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By Simon Howell - The Listening Ear - 01/22/2008

After losing singer-songwriter Jason Isbell as a contributing member, many would reasonably have expected Alabama's venerable Drive-By Truckers to take a break, especially given the somewhat muted reception to 2006's A Blessing And A Curse. Instead, the band hunkered down to craft their strongest set of songs since their 2003 high-water mark, Decoration Day. The keys to their success here are a renewed focus on their strengths as storytellers, as well as bassist (and Isbell's ex-wife) Shonna Tucker's emergence as a strong songwriter in her own right.

One would scarcely have expected that the Truckers could pull off a nineteen-track, seventy-five-minute album after their last album began to strain before its scant eleven tracks were up. Nevertheless, Brighter manages to impress throughout much of its running length -- even if it probably should end with track fifteen, "Check-Out Time In Vegas." The four songs that follow sound like bonus tracks in comparison. Before the album hits that dry spell, however, many of their best cuts to date crop up -- Tucker's gorgeous weepers "I'm Sorry Huston" and "The Purgatory Line," as well as Patterson Hood's "The Righteous Path" and the quietly expansive "Opening Act." Mike Cooley's contributions lean strongly on the folk-country axis of their sound, especially on "Bob," "Perfect Timing," "Check-Out Time in Vegas," and "Lisa's Birthday" (although he still remembers to bring a kick-ass rocker in the form of "3 Dimes Down").

Besides the sharply written tunes, their lyrics remain as socially incisive as ever. On "Bob," Cooley laments the type of independent, idiosyncratic Southern men he fears are dying out with cultural hegemony: "He likes to drink a beer or two every now and again / he always had more dogs than he ever had friends / Bob ain't light in the loafers / he might kneel but he never bends over." Hood's "The Man I Shot" examines guilt and mortality in the age of Iraq ("that man I shot, he was trying to kill me / sometimes I wonder if I should be there / I hold my little ones until he disappears") while "The Home Front" makes Hood's views on the matter even clearer through its lament of a soldier's doting wife ("there ain't no end to it / no 9/11 or uranium to pin the bullshit on"). Southern America may continue to see its constituents internationally ridiculed, but the Truckers' efforts to portray their everyday struggles continue unabated.

Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm

By Fraser McCallum - F-Train 120 - 01/27/2007

On one of the coldest nights in the history of Montreal, I found myself taking in Murder Records’ flagship success story, Canadian rock icons Sloan. Riding the success of their recent mammoth of a double album Never Heard The End Of It, Sloan hit the boards at Sala Rossa supported by Hexes and Ohs and Percy Farm. The show was a good one but not the kind of show you think about for days and days afterwards. Although packed and rocking, the show went long in the tooth and needed a trim or two. That being said, Sloan definitely imported the goods on each and every track, and rocked out a passionate and wide-ranging set of tunes.

Pop-rock disco beaters Hexes and Ohs opened the night and although I had never heard of the Montreal-based two-piece, they did have some interesting melodies and instrumentation. Their basic premise was a jangly Fender Strat sound loaded with Death Cab-ish emo crooning, Mac laptop drums and some Korg keyboard thrown in for good measure. It was a shame that the lead singer had such a nasal and nauseating drone of a voice, as the guitar work and keyboard vibes were fairly strong. Unfortunately the crowd wanted none of it, chanting ‘Slo-ooooan’ throughout Hexes and Ohs’ set and shouting obscenities. Suffice to say, maybe the pop-friendly two-piece were not the best choice for a good ol’ Canadian rockfest.

Sloan took to the stage to huge applause and seemed to have a touch of grey and age to their step. The fivesome recently did a North American tour with the Rolling Stones, so perhaps some of the magic age dust rubbed off. Regardless, the Halifax rockers jumped into "Who Taught You To Live Like That?", a stomping Beatles-style gang vocals hit. The harmonizing was excellent and drummer Andrew Scott brought a wonderful wallop to the tom-toms. Bassist Chris Murphy took charge of the stage right away, making contact with several in the front rows and throwing out some pretty stand-up banter. The band features Murphy, Scott, Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson. All four members seemed fairly charged up for the show as apparently when Sloan was last in Montreal in 2004, Murphy did not sing at all as he had lost his voice. The band seemed very comfortable with Murphy heading the act this time though, as they played three new tracks from the new album, a bloated, 30-track disc. These tracks saw lead guitarist Petland and rhythm guitarist Ferguson taking turns at lead vocals, with Ferguson’s "Can’t You Figure Out", an upbeat and smooth number, really hitting home with the crowd.

From there, the show turned back to Murphy, who brought out one of the band’s biggest hits ‘The Other Man" from their sixth album Pretty Together. This song really grabbed me as it was craftily layered with a fat fat bass sound, charging rhythm, and Murphy at his best of the night, digging deep at hitting an impassioned croon. Given that I have not followed Sloan’s career terribly religiously, this was certainly a highlight for me, the song I knew the best going in, one that Sloan themselves are surely tired of playing by now, yet delivered with huge energy and fervor.

From there Sloan touched on a few other old hits before launching into a few more newbies, including the foot-stomping ‘Ill-Placed Trust’, complete with a wailing Hendrix-esque breakdown solo from Petland. Other notable new songs was the dark and sinister "Golden-Eyes" and a thumping Offspring-recalling punk rocker "HFXNSND" that featured a full band instrument rotation and Murphy more than holding his own on the drum skins. The same praise cannot be given to drummer Scott’s attempts at lead singing. His three songs bled together into a flat, unimaginative and yawn-inducing detour in an otherwise flawless first half. Note to Sloan: band-fronting democracy’s great and all, but let drummers drum -- especially this guy. On the other hand, I was quite impressed with the versatility of the band; all three main members seemed quite confident on vocals and on lead guitar and Murphy’s drumming was far beyond sufficient, often laced with lightning-fills and splashes.

Other nice show touches were keys player Dave Michaels, Murphy’s audience banter and new track "I Understand". This Petland-sung track sounded like something from the There’s Something About Mary soundtrack, a very happy and toe-tapping jingle. Petland has some talent, but at times wanders into a congested, nasal drone that can tarnish some otherwise great songs. The addition of soft organ and keys on many of the songs was a nice touch though, one that added a shimmering depth to some of the otherwise repetitive rock numbers. It seems that every road warrior Canadian rock band has added a bearded background keys player recently. Sloan has followed the likes of Matt Mays, Sam Roberts and even the poignant rock quartet and CJLO favorites Wintersleep in adding a mysterious keys player. Although surprisingly trendy, the added harmonies and depth of the organ sound bring many Sloan tracks to the next level.

Next on the menu was the old Big Shiny Tunes favourite "Money City Maniacs", another audience and personal favourite that although, modified this time around, was a great jangly rocker that had everyone singing along to the chorus. Murphy brought out one of his favourite stage tricks, the ol' fashioned jump kick -- never too late and always appropriate. Murphy seemed very relaxed and comfortable, cracking jokes and connecting with the audience throughout the show, an attitude quite contrary to the rumors of Murphy’s aloofness or arrogance. Murphy was very easy-going, excited but not scary excited.

The show did grow unfortunately lengthy after this and with a few more uncomfortable drummer-led tracks and rambling solos, the show went past its peak and then some. This repetitive overplaying seemed to pull the crowd out of their dedicated listening, as some even took off entirely. It’s always a delight when a visiting band treats audiences to a few extra unforeseen numbers, but for this show, the crowd, like the album, never heard the end of it.

All in all, it was worth it however. Murphy and company have made a stalwart career out of their passionate, energetic, harmonious and downright loveable rock sound. The band played a great cross-section of hits and no-name tracks, always maintaining their own interest first, and most often, the audiences’ too. One great thing about their act is there maneuverability between instruments. With the exception of the unfortunate drummer-led tracks, the variety of sights and sounds -- and maybe Murphy’s thrash rock drumming alone -- made for great eye and ear candy. The Ferguson-led songs were also of note, touching close to early Beatles territory but reinvigorated with good East Coast rock sensibility and acoustic cowboy chords. Sloan could do to edit their tracklist down a bit, but if it keeps Murphy in a fun-loving mood and keeps the depth charts flowing, then by all means, I’ll stay on board. Good times.

3.5/5 Sloan members

[Tune in to F-Train 120 every Monday from Noon to 2:00pm.]

By Alex Huynh -  Losing My Edge - 01/11/2007

*siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Coming in from the cold into a Main Hall that has held more bodies, I prepare myself for an evening where I wasn't exactly looking to be conquered. Hands belonging to familiar faces are shook and as soon as I dramatically turn around -- the only way to turn around -- with my drink in hand, The Corduroys came into my consciousness and what hit back was some nice sloppy, shambling 90's-style indie rock. I was at the tail end of their set, but what I had paid attention to did hit some chords. Nice little shimmering sound amidst the slick dirge and some catchy tunes to boot, it was surely more than I had any right to expect. I thought bands only played quirky dance punk these days. I picked up their free CD-R at the door -- OK, I took four -- and the sloppiness was sadly missing from those recordings (collected under an EP they call Love What You're Left With), replaced by dreamy indie pop. It was still nice, but nice doesn't get me off, dirty does. Still, I'll go with memories from the past rather than experiences from the present, so I'll remember their set as being Good.

Almost rather informally, Elizabeth Powell began a set that refreshingly didn't have that performer-audience wall since, well, there wouldn't be much in terms of number on either side of that wall. I had good memories of her set opening up for Evan Dando almost a year ago at the very same place, so I was bracing myself for another powerful and cathartic experience. Though it was more loose than the last time, her performance still hit the right notes. She was joined by a stand-up bass and an acoustic guitar (after she put away her own guitar), and just like that, they were now The Dirty Draws. Covers came in the form of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon", "Nothing Up My Sleeve" by Wilco and some Iron & Wine song, and it was fun -- if you think feeling like you're at the end of your rope is 'fun' -- but the songs themselves almost didn't matter as long as you were being mesmerized by her vocals. The combination of gin warming over inside and chills down the spine made for quite the rush.

Last were Faces On Film and they played like headliners. OK, that meant nothing, let me try again, perhaps using the Peter Travers technique of strategically placing words together that could be used for movie poster quotes. Their first number reminded me of The Walkmen in terms of vocal delivery (y'know, how Hamilton Leithauser enunciates words clearly and slowly in a rising cadence on the slower tempo songs) and also how the music punctures sharply through a washed-out sound. The songwriting didn't do much for me and neither did the sound in all honesty, but somehow the vibe did. There was another one where it felt like the jamming end of Pavement's "Fillmore Jive", but with more emotional detachment coinciding more with the end of the world rather than the end of the rock 'n roll era. This was actually fun -- if your idea of 'fun' is blah blah blah -- but once they started introducing songs that were more, um, song-like into their set, the gin was gone and my spine was room temperature. Given the predicament, I went back out into the cold.

[Tune in to Losing My Edge Sundays 2pm-4pm and Tuesdays 8pm-10pm]

By Trevor Kiernander - Ones and Zeroes - 12/03/2006

And the winner is: the unexpected!

That seemed to be the general sentiment during a lot of the MIMI gala that took place December 3rd at the Spectrum -- well, for me since this being my first MIMI attendance out of ten, as this was the 10th anniversary of the event. Supposedly though, the reports swirling after the show were that it was pretty low budget and seemingly unprofessional, but I’ll give you my take.

First up, the MIMIs are the Montreal International Music Initiative and was founded in 1996 to help bring attention to what was going on locally in the music scene. Originally, the first I in MIMI stood for Independent, but the organizers obviously had bigger dreams for this baby, and rightly so. I won’t go into any more details on the history of MIMI, but if you happen to come across a program for the evening, everything is detailed in there: the who’s who, the what’s what and the planting of the first seed. After reading through the sensational history of the event, I did scratch my head at the size of what was laid out in front of me, but it reflected the very close-knit music community that Montreal has and something I find spans all of the arts communities in Montreal. Montreal’s acceptance and support of the arts is what brought me here from southern Ontario as opposed to moving to Toronto, but I digress.

I grabbed at the opportunity to cover the gala for two main reasons: Think About Life and We Are Wolves. I’ve always enjoyed WAW whenever they have played and I had yet to see TAL play live, so I thought this was the perfect night to get a lot out of the system. When I arrived at the Spectrum, I definitely wasn’t expecting an entire sit-down event. I guess this should have been obvious by the "Gala Event" title, but part of me was hoping for one hell of a throwdown of some serious local talent.

The presenter/host took to the stage and gave the impression of being someone I should’ve known, but due to my lack of socializing outside of my small institutional bubble -- rapidly shrinking now that I have graduated -- I hadn’t the vaguest clue who she was, and other friends of mine ‘in-the-know’ didn’t either. Again, small thing, but let’s get to the music!

Angela Desveaux took the stage first, with three or four sweet country tracks. I hadn’t previously heard or heard of Desveaux, but by the reception, she’ll probably be kicking around for some time to come. Next up, more awards, presented by more people I didn’t know.

Call Me Poupée were next on the bill. I like this band, I really do, but I feel that there is just something missing from them. They seem like a fluffed-up and toned-down Les Ritas Mitsoukos. Maybe I’m wrong.

Think About Life were up third, again peppered in with awards here and there. These guys played like they were playing any other show with hundreds of screaming and jumping fans; it was just too bad that the most people could do was to tap their feet and bob their heads (the typical Montreal show position, but I’ve heard the tales of TAL’s shows). The sound guy seemed to be sleeping on the job as well, but TAL battled through, and ended with a kick-ass medley, cramming about three to five songs in less than four minutes. Brilliant! These guys should have walked off with the Étoile montante (Rising Star) award, but as in everything, there are hidden politics I’m sure.

We Are Wolves were the last performance I stuck around for, and these boys can rock a party. They seem to get tighter every time I see them, and I am thoroughly looking forward to some new material. The only distraction were the visuals that were obviously of no doing of their own. The screens were projecting the band with psychedelic designs à la Jefferson Airplane, and they weren’t even close to being low-budget. They felt more along the lines of some presets in iMovie or something. Again, small things that really shouldn’t distract from the purpose of the evening of promoting the Montreal music scene.

The only other disappointment to the evening, I felt, was the lack of nods to other parts of the music scene, and more specifically the electronic music scene. One example being Foe Destroyer, released by Stephen Beaupré on the MUTEK_REC label. After being nominated as the Album of the Year - Electronic Music at the ADISQ 2006 Gala (Quebec Music Awards), one of its tracks, "LES FILLES", is now nominated at the 3rd QWARTZ Electronic Music Awards (Paris). More politics? I did have a good time, nonetheless.

The award results for the evening were:

Nova - Carl-Éric Hudon, Darling Arms and Snailhouse
Cosmo - Afrodizz
Réalisateur - "Close to Paradise", Patrick Watson
Bourreaux de tournée - Priestess
Concert - Les Breastfeeders
St Urbain - Ghislain Poirier
Electro - 011
Rock - The Besnard Lakes
Fountains - The Adam Brown
International - Patrick Watson
Étoile montante (Rising Star) - Call Me Poupée
Groupe - Wolf Parade
Song/Chanson - "You are a Runner and I’m My Father’s Son", Wolf Parade
Album - Trompe-l’oeil, Malajube

[Ones and Zeroes is currently on hiatus.]

Check out last year's review here.