Dan Mangan releases “Robots” music video
Grayowl’s Parliament’s Choice for October, Dan Mangan has released a video for his amazing single from Nice, Nice, Very Nice, “Robots”.
The video further cements the fact that it is impossible not to feel a tremendous amount of love when viewing or hearing anything of Dan Mangan’s.
Watch and feel the love.
Review- “Where Were You in the Wild?”- Language-Arts
Reviewed by Michael
I do my very best to be supportive of all Canadian artists of all genres, and I tried to give this album a score of at least 3/4. But I was unable.
It is very difficult to describe which of the many music genres this Vancouver duo belong to. The style is essentially pop-rock with a lot of fast talking by the lead singer, Kristen Cudmore. The album seems like it is trying to revive the glory days of everyone’s life- the time spent in elementary school.
The album starts off with the song “Cavity” which at one point enquires what would happen if the entire world were made of candy. It seems like something you would hear in children’s music, not music for full-grown adults.
One thing the duo strives to achieve is the art of using metaphor poetically. While it may be good, in some cases it is just baffling. The chorus of the song “Coughdrop” goes “Can I be your coughdrop?” With not much verse beforehand, it is up to the listeners to decide what that means. If that was the intention of Language-Arts, then they nailed it.
The instrumentals are definitely the high point of this album. Cudmore, as well as her bandmate Gregor Philips blend a simple acoustic guitar and bass sound most of the time with great effect. The beauty of some of the music is evident in the opening of “Grandfather of the Buffalo.”
The vocals are an enigma. At one point early on in the listening I actually got a headache from Cudmore’s voice, which is not high-pitched, but her vocals come out oddly. That and her enunciation is off in some places, but then, some of the greatest bands’ vocalists cannot be understood all the time. Cudmore’s lung capacity is definitely strong, showcased when she goes into a fast string of words in a few of the songs.
Some of the songs are just too long. The melodies work well in shorter doses; the combination of continued melody and the slightly annoying tone of Cudmore’s voice make longer songs like “Stay There” harder to listen to.
Finally, even with these criticisms, there is a certain catchiness to some songs, like the album’s title track. It is all very confusing. I believe it was Language-Arts’ attempts to be poetically valid that made this album as disappointing as it was.
Top Tracks: “Where Were You in the Wild?”, “Grandfather of the Buffalo”
2 Hoots (out of 4)
Review- “These are all my Friends…”- Bri-anne Swan
Reviewed by Michael
I always get really, really excited when I’m able to review the first album of an independent artist, and such is the case for this roots/folk singer from Toronto.
These are all my Friends… is a ten track album which is characterized by the strong vocals and lyrics of Swan. The album shows that there is more to a love song than just “I love you” or “Take me back”.
“Lucidity,” the album’s opening track is a great example. Some people who listen to this may have to consult a dictionary to better understand what the song is talking about. Lucidity means a sort of clarity, something that is completely understandable. It makes sense, especially when she sings “He made me take my mask off” and ends with “Then I stood up to thank you for helping me see.”
The album is generally comprised of many melodic, slower songs, but she still keeps things fresh with a few faster songs such as “Vast Misconceptions” and “Stars are Falling (& I’m Hungry)”. Not to say that her slower songs are bad- “Dear Sir” is a song which spans about six and a half minutes, a sort of “open letter” to a lover who didn’t behave like he should have.
Interestingly, one of the songs on the album is a traditional French song, “En Haut ces Montagnes” and Swan sings it perfectly, without any sort of hesitation over the French words. It is a great thing to see Francophones singing in English (such as Winter Gloves do) and it is equally pleasing to see an Anglophone singing ocassionally in French.
Though the love song is getting old and there are only so many songs that can be written, Swan’s intelligent lyrics and poetic devices make the record an enjoyable listen to say the least. Swan has a great amount of potential, and makes me wonder what she will do in the future.
Top Tracks: “Vast Misconceptions”, “Stars are Falling (& I’m Hungry)”, “Lucidity”
3 Hoots (out of 4)
Grayowl Concert Alert> Oct. 23 – Oct. 29
by backdrifter
after more than a month of being hindered by circumstances hitherto unforeseen, we are pleased to announce the return of the recently very rarely seen Grayowl Concert Alert. Without any further banter, here’s what’s going down in T.O. this week:
Friday Oct.23:
Todor Kobacov [http://www.myspace.com/todorkobakov] @ 107 Shaw, 6:00 PM + 9:00 PM
Amanda Martinez [http://www.myspace.com/amandamartinezsola] @ Koerner Hall, 8:00 PM
The Johnson Report [http://www.myspace.com/thejohnsonreport] @ The Poor Alex Theatre, 9:00 PM
Saturday Oct.24:
Todor Kobakov [http://www.myspace.com/todorkobakov] @ 107 Shaw, 6:00 PM + 9:00 PM
The Balconies [http://www.myspace.com/thebalconies] @ Horseshoe Tavern, 8:00 PM
Rikers [http://www.myspace.com/rikersrikers]@ Drake Hotel, 10:00 PM
Paint [http://www.myspace.com/paint] @ C’est What? 8:00 PM
Deadly Hopefuls [http://www.myspace.com/deadlyhopefuls] @ Rancho Relaxo, 9:00 PM
The Thundermonks + The Hangers + Stop Drop @ The Basement (Mississauga), 7:00 PM
Sunday Oct.25:
Damhnait Doyle [http://www.myspace.com/damhnaitdoyle] @ Dakota Tavern, 8:00 PM
Slowly, slowly [http://www.myspace.com/slowlyslowly] @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 8:00 PM
Stop Die Resuscitate [http://www.myspace.com/stopdieresuscitate] @ The Garrison, 8:00 PM
Linda Mercer [http://www.myspace.com/lindamercervox] @ Smiling Buddha Bar, 8:00 PM
Monday Oct.26:
Adam Faux [http://www.myspace.com/adamfaux] @ The Drake Hotel (Basement), 10:00 PM
Tuesday Oct.27:
MINTO [http://www.myspace.com/mintominto] @ Rancho Relaxo, 8:00 PM
Jacqueline Rendell [http://www.myspace.com/jacquelinerendell] @ C’est What? 9:00 PM
Wednesday Oct.28:
Ania Ziemirska [http://www.myspace.com/aniazmusic] @ Café Taste, 8:00 PM
Yukon Blonde [http://www.myspace.com/yukonblondeband] @ The Supermarket, 8:00 PM
Reid Jamieson [http://www.myspace.com/reidjamieson] @ The Rivoli, 8:00 PM
Montague Street [http://www.myspace.com/montaguestreet] @ The Central, 7:30 PM
Said The Whale [http://www.myspace.com/saidthewhale] @ El Mocambo, 9:00 PM
Thursday Oct.29:
Slow down, Molasses [http://www.myspace.com/slowdownmolasses] @ The Garrison, 8:00 PM
Library Voices + In Flight Safety + Julie Fader [http://www.myspace.com/thelibraryvoices, http://www.myspace.com/inflightsafety, http://www.myspace.com/juliefader] @ El Mocambo, 8:00 PM
Montague Street [http://www.myspace.com/montaguestreet] @ Clinton’s Tavern, 9:00 PM
Muskox [http://www.myspace.com/muskoxmuskoxmuskoxmuskox] @ The Music Gallery, 8:00 PM
The Stormalongs [http://www.myspace.com/thestormalongs] @ Concord Café, 10:00 PM
and that is all for this week. Stop Drop (known much more widely as Stop Drop N’ Skank) are playing what is possibly their last all-ages show in Mississauga this week – I’m trying my best not to miss that, and you shouldn’t miss it either. Also recommended are Said The Whale (Wednesday) who have been enjoying a recent Radio 3 hit with “Camilo (The Magician)”, and The Balconies (Saturday). Now if you will excuse me, I will go plan my Halloween costume 
. Have fun, and i’ll see you next week. *tips hat and bows out*
Show Review: Spiral Beach
by Erin
This past Friday, October 16th, saw the return of Torontonian band Spiral Beach, fresh off the road from a cross-Canada tour with a little dip into the States. They have been celebrating the release of their second full-length CD, The Only Really Thing, and pulled out all the stops back here in their home town by playing not only one, but two shows on Friday night. One was a free, all-ages show at Sonic Boom, and the second was a 19+, covered show across the street at Lee’s Palace. Unfortunately, I could only attend one of them, but it was still an incredible experience. I’ve seen Spiral Beach a few times now and I am always hugely impressed by their stage presence and the energy and excitement that they bring to a venue, be it the wide open stage of Yonge-Dundas Square, or the more intimate setting of the basement of Sonic Boom.
This particular show started out a little slow and picked up from there as more and more people showed up. Considering the setting of the show (the basement of a record store), everyone was crammed right up against the “stage” (it was really just a small wooden platform that the band stood on) and in between the CD racks. There were even people sitting or standing on the stairs to better see the band!
And Spiral Beach did not disappoint their loyal fans. They played a forty-minute set that included a great mixture of songs from The Only Really Thing, and their first CD, Ball (2007), which included “Made of Stone” (Ball), “Battery” (TORT), “May Go Round (In a Mania)” (TORT), “Casual T” (Ball), “Scour + Devour” (TORT), and “Raising the Snake” (TORT). Not only did the infectious beats and insane melodies of the songs get everyone dancing, but the band themselves, who danced and jumped around on stage, sent a wave of energy through the crowd that just made you want to move.
Aside from their incredible energy, another thing about Spiral Beach’s shows that makes them so much fun is their crazy stage antics. They generally litter the stage with pylons, and even though there was so little space, the show at Sonic Boom was no excuse. They love to dance and move around, and often do some pretty crazy things. At this show in particular, Airick, the guitarist, danced up on top of the bass drum, and Maddy, the singer and keyboardist, danced around with one of the pylons on her head for a while.
All in all, it was an amazing show, and I’m sorry I missed the second one. Unfortunately, Spiral Beach will not be playing again in Toronto for the next few months, as they’re about to kick off their first-ever European tour in November. But when they return, I urge each and every one of you to at least check them out. Even if you don’t necessarily like the music, you can’t deny that the love and the energy are there. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to go to a Spiral Beach show and not enjoy themselves.
Scour + Devour at Lee’s Palace.
Dani, Maddy, & Airick
Review- “Record in a Bag”- Hollerado
Reviewed by Michael
Before I even get to reviewing this band from Manotick, Ontario (a very small town) I would like to say that this twelve-track offering is available at their website, www.hollerado.com for free. You read that correctly.
Now that that’s out of the way, onto actually critiquing the album. The reason I first heard the name of Hollerado was because of, of course, CBC Radio 3. I heard an awesome song by them called “Do the doot da doot doo.” As odd as the song title sounded, the song itself featured a cool guitar riff, and a chorus which proclaims “Do you, do you do, do you do, do the doot da doot doo”. You have to hear it to completely understand what was first typed.
While perusing Hollerado’s website I came across Record in a Bag, and the site said it was free. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be the real deal.
It starts out with “Hollerado land (by sam)” which I at first thought (by the title) was a piece of self-indulgence. It turned out to be a simple acoustic progression with hilarious lyrics, such as “Better not take a dip/In alligator pond/’Cause then you’ll lose your arm.”
Many of the songs are hilarious, not in a laugh-out-loud kind of way, but because of the spin that the band puts on each song. This is especially jarring in the song “hard love” which at first sounds like a simple declaration of love- until the song talks about only doing certain things because he was high. Or “on my own” which features the lines “You bring the granola bars/I’ll bring a bag to put the wrappers in.”
Sometimes the band will even make you question what it was you just heard. In the song “got to lose” the refrain “You’ve got to lose love if you want to find love” is heard many times, only to be almost nullified by a lyric later on that says that sometimes people tell lies just like the refrain.
All funniness aside, the band is great at group vocals, in fact “got to lose” starts out with some great vocal harmonies. Overall, the band kind of reminded me of Weezer, only this band is much more talented.
There is absolutely no reason why you should not get this album. I mean, come on, it’s free. It’s also pretty damn good.
Top Tracks: “got to lose”, “Juliette”, “hard love”
3.5 Hoots (out of 4) + *swoop*
One-on-One with Modernboys Moderngirls
The boys in the band: Brett Millius (drums, backing vocals), Juan Carlos Rivas(bass), Akira Alemany (lead vocals, guitar)
By Allyssia
If you have any sort of connection to the Toronto music scene, you should know Modernboys Moderngirls. They’re the band your friends keep telling you to check out on MySpace. They’re the ones that you’re always hearing snippets about when you’re chilling/eavesdropping at Marcello’s. They’re the ones with that infectious song “My Baby Says Boy, Don’t You Ever Go,” which received descent rotation on The Edge. Well, if Quasimodo isn’t ringing the bells of Notre Dame in your head by now, you need to keep reading if you want to keep any indie cred at all.
Modernboys Moderngirls is, ironically, a Toronto indie rock band known for their retro-inspired tunes. Their sound is a combination of pop, soul, blues, punk and old time rock ‘n’ roll among other genres. This complex fusion successfully renders their music unclassifiable, a fact that doesn’t bother the band one bit.
“We don’t buy into the whole ‘genre’ thing,” says Akira Alemany, the band’s songwriter, lead vocalist and lead guitarist. Instead, the band chooses to ignore the limitations and restrictions that come with subscribing to an established genre, and combine the elements that they like from the different genres to create their unique sound.
Their love of experimentation is well expressed through the band’s clever (albeit cumbersome) name. The band got their name from 1920s newspapers, which used the term to refer to Japanese youth who were exploring the Western culture being presented to them during that period.
“The name kind of represents being excited and exploring new avenues, new arts, and new styles,” says Alemany.
This unique sound is well demonstrated on the band’s debut LP, I Might As Well Break It, which was released last month. The path to the release was not, by any means, a brief or easy one.
It all started one fateful night at the Horseshoe in 2008. It was a stormy winter night, and though the weather outside was frightful, but the band was so delightful that fans and curious concert-goers packed into the club to see MBMG perform. Their set was so electric that it attracted the attention of a promoter affiliated with Edgefest, an annual festival known for promoting Canadian rock music. The promoter called them up and invited them to perform at the festival that summer. The band agreed in spite of the fact that they hadn’t even recorded a demo.
In the months leading up to the show, the band recorded a demo, also titled I Might As Well Break It, so that they’d have a way of promoting their music. Since then, they’ve tweaked and altered, eventually transforming it into the LP we can all purchase today.
Though the band’s popularity among music lovers and critics is growing, the band would prefer to keep a lower profile off stage as compared to other publicity-hungry musicians. The band finds that audiences participate less at shows if musicians tell them everything. The reasoning? Well, it’s hard to get excited about seeing a band when you already know what sort of cereal they eat for breakfast.
“There’s no mystery,” says Brett Millius, the drummer. “I think being inaccessible is good.”
Though the band holds some disdain for overexposure, they do acknowledge the important role that self-promotion has played in their careers, especially through the Internet. MBMG currently maintains accounts on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Last.fm, while also maintaining a personal web site. They also send out an e-newsletter to members of their mailing list.
Though many fear that the use of the Internet in the music industry is counterproductive because it encourages file-sharing and discourages the purchasing of albums, MBMG isn’t worried.
“I listen to stuff [online] that I would never listen to other wise,” says Millius, “But if I love an album I’ll still go out and buy it.”
Check out Modernboys Moderngirls on Nov. 6, 2009 at the Silver Dollar. They’ll be performing with L.A band Lemonwilde, so you won’t want to miss it!
Parliament’s Choice October- Dan Mangan
by Michael
Introducing the newest feature to Grayowl Point- Parliament’s Choice. Every month an artist will be chosen to be focused on in-depth.
This month’s choice is Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan. Mangan has already been mentioned several times on this blog, and his latest album Nice, Nice, Very Nice was worthy of 4 Hoots out of 4 (see review here: http://wp.me/pxXot-4r). Not only is this guy probably one of the nicest guys ever, he is also damn talented. Last month, he won the Verge prize for Artist of the Year and the $25,000 that accompanied it.
Aside from his prize winning, he is now touring in support of Nice, Nice, Very Nice and is constantly requested on CBC Radio 3.
At this year’s Western Canadian Music Award, Mangan, along with the band Hey Ocean! did an amazing cover of Wintersleep’s “Weighty Ghost.”
I mentioned that he is damn talented, didn’t I? He is a fantastic songwriter, with his stories ranging from love (such as Fair Verona) to forced ideals (The Indie Queens are Waiting). His penetrating voice is particularly noticeable in the song that actually moved me to tears, “Robots” (yes, I am man enough to admit I sometimes cry after a good song).
Below are his latest tour dates, starting from today, October the 9th. Be sure to catch him at at least one of them.
Oct. 9 – Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 10 – Sarnia, ON @ Paddy Flaherty’s w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 13 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriffe w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 14 – Ottawa, ON @ Alqonquin College w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 15 – Peterborough, ON @ Montreal House w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 16 – Toronto, ON @ The Rivoli w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 17 – Wakefield, QC @ The Blacksheep Inn w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 21 – Charlottetown, PEI @ UPEI w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 22 – Halifax, NS @ Dalhousie – Tea Room
Oct. 23 – Halifax, NS @ Pop Explosion
Oct. 24 – Fredericton, NB @ The Capital w/ Will Currie & The Country French
Oct. 28 – Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub w/ Katie Murphy
Oct. 29 – Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo’s w/ Kirby Criddle
Oct. 30 – Edmonton, AB @ Haven Social Club w/ Manraygun
Look out for more material on Dan Mangan coming up really soon!
Review- “Beacons”- Ohbijou
Reviewed by Michael
I suppose there was pretty good reason to make Ohbijou the X3 Artist of the Month for August of 2009. Not only is this band charitable (their annual(?) compilation Friends in Bellwoods donates 100 per cent of its proceeds to the Daily Bread Food Bank of Toronto) but they are also absolutely magnificent.
Beacons is the sophomore album of Toronto “orchestral-pop” band Ohbijou, whose roster now includes seven people. This 12-track album beautifully encapsulates their love for Toronto and the theme of the winter throughout. As I listened through the record, even fully aware that it is now early-mid October, I half expected to see snow falling as I glanced out the window.
This band’s music is vastly different from other pop acts because it does not consist of just the standard guitar, drums and bass. These are overpowered by orchestral instruments- you will hear the mandolin, piano, violin, cello and ukelele amongst others. The result is a grand sound that doesn’t at all come across pompous.
The album begins with “Intro to Seasons”, a song that first begins with strings and a soft but steady drum beat that builds into other instruments, and then eventually introduces lead singer Casey Mecija’s vocals.
The album varies in sound between intensity and dreaminess. One knows that when a stringed instrument is played passionately, moods can be evoked. The song “Memoriam” is a good example of the intense sound the strings produce.
“Black Ice” is a great song that emphasizes the Toronto and winter aspects of Beacons. It talks of a walk down Bathurst Street and sitting on a pile of cigarettes, noting the black ice and how the winter brings a heaviness.
“Thunderlove” is a song that begins with “Give me some loving/’cause I’ve been thinking about dying/under heavy snow” accompanied by a very simple acoustic chord progression. It made me want to give the person in the song some loving, even though I knew that (hopefully) it was just a song.
Every member of the band plays at least one instrument and also provides vocals in one way or another. The vocal harmonies pulled off in a group this large just shows how talented this bunch really is.
I always wonder when it is an album deserves a perfect score. I seems like my standards always seem to vary. After hearing this album for a third time, I knew instantly that this album was in deserving of a perfect score. Hard to believe that this is only their sophomore album. This album should now be the definitive album to listen to in the winter, staring at falling snow outside and sipping a mug of hot chocolate.
Top Tracks: “Thunderlove”, “Make it Gold”, “Eloise and the Bones”
4 Hoots (out of 4) + *swoop*
Review- “Mercy or Sin”- Gordie Tentrees
Reviewed by Michael
Let it stand on record that this is the first ever review of an artist from the Yukon. Dont’ say Grayowl isn’t trying to cover your part of Canada, we’re covering a territory with this review.
Gordie Tentrees and his band are essentially a folk/roots act, and they know what the hell they’re doing with the genre. I could almost feel the intensity of some of the songs as I listened on.
Mercy or Sin is a really great album with twelve tracks, and while it is generally roots music it manages to shake things up, distinguishing Tentrees from other acts. The shakeup I would say happens in the song “Devil Talks.” Roots music is usually associated with the acoustic guitar. “Devil Talks” features an electric guitar throughout. It is pure awesome.
“No Integrity Man” is an upbeat song with the twangy guitar sound that is expected, and it is a pleasure to listen to.
One song worth mentioning for its uniqueness is the song “Same Old Blues.” I almost look at the song as though it is a parody. The song mentions how the narrator has written a new arrangement of the same old blues song. It is amusing to listen to and it pokes fun at many artists who claim to be huge innovators when they’re really just using a different chord arrangement, and still making music in the same, worn-out genre.
And in keeping up with the tradition, the album features many a banjo and harmonica. All part of the experience, really.
The final song, “Ross River” is an interesting spin on the “leaving home” tale. It seems that even though the character in this song is leaving home he doesn’t seem to think that the city is going to be any better a place for him than his rural home.
Overall, a really great album from an act that has had lots of time to polish their craft. I’d say they’ve pretty much mastered the genre.
Top Tracks: “Devil Talks,” “Same Old Blues”, “Mercy or Sin”
3.5 Hoots (out of 4)
glasspaperweight
backdrifter
Allyssia
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