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PETER BJORN AND JOHN + Young Galaxy @ Club Soda
By Sinbad Richardson - There You Have It Folks! - 01/21/2008
After canceling their Osheaga performance last August (to appear at the Music Video Awards in Las Vegas), Peter Bjorn (pronounced BUH-jorn) and John left their Montreal fans bitter -- this at the height of their first wave of international popularity. Last Monday, the Swedish band performed at the very friendly Club Soda with plenty of tickets still available. I “missed” the opening performers, Young Galaxy, but caught the lead singer when she joined Peter, Bjorn and John to sing the female vocals of their smash radio hit, “Young Folks.” Folks from The Guinness Book of Records were on location to register the new record number of people whistling at once, which was last set by a crowd attending an Otis Redding concert. Although the overall performance left me unaffected, I did appreciate the live version of “Amsterdam” off of their latest album, Writer's Block.
I remember a Bill Nye the Science Guy episode where he explained what made a song catchy and what didn't. What makes a band great? It has to be more than a hooking melody. Cultural phenomena have expiration dates and I think it's time for Peter, Bjorn and John to get back to the drawing board to preserve their creative credibility that I am sure they have.
Would I suggest this band to a friend who has been living under a rock for the past year? Probably not. Was the concert a total waste of time? No, not really. Do I always ask myself questions which I then answer too? Sometimes. My favorite part of the evening was the choice of words of Peter, Bjorn and John's backdrop, which read: "Peter, Bjorn and John's Backdrop." I appreciate that sort of humor.
The band formed in Stockholm in the late ‘90s with a major English pop influence. It would be interesting to see what happened between then and now. When a band gets a major break from a hit, there seems to be a one-year period where it can ride on the success of that song. Perhaps now would be that point when we either forget about them or we whistle to a new hit.
My rating for Peter Bjorn and Yawn: 3.5 / 10
My question to the reader: Do you ever feel silly enjoying something hyper mainstream?
Tune in to There You Have It Folks! with Sinbad every Monday from 9am - 11am.
SALLY SHAPIRO - Disco Romance
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 10/30/2006
Of Sally Shapiro and producer/writer Johan Agebjörn, it can be said that first and foremost they know their product and its audience very well. The album is explicitly winter-themed, from Shapiro's snow-covered face on the cover to several song titles specifically name-checking the season -- it's a record meant for those of us who find ourselves seasonally affected as the windows frost over. The first thing you hear on eight-minute opener, "I'll Be By Your Side (Extended Mix)" is Shapiro's heavily vocodered voice, followed by drum patterns affectionately borrowed from ‘80s dance-pop (itself having been successfully plundered by the likes of Toronto's Junior Boys). Shapiro's voice eventually comes through the mix cleanly and without fanfare, and the combination of her direct-but-dreamy approach and the music's lush romanticism is an intoxicating one. When the album diverts itself from straight dance floor outings, Agebjörn and his muse don't lose any of their hushed confidence. "He Keeps Me Alive," the album's standout track, prioritizes its chilly glow -- provided by a rich bed of synth pads and chimes -- over its percussive elements, and pairs nicely with the song's theme of repressed emotion. Similarly, "Skating in the Moonshine" perfectly evokes its namesake with its swathes of reverb and sweetly tinged, minor-key melodies. Even further from the dance floor is "Jackie Jackie (Spend This Winter With Me)," with its quietly spoken verses and string-aided chorus. If you find yourself growing increasingly wistful as the temperature drops, you owe it to yourself to give Shapiro and Agebjörn's effervescent collaborations a spin.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
KATE NASH - Made of Bricks
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 01/08/2008
UK chart pop is a considerably more idiosyncratic realm than its North American equivalent, at least on the surface. Its stars have always been able to get away with greater eccentricities along with their predictably slick aspects. The majority of the pop stars and semi-stars of the last five years that have exhibited significant deviance from cultural norms have been British, whether they're aggressively flamboyant (Mika), subtly creepy (James Blunt), politically active (M.I.A.) or unusually human (Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse). Kate Nash is the most recent in this latest wave of UK pop hopefuls -- where it was once nearly impossible to cross the great divide in a significant way (ask Robbie Williams), people are so starved for non-homogenous voices that anything seems possible.
If Nash is going to find success in the Americas it'll be on the basis of "Foundations," the lead-off track and by far the most effective song on the entire album, a clear-minded and catchy meditation on a failed relationship. It finds the right midway point between Nash's seemingly natural state -- the regal if blunt singer-songwriter -- and the sonic whirl brought in by producer (and on two tracks, co-writer) Paul Epworth. Quality levels drop exponentially after the initial success of "Foundations," as the lyrics get less witty and more inane for the most part. “Mouthwash”’s chorus ("I use mouthwash / and sometimes I floss / I've got a family / and I drink cups of tea") is destines to be added to the pantheon of awful UK pop lyrics, along with Des'ree's "Life" and Oasis' immortal rhyme of "plasticine" and "trampoline" on "Little James." The music suffers from diminishing returns too -- they seem to yearn for simpler treatments than the production offers, and yet there's the sense that without the pomp they might vanish into thin air. Other tracks offer promise only to be dashed by an irritating turn, like "Mariella"'s nauseating "never ever ever ever ever ever…" ending. Yet every ten minutes or so we get a glimpse of actual wit, as with the ending of "Birds," when Nash's vocal hits just the right note to express her protagonist's confused admiration for her boyfriend's avian analogy for their romance. If she can harness her natural abilities without falling prey to her more irritating impulses (or getting produced into oblivion), Nash may yet find an appropriate place in the often-baffling twin realms that have been so elusive for many would-be success stories in the past.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
ALOHA - Light Works
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 12/04/2007
Some bands seem to have everything stacked against them. Aloha suffer from a boring name, generic song and album titling, less than magnificent lyrics, and an uninspiring vocalist. They are not particularly adventurous or distinctive in their pristine indie-rock sound, for the most part. Against the odds, however, they managed to quietly accomplish some impressive work; their last release, Some Echoes, featured a number of memorable songs with unconventional arrangements, relying heavily on xylophones, percussion and keyboards while minimizing the use of guitars. Light Works sees them substituting most of the keyboards for actual piano, and penning a set of songs so nondescript as to vacate your mind as soon as they leave your ears -- an example of living down to expectation?
Opener "Body Buzz" is probably the most memorable track, thanks to an agreeable chord progression, but there's a nagging sense that the track could have just as easily been recorded by any one of the deluge of Coldplay acolytes we've been subjected to over the past few years (The Fray, Keane, Snow Patrol, etc.). From there, things don't improve, as the number of lyrical inanities and redundancies increases. On "Broken Light," Tony Cavallario insists that "time is on my side" and that "today is like any other day," which makes you wonder why he bothered to write about it in the first place. The track slogs along for over five minutes without inspiration or revelation. "Trick Spring" shows promise, with its sprightly acoustic guitars tucked in either speaker and a return to the synth-driven sound of their previous output, but the song fails to capitalize on its potential energy, preferring to squat in place and squander a melodically interesting chorus with some inane chatter about weather machines. "The End" finally injects a bit of energy, adds some subtle horns, and manages to keep things under three minutes -- there's a bit of that potential at work, finally. "I know you can make an effort," they intone.
The effort stops, or at least it disappears from view. "Passengers" puts us firmly back in Keane-land, with its annoying chorus -- "too much of anything is wrong" -- which manages to be both prescriptive and distinctly unhelpful. At least "Gold World" brings in some of the unique percussion they're known for, but it's again paired with a blandly conceived ballad. Even the apparently improvised closer "Equinox" comes across as completely lacking in spontaneity, perhaps the greatest indicator of the group's aggressive sense of immobility. The drums try valiantly to play with emphasis, the synth lines meander a bit, the song meanders on over six minutes, but none of these elements manage to take the track anywhere. The most hopeful thing one can proffer up about this release: it's essentially a stopgap release as opposed to a "proper" new LP; let's hope it's not a harbinger of things to come for the talented but seemingly stifled group.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE + Brain Failure @ Foufounes Electriques
By Lindsay Wood - Through Being Cool - 12/08/2007
Concerts at Foufounes are always a gamble. Sometimes they can be rad. Other times, the crowd seems lost and the venue seems inappropriate. Seeing Big D there was one of those times where it seemed to be just right. I, personally, am very partial to the older styling of Big D so newer shows will never quite satisfy, although I will give them credit for having energy and mixing it up. For someone that has never seen them, this show was a pretty good idea of what they are all about.
As I was standing off to the side of the stage, there was a moment that struck me. Big D was tooting away on their instruments and for a brief moment, I realized that they sounded very much like one of my favorite ska core bands of ALL time, Link-80. I never got the pleasure of seeing them live and I drifted off for a few brief moments during the show and thought to myself, “I’m sure they would’ve been great.”
Now, onto Brain Failure. What an act to follow. When I go to a show and see a kick-ass band that I have been a fan of for years, such as Big D, I think to myself, “What are they thinking/doing before I see them?” I know I am sitting in the audience sipping my rye and coke, waiting to see them rather impatiently. But I have to ask myself, are THEY sitting back stage shitting bricks about whether the “warm-up” band is going to upstage them for the second show in a row? (My Toronto source says they did.)
Brain Failure did just that. They stole the show and embraced the venue in a way I have only seen bands like The Queers do. With loud, twangy guitars that make me think of Social Distortion and enough style to beat up any harijuku girl, these guys actually made my night and made the show. Keep your eyes on them, they are on their way up with an original(ish) thing going.
Next time around I may just have to skip the Big D and move onto the Brain Failure. 2008 is the year of new things, right? Or was it the year of the rat? Either way, out with the old and in with the Beijing Punk Ska Rock goodness.
Tune in to Through Being Cool with Lindsay every Monday from 11am - 12pm
THE HIVES - The Black and White Album
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 10/13/2007
Whatever else they may have been, The Hives were once ruthlessly efficient -- 2004's Tyrannosaurus Hives blasted through its twelve songs in half an hour flat. Of course, most bands that release 30-minute rock records belong on labels like Epitaph and Lookout!, but The Hives have always managed to keep some rapid-fire grit in their songwriting even as they enjoy major label backing. Alas, in the world of the majors, what doesn't need fixing must be broken, and The Black and White Album marks the group's first diversified recording, with forays into drum machines, keyboards, acoustic guitars, piano and even strings. It must be asked, given a comparative listen to their past works, if it was really necessary for them to stray so far from their apparently limited strengths (one can't help but wonder just how much of this was at the label's insistence).
The album starts off reasonably strong with the catchy-but-stilted single, "Tick Tick Boom," the considerably better "Try It Again" (with backing vocals resembling a cheerleader squad of riot girls) and the new-wavey "You Got It All…Wrong." Before long, however, the group loses focus along with its growing list of collaborators, including no less than twenty contributing engineers. Among the biggest missteps are the two tracks produced by pop-rap alum (and occasional genius, as evidenced by the Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury) Pharrell Williams; "Well all Right!" is passable, replacing driving guitars with barroom-style backing vocals and a swing rhythm, but "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." is a lame attempt at an "Under Pressure"-style anthem. Even worse is "Giddy Up," for which the band themselves is solely responsible, and can best be described as an annoying Gossip c-side. At times the group seems unhealthily flexible to the whims of their producers (of which there are four, not counting three self-produced tracks) -- dance-rock cut, "Hey Little World," for instance, is a dead ringer for some of the more upbeat moments on Bloc Party's A Weekend in the City, and sure enough, it's Jacknife Lee on the boards. Even though the album's most convincing departure is the sinister cabaret-pop tune, "Puppet on a String," one can't help but feel a twinge of irony upon hearing the derision they level at the easily-manipulated figure in question.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION - Galaxy of the Lost
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 07/16/2007
Call it colonial back drifting. A few years back, Murray Lightburn and his Dears emerged as one of the first (possibly the first) widely successful band of Montreal's now prominent post-referendum scene. Lightburn's vocal style was an uncanny imitation of Britpop luminaries like Damon Albarn as well as the magnate of mopery himself, Morrissey. Now comes Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes, formerly of defunct post-hardcore thrashniks Test Icicles), who, it must be said, carries an uncanny vocal similarity to Lightburn, as well as sharing a penchant for the melodramatic (never mind that he actually is British, as opposed to the artificially inflected Lightburn).
As a companion piece to his ambitious debut LP, The Falling of the Lavender Bridge, Hynes has issued Galaxy of the Lost which consists of the title track (taken from the LP), two covers, and two outtakes from the LP sessions. "Galaxy of the Lost" is by far the strongest original of the bunch, with its brisk pacing and meaty chord progression -- even if its principal acoustic riff is a little too reminiscent of Weezer's "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams." Meanwhile, an acoustic version of the LP's closing track, "No Surprise" (itself a reprise of the album's nine-minute centerpiece "Midnight Surprise"), is nice enough, but the removal of the original track's percussive elements doesn't reveal anything new about the song itself, rendering it a curiosity at best. The first cover is a take on the closing medley from 60's Broadway musical Hair, "The Flesh Failures." Again, the track seems more or less an arbitrary inclusion; if you've heard the original, you can enjoy a faithful recreation of every last harmony and cascading vocal line (right down to the "Manchester, England" reprise), but the Hynes' stubborn acoustic arrangement robs the "Let the Sunshine In" coda of its appeal. The other cover, also derived from a musical (this time the title song from ELO leader Jeff Lynne's Xanadu score), is more successful, with its relatively understated arrangement nicely counteracting Lyne's sublimely ridiculous celebration of the song's neon namesake. The EP's only truly exclusive original track, "Waiting Game," is an unmemorable ballad that, while hardly terrible, was wisely left off the well-paced LP. As short-form releases go, one could certainly do worse, but seek out the superior Falling of the Lavender Bridge first.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
RADAR BROS. - Auditorium
By Simon Howell - A Listening Ear - 01/28/2008
A few months ago I gave my parents a copy of Jim Guthrie's last solo album, 2003's Now, More than Ever, thinking it a perfect compromise between new-school talent and old-school craft sure to please them as much as it had myself. While they didn't hate it, they found its relative singularity of pace and arrangement to err on the side of monotony. I was taken slightly aback, because to my ears, each song had a completely distinct identity. Strangely, I now find myself on the other side of that debate with the Radar Bros.' fifth album, Auditorium -- a curious moniker for a release whose song titles and lyrics nod almost universally to nature. Across its twelve tracks there is very little change in tempo or instrumentation, and Jim Putnam's vocals don't do much to cut through the din. Occasionally, a stray lyric will catch the ear -- "lord of the flies / bright towers in the Southern skies / I keep drinking your tailgate piss / it's you I miss" -- but most hover competently in the songs without much intrusion. It's when they cling a little closer to a single idiom that they flourish. Downcast ballad, "Hills of Stone," marries the layered approach of the rest of the album to a minor-key piano backing to great effect, while "Lake Life" brings to mind departed Modesto greats Grandaddy with its spacey keyboards, lazy pace and sunny chord progression. After those two highlights, though, the album settles back into its aimless trajectory. With its energy levels at a steady low and its songwriting so uniform, Auditorium is an appropriate listen for nights of solemn stasis but too uniform to capture the imagination otherwise.
Tune in to A Listening Ear with Simon every Tuesday from 1pm - 2pm
THE DRESDEN DOLLS + Die Mannequin @ Le National
By Abby E. Schachter - The Kids Are So-So - 01/03/2008
I can’t tell you how happy and relieved I was when the Dresden Dolls concert was over -- yes over! Not only were they better live then on record but both Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione threw themselves into the music, thrashing to the beat of every song. I had such high hopes for the band I loved so much and was terrified that I would leave disappointed. Fortunately, that was not the case and instead, I gained a newfound respect for these two self-proclaimed “insane” artists. The Dresden Dolls concert has to be one of the most entertaining shows I have ever seen. The opening acts ranged from young rockers and Canadian folk music to a circus act. Not only did Palmer introduce every act, she also watched each performance while singing along happily backstage.
Die Mannequin, one of the opening acts from Toronto, knew how to work the audience and played an energized performance. The lead singer plunged into the crowd and played guitar right next to audience members (I being one of them). She also chose two random girls to jump onstage and sing along with her. Next was a circus performer without definition. He twirled within a large hula hoop…which was interesting, and everyone seemed awe struck. Also, there was a surprise performance by an up-and-coming folk band from Montréal (I can’t remember their name for some reason) that played one song. The crowd was confused at first but Palmer said she had come across the band on Myspace and thought that they were “explicit word awesome!” Giving chances to new talent seems to be a recurring element for The Dresden Dolls. Both Viglione and Palmer are happy to share the spotlight and help struggling artists get some recognition, and it is this generosity that has made me love the Dolls even more.
As for The Dresden Dolls, they played a near-flawless performance that left the crowd screaming for more theatrics. These dolls are true entertainers. The two-member band made up of keyboards and drums is anything but predictable. Viglione and Palmer are brilliant together and their chemistry and love of music shines through onstage. Costumes, lights, expressive face exaggerations -- it was pure show! The punk cabaret band connected to the audience and laughed along with the cat calls and looked as though they really were having fun. Though both had colds, you’d never know it from their performance, which captured the attention of everyone in the room. The venue was small and full, people crowded around the stage singing and clapping along. The set list ranged from a Pink Floyd cover to their older stuff like “Girl Anachronism,” “Bad Habit,” “Half Jack” and “Coin-Operated Boy.” Once the show was over, the audience screamed out in protest, stamping their feet, clapping their hands and yelling “ENCORE!” Le National’s old floorboards literally shook with enthusiasm. There were so many other songs we wanted to hear, like “Delilah,” “Backstabber,” “Dirty business,” “The Jeep Song” and “Slide.” After much noise, Viglione came back onstage followed by Palmer, and the two finished off the show with an insanely awesome rendition of “Amsterdam.” The only disappointment of the night was the fact that the show had finally come to an end.
Afterwards, Viglione came out to sign autographs (Palmer was sick) and he seemed sincerely interested in his fans, taking pictures with them and signing numerous T-shirts and tickets. He also gave me an amazing one-on-one interview which you will soon be able to see and hear in the near future! So stay tuned to The Kids Are So-So for in a depth look at The Dresden Dolls: Behind the Theatrics...
Tune in to The Kids Are So-So with Abby every Tuesday from 2pm - 4pm
PASCALE PICARD BAND + Two Hours Traffic @ Club Soda
By Comma Chameleon - Semicolon Cancer; - 12/07/2007
I went into Club Soda with, admittedly, slightly raised expectations. OK granted, there are few seats at the Club; if you want to go upstairs to the mezzanine and claim a seat that's a treat, but you have to snag it fast. The two consecutive nights that Two Hours Traffic opened for the Pascale Picard Band were complete and utter sell-outs. I was somehow tricked into thinking that it was reversed: Pascale Picard opening for THT! Who did this!? I had seen THT play before... and as I came in late (no excuse), I caught the second half of their set, chocked with perfectly scream-worthy (self-proclaimed) "power pop" melodies that people seemed to catch like The Cure, and sort of had taken it upon themselves to bop around liberally within their confined space.
Where did these young guns pop up from? They're good ol' boys -- the last thing I'd seen of theirs was their music vid for “Jezebel.” I had heard nothing directly off of their latest studio album, Little Jabs (are they pulling a few punches?), but regardless, lordy, colour me impressed. Appreciate the well-adjusted sound? I applaud the venue. Kudos and three thumbs up to the sound tech at C-Soda for bringing out the rhythm section and high fives to THT guys for pumping up and filling out their eager chant and stomp breakdowns, and a free whistle on a gold keychain for bringing front guy Liam Corcoran's melodic, but not overwrought huff-and-puff delivery to the fore. Thanks guys -- nice set.
Here came the mind-boggler: a good 20 minutes later, Ms. Picard hopped up onstage and the crowd went temporarily primal. This is batshit insane. These people are bloody Thai stir-fry crazy -- this woman just popped up, and people screamed, like someone hit the panic alarm button. I have to give props and accessories to Pascale Picard's band, they're quite talented and I think the show was a fine testament of that. I had a few winces when Picard opened the set screaming like the devil, and then throughout the rest of the night like a girl who found out her band had taken a shit on her pumpkin pie after eating everything else on the spice rack. People seemed to like this woman; the middle-aged Joe and his woman next to me were having a great time.
I saw Picard as an Ani DiFranco type, without the element of strong song writing or charmingly quirky vocal capabilities. I wanted to see into the depths of her lyrical jabs that the crowd was applauding but I couldn't make out a word she was saying. I was unable to shake the feeling that I was unwillingly undergoing an aural hysterectomy. Borrowing a line or two from The Big Lebowski, I feel like a small child who walked into the theatre in the middle of a movie. There has to have been something I missed here.
Tune in to Semicolon Cancer; with Comma Chameleon every Sunday from 9am - 10:30am
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