Friday, April 29, 2005
Some great news today, as "Twin Cinema", the new song by personal fave The New Pornographers, and title track for their upcoming third album, is available for free download. It's good stuff, the kind of pop-infused indie rock we expect from them, Carl Newman's lead vocals underscored by Neko Case's harmonies. It doesn't grab me as much as the immortal "Letter From an Occupant" did five years ago, or how "The Laws Have Changed" did two years ago, but it's still a solid enough song. Can't wait to hear the rest.
Bit of a so-so week, as I've been inundated with mediocre music to write about. My review of the new Guapo album appeared the other day. Here's a progressive rock trio talented enough to blow listeners away, but they never seem to stray away from the same lugubrious pace. So as a result, their music is always best enjoyed in bits and pieces, and Black Oni is no exception. The third continual proggy "suite" I've heard this year, it seems to just go through the motions for 45 minutes. There are some good moments (such as on tracks three and five), but in all honesty, you don't want to be dropping 20 bucks for this one.
I was really looking forward to hearing the new album by Vancouver's P:ano. People had been saying good things about this band, and they were recently listed in that big Time Canada article about the 2005 indie albums to look out for, so I thought I'd give Brigadoon a try. Much to my surprise, I find myself hating the album. Here's a band who are obviously brimming with talent, but the way they make a point of hoppping from genre to genre on the CD not only shows a gross lack of focus, but it also comes off as sounding highly pretentious, like a group of musical prodigies showing off. It's all a gigantic mess, 22 tracks over 50 minutes, as they go from twee indie pop, to Decemberists style indie rock, to electro, to show tunes, to cabaret, et cetera, et cetera, and the lyrics make such a point of being precious (a horsey named Georgey is referenced three times), that it soon becomes unbearable. All they're doing is being quirky for the sake of being quirky, and especially when compared to someone like the Fiery Furnaces, Frog Eyes, or Run Chico Run, P:ano simply rings hollow. There's a tiny handful of moments where their ostentatiousness is reined in just enough to make the gimmick work, as on "Covered Wagons", "Pure Evil", and "Dark Hills", but why should we have to sift through so much crap to get to those tracks? The answer is, we shouldn't have to at all. The fact that a national magazine chose to mention this album, and not the new CD by The Ladies and Gentlemen, a far, far superior Canadian indie band, is criminal.
Sinai Beach is one of the more unintentionally hilarious metalcore bands I've heard. Not only does this Christian rock band thank America, the Republican Party, and the U.S. Armed Forces on their new album, but their singer does the most ridiculously blatant Glenn Danzig impersonation you'll ever hear. Easily one of the most useless records I've heard this year.
On to something a little better here...I've had the new album by Oakland's Impaled for a couple months, but never gave it a serious listen until recently. Now, for those who don't know, these guys play something called "gore-grind"...highly influenced by Cannibal Corpse, Impaled combine death metal/grindcore with lyrics of an extremely graphically violent nature, their various album covers contain some of the most bluntly disgusting artwork you'll ever see. If Nile are the death metal version of a grandiose, Saharan epic, Impaled are more like a cheesy splatter film, and underneath all the tales of surgeries gone horribly wrong, there's a healthy dose of humour lying underneath. Their new CD Death After Life is really nothing special, musically, just some by-the-book death metal, but it's interspersed with some hilarious, squirm-inducing skits that lighten the mood (opening track "Goreverture" is a brilliant imitation of 80s horror film scores). It's not all the same old grind, thankfully, as "Dead Alive" slows things down a bit, and the surprisingly good "Critical Condition" actually dares to groove a little bit. Overall, it's nothing original, but the over-the-top violence keeps things fun.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Marge: I hope the Spinal Taps don't play too loud.
Homer: Oh Marge, I went to plenty of heavy metal concerts and it never hurt me!
(Marge's response is drowned out by the ringing in Homer's ears)
Homer: I hear you. C'mon boy, lets go.
MP3
Yeah, that's been my life lately...it's taken three full days to completely regain my hearing, thanks to the Motorhead show. And I wore earplugs...I can't get over that. Just in time, too, as there's a ton of new music to sift through in the coming week. Erm, weeks.
Song of the Week:
Turbonegro - "Blow Me (Like the Wind)"
I couldn't let another week go by without touting this fantastic sonf from the upcoming Turbonegro album one more time. Easily the best track on the disc, it's as ridiculously funny as you'd expect Turbonegro to be, but its very greatness is deeply indebted to lead guitarist Euroboy, whose flashy riffs and slick solos have brought a very strong glam metal influence to the band, going back to the spectacular Apocalypse Dudes album. And I'm not talking about the poofy, late-80s glam metal of Poison and Cinderella, either...I mean the nasty, sleazy, Eurotrashy sounds of the great, tragically underrated Hanoi Rocks, and this track, especially, echoes that band's distinct sound perfectly. That catchy little solo lick in the opening bars says it all; it adds some great 80s flair to the song, and sticks in your head for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, Hank von Helvete actually manages to pull off a very stylish, surprisingly versatile vocal performance, sounding like a fat, gay, Norwegian version of Michael Monroe. Loud, loose, and lascivious, it's as good as a rock 'n' roll song can get. Download it now, and then let Epitaph know that they're idiots for not releasing Party Animals in North America next month.
I like Weezer, though I'm of the generation where the great Blue Album came out when I was in my mid-20s, so that means, despite my affection for the band, my devotion is nowhere near as crazed as the gazillions of Weezer obsessives who are seven or more years younger than I. As much as I admired that first album, it was worshipped universally by kids in their early to mid-teens. A couple of years later, it was Pinkerton that really created a bit of a gulf...while skeptics like myself bristled at the clunky sounds of "El Scorcho", others, who were in high school or university at the time, completely related to Rivers Cuomo's mierable, highly personal, proto-Emo compositions. Over the last decade, Pinkerton has become one of the most revered rock records during that time, despite the fact that geezers my age wonder to this day what the heck the big deal is with that album. In 1996, I was still too focused on the snarky irony of Pavement, the goofball madness of beck, and the stylish wit of Pulp to care about Cuomo's personal problems. I can never hate Weezer, I thoroughly enjoyed their show back in spring 2002, and still look forward to their new material, but that Pinkerton gap will always remain between me and the real Weezer geeks out there.
So the past weekend went by, turning out to be an all-out geekfest for Weezer fans, as a couple of rough bootlegs of their new album surfaced, and then, a high quality rip of the CD. Links were posted, but they always expired within hours...it was madness, like a bunch of hyenas diving onto a carcass. Of course, I had heard the "Beverly Hills" single, and was not impressed at all, so I wasn't too preoccupied with hearing the album for myself. However, curiosity got the best of me, and although I still think "Beverly Hills" is terrible, the kind of novelty rock song that Everclear would do, the rest of Make Believe is actually very good. Once you get past the aformentioned, sucky opening track, it takes off, first with "Perfect Situation" and the album's great standout, "This is Such a Pity", a gorgeous little song loaded to the brim with not-so-subtle hooks and references to The Cars. "Pardon Me" is another very pleasant surprise, "My Best Friend" is near-perfect power pop, and the dopey "We're All on Drugs" actually manages to work, overcoming the feeling early on that the song will be a flat-out disaster. Guitar solos dominate, which is great to see (too many young bands are too afraid to noodle away), Cuomo appears to have returned to the confessional style of Pinkerton, and despite the fact that a couple of songs ("The Other Way", "Freak Me Out") sound uncomfortably like Ash (who could be better than Weezer if they could ever put out a consistent album), it's the strongest Weezer record, at least since the Green Album. So good on them. If only they would have scrapped "Beverly Hills" entirely...
Friday, April 22, 2005
"We are Motorhead. And we play rock 'n' roll."
What a long night. What a long, excruciating, brutal, hot, physically draining, potentially dangerous, ultimately glorious, LOUD night. I can barely move. My neck is going to be stiff in six hours, and despite my use of earplugs, my bad ear is shot. Oh man...what else can I say, but it was the GREATEST SHOW EVER.
Before I go further, though, I have to address the people of Ryly's Canadian Bar & Grill (or so they like to call themselves) here in Saskatoon. I hate you, I friggin' hate you all. I hate your poor organizational skills, making us stand outside in line for an hour and a half, only to suddenly open two doors, starting an insane stampede inside, with no frisking of anybody at all, only increasing the chance of something bad happening. I hate your stupid dive of a bar, which, despite being pretty big, only allows less than 25% of patrons to actually see the stage. I hate your bimbette waitresses who keep tapping me on my shoulder during the sets, trying to get me to buy whatever tub of alcohol they're lugging around. I hate your annoying, do-ragged, high-talking fratboy wigga of a DJ, whose idea of appropriate music for a Motorhead show is ska punk (and to the roadie who publicly ordered the idiot to start playing something good instead of the crap he was spinning, I love ya, dude). I hate everything do do with that dive (A POX ON YOU ALL!!!), and the show should have been held at The Odeon, not this hair metal holdover stinkpit, but what do you know, the show was so good, all the hassle seemed worth enduring for six hours.
Interesting how neither Damn 13 and 3 Inches of Blood showed up...I think it was because of the dinky venue. So instead of four bands, we just had Motorhead and COC. Which was just fine, but we first had to stand and wait for two hours (the highlight of the two hour wait was hearing Accept's "Balls to the Wall", which ignited a robust sing-along by all us old geezers ("GOD BLESS YA!"), while the kids in the crowd were going, "Who sings this song?" My brother and I found a post to lean on during the wait, and when Corrosion of Conformity took the stage, we really couldn't see much. Not that we didn't get the full impact of the band's music, because man, did COC ever do a great job, as we all knew they would. "Clean My Wounds" went over huge, but for me, the real highlight was "In the Arms of God", which, if you've been reading this page, is in my opinion, the best COC song I've heard in well over a decade. It was flat-out brilliant. The set had a good mix of old and new, and Pepper Keenan was in fine vocal form (Woody Weatherman handled vocals on "Infinite War"...so that's who sings it!). Anyway, here's their setlist:
Paranoid Opioid
King of the Rotten
Stonebreaker
Vote With a Bullet
My Grain
Infinite War
Fuel
In the Arms of God
When COC finished, that's when the real adventure began. We waited for the crowd in front of us to thin out, the beer-filled goofs in front of us making their run to the can, and the second we saw an opening, we made a break for it, weaving carefully through the mob. The bar has a small sunken floor in front of the stage for the folks eager to endure brutal physical punishment (about 20 feet deep), and then a second standing level behind it, about level with the stage. We made it to the point where we were two or three people away from the front of the second level, which was good enough, as we had great views of the stage. Trouble was, the front row was occupied by around five highly drunken, surly, buzz-cutted, backwards cap-wearin' yobs who were eyeing everyone, looking for the first person they could beat up. It didn't look good, and when the crush of people behind me started up, I had to try hard to brace myself to keep from being smooshed into the guys, otherwise, I would have been pounded for sure.
So Motorhead finally came on after 11, and for a while there, it was looking like we'd have a fun time, but there was still a dangerous tension because of the idiots in front of us, who kept giving everone the stinkeye if they were touched at all. "Doctor Rock", "Stay Clean", and "Shoot You in the Back" went smoothly, as we were able to get into the music, the people around us respecting each other. Then, during "Love Me Like a Reptile", that all changed. Two guys came bursting through, shoving us all aside, either lost trying to find the way down into the pit, or trying to just cut in front of as many people as they could. They reached the angry white boys, there was a confrontation between moronic alpha males, and we were a hair away from a full-scale brawl, as the rest of us tried to move and keep our distance. The intruders finally decided to walk away, thankfully, as the next few songs went by without incident. Then, during "In the Name of Tragedy", the mayhem that threatened to break out finally did, as all five guys attacked a crowdsurfing kid in the pit who had drifted to the front of the standing level. Security had been watching these guys all the while, and the second fists started to fly, the guys in the red shirts were all over them, grabbing each yob in a vicious headlock, and dragged them out of the building. So, this meant a huge opening in the crowd, and as the flow of bodies dictated, I found myself moved smack dab in the front, with nothing but 20 feet of air between Lemmy and myself. And as soon as that happened, the concert got even better, everyone around me feeling safer now that the idiots were gone for good, and for the last hour, everyone was having a blast, the way it should be.
By then, it had gotten extremely hot, and while I stood there, getting increasingly drenched, yelling along to "R.A.M.O.N.E.S.", it was mind-boggling to behold the madness in the pit directly below me. Bodies were flying constantly. Lemmy and the boys got a kick out of the craziness, too, and man, did they ever sound tight. Much of the credit goes to drummer Mikkey Dee, who anchored all the chaos brilliantly, working those double bass beats frantically, hair whipping about, drumsticks flying. Phil Campbell was decidedly understated; he's a small guy, and an amiable dude to boot, his riffs and solos sounding solid. And Lemmy...what can you say about this guy? He looks great for a 59 year-old, with his mutton chops and moustache, black jeans, iron cross around his neck, his black button-down shirt open. I've seen him play on TV, but live for the first time, it was really interesting to see just how he plays his bass like a guitar. And vocally, he sounded as raspy as ever, but virtually the same as any of Motorhead's recordings. The man is simply ageless, and very funny, to boot. When a chant of "Lemmy!" went up, he said dryly, "That's me." And when he asked the crowd if they loved rock 'n' roll, eliciting a loud response, he replied, "That's good. You've made a happy man very old."
What a set of songs the band played, lasting over an hour and a half. "Shoot You in the Back" was a real favourite of mine on this night ("Western movie!"), as was the trio of "Over the Top", "No Class", and "I Got Mine". I love "In the Name of Tragedy", but because of the brief distraction, I couldn't focus on the song as much as I had wanted to. "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." killed, as did "Sacrifice" (which featured a mighty fine drum solo), and "Just Cos You Got the Power" was a very cool, laid-back jam that gave everyone a breather. The longer the band went on, the more classics got dusted off: "Killed By Death", a scorching "Iron Fist", and after a fun acoustic performance of "Whorehouse Blues" (with Lemmy on harp), they pulled out the show-stoppers, "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill", the latter of which featuring a very goofy triple false ending that lasted forever. The funny thing was, by the time the encore came around, and "Ace of Spades" started up, the people in the pit were barely moving. That's right, Lemmy and his band simply wore everyone down completely. By the time they left the stage, it was 1 a.m., I was soaked with sweat, and could barely move.
Never have I been to a concert that could swing from fun to disaster in the blink of an eye like this one promised to do, and for once, I have to credit the security guys, who were on their toes the entire time, making things safe for those of us who were there for the music. I lost count of how many people they dragged out of there, each one in a hilarious choking headlock. Normally, at concerts like this, security are little more than barrel-chested bullies who like to flaunt their authority, but these guys were fantastic. So a big yay for them.
And a big salute to the drunken tough boys in front of us, who, thanks to their caveman demeanor, got them the boot, and gave me one of the best concert vantage points I've ever experienced. It was a wild, exhausting, unforgettable time, a show that will go down as one of my all-time favourites. Bless you Lemmy, and if you ever come back, let's hope it'll be in a much better venue.
The setlist:
Doctor Rock
Stay Clean
Shoot You in the Back
Love Me Like a Reptile
Killers
Metropolis
Over the Top
No Class
I Got Mine
In the Name of Tragedy
Dancing on Your Grave
R.A.M.O.N.E.S.
Sacrifice (with drum solo)
Just Cos You Got the Power
Going to Brazil
Killed By Death
Iron Fist
encore:
Whorehouse Blues (acoustic)
Ace of Spades
Overkill
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Brain dead, total amnesia
Get some mental anasthesia
Don΄t move, I'll shut the door and kill the lights
And if I can΄t be wrong I could be right
All good clean fun
Have another stick of gum
Man, you look better already
Motorhead, remember me now, Motorhead, alright!
The twenty year wait is over. Full details of the show coming early tomorrow...
For now, though, some tamer subject matter. My review of Emiliana Torrini's new album appeared yesterday, and what a lovely little disc it is, too. Completely the opposite of what her first album sounded like, with strictly acousitic arrangements, but overall, the music is just as great, maybe even better, than her debut (incredible how it's been six years between releases). I wrote the piece a really long time ago...I completely forgot it hadn't been published yet.
On the opposite side of the critical spectrum, is Athlete's overly lachrymose Tourist, my review of which also appearing the other day. Here's a band who tried to sound different than the rest of the Brit rock pack last year, but have since decided to go the Keane route, and copy the Coldplay Formula step for step. The CD does have a few good songs, but really, nothing that warrants buying the thing. The disc just falls flat in its attempt to pander to the soft rock crowd. Boo.
For what it's worth, I love the new White Stripes single, I kind of like the new Coldplay single, I am completely indifferent to the new Nine Inch Nails single, and think that the new Foo Fighters single is atrocious, which, for such a consistently awful band, is really saying something. Oh, and the new Four Tet single is brilliant, perhaps the best thing I've ever heard Kieran Hebden do. More on that another time.
Oh, and Eye Weekly is the latest publication to slag Louis XIV's new album. It's a very good album, I tell you! Take my word for it, ignore the schlubs who say it's offensive and derivative, and enjoy it for what it is: good, raunchy, glam-fueled rock 'n' roll.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
A couple days after hearing a track off the new Turbonegro album, what happens, but the entire thing is subsequently leaked online. And I have it. Oh, yes. And it is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be.
I really enjoyed their 2003 comeback album, Scandinavian Leather, and thought it was a very worthy successor to their classic albums, but seriously, Party Animals is their best album in what, eight years or so. Although they've toned down the profanity, the vicious sense of humour is still intact, but most importantly, the fire has been re-ignited under their collective butts, each song relentlessly catchy, still holding true to the same Ramones-goes-glam sound that they perfected on Apocalypse Dudes.
I've long believed that Hanoi Rocks had to have been a major influence on this band, and "Blow Me (Like the Wind)" is as dead-on an early 80s glam metal tune as I've heard since, well, the early 80s, lead guitarist Euroboy pulling off a wicked glam riff that defines the song. The dude is without a doubt one of the most underrated lead guitarists today, and does he ever prove his worth yet again...his solos are all over this record. The aforementioned "All My Friends Are Dead" (download it below!), "Wasted Again", "Hot Stuff Hot Shit", and "If You See Kaye" (get it?) are all top-notch deathpunk, while "High on Crime" returns to the strong glam sound. "Final Warning" goes completely over the top, as if Hank von Helvete hijacked Dimmu Borgir's orchestra, and "City of Satan" is a real standout, an ace midtempo stomper, sounding like an unholy marriage between Queen and Manowar.
The album's out May 9 in Europe, but incredibly, there's no North American release date so far. Seriously, Epitaph, what the heck are you guys waiting for? Turbonegro gained many new fans in 2003 (including yours truly), and each and every one of them will go nuts over this release. It's nothing but Big Dumb Fun, but seriously, Party Animals is one of the best albums of the year so far.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Get this...my top five songs this week are not only all incredible, but each one happens to be available for free download on the web. I don't usually do this (the Anti-Hit List is a more reliable source), but for now, go get each track, and enjoy, because I certainly have over the past seven days:
Song of the Week:
Okkervil River - "For Real"
Two weeks ago, I had no idea who Okkervil River were, but after reading rave reviews at Stylus, PopMatters, and The NY Times, I figured I should see what the big fuss was, so I went to the best record store in town, and reserved a copy of the album. It arrived on Friday, and yeah, I'm starting to understand now what all the hubbub was all about. I've heard the album several times over now, but I haven't had a chance to really hunker down and follow Will Sheff's extremely literary lyrics, but I do enjoy the push-and-pull of the record, as upbeat, electric-tinged songs offset forlorn, Americana style ballads. The quieter songs are absolutely gorgeous, but right now, my favourite track is the ferocious "For Real". The song's bursts of insistent electric guitars bear a strong resemblance to the indie pop of The Shins' Chutes Too Narrow (Sheff also sounds a lot like James Mercer), but yikes, are the lyrics ever dark, as Sheff sings from the point of view of his album's menacing protagonist, who seems to be blinded by rage, jealousy, despair, madness, or everything at once, crying, "I really miss what really did exist when I held your throat so tight...Sometimes the blood from real cuts feels real nice when it's mine." Sheff reassures us, "It's just a drive into the dark stretch," but it's more like being strapped in a car against your will and thrust into the world of Blue Velvet and Lost Highway, a world of ether huffers, Pabst Blue Ribbon, fat women dacing on cars to Roy Orbison tunes, and creepy dudes in pancake makeup, with no hope of escaping. A blend of rock and murder ballads that would make Nick Cave proud, the song climaxes with the portentous line, "And there's nothing quite like the blinding light when that curtain's cast aside, and no attempt is made to explain away the things that really, really, really are behind." The stuff behind Sheff's curtain is pretty freakin' creepy, and "For Real" is only a hint of the thrills in store on Black Sheep Boy.
Turbonegro - "All My Friends Are Dead"
"Where are your friends? Where are your friends? Where..are...your friends, man?" "What? Where are my friends? ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD!!!" So begins the triumphant return of the greatest gay Norwegian rock 'n' roll band on the face of the earth, a track that is sure to send the entire Turbojugend into ecstatic convulsions. More of the same high octane punk-meets-glam metal that they perfected on their timeless Apocalypse Dudes, Hank von Helvete is is usual goofy self, as lead guitarist Euroboy, one of the best rock lead guitarists I've heard in the last decade, carries the entire tune with his flashy solo licks. It's uproarious fun, and a very, very encouraging harbinger for their upcoming album, which comes out on May 9.
The Russian Futurists - "Paul Simon"
The relentlessly poppy opening track from Matthew Adam Hart's latest album, Our Thickness, this song is so incredibly simple in structure, built around an insanely catchy horns hook. Hart sings a couple lines, the hook comes in, he sings another line, the hook comes in...it goes like that for over two and a half minutes. Hart's lyrics contrast greatly from the ebullience of the music, as he croons melodramatically, "It's the worst of lows, it's the first to go, it's the last to come back when the sun melts the snow." The entire album is loaded with gorgeous little pop-goes-electronic gems like this one, but this is the track that hooks you in for good.
DJ Earworm - "No One Takes Your Freedom"
Man, I hate it when people say mash-ups are nothing but empty novelties. The best mixes completely transform several songs at once into one work of demented genius that sound so obvious, yet something you could have never, ever come up with yourself. On this track, which is destined for my year-end list, DJ Earworm meshes Scissor Sisters' groovy "Take Your Mama Out", The Beatles' ornately pretty "For No One", George Michael's funky "Freedom 90", and Aretha Franklin's "Think". Jake Shears sings a verse, then Paul McCartney answers, as Micheal enters with his cries of "Freedom!", only to be overtaken by an even more passionately soulful Aretha. Play this at any party or dance, and I guarantee people will go nuts over it. It's a jaw-dropper.
Go Home Productions - "Uptight Killer"
Further proof that Mark Vidler is a genius, as the mash-up master mixes Stevie Wonder's classic "Uptight" with the synth hook from The Killers' "Somebody Told Me", before it completely shifts, becoming a mix of The Killers and David Bowie's "Let's Dance". Perfectly suited for the sunshine of early summer.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Much to talk about, but I should first mention my review of Justamustache, the new album by Detroit's Thunderbirds Are Now!. The CD reminds me a lot of Q and Not U's Power album from last year, in that while it won't change the world or anything, it still does its job very well, some good, bouncy post punk stuff. Actually, Justamustache lacks a killer song that Q and Not U had in "Beautiful People", but it's still decent enough. It's definitely better than those awful, watered-down bands The Bravery, Kaiser Chiefs, and Action Action.
Actually, I have to confess I really, really like the Kaiser Chiefs' "I Predict a Riot". The song is a derivative piece of trash, but it's become quite the guilty pleasure of mine recently.
Okay, on to the events of the previous evening, shall we? The Futureheads simply left me agog...last night's show marked the very first time a legitimately cool band from the UK paid my little city a visit, and man, did they ever create excitement in front of the packed club. It's one thing to hear the band do their Buzzcocks/Jam/XTC thing on record, and a far more intense experience live. This band i tight to the point of near-suffocation; guitars chop away with the nervous energy of a six year old on Pixie Stix and Red Bull, while the drum work hiccups away relentlessly. Such unsettling (in a good way) energy is offset by their loose onstage demeanor, as all four guys chat away between songs, and they were very friendly, obviously impressed by the reception they received. Guitarist/primary singer Barry Hyde delivered a great, sweat-drenched performance, guitarist/singer Ross Millard (the big dude with the glasses) acted as the emcee for the evening, and all four guys were spot-on with their background harmony vocals. I simply didn't want the set to end, it was uproarious fun, highlighted by their phenomenal cover of Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love", one of my favourite songs of 2004. The other tracks they played, in no real order, were "Le Garage" (set opener), "Robot", "A to B", "Decent Days and Nights", "Meantime", "Alms", "Carnival Kids", "The City is Here For You to Use", "He Knows", "Stupid and Shallow", a good unreleased song called "Area", and "Man Ray" (set closer). It'll probably be a long time until we get another quality Brit band in Saskatoon, but at least the Futureheads made their show one we won't soon forget.
Louis XIV were very good as well. Funny, how so many indie-kid critics accuse the band of being sexist, yet they come off so gracious live. Their straightforward homage to all things glam rock, from the flashy riffs, to the Ronson-esque solos, to the T. Rex backbeats, to the rather impressive mullet of Jason Hill's, works very well, and they impressed me by how darn loud they could be for an opening band. They started out with "Paper Doll", and also played "Louis XIV", "God Killed the Queen", "A Letter to Dominique", "Illegal Tender", "Pledge of Allegiance", a couple of other songs (including a really good one that resembled AC/DC, which I have to search for), and ended their set with their ace single "Finding Out True Love is Blind".
Headliners Hot Hot Heat, however, were a different story. One of the least original and least talented of Canada's "buzz bands" of the past five years, the dudes from Victoria masked their one-note gimmick with fog machines, strobe lights, and a drum sound that dominated the mix (which kept the kiddies dancing), and a half hour in, I was ready to pack it in, as hobbit-fro'ed Steve Bays pranced around foppishly, delivering the same old nasal yelp on song after song. It was interesting to hear the material from both Make Up the Breakdown and Elevator side by side, as nearly every new song, including the idiotic single "Goodnight Goodnight", fell flat (only "Island of the Honest Man" managed to stand out). The Make Up tunes sounded especially impressive, as the band opened with "No, Not Now", and went on to do "Naked in the City Again", "Get in or Get Out" a very fun version of "Oh Godamnit", "This Town", "Talk to Me, Dance With Me", and a version of "Bandages" that tore the house down (they did one or two others, but I can't remember which). In her review of Wednesday's show, the Edmonton Journal's Sandra Sperounes said that Bays has to get the heck away from that keyboard of his, hire a full-time player, and take to the frontman activities exclusively, and I couldn't agree more. The band's sound would be even better of they had a guy doing stuff constantly on synths, instead of Bays' silly one-handed shtick. Hot Hot Heat can be good when they want to, but if the songs suck, then their live sets will obviously suffer, and last night's alternated annoyingly between the raucous and the snooze-inducing.
One of the best things about Hot Hot Heat is how they always bring great bands with them whenever they tour Canada; a year and a half ago, they had Metric opening (I am still kicking myself for missing that show), and this tour has managed to top that one. I'm not a huge fan of the band, but I greatly appreciate their efforts in bringing such great music to the entire country.
If I have time later today or tomorrow, I'll talk about how terrible the new album by Athlete is, and how amazing the new Okkervil River CD is...
Friday, April 15, 2005
Don't you hate it when you're sitting, happily typing yet another eloquent entry for your blog, when a fierce April storm knocks out the power mere minutes before you hit the "done" button? Gah. Okay, here's Attempt Number Two...
Tonight's the night of the big, big Hot Hot Heat/Futureheads/Louis XIV concert. It should be incredible, not to mention very crowded (it has to be sold out by now), and although I'm going primarily to see the first two bands, I'm interested in seeing if Hot Hot Heat's songs work better in a live environment, as opposed to on record, where I think their music is, when not boring and derivative, is completely stinky. Right now, though, I'm hoping the boys arrive alive from Calgary...the crazy storm along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border is causing chaos right now (we're getting the tail end of it here in Saskadaskatoonywoony), and the roads have to be pretty nasty. I do not want to miss the Futureheads because of dumb prairie weather!!!
For the past few months, I've been saying that Behemoth's masterful Demigod is easily the best metal album of 2005 so far, but now, thanks to American band Nile, we have another contender for the title in the unbelievably great Annihilation of the Wicked. Although Nile is strictly death metal, as opposed to Behemoth's skillful combination of black metal and death metal, there are many similarities between the two albums. Both records boast superb production, and Annihilation employs the services of Neil Kernon (the guy behind one of my favourite 80s albums, Queensryche's tragically underrated Rage For Order), and the band's absolutely bludgeoning sound is perfectly offset by Kernon's ultra-crisp sound. It's a very cool combination, a mix of the blunt and the crystalline, the riffs coarse, but extremely sharp, the drums dense, yet incredibly clear. Also similar to Demigod is the amount of restraint the band shows; formerly known for songs that hung around the ten minute mark, this album is much more concise, as they take four or five minutes to say what normally takes many bands twice as long. There are still three tracks of the epic variety, but they are offset nicely by the other seven, shorter songs. After the first few listens, it's tough to sinle out one track that stands uot among the rest, but right now, it would be "Lashed to the Slave Stick", and whaddya know, but that's the one song that Relapse Records has made available for free download. Possessing an insane staccatto riff that morphs into fantastic, dexterous, melodic flourishes, the song is propelled by constant blast beats and machine gun snare drumming, as the indecipherable vocals howl and growl away. Like I've said, it's that ornate/brutal, sacred/profane combination that makes this kind of music so great, so overwhelming, and this track, heck, this entire album, is as good as it gets. It's out in late May...do not pass this one up. It's year-end list bound. (huge thanks to Beat Schwerin for the assistance)
If this month wasn't busy enough, Canada's best young metal band, Cursed, are coming to my town on the 30th. Judging how much I love their album Two, and because they claim to be Canada's loudest band, this is a show I cannot miss.
The Newcastle United soccer club were flying to Portugal for a UEFA Cup match against Sporting Lisbon the other day, and who should be piloting their jet but none other than Bruce Bruce? Many of the players were very excited when they learned, and rightfuly so. That'd be, like, the coolest thing ever. Just as long as he doesn't FLY AS HIGH AS THE SUUUUNNN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!
Yes, I'm so geeky over Iron Maiden, I crack lame Iron Maiden jokes whenever possible.
Over the past four months, I have been repeatedly kicking myself over the perpetually growing number of 2004 albums I had failed to acknowledge last December, and now, there are three more titles to add: Carina Round (I love this album...it obliterates the recent PJ Harvey CD), Iron & Wine (gorgeous, in a Nick Drake goes country sort of way), and The Zutons (like The Coral, but minus the sea chanties). Ah well. Better late than never. No...forget that! I am such a blithering idiot sometimes! Bah.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Back to the land of the living...new review for you guys, in the form of Napalm Death's surprisingly good The Code is Red...Long Live the Code. This album's a nasty piece of business, a bludgeoing combination (that's right, bludgeoning) of classic grindcore and metalcore, with plenty of very insightful lyrics by the inimitable Barney Greenway. Definitely one of the better metal releases so far this year.
Digital cameras and club shows are a great combination. Here are some phenomenal DFA 1979 and controller.controller pics by the always great Punkoryan, and here's a good photo from last Thursday's Strapping Young Lad show. And here's another. And another.
I think I must have played the new Russian Futurists album about six times today. Quite the contagious little rekkid, a very easy disc to like...it got to me instantly, in a very similar way that the Jens Lekman CD did last year. I'll post more on this in the very near future.
Sunday afternoon, 12 hours later
Yawn.
Song of the Week:
Fischerspooner - "Cloud"
According to Casey Spooner, "The ideas of the Romantics became a huge influence on [new Fischerspooner album Odyssey] because they were basically the roots of rock 'n' roll. The Romantic Hero led directly to the modern idea of a rock star. 'Cloud' relates to that as the a tale of a mad, obsessive genius who gets so caught up in his creation that he completely loses himself in it." A song that veers surprisingly close to early 80s post punk (primarily the early music of The Cure), "Cloud" opens with a quick guitar lick, before Warren Spooner's unmistakeable synths swoop in, a low, distorted bassline and a swirly, melodic hook offestting each other. Spooner enters, ostentatiously declaring (as he always seems to do), "It's my vision/A total one/Encompassing the only one," before easing into a subtly melodic chorus of "I lost myself." It's an impressive blend of rock and dance, but midway through, the Cure influence comes in full-bore, the synths intensified greatly, as Spooner cries, "Resplendent dream it overtook me/I had no choice but build it," both bridge and the reprised chorus meshing perfectly as the song cruises to a close. This fine song is only one reason why I think Odyssey is one of the year's best discs so far. So go buy it now.
Now, we all know that Ozzfest will never, ever come to the Canadian Prairies, but thanks to something called the Sounds of the Underground tour, which is coming through Edmonton and Saskatoon, we can have the next best thing. Kind of an Ozzfest Junior, it has the same setup as Ozzfest, with eighteen bands playing on two stages throughout an entire day, but unlike the exorbitant prices for an Ozzfest ticket ($95 American last time I checked), it costs a measly $43 Canadian. The bill has a handful of samey-sounding metalcore acts, but the headlining bands more than make up for it: Clutch, GWAR, Strapping Young Lad, Chimaira, Unearth, Norma Jean, and get this, Opeth, High on Fire, and the mighty Lamb of God, who is headlining the tour. Whether the SotU tour is successful or not rests solely on the shoulders of Lamb of God...it's a huge step for them, and it'll be interesting to see if the band has the audience to carry a tour of this nature, because the majority of kids won't know who many of the other bands are. They're sort of at the same level when Metallica put out Master of Puppets, on the cusp of hugeness, with a rapidly growing fanbase, and if the band can pull it off, it'll be a huge step for them. It's great to see bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch Engage tour relentlessly like Metallica did 20 years ago...the kids in the smaller markets really appreciate it when metal acts come to their towns (Killswitch has been in Saskatchewan three times in the past ten months or so), and this tour could do a lot for Lamb of God's, and many other bands' chances at hitting the big time. Anyway, the internet pre-sale is on right now for the Saskatoon show on July 29, so show your support for quality metal, and get your ticket.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Three nights, three shows, a whole slew of wildly diverse bands. My feet are tired, my hips hurt from all the standing, the backs of my hands have multiple stamps on them that just don't want to come off, there's a dull ringing in my ears (thank you, DFA)...I'm just not used to all this at once. My own wacky little music festival was loads of fun, but I'm glad it's over for the time being.
Of the trio of shows I've seen, I expected last night's to be the best one, and I was right. Like last year's Eclaim tour, this year's was an absolute marathon, and Amigos was packed to the gills. Whenever you get a bill with members of the whole Broken Social Scene family, you're in for a lot of collaborations (as Torquil Campbell said, "It's a lot better than sitting in the back drinking Sleeman's"), and it was definitely true tonight, as there were often ten people onstage, jamming away. Montag was first, Montreal's Antoine Bedard doing his half decent, inoffensive techno pop well enough to hold my attention. It was likeable enough (there were moments where he sounded just a little bit like The Notwist), and the performance of Perfect Vision with Stars' Amy Millan was nice, but really, I've heard better stuff. Nothing against the guy.
Apostle of Hustle delivered, big time. Andrew Whiteman and his band translated the Latin sounds of Folkloric Feel brilliantly live, many of the songs possessing more energy than what you hear on the record. They played tunes such as "Folkloric Feel", "Energy of Death", "Song For Lorca", and "Animal Fat", and a bunch of others I can't remember, including a couple of very fun jams. Whiteman's versatile guitar work was terrific, Julian Brown alternated between bass and guitar, and Dean Stone was great on drums, understated, but displaying a lot of flair when he needed to (busy Stars keyboardist Chris Seligman also played the entire set). The party atmosphere was enhanced whenever the members of Stars popped in, adding trombone, trumpet, cowbell, maracas, or whatever was lying around onstage. It was an incredible set that went over surprisingly well with the audience, and I hope they come back here soon.
Stars, though, were the main draw for most of the people there, and the floor was already jammed with people long before they took the stage. And after seeing this band for the first time, I finally get it, I finally understand why so many people adore them. They have a presence unlike any Canadian band right now, led by that manic little compθre Torquil Campbell. An outspoken, dare I say flamboyant frontman if I ever saw one, he just exudes charisma onstage, and while people have criticized him for his enthusiasm, I was surprised at how well it worked, and impressed with how sincere the guy came off. Of course, Stars wouldn't be half the band they are if it weren't for singer/guitarist Amy Millan, and she sounded great...I was concerned her soft voice would be drowned out, but for once, the sound guy at Amigos did a good job, and Ms. Millan was very easy to hear. The hour and a half long set centred primarily on the recent album (I htink it's their best), the band playing all but "Celebration Guns". The first bit of the show was sensational, as "Set Yourself on Fire", "Soft Revolution", the classic "Elevator Love Letter", "Reunion", and "Heart" came one after the other. It knocked me out, I tell you. Campbell and Millan continually joked with the crowd, but there were some darker moments during the set, such as Millan's touching "One More Night", and Campbell's volatile anti-Bush rant "He Lied About Death", but true to form, the brightness outweighed the gloom (most notably a disastrous attempt at fan interaction on "Romantic Comedy" that was so funny, the band couldn't continue, they were laughing too hard), and the crowd, including yours truly, ate it up, such as when the band was joined by Apostle of Hustle and Montag for "Ageless Beauty", not to mention Millan & Campbell's gorgeous duet on "Calendar Girl", and the wonderful encore of "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", "The First Five Times", and "Tonight". Yeah folks, the soft revolution is for real (I'm just six months late), and it's best to just give in. I went to the concert an admirer of Stars, but I left a fan.
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Okay, day two of my live music extravaganza is over, and I'm still alive.
It was great to walk into the cozy confines of Louis' (which has to be my favourite venue in town) and find out that the Death From Above 1979 show was sold out. When a Canadian indie band sells out Saskatoon, you know they're just a step away from the big time. The place was packed, but comfortably so, and the kids there (man, were there a lot of young ones) had a blast. Regina's Sylvie impressed...the Despistado splinter group sounds a lot like Jawbox, in my opinion, with good melodies mixed with that early 90s DC post punk sound. I'd like to see them again.
I'd been waiting more than a year for controller.controller to make the trek out West, and for the most part, they were very solid. It's obvious their singer Nirmala has become a much more confident frontwoman (I remember reading about here shy stage presence when they first started), engaging the crowd, dancing, and smiling all the while. "History", "Silent Seven", and "Disco Blackout" all sounded excellent, but what surp[rised me was how plain their new songs sounded. They played three or four new tunes, and not only did they not bring anything new musically to the table, they lacked the hooks of the EP's songs. I still look forward to their new album later this year, but I'm now only cautiously optimistic.
DFA 1979 were great, as always. This is a band whose live presence appeals to our basest (bassist? -groan-) instincts: nothing but low end rumbles that churns our nether regions, played really, really loud, accompanied by blunt, Captain Caveman beats. They've been known to be a sloppy band, but tonight, they sounded fantastic, especially on "Turn it Out", "Blood on Our Hands", "Black History Month", "Little Girl" (my favourite song of theirs), and "Romantic Rights", which brought the house down. The set was rather short, but very effective...my only gripe is that they didn't play "Sexy Results", which would have added a great counterbalance to the loud, distorted bombast of the evening. Still, a great time was had...the best part was seeing so many kids fully appreciative of some good, honest, hard-working Canadian indie music. The t-shirts were selling like crazy, which is always a good sign.
Tomorrow, a real biggie: Stars, Apostle of Hustle, and Montag...
Friday, April 8, 2005
"Heavy metal, a Mexican cantina, Saskatoon style...My name is Devin, and can I take your stinkin' orderrrrr!!!"
Yeah, the inimitable Devin Townsend and his band Strapping Young Lad took their show to Saskatoon's cozy Amigos last night, and proceeded to tear our collective faces off with some roaring, tight, insanely fun extreme metal. The show was well attended, proof again that the hunger for quality metal is strong in this city. A dude who should be the poster boy for embracing male pattern baldness, Townsend stood at centre stage, adorned with a white Flying V, perpetually bathed in an ominous red light, taunting the audience with a devilish sneer. With SYL, though, the anger is always offset with tongue-in-cheek silliness, and everyone there knew that, and if people weren't busy damaging their bodies moshing, they were grinning ear to ear. Townsend's enthusiasm for All Things Metal is very contagious, and the band's hour-long set delivered. The five tracks from the new album were fun to hear, but the real highlights were the mayhem-inducing "Oh My Fucking God", "Far Beyind Metal", and the brilliant (not to menton fan fave) "Detox". The band was terrific, especially drummer Gene Hoglan, whose machine-gun beats held all the craziness together. I arrived to see Misery Signals play, but their generic version of one-dimensional metalcore quickly became tiresome. Anyway, a very enjoyable evening...SYL is just starting their big tour, so catch them when they get to your town. Here's the setlist:
Imperial
Skeksis
Velvet Kevorkian
All Hail the New Flesh
Oh My Fucking God
S.Y.L.
In the Rainy Season
Love?
Relentless
Shine
Aftermath
Shitstorm
Encore:
Far Beyond Metal
Detox
That's it, I'm too tired to go on. Death From Above 1979 and controller.controller tonight, so watch for a recap of that show. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a little SYL to download, crank, and enjoy:
Strapping Young Lad - "Detox"
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
So have you bought the new Fischerspooner album yet? Or how about Corrosion of Conformity? Or Fantomas? No? Why on earth not? What are you waiting for?
Funny, I hadn't mentioned the new Fantomas album on this page. If you've been reading this page for a while, you'll know I was quite the big fan of Delirium Cordia last year, digging the entire post rock jazz freakout thing they did. Well, the new CD, Suspended Animation, is not only more accessible than Delirium's descent towards the creepy and downright disturbing, but it's an even better album overall, I think. In direct contrast to the last album's single, 74 minute track concept, the new record blasts through 30 songs in under 44 minutes, and instead of Mike Patton leading us by hand through all eight rings of hell, the band has modeled Suspended Animation after the fun, intricate, and highly psychotic world of classic cartoon music. Lots of nods to the music of Carl Stalling and Warner Bros. sound effects genius Treg Brown, and while the band is as noisy and deceptively chaotic as ever, there's a whimsical feeling to the entire album, aided by Patton's nonverbal vocals, which often border on hilarious. With Melvin Buzz Osborne, the talented fusion bassist Trevor Dunn, and Slayer great Dave Lombardo backing up the mad genius Patton, I think Fantomas are the greatest "supergroup" today, and this new CD is their best work yet. Still not convinced? Read my full review.
And still with the COC album (third time in a row I've mentioned it), my review if In the Arms of God has quickly appeared. Lots of people like yours truly have been blown away by the album, but there are still some doubters out there, reluctant to believe that the old guys are capable of putting out another excellent album, but really, take my word for it. It's a monster.
And back to Fischerspooner for a second...hearing the leaked MP3s back in frigid January was a huge revelation, as I had been doubtful that the duo would be able to move past the (albeit fun) gimmickry of #1, only to be floored by the band's turn toward the pop side of electro. Then yesterday, as I went out in search of the CD (luckily finding one of the only copies around), and popped it into the stereo on a bright, sunny, weirdly warm afternoon, it cemented my opinion that Odyssey is one of the best albums of the year so far. What a strong first half it has; the single "Just Let Go", the brilliant dance trifecta of "Cloud", "Never Win", and "A Kick in the Teeth", the understated "Everything to Gain", and the volatile (and surprisingly successful "We Need a War" trounces nearly everythnig from the previous album. The rest of the album holds steady (dig the flute on "Get Confused"), managing to peak once again on the Boredoms cover that closes the CD. Although guitars surface, and there's a strong contemporary pop influence (highlighted by the songwriting presence of the ubiquitous Linda Perry), it's by far an organic record. Fischerspooner is still all about the gloss, the synthetic quality of classic electro, but this time around, there are more layers to the music, more nuance, more style, just more of everything. #1 was a gaudy, ostentatious statement, but Odyssey is more controlled and sophisticated, proof that Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner are indeed for real.
So seriously, go buy all three albums. If you can't, just buy one of them. You can't go wrong with any title.
Despistado totally blew it. The Regina, Saskatchewan band was ready for the big time: they had a cool, energetic, punk-fueled, yet accessible sound that really appealed to the kids, they had built up a very strong fanbase on the prairies (shows last spring and summer were selling out), their debut EP was getting very positive reviews from PopMatters and Pitchfork, reputable label Jade Tree Records put a lot of money into making the band one of the young acts to watch in 2005, big corporate sponsorship deals were in the works, indie buzz was huge, and most impressively, a little band from tragically unhip Saskatchewan had captured the attention of the extremely insular cadre of Toronto music publications. It was there for the taking...until early this year, when the band dropped a huge bomb, announcing they were splitting up. In one of the best pieces I have ever read at chartattack.com, the band's former bass player tells all, and the article reads like a cautionary tale for every tiny indie band out there. The biggest moral of the story: don't go into the business unless you are 100% dedicated. Despistado had a shot at success, but their own idiocy brought it all to a crashing halt. Now it's back to square one, the guys all in their own bands, but they'll probably never get as close to the big time as they did in the summer of 2004. One of those splinter bands is opening for DFA 1979 and controller.controller here on Friday, so it'll be interesting to see how they'll sound, but the sad downfall of the coolest band to ever come out of Saskatchewan will be constantly on the brain.
Monday, April 4, 2005
What a busy week it's going to be. Day One: road trip.
Song of the Week:
Corrosion of Conformity - "In the Arms of God"
Yeah, I'm still prattling on about the new COC album. It's exceptional, what can I say? Although it's perhaps one track too long, I'm enjoying practically every minute of the disc. I simply was not expecting something this strong, but the guys pulled it off, and the title track especially blows me away. It's not so much a song, as a collection of crushing, destructive doom/stoner metal riffs so potent, the track bursts with more life than I've heard in quite a while. While High on Fire ply their trade with blunt, brutal force, COC do it with pure flair, and this song has a swagger we never hear enough of in metal. Weatherman and Keenan crunch away on guitar, pummeling you with riff after insane riff, Keenan does his usual dynamic howl, and drummer Stanton Moore adds a very cool dimension with his thunderous, Bonzo-esque beats and creative drum fills. It's electrifying stuff proof that the old masters still have plenty of fuel left in the tank.
For anyone who's interested, my huge 80s metal mix (see tracklisting below) is available for download for one last time. Act quickly, before the links expire...go here.
The Junos were a bit of a snooze, but yay for Feist. Hopefully the mainstrem folks will see her name in the papers tomorrow and flock to the local record stores to join in on what has strictly been a word-of-mouth-driven, underground hit. The lady deserves the recognition. Oh, and Billy Talent is a joke. Trust me, folks, the Canadian talent pool runs a lot deeper than those yahoos.
In what has been a pretty crummy season for NUFC, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer went and made things even worse for their supporters with one of the most embarrassing displays I have ever seen in any sport. If you haven't seen it yet, watch this clip.
Friday, April 1, 2005
Manhattan-trekking Albertans Erin & Steve say Spamalot is awesome. They also met some of the cast last night, apparently.
To this day, I consider Corrosion of Conformity the best opening act I have ever seen at an arena show. They were touring with longtime friends Metallica in 1997, in support of their Wiseblood album, and at the time, I was certainly well aware of the band's hostory, which went back to their hardcore sound in the early 80s and the thrashier stuff they put out later that decade, as well as their most well-known tunes "Clean My Wounds" and "Vote With a Bullet", but I only admired them from a distance. Had nothing against them whatsoever, but I never bought any of their albums, and by 1997, I was totally unaware of their transformation (the band's fourth musical shift) into a stoner-paced, churning Southern metal sound, and when they took the stage, I was floored. They played like they were the headliners, with more force than I'd ever seen by an opener at a big hockey rink concert.
I was pleased to learn that COC would be touring with Motorhead, and with a second opportunity to see the band a second time, I was really looking forward to hearing their new album, and first in five years, In the Arms of God, and today, it arrived. And it absolutely crushes. It's easily their best album in ages, as it continues their foray into the Southern thing, but this time, delivered with an intensity that echoes their early recordings. Guitarist Pepper Keenan is in fine form; he has one of the best voices in all of metal, capable of delivering rugged vocals, while being able to actually show some flair and emotion at the same time, and does he ever sound great here, especially on such standouts as "Stone Breaker" (dig the way it morphs from a blues rock jam to one mammoth of a crunching riff), the brilliant "Dirty Hands Empty Pockets/Already Gone", and the mellow "Rise River Rise". The ferocious "Infinite War" is unreal, featuring who I think is bassist Mike Dean on vocals (but I'm not too sure), as the band displays subtle touches of their 80s sound, but the real clincher on the album is the stunning title track, one of the most brutally heavy songs the band has ever done. They simply school every stoner rock band out there today in a six and a half exercise in sheer brutality, and every time a new riff kicks in, your jaw just drops further. The album is aided by the addition of temporary drummer Stanton Moore, whose beats swing with a jazzy swagger, delivering enough cool drum fills to keep every track sounding even more fresh. This is a near-perfect album...it's out this coming Tuesday, and I suggest you give it a listen. Personally, the upcoming Motorhead show (in three weeks!) has just become even better. Oh, and here's their setlist.
Coincidentally, Another Perfect Day talks about the new COC album, so I strongly suggest you give it a read, and then download "Infinite War". Man oh man, what a great album this is...
Zoilus has a great little Robert Creeley obit posted (much better than mine yesterday). I had no idea Mercury Rev put his poetry to music...
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Boy, the further into the young century we go, the more Beat Generation luminaries keep dying on us. This March, Lucien Carr and Philip Lamantia passed away, and now Robert Creeley, who died of respiratory disease yesterday morning, at the age of 78. A fine poet and old drinking buddy of Kerouac's, Creeley was an interesting dude, but sadly, I never really got around to delving into his writing. Less a beat poet than a friend and peer of the Beats, he was one of the last holdovers from the infamous Black Mountain poets, he taught poetry in Buffalo, NY, and was named the New York State poet laureate in 1992. What I know him best for, actually, are the great prefaces he wrote for several Kerouac volumes, including Good Blonde & Others and Book of Dreams. Well, that, and Steve's funny story about how he had a habit of taking out his glass eye and wiping out his eye socket while lecturing students. Here's one of his better poems:
I Know a Man
As I sd to my
friend, because I am
always talking, -- John, I
sd, which was not his
name, the darkness sur-
rounds us, what
can we do against
it, or else, shall we &
why not, buy a goddamn big car,
drive, he sd, for
christ's sake, look
out where yr going.
My review of Samael's new album Reign of Light has appeared. I forgot that piece had not yet appeared...it's a fine album, a bit Rammsteiny from time to time, but these guys manage to put enough original touches to warrant picking the CD up. It's classy Euro-metal, and the Middle Eastern influences really work well with the electronic arrangements, and "Telepathic" is one of my favourite singles of the year so far.
I'm flabbergasted by the reaction to Louis XIV's excellent The Best Little Secrets Are Kept by the indie rock crowd. First the silly Fluxblog debate, then the brutal piece on Illegal Tender by Pitchfork, then a negative piece by Stylus, and to cap everything, Pitchfork's poorly-written highly negative review of the new album. Hey, indie kids, lighten up. Rock music has always been raunchy, and if you children can't handle a little blunt double-entendres, pompousness, risque album covers, and songs about ess-ee-ecks, then go back to listening to Conor Oberst while sitting crying to yourself in your college dorm rooms. Or, as Jason Hill sneers on "Paper Doll", "If you want clean fun, go fly a kite."
Oh, and for what it's worth, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept is one of the most enjoyable albums I've heard over the past three months. Give the album a listen, and come watch them open for Hot Hot Heat in Canada in a few weeks.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The new Oasis single has leaked. And yeah, "Lyla" is pretty much what you'd expect from the band, that is, the same old thing. If you don't like Oasis now, this song certainly won't convert you, but if you're a longtime fan, you'll likely enjoy it. I still have a soft spot for Oasis, despite the fact that their last couple albums have been on the, erm, average side. This song, though, a catchy, midtempo, acoustic-tinged thingamajig, is quite likeable.
So The Arcade Fire is on the cover of Time here in Canada. Nice to see, and it's a good article (including a contribution by Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene), but will mainstream listeners finally catch on to our country's surplus of indie talent? Judging by the 2005 Juno nominees for album of the year, probably not.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Apologies for the lack of updates. Gets like that sometimes...too busy, too tired, too lazy, or all of the above...
Song of the Week:
The Raveonettes - "Ode to L.A."
I've had the leaked version of The Raveonettes' new album for a few weeks, but didn't get around to listening to the entire thing until a few days ago. It's another good, solid album by the Danish duo, but this time, they've turned down the Jesus & Mary Chain distortion considerably, going for a more directly retro sound. This band is all about 50s pop culture, from the B-movie style album artwork (which I love), to the cool Kerouac tattoo on Sune Rose Wagner's arm, to the songs, which are deeply indebted to early rock 'n' roll, most notably Buddy Holly. While the new record is the usual great fun, two tracks in particular knocked me out, the very cool cover of "My Boyfriend's Back", and especially the shimmering "Ode to L.A.". "Come on, let's go to where it's fun, I want a slice of L.A. sun," croons Sharin Foo, as the song immediately takes off into a dead-on perfect imitation of girl group pop, with its stripped down, insistent beats, Wagner's crystalline guitar notes, and sleigh bells (a perfect touch), as the song rides a dreamy wave of gorgeous pop rock. Then, when it can't get any better, the great Ronnie Spector makes an appearance, sounding as flawless as ever, and from then on, the song is hers, as she launches into those fabulous "whoa-oh-oh-oh"'s that she made so famous on "Be My Baby". Ms. Spector and The Raveonettes are an absolutely perfect match (so much so, that TTIKTDA says Spector and Wagner are going to be recording an album together), and this heart-stopping little tune is one of the most perfect slices of pop I've heard so far this year. Oh, and pre-order the Raveonettes album here.
On a completely different note, my review of Strapping Young Lad's extremely insane new album Alien appeared this past Friday. I hadn't mentioned anything about it, but I've had the CD for several weeks, and I've found myself enjoying it immensely. It's all so incredibly corny and hilarious (much like those lovable goofs in Manowar)...I say it in the review, there's no band around who can make being angry so much fun. The production is unreal, the drumming by Gene Hoglan incredible, and the presence of demented genius Devin Townsend on guitars and vocals as nutty as ever. The 12 minute track "Infodump" keeps this album from being a great one, but for what it;s worth, with songs such as "Shitstorm", "Possessions", and "We Ride", there's still more than enough here to enjoy.
In a post this past January, while talking about the great Left of the Dial box set, I expressed my desire to oversee a similarly-themed four disc retrospective that covered 80s metal. Well, thanks to an great idea over at the SOMB, and with the help of several people (especially my brother, whose contributions were invaluable), and after much hemming and hawing over what tracks to include, sequencing, maximizing CD running times, etc., I've assembled what I feel is a definitive look back at the halcyon days of heavy metal. I tried to combine the popular acts with the obscure ones, covering everything from the New Wave of British heavy metal, to the beginning of the American thrash, to the European underground, to the infancy of death metal and grindcore. Time constraints forced me to leave out the more hardcore-oriented acts (DRI, COC, GBH), not to mention the LA glam bands, but I think it's all for the better. Anyway, if you're interested in some of the best heavy music ever recorded, you can download the entire thing here, but hurry, before the links expire. Here's the tracklisting:
Disc One
1. Dio We Rock
2. Iron Maiden The Trooper
3. Riot Swords and Tequila
4. Tygers of Pan Tang Gangland
5. Sweet Savage Eye of the Storm
6. Overkill Hello From the Gutter
7. Anthrax Caught in a Mosh
8. Stormtroopers of Death Speak English Or Die
9. Nuclear Assault Brainwashed
10. Trouble The Tempter
11. Possessed The Exorcist
12. Mercyful Fate A Dangerous Meeting
13. Holocaust Death or Glory
14. Celtic Frost Dethroned Emperor
15. Carcass Crepitating Bowel Erosion
16. St. Vitus - Dying Inside
17. Bathory A Fine Day to Die
Disc Two
1. Slayer Hell Awaits
2. Witchfinder General Witchfinder General
3. Venom Countess Bathory
4. Godflesh - Christbait Rising
5. Morbid Angel Chapel of Ghouls
6. Metal Church Beyond the Black
7. Candlemass At the Gallows End
8. Witchfynde Leaving Nadir
9. Grim Reaper See You in Hell
10. Motorhead Killed By Death
11. Girlschool Demolition Boys
12. Armored Saint Can U Deliver
13. Crimson Glory Eternal World
14. Helloween Halloween
Disc Three
1. Metallica Fight Fire With Fire
2. Diamond Head Am I Evil?
3. Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg
4. Exodus A Lesson in Violence
5. Megadeth Hook in Mouth
6. Annihilator Alison Hell
7. Death Angel Bored
8. Dark Angel Darkness Descends
9. Sepultura Inner Self
10. Kreator Ripping Corpse
11. Napalm Death Scum
12. Yngwie Malmsteen I'll See the Light Tonight
13. Queensryche Queen of the Reich
14. Fates Warning - The Apparition
15. Voivod Tribal Convictions
16. Savatage Sirens
17. Judas Priest The Sentinel
Disc Four
1. Accept Balls to the Wall
2. Scorpions Blackout
3. Michael Schenker Group Assault Attack
4. Warlock All We Are
5. Raven Take Control
6. Anvil Metal on Metal
7. Jag Panzer Licensed to Kill
8. Testament Trial By Fire
9. Death Pull the Plug
10. Destruction Invincible Force
11. Bolt Thrower - Lost Souls Domain
12. Angel Witch Angel Witch
13. Lizzy Borden Give 'Em the Axe
14. King Diamond Abigail
15. Ozzy Osbourne Believer (live)
16. Manowar Hail and Kill
17. Saxon Power and Glory
18. Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell
Monday, March 21, 2005
Song of the Week:
Bloc Party - "So Here We Are"
Bloc Party's new album Silent Alarm is one of those records that creeps up on you. I've been listening to it on and off for the past three months, and especially lately, I've found I've discovered a new favourite track each time I hear it. Some people have griped that the album sounds too much the same, but it really needs to be given time to nestle into your subconscious, and the more acquainted you are with the disc, the more attuned you become to the many subtle differences between each song. "So Here We Are" is the most recent of my faves, an absolutely gorgeous piece of dreampop that completely debunks any Franz ferdinand knock-off accusations some have used. Featuring chiming guitars that evoke The Smiths and a nervous, stuttering drum performance that keeps you on edge, singer/guitarist Kele Okereke's vocals, true to the dreampop sound, are laden with effects, swimming just below the surface of the mix, making them discernable, but only barely. The lyrics are brief, but leave an indelible impression, especially when he croons, "I made a vow to carry you home/If you fall sick, if you pass out." The song builds momentum, from the beautiful bridge ("Hold on," Okereke pleads), and gently climaxing with his enigmatic epiphany of, "I figured it out, I can see again." It's only one of 13 excellent tracks, so after giving this a listen, head on out and buy a copy of the album, which is in stores in the US tomorrow.
When I mentioned the good new Leeroy Stagger album a week ago, the link to the Boompa store didn't work, because the site went kablooey for some reason, but it appears to be all fixed now, so here's another reminder. It's an enjoyable, unpretentious blend of indie pop and country, and for ten measly bucks (Canadian!), it's a terrific bargain. So go here to purchase a copy, and support some good, unrecognized Canadian talent. The cool bands aren't only in Montreal and Toronto...Western Canada has its share of quality music, too.
I am not impressed at all with the new Weezer single "Beverly Hills". It's the blandest song I've ever heard by them, which is very disappointing, especially considering how every one of their past singles has always had a relentlessly catchy quality that I always got a kick out of.
Oh, and Zeth Lundy was right...Apostle of Hustle's Folkloric Feel is one amazing CD. I heard portions of the album last summer whan it appeared on the Anti-Hit List, but for some dumb reason (I think I was swamped with a stack of autumn CDs), I never got around to hearing the entire thing, and I'm paying for it now, because I feel like a right idiot. This very swanky blend of Broken Social Sceney atmospherics with laid-back Latin tinges is especially unique, with great production (as usual) by Dave Newfeld. So that makes it three albums (along with this one and this one) that deserved to be in my 2004 top 20 that I was dumb enough not to include. Bah.
Speaking of Apostle of Hustle, their show with Stars and Montag is only a couple weeks away. If you live in Toon Town, don't miss it. Best 15 bucks you'll ever spend.
Edit: Head on over to The Big Ticket for some great Apostle of Hustle and Stars MP3s...
Friday, March 18, 2005
My review of the new LCD Soundsystem album is now up over at Static. I'm actually amazed at how smitten I am with the thing...when I first heard several songs three months ago, they sounded so plain, but somehow, they've wriggled persistently into my subconscious, so much so, that I gave the album a four star review. I don't dish out perfect ratings out very often, either...over the past five years, I'll bet there are fewer than ten albums I would say are perfect enough to warrant a 4/4 or 10/10. This album just does it for me, what can I say? The clincher remains the bonus disc of singles and B-sides, but I still contend that the actual album portion holds its own surprisingly well.
I rarely go to record stores anymore. With all the stuff I get in the mail, there's just no need to, so I often go weeks, even months, without visiting my local stores (just a couple weeks ago, I visited A & B Sound for the first time in three months). If I go to a used store, it's to trade stuff in (never cash, always store credit). When I do go to a new record store, it's never spontaneous...if there's an album I intend to buy, I wait for the release date, and head out that afternoon (usually, only to see that the dumb place doesn't have the title I'm looking for). So my sudden excursion to HMV yesterday afternoon was highly out of character; after all, March 22 was supposed to be the day I was waiting for, for that's when the outstanding new Bloc Party CD is out. I just wanted to browse for the sake of browsing, to poere over the metal section (which I've been enjoying more over the past year) just to see if the local store had some of the better 2005 releases. I walked in, took maybe three steps, and what do I see before me, but a dozen copies of said Bloc Party album, on sale for cheap, a week before I thought it was supposed to be out. Sometimes living in Canada has its perks. So if you're in Canada, run out and buy Silent Alarm immediately. It's great one, with nary a dull moment (though what's with the Travis rip-off of a cover photo?). And I suppose I should pay my local stores visits a little more often...
Thursday, March 17, 2005
It's been an incredible day, as I've been completely inundated with some great metal/heavy/whatever albums, but everything was completely overshadowed late last night when I got to hear one of my most highly anticipated albums of 2005. That's right, I have heard the new Meshuggah album.
Leaked just yesterday, Catch 33 is Meshuggah's first album in three years, and true to their form, it sounds good and all, but wait: do you hear that hissing noise? That's the sound of the lofty expectations of Meshuggah fans quickly deflating. There is a lot to like about this album, but to be frank, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Simply put, the entire album is played in one gear. Instead of the insanity of Chaosphere and earlier material, and the slow, drawn-out notes of 2002's Nothing, this album just coasts along comfortably. It's actually, dare I say, the most accessible album Meshuggah has ever put out...by "accessible", I mean a good album for first-time listeners to ease themselves into Meshuggah's music, which can often be too lofty for non-metal listeners. For longtime fans, though, there are moments where it is astonishingly bland in tone. The album is tight, concise, and has some excellent moments (namely the trifecta of "In Death - Is Life", "In Death - Is Death", and "Shed"), and as a whole, pulls off the single-track album gimmick much more skillfully than The Mars Volta does on the meandering Frances the Mute.
That said, Catch 33 plays it surprisingly safe throughout the entire record. You keep waiting for them to either kick things into a more insane level, or downshift it into some brutally heavy churning, but it just stays the course for the entire 47 minutes. Am I wrong, or does Tomas Haake play pretty much the same tempo on is ride cymbal/hi-hat for the entire album? It's like he's drumming in his sleep. If Chaosphere attacked ferociously, and Nothing lumbered along menacingly, Catch 33 simply sleepwalks safely.
I'm torn with this album...Meshuggah is one of my favourite bands, and despite its flaws, I do like this album quite a bit (the jazzy breakdown five minutes into "In Death - Is Death" is the highlight of the record, in my opinion), but there is no way, absolutely no excuse for a band as innovative, as thrilling as Meshuggah to play it as safe as they do here. I consider both Nothing and last year's I EP to be career highs, but this album warrants only a mildly disappointed six or seven out of ten. It's a CD I would definitely buy (it's out on May 31), but not without a caveat to other Meshuggah fans. You have been warned...download it first, and decide for yourselves. It's a grower, without question.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
More news on the Motorhead front...it turns out that Into Eternity is playing at The Roxy immediately after the Motorhead show, making it a night of metal that Saskatoon has not seen in a very long time.
Two new reviews are up over at Static. There's my piece on the new Robbers on High Street album, a very good little CD that's been getting a bad rap lately, which is unfair. It's slickly produced, yes, but the band deserves credit for trying to appeal to a larger crowd than the indie underground. The songs hold up. especially "Beneath the Trees", which is particularly beautiful.
Also, there's my Stars review. I touched on the album a week ago...it has a way of getting its hooks in you. Two bad tracks, but overall, a loverly, loverly album.
Yeah, it's nice to hear Bright Eyes covering "Mushaboom", but that doesn't make it better than Leslie Feist's version. In fact, it's dwarfed by the original. Sheesh, Conor Oberst sneezes, and bloggers wax ecstatic. Enough, already.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
If you're reading this, and live in Saskatoon, and are going to the Motorhead show on April 21, please note that the venue has changed. Instead of the sterile, albeit comfy confines of Credit Union Centre, it's now going to be held at the dinky, somewhat dingy, exceptionally tacky Ryly's over on 33rd. Pro: we'll all be closer to the band. Con: we'll all be squished together like Japanese tourists at a restroom mirror. Pro: Along with the always-great Corrosion of Conformity, the fun 3 Inches of Blood, and Dam 13 are opening. Con: it's going to be a long, long, exhausting night, especially if you want to snag a good spot. Pro: the venue is closer than CU Centre, which also goes by the name of Radisson Square Garden (that's a local joke). Con: the venue sucks. Pro: it'll be deafening. Con: it'll be deafening.
Monday, March 14, 2005
There's nothing more frustrating than searching for an extremely rare MP3 only to come up empty every time. There's nothing as satisfying as finally tracking said MP3 down at three in the morning. I hit the NWOBHM motherlode this weekend. More on this in future weeks. Anyway, on to a little idea I'm going to try out:
Song of the Week:
The Killers - "Mr. Brightside (Thin White Duke Radio Edit)"
After doing my weekly top five thing over the past year or so (you know, that little list in the left margin), I figured it's about time I offered you, dear reader, a sampling of what I'm currently enjoying, so here's the first installment. Twelve months ago, I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Killers' debut album...based on the handful of tracks I heard, this had the potential to be one of the year's best. However, once I heard the entire album, that didn't turn out to be the case, with half the songs pure genius, the other half pure drivel. "On Top" was the one song I felt showed the band's true potential, with its doses of New Romantic synths and dance beats, but on the CD, they never duplicated it. Enter Jacques Lu Cont, who has emerged as the most ubiquitous remixer of the past year. The dude's been everywhere, most recently turning heads with his treatment of The Music's "Bleed From Within", but it's this mix of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" which has really blown me away. Here, he takes what was already a first-rate single, and completely reshapes it into a gloriously lush, swooning, teary-eyed early 80s mini-epic, throwing in heavy doses of shimmering OMD synths that complement the song better than the comarably pedestrian use of guitars on the original track. It sounds like it was made for the climactic scene in a John Highes movie from 20 years ago. I tell you, it sets your heart aflutter. So download it at once, and enjoy. And you're welcome.
(Oh, and just to cover my behind, buy it here)
Okay, more stuff to mention, like a few reviews I didn't get around to posting. First, there's my review of the new, well, sort of new Ash album, which has its share of decent moments, but like their last CD, there's a bit of a consistency problem, as it's bogged down by too much filler. "Clones" is downright unforgivable...they're imitating Godsmack, for crying out loud. Anyway, when I offered to review it, I wanted to include a review of Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley's wonderful solo debut in the same piece, so I did just that, even though the album came out last August (three months after Meltdown, completely upstaging it). It's the superior album of the two, and I felt more people had to be informed. Hopefully we'll get a North American release someday...maybe the recent UK chart success of "Bastardo" will help things.
Also, my review of the new Leeroy Stagger album is up. The latest offering by the good folks at Boompa!, is a solid, easygoing, very enjoyable little singer-songwriter CD, combining some lovably rugged country-tinged tones with some superb indie pop hooks thrown in. The album wavers a bit more onto the indie pop side a couple times, but it settles down into a comfy alt-country (orwhateveryouwannacallit) groove. "Just in Case", "Beautiful House", and "House of Sin" are particularly excellent, and as a whole, the CD is definitely worth the ten bucks Canadian. It has all the ambition of Ryan Adams, but none of the pretentiousness. So order it...it's a bargain.
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Over the past couple days, a very nice stack of albums has arrived in the mail, nearly every one replacing my MP3s of the same titles...in fact, when it comes to recent music, it can't get any better.
I finally got a copy of Judas Priest's Angel of Retribution, and to my delight, it was the special edition with the bonus DVD. This version has very cool packaging, presented as a little glossy hardcover book. I'd been interested in the DVD for a long time (since last summer), when it was revealed that a full live set from their European tour would accompany the actual CD. That was changed, sadly, but what it on there is excellent. There's a good, 40 minute documentary, with interviews with all the guys, and best of all, seven tracks from those filmed concerts, including "Electric Eye", "Metal Gods", "Breaking the Law", "Touch of Evil", an acoustic version of "Diamonds and Rust", "Hell Bent For Leather", and "Living After Midnight". The performances are terrific, with Halford in fine form (and looking wickedly cool...I love his overly aloof entrance in "Electric Eye", a far cry from his wacky stage antics circa 1986). I'm still a bit disappointed neither "Victim of Changes" and "Beyond the Realm of Death" were cut out, but what's there is nonetheless lots of fun. If you can find the limited edition of the album (I haven't seen it in my city yet), by all means, get it.
I've always admired Stars, but I've never been a huge fan. I first heard them in 2000 or 2001...at the time, I was using the KCRW playlists as a guide to which music to download next, and Stars' "My Radio" appeared, so I found it on Napster, and thought it was a decent song. A few years later, I enjoyed "Elevator Love Letter" thoroughly, but didn't think their album Heart was as perfect as many people thought it was. And back in December, after downloading their latest, Set Yourself on Fire, I liked it and all, but was still wondering what the big deal was with all the praise from Canadian critics. Well, now that I finaly have the actual album, I'm liking it a lot more. It's a gorgeous little thing, especially "Ageless Beauty" (which placed highly on my 2004 songs list) and "Reunion", but the one thing that makes having the actual CD better than the MP3s is the lyric booklet, and I was quite taken aback when I gave Torquil Campbell's lyrics a good read...he has some moments of sheer brilliance, like on "The First Five Times" (which totally smacks of Jarvis Cocker), "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", and "Soft Rrevolution". Still, I think it's a slightly imperfect album, as the anti-Bush songs "He Lied About Death" and "Celebration Guns" stick out too much, and Amy Millan's lovely voice is criminally underused, but now, I can definitely say I've been won over. I really have to get my ticket to their April 9 show now...
Although it leaked back in December, I took my time getting into the highly anticipated new album by LCD Soundsystem. Early this year, I was enjoying "Daft Punk is at My House", "Disco Infiltrator", and "Great Release", but I have to admit, I was getting sucked in by some of the so-so reviews that were cming out, and never got around to hearing the entire thing. I'd been wanting to buy the album anyway, if anything, for the spectacular bonus disc of all of LCD's singles from over the past few years, but annoyingly, the CD is extremely hard to find in stores. So I was pretty darn ecstatic when a copy appeard in my mailbox, and I've got to say, I love this album to bits. It is fabulous...surprisingly varied (love the Beatles-ish "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up"), very rock-oriented (especially "Movement"), and best of all, brimming with energy ("On Repeat"). The bonus disc is as great as we all knew it would, with such classics as "Losing My Edge", "Yeah" (check my 2004 songs list again), and "Beat Connection". The album doesn't hit the heights of "Yeah", but overall, it's still extremely satisfying in its own way. It's two hours of uproarious, downright euphoric music. My sister will love it. Erin, you need this.
Also in the mail were albums by Caribou (which still sounds great after six weeks) and Robbers on High Street, who, despite the "meh" reviews and Spoon knock-off accusations, I'm actually enjoying quite a bit. One of their songs (I think it was "Spanish Teeth") was on my top five songs list last month.
I have the recently-leaked new album by The Raveonettes, but I have yet to hear the entire thing. I like what I've heard, though. The Jesus & Mary Chain distortion appears to have been turned down, in favour of a cleaner, Cramps guitar sound..."Twilight" has a great little disco beat to it, and the cover of "My Boyrfriend's Back" is supercool. I'll post more thoughts once I sit down and give it a listen in its entirety.
Monday, March 7, 2005
Hey, a new Coldplay song leaked. And it's pretty darn good. Tapping out sixteenth beats on a hi-hat is a very underrated sound, and I'm always a sucker for it.
I must have come close to setting an all-time record last week, because the appearance of my review of Judas Priest's flawed, yet still satisfactory Angel of Retribution made it a whopping seven reviews in five days. What can I say, I had a huge backlog of submitted material. Anyway, if you were as excited about the Judas Priest reunion as I was, go buy their new CD. Yeah, for such a veteran band, "Lochness" should be an unforgivable gaffe, but because we're so happy to have them back, we can let it slide, and enjoy the first two thirds of the album. But honestly, such a venerable band should know better.
Things are starting to slow down...sort of the calm before the coming April maelstrom. Not much in the way of new releases before March 22 (when new albums by Bloc Party and Louis XIV hit stores), it's a real lull before the wave of concerts headed my way (got my Motorhead, DFA 1979, and Futureheads tix -huzzah- and I can't afford to miss Stars/Apostle of Hustle either), and it's a bit of a slow time as far as CDs in the mail go. So it's best I enjoy the rest, I suppose.
But there's always stuff to blab about...fer'instance, I've heard the new Louis XIV album in its entirety. And yes, it's very, very good. I was hoping for something more, I dunno, explosive, but the album concludes on a low-key note with the songs "All the Little Pieces" and "Ball of Twine", two tracks that are going to have to be given a chance to grow on me. The rest of the album is brilliant (no surprise), as "A Letter to Dominique" and "Hey Teacher" were fun revelations. The T. Rex/Slade sound of "Dominique" would make an excellent single, I think. This is a record that could go over big with both the indie rock set and the mainstream rock fans, and if that happens, Louis XIV completely deserve it. "God Killed the Queen" is going to go over huge when the band plays here in late April.
I hadn't touched on it yet, but it appears CBC Radio Two's weeknight staple Brave New Waves is on its way out. I'm not going to go into a huge, weepy, eulogy yet...I'll do that when we know for certain when it's going off the air, but for now, I'll say I owe a lot of my musical knowledge to that show. It's going to be sad to see the show go.
Thursday, March 3, 2005
Guess what? Another new CD review. They're coming fast & furiously...here's this week's sixth, my little review of the ubelievably great Louis XIV EP. Whether or not you should go buy it is a tough call, as the new album comes out in less than three weeks, but if you can get it for cheap, it's worth it for the non-album track "Marc" alone. I have huge, huge expectations for the new CD, and am looking forward to seeing them open for The Futureheads and Hot Hot Heat in April. I have a feeling they're going to be winning a lot of Canadian fans on the upcoming tour.
I have to issue a huge, gigantic thank you to Bill, who was kind enough to send me a copy of Prong's great Beg to Differ. I originally bought the album back when it first came out in 1990, but I wound up selling it in the mid-90s, when I was all indie rock and Britpop. Until now, I really had no idea how much I missed it...hearing it for the first time in a decade, it still sounds very fresh. It's interesting how ahead of its time it was, predating the groundbreaking albums of Pantera and Sepultura, with its slowed-down, churning riffs that blended underground thrash with New York hardcore. And man, is this album ever taut. The production is immaculate, yet brutal, Tommy Victor's riffs crisp and concise, and the drumming by Ted Parsons huge-sounding, crammed right up in the mix (as was the fashion in metal at the time), with a very cool, processed snare drum sound. I still think the live bonus track at the end is a waste of time, but the rest of the album is brilliant. It doesn't sound as "out there" as it did 15 years ago, but it's still a very unique album, and if you want to hear one of the genre's most underrated records, give it a try.
And how perfect is Television's "Venus"? Egads.
Wednesday, March 2, 2005
Yikes! The new album reviews keep coming this week. My piece on the new Doves CD appeared. After a month of living with the MP3s, I've noticed that it's a good record, but not a great one, like their last two. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind, as it's a consistently pleasing CD, but it doesn't have any real grabbers, those singles that floor you, like "Catch the Sun", "The Cedar Room", "There Goes the Fear", and "Caught By the River". If you're a fan of the band, though, like I am, you'll enjoy it.
It took a while (which happens when you dump a boatload of unassigned metal reviews on your wonderful editor), but my review of Dark Tranquillity's Character is up at last. It's a good album, in which the keyboards actually make it great (weird for a metal album), but I have a sneaky feeling I'm going to be enjoying plenty of other metal albums more by the end of the year.
I read about the rumour a week ago, and I was encouraged when an Edmonton show was announced on Saturday, but still, I was shocked to learn yesterday that Motorhead is coming to my city, making an already insane April even crazier. It took a long time, but I finally have a chance to see the band, whom I've long admired. I was a bit slow to get into Motorhead in the mid-80s...aside from "Ace of Spades", "The Chase os Better Than the Catch", and "Killed By Death", I didn't know many Motorhead songs 20 years ago, so when in Vancouver in the summer of 1985, I didn't go to their show at the New York Theatre (hey, I was only 14, and Motorhead drew a tough crowd). A high school acquaintance happened to be in Van City at the same time, and he went to the show. When we met up at school that September, he asked me what concerts I managed to see while visiting the city. My sheepish admission turned out to be fodder for an entire school year's worth of friendly derision, and to this day, I still laugh about it. So who did I see instead of Motorhead, that summer of 1985? I'm not going to tell you, but I will say it wasn't Rick Springfield/Til Tuesday. Pssst...it was Corey Hart.
Critical reaction to The Mars Volta's Frances the Mute has been fascinatingly polarized...for instance, it got a rave review at AMG, and a hugely negative one at Pitchfork. It's not for everybody, that's for sure. And listening to De-Loused in the Comatorium yesterday really hammered home just how much better that album is. Still, if I didn't already have it, I would have bought the new one, which is selling for a ridiculously low price here in Canada.
Oh, and just because Green Day crammed five two minute songs that happen to be in the same key together into one nine minute ppiece doesn't make them prog rock. I'm a bit late on this, but I'm sorry, I really don't get American idiot. It's decent enough, and inoffensive, but really nothing special.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Okay, my hearing is back. Took longer than I'd thought. Listened to absolutely no music for 48 hours, which is rare. Took advantage of the break from the tunes to zip through the second half of Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, which turned out to be more hypnotic the further it went on. Pleasantly enigmatic is how I'd describe it. You're not 100 per cent sure what's going on at the end, but it's so much fun to read, it's easy to let the loose ends at the conclusion slide.
No fewer than three new reviews to mention...first, there's my big piece on the recent Drive-By Truckers re-releases, which came out a couple weeks ago. Hmm, I thought I already mentioned the reissues of Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance, but upon further review, it appears I didn't. Anyway, if you're a DBT fan, you need these. Although the last half of Gangstabilly is near-perfect, I still think it's the weaker album. "Wifebeater" bores me, what can I say. Pizza Deliverance is much more consistent, although it has one big stinker of a song in "The President's Penis is Missing". "Nine Bullets", "Uncle Frank", "The Company I Keep", and especially the brilliant "The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town" were all new to me, but went on to really floor me the more I heard them. I'm very glad to finally have both albums. I'm an official fanboy now. Oh, and don't forget about their new DVD, which comes out in three weeks.
The other PopMatters review is for the fanfreakintastic Alone in the Dark Soundtrack, which I talked about a month ago. Check the archive over there on the right margin, or just go and read the review, heed my advice, and give the set a listen.
Also, Static has my somewhat tardy review of Megadeth's The System Has Failed. I head "Die Dead Enough" last summer, but kind of poo-poohed the track, blowing off the rest of the album...considering the mediocrity of Dave Mustaine's recent output, I wasn't very interested. And as it turned out, that was a dumb mistake, because it's a mighty fine CD. What's most surprising is how Mustaine was able to make the most Megadeth-like (Megadethy?) album in a decade, all with session musicians (plus Chris Poland, who it's great to see back on a Meggerdeth record). Big Dave has his goofy moments, as always, but the album's a great return to form, putting Metallica's recent album to shame. True Dave, they've sold more albums than you, but you're the one still making great music. Good on you, too. Oh, and "Back in the Day" warms the cockles of my aging metalhead heart...no recent metal song has made me smile like that song does.
Still on the metal theme, Judas Priest kicked off their big tour the other night, and the setlist was pretty cool, as they brought out "Riding on the Wind" and "Hot Rockin'" (though they dragged out the atrocious "I'm a Rocker" for some inexplicable reason). Setlist was light on the new stuff, heavy on the classics, which will please fans. I am hoping they come to the Canadian prairies this summer. Hoping hoping hoping. Oh, and despite the spectacular suckiness of "Lochness", go buy Angel of retribution today.
Oh, and before I forget, this joke had me laughing out loud.
