Sound Salvation Army

There is apparently no shortage of charismatic guitar rock in oil country.

A few months ago we heaped glowing praise on the Dudes’ latest album; now their spiritual cousins in the Fast Romantics are looking to grab some of the spotlight with the release of their self-titled debut.

The Romantics play a brand of rock and roll that simply doesn’t work without a lot of confidence and a very assured swagger is evident on this record. Don’t worry: it falls well short of cock rock but brings the handclaps, bluesy riffing, and lead guitar skronks you’d expect of a quality Canadian guitar rock band.

Immediate comparisons have been made to groups like Blur and Spoon and in many ways they make sense. The band has the purposeful guitar stab of Spoon and the propulsive, often-buoyant bass is as integral here as it was on Kill the Moonlight and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The songs collected here have plenty of charisma and the well-toned keys are a nice flourish, but the band seems to be a touch less playful than Blur.

Some high energy marks the album’s opening, the initial three tracks serving as some of its strongest numbers. The quartet opens the bag of tricks wide on first cut “Spooning the Gorilla,” grooving stabs at guitar and bass joined by purposeful drums, handclaps, and oozin’ aahs maximizing the pop sound. Some nice arhythmic bass flurries co-mingle with playful guitar leads and some impressive drum fills on the second track. The song also has a well-layered sound with the backing vocals a constant presence throughout and a strong, almost Brian Wilson-esque harmony in the chorus. The beat on “Moneymouth” is a classic, most recently resurrected for Jet’s “Are You Going To Be My Girl?” The song is also supported by a familiarly-funky bass intro and tambourine. Whether or not it indicates a desire for crossover appeal remains to be seen.

The remainder of the record strikes a middle ground, that question of intent coming up again and again. There is a heavy late 70’s boogie rock influence happening here, with some Ray Manzarek keys coming in on many of the tracks. The arrangements are deft, the solos noteworthy, but the band definitely falls into a comfort zone. While each song has its own subtle differences there is a bit of same-ness to the bulk of the Fast Romantics.

Closing track “Mr. Magoo” attempts to break from that, incorporating strings and a New Orleans-style horn showdown into a positively Tom Waits-ian shanty song before breaking back into a rock and roll rumble. Its definitely the odd man out here and it stretches the listener in a way that might’ve played better earlier in the album, couched among the slate of similar-sounding tracks.

This is an album that’s been several years in the works for the group’s songwriters, one of whom was nearly killed in a car crash during the recording sessions. The songs have definitely been polished to an immaculate sheen during that time, the level of and attention to detail being very striking. But having said that, its kind of a shame it doesn’t result in a more memorable product. The Fast Romantics isn’t an offensive or boring listen by any stretch, but it seems to fall short of mind-blowing — though not for lack of trying.

 

 the Fast Romantics - Spooning The Gorilla [3:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Fast Romantics - Mr. Magoo [3:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Get the album from iTunes digitally and there doesn’t seem to be a specific avenue for purchasing a physical copy, so here’s their Facebook page. It’s the new/old myspace!

I nearly forgot to mention they’re playing in Regina tonight! Saturday, September 5th at the Gaslight Saloon. Come on by for the show and I’ll let you buy me a beer!

Pat entries Calgary, indie rock, pop rock, rock, the Fast Romantics

We’ve got a special treat for our readers: A he said/she said review of the latest album from Calgary band The Dudes. Pat will take first crack at it because he got his shit together fastest, but Tanis gets the final say.

PAT:

I’ve been listening to an awful lot of Sam Cooke in the last eight months or so and I think he would heartily approve of The Dudes. While they may aim for the aesthetic of Al Green meets the Flaming Lips, I’d wager their obvious passion and enthusiasm for life, love, and soul-affirming music makes them spiritual cousins to the late, great songwriter and many others that have dabbled in “soul” music.

Tanis and I both loved The Dudes’ previous album, Brain, Heart, Guitar, for its energy and sense of fun. The band shoots for the aforementioned vision and in their own, “white-boy soul” kind of way, achieves it. Now they’ve got a new album out called Blood Guts Bruises Cuts and it has been way too long.

While the lead vocals of the nerdily-bespectacled Danny Vacon may not at first (or second) blush be what the average listener might consider “soulful,” he performs the balls off his songs, alternately purring like a kitten and pleading like a sinner for the salvation that only love/sex can bring. Serving as the undeniable centrepiece of the band, he pushes his voice to the peaks and valleys mined by soul singers through the decades, allowing the band to put a downright Costello-ian pop-rock spin on the genre.

There are two centrepieces in my opinion: first is “Mr. Someone Else,” a spiritual cousin of sorts to “Jessie’s Girl” in which Vacon covets a friend’s lady…hard. It is a quintessential Dudes song: it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the arrangement is taught and muscular and the lyrics are honest and direct, a bald-faced and lustily covetous tale that would likely be considered ribald in polite company. They band is also totally willing to rock a cowbell in a non-ironic fashion.

The rest of the album follows suit, melding proto-rock sentiment and modern power-pop chords while Vacon analyzes, laments, appreciates, celebrates, and embraces love every way shape and form (including the wonder of make-outs and hook-ups).

If “Mr. Someone Else” is the yin of the album, the yang comes with “Ghosts We’re Buried On,” in which Vacon traces the roots of his musical passion back to a beat-up guitar played with fervor on his Grandfather’s porch, the soul of the music intertwining deeply and irrevocably with his own.

I could talk at much greater length of the wonderful and joyous songwriting displayed on Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, the razor-sharp hooks of lead single “Pretty Lies,” the band’s softer side showing through on “Small Mercies” and “Had Enough Of It,” the footloose and fancy-free celebration of life that is “Ever Been To Taiwan?” Instead, I’ll leave it up to you (and Tanis) to do yourself a favour and pick this album up.

At its very least it’s a perfect summer road-trip album; at its greatest, every track is a triumph that deserves to be heard.
_________________________________

TANIS:

When you move across the country to start a new job, the last thing on your mind should be bumping your flight to the next day so you can go see a band rock and roll all night before you leave, but thanks to The Dudes, I have done this. I only slept about an hour before hopping a plane from Calgary to Toronto, but their live show at the Hi-Fi was worth it and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Especially after listening to their latest effort.

The Dudes released Brain Heart Guitar in 2006, so the repeated lines “It’s a long time comin’” from “Pretty Lies,” the first single off new release Blood Guts Bruises Cuts, seem especially fitting. It took awhile, but by God, was it ever worth the wait.

The Dudes have turned this mother out, unleashing waves of jangly guitar, witty lyrics, hooky choruses you can shout along to and generally crafting the kind of happy, energetic songs that make legends out of local bands. They’re everything you want in a great pop act and they kindly ask that you respect their right to rock your face off, too.

Thanks to some tight producing, Blood Guts Bruises Cuts sounds much more complete and explored than Brain Heart Guitar. The band has stretched their legs, done some living, figured out who they really are and filled every corner of this album with their experiences. And they smartly did not slick everything up. This still sounds distinctly like The Dudes. Every song leads you down the corridor of their existence, pointing out pit stops taken and influences found along the way and the resulting album is the pinnacle of their creation.

The guitars are brash and bold – almost overdone – but they’re countered by frontman Dan Vacon’s shy, sweet voice. I wouldn’t be surprised if every word out of his mouth was accompanied with a nerdy shrug like “It’s OK, I guess.” He has this offhanded way of singing the most brilliant lines, just lazily letting slip these witty lyrics like they’re nothing. It’s positively Joel Plaskett-esque! There are also references, some overt, some subtle, to the Blues Brothers, Bon Jovi, the Beach Boys, Aerosmith, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. AND, I hear musical nods to Van Halen, The Cars, Cheap Trick and April Wine, among others.

At first, I thought Blood Guts Bruises Cuts was good. The second time through, I thought it might be better than Brain Heart Guitar. By the third listen, I knew it was. This album is so luscious and ripe, this band so primed for success. It will be so totally bogus if The Dudes don’t shoot to fame on the back of this bad boy.

I love the raucous and rockin’ “Ever Been To Taiwan?” and “Had Enough Of It,” a bright little duet with Calgary singer Lisa Lobsinger, recently of Broken Social Scene fame. And Pat’s mentioned the SUPERB “Mr. Someone Else,” the paen to the best song ever written. But the real standout for me is “Girl Police.” It’s awash with big, happy guitar riffs and power chords, a barely-contained ’80s sound, soaring oooooohs and aaaaaahs and with Vacon’s soulful vocals bobbing over it all. I can’t wait to see how they rock it live. I imagine there’s going to be some Budokan level shit happening there. Not to mention, it has the catchiest listing of names in a song since “Mambo No. 5.” Oh, come on. Like you never sang along!

The Dudes JUST missed the cutoff for Polaris Prize consideration this year, but I’d like to think that next year, they might be nominated for this stellar effort because I’ve already got it on my best-of list for 2009.

 

 the Dudes - Mr. Someone Else [4:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Dudes - the Ghosts We're Buried On [5:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Dudes’ website proclaims Blood Guts Bruises Cuts is “available in stores” (DEAD BUSINESS MODEL WHAT?), but is also on Amazon and of course, iTunes. Obviously, we’d rather you contacted your independent retailer (if you still have one) and procured a copy through that means, but we don’t run your life. You’re an adult.

Pat entries, Tanis entries Calgary, Canadian content, pop rock, power pop, soul, the Dudes

I brought a new little kitten into my household last month. So far, so good.

My older cat, The Chairman Meow, has adapted well to miss Imelda Meowcos. And by that I mean, he sometimes pins her to the carpet with his giant jaw. Enjoy that while you can, buddy. She’s getting bigger every day.

Sigh. They grow up so fast!

I’m leaving them alone together for more than 24 hours for the first time tomorrow morning and I’m a little nervous. I’ve been hesistant to go away, but I’ve had these tickets for this show, see. And I don’t like to waste money. Okay. That’s a lie. I do like to waste money, but I like to actually consume the stuff I’m wasting it on. You know. Like liquor and nailpolish. And Calexico shows at the Mod Club. Calexico!

Sometimes, I wish my life was exciting enough to warrant a soundtrack. Can’t you just see me, poised and cool at a cantina, wind whipping my hair as I watch for my man? He appears on the horizon as the sparse, spare notes of Calexico’s cover of Guns of Brixton pluck their way across the desert. As the horns build to a fiery pitch, he stalks closer. Is he an illusion born of the sweltering heat and my long dry spell concerning the gueros? Perhaps. Or perhaps I should look into a career as a Harlequin writer. Lord knows it’d have to pay better than freelancing feature articles.

calexico-guns-of-brixton

I like Calexico in almost all of their styles, but the mariachi/Ennio Morricone/sizzling southwestern flavour they bring to the longer epics are my faves. In particularl, I love Crystal Frontier. Which recently woke up the astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery! So sure, your favourite band is probably pretty awesome, but could they rock in SPACE? I thought not.

Calexico - Crystal Frontier

This show is going to be something to behold. Because I just now discovered that if you’re planning to attend, you should most definitely not skip the opening act to get drinks elsewhere. Because Calexico brought my FAVOURITE Calgary band, Woodpigeon, with them! Hooray!

Woodpigeon played the first show I saw last year in January at Broken City. That show set the tone for a year of amazazing concerts for me. I owe it all to Woodpigeon. They also cleared up my skin and helped me get better grades. Before Woodpigeon, I was a loser. Now, I’m still a loser, but I listen to Woodpigeon on my iPod sometimes. You should, too!

Woodpigeon - Home as a romanticized concept where everyone loves you always and forever

* * *

In other news: I live in Guelph. There are lots of artists here. Lots of musically inclined folk. It’s nice because, I could probably walk to 127 Grange St. and buy up every album Burnt Oak Records have to offer and not be disappointed once.

But if I were to make a couple of recommendations based on my perusal of the catalogue of this artist collective, I would tell you to very seriously consider Elbow Beach Surf Club’s EP Billy Club, released last November. Holy shit, is it good.

Guelph, it turns out, is in Ontario. Guess what’s not in Ontario? A beach where you can surf. I don’t hold it against the province though. There’s plenty of other things to recommend it (I’m canoing the Elora Gorge in August) and besides, Elbow Beach Surf Club’s tune Turf Dream is like, Dick Dale meets Sonic Youth. This music doesn’t make me want to surf as much as it makes me want to get in a Detroit muscle car, strap my surfboard to the roof and drive to Tofino.

Elbow Beach Surf Club - Turf Dream

Burnt Oak also gives Guelph group Green Go shelter from the storm.

Hey, Albion Hotel, I come to your hallowed halls almost every Friday to get my drink on. I can’t say I don’t miss the old, divey Albion, but I don’t mind the decor so much as the music. Every Friday, I am forced to listen to hideous, loud, dance music. I love Michael Jackson remixes as much as the next person, but could you get in gear and play some LOCAL musicians? I promise, Mad Man Max will inspire as much frenetic grinding and flailing as, say, Billy Jean and give you some sweet indie cred to boot! How bout it?

Green Go - Mad Man Max

Tanis entries Calexico, Calgary, Canadian content, Elbow Beach Surf Club, Green Go, Guelph Ontario, kittens, pets, Woodpigeon

I hate watching light filter through my curtains in the morning. Because that’s when I’m trying to sleep. I looked at blackout curtains, but they were kind of expensive. So I made my own. I bought a fabric shower curtain from Ikea and used a stapler to attach a big piece of black fabric I bought at Wal-Martingtons, then hung it in my bedroom window. Now, when I go to sleep at 5 a.m. and wake up at 12 noon, the sunshine don’t bother me. If only I could fashion tiny muzzles for the birds.

For the most part, the night shift agrees with me. I like staying up late. There’s mystery and a cool, quiet dignity in the night. Sure, it’s punctuated by drunken frat boys trying to hail cabs by throwing themselves on the hood, but for the most part, it’s a calm oasis compared to the oppressively muggy heat of the southern Ontario day. And it gives me an opportunity to get a lot of running around done in the late afternoon. Were I so inclined. I am usually so far inclined in the other direction that I’m bent.

But one thing the night shift doesn’t agree with is my social life. For the last 5+ years, I have missed more concerts and shows than I can count. I can’t take part in any groups that meet at night, playing recreational sports like baseball or soccer or ultimate frisbee or roller derby (I have such an awesome name planned that I need to join a league like, right now) is unheard of, and I never get to sit on a patio at 5 p.m. drinking cold ones. Mourn my loss, for as Strong Bad says, a one that is not cold is scarcely a one at all.

I know I should not sleep all day and let the afternoon pass me by. And yet, I do. And the Rural Alberta Advantage understands this. I know they do, because on their incredible indie CD Hometowns, they have a song called Sleep All Day that I find absolutely charming. It’s dreamy and easy, exactly like waking up at noon and watching the clouds crawl across a palate of blue sky that instantly lets you know you’ve wasted what many people think is the best part of the day. It’s a decadent slice of music that recalls mornings and afternoons spent lounging in bed with the crossword or a novel and black, black coffee.

My office is so close to the Rural Alberta Advantage show at the Albion Tuesday night that if I sat at the intern’s corner desk and opened the window, somebody sitting on the upstairs patio could pass me a beer and I could watch them play from the office. That would be heaven. Or hell, considering the Merc’s sweetest sin of a cranked AC unit.

The dreamy, ethereal aspect of their music continues in my other favourite song from Hometowns, Frank, AB. When I was a kid, my family would take epic road trips from my small Saskatchewan hometown to the west coast. I clearly remember two rural Alberta cities we’d pass through: Medicine Hat (where I’d later live and work) because they had a huge waterslide park we got to stop at, and Frank. When we’d pass through there, my dad would tell us the story of the Frank slide.

Frank is a mining town in the Crows Nest Pass. In April of 1903, 74 million tonnes of limestone crashed from the tippy top of Turtle Mountain, covering about three square kilometres of the valley and killing about 70 people who lived on the south side of the town. They only ever recovered a few of the bodies and after my dad told me about this tragedy, I would lay in the dark of our huge canvas tent when we pulled over to camp for the night, huddling in my sleeping bag and dreaming of what it would be like to be smothered by rock and rubble and be a ghost haunting a one-horse mining town. Sometimes, I dream about it still. It’s heartening then, that this band dreams of it, too, and in fact, wrote a love song about it. Yes, it’s a love song about a rock slide. Deal with it.

All props due to Emmet at A Bulldozer With a Wrecking Ball Attached, who recently mentioned Rural Alberta Advantage. I knew they had a show coming up at the Albion (because I’m there every weekend), but a reminder is a reminder and he’s a far better rock writer than I. Even if he does go on about the Batman a lot.

Speaking of bands Emmet has written about…

I was first introduced to The Summerlad while living in Regina and working on a video project for school with a local concert promoter I knew from my student newspaper days. Said promoter was from Flin Flon and my job was to follow him around for a day or two to capture his “invisible challenge” on tape. Why, yes, I DID think it was a stupid assignment. But hey, I thought, I can at least hang out with somebody cool while I do this. So I followed him around downtown Regina on a crisp fall day while he put up posters for an upcoming Summerlad show. Little did I know that years later, I would be living in Calgary and my best friend would be dating a fellow Flin Flonian. Said fellow was great friends with Dean Martin (Hey pally!), the drummer for the Summerlad. And the Ex-Boyfriends. And The Martin-Fulton Overkill. Dean and his beloved were also from Flin Flon and they all knew the same music promoter. Cue It’s a Small World.

The Lads have been churning out quality music for about as long as I have been of a mind to seek it out. They are easily one of Calgary’s best acts and I salute their stamina and drive. Once, on Dean’s birthday, I saw him drum with every one of his bands at Calgary’s Broken City. It was an evening of great, loud, loud, loud music. Did I mention it was loud? It was quite the feat and I haven’t seen so much unabashed love of music from anyone since. The group recently won a spot at Calgary’s Virgin Music Festival, and besides The Flaming Lips, their Sunday slot is one of the only things I wouldn’t miss from that fest. You heard it here first. You would be a fool to miss either of those sets. A fool.

I’m heartily endorsing their single, City of Noise as one of the best songs of the year. It’s different than what I’m used to hearing from them at shows in Cow Town (epic, sprawling, mystical adventures of songs almost too big for the venues they were playing) but it’s really driving and the chorus so shout-worthy (Hey! You Rockers! Hey! You Shockers!) that there is absolutely no reason for this song not to become THE summertime jam of ‘O8.

The Summerlad plays the Casbah in Hamilton, tomorrow, and if you’re up for a crushing blow of diehard music fans, head to Toronto’s NXNE and visit the Boat Thursday, June 12 where you can and should see BOTH The Summerlad AND the Rural Alberta Advantage rock the, um, boat.

NXNE is a huge juggernaut you can barely hope to contain. But there’s a shit-ton of good music to be had there if you can juggle your schedule appropriately to see everything you want to see. I’d probably go nuts doing that, so I’d settle for picking one or two of my faves. Like Toronto’s the Action Makes, a hot mess of rock n’ rollers who will storm the barn, burn it down and raise a few spirits for a ghoulish hoedown. They remind strongly of the Black Lips and the Deadly Snakes. Check out their song Charley and the CFF for good, rollickin’ times. It makes me want to throw down shots and drink beer and dance in a sweaty tangle of bodies. Soooo. . . maybe I’ll see you at the Silver Dollar Friday, June 13.

 

 The RAA - Sleep All Day: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The RAA - Frank, AB: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 The Summerlad - City of Noise: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries beer, Calgary, Canadian content, Crow's Nest Pass, live music, morning, NXNE, Rural Alberta Advantage, sleep, the Summerlad