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By Josh Mocle - The Kids Are So-So - 03/30/2006

Arriving at the Spectrum, one of Montreal’s premier rock venues, on the evening of March 30th, I suppose the first thing that occurred to me was the irony of attending a show with the word “frostbite” in its name on one of the warmest days in recent memory. My horrible sense of humor aside, I had been pretty excited for this show for some time and after a particularly hellish week at school, I was ready to kick back and hear some good ska and hardcore with a little straight-up punk rock mixed in for good measure. I can safely say that The Frostbite Tour delivered on most counts.

After mingling amongst the standard 16-to-25 crowd that had assembled -- who at first numbered far fewer than I expected but who grew to a decent size as the night wore on -- the first (and youngest) band on the bill, Toronto’s The Flatliners took the stage. Having seen these guys before, I can safely say their particular brand of “skacore” or “skunk rock” -- depending on who you ask -- continues to deliver with the same medium-level intensity as always; not mind-blowing, but not bad by any means. Despite their so-so performance, they did manage to get the younger members of the crowd moving considerably more than most of the other bands that night, except possibly for the headliners. I suppose a young and small audience is better than no audience at all.

Up next were Southern California’s Death By Stereo, the one act I personally thought were relatively out of place on a tour with a bunch of ska bands on it, but maybe that’s just me. I’m going to be blunt: I really didn’t like Death By Stereo. Their watered-down brand of metal-infused hardcore failed to really get my attention, let alone excite me and draw me in. I felt the same way the first time I heard their newest release Death For Life, but coming in I gave them the benefit of the doubt since a band’s studio recordings don’t necessarily capture the essence of their live show. Sadly though, Death By Stereo is one of the few exceptions to the rule. In fact, the only thing that really redeems the band in my mind is the fact that the singer’s name is Efrem Schulz, which really is an awesome name (you KNOW it too).

The next band up were the one and the only Big D and the Kids Table, the boys from Boston who never fail to deliver -- then again, I am SO biased it really isn’t funny. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, apparently people still make an effort to catch their shows since almost immediately after they launched into their first song (“Little Bitch" off of their newest release How It Goes), there were just as many middle fingers in the air as fists and devil horns. Like always, Big Dave McWane refused to take it in stride as he spat back on every hater he could see and eventually got one dragged out by security. They are a band that really doesn’t take no jack from nobody. In fact, the last time I saw them, they invited a hater on stage and proceeded to beat on the guy until security could come and drag the band off him. Yes, the band that singlehandedly carries the torch of raw, unfettered Boston ska once again thoroughly rocked my brain, just as expected.

Next up were the veritable ska legends known as Mustard Plug. One of the few bands to survive the disintegration of the ska scene relatively unscathed -- due entirely to their own dedication -- they helped to keep what was left of the scene alive and breathing, to either the immense pleasure or chagrin of many. Straight out of the American heartland of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mustard Plug delivered, you guessed it, a thoroughly good set chock full of ska goodness. There really isn’t much more to say other than that whereas most bands today take the stage, play their set and then leave (*cough*HawthorneHeights*cough*), Mustard Plug vocalist Dave Kirchgessner gets right down into the crowd and lets their fans sing along, the same fans that have stood by them despite the fact that being a ska fan nowadays can occasionally be viewed as a mental deficiency.

Closing out the night were the tour’s headliners, the New Jersey punks known as Bigwig. Why they were headlining as opposed to Mustard Plug or even Big D is probably due to the fact that they just put out a new album, not necessarily because they’re that great of a band. Their set, much like The Flatliners' set earlier in the evening, was thoroughly okay. Not incredible, but not terrible either. Their traditional punk sound that has been done before by many others still sounded good. I’ve always said that if a band takes a generic genre and actually does it well, then it makes up for the generic sound. In this case, Bigwig do in fact use the sound well, but still don’t provide much to really make me sit up and take notice. It’s really same old same old with them.

So there you have it kids, ska may not be as dead as people say, but doesn’t mean that anyone particularly cares anymore either. For me and the five other ska fans left though, The Frostbite Tour was a thoroughly okay package. More hits than misses in the long run; if you’re a punk/ska fan you could probably benefit from catching these bands the next time they come to town -- except Death By Stereo… sorry Efrem.

[Tune in to The Kids Are So-So Saturdays 10:00pm-Midnight.]

By Johnny Suck - Turn Down the Suck - 02/14/2006

At first glance, this CD looks pretty gay. It has the sort of theme that should be cool but that has been ruined through association with so much lame music. Lyrics like “In falcon’s feathers soaring overhead / Choosing warriors among the dead / Twilight written in the runes of crones / Freya weeps upon her golden throne” are usually a bad sign. Luckily, Age of Winters isn’t gay at all! In fact it’s quite rocking. The Sword do it just the way I like it -- or well, one of the many ways I like it: laid-back, reasonably heavy, fairly repetitive, with a touch melody, and without a reliance on vocals. This is Rock (with a capital R) done right. It’s not perfect, of course, but on the technical side it comes pretty close. Really, my only complaint is that the vocals tend to be over sung. I prefer vocals that are a little more relaxed and less ambitious than what we’re getting here, but they don’t do too much damage since the singer knows how to keep quiet and let the riffs do the talking.

However, having the right sound and style isn’t enough, they also need the right songs to turn a solid album in to a great one, something that The Sword don’t quite do. I love their knack for making five-minute songs come across as epics, but once the CD is over, I have trouble recalling how any of them actually go. In six weeks of regularly listening to this disc, it’s been pretty rare that anything from it has been stuck in my head. None of these nine songs are bad; they just aren’t anything special. The net result is an album that’s a safe bet; anyone with an appreciation for heavy rock will like it, but if you don’t have the $15 to spare, don’t worry -- it isn’t that essential.

[Tune into Turn Down the Suck, Mondays 1:30-3:00pm]

By Alex Huynh - Losing My Edge - 03/15/2006

It will honestly be difficult to give this show a fair shake, because I have a love/hate relationship with Stereolab. There is the side that most are familiar with -- if the reception to 1996's Emperor Tomato Ketchup is of any indication -- which is the one that leans closer to bossa nova and all that jazz. I find that sequence of albums, from Emperor through Dots and Loops and ending with a thud with Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night, to be well-done and charming -- which is exactly what I don't want my favourite music simply to be. This London band would be easier for me to dismiss if it weren't for that other side: the Krautrock-influenced, hypnotic, noisy pop experiments. We're talking about Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements, the Switched On series and Mars Audiac Quintet. After forgetting about them for years, their recent string of 7" (compiled in the newly released Fab Four Suture) gave me hope that their easy listening side has been downgraded in favour of their more interesting early sound.

Ah, but you see, that's my prerogative. It is absolutely impressive that Stereolab manage to balance these different sides and their discography speaks for itself. So while I might have been slightly dismayed to hear "Miss Modular" from Dots and Loops open the show, I cannot ignore the fact that the execution was perfect. Lætitia Sadier performed with the grace of a jazz singer, cultivating an intimate relationship with her musicians, who were professionalism personified. Here lies the quandary: it was too perfect. It would be inaccurate to accuse the performance as being cold, but the distance was felt. The first six songs mixed different eras of Stereolab and as a result, the highlights were all front-loaded. The jams were moving away from the dreaded funky territory and into a blissful Krautrock one. Then, they treated the audience with a cut from Transient, "Pack Yr Romantic Mind", by far the highlight of the show. I might have a personal bias towards the early Stereolab, but I thought I heard one of the evening's loudest ovation at song's end.

I will not get all dramatic and pretend that this was the turning point and that the night went downhill from there -- Sadier is too much of a charismatic chanteuse and her band too remarkable to allow that to happen. However, as the bossa nova flavour started to permeate slash dominate the set, the show lost a bit of steam. Things remained rather festive -- Sadier promised earlier that nous allons nous amuser ce soir -- but at that point, I understood that the ceiling potential had been reached for the night. No one will deny that this was a good performance. How could it not be, given how safe they played it.

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

By Fraser D. McCallum - F-Train 120 - 03/01/2006

Montreal indie rock crowds can be pretty apathetic sometimes. In my experience, even when they are witnessing the most entertaining of big-name live performances, hipster concertgoers will rarely truly get into the show. This was not the case on March 1st at a sold-out Metropolis where Metric rocked the house. Although not the best sounding or most chatty that I’ve seen the band, Metric were energetic, dedicated and extremely tight, and the audience responded with feverish applause and danced from start to finish.

New Unicorns spin-off project Islands opened the show. In support of their first studio release Return To The Sea, Islands played roughly forty minutes of new music. The new music was fairly repetitive and sounded a lot like Unicorns B-side tracks. One dancehall song, ‘Abominable Snow’, was actually an exciting updated version of an old Unicorns song. Islands features Nick Diamonds as frontman and lead vocalist with J’aime Tambeur, the only other former Unicorn, on drums. At Metropolis, the band had nine members over the course of their set, including two violins, a clarinet, a rhythm guitar and a bass. Although some poppy tracks like “Rough Gem” and “Flesh” were quite enjoyable, on a whole Islands seemed disorganized, out of tune, and many of the members seemed unnecessary for the song requirements. One untitled song featured a cameo by an un-named fiery rapper who was much more interesting than Diamonds or his bandmates. Lead singer Diamonds was fairly irritating in his banter with the crowd, which seems to be his decided ‘thing’ as lead singer. All in all, this writer simply longed for the music of the Unicorns (RIP) as this Islands performance was fair to mediocre.

After an extended setup break, the night truly began. Emily Haines and her band took this stage to monstrous applause and immediately launched into Live It Out's second single “Poster of a Girl”. Unfortunately, Haines’ mic cut out immediately and sucked some of the wind out of Metric’s sails. The room was quickly re-energized with a sped-up version of the title track to their aforementioned new album. From there, the band kept up the new song streak with "The Police and the Private". This song was particularly entertaining with Haines playing both synth and piano, while lead guitarist James Shaw finger-picked through a standout solo. This track had the entire crowd thrashing and moving, and it was truly the most entertaining song of the night.

Then, Metric brought out some older favorites from their first album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?. "The List" and "Succexy" were both exceptional with Metric truly hitting their stride of the concert. Emily Haines danced around the stage ever so sexually, much to the joy of the dozens of teenage boys in the front row. She also then said her first of few words to the crowd, coyly whispering “Hiiiiii…” into the mic before launching into one of the Old World singles "IOU". The incredible skill of the Metropolis lighting crew was truly demonstrated during these three tracks as well. Dozens of vibrant spotlights, glimmering row bulbs and flashing strobe effects were the perfect backdrop for Haines and company to truly rock out.

Next it was back to Live It Out tracks with “Glass Ceiling” and “Monster Hospital” sandwiched around the slower ballad “Love Is A Place” from the Old World album. This last track had the lighters and cellphones up, and featured some beautiful crooning by Haines. At the end of this track, she blathered something about “it being great to be the underdog, Montreal you’re so good to us”. Haines in general seemed fairly inebriated. Although this led to some peculiar stage banter, the music was not disappointing and Metric continued to rock the stage. Notable were the skills of Shaw on lead guitar, often breaking into extensive Hendrix-style guitar riffs and solos, which gave the Live It Out songs especially a furious and panicked charm. Shaw's and Haines' combined attack truly defines the band and was reaching incredible chemistry around this late part of the show. After another two songs (Old World’s slowed-down ‘On a Slow Night’ and Live It Out’s album opener ‘Empty’ -- another high point), Metric threw down their instruments and left the stage.

Of course things weren’t done as Metric soon returned to a howling madhouse of fans, so charged up that this writer worried about the Metropolis floorboards breaking in from the collective thumping of feet. The encore was quite solid with monster hits "Combat Baby" and "Hustle Rose" played seamlessly as one long track. The rhythm section was brilliant here and Haines' synth sounds were never more dead-on fitting than on "Hustle Rose". She was visibly exhausted from a night of jumping all over the stage, but nevertheless jumped right into closer "Dead Disco". This track was very exciting with the incredible light show again almost overshadowing the skills of the band. Still, the song was rich and layered with interesting bridges, although it was extended far too long into an effects 'n feedback-driven finale. Regardless, the crowd loved it and applauded long after Haines had blown kisses goodnight.

All in all, it was not the best I’ve seen Metric; they seemed better in past shows when they were still trying to earn the respect and in smaller venues to smaller crowds. Haines' odd banter was slightly distracting but she made up for it in spades with her incredibly seductive stage presence and angelic voice. She truly rocked the house and all eyes were on her all the time. The rhythm section was very tight, but not overly noticeable -- which is a good thing -- showing their attention to small details. As mentioned, Shaw, on lead, was excellent and it was truly his riffs and solid melodies that took the songs to great heights. Overall, it was a great show, which could have perhaps used more audience banter -- or maybe less drunken rambling -- but made up for in sheer talent and an electrifying wall-of-sound effect that translated the songs perfectly from the albums. The most remarkable thing, however, was the effect Metric had on the Montreal indie rock audience, who are usually bored and too-cool-for-school but feverishly animated and visibly enthralled on this night. If a band can do that to Montreal hipsters, then hats-off. 7.5 Metric Units/10

[Tune in to F-Train120 every Tuesday Noon to 2:00pm.]