Mystery Jets @ The El Mocambo

It's been a long time coming, but The Mystery Jets had finally graced our grimy Toronto stages last night over at the El Mocambo on Spadina. The show was outstanding beyond words, but I'm going to do my best to put it into words. To start off with, the guys were clearly ecstatic about being here in Toronto, and that youthful enthusiasm translated well onto the stage. Their set was a fine mix of both the old and the new. In speaking with the guys, they were a little bit leery about introducing too many new songs to their North American audience, but they need not have worried so. What the crowd lacked in volume, was made up for in appreciative exuberance, as the new material was greeted with great enthusiasm. I was particularly enthralled with the talent displayed by lead vocalist Blaine Harrison. The way he switched off from instrument to instrument, sometimes within the course of the same song, was truly impressive. The band has a true love of music, both classic and current, and I must admit that I enjoyed talking about music with lead guitarist William Rees before the show, as much as I enjoyed listening to them display that love throughout their performance. (Playing foosball with the man is another story altogether. He's real good. Too good in fact. I'm suspicious.) He even recommended to me a great band called Late Of The Pier. More on that in a future post.

One minor disappointment is the fact that Henry, while still a very active member of the band, no longer joins them on live performances. However, his influence is still very much present in the band's slight lean towards all things prog, from the instrumental blast that opened the show, to the powerful rendering of "Alas Agnes" at the end of the night. I'm not sure what the future holds for the band and their relationship with Canada. This may be the last time we see them here. Or, perhaps their return will be marked with greater interest and larger venues. Either way, it was truly inspiring to see them play this time around. Well worth the wait.

Photos: The Mystery Jets at El Mocambo flickr

Videos: You Can't Fool Me Dennis youtube
Alas Agnes youtube
The Boy Who Ran Away youtube

Myspace: Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets coming to Toronto!!!

Fact: The Mystery Jets are one of the best and most original bands in the world today. Fact: They are still vastly underrated here in Canada and, sadly, throughout most of the planet. Fact: They're coming to Toronto on September 20th to play the El Mocambo. Fact: Tix are only $13.50. Fact: You should make a valiant effort to be there.

The Mystery Jets were one of the very first artists I had ever blogged about and the reason why is because of how much I thoroughly enjoy their contributions to indie rock today. Their lyrics are witty and original and their music is all over the place while still remaining cohesive throughout. First of all, the band dynamic is something that you don't see everyday. Lead vocalist Blaine Harrison is in the unique position of having his father Henry play lead guitar in the band. This enables the band to be rather timeless in terms of the music they play, simply by being influenced from several different generations. Their music ranges from new wave and brit-pop to classic prog and psychedelic influences as well. This will be the United Kingdomers first time in Canada (they were supposed to be here earlier but it fell through due to a Visa situation,) so it would be beyond sweet if they enjoyed their stay so much that it encouraged them to return again soon. Sample their music below and make sure you come out to see them on September 20th.

Videos:
You Can't Fool Me Dennis youtube
Alas Agnes youtube
The Boy Who Ran Away youtube

Myspace:
The Mystery Jets

The Fratellis - Costello Music

I have to admit that when I first heard of an album called “Costello Music” by a band called The Fratellis, I thought that it was an album’s worth of Elvis Costello covers. Nothing could be further from the truth, because there is nothing even remotely prolific about this album which, of course, could not be stated about Mr. Costello’s catalogue. The album is a lot of fun, and it’s quite catchy, but overall it’s a little bit forgettable. It travels a territory very similar to the one that Jet had traveled a few years ago, to great success. A lot of the riffs you’ve heard before, but that’s not to say that there aren’t a few standouts. The lead-off single, “Flathead” has a slightly rockabilly rhythm section, and the songs’ hooks are definitely catching. I actually really like the song “Whistle For The Choir,” which is probably the lowest key song on the album but it has a terrific melody and takes me back to the early days of brit-pop. “For The Girl” is another happy-go-lucky kind of 60’s style rock song with lots and lots of handclaps and “la-la-la’s!” It’s also a lot of fun. The CD has sold really well in the U.K. and it will likely do the same here, but for me, I don’t think it’s an album that I’ll be pulling out on a regular basis. It probably translates very well to the live stage, and the individual songs will likely sound better when listening to my music on shuffle, where it’ll be interspersed between other songs by other artists.

Listen to their music on myspace and purchase the CD at their online shop.

The Playing Fields - Hello New World

“Hello New World” is the debut release from U.K’s The Playing Field. I’m not sure how long it took to record this CD, but it sounds like it went through a very well thought-out process in order to reach such a level of atmosphere. The melodies are very well-structured and mesmerizing. Glancing at other reviews, mesmerizing and hypnotic seem to be the catch phrases of description when it comes to these guys, but I think that creative should also be added to that list. They take a style that has been done quite regularly and make it their own. The theme seems to be set with the opening track “Nonesuch Nameless,” which has a slightly moody drone and chiming guitars. The CD does not deviate too much from that feel, except that each song adds something new. You could not really refer to them as progressive shoegazey alt-country, because they’re not, but one does feel compelled to come up with a term for the music they record. They called it Urban Desert. Whatever it is, you’ll find it very easy to forget about life for a while when you’re listening to their CD. The vibe completely sucks you in, and you’re captivated. The best song, in my opinion, is the title track, which is also the final cut. It leaves you wanting more, and I actually found myself smiling when the song started up again after the mock fade-out at 6:03 into the song. A few more seconds of music…abrupt ending…and this brilliant CD is done. I can’t wait till the next one.

Downloads:
Glass And Concrete mp3
Protect The Humans mp3

The Playing Fields myspace page.
Purchase “Hello New World” at Melodic Revolution.com