, ON 11/13/09 Columbus Performing Arts, OH 11/18/09 Brock Theatre, ON 11/20/09 Stony Brook University, NY 11/21/09 Acoustic Brew Concerts, PA 11/22/09 Moore Music Rockville, MD 12/04/09 Aeolian Hall London, ON 01/16/10 Concerts at the Crossing, Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Cross Titusville, NJ 01/22/10 Fish Creek Concerts, Southwood United Church Calgary, AB 01/23/10 Medicine Hat Folk Festival Medicine Hat, AB 03/27/10 Homegrown Coffee House Needham, MA 04/24/10 Meaford Hall, Arts and Cultural Centre Meaford, ON 05/01/10 Circle of Friends Coffee House, First Universalist Society Meetinghouse Franklin, MA
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Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther are Dala,
an acoustic folk-duo from Toronto, Ontario. The origin of these two
best friends sounds like an Afterschool Special, both having met each
other at band practice at their Catholic secondary school in 2002.
Their first record was on an indie label called Big Bold Sun Music, called This Moment Is a Flash, in 2005. In the same year, major-label, Universal Records, must've liked what they heard and quickly sign the band with Angels & Thieves - an album consisting of half cover songs and half original songs.
It's been two years since their last record, but last June saw the release of their label record called Everyone Is Someone. As an album, it's full of melodies, where Carabine and Walther do their vocal harmony thing - often syncing or overlapping each other. It's very soothing, perfect for a quiet evening reading a book.
Some of their songs are quite funny, but not ha-ha funny. For instance, the opening track, "Lonely Girl" is about a lonely girl who "wears her body like lifetime achievement" and a jerk boy who "holds his lovers like quarters for the pay phone". The punchline is to remain the same, "I rather be alone ... than someone you take home".
My favorite song is also the most accessible song, "Levi Blues". The song sounds so familiar to me, I feel like I should know the lyrics and found myself trying to guess the next line (which actually didn't go in the direction in my mind). There's some of that humor, I previously mentioned, about going to China and writing "I Love You" on the wall.
I think someone else must've liked that song too as there is a bonus track on the album, a remix of this song. Personally, I don't like remixes - and especially on "folk" songs, which by definition should remain organic. Still, the "AM Transistor Remix" of "Levi Blues" doesn't take it too far and actually made the song sounds as if it's a pop song (with a full background band).
What makes Dala an effective band is the perfect pitch harmony, combined with usually an acoustic guitar, and personal songs. Listening to them in a quiet setting is ideal, but unfortunately these type of songs rarely fit a dancing or party mood. If you're in the mood for a Jewel or Joni Mitchell, then Dala is perfect for you.
It looks like the band is currently on tour, doing mostly festival or theater settings. Unfortunately, it looks like it's mostly East Coast or Canada-area. Everyone Is Someone can be purchased at Amazon or iTunes.
Their first record was on an indie label called Big Bold Sun Music, called This Moment Is a Flash, in 2005. In the same year, major-label, Universal Records, must've liked what they heard and quickly sign the band with Angels & Thieves - an album consisting of half cover songs and half original songs.
It's been two years since their last record, but last June saw the release of their label record called Everyone Is Someone. As an album, it's full of melodies, where Carabine and Walther do their vocal harmony thing - often syncing or overlapping each other. It's very soothing, perfect for a quiet evening reading a book.
Some of their songs are quite funny, but not ha-ha funny. For instance, the opening track, "Lonely Girl" is about a lonely girl who "wears her body like lifetime achievement" and a jerk boy who "holds his lovers like quarters for the pay phone". The punchline is to remain the same, "I rather be alone ... than someone you take home".
My favorite song is also the most accessible song, "Levi Blues". The song sounds so familiar to me, I feel like I should know the lyrics and found myself trying to guess the next line (which actually didn't go in the direction in my mind). There's some of that humor, I previously mentioned, about going to China and writing "I Love You" on the wall.
I think someone else must've liked that song too as there is a bonus track on the album, a remix of this song. Personally, I don't like remixes - and especially on "folk" songs, which by definition should remain organic. Still, the "AM Transistor Remix" of "Levi Blues" doesn't take it too far and actually made the song sounds as if it's a pop song (with a full background band).
What makes Dala an effective band is the perfect pitch harmony, combined with usually an acoustic guitar, and personal songs. Listening to them in a quiet setting is ideal, but unfortunately these type of songs rarely fit a dancing or party mood. If you're in the mood for a Jewel or Joni Mitchell, then Dala is perfect for you.
It looks like the band is currently on tour, doing mostly festival or theater settings. Unfortunately, it looks like it's mostly East Coast or Canada-area. Everyone Is Someone can be purchased at Amazon or iTunes.
07/28/2009 16:02:52 ♥ vu (
)
♥ dalagirls.com ♥ myspace.com/dalagirls ♥ twitter.com/dalagirls
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Tour Dates
06/14/09
Metro Chicago, Illinois
Read More
06/15/09 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI 06/17/09 Terminal 5 NY 06/18/09 9:30 Club Washington DC 06/19/09 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA 06/20/09 Edge Fest, Toronto, Ont 06/26/09 Hard Rock Calling, London 06/27/09 Glastonbury Festival 07/04/09 Halifax Nova Scotia 07/16/09 Imperial de Que - Quebec 08/21/09 Pukkelpop, Hasslet 08/28/09 Leeds Festival 08/29/09 Reading Festival 08/30/09 Domaine National de Saint Cloud 09/26/09 Parklife Brisbane Festival 09/27/09 Parklife Perth Festival 09/26/09 Parklife Melbourne Festival 09/27/09 Parklife Sydney Festival |
Metric played to a very packed First Avenue last night. The show
was sold out in advance (plus all the reserves at the door were
immediately sold out), so let's just say Minneapolis can't get enough
of this Canadian band.
Before we get to them, we have two very different bands opening up for Metric. First up was cute boy/girl duo, Smile Smile (official/myspace/twitter).
I didn't quite catch what they were saying but Jency Hirunrusme said
something like how they were so glad to be in Minneapolis from Kansas.
What's wrong with Kansas ? They didn't really specify. They seem like
they're a couple, like The Submarines or KaiserCartel.
Note to self: Keep band in mind for another Double Double article.
Saddle Creek's recording artist Sebastien Grainger (official/myspace/twitter) brought the rock, all in that crazy cokacola jumpsuit. At one point Mr Grainger slid across the stage on his knees - he didn't get too far as the performing stage was tiny due to all the other equipment. But I laughed to myself seeing that. As for the music, well best not think too hard (or think at all) when you hear them. They seem like a really fun band, at least the band seems to enjoy themselves.
Note to self: Keep Sebastien in mind for my next Silhouette article.
I've seen Emily Haines live at the Varsity Theater on her solo record, Knives Don't Have Your Back, and between the audience and the venue, it was like night and day. Haines' solo material and live performance is a lot mellower. I don't know if it's the same fans, but last night's audience was mostly younger 18-23 year olds. The audience dance and sung along to every song.
When Emily Haines isn't rocking out the
keyboard, she's rocking the wireless mic in her disco-y glittery dress.
She would play for chunks of five songs and then talk. And when she
talks, it's actually long conversations. I did remember hearing her
thank Radio K and talking about the Minneapolis' shitty weather. All
true.
Perhaps the long talk was meant for the rest of the band gearing up to play the next song (in this case, the first talk-break was before "Gimme Sympathy" and after "Help I'm Alive"). Right after the first encore, "Monster Hospital", she did another long conversation. I didn't catch call the banter, something about music in 2009 or something like that. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, the words were just recited like it was from a poem or something.
PS, Usually I'll just grab the setlist at these shows, but when I asked the guy at the stage, he said to me, "They've gone green, their setlist are on the monitor." Wow, this is a first.
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Note to self: Keep band in mind for another Double Double article.
Saddle Creek's recording artist Sebastien Grainger (official/myspace/twitter) brought the rock, all in that crazy cokacola jumpsuit. At one point Mr Grainger slid across the stage on his knees - he didn't get too far as the performing stage was tiny due to all the other equipment. But I laughed to myself seeing that. As for the music, well best not think too hard (or think at all) when you hear them. They seem like a really fun band, at least the band seems to enjoy themselves.
Note to self: Keep Sebastien in mind for my next Silhouette article.
I've seen Emily Haines live at the Varsity Theater on her solo record, Knives Don't Have Your Back, and between the audience and the venue, it was like night and day. Haines' solo material and live performance is a lot mellower. I don't know if it's the same fans, but last night's audience was mostly younger 18-23 year olds. The audience dance and sung along to every song.
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Metric at First Ave, Minneapolis (06/13/09) |
Perhaps the long talk was meant for the rest of the band gearing up to play the next song (in this case, the first talk-break was before "Gimme Sympathy" and after "Help I'm Alive"). Right after the first encore, "Monster Hospital", she did another long conversation. I didn't catch call the banter, something about music in 2009 or something like that. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, the words were just recited like it was from a poem or something.
PS, Usually I'll just grab the setlist at these shows, but when I asked the guy at the stage, he said to me, "They've gone green, their setlist are on the monitor." Wow, this is a first.
06/14/2009 01:28:14 ♥ vu ()
♥ ilovemetric.com ♥ myspace.com/metricband ♥ twitter.com/MetricBand
I'll admit that these themed-posts takes forever to write and research,
so I hope you appreciate this latest handy guide to handsy albums.
There are a ton of other albums with hands on the cover, but I'm only
including the ones that we've previously mentioned on W♥M.
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chairliftmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Wow, such a great pop song, that "Bruises" song. It's a perfect blend of catchy bass and Rilo Kiley-esque vocals from Caroline Polachek and trying to impress someone with handstand but only regretting getting nothing but black and blue bruises for your trouble. And just when you thought "yes, what a great song", the song turns into a duet! Then ends on a non-sense "doo doo doo", just for good measure. What I like about them, based on their album, Does You Inspire You, is that their lyrics aren't all about love and relationships: "Garbage" is about all the junk we produce ("we're making shit for you to throw away!") and "Planet Health" seems to be a community of health nut and something about putting out fires by stop, drop, and rolling. I won't read too much into their lyrics, because they seem cryptic enough. What I think the band is having trouble with is what musical direction they want to take. They're either really catchy pop song ("Bruises", "Garbage") or no-so-pop music ("Ceiling Wax", "Make Your Mind Up", "Le Flying Saucer Hat" - although the beeps are awesome on this song). I know this sound harsh, but I feel that most people who hear "Bruises" and expecting the band to sound like this for the other 12 tracks might be in for a disappointment. As evidence, I submit one Kate II, who recently saw Chairlift on tour with PB&J. I get the impression that was how the audience react to their show: kind of zombie like, until that "one song" came on. Still, that song is so good and you'll play the pants off that song and ignore what I've said about the rest of the album. The band's currently taking their hit song on the road:
06/11/09 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/18/09 Echo Los Angeles, CA 06/21/09 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, CA 06/22/09 Casbah San Diego, CA 07/18/09 Lovebox London 07/19/09 Latitude Festival Southwold 07/26/09 Secret Garden Party Cambridgeshire 08/01/09 All Points West Liberty State Park, NJ 08/08/09 Lollapalooza Chicago 08/13/09 Oya Festival Oslo 08/14/09 Way Out West Goteborg 08/16/09 Summer Sundae Leicester Get "Evident Utensil" free from killeropeners.net |
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yeahyeahyeahs.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter Let me be clear: we are not a YYY website, I get questions about the banner all the time, showing one model/singer Marijne van der Vlugt. So, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are pretty well-established now, with their third studio album, It's Blitz!. If you've liked the old yyy with their experimental noises and guitars, you may not like their new album - even though I think it's the best and most easily accessible music from them. If you think that's a joke, well the yolk's on you. Because I'm serious, this is their best work... I would recommend It's Blitz!, not the over-hyped Show Your Bones album, to fans that are just getting into the yyys. The band seems to mostly a collaboration between singer/fashion-trendsetter Karen O and guitarist Nick Zinner. They seem to share most of the spotlight, and you almost feel bad for whatthedrummer's dude (Brian Chase). But I don't think he minds it much, based on his incredibly detailed blog. For the most part, the I really liked the electro-dance songs: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Dull Life" sounds anything but dull. There's also a few tuned down tracks, "Hysteric" and "Little Shadow", which are great as you can really take the time and hear Karen O singing. If you get the deluxe edition of the album, which I'll recommend, it comes with four bonus acoustic tracks. Maybe you can pick it up at one of their shows:
06/10/09 Club 101 El Paso, Texas 06/12/09 Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee 06/24/09 T-Mobile In Music Festival Zagreb 06/26/09 St. Gallen Festival St. Gallen 06/27/09 Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats Evreux 06/28/09 Glastonbury Festival Worthy Farm 06/30/09 Openair Arena Vienna 07/01/09 Roxy Prague 07/03/09 Eurockeenes Belfort 07/04/09 Werchter Festival Werchter 07/05/09 Roskilde Roskilde 07/07/09 Docks Hamburg 07/10/09 T In The Park Kinross, Scotland 07/11/09 Oxegen Festival Punchestown, Dublin 07/18/09 Quebec City Summer Festival Quebec City, Quebec 07/19/09 Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, Ontario 07/31/09 All Points West Jersey City, New Jersey 08/28/09 Rock en Seine Paris 08/29/09 Leeds Festival Leeds 08/30/09 Reading Festival Reading |
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antlersmusic.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter I've mentioned before that I think a band is important/notable when they have a Wikipedia page... as usually I rely on the user-submitted website for a lot of research. Unfortunately, The Antler's Wiki page tells you nothing about this mysterious band... only to mention that their latest release, Hospice, was "critically acclaimed". Upon digging, NPR calls Hospice Best Record of 2009 So Far. The band seems to center around Peter Silberman, who's been having a lot of success. He recently signed with Frechkiss Records. Apparently the album, Hospice, was inpired by the idea of caring for a terminal patient, who's mentally abusive. It's a difficult situation because they're the one that's dying... This will all be suddenly clear when you hear "Epilogue", which tells the story in song. So, I'll have to say that listening to the album was a struggle for me. It is very atmospheric and you really need to listen with headphones to try and catch everything. The vocals are often drowned in a sea of noise and it feels like shoegazy/spacey for me. It's also too dense for me, and it seems like the sort of music that Pitchfork would love (and they do). I would suggest checking out "Sylvia" as a sample song, but it's a bit too harsh and loud. Instead, I'll direct you to check out "Two". There's a lot of interesting sound on this song, and the vocals sounds like it's being sung far, far away from the microphone. Oh yeah, tour dates:
06/10/09 BAR PINK San Diego, CA 06/11/09 EL REY* LOS ANGELES, CA 06/12/09 VELVET JONES* Santa Barbara, CA 06/13/09 BIMBOS* San Francisco, CA 06/14/09 DRUNKEN UNICORN+ (Peter Solo) Atlanta, GA 06/16/09 LOCAL 506+ Chapel Hill, NC 06/17/09 OUTBACK LODGE+ Charlottesville, VA 06/18/09 IOTA+ Arlington, VA 06/19/09 M ROOM+ Philadelphia, PA 06/21/09 MAGIC STICK# Detroit, MI 06/26/09 SOUNDFIX presents @ ROOFTOP FILMS New York 07/18/09 PITCHFORK FESTIVAL Chicago, IL 07/21/09 MAGIC STICK# Detroit, Michigan 07/22/09 HORSESHOE TAVERN# Toronto 07/23/09 PETIT CAMPUS# Montreal 07/24/09 JERKY’S# Providence, RI 07/25/09 IRON HORSE# Northampton, MA 08/21/09 MERCURY LOUNGE (record release!) New York 09/12/09 MONOLITH FESTIVAL Morrison, CO 09/13/09 MONOLITH FESTIVAL Morrison, CO * w/ Au Revoir Simone, + w/ Cotton Jones, # w/ Frightened Rabbit |
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hootsandhellmouth.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter So, the first thing I think about when I hear Hoots and Hellmouth's sophomore album, The Holy Open Secret, is that they are good old country folks. You can't help but smile when you hear their music, that's for sure. It would seem that the band name comes from their two primary songwriters: Sean Hoots and Andrew "Hellmouth" Gray (the nickname comes from an ex-girlfriend). The band came together as part of the West Chester University music scene in Philadelphia in 2005. Obviously, as I previously mentioned, I was drawn to the happier songs (banjo-picking "You and All of Us", "Watch Your Mouth"), while the softer, more introspective songs ("Ne'er Do Well", "Family Band") fits well enough in the album, but I don't know how well-receive they will be performed live. To me, they seem like a high-energy live band. It's also worth noting when I saw "What Good Are Plowshares If We use Them Like Swords", this is the first time I've ever heard the word plowshare used in a song. It made me smile as I think of Magic the Gathering. Yes, they're on tour:
06/09/09 The Redstone Room Davenport, IA 06/10/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN 06/11/09 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI 06/13/09 Intersection+ Grand Rapids, MI 06/14/09 Ribfest Chicago - North Stage Chicago, IL 06/18/09 joe’s pub New York, NY 06/19/09 Gullifty’s Camp Hill, PA 06/20/09 Southern Shore Music Festival Millville, NJ 07/03/09 Jewish Mother* Virginia Beach, VA 07/04/09 Jewish Mother* Virginia Beach, VA 07/09/09 Club Passim Cambridge, MA 07/10/09 Empire Dine & Dance Portland, ME 07/11/09 StageOne Fairfield, CT 07/16/09 The Basement Nashville, TN 07/17/09 JJ’s Bohemia# Chattanooga, TN 07/18/09 The Beacon Pub Swannanoa, NC 07/19/09 Unplugged in the Park @ Park Tavern Atlanta, GA 07/21/09 The Melting Point Athens, GA 07/22/09 The Evening Muse Charlotte, NC 07/23/09 The Camel Richmond, VA 08/05/09 Musikfest - Liederplatz Stage Bethlehem, PA 08/07/09 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT 08/14/09 Summerfest Society Owen Sound, ON 09/11/09 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI + w/ Rev Horton Heat! * with The Hackensaw Boys # w/ Madeline and The Ginger Envelope |
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06/08/2009 01:25:28 ♥ vu ()
♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com
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04/09/09
HMV - In-Store at 333 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario
Discography
04/12/09 Live 88.5 Lounge Ottawa, ON 04/14/09 Mod Club Toronto, Ontario 04/16/09 Apple Store Saint-Catherine Montreal, Quebec 04/24/09 Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival Whistler, British Columbia 05/04/09 La Maroquinerie Paris 05/05/09 Luxor Koln 05/06/09 Melkweg Amsterdam 05/08/09 Les Nuits Botanique Brussels 05/09/09 Magnet Berlin 05/11/09 Academy 3 Manchester 05/12/09 Oran Mor Glasgow 05/13/09 Kasbah Coventry 05/15/09 Great Escape Festival Brighton 05/16/09 Thekla Bristol 05/17/09 Oxford Academy Oxford 05/18/09 Electric Ballroom London 06/04/09 The Showbox Seattle, WA 06/05/09 Wonder Ballroom Portland,OR 06/06/09 BFD Fest San Francisco, CA 06/07/09 Independence Jam San Diego, CA 06/08/09 Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles, CA 06/11/09 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO 06/12/09 Granada Lawrence, Kansas 06/13/09 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN 06/14/09 Metro Chicago, Illinois 06/15/09 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI 06/17/09 Terminal 5 New York, NY 06/18/09 9:30 Club Washington, DC 06/19/09 Trocadero Philadelphia, PA 06/20/09 EDGEFEST - DOWNSVIEW PARK Toronto, Ontario
Video |
There seems to
be a problem with music being leaked online, and in order to combat it,
the record company are forced to release albums earlier than their
original release dates. Case in point is Metric's Fantasies to be sold as of yesterday (April 7th, originally scheduled for April 14th). I suspect it has something to with the fact that it's been four years since Metric was together.
Edit: I'm am told the release date is still April 14th, however digital version are made available once you preorder and exclusively on iTunes since March 31st.
I did check out their pre-order page, it seems you're still going to have to wait until the end of April to get the 180g 12" and other specialty items. Still, if you're a mega fan, you'll definitely want the deluxe package, which will include a special VIP Fan Pass and "Hardcover Digipack CD". Very tempting!
So, I've briefly mentioned Metric before, and I noted that all Toronto musicians are from the big bang called Broken Social Scene. That's not exactly true, although Metric's two core members (Emily Haines and James Shaw) have played with BSS, Metric was actually formed a year earlier than BSS in New York.
By 2004, Metric had a commercial success with "Combat Baby",
which might have been sparked by iTunes' free download. The single
moved the album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? and pretty much followed by their award-winning sophomore album Live It Out. It sold so well in Canada that they released their original first album Grow Up and Blow Away - which was recorded a long time ago, but finally officially released in 2007.
I think singer/songwriter Emily Haines needed a break, at least from the full band, that she went solo for a time. I got a chance to catch her at the Varsity Theater a few years ago, where she mainly stuck with new darker Haines song.
With Fantasies, Haines explained in the "behind the scene" documentary below, that she went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to escape the major city to do some music writing. She was relieved that no one in Argentina knew who she was and she seems genuine happy.
I am happy to let you know that I had a chance to listen to Fantasies for the past few days for review. Here are the songs that I really, really, like:
Edit: I'm am told the release date is still April 14th, however digital version are made available once you preorder and exclusively on iTunes since March 31st.
I did check out their pre-order page, it seems you're still going to have to wait until the end of April to get the 180g 12" and other specialty items. Still, if you're a mega fan, you'll definitely want the deluxe package, which will include a special VIP Fan Pass and "Hardcover Digipack CD". Very tempting!
So, I've briefly mentioned Metric before, and I noted that all Toronto musicians are from the big bang called Broken Social Scene. That's not exactly true, although Metric's two core members (Emily Haines and James Shaw) have played with BSS, Metric was actually formed a year earlier than BSS in New York.
I think singer/songwriter Emily Haines needed a break, at least from the full band, that she went solo for a time. I got a chance to catch her at the Varsity Theater a few years ago, where she mainly stuck with new darker Haines song.
With Fantasies, Haines explained in the "behind the scene" documentary below, that she went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to escape the major city to do some music writing. She was relieved that no one in Argentina knew who she was and she seems genuine happy.
I am happy to let you know that I had a chance to listen to Fantasies for the past few days for review. Here are the songs that I really, really, like:
- "Gold Guns Girls"
Heavy guitars and percussions starts the song with Haines weirdish sexual lyrics "all the toys and the tools in the box, couldn't get you off". I think this song will do really well, especially live. If you're hearing it for the first time, you probably won't hear or understand the lyrics, but the music will keep you feet-tapping. - "Gimme Sympathy"
I think this is the new single for the album, which I can't say I disagree with their pick. It features a lot of Haines' bold and hollow vocals. The video for the song is pretty standard "live" performance, but if you stayed to the end: scary children running on stage! BTW, two points for "Beatles" or "Rolling Stone" and "here comes the sun" references. - "Satellite Mind"
I really liked "Satellite Mind", I feel it has the same energy and tone as "Live It Out" from their album with the same title. And who can't relate to these lyrics: "I'm not suicidal, I just can't get out of bed.".
04/09/2009 00:17:58 ♥ vu ()
♥ ilovemetric.com ♥ myspace.com/metricband
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Set List ♥ Cedar Culture, Minneapolis (03/27/09)
03/28/09 Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club Kansas City, Missouri
Read More
03/30/09 Hi Dive Denver, Colorado 04/01/09 Plush Tucson, Arizona 04/02/09 Pappy & Harriets Pioneertown, California 04/14/09 GRAMMY Museum Emerging Artist Series Los Angeles, CA 04/23/09 La Maroquinerie Paris 04/24/09 Brotfabrik Frankfurt 04/26/09 El Lokal Zurich 04/28/09 Palace St. Gallen 04/29/09 Zakk Dusseldorf 04/30/09 Pumpenhaus Munster 05/02/09 Oosterpoort Groningen 05/03/09 O 13 Tilburg 05/04/09 AB Club Brussels 05/07/09 Vooruit Ghent 05/08/09 Knust Hamburg 05/10/09 Quasimodo Berlin 05/11/09 Objekt 5 Halle 05/12/09 B 72 Austria, Wien 05/13/09 Registratur Munchen 05/15/09 Kino Ebensee 05/16/09 Schlachthof Wels 05/17/09 E-Werk Erlangen |
It's a chilly
night. Come on Minnesota, it's very late March, why am I still wearing
a jacket? Even Eleni Mandell admitted that she hoped to survive her
travel through the midwest due to a possible upcoming blizzard
(tomorrow).
We'll get to Mandell later, first up was folkster Daniel Martin Moore
(danielmartinmoore.com/myspace) with his acoustic guitar and collection of friends (including the
world's quietest drums). Highlight from his set is his cover of "Smile"
- originally composed by Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplin song, but made
famous by Nat King Cole in the mid-50s. Moore's version features a
piano, played by his brother, who apparently lives in Minnesota.
The other highlight was a secret appearance by Haley Bonar (haleybonar.com/myspace) who showed up to sing backup. People may remember that I personally chose Bonar's song, "The Queen Of Everything", to represent a bunch of wonderful Minnesota bands and singers.
The thing about the Cedar Culture Center is that every time I go here,
it seems the audience are all NPR members. Sometime there are young
people, but not tonight. This is not a knock against the Cedar, it's
just a warning for you to expect a pretty low-key, sit-down night. The
benefit is that instead of a noisy bar atmosphere, the venue is perfect
for actually listening to the band as they play. And every noise and
note can be heard... So yeah, a wonderful place to hear the band.
Eleni Mandell took the stage with her guitar and played two songs solo (which are actually not listed on the official set list), before being joined on stage by the rest of the band.
Half way into "Artificial Fire", Nigel had problems with his bass... which lead to about 10 minutes of awkwardness as the Cedar sound guy ran backstage to get another bass guitar. This lead to Mandell talking about how they've been on the road since 7am from Chicago, Illinois.
Mandell remained talkative at certain songs, explaining how she tried to kiss this man, who pulled back and had no idea she was in love with him. She called the song "Tiny Waist", after something he had said to her.
They mostly stuck to new songs (because she loved them so much), with a few exception. I thought "Pauline" (from her 2000 album Thrill) sounded amazing towards the end.
It should also be noted that Jeremy Drake is a very excellent guitarist, with his wonderful guitar-playing and foot pedals and warped/spacey sounds.
The other highlight was a secret appearance by Haley Bonar (haleybonar.com/myspace) who showed up to sing backup. People may remember that I personally chose Bonar's song, "The Queen Of Everything", to represent a bunch of wonderful Minnesota bands and singers.
Eleni Mandell at the Cedar Culture, Minneapolis (03/27/09) ♥ photo by Vu |
Eleni Mandell took the stage with her guitar and played two songs solo (which are actually not listed on the official set list), before being joined on stage by the rest of the band.
Half way into "Artificial Fire", Nigel had problems with his bass... which lead to about 10 minutes of awkwardness as the Cedar sound guy ran backstage to get another bass guitar. This lead to Mandell talking about how they've been on the road since 7am from Chicago, Illinois.
Mandell remained talkative at certain songs, explaining how she tried to kiss this man, who pulled back and had no idea she was in love with him. She called the song "Tiny Waist", after something he had said to her.
It should also be noted that Jeremy Drake is a very excellent guitarist, with his wonderful guitar-playing and foot pedals and warped/spacey sounds.
03/28/2009 01:49:10 ♥ vu ()
♥ elenimandell.com ♥ myspace.com/elenimandell
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02/21/09 Casbah San Diego, California
Discography
03/05/09 Joe’s Pub New York, New York 03/06/09 The Mod Club Toronto, Ontario 03/07/09 Le Divan Orange Montreal, PQ 03/08/09 TT The Bear’s Cambridge, MA 03/09/09 Tin Angel Philadelphia, PA 03/18/09 Mercury Lounge Goleta, CA 03/19/09 Cafe du Nord SF, CA 03/21/09 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR 03/22/09 The Triple Door Seattle, WA 03/25/09 The Picador Iowa City, Iowa 03/26/09 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL 03/27/09 Cedar Minneapolis, Minnesota 03/28/09 Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club Kansas City, Missouri 03/30/09 Hi Dive Denver, Colorado 04/01/09 Plush Tucson, Arizona 04/02/09 Pappy & Harriets Pioneertown, CA 04/23/09 La Maroquinerie Paris 04/24/09 Brotfabrik Frankfurt 04/26/09 El Lokal Zurich 04/28/09 Palace St. Gallen 04/29/09 Zakk Dusseldorf 05/01/09 Pumpenhaus Munster 05/02/09 Oosterpoort Groningen 05/03/09 O 13 Tilburg 05/04/09 AB Club Brussels 05/07/09 Vooruit Ghent 05/08/09 Knust Hamburg 05/10/09 Quasimodo Berlin 05/13/09 Registratur Munchen 05/15/09 Kino Ebensee 05/16/09 Schlachthof Wels 05/17/09 E-Werk Erlangen
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Eleni Mandell's latest album is Artificial Fire and it was released last Tuesday on Zedtone Records. With already six albums under her belt, she's amassed quite a few fans - particularly in Canada and France.
I felt the cover artwork (in addition to songs like "I Love Planet Earth" and "God Is Love") had an out-of-this world feel to it, black background with spiraling dots. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, the only credit to the artwork are "dots" by Alia Penner. You can see a sketch of it on her website.
Most of the album is pretty mellow, despite having a full band of guitar/bass/drums and the occasional horns and wind instruments. If you're into mild girl singer/songwriter-type of music, this is probably up there with the best of it.
The one "loud" songs are "Cracked", a song about losing faith in God because of someone's betrayal? "I'm cracked for you, my soul has been twisted. I'm cracked for you, my heart has been blistered." The song has a punk-ish attitude, which is what I liked about it.
The more I think about Mandell, her singing reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey, especially with "Pauline" from her album Thrill, and especially on the opening song "Artificial Fire".
"Artificial Fire" is a wonderful little song that doesn't seem to go anywhere, despite all the directions and maps and questions in the lyrics. That guitar-playing is very catchy as well! Mandell liked the song so much, they made a little music video for it.
Hey, she's on tour! It looks like she's coming to Minneapolis, at one of my current favorite sit-down venue, The Cedar this late March. I may do more writeup of her if I end up going to see her.
Information on how to get her records can be found on Zedtone.
I felt the cover artwork (in addition to songs like "I Love Planet Earth" and "God Is Love") had an out-of-this world feel to it, black background with spiraling dots. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, the only credit to the artwork are "dots" by Alia Penner. You can see a sketch of it on her website.
Most of the album is pretty mellow, despite having a full band of guitar/bass/drums and the occasional horns and wind instruments. If you're into mild girl singer/songwriter-type of music, this is probably up there with the best of it.
The one "loud" songs are "Cracked", a song about losing faith in God because of someone's betrayal? "I'm cracked for you, my soul has been twisted. I'm cracked for you, my heart has been blistered." The song has a punk-ish attitude, which is what I liked about it.
"Artificial Fire" is a wonderful little song that doesn't seem to go anywhere, despite all the directions and maps and questions in the lyrics. That guitar-playing is very catchy as well! Mandell liked the song so much, they made a little music video for it.
Hey, she's on tour! It looks like she's coming to Minneapolis, at one of my current favorite sit-down venue, The Cedar this late March. I may do more writeup of her if I end up going to see her.
Information on how to get her records can be found on Zedtone.
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02/21/2009 14:00:38 ♥ vu ()
♥ elenimandell.com ♥ myspace.com/elenimandell
My theory about band names with repeating words is that they're easy to
remember and easier to say. So below are some bands with repeating
words.
Did you all like that? Check out some other bands that we've previously covered:
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ganggangdance.com ♥ myspace.com Gang Gang Dance caused quite a stir on last year's CMJ. I know for a fact that they left a great impression on all the people that went to see them. Their music is best described as "experimental", if not world primitive or tribal rhythm (see Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Apache Beat). Saint Dymphna is their fourth album, having already established themselves in the New York scene. If you listen carefully to the album, each song flows into the next with background noises and such. Among the songs that stood out, I did enjoyed the rap-ish song "Princes", which is sung by Tinchy Stryder. He's from London, so you can hear the distinctive accent in his lyrics. Although this could easily be their stand-out-track, I felt it wouldn't represent the band's sound as it sounds pretty different from the rest of the album. While as much as I enjoy the occasional, as Lara puts it, "Weird Crazy Things That Sound Like Woodlawn Creatures and Kitchen Utensils", Saint Dymphna does an OK job on balancing this sound with more pop-friendly tunes like "House Jam". "House Jam", along with "First Communion" and "Princes", really made the album worth checking out, even if you don't like that sort of thing. So find out why Fact Magazine thinks "one of the best albums we've heard all year." You can pick up anywhere, including amazon and itunes. They will be heading out to do a massive world tour:
02/13/09
Paradiso Amsterdam
02/14/09 AB Club Brussels 02/15/09 Uebel + Gefahrlich Hamburg 02/16/09 Schauspielhaus Leipzig 02/17/09 Volksbuhne Berlin 02/18/09 Karlstorbahnof Heidelberg 02/19/09 Generiq Festival Dijon 02/20/09 Point Ephemere Paris 02/21/09 Route du Rock Festival St. Malo 02/22/09 Grand Mix Tourcoing 02/25/09 Roadhouse Manchester 02/26/09 Dingwalls London 02/27/09 Fleece Bristol 02/28/09 Audio Brighton 05/30/09 Primavera Sound Festival Barcelona |
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tapesntapes.com ♥ myspace.com I'm not qualify to write this review, but since I couldn't actually convince my local writers here to do an article on their second album, Walk It Off, because they actually paid real-life money for it... I don't know what all the fuss is about this band. I think sometime in 2007, I started hearing this band a lot from friends and not-so-friends. So definitely, there's some huge buzz and they're known in other parts of the world - not just in Minneapolis. Andrew reckons that the band got so massive that they basically left Darren (from Kid Dakota) on his own for his just-released The Hopefuls' album (someone, not me, is supposed to review this one). Anyway, my expectation for Tapes 'N Tapes' Walk it Off is that it's supposed to be fun and bouncy and dancey. It's not. The album failed on all three accounts. Maybe I'm just not listening to it right? The most exciting song on the album is possibly "Le Ruse", all the other songs, including their single, "Hang Them All", did not did not impress me. Hey, but if you're looking for a cool indie band, you should check out Tapes 'N Tapes, everyone else seems to love them. Hopefully Lara & Kate will have some favorable things to say about them on February 6th, when they are stopping back home with what the LA Times are calling "2009 Artist to Watch", Wild Light. The tour dates:
01/15/09
The Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska
01/17/09 Fox Theater Boulder, Colorado 01/19/09 Neurolux Boise, Idaho 01/20/09 Neumo’s Seattle, Washington 01/21/09 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon 01/23/09 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California 01/24/09 El Rey Theater Los Angeles, California 01/25/09 The Casbah San Diego, California 01/27/09 Sante Fe Brewing Company Sante Fe, New Mexico 01/29/09 Parish Austin, Texas 01/30/09 Club Dada Dallas, Texas 01/31/09 Opolis Norman, Oklahoma 02/02/09 Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, Kansas 02/03/09 Mojo’s Columbia, Missouri 02/04/09 Maintenance Shop @ Iowa State Ames, Iowa 02/05/09 Nutty’s Sioux Falls, South Dakota 02/06/09 First Ave Minneapolis, Minnesota 02/20/09 Legends @ Notre Dame South Bend, Indiana 02/21/09 The Basement Columbus, Ohio 02/22/09 Brillobox Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 02/24/09 Paradise Boston, Massachusetts 02/25/09 Bowery Ballroom New York, New York 02/26/09 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York 02/27/09 Rock & Roll Hotel Washington DC, Washington DC 02/28/09 Johnny Brendas Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 03/02/09 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina 03/03/09 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia 03/04/09 Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama 03/05/09 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee 03/06/09 Phoenix Hill Tavern Louisville, Kentucky 03/07/09 Metro Chicago, Illinois |
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paschicchic.com ♥ myspace.com Pas Chic Chic! (which means "not smart"?) are a band based out of Montreal, Canada. Their debut album, Au Contraire was released last year on Semprini Records... and it's entirely in French. The songs are mostly sung by Eric (?), with the exception of a few songs by Marie-Douce ("Se Mirer Mare", "Mlle Mille" and "Brise Méprise") which comes off as very 60s girl pop. Eric's songs sounds like it's trying to be sexy, and maybe it is to girls swooning over his sex Canadian French accents. There's a few brilliant pop songs on the album that I really enjoy, including "Mlle Mille" and "Tesclichés Déclenchés". My favorite is "En Chaine et en Vogue", which is a good example of their sound because the boy-girl vocals works very well here. Apparently the band caught the attention of Julian Cope (who apparently when not being a musician is also a music critic): Look for the band coming up on "Canadian Music Week" on March 12th in Toronto. You can find Au Contraire digitally (itunes or emusic) or CD via amazon. |
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myspace.com Possibly one of the worst name for a band, and equally "catchy" album name, is Pee-Pee's Castile Jackine is Vooded at Broonus Mousin: Volume 1. If you can get past the name(s), this is a pretty interesting and developed band, from the strange non-sense improv of "Freakout Jam" to rock funk of "I Love U 2 Much" to the melodic folk "I Hope My New House Feels Welcoming For You". There's a lot of layers in their music, with a lot of instruments that you would find in bluegrass or Americana band: a saw here, an accordion there. I'm not sure if I hear the banjo, but I wouldn't be surprise if they incorporate that in their music. What sets them apart from traditional Americana bands is that they seem to really enjoy using technology to make them sound warp. For example, check out the sound from the acoustic guitar on "Love needs a Quivering, Restless, Aching, Fire to Lay its Head On" and vocals on "Madness Song (remix)". The different shifts in style and tone of their songs makes the album all over the map. I'll only recommend the album if you enjoy different genre of music, but fans of Animal Collective and Of Montreal to 60s psychedelic rock should like this band. Be on the look out for Volume Two of Castile Jackine..., as the album is actually already "in the can" as they say. Apparently in recording of their album, they had enough material to be split on two albums. You can get Castile Jackine..., released last November on the Helmet Room Label, at most online stores (emusic), physical CDs can be found on cdbaby. PS, bonus points for utilizing "Hey Jude" on "O, Little Boy". |
Did you all like that? Check out some other bands that we've previously covered:
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Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
podcast.weheartmusic.com
news.weheartmusic.com
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PART ONE: THE LUCKSMITHS
thelucksmiths.com.au ♥ myspace.com
Representing The Lucksmiths, a band that needs no introduction, is bassist Mark Monnone, from the Summer-er-ness of Melbourne, Australia (while I'm buried in a blizzard in Minneapolis).
You would think that since I am a longtime Luckies fan and having over 200 of their songs (and knowing most of them by heart), it would be easy. It's not. Add on top of that, 0% preparation time... well a disaster, I tell you.
Also, the audio for this interview is terrible, and it's all my fault. When I couldn't hear Mark's vocals, I had set his audio to maximum and forgot to reset it back - so as a result the audio is extra loud. I tried to fix it as best I could by applying some filters, but I think the audio could be better.
So super apology to Mark and the Lucksmiths.
PS, just to let you know what a dork I am when it comes to this band, if you type in "successlessness" dot vox dot com into your address bar, guess where it takes you? I eventually had to change the name to "we heart music" as no one in the world can spell that 's' word.
Download his segment: Some topics:
PART TWO: AMY CAMPBELL
amycampbell.ca ♥ myspace.com/amycampbellsongs
Amy Campbell is an acoustic folksy singer/songwriter from Toronto, Canada. She came on W♥M Radio to talk about her music. You can buy Oh Heart, Oh Highway directly from her website. It isn't so pricey if you consider it's two discs with a book of art and writing from Amy Campbell. Plus it's in knowing the money goes directly to the musician, not some corporation, so it's all good.
Download her segment: Some highlights:
thelucksmiths.com.au ♥ myspace.com
Representing The Lucksmiths, a band that needs no introduction, is bassist Mark Monnone, from the Summer-er-ness of Melbourne, Australia (while I'm buried in a blizzard in Minneapolis).
You would think that since I am a longtime Luckies fan and having over 200 of their songs (and knowing most of them by heart), it would be easy. It's not. Add on top of that, 0% preparation time... well a disaster, I tell you.
So super apology to Mark and the Lucksmiths.
PS, just to let you know what a dork I am when it comes to this band, if you type in "successlessness" dot vox dot com into your address bar, guess where it takes you? I eventually had to change the name to "we heart music" as no one in the world can spell that 's' word.
Download his segment: Some topics:
- The Lucksmiths' less than thrilling secret origin
- Extra four band member
- MiniDisc!! (the first song I've heard from the Luckies is "Shine on Me")
- The recording of First Frost in Tazmania
- "First Frost" recent tour last November
- The story behind "Young and Dumb" and "Requiem For The Punters Club"
- The Smiths Tribute album
- Thoughts on Tali's Guild League
- About Spring A Leak
- "Transpontine" explained
- Mark's been listening to The Harpoons and The Crayon Fields. Both bands come highly recommended, so I'll be sure to add them to my to-do list for 2009.
amycampbell.ca ♥ myspace.com/amycampbellsongs
Amy Campbell is an acoustic folksy singer/songwriter from Toronto, Canada. She came on W♥M Radio to talk about her music. You can buy Oh Heart, Oh Highway directly from her website. It isn't so pricey if you consider it's two discs with a book of art and writing from Amy Campbell. Plus it's in knowing the money goes directly to the musician, not some corporation, so it's all good.
Download her segment: Some highlights:
- Canada and Poutine
- Description of Oh Heart, Oh Highway, a 2-disc set with book
- Joni Mitchell-description
- Battleaxe Folk
- Her approach to songwriting
- The recording of Oh Heart... and the musicians involved in the album
- Touring and booking dates
- New songs being written
- Tour Dates
02/07/09 The Cameron House Toronto, Ontario
02/21/09 Lodge On Amherst Island Amherst Island, Ontario
02/22/09 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
02/27/09 Cafe Ole Pembroke, Ontario
02/28/09 Cafe Ole Pembroke, Ontario
02/21/09 Lodge On Amherst Island Amherst Island, Ontario
02/22/09 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
02/27/09 Cafe Ole Pembroke, Ontario
02/28/09 Cafe Ole Pembroke, Ontario
Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com
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THE PIMPS OF JOYTIME thepimpsofjoytime.com ♥ myspace.com They actually sent me two albums, their 2007 High Steppin, and a remix album called Funk Fixes & Remixes. Just quickly on the remix album, it's pretty dancey and fast-paced but on one particular track ("Street Sound" remix by Nikodemus), it was hard for me to listen to on headphones because I started hearing all these "static" sounds which is actually part of the remix. High Steppin sounds to me as heavily influenced by funk, but there are some interesting genres thrown in as well. For instance, "Bonita", the Spanish word for beautiful, has obvious Latin/Spanish acoustics and rhythm. The remixed song for this song has a different take, focusing more on the drums and its chorus: "oh bonita, I wanna love ya like I need-ta". Although "Bonita" would easily qualify as the hand-picked song, I felt that it didn't really represent the band with its influence in Latin sound. However, there are enough hand drums and soulful singing on "H2O", that I thought would fit better. I reckon it's also their stand-out track because it features Cyril Neville (of the Neville Brothers). The remixed song by DJ Smash, again, change the song to something to more of a reggae dub song... an interesting take at the very least. If you're funk fan (or just a massive bass fan), you should give these guys a try. If you're in the New York area, be sure to check them out in December: Nublu w. dj nickodemus (12/04) and Southpaw (12/12). You can pick up High Steppin via iTunes. Physical copies can be gotten at Amazon. |
P GUTTA myspace.com/pguttatheantidote The album is pretty much hip/hop and rap with its influence particularly in 80s gangsta rap. The album surprisingly details very personal stories about P Gutta's life: he's a father, his everyday struggle, being the son of a dealer ("Son Of A Hustler") and growing up ("The 80's Made Me"). Some of the songs I did enjoy feature some infectious loops, like on "Failure's Not An Option". The song doesn't really say much in terms of lyrics, at least compared to some of his better lyrics. But that's not what this song is about; it's just an intro song and shout out to his peeps, hyping up the album (basically telling you that this album is for everybody, for the streets). There is an inspiring song on the album; it's the last song, "Head 2 The Sky", which sounds like it's a speech that he's giving to his child: "you got the power to be what wanna be, do what you wanna do, see what you wanna see. Through hard work you should see what you wanna, because there's one thing in life you don't wanna be is a wannabe." Never lose hope and just keep the faith, is the message and it's my song choice. One thing I noticed is that he seems to like to say "pit of the stomach", which is a phrase that's repeated on "Life Is So Strange" and "Failure's Not An Option". I wouldn't bring it up but is that a common phrase? If you enjoy Notorius BIG, I think you'll find P Gutta's your cup of tea. You can currently pick up the album on CD Baby (CD) and Digstation (MP3). |
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WENDY ST KITTS wendystkitts.com ♥ myspace.com After this thought, I was happy to see that St. Kitts confirms this: I did get something wrong though, I thought she sounded more soul singer/songwriter, but didn't even think about her Caribbean influences (which in retrospect seems obvious now). She's also really inspired by afro beats and reggae (we'll get to that later). The album goes into questioning true love ("So Good (Yeah)", "Should I Love Him or Walk Away") or expensive gifts (in the case of "Treasure"), and complete devotion (on the reggae-inspired "Water" song). Not to sound chauvinistic, but I hope she finds someone soon! If you enjoy R&B with a keyboard and soulful singing, Wendy St. Kitts definitely has that voice that will fill the void. She is playing a few dates in the New York area: The Bitter End (12/27) and Sullivan Hall (01/24). You can pick up the CD or MP3 via amazon. |
KURUPT & ROSCOE youngotti.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ myspace/yaroscoe Although Tha Dogg Pound was not one of the premier Death Row artists, just being associated with such superstars of rap has some weight carried with its two members (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger). They went on to release a combination of over 20 albums between the two of them since 1998. With all that history on Kurupt's rap sheet, I was expecting this album, Frank and Jess Story, to be aggressive hardcore gangsta stuff but it's pretty accessible, as far as I'm concerned. The album was cut with the help of his brother Roscoe, who's previously collaborated with his brother on their debut album, Dogg Food. The usual theme applies here, as expected: they like the girls ("I Like Dem Girls" which sounds like an excerpt to a much longer woman-loving song, and "Lap Dance"), gangsta ("Game Been Missin"), name-dropping ("Bustin"), and, of course, self-loving ("Hate on Me"). The best song on the album is "Game Been Missin'", which features a very catchy chorus of: "this right here has been what the world's been missin'/this right here is why you're girl's been missin'". Frank and Jess Story was released on November 11th on Koch Records and can be found at most good record stores. |
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ANJULIE myspace.com/anjulie I would have to add that she's borderline on Pop music as well. It's not a bad thing, it reminds me of sixties girl pop music (especially on "Day Will Soon Come"). The EP features two songs co-written by her producer/collaborator Jon Levine, who was apparently famous for being in The Philosopher Kings. The Anjulie-written song, "Love Song" basically a love song in a fleeting three-minute pop song. The main song and single, "Boom", is really good. Easy, relaxing, and for some odd reason, it really reminds me of that 80s song that goes "boom boom boom let's go back to my room". I do think she's good and if they send me her debut album, I am looking forward to covering it. Unfortunately, she might be missed in a sea of similiar-sounding women artists like Adele, Nelly Furtado, and Lily Allen. |
RHODA rhodankojo.com ♥ myspace.com/rhodankojo Her self-titled album was released last year (although it is only recently available digitally via iTunes). I believe this is her sophomore album. The album has a very contemporary pop/R&B feel to it with some very good mixing and arrangements. In some cases, strings and violins were used to give the album a bit of class. The songs that used this really stood out for me ("Consequences" and "Rememeber You"). My favorite song on the album is the very poppy "Nothing Really Matters", which seems to have a eudodisco beat! I just love how the lyrics keep flowing on and on. At one point, I swear she is channeling Whitney Houston. Rhoda is making some appearances in 2008 at The Bitter End in New York (12/05) and Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey (12/31). You can pick up the self-titled album at CD Baby, iTunes or Digstation. |
Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com
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10/18/08 Gargoyle St. Louis, Missouri
Photograph10/19/08 University of Illinois Urbana, IL 10/21/08 Toad’s Place Richmond, VA 10/22/08 State Theatre Falls Church, VA 10/24/08 Masonic Temple Brooklyn, NY 10/25/08 Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME 10/26/08 Wilbur Theatre Boston, MA 10/30/08 Bronson Centre Ottawa, ON 10/31/08 Metropolis Montreal, Quebec 11/08/08 ManiFest Mexico 11/18/08 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN 11/19/08 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA 11/20/08 The Moon Tallahassee, FL 11/21/08 Jannus Landing St. Petersburg, FL 11/22/08 Club Cinema Pompano Beach, FL 11/27/08 Sound Academy Toronto, ON 11/28/08 Sound Academy Toronto, ON |
Here is a math problem: At any given moment a few dozen Broken Social Scene band members exist on this planet, creating Music! (M!), either collectively or individually. If k = Kevin Drew, b = Brendan Canning, i = instruments and their humans, and f = previous female vocalists with established solo careers and/or have been featured in Apple commercials, then solve for M!:
(k + b) + 20i) – 2f = M!
Watching BSS perform on Monday was similar to watching a math genius write some really long complex equation on a chalkboard: confusing, nauseating, awesome, mentally painful, impressive, bizarre-o, nice. It’s literally impossible for me to describe the show in a logical, succinct fashion because in order to do so I would probably need to create new words like “bogglebang” and “fantizzle“ and I’m just really tired. Instead, what follows is a bulleted list of highlights from the show, immediately followed by some lowlights. Both lists are underlined:
List of Highlights
- Brendan Canning (“beardy”) literally leaping into the air, defying age and science (and answering the question: what would Peter Pan look like if he grew up and didn’t shave for ten years?).
- Kevin Drew peeling off a used band-aid and tossing it into the audience (not on eBay yet).
- Two men in business casual dress high-fiving each other after a particularly awesome/nauseating “song.”
- On a similar note, the ratio of hipsters to normal people was surprisingly not 500:2.
- KD attempting to crowd surf but actually sort of walking off the stage into the audience. I think he was giving hugs.
- Sam Goldberg of curiously (and probably ironically) named Canadian group Hawaii singing THE SEXIEST SONG EVER: “Three Thousand Miles.”
- LOUD. At one point Goldberg mouthed “loud” to a bandmate. Yeah, I know dude, I’m standing right in front of a giant speaker.
- BSS fans are easy to please! KD promised to “rock his guts out” for us but could have stood on stage eating a sandwich, judging by the crowd’s apeshit reaction to every single song (even the bad ones).
Some Lowlights
- The “impromptu jam” inspired the dude in front of me to initiate air drumming.
- A large cluster of unwashed youth obstructed my view of the large cluster of unwashed musicians; stepping on (my own) gum was also upsetting.
- This may be sacrilegious to say, but: sometimes the dizzying instrumental outros made me feel like I needed to use the bathroom.
- Adorable Liz Powell (of Land of Talk) contributed pretty lady sounds to the man mix but had to leave early due to strained vocal cords (or maybe she was gettin’ some backstage. Who knows, really).
Lowlights notwithstanding, BSS was pretty fucking awesome (am I right, apeshit fans? Yeah! Trumpets!). I’m going to guess that the reason why the band has such a loyal, diverse following is their ability to produce accessible “experimental” music, in the same vein as The Flaming Lips or a more convoluted Arcade Fire. You can dance like a crazy person or you can just, you know, stand there and robotically move your head, it doesn’t matter. That’s the beauty of this type of music—it’s embracing (and forgiving). Supposedly the band played, like, seventeen encores and then KD refused to leave the stage or something. We didn’t stay. Another thing about accessible experimental rock shows is that you can leave any time and still feel fulfilled and generally positive about life (take that, techno!).
Broken Social Scene is currently on tour, through November (select dates with Land of Talk). Visit their website for more information.
* This is also one of three ways that math can be applied to real life. The other ways are: calculating tips and teaching math.
Note from Vu 10/18/08 9:53am: Apologies to Lara, I was waiting for a photography from this show.
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