SoundSalvationArmy

Just when I think I’m starting to achieve a modicum of hip, a sense of taste-making appeal, something emerges to prove that I couldn’t be more behind the times. This time I have Slow Down, Molasses to blame.

We’ve sung the band’s praises before. We chatted with them at the Regina Folk Festival. We’ve admired them from across the room, staring intently at them all the while but dropping our eyes swiftly to the floor as soon as they moved to meet our gaze.

But now I’m just not sure. Always thinking outside the box, the group has commissioned the above 3D video for their song “Bodies.” That means third dimension, people! I go out of my way to avoid seeing 3D movies in the theatres for a variety of reasons so to see a group of nice people sink themselves into such a gimmick is somewhat disappointing. But by the same token it is not disappointing at all. Did you see that video, friends? It is all sorts of amazing, especially when you consider Saskatoon filmaker Andrei Feheregyhazi crafted the whole thing by hand out of cardboard! Plus, you can turn the 3D off if you aren’t the kind of base criminal that steals their 3D glasses from the movie theatre (I totally will the next time I go).

So yeah, super-cool video, even if it is 3D. But then there’s this other thing: they’ve also hopped on board the remix train.

REMIXES, YOU GUYS. First it was Library Voices, then it was Rah Rah (in a BIG way), now our favourite giant Saskatoon band is unleashing a collection of reworkings from last year’s marvelous Walk Into The Sea album. As I’ve stated before, I’m simply not the target market for remixes. Nonetheless, here’s a taste of what’s contained.

The tracks on Bodies Of Water are chopped and changed by a few Saskatoon pals, chief among them Factor (local hip hop producer extraordinaire), Foam Lake (keyboard-happy Saskatoon family band, one member of which plays in SD,M), and Economics. The title track gets no less than three new iterations, perhaps surprisingly given how quiet and slow the original is. Each of the three new takes is wildly different from the last. New UK pal Message To Bears provides a pretty, quieter take to open the record that eases its way into new sounds, repurposing piano and strings from the original before cutting in some bright, twinkling synth sounds. It’s worlds apart from Light Fires’ version (Gentleman Reg and James Bunton of Ohbijou), which is very much a wildly-different, full-on dance music number. Factor’s track is extremely pared down, the bulk of it carried by some spaced-out runs of processed drums that have been added after-the-fact and distant-sounding guitar, banjo, and strings. It’s a smart interpolation, changing the track into a chilly piece that isn’t entirely different from it’s original form but still feels somehow removed.

“Light” also gets three new versions. The original cut was already a pretty far cry from what someone might have expected from the band, a spacey song that floats by on spectral slide guitar in its first half with subtle digital effects on the vocals and some airy reverb even after the instruments become more prominent. It’s carried out by over-driven digital percussion and lovely, albeit somber, horns. Of the three that take it on Saskatoon’s Economics fares the best, in my opinion. Opening with a consistent drum beat and some barely-audible atmospheric synths, it builds nicely over four minutes to incorporate a few electric guitar parts and a wider variety of sounds. That compares favourably to UK remixer Sebastien Reynolds’ nearly-unrecognizable take, which morphs from ethereal piano into an insistent bass beat into nothingness and then into amplified guitar noise.

Even without a soft spot for remixes I’m no dummy — I know a lot of work went into these songs. And I’m totally willing to call Bodies of Water a success because I would be perfectly happy listening to some of these versions again. Maybe even multiple times.

So hat’s off to Slow Down, Molasses! I’m sure there will be no shortage of news coming from them in the new year, especially because I’m pretty sure their Twitter account mentioned something about a new record of sorts. Pure speculation, but I’m making it nonetheless!

 

 Slow Down, Molasses - Light (Economics remix) [4:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pick up Bodies of Water through Bandcamp for whatever damn price you like. It’s also worth noting that SD,M appears to be getting some traction in the UK. After a handful of tour and festival dates last fall they’re heading back in May! So travel safe and have fun, you crazy kids.

Pat entries alt country, Canadian content, indie rock, remixes, Saskatoon, Slow Down Molasses

In Dream Boogie, Peter Guralnik’s masterful 1996 book about legendary soul singer Sam Cooke, the celebrated biographer wrote about the singularly captivating vocal stylings of Cooke’s breakout hit, “You Send Me.” He outlined the way in which Cooke wrapped his voice around a single syllable, even a single letter, and elongated it for a full measure or more, ululating in a near-yodel that sounds much more romantic, whimsical, and melodic than those words would suggest. Cooke’s was a unique kind of vocal mastery and he used that trick as a trademark in his songs. He could transform even the most staid standards into signature works just by performing them in his own special way.

I’m not saying Erin Passmore is on the same plane as Sam Cooke. That would border on blasphemy. But on her debut album Downtown (don’t call it an EP) she’s definitely carving out her own niche in Canada’s rock spectrum and her unique voice has everything to do with it.

Passmore’s pedigree is well-established on this site. She’s a crucial member of Regina favourites Rah Rah and also spent time in Sylvie (a group I adore but, mysteriously, have never written about before) up until that band’s apparent dissolution. Her work with the former has always been arresting; her songs have an intangible quality that sticks with you long after the needle is lifted.

On Downtown her voice finally gets a chance to take the lead and hold it for a good long while. She has an entirely unique sound, which is not something that can be said about a lot of singers. Take opener “In The Woods” for instance; here Passmore shows the full depth of her range, stretching the low end of her registry when needed. Her vocal flourishes are sometimes quiet, sometimes not, but always comprised of a firm intensity that is shamelessly laid bare in front of the listener. I always picture her singing with her eyes closed, as if she’s channeling deeply internal emotions that no one else feels.

The title track sees her voice doubled-up throughout, creating a strong self-accompaniment that leads the way through a driving rock and roll song (the only one on this album that threatens to overtake her voice). “Not everyone is as immediately loved as you,” she intones repeatedly over crashing cymbals and increasingly ferocious electric guitar. This track showcases the band she assembled for these sessions better than any other, as the not-quite-frantic lead guitar winds it’s way through crunchy rhythm guitar and deft, galloping drums. Members of Wintersleep, Gramercy Riffs, Patrick Watson’s band, and Young Galaxy all contribute some stellar playing while Regina ex-pat Dagan Harding, formerly of groups like Geronimo and Despistado (which featured Passmore’s brother Joel on bass) also lends a hand.

The record takes an immediate left turn immediately after that number closes, veering into the quietly plaintive “Married.” The song is presumably about Passmore’s relationship (or a proxy, maybe the spectre of one) and the dichotomy she feels being happy but also uncertain about whether or not she wants more. She intones “I don’t want to fuck with that” and “Where would I be without you?” with equal passion over a tightly-wound yet twinkling piano figure that builds and builds alongside her increasingly-soaring vocals.

The fantastic “Rock The Boat” is next, a vaguely waltz-like, skewed prom ballad from a by-gone era that features the doo-wop backing vocals of yesteryear recreated by a spectral keyboard. When the chorus of real-life background singers comes in later they too sound hollow, as though they were recorded from the next booth over. The number is not only a showcase piece for Passmore’s ability to write different types of songs but also, again, for her vocals. At the song’s apex her voice climbs into a register previously hinted at on “Salty Cities,” the soaring highlight of Rah Rah’s Breaking Hearts album. It’s brief but startlingly moving.

The album’s highlight comes on “Monster,” a yearning pop song that boasts an incredible array of sounds. Somehow Passmore and the crew have jammed phased laser sounds, crisp and clear acoustic guitar, feedback, more tight and propulsive drumming, and washes of overt but not obtrusive noise all into one arrangement. The quiet verses give way to a mammoth chorus that explodes with all of those sounds at once with Passmore pleading for “No more favours,” in a melody that is equally confident and desperate. That voice remains the centerpiece here, the track mixed carefully to drape the cathartic beauty of the music bed in behind Passmore, never overwhelming her.

“Sad Song” further showcases the juxtaposition of typically-harsh sounds and gentle beauty that is pervasive on Downtown. Rife with tension, the drums pause and burst back at inconsistent intervals as something that sounds like a digitized version of an elephant horn sits insistent and growing in the back of the mix while fuzzed-out bass rumbles in the foreground. Passmore sings about being the spinster, of knowing devestating heartbreak that is obvious to all but the blind. It’s crushing.

The album’s closer is more like what people tend to expect from “solo” recordings, a voice-and-acoustic guitar number that proves Passmore is capable of anything. The guitar chords are spare, almost unnecessary, providing little more than melodic guidance as she sings a disarmingly naked ode to the fidelity and honesty she just can’t seem to find. It’s a wounded tale of broken expectations and unyielding hope. It’s a song so tender and yearning, so earnest in its delivery that the listener dares not even breathe at the risk of missing a note.

Downtown is not what I expected from Passmore’s solo debut. I think the general straight-forwardness of most Rah Rah songs can be quite disarming; those songs are brilliantly-constructed pop tunes but on their surface seem quite simple. On Downtown there are so many pieces that make up the whole, such a sophisticated level of craftsmanship it’s hard to believe any one person is responsible for its genesis. With so many elements at play these songs could have been noisy, overstuffed piles of instruments crashing and banging into each other but Passmore, her band, and producer Matt Lederman have instead marshalled them into cathartically beautiful moments of compressed bliss that are over all too soon. Downtown is a powerfully mature solo debut, a record of maximalist rock and pop that has come out of left field to set the standard for Canadian rock music this year.

 

 Erin Passmore - Monster [3:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out Erin’s CD release show on February 24th in Regina at The Distrikt. It should be really cool! If you aren’t in Regina you can pre-order the record via her web site. You could also check out Rah Rah tunes here too.

Pat entries Erin Passmore, Hidden Pony Records, indie rock, local heroes, Rah Rah, Regina, rock

I don’t know if Rococode felt like they had something to prove when they wrote and recorded Guns, Sex & Glory but I suspect they did.

Their story goes like this: Laura Smith and Andrew Braun spent time working with popular west coasters like Said The Whale, Hannah Georgas, and Dan Mangan. Striking up their own musical kinship, they recruited Shaun Huberts and Johnny Andrews, the rhythm section that has backed up Tegan & Sara the last few years. The end result is an album that is, if nothing else, compelling. The songs are admirably and carefully formed and the contributions of each member seem to be immediately clear even as they weave their deft compositions together.

The album’s intro sets the stage, introducing not only the band’s precise instrumental work but also the synthesized drum beats and digital atmospherics that pop up now and again on the record. The first proper song “Dreams” lets the listener know that the keen pop edge present in each member’s heritage work has been refined even further, throwing vocal hooks and handclaps into the mix in calculated spots. Smith’s keyboards become the most prominent element at times, especially on standout singles like “Weapon” and “Empire.” The keys are textured in a way that makes them stand out even more, especially when set against the crisp, pristine production.

Huberts and Andrews have proven vital to Tegan & Sara’s sound as that duo has evolved and they remain a well-matched pair here, their terrific instincts providing a lock-step rhythm that really complements the songs. The slinky, subtle shifts and shuffles of a T&S song like “The Ocean” are here in spades. But while their contribution is unimpeachably solid they mostly seem to function as background players here, ceding the spotlight to Smith and Braun.

While most of the songs here are finely layered rock pieces, Rococode does attempt to demonstrate their versatility through the pseudo-interpolation of “Concentrate On You,” a stripped-down take on album opener “Concentrate On Me.” The first version is a terrific up-tempo opener, a piano-driven rock and roll stomper with open-throated, layered vocals and compressed snare drums; the second is a vaguely-morose sounding alternate take with just Smith and Braun’s vocals and a lazily strummed acoustic guitar, the whole thing washed in reverb and lasting a third the run-time of the first take. It seems like an unnecessary after-thought, killing the momentum of the preceding “Dreams” before the majestic assertiveness of “Death Of A Payphone,” like a musical speed bump laid between the two much more energetic numbers. It’s a rare moment of unnecessary excess, a minor mis-step, but one the listener might not expect from an album whose details are clearly so carefully considered. It’s doubly unnecessary when the title track and the pair of “Ghost” songs do quiet and contemplative in an infinitely more effective way that also seems truer to the rest of the record.

The album was recorded by Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother; he (and his band) absolutely has a unique, vaguely-animalistic style and sound that has left an indelible mark on Guns, Sex & Glory. It manifests most clearly in the sometimes yelping, sometimes wordless ululations that make up some of the vocal fills, sudden tempo or tone shifts, and the raw callous-on-string texture of the acoustic guitars. I could be way off-base but I feel like all of those elements (especially the raw-throated scream of “Blood”) come at Guldemond’s behest — in a good way. They work together to help prevent the songs from feeling too antiseptic, too cautiously formed.

Rococode’s collection of songs is impressive. Saying it’s enjoyable is absolutely an understatement. Still, one has to wonder if their best work is still ahead of them. As accomplished as these arrangements are one gets the sense that the whole is still just the sum of its parts and that this effort has been at least partially shaped by it’s producer. I guess what I mean is that it doesn’t feel like a cohesive group effort; many songs are distinct from each other, as though they originated from different places.

The real takeaway though is this: a group this talented is capable of big things, regardless of where they’re starting out from. I can’t wait to see where they go next.

 

 Rococode - Empire [3:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Rococode - Weapon: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Find purchase links for the record at Rococode’s web site. Or, better yet, see them live on their upcoming tour and buy it straight from their sweaty hands!

Feb 17 – Vancouver, BC – CBC Toque Sessions
Feb 17 – Vancouver, BC – Café Deux Soleils
Feb 24 – Nelson, BC – Hume Hotel Spiritbar
Feb 25 – Kelowna, BC – Global Music Fest
Feb 26 – Lethbridge, AB – The Slice
Feb 28 – Edmonton, AB – Wunderbar
March 1 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s
March 2 – Winnipeg. MB – Lo Pub
March 3 – Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks
March 7 – Montreal, PQ – Divan Orange
March 8 – Peterborough, ON – Red Dog
March 9 – Ottawa, ON – Mavericks
March 10 - Quebec City, PQ – Le Scanner
March 13 – Charlottetown, PEI – Baba’s
March 14 – St Andrews, NB – Red Herring
March 15 – Fredericton, NB – Capital Complex
March 16 – Halifax, NS – Grawood
March 21 – Hamilton, ON – Casbah Lounge
March 22-24 – Toronto, ON – CANADIAN MUSIC FEST
March 26 – St Catharines, ON – Mansion House
March 29 – Regina, SK – Artful Dodger
March 30 – Calgary, AB – The Gateway
April 4 – Vancouver, BC – Electric Owl
April 6 – Victoria, BC – Lucky Bar

Pat entries Canadian content, collaborations, indie rock, Rococode, Vancouver

Standards are the bread and butter of the jazz world. Generally defined as compositions that are “held in continuing esteem and commonly used as the basis of jazz arrangements and improvisations,” tracks like “Bewitched,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” are instantly recognizable. But they’re also malleable, a familiar canvas that every artist can transform just enough to plant their own signature on them, almost giving the listener a baseline expectation by which to gauge someone they’re hearing for the first time.

You know you’ve found a singer that’s truly special when they’re capable of absolutely murdering a standard but they don’t need them to get your attention.

Melanie Hankewich is one of those singers. She’s been making a name for herself in Regina the last couple of years, performing under the moniker of Belle Plaine. You can expect her profile to grow by leaps and bounds in 2012 on the back of her stunning first full-length album. Notes From A Waitress was released last Friday with a very special show at the beautiful Artesian on 13th Avenue. AND I WAS THERE, YOU GUYS.

From the moment she stepped on the stage with a special backing band that, at times, numbered as many as half a dozen (including trumpet player Cheney “Thunderclap” Lambert from the Pile O’ Bones Brass Band and vocalist Anna Rose) Plaine had a firm grasp on the sold-out and packed-in audience. Wearing the black and white polka dot dress seen on the cover of the album, she took some time to welcome the crowd before launching into a set of mostly-original material.

Most of Hankewich’s press tends to focus on her voice, and rightly so; she took classical voice lessons as a kid and studied jazz at the well-regarded Grant McEwan University in Edmonton. Her voice sounds timeless, somehow equally sultry, seductive, fragile, and dusky while still capable of room-filling bombast when the moment calls for it. One gets the sense that she could sing anything and she proved it last Friday by effortlessly switching from the jazz-pop numbers on Waitress to the folk-based songs on her preceding EP. It’s not so much that her voice changes in any way to suit those styles, more that she has the strength, control, and natural tone to make it almost universal in its application. To borrow an old cliche: she could sing the phone book and The Artesian would still be standing-room only.

But Hankewich doesn’t need to. She and co-writer/pianist Jeremy Sauer collaborated on much of the songs on the new record, if not all of them, crafting unique takes on timeless jazz and sepia-toned lullabies about far-away lands. In fact many of the songs on the record are directly inspired by locales of varying degrees of exoticness from around the world (the mid-record trio of “Port Angeles,” “Vegas,” and “Waikiki” being the most overt examples). During the release show Hankewich also provided some excellent background information on their lyrical origins, like how she found a scrap of paper in Las Vegas with a few lines of poetry scrawled on them and incorporated them into a forlorn remembrance of how bleak reality can turn expectation on its head in Sin City. Or how her time spent in Victoria informed the dourly-beautiful “Port Angeles,” a song that’s roughly as beautiful as anything you’ve heard before. But as well-crafted as her lyrics may be it’s when she sings on the latter that “There’s some things you see approaching but life just doesn’t always turn out the way you wanted it to,” that you get a sense of how far her voice can take you. Her wounded, emotive performance explains exactly how the relationship between the song’s undefined subject and a blind cook’s son from the east coast ended, even though her words don’t. Sauer picks apart the song’s minor chords and creates an upper-range piano melody that is as patient as it is heartbreaking, the individual notes twinkling as brightly as the lights flickering on the water’s edge in Hankewich’s memory and/or imagination.

The closing trio of songs also provide an unexpected but endlessly-pleasant surprise for me personally. The songs were written by Hankewich and Sauer when they put together a show for Regina’s Globe Theatre called The Unforseen Journey Of Nathaniel Dunbar And Other Tales Of Whimsical Sadness. One of the most unique and engaging performances I’ve seen at the Globe in my time, the cabaret-style concert performance accompanied a combination of animation, slide show, and video that told Dunbar’s tragic tale while the band waltzed it’s way into my heart. I can’t even describe what it was like but I’m absolutely thrilled that the two decided to include a few songs from that show on the album, especially the wistful rainy-day ballad “Legendary.” As reminiscent of Patsy Cline’s tear-jerkers as it is any jazz number, the ukulele helps a painful romantic memory seem a little sweeter. It’s a true classic and, along with any number of songs on the new CD, a serious contender to become a new standard.

Which brings me back to standards. Oh, those standards. None of the classics appear on Waitress but there are some that have been made staples of a Belle Plaine set. The most memorable one from Friday’s show is a captivating take on “Fever” (originally performed by Little Willie John but made famous by Peggy Lee) which features only Hankewich’s sultry singing and Elizabeth Curry’s lithe bass. The two have been playing together for years and their timing is perfect, their performances seamlessly intertwined, Curry watching Hakewich intently to get the timing just right as she plunks out a deft and dynamic solo that leaves the crowd clamoring for more. A fantastic rendering of “My Funny Valentine” also popped up, though Hankewich wasn’t really a part of it. She introduced the number and let Sauer and Lambert take over, the piano providing the backbone while Cheney layered on some brassy bombast.

That moment was essentially a space-filler, giving Hankewich some time to run backstage for a costume change. But it’s also evidence of how smart she is in her efforts to make a go of a music career. Both in the studio and on the stage she makes sure that she’s surrounded by collaborators that have an innate understanding of what her songs need. Curry’s bassline is an essential part of a song like “Swamp Lullaby,” such an integral part of the composition it simply couldn’t be the same without it; Sauer has enough chops for a five-star kitchen and has clearly played a huge part in forming Hankewich’s sound. She’s also recorded and toured with Regina’s hidden gems, The Lazy MKs, the group that helped realize the folk-country sound of her previous EP. She seems to be less a solo artist than she is a ringmaster, someone who recognizes the talent of those around her and ensures they also get to stand in the spotlight even as they help make hers burn brighter.

Hankewich gave herself until this spring to try and make it as a musician. With 3,000 copies of Notes From A Waitress to get rid of I doubt she’ll be calling it quits any time soon. Here’s hoping she doesn’t; this gal is possessed of a truly world-class voice and she knows how to use it. She has a specific musical vision that truly stands out in the modern music industry and a stable of friends and collaborators to make it a reality. If Belle Plaine doesn’t put Regina on the map I don’t know what will.

 

 Belle Plaine - Port Angeles [3:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Belle Plaine - Advice From A Vicar [4:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can buy Belle Plaine’s music from Bandcamp, both physical and digital, because she’ll make more money that way. Her site also offers a few other choices.

Here are the tour dates. You can find more show details at Belle Plaine’s web site.
February 3 Biggar, SK
February 4 Saskatoon, SK
February 11 Regina, SK
February 23 Regina, SK
June 8 Sudbury, ON
June 16 Montreal, QC

Pat entries Belle Plaine, Canadian content, country, folk, jazz, live music, Regina, standards instant classics