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Sunday, September 30, 2007
reviewed: the new pornographers at the commodore ballroom...
To state that the New Porno's Friday night performance was good would be selling things a bit short. The band delivered and destroyed... not sure if it was because it was the end of the tour, not sure if it was because of the fuller band roster (Neko Case! Dan Bejar!), but it worked. The entire set was a perfect balance of jangley rock and flawless harmonies (well, in that Stella's on the stage sorta way). A lot of write ups about the band make reference to their music as "power pop" - and I really don't like that term - but dammit, in the live environment that's what it felt like... bright, punchy, polished songs, all of which were completely compelling.
I recall the set list digging into their entire body of work. The stuff from Electric Version felt almost classic. The new stuff from Challengers sounds better live than on the album. With that said, I'm revisiting it and giving the new disk heavier rotation over the next while.
Other things:
- Neko Case can sing the hell out of anything. I realize that's common knowledge, but the way her voice soared above the rest of the band was fantastic
- Vancouverites love Dan Bejar. Dudes go nuts... like boy band crazy.
- "Use It" sounds completely different to me now that I associate it with George Stroumboulopoulos & The Hour
elsewhere
i love sandwiches | house of the rising cosbysLabels: commodore ballroom, new pornographers, reviewed
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Friday, September 28, 2007
it's my party, i can sing if I want to...
How come at no point in the past 11 months no one told me about happybirthdaydenison.com?!
Apparently, Denison Witmer posted 33 (!) mp3s of him performing solo and acoustic in the studio. The songs, which are a blend of his own work and covers (Nick Drake, Jackson Browne, etc), were performed in only one or two takes and feel all loose and intimate... which, really, is how songs like this should be heard.
The point of posting these tracks isn't marketing, but rather charity. The mp3's are all free of charge. Denison hopes you donate to his favorite charities in exchange. Cool.
This is my favorite track of the bunch:
It's a gold mine of, uhhh, mellow gold. Not exactly stuff to get you fired up for a Friday night... but could be perfect for Saturday morning.
elsewhere
it's my site and i'll go absolutely lefsetz batshit crazy if i want toLabels: denison witmer, mp3
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Thursday, September 27, 2007
advanced apologies in advance...
Hey! Did you ever wonder what the vocals from Public Enemy's Bring The Noise would sound like when mashed up with the beat from that new Will.I.Am song? What's that? No?! You haven't ever wondered what it would be like?
Oh, well I put the two tracks together, mash-up style. Download:
I should (?) point out a few things:
(1) It's my understanding that the actual Will.I.Am (who punctuates their name that way, really?!) lyrics and, in turn, song border on possibly being teh worst in the galaxy
(2) I've never heard the actual song in it's entirety... so what do I know... other than that I'm a sucker for that Mardi Gras bell sample... and you're all suckers for big compressed synth blasts (thanks, Justice)
(3) This track was meant to be savored ironically... like a green Killers t-shirt in Comic Sans MS font.
So, uh, enjoy!
elsewhere
freakonomics: what's the future of the music industry?Labels: fake dj'ing, mash up, mp3, public enemy
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Monday, September 24, 2007
state of the nation...
For one reason or another a lot of people consider Vancouver to be an epicenter of cool. Luckily, there are HOB press releases to sober us up.
elsewhere
choose your own failed hollywood career trajectoryLabels: concert listings, M.I.A.
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
reviewed: raising sand...
I'm well aware that you're not supposed to judge books by their covers... but when I came across that soon to be released Alison Krauss & Robert Plant album, Raising Sand, I was ready to pass. Never mind the actual album cover, the combination of the two performers seemed like a mess. Conceptually, mixing together Plant's weathered bravado with Krauss' angelic voice reminded me of last year's Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan collaboration... which was, for lack of better description, teh worst.
Turns out... I was completely off the mark. The Krauss & Plant collaboration is phenomenal... and may be one the best albums I've heard this year. Both artists hold hands and wade deep into the folk meets blues meets roots meets bluegrass ether. The collection of cover songs which make up Raising Sand are subtle and eloquent, whatever they might lack in volume they make up with gentle timeless grace.
The biggest treat on this album is Robert Plant's voice... you wouldn't even know the guy was once going balls-out, fronting Zeppelin. His delivery is muted, mature and graceful. It feels like he's purposefully stepping his game up to meet and compliment the alto space in which Alison Krauss thrives. It's refreshing and kinda wonderful.
Here's the obligatory mpthreve:
- Alison Krauss & Robert Plant - Killing The Blues [mp3]
Highly recomended for those who like albums like Heartbreaker, etc.
elsewhere
14 american apparel models freed in daring midnight raidLabels: alison krauss, mp3, reviewed, robert plant
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uhhhhhhh...
Am I reading the ticketmaster.ca web page for the upcoming Maximo Park show at The Centre correctly? Has the ticketmaster/live nation business model come to a point where it's ok to sell bad seats AND market them as bad seats? Why not start putting a few chairs down in the venue bathrooms and charge for those too?
Also, based on this, can I get $10 back at any show I go to where a 6 foot tall douche bag with an afro opts to stand right in front of me?
Speaking of shows in Vancouver... this weekend is happily bonkers. There are a zillion shows listed and there's the comedyfest going on. If you happen to have a small mountain of disposable income and a hankering to rapidly erode your hearing, might I suggest you spend the next 5 nights hitting the following shows:
Thursday
- Matthew Good at The Centre
Friday
- Peter Bjorn and John at The Commodore
Saturday
- Tegan & Sara at The Commodore
Sunday
- Diplo vs. Switch at Plush
Monday
- Jason Colett/Josh Rouse at The Plaza Club
Lots more local listings at vancouver indie and blown speakers. Get out there.
elsewhere
hip hop pop-ups | season 6 was all a dreamLabels: concert listings
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Friday, September 14, 2007
a retraction of previous snark...
Hey! It turns out that the new Rilo Kiley album, Under the Blacklight, is actually pretty good. I gave it another listen over the weekend... granted, the context of the listen was that it was background music while me, Tk, & Nick talked shit & drank a bunch of beers on my shockingly sunny patio... but regardless, the album felt vibrant, creative, and diverse.
The only problem was that it was a Rilo Kiley album. If any other band... especially a previously unheard of band put this out, it would be a work of eclectic wonder. But since it was actually Rilo Kiely hammering the tunes out, it lacked the character of their previous work. I mean, hey, I'm all for bands exploring the the road less traveled. But alot of these tunes sound like an inside joke for this band of this caliber (see "Give A Little Love" on this month's mixtape). Granted these inside jokes are very well performed.
So the question remains: is this a solid album or does the context destroy it? My inner music nerd says "yes", my inner normal person says "turn up the volume... and go get another beer".
Apparently, these are the pressing debates I have in my head on an idle Friday afternoon.
elsewhere
street logic and gully rhetoric | axl rose's larynxLabels: Rilo Kiley
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
september mixtape = finally ready...
Yikes! (Yes, yikes). This month's mixtape is out late. I'd like to give you some big story as to why this is the case, but in reality real life just got in the way of internet life. Tricky... but let's not dwell and focus on teh musics, okay?
This month's tape randomly turned out to be a bit of a slow burner save for a few amped up tracks in the middle. I assure you this has nothing to do with fall peaking its head around the corner. Either way, it's a gooder:
As always, this is a limited time offer.
Also, I'm thrilled that Rouge Wave is back.
elsewhere
the return of the most relevant shit in your iPodLabels: mixtape, mp3
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007
lust we forgot...
elsewhere
the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks
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Sunday, September 9, 2007
reviewed: spoon at the commodore ballroom
Writing a review for a Spoon gig is kinda tricky, because, well, they're Spoon... and are pseudo-legends in their own right. With that said, this was the first time I've seen them live... and regardless of the hype, I was more than impressed.
For me Britt Daniel stole the show. Dude is a guitar player's guitar player. The funny thing is that the guy doesn't mess around with noodle-y lead/solo stuff but rather sticks to the rhythm work. He's like a robot with the clutch & gear shift style changes... bouncing from quarter to eighth to sixteenth and thirty second note progressions. He holds the entire band together, and just when you think you've figured him out he keeps things interesting by going off on these fiery, distorted, 12 bar experimental type breaks, literally turning his back to the crowd and going for broke... just 'cause he can.
I realize that if you're not into the technical fabric of a band and just go to shows to push your way up front and cheer using your beer bottle as a rally baton (seriously, what was up with that guy?) this might not be relevant to you... but for me... this was a whole pile of geeky fantastic.
Also fantastic at the show:
- the married couple, who came straight from their wedding - in wedding dress and tuxedo, no less - to the gig.
- the horn section from Black Joe Louis sitting in with Spoon. You had me at baritone saxophone.
Not fantastic:
- they didn't play Finer Feelings... I realize that the song might be a bit tongue/cheek... but it's best of 2007 material.
Either way, I'm not complaining, and (yay!) my ears are still ringing.
elsewhere
wolf parade played down the streetLabels: commodore ballroom, reviewed, spoon
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Wednesday, September 5, 2007
adventures in fake dj'ing: me + myself + i edition...
Before headding out for that brain-melting long weekend party in the middle of nowhere last weekend, I relized that I'd be spending 6 hours alone in my car commuting to the event. 6 hours each way.
Barf.
I put together a mix to keep myself awake behind the wheel entertained while driving. Since the audience for the set was just myself, I really catered to songs I wanted to hear. Doesn't matter if the tracks are actually good or bad or generally played to death, they're songs that would hold my attention.
The result: a set of 18 surprizingly cohesive tracks over 50 minutes. This thing starts slow at around 90BPM and by the end hums along at 130 BMP+ with ease. The tracks are all over the map, some old forgotten stuff, some uber-tacky stuff (does Ralph Tresvant still get work?), and of course some early 90's obscure Canadian hip hop (yay!). Either way... all this stuff kept me going on the road. Hooray for everything... here's the track listing:
Audio Two - Top Billin (Curtis Vodka Remix)
Def Squad - Say Word
Naughty By Nature - Feel Me Flow
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Here We Go Again
Ralph Tresvant - Sensitivity
Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up
Divine Styler - Ain't Sayin Nothin'
House Of Pain - Jump Around (Pete Rock Remix)
The Pharcyde - Soul Flower (Remix)
De La Soul - "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"
Dream Warriors - Face In The Basin
Groove Armada - Easy
M.I.A. - Bamboo Banger
Modjo - Lady (Hear Me Tonight)
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Daft Punk - Digital Love
Kanye West - Stronger (A-Trak Remix)
Mylo - Drop the Pressure
*Download the mp3 here* [69MB, right click & save-as]
Or better yet, subscribe to the fake dj set podcast here. (full details can be found here).
elsewhere
discodust | kill them nowLabels: fake dj'ing, mp3
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Monday, September 3, 2007
weekend recap: see ya later summer...
For the last 4 days we've been out in the Okanagan, doing it up for Bubbles' stag. And yes, Bubbles' stag was just as insane as you'd imagine. So much so, that I'm now completely brain dead and can't be fussed to type up a full report or even use spell check, dearest reader.
With that said, let me tell ya... if you and 8 of your buddies decide to throw a multiday stag in the boonies AND decide to have a pre-event moustache growing contest AND require that you all have to wear tacky ill fitting retro costumes, you really should be ready for the fact that everyone you run into will look at you like you're a moron. Also, you really shouldn't take any pictures of the team doing any of this stuff... but we did, and they're on flickr.
And on that note, I collapse.
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Fun fact: after you wear a 70's dad-style moustache for about 72 hours, you really start to get used to it. It becomes kinda comfortable.
elsewhere
the disengage end of summer mixLabels: weekend recap
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