I’ve recently decided to make the move from my shoe box basement apartment to something with windows. In that regard, “Get Your Own Apartment,” the lead-track from Rock Fantasy, the ambitiously titled debut full-length from Edmonton’s The Wet Secrets, is hitting all the right chords with me at the moment.

Cocksure and anthemic, even if the theme weren’t so appropriate to my current situation this deliciously profane song would be cranked all the time. In fact, I ought to make it the soundtrack to moving day—that’d be a tone setting first impression for my new neighbours.

The Wet Secrets - Get Your Own Apartment

Hear more at their Myspace page or grab a digital copy of Rock Fantasy here.
Woo

Date: May 13, 2008
Venue:The Sony Centre

What a doofus I am. Seriously, I had access to tickets for Feist and Great Lake Swimmers at the Sony Centre on Tuesday night, but completely forgot. I know, I’m an idiot. To be fair, my boss had been given the tickets months ago and told me I could have them, but he’s been on vacation all week, so it slipped our minds—a weak defense, but it’s the best I’ve got.

That said, Sean, one of my best friends, was lucky enough to be born with the mental capacity to remember such engagements, and he as his lady friend actually went to the show. Being the stand-up guy that he is, Sean was good enough to email me his take on the event (in fact, it was this email that made me realize the error I’d made). Here’s what he had to say:

“I forgot how strong Feist’s voice can be. She performed a few songs solo with just her guitar, a few with the band, and a couple that were very Broken Social Scene-esque (particularly “Sea lion”) where it was her entire outfit as well as Great Lake Swimmers on stage performing, totalling about 11 or so peeps on stage. She can slow it down, she can rock, she can do it solo, or backed by a crowd—this kind of diversity really helped vary the pace of the show and showcased her musical talents and tastes.

There was also an art projectionist on stage creating great imagery throughout her songs. The artist created such splendid displays as simple as birds and trees, to more complex fair such as changing seasons, setting suns and even moving waves.

Feist was also great at talking to the audience and often received many professions of love from men, women and even a group of small girls closer to the front. She even used the crowd to create a harmonising chorus by dividing us up by area codes (416, 905, 647) which garnered a lot of laughs. This aspect of the show only served to grow my love for her all the more, but clearly I’m not the only one that felt this way.

A highlight for me was the beautiful cover of Kevin Drew’s “Fucked Up Kid” that she performed alone on stage acoustically. She was also kind enough to warn the parents that the song had some content less than appropriate for kids (all ages show).

GLS were good too. I had been exposed to them from you and knew a bit about them, but had never seen them live. They had a couple really good songs but the first 3 all sounded exactly the same to me, particularly the percussion. Also, GLS never said anything other than the band member’s names. I kinda like it when the band has good stage presence and interacts more with the crowd (so long as it’s natural and they’re not just trying to be funny). Feist was actually really good at this and it only served to make me fall more madly in love with her.”

There you have it. Sounds like it would have been a good show to see (said as I smack myself in the head). Thankfully I’ve seen Feist a few times in the past, but I’ve still yet to experience the incorporation of art projection during her shows, which is something that intrigues me. Sean also mentioned that she used a loop pedal to create some interesting live layers this time around, which is right up my alley (having just bought one).

As for GLS, I’ve got to admit that I share my friend’s slight lack of enthusiasm for the seeming repetitiveness of their perpetually reverb-soaked, mid-tempo sound. Though it’s still obvious that Tony Dekker (the main man behind the Toronto band) is a great song writer with some excellent tunes under his belt.

All told, I’m sure Tuesday’s show would have been a good one to attend first hand—something I’ll have to do next time.

—

Feist - Brandy Alexander

Great Lake Swimmers - I Am Part of a Large Family

Check out their respective Myspace pages (Feist, GLS) to hear more and you can buy digital copies of their respective albums from Zunior.com.

(Independent, 2008)

I have to admit, I’ve been sitting on this album for a little while now. What can I say, between general lethargy and an increasingly hectic schedule I just haven’t found the time to give it proper focus. That said, I’m glad that I didn’t rush, as What Keeps Us from Sleeping at Night—the latest from Montreal’s Heroes & Villains—has really grown on me.

To be completely honest, I had no idea who Heroes & Villains were before someone in their camp approached me to take a listen. Turns out What Keeps Us from Sleeping at Night is their second full-length album—who knew? That said, it turns out these guys lost their lead singer prior to recording this latest release (as pointed out by i (heart) music), so all bets are off anyway.

In that regard, if you’re looking for a comparison between this and the Heroes and Villains of old then this isn’t the assessment for you. However, a fresh take on What Keeps Us from Sleeping at Night tells me that, For my money, these Montrealers are at their jangly best when laying down the slightly sloppy and undeniable grooves of songs like “A Letter.” In fact, once the distinctive vocal qualities (re: accent) had gotten my attention it was the bouncy rhythms of tunes like “Pedestrian Ping Pong” and “Val Kilmer” that kept me listening.

The album does tend to languish slightly on occasion, but there’s an overall charm to the relaxed vocal approach in conjunction with the un-pretentious and somewhat lo-fi sound. It also seems to showcase a large range of potential influences—I couldn’t help but conjure up instant comparisons to the likes of The Velvet Underground or The Modern Lovers, and Matt pointed out some Pavement as well.

All told, in the last few weeks What Keeps Us from Sleeping at Night has gone from a background album that I didn’t know what to make of, to a jangly and enjoyable collection of raw and untamed tunes to which I’m glad to give my attention.

—

Heroes & Villains - A Letter

Check out the band’s Myspace page to hear more from Heroes and Villains as well as to order copies of their albums.

Date: May 2, 2008
Venue: St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Church

I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t around in time to become a fan of The Inbreds before they called it quits (by “wasn’t around” I mean the band formed when I was 10 years old). That said, I’ve since grown very fond of their output–especially 1998’s Winning Hearts—so getting the chance to see the duos principle songwriter, Mike O’Neill, play live last week was an opportunity I jumped on.

In town as part of the largely unadvertised Over The Top Festival, the revered Halifax tunesmith was joined by Charles Austin on guitar—an indie stalwart in his own right—and drummer Hampton Kelly. Together they make up The Beginners, and this was their first Toronto appearance. Of course, they weren’t alone, as fellow East-coaster Laura Peek came along to start things off.

It’s obvious that Laura Peek’s also a big Inbreds fan, as her backing band is named The Winning Hearts (good choice, if you ask me…). Unfortunately however, she was alone at the keys last Friday, which was explained by joking that she could only afford one plane ticket from Halifax to Toronto. It was this sort of self-deprecating charm that won listeners over between melodic tunes on the keyboard.

Afterwards things went immediately from charming and low-key to spirited and bombastic, as Will Currie and the Country French took to the stage church. Gleefully blistering through one pop-tastic track after another, to rampant cheers from unseen faces in the balcony, these Toronto/Waterloo kids made an excellent case for their debut album, A Great Stage.

By the time The Beginners got going St. Stephens had filled up quite a bit. Playing mostly tunes off O’Neill’s two stellar solo albums, the trio displayed amicable chemistry—a trait that was hammered home when O’Neill proclaimed that Austin and Kelly were also his closest friends. All told, the entire affair was positive, upbeat and friendly from start to finish, with audience members yelling out terms of endearment and an obviously invigorated O’Neill seeming to enjoy every minute.

I suppose it was this jovial sense of familiarity that saved the encore, as it became clear that O’Neill was out of material. He floundered, plunking around on a guitar for about 10 minutes, repeating “I don’t know any more songs,” until Hayden (who wandered in at some point) suggested the band simply play the best one over again, which is exactly what they did. Any other musician at any other show would likely have been lambasted for such a display, but somehow O’Neill’s awkwardness was charming, and only served to endear him further to those in attendance.

Overall, the most refreshing thing about last Friday night was that there was nothing pretentious or exclusive about the show at all. Whether that was a testament to the bands involved, the unorthodox venue itself, or those in attendance is unclear, but I’m not going to analyze it to death—I’ll just hope for more like it instead!

—

Here are some photos I took at the dimly light show as well as a couple of tracks from Mike O’Neill’s excellent solo album, The Owl:

Mike O’Neill - Mr. Carvery

Mike O’Neill - She Believes in Me

You can grab the whole album, along with the entire Inbreds discography, at Zunior.com. As for the Beginners, check out there Myspace page for more info and look forward to an album later this year on the Zunior Label.

The title track from the brand new sophomore album by Tim Vesely’s Violet Archers, “Sunshine At Night” is an excellent indication that the former Rheostatics songwriter is still on top of his game.

As a song it’s melodic and lush with an unassuming drive, but as the figurehead for an album it’s irrefutable evidence as to why Sunshine At Night is currently a mainstay in my headphones.

The Violet Archers - Sunshine At Night

Hear more at the Violet Archers’ Myspace page, or buy the album here.

Date: May 1, 2008
Venue: The Phoenix

Don’t take your SLR camera to the Phoenix.

That was the first thing I learned upon showing up to check out The Constantines on Thursday night. Basically, I was told that a compact point-and-shoot would have been fine, but I couldn’t bring a “professional looking” camera into the venue. This is the same thing that happened to me at the Danforth Music Hall last year when I went to see Iron and Wine—my girlfriend was actually allowed through with a 7 megapixel compact Panasonic, but our Nikon D80 scared them. No one’s been able to adequately explain the reasons for this so far, as I think it’s a bit lame. In any case, I wasn’t getting in with a scary SLR, so I compromised by leaving the battery with security.

As it turns out, not having a working camera with me was a bit of a blessing. On the one hand, it means I’ve got no shots from the show to post, but on the other I didn’t have to worry about being front and centre snapping pics. I was able to just relax and enjoy the excellent live display that I paid good money to see.

Showing up in time for Attack in Black to do their thing, I was admittedly under-informed about the Welland, Ontario band. That said, it was easy to see right from the get go that their driven and spirited rock was a good match for the Constantines.

Attack in Black - Hunger of the Young

Of course, while Attack in Black evoked the things I like about the Constantines, it took mere seconds of watching the headliners to exemplify why I would be so eager to see them live in the first place. Raucous, confident and loud, the Cons delivered a solid set with some truly excellent moments. Not the least of which being an explosive rendition of “Seven A.M.” during the encore (all the more impressive seeing as I usually don’t care much for Steve Lambke’s vocals).

By the time everyone’s fists were pumping to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” the final song of the evening, it was obvious that Bry Webb’s pipes were a little worse for wear. I suppose there’s only so much high-volume gritt one set of vocal chords can handle.

Given my inability to take any pictures during the show I was instead able to pay close attention to the set list. In retrospect it’s a bit of an odd collection if you consider the omission of certain Cons classics (like “Young Offenders” or “On to You”), not to mention an unfortunate disregard for Shine a Light in general (in fact, “Young Lions” was the only track played from that album). Here’s the set list as I heard it (feel free to offer corrections):

01. Hotline Operator
02. Working Full-Time
03. Lizaveta
04. Hard Feelings
05. Young Lions
06. Million Star Hotel
07. Little Instruments
08. Shower of Stones
09. Time Can Be Overcome
10. Thieves
11. Soon Enough
12. Trans Canada
13. Justice
14. Arizona
15. Do What You Can Do

Encore:

16. Hyacinth Blues
17. Seven A.M.
18. Thunderstruck

Chart posted an interestingly skewed synopsis of this show the other day titled “Constantines Don’t Experience Much Love For Kensington” (check it out for some more detail on Attack in Black). I have to wonder if we attended the same concert, as not only does the article’s title seem more than a bit embellished, but the author also went as far as to say:

“Another dinosaur band trait the headliners exhibited was to largely ignore their current album in favour of their more popular tracks.”

This seems a bit unfair to me, given that a quick glance at the above set list shows that their latest release, Kensington Heights, was well represented. In fact, the amount of tracks played from each of their 4 respective full-lengths was as follows: Kensington Heights - 6, Tournament of Hearts - 5, Constantines - 5, Shine a Light - 1. Go figure.

The Constantines - Seven A.M.

47 songs!?! How does one even begin to tackle a magnum opus like that, Let alone record it?

For those of you who have no idea what I’m going on about, revered Toronto musician Paul Linklater recently released a monster of a collection entitled Smooth Sailing and How. In its entirety the mammoth release clocks in at over 2 hours and 22 minutes partitioned into 2 discs and an EP. I don’t even know where to start.

Anyone who has read a couple of my reviews ought to know that I often bemoan when a band “crams” too many tracks on an album, and I usually prefer shorter releases. In that regard you’d think I’d be salivating at the thought of ripping into the length of Smooth Sailing and How. However, Linklater has just made me realize that anything gets a pass beyond a certain point.

Put it this way: you know when your friend makes a joke that they realize isn’t very funny, so they keep it going anyway until the sheer ridiculousness of their dedication to it becomes hilarious? That’s pretty much how I feel about this—at around 20 tracks I’d have probably expressed displeasure (with length, not quality in this case), but at 47 songs I think it’s great. What did we learn by this? Less is more, but ridiculously excessive is even more than less…or something.

Whatever the case, I’m happy I dropped the $7 to pick this up (buy it yourself from Jibcut Records), as, not only is that a great deal at around $0.15 a track (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a bulk discount), but there are some superb tunes to be heard. Personally, I’m stuck on “Virginia C” and “Hard Time of Year,” and would recommend the album based on those tracks alone, but I’m still digging. Hell, the sheer length of Smooth Sailing and How combined with the fact that I can’t help repeating the above standouts means that I haven’t even gotten through the whole thing yet!

Of course, Smooth Sailing and How isn’t for the idle listener—you’ve got to put in the effort—but those of you willing to get knee deep in Paul Linklater’s latest will definitely be rewarded…and how.

—

Check out a track from Smooth Sailing and How below:

Paul Linklater - Virginia C

Hear more at Paul Linklater’s Myspace page, as well as the dedicated pages for each disc (Disc 1, Disc 2, EP), and buy it direct from Jibcut Records right here.

Date: April 26, 2008
Venue: Lee’s Palace

Between the TTC strike (Toronto’s publc transit system, for those of you not in the area) and sheer laziness on my part, I almost didn’t go see Miracle Fortress and Born Ruffians on the weekend. Thankfully I came to my senses by early Saturday evening and hopped my lethargic butt on the ol’ bicycle. A quick bit of cross-town pedaling later and I arrived just in time for Miracle Fortress to set up and get going.

Upon arrival I was slightly puzzled to find that there weren’t nearly as many people there that a sold out show would suggest (a by-product of the transit strike, perhaps?). That’s not to say the place was empty, but seeing as how much press Miracle Fortress received last year for their excellent debut album, the Polaris Prize-nominated Five Roses, I was expecting more of a crowd. Turns out I was in the minority by assuming that the Montreal band would hold more of a draw than the Born Ruffians. That became very clear when Lee’s Palace quickly filled to the brim with rambunctious youngsters just in time for the much-hyped Toronto band.

As for the reason I’d bought the tickets in the first place, Miracle Fortress, they were all smiles throughout the fairly short set. Sure, the vocals were a bit muddy and the stage lights were set to supernova (two issues that were corrected during the Born Ruffians’ set), but it was every bit worth the $10 price of admission (and the cycle across town) to hear the band deliver the lush and colourful melodies so prevalent on Five Roses.

Accenting their performance with interesting percussion via the likes of woodblocks and small cymbals, not to mention graciously accepting a pitcher of water from audience members in the front row (who History Jen tells me were the members of Ruby Coast), Miracle Fortress seemed to be enjoying every note they played. In fact, amicable stage presence seemed to be the theme of the evening, as both bands repeatedly thanked the others on the bill (there were 3—I missed Slim Twig’s early set).

Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen in Your Dreams

Miracle Fortress - Next Train

To be honest, I wasn’t really holding my breath for Born Ruffians to get on stage, as their debut full-length, Red Yellow Blue, only had a handful of tracks that really got my attention. That said, a couple songs in to the young band’s set and I too was believing the hype. The sheer energy, chemistry and ability exhibited by these guys on stage Saturday night was both infectious and impressive.

Meeting standouts from Red Yellow Blue with raucous enthusiasm, the audience reciprocated the ferocious intensity with which the band delivered their entire set. The Born Ruffians have a clear choke-hold on upbeat and addictive indie pop, and I’ve got to admit that their tendency to include fierce gang vocals had me shouting along. What can I say? In this humble concert-goer’s opinion the Born Ruffians just plain ol’ rocked the house.

All told, I was able to take in a must-see band on my hit list, gain a newfound appreciation for an outfit heralded by hip city kids AND get some much-needed exercise to boot!

Born Ruffians - I Need a Life

—

Hear more from both bands at each of their Myspace pages (here and here) or buy digital copies of both Five Roses and Red, Yellow Blue from Zunior.com.

From the brand new self-titled release by Toronto’s Culture Reject, this song is a clinic in hypnotic melody. Layered and lush, it doesn’t get much more serene than “Inside the Cinema.”

In fact, I’m urging everyone to check out the entire album, as I can’t get enough of it.

Culture Reject - Inside the Cinema

Hear more at the band’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of the album here.

I enjoy winter. What can I say? I like the snow and I get a kick out of wearing a toque. That said, it’s hard to look back when the weather brightens up, so you better believe there was no crying as I hung up my snow shovel this month.

Spring has definitely sprung in Toronto and these past few days in particular have been gorgeous. Personally, I’ve just been letting my unsightly long-ish hair flutter a swan song in the wind before the summer heat forces me into a barber’s chair. In that regard, I can’t think of a better soundtrack to these lovely April afternoons than Spring, the latest aptly titled EP from The Great Outdoors.

The first in a series of quarterly EPs commemorating the various seasons, Spring is three breezy tracks fit for the pre-summer months. In fact, I was incensed the very first time I heard the lead track, “Spring Flower.” This isn’t light praise either, as I’m the guy who pretty much slept through the last two Great Outdoors full-lengths, which I might just have to go back and dig up.

Basically, given the assured drive of “So Long Old Man,” the somber persistence of “Suzy’s Song” or the shear uplifting prowess of the previously mentioned opener, I’ve got a new appreciate for Adam Nation (the main man behind The Great Outdoors) and company.

Spring has only just begun and I’m already looking forward to summer based solely on the fact that I know there’s another seasonal EP on the way.

—

Take a listen to my favourite track from the EP below:

The Great Outdoors - Spring Flower

Hear more at The Great Outdoors’ Myspace page or stay tuned to Zunior.com to grab a digital copy next week.