Happy Fourth of July to any Americans reading. And now with those niceties out of the way, I bring you memories of my Canada Day(July 1). My friend and I checked out Final Fantasy and Do Make Say Think down at Harbourfront. No in depth review this time - check out Chromewaves[who also photos] and Blacking Out The Friction[who also has a video]. It was my first time seeing Toronto's Do Make Say Think live. I'm not too familiar with their music but I found their music aesthetically similar to say, Broken Social Scene's "KC Accidental"(an oversimplification perhaps, but I'm sticking with that). Taking an instrumental approach, the band combined strings, horns and standard rock instrumentation into an invigorating blend of rhythmic, jazzy, post-rock(for lack of a better term) goodness. Great. I should definitely look in to picking up the new album some time. Only my second time seeing Final Fantasy live, his headlining mostly-solo set was a far more low-key set than the Do Make Say Think large-band experience which preceded it. I was a little disappointed that Mr. Pallett took his position on stage a little left of center(due to a projection screen set up in the centre of the stage) which hindered my enjoyment slightly. A nice sequence of overhead projection visuals was integrated into Owen's performance later in the set but seemed was cut short due to too much wind. In the back of my mind, Owen as a headliner for the night seemed a strange choice for the celebratory Canada Day festivities, low-key and a bit more cultured for some people perhaps. On the other hand, the encore-clamoring at the end of the set showed Final Fantasy was definitely appreciated.
Here's a few more photos from the show.
MySpace: Final Fantasy
MySpace: Do Make Say Think
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Now to catch up on some news I've been sitting on for a few days. The Horseshoe Tavern is the last played you'd think a band like Iceland's Amiina would/should play but there they'll be for a show on September 10. Tickets $15[via Rotate This].
East coast, Lo-fi pop outfit Eric's Trip reunite(again) and will be in Toronto for a show at Lee's Palace on September 15[via Stille Post]. They're also in Hamilton, ON at a venue TBA on September 13 according to their MySpace.
Pitchfork reported last week that Caribou hits the road this Fall for a tour, that unfortunately(at least as of now) doesn't have a Toronto date. The closest Caribou comes to these neck of the woods is September 28 in Hamilton, ON at The Casbah, and September 29 in Waterloo, ON at Starlight Lounge. To tide us over Merge Records will release the "Melody Day" single in North America on July 10(digitally and on 7" via City Slang elsewhere on July 31). The new album entitled "Andorra" comes out on Merge on August 21. I'm really digging the electro-pop, psychedlia of "Melody Day" - check it out here.
Chartattack has the tracklisting for the upcoming Stars album "In Our Bedroom After The War" coming out on Arts & Crafts on September 25. The first single "The Night Starts Here" can be downloaded from the Arts & Crafts website. They play the Virgin Festival at Toronto Islands on September 9.
Continuing their Danish fixation, Toronto's Paper Bag Records have signed The Figurines and will release their new album "When The Deer Wore Blue" on September 11. The first single "Hey Girl" can be heard at their MySpace and the single will be available for download via iTunes on August 7[via chartattack]
Pitchfork brings us some new Feist material - Feist sings 'Somewhere Down the Road'(penned by Jesse Harris who's also written songs for Norah Jones) for the soundtrack to the upcoming film "The Hottest State". Those who critized Feist's new album for going too far into adult contemporary territory will NOT like this new song. I like the new album, and while this new song starts off alright, the sappy instrumentation at the end kills it. Check out the Pitchfork link above to listen to the song. Or else check out Feist's Canada Day performance(of "I Feel It All") in Ottawa here which is much better[via Just Keep Bloggin'].
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