RSS

By Katie Seline - Wrong Side of the Bed - 09/30/2005

What I love most about this city is its easy access to great bands in intimate settings. Last Friday I was privileged enough to be able to attend the 150 tickets-only Quiet Fire II show at Art En Majuscule, in the warehouse district of the Old Port. This would be the end of my Pop Montreal binge, and was without a doubt the greatest possible way to pack it in.

Keeping with my newfound habit of arriving late for everything, I missed openers Donkey Heart, who I thought had broken up -- apparently I was wrong. In any case, as I walked through the cobblestone alley to Art En Majuscule, I knew that this was going to be a great night. The building that houses the venue was built on the ruins of the New City Gas Co., which was built in 1859. You really have to go to this place to understand how truly magical it is. Simply put, it was the perfect place to be holding this benefit. There was no stage, making everything all the more personal and inviting, allowing the audience to be right up in front of the musicians.

Hope for A Golden Summer is a five-piece from Atlanta and Athens, GA and who are enough to soothe the soul of even the most jagged of music lovers. Their set was one of the most captivating performances I have ever seen and its beauty lay in its simplicity. Singer Claire Campbell, whose voice can be compared to the likes of Beth Orton, harmonizes perfectly with Paige Campbell. Their melodies are soulful and enchanting and their sound borrows from old southern folk and bluegrass styles. There is nothing not to like about this band. At the very least, one can find true enjoyment in their use of saws and a crate of old coke bottles as instruments. HFGS can best be compared to an old-fashioned lullaby. The band is passionate and unique; it was a wonderful way to kick off my evening.

Next up was what everyone was waiting for -- a chance to see a band that we all knew was going to be absolutely amazing in such an upclose and personal environment. Stars is a group that have enjoyed moderate success. With two full-lengths under their belt (the first being the rather unknown album Heart) and despite being one of those “hey didn’t I hear that song on The OC?” bands, they remain just under the radar, which is odd considering all of the hype over the last year surrounding Montreal’s music scene. Perhaps this is due to the date of release of their most praised album, Set Yourself On Fire. The album came out around the same time as The Arcade Fire’s smash album Funeral, which basically stole any thunder available from any other band in the indie-rock music scene at the time. Whatever the case, this under-the-radar status is the beauty of Stars. Their lack of pretension and all-around amazing musical talent, paired with the fact that people haven’t been able to get sick of them in the way that they seem to have with The Arcade Fire allows for that little something special to remain intrinsic to them.

Set Yourself On Fire breaks my heart every time I hear it. The songs are real and raw, the sound is solid and fervent. Some call it cheesy, I call it beautiful, and I am willing to admit “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” is just about enough to make me cry. I knew that this show was going to stir up something that I hadn’t felt at a live show, no matter how good, in a long time -- the ability for a live song to really make me feel something. Every song that the band played made me want to run up and hold onto singer Torquil Campbell and never let go. As he pronounced “here’s a song for the person you hate the most”, just before breaking into “Your Ex-Lover is Dead”, I knew that this show was going to be one of the best for me this year. They played everything off Set Yourself on Fire, a few old ones and a great song called “All The Umbrellas In London,” which is a re-worked cover of the Magnetic Fields song. The audience sang along at the top of their lungs, and everyone fell in love.

If you’ve heard Set Yourself on Fire and are not quite sure, I urge you to see the band the next chance you get. They will blow you away with a sound that is pure, with an innocent and entertaining energy and with songs that will make you cry. I left the show with such a giddy, overwhelmed happiness that made the whole festival all that much better. It was the perfect way to end three days of great music, and what’s more, it was for a great cause.

For more information on Art En Majuscule visit: http://www.artenm.com/

[Catch Katie every Wednesday afternoon with Wrong Side Of The Bed from 4-6pm only on cjlo.com]

By Trevor Kiernander - Ones and Zeroes - 09/24/2005

There isn’t much to be said about M.I.A. that hasn’t already been over-said. Yet, she's not over-hyped. The rumours and press are 110% true that M.I.A. can rock a party right, and though everyone and their sister Sally is talking about her, M.I.A. deserves all the respect she gets.

The show was transferred to Metropolis from the Spectrum; this was probably a great move considering the house was packed to the brim and I’m sure half of those people wouldn’t have fit into the original venue. I got in just a bit past nine, and caught Baltimore’s Spank Rock DJs (Chrisrockwell and XXXChange) throwing down a killer set that included some classic tracks from the 60’s such as The Small Faces, interlaced with beats and scratches to get the crowd going. Spank Rock (Naeem Juman and Alex Epton aka MC Spank Rock), took to the stage soon after and rolled out with their electro-eighties-synth-pop-hip-hop hits that are bringing them serious accolades while touring with M.I.A. Definitely a highlight, but for sure not the main event.

Of course an “it” performance wouldn’t be complete without the über hipsters that flock to every breath of the media air, filled to the brim with “rebels” dressed to the nines and keeping off to the sidelines because they don’t want to be apart of the nonsense in the middle, standing there, hair perfectly messy, collar up, hands firmly stationed in their front pockets. So cool. So sincere. So while I waited for M.I.A. to get on board, I was trying not to puke.

Sans Diplo, M.I.A. finally broke out onto the stage and the place blew up. I was happily situated in a pack of people movers, so my cynicism couldn’t get the best of me tonight! I unfortunately didn’t make her previous show with her production mate Diplo, so I have nothing to compare this show with, but what I did get to see still blew me away. The five-foot British Sri-Lankan package of political fury laid out the bomb tracks and bomb messages for the excited masses. As the old goat in an all-ages gig, I do find it refreshing to see kids out at important shows, and if they take the time to listen to what M.I.A. is preaching, maybe there is some hope in this world after all.

Along with singer Sherry and a non-Diplo DJ, M.I.A. stretched out her debut album and added a new track, much to the pleasure of everyone. I also appreciated her honesty when people were asking for more, and she explained “I’ve only got one album!” Ahhh. Sometimes I wonder if people actually hear what they are listening to. In the case of M.I.A., they should believe the hype and not just follow it. Make sure to see her next time she is town, and especially with Diplo, so I’ve been told.

[Ones And Zeroes is in a roving timeslot BUT is finally back. Check the schedule for its timeslot this week.]

By Zombieboy - The Almighty Riff - 05/01/2005

New York hard rockers Supervillain’s full-length debut Earthquake Machine (they released an EP several years ago) is a truly enjoyable riff-driven, hard-edged disc that’ll be sure to keep listeners rocking out for some time. Heavy, infectious riffs are plentiful on Earthquake Machine, with the stomping opener “Show ‘Em All”, groovy “Nevermore”, closer “Hit the Road” and almost eerie centerpiece “Drowning” being some of the album’s finer moments -- with “Drowning” easily being a candidate for song of the year. Most of the album hits hard with a simple but undeniably effective combination of crunchy riffs, surprisingly slick guitar soloing and an aggressive vocal presence, even if there is a bit too much “scream talking” on some tracks for my liking. Earthquake Machine also clocks in at around 40 minutes, ensuring little filler, although songs “Alter Ego” and “Vicious Cycle” seem to get lost in the mix. Still, these few gripes are minimal considering the overall impact of the album, which is one of the strongest I’ve listened to this year, independent release or not. Earthquake Machine is highly recommended to those with any interest in heavy riff rock. I can’t wait to see what these guys can do if they ever get label backing.

[Tune in to The Almighty Riff Thursdays from 8:00pm to 10:00pm]

By Trevor Kiernander - Ones and Zeroes - 09/10/2005

For those of you who keep up to date on reading these reviews, you may have noticed that I can be a tad bit cynical (in regards to shows, not movies). My reviews usually teeter between how great the show was, and my sheer disgust and contempt for the audience. So this is what I was conditioning myself for with Seu Jorge playing at Club Soda on September 10.

For those of you who aren’t aware of the name Seu Jorge, he’s the guy singing the Portuguese Bowie covers in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic, and played Knockout Ned in Fernando Meirelles’ City Of God. I had not heard of Seu Jorge before I saw The Life Aquatic -- though I did see City Of God first, but I didn’t make the connection -- and with all the hype around it, I was expecting this outing to be jam-packed with hipsters waiting to hear Ziggy Stardust. Boy was I wrong, and glad that I was. Though a good chunk of the audience made the event feel like a tam-tam pre-party, those that were there, for the most part, seemed to be genuine fans, and were there completely for the music.

So now, on to the show. I don’t speak Spanish or Portuguese. Hell, I can barely speak French! And not to sound all clichéd, but this wasn’t an issue as the music and the vibe were what mattered. I made it to Club Soda about part way through opening band Carioca Freitas’ set, and was thoroughly impressed. I felt the soundmen should have been on their game a little bit more, as it felt like they were lobby musicians with everyone trying to talk over them, but they put on a great performance nonetheless. They also got the audience moving just enough to give Seu Jorge a great reception. There is definitely something to be said for honest music, and the way it can get people moving (and none of this Enriquez honesty where most of the moving are people flailing there arms in hysterics). Even people in the back and at the bar were getting into it. Even this pseudo-hippie/surfer guy with a scraggly blond ponytail and sleeveless shirt -- growling at himself in the bathroom mirror as he did up his belt with the ferocity of Tom Green begging for his dad’s acceptance with sausage -- seemed to be enjoying things (at least I would hope). But I got out of that scene quick.

The show had a great pace too, where about the midpoint of the performance, the percussionists took to the stage for a 15-minute jam session. I could just see all the tam-tammers thinking ‘Doood, they are totally speaking to us maaaan’. As the show rolled on, there seemed to be an endless barrage of encores though, which kind of made me antsy. And after the fourth encore, I left so I cannot report as to if he dropped a "Changes" or "Suffragette City". I would like to think that maybe he shares some of the same cynicism, but I highly doubt it. Save Bowie for your CD player, and make note to check out Seu Jorge the next time he makes it through to Montreal.

[Ones And Zeroes is currently on hiatus]