Field Trip (Stars, BSS, Mangan, Hayden, Bloc Party+) - Fort York (June 8/13)

Gold & Youth

I was curious as to how Gold & Youth would be able to present the electronic-based indie rock of their highly enjoyable debut album, Beyond Wilderness, and the way that it was done was by integrating an electronic drum set right into the regular set. These pads were not visible to the audience but could definitely be heard and it allowed for the set to resemble an organic guitar show, without a bunch of backing tracks or knob twisting. The foursome recreated the sound quite well, with the lead male had a much deeper voice than his appearance would indicate, while the female vocalist hit her marks despite some maladjusted microphones. Wrapping up a short set with Time to Kill proved a pleasant way to start the festival.

Still Life Still

Sure were a bunch of dudes on stage for the first main stage set of the day. Alright there were only five of them including the hype man in leather manning the effects and keys. They rumbled out some rock music as the crowd assembled on their blankets all around. Not bad, but not much to jot down here.

The Darcys

Despite supposedly alternating sets on the main and second stage it seemed that every time I arrived to the Fort York stage things were already underway - although upon reflection that may have had to do with the one-lane commute between the stages. Therefore The Darcys were already cranking out their music to an appreciative audience. They incorporate the "Nighttime, anytime. It's alright" refrain by The Constantines (and also covered by Guelphite, Jim Guthrie). Incorporating some keys they were another respectable set that served as a suitable warm-up for a big day.

Jason Collett

A recognizable man in the Toronto scene he was less recognizable having cleaned himself up with a snazzy hair cut that gave an overall clean cut feel. He began with different backers including do-it-all Taylor Knox (bass, drums, vocals) for songs like Rob a Bank. But soon afterward he invited his former bandmates, Zeus, to reprise their roles for a couple tunes including Love is a Dirty Word and the tinny guitared Charlyn, The Angel of Kensington. (One of the first blatant outbreaks of local politics of the day, as he made reference to blocking the proposed WalMart to that neighbourhood.) It was a bit of a revolving door as Ms. Amy Millan joined him for a Hangover Days duet as he broke out the acoustic. To top it all off fellow BSSer, Brendan Canning, toted his guitar on stage for the obligatory I'll Bring the Sun which saw the return of Amy as well as her Stars bandmate, Torquil Campbell to sing along. Unfortunately the clouds remained for the duration of the tune but spirits were buoyed regardless.

Cold Specks

Admittedly most of what I heard from Al Spx was while salivating over my snack options in the food field next door but it seemed like a very full, loud sound, in contrast to her mostly quiet and subdued (but absolutely excellent) record, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion. There was a sax that added some deep bass to the sound and delightfully accompanied her impressive voice which would not be easily overpowered.

Zeus

This band is beloved, fittingly like a god, for their throwback sound and varied live show. It seems as if every member can play every instrument and throughout a half hour set they appeared to have hit on every possible configuration. It's just fun - like the call and response on Anything You Want Dear. They shredded through a bunch of their hits making for a jaunty, quick show.

Trust

One of the few bands of the day that I hadn't yet seen live (Still Life Still, Gold & Youth) again it was a mystery as to how they were going to come across in a live show. And let me tell you - it was a spectacle! The set-up was simple enough; drummer, female keys, and strictly singer. All three members of the band were dressed only in black, with the male lead singer wearing sleeveless top and black skirt, but to offset this lack of colour a very colourful character joined them. As this masked, sequined, jean-vested, short-shorted dancer worked it the band played on. The music is pretty electro catchy and this gave us some entertainment in addition to the otherwise straightforward musical presentation.

Hayden

Mr. Desser was in fine form as he started slowly, seated at his piano bench to open the set with a couple of tunes. The man of many talents, Taylor Knox, began on the guitar before swapping with the third member to take over the drums. He played a relatively perky set considering his catalogue, drawing heavily from the recently released album lit up in a neon Us Alone sign behind him. This included Rainy Saturday plus a cameo from Lou Cannon on Blurry Nights which was quite sweet. However I find it is Hayden's has a knack for putting real feeling into his songs that sets him apart, as on Almost Everything which drips with emotion with each ivory key and harmonica hum. For this reason alone I was left dreaming of a long, late-night set in a dingy back room bar where he could really get into it with a captive audience. That being said, there was much to be enjoyed from this festival set as well.

Ra Ra Riot

An American band that tours Toronto surprisingly often, likely due to their Arts & Crafts representation. For this reason I've seen them a couple of times in the past without getting too worked up about them - but their latest album had caught my ear again so I was willing to give them another go. And it was a worthwhile endeavour too as they impressed with the translation of their hooky songs to the live stage. I hadn't realized there were so many of them - six - but they were tight as the lead male burst out with his higher range vocals, nicely matched by the violin and countered with the deeps of the bodyless standup bass. They lead the crowd with energy and it was fed right back to them appropriately. One notable flair was when a member hugged his guitarist from behind, slipping his arms  between the guitar and the guitarist's arms to start a clap. That was a silly sight but otherwise an entertaining little set.

Bloc Party
It has been some time since I fell hard for Silent Alarm but the album still passes muster when I return to it some eight years later - and not quite that the same length of time since I saw them perform last, but awhile, no doubt. And wasn't I pleasantly surprised with this performance! Granted the music since that magnificent debut has evolved but they retain their catchy senses. So of course I enjoyed So Here We Are, Banquet and Helicopter but also Waiting for the 718 and Song for Clay from 2007's A Weekend in the City too. In fact, they played an unreleased track about Montreal which sounded excellent despite being a slower number - great response. The band still retains a certain swagger that carried them through the elongated set length. In finale they did not disappoint my twenty year old heart either as they performed a rousing rendition of This Modern Love that brought everything back around. Beautiful.

Stars
The last Stars show renewed my reasoning for having seen this band a dozen times - that Danforth show was stellar (pun not originally intended). Here they had a massive black and white backdrop poster of their North album cover which I could make out from my vantage point by the sound tent (as the festival had packed out by this point). The duo were energetic as usual though they were aware of the time limitations and burned through the hits rather than spending too much time waxing poetic. Torq did get a word out to enjoy ourselves even "under this shitty highway" as he motioned to the Gardiner nearby. There appeared to be another new guitarist, even since the Danforth show, though I couldn't be 100% sure - he did seem awfully happy to be there however, as he smiled away. Amy and Evan were amped up as each was seen jumping up and down at various points throughout the set that many in the crowd remarked was one of their favourites of the day (whereas I was slightly distracted by my burrito and being at the back). Perhaps ranked somewhere lower in the long list of Stars shows based on personal enjoyment, primarily due to circumstances, but that still makes it a better set than most concerts going.

Theory of Relativity
Lights Changing Colour
A Song is a Weapon
The North
We Don't Want Your Body
Elevator Love Song
Soft Revolution
Backlines
Midnight Coward
Take Me to the Riot
Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It

Dan Mangan
A surprising highlight of the day. Not because I doubt Dan - I have professed my love for him many times before and stand by it - but because they hadn't played in such a long time following their last tour (including the recent birth of Dan's first child). While a tonne of people staked out their spot for Feist there was still a horde of Manganians hanging on each of his lyrics. Despite the absence the entire band seemed sharp, still building it up to knock it down. I've said it before but that Post War Blues just wallops you live! It is so darn good and received my virtual vote for best single song of the festival. (I had hopes for Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl but..) Of note was the quickened version of Sold which still worked, while If I Am Dead worked slowed. The Leaves, Trees, Forest lyric caught my ear for some reason this time around too - "That's the thing about everything; everything always does that."
For better or worse the tune that is still Dan's signature remains Robots, so it was interesting to hear them change up the opening to the song as a disguise, but when the chorus rolled around and Dan had us all singing along there was no doubt remaining. As a bonus that song did not close out the set but instead we were treated to Rows of Houses which is a fantastic tune recorded and live, and was always destined to be a hit.

Feist
Coming upon the set late I was disappointed to see guests Aroara being thanked as they departed the stage (worth it for Dan though). From here Feist played an intriguing, if somewhat muddled and disappointing set. Sure, she could have played a more generic typical standard set of her hits as she has hundreds of times over (like Centre in the Square, Kitchener some years ago) but that is the music that made her famous. Primarily backed by only a DJ she ran through a series of reinterpretations of her own catalogue. Unfortunately the singing hardly sounded like singing as few words were heard between a series of sounds and notes emitting from her mouth. Often it is interesting for a live set to differ from its recorded counterpart but as with Dylan when the original is barely recognizable a great deal is lost. This seemed indulgent. I can't be certain that she ever got to "4" to start that thumb war as the loops continued without really going anywhere. When the hooded (caped?) lady finally exited the stage it was to a mixed ovation. I am still a Feist fan but would have reservations about making reservations to see her next show, unsure which one I was going to get.

Broken Social Scene

Yes it was a reunion for BSS after their hiatus announcement a couple years ago, after all isn't it "time that we grow old and do some shit"? The reason was the ten year anniversary of the label which essentially was established for the Broken Social Scene and definitely prospered due to their success, as well as the success of their cohorts and offshoots who also made music for Arts and Crafts. Plenty members had already taken to the stage earlier in the day including Andrew Whiteman (and his wife Ariel) with AroarA, Kevin Drew with anyone who invited him up, as well as the Stars crew. Here they were all (~13) together presenting their seminal album You Forgot It In People in its entirety and sticking much to the recorded versions as should be done in instances such as this. Mind you the standout track (of the album and perhaps their entire discography) Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl sorely missed Emily Haines' presence as despite the obvious enthusiasm from the female contingency, Amy, Ariel, and Lisa, they couldn't match it even together. However Metric, and hence Emily, was unavailable due to conflicting tour commitments. Yet a tender moment came following the conclusion of People as straight from the airplane James Shaw arrived to surprise everyone, especially Kevin Drew who blubbered his delight. Yes, they did carry on with a good number of further tunes beyond the album reproduction, tossing in a few from the last release including the strongest song from it, All to All, but primarily adding in the greatest hits and a previously unreleased song as well. Unfortunately the closing tune selection wasn't quite as joyous and ecstatic as could be but the show was excellent regardless.  As he's wont to do, often enough that Feist hilariously impersonated him during her set, Kevin politicized the affair by calling us together to stand up for Toronto - barely veiling his condemnation of the current mayor. It was true that it was a beautiful culmination of art and people at historic Fort York as we all came to celebrate A&C and by extension the Toronto scene as a whole. 

Polaris Prize Long List 2013 - Initial Reaction

With the decline of Radio3 CBCMusic this year I haven't listened nearly as much to strictly Canadian music and haven't had quite as much exposure - looks like I've got some listening to do! At least we won't have to put up with the debate this year about "mainstream" inclusions in the list as per the last couple (Arcade Fire, Drake).

Evening Hymns is my horse - astoundingly beautiful. But T&S made a brilliant pop album (as did AC Newman) and once again Colin Stetson has probably only improved on his buzz-yielding last Polaris Prize listing album. Purity Ring are fresh faces with a fresh sound and then you've got the long-awaited return of Godspeed.. METZ finally released an LP but I don't think it's quite as excellent as Fucked Up's hardcore efforts that allowed them to take it all. Jim Guthrie is swell - only recently got a hold of it.

Short

Evening Hymns - Spectral Dusk

AC Newman - Shut Down The Streets

Purity Ring - Shrines
Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light

Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

*Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

*Young Galaxy - Ultramarine

*Hayden - Us Alone

*METZ - METZ

*Jim Guthrie - Takes Time

*Where the final five were second round picks to fill out my short list

Approved (by me)

The Besnard Lakes - Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO

Chilly Gonzales - Solo Piano II

Metric - Synthetica

Old Man Luedecke - Tender is The Night

Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead

Whitehorse - The Fate of the World Depends On This Kiss

Heard

Mac DeMarco - 2

Hannah Georgas - Hannah Georgas
Rhye - Woman

Heard in Part

A Tribe Called Red - Nation II Nation

Daphni - JIAOLONG

Kid Koala - 12 bit Blues

Corb Lund - Cabin Fever

Suuns - Images du futur

Unheard

The Luyas - Animator
Majical Cloudz - Impersonator
Danny Michel with the Garifuna Collective - Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me
Lindi Ortega - Cigarettes & Truckstops
Daniel Romano - Come Cry With Me
Al Tuck - Stranger at the Wake
Lee Harvey Osmond - The Folk Sinner
Zaki Ibrahim - Every Opposite

Unknown
Alaclair Ensemble - Les maigres blancs d'Amérique du Noir
ANCIIENTS - Heart of Oak
Louis-Jean Cormier - Le Treizième Étage
KEN mode - Entrench

Kobo Town - Jumbie in the Jukebox
Pierre Lapointe - Punkt
Les soeurs Boulay - Le poids des confettis
Peter Peter - Une version améliorée de la tristesse

Tokyo Police Club - Sugar Beach (June 2/13)

It was a surprisingly joyous crowd at the Tokyo Police Club beachside show. Surprising because a torrential downpour had just passed through, thoroughly soaking the masses - or at least sending them scattering for shelter presumably. On top of that, the show seemed to be delayed as they got things back in order in the now-returned sunshine. As the beloved, local four-piece finally squinted out at the large assembly it was all singing and cheering though from the crowd. Their meteoric rise to fame based off a couple of very short EPs would often set-up short-lived musical careers but this band has staying power, continuing with ever-better poppy indie rock songs. They gave us a taste of things to come by playing a handful of forthcoming tunes from the LP they've been laying down. The first couple seemed more plodding and less exuberant than some of their best work but the tune about t-shirts and "'88, give or take" sounds to me like a surefire hit. They also played a complete revamp of Tessellate, keeping the lyrical flow but making over the instrumentation entirely - wasn't too shabby either.

Dave Monks was a charming leading man, cutting most of the banter and just singing the songs - but that was fine as they packed them in for an hour. Graham Wright's keyboards always help to push over the top with that flourish of individualism to set the band apart. As mentioned, the crowd gave it all back, singing along and cheering as the wind whipped through, especially on Wait Up. Noticeably missing was Favourite Colour but the encore took care of that right off the bat, and rocked through their self-referential Cheer It On too. Fun in the sun!

Young Galaxy - Lee's (May 31/13)

A homecoming of sorts occurred last night at Lee's Palace as Young Galaxy played their first show of the Ultramarine tour on home turf. Although the internet says they hail from Montreal and formed in Vancouver, a few times last night Stephen remarked that Toronto was where they got their start and hence how great it was to be playing here. Dressed purely in white, excepting Catherine's blue trousers and suspenders, their persons served as projection screen for the interesting light projections that bathed the entire stage (although it did force an awkward squint from Catherine for much of the night). The first song offered a low-key, atmospheric introduction but as the set progressed they touched on their poppier moments. This was a nice return to the form I'd always imagined their live show taking, rather than the loud, rocking version I'd seen last time, a few years ago. The best moments were when the electro was turned up and the band jammed away, especially when filled out by the electronic drums that accompanied the true drum set. Shapeshifting was a breakthrough for the band in my opinion and the latest offering continues on this beautiful trajectory, so numbers from these were definite highlights. Pretty Boy, Fall For You and New Summer were (and are) all excellent new tracks, while Peripheral Visionaries and We Have Everything hit too, plus single and set closer, Youth is Wasted on the Young. Stephen claimed that they thought encores were a little cheesy but in this case they would do one - and they did, just one song, but almost a requirement in a great rendition of Cover Your Tracks. An excellent way to be welcomed home.

Booting up a beat the leading lady would sing overtop of it while pressing away at some keys or effects. Alongside her another girl had a similar set-up with less singing, and on the other side a dude strummed a guitar, but due to it being mixed so low he could almost have been miming. The electronic stuff was alright, though not breaking much new sound, but the lack of flair from the accompaniment led to a rather boring show from this band, Kashka. (I always feel like I'm saying Cash Cab.)