Morrissey - Years Of Refusal

A new Morrissey review? Anybody who knows me is likely surprised to see this since if I'm blogging about it, it means that I probably like it. And the truth is, to be honest, I had written off Morrissey many years ago.

The Smiths are easily one of my top ten favourite bands of all time, and I stayed loyal to his solo work for a few years as well. In fact, I stayed loyal longer than many of my peers in the sense that I rather enjoyed his mild foray into prog with 1995's Southpaw Grammar. However, I thought that 1997's Malajusted was just plain bad, and ever since then I found it hard to succumb to any of the 'comeback' assertions of his post-2000 material. I gave both 2004's You Are The Quarry and 2006's Ringleader Of The Tormentors a brief perfunctory listen, but nothing really grabbed my attention in the way that Morrissey once did, so I moved on to other things.

Now here we are in 2009, and I'm exposed to so much music these days that a new Morrissey album hardly even registers on my listening radar. But I happened to catch this performance of Black Cloud, a song off the new album, on the Jimmy Fallon show and I was really impressed. I continued hunting and also found this performance of Something Is Squeezing My Skull on Jimmy Kimmel, and I continued to be impressed. His voice sounded good, the lyrics seemed witty and unforced, and the melody was pure Morrissey. This led me to obtaining Years Of Refusal and what can I say? Once again, I'm impressed, as this album proves to be worthy of its praise. In my opinion, this is probably his best album since Your Arsenal.

It's not a perfect album and, as once could expect, there are a couple of moments where Moz reuses and recycles a bit, but hey, what would you expect from a man on the verge of turning 50? Overall, the songs are very strong, containing some of his best lyrics in years. For example, Black Cloud contains the line, "I can choke myself to please you and I can sink much lower than usual but there is nothing I can do to make you mine." Classic! Add to that the fact that the tune boasts a powerful bassline and killer chords (courtesy of Jeff Beck) and it becomes pretty obvious that what I heard in Fallon's studio was much more than just an unusually good performance. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris, the first single, proves that Morrissey is still very good at writing a decent pop song with a strong hook. Because his lyrics remain slightly left of centre, people never really acknowedge him as a pop song craftsman, at least not on this side of the Atlantic. But there's about five or six songs on this album that are sure to stick in your head once you've heard them. Besides the three I've already mentioned, All You Need Is Me also falls into this category. Apparently this song, (along with a lesser tune called That's How People Grow Up) were already featured on last year's Greatest Hits album, but the song was still new to me and I found it to be rather hillarious. Lines like "There's so much destruction all over the world and all you can do is complain about me," aptly conveys the idea of a lover who knows that his significant other needs him more than she loves him, but unlike earlier Moz hits like I Know It's Over, he actually sounds as if he finds the situation mildly humourous this time. By far though, the undeniable standout on this album is It's Not Your Birthday Anymore, one of the best songs that he has ever written. The lyrics are quite personal, as his hypnotic croon acknowledges that "your voice it might say no, but the heart has a heart of its own," before a huge bombass of a chorus blasts the question, "do you really think we meant all of those syrupy sentimental things that we said?" This song is energized and epic, and it climbs to levels that most modern day stadium bands should really strive to reach one day. If there has ever been any doubt as to whether or not Morrissey is still relevant (which, as I admitted earlier, there sorta was,) this song should shut us all up. In fact, the whole album is strong enough to do this, and I, for one, am glad to welcome him back to his rightful throne.

Above photo is from myspace.

Myspace: Morrissey
Video: I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris on youtube

Other stuff:

A few posts ago I was swelling with anticipation over the new Son Volt album, although my info was somewhat limited. Well, Billboard has all of the deets including the album name (American Central Dust), as well as its date of release (July 7th.) Exciting. [Myspace: Son Volt]

Junior Boys, who just played The Mod Club at the end of March, have just released their third album, entitled Begone Dull Care. You can hear a full stream of the album here. Their Mod Club show was reviewed at For The Records. [Myspace: Junior Boys]

Dead Leaf Echo also have a new record ready for release this month, entitled Truth. The song Act Of Truth is being streamed on their myspace page right now, and it's all kinds of shoegazey awesomeness. [Myspace: Dead Leaf Echo]

I have openly admitted to a handful of my closest friends that I don't think Britney Spears' Womanizer is all that terrible in a "I'll never put it on my ipod but I do tend to tap my feet when I overhear it elsewhere" sort of way. Well, obviously Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos shares my thoughts. More info as well as Franz Ferdinand's cover of the song is on Stereogum. [Myspace: Franz Ferdinand]

And the lineup for this year's Pitter Patter Festival looks pretty cool. It runs from May 28th-31st, takes place in 10 different Ontario cities and it's a pay-what-you-can affair which is undeniably cool. You can take a gander at the bandlist over here.

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

Clouds (That Look Like Things) - Hat Factory EP

I've already reviewed the live show of local up and comers Clouds (That Look Like Things) a couple of times this year, but now it's time to throw up a few words about their unbelievable new EP entitled Hat Factory. The boys are incredibly proud of what they've accomplished here since it was done completely on their own, from the artwork to the recording and mixing of the CD. The album is as phenomenal as their live show is which, if I were being honest, is something that I was a little bit worried about. You don't know how many times I've left a show with a new CD in hand because the band blew me away, only to be disappointed by the time I popped it into my CD player. And when I briefly spoke to synth and violin player Owen Norquay after the last show, he spoke of the EP with such unbridled enthusiasm that the Willy Wonka in me felt terrible about possibly having to break little Charlie's heart. Well, needless to say, I wouldn't be sharing this little anecdote with you if a bad review was to follow, (and generally speaking, I don't waste a lot of time blogging about what I don't like,) and the band has every reason to be proud of what they've accomplished.

The EP opens with a brief atmospheric instrumental opener before lunging into the excitedly synth heavy rocker Stardust, which conjures up images of my 17 year old self at a house party, flailing my arms in the air to the latest Cure song. The following song Weekend feeds on that same vibe and should be added to every party playlist right next to You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos! They get a little bit artsy fartsy (in a good way) with Catclysm, where vocalist Darcy Pease takes his menacing croon and makes it even more maniacal by running it through a series of crazy effects while Kayle Donner rocks a steady thumping drum sound to great effect. The best song in my opinion though, is the slow dance There She Goes, which is augmented by a truly unique sounding electric violin that enters and exits the proceedings at well calculated intervals throughout the song, creating a mood that is as chilling as it is intoxicating.

The Toronto music scene is on fire right now, and other bands are already getting the attention that they deserve, but I can't help but notice that Clouds (That Look Like Things) are still pretty unknown in comparison. Although it's cool to be one of the first to sing their praises, I'd like to believe that it's only a matter of time before all of the local bloggers are also caught up in the hype.

Myspace: Clouds (That Look Like Things)

Other stuff: Franz Ferdinand is hosting a little remix competition for a song called Ulysses, which is off of their upcoming album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which is out January 27th. The twist is that the band isn't letting you hear the actual song, just different parts of it (i.e: the drum track, the vocal track, the bass track, etc.) so that "contestants will not be tainted by the direction and mood of the original version." It's kind of a neat idea. Contest rules and whatnot are at Beatportal. Oh, and their playing an intimate show at Lee's Palace December 4th. Tix are $25. [Myspace: Franz Ferdinand]

Believe it or not, there was a time when Genesis was the most interesting band on the planet, led by Peter Gabriel. This was before Phil Collins took over and decided that keeping things interesting and original just wasn't really what he was into. This week Rhino releases a 13 disc box set of reissues from the band, focusing on the very years that I'm talking about, that is, 1970-1975. If you dig The Decemberists, Radiohead, Animal Collective or Mystery Jets than do yourself a favour and check out this era of Genesis' musical output. [Myspace: Genesis]

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's new video for As Tall As Cliffs pokes a little fun at Dubya and what he is likely to be doing during his final days in office. It's up on youtube. [Myspace: Margot and the Nuclear So and So's]

The NuJazz Festival is taking place this week from November 13th to the 15th. The shows are being held mainly at The Revival, Supermarket and The Opera House. If I wasn't already so busy this week, I'd likely be checking it out since it's been a long time since I've seen me some live jazz. Dang, I love live jazz! [Myspace: NuJazz Festival]

CBC Radio 2 has just posted their list of the Greatest Canadian Guitar Players as chosen by their listeners and readers. No real surprises.

And finally, you remember that Bicycles Last Schmaltz show that I told you about? The one that was at Lee's Palace last Saturday night? The one that I couldn't go to? Well it sounded like it was the awesomest thing ever and I'm totally jealous of everone who was there. CBC Radio 3's Chris Kelly had a chat with lead singer Matt Becket about the show. [Myspace: The Bicycles]