So, much like everything in life, personal music politics (yes, even those! Wait, it might just be me that has those, but anyways, I digress) are subject to slight hypocrisy every now and again.
"What does this have to do with No Age?" you might wonder.
See also: "What's this I hear about you guys doing endorsement deals?"
See also: "Is this going to be another long anti-Pitchfork rant? Because then I'm leaving."
The answer to all those points, and more, lies beyond this magical gateway of wonder you see just to your left. The one edged with delicious feedback and vocal layers and sprinkled with a touch of avant-noise dust. No...you missed it. Your other left. A bit more...closer...too far! THERE!
Once the distracting faeries and candy-coloured fog has cleared (magical gateways always seem to have this, though at least this one has no annoying rhyming jingle accompaniment), you see a crowded, dimly-lit rock pub with a small stage set across from the booths. There is a sign reading "No Beatniks" above the bar. You might recognize this place...after all, you've been here before, if only in that Sunset Rubdown live review that WHYH did way back.
The place is Broken City; the DJ sucks, except when someone temporarily distracted him from his 70's/80's songs long enough to throw on Mudhoney's "Suck You Dry" for an all-too-brief reprieve from generic radio rock (this probably didn't happen, but I rather like the idea of some mysterious caped crusader sweeping in to knock out the guy that thinks that the crowd at a No Age show are quite obviously fans of Heart-ripoff bands >.>).
You are there, very much because of the force in indie music who you have sworn to revile and loathe for all eternity (especially after that shameful and pathetically shallow-minded review of the new Wolf Parade album...more on that later >.>).
Yes, I owe Pitchfork for my own personal discovery of No Age; I'll give credit where credit is due. This is where the hypocrisy comes in: though I think their outlook towards music, their elitist posturing, and the crippling nature of said outlook on the state of indie music today is somewhat as ridiculous as the gargantuan influence of dinosaur Rolling Stone was back in the day, I generally don't disagree with them when they say something is pretty good. The exception to this is when they gave Justin Timberlake's Futuresex album an 8+ score, whereupon I decided that the blog's fancy touring budget was obviously funded by nefarious means. Apparently, they do endorsement deals too (once again, more on that later >.>).
Anyways, this is ruining the mood, so ignore it as a long, Shakespearean Aside.
The opening acts are perfect warm-ups; excellent local band The Dirty Dirty North (ex. Pants Situation, with the same hooks, more percussion, and more moxie) bring the rock like only they know how, getting the crowd energized and pumped, while Toronto-based progressive no-wavers dd/mm/yyyy (pronounced Day Month Year) clearly remind everyone that anyone expecting traditional verse/chorus/verse song structures devoid of layered effects had better go home. The pummeling of soundscapes immersing an at-capacity bar in sonic texture until you feel it like a solid presence in the air around you is also a good lead-in to the sensory attack of No Age.
Between the arresting energy and passion of the two men onstage, the fever-dream of montage images projected over the scene with lo-fi pixelation and fragmentation, and the kick-to-the-chest of tightly interwoven effects, feedback, vocals, thrashing guitar, percussion, and sheer volume , one doesn't know where to focus, where to look, or listen...it's let go and be taken over by the experience, or perish trying to fight it.
And truthfully, it's a hell of a lot more fun to give in and, to borrow drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt's expression, "lose your shit".
An hour and a half later, partially deaf, disheveled, and feeling almost as if you've been hit with a wave of sound before nearly drowning in it, you leave the tiny bar, a big stupid grin slapped across your face. There's no way you could regret it.
And this is only day one of a four-day multivenue sprawling festival curated by none other than Pavement's Scott Kannberg (i.e. Spiral Stairs) featuring some of the brightest local and not-so-local talents around (Chad Vangaalen to Mother Mother to Wire to Mogwai).
I can safely say I've never been quite so happy that I live in Calgary.
~Ju
P.S: the endorsement deals aren't true. Not a word. Well...unless you count being offered a free Zune in order to market-test the thing. However, in my defense, I state that any and all opinion stated on here in relation to the product will be completely honest. I'm quite neutral when it comes to mp3 players, being a vinyl-junkie and all. XD
Dirty Dirty North
http://myspace.com/thedirtydirtynorth
dd/mm/yyyy
http://myspace.com/ddmmyyyy
No Age
http://www.myspace.com/nonoage
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
[Opinion] The Fr0k is Full of Failure
So.
It HAS been a while. >.>
I know, I know...aren't we all getting tired of every post starting the same way? "Can't you ever think of some new and refreshing way to say it?" you ask. Or, better yet, "Why don't you just update WHYH regularly and avoid this whole song-and-dance altogether?"
To which I answer: "No. Writing is a pleasure, and thus is denied me during the school year. Now sit down and read the damn post."
Well, we'll leave the last part optional. See, this is a different sort of article for WHYH...sure, we've touched on these topics before, but never in a full, limelight sense.
So no, there are no new Calgary bands being highlighted in this particular post. You'll have to wait for our coverage of the phenomenal Sled Island Festival 2008 for that stuff.
No, young ducklings...here is entirely a rant.
A rant against Pitchfork, nonetheless.
Some of you might gasp. "Blasphemy!" Or you might yawn, because our dislike has always been...well, at least rather obvious. Also, a few might think that we're ganking this sh*t from Hipster Runoff, but rest assured, you doubters; we disliked them first, and I can't stand reading a blog full of chatspeak, even if it is for the sake of irony. >.>
So, why now? Why the full post instead of merely snidely making remarks in the margins of our show reviews and band features, like usual?
The answer might seem a little innocuous at first:
Kensington Heights.
(For the uninitiated and, on the whole, asinine group that might have question marks over their heads, Kensington Heights is the name of the rather good, nay, fricking awesome new Constantines album. Ju would also like to add that you should all go buy it, or die in a fire)
Truthfully, Kensington Heights isn't the first album I've disagreed with Pitchfork's rating of. Usually, I can even concede the points they make, though whether or not said points are enough to break the album for me is a different matter. Hell, they're even right a lot of the time, like on the last Trail of Dead album. >.>
However, this might be the first time that I've felt so strongly. Possibly due to the fact that the review did not, in actuality, list any real points in justification of the poor rating the album received. Possibly because I hate the "build them up and knock them down" attitude that seems to purvey the blog's reviewing on the whole. Also, quite possibly, because I'm a rabid believer in the Second Coming that the Constantines and their music represent. ^^;
I've realized, though, that the issue seems to go deeper. For a while now, I've felt slight frustration with the overall jaded mentality of the review staff; the enthusiastic ones are kept entirely to news reporting, it seems. Above all, I begin to see that blog as damaging to the fledgling nature of a lot of indie music.
When was the last time you saw an album rated above a 9.0 on that site? Okay...now, when was the last time you saw a perfect 10?
I can understand the attitude of hyper-criticality that seems to grow and permeate the spaces of the "educated" in any subject, mainly because I'm in a very similar environment at school. Critique is an important and valuable tool to any artist. However, the fact remains that Pitchfork has vastly grown in both size and influence; now, the review your album receives DIRECTLY influences the amount of attention you, as an artist, receive...and sometimes your very reputation. Thus, this hyper-elitist critical sense no longer works as a balancing force, but an overwhelming one.
What I'm saying is this; while it makes sense that jaded critics might never give out a perfect album score these days, it perpetuates the belief that good/influential, nay, perfect music is something that could only happen ten-plus years ago. That good, influential, and classic albums aren't being made anymore; in turn, this stagnates the creation of music, because it keeps artists turning to the same old references, the same old albums, and the same old sounds.
See, this wouldn't be such a problem if the Fr0k wasn't so damn HUGE. But it IS huge; anyone can see that the place has expanded massively over the last few years, especially to become a powerhouse media force; since the digital realm is essentially the place where indies and majors compete on almost level playing ground, it's not a far stretch to compare Pitchfork to what MTV used to be back in the 80's; a venue for bringing music that doesn't get exposure through regular means to a larger audience.
And much like that media mogul, it's only a matter of time before the force that used to be an "in" for the little guy begins to act much like the forces that provoked its inception in the first place.
Anyways, I've taken the ball and run with it...if we focus this back down to a personal level, I'll leave it at this: Pitchfork is, above all, just one opinion. Too often, readers tend to hearken that opinion to some omniscient and all-powerful god of indie, but the truth really is that it's still run by average people. People who may get the news first, due to media connections and budget; people who are actually right many a time about positive reviews for bands; and people who generally have been around the circuit for a while...but still people.
As such, they can only suggest to you what to check out and what to ignore, but the final decision in terms of taste comes down to the individual; what we, as indie listeners often pride ourselves on is the fact that we've got a personal opinion on music that hasn't been force-fed to us via a glossy marketing campaign and sheer repetition. We've discovered these bands through personal effort and discerning taste, and decided ON OUR OWN that it's good. Why would you want to hand over that power to someone else all over again?
~Ju
P.S: Really. Everyone should check out Kensington Heights. At least in MY opinion, it's a great album; probably my favourite next to Shine a Light. ^^
It HAS been a while. >.>
I know, I know...aren't we all getting tired of every post starting the same way? "Can't you ever think of some new and refreshing way to say it?" you ask. Or, better yet, "Why don't you just update WHYH regularly and avoid this whole song-and-dance altogether?"
To which I answer: "No. Writing is a pleasure, and thus is denied me during the school year. Now sit down and read the damn post."
Well, we'll leave the last part optional. See, this is a different sort of article for WHYH...sure, we've touched on these topics before, but never in a full, limelight sense.
So no, there are no new Calgary bands being highlighted in this particular post. You'll have to wait for our coverage of the phenomenal Sled Island Festival 2008 for that stuff.
No, young ducklings...here is entirely a rant.
A rant against Pitchfork, nonetheless.
Some of you might gasp. "Blasphemy!" Or you might yawn, because our dislike has always been...well, at least rather obvious. Also, a few might think that we're ganking this sh*t from Hipster Runoff, but rest assured, you doubters; we disliked them first, and I can't stand reading a blog full of chatspeak, even if it is for the sake of irony. >.>
So, why now? Why the full post instead of merely snidely making remarks in the margins of our show reviews and band features, like usual?
The answer might seem a little innocuous at first:
Kensington Heights.
(For the uninitiated and, on the whole, asinine group that might have question marks over their heads, Kensington Heights is the name of the rather good, nay, fricking awesome new Constantines album. Ju would also like to add that you should all go buy it, or die in a fire)
Truthfully, Kensington Heights isn't the first album I've disagreed with Pitchfork's rating of. Usually, I can even concede the points they make, though whether or not said points are enough to break the album for me is a different matter. Hell, they're even right a lot of the time, like on the last Trail of Dead album. >.>
However, this might be the first time that I've felt so strongly. Possibly due to the fact that the review did not, in actuality, list any real points in justification of the poor rating the album received. Possibly because I hate the "build them up and knock them down" attitude that seems to purvey the blog's reviewing on the whole. Also, quite possibly, because I'm a rabid believer in the Second Coming that the Constantines and their music represent. ^^;
I've realized, though, that the issue seems to go deeper. For a while now, I've felt slight frustration with the overall jaded mentality of the review staff; the enthusiastic ones are kept entirely to news reporting, it seems. Above all, I begin to see that blog as damaging to the fledgling nature of a lot of indie music.
When was the last time you saw an album rated above a 9.0 on that site? Okay...now, when was the last time you saw a perfect 10?
I can understand the attitude of hyper-criticality that seems to grow and permeate the spaces of the "educated" in any subject, mainly because I'm in a very similar environment at school. Critique is an important and valuable tool to any artist. However, the fact remains that Pitchfork has vastly grown in both size and influence; now, the review your album receives DIRECTLY influences the amount of attention you, as an artist, receive...and sometimes your very reputation. Thus, this hyper-elitist critical sense no longer works as a balancing force, but an overwhelming one.
What I'm saying is this; while it makes sense that jaded critics might never give out a perfect album score these days, it perpetuates the belief that good/influential, nay, perfect music is something that could only happen ten-plus years ago. That good, influential, and classic albums aren't being made anymore; in turn, this stagnates the creation of music, because it keeps artists turning to the same old references, the same old albums, and the same old sounds.
See, this wouldn't be such a problem if the Fr0k wasn't so damn HUGE. But it IS huge; anyone can see that the place has expanded massively over the last few years, especially to become a powerhouse media force; since the digital realm is essentially the place where indies and majors compete on almost level playing ground, it's not a far stretch to compare Pitchfork to what MTV used to be back in the 80's; a venue for bringing music that doesn't get exposure through regular means to a larger audience.
And much like that media mogul, it's only a matter of time before the force that used to be an "in" for the little guy begins to act much like the forces that provoked its inception in the first place.
Anyways, I've taken the ball and run with it...if we focus this back down to a personal level, I'll leave it at this: Pitchfork is, above all, just one opinion. Too often, readers tend to hearken that opinion to some omniscient and all-powerful god of indie, but the truth really is that it's still run by average people. People who may get the news first, due to media connections and budget; people who are actually right many a time about positive reviews for bands; and people who generally have been around the circuit for a while...but still people.
As such, they can only suggest to you what to check out and what to ignore, but the final decision in terms of taste comes down to the individual; what we, as indie listeners often pride ourselves on is the fact that we've got a personal opinion on music that hasn't been force-fed to us via a glossy marketing campaign and sheer repetition. We've discovered these bands through personal effort and discerning taste, and decided ON OUR OWN that it's good. Why would you want to hand over that power to someone else all over again?
~Ju
P.S: Really. Everyone should check out Kensington Heights. At least in MY opinion, it's a great album; probably my favourite next to Shine a Light. ^^
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Live: WHYH does Lollapalooza
"So," (you might ask) "What might WHYH have to add to the plethora of Lollapalooza 2007 reviews and retrospectives littering the blogosphere that we haven't seen before?"
And the answer, in our fine, mature, and well-stated elegant prose is:
Well...um...not much, really.
No doubt by this time, the truly curious will already have lived the event vicariously through the coverage offered by large, mega-staffed, well-funded superblogs like the 'Fork *shakes fists at their budget and staff, the wankers*, but the fact remains that those jaded hipsters seem to forget just what an experience like that means to someone that doesn't have the thing happening in -almost literally- their own backyard. Those of us struggling through Design School in Calgary, Alberta just DON'T have the option to go to Pitchfork Fest, to Bonaroo, to all of Folk Fest and Sled Island, even. By proxy, this means that we probably don't take the whole shebang for granted the way that those guys might, and usually do.
Fact of the matter is, for those of us who just love music, beyond the name-dropping, the "indier-than-thou" posturing, and the giant aviators, a weekend of unadultered live shows by some of the bands that you never dreamed you would ever get to see (what with living in a city NOT considered a hub of culture and artistic expression) is beyond amazing.
So, let's just forget that someone else HAS said everything journalistically about the event. Let's treat this like what it is, really: a friend coming back from one of the most musically exciting experiences they've had thus far, telling you about how wicked the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Daft Punk were live, how being stuck behind people a foot and a half taller for an hour before any given show sucks but is ultimately worth it when Iggy Pop calls up the entire front row to dance onstage, and just how out-of-control Pearl Jam's stardom seems to be when the entire field leading up to the stage is literally CRAMMED with bodies starting at 11:00 a.m., while the band is slated to play at 8:00 p.m. that night.
Thank god we're not Pearl Jam fans. >.>
Getting right down to it, there's a lot of ground to cover, so we'll go point-form and (hopefully) easy to follow:
Day 1 - Friday
Saw last part of Ghostland Observatory's set, which was amusing, but could probably get old rather fast; caught Ted Leo's set at the Myspace stage and was rather impressed, especially by his hardcore punx-ness. Watched Against Me for irony's sake. Left for two hours and ate amazing Chicago steak, returning in time to catch the end of the Black Keys. Watched LCD Soundsystem play "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" RIGHT BY where Daft Punk would be playing later that evening. Danced like an idiot to the rest of their set, then completely and totally lost it at Daft Punk, which was one of the most amazing electronic experiences I've ever witnessed. Truly, they are Alien Robot Rock GODS.
Day 2 - Saturday
Got to Grant Park early and watched I'm From Barcelona's lovely, happy-hyper Swedishery while Phil caught Tokyo Police Club's set on the opposite side of the park (yes, he is, surprisingly, alive. However, he is also, curiously, mute and seems to be plagued with keyboard dyslexia). Rushed off to see Tapes 'n Tapes rock it up at the Myspace Stage (another performance that impressed me with new appreciation for the band's material and ability to play in the BEATING HOT SUN), then stood in a crowd much larger than expected to humour my way through Cold War Kids; this, if nothing else, has impressed me with the fact that they are a TEENSY bit overrated. Rushed off to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (and was, once AGAIN, surprised), then listened from a distance to the Hold Steady while crushed in a massive crowd waiting for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Following Karen O's gyrations and that band's all-around awesomeness, sheltered from the sudden rain and watched Spoon, who were great, then Interpol, who I had seen before. Later, realized that my poncho smelled more like cigarette smoke and weed than all my concert shirts ever put together.
Day 3 - Sunday
Missed the morning, due to family obligations on the part of Philip. While it was a bummer to miss Los Campesinos!, it was somewhat interesting to see a real, honest-to-god suburb. Got back to Grant Park at the tail end of Apostles of Hustle, but rushed off to watch Iggy Pop & the Stooges rock it up like it was 1969. Which, they played first. Which is my favourite song by them ever. ROCK! Also, due to his calling up the first few rows onstage to dance, we got second row for Modest Mouse, which was even more rock. Lamentably, this also meant that we couldn't go see Peter Bjorn & John (one of the list of missed acts that still causes twinges of sadness), but instead we were ridiculously closer to Isaac Brock, Johnny Marr, and the rest than I will probably ever be again. Following their set (which lamentably included no cuts off Lonesome Crowded West, le sob, though it was wonderful anyway), caught the end of TV on the Radio, and wished for probably the billionty-eth time that some of these bands would just PLAY THE BLOODY CANADIAN WEST ALREADY.
Afterwards, sat eating cheesecake with Philip and dissing Pearl Jam while no-doubt surrounded by evangelical fans. We seem to like danger, apparently. XD We left three or four songs in, seeing as they weren't playing "Do the Evolution" and "Even Flow", whereupon they then revenged themselves upon us by playing those two songs when we weren't close enough to see the screen anymore, but still close enough to hear the music. Bleh.
****Food for thought: Despite the fact that it's fun to rag on Pearl Jam, the real reason we left was more along the lines of this - the stage was WAY too far away to see, and the screen was so distant as to be smaller than a TV. Which provokes the question of whether it wasn't just like, well, watching Pearl Jam on TV. *shrugs* This causes me to ruminate on the nature of the live show vs. the screen broadcast, but these thoughts are probably more of interest to crackpot philosophy students than anyone that might actually trip and stumble on this blog. Crackpot philosophy students don't have the internet, anyway. XD
~Ju
And the answer, in our fine, mature, and well-stated elegant prose is:
Well...um...not much, really.
No doubt by this time, the truly curious will already have lived the event vicariously through the coverage offered by large, mega-staffed, well-funded superblogs like the 'Fork *shakes fists at their budget and staff, the wankers*, but the fact remains that those jaded hipsters seem to forget just what an experience like that means to someone that doesn't have the thing happening in -almost literally- their own backyard. Those of us struggling through Design School in Calgary, Alberta just DON'T have the option to go to Pitchfork Fest, to Bonaroo, to all of Folk Fest and Sled Island, even. By proxy, this means that we probably don't take the whole shebang for granted the way that those guys might, and usually do.
Fact of the matter is, for those of us who just love music, beyond the name-dropping, the "indier-than-thou" posturing, and the giant aviators, a weekend of unadultered live shows by some of the bands that you never dreamed you would ever get to see (what with living in a city NOT considered a hub of culture and artistic expression) is beyond amazing.
So, let's just forget that someone else HAS said everything journalistically about the event. Let's treat this like what it is, really: a friend coming back from one of the most musically exciting experiences they've had thus far, telling you about how wicked the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Daft Punk were live, how being stuck behind people a foot and a half taller for an hour before any given show sucks but is ultimately worth it when Iggy Pop calls up the entire front row to dance onstage, and just how out-of-control Pearl Jam's stardom seems to be when the entire field leading up to the stage is literally CRAMMED with bodies starting at 11:00 a.m., while the band is slated to play at 8:00 p.m. that night.
Thank god we're not Pearl Jam fans. >.>
Getting right down to it, there's a lot of ground to cover, so we'll go point-form and (hopefully) easy to follow:
Day 1 - Friday
Saw last part of Ghostland Observatory's set, which was amusing, but could probably get old rather fast; caught Ted Leo's set at the Myspace stage and was rather impressed, especially by his hardcore punx-ness. Watched Against Me for irony's sake. Left for two hours and ate amazing Chicago steak, returning in time to catch the end of the Black Keys. Watched LCD Soundsystem play "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" RIGHT BY where Daft Punk would be playing later that evening. Danced like an idiot to the rest of their set, then completely and totally lost it at Daft Punk, which was one of the most amazing electronic experiences I've ever witnessed. Truly, they are Alien Robot Rock GODS.
Day 2 - Saturday
Got to Grant Park early and watched I'm From Barcelona's lovely, happy-hyper Swedishery while Phil caught Tokyo Police Club's set on the opposite side of the park (yes, he is, surprisingly, alive. However, he is also, curiously, mute and seems to be plagued with keyboard dyslexia). Rushed off to see Tapes 'n Tapes rock it up at the Myspace Stage (another performance that impressed me with new appreciation for the band's material and ability to play in the BEATING HOT SUN), then stood in a crowd much larger than expected to humour my way through Cold War Kids; this, if nothing else, has impressed me with the fact that they are a TEENSY bit overrated. Rushed off to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (and was, once AGAIN, surprised), then listened from a distance to the Hold Steady while crushed in a massive crowd waiting for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Following Karen O's gyrations and that band's all-around awesomeness, sheltered from the sudden rain and watched Spoon, who were great, then Interpol, who I had seen before. Later, realized that my poncho smelled more like cigarette smoke and weed than all my concert shirts ever put together.
Day 3 - Sunday
Missed the morning, due to family obligations on the part of Philip. While it was a bummer to miss Los Campesinos!, it was somewhat interesting to see a real, honest-to-god suburb. Got back to Grant Park at the tail end of Apostles of Hustle, but rushed off to watch Iggy Pop & the Stooges rock it up like it was 1969. Which, they played first. Which is my favourite song by them ever. ROCK! Also, due to his calling up the first few rows onstage to dance, we got second row for Modest Mouse, which was even more rock. Lamentably, this also meant that we couldn't go see Peter Bjorn & John (one of the list of missed acts that still causes twinges of sadness), but instead we were ridiculously closer to Isaac Brock, Johnny Marr, and the rest than I will probably ever be again. Following their set (which lamentably included no cuts off Lonesome Crowded West, le sob, though it was wonderful anyway), caught the end of TV on the Radio, and wished for probably the billionty-eth time that some of these bands would just PLAY THE BLOODY CANADIAN WEST ALREADY.
Afterwards, sat eating cheesecake with Philip and dissing Pearl Jam while no-doubt surrounded by evangelical fans. We seem to like danger, apparently. XD We left three or four songs in, seeing as they weren't playing "Do the Evolution" and "Even Flow", whereupon they then revenged themselves upon us by playing those two songs when we weren't close enough to see the screen anymore, but still close enough to hear the music. Bleh.
****Food for thought: Despite the fact that it's fun to rag on Pearl Jam, the real reason we left was more along the lines of this - the stage was WAY too far away to see, and the screen was so distant as to be smaller than a TV. Which provokes the question of whether it wasn't just like, well, watching Pearl Jam on TV. *shrugs* This causes me to ruminate on the nature of the live show vs. the screen broadcast, but these thoughts are probably more of interest to crackpot philosophy students than anyone that might actually trip and stumble on this blog. Crackpot philosophy students don't have the internet, anyway. XD
~Ju
Friday, June 29, 2007
Artist updates: Stars, Kevin Drew, Metric
Metric have (finally) just released their very first album (which was never released to begin with) - yes, that's right, Grow Up And Blow Away has finally hit the shelves. If you hadn't already downloaded it all (and even if you have), go out and pick it up!
Next up would be Kevin Drew, as part of the "Broken Social Scene Presents..." series - personally, I'm most excited for the Brendan Canning album slated for a 2008 release. One of the most underrated out of the BSS camp; and I think the most likely to have a wicked "solo" release. And I say "solo", since these albums feature none less, then the rest of the Broken Social Scene crew doing the rest of the noise on the tracks. Who are we to complain though; there's an awesome new Kevin Drew song floating around. Album to be released on September 18th; it's called Spirit If...
And last but not least; my second most anticipated album for the next little while (first, of course, going to Radiohead's new album) is Star's In Our Bedroom After the War (September 25). Arts and Crafts have quite recently posted a song from it titled The Night Starts Here. The song is nothing spectacular; pulling more from their Nightsongs days than the more focused sound found on Heart and Set Yourself on Fire; but I'm still quite hopeful that the rest of the album will make up for it. Oh, and the entire album is available for download at GalleryAC.
While we're on the BSS crew, I suppose it's only proper to mention all the things we've missed: Young Galaxy released their self-titled album, and it is the things that dreams are made upon; Jason Collett has released Prodigals, which I haven't actually heard, but really do plan to; and Feist's The Reminder came out to underwhelm those of us who actually expected her to move on after Let it Die (don't get me wrong; it's not Let it Die all over again. It's just she hasn't actually moved on from there.) Oh, and Stars released quite possibly the best titled remix album - too bad only about half of the mixes bring anything new to the originals.
So, we at WHYH have proven that we can have the most underwhelming relaunch ever, seeing as it was less of a relaunch and more of a "oh look, a post." More things to come; including full coverage of the Calgary Folk Festival at the end of the month, and many a band review once I go through the suggestions piling up in my inbox (speaking of; do tell us your favourite underrated bands - or the overrated ones you think we'd like. We're music junkies. We need our fix.)
Next up would be Kevin Drew, as part of the "Broken Social Scene Presents..." series - personally, I'm most excited for the Brendan Canning album slated for a 2008 release. One of the most underrated out of the BSS camp; and I think the most likely to have a wicked "solo" release. And I say "solo", since these albums feature none less, then the rest of the Broken Social Scene crew doing the rest of the noise on the tracks. Who are we to complain though; there's an awesome new Kevin Drew song floating around. Album to be released on September 18th; it's called Spirit If...
And last but not least; my second most anticipated album for the next little while (first, of course, going to Radiohead's new album) is Star's In Our Bedroom After the War (September 25). Arts and Crafts have quite recently posted a song from it titled The Night Starts Here. The song is nothing spectacular; pulling more from their Nightsongs days than the more focused sound found on Heart and Set Yourself on Fire; but I'm still quite hopeful that the rest of the album will make up for it. Oh, and the entire album is available for download at GalleryAC.
While we're on the BSS crew, I suppose it's only proper to mention all the things we've missed: Young Galaxy released their self-titled album, and it is the things that dreams are made upon; Jason Collett has released Prodigals, which I haven't actually heard, but really do plan to; and Feist's The Reminder came out to underwhelm those of us who actually expected her to move on after Let it Die (don't get me wrong; it's not Let it Die all over again. It's just she hasn't actually moved on from there.) Oh, and Stars released quite possibly the best titled remix album - too bad only about half of the mixes bring anything new to the originals.
Metric - Raw Sugar
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Stars - The Night Stars Here
Feist - My Moon My Man
Jason Collett - Parry Sound
Final Fantasy - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Stars remix)
So, we at WHYH have proven that we can have the most underwhelming relaunch ever, seeing as it was less of a relaunch and more of a "oh look, a post." More things to come; including full coverage of the Calgary Folk Festival at the end of the month, and many a band review once I go through the suggestions piling up in my inbox (speaking of; do tell us your favourite underrated bands - or the overrated ones you think we'd like. We're music junkies. We need our fix.)
Monday, June 25, 2007
Local Feature: Azeda Booth, Hot Little Rocket, SIDS
So much for the epic relaunch. >.>
For the uninitiated, the new and (we hope) improved look of the blog was supposed to be a massive and life-changing event. In the original plan, there was fanfares, and dancing, and fire, and clowns. Yes, clowns. We'd just about finished ordering the mini bikes and everything.
Plans seemed to have changed last minute, however, due to the scarce nature of human being willing to incinerate themselves while riding a miniature bicycle for free. Instead, this feature on some thumping-good Calgary outfits, following the event by a good week or so, will have to do.
Azeda Booth
This experimental indie pop gathering is loosely describable as what would result if you took the most fragile-sounding beautiful female vocals, dusted them across the glittering shards of traditional instruments backed with just a tad of synth melodies and percussion...and then confused everyone by not actually having any female members in the band. Yes, those beautiful breathy vocals floating over what is surely what angels would sound like if they played guitars and synth on "Dead Girls"? That would be vocalist Jordon Hossack. And not Jordon in the androgynous, "can also be a girl's name" sense.
Regardless, the melodies and absolutely captivating ebb and swell of sound will draw you in. You'll drown in it, forget your confusion over how male vocal chords can create those sounds, and let the music speak for itself, especially if you have the great good fortune to witness the band live.
Myspace: http://myspace.com/azedabooth
Website: http://www.azedabooth.com/
Hot Little Rocket
If ever there was a band to pay its small-town dues, it's Hot Little Rocket. Despite the fact that they've been rocking local Calgary venues for some time period akin to ten years now, things are only beginning to happen for these straight-ahead rockers very recently. Good things DO, apparently, come to those who wait, and in this case, that would be having their new album How To Lose Everything produced by Steve Albini. That's right, b**tches. Steve "The Pixies and Nirvana" Albini. Furthermore, they're opening for those loveable-yet-not-actually-on-an-indie-label indie lads, Spoon, for their slot on local music 'Fest Sled Island on June 29th.
Who cares about any of that! (you might say) What do they sound like? Are they awesome, like all those other bands you tastemakers on WHYH deign to grace us with features on? Or have you (gasp!) stumbled, just this once?
Have no fear. HLR is, though the melodies might sound deceptively simple at first, a musically solid outfit with a knack for composing good melodies with enough interesting rhythms and counter-melodies to keep you singing along without feeling mortified embarrasment if anyone were to catch you doing it.
Keep in mind, just like...just about every band covered on here, there's a certain something special to seeing them live. XD
recommended listening: "Down With Safe", "Spill It"
Myspace: http://myspace.com/hotlittlerocket
Website: http://www.hotlittlerocket.com/
Sudden Infant Dance Syndrome (SIDS)
And here we see my addiction to live shows rear its ugly head in earnest. Yes, it's made its appearance from time to time, but here we see a band that must REALLY be seen live to be enjoyed. The pure zany energy, the hyperactive keyboards, the short gym shorts...merely describing it does the reality no justice.
I also think that, somehow, hearing the recorded version also does the live no justice. You just don't get the same feeling of surreality watching the members flail and jump offstage with the mic AND the mic-stand to sing a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division while getting everyone in the front two rows to sing along to the chorus at top volume about a billionty times faster than the original, yet somehow managing to NOT blaspheme the original.
...If you have to ask, you probably won't get it, anyway.
XD
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/suddeninfant
~Ju
Monday, February 26, 2007
Abernethy - College Grove
This music is the dream you have after the most intense day of your life. The music is fierce, yet whimsical at the same time. From the driven opening piano of Astronaut, to the closing (what sounds like a) violin in Flowers, the musicality and melody of College Grove will pick you up, and sweep you away.I couldn't begin to think how to classify this album; Abernethy seems to be a genre upon himself. Indie folk would be the technical term for it, I suppose, but that hardly seems to cover it. Abernethy switches seemlessly from moving ballads (such as The Voice), to something that wouldn't sound too out of place in Sufjan's playlist - very playful, like Unforgettably Young. However, it works in a way that most musicians cannot capture.
But the music will speak for itself more eloquently then I ever could.
And if anyone could possibly need more convincing; Everyone Who Knows You from his first album, He Teeny She.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
[Local Feature] Remote Kid
Greetings. Ohayo. Hola. Guttentag. Bonjour. (insert-greeting-in-some-other-steriotypical-language-here)
Yes, I am aware that it has been a while. Quite a while. >.>
I am also aware, however, though you dear little ducklings may not be, that if I don't start working on all those projects I SHOULD have been doing during Reading Week, I will very soon be in a very large amount of trouble.
Thus, I have decided to balance my guilt over NOT doing what I should be by attending to another aspect I feel to have been woefully neglected.
(This is the excuse I maintain, instead of the real reason, being that it took me a full week to figure out/remember how to log into Blogger again. *feels rather like an idiot*)
...Upon reading what I have just written, it is clear to me that I am making little, if any sense. Thus, let us move onto the point. "Cut to the chase", as those industry types would have it. (Yes, I was just watching the Oscars...and I STILL think Pan's Labyrinth should've won the little statuette thingy for Foreign Language Xp). Oh dear, I'm rather bad at NOT rambling, aren't I? O_o
Remote Kid.
Yes. That was, rather, the point.
Witness here the beginning of a change in the focus of at least MY contributions to this blog; having this wonderful space to rant and pretend someone cares what I think, I have decided to create yet another section, focusing on some of the local talent happening right here in our fair city of Calgary.
Once again...Remote Kid.
Despite the underwhelming name, this little band has managed to impress me live not just once, but TWICE. For cheap, too...O_o Can't underestimate the importance of an art student's budget in determining what, exactly, is a worthwhile pursuit. ^^;
What do they sound like, you ask? Well, rather like everything good and pure that we love about indie music. Those little melodies and fragile things that make us hold our breath when we listen to something beautiful. Yes, there's the glockenspiel, and the sweet guitar riffage, and mellow (yet multiple members singing) vocals and...what? Is that...a violin? Why, yes! Yes it is! And thank God, because good violin is something that makes everything better.
EVERYTHING. *narrow eyes*
Now, I know there's probably a few skeptical minds in the audience...I mean, some small-time Calgary band can't be THAT good, right? Their wonderfully heart-stopping shoegazing and sighs of iridescent ambient indie pop couldn't be THAT arresting, right? Of course, in thinking this, you would be calling our friends over at I (heart) Music ignorant clods, since they seemed to like our wonderfully local Woodpigeon so very much.
Who, coincidentally, recorded a split 7" with Remote Kid.
Take that.
B*tches. Xp
So yes, you have no choice BUT to check out these guys. I mean, Woodpigeon thinks they're good. And I (heart) Music thinks Woodpigeon's good. And you wouldn't want to gainsay those guys, would you? Xp I thought not.
Remote Kid can be found on their Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/remotekid). Or on their website, at http://www.cardboardboxrecords.com/remotekid.
~Ju
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Acorn - Tin Fist EP
I was all excited to make a post about the new Feist song that's surfaced off her upcoming album The Reminder - but I was beaten to it. So go check that out, it's really worth a listen.
But now onto The Acorn's latest release, Tin Fist EP. Again proving how slow I am on the draw, this album was released Dec 2, 2006. It's among my favourite albums last year, hands down.
The intensity this band captures never ceases to imaze me. Which is why I'm absoultely thrilled to see they're stopping by Calgary on their Canadian tour.
This album is a journey; alebit a short one (which really is a shame). It starts off hauntingly with Heirlooms, a song that I promise you, will make your skin crawl if you listen to it somewhere alone with all the lights out. Hauntingly beautiful would be a good way to describe it.
From there, Tin Fist EP continues to grow, twisting and turning, giving and taking. Dents takes us on a softer ride, but the intensity returns in Spring Thaw.
Brokered Heart and Spring Thaw are both available to listen to on the band's myspace; along with some earlier songs (one of which, Blankets, you'll recognise from a WHYH mixtape).
Lets also throw in some links here: Go Jeff!!! is a band from Saskatchewan, who are going to do big things this year; Manic just recently released their EP Floor Boards, and I'll have a review of that up here shortly.
I can't promise that posting here will become more regular, but I am trying.
But now onto The Acorn's latest release, Tin Fist EP. Again proving how slow I am on the draw, this album was released Dec 2, 2006. It's among my favourite albums last year, hands down.
The intensity this band captures never ceases to imaze me. Which is why I'm absoultely thrilled to see they're stopping by Calgary on their Canadian tour.
This album is a journey; alebit a short one (which really is a shame). It starts off hauntingly with Heirlooms, a song that I promise you, will make your skin crawl if you listen to it somewhere alone with all the lights out. Hauntingly beautiful would be a good way to describe it.
From there, Tin Fist EP continues to grow, twisting and turning, giving and taking. Dents takes us on a softer ride, but the intensity returns in Spring Thaw.
Brokered Heart and Spring Thaw are both available to listen to on the band's myspace; along with some earlier songs (one of which, Blankets, you'll recognise from a WHYH mixtape).
Lets also throw in some links here: Go Jeff!!! is a band from Saskatchewan, who are going to do big things this year; Manic just recently released their EP Floor Boards, and I'll have a review of that up here shortly.
I can't promise that posting here will become more regular, but I am trying.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton
Emily Haine's debut solo disc, Knives Don't Have Your Back was released on September 12th of this year, making this review exactly a little late.Her first foray from her band Metric, and then the Broken Social Scene (and all related) collective shows Haine's softer side: the lyrics do not differ much from Metrics, however the music is definately not only driven from a different place, but driven to a different place. Instead of a rock out and have a good time sort of feel, this album lets off a quiet desperation. Tracks like Doctor Blind and The Lottery both slowly grow, to then slowly fade away, as if they were never there at all.
To hear Doctor Blind, The Lottery, and Our Hell check out Emily's myspace. Trust me, it's worth it.
Now, the reason this review is following the cd so many months later: when I first heard this cd, I hated it. It didn't seem worth it. Roughly three days ago, I threw the cd in my cd player after not listening to it since September, and something clicked. It all made sense. I'm putting it down to me thinking that it's more of a winter album - it just does not give off an autumn feel.
[Purchace Knives Don't Have Your Back from the Metric Online Store.]
Coming soon to WHYH: Something vaugely holidayesque. Tis the season!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Feature: The Golden Dogs
Hey all...Ju here. And no, I am not, in fact, dead.
I am UNdead. As in, the witch administrators of art school killed me with cut paper assignments, then resurrected my corpse for their own, evil purposes.
*shrugs* You'll all get used to the change eventually. I already have; you wouldn't BELIEVE how much you save on food when all you consume is human flesh. In fact...I highly doubt you'll even notice the difference.
Anyways, my new lifestyle is not the topic here. What IS the topic is The Golden Dogs...a wonderful rock/pop/indie band from Toronto. Which means, of course, that they're right close-by. And they tour, once in a while. ^^
Not for those who require every member of the band to possess and eight octave singing range and the lungs of a sherpa, but the rest of you should be just fine. Bouncy and exuberant music, without ever being trite or overly studied. The one impression you get when listening to these songs is that somewhere in the world...people still have fun making music.
I know. I thought fun was dead, too. O_o
Jangling guitarwork over female/male vocals with more hooks than an Alberta slaughterhouse (I lied. You WILL be able to tell the difference, what with the disturbing imagery >.>)...you've heard it all before. And while the Golden Dogs never sound like something you've never heard coming through your eardrums before, it's a good thing. This is the kind of pop music that doesn't get made much, anymore, and trust me, it's nice to have it back.
Also, the absent Philip once told me that they sounded like the Ramones. Which is a bald-faced lie, but a comparison like that can never be a bad sign, since THAT band wrote some of the loopiest pop music ever. *grins*
The Golden Dogs can be found at their Myspace. Yes. Um...probably on a website, as well. They probably have a website, too. O_o
...
Wow, it's been so long I've forgotten how one commonly ends these things. A handshake? Is that...um...does that work?
*coughs*
>.>
~Ju
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