The Sound of Sea Animals, Dinosaur Bones and Broken Bricks @ Legion Hall

Legion Hall was probably the most unique and hilarious venue I've ever attended for a live concert. Although its ambiance was settled somewhere between high school dance and bar mitzvah, that didn't stop the bands and fans from rocking out most triumphantly as Toronto welcomed its very first visit by Montreal psych rockers The Sound of Sea Animals.

Opening the evening was Broken Bricks, who are a Toronto band who give off an organic rock 'n roll vibe that is tempered with a knack for presenting a decent pop hook. I realize that I tend to compare a lot of bands with The Kinks but hey, if the shoe fits, right? It's pretty hard to ignore the fact that their sound is steeped in the idiosyncrasies of the British music hall combined with the awesome shuffle of the distinctive beat era. The harmonies were beautiful, the performance was gold, the guitars were loud, the energy was high and we all know how I feel about that authentic 60's sound!

Photos: Broken Bricks @ The Legion on flickr
Myspace: Broken Bricks

The second act of the night was Dinosaur Bones and they were ... well ... Dinosaur Bones. Although this is only the second time that I've ever seen them, I think I pretty much know what to expect when they play, and that is certainly not a bad thing. The organizers needed a ringer for this show; someone that they know is going to bring the people around, and someone who is certain not to disappoint. If that's your goal, then there really is no better choice than Dinosaur Bones, at least not here in Toronto. They always do a solidly energetic show, and fans and music lovers alike are guaranteed to show up in droves. As per usual, the crowd went nuts when they played Royalty and N.Y.E., while the rest of their set was comprised of their more brooding material. After the show, there was also the usual buzz of fans singing their praises as well as the ecstatic din of new converts. The only downside is the fact that fans of the 'Bones are not necessarily going to be fans of the psychedelic scene, which means that the other two acts were not to be greeted with the same rampant enthusiasm. Trust me though, this is through no fault of the bands themselves.

Photos: Dinosaur Bones @ The Legion on flickr
Myspace: Dinosaur Bones

The Sound of Sea Animals were brought to our fair city for the specific purpose of being an initial ingredient in building a psych rock revival from the ground up. In other words, start with smaller bands, establish a solid psych rock scene in Toronto, and hopefully allow the buzz to lure other great bands of a psychedelic nature to play here. It's a lofty endeavor since the psych scene doesn't get nearly as much publicity as some of the others scenes here, but I for one can never seem to get enough of it. So I say "Vive la psychedelia!" and this Montreal band was definitely a great way to get the ball rolling.

On record, the "band" is pretty much the pet project of Etienne Chan Kane, who basically recorded and performed the album himself. For this show, an entire band was present, and they were definitely in 'perform to impress' mode. The trippy ambiance of their sound would lend itself nicely to a more reserved performance and given the nature of this beast, I think most fans of the scene would've been cool with letting the music transcend on its own, without a lot of show. What makes their music unique however, is the fact that it also takes a cue from some of the more indie-centric jangle pop of the past, which means that stoner droning is not what this band is about. This aspect of their sound is what enabled them to show real professionalism by refusing to settle with a performance that was merely adequate. Their heady rock assault never let up for a minute, as their performance was an example of 'how to be a rock star 101' most notably displayed by the swagger filled antics of Yann Godbout. In simpler terms, they killed!

Hopefully the next time around they are featured on a bill that is more geared towards their style, since a large number of people had left already by the time they hit the stage, which was a real shame as far as I'm concerned. The smart ones who did stick around seemed suitably impressed, and there were even a few up front who were dancing around and really taking it in. Although everybody put on a great show, The Sound of Sea Animals was by far the money act and I'm certainly looking forward to their return.

Photos: The Sound of Sea Animals @ The Legion on flickr
Myspace: The Sound of Sea Animals

Sweet Sweet Concorde - Life In the Canopy

Sweet Sweet Concorde are another great band from Sweden, another terrific release from Series Two Records and another slice of catchy hook filled indie pop. Composed of only one member named Anders, Life In The Canopy is a lovely collection of fun songs which he recorded all on his own in an apparently short period of time. All of the usual comparisons are evident (Belle and Sebastian, Loney Dear, Erlend Øye, etc) but there also seems to be a mild hint of mid 60's psychedelia if you listen close enough. This adds a touch of warm 'summer of love' sweetness to his already summery sounds. Among the album's highlights is Time To Die which is a sugary combination of subtle keys, cool rhythms and singalong doot-doot's. Carrot Cake is the obvious pop hit, a funny song that suggests that baking a cake may just be the ultimate romantic gesture. (Like what Pedro did in Napoleon Dynamite.) Superman Song is another hooky delight that is equal parts Teenage Fanclub and Chad and Jeremy. And the album closes with Armadillo Man, an upbeat number that reminds me of something that you would hear performed by a musical collective, even though once again, this is the work of only one man.

If your collection is in need of a little bit more accessible lo-fi pop music, and really, when can you ever have too much of that, then I highly suggest picking up Sweet Sweet Concorde's Life In The Canopy. It can be purchased for $10 USD (postage included) over at Series Two Records Online Store.

Download: Time To Die mp3

Download: Carrot Cake mp3

Video: The Picnic on youtube
Myspace: Sweet Sweet Concorde

Other stuff:
(London, ON:) Burgeoning Metropolis posted an excellent e-mail discussion with Black Hat Brigade. They'll be playing Lee's Palace on April 23rd. [Myspace: Black Hat Brigade]

I recently came across an amazing psych-rock band out of Montreal called The Sound Of Sea Animals who seem stellar. They're playing their first show in Toronto at The Legion (201 Niagara St) on April 18th, with Dinosaur Bones and Broken Bricks. Check out this live video of theirs. [Myspace: The Sound Of Sea Animals]

The Von Pip Musical Express has an interview with Emily Haines from Metric. Metric is playing a free in-store at HMV (333 Yonge St) today and then they play The Mod Club on April 14th. [Myspace: Metric]

Now Magazine has a feature and some interview clips of Olenka Krakus from Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. She is opening for Megan Hamilton tonight at The Rivoli and then she plays Wavelength at Sneaky Dee's on Sunday April 12th. [Myspace: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers]

And the fluff story of the week has to be Billy Bob Thornton's celebrity 'tude moment on Jian Ghomeshi's CBC Radio show Q yesterday. Yes, Billy Bob was rather perterbed at the fact that Jian had the nerve to mention his acting career, and decided to go all Joaquin Phoenix during the interview. Listening to the interview is fun, but watching it is 13 minutes of your life that you'll cherish forever. The video is being streamed on EW.com and The National Post. Now Magazine also has an article about the incident. Billy Bob is playing Massey Hall with his band The Boxmasters tonight, opening for Willie Nelson. [Myspace: The Boxmasters; Willie Nelson]