i(heart)music

I suspect that as long as Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People are making music, they'll forever have to deal with the fact that their recorded output will never match the insanity of their live show. I saw them over two years ago, and I still look back on that show fondly; unfortunately, I can't really say the same about their second-to-last album, which I last listened to almost exactly two years ago.

That said, Dinosaur Power shows that they've at least narrowed the gap between the greatness of their on-stage performance and what they've been able to capture on record. While songs like "The Miserable End of Captain Alonso" and "Fatwa" may not quite have the manic intensity that seeing the band performing would bring, but they still do a good job of capturing the band's overall m.o. of combining intricate, classically-influenced arrangements with infectiously catchy pop (with a few songs -- most notably their cover of "La Bohème" -- a lot more firmly ensconced in the former category than the latter). It's no substitute, and if you're lucky enough to catch Friendly Rich live, do it, regardless of the cost, but if you don't happen to live near where he and his merry band are playing anytime soon, by all means pick up a copy of Dinosaur Power for a hint of what you're missing.

Anyone looking for a nice case of cognitive dissonance should probably listen to David Myles' On The Line while looking at the picture of him right above this review. After all, he looks kind of awkward and dorky (not to mention disturbingly like this show's host), but the moment he opens his mouth it's like you're listening to some wizened old folkie. He's got a deep, soulful voice, and songs like "If I Said Please" and "Give You Up" demonstrate that it sounds completely natural coming out of him.

In fact, if you really want to see the dissonance in action, take a look at the videos of Myles' CBC East Coast Session from which the songs below are taken. He even jokes about it (listening closely and you'll hear him comparing his looks to Bob Saget), but, as is the case with On The Line, all the cognitive dissonance in the world can't change the fact that Myles is a pretty great singer.

1. Things Have Changed
2. I Can Move On
3. When It Comes My Turn

Enjoy!

Videotape, My Favourite Thing (Self-released)

WHO

Experimental rock trio from Ottawa/Toronto.

DISCOGRAPHY

My Favourite Thing (Self-released, 2008)

IN A NUTSHELL

Former members of As The Poets Affirm find a way to combine catchiness to shoegazing, droning ambient rock. Potential greatness ensues.

THE STORY

To some extent, a lot of what was said in last week's feature about Women could also be said for the subject of this week's feature, Videotape. After all, both bands' debuts feature a strong dose of '60s-influenced lo-fi pop, coupled with a heavy dose of...well, heaviness.

The difference, however, is that Videotape take things a lot further on My Favourite Things -- and consequently, in my mind, are whole a lot better. Take opener "Night Lights, for example: it starts off sounding like a lost artifact from four decades ago, but as the vocals and melody repeat over and over again for five minutes, the whole thing starts sounding like a hypnotic drone. It's eerie and ominous, but surprisingly catchy at the same time, as if the trio attempted to compress Velvet Underground's entire catalogue into the span of one song.

The same probably could be said for any other song on here, if not the whole album. Despite this, however, Videotape never let their love of acts like VU and Sonic Youth cross over into the category of thinly-veiled rip-offs. Rather, they seem bent on making shoegazing, droning, ambient post-rock that's also improbably catchy.

Surprisingly, they succeed at this. At the album's lowest point (probably "Visions"), the mixture comes off as acceptably grungy, kind of dull alt-rock. And when Videotape hit the combination right on -- as they do on tracks like "Glow" or "Spin Away" -- it's as if you're listening to a particularly hip religious revival. Heck, if some obscure sect ever decided they wanted to recruit hipsters as members, they could just play "Underwater" and they'd have masses of them dancing in an ecstatic frenzy in no time.

Or maybe it's not so surprising. After all, the trio used to be members of the dearly-departed Ottawa institution As The Poets Affirm, they had Acorn/Kathleen Edwards/Jim Bryson producer Jarrett Bartlett behind the boards for the album's production, and drummer Nathan Gara comes from a pretty impressive indie rock family tree. But My Favourite Thing goes far beyond even those connections to a whole other level. Videotape legitimately deserve to be mentioned as heirs to a tradition that goes far beyond Ottawa's borders (and well into those of New York City), and this album suggests that they have the potential for a pretty impressive career. By all means, keep an eye (and ear) on them, and be ready to be amazed.

Want to win a copy of My Favourite Thing? Thanks to Videotape, i(heart)music has a copy to give away. To enter to win it, just e-mail me your name and mailing address, and I'll pick a winner randomly!

Rob S., Megan B. and Mike B. all win copies of the excellent debut from Women. Thanks to all who entered!

I've been hearing for months now from Ack at Herohill that I absolutely had to check out Rebekkah Higgs. Working on my Polaris list? Higgs' self-titled debut is awesome! Coming up with line-ups for a showcase at Halifax Pop Explosion? She should be on it!

After finally getting around to listening to Higgs, I'm kicking myself for not listening to him sooner, because he's absolutely right. Higgs fits in with the wave of folkie females that have emerged from this country over the last few years (see also: Feist, Basia Bulat, Jill Barber, etc.), but at the same time, she stands a little off to the side. While "My Feet", for example, is your standard girl-with-a-guitar, country-tinged folk, elsewhere (particularly on the intense electronics of "Apples") Higgs shows that she's more than capable of branching off from that sound into an altogether different (and welcome) territory. Hopefully she'll achieve the same level of success as her peers, because the whole album is testament to the fact she deserves it.

If you're planning on listening to Cory Woodward's debut EP, Princess of the Skies (and you really should be, because it's excellent), and you're not a fan of Bruce Springsteen, you'll probably want to skip over opening track "Revolve". After all, on hearing the opening lines of the song, my girlfriend -- no fan of The Boss -- immediately said "Why are you listening to Bruce Springsteen? Turn that off!"

Truth be told, for the first few lines, Woodward's vocals really do sound like Bruce's, and it can be a little distracting even if that appeals to you (as it does to me). But once you get past that, you're still left with a guy who can go from a good Springsteen rocker straight into something that feels sort of like Tom Waits at his hollering carny best (on "Remedy Gold"), and then go from there into the Stars-esque melodies of "Slipping Away". On top of that, you have a return to Waits as an influence on "Down, Down, Down", and then closer "Cory Woodward" finishes things up on a heartbreakingly gorgeous note. While it doesn't say much for Woodward's ability to define himself within the parameters of a certain sound, that's more than cancelled out by the fact that he sounds great even as he feels around for his identity. Hopefully, Princess of the Skies is just the beginning of his artistic evolution, because it certainly makes it sound like he has all sorts of potential.

I was going to write about how Old Man Luedecke's Proof of Love is a bluegrass album that even even people who wouldn't count themselves as fans of the genre would enjoy...and then I found that Herohill had said that already, and a lot more eloquently than I possibly could have. So before I say anything else, I'll suggest you go take a quick look, and meet me back here when you're done.

...

Back? Good. All that I can add to that is that Luedecke does everything that Ack describes. By playing around with tempo and style, he does an excellent job of showing that "bluegrass" is actually a much larger category than you (or at least I) might have thought. There are songs like the title track, on which he lives up to my preconceived notions...but at the same time, there are also songs like "Big Group Breakfast", which verges on being pop, while elsewhere (like on "Little Bird"), he shows that banjos are good for ballads, too. You've obviously got to have an open mind toward the instrument to really enjoy it, but if you go into it just looking to be entertained, Proof of Love should do the trick.

And for further evidence, here's the set he recorded for the CBC East Coast Sessions.

1. Yodelady
2. I Quit My Job
3. Little Bird


Enjoy!

Apologies for the lack of posting yesterday. Another post coming later today to make up for it!



Canadian Tuxedo is a pretty appropriate name for the newest album from Vancougar. After all, everything about the all-female quartet, from their music (poppy, simple, Ramones-tinged punk) to their look (as the album title suggests, heavy on the denim), seems to recall the late '70s/early '80s, back when the titular look was being popularized by hosers in bars across rural Canada.

Admittedly, I'm probably simplifying things a little bit, since in amongst the riffs and "woah-oh"s, there are all kinds of nods to the '50s and '60s -- "(I Hope Your) Money (Keeps You Warm)", for example, is as much a nod to Spectorian girl groups as it is to the early days of punk. Then again, when you get down to it, musically there wasn't that much difference between The Ramones and those early rock'n'roll bands, and Canadian Tuxedo is a testament to that link.

If you want even further proof of how Vancougar tie the two together, give a listen to their recent Radio 3 session. It illustrates that the band has a solid handle on both genres, and that they know how to blend the two seamlessly together.

1. Unmanned
2. Obvious
3. Philadelphia
4. (I Hope Your) Money (Keeps You Warm)
5. Temporary Teamwork
6. See-Through

Enjoy!

i(heart)music is turning three, and to celebrate I'm throwing a little party from August 21st to 24th at Mavericks...



THURSDAY
The Love Machine (punky, poppy Ottawa awesomeness; download "Western Bird Calls")
Amos The Transparent (amazing Ottawa folk-rockers)
These Electric Lives (catchy electro-rockers from Toronto)
Bad Flirt (poppy Montrealers beloved by the Olsen Twins; download "Hiroshima Mon Frere")

FRIDAY
Woodhands (dirty, sleazy dancefloor fun)
Ruby Coast (improbably catchy pop from Aurora, ON)
Hollerado (next big things from Montreal-via-Manotick; download "Do The Doot Do Doot Do")
The Gales (up-and-coming young Ottawanians)

SATURDAY
Handsome Furs (featuring Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner)
The D'Urbervilles (Constantines-esque rockers; download "Dragnet")
Black Hat Brigade (apocalyptic-sounding Torontonians)
The City Above (Ottawa's best psychedelic rockers)

SUNDAY
Katie Stelmanis (sonic weirdness from Toronto)
Ghost Bees (Haligonian freak-folk; download "Tasseomancy")
Culture Reject (quirky Toronto folk-pop)
Ennuie (glitch folk from Ottawa)

Tickets for each show are $8 advance or $10 at the door (or $10 advance, $12 at the door for Handsome Furs), or you can buy a weekend pass for $20. You can buy them right now from this very site, and they'll be in stores this weekend. It's going to be a great four days, so don't miss out!

Many thanks to Kelly Bergeron for writing this!

Women, Women (Flemish Eye)

WHO

All-male quartet from Calgary.

DISCOGRAPHY

Women (Flemish Eye, 2008)

IN A NUTSHELL

Women sound like a dream from the 1960s spiralling into a bad acid trip.

THE STORY

In a day and age that allows for so much accessibility to high-tech recording equipment, Women have decided to kick it back a few notches and decades, and create and album that’s organic, nostalgic and lo-fi. There's an easy comparison to be drawn here on the band's self-titled debut to the Zombies, a band that long ago exuded a similar kind of beautiful noise-pop with attainable melody and sound. Women taken it even further in a lo-fi direction, in part thanks to the DIY ethics of their labelmate/producer Chad VanGaalen, with a result being that there are some perfect gems on this record.

Though the album places a heavy premium on ambience, it doesn't always go in the directions you expect. "Woodbine", for example, brings to mind a scene of immense calm, but throughout you're waiting in anticipation for the track to reach a climatic ending. When that ending comes, however, it does so in the form of "Black Rice", which comes out of nowhere as a near-reincarnation of the Mamas and Papas. Continuing in that '60s vein, "Group Transport Hall" is filled with tambourines, acoustic guitar, and a refrain of "Soon we will be laughing /Out there on the landing”. These songs give off a chilled out, groovy psychedelic vibe, that's tempered only by moments of intense distortion (not to mention the fact these guys weren’t even alive back then).

All in all, Women have come up with a debut that's steeped in nostalgia, but at the same time isn't totally beholden to it. If you’re ready to experience something a little unusual, then you should have a listen to Women.

Want to win Women? Thanks to Flemish Eye, i(heart)music has a few copies to give away. To enter to win, just e-mail me your name and address, and I'll pick some winners randomly!

Colin M. wins a copy of Katie Stelmanis' solo debut. Thanks to all who entered!

Of all the artists on the Polaris Prize Short List, the only one that hasn't been written about yet here is Kathleen Edwards. As much as I'd like to be able to say that this is an oversight on my part, and that Asking for Flowers is a gem of a country album, the unfortunate truth is that it's neither of those things.

Which isn't to say it's a bad album. Edwards has a nice enough voice, and she and her bandmates are all skilled musicians. And at times -- mainly on "I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory", though "The Cheapest Key" isn't bad either -- she shows why she's won over fans across North America, what with her ability to write a catchy hook and all.

But it's hard to see how Asking For Flowers even comes up in a conversation about the top ten albums released during the Polaris eligibility period. While last year's winner certainly showed there's something to be said for safe, accessible pop, this goes far beyond that and well into the category of adult contemporary. Then again, with luck maybe it will split the safe vote and allow the best album to come out victorious (and make me look incredibly prescient).

Part of me wishes my review of It's Like That Here, the debut EP from Charlotte Cornfield, could consist solely of exclamation marks and randomly typed capital letters. Something like "!!G!J!BUK!!!!HKJSJG!G!!!YTYUT!!!!", followed by a link to where you could buy the album.

While that would come close to conveying my enthusiasm, it wouldn't really explain why it's important that you stop whatever you're doing right now and go get yourself a copy. So here's why you should do that: because Cornfield is amazingly talented. Because she sounds like a folk-singing cross between Feist (minus the success, though it's hard to imagine success isn't in her future, if there's any justice in the world whatsoever) and Billie Holliday (minus the depression). Because she backs that astoundingly expressive, gorgeous voice up with pretty spare instrumentation, but every song is a testament to the power of songwriting economy. Because "The Fawn" is an awesome song, and because "Adrienne Probably Knows" is an awesome song, and because the other four songs on here are just as awesome, too. Because I wish I could post every single track from the EP, just so that I could share its amazingness with everyone I know and don't know...but I won't, because Cornfield is so great that she deserves to sell as many copies of It's Like That Here so that she can make a living doing this music thing, because the world can always use another great artist.

And I'll say it again, for all the reasons above and more: go get yourself a copy. You'll be very glad you did.

As much as I liked Hvarf/Heim, I wasn't quite ready to get back on the Sigur Ros bandwagon quite yet. After all, it was basically a collection of material from back when they were great, and while it was great to hear how they used to sound, their most recent outing was substantially less interesting.

Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, however, is probably enough to get me back on board. While a lot of the elements that made the band so distinctive in the first place are still present, at the same time there are enough subtle shifts here and there that make the whole thing sound a lot more vital and alive than they've sounded in years. Case in point: "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" has a much more traditionally "rock" structure than anything Sigur Ros has done before, and its use of horns and acoustic guitars gives it a warm, organic feel that (unless I've missed something) hasn't been present in the band's sound.

The band hasn't wholly abandoned their old sound, of course. Frontman Jónsi Birgisson, for example, still sings a combination of Icelandic, gibberish and English, and the latter half of the album isn't that far removed from what populated previous albums (see "Straumnes" for proof). But Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust is still a big enough break from the past that it's possible to imagine that Sigur Ros still have at least a few tricks left up their sleeve, and that's enough to keep me interested for at least another few albums.

I'd never heard of Brooklyn Cannon before receiving the self-titled EP from Total Bummer, but all it took was a quick glance at the press release accompanying her album to make me excited. After all, she was in God-Shaped Vacuum with Carey Mercer and Dan Boeckner and in Atlas Strategic with Boeckner; with credentials like that, I figured she'd have at least a modicum of talent.

The EP reveals that she does, though anyone searching for something in the vein of Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade or Handsome Furs will be a little let down. Rather, songs like "Song For You" and "Long Winter" show that she specializes in sparse, ghostly piano-folk that falls squarely between Newsom-esque little elfin girl lost and the pounding doom that defines the subject of this week's feature. It's not going to set the world afire, but if you're into girls with pianos, it's definitely worth checking out.