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By Dan - Rocks In Your Head - 04/05/2005

Okay, admittedly this is not a full, encompassing review. I have neither the time nor the urge to do a full review. So instead, I'll hit you kids up with a two-part review, splitting this new Fischerspooner CD in half. Here goes part 1:

(Get your mofo booty on the dance floor, people!)

That should be the entire review, but I'll flesh it out a little for your reading pleasure.

Call it electronic/electro-clash/dance/whatever...this shit is pretty cool. I'd heard of the band's first release (#1, May 6th 2002) that supposedly contained a sweet track called “Emerge”, but didn't follow up too quickly. Word had it that the album was lacklustre apart from a couple of tunes. This new album, however, is pretty sweet stuff.

The album kicks off with “Just Let Go”, a synth-heavy anthem with a hint of noisy guitars. Clubbers will get the most out of this one if only for its delicately layered simplicity. “Cloud” has an opening bass line that carries the tune and never lets up, and has what I might call a post-shoegaze feel to it. Like if Slowdive had kept their dancier remixes going and Christian Savill had re-joined and contributed some of the mood that Monster Movie does so well. “Never Win” has a hook reminiscent of Pink Floyd meets Front 242, polished and packaged for the dance floor.

Things start slowing down at this point, but the steady flow of “Kick in the Teeth” and its uptempo chorus keeps the album flowing nicely. The song could easily become a raver's anthem considering its lyrical content: a subtle hommage to Ecstasy and the many gratifying pleasures derived therein. “Everything to Gain” is a darker tune than most of the album's tracks, and “We Need a War” has some sweet harmonizing to cap off the first half of the album.

There is a retro feel across this album, but there's none of that 80’s cheese that we've come to hate. Solid recording all around, though some will accuse Fischerspooner of over-polishing some of the tunes. The bottom line: this is better than most material destined for the dancefloor and it WILL sound really good and potent if the club's system is up to par.

If you're a DJ looking to get down with Fischerspooner, I recommend throwing in some Front 242 or New Order just to prime your listeners beforehand. Then when something like “Never Win” hits people's eardrums, they'll be sufficiently primed and pumped for more.

Part 2 of the review coming soon.

[Tune in to Rocks In Your Head Mondays 6pm - 8pm]

By Matt - Idle Minds - 04/22/2005

Awful, Excellent, and not the train wreck I was expecting.

Easiest review I ever wrote!

…what? I have to write more? Damnit…

For people who love bands that sound like other bands, last Friday’s show at the Metropolis was a night to remember. And I don’t mean that as a negative... these days, it’s very hard to find a band that doesn’t sound like someone else, or an amalgamation of various bands. The trick is to do it well.

Unfortunately, San Diego’s http://www.louisxiv.net/ "> Louis XIV don’t do it well, at least not live. I’ve listened to their new album The Best Little Secrets Are Kept trying to get acquainted with their songs before the show and to be honest, they do a pretty good approximation of 70’s glam-era David Bowie -- faux British accent and all. Unfortunately their live act left a lot to be desired. What sounds like cool/retro on CD sounded like generic FM rock on stage (cough... CHOM... cough). Their second song literally sounded like a cross between Bryan Adams and AC/DC. And then there was the creepy dedication of their song "Illegal Tender" to "all the young girls out there", specifically the twenty or so 16-year-olds on the dance floor with the glow sticks. Yikes. By the way, the non-lead-vocalist/guitarist in the band should never be allowed to play the piano or sing again, unless he’s planning on starting a Simple Plan cover band. Then again, I've never seen such a good crowd response for the third band on a three-band bill, so what do I know. As they say, “chacun à son goût” (that’s French by the way… look it up).

The crowd cheered when the huge Futureheads backdrop came down during the downtime and I cheered up a bit (or maybe it was the beer). The 80s revival aspect of the other two bands is hammered home by the Elvis Costello and The Cars playing on the PA. Let me start by stating that I love the http://www.thefutureheads.com/ ">Futureheads album. Even though I usually joke that I preferred them when they were called XTC, these guys have talent in spades. Having missed them the last time they were through town (headlining... sigh), I was pretty excited to be seeing them. Despite some fairly spotty sound quality (I blame the venue), they didn't disappoint. Starting things off with "Le Garage" (the usual opener), the band from Sunderland played a fine selection of songs off their debut release. What struck me about The Futureheads was the tight musicianship and excellent vocals from all four members. The strength of the vocals was very apparent by their excellent rendition of "Hounds of Love" by Kate Bush where the members trade syncopated oh’s as a background to the main vocals. An excellent set by an excellent band that I hope to see more of in the future.

(Can you tell I like this band?)

The Futureheads left the stage, and a very high pitched "Hot Hot Heat" chant started on the floor. Did I mention the twenty or so 16-year-olds with the glow sticks? After hearing the same 3-4 songs from The Clash's London Calling a couple of times and a few delays -- at one point, the lights went out, and then came back on. My guess is that it was a hair malfunction -- Vancouver's http://www.hothotheat.com/ ">Hot Hot Heat took the stage.

Let me get this out the way…

To lead singer Steve Bays: 70s-era Roger Daltrey called... wants his hair back. And oh ya... I think Mick Jagger trademarked those crappy dance moves.

Ok... phew… now I can get on with the review.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Hot Hot Heat’s set was not the train wreck that I was expecting. It wasn’t fantastic by any means, but it was enjoyable enough. I rank their Sub Pop album Make up the Breakdown as one of the better albums of the first half of this decade, and it still ends up in my CD player to this day. Their new major label debut Elevator left me a little cold. It’s growing on me a bit, but it’s nowhere near as good as Make up the Breakdown. That being said, the show’s strengths were the older songs and its weakness were the newer songs (shocking!). Truth be told, the new songs did sound a lot better performed live, but it doesn’t prevent them from being weak songs in the first place (don’t get me started on “You Owe Me An IOU”! Errr…).

For the most part, the set alternated between songs from Make up the Breakdown and Elevator. Highlights were “Island Of The Honest Man” -- best song on the new album, in my humble opinion -- an excellent version of “Get In Or Get Out” and the set closer “Bandages” which got the whole floor pogo-ing. Low points were a very sloppy version of “This Town” and “Save Us S.O.S”, some pretty horrible stage banter, a temperamental bassist and weak sounding drums. Overall, simply not a very fun band to watch live: the music’s alright, but the band just doesn’t have the dynamics for a good live act. I won’t be rushing out to see them again anytime soon.

To summarize again: Awful, Excellent, and not the train wreck I was expecting.

[Tune in to The Idle Minds Sundays 4pm – 6pm]

By Alex - Losing My Edge - 04/16/2005

After a triumphant and well-received return to their fair city Montreal, the Exclaim Tour headliners Stars were faced with the task of going back out and re-create the magic that had the home crowd in rapture the night before. The band has managed to build a healthy reputation of being a great live band, a reputation no doubt enhanced since touring cross-country with the comatose-looking girls in The Organ. With word of their reportedly spectacular performance the night before fresh in our minds, it remained to be seen if they saved enough gas in the tank for what was sure to be another emotional night for the hometown boys and gal.

To be fair, The Organ's charmless demeanor has limited bearing on their ability to please Smiths fans with their repertoire of competent songs. Of course, personal enjoyment is conditional on whether one particularly enjoys Morrissey's vocal stylings. Granted, comparisons to existing artists can be tired and lazy, but when the band is being equally lazy in keeping its obvious influences in check, one doesn't really have choice. That being said, The Organ gave it a good run for four or five songs before their lack of presence -- though points to singer Katie Sketch for the occasional twirls -- caught up to them. Charisma aside, the songs did manage to carve an identity for the band in spite of the weight of their musical heroes. For that, the crowd gave them an enthusiastic ovation that prompted a rare encore for an opening band.

What is instantly apparent from Stars' live act is the celebratory atmosphere that they manage to create onstage, not unlike their Arts & Crafts labelmates Broken Social Scene. As soon as Mr.Douglas Campbell bellowed the Set Yourself On Fire introduction ("when there's nothing left to burn, you must set yourself on fire") in his thunderous God-like voice, his son Torquil and his bandmates tore into the title track, looking like they fully intended in making this night as special. The music itself was undeniably poptastic and it was hard to fend off the contagious joy. However, the wild card was Torquil Campbell. At times, his gushing banter was refreshingly sincere and at others, it was overly theatrical to the point of patronizing. Surely, one can forgive such affected outbursts given the context, but the problem was that it spilled into the songs themselves. The restraint shown on the album contributed to the creation of such a lush and magical record, with all the elements complementing each other. Here, he was threatening to overpower his own band with his exaggerated manners. Thankfully, Amy Millan was the sweet voice of reason -- and reason sounded a bit like Emma Pollack from the Delgados -- and held the monopoly on all of the show's highlights. Whether it was the set-closing "Calendar Girl" or the fantastic single "Ageless Beauty" (joined by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew, who also appeared for "Sleep Tonight"), Millan transmitted her band's emotions in an intense but subtle manner that shares them with you, instead of ordering you to feel them.

It is hard to rail against someone for being so passionate and obviously, it worked for major portions of the audience. However, the overbearingness of Campbell's act rendered his poignant lyrics empty, similar to the way a scenery-chewing acting performance can strangle the finest script. In the end, this seemed like a bit of nit-picking, for the crowd responded greatly to Stars' performance. It wouldn't be a stretch to qualify it as magical given the ovation, but somehow, one gets the feeling that it was planned out to be that way all along.

[Tune in to Losing My Edge Sundays 12pm-2pm and Tuesdays 8pm-10pm]

By Johnny - Turn Down the Suck - 05/03/2005

Ghoulunatics’ Blood Curdling Years is the first DVD by a Quebec metal band and it sets the bar high. Containing one full show, half of another, bits of 60 others, two videos, lots of photos, and a slew of backstage/behind the scenes/making of/on the road/etc footage, this disc delivers both quantity and quality.

The main feature on the disc is Ghoulunatics’ performance at last year’s Trois-Rivieres MetalFest. It’s a solid show with a set list drawn mostly from Sabacthany and King of the Undead. The picture is clear and the sound is good. And just in case one concert isn’t enough, about half of their Halloween 2003 show is also included on the disc. For this show, the band gets all zombied up and plays in costume. Sure it’s a little cheesy, but it’s also pretty fun. The only problem with this show is that it was already used for last year’s It’s A Live! album. Seven of the songs from It’s A Live! are on this disc. This overlap takes away from both releases. It’s understandable that the band would want to put this show on the DVD, but then why make a live album out of it as well? Despite this questionable decision, the Halloween 2003 show is still quite good.

The other major part of the disc is the Band History section. It’s 50 minutes of miscellaneous footage from the bands career and there is a lot packed into it. It has clips of 60 some shows, studio sessions, the road, and more. The amount of stuff is almost overwhelming, and with so much, it could easily have turned into one giant mess of crap. Luckily, they did a pretty good job of putting everything together, making it easy to handle and enjoy. While not all the footage is great, most of it pretty good and all of it is watchable. In the Band History section you’ll find things like a discussion of their contribution to the Flashback compilation, appearances by various people in the Quebec metal scene (my favourite being Neuraxis’ Ian Campbell describing the Ghouls as Quebec’s Nashville Pussy), a cover of BARF’s "Estie De Sale", and maybe even yourself -- with clips from so many shows, you’re bound to be in there somewhere**...

The only thing that seems to be missing from the history section is a more in-depth discussion with the band members themselves; there is some, but not enough. Besides the part about the Flashback comp and a short piece for Bandeapart.com, there are only small scraps of the band talking here and there. I don’t even think that we hear Pat Gordon (guitar) or Brian Craig (drums) say more than a word or two on the whole disc. A stronger interview element would have been nice.

Besides the overlap with It’s A Live and the lack of band discussion, it is a very strong disc. While it is not as essential as their studio albums, I recommend Blood Curdling Years to anyone who considers themselves a Ghoulunatics fan -- it’s worth your $20.

**Yes, I’ll admit to watching some parts zoomed-in and in slow-mo in order to spot myself. And there I am, right around the 47.5 minute mark. There’s nothing wrong with being petty and self-centered...

Disc contents:
Trois-Rivieres MetalFest 2004: 11 songs, 40 mins.
Halloween 2003: 7 songs + backstage/behind the scenes footage, 30 mins.
Band History: 60+ shows, studio sessions, backstage, and lots more, 50 mins.
Videos: "Melodrame", "Grave Concern", and making of "Grave Concern"

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