Clouds (That Look Like Things) & HotKid @ The Horseshoe

I realize that phrases like "next big thing" are thrown around with a lot of frivolity these days, but I really think that Toronto's Clouds (That Look Like Things) are one of those bands that truly warrant such an expression. Tuesday night was my second time seeing them this year and it's amazing how in a few short months, a band that was already pretty impressive to start with had grown to be even more so.

For those who are newer readers of my blog, (or any Toronto blogs for that matter,) Tuesday nights at The Horseshoe means free music by lesser known indie bands. Dave Bookman is a DJ on Edge 102.1, which is a station that has strayed from playing anything new or exciting for about a decade or so. (You can read my rant about this here.) Thankfully, their Tuesday night showcase remains an entity unto its own, and some of the most up-and-comingest bands ever have gotten their start doing this. Clouds was using this opportunity to celebrate the release of their new completely self-made, Hat Factory EP. I'll be reviewing that in the near future, but as far as their performane on Tuesday night goes, I couldn't have asked for anything more. They didn't have a lot of time for banter, so they blasted through their blistering set of emotionally majestic indie pop at a rather quick pace, and the crowd seemed to be absorbing it nicely. I mentioned in a previous review that they have a huge sound, and although I'm not a big fan of stadium shows per se, the music of Clouds is tailor made for such an atmosphere, and it almost seems to be a little too restrictive on such a small stage. This isn't a complaint however, just an observation and it was great to feel their enthusiasm drip into the crowd, many of whom were familiar with the songs. One didn't need to be all that familiar however, to sing along, especially to their closing song, which is a tune that I don't think is on the EP, but was still instantly likable. It seemed as if those that weren't familiar were easily converted, since they seemed to be rushing to the merch table afterwards to pick up their CD. This is the type of band that keeps me excited about Toronto's music scene, and it'll be interesting to see what 2009 has in store for them.

Clouds (That Look Like Things) are playing Rancho Relaxo with The Lovely Killbots and After The Weather on November 22nd. Make sure you pick up the new EP there because besides being great, it also has really cool cover art.

Photos: Clouds (That Look Like Things) @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Clouds (That Look Like Things)
Download: Stardust mp3 (seriously, this is one super infectious song...)


There were three more bands that played that night, but I only stuck around to see one of them since going to bed early sounded like the greatest thing in the world to me at that particular moment. The next act was a band from Cambridge called HotKid. HotKid consists of Shiloh Harrison on guitar and vocals and Peter McIntosh on drums and they're another hard rockin', fist pumpin', swagger filled rock 'n roll band. To say that they're performance was intense would only be skimming the tip of the iceberg. As soon as the opening guitar riffs hit my plug protected ears, I knew that this was going to be a full on sonic assault to the senses. Peter's arms and hands were nothing but a hyperactive blur behind the drums, while Shiloh's throat shredding vocals left no mercy as they displayed a ferocity that reminded me a bit of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon. Admittedly, their style of garage rock was a little bit too different from what Clouds were playing before them, and it took a couple of songs for my ears and brain to adjust, but once they did, I found myself thoroughly enjoying their set. They've recently released a new 3 song EP entitled The Cost, which is available to purchase for download here.

HotKid wil be back at The Horseshoe on December 12th with C'mon! Tix are $8.

Photos: HotKid @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: HotKid
Video: Get On The Road on youtube

Other stuff: Just wanted to make a quick concert announcement for tomorrow night (November 8th) that you've probably heard about but just in case you haven't: The Bicycles are playing a show at Lee's Palace that is billed as The Last Schmaltz II. It's actually the CD Release party for their new one, Oh No It's Love!!. I won't be able to attend but it sounds like it's going to be awesome since the following acts will all be joining them throughout the night: $100, Green Go, Sandro Perri, The Old Soul, Hooded Fang, Matt Murphy, Cock'd Gunns, Gravity Wave, Brent Randall, Laura Barrett, Henri Faberge, Brutal Knights, Forest City Lovers, Sebastian Grainger and Maylee's Sweatshop Hop. Add to that the fact that Young Rival will be opening and you've got yourself a pretty unbelievable show. Tickets are $8 adv; $10 door.

Myspace: The Bicycles
Myspace: Young Rival

They Might Be Giants w/Young Rival @ The Mod Club

Well, I relived my teen years by FINALLY seeing They Might Be Giants in concert last night at The Mod Club. I was a rabid fan back in 1990, when I played the heck out of my cassette copy of "Flood," simultaneously amusing and irritating my friends at the time. Well, the long-time fans and newbies all congregated together in one massive throng as the band did everything they could to please both camps. They started the night off with a couple of songs from their better-than-average latest CD "The Else" before pulling out some old favourites, some older favourites, a few more new ones, some surprises and a couple of encores. Among the surprises for me, were hearing them perform "Minimum Wage" in all its 47 second glory. One of my best friends back in the day used to tell everyone he knew that it was the best song of all time, just to see what reaction he would get. If there was ever a time to pull out the silly dancing, that was it. They also played the absolutely convoluted "Fingertips", which Flansburg introduced as "only 3 minutes in length, but somehow much shorter." If you know the song, then you know what he means. During the "I'm having a heart attack" portion of the song, Flansburg also played up the crooning boy band angle to gut-wrenching effect. Another nice surprise was hearing them perform "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head" for apparently the first time in several years. And finally, the encores consisted of classics like "Particle Man," "The Famous Polka" and "Twisting." I've always viewed the band as witty, clever, oftentimes silly, but always entertaining. The concert simply entrenched those feelings even further, as they put on another one of the "best shows I've seen this year." (I do realize that if I don't stop saying that, it's going to get increasingly more difficult for people to take me seriously...)

Opening band Young Rival is one of the best bands I've seen all year. (D'oh!) Fact is, when I lived in Burlington, I used to go to Hamilton on a regular basis to see these guys perform. This is back when they were still known as The Ride Theory. At that time, they really played up the 60's garage band angle, and it was entirely convincing. I was curious to see what changes came along with the name tweak. Well, the biggest difference is that now they are simply playing up the rock 'n roll band angle. The zoot suits and skinny ties may be gone, but the energy is still there in full force, and their performance never slagged, not for a moment. They've still got it, from the classic riffs to the appealing hooks. I sincerely think that if bands were promoted properly, the way they were back in the days when rock 'n roll was still in its infancy, then Young Rival would have girls screaming and fainting in the aisles, the way they did for The Beatles back in '64. Every time I see them in concert, I catch sight of someone completely losing it on the dance floor, head shaking and hip shaking their lives away. Their music continues to be invariably contagious and if you haven't yet had the chance to see them live, please do. You won't regret it.

Hear They Might Be Giants on myspace.
Check out my pics of TMBG on flickr.
Hear Young Rival on myspace.
Check out my pics of Young Rival on flickr.

St. Vincent and Other Exciting Things

There are several music related tidbits that I have found out about recently that have me as excited as a music freak can possibly be.

First off, I'm going to be seeing St. Vincent (or Annie Clark to her parents) at The Horseshoe tomorrow night. Her album "Marry Me" has been in constant rotation on my ipod for the past week in preparation for the big show. I was completely blown away by her, when she opened for Midlake back in February, and then, after further research, I realized that I was already sort of a fan, thanks to her association with The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. Her performance that night was quite a bit different than the way she sounds on this release, but I'm a big fan of both. Live, she was just a crazy, brilliant and endearing performer with a guitar and piano, shifting easily between hyperactivity and sensitivity. She does the same on the album, only with a much fuller sound. Apparently she plays the bulk of the instruments herself (and there's a heckuva lot of them) and, for me, she comes across as sort of a Kate Bush for the new millennium.

Download:
Now Now mp3
Visit St Vincent on myspace.

Also, on Monday, I'm finally seeing They Might Be Giants, which is something that I've been wanting to do since my late teens. But what has recently added to my excitement is the news that Hamilton's Young Rival (formerly known as The Ride Theory) are going to be opening the show. To this day, I still consider them to be one of the most fun bands to see live. It's like entering into a time warp to the late 60's, perhaps dropping into one of the club scenes in Antonioni's Blow Up. A mod show at The Mod Club. Hmm. Interesting.

Speaking of opening acts, I also recently found out that The Last Town Chorus will be opening for Camera Obscura on August 26th. That is going to be one outstanding double bill. Sadly, it's being held at The Phoenix, in all of its glorious packed in like sardines-ness. That means we'll have to get there early so that we can stand at the front so that I can see something. Because I'm short. Either that or everybody that goes to a concert is tall. Whatev's.

As I've been mourning the absence of The Weekend in my life (I'm speaking about the band, although I often miss the literal weekend as well,) I've recently discovered that frontchik Andrea Wasse (who is apparently residing in L.A these days) has started another side project called Macleod. Judging by the songs on their myspace, Andrea's still got it man. Purrfect pop that everybody would be better off listening to.

And finally, I recently heard from the Pop Kulcher blog, who recently heard from the I Am Fuel blog, that R.E.M. has been debuting several new songs at their Olympia Theatre shows in Dublin. One of those shows is available for download on that site. If the final songs sound as good as the live versions posted here, than R.E.M. will officially have made their third comeback, in my opinion, which puts them one up on U2. I haven't heard them sound this exciting since 1986. That's pretty significant. Huzzah!!!