"Do you hear a voice like velvet through the night sky..."

Reviews of All Of Your Friends, Lisa Mitchell and Bella Clava

When I haven't been working, I've been either at a show or sleeping, which means that I haven't been frequenting this blog as much as I'd like to. The ironic thing about this is the fact that I've been getting more and more CD's and mp3's sent my way than ever before. So, although I do have some recent shows to tell you about, I'll hold off on that until next week, (or the week after) and try to dole out as many CD reviews as I can over the next few days.

All Of Your Friends - All Of Your Friends Are Dead

If you want to find some catchy indie pop, it really isn't that hard to find. Bands that do an admirable job of throwing some hooks together with a syrupy sweet vocal are about a dime a dozen these days. In fact, there's so many of them out there, that bands that I would have loved 5 years ago, I often find to be a little bit forgettable now due to the construction of our current indie musical climate. Manitoba's All Of Your Friends will sound like one of those bands if you don't exercise a little bit of patience. Their debut full length is a free download on their site, and it will grab you right away if, like me, you're a sucker for a catchy tune. The first track, masterfully entitled Local Celebrities Gather At The Watering Hole For A (Pre-Show) Dance Party, comes complete with fun boy-girl vocals, happy jumpy keyboards and the always endearing build up effect that will certainly remind you of a variety of other bands, yet still likely intoxicate you anyways. After all, a catchy song is a catchy song. However, the next few songs stick to that same pattern, and admittedly I found that, although my head was bobbing, my mind was starting to wander. This is what made track six such a rewarding payoff for my patience. It is at that moment that AOYF unleash an epic tune entitled A Note To Those Who Dwell On The Coast which, at 8 and a half minutes, shows that, during the first half of the album, the band was really only getting started. The song opens with a smoky, yet creepy vocal with piano accompaniment, before lunging into a bit of a guitar rock distraction that eventually leads to an impressively large sounding conclusion. The rest of the album continues to surprise as it showcases a band that is not as short on ideas as the album's first few cuts might lead us to believe. Like the last song that I mentioned, the entire album also ends on a high, with the last three tracks definitely being the strongest. AOYF may still be in the beginning stages, but they've definitely piqued my interest, and it'll be fascinating to see what other tricks they have up their sleeve for future releases.

Myspace: All Of Your Friends
Download: All Of Your Friends Are Dead (Entire Album) .zip


Lisa Mitchell - Wonder

I don't know if the qualification process for Australian Idol is any different than the process for every other idol competition on Earth, but I'm really glad that I didn't know this detail of the Lisa Mitchell story prior to hearing her stuff. My repugnance for all things 'idol' related (or for that matter, 'Reality TV' related) would have certainly skewed my judgment and the fact is that, although Ms. Mitchell is a former contestant of that dreaded TV franchise, she is one incredibly talented UK born Aussie. (Technically she was born in the U.K., but she is now a resident of Australia.) Her brand of introspective folk is certainly not new, but her presentation has a definite unique quality to it. Songs like Neopolitan Dreams, for example, show amazing depth and warmth that far surpasses what one would normally expect from a girl of her tender age. Admittedly, she has received some help from the likes of a few professionals, including the breezy pen of one Ed Harcourt, but there is a playfulness to her off kilter vocal style that can only be attributed to herself. There are some definite pop gems on the album, but it's those moments where she allows her vocals to stretch that I find most impressive. One such example is Pirouette which boasts an artfully alluring vocal that reminds me of Canadian vocalist Issa's work in the late 80's, back when she was known as Jane Siberry. Probably my favourite song on the album is a song called Oh Hark, which couples a poetic vocal with a very catchy upbeat tune that manages to plant itself firmly in my head whenever I hear it. It's true that not every song escapes the clutches of pop idol clichés. This is most noticeable on one of the album's more popular cuts, Coin Laundry, where the faux beat box thing that she's got going on makes me cringe more than a little bit. The production is a bit excessive on some other songs also, but minor quibbles aside, this is a very impressive album that definitely rises above others with a similar back story. It'll be interesting to see how she catches on when her stuff is made more readily available here in Canada.

Myspace: Lisa Mitchell
Video: Neopolitan Dreams on youtube

Bella Clava - Cold Spell

When I saw Bella Clava play the Horseshoe a few months ago, I found it hard not to be seduced by their driving sound. A bluesy classic rock sound that truly sounds 'classic' in the fullest sense of the word, is not as easy a sound to master as one would think. Oftentimes it comes across as sounding like just another bar band, or it becomes a rip off of the type of 80's brand of hard rock can-con that people really shouldn't be ripping off. Bella Clava make it very clear right from the opening riff of Didn't Come Here To Love You that their brand of 'classic' boasts an authenticity that is ripe in all of its fearless passion. The six songs on this EP whip by pretty fast in a way that is as exhausting as it is exhilarating. Caitlin Dacey's voice shifts back and forth between an artsy garage quality like Alison Mosshart, and a polished rocker chick vibe, like Pat Benatar. When coupled with the thunderously large riffs of the rhythm section, the songs encapsulate all that is raw and dirty about straight forward rock music. Amongst the standout tracks is Disgusting, which boasts a chorus that is simple yet spit out with such a clarity that it can't help but be infectious and impossible to ignore. In the same vein is Blu Blockers, which contains the vocalist's admission that 'drugs just make me like you better'. The way that they use such lines in a repetitive way to fill out their chorus's, is a trick used by many a punk band in the past, which is what enables the tunes to remain stuck in your head after you hear them. Square Dance is another standout as it contains a brief yet guttural guitar solo at the 2:26 mark that may be over a bit faster than I would've liked, but presents an opportunity for some face melting improvisation when they perform it live that would likely make the song a real highlight on stage. While the EP as a whole does not stray much from a consistent formula, at 26 minutes the length feels just about right for what the band currently has to offer. As they progress to a full length, apparently with the help of Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies, PJ Harvey), it'll be interesting to hear if the band can experiment with some new ideas and still keep their intoxicating audaciousness in tact.

Bella Clava are playing The Drake on August 17th.

Myspace: Bella Clava

The Balconies, Tin Star Orphans, Boxes and Bags & Bella Clava @ The Horseshoe

As always, Tuesday night was Dave Bookman's Nu Music Nite at The Horseshoe which means a bunch of free music. A couple of the bands on the bill came highly recommended to me personally so I figured that I would swing by and stay for at least a couple of them. Turns out that I stayed for most of the night.

The Balconies are the band that I was most highly encouraged to see and they kicked off the evening. I had literally spent zero time with their music beforehand so my expectations were basically non-existent. As it turns out, they have a sound that is right up my alley on a variety of levels. It's a very hip amalgamation of garage rock and some new wave bass coupled with a post-punk vocal that somehow makes the whole shebang sound like good old fashioned accessible pop music. The tight combo of drummer Liam Jaegar and bassist Steve Neville owes more than a little bit of credit to the ghosts of shoegazers past for their roaring sound, while guitarist Jacquie Neville has quite the intoxicating stage presence. I'll definitely be acquainting myself further with this promising young band from Ottawa.

The Balconies play El Mocambo on May 29th.

Photos: The Balconies @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: The Balconies

From the opening strains of a Johnny Cash cover moment, it became obvious that Tin Star Orphans were going to provide the hurtin' music for the evening and thankfully, they do it quite well. Zachary Bennett's voice is filled with scratchy alcohol swigging enthrall, which makes the softer moments sound downright depressing, while the louder moments become twice as triumphant. They played a quirky set of what likely would be described by many as alt-country, although it did veer off on a few eccentric tangents. This definitely kept things interesting as they displayed a sound that was truly all their own. Even when they pulled out a cover of Roy Orbison's You Got It, it was presented in their own special way. Their latest album Yonder was released on May 5th.

Tin Star Orphans play their official CD release show at The Rivoli on May 29th with Graham Wright (from Tokyo Police Club) opening.

Photos: Tin Star Orphans @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Tin Star Orphans

The last time that I saw Boxes and Bags, I left the venue feeling very confused. The way that they responded to my review shows that not only are they cool with that, but challenging the listener is exactly what they are all about. They truly are a demented cast of characters, but while I left the last show not fully knowing where I stand on their music, this time around I enjoyed it immensely. Several of them came out wearing bella clava's on their faces (which will prove to be somewhat prophetic given the name of the next band) and they literally attacked the stage with a blast of noisy instruments and screaming vocals. Their sound was far from tight but once again, I think that's the point, as they blasted through a set of ultra eccentric ramshackled psychedelic idiosyncrattitude! If you don't know what that means, then check out this band live to find out. Call me crazy, but I think they may be on their way to reaching some alien form of legendary in our unique city.

Boxes and Bags are playing Sneaky Dee's on June 7th.

Photos: Boxes and Bags @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Boxes and Bags

From a band that wears bella clavas to a band called Bella Clava, these guys ended the night with their celebratory brand of classic rock. In the spirit of the day, their stage held not only the three mask sporting band members, but also a female mannequin in similar diggs and a mask weilding bunny piñata hanging just in front of the stage. The band performed some straight forward rock 'n roll that also contains traces of jazz and blues infected rhythms. Caitlin Cady's voice has a slightly schmoozy quality to it that is very captivating while the guitarist Steve Suttie was just one amazing solo after another. The drummer Luis Figueroa of course kept everything tight and driving ahead at a frantic pace as the band played a set that certainly kept the attention of all in the audience. I didn't end up staying for the full set, but I did stick around long enough to see several enthusiastic crowd members beat the heck out of that poor hanging bunny while the band provided a rabid soundtrack to the excitement.

Bella Clava play The Reverb on May 27th.

Photos: Bella Clava @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Bella Clava