Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Ratatat @ The Sound Academy
Monday, September 13th, 2010
In need of music to pre-drink, party, and drunkenly pass out too? Have you heard of Ratatat? On Wednesday September 8th the Brooklyn electro-guitar-dance-n-freak-out-a –lil-bit duo headed over to Toronto’s Sound Academy to get the city moving.
The stage was set with flashing lights and three different projection screens, Mike Stroud and Evan Mast kicked the night into full gear right from the top. With projections of birds, a virtual strings section, Arnold Schwarzenegger and more flashing about, the instrumental sets were nothing short of electric.
The set focused on their recently released summer record LP4, with a couple tracks off of LP3, Classics, and their self-titled Ratatat mixed in. A definite highlight was midway through the set when they started to play the Classics classic Wildcat and the crowd erupted in their own roars of approval.
Another mentionable moment? When the simple yet slightly frightening music video for their single Drugs played as Ratatat played along. So creepy and still so cool.
Setlist
Bob Ghandi
Brulee
Mandy
Mirando
Mahalo
Loud Pipes
Shempi
Bare Feast
Wildcat
Grape Juice City
Party With Children
Lex
Drugs
Neckbrace
Gerrysburg
Encore
Seventeen Years
Ratatat are currently touring North America with just one more Canadian date in Vancouver September 15th at the Commodore Ballroom, but it’s sold out. So try your best to get a ticket? Good luck.
All Photos by Kate Millet
Tags: Concert, Ratatat
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Kele @ The MOD Club
Monday, September 13th, 2010
A typical Labor Day weekend usually consists of relaxing backyards and BBQs, but on Friday September 3rd Kele was in Toronto to party. Kicking off his North American tour, Bloc Party’s leading man was ready to show off his summer solo release The Boxer, a more electro-dance focused record that echoes Bloc Party’s 2008 Intimacy.
After opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? warmed up the crowd with an impressive set, despite being without their lead singer, Kele marched on stage. Opening with his cheer chant-along song Walk Tall followed by On The Lam, the crowd was dancing along to the flashing strobe lights in no time. Dressed in a basketball jersey, basketball shorts, a flannel shirt and Chucks, Kele was moving and shaking more then ever.
Things slowed down a bit for the softer Everything You Wanted, a song that resonates the Silent Alarm This Modern Love-era Bloc Party. Kele then took a moment to chat with the crowd, joking about his other band that some audience members may have heard of. Smiling, he told the crowd that the next song was for those fans, the next song being a Bloc Party medley of Blue Light, The Prayer, and One More Chance. Kele closed up his set with his single about lusting for a younger hottie, Tenderoni and the mellow Rise.
Getting called back for an encore, Kele told concert-goers that time was up and he was getting kicked off, but he’d play a couple more songs. This encore included Unholy Thoughts and All The Things I Could Never Say to bring the night to a close.
All Photos by Kate Millet
Tags: Bloc Party, Concerts, Kele
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Review: Electric Sunset - Electric Sunset
Monday, September 13th, 2010
Electric Sunset Electric Sunset [K]
Need to know: Electric Sunset is Nic Zwart, previously of Olympia, Washington-based lo-fi act Desolation Wilderness. Over the course of two years, the band released a couple of albums before calling it quits earlier this year. Zwart moved on and brought his already established solo project to fruition. Moving back to San Francisco, he rejoined K for the release of his debut album.
In a 100 words or so: Zwart said he “wanted to create music that was both propulsive and dream-like.” In that sense he’s succeeded with this blissed out self-titled record. As a solo artist, he’s now free to explore his ambition, but truth be told, Electric Sunset doesn’t wander far off the course of what he was doing in Desolation Wilderness. Though he’s now devoid of two other musicians fleshing out his songs, the only real departure is in how he’s no longer part of a rock band that played “dream-like” music. On his own, his songs lack the structure his band provided, which actually works to his benefit, allowing a song like “Relay” to simply drift into a daze of delayed guitar chimes. But while Zwart can find the melodies, much like in Desolation Wilderness, he can’t seem to build much with them. A song like “Soda” made the rounds across music blogs, but despite its deliciously pulsating bass, shimmering guitar lines and stabbing beat combo, it fails to provide the memorable hooks of like-minded artists like Animal Collective or El Guincho. Sadly, this kind of missed potential comes all too often on Electric Sunset’s debut.
Best track: “Last Night On Earth”
R.I.Y.L. chillwave, Animal Collective, El Guincho, Atlas Sound, Panda Bear, Neon Indian
Rating: 6/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Download.
Sample: “Soda”
Website: MySpace.com/ElectricSunsetForever
Tags: Desolation Wilderness, Electric Sunset, Nick Zwart
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Review: Gucci Mane - Jewelry Selection Mixtape
Friday, September 10th, 2010
Need to know: Gucci Mane, the rapper behind the “Free Gucci” campaign is in all likelihood just as famed for his disregard of the law as he is for his music. From being arrested on cocaine charges, to serving six months for assault, to being charged with murder, to violating probation, Gucci Mane has warranted all the attention. Nevertheless, with each nefarious act comes another crude masterpiece in mixtape form. Beginning with his 2005 debut “Trap House”, Gucci has released a steady flow of impressive mixtapes and albums, and now that is a free man, he is likely to keep producing more.
In a 100 words or so: In the subsequent months following his release from prison in May, Gucci Mane hasn’t lived up to expectations. At last, “Jewelry Selection”, Gucci’s first post-prison success, suggests that he just had to get back into the swing of things. Teaming with DJ Holiday, the mixtape embodies Gucci’s offbeat eccentricities that constantly contrast with his tough-guy persona. The mix has a handful of gems, all of which retain the inventive and sometimes absurd lyricism that makes Gucci so appealing. Notable tracks are ‘Making Love To The Money’, ‘Trap Talk’, ‘Gross’ and ‘Cleopatra’. His Swizz Beatz-produced single ‘Gucci Time’ featuring a Justice sampling, is also set to become the single on the next album, “The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted”, due September 28th. With a track like that and alleged collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Ciara and Estelle, it seems “The Appeal” will be a fine follow-up to “Jewelry Selection”.
Best track: “Block Party”
RIYL: Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Cam’ron, OJ Da Juiceman
Rating: 8/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Download
Sample: “Gucci Time”
Website: http://www.guccimaneonline.com/
Tags: Cam'ron, Ciara, DJ Holiday, Estelle, Gucci Mane, Lil' Wayne, Nicki Minaj, OJ Da Juiceman, Swizz Beatz, Young Jeezy
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Vampire Weekend keep fans warm at a cool show
Friday, September 10th, 2010
It was a cool September night. Too cliché to start a review, right? I thought so too, but alas, in the end I could not help myself. Something about the first cool nights of the fall season that I thoroughly enjoy, and yet most other people do not. That being said, a fair number of people did decide to come out and see Vampire Weekend host the Molson Amphitheater on their North American tour debut here in Toronto on Tuesday (September 7th).
It’s an interesting rise, these Columbia school grads, how they have found their niche, nestled comfortably somewhere between designer plaid shirts and post-fraternity nostalgia. These lads have found a way to rock. Their music is very distinct and their formula to get the ladies dancing is almost scientific. Yet, they achieve a style and charisma that is hard to ignore. And why would you? It’s fun, right? What’s better than fun? Deep inside I was hoping that the cute red-head on the cover of their latest LP, Contra, would magically appear. Consider it a guilty crush of mine. Guess I’ll head over to the Hamptons or something in search.
Vampire Weekend were not alone in the talent department. Opening acts the Dum Dum Girls trudged through a collection of low-fi pop ditties, and Beach House, whose astral-pop bliss was damn good, to say the least! Although not familiar with their entire catalogue, the misty songstress Victoria Legrand has a haunting yet seductiveness about her, and the rest of the outfit compliments her sound seamlessly. There is really only one way to describe it, and that is simply ethereal. Like a soundscape with words, it was a good indication of their popularity that many who attended the show were on hand to see them play as well.
Onto Vampire Weekend. Upon first hearing of the band a two years ago, I found the title of the band somewhat misleading and would one day love to quiz them on this. But for now, I am more than quite content to listen to their material and enjoy. They are a band whose sound translates well across many mediums and venues. Having now seen them in three completely different venues in Toronto, the band never disappoints. And to boot, their actual stage show is spot on with their recorded versions.
Whisking through a plethora of dance-friendly pop sing-alongs, this is one of those bands that will likely enjoy a cult following along with their pop success in years to come. The on-stage banter is engaging and their pop is infectious, perhaps simply because I’m becoming more mellow, or perhaps just because I can’t argue with enjoying something fun. Vampire Weekend are an act that set out to have a good time and to make you have a good time too! The smiling faces parading out of the Amphitheater on Tuesday night laid proof that they succeeded.
Tags: Beach House, Dum Dum Girls, Vampire Weekend
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In praise of Neu!
Thursday, September 9th, 2010
“NEU!? to me they sound like joy. like endless lines stretching on foreverinparallel.fragile.like a BRandNEWnew motorway and you are the first person to drive along it…” - Thom Yorke, Radiohead
Heavy praise from one of contemporary music’s most respected and innovative minds. But it’s fair to say that without Neu!, Radiohead could very well have remained the band that made Pablo Honey and not the band that made everything after it.
Like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges before them, krautrock legends Neu! were an underappreciated band of their time, and one that wouldn’t receive the reverence they deserved until arguably decades later.
Neu! was formed in 1971 by Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger, after they left their posts as guitarist and drummer, respectively, in Kraftwerk. Eschewing the mechanical arrangements of their previous band, the duo set out to make music that suggested constant motion through Dinger’s driving motorik rhythms and Rother’s sprawling, amorphous soundscapes.
It was during the recording of Neu!’s self-titled debut album that Dinger invented his
“Apache beat,” an ostinato rhythm that has been emulated by thousands of bands over the last 40 years. Despite the influence songs like “Hallogallo” and “Negativland” had, Neu! was considered a commercial disappointment by their label, Brain Records back in 1972. Neu! 2 followed the next year, featuring the band’s opus, the 11-minute“Für Immer.” But the album is remembered more for it’s flipside, which thanks to their label’s refusal to give them more money, inspired Rother and Dinger to remix their own songs – something dancehall emcees in Jamaica were really only doing.
Neu! 75, the third and final album of the band’s first run, saw a divide creeping into the songwriting. Considered a polarizing listen at the time by fans, the album is split into halves, demonstrating Rother’s inclination towards a sound more tranquil and atmospheric, while Dinger favoured a much more belligerent rock style that was borderline punk. Rother and Dinger called it quits shortly after the album’s release.
It would take ten years for the two to get back into a studio together. Over the course of seven months, Rother and Dinger worked on sessions but there was no official release until 1995, when the latter put out something called Neu! 4 in response to a number of bootlegs that had seen unauthorized releases. Rother refused its release and the album was pulled. When Astralwerks launched a reissue campaign of the Neu! albums in 2001, the duo agreed not to include this album.
The influence on modern day music cannot be stressed enough. Aside from the number of krautrock inspired bands jamming it out today, Neu! has played a vital role in the music of David Bowie, Radiohead, Stereolab, Julian Cope, Wilco, Autechre, Broadcast, New Order, OMD, Deerhunter and Tortoise. And just last year, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, LCD Soundsystem, Oasis and Holy Fuck, among others, contributed songs to a tribute album called Brand Neu!.
Just recently, Michael Rother revived Neu!’s music (Klaus Dinger passed away in 2008), launching a new live act called Hallogallo 2010 with the help of Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley and Tall Firs’ Aaron Mullan. Rother also took on a massive undertaking by compiling and issuing the official, definitive and awesome Neu! vinyl box set. Included in the collection are the first three Neu! albums, but also Neu! ’86, a reworked version of the fourth album, as well as Neu! ‘72, a previously unreleased 18-minute live maxi-single. On top of that comes digital downloads of all the recordings, a 36-page picture book that features snaps of the band by Anton Corbijn, an official Neu! stencil (yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds) and a bright orange Neu! T-shirt.
You can buy the Neu! vinyl box set at the band’s official store, and trust me, it’s worth every penny no matter what you pay.
Check out a great interview with Michael Rother here.
Tags: Klaus Dinger, Michael Rother, Neu!, Radiohead, Thom Yorke
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Review: The Thermals - Personal Life
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
The Thermals Personal Life [Kill Rock Stars]
Need to know: From Portland, Oregon, The Thermals began as an evolution of folk duo of Hutch & Kathy, whose Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster would go on to become the backbone and only remaining members of the band. Signing to Sub Pop in 2002, the band released their debut album, More Parts Per Million, the next year with Jordan Hudson on drums and Ben Barnett on guitar. Hutch took over on guitar after Barnett left and The Thermals downsized to a trio for the second album, Fuckin’ A, which was produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla and released the next year. Inspired by the Bush administration, the third album, 2006’s The Body, The Blood, The Machine was a concept album produced by Fugazi’s Brendan Canty that “tells the story of a young couple who must flee a United States governed by fascist faux-Christians.” Hudson left his post as drummer during the album’s recording sessions, which were completed by Foster. For their fourth album, Now We Can See, the band left Sub Pop and signed with Kill Rock Stars. Once again Foster filled in on drums, but added Westin Glass once the album was finished. Chris Walla returned to record the fifth Thermals album, Personal Life, which is described by the label as an entire LP “about the concept of a connection between two people - making it, breaking it, and faking it.”
In a 100 words or so: If consistency was rewarded in music, The Thermals would have received many gold stars and/or blue ribbons for their first four albums. Their punchy, distorted arrangements and Hutch’s knack for turning vitriolic rants into spit-covered anthems have made them an anomaly in an industry that rarely sees a band put out two great albums, let alone four. Personal Life mostly puts their political and religious hang-ups on hold to focus on music’s most generous subject: love. Book ended by “I’m Gonna Change Your Life” and “You Changed My Life,” the album unfolds like any relationship, going through ups and downs to reveal a tumultuous experience. Albums about “love, loss and… lies!” (as the press release states) have been done to death, but there’s something about the band’s scrappy sound that gives such clichéd subject matter an air of novelty almost. As with any Thermals album, you can always expect at least one track to be a fist-pumping, rush of adrenaline (see “No Culture Icons,” “Our Trip,” “A Pillar of Salt” and “I Let It Go”), which “I Don’t Believe You,” one of the band’s finest moments delivers in full. While their sound will never progress beyond three chords (here’s to hoping), the concepts keep coming and Personal Life is the band’s most relatable effort yet, not to mention deserving of another one of those gold stars, or blue ribbons, whichever.
Best track: “I Don’t Believe You”
R.I.Y.L. Superchunk, The Hold Steady, Ted Leo + The Pharmacists, Titus Andronicus, Les Savy Fav, Japandroids, The Weakerthans
Rating: 7/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy.
Sample: “I Don’t Believe You”
Website: TheThermals.com
Tags: Kill Rock Stars, Personal Life, The Thermals
Posted in Reviews, The New Music | 1 Comment »
Review: Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
Sufjan Stevens is finally back and this time with an unexpected, 60-minute EP entitled All Delighted People. On August 20th the EP was released digitally by Asthmatic Kitty Records for a modest price of $5 and is also streamed online on Bandcamp. It was released, as stated on the website, as a “homage to the apocalypse existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s Sounds of Silence.”
All Delighted People revolves around two versions of the album-titled track, both extremely distinguished from one another. The first is the original version, which opens the album. The solo artists couldn’t have written a more distinctive “Sufjan Steven’s” song. In its 11 minutes, it’s clear that the track is instrumentally rich. The songs is charged with strings, trumpets, dreamy vocals and even choral sections similar to Stevens hit Chicago. I’m sure after listening there are “many delighted people raising their hand”. The second version, referred to as the classic rock version, sounds less like the indie folk ballads we are generally accustomed to hearing from Stevens. With the banjo, electric guitar solos, and electronica influences, the song is very upbeat.
The EP carries on with tracks like The Owl and the Tanager, Enchanting Ghost and Heirloom, none of which are particularly standout tracks. To redeem this however is Djohariah, which finishes All Delighted People on an exceptional note. A whopping 17-minute long track, it is the highlight of the EP. A doppelgänger to the song Sister off of Seven Swans, it is as Asthmatic Kitty’s website proclaims, “a guitar jam-for-single mothers.” It still amazes me that in spite of the length, Djohariah only progresses into a more beautiful song as time goes on.
Despite the vast differences in these tracks, surely a Sufjan Stevens fan would not find this surprising. Essentially every album in his extensive discography has varied greatly in styles, ranging from folk, to electronic, to symphonic, to Christmas carols. Consequently, one should expect his latest effort to be no different.
What is surprising, however, is the absence of a clear theme throughout the EP. Not that this detracts from the quality of the songs, but a defined characteristic of Stevens’ previous work is that they have coherent concepts, often spiritual, which All Delighted People seemingly lacks. This could potentially be why, despite its eight track and 60-minute long length, the album was released as an EP rather than an LP, but coming from an artist with such musical ambition, it seems unlikely. After all, we are talking about a man who set to embark on the “Fifty States Project”.
Perhaps at the ripe age of 35 he has simply lost his zeal. It seems possible when you consider that the only material released since 2005’s wildly acclaimed Illinois is a Christmas album, a few re-releases and some b-sides. It seems even more plausible after the singer’s statement last year, “What is the point of making music anymore?” Regardless, I refuse to jump the gun, especially when it comes to the musical Shaman that is Sufjan Stevens. Still, whether or not he really is back as a force to be reckoned with, I haven’t yet decided. The free single I Walked, which was released mere days after All Delighted People, leads me to believe he has it in him, but only time will tell with the release of the full length The Age Of Adz on October 12th.
Tags: Album Review, All The Delighted People, sufjan stevens
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Review: Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard
Monday, August 30th, 2010
Ra Ra Riot The Orchard [Arts & Crafts]
Need to know: Ra Ra Riot were born in 2006 and came storming out of the gates like a Kentucky Derby winner. Known for their spirited live shows, the band became a blog darling after a series of triumphant gigs during the 2007 South By Southwest Conference. However, shortly after, the band lost their drummer John Pike, who drowned to his death in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts in June. Ra Ra Riot carried on with Cameron Wisch as their new drummer though, releasing their debut EP the next month and eventually signing to prestigious indie label Barsuk for their first album. The Rhumb Line was released to generally positive reviews in 2008, and they toured extensively with Tokyo Police Club that year. Two more EPs followed. The band self-produced their second album, The Orchard, choosing labelmate Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend to help mix.
In a 100 words or so: Ra Ra Riot’s second album isn’t much of a departure from The Rhumb Line. But where that album failed to live up to the promise they exhibited with their 2007 self-titled EP, The Orchard finally delivers. The title track isn’t the best example of this; overtly theatrical, it’s carried by a sweeping string section, a bass line and Wes Miles’ poignant words. It comes off as a little too intense for an album opener, yet adds to the band’s sprawling palette of wonderfully arranged indie pop. The abruptness of segueing into a peppy number like “Boy” feels like a bit of a misstep, but that song’s vibrancy acts like some kind of memory eraser, especially once the restless rhythm kicks into the subsequent track, “Too Dramatic.” Ra Ra Riot’s strength is in just how diversified and open their orch pop is. All too often the strings are the driving force behind a band that sports a violinist, but they integrate influences such as blatant ‘80s keyboard tones (“Foolish”) and the type of Afro-pop rhythms and geographical referencing we’ve come to know from Vampire Weekend (“Massachusetts”). Proving the early hype wasn’t a fluke, The Orchard is the kind of well-rounded, syrupy record we’ve come to hope for from the indie pop set.
Best track: “Shadowcasting”
R.I.Y.L. Vampire Weekend, Local Natives, The Morning Benders, Miniature Tigers, Fanfarlo, Stars
Rating: 7/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Download on iTunes.
Sample: “Boy”
Website: RaRaRiot.com
Tags: Ra Ra Riot
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Sublime with Rome is still Sublime
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
Posthumous: arising, occurring, or continuing after one’s death. Sublime find themselves in that all too unique, yet not uncommon situation in music, where the volume of work carries on after the key figure has gone. As a frenetic ball of angst, energy and love that I used to be as a teenager and then young man in University, bands like Sublime very much appealed to me. Not just for the overt references to marijuana culture, but more so for their blatant uproar against authority and societal ills and demons; one of which sadly took the life of their young singer who passed from a heroin overdose. Even as I read the headline on that fateful day back then, it seemed odd to me that someone who could sing with such positive force, especially about such negative topics, could have been using such a thing. So it goes.
As rebellion goes, Sublime made it more palatable than your average say-no-to-authority band. They infused it with an irony and satire unique to them and the reggae/ska overtones made them insta-hits at keggers, dorms and bush and beach parties. They had just reached the plateau of success when the tragedy occurred.
Now fronted by Rome Ramirez, who was roughly 6 or 7 years old when Brad Nowell passed, Sublime stood facing an overly aggressive yet eager crowd at the Kool Haus in Toronto on August 20. I would say with definite certainty that the majority of this crowd never had an opportunity to see Sublime in their original format, as most were likely still wading through the annals of grade school at the time. That being said, no one seemed deterred by it in the least.
Opening act the Dirty Heads, whose hit single Lay Me Down is currently making the rounds on commercial rock radio, opened with authority, unleashing a very crowd friendly infusion of rock/rap/reggae. Albeit a relatively unknown act, their set oozed of experience and the crowd was all too welcoming.
Next up, Sublime…or, Sublime with Rome, as they are titled to prevent further injunctions from the Nowell estate in regards to their defense of Brad’s legacy. Makes sense, but I think we are all glad that it has been put to pasture. It is quite evident why the band chose Rome. He is charismatic, he has stage presence and for better or for worse…he sounds like Brad.
As they wheeled their way through a smashing set of Sublime hits, oddities and even some truly engaging covers, the crowd was eating from the palms of their sweaty hands. At times Rome’s pedigree stood out with his vocal styles encountering some limitations to Nowell’s roots-rich add libs and throw-away signature shouts, which became a stand-out characteristic of Sublime’s music. But in the end, it was more than a good show. It was a culmination of man’s legacy of work from a music scene that Canadian’s have always adored. The California ska-punk-rock movement has shipped a relentless amount of music this way, and for the most part, us north of the border eat up their sun-drenched euphemisms and veiled or unveiled references to lethargic culture and illegal habits.
Whether they were old enough to know or not know Brad Nowell and Sublime, the crowd had no problem chanting every lyric and every phrase. Every call back song line and every shout was echoed en mass by the sweltering and sweaty crowd. You began to picture the Sublime CD in your head and wonder if these adoring fans had ever taken it out of their 5 disc player, their Discman, their Car deck or their IPod…depends on the age of the specific person you were staring at, I suppose.
Regardless of the age, and regardless of the singer, Sublime are allowing the public to revel in their music again and thousands of Nowell and Sublime fans alike are privileged enough to experience the rawness of their sound and style again. It’s music that brings people together and it’s music that makes people smile and dance. This is the power of being Posthumous; may his music live on…and on.
Tags: Concert, Sublime
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