Sound Salvation Army

What a weekend to not be in Regina.

I’m kicking myself, you guys. I’ll be in Winnipeg this weekend for a very important trip with my special lady to a city that’s not as bad as people (from Saskatchewan) think it is but I have an obligation (as a Saskatchewanian) to pretend like it stinks. But I’ll be missing SO MUCH good music, you guys!

It’s almost hard to keep it all straight but let’s start with Friday night.

Birds Are Dinosaurs are undoubtedly Regina’s most interesting group. The post-rock instrumental group frequently has a lot of members, including two drummers, and creates many-faceted songs that range from ominous to ecstatic, urgent to patient, bright to bleak, and everything in between. They also but on a downright entrancing live show, weaving textured arrangements with a studied expertise. They put out their first full-length back in 2009 and, word has it, they’re going to be working on another one. You’ll likely get a taste of that new material when they headline this month’s chapter of CJTR’s 10th Anniversary Showcase Series at the Exchange on Friday night at the Exchange. Also on the bill is the newly-renamed Sun Zoom Sparx, formerly known as Coelacanthdance. I promise, their music is better than their new name and easier to wrap your head around. Tickets, I believe, are $10 at the door.

HOWEVER, friends, conflict abounds on Friday night as well! Also playing tomorrow at the delightful Creative City Center are Surrey’s Sumner Brothers. Described by our friends over at Herohill as a roots act that even the most ardent Willie Nelson fans would have trouble finding fault in, the west coasters have toured Canada multiple times on the strength of a few criminally underrated albums (so underrated we haven’t even covered them before, in fact). Thankfully they continue to traipse across the country, guitars in tow, playing to ever-larger audiences. If a more traditional type of songcraft is your thing I highly recommend checking them out. Local musical mainstay Cam Wensel’s latest effort Black Drink Crier opens as well! Tickets are just $8 at the door (1843 Hamilton Street above Loggie’s Shoes).

Montreal by way of Calgary act Braids (mentioned all too briefly in our round-up of Regina Folk Festival’s first day) are also visiting the Exchange this weekend. They’re playing Saturday night with Pepper Rabbit and Painted Palms, two bands I literally know nothing about. I mean it; literally nothing. Braids, however, are tearing up the indie rock world right now. Their album Native Speaker has been short-listed for the Polaris Prize and is, according to some, an odds-on favourite to win. It’s layered, twisted versions of pop and rock songs are enough of a head trip to set them apart. Just take the Winnipeg Free Press’ word for it. This one is going to be jam-packed, so get your tickets at Vintage Vinyl if you don’t already.

Sunday is also going to be VERY exciting, as Hollerado roll into the Queen City on their “Meet The Mayor” tour. The concept has been so successful even the band has been surprised by it, but it goes like this: a month or so ago when they announced the show dates for their latest cross-Canada trek, the pop rock band joked on Twitter that they would endeavor to meet the mayor of every city they played. CJTR’s own Indie Insider and I relayed the message to Regina’s own Pat Fiacco and, being the amiable and eager politician that he is, he agreed to greet the group when they arrive in the city. From there, the idea spiraled, as Mayor Nenshi in Calgary also got on board. Odds are good they’ll talk about that meeting during their set, but even if they don’t you still get some of the finest pop rock happening in Canada these days. Young Rival and Wildlife open this one.

So there you have it folks. Way more amazing music than Regina is used to seeing in a month, let alone a week, crammed into a three day span. Please, miss as little of this line-up as you can.

 

 Birds Are Dinosaurs - Tragedy: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Sumner Brothers - Going Out West: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Braids - Lemonade [6:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hollerado - Americanarama: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Links!:
Birds are dinosaurs Facebook is here, because I can’t find anything else.
Sumner Brothers are on iTunes and they also have a web store.
Braids’ album is pretty cheap on iTunes and they also have a web store.
Hollerado are also iTunes fans, I guess or you can attempt to navigate their, um, unique website for physical purchase links. I sure as hell am not.

Pat entries acoustic, Birds Are Dinosaurs, Braids, Hollerado, instrumental, live music, pop rock, Regina, rock, roots, Sumner Brothers, Surrey, Toronto

I’m sure going solo is a harrowing experience for band members. Stepping away from your comfort zone to do something very different from what your audience is used to/expects from you must be a difficult decision. That’s why Graham Wright’s new solo record is kind of a pleasant surprise: it isn’t all about willfully subverting expectation. It feels more like having some extra songs and not knowing what to do with them.

The keyboardist and vocalist with the acclaimed fuzz-pop combo Tokyo Police Club doesn’t make a point of casting off his full-time band’s youthful exuberence or the sense of joy that permeates their songs. It’s more a shifting of gears, a chance for Wright to showcase his guitar-centric compositions instead of hiding behind his Roland.

The songs run the gamut, with driving pop-rock numbers that aren’t terribly far removed from TPC’s usual fare popping up every few tracks. Wright also hits a few melancholy notes as well, leaning on his acoustic guitar on a majority of these numbers.

But if you’re worried it’s more of the tired, mopey acoustic singer-songwriter fare that two out of every three rockers who put out solo albums these days are throwing at us, take heart! Wright hews closer to a Jonathan Richman than a Greg Graffin. “Something Stupid” is the opposite of the old standard break-up song, with Wright not wanting to hear the uncomfortable details of how his brand new ex-girlfriend has been getting around since they broke up. Colourful details about how it’s “raining cats and dogs” and his former lady getting drunk and falling down on the grass outside a bar flesh out the story as cathartic banjo and double-bass betray the slightly melancholy tenor of the song with a bluegrassy backbeat. It helps to downplay the sadness while maintaining the emotion.

Wright’s quirk goes a long way, with the very next track showcasing his sense of humour. The 50’s-rock sax underpinnings and distorted power chords of “Potassium Blast” fade into the background when he starts singing about his various women and their various maladies. “My baby’s a gimp, oh yeah/she walks with a limp,” the song begins, Wright flirting with the PC police. “My girlfriend’s so hip/you know she talks with a lisp/she makes a real mess of her words,” he continues later in the song. It’s the playful descriptions of his quirky ladies and the irrepressibly-catchy synth flourishes that take the dark edge off his admission that, “I’m sick of drinking my breakfast, baby.”

Indeed, the poppiest tracks here are also the ones that make your eyebrows go up. Brilliant single “Soviet Race” is the most immediate example. It’s dynamic drum beat, insistent rock guitar, and a vocal melody a young Elvis Costello would be proud of make it easily the catchiest song here. A tale of a young boy witnessing his father’s Cold War paranoia spins into…I don’t know, a story of star-crossed lovers? It doesn’t really matter, this song is too fucking catchy. I just lost my train of thought. What were we talking about again?

Right, love songs. There are some of those, like “Leftovers.” On the surface, it’s roughly the sweetest little love song this side of The Beatles catalogue, at least until Wright admits at the end that he doesn’t know if the girl actually likes him.

Anyway, there’s a lot going on here. Wright brings everything from found sounds to ukulele to glockenspiel to a fragile falsetto into these tracks. One might consider that unnecessary, given the fact that these 12 songs clock in at just 27 minutes. It’s a collection of adorable, amiable pop songs that seems to be over almost immediately after it starts. That might suggest a bare-bones approach or — heaven forbid — imply that the songs on Shirts vs Skins are more like sketches than fully fleshed-out tunes. But that’s simply not the case.

In the end it’s Wright’s adventurous spirit, his willingness to throw whatever he can at the wall to see what works, that gives the album its spirit and verve. It’s how often it all works that makes the album a success.

 

 Graham Wright - Soviet Race [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Graham Wright - Birds of a Feather: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Check out Wright’s website for links to purchase Shirts vs Skins and more info and stuff.

Pat entries Canadian content, going solo, Graham Wright, indie rock, pop rock, Tokyo Police Club, Toronto

Buckle up for some surprising news, readers: I’ve been getting older these last few years.

Shocking though it may seem, it’s true. To make matters worse my aging has been totally cliched. I go out to shows less and less often, “classic” soul and pop music has become my usual go-to instead of punk rock, my girlfriend and I stay in and read more often than we go out drinking, and sometimes I even go to bed before midnight. My teenage self is so ashamed.

Junior Battles, it seems, can relate. The plucky Torontonians found a place in my heart last year, thanks to a flawless EP and a surprisingly charming video. On their new full-length album, however, it appears someone is going all Daniel Plainview on their glass-half-full mind-set.

The first half or more of Idle Ages (aside from album opener “Seventeen” anyway) is jarring for me. It really made me take a look back at the band’s previous work and reassess the tenor of it. Chalk it up to having spent a year singing the songs from their self-titled EP as loud as possible in my car but in my head the band has been a beacon of positivity and hopefulness but it turns out that as far as that EP goes that really only applies to my admittedly-favourite song, “Basements.” The rest of the tracks have a significantly darker lyrical tone.

That’s amplified in several tracks on Idle Ages, the group’s first full-length album. Specifically “Nostalgic at 23,” “Birthdayparties vs Punkroutine,” and “Twenty-Five.” I’m sure it’s no coincidence that all of those numbers are written and (primarily) sung by Aaron Zorgel, who had this to say about the latter track in a run-down on the album published by Property of Zack:

I was going through a time in my life where I was the most directionless, the most broke, and as a result, the most medicated I’ve ever been. At that time, I was unhappy with where my life was going, and I didn’t know where I wanted to be, or what I wanted to do. So, I was getting wasted a lot and feeling sorry for myself. I’ve since turned 25, and I’m happy to report that I’m generally pretty upbeat these days, and I’m feeling good about my situation. I think I just needed to put what I was feeling out there, and doing that was honestly very therapeutic for me.

The idea of self-medicating comes up a few times here in a very unglamorous fashion. “I guess I’m happy for now but we’re just tired and loaded,” Zorgel sings on “Send The Pilots Away.” “We reminisce ’til we’re fucked up and then we puke in our own sheets,” fellow songwriter Sam Sutherland insists on “Nostalgic at 23, adding, “I’ve got to be fucked up to put up with your bullshit.” Also kind of a bummer: “I can sleep maybe eight hours a day/maybe six hours I’m wasted/and the rest of the day I’m fucking tired.”

Zorgel also spends a track or two looking at the idea that while aging may bring confusion (and eventually clarity) it can also force a wedge between formerly close friends. He laments how once-close friendships can take a backseat as people’s lives take different paths, resulting in infrequent contact that consists mostly of remembering common history.

Sound familiar? It does to me. You bet your ass I’d like to be able to make more time for the people that were once the closest friends I had, but work, family, and relationship commitments sometimes make that difficult. It’s unfortunate, but it’s something I try not to dwell on; there are simply more people than there is time to spend with them. I’ve always tried to tell myself that there’s no point in worrying about the inevitability in life; you won’t get anywhere if you spend all your time obsessed with what happens when you die or having a mental breakdown just because you’re turning 30.

To me these songs illustrate a depth of understanding that covers what I’m sure is a fairly common experience for people who might have expected growing pains to end with adolescence. Transitioning into the world of adulthood is tough enough for most people but for creative types trying to make a living while creating music and touring clearly adds another level of difficulty. Perhaps the Junior boys are hoping that openly discussing such issues will help other people get past those rough patches and increase the optimism.

There is certainly a more upbeat side to the record, one that the album simply couldn’t live without, the yang to the bleaker yin of the album’s first half. One example is pushed up front with opener “Seventeen.” It’s a bit of a mixed bag but for me it sets up a feeling of resolve that the energy and power of the music of Idle Ages helps to carry through the album’s entire running time. “Here’s a list of reasons we’re making this morning/to never feel angry or get disappointed,” the band sings emphatically at the opening. That along with the “woah-oh” melodies create a bubble of energy and glee that even the refrain of, “Will I be happy?/No, no, no, no, no, no, no/I don’t think so,” in the following track “Twenty Five” can’t burst.

“Architecture” and “Living In The Future Of Feelings” shift the focus to what is presumably the band’s overwhelming source of joy: the band itself. Sutherland describes the latter as a “straightforward pleasure-cruiser” about how much goddamn fun it is to be able to make music and do something you love, even if it means making sacrifices along the way. “Even our worst work week is still better than your holidays,” they insist before heading into a chorus that is the hands-down number one sing-along moment of the summer as far as I’m concerned (it also made a pretty good title for this review).

Junior Battles also deserve credit for attempting to stretch themselves musically. While much of the music follows the loose template of up-tempo pop punk they’ve already laid out for themselves there are several moments of aggression and a focus on taking their arrangements to the next level that show some significant growth. Just check out the 1:20 mark of “With Honours” for proof. In an admittedly brief but deft move the band abruptly switches from one of the record’s first moments of quiet(er) reverie to twenty seconds of thrashing, chaotic, uncharacteristically harsh guitar tones. The already-aggressive “Ever Get The Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?” chastises sloganeering punk bands for phony political posturing and gets a big boost courtesy of guest vocalist Damian Abraham of Fucked Up. The palm-muted riffing and somber tone of “Send The Pilots Away” recalls more dour moments from groups like Bad Religion or Polar Bear Club. The dizzying arrangement of “Alternate 1985″ seems more like four or five songs mashed together but it works, drawing the listener further in with every left turn.

I could go on but if I haven’t lost you yet I should probably not run the risk.

I’ll be the first to admit this review may be short on criticism but that’s only because I like this record too goddamn much. There are a couple of things that don’t work for me here but it just doesn’t matter. Idle Ages is a record that is exactly what it needs to be: it speaks eloquently about shared human experiences in a voice that isn’t pandering, cloying, or condescending. The players are extremely talented and have formed a sound that is unique but feeds off myriad influences, appealing to anyone who likes any kind of punk and probably more than a few people whose tastes lean toward safer pop conventions. The end result is easily one of the top five records released so far this year, one that will be sticking around when the year-end best-of lists start getting churned out in December.

In short these guys are exactly what they want the rest of the world to be: honest, ethical, forthright, dedicated, and driven. If nothing else that alone deserves your attention.

 

 Junior Battles - Seventeen: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Junior Battles - Living In The Future Of Feelings/No Plan: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can purchase Idle Ages from Paper + Plastick Records right here, through their webstore. Don’t bother getting it from iTunes — buying the CD will get you an instant digital download. The band tells me that vinyl is coming soon so if that’s your jam keep checking back.

Pat entries adulthood, Canadian content, growing up, Junior Battles, Paper + Plastick Records, pop punk, positivity, punk rock, rock, Toronto

I’m a sucker for a good headline.

Needless to say I was mighty impressed with Chuck at Beartrap PR when I saw this in my email: “Band discovers ratio of Copyright Infringement to Money Spent directly proportional to Overall Entertainment Value.” I was even more impressed when I found out that he’s right.

The video that headlines refers to is by the constantly-impressive Junior Battles, a pop punk quadrangle from Toronto. They’ve been doing a raft of interviews the last few months since the release of their self-titled 7″ and their ascension to backing band for O Pioneers!!! and they never disappoint. They’re hilarious guys but they’re always forthright about the music they make and what it is; they’re doing this for fun and because they love it and they’re going to ride it out as long as they can.

Their new (only?) video embodies that spirit wholeheartedly.

The song is the highlight of the aforementioned single, lead track “Basements” — a song tailor-made to sing along to at maximum volume while driving in your car with the windows down on the way to your bowling night (or other leisure activity). I know because I’ve been doing it all summer. This song is an up-tempo slice of melodic, harmony-soaked pop punk that is made for the sunny months and it’s been on every mix tape I’ve made since May. I love it.

The video shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone who downloaded the EP for free from If You Make It. Thumbing their nose at copyright law and intellectual property once again the video is comprised of scenes from a raft of their favourite movies from Saw to Back To The Future to Gremlins. A live performance provides the backbone of the video, the footage superimposed onto television screens in the film clips. Produced for no money, one gets the sense that this is more the fulfillment of the band’s childhood wish to share the screen with Michael J. Fox than anything else. But like everything this band does, it works.

But really, a goofy concept executed on a zero budget with middling results? That’ll get me every time.

 

 Junior Battles - Basements [2:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Make a difference in the world by BUYING Junior Battles’ record from Square Up Records. They also put out a brilliant split single with Pat favourite O Pioneers!!! that can be purchased from Kiss of Death Records.

Pat entries Canadian content, Junior Battles, Marty McFly, no budget, pop punk, Toronto, videos

The purpose of a music blog, one supposes, is to update frequently, preferably as things happen or as soon after they happen as possible. That’s always my intent, but then life happens.

So here I am, almost a week after the fact, telling you about the show I saw in Toronto last Wednesday. Sorry, but that’s how it goes sometimes!

Anyhoo!

Peaches feels cream. Or at least, that’s what her new album, I Feel Cream, would have you believe. I don’t know if feeling cream means she’s feeling more mellow these days, but Peaches’ new release is definitely a little less… raw than her previous efforts and that’s not at all bad. She’s employing some restraint in her songs without sacrificing any of the blatant sexuality and rampant swearing that has made her famous. And if this album is lacking the bombastic oomph of her earlier stuff, it makes up for it with its all-around vibe of an artist coming into her own in an entirely new way. I read a review of Peaches’ Fatherfucker that claimed she sounded bored singing about sex, which is too bad since that’s her bread and butter. The reviewer went on to say Impeach My Bush was a huge improvement over that earlier effort. I worry that some will think I Feel Cream is similarly “boring” because she isn’t screaming “Fuck the Pain Away.”

I think her musical progression can be looked at in the way you look at sex. It’s like, the more sex you have, the better you become at it. Peaches is a woman who knows her sex. She does it all the ways. And this time out, it’s like she’s in a steady relationship that’s healthy and exciting and the sexy is dirty and fun and mutually satisfying on the deepest levels. It’s also more subtle and stealthy and knowing. There’s a slyness to it that I think comes from being very, very good at what she does and a certain soulfulness behind the barked lyrics that comes through strong in her singing.

And besides, BOY does she know how to please with her live shows! They’re sexual, screwy, loud and all-around fun for those of us who would otherwise have no place to wear our hot pants and fishnets. It’s interesting to listen to the album and then hear her live. Her shows tease and build and explode into an orgasmic delight of lazers and costumes and chanted calls for the removal of clothing.

The mid-week show at the Phoenix was a hometown visit for Peaches, who was once an elementary school music teacher, and the crowd showed its appreciation early and often. Especially when she got her parents on stage. Mr. and Mrs. Peaches looked happy to be there, standing beside their daughter, who was, at the time, resplendent in gold chains and a white body suit under a pair of HUGE fake breasts. Then she bid them adieu, like “Bye mom and dad! I have to sing about fuckin’ now.”

Peaches with her mom and dad at the Phoenix in Toronto.

But I digress. Her set was a fine, sweaty mix of old and new tunes. I can’t pretend I love I Feel Cream as much as I love Impeach My Bush, but it’s still a solid entry into her discography and this shizz sounds great live. Trust me, she did two encores because we just wouldn’t leave! I danced and danced and shook my tail around like it was on fire! And when it was all over, I felt like I needed a damn cigarette.

During the course of the show, I also decided that I have to figure out how to make balloon animals, because at one point, she came out riding a motorcycle made entirely of balloons. So if I can get a job making elaborate balloon animal set pieces for raunchy rock stars, surely I will be set for life.

Opener Amanda Blank was all about winding it tight and watching it explode. I don’t want to say that women who rap are rare, because I just don’t know enough about them. But I feel pretty safe in saying that women who rap that well are given short shrift. I don’t even know if I can put M.I.A. and Santigold in the same category as her. They’re very good at what they do, but Amanda Blank is rapping for realsies. She’s the Mayo to the Miracle Whip of sundry other rappers and she will not tone it down. I wish to hell I could find the version of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” she spit out at the show.

Until then, I’m happy to listen to her album, I Love You, available on iTunes. Meanwhile, Peaches’ album, I Feel Cream is also available on iTunes and her online store, where you can and should purchase the rest of her albums. The business, yo. She’s the business.

 

 Peaches - Talk To Me: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Peaches - Fuck the Pain Away: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Amanda Blank - Make It Take It : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Amanda Blank, Canadian content, live shows, mp3, Peaches, rap, Toronto

Since we’ve been known to focus on local scenes in this bi-provincial blog, consider this a public service announcement: the Job is coming to Regina and you should probably be there.

They’re scheduled to play the tiny SCES Club (better known as the other half of the Exchange) July 16th, unleashing their frenetic, old-school punk fury on the Queen City’s overworked citizens. I’m anticipating it will be quite a treat for the lucky few that show up.

Recorded in a single day, their self-titled debut album is as reverential as it is relevant in today’s punk rock climate. Spastic, jittery power chords serve as the backbone of a sound that melds the Buzzcocks, the Clash, and XTC into a rollicking and riotous package. Not sure about the fuax-British accent on some of the tracks, but it certainly lends some attitude to the proceedings and the melodic vocals are varied and charming enough to hold their own regardless.

On the whole its a dynamic set of songs that screams to be heard in a live setting. I’m hoping plenty of my fellow citizens take the opportunity to join me for an exciting gig by some promising up-and-comers.

 

 the Job - the Night: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Job - Killer: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Job has just recently signed with Hi-Hat Recordings, but you’ll find little on Hi-Hat’s website aside from Spookey Ruben information and merchandise (that review is coming soon, by the way). For the meantime, peep the Job’s myspace, I guess, and attend the shows to get your hands on the disc.

Pat entries Canadian content, melodic punk, punk rock, the Job, Toronto

I don’t know why I bother to do my hair for shows at sweaty clubs. It just turns into a limp, shaggy mess. Monday’s show at The Phoenix was no exception.

Yes, I am aware that this comes almost a week late, but I saw Phoenix at The Phoenix. Synergy!

I went with my good friend Sheri and her friend Grant. We’re all show-going veterans and jaded journalists, so I was curious about how we’d all feel about this group live. Grant and I have both been on Phoenix’s jock for years, while Sheri is a relatively new convert.

I don’t want to presume to speak for Grant, but I think we both felt they did a fantastic job of picking a set list and playing a mix of older songs with stuff from the new album.

Grant said it was one of the best shows he’s ever seen. I don’t know about that, but I’m thinking it might make my top ten shows of the year. But it’s early yet.

I think this was the kind of show that is made or broken by the venue. A year ago, I would’ve put Phoenix at The Phoenix. But now? I think the only reason they played there was the name. With their newfound buzz, the group easily could have filled a bigger venue like Koolhaus. But seeing a show there feels like you’re at a concert in an airplane hangar. The Phoenix is… cosy. And by cosy I mean at a show as packed as Monday’s, you will become well-acquainted with the sweaty bodies of other people.

In his recent entry about Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Pat said their keyboards on the album are as comfy as an old worn blanket and that it made him sleepy. I can relate. There was a looong moment when it was so humid in the club I wanted to die and then, to make it even worse, somebody lit a cigarette even though, no, you cannot smoke in Toronto clubs, asshole. At that moment, they were playing old favourite Run Run Run. It morphed into an epic ten minute version that lulled the room into this hypnotic trance. We were waiting, waiting… It felt like when you’re a kid growing up on the prairies and everyone is just dog tired of the heat and holding their breath for rain. And then, the song ended and it felt like we let out our breath and it broke open and showered down rock and roll. Also, I went to get us some beer, which turned out to be the best beer ever.

I was unprepared for just how much energy they would bring to the stage live, but I probably shouldn’t have been. I saw them on SNL earlier this year and was impressed. And they played Letterman last night, proving it was no fluke.

Getting down to brass tacks, I was a little disappointed that they seemed to rush through Rally - my favourite song of theirs - but they made up for it with Run and held back nothing in their performances of Lisztomania and Lasso, not to mention the moody, noodly indulgence of Love Like a Sunset that worked better live than I expected it would. Their set list was practically perfect. They played off all their albums (and played Pat’s favourite, Consolation Prizes) and I got to hear some of my favourite songs. It was missing only Everything Is Everything, which I was a little disappointed they didn’t play, but hey, you can’t have it all. And they wisely held off on 1901, saving the best for last.

I was surpised by the number of dudes there. Not that I’m complaining about the sausage party, but Phoenix doesn’t really seem like the type of band a bunch of brosephs would go to a show for. And yet, they were out in force. Perhaps I should be thanking them. Please, Phoenix! Visit often!

You can check out Pat’s post for info on where to find Phoenix stuff online. In the meantime, here are some of my favourite songs from their previous albums, It’s Never Been Like That (2006), Alphabetical (2004) and United (2000).

 

 Phoenix - Rally: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Phoenix - Run Run Run: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Phoenix - Party Time: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tanis entries Letterman, live music, mp3, Phoenix, The Phoenix, Toronto

There are always too many options at Canadian Music Week and SXSW and NXNE, but don’t worry.

You’ve just gotta explore your options, look at what you think you want, then throw yourself at it in the hopes that it’ll be good. I learned a valuable lesson at CMW this year: with Elliott Brood on the bill, you never have to hope.

They performed a CMW showcase at Lee’s Palace last Saturday and put every other act on the bill to absolute shame. So much so that headliners Cuff the Duke apologized in advance for not being as awesome as Elliott Brood. OK. Not quite. But Wayne Petti did thank the “extrememly hard to follow Elliott Brood.” For their part, Cuff the Duke played extremely well. They’re almost ready to release a new album and I’m gonna be right there to buy it. That said, it was just Elliott Brood’s night.

It was ridiculous - no, INSANE - they way they brought the house down. From the second Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet and Steve Pitkin bounced onstage to play their set of country death metal songs, we were at their command. They just killed it. Just put their heads down and bashed out a solid set of murder ballads, angry, scratchy country laments and plain ol’ rock n’ roll.

Back in the day, Pat and I were roommates in Brandon, Manitoba. He rescued me from a hellishly hot, stanky attic apartment that I shared with at least one mouse. When we moved in together, I was taking part in a mix tape exchange. For one exchange, I made a disc of murder ballads and got Pat to pose for my CD cover.

Thanks, Pat! Mighty fine blood you got goin’ on there.

Elliott Brood’s Mountain Meadows is an album of murder ballads based on the Mountain Meadows Massacre of Sept. 11 1857, when the Mormon militia, disguised as Natives, attacked the Fancher-Baker emigrant wagon train in the Utah territory.

Mark Twain wrote about the massacre in Roughing It: “The whole United States rang with its horrors.” 

A large party of Mormons, painted and tricked out as Indians, overtook the train of emigrent wagons some three hundred miles south of Salt Lake City, and made an attack. But the emigrants threw up earthworks, made fortresses of their wagons, and defended themselves gallantly and successfully for five days! Your Missouri or Arkansas gentleman is not much afraid of the sort of scurvy apologies for “Indians” which the southern part of Utah affords. He would stand up and fight five hundred of them. At the end of the five days the Mormons tried military strategy. They retired to the upper end of the ‘Meadows,’ resumed civilized apparel, washed off their paint, and then, heavily armed, drove down in wagons to the beleagured emigrants, bearing a flag of truce! When the emigrants saw white men coming they threw down their guns and welcomed them with cheer after cheer….”

And then, they were slaughtered. About 120 men and women were executed there, their bodies left out in the open, their bones scattered across the plains.

I’ve always had a fascination with death. Maybe that’s where my love of murder ballads comes from. The militia left about 17 children from the group alive. They were raised in the Mormon faith, where it was assumed they would not remember what happened. Elliot Brood’s Mountain Meadows doesn’t really get into the gory details of this fight. But it wonders what happened to the survivors. There’s talk of bones and graves and schoolyards and memories. All things you need to write really good murder ballads.

Beyond that, these guys have something else going for them: Showmanship. They dress in dark suits and collared shirts. They remind me, simultaneously, of morticians and gangsters; Proper, but foreboding. It’s like going to a raucous funeral.

Casey Laforet, wearing head-to-toe black, sat crouched on a stool and launched into a song, punctuating his frantic, furious guitar-playing (and he’s doing double duty on bass pedals) with wild headbanging, shouts and yelps. Steve Pitkin storms in and keeps things chugging along with meaty thumps and stomps. Meanwhile Mark Sasso (who, it must be said, bears an uncanny resemblance to Stephen Harper with dark hair) stood, tall and intimidating, strumming the banjo, the guitar and yes, the ukulele, and letting loose with an unholy wail of a voice that sounds like Brian Johnson ate Bryan Adams and washed it down with a glass of Tom Waits.

Near the end of their set, they handed out baking sheets and wooden spoons and encouraged the crowd to bang on them at the appropriate moments. Those moments came during the song Write It All Down For You and people pounded along and it all sounded so fine. The evening coalesced right then. It was the perfect moment. Everybody was along for the ride for their entire set. I only wish it had went on longer.

Basia Bulat played the bill at Lee’s last Saturday too. She had a lot of technical difficulties, especially with a troublesome ukulele. It was a sweet, small little thing, perfectly made and nice. Just like Basia Bulat. But when she went to plug it in, it wouldn’t work and she started losing the crowd. Enter Elliott Brood’s lead singer, Mark Sasso. He gallantly let her borrow his ukulele. (I know. Two groups with multiple ukuleles. It’s way better than I’m making it sound.) She picked it up. It was bigger than hers, rough and black and scratched and nicked. It looked dirty and broken, but it sounded sweet when she played it and it worked perfectly for her. You can draw your own conclusion here, but I’ll draw one too: Elliott Brood may not be pretty or perfect-looking, but they are not fucking around. When they play, shit does not dare go wrong. YOU HEAR THAT UKULELE?

Often, the most morbid tales are the ones told in a fast-paced, energetic way. You can’t listen to Ralph Stanley croon Pretty Polly or Johnny Cash romp through Cocaine Blues without learning that. Like the man in black himself, this band lays down some potent music that stays with you. I haven’t stopped thinking about them since I saw them.

They play like the hounds of hell are on their heels. They’re taking you down dark, twisty roads and they’re taking you there at a dangerous, breakneck pace. It’s breathtaking and exciting.

It’s like waking up in the middle of the night when you’re camping and you really have to pee and you play that game with yourself where you tell yourself there’s nothing out there in the woods. You can totally get up and take a piss real quick, then be back in your warm sleeping back before you even know it. Except in Elliott Brood’s songs, there IS something out there. It’s crouched in the brush and it can’t wait to gut you. It’s licking a knife right now…

I have a hard time making best of lists and stuff, but Mountain Meadows is on my list of best albums of 2008, so you should buy it and try to see this band live if you can. They’re at SXSW this week before they head back to Canada for Juno Fest in Vancouver on March 27 (They’re nominated for best roots/traditional album and best CD design) They’ll be back in their native Ontari-ari-o May 1 for a gig at The Gig Music Hall in Kitchener.

Elliott Brood albums can be purchased at Six Shooter or their personal website. You can also listen in at their myspace.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

EDITOR’S NOTE: I love these dudes. So much so I added another song, the amazing first track “Fingers and Tongues.”

Tanis entries Basia Bulat, Canadian content, CMW, Elliot Brood, Junos, murder ballads, SXSW, Toronto