Eight and a Half, Plants and Animals (NXNE June 15/12)

Eight and a Half

Last time I tried to catch Eight and a Half it was at the Edge studios and I hustled there on my bike to catch the latter half of the second of two songs. It sounded good but still an obvious disappointment. This time I again arrived slightly late but caught a significant amount of their Yonge/Dundas Friday evening opening set. The music was atmospheric especially with the synths and Justin Peroff brushing the drums or playing an electronic set with a soft-tipped stick. The singer played an electric guitar and sang into a reverb mic while the man with the beard held down synths and keys. Altogether they managed to recreate their music live quite well. It was enjoyable even beyond thirty seconds this time - and oh, boy! that guitar line on Scissors is so simple yet so great.

Plants and Animals

Their appearance was a little offputting. One guiy had a suit but no shirt and another couple were sporting long blonde hair under their hats (that turned out to be wigs in the end). Beyond their looks the music was solid - a little less prog guitary-y as the last times I saw them. The latest album comes across that way as well and has proven to be my favourite of their entire catalog. More accessible and more hooks altogether. With that in mind I was hoping the live show would step up its game too but from halfway back across the square (undoubtedly full of Matt Good fans staking their spots) it wasn't about to turn me around completely. There's definitely a good deal of live show improv as Bye, Bye, Bye had a noticeably different sound. They did Good Friend and brought out the acoustic for The Mama Papa. Also included were Lightshow, a slow burn on Faerie Dance before rocking it out. They got the crowd into it in the end with a la la singalong but not quite enough to convert fans I'd say.

Matt Good

I knew there were die-hard Matt Good fans out there but I didn't realize there were so many of them as the square flooded with people and I could barely get a vantage point having stepped out for a minute following Plants and Animals. I could still hear that distinct Matt Good voice and was impressed by the excellent guitar  work and hard hitting drums. The band may look their age but they can still play. I didn't recognize any of the first few songs and decided to slip out early so I could regain my personal space.

Brasstronaut twice (NXNE June 15,16/12)

First it was a midnight set at the Gladstone Hotel that was the first time I'd seen Brasstronaut in Toronto and only the second time ever! Mean Sun had been played relentlessly since its release and so I was terribly excited to see them perform it. And perform it they did - in fact they only played songs from this release which may have disappointed some, but considering how well they were done I was not complaining. Their music is just so lush and seemingly complex, it is unlike mainstream music yet is still accessible despite the jazzy influences. The dynamism of the album translated live as the excellent bunch of musicians (trumpet, clarinet, synths, guitar, bass, drums) recreated the sound and feel with an urgency that could be felt. Falklands was especially powerful, though Mean Sun and The Grove also stood out strongly.

The second show was in the heat of the day at Yonge-Dundas Square and even though the setlist was simply a subset of the previous night's show it was still a treat to see them perform again. Hell, I've listened to the album more than once in a day, it's not a stretch to see them twice within 13 hours! Again Falklands was a standout. The relatively small crowd was appreciative of Brasstronaut's performance as they once again closed with Revelstoke Dam.

Utidur Opening at the Gladstone was Utidor from Iceland who had been handpicked by Brasstronaut to open on their North American tour. It could be understood why as the 8-piece had a similarly full, orchestral sound using a bodyless violin, trumpet, male/female vocals as well as sparingly a melodica, double-drums and hand claps. Some songs were Icelandic while others such as Birds Moving Slowly featured interplay between the violin and trumpet for a nice effect. They were definitely a nice way to warm up for Brasstronaut..

Sound Of Music: Arkells, Born Ruffians (Burlington, June 14/12)

The Arkells

The exact amount of hours they had driven home from their tour in the US to be at this show wasn't exactly known but the fact that The Arkells really, really wanted to be there was abundantly clear. Between most songs they'd shout out to Hamilton, which was basically visible across the lake, beyond the bridge as night fell on this headlining Thursday night set. Adopting Burlington as essentially their home for the Sound of Music show they also have plenty of hometown references in their songs (beyond their name which stems from the Hamiltonian street they lived on when forming). Especially Where U Goin which calls out to some Ontario highways (403, 401, 402 you're on the run) as well as Toronto, Detroit, chemical valley and McMaster's Branson Hall. Then there's the name of their debut, Jackson Square, too. And for Book Club everyone screamed "You can drive me back to Hamilton."

I'd seen the Arkells all over the place in '09 and a couple of times during the 2010 Olympics but nothing since then. Those shows were great but in the interim it appears as if the band has only gotten better. Death of the frontman? I'd beg to differ and use Max Kermin as evidence. He is the ultimate showman as he commands the crowd with confidence, singing strongly and allowing us to sing along at almost any opportunity he can. The musicians can reproduce the album to a T if they desire though they definitely take some artistic license throughout the show to add flair to a compelling show. (Like when they added in a few line cover of a recent popular song that eludes me at the moment during Pullin' Punches before a very rocking ending.) The keyboardist was perhaps the most alluring besides Max as he really gave it his all, relishing the spotlight with his harmonica solo on No Champagne Socialist and otherwise just whooping it up. At one point he had his foot on his first set of keys and banged away on the upper set.

Max made  a surprise appearance during last year's Tokyo Police Club show at Sound of Music and this year the guest was former Arkell, Dan Griffin, returning to sing and play on Agent Zero and then sticking around for much of the rest of the set. This included set closer Deadlines (that somehow had a cell-phone illuminated, This Little Light of Mine interlude) and a sweet encore of one of their best new songs, Book Club, and one of their best old songs, John Lennon. These guys are performers - and what a great "hometown" show it was!

Born Ruffians

These guys have definitely come a long was from their (super enjoyably) frenetic first EP. Luke Lalonde's vocals are incredible and Mitch's, well Mitch seems to offset those well with his extra-gruff yells. Regardless it was an entertaining show that saw them playing songs from all over their discography. They did include one brand new one, 6-5000, which seems to play to their strength as it comes to a near stop with a number of breakdowns. The trio was rounded out with a fourth member on guitar and keys and altogether it made for an enjoyable performance.

Of Gentleman and Cowards

This is a group of young guys who have some solid guitar work though they are using it to play some pretty uninspired rock at the moment. Hopefully once they gain some confidence in playing they'll branch out and write some music to stand out from the crowd. They were genuinely grateful to be playing the mainstage even if they were the first band of the night. Keep on keepin' on boys.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Luminato, David Pecault Square, June 17/12)

As mentioned off the top it had been over a decade since the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's last free public outdoor performance so it was a real treat to take in. The initial raindrops sent umbrellas skyward but it quickly passed as we enjoyed the simultaneous premiere (alongside a Baltimore performance) of the 2012 Overture made in respect to 1812 Overture. It was an enjoyable, joyous piece. Unclassically trained I couldn't name all the pieces but the theme from ET was unmistakable while the closing rendition of 1812 Overture was quite spectacular - the added aspect of rain for pathetic fallacy as well as fireworks set to the time of the drumming added immensely. There was a quick encore as well but being sans fireworks it was hard to compare.

Zeus, Two Hours Traffic, The Elwins (Phoenix, June 9/12)

The Elwins

This hard working, fun band out of Keswick did a fine job winning over the fast-filling Phoenix prior to Two Hours Traffic and Zeus. The four piece, with drummer playing side stage and Feurd - mustache and all - opposite, played their brand of poppy indie rock that is quickly catching on. The single rang out early, as we entered, and from there they continued on - all upbeat and smiles. Their finale is a bit cutesy and has the potential to fall flat but the crowd was into it and we played along happily to the fox motions and dances, singing and closing out the set with fun.

Two Hours Traffic

About three years since Two Hours Traffic put out any new music and their absence has been felt. The CMW preview was enough to whet my appetite and this gig affirmed that they're still alive and kicking despite Alec's departure. It is still going to be a little while before we get the new album as this was their final show before entering the studio the very next day. This resulted in a sprinkling of new songs - couple off the top,  the one with the French lyric and a couple more - but the old stuff still holds strong from both albums. Liam is a funny sight in his cowboy boots drinking a Labatt 50 but looks aside songs like Daffodils, Sure Can Start, Heroes of the Sidewalk, Weightless One, and Jezabel all still hit their mark. Can't wait until the new stuff drops and they come play it again.

Zeus
People were excited for Zeus on this evening as they headlined a hometown show. Having sat in Jason Collett's shadow for years they are finally recognized for the musicians that they are in their own right. Really good instrumentation and lots of gear swapping made for an engaging set. Personally their music doesn't fully grab me so it wasn't amazing but it was far from agony. They did Kindergarten with an acoustic which I enjoyed, and I Know and Anything You Want with nifty drumming were solid too. They brought out some backing females for a few songs that seemed suspiciously like their girlfriends - no issue there. On another they encircled their drummer while rocking out. My preference was for the songs the spectacled fellow played and sang lead on. They closed out with Are You Gonna Waste My Time but then returned with a somewhat drawn out encore. An acoustic number to open followed by another Zeus tune and finishing off with their cover from the Sounds like Zeus EP of That's All.

Tracks on Tracks: Topless Gay Love Tekno Party+ (NXNE, June 13/12)

Branding yourself as a Topless Gay Love Tekno Party creates expectations - even if people aren't exactly sure what those expectations should be. The members burst on stage for their late night NXNE show at the Gladstone in what must be TLGLTP style. That's to say a style like no other. If they were wearing anything more than mini skintight silver Speedos it was alien-like silver jackets/footwear, but who could really tell through all the glitter, er spacedust. It adorned all members body parts (I'd hate to see their tour van) including a glitter beard and a shower of glitter on every head nod. By that point everyone in the crowd seemed to be sweating glitter as they got into the danceable tunes emanating from this high energy band. The only pause from full-on dance party came as two girls from Sidney York added their oboe and bassoon to the mix for Danger Love. Besides that everyone just partied - My 5! and the self-titled closing tracks were highlights but considering my lack of previous knowledge it was all great. Like nothing I could have imagined yet everything I had hoped for!

Sidney York were not on the official NXNE listing and so they were a surprise as I was expecting the glitter and space suits of Topless Gay Love Tekno Party and instead got the three lovely ladies and their male backing band (bass, guitar, drums). They only did a brief set, perhaps three songs, but they were perky and enjoyable. Closing in fine fashion with a favourite Mile High Love  they were a legitimate treat to see live.

Belle Game had six members including two female vocalists and sometimes added a trumpet too.This resulted in a very full sound. They even did a dance number with an extra drum up front and seemed to sample JT's Cry Me a River. Final song was the single, Sleep to Grow, and it featured a big closing with trumpet and noise. Solid.

I wasn't exactly sure what was coming with Adaline but it wasn't exactly what I got. Using electronic drums. and a sampler in her band the 3 piece was more electronic than expected. In fact I found it tending toward Austra territory, without the same sort of vocals, although Adaline were also strong in her own way. Of course she played The Noise as well as the really neat song Stereo. She deservedly received a solid response from the crowd too.

It was upbeat indie from Maurice, nicely augmented by violin on a couple songs. There were fill in members on the drums and bass and male/female backing vocals. It wasn't game changing but it definitely wasn't bad either.

All this as part of CBC Radio 3's Tracks on Tracks showcase.

Wintersleep, Half Moon Run (Lee's June 12/12)

An English band from Montreal the only criticism I have was how haphazardly they were dressed considering they were supposed to be entertaining a crowd that likely wasn't familiar with them. Rolled up cargo sweat pants? Wife beater? Unkempt, shaggy hair? Besides their appearance I was altogether impressed with Half Moon Run's live show as it translated much better live for some reason than any of the recorded tracks I've heard. A three-piece with electric guitar, keys and electric, plus a drummer who also sometimes played keys simultaneously with this drums. Both singers had dual mics, one for reverb effects. They powered along and pulled out their mini hit Full Circle mid-way through the set, including a wicked introduction on the acoustic guitar. Clean yourselves up and I'll see ya at Hillside!

I've got some pretty good ideas of why Wintersleep's club gigs are as amazing as they are but the full effect escapes me. For starters how did such talented musicians all come together in the small city of Halifax? I have to figure that they began as mediocre musicians and in their decade-plus together have pushed each other to the levels that they are now at. Every member is a stellar musician and when they rock out in the middle of a song it can be transcendental. Having been together so long they are making some of the best music of their career as Hello Hum is one of their strongest releases in band's history and easily one of the best Canadian albums of this year. Not only is the album amazing but it translates live too - opener Hum also opened the set, followed in order by single In Came the Flood and no one in the just about sold out Lee's Palace was complaining about new material. That being said people sure did appreciate the inclusion of Archaeologist and Weighty Ghost (so good!) too. Really it is difficult to pick out highlights as the catalog their are culling from is great and the wizardy with which they bring it to life makes the entire thing a sight to be seen. I greedily count myself lucky that they have not blown up beyond club proportions yet as their club shows are such treats that I find myself beaming at multiple point throughout. The build and pay-off of Welcome to the Night Sky and main set closer Miasmal Smoke & the Yellow Bellied Freaks gives most any live song out there a run for its money. And when a band can come back from a stellar set and encore with the likes of Orca, a singalong to Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes and then close it all down with Jaws of Life, you know you've witnessed something special.

Other songs:
Resuscitate
Murderer
Smoke
Nothing is Anything (Without You)
Oblivion
Permanent Sigh
Laser Beams

Japandroids, Cadence Weapon (Lee's, June 23/12)

It does seem an interesting bill - one of Canada's most eclectic MC's (and former poet laureate) in Cadence Weapon, opening for the power duo, Japandroids. Brian (of Jpndrds) introduction of the rapper shone a light on this but also highlighted how this introduction shouldn't really be necessary in their homeland. And in reality it wasn't though I'm sure it didn't hurt. People were really into the small ball of rapping energy too as he tore through a bunch of new tracks from his Polaris long-listed recent release, Hope in Dirt City. It was impressive that he didn't miss a beat on songs new and old, including Real Estate, Oliver Square and House Music, while also throwing down some pretty funky dance moves too. The Born Gold DJ held down the beats in his USA t-shirt allowing Cadence to do his thing while the crowd was oddly receptive. Cadence wrapped up an impressively solid set (my first time seeing him) with Loft Party.

Japandroids album (also Polaris long-listed) is called Celebration Rock and much has been made of the title. I, for one, am with the masses in deeming it a worthy and appropriate name for their style of music pumped out by Dave's spectacular drumming and Brian's hugely amplified, and distorted, guitar licks. From song one the energy was there and it did not wane throughout, even with the inclusion of album closer, Continuous Thunder. I'd love to give a breakdown of the songs but I was too busy surviving the frenetic pit to take notes. A tonne of new material was played; in fact, it looks as if the entire new album made its way into the evening highlighted by single The House that Heaven Built and the deservedly-rehashed-for-this-album Younger Us. It's almost cliche to say how much output there is from "just" as two-piece but it needs to be reiterated as Brian really made the guitar soar - so much so that he broke a string and left Dave to drum solo while he swapped mid-song, sans guitar tech. The crowd responded as well to new music as old, though I was pleased to shout along to Post-Nothing "classics" (everything but Heart Sweats and I Quit Girls). In a respectable move they announced that they were going to give it their all with For the Love of Ivy (who knew it was a cover?) and not encore. True to their word they both gave it their all, with Brian perched atop Dave's kickdrum, and left us shouting for more even despite the exhaustion from rocking out for over an hour.

Great Heart Festival, Bellwoods (June 17, 2012)

Luke Lalonde

Simple acoustic songs but with his inimitable vocal stylings Luke's 
set wasn't simple at all, though it was short. Leaving his Ruffian cohorts to watch from the grass with the rest of us (I saw Mitch anyhow) Luke entertained with a handful of tunes that put his talent on display. His vocal dynamics were on full display in this stripped down format, even on the cover tune that he mostly remembered the lyrics to (jokes - he'd warned us he might jumble a couple). In finale he played a song I'd heard debuted with the full band incarnation three days previous. While I'd thought at that time how well suited to them it was, with the multiple near full-stop breakdowns, Six Five Thousand also worked in this format. My only complaint was that I wanted more!

a

Gregory Pepper
Humbly Greg took to the "stage" (see grass in the park) with his acoustic guitar and entertained us for a third of an hour. His songwriting is pretty interesting though I found the song making light of suicide very inconsiderate. Otherwise it was a fun, light set playing a number of older songs as well as some to be released. Definitely some quirk here and a nice reminder of how much I've enjoyed his previous releases. 



Donovan Woods

Rocking a pretty, acoustic guitar in the park Donovan was supremely entertaining. Utilizing light picking and interesting, literal lyrics the music was quite great and the pointless banter was funny and endearing.









Army girls

Actually a male/female duo with the man playing a covered drum and woman on an electric guitar (a departure from the primarily acoustic Live In Bellwoods theme). Hard to say what exactly was attractive about the set but it was quite a nice bunch of songs from the modest duo. My introduction to them following some good word of mouth reviews and definitely enough for me to follow up further!





Octoberman
The band featuring JJ Ipsen, a stand up bass, drums and two acoustics had to compete with horns, barking dogs, airplanes overhead and bike bells but they did it. Not much standing out about the set though the final song, Run From Safety, sounded pretty good.

Dan Mangan (Luminato, June 16,2012)

Dan and band, including a violinist and trumpet who hadn't played with them in a year, have been touring Oh Fortune for some time and it shows. In fact this show had many of the same aspects as last summer's shows. It leaned heavily on the new material with the mid-set exception of Sold and later Dan's now classic live rendition of Basket. Following a one-two punch of Robots (in-crowd singalong) and Rows of Houses (amazing live) it was hard to see how he was going to follow that up. What he did was slow it down for album closer and very strongly written Jeopardy. It worked in the hot, afternoon sun.

Polaris Prize Long List Initial Reaction 2012

Here's my initial reaction.

10 means I think it should be on the short list top 10 (automatic five stars *****). Whereas 11 means I didn't mark it as top 10 first time through but when I only had 8 picks in my top 10 after going through the list I added 2 more. 

There are plenty of ? this year which means things I'm excited to seek out!

(Middle column question mark means I've heard it but want to spend more time with it)

One question though - where is Brasstronaut?!

A Tribe Called Red - A Tribe Called Red	?
Marie-Pierre Arthur - Aux alentours	?
Rich Aucoin - We're All Dying To Live		10
Avec pas d'casque - Astronomie	?
Azari & III - Azari & III	?
Bahamas - Barchords	**
The Barr Brothers - The Barr Brothers	?
Blackie And The Rodeo Kings - Kings And Queens	?
Cadence Weapon - Hope In Dirt City	**	?
Kathryn Calder - Bright And Vivid	****	11
Cannon Bros - Firecracker / Cloudglow	?
Coeur de pirate - Blonde	***
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas	?
Cold Specks - I Predict A Graceful Expulsion		10
Rose Cousins - We Have Made A Spark	?
Mark Davis - Eliminate The Toxins	?
Drake - Take Care	***
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur		10
Feist - Metals	**
Fucked Up - David Comes To Life	***	11
Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere	*
Grimes - Visions	****	10
Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital		10
Japandroids - Celebration Rock		10
Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune		10
Mares Of Thrace - The Pilgrimage	?
Ariane Moffatt - MA	?
Lindi Ortega - Little Red Boots	?
Parlovr - Kook Soul	***
Sandro Perri - Impossible Spaces	?
Joel Plaskett Emergency - Scrappy Happiness	***
PS I Love You - Death Dreams	***
John K. Samson - Provincial	**
Shooting Guns - Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976	?
The Slakadeliqs - The Other Side of Tomorrow	?
Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Backyard		10
Bry Webb - Provider	**	?
The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence	*
Yamantaka // Sonic Titan - YT//ST	?
Yukon Blonde - Tiger Talk	**

Wildlife, Topanga, PkewX3, Reversing Falls (Horseshoe May 11, 2012)

Wildlife

The stage, already shrouded in cloth and smoke, was dimly lit and gave an edgy feel to the set. With their matching arm bands Wildlife took to the stage to some sort of orchestral battle music that built the suspense further until finally the familiar strains of Stand In The Water began to emanate through. (The singer actually broke the trance by asking for the lights to come up and with his overly casual 'Hello, how are you?' after all the suspenseful build up.) Effectively the band played throughout the concert mostly as if it were one seamless piece of music as opposed to a collection of songs (though songs like When I Get Home were included). This meant instrumental interludes in the dark but again this all played toward making this show something special. It was as if they were in a state of constant crescendo and it was constantly awesome. One interlude saw them bring out two remote controlled inflatable sharks that a were flown all around our heads until nearing the end of Brand New Weapon they began to get torn apart.

Other flairs included a trombone on Drunken Heart and two new songs (first about kerosene, second 'rely on me'). Money From God not only had double stand up drums but also the return of the trombone and an invited additional singer (who really, really wanted the crowd to be as excited as he obviously was).

They played Sea Dreamer to appease the crowd and then the moment I'd imagined months earlier while being overwhelmed by Killing for Fun in my headphones. "How amazing would this build into whoa-oh singalong be live?" Better than I imagined actually as everyone was 'losing their minds'. That was still before the much delayed encore (lights up, house music on) that was Baba O'Riley. Oh yes. As if the night hadn't already been fantastic enough!

Topanga

Topanga came out with a four man yell-along and were generally very upbeat throughout. The lead singer was small but packed a punch and their drummer, on stage for the second time this night, showed those drums who was boss. All this energy was infectious and someone even tried to crowd surf during Lion Heart. Their instrumentation was going for epic and achieving it. A familiar song for Radio3 listeners, Oceans, hit its mark too before a Hives cover (Hate to Say I Told You So, what else?). According to my notes they closed with My Boo but according to their discography they closed with Mabu. Regardless they closed out an energetic set with a song.

Pkew! Pkew! Pkew! (gunshots)

With a name like Pkew! Pkew! Pkew! (gunshots) I'm not even sure what I was expecting. I'd heard of them a heckuva a lot (though the sources were long forgotten) and so had expectations for an entertaining gig without a clue of how that would be delivered. What we got was a tongue-in-cheek indie rock show with punk pacing and fun that didn't disappoint in the least. Especially not the crew up front who were practically moshing from the first track and didn't mind the beer froth shooting all around them as the five members played their chords. Four of the members sang as they shared duties and occasional harmonies, even introing a song with Diddy's Bad Boy For Life. Even if the music if rather straightforward it still sounds great and it's really hard not to smile and enjoy yourself when the lyrics are "If those were your glory days, you must be real shitty now!"

Reversing Falls

Reversing Falls were a simple three piece who started out over a drum track before this role was taken over partway through the set by Sicks(?) from Topanga, one of the later acts. Though the set was enjoyable enough there wasn't much too memorable about it. They held out and played their biggest song Is This Thing On? last.