Am I Ulysses? Am I Ulysses?

Reviews of Franz Ferdinand, Grizzly Owls and The Craft Economy

As you've likely already noticed, I haven't had a lot of time for posting this week. Work has been quite busy (which is a good thing) and Canadian Music Week / Fest is well under way. Saw a great show on Wednesday night, another one last night and will likely be doing so again this evening. Reviews and pictures and whatnot will be posted steadily over the next week or so, but in the meantime, here are a few brief words on some of the CD's that I've been enjoying recently that have nothing to do with CMW.


Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

I never think about Franz Ferdinand. I don't know why, I just never do. Their music has always been very fun and accessible, and I really can't think of anything that I dislike about them. It just seems that whenever they come out with a new album I listen to it, like it, put it away, and never listen to it again. Will things change for album number three? Only time will tell. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand features more of the same quirky new wave pop that made them such a hit with fans, and their jaunty melodies coupled with their humourous lyricism remain as fresh sounding as they did on their debut in 2004. Nothing revelatory, just good clean dance-infused mirthfulness. Things become particularly interesting towards the end of the album, beginning with Lucid Dreams. The first half of the song contains some very solid radio friendly material, but the song's second half turns into an instrumental electronica breakdown that is as adventurous as it is invigorating. Dream Again is a slow groove, with an appropriately dreamy synth line, while album closer Katherine Kiss Me is a solid acoustic number that has Alex Kapranos doing a pretty dead-on Ray Davies take in the vocal department.

Sony Music is running a contest where you can win 'Tonight: Franz Ferdinand' on vinyl, 'Franz Ferdinand' on vinyl, the Franz Ferdinand DVD, a vinyl carrying case and four autographed FF posters, each with individual designs. Contest rules are here.

Franz Ferdinand are playing a sold out show at the Kool Haus on Monday May 4th, 2009.

Myspace: Franz Ferdinand

The Grizzly Owls - The People Have All Gone EP

The follow up to California's The Grizzly Owls twangy debut By Night On My Bed showcases the band offering forth even more lo-fi country twang. The last time around, Joseph and Jenny Andreoti combined the classic syrup of Kris Kristofferson with the experimental nature of The Cocteau Twins. This time around things are more honky tonk, and less eclectic, allowing the band to master a specific sound which works very well in their favour. The band used the film The Last Picture Show as inspiration, as well as some found pictures of Jenny's father during The Korean War. This no doubt contributed to the EP's overall authentic sound. Jenny's voice still displays a raw emotion that is swooping and cinematic, but also seemingly more controlled. The guitar sound is mired in echoey beauty, while the banjo presents a unique uptempo contrast to some of the more sinister lyrics that it accomanies, such as those found in The Legend Of The Ghost Man. That song comes across sounding like an old traditional folk tune. Another highlight is Madman, Hysterical Woman which combines cheatin' and hurtin' lyrics with twangy vocal harmonies (featuring Raymond Richards) and some sweet resonation, making this a truly perfect country song.

The People Have All Gone EP is available at CD Baby and iTunes. The non album single 'Whiskey and Clyde' is a free download at RCRDLBL.com

Photo by Ty Rose

Myspace: The Grizzly Owls

The Craft Economy - Is On Your Side EP

I've made no secret about how I feel about The Craft Economy. I am a huge admirer of their creative approach to music distribution, releasing their albums under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share Alike license. But, more importantly, I'm also a huge fan of their fun and, oftentimes hilarious stab at retro 80's dance rock. This EP has been on regular rotation in my iPod for several months now, and it's perfect. It's one of those albums that puts a permanent smile on my face every time I listen to it. The stop-start melody of Menergy! along with its hyperactive keyboard work and shout along vocals makes a point of attacking you right away. The first time that I listened to The Tonic when they started singing the chorus from 80's french pop siren Mitsou's Bye Bye Mon Cowboy, I'm pretty sure that I laughed out loud on the subway. And not every song is a simple energy infused dance song. Colpoy's Bay, for example, while still very dancable, has a wonderful melody that enables the song to make even more of an impact and it grabs you with it's irresistable hookiness.

All of their albums are available for free on their website.

The Craft Economy are playing Beth In Battle Mode's CD release party (a CD that I will be telling you about shortly) on March 20th 2009 at El Mocambo.

Myspace: The Craft Economy