music and talk and whaddaya no

April 17, 2005

i haven't got the time time


Not sure why, but I'm a big fan of the view from Cambie bridge in Van City


Not much to say this time around. But my first review for indieworksop.com is now on the web. They are a solid, quality, unpretentious e-zine with some good writing to boot. Check it out.

Some killer shows are starting to creep up on me here in Vancouver town. At the end of April, we have the Weakerthans with the Constantines. I'm there. In May, we get Out Hud. Out Motherfucking Hud! Count me in. LCD Soundsystem with M.I.A. Damn, I want to go so badly. It's like 40 bucks though. I'll have to think about it a bit more. In June, I can't believe how good it will be. Get this: Spoon with the Clientele on the 17th, and Built to Spill the very next day. Both are musts. Those tickets will, I have a feeling, go very fast. So you can bet that I'm on that like bling on P-Diddy. Unfortunately, I'll be missing some key shows at the end of May. Bloc Party, back after a sold-out gig, and a killer lineup for the other show I'll miss -- Caribou (formerly Manitoba) + Junior Boys + Russian Futurists. It pains me to know I will be missing that show. I've seen the Man Formerly Known as a Province twice now, and it's a fantastic show. Go see them if you can. Oh well. at least I'll be in Montreal (hopefully) checking out Deerhoof.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Jules Lost His Jewels and Crybaby   This guy may be odd, but dammit if he doesn't write the catchiest tunes. These are two of the more instantly enjoyable songs off the re-release of Worn Copy, although for me, most of them are. The album is great, maybe even better than The Doldrums, his last Paw Tracks release. His music sounds like lost gems from decades past (thanks in no small part to the super-low-fi recording quality) that were slightly too eccentric for their time. Here's hoping the Ariel Pink re-releases continue, and maybe that some new stuff will come soon, too. (You can purchase it from Paw Tracks)
Posted by: Rob / 02:29 2 wonderous examples of witty banter

April 05, 2005

review the situation, take part, take over


Death From Above 1979 at the Red Room Rocked

Controller.Controller... Now it's the RED Room


This past week was my 3 shows in 3 days week. It was great. Tiring, but great. Let's go over them, shall we?
  • Wednesday night. Commodore Ballroom. Dizzee Rascal: The Boy in Da Corner was on point that night for this first show of his North American tour. The crowd was right into it as well. To watch him rap was transfixing and mesmerizing (although that could also be because I was pretty damn drunk, as seems to be the case whenever I get together with my cousin, but let's give the man the benefit of the doubt). A true talent on record, and, as I have now confirmed with my own eyes and ears, on stage as well.
  • Thursday night. Commodore Ballroom. Stars / Feist / Apostle of Hustle / Montag: This was part of Exclaim! magazine's 13th anniversary tour across Canada. I decided to play this one sober after the previous evening. Montag opened, and it was quite the sleeper. Not the way to grab the crowd. It wasn't horrible, but lullabies (albeit with some intersting sounds mixed in) were not what I was looking for to start the evening. Apostle of Hustle brought it up a notch, with Andrew Whiteman's inspired guitar playing. It woke up the audience just in time. Then Leslie Feist came on. Her voice really is something special. And as my good friend Saul astutely pointed out, her guitar playing had a nice and raw, bluesy quality. That was it: just her and the guitar, but it was enough. Stars followed, and they were as fantastic as last time I saw them. The new songs are great, and they played some older ones, which are still great. They are electric on stage, and I very much recommend seeing them live. This show would have been so much better if it were just Stars and Feist. No offence to the other two bands, but this just went on too long. Despite that, however, I was not disappointed.
  • Friday night. The Red Room. Death From Above 1979 / Controller.Controller and Elizabeth: The show rocked. And hard. Elizabeth came on to open. I wasn't terribly impressed, but at least they were inspired. They were followed by Controller.Controller, who I've been dying to see ever since I got their History record many months ago. They did not disappoint. This was a tight band, and easily got me off my ass to move it around a bit. The guitar was loud but crisp, and Nirmala Basnayake's vocals were fantastic. Can't wait to see them again. DFA 1979 rocked even harder. Before I knew it I was right in the thick of the mosh pit, sweating and pushing and body checking. It was a lot of fun. Even after I got cracked in my jaw. I decided at that point, though, to pull away from the pit and enjoy the show from a safer distance. That doesn't mean I didn't move, though. It was hard not to. Another band I would see again.

British Sea Power - Be Gone and The Land Beyond   I'm in the midst of reviewing the newest British Sea Power album, Open Season, for Discorder, and I have to say that it's an album that I really have grown to like. I've chosen a couple of songs for you to sample, that I think represent the album's feel, and quality. The first of the two songs, "Be Gone", is one of the more driving ones on the album (and please forgive me for the somewhat abrupt cutoff at the end. This song segues into the next, and I couldn't figure out how to fade out), while the second, "The Land Beyond", is an understated gem with a sweet melody. Both songs are engaging without being flashy or pretentious. Before you know it, they will be stuck in your head. Check them out, and tell me what you think. (You can purchase it from Rough Trade)
Posted by: Rob / 16:34 1 wonderous examples of witty banter