An Horse @ Criminal Records (In Store Performance)

There really is no excuse for me to not have seen Aussie duo An Horse prior to last night's in store appearance at Criminal Records on Queen Street. While it's true that, under normal circumstances, bands from that far away don't come around all that often, these catchy little popsters have been to Toronto five times in the last year, playing venues big and small and creating a buzz at every one of those performances. Heck, even if I was a hermit who never left the house, I could've caught An Horse when they appeared on David Letterman's show earlier last year. The fact is that, for whatever reason, I just hadn't gotten around to seeing them live, even though I thought that their debut album Rearrange Beds was a pretty solid and enjoyable listen.

When my wife and I arrived at the show almost half an hour early, the crowds were already starting to build, and the possibility of visibility was already leaning towards slim to none. However, Singing Lamb and Criminal Records employee Melody informed me that I needn't worry since we were all going to be asked to sit down anyways, which sounded great at first, until the time came to actually sit down, and we realized that this just may be the most uncomfortable thing ever, as my feet fell into a deep coma resulting in a painful pins and needles type situation, the like of which I had never experienced before. ("I hate when my feet fall asleep during the day because that means that they're going to be up all night." Arf! Arf! Groan!) Still, the mild pain was not enough to detract from the fact that Kate Cooper and Damon Cox are very endearing performers, both in the way they play their tunes and in the way they connect with the audience. I'd imagine that the setting of a record store just lends itself to a more intimate vibe, but I thought that their storytelling techniques were just as enthralling as the performance of the songs themselves. Cooper delighted us with stories about an unfortunate cockroach infestation at the independent record store that she and Cox worked at prior to becoming a band, and they even ended the set with Kate taking a picture of the waving audience so that she could show her mom what it is that she does. They only played about five songs, focusing mainly on the ones that wouldn't sound like "rubbish" in such a stripped down format. One such song was Postcards, where Cooper's accent sounded even thicker and more spine-tingling than it does in the recorded version, which is hard to believe is even possible. Even though the crowd shouted out many requests, the duo chose to end with Horizons, which they assured us would sound better than any of the requests in this particular setting and I have to say that it sounded great. The songs may be simple and unassuming, but they're presented with a grand fragility that is impossible not to be seduced by. Although I've already missed my opportunity to see them on a proper stage (five times now), I'll definitely have to take note of the next time they come around and mark the old calendar so I don't make the mistake of missing them again.

Photos: My shots of An Horse @ Criminal Records are on flickr
Myspace: An Horse
Download: Postcards mp3

Other stuff:
Jay Sparrow is featured on the latest episode of minilogues. He's playing Rancho Relaxo on Friday February 5th. [Myspace: Jay Sparrow]

The Wilderness of Manitoba has an In Turns Session featured over at Spin Earth TV. They're playing The Garrison tonight. [Myspace: Wilderness of Manitoba]

Latest Nevado Records signee Leif Vollebekk re-released his debut album Inland earlier this week (January 19th) with new artwork including a booklet and song lyrics. This new version is available on CD and 12" vinyl, as well as an iTunes exclusive version that includes a live recording of Don't Go To Klasvik and a previously unreleased track Te og Kaffi. He will be celebrating this release on Friday night (Jan. 22nd) at The Cameron House. [Myspace: Leif Vollebekk]

And lastly, although it's been mentioned at both Chromewaves and For The Records already, it's worth mentioning here that Brian Jonestown Massacre have announced a date to play The Phoenix on June 2nd. Besides the obvious originators of psychedelia back in the sixties, BJM are the band that all other psych rockers measure themselves against, and rightly so. Their latest album Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? was scheduled for release on Jan. 1st, but it has now been pushed back to Feb. 23rd. My love of BJM and all things psych-like has been well documented on this here blog, but to be honest, for every album they release that is perfection, they release ones that are simply dreadful. This is why I'll have to hear the album first, and read up on reports on the current tour to see if I'll be attending this one. The band's reputation for, shall we say, unconventional behaviour, has me proceeding with extra caution, but if reports remain generally positive, then I should be making my way out to this one. The fact that Joel Gion has returned to the fold as of 2004, and Matt Hollywood is back as a full time member as of last year certainly adds to my enthusiasm a little bit. [Myspace: Brian Jonestown Massacre]

The Dilettantes - 101 Tambourines

Joel Gion was the tambourine player and "spokesperson for the revolution" in Brian Jonestown Massacre. He has left and rejoined the band more often then any other BJM member. His newest band, The Dilettantes, is exactly what the doctor order to fill your rock 'n roll prescription. The CD 101 Tambourines actually came out in July of this year which means that my discovery is a little bit late, but hey! better late than never, dig? It follows in the same mold as Gion's work in BJM, providing us with that classic psychedelic rock sound that is sure to get your head shakin' rattlin' and rollin'. If you're familiar with the documentary Dig!, than you know all about Joel's antics and the fact that his motto seems to be fun fun fun. Well, that optimism is portrayed nicely throughout this release, making it such a classic sounding record that I feel it's destined to become a classic. I really admire the fact that although Joel is the most recognizable face on the cover, this is by no means a one man show. The band also consists of Jefferson Parker and Brock Galland on guitar, Nick Marcantonio on bass and KC Kozak on drums. Joel writes the bulk of the songs and sings most of the songs, but the others all make contributions as well, giving the album all sorts of variety, while staying steeped in the classic 60's.

The album kicks off with the all-out rocker "Ready To Go" which has an artsy delivery that reminds me of the early days of Roxy Music while still firing ahead with straight forward rock guitar riffery. The Stones are all over the next song entitled "Subterranean Bazaar," with a little bit of New York Dolls in the vocals. Man, I love this sound! "Brightly Lit Dark Ages" takes things down a little bit, settling in a slightly more acoustic Byrds-y area, while still making heavy use of psychedelic keyboards and sounds. Jefferson Parker takes over lead vocals on "Don't You Ever Fall" and "Never Go Without" sounding like Ray Davies on the former and Gram Parsons on the latter. Brock Galland also gets a couple of turns at the mike on the slightly twangier "You're Gonna Need More Time" and "Kiss & Run" leading me to wonder if maybe he's the Mike Nesmith of the bunch. The album ends with "What Were You Thinking?" which has a slight Stone Roses feel to it. I realize that simply name dropping so many different artists could be considered a real slice of lazy journalism, but the fact is that if you like any of these bands than you owe it to yourself to pick up 101 Tambourines. It's a real trip, man!

Myspace: The Dilettantes
Stream: You can listen to the whole album over at Happy Parts Recording.
Video: Ready To Go on youtube

Sky Parade

I’ve recently stumbled across an amazing band that delivers the most captivating psychedelic 60’s-style rock that I’ve heard in a long time. They’re called Sky Parade and I don’t believe that there is any possible way to dislike this band. Lead vocalist Tommy Dietrick was also in Brian Jonestown Massacre and it’s definitely in a similar vein of high energy retro rock ‘n roll revivalism. I don’t yet have their new album “Love Is Forever” but from what I’ve heard, this is a band that could certainly develop into being one of my favourites. Just sampling the songs they have posted on their myspace page sets me in a “my mind is blown” state of mind. You’ve got to hear the song “Free My Love” which is a must for fans of the aforementioned BJM as well as Stone Roses, Love and Rockets or The Verve. Apparently, their first album “Fire In The Sky” was relatively successful for an indie release. After hearing what I’ve heard recently, it’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to know this band sooner but I’m looking forward to hearing them even more in the future.

Listen to their music on myspace.
Purchase their album on CDbaby.com
Watch the video for “Losing Control” on youtube.

Photo appears over at Melanie Leigh.com