For an artist whom adoration is a major theme in his music and writing (see his book, Hawksley Burns for Isadora), he inspires a major swoon-fest at his shows. A talented musician and engaging performer, he gets the audience right into it and I can't even really compare him to any other musician. His songs have a little bit of folk, pop, jazz, new age and a little bit of rock and roll sleaze.
His latest Los Manlicious is finally out in Canada and he's added new tour dates in the Fall.
November 19 Le Cercle Quebec City, QC November 21 La Tulipe Montreal, QC November 22 Bronson Centre Ottawa, ON November 25 The Music Hall London, ON November 26 Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY November 28 Massey Hall Toronto, ON
There are a few alternate versions of tracks from Between the Beautifuls, including my favourite "Prettier Face" and Los Manlicious is louder and more rock-and-roll than the last few releases. Worth a listen.
This year, the Stars and Sweet Thing will be playing York University's Frosh Week. You need to have an academic connection to the school to attend, so get some York friends to get you in!
The Stars played U of T, my school, last year and I missed it. I hate not knowing about stuff until after, especially if it's band I wanna see and its free. Anyhoo, hopefully MoneyCityManiacs.com can alleviate this problem. It's got a calendar of free shows happening around Toronto and most of them are indie rock shows. There are a few well known acts thrown in here and there (ie. the Tokyo Police Club will be playing U of T's Frosh Week this year!).
When I neglect my blog for a long time, I end up with a long agenda of things to do, which means that to get it all over with, I have to put everything I wanted to say in a condensed form over the course of an "Updates" post. This is one of those posts.
1) Adding to Edie's last post, Ryerson University has also announced their frosh concert line up. The biggest names on the list are Thunderheist, Zaki Ibrahim and Kardinal Offishall as the headliner. However, according to the below flyer, you'll need Ryerson student ID to get in. I s'ppose you could still take a visit to the Toronto island and just HAPPEN to stumble upon it... But don't take my word for it.
2) Earlimart's headed on tour with the Wedding Present and has asked us very nicely to list their dates. Aw shucks, we'd do anything for you guys.
September 18 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
September 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
September 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
September 23 – Eugene, OR @ John Henrys
September 24 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
September 25 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
September 26 – Vancouver, Canada @ Media Club
You know what would make this tour even better? If they came to Toronto. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Earlimart - For the Birds (mp3) (buy)
Note to self: I still gotta do some writing about the Weddding Present. I've taken quite a liking to them. You can expect that sometime in the near future.
3) The Silent Years's album was officially released on two days ago on the 26ths. They decided to celebrate by putting the new album, "The Globe", up for streaming and also with a new video. What generous fellows!
The Hard Lessons are awesome! They are not pigeon-holed by their sound at all. Each one of their tracks are so unique, you'll think you're listening to another band. There are a couple of vocalists and their songs range from tracks that just rock out loud to country-stomp to tracks with post-modern boy-girl sing alongs and everything inbetween.
Check out a track or two. But that won't do them justice. You need to hear more to fully appreciate their range! Luckily for us, the band have placed multiple mp3s on their website.
I discovered the UK's Joy Formidable through one of those late night sessions scrolling through Hype Machine looking for new music. I think I clicked on the link to one of their songs based on their name. I'll repeat their name. "The Joy Formidable." Sounds intriguing, right?
Their myspace states their sound as other/other/other but I think it's kind of a dance-rock, guitar-heavy sound. Not like the dance rock of Metro Station that's so common nowadays. More like the kind of rock that you could dance to on British Music Night at the Mod Club, but with a slight Smashing Pumpkins Gish-Era noise. It's cool. The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade (mp3) (buy)
Everytime I hear the first strains of guitar in the "Still in Love Song", it reminds me of when I was young, optimistic and still believed I could change the world for the better. I remember that during that year or so, which was maybe 2003, when the Stills came onto the scene, that something great in music was about to happen. Now whether or not there was a renaissance in indie rock is debatable, but I still associate the Stills with this promise.
I loved this kind of music: melodic, moody, somewhat 80s-ish, and every so often, there was a hint of optimism. And I still love the phrase, Logic will break your heart. It's probably the most accurate description of life ever (apologies to all the philosophers out there).
And then their second album came out. It was rootsier and blues-ier and a radical departure from before. I couldn't comprehend it. Where were the Stills I loved?
They brought back the sonic atmospheres and themes of Logic on Oceans Will Rise, but the latter's got more weight to it. It's less self indulgent, more confident and more aware. The dreamlike quality and self-loathing whines of earlier tracks have been toned down. And while it's obvious that after x number of years, a band should evolve and mature, but here it seems as seems more important. It's like learning to life out your dream, but with healthy dose of reality.
The Sweet Serenades are from Sweden. In my opinion, their sound has a Canadian Alt-Rock feel (Tragically Hip, Sam Roberts et. al), but at the same time there are strands of the new Canadian indie rock (ala New Pornographers, Hot hot heat etc). It's an interesting combination and it works. The curious part that they're not even from Canada! They totally sound Canadian!
Their full length yet untitled release is due out in the fall.
Every music fan, no matter how intellectually capable or musically analytical, is allowed to have one unhealthy band obsession. It's the one that you've google searched, wikipedia'd and mySpace'd one too many times. You know all their lyrics, maybe even all of the b-sides. If they made a trivia game about the band, you'd buy it, then complain and return it because it wasn't challenging enough. Don't try to deny it. Everyone has that one band that makes them melt. This is mine:
BEST PICTURE EVER!
Franz Ferdinand. They're like the guy or the girl that you think is trying to lead you on, and the temptation almost unbearable, and you just don't quite know why. There's something about the way they talk, the way they write their songs, or the way their eyebrows dance when they sing. The relationship becomes almost abusive when you know you're being lead on, but you just don't care... They've been teasing their fans for months now in preparation for the third album. In August of last year, the content of their official site was replaced with black background and the words:
Promises of new tracks were kept, and a number of them are available through YouTube with debatable audio and visual quality. They had only been leaked through live performances. Then of course, being the teases that they are, they released some short... well, teasers for their upcoming album.
First with "Flight of the Galvatron". Intense stuff!
Then with something called "The Tradition".
And finally, a clip called "Under the Stage".
The website has been restored. It now has a new look, and is unsurprisingly reminiscent of their usual style and font. It's also got a frequently updated band diary that allows you to get a glimpse inside those intriguing minds they have, a neat music sampler filled mostly with what appears to be instrumental clips from their new songs. Most intriguing however, is the new song, "Lucid Dreams". It was made available to fans yesterday on their site, but the corresponding diary entry insists that "it's not a single".
Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams (mp3)
I bet marketing people are really good at leading people on in everyday life too.
She & Him. They've been indie critic's darlings ever since they released Volume 1 back in March. Now, I wanted to not like them. Not that I have anything against them, but sometimes the critics are wrong. Sometimes there is so much hype surrounding a certain act that your expectations build up and then once you hear it for yourself, your hope deflates.
But then a heard a song with the lyrics "this is nooootttt a test...." on the radio while driving home one night. Fasinated, I memorized the a couple of lines from the chorus so that I could google whomever sang this song. And sure enough it was She & Him.
The Silent Years' new album, The Globe, drops on iTunes today, although the physical copies won't be available until the 26th of this month. This Detroit band has been building up quite the indie following since their 2006 debut self-titled album. In fact, they're so pumped about their NEW album, that they're offering their entire FIRST album for free!
Now I'll be completely honest. When I first listened to the album, I had it as background noise while I played Mine Sweeper, expert mode. It was an intense game. I wasn't paying much attention to the music. The Globe debuted in my Windows Media Player with two stars as its default rating. Thankfully, I gave it a second chance. No more little grey boxes with numbers and flags to distract me. The thing with an album like this, that showcases the softer side of rock is that it might not strike you immediately. The Silent Years are not about having a single voice, or a particular riff or instrument demand your attention. Rather, the Silent Years are about a blend of these things and the subtlety of the end result. I almost feel as though the album is an understatement within itself, simply because it refuses the idea of having a single stand-out quality as the basis of an entire song. All of the qualities work to compliment each other. Needless to say, it gained a star or two on my media player. It takes some focus, and perhaps multiple listens. With just a little patience you'll understand.
Ah, the Chemical Brothers. You all know them. They so funky. Although quite honestly, I like them most for their music video collaborations with director, Michel Gondry.
Genius!
Now to add to their tendency toward innovative videos, they've decided to let their fans help with the next one in celebration of their new album "Brotherhood", which is being dropped on September the 1st, in conjunction with the finished video. What they're asking for is either a photo or a 2-20 second video clip relating to the theme "Midnight Madness". The best clips/photos will be included in the final video. You have until August the 25th to submit your entry, but of course, the sooner, the better!
Good luck to all of the participants! I'm looking forward to the end result.
Okay, so the Dears have been keeping low key before they release their next full length, entitled "Missiles" on October 21 2008. You can preview tracks such as "Meltdown in A Major" at their website.
I love their epic, melancholic Smiths-like sound but with previous song titles such as "You and I are a gang of losers" and "22: the death of all romance", I find myself thinking of the Flight of the Conchords song, "Cheer up Murray." So come on,"Cheer up Murray [Lightburn]/Don't let it get you down/Pick yourself up off the ground/It's gonna be alright".
You know it's going alright with a Polaris nomination and an awesome track record already.
Don't worry Impressionable readers. I'll be posting about other bands soon. These guys are just my current obsession, and I'm very excited forthem. It's going to be a big year.
I hate the fact that everybody complains all the time. I hate the fact that I complain all the time. I hate the fact that when I try to suppress my complaining, I end up with an eruption of complaints at the most inappropriate times. It's so annoying!
Well, I just found out that there is something called Competitive Ranting or Rants for Rent at some local bar(s) downtown (ie. Imperial Pub). If you've got a problem with something or someone no matter how stupid, even if it's something along the line of why people can't understand that teal and torquoise are different colours, here's your chance to shout it out.
May the most outraged win!
Here's a clip of the Rants for Rent in Toronto in November:
And here's on of my favourite rants, starring Dylan Moran (of Black Books fame). And no, he's not a competitive ranter. He's a professional.
"It's like your bank balance, you always have a lot less than you think"
The following are all-ages unless otherwise specified. This list is SUBJECT TO CHANGE. I'll try my best to keep this up-to-date but ALWAYS double check official sources before you go.
I hope that sharing a few of your songs is alright by you. If not, please let me know as I will immediately remove your material upon request. We're still good though, right?
Greetings few, but well-loved readers. Please enjoy your stay but remember, the mp3s are for sampling and will only be available for a short time. If you find something you like, support the artist. Buying the record and going to shows makes everyone happy.
Music submission? Important feedback? Questions or comments? Complaint? We're more than happy to hear it: impressionableyouth@gmail.com
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