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Monday, May 26, 2008
reviewed: REM at deer lake park...
Let's ignore all the of pointless discussions going on right now asking if REM are still relevant. That kinda talk is draining... on Friday REM reminded everyone that they could rock as hard as new bands half their age. REM were phenomenal live, and here's the funny thing, I'm not even a fan of their music. Excluding the new album, I can name about 4 of their songs off the top of my head. Under these circumstances, capturing my attention is pretty impressive.
The one thing that stood out to me was how consistently solid the band's chops were. Simply stating the band's set was polished doesn't do them justice. These guys were focused and still vital after 14 albums. There was a lot less theatrics and a lot more guitar that I had expected. With all that said, I really liked how the new songs came off live. Very no-nonsense. "I'm Gonna DJ" might have been my favorite.
Some good pics here (check out the backdrop effects used). The Vancouver Sun did a crap write up. The Straight did a good one.
Also - we completely missed Modest Mouse and The National as openers. Lesson learned: when they say doors at 4:30pm at Deer Lake Park, they actually mean the bands start about 6 seconds after that. Unlike every other venue in town.
elsewhere
worryaboutyou.com is kinda greatLabels: reviewed
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Monday, November 19, 2007
reviewed: the walkmen at richards on richards...
I feel I've really slept on the Walkman over the past couple of years. Bows + Arrows was a brilliant disk, which I lived with for ages... but the following album and EP never really stuck. After Friday's show, for the life of me I can't figure out why.
The Walkmen delivered a solid performance for their entire set. The older stuff meshed well with the newer stuff. Things kinda jaggedly ping-ponged between their ultra gentle tunes and their post-whatever jangly rock tunes. The cool thing was that everything was held together by that atmospheric, wall of sound they so painless fire-off. It was dense and loud... and the whole time I was reminded how great some of their work really is and how I should dust off a few of their disks.
Openers, The Subjects, we're pretty good too. However, we only caught the last 2 - 3 songs of their set... actually, most people in attendance missed these guys, the place was empty when we arrived. Unfortunate.
Daytrotter has a live session with The Subjects... get up on it.
elsewhere
HCwDB, a primerLabels: reviewed, richard's on richards, the walkmen
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
reviewed: M.I.A. at the commodore ballroom...
Jesus Christ, I'm really gonna miss having my hearing intact.
If you're heading to the Commodore tonight to see the second M.I.A. show - by all means - go to see the live rendition of the album that I couldn't get behind but the rest of the world loved... and then stay for:
- the Kala CD booklet visually coming to life on a widescreen, in all of its saturated cut & paste glory
- the sickest/illest/loudest bass the commodore has ever heard
- the all-girl, packed stage, dance-a-thon to random Baltimore club breaks
- Jimmy performed over New Order & Abba samples
MIA's live show is so out of control right now... in a good way. You may want to take the next day off work to recoever... I didn't, and I'm my ears and eyes paying for it.
elsewhere
heroin hero | fight this generation | font of shitty comediesLabels: commodore ballroom, M.I.A., reviewed
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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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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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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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Friday, August 24, 2007
a track-by-track graphical representation of my feelings about the new M.I.A. disk...
I've tried and tried but can't get behind Kala*. I'm not feeling it. Nor, do I understand the tidal wave of unified blog gushing over the disk.
Cool your jets, internets.
* with that said, Bamboo Banger is bonkers... and if she happens to tour through Vancouver, I'm going.
elsewhere
a brief history of timbaland beats | the poison conventionLabels: M.I.A., reviewed
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Monday, July 30, 2007
reviewed: daft punk at the wamu theatre in seattle...
This one of the harder blog posts I've ever had to write.
Every review of every Daft Punk show in the last year can pretty much be distilled down to 3 words: best show ever. Every blog blathers off the same points: the show ruled, and you had to be there.
Guess what!? Hands down this was one of the best shows I've ever witnessed. The best ever stadium show for sure. The whole thing was perfect and euphoric, every detail was immaculately put together. I often find live electronic rigid and reduced to repetitive 4/4 beats. This wasn't the case... the DP set was an endless ebb and flow of every sample and every loop from every song in their catalog. Even better were the visuals. The pyramid set up was phenomenal it was a rapid fire of imagery and lights that I can still see burned on to the back of my eyelids. Despite the millions of photos taken by everyone, the static images don't bring the awesomeness out.
You really did have to be there.
As far as the actual set itself, there were a lot of similarities to the now infamous Coachella set... but this isn't a bad thing. The two (!) encores last night were brand new... and insane. As Pinder said, once the stage went dark and the robot suits lit up red... your brain starts to melt.
Also, the crowd 100% ruled at this show. Everyone was focused, everyone was on the same page. We were in the second row in a room of 7,000+ people and there was zero pushing & shoving or general douchebaggery (that's a word, right?). Just one big sweaty dancey collective freak out. You could actually see the joy on peoples faces. It kinda felt as if it was the last party on earth and people were going for broke... myself included.
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realted:
- what are Daft Punk actually playing inside their pyramid?
- download: my Daft Punk fake dj set
- download: live at Coachella
- quinn's review
elsewhere
reviewed: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals at the CommodoreLabels: daft punk, reviewed
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Sunday, June 10, 2007
reviewed: Girl Talk at Richard's on Richards...
photo credit: jenerally speaking
So much to write about... where to begin?
The idea of Girl Talk performing live seems like something that could fall apart so easily. I mean, the guy is just playing a laptop... dragging and dropping samples on top of samples. This really could be a non-event.
But it wasn't... Girl Talk's live set was something amazing something, energetic, something very happily out of control. I can't recall a gig where both the artist and the crowd were so fired up. Within the first 2 minutes of the set Girl Talk was stage diving, a minute later the guy jumped from the stage and climbed UP to the balcony, by the 5 minute mark the crowd had taken over the stage and collectively freaked out with Greg. The best thing is that this frenzied state remained for the entire night... because of this, dude OWNED IT from start to finish. So impressive.
The set performed was equally as fantastic. I was worried that I might end up paying $15 admission only to hear the Night Ripper CD replayed live. This wasn't the case. While a lot of the beats from the album were used, most of the samples were new. It felt like the catalogue was deeper and wider... there was a lot of old 90's dance stuff and equal parts of contemporary pop. I'd love to get a recording of that set. Anyone see any tapers? I was too busy busting moves.
elsewhere
quinn was there tooLabels: girl talk, reviewed, richard's on richards
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Monday, May 28, 2007
a review of a review of a thing which I previously reviewed...
Turns out I'm on the cover of the new Wil CD... sorta.
A pull quote from one of my posts is on the cover of every copy of Wil's By December CD at the HMV on Robson Street (anyone seen it elsewhere?).
I've been quoted in band promo materials before, but usually for my work with Cord Mag... and usually it's done on the web or in press kits, not right on the actual product. Either way, quite the surprize. Thanks to Pinder for the heads up.
As far as the full disk goes, I had my first listen of it a few days ago. I'm really liking what I hear (and no, I'm not just saying that because of the pull quote). Wil's first disk had a very polished FM radio single feel to it... this one feels rich with character, lots of dense layers of instruments and colour... it comes across as a collaborative whole, with the sum being greater than the parts. Very recommended for those who are fans of alt-country/Americana (Canadiana?) types of music.
The whole album can be streamed here. For those who want something more permanent, here are the mpthreves I posted earlier:
In addition to this Wil disk new releases from Tegan & Sara, Spoon, Art Brut, and QOTSA are right around the corner. 2007 just got really good for music.
elsewhere
the good ole days | on a sunday afternoonLabels: cd, mp3, reviewed, wil
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Friday, May 25, 2007
reviewed: the arcade fire at deer lake park [updated x2]
I should have brought my camera to Deer Lake Park last night because it was, perhaps, one of the more perfect outdoor concert environments I've ever been to... even making the Gorge and the Shoreline Amphitheatre look silly. The sun was out, it was 20+ degrees, the crowd was quasi-sane, and the beer garden was a logistical wonder. Oh, and from my 3rd row perch, the Arcade Fire were fucking phenomenal.
It's been 2 and a half years since I saw a quasi-undiscovered Arcade Fire perform at the Commodore, a lot of things have changed since then: a second album, a world tour or 6, critical praise in the press, radio play, videos on much music, bigger venues, even crusty old rock stars trying to stay relevant have performed with them. All things considered, it's a recipe for band to lose their edge.
The Arcade Fire have not lost their edge. In fact, they've sharpened it. Their live show is louder and more inspired than ever. Yes, there are theatrics.. but they draw you in. You can't help scream along with the band... it's an incredible compelling, joyous thing. In the set Neon Bible tracks fit seamlessly along side the Funeral era stuff. It's hard for me to even pin point specific highlight as the whole thing was exciting and wonderful. Every word from every mouth and every note from every instrument was important and exciting.
The Arcade Fire are the most important band I've experienced in a decade. If you're groaning while reading that last sentence, you're either too jaded for your own good... or you haven't seen them live.
Hands down, this was the best show I've seen this year in the last couple of years. I wonder who can/will top it?
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UPDATE: thanks to a nameless commenter, we've discovered that if you click this hyperlink you can view the setlist and download the show via bit torrent. Well played, Internet.
UPDATE 2: Apparently, not everyone's into the bit torrent/FLAC thing... and just want their mtv mp3. Here's a sample of the recorded show at Deer Lake:
If there's interest, I'll host the entire show for mp3 download.
Also, there's some good photos of the show here.
elsewhere
boxers, not briefs | shake your remixLabels: arcade fire, deer lake park, mp3, reviewed
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