Review- “Blood Guts Bruises Cuts”- The Dudes
reviewed by Michael
This album by Calgary’s the Dudes is a first for the blog (as if every post doesn’t seem to be something new or unique). This may well be the very first post on the blog which is a review of a cursed album.
Since the album has been released, singer Dan Vacon has broken both sides of his collarbone, and drummer Scott Ross has lost three teeth, part of his awesome mustache and has hurt his legs as well. Here’s hoping their next album doesn’t have the word “death” in the title anywhere.
With that out of the way, this album is a really awesome collection of good old-fashioned rock. Vacon has a good tone as the singer, and there are many great accompanying guitar riffs and drum beats.
The subject matter for the most part deals with love in many different ways. “Mr. Something Else” will appeal to the hearts of hopeless romantics everywhere- a classic tale of a girl dating one guy, and another guy thinking that the same girl should be with him.
“Girl Police” talks about love in a rather humourous way- it starts with the lyrics “The girl police are coming over/Comb your hair, pretend you’re sober.” It then goes on to tell of a huge love polygon- I call it that because it is a huge mess of a bunch of people who like other people who like other people. Maybe that’s called a love web?
The album is not all about love though- some of the songs will appeal to the heart of classic rock n’ rollers, particularly the song “Ever Been to Taiwan?” Despite the title, it delivers with the vocals. It is all about the bar show experience- getting on the guest list, watching a bunch of bands who may or may not suck, and getting wasted regardless. Please not that Grayowl Point will not be held responsible if you decide to follow this song’s advice.
If you’re looking for a great rock experience, definitely give these Dudes a listen- you’ll probably like this album a hell of a lot.
Top Tracks: “Girl Police”; “Mr. Something Else”; “Ever Been to Taiwan?”
3.5 Hoots (out of 4) +*swoop*
Check out the video below that won the Dudes a Bucky Award for Best Off-Stage Performance:
Grayowl Concert Alert> Dec. 20 – Dec. 23
To keep you informed on Toronto’s winter break indie activity, here is…Grayowl Concert Alert! This week’s alert extends only to Wednesday, due to the lack of concerts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as music venues and performers take some holiday time off. But here’s what’s happening in between then and now:
Sunday Dec. 20:
Bentroots [http://www.bentroots.ca/] @ Gabby’s Bistro, 7:00 PM
Monday Dec. 21:
La Casa Muerte [http://www.myspace.com/lacasamuerte] @ Horseshoe Tavern, 8:00 PM {food bank fundraiser}
Peter Eastmure[http://www.myspace.com/petereastmure] @ Dave’s Gourmet Pizza, 7:30 PM
Tuesday Dec. 22:
Signe Miranda’s Veranda [http://www.signemirandasveranda.com/] @ Oriental Taste, 9:30 PM
Holly Andruchuk [http://www.myspace.com/hollyandruchuk] @ The Imperial Pub, 7:00 PM
Wednesday Dec. 23:
Hinterland Band [http://www.myspace.com/hinterlandband] @ Horseshoe Tavern, 8:00 PM
Dodger [http://www.dodger.ca/] @ Sound Academy. 8:00 PM
Dirty Inputs [http://www.myspace.com/dirtyinputs] @ Method Lab, 8:00 PM
a couple or so shows are food bank fundraisers, and it is encouraged that you take something along to donate. After all, it’s all about the giving! Concert Alerts will be back next weekend to update you on Toronto’s end-of-year indie festivities. Till then, goodbye, and have yourself a very happy holiday!
Review- “Soft Airplane” + B-Sides EP- Chad VanGaalen
reviewed by Michael
A few months ago, Calgary, Alberta’s Chad VanGaalen released a free EP featuring eight b-sides from his 2008 album Soft Airplane. Soft Airplane was shortlisted for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and I also wanted to do a rather different review- a review which encompasses an album and EP.
Having not heard anything by VanGaalen before, I had no high or low expectations when I first began to listen to Soft Airplane. I ended up being absolutely blown away. The album was so genre-defying and thought-provoking, to say the very least.
It begins with the simple song called “Willow Tree” which won Best Song at the 2008 Bucky Awards. It features a very simple chord progression and the lines “And you can take my body/Put it in a boat/Light it on fire/You can use the kerosene.”
It progresses to “Bones of Man” which is less acoustic and more rock. I was beginning to put the album into a genre.
“Cries of the Dead” disturbed me a little because of the lines “I can hear the cries of the dead/Maybe it’s your neighbour beating his dog in the basement.”
It wasn’t until the sixth song, “Phantom Anthills” that my idea of VanGaalen’s main genre was blown through the roof. “Phantom Anthills” is a very electronic song, with a steady beat of electronic beeps.
The album continues to mix rock, electronica and some acoustic for a winning formula. What I found most astounding is that VanGaalen, during certain songs, actually sounds very similar to Thom Yorke of Radiohead. Whether or not he meant to doesn’t matter- in case anyone was wondering, I am a huge Radiohead fan and for me to admit someone sounds like them is a compliment of the hightest degree.
After being blown away by Soft Airplane I moved onto the b-sides EP and after finishing listening, saw it as a great supplement to its counterpart.
The EP begins on a rather chaotic note with the song “Stuffed Animal” which starts with the chatter of children, dogs barking and a heavily synthesized vocal performance at the beginning. It sets the tone for the rest of the EP- you just never know what to expect.
As I moved through the EP I began to get the feeling that there may have been a small amount of drugs involved, particularly in the song “Pyramids Float” (listen and you’ll understand) but I thought it only added to the atmosphere.
The EP and album are an absolutely fantastic combination- you have no excuse for not listening to the EP- it’s on www.softairplane.com so go and download it now. And if you can find Soft Airplane, drop everything you were doing and purchase it right away. You won’t regret it.
Top Album Tracks: “Willow Tree”; “Phantom Anthills”; “TMNT Mask”; “City of Electric Light”
Top EP Tracks: “Stuffed Animal”; “Twisting Magic Up”; “Corvette”
4 Hoots (out of 4) +*swoop*
Review- “Hop, Skip & A Jump”- The Mountains and the Trees
reviewed by Michael
Had it not been for my own idiocy and my inability to use Twitter effectively, this review would have been up a month ago. Literally. But here it is now, hopefully none the worse.
This four-song, thirteen-minute EP from Newfoundland’s The Mountain and the Trees (aka Jon Janes) takes the listener on a huge emotional trip in a very short length of time. It really whets my appetite for a full-length album in the near future. The genre of the music is a in interesting mix of folk and rock, which Janes likes to call “Folk N’ Roll.”
The album begins with “Up & Down” which is decidely sombre in mood. It seems to speak about a relationship past, especially evident in the lines “Some days you’re happy/Other days I’m sad/I try not to think about what we could have had/Live for the moment/Never the past.” The song’s musical base is a simple guitar chord, accompanied by the odd xylophone.
The next song is “Hospital View” which suddenly jumps into a bit more upbeat territory despite the misleading title (I suppose hospitals can be good places too!). Even though the song does talk about someone leaving and not coming back to visit, the song’s horn section still makes the song more happy, especially after “Up & Down” depresses the hell out of you.
“Apartment Song” is easily the happiest of the four songs. It starts with a cheerful rendition of the colours of the narrator’s apartment, followed by a description of the neighbours and the neighbourhood. It features a simple guitar rhythm, a strings section which really seems to represent Janes’s home in St. John’s. “I love my place in life/It just gets a little cold sometimes” is an interesting chorus for the song which adds the possibility of everything not being so rosy.
Finally, “Goodbye Little Town” returns to a sombre mood, which is the story of one leaving their town that they love and grew up in to move on in life. I could really feel the sadness in the lyrics, as goodbyes seem to never be anything but tearful.
With such a small amount of material, Janes covers a lot of emotional ground, and this makes this great listening.
Top Tracks: “Up & Down”; “Apartment Song” (although they’re all great)
3.5 Hoots (out of 4)
Review- “Timber Timbre”- Timber Timbre
reviewed by Michael
If anyone is confused on how to pronounce the name, it’s (TIM-BURR TAMM-BURR). I for one was confused on how it was pronounced until I heard it said properly.
Months ago a song on iTunes by Toronto’s Timber Timbre was the Free Song of the Week. It got storms of criticism from people who downloaded it. This bugged me.
I got to listen to the self-titled album and realized why the criticisms bothered me so much. The iTunes customers were basing their opinions on Timber Timbre’s talent based on one song. This album is really good- people just don’t know how to appreciate good music sometimes.
I knew that there had to be a reason that this album was on the long list for the Polaris Music Prize, and why Timber Timbre was nominated for Best New Artist for the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards.
The album is what I can call a mixture of folk and minimalism. The songs for the most part have a very simple beat to them, either a chord on a guitar or perhaps an organ. It’s a little strange to hear so little going on at first until you realize that the slow and steady pace of singer-songwriter Taylor Kirk’s vocals.
The songs are very laid back, and at some points they can be almost haunting, particularly in the song “Magic Arrow” which clocks in around six minutes, or in the song “Demon Host” where Kirk says “I know there’s no such thing as ghosts/But I have seen the demon host.”
Kirk’s voice is also quite unique- it sounds like a voice that has been through many adventures and struggles and is therefore full of experience.
Definitely a must-listen for the reason that you don’t get to hear this kind of chilling folk music many places else.
Top Tracks: “Demon Host”; “Lay Down in the Tall Grass”; “Magic Arrow”
3.5 Hoots +*swoop*
Parliament’s Choice December – The Balconies
By Allyssia
The Parliament is pleased to honour The Balconies as our last Choice of the year.
Formed in 2007, the band consists of brother and sister Jacquie and Stephen Neville and Liam Jaeger. They started the band in December 2007 and since then, they’ve established a solid reputation as talented musicians and, above all else, incredibly vibrant performers.
The band has had a good year, to say the least. The trio recently swept the Ottawa Xpress’ Best of Ottawa Poll, besting their competitors in three of the four categories for which they were nominated, including Best Rock/Pop/Dance/Other Band. They’ve also performed at some of Canada’s greatest music festivals, including NXNE, Pop Montreal, and Canadian Music Week. Oh, and I think they may have a released an album this year.
In September, The Balconies put out their self-released eponymous debut. The album was well-received by both fans and critics (yours truly included) because of its charming lyrics, high energy, excellent musicianship, and the fact that it was a dance-rock album that you would actually want to, you know, dance to. Having listened to the album, I can give you the informed recommendation to listen to it. You’ll love it, I promise.
The band has recently located from the nation’s capital to Toronto. I can’t speak for all Torontonians, but I know that I’m looking forward to giving them a warm welcome.
They have a few shows lined up for the month, so check them out if you can. I know I will be.
Dec. 12 – Toronto, ON @ The Horseshoe Tavern w/ Oh No Forest Fires, Make Your Exit, Clothes Make the Man
Dec. 18 – Ottawa, ON @ Café Dekcuf w/ Parlovr, Diamond Rings
Dec. 19 – Barrie, ON @ Oscar’s
Review- “Islands Disappear”- Said the Whale
reviewed by Michael
I’m so pleased that I can bring out more blog posts now that I have a little bit more free time.
Yesterday, Said the Whale, November’s Parliament’s Choice, won a Bucky Award for Most Canadian Song, for their song “Emerald Lake, AB.” If such a category existed, the Vancouver band’s new album Islands Disappear should have taken the Most Canadian Album award.
But the Canadiana dripping from these 13 tracks is not your typical Anne Murray or Celine Dion kind of patriotism- the songs in this album were crafted from Said the Whale’s touring experiences. They make shoutouts to little known places in Canada such as Emerald Lake, Alberta; Holly, Ontario; and Elkhorn, Manitoba. Some are not specifically named but can still be seen as Canadian shoutouts, such as their second track “Out on the Shield”.
The band obviously knows what they’re doing. One thing that has bugged me about past albums is song length, and Said the Whale have got their lengths down pat. They are consistently able to pack songs full of meaning and catchy melodies all in songs under five minutes. They don’t waste any time with excess and gratuity.
The opening track, “Elkhorn” is a quick ode to the small village in Manitoba, and then moves into the more upbeat “Out on the Shield” which references the largest makeup of Canada’s geographic territory, the Canadian Shield.
After “BC Orienteering” which says “Even if you have a map/You shouldn’t travel alone,” some electric guitar riffs become present in “Camilo (the Magician)” which was described as “the song of the summer” for 2009. It stands out on the record specifically because of the guitar riffs- every other track is acoustic.
“Camilo” is a wonderful song which departs from the Canadiana for a second to talk about the discrepancies between fact and fiction.
The album ends on a sombre note with “Holly, Ontario.” Admittedly, I had to go to Google Maps to find out where Holly even is, that’s how small of a place it is. It mentions how very far it is from their home.
This album has been described as Said the Whale’s career record, and this is only their sophomore recording. I don’t want to jump the gun and say this is their best work (even though it is absolutely fantastic) because the band is still young and has many years of success and travelling ahead of them.
Top Tracks: “Out on the Shield”; “Camilo (the Magician)”; “Emerald Lake, AB”; “The Gift of a Black Heart” (although they’re all fantastic)
4 Hoots (out of 4) +*swoop*
CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards wrap-up
by Michael
Today was an important day for lovers of Canadian independent music- the Bucky Awards, CBC Radio 3’s annual award show happened today.
And Vancouver really kicked some serious ass today. An astonishing five awards were given to Vancouver artists, and two of those artists were picks for Parliament’s Choice, Dan Mangan and Said the Whale.
Three awards have yet to be given out- the awards for Best Off-Stage Performance, Sexiest Musician and Best Video. Here is a list of the winners, with bolded names to Vancouver acts:
Most Canadian Song: “Emerald Lake, AB” by Said the Whale
Best New Band Name: Gregory Pepper and His Problems
Best Vocals: Dan Mangan for “Robots”
Best Lyric: Joel Plaskett in “Through & Through & Through” for the lyrics “I’m the Berlin Wall, I’m a communist/You’re a wrecking ball in a summer dress”
Lifetime Achievement Award: Sloan
Best Live Act: Mother Mother
Best New Artist: Hannah Georgas
Best New Reason to Learn French: Coeur de Pirate’s “Comme des Enfants”
Top Fan: Lee Hower aka mccflyer
Best Song: “Robots” by Dan Mangan
What an absolutely stellar year for Dan Mangan- I don’t think anyone’s had as much success in the Canadian independent scene. Robots is a fantastic song with an absolutely fantastic video and was definitely deserving of joining the Best Song ranks of “1234″ by Feist and “Nowhere with You” by the Joel Plaskett Emergency.
A lot of my picks were off, but I did manage to correctly pick “Robots” for best song, Joel Plaskett for best lyrics, Coeur de Pirate for best reason to learn French and best live act.
Here’s to another amazing year of Canadian independent music, and expect a year in review sometime soon. Although for this blog it’s more like a half-year review since it just came into existence in early August.
Review- “A Wake//At Sea”- Stop Drop
reviewed by Michael
Strange to do two reviews of broken-up bands in a row. Mind you, this album came out before Stop Drop (formerly Stop Drop N Skank) of Toronto called it quits at the end of October of this year.
This eight-song album shows that the band has definitely not lost their sense of style but have matured. Gone from the lyrics are the numerous and almost gratuitous “fuck” and “motherfucker.”
Granted, this ska album is not as upbeat and is harder to dance to, but it doesn’t make it an unenjoyable listen at all.
The band’s sound is still unmistakable. Their fusion of rock and roll and ska featuring great guitar riffs and a very talented horn section that has given them a legion of followers is not at all lost. Their original energy, while down a little bit still shows through in songs like “The Harbour.”
The ska influence is also not lost, particularly noted in the song “The Pen” which changes the clichéd “The pen is mightier than the sword” to “The pen is mightier than the bad souls.”
The song “Weather” has a lightheartedness which is reminiscent of “Stay the Night” from their previous self-titled EP and some intensity is noted in the song “On Me.”
Overall this album is still a great listen, only not as suited to ska dance parties as their self-titled EP is.
Top Tracks: “Saviour,” “The Harbour,” “Weather”
3 Hoots (out of 4)
Concert Alert: Jingle Bell Rock
By Allyssia
Come check out some of Canada’s promising indie rock bands this Saturday at The Horseshoe at Jingle Bell Rock!
On December 12, 2009, Audio Blood will be teaming up with Third Estate Merchandise to celebrate the company’s one year anniversary. With the support of AUX TV and Exclaim.ca, Audio Blood will be showcasing a handful of their musicians, including The Balconies, Make Your Exit, Clothes Make the Man and Oh No Forest Fires for a night of cheap drinks and great music.
You know you want to come. I meant, the weather outside is frightful.
The show is at the Horseshoe Tavern (368 Queen St. W, Toronto)
on Dec. 12th, 2009.
Cover is 7$.
Doors open at 9 p.m.
Here’s a video present from the fine folks at Audio Blood that I couldn’t help but regift. I hope you enjoy it and I hope that I’ll be seeing you Saturday.
glasspaperweight
backdrifter
Allyssia
ayrindee
lordrhombus