Kurt Vile @ Criminal Records (In-Store Performance)

As of today, my most listened to album of 2010 has got to be Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy, which is just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. There is something very seductive about its lo-fi melding of trippy 70's sounds and in your face songwriting that I find myself returning to it a couple of times a week. What's interesting is that, while expressing my enthusiasm toward seeing him perform in the intimate confines of a local record shop, a friend recently asked me to describe his music, and do you think I could do it? Of course not. And although my fumbling for the right words frustrated me a bit at the time, I suppose it's a testament to the originality of his material that I was unable to hurl a tag at him so easily. There's definitely some elements of psychedelia in there, but Roky Erickson, Mr. Vile is not. He's a little bit freaky and a little bit folky, but when the term 'freak-folk' calls to mind artists like Devendra Banhart, it hardly seems like that is an accurate tag either, although enjoying both of those artists may be a step in the right direction. Until I think of something better, I'm just going to go with fuzzed-out, lo-fi, Philadephian psychedelifolk, with a hint of classic rock throw in for good measure. And as lame as my particular description may be, the performance on that blustery winter eve was anything but.

When I heard his performances on CBC's Q earlier in the day, it seemed as if he was going to have some accompaniment on guitar and percussion with him for the show, but as it turned out, this was a solo performance and although he seemed slightly awkward on his own, that mild timidity still boasted an assured-ness that was quite endearing. There were a few issues with getting the sound just right, and although I don't think they ever really did, the slight hiss actually added to the overall effect, creating an atmospheric buzz that was well suited with Vile's fuzzed out tones. He opened with Overnite Religion and immediately followed that up with Dead Alive, both songs sounding even warmer and more haunting than on the album, largely as a result of his deliberately muffled vocals. One of the biggest surprises to me was the fact that he was a dang good guitarist, taking the opportunity to showcase his finger picking abilities several times throughout the show. His banter was laid back and brief, yet even simple questions like "What's the Opera House like?" was met with great enthusiasm. He played many of the great songs from the album, but unfortunately he didn't get to perform my favourite song Freak Train, likely due to the song's use of heavy percussion, of which he had none. Still, it was a short set that was still surprisingly heavy on material, and as he neared the end, an audience member loudly requested Blackberry Song, which had Vile respond by saying something like, "um, yah, well..." before he lunged into something entirely different. His sense of humour shone through though as he ended off with "that song for that dude" which, of course, was his way of introducing the aforementioned request. Sadly I wasn't going to be able to make it out to the Opera House for the actual show that evening, but I felt more than satisfied with what I did see, and there's no doubt that I'll likely get the opportunity to catch a full set next time around.

Photos: My pictures of Kurt Vile @ Criminal Records are on flickr
Myspace: Kurt Vile
Download: Overnite Religion mp3
Download: Hunchback mp3

Other stuff:
Born Ruffians are set to release their sophomore album entitled Say It on June 1st on Paper Bag Records. The first single, Soul Brother, is available as a free download. [Myspace: Born Ruffians]

The Weakerthans will be releasing a brand new CD/DVD set entitled Live at The Burton Cummings Theatre on March 23rd. They'll be celebrating this release with an all ages show at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on May 26th with their special guest Bahamas whose Pink Strat is up for a Juno in the Best Roots Album category. All ticket information is here. [Myspace: The Weakerthans, Bahamas]

Yah, so OK Go are officially the greatest music video makers of all time. Watch their latest video for This Too Shall Pass for proof. [Myspace: OK Go]

Two Way Monologues has ten questions with British Colombia's We Are The City. They are playing the Rancho Relaxo tonight for $5. [Myspace: We Are The City]

BBC Radio 6 Music News reports that Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse's Dark Night Of The Soul album is going to FINALLY get an official release sometime this year. Because last year's leak of the album made it an unofficial release, I was not able to include it on my year end best of, although in my opinion it would've definitely made it into my top 3. Maybe this qualifies it to be included on this year's list. Hmmmm.... [Myspace: Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse]

Bobby B's 50 Albums Of The Decade (#50-46)

After spending several hours and TTC rides with my iPod revisiting literally hundreds of albums spawned from the decade that began at the turn of the century, I managed to whittle down a pretty extensive list to a mere 50 choices. These are not the best albums of the decade, these are simply the ones that have spent the most time in my headphones. And I rambled enough about that here, so let's just get on with the list:

50. Gold - Ryan Adams (2001)

There are many that will argue that Ryan's post Whiskeytown output simply does not measure up, but I think the man's brilliance is unrivaled to the point of actually being a bit freaky. Admittedly, prior to his current hiatus, a strong argument could be made for the fact that the man could use a bit of discretion. He has, after all, released ten albums this decade, and that's not including various EP's and unreleased projects. But the fact that he makes more appearances on my list than anyone else shows that it's very rare that his overindulgence results in throwaway mediocrity. Like most of his albums, Gold may be three or four songs too long, but even the lesser songs may simply be a case of too much all at once, as opposed to actually being not that good. The album is a great example of keeping things relatively varied, sporting some straight ahead rockers and other mellower moments, the best of which is the stunning La Cienega Just Smiled and the epic Nobody Girl, which was co-written with Ethan Johns. [Myspace: Ryan Adams]

49. Everything I've Forgotten To Forget - Amos the Transparent (2007)

Everybody knows by now how much I love this Ottawa band, but you may be surprised to learn that this album did not actually make my top 10 for 2007. Like most great albums, this one is a grower. Many of the tracks are instantly likable, like After All That, It's Come To This (with Amy Millan) and the upbeat pop of It's A Beautiful Life. But to fully gain the greatest benefit from this album, one really needs to experience Amos The Transparent in a live setting. Songs like (Here's To) New Beginnings, The Stale Scent Of Old Beer and Title Track take on a new life after seeing them live, and if given the right exposure, those songs have the potential to be true Canadian anthems. The band is still resting comfortably below the radar, but hopefully the decade ahead will see Amos The Transparent sink into the national consciousness with greater success. [Myspace: Amos The Transparent]

48. Writer's Block - Peter Bjorn And John (2006)

For many in the blogosphere, this decade awakened people to the fact that the Swedes can craft a pretty wicked pop song like nobody else. Peter Bjorn and John's third album saw them putting aside some of the heavier power pop stylings of their first two albums, to make way for songs that are more on the twee side of the fence, and doing so with great success. Their signature song Young Folks, boosted by the sweetly saccharine vocals of Victoria Bergsman, is easily one of the best pop songs that I've ever heard, and, for once, the public actually agreed. Although the song's appearance in various commercials and TV shows made it the runaway hit of '06, it wasn't the only great song on the album. Objects Of My Affection and Let's Call It Off are equally as accessible and toe tapping. [Myspace: Peter Bjorn and John]

47. Never Hear The End Of It - Sloan (2006)

Just barely squeezing into my top 30 of 2006, Sloan's 8th album is one that I've been revisiting on a regular basis over the last couple of years, and I'm actually as surprised as anyone that it made the final cut of this list. Personally I find that the songs on this album do not work as well when played on their own, meaning that the album's brilliance really shines through when played as a whole. The fact is, that it's just such an infectious album and their best since 1996's One Chord To Another. What has understandably scared away some people is that the album contains 30 songs, and some people are afraid of commitment. However, if you put forth just a tiny bit of effort, you'll see that the album flows so seamlessly with an Abbey Road Side Two abandon that it actually contains less filler than their two albums previous and the one that followed it. It also contains one of Chris Murphy's greatest compositions (the McCartney-esque Fading Into Obscurity) one of Andrew Scott's best (I Know You), a whole slew of great Jay Ferguson moments and Patrick Pentland's most punk rock moment ever (HFXNSHC). The Brits may have their fair share of fab four worshipers, but Oasis can only dream of releasing an album as Beatle-esque as this. [Myspace: Sloan]

46. Left And Leaving - The Weakerthans (2000)

Nobody with half a brain would ever question John K Samson's poetic songwriting abilities, but never before has that been more apparent than on this classic release from 2000. Besides containing one of my favorite songs, not just of the decade, but of all time, Aside, the album continues to age extremely well. The line "I'm leaning on this broken fence between past and present tense" is highly appropriate since the album has the ability to speak to me in different ways as each year goes by and circumstances change in my life. While it's true that this album was released at the height of the whole emo thing, Samson's lyrics really stood out in the sense that I never felt he was trying to be overtly preachy, pounding my ears with an iron fist, so to speak. He was also not the sort to wallow in his own self pity, screaming his lungs out at the fact that he's the most misundertood teenager in Winnepeg . No, the music on this CD is simply a poetic declaration of his thoughts, emotions and feelings sounding less like a protest song, and more like a person's highly articulate diary. [Myspace: The Weakerthans]

Tomorrow: Bobby B's 50 Albums of the Decade (#45 - 41)

The Weakerthans, Constantines and Waking Eyes @ The Phoenix

Ahhh, The Weakerthans. Most of you readers are well aware that seeing this Canadian treasure live has really been a long time coming and I'm glad to say that the wait is finally over. So was it worth it? Answer: a resounding yes! But let's start from the start...

The Waking Eyes put on a show that was not all that dissimilar to the one that I saw at Lee's Palace in March. The variety contained in their recorded material allows them to showcase their many layers on the live stage as well. The musicianship of this band is so incredibly adept that things continue to keep moving at a steady clip, while their creativity continues to shine through. Rusty Matyas and Matt Peters proved themselves to be very captivating frontmen, as they switched off instruments regularly throughout the set. Meanwhile, Steve Senkiw is obviously a more than capable drummer. Once again though, I wholeheartedly maintain that Joey Penner is a bass player extraordinaire and the greatest selling point of the band. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes this guy impossible to ignore onstage, other than the fact that he's just a wizard of a bassist. Of course the entire band is solid, and even though the two acts to follow are regarded as a couple of Canada's best, The Waking Eyes easily held their own.

Photos: The Waking Eyes @ The Phoenix on flickr
Myspace: The Waking Eyes

Constantines have been declared by many to be the best live rock act that Canada has to offer. When I saw them perform at Toronto Island several years ago, I was pretty much ready to jump on that bandwagon myself. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say, and I was really looking forward to catching their live show again. There is no doubt that this band is an absolute powerhouse on stage; a rock 'n roll assault that makes you exhausted just looking at them. However, I've consistently felt that each successive album that they've released has showcased a band quickly running out of ideas, and unfortunately this was reflected in their live show also. For the most part, it was the older numbers that sounded great, while the newer ones just kinda lagged for me. The show opened strong enough, particularly when they pulled out Young Offenders, which was the second song of the night. The song's immediacy was rampant, coming across as if they had written it only yesterday. The show ended even stronger, beginning with Nightime/Anytime (It's Alright) and Justice, both from their first two albums. This was followed by a ripping version of Shine A Light, also from the second album of the same name and they ended their set with an explosive chorus of Do What You Can Do from Kensington Heights. If the show was limited to these five or six performances, it would have been insane. My problem was with the weak part in the middle. They played for nearly an hour, and I'm afraid that great energy cannot override mundane material, and sadly, the mind couldn't help but wander throughout the middle portion of the show. Personally, I was finding it very difficult to match their enthusiasm as each song started to sound the same. I've scanned the internet to try to find another poor review of a Constantines live show and I couldn't, so I'm willing to acknowledge that this is obviously more personal opinion than anything else. However, as a semi-jaded concert goer who remarkably still has the ability to be impressed often, I'm afraid this show only half did it for me. I will say that Bryan Webb does have an amazing voice though.

Photos: Constantines @ The Phoenix on flickr
Myspace: Constantines

All of my concerns with Constantines set can apply in an opposite way to The Weakerthans. In comparison to the two bands that preceded them, energy and power are not two words that you'll read in any live review about our favourite Winnipegers. The comment has been made that when it comes to seeing The Weakerthans live, you may as well just stay home and listen to the records. I suppose that in many ways, this is a valid point. However, one cannot underestimate the power of the material. The Weakerthans are a true Canadian treaure for a reason. They've written some of the greatest lyrics in Can-Rock history, and Aside is one of my favourite songs of all time. Anywhere. So on the strength of the songs alone, there was no way that this show was not going to be anything short of overwhelmingly pleasurable. It's true, their show does not come with any flashes of light, or acrobatics performed by the Cirque de Soleil, but when you're showcasing songs like Left And Leaving, Virtue The Cat and Reconstruction Site, gimmicks no longer become necessary. John K. Samson simply walks on stage, smiles and performs the songs, and from what I could judge by the audience's reaction, nothing else was needed. Speaking about audience reaction, let's talk a little bit about the audience. This was another one in a series of dreaded all ages shows that I've been attending recently, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't moan a little bit about how much I hate all ages shows. If you're not interested in another self indulgent rant, feel free to skip ahead to paragraph three.

As far as all ages shows go, this was not the worst one that I've been to. Unlike the Born Ruffians show I attended last year, or the Broken Social Scene show that I attended shortly thereafter, or The Hives show prior to that, for the most part the young 'uns managed not to get all up in my peace, so I was pretty grateful for that. Still, I could've easily done without the gaggle of horribly tone deaf female teenster singalongs that accompanied every single syllable emanating from Samson's mouth that night. If you want everyone to listen to your overwhelmingly bad prepubescent cackle, then go and form your own band and see if you can sell out three nights at the Phoenix on your own. Basically I doubt it, what with your voices sucking and everything. (Oooh, that was offside 'eh? Hehe, I'm a jerk sometimes...)

And now back to our regularly scheduled review. Some of my favourite moments, besides hearing Aside, came during the encore, which began with Samson returning to the stage solo, and performing One Great City! Admittedly there was something slightly sinister about a crowd screaming "I Hate Winnipeg!" at the top of their lungs, but you couldn't wipe the smile off of my face if you tried. One fan had been screaming for My Favourite Chords since the show began, so one can only imagine the elation he must have felt when they pulled that one out and performed it in such a beautifully introspective way. And finally, their Casio heavy rendition of Anchorless was amazing, with only the drummer being unequipped with the instrument. Samson claimed that they were not planning on doing this song and it was only by request that they pulled it out, but they seem to have been doing it all tour, so I'm not sure if I believe him. Either way, it sounded great.

The Weakerthans will always be the definition of a perfect band to me. The combination of marvelously poetic lyricism, hooky melodies and warmly endearing stage presence is what makes them truly great, and hopefully the opportunity I've had to finally catch their live show will not simply end here.

Photos: The Weakerthans @ The Phoenix on flickr
Myspace: The Weakerthans

'Sup in April

Let's get right into it...

The Weakerthans (pictured above) are playing three shows at The Phoenix starting tonight (March 31st.) After years of unintentional neglect, I will be attending show #2 on Wednesday April 1st. This show is sure to be wicked awesome since joining them will be The Constantines (whom I've seen: amazing!) and The Waking Eyes (whom I've also seen: amazing!) the first two shows are sold out but I believe there are still some seats available for for the April 2nd show. $25. [Myspace: The Weakerthans; The Constantines; The Waking Eyes]

I was already prepared to see In-Flight Safety at The Horseshoe Tavern on Friday April 3rd, but now sweetening the pot is the fact that Oh No Forest Fires are one of the bands that are opening for them. I'm actually more excited about that since I haven't seen them for a while and they're one of my faves here in the city. Birthday Boys are also on the bill. Tix are $10 and In-Flight Safety are also doing an in-store at Criminal Records. Not sure of the exact time, although their website says 2-4pm. [Myspace: In-Flight Safety; Birthday Boys; Oh No Forest Fires]

A couple of the first bands that I ever blogged about are playing Bookman's Nu Music night at The Horseshoe on Tuesday April 7th. Fire Hydrant have a definite alt-rock style that is pretty easy to enjoy. Playing earlier on in the evening is Beautiful Nothing from Burlington. Their brand of dissonant high energy post punk is a far cry from what I'm listening to regularly these days, but this band holds a special place for me since they were one of those bands that got me looking into the indie music scene in the first place. Should be a good show. Also on the bill is Bombing Neverland and Dream Awake. Free. [Myspace: Fire Hydrant; Bombing Neverland; Beautiful Nothing; Dream Awake]

The Paint Movement are having a CD release party at The Rivoli on Friday April 10th with Fox Jaws, Make Your Exit and Provincial Parks. Great lineup! $8. [Myspace: The Paint Movement; Fox Jaws; Make Your Exit; Provincial Parks]

I am bummed to be missing Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul's on Friday April 17th and Saturday April 18th. Both shows are sold out but I wasn't able to attend anyways. Sucks. Just venting, that's all. [Myspace: Neko Case]

Local elctro dance sensation Woodhands are playing The Phoenix on Friday April 17th for $10. [Myspace: Woodhands]

As silly and out of place as this may sound, I actually think that I'm going to be seeing The Presidents of The United States of America at Lee's Palace on Tuesday April 21st. I know, I know, how old am I right? $20.50. [Myspace: The President of the USA]

Steve's boy Justin Townes Earle is playing The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 22nd in support of Midnight At The Movies which I should seriously get around to listening to. Tickets are $12.50. [Myspace: Justin Townes Earle]

Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta are bringing their triumphant stadium rock to Lee's Palace on Friday April 24th for $10. [Myspace: Hey Rosetta]

Bat For Lashes are awesome and they will be playing The Mod Club on Saturday April 25th for $15. 'Nuff said. [Myspace: Bat For Lashes]

It looks like I will likely be at Lee's Palace on Saturday April 25th to get my dance on with Shout Out Out Out Out who are in town to support their latest offering Reintegration Time which I've been listening to quite frequently lately. $15. [Myspace: Shout Out Out Out Out]

Noah and the Whale provide Lee's Palace with some of their eclectic indie folk stylings on Monday April 27th. $12.50. [Myspace: Noah and the Whale]

You certainly don't want to miss Elvis Perkins at The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 29th since he always does a solid show. $15. [Myspace: Elvis Perkins]

The Dears are playing The Mod Club on Thursday April 30th and tix are only $20. [Myspace: The Dears]

Also on Thursday April 30th is the amazing combination of John Doe and The Sadies at The Horseshoe. I've seen this amalgamation before and if you're able to attend, I cannot recommend them enough. $17.50 and it will be spectacular!! [Myspace: John Doe & The Sadies]

Weakerthans photo by Dan Moni.

The Space Between Things - Songs About You EP

I've been following the evolution of local lo-fi phenom The Space Between Things (aka Chris Hobson) for over a year now, and it's frightening the amount of prolific output that has been created by this musical workaholic in that relatively short time. Other than the odd song being featured on a compilation or soundtrack however, the amount of stuff actually being exposed to more than a fleeting myspace appearance has been ridiculously low. The reason for this can only be attributed to Hobson's borderline obsessive nature in making sure that the music that is provided to the public meets his high standards of excellence. Thankfully the wait is finally over, now that this one man psych experience has made the Songs About You EP available to the masses. Upon hearing the release, it's become obvious to these ears that the result is well worth the effort put into it.

Perfecting a psychedelic lo-fi sound that is free of gimmick and pretentiousness is no easy task. Too many times have I come across an album that is made to sound like a basement recording, only to be irritated by the fact that the buzz and hiss involved is creating too much of a distraction to be endearing for long periods of time. Although Songs About You definitely has an earthy feel to it, the pristine production means that the sounds and effects are there to enhance the experience, not detract from it. Taking a cue from the early days of studio wizardry, this collection is a psychotropic journey unto itself; an amalgamation of highs and lows that enable the EP's 4 tracks to meld together into one satisfying piece of music, even without a literal segue. In fact, "the space between things" is a highly accurate moniker since it is the atmospheres and the white noises in between the melodies that are used to paint such a sonically menacing landscape. Even Hobson's singing is presented in an indistinct hush that makes it just one ingredient in the overall picture, as opposed to being the main ingredient.

The most obvious point of comparison can be found in the work of Rick White, most noticeably with Elevator, although Eric's Trip parallelism would be justified also. Fans of Guided By Voices and Sebadoh are also likely to find something interesting here. The Space Between Things has a couple more releases planned for this year, but for now, the entire Songs About You EP is available for free here.

Above photo from myspace.

Listen: Love's On The Run

Myspace: The Space Between Things

Other stuff:

The Waking Eyes' Rusty Matyas has apparently joined The Weakerthans. This is according to an article in Chart Magazine. The Waking Eyes are opening for The Weakerthans and The Constantines at The Phoenix on March 31st - April 2nd. [Myspace: The Weakerthans, The Constantines, Waking Eyes]

Metric's Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw express some thoughts on the recent online leak of their upcoming new release Fantasies, as well as some other comments on the album over at Clash Magazine. [Myspace: Metric]

Torquil Campbell of Stars and Memphis has started yet another new band called Dead Child Star, which also features Apostle of Hustle's Julian Harris Brown. Info on this new project is on Pitchfork. [Myspace: Dead Child Star]

Dinosaur Jr. has a new album entitled Farm that will be released on Jagjaguwar on June 23rd. Stereogum has some of the details. [Myspace: Dinosaur Jr.]

One of the strangest new releases I've heard about would be Iggy Pop's upcoming foray into french pop jazz entitled Préliminaires, set for release on June 2nd. If you're as confused as I am about this, hopefully Iggy will be answering some of your questions on an interactive online press conference over at the Iggy Pop Préliminaires Official Website being held tomorrow (Thursday March 26th) at 11am CET (6am EDT). [Myspace: Iggy Pop]

Deerhoof has an artsy new video for their equally artsy new song Eaguru Guru from their latest album Offend Maggie. It's up on Pitchfork. [Myspace: Deerhoof]

And finally, it's been a couple of years and I've been really craving some live Jay Farrar like nobody's business. Well, Son Volt has a new album slated for release in May, and it looks like a full tour cycle will follow the release of the new album. OK, that's not much in the form of new news on the Farrar front, but I'm just making it clear that I've been checking up regularly. [Myspace: Jay Farrar; Son Volt]