Review- “Novels” EP- Novels
reviewed by Michael
I remember reading an article on Exclaim! a few months ago which mentioned the formation of Novels, a Canadian supergroup of sorts. It consists of Graham Wright (Tokyo Police Club), Will Currie (Will Currie and the Country French), Luke Lalonde (Born Ruffians), Dean Marino (Ex-Po) and Jason Sadlowski (Jay Sad). These five guys locked themselves in a recording studio and produced this five-song EP in ONE DAY. You read that right.
If this doesn’t make you excited enough, here’s something else- their music is free from their website, www.okaynovels.com.
But is the music even worth the download? I give it a resounding Yes!
Each song is by a different artist, here’s some brief info on that:
- “This Wouldn’t Be the Last Time”- Dean Marino
- “Mr Foster’s Teenage Daughter- Will Currie
- “Big Run”- Luke Lalonde
- “Record in Hand”- Jason Sadlowski
- “No Hard Feelings”- Graham Wright
The style of the songs is upbeat and lighthearted rock and the album can be listened to a million times on end without getting sick of it. Each artist brings their own flavour to their songs, with the most catchy song probably going to Luke Lalonde’s “Big Run.” I’m now listening to this song for a third time through and am still swaying and shaking to the music.
Jason Sadlowski’s “Record in Hand” is a bit slower but has the power to make listeners go “Aww…” “And I can’t believe it’s the first time I met you/With the record in your hand so little and cute” is the chorus that will probably do just that.
The other three tracks are similarly solid, and just because I’m not going into a detailed description of them it doesn’t mean they’re any less stellar.
The next step after downloading their EP from the above url is to burn it onto some discs and give them to random strangers, or perhaps leave it on a bus seat and see what happens. The point of this is to share some great music, and great music it is. I know for sure that I’ll be doing a bit of sharing myself.
Top Tracks: Every single one of them
4 Hoots (out of 4)
Review- “Weapons Grade Romantic”- The Dojo Workhorse
reviewed by Michael
Not too long ago I did a review of the Dudes’ latest album (Blood Guts Bruises Cuts) and little did I know that The Dojo Workhorse is also a project of the Dudes’ Dan Vacon. The album is all about hopeless romanticism, which I admittedly take part in quite a lot. I already wanted to listen to this album just by reading the inside of the cover of the CD. It reads:
WARNING: The music embedded onto this compact disc is not to be taken lightly. The truths involved may be disturbing and/or dangerous. Do not listen with an empty heart, or while operating heavy romantic machinery.
Anyways, this album is not entirely unlike a Dudes album in some regards, which is of course not a bad thing. The percussion and electric guitar can still be heard, but this offering differs in that it includes other instruments like a harmonica and a cello. You heard me right.
“You Heartbreaker” is the first song, and it quickly sets the mood for the rest of the album. What follows is a plethora of stories about lost love, found love, and lost love again, loneliness and despair, and all the other emotions involved with love.
This album distinguishes itself from just being called a Dudes album under a different name because there are a few songs on the album that are actually slow, and that certainly doesn’t mean that they’re not great. “Laval Street” is a good example of a slow but effective song. It features an orchestral arrangement, additional female vocals, and the heartwrenching lyrics: “I’ve been in love six time for sure/Still keep regrets for three or four.”
The album ends with “Road Prayer” which is again slow but melodic. Overall, if you have experienced any of the pains of love, this album will appeal to you. If you haven’t experienced these pains, you’ll still enjoy the great sound.
Top Tracks: “I got Life”; “Late for Life”; “Laval Street”
3.5 Hoots (out of 4)
Review: “War On Geometry” – Oh No Forest Fires
By Allyssia
Even after several listens, it’s hard for me to find the words to describe Oh No Forest Fires’ 2008 debut EP, The War on Geometry. It’s chaotic, but controlled; it’s heavy, but fun; it’s simple, but it’s intricate. Clearly this isn’t your typical album.
The songs on this album are definitely very energetic and fun, but not enough to make you want to dance. At best, they earn some enthusiastic head-bobbing and an occasional hip-sway, but that’s necessarily a bad thing. I mean, we can’t always listen to fun music that makes us want to take up break-dancing.
Though most of their songs rely on intense guitars and drums, the Toronto band’s creativity and range when it comes the small details are what bring the songs to life. The syncopated vocals on “It’s Not Fun and Games Unless Someone Loses an Eye” stood out for me, as did the full harmonies and church-like organs on “I Gotta Tell You Fellas, This Is Pretty Terrific.” In both cases, these small details turned descent songs into great ones.
Another one of the album’s strengths is the simple songwriting. The band doesn’t make use of complex figurative language or try to impress the listener with obscure allusions to things nobody cares about. The band delivers their message in the plain English, like on the campy “You Know What That Is…Trouble” when frontman Rajiv Thavanathan soulfully croons “Things are going okay, I guess/ I talk to you once a week or maybe less.”
But simple doesn’t mean stupid here. In some cases, the lyrics are really poignant and meaningful. One song that really got to me was “New Cove”, which is a lover’s speech to a past love who’s now getting married. I thought it was a great alternative to the typical post-breakup song. (Please check out Eamon’s “Fuck It” for a great example of this and for a few laughs.)
Overall, this album is a stellar debut. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start. Luckily, the band is still together, so I’m sure their best tunes have yet to be created.
Top Tracks: “New Cove”, “I Gotta Tell You Fellas, This Is Pretty Terrific”
3 Hoots (out of 4)
Review- “The Runaway Catholics EP”- The Runaway Catholics
reviewed by Michael
The Runaway Catholics are a Toronto-based band which have a decidedly light-hearted tone. What I received from them was their debut EP, and a pretty good one at that. It made my heart warm seeing the liner notes that were all handcrafted and handwritten.
According to their fact sheet they have been together for just over a year, but for being together for such a short time they sound surprisingly solid. The two vocalists, Brodie Dakin and Shawna Sormin already seem to know what vocal styles suit them best.
The two’s voices really work well together, with Sormin’s vocals reminding me a lot of Sheryl Crow in “Soak Up the Sun” but not nearly as annoying as that song was.
The lightheartedness comes from the instrumentals, which usually consists of gentle guitar chords and a light drumline.
The music is really hard to dislike- I can only imagine this album played during a day at the beach, or maybe on a picnic in the park somewhere. And those are both great activities to think of during the winter time.
The most upbeat songs are probably “Charmed Life” and “Ghosts In Memories,” with “France” being more slow and melodic.
“Ghosts in Memories” is a great start, with the characteristically light guitar riffs and drums, as well as Sormin’s sunny and pleasing voice. “Melody of June” goes a little more slow with an added piano and absolutely beautiful vocal harmonies.
The final song, “Charmed Life” was recorded live from a show at the Horseshoe Tavern and shows that the band has some great talent and a live show worth seeing.
Give this band a listen- or better yet- go and find them playing a show at the Horseshoe Tavern or Lee’s Palace- you’ll definitely find them. Their sunny folk-rock is a pleasure to listen to.
Top Tracks: “Crazy Sorrows”; “France”
3 Hoots (out of 4)
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:
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*
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*
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)
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