Stone Roses, I Was Crazy To Have Ever Let You Go.

But now, you're back together. Maybe I'll come see ya sometime, if either of us is around. (Today, I just woke up and realized how great the Stone Roses were and wondered why I deleted them from my computer back in high school. What a fool I was!)

Matt and Kim, Andrew W.K. and Soulja Boy - "I'm A Goner"

I meant to write about this latest instalment in Converse's annual Three Artists One Song series as soon as I heard it, but it got backlogged by every post I made since summer.

I don't like Soulja Boy or Matt and Kim, but I thought Andrew W.K. alone would have made "I'm A Goner" worth listening to. Plus, I'm always pretty optimistic about collaborations between drastically different artists, even if I don't like everyone involved. Such was my mindset going into last year's kick-ass Three Artists One Song track "All Summer" by Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino, Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij.

YouTube user WK For President pretty much sums up my thoughts on "I'm A Goner" and Matt's explanation that they were trying to create the ultimate summer party-song:

"Not nearly enough Andrew WK. This is too chill to be a party song, I'm not too sure what your parties look like... I can't shotgun to this."

Indeed. I'm not a big partier, but even I wouldn't put on this song at a party. And I don't know what's up with Andrew W.K.'s voice here (he sings higher than usual), but I know I don't like it.

Oh, well. Here's to next year.

Hi ho.

Frank Alpine: Minimalist Synth-Driven Dark Wave Done Right

I usually sigh internally when I come across music tagged as "synth," especially when it follows the term "minimalist." Surprisingly, L.A. Dark Waver Frank Alpine's 2011 self-titled album is one of the most engaging albums I've heard in a long time.

Post-punk drum(-machine)-fills hem in dense, brooding, swirling synth lines just enough to create a very focused, immediate listening experience. It is precisely this focus - this hemming in - that prevents the album's eight songs, which average five minutes in length, from spilling into amorphousness and instead feel shorter than they actually are; the forty-three-minute album is over before I know it, and I'm always left craving more.

Like Dark Wave's close cousins Post-Punk and New Wave, Frank Alpine is also a danceable enough album: the final track "My Feelings" could easily pass as a streamlined LCD Soundsystem B-Side (an artist who's never hidden his Post-Punk and New Wave proclivities), complete with marginally distanced vocals and James Murphy-like vocal delivery.

In addition to the hyperlinked "My Feelings," I've included my three favourite tracks from Frank Alpine:

"I Really Think That It Takes Crisis To Grow.

It takes failure and pain. I have this life where everything is always unknown, I never have any money, I have no partner, no security, it's all unknown, career unknown, question mark. Question mark. Question mark. And while that's exciting because I never have to question whether I took the safe route at the same time it's exhausting. Sitting there writing, coming up with the song is the security, trying to nail down something good, when I do it, I've done something."

- Marnie Stern

"Lo-Fi Life"

58 min,18 sec

1. The Rats - "World War III"
2. Daniel Johnston - "Speeding Motorcycle"
3. The Scrotum Poles - "It Just Ain't Fucking Funny"
4. The Chameleons - "Seriocity"
5. No Age - "Everybody's Down"
6. Kurt Vile - "Breathin' Out"
7. Mattress - "Eldorado"
8. Guided by Voices - "Tractor Rape Chain"
9. Condo Fucks - "Accident"
10. Nodzzz - "Highway Memorial Shrine"
11. Beat Happening - "Look Around"
12. Grown Ups - "Quit My Job"
13. John Maus - "I Want To Live"
14. tUnE-yArDs - "Sunlight"
15. A Faulty Chromosome - "Them Pleasures of the Flesh"
16. Bratmobile - "Love Thing"
17. John Bender - "27B4 'Rainy Day Sunshine'"
18. Best Coast - "Sun Was High (So Was I)"
19. Japanther - "Bumpin' Rap Tapes"
20. The Intelligence - "The World Is A Drag"

Do You Remember Where You Were the First Time You Heard Guided by Voices?

I was sixteen-years-old, sitting in my living room watching Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I'd heard of the alternative lo-fi legends long before I saw what became their final television appearance. With that one performance, a fan was born. Their album Alien Lanes (Matador, 1995) remains one of my top twenty-five albums of all time:

The Dandy Warhols - "Genius"

My favourite Dandy Warhols song. "Genius," from their first album Dandys Rule OK? (Tim/Kerr Records, 1995), showcases the band at its song-writing best: perfect pace, depressingly self-effacing lyrics which Courtney Taylor-Taylor sings with just the right amount of emotion, all topped with a heart-wrenching climax. Every note is where it should be. "Genius" is definitely the most underrated Dandys song, at least amongst my friends.

I sometimes get frustrated that the Dandy Warhols haven't written a song nearly as good as "Genius" since "Big Indian" (my second favourite Dandy Warhols song) which came out eleven years ago. But "Genius" alone pretty much makes up for all of the Dandy's missteps.

I know to say
Things I never meant to
To seem a little more sane
'Cause that's what it takes

I can jive with that.

Rainy Day Music: M. Ward Edition

On the way to Tofino, British Columbia

Really, Transistor Radio (Merge Records, 2005) is a rainy-day album. It definitely made the drive to Torino in pouring rain a lot cooler:

This Is Like the Best Cover Art Ever.

Well, not really. Not even close, actually. But it's still really damned cool, mainly because it's Andrew Wilkes Krier (could I have expected any less from him?). The "Party All Goddamn Night" EP was released exclusively in Japan in March of this year. I haven't listened to it yet, but I definitely will soon, because I may be seeing him at the Rickshaw Theatre tonight. The show promises to be another sweaty, beer-fuelled mosh-fest of joy and, knowing Andrew's inclinations towards motivational speaking, inspiration. Party hard!

The Third Coming of Diane Birch

Since at least this past June, piano songstress Diane Birch has been working on her sophomore album, the follow-up to 2009's Bible Belt, in a studio in London, England. She's working with producer Dan Carey who's also produced albums by the Kills, La Roux, Lily Allen and Franz Ferdinand. Based on those artists and Diane's 2010 Velveteen Age EP, which consisted of covers of her favourite gothic post-punk songs growing up, I'm expecting her new album to sound pretty polished.

Until her new album comes out, fans will have to make due with an acoustic version of one of its new tracks "Diamonds in the Dust":

Rainy Day Music: The Kills Edition

"Your Hand in Mine, Vol. 1"

Finally, a competent music-player for my blog. Streampad doesn't seem to work on my blog anymore, and I can't make playlists with Streampad anyway. Enter 8tracks.

As I'd mentioned in a previous post, I was planning to start periodically posting playlists. Here's the first of my playlists following that announcement. The title is "Your Hand in Mine Vol. 1," and the theme is collaborations. Just click the player, and enjoy. It's that easy.


38 min, 37 sec

1. Kid Cudi, Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) - "All Summer"
2. Jurassic 5 feat. Nelly Furtado - "Thin Line"
3. Mocky feat. Feist - "Just Need Time"
4. Battles feat. Kazu Makino - "Sweetie and Shag"
5. Slash feat. Iggy Pop - "We're All Gonna Die"
6. J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), the Black Angels and the Dandy Warhols - "Breath Easy Single 1"
7. Gorillaz feat. Snoop Dogg - "Welcome To the World of the Plastic Beach"
8. Spank Rock feat. Amanda Blank - "Bump"
9. Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi - "Tightrope"

New Sharon Van Etten Track: "Serpents"

One of the more recent NYC-based artists garnering attention is New Jersey-born indie folk songstress Sharon Van Etten.

I saw Sharon live at Zulu Records many, many months ago for an acoustic solo in-store performance, and while I liked her set, she didn't sound overly interesting. "Serpents," the first available track from her upcoming third album Tramp, due February 7 on Jagjaguwar, is quite different from what I heard that day at Zulu though.

It's pretty obvious to myself that I like "Serpents" because it features members of two of my favourite bands the National and the Walkmen. Tramp was recorded by the National's Aaron Dessner who recruited several friends to guest on the album including members of Beirut, Wye Oak (one of two openers for the National's Vancouver shows next week), Shearwater and the aforementioned Walkmen. Sharon's dramatic Cat Power-like vocals (about a 99% resemblance to me) and instrumentation by members of two of my favourite bands make for a good enough combination for me to check out at least Tramp and, if I like it, work my way backwards in her discography.

Addendum: If Tramp is good, I'll also have a reason to stick around after the War on Drugs' set when they play the Biltmore Cabaret on March 24. I'd pay the $15 that show costs to see the War on Drugs alone; a good album by Sharon Van Etten would only sweeten the deal.

More Kurt Vile

Good music to do/think about nothing at 1:30 A.M. to:

Kurt Vile Fever

Come back to Van, please:

POP Montreal 2005: Broken Social Scene with Islands and Jad Fair and Lumberob

October 21, 2005
Métropolis
Montreal, Quebec

My first concert was Broken Social Scene at POP Montreal 2005. A friend of mine was going to Montreal to scout McGill, and another friend of ours - the biggest BSS fan I know - and I decided to tag along for the show. The trip was also my first time out of my home province Nova Scotia, so it was a pretty special trip, although it wasn't the last time I flew from Nova Scotia to Montreal for a concert (see a future Raconteurs recap which, coincidentally, also took place at Métropolis).

Three acts performed prior to Broken Social Scene that night: some lame-assed DJ, Jad Fair and Lumberob and the then-recently-formed Islands (the short-lived indie "it" band, Montreal's own Unicorns, had split up less than a year prior). The DJ was completely forgettable (as most DJs are to me), but Jad Fair and Lumberob were really flippin' cool - and interesting. Lumberob mutilated his voice, screaming and screeching over Jad Fair's layers of pedal-fed guitar-distortion to create insane wall-of-noise sound-collages. I don't think Islands even had any official material out at that point, but they were pretty good musically. Founding member/core songwriter/singer/former Unicorn Nicholas Thorburn was quite a dick though. I remember him having gotten pissy at the crowd for having been too loud during the "quiet sentimental part" or whatever he called it.

After Islands (and five hours after having arrived at Métropolis), it was time for the band I flew an hour to see. Broken Social Scene were in top form that night. Almost every member I could have thought of was there, including all the girls (Metric's Emily Haines, Feist and Stars' Amy Milan). The only exception was Jason Collett. The only reason he missed the show was because he was with his wife who was, as the band was playing, giving birth. Founding Scenester Kevin Drew actually stopped the show to call Jason via cell phone and got the entire audience to shout "PUSH!!!" over and over.

The only thing I wished we did differently that night was to have gone as close to the stage as possible instead of sit waaaaayyyyy the hell up in the balcony (at least we sat in the front row). Note the past tense, however: I used to wonder why the hell we decided to sit up in the balcony, but I've recently reminded myself that by the end of the night, we had been at the show for seven fucking hours. I don't remember thinking anything of it then, but, especially after going to shows all the time now and lately not even caring much to catch opening acts mainly in order to reduce wait time, I can't imagine standing for so long to wait for a headliner. Hell, two openers usually kill me, but then, I don't usually know who they are. At least I was excited for Islands, as unfamiliar as I was with them at the time, and thought Jad Fair and Lumberob sounded like they might have been good in the festival program.

All cab, plane and car ride home the next day, fond memories of the night just passed still percolated in my head, the realization that "Holy fuck, I just saw Broken fatherfucking Social Scene!!!" still yet to sink in. The memory definitely became clearer and realer when I managed to download a recording of the show. Poor quality as it is, and as rarely as I thus listen to it, there could scarcely have been a better memento of that night in Montreal that I'll never forget.

For more photos of Broken Social Scene and Islands from POP Montreal 2005, click here.

Dear Imelda,

Release an acoustic album, please:

In Between Sleep with Kurt Vile

Two great songs to be half asleep to, when time doesn't seem to exist:

Welcome To the Club

Do you ever have moments when you're listening to an album, however often or rarely you listen to it - it's just kind of on in the background - and then suddenly, a lyric or melody or some other part of a particular song catches your attention, and then you have to re-start the song, regardless of how far you've already gotten through it?

I just had one (but not my first, hence "Welcome To the Club") such moment with American dream pop duo Azure Ray's "Trees Keep Growing" from their 2002 album Burn and Shiver (Warm Records). I almost never listen to this album, although I've had it for ever (its opening track "Favourite Cities" is one of my favourite songs which deserves (and likely will receive) a post of its own). I was actually giving it one final listen to decide whether I even wanted to keep it. Although "Trees Keep Growing" alone has not saved Burn and Shiver from being deleted yet, I have been pleasantly surprised by this track. How it has gotten past me all these years while "Favourite Cities" hasn't is beyond me.

As I typed all of this, I finally stopped repeating "Trees Keep Growing" and let the next track "A Thousand Years" come on, and it's quite good so far too. Let's see where the rest of this album goes.

From the Vault: "Pop Went Halifax, Part Three: Timber Timbre, Little Girls, Zeus, You Say Party! We Say Die! and Japandroids"

October 24, 2009
The Marquee Club
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Preface: Steve and I met up with a couple of friends of ours Alex and Chapin. Alex and Chapin had driven up to Halifax from our hometown that day to see Girl Talk.


Chapin came with me to the hauntingly spellbinding folk ensemble Timber Timbre at St. Matthew's United Church. This has always been a fantastic venue. We watched from the upstairs pews, as I always do [there]. They were really able to create a brooding, haunting atmosphere with nothing more than an electric guitar, floor tom, violin and sampler. At times, they filled the church with animal noises and sounds of rustling plant life, thereby turning the entire church into a rain forest mid-downpour. Mesmerizing. Also, I went to this show for free. I ran into a guy the night before who, because of some convoluted situation, couldn't go to Timber Timbre, so he gave me his ticket. Much appreciated, bud.

[Chapin and I] skipped the second/last act to reconvene with Alex and Cara. I was going to a different show, but I went with Chapin to where Girl Talk was playing so Chapin didn't have to look for a scalper alone. It was far away from where I was supposed to [have been], but I went with him anyway because I knew he wouldn't have been able to find a ticket, and contacting him to come to the Paragon would have been difficult.

Little Girls played first. They were pretty good but not as good as I'd expected - way more post-punk than lo-fi, and the lead singer (in particular) was pretty damned goofy. Knocking over equipment and spazzing out on the floor are fine and can really add to a show when you're not the opening band playing to a VERY dispersed crowd of at most thirty in a somewhat big venue. Instead, he just ended up looking histrionic and stupid.

Next up were Zeus and You Say Party! We Say Die!. While I hated all of the stuff I'd downloaded by both bands, both were actually, again, pretty good. YSP was really energetic and danceable. Krista, the person [with whom] I [stood], is the biggest YSP fan, so it was really awesome when singer Becky Ninkovic 1) put her finger on Krista's forehead, 2) came into the crowd right in front of us, 3) put her arm around Krista and sang into the mic together, and 4) crowd surfed right on top of us (I was the first person to catch Becky). If a musician I loved did any of that with me, I'd probably never go to another show because nothing could top that. So yeah, good for Krista.

Lastly (for the night and for the festival) were Japandroids. I'd looked forward to them the most (since summer), and they were the only band for whom I bought an advance [Pop Explosion] ticket. Well, they turned out to be a HUGE disappointment, but that wasn't their fault at all. The bar was closing, so they were cut off after only a handful of songs. Surprisingly, after we started chanting "Fuck this shit!," they were allowed to do an encore, houselights on and all. It was hilarious seeing the bar's people watch from backstage with "How long is their encore going to be??" expressions on their faces. Also, the crowd got super-rowdy and not in a fun Japanther way. I don't like it when a person's foot is jammed in my crotch, and she gets pissed when I move her foot.

[After Japandroids finally reluctantly left the stage], the magic was over, and I caught a ride home with Alex and Chapin the next morning. Sweet tunes and reminiscing all the way home.

From the Vault: "Pop Went Halifax, Part Two: Ancestors, Devil Eyes and Japanther"

Ian Vanek of Japanther

October 23, 2009
The Seahorse Tavern
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Preface: I crashed at my friend Steve's place during Pop Explosion weekend. The weekend peaked on Friday, the day that would become the fourth best show of my entire freaking life (behind the two times I saw the White Stripes and the time I saw Les Savy Fav).


Pop Went Halifax, Part Two: Ancestors, Devil Eyes and Japanther

The show started with a hardcore screamo band called Ancestors. Maybe it was my previous summer of warming up to and even liking hardcore, scream-heavy music, but I surprisingly enjoyed them. Unfortunately, Ancestors probably spent more time setting up than actually playing. The singer into the crowd and started shoving people around (note: he only joined an already-moshing crowd), and pretty much right away, security shut them down. Well, that pissed off pretty much everyone, but the next band, Montreal barrage rockers Devil Eyes, lifted the entire room's spirits. This band was great - so energetic and just good, old-fashioned rock and roll. The best parts were 1) when the Chinese drummer sang their last song entirely in Cantonese (I never thought I'd hear Cantonese in a punk song (live)) and 2) when the guitarist smashed his guitar to bits. Unfortunately, I didn't get one of the several pieces he handed out to the crowd.

Finally ... FINALLY ... after all the smoke cleared and all the dust settled, the stage was set for another band I never thought I'd have gotten to see and the highlight of Friday night's show: Japanther. This was, without question, without hyperbole, the single greatest punk show and most energetic show I'd ever been to. I was three feet away from drummer Ian Vanek whom I told to make me deaf. I also got a bottle of water from him which I regretfully mindlessly left on the street. I've never been able to sing along to a band like that except, again, for The White Stripes. I left that show bloody and bruised. My knees were constantly shoved against the edge of the stage. I could barely walk afterwards, and I kept getting shoved really hard into the concrete wall. My arms and the back of my neck and shoulders were all scraped and bruised, and my neck was totally kinked the next couple of days. At one point, a guy suddenly turned around and spat beer in my and another guy's face, and I could not have cared less and just kept dancing. Obviously, the crowd was really rowdy, but it was one of those times when being rowdy was totally appropriate and only added to the experience.

I'd really looked forward to Japanther, but I'd never thought it'd have been THAT good. I didn't think it'd have been the highlight of the weekend, let alone of all of the concerts I'd ever seen.

After a fucking wicked night, Steve and I went back to his place, sweaty and smelly as all hell, and fell asleep with our ears ringing (it was the first time I had to wear earplugs). His roommate Kyle, who works in the restaurant above the bar, came down near the end of the show and said he'd never smelled the bar that bad. Needless to say, first on my agenda the next day was one of the most thorough showers of my life.

Post-Campus

I had a campus radio show for about a year-and-a-half with a friend, up until the end of summer 2010. Each week, our show featured a different theme. Making up these Halloween playlists as I go these past couple of years, as well as making a few mix-CDs for various friends, has reminded me of how much I like making playlists, especially within the contours of a theme or personality-type. Therefore, I've decided to start (or attempt starting) periodically posting themed playlists, each between sixty and eighty minutes in length (as was the length of my program and as is the length of an average CD-R). I had a lot of theme ideas I never got to suggest to my co-host, so maybe I can finally get around to them, whether by myself or via trans-continental online correspondence with him (and/or anyone else who may be interested). Stay tuned.

Corey Hart - “I Wear My Sunglasses at Night” < The Cramps - “Sunglasses After Dark”

I'll take the Cramps' "Sunglasses After Dark" over Corey Hart's "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" any time:

From the Vault: White Stripes Album Descriptions

I wrote the following White Stripes album descriptions in 2007. :/ It's often weird reading back on old writing, especially when there are a lot of things one would have written differently whether in terms of content or even punctuation and grammar. I think I neglected to mention the White Stripes' second album De Stijl (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 2000) because the post I was responding to asked what these specific albums sounded like or which albums he/she should have gotten after De Stijl:


Their self-titled (first album), while not their most diverse work, is a solid and consistent rock record. It has its slow tracks here and there, but most of the tracks showcase their signature sound of short, sweet, driving blues-rock. Their sound isn't completely developed here, but it's pretty much The White Stripes at their barest of bones. This is also Jack's proudest work, according to himself.

White Blood Cells is probably their most accessible album. It was their breakthrough album, afterall. It contains Fell in Love with a Girl, Hotel Yorba, and Dead Leaves - all of those familiar singles which launched them into the mainstream. As a whole, it's probably not their most consistent work. It kind of drops off, during the last four or so tracks, but it's still a White Stripes record, if you savvy.

Elephant is probably their most "sophisticated" album. It has a great balance of soft ballads, hard-rockers, (a few more) blazing guitar solos, and it's the first to feature Meg on vocals. This is also where Jack's lyrical aptitude really starts to shine through, and it continues on through their latest album. The balance of diverse tracks and The Stripes' ability to blend them all into a such a cohesive work gives Elephant a great all-around album feel. It's possibly The White Stripes best work, to date.

Icky Thump is also pretty diverse, insofar as it hearkens back to sounds that came out of or were prominent on their older albums (such as certain organ and guitar sounds). Not to mention The White Stripes stray further from the aesthetic of the number three (guitar, drums, vocals) - so far as to include (surprisingly successful experiments with) trumpets and bagpipes. To some, the hearkening back to old sounds is a bad thing, because they say The White Stripes have started to repeat themselves. However, I think they've managed to take most elements from their older albums, experimental and non-experimental alike, and refine them to their very best (odd percussion times, the use of mic distortion effects, etc).

A lot of people consider Satan The White Stripes' worst album, because it strays the furthest from their sound. Guitars were largely replaced by piano, and this is where they really started to break their own rule of the number three, with the inclusion of mandolin and marimba. The album is one big experiment and is the reflection of a frustrated man/artist. The time leading up to and during the album's recording was a tough time for the band (more specifically, Jack): things were going wrong in the studio (you can hear a tambourine stand or some other piece of equipment topple over in "White Moon;" the tape on which "The Nurse" was recorded was cut incorrectly and had to be re-pieced together); Jim Diamond was suing The White Stripes over production rights to their first two albums; Jack just went through a break-up with Renée Zellweger; his hand was still recovering from surgery after his car accident; and of course, he was still dealing with the whole episode with Jason Stollsteimer from The Von Bondies. All of these events served as the inspiration of the album's theme of broken trust (hence the title, "Satan" being all of those people and events "getting behind" Jack and allowing him to move on with his life and work). Satan is, subtly (and sometimes not so subtly), their most lyrically bitter and harsh album, but I think the band was able to turn their frustrations into something great. Definitely, IMO, their most under-rated and under-appreciated album.

Another thing that makes Icky Thump great to me (especially as a reflection of the band, at perhaps their best, overall) is that it's a complete rebound from Satan. The band is definitely rejuvenated, on Thump, after a prolonged hiatus with other projects (The Raconteurs and Loretta Lynn). Jack's personal life also took a turn for the better, during the time between albums (a marriage, a couple of kids, and a relocation from Detroit to Nashville will do that). I don't know much about Meg's personal life, but she also moved out of Detroit (to California). Overall, Jack and Meg were happier with their new lives, new loves, and new environments, and, most of all, the band was happier and eager to get back into the studio.


Note: The White Stripes' 2003 album Elephant (V2/XL Recordings, 2003) did not feature Meg's first appearance on vocals - only her first appearance on lead-vocals.

Magnetic Fields Can Be Heroes Too

Last month, a friend and I were talking about the Magnetic Fields, a genre-bending English band I'd liked in high school but completely abandoned a few years ago. My friend is still a big fan, and after he described the differences between several of Magnetic Fields' albums, specifically the fuzzy, "punkier" Distortion (Nonesuch Records, 2008), I decided to re-investigate Magnetic Fields starting with that very album (I'd only ever had the Fields' triple-album magnum opus 69 Love Songs). My YouTubing, vis-à-vis my decision, brought me to Magnetic Fields' 1996 cover of David Bowie’s song "Heroes." And what a fucking cover it is:



I'm mainly posting Magnetic Fields' cover of "Heroes" not only because it's awesome but because of this user-comment:

"… the drone and aimlessness and monotony are what make this an excellent cover. Bowie's version highlights on being a hero, but this version flips it on its head and focuses on 'just for one day.'? What do you have before and after? The monotony and drone of your everyday life.”

- pimcnulty

Fuck, that is a cool interpretation. Being able to see music or any piece of art that way, whether through my own perspicacity or someone else's, is why I love analyzing art sometimes. If I could make (and back up) such observations about music, I'd definitely try to make a living out of doing so. For now though, I'll resign myself to blogging about music, however insightfully or not, in my spare time.

Sia Live at the Commodore Ballroom

August 19, 2011
Commodore Ballroom
Vancouver, British Columbia

Originally, I wasn't sure if I was going to go to Sia. I was thinking about going to the far cheaper (and far closer) Mister Heavenly on the same night or going to neither, but a friend of mine bought a ticket for me as a belated birthday gift, so I definitely wasn't going to say no.

Sia was a good show, even though I was asleep for or at least nodding during much of it. That was because I'd gone to the show straight from work. Having to stand (and partially sit) through a lackluster opener didn't make it easier to stay awake either.

My only complaints about Sia were that she was too chatty, and she tried too hard to be funny. I knew she was quirky and chatty, but after a while, I just wanted her to play her fucking songs. It also didn't help that most of her jokes/banter revolved around dick-, vagina- and sex-jokes and that she seemed to have dropped those words just to get cheap laughs; crowds are often pretty easy that way.

Enough about the bad though. If I remember correctly (the show was two-and-a-half months ago), she played every song I wanted to hear, including "Little Black Sandals," "Academia," "Playground," "Death by Chocolate," "The Girl That You Lost To Cocaine," "Buttons" (actually, I think she only played one of these last two) and even "Breath Me" from one of my favourite television shows of all time Six Feet Under.

For more photos of Sia live at the Commodore Ballroom, click here.

The White Stripes - "Hand Springs"

I've always visualized the lyrics to this song written out as a story rather than line by line, as lyrics are usually written. Thus, I've taken it upon myself to add punctuation and separate the lyrics into paragraphs where I deem appropriate:


"Hand Springs"

I took my girl to go bowling downtown at the Red Door, after an argument I started 'cause I thought she didn’t like me anymore. I can't help it: sometimes, I feel pitiful, and of course, she's so young and beautiful.

I bought us two glasses of Coke; that's her favourite, and I wanted to make up for earlier. But I dropped her glass, and it broke, so I just gave my glass to her.

She laughed, and so did I in our lane. Then, she went to the vending machine to buy a candy cane, but right next to that was a boy I knew with a spring in his hand playin' a country pinball machine called "Stand by Your Man." I saw him talk to her, but I stayed in my lane and played my game steady and was thinkin' of a day when I'd be too old to throw a ball this heavy.

But I guess I'm young now, so it's easier to knock 'em all down. Then I looked and saw her say to him, "You really hittin’ that ball around." And he’s lookin' at her the way I did when I first met her: I can see in his face white flowers and cups of coffee and love letters.

I was sorry to interrupt their game, but I went and did it anyway. I dropped my red bowling ball through the glass of his machine. I said, "Are you quick enough to hit this ball, Mr. Clean?" I was scared to lose her, so I couldn't help being mean.

And that ended both of our games. I said I was sorry, but my girl left with him just the same. I thought how much I hate when love makes me act this way. I was bent over a broken pinball machine in a bowling alley, and I threw it all away.

Well, isn't it all just a big game?

High Rotation

Cover art of Go with Me by Seapony (Hardly Art, 2011)

A.K.A. the most-played/my favourite tracks of the approximate week listed in order of when I started listening to them recently. This inaugural edition features new songs by Mazzy Star, Jack White and the Black Keys. As usual, click the song-titles to listen. (Note: this is only a compilation of the stand-out tracks I've been listening to lately and deem worth sharing, not literally my most-played tracks. If I wanted to share those stats, I just would have kept my Last.fm account):

1. Blur - "Song 2" - I had a random urge to listen to this song. I think I moreso just had an urge to listen to a short, punchy song with a crunchy riff and randomly thought it'd been a while since I'd heard "Song 2." Surprisingly, I didn’t have it in my iTunes. Anyway, it's strange how I've liked this song since fourth grade (give or take), but I didn't know the lyrics until last week.

2. Eagles of Death Metal - "Wannabe in L.A." - I came across this song on a friend's Facebook page. I always knew EoDM rocked, but this song is just pure awesomeness. Also, I usually hate cheesy videos, but EoDM are so cool, I actually like theirs. Death by sexy indeed!

3. Mazzy Star - "Lay Myself Down" - Santa Monica shoegaze/dream folk group Mazzy Star are back after an essentially fifteen-year hiatus with "Lay Myself Down," the B-side to their Common Burn single, their first release since 1996's Among My Swan LP. I was never a huge Mazzy Star fan (except for their cover of Arthur Lee’s "Five-String Serenade" which I first heard the White Stripes cover), but I really like "Lay Myself Down." I thought such was strange, because I'm not a big Mazzy Star fan, but then I realized why I like the song so much: it's a damned country song, at its core.

4. Jack White - "Love Is Blindness" - Already discussed here.

5. Seapony - "Always" - Seapony really deserve a post of their own; they're just some of the best stuff I've ever heard. They sound like they're straight out of the 80s, with their lush, airy pop, post-punk drum-fills, watery guitar-hooks, reverb and twee-pop sweetness/simplicity/wholesomeness. I first heard this track on a friend's blog, and I just HAD to get rest of the album Go with Me (Hardly Art, 2011) immediately, which led me to the next track on the list.

6. Seapony - "Dreaming" - The opening track on Go with Me.

7. Plastic Flowers - "Drive Me Home" - I'm not usually into washed out, electronic-tinged pop, but I like the slightly sombre, spacey quality of "Drive Me Home" a lot. The song evokes a feeling of nostalgia for nothing in particular. I don't know much about Plastic Flowers though, because there are at least two acts named Plastic Flowers. I haven't really bothered looking into which Plastic Flowers is which.

8. The Chameleons - "Serocity" - Are you noticing a theme between this and the last three songs? If the song isn't actually from the 80s (as the Chameleons track is), it at least sounds like it is. I just love Mark Burgess' off-kilter vocals.

9. The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy" - Like "Song 2," I've had this song on repeat for up to an hour at a time. Got me finally listening to a lot of the Black Keys' older albums again which I hadn't done in a long, long time.

Halloween Playlist 2010

Featuring the Cramps

1. Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
2. TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me"
3. The Dandy Warhols - "Hell's Bells" (AC/DC cover)
4. The Cramps - "TV Set"
5. The Cramps - "I Was A Teenage Werewolf"
6. Robert Johnson - "If I Had Possession Over Judgment"
7. Abner Jay - "St. James Infirmary Blues"
8. Nine Inch Nails - "With Teeth"
9. Japanther - "The Gravy"
10. Joy Division - "Atrocity Exhibition"
11. The Gun Club - "For the Love of Ivy"
12. The Gun Club - "Cool Drink of Water"
13. The White Stripes - "The Union Forever"
14. The Dead Weather - "Old Mary"
15. Beat Happening - "Black Candy"
16. Beat Happening - "Knock on Any Door"
17. Beat Happening - "Nancy Sin"
18. Beat Happening - "Zombie Limbo Time"

Halloween Playlist 2011

Featuring Messer Chups

Just click the song-titles to play:

1. Acid Witch - "Witchtanic Hellucinations"
2. The Flesh Eaters - "See You in the Boneyard"
3. Karen Elson - "The Ghost Who Walks"
4. The Fembots - "Theme from A Radio Play"
5. Aluminium - "The Hardest Button To Button"
6. The Deadly Snakes - "I Can't Sleep at Night"
7. The Deadly Snakes - "There Goes Your Corpse Again"
8. Xander Harris - "I Want More Than Just Blood"
9. KUKL - "Anna"
10. Wanda Jackson feat. Jack White - "Funnel of Love"
11. The Kills - "Ticket Man"
12. Joy Division - "The Eternal"
13. The Cramps - "Zombie Dance"
14. Gary Numan - "Metal"; Nine Inch Nails - "Metal"
15. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "Dead Flag Blues"
16. The Black Keys - "Strange Times"
17. Beat Happening - "Black Candy"
18. Messer Chups - "Vincent Price Bible"
19. Messer Chups - "Tremolo from the Crypt"

Yes.

It cost me a hefty lot, but after much debating, I decided I had to see DFA before I died. And who knows when they'll come around again or what the band's status will be after this tour? Sure, I could wait and find out, and if fans are lucky, DFA will record another album and tour again, but I'd rather see them now, because there's hardly a tour hotter than on a reunion tour. Now, I just hope I can get my closing shift for that night switched ...

P.S: How is this video of DFA on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, featuring Conan's then-band-leader-and-sidekick Max Weinberg on drums, still not on Youtube?:

Gary Numan - "Metal"; Nine Inch Nails - "Metal"

Today's Halloween song is "Metal" by Gary Numan, from his 1979 third album The Pleasure Principle:



I'm also re-posting Nine Inch Nails' cover of "Metal" because it is honest to God one of the best covers I've ever heard:

New Black Keys Song: "Lonely Boy"

Can the Black Keys ever do wrong? "Lonely Boy" is the first single from their upcoming new album El Camino, due Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records:

Jack White Covers U2

How did I miss Jack White's cover of U2's "Love Is Blindness"? It's been streaming for sixteen days. I never even knew the man was a fan, although it kind of makes sense, considering Jack's and the Edge's involvement in the 2009 guitar-doc It Might Get Loud. As you will see by following the link to Jack's version of the song, this post also concerns Nine Inch Nails, Killers and Patti Smith fans.

The Kills - "Ticket Man"

Male Bonding at the Electric Owl

October 21, 2011
The Electric Owl
Vancouver, British Columbia

I arrived at the Electric Owl about fifteen minutes before London, UK noise-pop-punks Male Bonding took the stage. I rarely skip opening acts, but I didn't know who was playing, and my roommate and I had a couple of guests over, so I wanted to head over as late as possible.

Male Bonding tore through their sixteen-song set loud and clear. However, "clear" didn't mean flawlessly executed: the music sounded really good overall, but the vocals were nearly inaudible. Furthermore, some of the guitar parts didn't really come through, such as lead singer John Arthur Webb's solo on "Weird Feelings."

Maybe Male Bonding are just normally a "get it done" kind of band, but judging but their straightforwardness, short set and obvious tech problems (they, on more than one occasion, asked for more sound on the drums and guitars ... and I think bass too), I got the sense that they weren’t exactly thrilled to have been at the Electric Owl. Furthermore, the band didn't really acknowledge the crowd until the end of the show, though I can't remember what they said. Perhaps that was due to the lack of volume on the vocal mics or because they just didn't say anything noteworthy.

I know Male Bonding aren't a huge band, but I still expected a new buzz band such as them to have been better-attended. Maybe they felt the same way. Maybe they actually were accustomed to bigger, more enthusiastic turnouts. Regardless, hypotheticals aside, those of us who were enthusiastic (all six of us at the very front of the stage) made ourselves known. I'd never moved ("danced") so much in such a non-compact space. I always feel a bit weird doing so when I'm not packed like a sardine in a crushed tin box.

As soon as the last song "Year's Not Long" ended, I grabbed John's set list and headed home. I didn't stick around for an encore (which is also rare of me), in the hope of catching the last of my and my roommates' guests' company.

Slow Season

Well, month, really.

The blog's been a little slow lately mainly because I've started posting a Halloween(ish) song a day until Halloween, and I've opted to post those songs (with the exception of "See You in the Boneyard" by the Flesh Eaters) straight to Facebook for convenience's sake. Afterwards, I'll compile them all in a post here.

Since I'm already here though, I might as well post tomorrow's track, a Jack White/big-band-assisted rendition of "Funnel of Love" by Wanda Jackson on Conan:

Feist - Black Cab Session

I've been waiting to hear any variation of a live, acoustic or stripped-down version of "Undiscovered First," my favourite song from Metals:

Constantines - "National Hum"

This song (and Shine A Light, the album it's from) always makes me think of cold walks to and home from campus in Autumn. It makes me think of university in general too, even though I think I was only super into Constantines in second and third year:

The Flesh Eaters - "See You in the Boneyard"

"... their music was distinctive for its morbid lyricism and often for its sophisticated arrangements, as heard, for example, on 1981's A Minute to Pray, A Second To Die. [Chris] Desjardins's poetry has been described as 'wonderful bleeding collages of B-movie dementia, street crime, Mexican Catholicism and Dionysian punk spurt poetics.'" Cool:

Never Wavers

I'm referring to Philly psych-rocker Kurt Vile's talent. Vile is quickly becoming one of the most prolific and consistently good artists today. Yesterday, he released the track "Life's A Beach" from his upcoming EP So Outta Reach, available November 8 on Matador Records. Hear the new track at NME.com.

The new EP will also contain a cover of "Downbound Train" by Bruce Springsteen. I can totally imagine Vile's tripped-out, reverb-soaked version with haunting vocals now. Cool.

The Drums - "Days"

Who gives a shit if something sounds original when it sounds this good? I'm late as hell on the Drums, but I'll say it anyway: they definitely smack of New Order. Here's my newest walking/driving song:

James Blake - "Limit To Your Love" (Feist Cover)

I "strongly dislike" post-dubstep (yes, there's already a post-dubstep), but U.K. dubstep producer James Blake's cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love," from his self-titled debut album, is pretty fucking gorgeous. I remember hearing this song for the first time while waiting for the Wildbirds & Peacedrums show at the Waldorf Hotel to start. I never thought to ask that night's easily accessible DJs what the song was - for whatever reason - but fate brought me and James Blake's cover together once again.

Feist - Metals (Cherrytree/Interscope Records, 2011)

It's been four-and-a-half years since Leslie Feist released her third album The Reminder which catapulted the post-Aughts queen of indie rock into bona fide superstardom. Few have likely forgotten her since her subsequent hiatus, and even fewer will likely forget her after an album as fresh and powerful as Metals.

If there was one thing that struck me right away about Metals, it was its dense, intricate and bold arrangements. Opener "The Bad in Everyone," a track as musically and lyrically turbulent as one would expect from its title, pretty much sets the pace and bleak tone for the rest of the album with its heavy opening drums and sombre strings and horns.

The next track "Graveyards" includes the first of Metals' several sweeping harmonies. The dark orchestral quality that pervades the majority of Metals, which is often heightened by these very harmonies, continues on "Caught A Long Wind," a delicate track lightly accented by tenuous strings. As "Long Wind" shows, even when the pace slows down on Metals, and the songs are sparser, Feist still sounds very loud. (It should be noted that in this and similar cases, "sparse" on Metals still at least means seamlessly composed strings, pianos and guitars.)

Upon first listen of Metals' lead single "How Come You Never Go There," listeners might have wondered how the song, so unconventional from the rest of Feist's work, would fit into the album. But such wonder is completely dispelled when the song seamlessly transitions from "Caught A Long Wind": "How Come You Never Go There"'s unusual song structure, less-is-more horns and particularly the song’s plodding rhythm seem all too logical of progressions when compared to the rest of the despairing album.

The dramatic "A Commotion" gave me chills, the first time I heard it. And although the harmonic chants of the song's title, agitated, jittery riff and overall sense of urgency all give me goosebumps, the highlight of "A Commotion," and perhaps the most unexpected musical moment on the album, is an exotic instrumental line by something that sounds like a wind instrument I can't identify. "A Commotion" was indisputably the most attention-grabbing song on Metals for me, up to this point.

Metals mellows out by its second half, starting with the next track "The Circle Married the Line," the most tender moment on Metals yet, if only for its few twinkling triangles, note-picked acoustic guitar and soft harmonies.

Following "The Circle Married the Line" in sequence as well as tempo and sparseness is "Bittersweet Melodies." What sets this latter triangle-sprinkled song apart from the rest of Metals (besides "Anti-Pioneer," which I will address momentarily) is that it harkens Feist's first album Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down), though "Bittersweet Melodies" is more intricately composed, louder and clearer in production than anything on her debut. Likewise, "Anti-Pioneer," which may tie with "Cicadas and Gulls" as the barest song on Metals, also harkens classic Feist, as it is a re-working of her popular live number "When the Month Changes Numbers" from as far back as 2004. And speaking of "Cicadas and Gulls," it is the only instance I can think of during which I thought of another artist while listening to Feist. Indeed, Feist’s hollow vocals, thin harmonies and folky acoustic guitar on the lullaby-like "Cicadas and Gulls" could unwittingly pass as a Cat Power song and also closely recall the Reminder cut "The Park" by Feist herself.

My favourite song on Metals may very well be "Undiscovered First," the most guitar-oriented track on the album, although it too is interspersed with horns and erupts in a HUGE climax with an insane, torrential, high-register harmony, thudding drums and various other rattling percussion before ending with the echo of ghostly background vocals.

Overall, Metals features an emphasis on strings not heard of much from Feist since Monarch. And it is often the rich confluence of these strings with other elements such as heavy drumbeats, pianos and horns that prevents even Metals' lightest songs from sounding airy and upbeat to the overtly poppy extents of "1234," "Mushaboom," "I Feel It All" and "Past and Present." Even Metals' most relaxed moments almost always take stormier turns with huge climaxes wherein all of the aforementioned elements collide at once, making for a very stark contrasts within songs.

Even during Metals' most reserved moments, there is at least an underlying force behind the album. Surprisingly, that force, as well as the latter half of Metals' frequent quiet/loud, soft/heavy contrasts within individual songs, never becomes overbearing or exhaustive. Indeed, Metals is striking in its size and ambition and furthermore striking when compared to the sparseness of Feist's previous albums which focus on her near-whispers, gentle coos and playful arrangements. Whereas Monarch, Let It Die and The Reminder are albums you could put on during a dinner party, Metals affords no (or few) opportunities to unwind.

The most satisfying aspect of Metals, besides giving fans fifty minutes of awesome new music after a four-and-a-half-year-long wait, is that Feist has been able to grow so much so (relatively) late in her game. It's always easy for artists to become complacent after finding as much success as Feist did with The Reminder, and as great as The Reminder was, it wasn't too much of a departure from her previous work. But if Feist continues to grow as she has on Metals, she'll have no problem keeping fans interested for years to come, even if they may not always fully recognize her at first. After all, to make listeners work in such a way - and for such rewards - is one of the best thing fans could ask for from their favourite artists.

Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is A Fucking Liar Double-Post

Maryland hip-hop duo Spank Rock are back with forty-one minutes of coool sounds on their slickest, most danceable album yet Everything Is Boring and Everyone Is A Fucking Liar (Bad Blood Records, 2011).





If you like what you've heard, stream the entire new album at Rolling Stone's website.

Lou Reed and Metallica - "The View"

Lou Reed and Metallica are releasing a fully collaborative album called Lulu on October 31. The first full track they’ve released is called “The View.” I’ve never cared for Metallica, and I haven’t really cared for Lou Reed since Transformer (RCA Records, 1972), but despite my doubts about Lulu, I think “The View” is pretty fucking awesome. I'll definitely be checking out Lulu now.

More and More, I Think Talking Heads Are the Greatest Band Ever.

And David Byrne is the greatest frontman ever. This video is just fucking awesome in every way possible:



How does someone come up with those jerky, robotic and marionette-like body movements or have the innate sense to move like that? Or like this:





David Byrne's energy and stamina in those two videos alone (both from Talking Heads' 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense) just astounds me, especially assuming he was always that expressive live. I NEED to watch Stop Making Sense NOW.

Marnie Stern on Music Criticism

"I think the feeling right now with criticism and reviews is that it's rare that someone is actually critical. It seems more about discovering it, and you judge for yourself whether you like it or not. Before, you used to have to spend seventeen bucks on a CD so you wanted someone to tell you if it was good or not. Now, you don't need a review, you just download it and throw it away."

I never thought about that before. She may be correct about the weight most readers (myself included) give reviews nowadays, but I disagree about reviews rarely being critical anymore. Pitchfork is notorious for its pretentiously critical reviews (see their staggeringly low score of 1.2/10 for the Dandy Warhols' Odditorium Or Warlords of Mars), often to the point that readers may wonder, "Why do they even review X album or Y artist in general?" And for a more recent example, check out Tiny Mix-Tapes' review of Blondie's latest album.

I could pick and choose negative reviews from various publications all day, but I know Marnie isn't saying critical reviews don't exist at all anymore. My point is just that maybe it's just the reviews I happen to read, or maybe I just have "bad" or unpopular taste in music (although much of my taste consists of some of the highest-selling artists of all time, so the latter isn't the case), but reviewers definitely aren't afraid to voice their criticisms, however unnecessary those reviewers' voices may have become in the digital age.

Click below to watch the video for Marnie Stern's "Transformer":

Where Has This Song Been All My Life?

This Is More Like It

I expressed my disappointment regarding "Nodding Off," the latest collaboration between Wavves and fellow Californian pot-pop-rockers Best Coast, from Wavves upcoming Life Sux EP. Before releasing "Nodding Off," Wavves unveiled another track from Life Sux called "I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl." Also a bit disappointing, I thought.

Yesterday, Wavves released yet another track from Life Sux. This time, it was "Destroy" featuring Toronto concept-punk-rockers Fucked Up, and I have to say, this track gets it right. Unlike "Nodding Off," "Destroy" is pretty much what I expected from a collaboration between the artists involved. I expected no less from Wavves/Fucked Up than a catchy yet guttural, energy-intensive song that one can jump around and puke to, not unlike the best Andrew W.K. cuts. I just love the sound of those opening drums, how they roll in for only a couple of seconds before the bands launch full tilt with an almost Frank Black-like shriek into a riptide of sloppy, head-banging guitars.

Edit: "I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl" is pretty good.

Battles Live at the Rickshaw Theatre

July 23, 2011
The Rickshaw Theatre
Vancouver, British Columbia

And then there were Battles: the last show of my four-night concert-bender back in July.

I've been front-and-dead-centre countless times, but I don't think I've ever had a better view at a show than I did at Battles. There was nothing as epic as my view, especially with drummer John Stanier towering over me, one of his cymbals extended probably six feet above my head and even less feet in front of me. There was nothing like the feeling of anticipation during the slow, sterile, futuristic droning intro/build-up of Gloss Drop opener "Africastle" to kick off the set as the screen behind the band emanated vivid lava-coloured light through the faint smoke (dry ice). The first simultaneous hard note of keys, drums and guitars appropriately came like an eruption against that wall of solid colour. Every second my eyes were opened, I felt as if I was looking at a moving flip-book of the greatest band pictures ever.

Taken from pretty much my vantage point (by the person beside me).

Unfortunately, Battles experienced obvious technical problems throughout the night. Guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka was visibly frustrated that some of his gear didn't always work. His technical difficulties were made all the more noticeable by the other two members' extended jamming. Additionally, keyboardist/guitarist Ian Williams also fidgeted with his keyboard stands pretty frequently.

Speaking of Ian, minor technical operations weren't the only things that seemed to have been off that night. John's drumming was tight as fuck - probably the most furious, most precise drumming I'd ever seen, maybe besides John McEntire of the Sea and Cake - and Dave's guitaring was at times sharp and at other times chunky, but while Ian's keys were the clearest I'd ever heard (I always find keyboards blend into everything), his timing often sounded juuust a little off compared to the rest of the band's. And Ian's soloing/improvisation sometimes sounded a little questionable to me. Ah, hell, his soloing/improvisation sometimes just didn't sound very good to me.

I can't say much about particular songs other than they were all pretty straightforward - great for sure but not outstanding by any means. I will say I was disappointed that Battles ended "Tonto," possibly my favourite song of theirs, prematurely. They never reached its manic breakdown guitar solo. Instead, they segued into, if I remember correctly, "Ice Cream" - a good song but certainly no "Tonto." All of that notwithstanding, the band was a total delight to watch (see: again, John's drumming).

I'd wondered how Battles were going to perform the vocal parts sung by former member Tyondai Braxton and Gloss Drop guests Gary Numan, Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead), Yamantaka Eye (Boredoms) and Matias Aguayo. I was not disappointed to see that Battles didn't skip those parts entirely but rather played pre-recorded videos of each of those vocalists (except Braxton) singing or at least lip-synching their respective parts, even if the pre-recorded vocals were a little quiet.

Battles' crowd rocked harder than I'd expected it to. I would have joined in more, but I was still feeling the effects from Les Savy Fav the night before. The guy behind me kept propping himself on my and the guy beside me's shoulders to jump up and down. I had to take off my jacket and throw it on a speaker up front so he didn't tear my jacket. He still gave my shoulder a good twisting though. He also felt the need to clarify after the show that he was "just having a good time" and was "not hitting on [me] or anything."

All in all, like I said, Battles were a great show for sure, and they were quite a marvel to watch live (mostly for their technical skills), but they were pretty straightforward and had a few bugs in their system that night at the Rickshaw. Regardless, I hardly blame the band for its bugs, and, especially for a mere twenty dollars, I would see Battles again in a frigging heartbeat.

Click here for more photos of Battles live at the Rickshaw Theatre, and click below to watch Battles perform "Ice Cream." Video and partial photo credits go to Claire Hellblaue who took the video and photos from right beside me:

An Awesome Cover of My Newest Favourite Walkmen Song

Florence + the Machine, whom I actually don't like, have also done an awesome Walkmen cover. I wish a longer version was available:

Bows + Arrows + Headbutts

September 5, 2011
The Venue
Vancouver, British Columbia

I realize I'm behind on concert recaps (I'm calling them "recaps" instead of "reviews" now, because "recap" sounds far less critical), but I'm going to do my best to catch up, starting with the Walkmen show at the Venue three nights ago.

I never thought one of the weirdest shows I'd go to would have been the Walkmen, but once again, I stood to have been surprised. It wasn't how they played or acted that made the show weird though; it was the audience.

First of all, I was completely blown away by the number of bros at the Walkmen. I never thought the Walkmen's sentimental croon-rock would have appealed to thick-headed, beer-swillin' beefcakes who like to yell obnoxious comments such as, "GET THE FUCK ON STAGE, HAMILTON!!!!!" (referring to lead-singer Hamilton Leithauser), but I guess I sold them short. And while I can talk endlessly about the fucking wasted jackass who was hitting on every girl he saw all night and whose dance moves(?) included sticking his beer bottle in his shirt to resemble a dick (or something), I'll stop myself there.

Within minutes, security busted one of said bros for lighting up a joint in the front row. Genius. Security continued patrolling the middle of the crowd that night, often signalling for a spotlight on certain parts of the crowd where they suspected "nefarious" activities.

The most serious incident of the night occurred when a mosher HEADBUTTED someone. That's right: people moshed - at the Walkmen. I think guy two, the non-mosher, politely asked guy one to calm down a bit after guy one knocked around guy two's girlfriend a bit. Some words were definitely exchanged, and then WHAM!!! The mosher fucking threw his head forward a few feet as he lunged in for the blow. I never thought the Walkmen would have been the first time I saw someone headbutt someone else at a show, let alone see a fight at a show.

After security gave the mosher some words, and the other guy tried to enjoy the show as best as he could with a quickly blackening eye, the two of them almost went at it again. This time, a security guard separated them and stood between them for a while as the show continued. That was the extent of anything I saw between the two guys for the rest of the night.

Enough about the unruly, mixed-bag audience and security guards though. The Walkmen themselves were sharp as fuck - every bit as tight and clear as I'd always imagined. Hamilton Leithauser's voice is just incredible live. He can totally take over a room and have every person in it hanging onto his every word/note. Unfortunately, I could hardly see drummer Matt Barrick for most of the night. He is just amazing to watch. Just ask the broski who, when Matt took the stage, yelled, "THAT'S THE DRUMMER!!!!! THAT'S THE DRUMMER, BRO!!!!!"). I caught good, long enough glimpses of Matt later in the night when I moved around though.

Also great was the fact that the Walkmen played all but one song I wanted to hear including "Juveniles," "Angela Surf City," "Woe Is Me," "My Old Man," "The Rat" and "Little House of Savages." The only song I wanted to hear that they didn't play was "We've Been Had." "The Rat" and "Savages" were definitely the best rock-out moments of the night.

Lastly, I was really surprised by the small size of the Venue. Maybe I was more surprised by the fact that the Walkmen would play such a small venue. I thought they could have easily sold out the much larger Commodore Ballroom which holds at least three, maybe even four, times as many people. The venue's small size may have had one particular advantage though: it may have amplified the audience's voices. I've been to a lot of shows where everyone has sung along to almost every word (most notably the White Stripes and Broken Social Scene), but the roar of the crowd when it sang along with the Walkmen was just astounding. Sometimes, I couldn't even hear Hamilton over everyone else.

I was extremely disappointed that I missed the Walkmen when they played with the fucking National at the Malkin Bowl last summer (the ultimate double-bill in my mind), so I was glad I caught the Walkmen this time around. I always wondered how anyone could dislike the Walkmen. Seeing them live made me question subjective taste more than ever.

Disappointed

But still pleased. Just as I was getting into Wavves - I mean really getting into Wavves - they put out an only-decent collaborative track with frontman Nathan Williams' girlfriend's band Best Coast. I guess I read "collaboration with Best Coast" and naturally assumed it'd feature Bethany Cosentino singing more. I'm also disappointed because the last (first) time Wavves and Best Coast worked together, their song was catchy as fuck:

Sunny-Day Music: Apostle of Hustle and Arcade Fire Edition

These two songs always remind me of driving to the Cape George Lighthouse on a sunny day back in Antigonish:

Maybe It's Time I Reconsider Beyoncé

'Cause this song is goood.

Sunny-Day Music: Dead Heart Bloom Edition

I wish I'd written about Dead Heart Bloom sooner. At least a couple of years ago, they had their entire discography up for free download on their website. Very underrated - great mellow acoustic driving music.

Impossibility Makes Wavves Once Again

I never thought it'd happen, but I officially like Wavves:



"King of the Beach" is the first Wavves song I've liked, and maybe it's because I've been going to the beach every day I can lately, but I like the song A LOT. I haven't written about the Best Coast/Wavves/No Joy triple bill I went to back in February yet, but Wavves was the worst show I'd ever seen. In fact, I HATED their show. And I've always just generally hated the snotty little bastards. But damn it, "King of the Beach" is the shit.

So, what changed? Again, all of that beach-going, as well as a forecast for almost a solid week of solid sun. You bet your ass I'll be hitting the beach all day, every day, until the sun goes down for good, especially to make up for all of the rainy, cloudy and even sunny days I didn't spend at the beach. Yes, come Hell or high water, I will be there.

"King of the Beach" pretty much sums up how I've been feeling lately:

Let the sun burn my eyes
Let it burn my back
Let it sear through my thighs
I'll feel wide, wide open

Let the sun burn my eyes
Let it burn my back
At the beach
In my dreams
But you still

You're never gonna stop me x3
You're never gonna stop
King of the beach x2

Let the sun burn my eyes
Let it burn my back
Let it burn through my thighs
I'll feel wide, wide open

At the beach, I'm with Jeans
It’s wide, wide open
At the beach
In my dream
But you still

You're never gonna stop me x3
You're never gonna stop
King of the beach

Never gonna stop me
You're never gonna stop me x3
King of the beach x5

Sunny-Day Music: Akron/Family Edition

I feel like I should be floating on a small raft in the middle of an ocean, a few gulls gliding overhead, waters calm, skies blue and sun blinding.

Wavves - "Post-Acid"

I remember when I thought this was the stupidest, most crumb-bum song/video/band ever. I still think so, only now, I love the song, and I like the video for its immature stupidity. More on my recent Wavves revelation later. Hopefully.