Sound Salvation Army

This blog is only a few years old, but if there’s one thing we’ve managed to establish it should be this: for a multitude of reasons, perhaps too many to count, we love the Burning Hell.

That’s why I’m frankly more than a little surprised that more hasn’t been made out of Mathais Kom’s latest record, released under the name Spring Breakup. That level of surprise roughly doubles when you factor in that Kim Barlow, folk darling of the frozen Yukon, is the group’s other principle member. Surely a meeting of the minds like this cannot be ignored!

The group quietly released a self-titled album in the latter half of 2009 and the muted sound of that record dropping is probably somewhat befitting of the its content. I have no way of confirming this, but I have always pictured the two of them sitting in someone’s living room with a four-track recorder, facing each other, with nothing but a microphone or two between them while they pluck away at the 10 songs that make up the record. The recording is the very definition of bare bones, most often nothing but banjo, acoustic guitar, and ukulele propping up two unique Canadian singers.

Nearly every song is framed in the context of dying love or its characters working through a break-up. If you’re familiar with Kom and Barlow’s work you won’t be surprised to hear them pepper many of the tracks with subversively cynical, cutesy, or dark turns of phrase. In fact that’s where the majesty of this simple record lies, in their ability to frame a universal experience in a number of different ways. The emotional tenor alternatively carries a humorous tone (”Spring Flings”), some are emotionally fragile and unrequited (”Hummiah”), some are quietly angry and desperate (”Came Up Roses”), and some are confident torch songs (”Young Love,” “Cosmic Sea”).

I can’t speak much to Barlow’s side of the affair as I’m less familiar with her previous work, but I’m thrilled to hear Kom’s performance on this record. Where his rich, deep vocals can often take on a blanket of cynicism, sarcasm, and depression in his work with the Burning Hell his singing here is emotionally genuine, bright, and convincing. While many of these songs grapple with the dissolution of something beautiful his voice conveys the sense that he still believes in love. He and Barlow are terrific counterpoints, her sprightly alto a picture of earnestness that always has a hint of a smile peeking around the corners of her phrasing.

Anyway, it’s a simply joyous record to listen to, whether you’re lovelorn or not. A friend pointed out today on the Twitter machine that Barlow and Kom are heading out for a short, oddly-routed Western tour next week that includes stops in Regina and Saskatoon. I’m really thrilled to see them perform together. The album may be barely more than a half hour, but even that will be worth the price of admission. You should be there too.

 

 Spring Breakup - Spring Flings [3:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Spring Breakup - Young Love [3:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

They don’t seem to have a label, but their 2009 full-length is up digitally at Zunior and they’re doing a tiny tour. You can be I’ll be picking up a copy. Also, I don’t normally do this but if you’re the least bit curious check out their myspace page, where you can listen to like half the album for no dollars. It will convince you.

Tour dates are with John Wort Hannam, an old-timey Albertan .

Pat entries acoustic, Canadian content, Kim Barlow, Mathais Kom, quaintness, Spring Breakup

Oh my goodness you guys. I’m am so excited right now. This is the third time I’ve fallen totally in love with Basia Bulat and I’m falling hard this time (wait, it’s the fourth time; I almost forgot the Sam Cooke cover).

Just look at that video. So intimate. Her performance low-key but impassioned before an unyielding, unblinking camera. Her voice elegantly quivering, the melody patient and earnest. The hammered harp is the perfect accompaniment, its percussive tone just unfamiliar enough to the ear to keep it captivated while still carrying a bright but spare melody. This is a torch song for the ages.

That video was recorded roughly two years ago, when Basia Bulat’s new release, Heart Of My Own was likely just a flicker of a future possibility. She was in the midst of touring North America (and eventually much of Europe) playing and promoting her debut, which you might recall was lauded on these pages. All things considered, though, it shouldn’t be surprising that Bulat has had a gem of a song like this in her back pocket for a while. In an interview conducted a few months back with JAM she explains her process a bit: “I like making challenges for myself. It takes a while to know what a song is about because it has a life of its own. It takes a while for their meaning to develop. I need an audience.”

Hopefully the new album will help expand that audience. Having listened to Heart Of My Own dozens of times in the three days since it was released it would seem all of her time on the road has done her a lot of good. The album is more forceful, more propulsive. It just sounds stronger and there’s more in the mix to help reach that goal as well, including electric guitar (although I’m pretty sure that’s just one song). That might not seem too revolutionary, but the whole of Bulat’s debut was crafted with an exceedingly-acoustic aesthetic. To put it in the parlance of that debut, this record is more “I Was A Daughter” and less “Before I Knew,” with faster-paced numbers like “Go On” and “Gold Rush” setting the tempo in the early offing and eschewing the lilting, gentle sounds that marked much of her first record. The latter number serves as the album’s first single and for good reason; the strings that open the track give way to cascading cymbals, galloping toms, and a constantly-building instrumental track that matches Bulat’s strongest vocal performance on record to date. The song apparently triggered the only mosh pit in the history of her career, according to one interview. Several tracks are also punched up with very complementary string and horn sections that sound like they were arranged by Barry Gordy himself. Perhaps it’s a tribute to the AM radio that Bulat has stated was a major influence in her home as a child.

But obviously, based on the above video, she hasn’t left behind her gentler side. “The Shore” is the standout ‘quiet’ song here, but there are other contemplative numbers as well. “Sugar and Spice” is a mournful lament on past mistakes with a lovely string arrangement. “Sparrow” is a spare ukelele piece with a lyric as fragile as the instrumentation. “I’m Forgetting Everyone” is nearly as sparse musically, seemingly focusing on the the lingering effects of a couple of years on the road. These songs succeed because of their simplicity and their reliance on Bulat’s incredibly expressive and emotive voice.

I’ve read a review or two that make loose comparisons to Neko Case, and I suppose fans of one could likely gravitate to the other. Musically the two are not entirely analogous, but as with Case there is an undefinable quality to Bulat’s voice that is completely disarming and impossible to ignore. I wish I could explain it. If I could I’d probably be a lot better at this whole music critiquing thing. All I know is it’s impossible to listen to Heart Of My Own and not be totally enraptured and enamored (for me, anyway, but like I said; I have a huge crush on her).

I mean, just look at that video up there at the start of this post. I think at our very core humans are simple creatures; I could be wrong, but I think we all just want someone to sing us love songs. And that is a goddamn gorgeous love song.

 

 Basia Bulat - Gold Rush [3:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - the Shore [4:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Basia Bulat - Touch The Hem Of His Garment [1:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can purchase Heart Of My Own from Secret City Records (in Canada), Rough Trade (UK etc), and iTunes.

I’ve been looking forward to Bulat’s upcoming Saskatoon show since summer, when she was the first main stage performer of the entire Regina Folk Festival. Her presence was simultaneously demure and authoritative, her voice carrying over the fenced-off park and drawing those that had arrived early closer and closer. I can’t wait to experience the intimacy of her performance from a tiny stage instead of a grand one. Canadian tour dates follow!

Feb 02, 2010 - Kingston ON
Wed Feb 03, 2010 - Peterborough ON
Thu Feb 04, 2010 - London ON
Fri Feb 05, 2010 - Orillia ON
Sat Feb 06, 2010 - Guelph ON
Sun Feb 07, 2010 - Hamilton ON
Wed Feb 10, 2010 - Halifax NS
Thu Feb 11, 2010 - Halifax NS
Fri Feb 12, 2010 - Montreal QC
Sat Feb 13, 2010 - Ottawa ON
Thu Feb 25, 2010 - Winnipeg MB
Sat Feb 27, 2010 - Saskatoon SK
Tue Mar 02, 2010 - Calgary AB
Wed Mar 03, 2010 - Edmonton AB
Fri Mar 05, 2010 - Vancouver BC

Pat entries acoustic, Basia Bulat, Canadian content, crushes, folk, love songs

Tanis said it first: we are staunchly Team Conan around these parts.

I’ve been watching Conan since I was old enough to stay up late enough to watch Conan. I have vivid memories of his trip to Canada; I watched every night with exceeding joy as he and Triumph traipsed around Toronto. I relished each and every appearance of Norm MacDonald. I loved his apple orchard piece with Mr. T so much I took it out behind the middle school and got it pregnant. His old-timey baseball bit was unbelievable. I downloaded every episode during the writer’s strike, unable to look away as he clamored for ways to fill the time (and out of curiosity about the extent to which he would grow his beard). Of late, his nights and days out on the town in L.A. with staff member Jordan Schlansky revealed a whole new side of him (namely the kind of dickish side). While I thought the ‘celebrity survey’ bit was getting very old in the tooth and the ‘Twitter Tracker’ segment was woefully underused I still watched every night of his Tonight Show run.

I’ll admit it: I cried a little during Neil Young’s performance and Conan’s speech. I know, it seems like petty nothingness in the face of Haiti’s devestation and a million other serious and impactful things that happen all over the world every day. But I don’t have a lot going on in my life right now and Conan has been there with me for more than ten years. He didn’t deserve this. He was really coming into his own and the show was on a level it hadn’t been before.

In hindsight I only wish Canadians could contribute to the Neilsen ratings. Or that my TV had channels so that I could watch Conan when it might’ve slightly (not at all) counted. I’ve always thought Conan’s style and sense of humour played so much better in Canada. It’s a shame our TV industry clearly cannot support a late night talk program. Mike Bullard, you were meant for better things (no, he wasn’t).

So I thank Tanis for her previous post (and for explaining Conan’s appeal with the elequence my sleep-deprived brain just doesn’t have today) but that post was missing something. Something I either have the advanced technological capabilities or a willingness to breach NBC Universal copyrights that she does not.

Look below for Neil Young’s tear-stirring performance of “Long Will You Run” and a faithful take on “Free Bird” courtesy of Conan, his axe, Will Ferrell, Beck, ZZ Top, Ben Harper some dude that looks exactly like Ben Harper named Robert Randolph Ben Harper, Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band, some pregnant hippy, and Will Ferrell’s cowbell. So appropriate it hurts.

 

 Neil Young - Long Will You Run (live on the Tonight Show) [4:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Will Ferrell, Conan O'Brien, Beck, ZZ Top, Ben Harper, some pregnant hippie, and the Tonight Show Band - Free Bird (live on the Tonight Show) [6:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We love you Conan. Hurry back to us.

Pat entries Beck, Ben Harper, comedy, Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, Late Night Wars, live music, more cowbell, Neil Young, Will Ferrell, ZZ Top

There are a lot of things I should be writing about here. The new Spoon album, the new Hawksley Workman album and the upcoming New Pornographers album, for example. And I will (I promise, Pat!) but my life (such as it is) was taken over during the last two weeks by a pop culture phenomenon. When you get sucked in by a wave, sometimes you just have to let it wash over you. Become one with it. Embrace it. Let it pummel you.

And I feel like I’ve been worked over good by Conan O’Brien.

Long story short (and if you don’t know this, you should be ashamed) NBC promised Conan the Tonight Show five years ago, figuring (wrongly, it turns out) that when 2009 rolled around, Jay Leno would be ready to retire.

Despite the fact that he agreed to step down and hand the show over to Conan, Leno’s ratings were still good and NBC started to have second thoughts about letting him leave for another network where he’d almost certainly steal viewers from Conan (because people are idiots and have no taste and just like the blandest shit in the world. See also: The continued existence and enduring popularity of Nickelback), so they gave Leno a show at 10 p.m.

But his 11:35 audience didn’t follow him there. The show flopped. Why? Uh, because Jay Leno is an unfunny jag. Network affiliates were pissed because Leno was killing their nightly news broadcast, which meant even fewer viewers for Conan at 11:35. Everybody’s ratings dropped and NBC cancelled Leno’s show. But he still had a contract and still wanted to work and NBC wanted to keep him happy. So they said they’d move him BACK to 11:35 and Conan could decide if he wanted to host the Tonight Show at 12:05. Astute readers will note that this would have meant the Tonight Show would be on tomorrow.

Otherwise, that sounds awesome, right? Everybody’s happy, right? Well not the guy getting it at both ends.

Conan released a statement saying he would not be a party to the destruction of the institution that is The Tonight Show. He refused to move the show to 12:05, which he noted would bump The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon to 1:05 a.m. Basically, his statement boiled down to this: If NBC wants Leno on at 11:35, they’re going to have to fire me.

So that’s what they did.

Never ones to go with an innovative option, the short-sighted idiots at NBC put their money on the slightly lame, aging horse with a dedicated following of sleepy Grandmas and Grandpas. Leno would host a show at 11:35. Fallon would stay on at 12:35. There’s the door, Conan. Don’t let it hit your freckled, Irish ass on the way out!

In the last two weeks, Conan’s barely constrained anger at those who were doing him dirty translated into comedic gold. He openly badmouthed the network, ran up huge musical clearance fees for songs performed on the show, encouraged his guests to speak freely about the situation and just generally did whatever the hell he wanted. It was the most creative I’ve seen him since the writer’s strike. And his ratings started to climb. The highly desirable demographic of 18-49-year-old viewers that make up Conan’s audience voiced their displeasure with the situation on the Internets. But NBC executives don’t understand the Internet. It’s just a fad. Like skateboards. And soda-pop. And baby boomers are gonna live forever! Yeah!

Morons.

I’ve been watching Conan since he started. I remember his very first show, actually. Teenage me developed a raging crush on the tall, awkward, twitchy guy who didn’t know what to do with his hands and seemed like he was seconds away from throwing up. But he got better. And how.

Conan developed his style and refined his timing and became one of the best celebrity interviewers in the game. All the while still retaining his goofy sense of humour with really quirky, absurd bits that made excellent use of his talented writing staff. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is, without a doubt, one of the best late night bits of all time. And to this day, I have not laughed as hard as I did when Conan’s guest Norm Macdonald told Courtney Thorne-Smith that she should call her new movie with Carrot Top “box office poison.” Later, when she told Conan the movie was called “Chairman of the Board,” Conan invited Norm to “do something with that, you big freak.” Without missing a beat, Norm replied “I bet board is spelled B-O-R-E-D.” I have no doubt it will go down in history as one of the funniest unscripted talk show moments of all time.

I give Conan a lot of credit for changing his game up occasionally. He was constantly developing new bits and never leaned on any one schtick too often. He was the polar opposite of Leno, who clung to terrible, unfunny segments like Jay Walking and Headlines, punctuated every lame monologue joke with a rimshot of awful from his sycophantic bandleader Kevin Eubanks and just generally rested on laurels that were already pretty tired of supporting that much chin.

But I don’t want to focus on Leno. He sucks.

Conan is where it’s at. And beyond the laffs and the sketches and the celebrities, I think one of the biggest accomplishments of his hosting career was his obvious love and support of independent music.

He started hosting indie bands before hosting indie bands was cool. He took a chance on musicians with small fan bases and big ambition and stood alone among the late night hosts as the one you could actually believe listened to the music his guests played.

Seriously. Leno seems like your typical classic rock guy, stagnant and irrelevant. Letterman had a few quirky favourites, but was never down with what the kids were listening to. Kimmel is better, but still has the taint of frat-boy humour associated with The Man Show. And Colbert and Stewart only occasionally roll out the welcome wagon for bands. Fallon is taking what Conan started on Late Night and running with it.

When it came to music, Conan reigned supreme. When he moved from Late Night to the Tonight Show, he brought his musical sensibilities with him. He sat down with Slash, welcomed Roseanne Cash and Neko Case and recently hosted another Sound Salvation Army favourite, Spoon. Over the years, he also developed a close relationship with The White Stripes. They were guests many times and in 2003, played an entire week of shows for him. On his final episode of Late Night, they performed his favourite song, “We’re Going to Be Friends.” And he appeared in their perspective-warping video for “The Denial Twist” directed by Michael Gondry.

Before Jimmy Fallon scored The Roots, Conan also had the best house band, with Springsteen’s drummer Max Weinberg leading the way. Having Weinberg around was great because sometimes, you want The Boss to play your show at Christmas and it’s a little easier to score that get when your bandleader has his home number.

Maybe Conan has such affinity for his musical guests because he’s a musician himself. He plays guitar and sings with a far better voice than he’d ever admit and (this is maybe one of my favourite things about him) he’s a huge, nerdy fan of The Music Man. As a writer for The Simpsons, he penned the episode Marge Vs. The Monorail, a sendup of the musical. When The Music Man was revived on Broadway, producers approached Conan to play Harold Hill for a limited run, but he had to turn them down because he couldn’t fit it into his schedule. Later, he managed to profess that love when he performed a musical number based on “Ya Got Trouble” at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards.

In retrospect, this little ditty is pretty prophetic:

And it remains one of my favourite song-and-dance numbers by a host with limited musical ability.

Last Friday was Conan’s final night hosting The Tonight Show. He said that when all these troubles started, the first person to call him up and offer his support was, weirdly, Neil Young. Young was Conan’s last musical guest. I thought he’d maybe play “This Note’s For You” or “Rockin’ In the Free World,” but he went with “Long May You Run” instead. And when he finished, when Conan walked out to shake his hand, Young said “I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for independent music.” I’m not a huge Young fan, but that was pretty frickin’ awesome because it’s pretty frickin’ true.

Also on his last show, Conan took a minute to dispel the rumour that he was forbidden from saying certain things about NBC. It wasn’t true, he insisted. On this night, he could say whatever he wanted. And what he wanted to say was a sincere and gracious thank you to NBC for 20 mostly good years. That was far nicer than what they deserved, but absolutely typical behaviour from Conan, who cemented his reputation as the classiest of class acts.

His voice was husky and he strained to stay composed as he said he and his crew would remember the outpouring of creativity and support from fans until the day he died. He cautioned young viewers against cynicism and revealed his own personal credo: if you work hard and are kind, amazing things will happen.

It’s far too late for the likes of me to be saved from the clutches of cynicism, but it was absolutely inspiring to hear a man who has been so thoroughly screwed by his bosses profess and demonstrate his belief in kindness in an industry that values the exact opposite.

With that, Conan loosened the noose of his necktie, strapped on an axe and joined Will Ferrell and friends for a rousing, cowbell-laden rendition of “Free Bird.” Normally, I’d say “Balls, that song is so wanky and annoying and long.” But you know what? In this case, it’s less about the music and more about the sentiment behind the song. It’s about getting out of a shitty relationship with no future so you can go be awesome on some other network. Zing! So if anybody deserves to wail along to nine plus minutes of cock rock, it’s Conan.

Rock on, Coco.

 

 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The White Stripes - We're Going To Be Friends: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries class act, Conan O'Brien, independent music supporters, max weinberg, musical guests, the white stripes

If music is indeed moving back towards shorter formats like vinyl and digital singles I think we’ll be just fine. While there’s something to be said for the mastery and majesty that goes into crafting a real back-to-front piece of art (ie OK Computer, Paul’s Boutique, or my favourite album of 2009, the Wheat Pool’s Hauntario) there is still the possibility of creating something transcendental on a smaller scale. Many notable bands (including Radiohead and hardcore punks Paint It Black) promised to move exclusively to single formats and why not; digital is king now, right? Well, maybe we won’t go that far.

07. Bon Iver - the Blood Bank EP
If we’re being honest this is really only on here because of the title track. That’s it. The rest of it is pretty much unnecessary. Especially that goddamn vocoder or auto-tune or whatever track. Pitchfork can talk about how it runs so contrary to his established aesthetic and how the coldness of the computery sound mirrors the tenor of same. But it sucks a big fat one and that’s all there is to it. But the title track is unimpeachably brilliant. Read more here.

06. Small Brown Bike - Composite, Vol. 1
In my round-up of the top five albums of the year I included a wonderful album called Chasing Hamburg by Polar Bear Club. I lot of why I liked that album has to do with both my and that band’s affection for Small Brown Bike. They were occasionally written-off as Hot Water Music devotees but as their career progressed they developed a more complex post-rock sound that really was unique. To see them reunited and creating new music after a few years apart is goddamn heart-warming. I love this band.

05. the Lazy MKs - A Field Guide To…
A local addition from a group of guys I hadn’t heard of prior to last summer. Their blend of roots and rock, combined with their instrumental aesthetic, is a very singular thing. It’s a purposeful step well outside of the boundaries Regina’s music scene is used to and that boldness should be rewarded, especially since their audience already has been with the release of this EP. Read more here.

04. the Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and Tears
As long as these guys release something, I’ll include it on a year-end list. That doesn’t diminish the quality of this product, however. Hell, “The Slowest Drink At The Saddest Bar On The Snowiest Day In The Greatest City” alone could carry this EP onto this list, never mind the presence of four other great songs. Their melancholic sense of self-loathing shouldn’t lend itself to music this catchy, but somehow it does. Read more here.

03. A Wilhelm Scream - self-titled EP
Probably the most talented band in punk today takes their first stab at a short-form release in a very long time and make it work. “Fun Time” might be seen as a mis-step if you’re used to hearing them play the most complicated shit they can think of 24/7, but its straight-forward, no frills, pop rock arrangement is just another example of the level of skill these guys possess; they have so many talents they rarely if ever utilize some of them. Read more here.

02. Laura Stevenson & the Cans/Bomb The Music Industry! split 7″
While there are four very good songs on this 7″ one soars above the others (previously documented here). Laura Stevenson’s cover of BTMI!’s “It Ceases To Be ‘Whining’ If You’re Still ‘Shitting Blood’” (yes, gross) is one of most beautiful songs with multiple f-bombs in it I’ve ever heard. Rest assured, that’s an unnecessary qualifier. She can’t help but create slightly off-kilter yet ceaselessly gorgeous songs and here she proves as capable with interpretation as she does with creation.

01. Jon Snodgrass/Cory Branan split LP
Each of these two country-influenced singer-songwriters could’ve released their individual tracks from this release on their own and garnered a spot on this list, but the fact that they combined forces to put out an album of mind-boggling quality makes them a clear favourite for top spot. Snodgrass continues the dour acoustic arrangements that marked some of the high low points of his first solo LP, Visitor’s Band; the highlight here from him is “Wild One,” a tortured plea for a lost lover to come home. His deft chord changes propel a powerful vocal performance to a conclusion that comes way too soon. As for Branan, I’ve NEVER been as immediately and fully impressed by a musician as I was after my first listen to his tracks on this album. Never. I cannot pick a favourite from his songs here; “the Corner” is a meditation on lost love that falls somewhere in between absolute misery and whistful remembrance, “Walk Around” is a joyful romp that runs awfully close to being too clever by half, and “Yeah, So What?” is a shamelessly flirtatious cover that swaggers through its entire length. I swear I’ve listened to this EP 100 times at least since November. It is absolutely without peer.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Small Brown Bike - Hourglass: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Lazy MKs - Burgess Lake [3:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Lawrence Arms - The Slowest Drink In The Saddest Bar On The Snowiest Day In The Greatest City [3:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 A Wilhelm Scream - Australias [2:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Laura Stevenson & the Cans - It Ceases To Be "Whining" If You're Still "Shitting Blood" [2:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Cory Branan - Walk Around [3:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bon Iver: Physical and iTunes
Small Brown Bike: Physical and iTunes
the Lazy MKs: Physical (although you could probably just go to a record store near you) and iTunes
Lawrence Arms: Physical and iTunes
A Wilhelm Scream: Physical and iTunes
Laura Stevenson/BTMI: Physical and iTunes (Bomb The Music Industry! only)
Jon Snodgrass/Cory Branan: Physical and iTunes (together, Branan solo, Snodgrass solo. Keep in mind, however, that Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective has their own digital download service that is cheaper than iTunes. That can be accessed through the first link.

Pat entries A Wilhelm Scream, acoustic, best ofs, Bomb The Music Industry!, Bon Iver, Canadian content, Cory Branan, indie rock, Jon Snodgrass, Laura Stevenson and the Cans, punk rock, Small Brown Bike, the Lawrence Arms, the Lazy MKs, year in review

At various points in 2009 each of these records have been my absolute favourite of the entire year. Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear be damned, these bands have written truly intimate and affecting songs, not dissonant and disaffected studies in sound. These songs have heart and soul and emotion and enlightenment woven into their very fabric. They are indeed my favourite, if not the best, albums of 2009.

05. Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
This site has taken a big hit in the last five weeks and it has everything to do with this record. I’ve essentially listened to nothing in all of December except for this album. They sound like a pop rock/hardcore punk hybrid band with a bit of Gatsby’s American Dream-style quirk in their songwriting. There is a huge amount of passion at play here, even if their subject matter runs pretty frequently towards being in band and the experiences and emotions that come along with it. I just can’t get over how good this record is. It’s a shame it took me four months to actually listen to the damn thing.

04. Why? - Eskimo Snow
Yoni Wolf’s songs keep getting more and more interesting. He’s focused like a laser beam on making miserable sound as lovely as possible. The complexity of both the sentiment and the mixed meter arrangement of a track like “Berkeley By Hearseback” is not come upon easily. The imagery of “Against Me” is not something you hear or read every day. An acoustic guitar rarely sounds as full when sparingly plucked as it does on the album’s title track. Misery has rarely sounded so beautiful.

03. the Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours
This band is so good it’s hard to believe they come from this tiny, insular province. Their songs are a slow walk down a back country road, an afternoon spent staring at the sky as the clouds morph into shapes that evoke the old west, a sad story told around a campfire late at night. These are songs sung by drifters on lonely back roads as they lament how everything’s gone wrong while thumbing for a ride. These are songs plucked on a beat-up acoustic guitar on a back porch as faint solace after a lover/dog has left you. These are ramblin’ men playing ramblin’ tunes of lives lived hard and fast and the consequences that follow. Plus the song found below sounds like Neil Young performing a song written by Radiohead. Fun!

02. Strike Anywhere - Iron Front
Strike Anywhere realized long ago that you can’t start a revolution without a hook and they’ve come out swinging harder than ever with this record. In addition to being the most immediately-catchy album I heard all year it’s also the most hopeful. Sure, the songs alternate between despondent reality-checks and desperate pleas for change but the tone and tenor of the album as a whole is at least mostly uplifting; the melodies are too buoyant, too catchy, too (dare I say it?) pretty for it to be anything else. They can keep promising they’ll return to a more hardcore sound but this sure as hell isn’t Black Flag or Bad Brains or the Germs. This is pop music through an activist, hardcore filter. But damn it, it’s good.

01. the Wheat Pool - Hauntario
I am quite confident I didn’t hear another album all year that boasts songwriting as fully-realized as Hauntario. Their lyrics go beyond vivid, reaching an incredibly admirable level of descriptive and evocative wordsmithery. The overarching themes of the album are not heavy-handed, the emotional elements are honest instead of exploitative, and the undercurrent of absolute misery on some (re: most) of these tracks seems absolutely genuine. They even manage to reprise an upbeat song as a morose closing number without making it seem like a cloying re-tread. In every way this is Canadian music and storytelling at its finest.

 

 Polar Bear Club - Boxes: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Why? - Against Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Deep Dark Woods - the Birds On The Bridge [6:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Strike Anywhere - Omega Footprint: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Wheat Pool - Italy [3:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Polar Bear Club: Webstore and iTunes
Why?: Webstore and iTunes
the Deep Dark Woods: Webstore and iTunes
Strike Anywhere: Label webstore, band webstore, and iTunes.
the Wheat Pool: Webstore and iTunes.

Pat entries alt country, best ofs, Canadian content, Canadiana, country, indie rap, Polar Bear Club, punk rock, roots, Strike Anywhere, the Deep Dark Woods, the Wheat Pool, Why?, year in review

There’s a new Vampire Weekend album out! Upper-middle-class white nerds are stoked!

Just kidding. I know that’s the meme everyone wants to fall into when it comes to this band, but really it’s just another indie guitar pop band that has a very slight twerk in their sound to make them stand out ever so slightly.

All comparisons aside, I like this band better:

 

 Talking Heads - Pulled Up [4:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime [4:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out Contra for real, if that’s your kind of thing, via Beggars Group or iTunes

Kitty cats via where else.

Pat entries pop music, Talking Heads, things that are nice enough but kind of overrated, Vampire Weekend, white dudes

I saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie on the first day of this new decade of ours. I liked it a lot. It had many things I love including: Hot guys, sassy women in hats, explosions, smart people, period clothing, Robert Downey Jr., VERY thinly-veiled homoeroticism, gritty turn of the century London and fightin’. And it made me not hate Jude Law quite as much as I did before I saw it. (That guy was in a lot of movies and I saw them all and it got old faster than his hairline.)

Sometimes, all I need is a bunch of things I like arranged in a pleasing manner. Bonus points if it is slightly off kilter.

That’s how I feel about Montreal’s Clues and their self-titled album from 2009 on Constellation Records. It did not blow me away with awesomeness, but it was pretty great because lots of stuff I like makes its way into their music and then, they play it very well.

To describe their sound, I could use a lot of hyphenated words containing other words like post and wave and art. I could name a few very famous bands who are also from the Montreal area who they might sound a little like. But that’s just so tedious and annoying, don’t you think?

Just know that there are some neat surprises here and the songs go places you don’t expect them to (what does that even mean?) and uh, I’m running out of ways to say that I like this music and you should go see this band live, if you live in Ottawa or Guelph or Hamilton or Toronto.

GET A CLUE. THEY ARE GREAT. (See what I did there?) 



Mmmm. The more I listen to this, the more I feel my hatred for Jude Law seep away!

See Clues in concert:

Wednesday, January 13 — Cafe Dekuf — Ottawa (THIS IS TOMORROW, YOU GUYS!)
Thursday, January 14 — The Ebar — Guelph
Friday, January 15 — Club Absinthe — Hamilton
Saturday, January 16 — Silver Dollar — Toronto

 

 Clues - Perfect Fit : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can buy their album from Zunior and iTunes.

Tanis entries Clues, Guelph, indie, live music, Montreal, mp3

There was a number of artists that broke new ground this year after having come a long way already. Here are two singer/songwriters that really hit their stride with their latest albums, a French pop band that people finally started paying attention to after four albums, a punk rocker that underwent a total rebirth, and a Toronto band that actually became a band.

Away we go!

10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
They’re so French! Have you seen their Take Away Shows episode? Its a brilliant, joyfully ecstatic set that perfectly encapsulates Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The band shows up out of nowhere in front of the frigging Eiffel Tower after achieving fame around the world (several albums into their career) and at first people don’t even seem to believe it’s them. Much like their extremely slow and steady rise to prominence in the States, South America, and elsewhere a crowd starts to grow around them as the genius of their songs starts to become apparent. This band just continues to get better and better and its almost getting ridiculous. Read more here.

09. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood be damned, this is Neko Case’s best album yet. That is a simple fact. From the first track (found below) Case and her collection of players meld the alt-country she’s best known for with a rock edge, pop hooks, and simply stunning songwriting. She’s completely unfettered here, the incredible singles interspersed with a pair of covers perfectly suited to her, all of it giving way to a final track comprised of nothing but a half hour of frog noises. What more could you ask for? Read more about Neko here.

08. Ohbijou - Beacons
This is an album of love songs for the sake of love songs. Songs filled with deliberate, frequently orchestral arrangements that swirl and sway through the speakers and surround the listener. Casey Mecija’s vocal melodies constantly yearn for weightier gravitas and a bigger emotional response, the warmth of her tone (as well as warmth of the very organic production) helping to counter the chill that pops up in the lyrics due to constant references to winter, snow, and ice. This band should be on soundtracks. Soundtracks to movies about knitting.

07. Chris Wollard and the Ship-Thieves - self-titled
This album is in a bit of a grey area. Some might argue it shouldn’t because a pre-release run of 500 or so copies was pressed on vinyl for a big festival in the states run by his label. But it was technically released in 2009, so I’m including it (incidentally the mp3 below is a vinyl rip of that pre-release version). Regardless, this record is far from what I would’ve expected from the other half of the Hot Water Music songwriting duo. At a time when every punk in North America is picking up an acoustic guitar for some country/folk-inspired solo performances Wollard embraces his inner 90’s alt-rock nerd and makes a nuanced and varied album that has a little bit of everything (including a couple acoustic-based tracks). This is pop rock for grown-ups, done extremely well.

06. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
One might wonder what the need is for Dan Auerbach, half of the essentially-flawless Black Keys, to record a solo album. Why bother when you already contribute the majority of the writing in a two-man group? Well, regardless of motivation Auerbach made the right decision. He expands the bluesy stomp of the Keys to include a few more instruments and a modicum of funk, throws in a couple contemplative acoustic tracks, and then spends the rest of the album doing what he does best. This isn’t a sea change from the Black Keys sound but when your songs are as perfect as Auerbach’s they really don’t need to be. Just marvellous.

 

 Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You [3:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Phoenix - 1901 [3:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Ohbijou - Black Ice [3:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chris Wollard - Oh, Whatever: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Dan Auerbach - I Want Some More [3:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Neko Case: Webstore and iTunes.
Phoenix: Webstore and iTunes.
Ohbijou: Doesn’t actually seem to have a place on the web you can buy their physical albums, but MapleMusic still has copies of their split LP with the Acorn available if you dig around. Go digital with iTunes and Zunior.
Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves: No Idea Records Webstore and iTunes.
Dan Auerbach: Webstore and iTunes.

Pat entries alt-rock, best ofs, blues rock, Canadian content, Chris Wollard, Dan Auerbach, indie, Neko Case, Ohbijou, orchestral, Phoenix, pop rock, rock, year in review

It was a long, long year of self-reflection. This portion of the best-of rundown has changed a lot even right up to the last minute. I had to re-jig a lot of stuff in the bottom top 10 to get the line-up just right. You’ll see a few rockers in this section that have been consistent for years and years and a couple that have gone in the literal opposite direction in 2009. But all remain very, very tasty.

Here we go, jerks!

15. O Pioneers!!! - Neon Creeps
If you haven’t figured it out by now I love this band. Neon Creeps finds Eric simultaneously getting more desperate and harrowed lyrically while taking a bit of the edge of what is normally his extremely acerbic guitar tone. His playing sounds more precise, less hack-and-slash, and while it shouldn’t make that big a difference the addition of bass to the mix really helps flesh out the arrangements and support Eric in the quieter bits. Lyrically it might be kind of a bummer, but these songs are real; the desperation and depression is genuine. This is the sound of a man working through everyday frustrations with dramatic results. Read more here.

14. the Bronx - Mariachi el Bronx
As I previously stated, I’m not the least bit qualified to critique mariachi music. I have zero qualifications. But to paraphrase some old dude, I may not know mariachi but I know what I like and I like this album. It has a relaxed rhythm, shamelessly full arrangements, some great singing, and huge hooks. That Prince cover was a perfect teaser and the album delivered on all of its promise and then some.

13. Chad Price - Smile Sweet Face
This is the opposite of ground-breaking but Smile Sweet Face is both impossibly heartbreaking and improbably beautiful. There’s nothing revolutionary about a sad white dude and his acoustic guitar but the simple fact that Price’s world-weary voice can carry such incredible melodies and devastating sentiments is worth celebrating. “This War” perfectly captures the crushing weight of infidelity and “Peachy Tuscadero” sounds like the opposite of what it is: a mash note to a misfit puppy. This album has everything.

12. Propagandhi - Supporting Cast(e)
Fat Wreck Chords who? The long-running Winnipeg anarcho-punks say goodbye to their long-time associations and deliver what is unequivocally their best album ever, How To Clean Everything be damned. A second guitarist has them sounding huge (the compression helps the loudness as well, of course) and they’re still highly aggressive, but Cast(e) is also their most melodically rich and complex work yet. Aside from the horrifying death knell that starts “Human(e) Meat (the Flensing of Sandor Katz)” they don’t strike a single wrong note.

11. the Thermals - Now We Can See
Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster still writes songs that consist of little more than four chords and a heartbeat, but they’re sounding more at home than ever on Now We Can See. Down-playing the aggression that marked The Body, The Blood, The Machine, these songs are 100% anthemic and still rather thought-provoking. I maintain my assertion that “When I Died” is the best pop song you didn’t hear on the radio in 2009. Read more here.

 

 O Pioneers!!! - Stressing The Fuck Out [2:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Mariachi el Bronx - Quinceniera [3:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Chad Price - With Bleeding Wrists: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Propagandhi - Dear Coach's Corner [4:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Thermals - I Let It Go [3:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

O Pioneers!!!: All music physical, some files digital.
Mariachi el Bronx: Get the album (and/or Mariachi el Bronx’s exclusive cologne) from their webstore. Here’s the iTunes.
Chad Price: Smile Sweet Face and a bevy of other Price-related albums can be foundin the Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective webstore. The album is on iTunes, but you’re better off getting it from Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective’s own digital store. It’s cheaper.
Propagandhi: CD/LP/download is available through the G7 Welcoming Committee site, which I didn’t even realize still existd. Surprisingly, they’re also on iTunes. A lot.
the Thermals: Physical purchases can be made through Kill Rock Stars’ website. Old releases are on Sub Pop. iTunes is a thing too.

Pat entries acoustic, best ofs, Canadian content, Chad Price, mariachi, Mariachi el Bronx, O Pioneers!!!, pop punk, pop rock, Propagandhi, punk rock, roots, the Thermals, year in review