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July 6th, 2009
11:15 pm - High On Jackson Hill by Immaculate Machine
high on jackon hill
by immaculate machine
i review it here!
----> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
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July 1st, 2009
June 19th, 2009
07:04 pm - fantasies by metric
today on the blog
metric's fantasies reviewed
insert bad pun here
---> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
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June 12th, 2009
01:37 pm - Review-kus.
some more quick reviews
of albums released this year
all in haiku form
---> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
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June 11th, 2009
10:23 pm - random top six
a random top six
where you guess the connection
betwixt all the songs! ---> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
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June 6th, 2009
06:26 pm - the hazards of love by the decemberists
the hazards of love
the new folk-rock-opera
from Decemberists
---> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
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June 5th, 2009
01:17 pm - "until you have to put cornstarch in your underpants, it's not a heatwave"
neko case, the vogue
a really good except
for the hot venue
--> http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/
(also note, i'm going to try to write smaller entries on a semi-daily basis that i may not "simulcast" here)
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May 31st, 2009
10:29 am - not an ending, but an evolution
the time has come for me to shake off the oppressive shackles of livejournal and go out into the world of blogger!
that's right, i have decided to move my humble little blog from here at LJ to a much better platform. The new blog can be found here:
http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com
But fear not, loyal LJers! You can choose to follow that blog, which I would recommend... but for the time being (at least until I get bored) I may do the same here as I do on the facebooks, which is to post a brief description of the post and link to it here. i suppose i COULD simul-blog, but that would just defeat the whole purpose of getting a new one!
for example, i just posted my review of the dears show last night, so i might come here to post:
the dears at richard's
a show i will not forget
as long as i live
http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/2009/05/dears-richards-053009.html
also, here is the rss feed link if you are so inclined to add me to your rss feeds:
http://3amrevelations.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
(I think that should work... if not, just go to the page and rss it like normal. :p)
anyway, hope to see you there!
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May 29th, 2009
12:43 pm - TV On The Radio @ Malkin Bowl -- 05/25/09
 One of my favourite things about the summer concert season is that Malkin Bowl becomes a viable venue again. Maybe it's because all the shows there I've seen have been pretty awesome (Flaming Lips, Stars, Stanley Park Singing Exhibition), but it has got to be one of my favourite places to see a live show. An absolutely gorgeous venue. Last night was the first show of the year there, and I couldn't have asked for a better band: TV On The Radio. I am not sure if it was a sold out show, but the place was pack with everyone from hippies to hipsters, toddlers (seriously), the eagles from the eagle-cam, and even the fat guy from Breaker High (ok, Tyler Labine is [was?] also on Reaper as of late, but he'll always be the fat guy from Breaker High to me).
Opening band Dirty Projectors hit the stage just after 7, with just two of their members and started with a really nice, stripped down song, just the guitarist and female vocalist. Then the other two thirds of the band came on and played for about 45 minutes. The rest of the set was... kind of polarizing. Some of the songs I quite liked, but some just sounded like six kids with ADD going crazy on their instruments. And while sometimes that can work... Their other female vocalist was quite good, if maybe a little too much like the vocal love child of Bjork and Mariah Carey. It was a decent set, but nothing too fantastic.
Then after a short break, TV On The Radio came out around 8:15, behind the awesome backdrop of what looked like a giant patchwork made out of dozens of quilts. This is the third time I have seen TVOTR live, and let me tell you, each time has been exponentially better than the last. I have no idea how they manage to keep getting more amazing, but they do. One of the factors that helped that was the horn player; this time they had a saxamaphonist with them, which greatly helped fill out their sound, especially on the new songs. They started off with Love Dog, from the new album Dear Science, and focused mostly on that album and their previous, Return to Cookie Mountain (to quote Stephen Colbert: "Why would you ever want to leave cookie mountain in the first place???"), but had a few older songs thrown in for good measure, like their breakthrough hit, Staring At The Sun. Some other highlights were the incredibly energetic Wolf Like Me -- which, if I had one complaint about the show, it is that they played that song too early, while it was still daylight. They had the perfect opportunity to play it right at sundown... but I suppose that would have been too tricky to time just right. Shout Me Out and Dancing Choose were both amazing and also full of energy. Dave Sitek, with his wind-chimed-guitar and Kyp Malone, with his epic beard, were both their usual stoic selves, with Tunde Adebimpe going nuts when not at his keyboard device, with all the energy of a bottled hurricane. My one other complaint would be the lack of Family Tree, but being a mellow song, with strings, I can understand why they left it off.
Their main set ran about an hour & a half before "leaving" just as the sun was going down, coming back after dusk for the encore, which consisted of a few more older tracks, off the Young Liars EP, and one of my faves of theirs, A Method, which is always fun to see live. This time was no exception with Dirty Projector members joined them with shakers and tambourines, Tunde on the lone symbol and Dave going nuts on the glittered floor tom.
The interesting thing about TVOTR's live shows is that the songs are actually quite different from the live versions. They are a little more... raw. That's not to say they are any worse (or better) live than in studio, but they have a very complex sound, at times, and they do a fantastic job of translating that to a live show. I have been to a lot of great shows this year, but I would have to say that this has got to be one of my top three favourite shows so far. It'll be hard to top.
Here are a couple videos I found on the youtubes, which I take absolutely no credit for, except stealing to post here. The user who posted them has about a half dozen from the show, all worth checking out.
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May 22nd, 2009
01:44 pm - lyric guessing game thingummy.
Well, here I am at work. I have forgotten my USB drive with all my goodies to pass the day, and thus am rather bored... So I decided to resurrect a game that I have played a couple times before, but not in a while, so I figured why not a new one?? I am sure you are all familiar with it, as it's been around a few times.
1. Put your music player on shuffle and record the first line of every random song that plays.
2. Whoever can identify the song & artist of whichever line(s) you know, do so in the comments section - NO CHEATING!! (i.e. Googling the lyrics)
3. Every song that's identified correctly will get deleted until, one day, none are left.
I am cross posting this on livejournal, facebook and last.fm, but will only keep the answers people post in that one place. mayhaps in a little while i'll post an answer key, and hand out prizes to the people who get the most. some songs will be blatantly obvious. some songs i hope people will get. some songs i expect people to get. and, to put on my music snob cap, some songs i expect no one to get.
Anyway, awaaayyyy we go:
1. and under the boughs unbowed all clothed in a snowy shroud
2. where is the real stuff and when do we know?
3. call on the fates this'll take a second, while i fall on my face like everyone else
4. i don't want no police, i don't want no police, around my door
5. out of energy, i don't know what to do with myself
6. always, never, only, if you say these words we're through
7. drive down the street can't find the keys to my own fucking home
8. how can anyone be so unkind, As to want to take another's peace of mind?
9. you were drawn in by the flashing lights, and now start to smoke for effect
10. so long to this cold, cold part of the world
11. she grew up on st. george's lane
12. her face is a map of the world
13. is this climbing up to the moon?
14. there is a wall that runs right through me
15. brains, on a brick wall, when gender bombs would fall
16. first off, here's what you'll do to me.
17. i'm tired of blood and overpriced bubblegum, mom
18. when john he saw the numbers he lied
19. please, mother mercy, take me from this place
20. the lazy way they turn your head into a rest stop for the dead
21. i won't shiver in the cold, won't let the shadows take their toll
22. common scars brought us together
23. it was a miracle i even got out of longwood alive
24. it couldn't happen to a better man, it wouldn't happen with a better plan
25. maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away
26. eyes wide mine suddenly everything, flies by fine, mind goes on holiday
27. a vial of hope and a vial of pain, in the light they both looked the same
28. now take a look at me, and tell me what you see
29. i said my, my slow descent into alcoholism
30. got a daughter who'll eat anything, they like to feed her words, words, words
31. i hear the tiniest sparks in the tenderest sounds
32. what are you changing? who do you think you're changing?
33. oh i don't know, i don't know, oh, where to begin, we are north americans
34. there is no way out, the only way out is to give in
35. do what you say, do what you do always
36. on the first day of may i took to the road, i'd been staring out the window most of the morning
37. i made a nasty habit of throwning it out there right away
38. leave me out with the waste, this is not what i do
39. would you say that you wish you were worse than… would you say that you wish you were worse than you are?
40. time of the season i chaperone the beast
41. this is where i'll be, so heavenly, so come and dance with me
42. come on over, let me watch you, let me hold you, let me touch you
43. trapped on the terraces, i looked at you and knew
44. of all the churning random hearts, under the sun
45. i'm leaving while you turn away, in the basement is where i'm gonna stay
46. what if you woke up in the middle of the night, and in your bare feet you walked outside
47. i've been sold down the river, and i've been told that jesus delivers
48. well it's time to begin as the summer sets in
49. so leave your worries at the door, stop thinking about the tv war
50. i was a silent partner i found, myself with the rabble that stood on a mound
51. hey modern school girl what have you done to me?
52. side of the road, in the ditch, you rust, a mouthful of mud from a fistful of dust, a heart full of hurt from a head full of wine
53. a kitten on fire, a baby in a blender.
enjoy!
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May 10th, 2009
12:25 pm - Joel Plaskett @ The Vogue -- 05/09/09
To paraphrase Cake, How do I afford my rock'n'roll lifestyle? Nine days into May and I was seeing my fourth show of the month. The sixth show in the last two & a half weeks. And I have at least two more before the month is out!
Having only seen Joel Plaskett once before -- and that was with his full band, Joel Plaskett Emergency -- and really liking the new album, Three, I was rather excited to see the show (and surprisingly not suffering from "concert fatigue").
Interestingly enough, there was no opening band. I think I've only seen one or two other for reals concert that didn't have an opening band...
He started off on stage solo with True Patriot Love, getting everyone into it right away before going into another old song, Work Out Fine, in which he sung the song, but also wove stories of his earless cat, White Fang, through the song between the verses. There was quite a bit of ad libbing and throwing random lines and stories into the songs, which was pretty awesome and is a testament to his musical talent. Between that and the joking around, he has an amazing stage presence and ability to draw you in to the show. Television was up next, playing a backup beat on his $6 Value Villiage casio keyboard, duct taped together and all. Lazy Bones was the first song he played off of Three, and at the end of the song Ana Egge and Rose Cousins, who sing back up on many of the songs on Three, were out to join him.
Part way through the set Ana did one of her songs, as both she and Rose are solo artists in their own right.
Joel didn't just play his solo songs, though, as he broke out a few songs from the Emergency, namely from Ashtray Rock, Face of the Earth & Nothing More To Say To You.
He ended the set after about an hour with Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'... but were we done there? Oh no! After a short intermission, he came back out for set two.
This time joined by his father, Bill Plaskett, who also appears on Three, he kicked off the second half of the show with Love This Town, and talking about his upcoming show in Kelowna (if you know the song, and the story behind it, you know why a Kelowna show is a big deal) and went on to play Heartless, Heartless, Heartless with his father, and then had him play one of his own songs before getting right back into it, bringing Ana & Rose back out on stage for some more tracks off Three, Rewind, Rewind, Rewind, another song featuring the casio keyboard and Joel interjecting random lines into it. The song also had the most awesome prop ever (a sheet of poster board with a cassette tape drawn on in marker). After a little while Joel sent everyone else off stage for a break and played one of the b-sides from the new album, which went right into what is probably his biggest & most well known song, Nowhere With You, which just about everyone sung along to.
Near the end of the set, Rose ended up doing one of her songs, and after not too long they "ended" things with Fashionable People, which was not only a great song, but was a really fun song to watch live. For many reasons, but the biggest? Three words: Joel. Plaskett. Beatboxing. Since there were no drums for the night (except for the loops from the casio) he had to mimic the drums near the end of the song. Also, gotta love the falsetto in the song.
For the expected encore, Joel came out solo yet again and played a couple older songs, including on from the Thrush Hermit days. They ended off the whole night with one of my favourites off Three, and probably one of my favourite songs of the year thus far, Wishful Thinking.
As mentioned above, he has an amazing stage presence. Despite the fact that it was a sold out Vogue -- which has a capacity of over 1100 people -- it felt less like a concert and more like an intimate show in someones living room. That takes real talent. You can tell when a band or artist is just on stage, going through the motions and playing exactly what is on the album. And a lot of the time, that is just lame. But when Plaskett is up there you could just tell he is having a blast doing this, joking around with the crowd and his fellow musicians, throwing in random asides to songs and in the middle of songs and sometimes new or different verses. And the more fun an artist seems to be having, the more fun it is for the crowd. I have seen a lot of musicians and bands on stage, and very, very few have as much charisma as Joel Plaskett. Without a doubt, this is going to end up being one of my favourite shows of the year. And that's saying something.
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May 9th, 2009
02:09 pm - The Stills @ Commodore Ballroom -- 05/08/09
It is always interesting watching bands progress. I first saw The Stills in early 06 at the Pit Pub at UBC in front of what couldn't have been more than 100 people. A couple months after that, at Richards. Then, still in 06, at Deer Lake Park (opening for Broken Social Scene & Sam Roberts). The next time was a little more than a year later at the Biltmore (fun fact: that was the first show I saw there) and then earlier this year at the Orpheum (opening for, again, Sam Roberts)
Arts & Crafts lable-mate Gentleman Reg opened the night out with his brand of lo-fi-indie-folk-rock. A few of his songs may have been a little too similar, but still pretty good. Enjoyable and even though I didn't pick up his album, I would probably be interested to check him out some more, and maybe see him again...
Also, female drummers are hot. More bands should have female drummers.
Then soon after, the lights dimmed and as the stage went dark, save for about eight or nine yellow/orange stand-alone neon lights, Roy Orbison's Crying played over the sound system, and as the song came to an end the members of The Stills took the stage and started things off, still in the dark, with the pounding drums of Snakecharming The Masses. (sidebar: I miss the sax that was present when they previewed the song at the biltmore show, but absent from the album version) The lights stayed down for the entire song creating a really cool and moody atmosphere, especially cos the song is already kinda dark (no pun intended... ok, maybe a little). They went right into the opener from their first album, Lola Stars & Stripes and then right back to their latest for Eastern Europe. Those are three of my favourite Stills songs, so needless to say it was a great way to open the show. I had a bad feeling, since a lot of people are only discovering them now, with Oceans Will Rise, they would be focusing mostly on that and not playing a lot of older songs, but I was glad that their set covered their whole career. In The Beginning had the best song introduction & dedication, with Tim claiming the song went out to "the beginning of the universe and all the amoeba on the planet!". Everything I Build was, apparently, the first time they played the song live and it sounded great live. Destroyer was also cool to see live, but lacking a little without the french horn. They ended the set with both singles from the new album, Don't Talk Down & Being Here before "leaving". They came back for the required encore which awesomely focused on Logic Will Break Your Heart, playing Gender Bombs and their first single, Still in Love Song. They closed the night out with She's Walking Out, which is a great "closing" song and a great way to end off the show.
There were a few songs I wish they had played, like Roobios/Palm Wine Drunkard and Yesterday Never Tomorrows (which I've only see them do once, the first time I saw them), but despite that, it was a pretty great show and I can't wait to see them again. For a seventh time.
I usually don't, but for whatever reason last night I decided to keep track of the setlist, so here it is in all it's glory:
snake charming the masses; lola stars & stripes; eastern europe; snow in california; helicopters; panic; in the beginning; love & death; everything i build; hands on fire; of montreal; i'm with you; destroyer; don't talk down; being here.
gender bombs; still in love song; she's walking out.
Total tally:
Oceans Will Rise - 9
Without Feathers - 4
Logic Will Break Your Heart - 5
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May 7th, 2009
04:20 pm - Ben Lee @ Richards on Richards -- 05/05/09
Continuing my nine-shows-in-six-weeks string, Ben Lee played Richard's on Richards the other night. On a random note? I love weekday shows at Richard's, cos there is usually free parking right outside the venue on the street. Score!
Getting right into it, Dawes was the first band, and they were pretty much a Generic Opening Band who played Perfectly Acceptable Music. They were not great, they were not terrible, they just... were. You could, though -- how do I put this nicely? -- spot their influences. A Seger song, a Springstein song, a Cougar Mellencamp song... That same kind of "Americana" sound. They were decent, but ultimately forgettable.
Up next was Low vs Diamond who were actually quite a bit different from Dawes. And from Ben Lee for that matter. They had a more of an indie rock sound to them... maybe if The Killers didn't totally suck, they would sound like this. They started out good enough, but by the end of the set they won me over to the point where I spontaneously bought their album at the show. Very energetic (the lead singer, when not playing guitar, had mastered the one-foot-indie-hop-shuffle dance) and upbeat, they were nothing too mind shattering, but on the opening band scale (1 being Hot Hot Heat, 10 being Karkwa) they would rank a solid 7.42.
And finally Ben Lee. This was my third time seeing him (both previous times at Richards, too), first was with a full band, second was more or less solo. This time he had a few members of Low vs Diamond helping him out.
He started off the set with an older song, Ship My Body Home and then after some chatter went on to Numb and the song he's probably best known for, Catch My Disease, getting everyone into the show & singing along instantly. (Oddly enough, that one was not the song he played right after the mandatory swine flu reference). Pulling the rest of the songs songs mostly off his three most recent, and probably best known, albums, there were quite a few great sing-a-long songs, with a few times where he didn't even need to prompt people to sing, they just knew. Part way through the set he sent the band off for a break and did a few songs on his own, including a song included on a bonus disk for his new album, a cover of The Atari's song called Ben Lee. Which is a whole song about how much the Atari's hate Ben Lee. What other artist would not only cover a song like that, but finish it off with the crowd yelling out the last line "Ben Lee you suck"?? Following that he played a few songs from his upcoming Noise Addict album, which was Ben Lee's first band, that had more of a lo-fi dancey-vibe to them. He closed out the show after a good hour of playing with another pair of sing-a-longs from the new album, What's So Bad (About Feeling Good?) and [the somewhat clunky titled] Song for the Divine Mother of the Universe.
One of the great things about Ben Lee shows is his sense of humour and audience interaction. Aside from the aforementioned sing-a-longs, there was telling stories and jokes between songs and even things like a Q&A session (What does he love most about Vancouver? "The bitches") and helping Kristen reunite with Sully after the former randomly screaming for the latter to find her. A short bout of crowd surfing instead of leaving the stage for the "encore" and just general goofing around. I don't think I would quite count Ben Lee as one of my favourite musicians, but his shows are definitely incredibly fun and a blast to attend.
(Amusing note of the night: The people in line behind us waiting to get in discussing the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother.)
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May 2nd, 2009
02:30 pm - Rolling Tundra Review (w/ The Coinstantines & The Weakerthans) @ Commodore Ballroom -- 05/01/09
 I admit, had I not won tickets from The Peak, there is a strong chance I would not have gone to this show. I like both The Constantines & The Weakerthans well enough, and hearing of their co-headlining show, The Rolling Tundra Review, intrigued me... but I have never gotten into either band all that much. I like them when I hear them on the radio or around, but I have never been inspired enough to check out any more of either band. But given the opportunity to go for free I thought "why not?"
The opening band was Vancouvers own Oh Susanna, who is normally just Suzie Ungerleider but was joined on stage by Veda Hille on the keyboard. (Sidebar: I really like her song Lucklucky, so that was kinda cool to see her there) She had a very laid back and alt-folk-country sound and a really nice voice (which sort of reminded me of Carolyn Mark). The only problem with her set was the combination of her music being rather soft and people that wouldn't shut the fuck up. Maybe it was where we were sitting (the upper balcony at the back of the Commodore) but she was almost like background noise. That was kind of frustrating. But she was pretty decent and I probably won't be running out to find her stuff, but I'd be interested to hear more sometime in the future.
The Constantines were up next, first of the co-headline bill and played for just over an hour. As mentioned above, I like them well enough, and the set was quite good... but nothing that would turn me into a bigger fan. While they had some good songs, a lot of them were a little... too similar.
One song near the end had Weakerthans lead singer John Sampson coming out to do lead vocals, which was the only collaboration of the night, and maybe i've just been spoiled by other co-headlining shows (most recently Arkells & The Waking Eyes, and before that Hey Rosetta! & Two Hours Traffic jamming together) but I think all shows with co-headliners should have awesome collaborations and jams, at least at the end of the show.
And a few songs reminded me vaguely of Bush[x] and I'm still not quite sure yet if that is a good thing...
Finally The Weakerthans closed the show out. I had seen them once before, opening for Feist and was not really unimpressed by them, but not all that impressed either. I was mediocred by them. But after last night I'm thinking it was just something with that set. Maybe it was an off night, maybe I was distracted by Deer Lake Parks crepes, who knows. Their set last night, however, was pretty awesome, with the energy of the sold out crowd definitely adding to the show. Through their hour long "main" set they played more songs than I thought I knew of them -- which was only four, and all from the newest album, Reunion Tour. For the encore lead singer/guitarist John Sampson came back out solo to do One Great City (which had nearly everyone singing along, at least to the chorus of "I hate Winnipeg").
I went into the show with pretty much no expectations (not "low", "no") and so was really happy with the show in the end. While I don't think it changed my opinions on The Constantines, it has definitely made me want to reevaluate what I think of The Weakerthans.
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April 28th, 2009
04:08 pm - Bloc Party @ Commodore Ballroom -- 04/26/09
I don't think I ever got around to reviewing or talking about Bloc Party's last album, Intimacy, but to give it a quick review, a reviewku, even, I would have to say:
A remix album
Of a Bloc Party CD
That never came out
So when I heard they were coming, even though I was excited, I was also somewhat hesitant. I didn't know how all the (disappointing) overproduction and studio trickery of the album would come across live. I feared the worst.
First up, though, much to me chagrin was the opening band, Hot Hot Heat. I had the misfortune of seeing them a few years ago, and here's a snippet of what I said about that then:
Now, I must say I wasn't really a big fan of the band before the show, but after the show... blah. The show totally broke the band for me. Or, more specifically, the arrogant fish-eyes large-mouthed lead singer. After a song or two you realize they really have one song that they play over and over, and his fucking voice makes me want to slap him. Before their set now, however, I was wondering if they were really as bad as I remembered them. Maybe I was demonizing the show in my head. Maybe every time I thought about the show or talked about it, I remembered it a little worse than the time before. Maybe they wouldn't be as bad as I thought they would be. Or maybe they would be even worse. More like Hot Hot Horrible. That fucking voice still grated on my nerves, having the exact same inflection and tone and whineyness for every song... They played a 45 minute set, but it felt like hours. The only saving grace was that the entire sold out crowd (except for that one crazy-dancing guy) didn't care for them either. There were people sitting around us outright heckling them. Each song got smatterings of polite applause. When they were wrapping up their set, they were asking the crowd if they should do one more and were met with everything from apathy to disdain. Then during their last song, the "smash hit" (as he put it) Bandages, the lead singer tried to get everyone singing along only to get silence where the chorus should have been.
Then finally was Bloc Party. They started the set with a track from Intimacy and then went right into Hunting For Witches from A Weekend in the City, followed by one from Silent Alarm. (Yeah, I'm totally blanking on the specific setlist and can't find one online...) Their whole set was actually a very equal mix from all three albums, usually rotating between albums. And the songs from Intimacy? Which I feared? Actually sounded pretty damn good. I think some of the more... tricked out songs... were not played, but they did play a good chuck of the album, and only sometimes relying on trickery on stage.
For a few different songs they had everyone singing along, but that seemed to mostly be the older songs. Blue Light, Helicopters & Like Eating Glass being the biggest singalongs. This Modern Love, one of my favourite songs (not just fave BP) was great to see live again. They played for a good hour or so before the customary fake-leave-and-encore then came back with a few more, Ares from the new one, Like Eating Glass, then finishing off with Helicopters.
The entire set had a fantastic energy to it, and maybe it's just my imagination, maybe it was the venue (Commodore, as opposed to the Orpheum) but the band, Kele especially, seemed a lot looser and more comfortable on stage. There was more banter between songs and fooling around. Like drummer Matt Tong coming forward and singing the first bit of a song before being playfully shoved away by Kele.
And speaking of Matt Tong, he is a freaking machine on the drums. He started the show fully clothed, but ended up in just his boxers somehow, and I swear he was going to burn a hole through each of the drums and even through the floor. At times, he reminded me of Animal from Dr Teeth & The electric Mayhem. Though maybe not quite as... animated.
It was a great set, and might even make me rethink my opinion of Intimacy, an album that I have been kind of 'meh' about since it came out. I just wish they had gotten an opening band as awesome as last time (Final Fantasy) and not the failure of HHH.
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April 24th, 2009
11:55 am - Metric (acoustic) @ The Media Club -- 04/23/09
When I first heard The Peak was to be hosting a private, acoustic Metric show at The Media Club, I knew I had to win tickets (for that was the only way to get in). After some unsuccessful attempts, I actually ended up getting on the guest list through the Metric website. And I couldn't have been more thrilled.
The show consisted of just Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw, with a piano -- not keyboard, but an actual grand piano on stage -- and acoustic guitar(s) and considering the (newly renovated) Media Club holds about 200 people, it had an incredibly intimate feeling.
They started off the show with Gold, Guns, Girls which was awesome, because not only is that one of my favourites from the new album, but it was a vastly different interpretation of the song. The album version is very fast paced and frantic and rock-y, and this was a very slow, piano driven number. The best way of describing it would almost be solo Emily Haines (and the Soft Skeleton) covering Metric. After was the first single from the album, Help, I'm Alive, which, again, was quite different but no less awesome. After a few more songs from the album and some stage banter (like the possibility of everyones heads asploding if David Mamet were to write a David Lynch movie) Haines got out from behind the piano and lead everyone to a sing-along to the chorus of Front Row. Then Shaw got behind the keys and did a really awesome cover of Floyd's Nobody Home. I knew he was an awesome guitar player, but had no idea he could play the piano... or that he had a pretty good voice. I think I would very much enjoy a solo album from him.
Then after that was not only the moment of the night, but one of the moments of the year. Haines gave an introduction to the song, which segued from the previous song, to times before cell phones and ended with her saying how she liked to romanticise the past, before launching into...
Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl. The Broken Social Scene song is one of my favourite songs, and part of the reason why I love Haines so much, so to hear the song in a setting like this? I almost lost it.
A couple more Haines-insisted sing-alongs to Gimme Sympathy and Live It Out closed out the show, and were both pretty awesome, with just about every in attendance singing along. At least to the chorus of each song.
Overall, the show was simply amazing. They played for about an hour, and with the few exceptions noted, played only songs from Fantasies. I was kinda hoping to hear more, but I wasn't expecting it, since I was sure it would be a pain in the ass to rejigger all these songs to an acoustic sound (or, as Shaw joked at one point: "Fuck reworking songs"). Aside from the one dude who thought he was having a personal conversation with the band, the crowd was really good, too, but how could you not be at a show like this? The only other down side was trying to watch the show around the dozens of cameras being held up in front of me... but those are just minor annoyances and in no way make this any less one of my top contenders for favourite show of the year.
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April 18th, 2009
02:58 pm - Three by Joel Plaskett
 To say Joel Plaskett is interested in the number three would be like saying the cookie monster enjoys the occasional oreo. The album title; three disks; nine songs per disk, totalling twenty seven; numerous songs with thrice repeted words or phrases; and repeted references to the number in the lyrics, including, but not limited to, Plaskett telling us "the good things come in threes". Hell, it was even released on March (03) 24 of 09.
Three is a solo Plasket album, not to be confused with his band work as Joel Plaskett Emergency, and as such seems to be the more "twangy" side of Plaskett. It probably resides somewhere between his previous solo album, La De Da, and his previous Emergency album, Ashtray Rock, in terms of feel, but seems to be a culmination of Plasketts career thus far. Mixing the alt-country influences with his innate abilities to write some of the catchiest hooks and most clever lyrics in music today.
I toyed with the idea as writing this as three separate reviews, one per disk, but that was far too much effort. However, each disk does have a noticeable beginning and ending to it, so I will break them down individually.
One
Every Time You Leave kicks everything off. Combined with the next track, first single Through & Through & Through, they set the tone for the entire triple album. Every Time You Leave is more of the mellow, alt-country infused numbers while Through & Through & Through is more poppy and infectious. Drifters Raus is a moody and even slightly creepy (with the whispers) tale of, well, a drifter and his exploits roaming from town to town. The throaty female backup vocals add to the effect. Gone Gone Gone features sometimes-Emergency member, and accomplished artist in is own right, Peter Elkas on piano. Wishful Thinking is another incredibly catchy tune and weaves a tale of touring and how lonely it can potentially be. Showcasing both Plasketts guitar and vocal skills in parts, the song manages to feel both grand and intimate at the same time. The first disk ends with Run, Run, Run which works as a great "act break" of sorts and ends there seeming theme of wanting to get away that fills the first disk.
download Drifters Raus
download Wishful Thinking
Two
Starting with Safe, Safe, Safe, disk two is probably the slowest, most calm and folksy of the three disks. It's not really the "worst" of the three, since that implies it is bad, but rather the... least good.
The perfectly titled Sailors Eyes is perhaps the most upbeat and can only be described as Maritimey. Heartless is a[n unsurprisingly] heartbreaking song that was co-written by Joel's father Bill Plaskett, who also plays acoustic guitar. New Scotland Blues ends the disk and is about as perfect a closing song as you can get. An acoustic number that is completely Joel (one of the only songs on the album giving him sole credit), it seems to cap off the second parts sense of regret for leaving and yearning to go back home.
download Heartless, Heartless, Heartless
download New Scotland Blues
Three
The final disk start with another great pairing of songs, Rewind, Rewind, Rewind, which leads perfectly into Precious, Precious, Precious, another example of Plaskett's playful lyrics and penchant for word play. If the first two disks were leaving and wanting to come back home, the theme here might be coming home to find things might not be quite as you remember them.
Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', is another insanely catchy song, seeing Plaskett at his banjo-strumming, boot-stomping, country/bluegrass best. How can you not love a song that credits Gordie Johnson (of Big Sugar and Grady fame) with 'cowboy boots'? You can't; it's not possible. The disk, and whole album, ends with the aptly titled On & On & On, a 12 minute song which meanders, but never gets boring, and, like the previous two disks, proves Plaskett knows how to write an ending.
download Precious, Precious, Precious
download Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'
As with any artist, though, the more songs you throw on an album, the more chance there will be filler or repetition. This album is not exempt from that. Even though the "filler" is few & far between. There are some lulls, at times, but nothing too terrible. Plaskett has given each disk an identity of its own, so they can easily be taken individually, but since the whole thing clocks in at just over an hour and a half, it never feels too long and you never really tire of it.
This album could very well be a career defining album for Plaskett, and after an ambition concept album with Emergency, Ashtray Rock, I was curious to see where Plaskett would go from there and how he could possibly top it. Well, he very well may have managed and I, for one, can not wait to see what he comes up with next.
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April 13th, 2009
11:57 pm - Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
 I am sure regular readers (all four of you) already know my complete & total love of Neko Case. Her solo music, her contributions to The New Pornographers, her voice especially... So to say I was excited for this album would be a bit of an understatement. Never satisfied with the "alt-country" genre straightjacket she has been saddled with, Case shows her versatility with this album.
Starting off with This Tornado Loves You -- which is the first, but not last, lyrical mention of tornadoes -- and immediately sets the stage for the rest of album. Infection melodies and everything from alt-country diddies to pop masterpieces grace the album, but everything is background to Case's incredibly beautiful & powerful voice. It continues it's strong opening with a slightly softer and short The Next Time You Say "Forever" that contains one of my favourite lines on the album (the next time you say forever i will punch you in your face) and is followed by lead single (and Rock Band 2 DLC) People Got A Lotta Nerve, the first song on the albums about animals (the "man-eater" of the chorus being less Hall & Oats and more deadly animals). The album has a lot of references to nature, being animals or weather. The closest you get to a love song is the ominously named Vengeance is Sleeping, which is musically dark and not much brighter, lyrically. The title track brings things down with Case singing softly over a slow and melodic tune and Fever takes the mellow tone to start but through the course of the song builds and bubbles and teases an aural explosion, but always pulls back. Magpie in the Morning follows the same, but instead of keeping everything in check, Case's voice bursts through when least expected. I'm an Animal kicks things back into high gear, building to its infectious climax, even if the backup vocals seem a little out of place when some dude jumps in for a line or two with no warning. Prison Girls is perhaps the most haunting and darkest song on the album, and the more I hear it, the more I am convinced it is among her best work, musically and vocally. The album ends, for the most part, with Red Tide, another upbeat but vaguely ominous song that Case does so well. The real final track, however, is Marais la Nuit, a thirty minute loop of what the title implies, The Marsh at Night. Bullfrogs and crickets and the like, which are incredibly calming, were recorded at night outside the barn which they recorded the majority of the album in -- which explains the surprise duet on Polar Nettles with some chirping birds.
Case knows where her strengths are. Each song on the album not only showcases her voice, but shows off her incredible versatility as well. She can effortlessly switch from alt-country cowgirl to pop songstress to gospelesque power voice to a flat out force of nature. In this case, literally. Featuring guest spots by people like M. Ward, Sarah Harmer and members of the New Pornographers, among others, the album may not be perfect, and while not as immediately captivating as Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, it is a grower. When I first heard it I though it was maybe too long and could have used some pruning & purging, but listening to it now, I don't know what would go. It's moody and cinematic, optimistic yet dark, and could very well be Case's most accomplished work to date. It is impossible not to love this album.
Also, how can you not love that cover? And the album art throughout the booklet is also very well done. I buy physical copies of CDs because I like to have something substantial and that won't be gone if my computer fries up, but I always appreciate it when an artist puts care and effort into their packaging.
download This Tornado Loves You
download The Next Time You Say "Forever"
download Vengeance is Sleeping
download Prison Girls
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April 6th, 2009
06:45 pm - Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains @ Richard's on Richards -- 04/05/09
 One of my biggest musical regrets is that I never got a chance to see Death From Above 1979 live before they broke up. But while I will never get that chance, I did get a chance to see one half of the group, Sebastien Grainger and his backing band, The Mountains. I had actually seen them before, back in December opening the Jingle Bell Rock show, but that was too a short set, and this was them headlining!
The opening band, Flash Lightnin', hit the stage around 9:30 and played a surprisingly long 50 minute set for an opening band. Even though the place was still a little sparse when they went on, they seemed to captivate most of the crowd and get them pumped. Not quite everyone, though. While they were technically proficient, they sounded a little like an AC/DC cover band trying to break out on their own. Each song sounded a little too similar and high, screamy vocals and power chords and guitar solos sprinkled WAY too liberally throughout... I don't dislike guitar solos, but when every song has one -- and especially when one song has TWO of them -- they kind of lose their specialness. They also reminded me quite a bit of Wolfmother and Ladyhawke, so much so that I would have almost expected their name to be Tigerneice.
(note: i am so starting a classic rock ripoff band and calling them Tigerneice.)
The lead singer, however, did have a good stage presence and some funny banter with the crowd. I am also pretty sure they had one strict requirement for being in the band: giant facial hair. The lead singer had more hair on his face than the top of his head, and the bassist had some pretty epic beardage going on, too. The drummer, less so, but his hair and look seemed like he just came out of his haze and realized it was no longer the 60s.
They were not necessarily bad, but rather a Perfectly Acceptable Opening Band. Nothing I'm terribly interested in hearing more of, though.
After one of the quickest turnarounds I've seen in a show without a curfew (15 minutes!) Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains hit the stage and proceeded to rock the fuck out for just over an hour. Starting out with a jean jacket on, he soon shed it to go with his now usual look: the tightest of pants with suspenders & no shirt, his look and stage manner reminded me of a slightly less flamboyant Freddie Mercury. They kicked off the set with the first song from the album, Love Can Be So Mean, they played just about every song from the album, and I think one or two others, adding to the songs here and there so as to make the songs fresh, but without distorting them too much. I Hate My Friends most notably getting both an interlude and extended ending. They ended the set with Meet new Friends which led into a pretty awesome ending of Grainger going nuts, screaming in ways only he can and going nuts on the guitar. Then one by one, all the members left the stage until all that was left was a drum loop still going and the guitars reverberating hauntingly, after Grainger left the mic on the strings before leaving, and then slowly coming to an end... not even coming back for the faux encore that is ever so silly at this point -- so I applaud them for that! It was a pretty cool end to the show that, the more I think about it, the more I like it.
Oh, and speaking of hair, the keyboardist from The Mountains looked like a younger, or perhaps the son of, Bob Ross. Big hair & think moustache and all.
But that was not the end! When all was done and we were heading out, I spotted Grainger chilling out at the merch table, so I wandered over and met experience him, said hi and thanks and got him to sign the gig poster I yoinked, which he also doodled on, and you can see it in all its glory at the top of this post!
Another solid night of music, and even though I will eternally be sad about missing out on DFA1979, as long as Grainger keeps on doing what he is doing, it will all turn out okay.
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01:04 am - The Century Of Self by ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
 The Century of Self is the first (full length) album from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead since leaving Interscope for their own label, Richter Scale Records. After 01's Source Tags & Codes, which was a smash with critics and fan alike, they released a couple... not bad, but just lackluster albums. With Century, they are back to the basics, as it were. No more click tracking and overdubs and studio trickery, just the band flat out playing as they would live. And it shows a huge difference.
Starting with the short but grandiose instrumental intro, it launches straight into things with The Far Pavilions which overflows with an energy and rambunctiousness that continues straight in to Isis Unveiled; in itself an epic roller coaster of a song. The high energy doesn't let up until the start of Bells of Creation, which starts somewhat calm and piano-based, before a slow burn into the controlled chaos of the songs finale. Fields of Coal is a song that, on many levels, shouldn't work. It is an over-the-top almost sea shanty of a song that would be ridiculous played by any other band, but ToD has the unmitigated audacity to make it work. This starts a run of calmer, ballad-y songs, with Luna Park being one of the best songs they have written up until now. At this point, the album maybe drags a little, but after the "worst" song on the album, Insatiable (One), it rockets right back with possibly the most ST&C-era sounding song, Ascending. Dual, overlapping vocals, an onslaught of guitars and overly energetic, the song saves the album from petering out. Insatiable (two) ends the album with the same amount of bombasticness that started it, but not quite as much the chaotic energy.
As a whole, the album is not flawless. It does have some missteps, and can lack nuance, at times -- though Trail of Dead has never been a subtle band -- and But when all is said and done, it is one of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's best albums, and among my favourite of this year.... so far.
One last thing, I have to give major bonus points for the album art. The entire thing was illustrated by lead singer Conrad Keeley and done entirely in ballpoint pen. And is ridiculously detailed. Some of my favourite album art in a long while.
Download Isis Unveiled
Download Fields of Coal
Download Luna Park
Download Ascending
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