[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] The length of a pop album is a tricky thing to get right. Usually you take two or three irresistable formulas for a song and repeat them over and over again to make an album, which introduces the major problem: not enough repetition and you've wasted the hitmaking potential of your formulas; too much repetition and you've worn out your welcome well before the end. By this measure, the Ting Tings overshot by about three songs. The British duo may very well be the final result of an [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Even without knowing what happened to the Dears after Gang of Losers , it wasn't hard to figure out what Missiles was going to sound like just from your gut feeling. It would be hard to recreate the luminescence of Gang of Losers without sounding like a thinly veiled retread, so the obvious next step was to take things down a notch. The indistinct cover album and the less grandiose title for Missiles were also clues. Then add in the fact that the [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Even without knowing what happened to the Dears after Gang of Losers , it wasn't hard to figure out what Missiles was going to sound like just from your gut feeling. It would be hard to recreate the luminescence of Gang of Losers without sounding like a thinly veiled retread, so the obvious next step was to take things down a notch. The indistinct cover album and the less grandiose title for Missiles were also clues. Then add in the fact that the [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Even without knowing what happened to the Dears after Gang of Losers , it wasn't hard to figure out what Missiles was going to sound like just from your gut feeling. It would be hard to recreate the luminescence of Gang of Losers without sounding like a thinly veiled retread, so the obvious next step was to take things down a notch. The indistinct cover album and the less grandiose title for Missiles were also clues. Then add in the fact that the [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] You've mastered hammer-ons and used them to make actual songs instead of nightmarish strings of metal solos. You've convinced Zach Hill to become your mentor and explosive drummer. You shriek with the power of a possessed valkyrie. (Note to music writer self: what exactly is that supposed to sound like, anyways? Figure that out before you toss out another ridiculous simile.) You've destroyed crowds using nothing more than the power of your guitar and your iPod for backup. And all of this you've accomplished in just one album. So what [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] You've mastered hammer-ons and used them to make actual songs instead of nightmarish strings of metal solos. You've convinced Zach Hill to become your mentor and explosive drummer. You shriek with the power of a possessed valkyrie. (Note to music writer self: what exactly is that supposed to sound like, anyways? Figure that out before you toss out another ridiculous simile.) You've destroyed crowds using nothing more than the power of your guitar and your iPod for backup. And all of this you've accomplished in just one album. So what [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] You've mastered hammer-ons and used them to make actual songs instead of nightmarish strings of metal solos. You've convinced Zach Hill to become your mentor and explosive drummer. You shriek with the power of a possessed valkyrie. (Note to music writer self: what exactly is that supposed to sound like, anyways? Figure that out before you toss out another ridiculous simile.) You've destroyed crowds using nothing more than the power of your guitar and your iPod for backup. And all of this you've accomplished in just one album. So what [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Applause Cheer Boo Hiss , the first Land of Talk release, reminds me of a certain alt-rock radio sound, but it's not something I can put my finger on directly. Fast forward over two years later, to the Montreal band's first proper album, and things have changed. Lizzie Powell's sung with Broken Social Scene on the side while most of the band's original lineup have moved on for good. The band's had their gear stolen and their European plans dashed after the Decemberists cancelled the tour Land of [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Applause Cheer Boo Hiss , the first Land of Talk release, reminds me of a certain alt-rock radio sound, but it's not something I can put my finger on directly. Fast forward over two years later, to the Montreal band's first proper album, and things have changed. Lizzie Powell's sung with Broken Social Scene on the side while most of the band's original lineup have moved on for good. The band's had their gear stolen and their European plans dashed after the Decemberists cancelled the tour Land of [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Applause Cheer Boo Hiss , the first Land of Talk release, reminds me of a certain alt-rock radio sound, but it's not something I can put my finger on directly. Fast forward over two years later, to the Montreal band's first proper album, and things have changed. Lizzie Powell's sung with Broken Social Scene on the side while most of the band's original lineup have moved on for good. The band's had their gear stolen and their European plans dashed after the Decemberists cancelled the tour Land of [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] The last time most of the world had seen Portishead, it was with the backing of a full orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City back in 1997. That performance, immortalized on CD and DVD, was excellent, but also seemed to signal a sort of apex for the traditional Portishead sound. Trip-hop, as a term, was well on its way to becoming a punchline. And though bands like Portishead and Massive Attack have successfully outlived the term, there was still a sense that the next albums would require [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] Sophomore albums are always tough, but even more so when they turn out to be your last. That's what happened to the Long Blondes, who were in the middle of touring Couples in early June (not long after the Toronto gig in May I went to) when lead guitarist and songwriter Dorian Cox suffered a stroke. Several months later, it became clear that while Cox was reasonably functional, he wasn't as sure about his ability to play the guitar in the future. The band parted ways, unwilling or [...]
[review 2008 - half-measures and quiet victories] When I was first introduced to Forest City Lovers a year and a half ago, it was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in early spring—the kind that re-introduces you to the concept of wanting to be outside without a jacket. They played a fantastic set that perfectly captured that sense of reawakening, and it was all anchored by an as-yet-unreleased song, "Don't Go, Please." Around the same time, the Toronto band recorded a version of the song for the Friends in Bellwoods compilation. Kat Burns had started Forest [...]
[review 2008: half-measures and quiet victories] The saving grace of Seventh Tree is that it's not another Supernature . That album felt like a second disc of Black Cherry in many ways—it sounded similar, but with less conviction and effort. When it did break from its predecessor, Supernature tended to suffer as a result; throwing away Black Cherry 's sinister cool in favour of a more cabaret-inspired sound was not a good idea, even if that sinister cool had since become cannon fodder for television commercials and CSI [...]
So obviously, anyone who still follows this blog knows it's been a while since I've been doing regular updates. It's unlikely I'll pick them back up after this year, short of a major change in the amount of freelance and full-time work I do combined with a sudden spark of interest in today's music scene. I've felt for years that I've been slowly losing touch with what seems to land on both critic lists and indie radio charts, to say nothing of what's actually popular (not that I ever seemed to care very much about the latter). I've not heard [...]
A lot of albums eventually come to signify times, places and attitudes in your life—all the more so if you occasionally imagine your life as though it were a movie, which is exactly the sort of thing that stodgier cultural critics would decry as yet another sign of the apocalypse. Events as large as my first month in Vancouver, and as small as bike rides along the shoreline during summer nights, all have accompanying soundtracks (the Fiery Furnaces for the former, Dear Nora's We'll Have a Time for the latter). But most of the time, it's not at [...]
So last week we had an attractive British singer who looks briefly like an emo castoff in one of their music videos; this week it's a British band whose debut album was produced by someone who's also worked with Fall Out Boy and Lostprophets. Clearly, if there are any trends to notice in my musical diet as of late, it's these: must involve a male and a female singer (also see the Kills, Blood Red Shoes and Los Campesinos!); must be a British press darling (ditto); optional: should have some resemblance/connection to [...]
Occasionally, Last.fm does one of its jobs better than I expect. Case in point: Blood Red Shoes, a band I almost certainly would never have discovered if not for its recommendations, which usually tell me about bands I've heard of but don't listen to much because I can't be bothered to or just don't particularly like. The UK duo are neither; recommended on the basis of my Long Blondes and Kills listening history, they're supposed to have a range of influences cherry-picked from the American indie scene of the 90s—names like Fugazi and Sleater-Kinney. Unfortunately—and I almost hate to say [...]
At some point, I will probably pick up Mirah's new-but-old album, "Old Days of Feeling." It actually consists of a number of unreleased and barely released material from Mirah's early career—the entirety of Small Sale is included, but unfortunately not the sublime Storageland , which means I must continue to live life without a copy of "Telescope." That's okay, though, because as everyone knows, early Mirah is the best kind of Mirah, all carbureted sighs and twinkles in your eyes. Of course, the re-release of old material, no matter how good, is never going to [...]
About three years ago, I suddenly found myself in possession of a couple of albums' worth of Scandinavian nu jazz, and it was fantastic. The slightly exotic, rarefied mixture of chilled off-kilter beats, jazzy piano and double bass, and the subtle electronic flourishes represented something new and different from my usual oeuvre, and I ate up all I could find—even though some of it skewed closer to the less interesting, duller forms of jazz you might find scanning through the radio in the early evenings. A couple of months ago I was again looking for a way out [...]
angels twenty
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Bison - Quill
