Bass Lions - ...Is Diamonds (Early Review!)

We haven't heard all that much from Hamilton's Bass Lions for awhile and I'm sure the fans, like myself, were hoping that this was all for a good reason. 2007's More Than Islands was pretty much perfect, not only as a collection of excellent songs in an individual sense, but also in terms of production and in the way that the album presented itself nicely as one flowing piece of music. I'm not sure if that was the band's intention, but I found it hard to separate the tracks, as the whole EP worked so well together. Still, as good as it was, it still felt like a teaser and it left me with a feeling that the band's best work was still ahead of us. Their latest upcoming release, ...Is Diamonds, hints at the fact that this assumption certainly held true, as well as adding credence to the fact that the time away was likely spent honing this stellar piece of work.

While it still keeps that sublime formula of soulful, melancholic indie pop in tact, this latest work boasts an even larger sound that borders on anthemic, while still remaining quite intimate thanks in part to Nathan Stretch's captivating baritone whisper. The most immediately noticeable thing about this particular release is that it has to be the crispest, cleanest production I've ever heard on an independent release. For example, there's a moment at the start of the song New Intuition where you can faintly hear a female voice say "ok", and when I first listened to this on my iPod while standing on the subway, I actually turned around twice to see who was saying this behind me. The sound is that clear and uncluttered. There are other moments like the opening drums in Wind Up Bird [the creeping glacier] or the acoustic picking in You Brought The Bass that really needs to be experienced in headphones to appreciate to the greatest extent. The album was recorded at Last Ounce Studios (Fox Jaws, Oh No Forest Fires) and mastered at Bova Sound (Bahamas, Zeus), which no doubt explains its superior sound. Still, all of this would be pointless if the songs were not up to par, and this release's 22 minutes ends way too early. One of the highlights for me is the opening track Dynamite Quartz, which boats some subtle keyboard work coupled with some beautifully poetic lyricism and some nice harmonies. I also really like Goodbye, Mouth, which is a song who's lyrics sound comical when read back on paper, yet heartbreaking when set to music.

Like the previous release, it's brevity leaves you wanting more, although I've discovered that both albums when played together make for a very satisfying length; just enough to tie me over until the band releases a full length, should they choose to do so. In the meantime, I recommend throwing this one on your player, getting yourself some good quality headphones, and settling in to the crisp, clean sounds of Bass Lions.

Bass Lions ...Is Diamonds is scheduled for release within the next few months. More updates when they come available.

Myspace: Bass Lions
Video: Goodbye Mouth @ Groundswell, Alliston ON on youtube

Other stuff:
The magic pairing of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, known by many as She & Him, have released their second album together today, the brilliantly entitled Volume Two, which is reported to have an even more unabashed old school country feel than the first one. The album is streaming for free on Exclaim until March 29th. They're playing The Phoenix on June 9th. [Myspace: She & Him]

Teenage Fanclub finally have a new album set to be released on June 8th on Merge. It's called Shadows, and judging by the free track Baby Lee, which is available as a free download on Pitchfork, it's going to be more of that perfect power pop that we've come to expect and love by Sctoland's favourite popsters.They begin a tour of the U.K. in May, and they'll be following with an American tour later in the year, that I can only hope will showcase a Toronto date as well. [Myspace: Teenage Fanclub]

For those that had to miss this year's Wavelength 500 festival, or for those that simply didn't get to catch as much of it as they would have liked to, Joe at Mechanical Forest Sound has put together an amazing compilation that features a track from every set of all five nights of the festival. It is available to download in .zip format over here. An amazing idea.

For obvious reasons, the passing of Alex Chilton, one of the founders of Big Star, has led to an outpouring of emotion and tribute from the many acts that have been inspired by him through the years. The Alex Chilton tribute show that took place at this year's SXSW was apparently an affair that was both melancholic and celebratory, but nothing tugs at the heart more than Cerulean Blue (For Alex Chilton), a song that was just written and recorded by Superdrag's John Davis and is available as a free download over at Magnet Magazine, along with other artists paying their respects to his work.

Nevado Records Presents Seedy Ease, Bass Lions, Elephant and The Monster Show: One Night Only! @ The Rivoli

Nevado Records is an awesome local based indie label that features some of my favorite bands of the moment, including Fox Jaws, my current rave-about band of choice. They hosted a special show at The Rivoli last Thursday featuring two bands that are on their label, and two more that aren't. As you are very well aware, that was four days ago but it's been a busy weekend and only now do I have time to post a review. So let's dig into the ole memory banks and see what we come up with, shall we?

The first band of the night was The Monster Show. They are from Guelph and Waterloo, and oh my! did they ever impress me! The band features Duncan Nicholls (guitar, vocals), Daev Mulholland (bass), Kerry Mullen (drums) and Jennie Jackson (keys, percussion.) My immediate reaction to their music was that it had a very authentic rootsy feel, reminding me of Son Volt and Drive By Truckers, with the pop sensibilities of The Lemonheads. There is a real maturity to their sound that is incredibly rare to hear in such a new band. It was a brief set, comprised of only about 7 songs, so I didn't really have the opportunity to completely absorb them but I really liked what I heard and I'll definitely go and see them again.

Photos: My Monster Show @ The Rivoli pics are on flickr.
Download: Beautiful Lost mp3 / Waiting For Rain mp3
Myspace: The Monster Show

The last time I saw Elephant was approximately a year ago, and if I'm having trouble remembering what happened four days ago, then I certainly don't remember too much about what happened a year ago, that's for dang sure! I do remember really liking them, but I had forgotten how atmospheric yet aggressive their sound was. They had become a four piece since the last time I saw them, the band now being held together by the likes of Matthew MacInnis (vocals, guitar), Daniel Tal (keys, bass), newest member Brett Watterton (guitar) and Ian Kennedy (drums.) The appeared to have the biggest fan base of the evening, mostly made up of young girls who obviously thought Daniel was dreamy. (Yes, I do believe I overheard someone use that exact term. Seriously.) Thankfully, the music was pretty dreamy as well, stylistically drifting in and out of dreamland, while also incorporating harder edge sounds. This is most obviously showcased in the song Eulogy, which they wisely chose to close their set. Matthew's vocals are very powerful, cutting right through you, and the ringing guitars continue to echo along until the song builds to its cataclysmic crescendo creating an epic that sounds good on a crappy myspace mp3 player, but truly awe inspiring on a live stage.

I highly recommend seeing Elephant with Fox Jaws at El Mocambo on April 25th. After that, they'll be leaving the city for a few months so I'd jump on this one right away if I were you. Which I realize I'm not, but still...

Photos: My Elephant @ Rivoli pictures are on flickr.
Download: Space and Time mp3 / Colour Your Frailty mp3 / We Need To Rethink This mp3
Myspace: Elephant
Video: Afraid To Die on youtube

From the ashes of Reily, rise one of the most buzzed about local indie bands of the moment, Bass Lions. I have been meaning to check out their show for a while now, but due to life and stuff, I hadn't been able to make it ... until now. Definitely worth the wait. First off, roll call: you've got Nathan Stretch (guitars, bass, vocals), Charlie Murray (bass, keys), Anthony James (drums), James Vander Zaag (guitars, drums) and joining them for the evening was the sometime member Lisa Horvath (vocals, glockenspiel.) To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this band because the vocal play between Lisa Horvath and Megan Bonnell was the major selling point of Reily for me. However, each new song being posted on Bass Lions myspace was better than the one before, and by the time I got around to seeing them, I was actually very intrigued. My intrigue turned into enthusiasm as I came to realize that Bass Lions, although a slightly different band in sound, is every bit as good as Reily was, and dare I say, possibly even better. Having the word 'bass' in their moniker is actually quite accurate, since Murray's heavily structured bass playing is what immediately grasped my attention. Also, making an impression on me is the uniqueness of Nathan's voice; deep and (again) bass-y. They opened the night with a reworking of We Are Geologists, a song by the former band. Giving it such a fresh approach was a good idea, because the song seemed to be infused with a more stunning vibrancy than before. Songs like Ransom Sunset and Like Ashes In My Mouth also got the crowd clapping along. Most of their setlist was, of course, made up of songs from their new More Than Islands EP. The EP is immaculately produced, sounding very crisp and the songs work together in such a way that it's difficult to listen to it on a song by song basis. It definitely works better as an entire piece of music, although it feels like it's over before it's even begun. That's the sign of a great EP, when it leaves you longing for more. Sometimes I listen to an EP and am left wondering if the artist has the ability to keep it going for an entire album. I'm not worried about Bass Lions. I've got a feeling that the full length, should they choose to do one, is going to be amazing.

Photos: My Bass Lions @ The Rivoli photos are on flickr
Downloads: Ransom Sunset mp3 / Like Ashes In My Mouth mp3
Myspace: Bass Lions

The evening ended with Seedy Ease. They are another band that I've been hearing an awful lot about, but still had yet to actually hear. I realize that I referred to them in an earlier post as 'wicked awesome' which leads one to ask, how do you know they're 'wicked awesome' if you haven't heard them? Let me explain: Their drummer is none other than local rock star, Robbie Butcher of Tin Bangs. Now I think Robbie Butcher is 'wicked awesome' so I came to the natural conclusion that anything he touches would likewise be both wicked and awesome. However, I have to admit that they didn't completely blow my mind. Rounding out the rest of the band is Daniel Brooks (guitar, vocals) and Hollie Stevenett on bass. They definitely have the potential for greatness in the sense that they got a lot of things going for them. They have an infectious sound and Daniel's vocals remind me a bit of Glenn Tilbrook. And reminding me of Squeeze could never truly be a bad thing. However, I just thought their songs all sort of sounded the same. It was the end of the night, and I was tired so who knows? Maybe the next time I see them I'll have a totally different opinion.

Photos: My Seedy Ease @ The Rivoli pics are on flickr.
Download: Love Song mp3 / Smash The Black mp3
Myspace: Seedy Ease
Video: I Am A Dreamer, I Dare To Dream on youtube