The Last Town Chorus - Wire Waltz

Everybody told me to check out “Wire Waltz” by The Last Town Chorus and I procrastinated and procrastinated until this week. Fact is, I had only really heard the cover of Bowie’s “Modern Love” and I was only mildly impressed. Then I went to check out her show at The Horseshoe earlier this year but was dealing with a mild case of nausea and could only stay for a few songs. It didn’t blow me away, but after listening to this excellent CD, I’ve come to the conclusion that it must have been the nausea because this is one great release. It is very atmospheric and mellow. Megan Hickey’s voice seduces a person’s attention, and when you add her phenomenal abilities on the lap-steel guitar to the mix, it becomes impossible to turn away. I’m kind of upset that the Bowie cover was chosen as the lead-off single because I would hate for this artist to fade into one-hit cover wonder where-are-they-nowness. Because the highlights really are the other tracks. “Boat,” for example, features haunting vocal harmonies where her voice actually sounds as if it’s harmonizing with the sound of her vintage steel guitar. “Huntsville, 1989” is a beautiful tale steeped in the nostalgia of being a teenager with a broken heart. Again, her sincerity is compelling, because you know that lyrically, this is not a simple case of putting together some simple rhymes designed to tug at the heartstrings. This release sounds very earnest, heartfelt and frank.

The Last Town Chorus will be at the El Mocambo in Toronto on May 14^th.

Download:
Boat mp3
Modern Love mp3

The Last Town Chorus on myspace.
Purchase “Wire Waltz” on Amazon.ca

Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust

Do Make Say Think has been putting out quality instrumental post-rock for the last ten years and every release has been better than the one that preceded it. “You, You’re A History In Rust” carries on in that tradition, and is already one of my favourite albums of the year. The band started out as a project that formed specifically to do some soundtrack work but then moved on to be one of Toronto’s best kept secrets. Since then, a couple of the guys have played in a little collective known as Broken Social Scene and of course, now, all of a sudden, this CD has become a highly anticipated release. DMST have provided some more tightly played instrumental mood music, again throwing in elements of jazz and prog. The first song “Bound To Be That Way”, plays like a well choreographed chase scene, meandering through various highs and lows, beginning with subtle piano playing with flute and horn accompaniment, before some delicate guitar-picking comes in and the drums provide a jazzy backdrop to fully flesh out a song of epic proportions. “A With Living”, I believe is a first for the band, with vocals actually being the main focus of the song. Thankfully, the nest song “The Universe!" is a guitar driven explosion that blasts out of your speakers in a highly unexpected way, with the horns also adding a sharp burst of cacophony to the mix. “Herstory of Glory" is more of the atmospheric work that the band has become known for, with strong emphasis on Charles Spearin’s impeccable bass playing. The album ends with “In Mind” which is sort of an unexpected foray into lo-fi pop music, sort of Yo La Tengo-ish, but it works. For me, this album is a perfect companion piece to the Explosions In The Sky album that I reviewed a few weeks ago.

Do Make Say Think will be playing The Opera House on April 12 for $15.

Download:
The Universe! mp3
Purchase “You, You’re A History In Rust” at Amazon.ca

Quick Notes featuring The Fratellis, Santa Dog, Ragni & Chance

The Fratellis’ “Costello Music” was one of the UK’s most praised releases last year. It will finally make it’s way to North American shores on March 13^th. I’ll definitely be telling you more about it when I get the CD, but in the meantime be sure to check out the insanely infectious tune, “Flathead" You can either watch the video or stream the song.

The Fratellis on myspace.

Canadian Music Week has already begun in the city and there are a lot of great performances taking place. The one that I would highly recommend the most is Santa Dog from the UK. I’ve talked about them and their classic pre-Oasis brit-pop sound before, but I have this sinking feeling that after the release of their full length in the near future, you won’t be able to see them for $8 at a tiny club anymore. So don’t miss this one, OK? Download the song "Rosa" to see what I mean.

Santa Dog on myspace.

The mesmerizing and atmospheric Ragni are going to playing The Savannah Room in Toronto on April 3rd. I’m not sure about the price just yet, but they’re another band we don’t see around these parts all that much so I’m anxiously awaiting that show. It’s bound to be a little bit on the mind-blowing side. Here’s an edited version of “The North Sea Epoch.”

Ragni on myspace.

One of my favourite artists, Chance, has recently released his latest single, entitled “Life And Life Only" He only releases a few singles a year, and he is very particular about what he chooses to release to the public. So each new single really is an event of sorts. This new one is probably his most personal one to date. Test drive the song by watching the video, and then purchase the song for only 99 cents over here.

Chance on myspace.

Sparklehorse w.Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter @ The Mod Club

Thanks to the kind folks over at Chromewaves.net, I won tickets to see Sparklehorse with Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter at the Mod Club last night. Unbelievable show!

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter are an alt-country-ish band from Seattle that have been receiving quite a bit of buzz lately. Her mega-husky voice was in full form as she played mostly cuts from her third release, “Life, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul” and I really admired the way that she seemed to pour out huge wails of emotion into every song. Being relatively new to her music, I really didn’t know what to expect, but the fact that guitarist Paul Wandscher was in Whiskeytown was definitely a huge selling point for me. And I could certainly hear that influence. The setlist was a mix of whisky-stained bawlers and a couple of more upbeat tunes. Her demeanor was very gracious and when she stated that “I realize that most of you don’t know me…” it didn’t come across as mock humility.

Download:
LLL mp3

Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter myspace
Purchase “Life, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul” here. You can also stream the entire CD there as well.

Check out the pictures I took of Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter on my flickr page.

Meanwhile, I think Sparklehorse is my new favourite band. Mark Linkous has spent the last few years battling his share of personal rivalries in the form of substance abuse, alcoholism and the like. He apparently dislikes performing but it didn’t show last night as he was very kind to the enthusiastic audience, even occasionally mugging for the cameras. The playing was exceptionally tight, especially when playing some of the rockier numbers like “It’s Not So Hard” and “Pig”. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a setlist that flowed quite like the one he chose for this show. The heavier numbers all seemed to come in right when we needed it most and the mellower songs were steeped in so much atmosphere that they came to life in ways that, although still excellent on CD, just made them even more impactful (is that a word?) in a live setting. I loved it when they performed “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away.” What a great great song! I think I’ll definitely be listening to a lot of their music this week.

Stream:
You can stream several tracks including the excellent “Don’t Take My Sunshine Away” on the myspace page.

Purchase “Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain” at Amazon.ca.

Check out my pictures of Sparklehorse over on flickr.

Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch

It’s good to have Sondre Lerche back. Personally I couldn’t get into his last “Duper Sessions” album. It ventured a little too close to Bublé territory for me. But the new CD, “Phantom Punch” in a word, rocks. Good ole fashioned pop rock in the vein of Jason Falkner or Elvis Costello, which, if you’ve been following my blog at all, I’m a sucker for every time. Now, of course, Sondre will never be auditioning for the new lead singer of Van Halen or anything, but that’s what makes this CD a good listen. He rocks in a reasonable Sondre-way. “Say It All” for example, has a McCartney-esque chorus that has all the hooks in all the right places. The first half of the title track sounds like something off of Costello’s “Blood And Chocolate”, and then explodes into a disco-lite vibe that sounds very 70’s. The opening track, “Airport Taxi Reception”, is as syrupy-sweet as a rock song can be, but it’s so dang catchy. Ultimately, at the risk of repeating myself, the Jason Falkner reference is by far the most accurate comparison. If you like Falkner, you’ll like this album. It’s the album he never recorded. Which means that the album may lack originality, but who cares? It’s fun, it’s addictive and it …um…rocks!

Sondre Lerche is at The Mod Club on Monday April 2nd. Tix are $16.50.

Download:
Airport Taxi Reception mp3
John Let Me Go mp3

You can also hear the songs “Phantom Punch” and “Say It All” on his media page.
Sondre Lerche on myspace
Purchase “Phantom Punch” at amazon.ca

Ragni creates a North Sea Epoch.

Subtle and emotive. Melancholic and poignant. The music of Ragni is all that and more. Ragni consists of Jakub Zapotoczny on keyboards / vocals and Brenden Fletcher on vocals / guitar. They describe themselves as indie-mood music and they pride themselves in being blatantly non-commercial. Their debut EP is perfect for playing in your headphones at the end of a long hard day with the lights off. It has a very ambient feel to it as the songs are made strong by the inclusion of cello, strings, and even some faint echoes of old family recordings and the creaking of Brenden’s grandparents house in which the CD was recorded. The last two songs, “The North Sea Epoch” and “Kolysanka” are tracks that I find particularly captivating. For me they paint a picture of the calm that takes place after a storm at sea, when the clouds part and you can still smell the preceding chaos in the air.

Another highly impressive thing about this release is the CD packaging. Unfortunately we’re living in an mp3 age where artists are devoting less and less effort into how to package the product. (Does anybody else get annoyed when they dish out the $$$ for a CD and get nothing but the single fold case containing a few thank-yous and your CD?) The Ragni EP comes with a full 72-page wordless graphic novel that was illustrated by Karl Kerschl of DC Comics fame. The artwork acts as a narrative for the music and the two complement each other very well. If you enjoy the music of Sigur Rós or even Canadian acts like A Northern Chorus, this EP would be a good one to add to the collection.

Ragni means ‘melody’ in Hindi, ‘spider’ in Italian and ‘lovely goddess’ in Norse languages.

Sorry for the short notice but Ragni will be playing at Rockford's in St. Catherines on Sunday February 18th with Jaded & Fiord Rowboat for only $4.

Download
The North Sea Epoch (edit) mp3

Most of their music can be heard over on their myspace page.
You can watch sort of a video type thing for “The North Sea Epoch” here.
You can purchase the CD and book for only $12.99 here.

Midlake w/ St. Vincent @ Lee's Palace

Midlake made their Toronto debut last night at Lee’s Palace and it was definitely a show to remember. First off, the opening act St. Vincent (also from Texas) had a terrifically raw sound coupled with a hilariously self-deprecating wit that immediately endeared her to the Toronto crowd. Her name is actually Annie Clark and she is also a member of The Polyphonic Spree. I am stuggling however to describe her own music, especially after hearing it all over again on her myspace page. It sounded raw on stage with only her and her guitar (or keys, whatever the case may be.) But the recorded version of her tunes have a lot more going on, like Kate Bush or Laurie Anderson. Quirky sort of, but in a really cool way, not a really annoying way?!?! Y’know what I mean? Not really? Just listen for yourself on her myspace page. And to get an even deeper sense of what she is all about, check out her blog. An intriguing girl indeed.

I was unbelievably pumped to see Midlake. Been waiting for awhile, and I knew that the show would be nothing short of fantastic. They did not let me down. They stayed relatively reserved, which was appropriate for the music. At one point, my friend leaned over and asked if we had somehow been transported to a Fleetwood Mac show circa ’76. Ain’t that the truth! Lead vocalist, Tim Smith, alternated from lead guitar to keyboards several times throughout the show, working along with main key-guy Evan Jacobs providing all the sounds of a string section without there actually being one. They played just about every song on “Van Occupanther” and threw in a couple of cuts from their other CD, “Bamnan and Silvercork.” They even introduced a new song, which to me sounded deliciously mammoth. This was all done with a series of short films playing on a screen behind them that really complemented the music well. Also, it was next to impossible to wipe the silly grin off of my face during the encore when they broke into “It Covers The Hillsides.” You think that the song couldn’t possibly get any better? You gotta hear it live! Finally, guitarist Eric Nichelson’s final comments on the thrill of playing for us here in Toronto just sounded so blasted sincere than you couldn’t help but feel that the guys in this band are possibly the nicest indie-rock musicians ever.

Download:
It Covers The Hillsides mp3
Visit the Midlake myspace page.

I also took some pictures at the show which you can see on my flickr page.

Also, as a sidenote, here are a few more concerts that I want to go to but probably can’t afford.

Apples In Stereo @ Lee’s Palace on Feb 20th
Do Make Say Think @ Opera House on Feb 27^th
Dean & Britta @ Mod Club on March 12th
The Shins @ Kool Haus (ugh!) on March 17^th
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Mod Club on May 2^nd
Peter Bjorn & John @ The Phoenix on May 6^th (I really hope to make it to this one!)
Arcade Fire @ Massey Hall on May 15th

The Hero Cycle - Lakes And Ponds

The most exciting release I’ve heard in a long while is the debut EP by Burlington, Vermont’s The Hero Cycle. I cannot say enough good things about their sound. They feel like an amalgamation of all of my favourite bands: Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, Sonic Youth, Built To Spill, Stars, etc. The music is energetic, enthusiastic, encouraging, and full of life. The first track, “Breathing In”, is explosive and contagious. You will feel compelled to hit repeat as soon as it’s done, but I suggest you suppress that urge for now because the next song “Lover’s Crime” is just as infectious. The final track, “You Vs Them” is completely epic in proportion. Masterpiece. The whole EP goes by way too fast and I really hope that these guys will be around for a long long time, because if they continue to improve upon each release, they will definitely develop into one of my favourite bands ever.

Since I’ve started this goofy little blog thing a few months ago, I’ve been introduced to a lot of good music and I’ve heard quite a bit of bad music also. I’m actually not too hard to please, but to hear something by someone new that really excites me these days, well, it doesn’t happen as often as I would like it to. Please take the time to check out The Hero Cycle. With the right promotion they are going to be the next big thing and you’ll definitely want to jump on this one nice and early.

Stream: The Lakes and Ponds EP can be heard in its entirety here.

You can also hear them over on their myspace page.
I guarantee that you’ll want to buy the EP after you’ve been exposed to their glorious sound. You can purchase it at Hidden Shoal Recordings.