Canadian Musicfest - Diana @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club, Toronto (March 20, 2013)

  Carmen Elle of Diana: photo by Michael Ligon

For all the criticisms directed towards Canadian Music Week / Canadian Musicfest, some of which I must agree with, I've taken it as a challenge to sift through the schedule and choose acts who are mostly unknown to me, that pique my interest and will hopefully deliver if I do end up checking out their set. I was less inclined this year to doing the festival hardcore but was more focused on catching at least a few acts a day. I took in the festival from Wednesday to Saturday and managed to catch a number of bands that really delivered the goods.

The festival kicked off quietly on Tuesday March 19 but was in full gear by the night after which is the night choose to begin. Although originally I had plans earlier in the evening to check out Swiss singer-songwriter Heidi Happy at Supermarkert, I had a change of heart and decided choose locals, Diana, instead. Fortunately, I had come early (although, not too early) enough to get in with my media wristband with no problems and without lining up in the cold. There was a bit of confusion (to put it politely) with a scrum of media wristbands, myself included, not initially being let in to the venue itself, but after a few minutes, things were sorted out and we were let in. Four-piece outfit Diana were a mysterious band that I believe quietly surfaced last summer but then started to build some hype around the time I went to CMJ in New York City in October. Diana were apparently at CMJ but I didn't even know who they were. Now I'm more in the know, aware that the band consists of Carmen Elle (Army Girls), Kieran Adams (Warm Myth and Bonjay), Joseph Shabason (Destroyer), and Paul Mathew (Hidden Cameras), and with a background like that and with what little I'd read about them, I was immediately interested even though I don't think I'd heard a note of their music. The band's soulful, electro-pop made me think of a cross between M83 meets Wham, with the band's drum / bass / guitar foundation augmented with their scintillating melodies, supple drum-pad electro-beats, whirring Roland synths and the occasional saxophone. Amidst stage light hues of mostly red and blue, the band were interesting to watch, most of it due to frontwoman Carmen Elle's subtle swagger onstage. I hadn't quite connected with the guitar / drums, pop-rock duo-ism of Carmen's other project Army Girls, but her current participation with Diana, I can wholeheartedly say I enjoyed immensely. They're apparently working on a album to be released this year - as to when it'll be released, isn't known - but they do have a vinyl 12" of their song "Born Again" which is available for order (check out their Soundcloud page below).

Photos: Diana @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club, Toronto (March 20, 2013)
Facebook: Diana
Soundcloud: Diana

Shout Out Louds @ The Mod Club, Toronto (May 8, 2010)

I celebrated my birthday this past Saturday with some family and friends down at Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto's Little Italy prior to the Shout Out Louds show at The Mod Club down the street. I terribly misjudged Shout Out Loud's set start time thinking they'd go on around 9 pm but apparently they went on about 20 minutes to 9 pm. I myself having a good time at dinner, eventually sauntered over myself to The Mod Club getting there about 20 minutes after 9 pm. Long story short, I missed most of the main set, but at least I caught the last three songs of the main set and was fortunate that Shout Out Louds played a three song encore during which they played "Your Parents' Living Room" and "You Are Dreaming" off of 2007's Our Ill Wills. Sold out crowd on hand, I was stuck near the back watching the show (hence the one photo above) - I could see pockets of movement within the crowd but overall the crowd seemed quite enamored with the Swedes. Hey, at least I caught seven songs. Damn you Mod Club and you're early start Saturday night concerts.

Fortunately, if you want reviews/photos of the show, check out Chromewaves and The Panic Manual. Aux also has photos from the show. fleeperzonk2 has some cool video from the show.

MySpace: Shout Out Louds

El Perro Del Mar, Taken By Trees @ The Mod Club, Toronto (February 21, 2010)

  El Perro Del Mar: photo by Michael Ligon

It was a female Swedish double bill which took over The Mod Club in Toronto this past Sunday with Taken By Trees and El Perro Del Mar. Having not heard the most recent material from both artists - Taken By Trees (the solo project of Victoria Bergsman ex of The Concretes) whose most recent album is 2009's "East of Eden" and El Perro Del Mar's mini-album "Love Is Not Pop" also released in 2009 - the unexpected diversion from their past sonic pop palettes took me off guard at first but in the end it was refreshing. In retrospect I'm more compelled now to want to listen to their respective albums if only for their uniqueness and sense of adventurism, both opener and headliner utilizing rhthym and bass (and in the case of Taken By Trees some world music influences) much more strongly than I'd ever anticipated.

During her days with the more conventional indiepop-based band The Concretes, Victoria Bergman's vocals were of a nature, to put it mildly, non-descript, so Taken By Tree's most recent album's dressings in rhythm and world music instrumentation are intriguing. Such world music influences from what I've read may have been a product of her recording her most recent album in Pakistan. She manages to do the world music influences justice at the same her pop sensibilities still, for the most part intact. Victoria does not have the most engaging stage presence, although she did ask the audience for a lighter which an audience member graciously lent her so that she could light some incense laid out on the stage in front of her. The bottom-end of their live set was particularly strong with some good distinctive drumming, and heavy bass grooves.

I can't think of anyone in recent in recent memory who's gone through a transformation both physically and musically from the first time I'd seen them live to seing them live currently as El Perro Del Mar has. El Perro Del Mar's Sarah Assbring has transformed herself from a modest, twee-folk-pop chanteuse (as I'd seen her back at the same venue in March 2007) and has now grown out her hair to lengthier, blonder(?) strands, with a slightly more glammed up look and striving towards a more extroverted rhythmic pop approach - think Cocteau Twins filtered through "Avalon"-era Roxy Music and fitted with a rhythmic step. Sarah was just so much more emotive on stage this time around, swaying and dancing for most of the set, when she wasn't playing acoustic guitar. With a song like "Heavenly Arms" her physical gestures were a very literal expression of the song title as Sarah outstretched her arms to the audience and swayed for most of the song, even persuading a select few members of the audience to double-clap on beat. Another highlight was her much applauded cover of The xx's "Shelter", a generally favourable cover adding some urgency to the song with a faster tempo and a solid drum beat although on the downside perhaps loosing some of the original's tension. I should note that Sarah's backing band was 3/4 of Victoria's band, apparently a very efficient way for an opener and headliner to tour(although technically, I believe this was more of co-headlining tour). I found the guitarist during El Perro Del Mar's set to be particularly distinctive alternating between strums, subtle riffing and sinewy guitar lines, giving the songs a very good texture. Although, as rhythmic as both Taken By Trees' and El Perro Del Mar's set were, it was still a relatively mellow vibe, the not-quite-sold-out crowd only really expressing moments of enthusiasm between songs. Mellow, yes, but with a dose of refreshingness, it was damn near perfect for a Sunday night.

Melody at chartattack, Bob at It's Not The Band I Hate..., Paul at The Panic Manual, Scott at Exclaim, and Frank at Chromewaves have reviews of the show. aNewCanadian has a 5 min 35 sec video clip from the show.

Photos: El Perro Del Mar, Taken By Trees @ The Mod Club, Toronto (February 21, 2010)
MySpace: Taken By Trees
MySpace: El Perro Del Mar

Owen Pallett, Diamond Rings @ The Mod Club in Toronto (January 12, 2010)

  Owen Pallett @ The Mod Club: photo by Michael Ligon

The Mod Club last Tuesday night was the scene of a way sold-out show featuring headliner Owen Pallett on the occasion of his most recent album "Heartland". Signing to Domino Records in the UK and recently dropping his 'Final Fantasy' moniker in favour of his own name, Mr. Pallett's been a beacon for Toronto/Canadian talent for sometime now, and there was no doubt as indicated by the warm response from the crowd that he is very much appreciated.

Mr. John O'Regan may be better known as the frenetic frontman for spastic indie rock outfit of The D'Urbervilles, or perhaps you may even know him as one half(the second half being The Magic's Sylvie Smith) of the now-defunct melancholy electro-pop duo Habitat but as opener for the night, he's now branched out on his own under the moniker of Diamond Rings. Even recent touting by Pitchfork wasn't enough to motivate to check Diamond Rings' music prior to the show but after seeing or more accurately hearing his live set, I now realize the err of my ways. With subtle laptop electro-beats and accompanying himself with keys or electric guitar plus a duet with special guest Gentleman Reg, there was a bevy of scintillating melodies that reminded me of the directness of The Magnetic Fields, although trading in Mr. Merritt's dourness for a more playful attitude. Don't let Mr. O'Regan's tie-dyed t-shirt, glitter and eye makeup distract you - these are really great pop songs. Yes, I was really disappointed that his vinyl release was sold out at the merch table (actually, I'm not sure if they even had any of the vinyl at the merch table, but John did tell me it was sold out).

On past occasions seeing Final Fantasy live there were multimedia experiences with Owen's performance providing a soundtrack to screen projections behind him. Not to say that the music was ever secondary but the creative visuals were always such a nice component. Other than some nice ambient lighting onstage, Owen's performance this time was directly focused on the music. Somehow I'd avoided all contact with the new album "Heartland" (including any advance mp3's made available to the public on the web months ago) prior to it's release last week and prior to the show so as sets go it was mostly unfamiliar territory for me. While there was of course heavy emphasis on the new album, Owen did round out the setlist with faves like set-opener "This Is The Dream of Win and Regine"(from "Has a Good Home"), as well as "This Lamb Sells Condos Play" and "Many Lives -> 49 mp" (from "He Poos Clouds"), and "The Butcher" (from "Spectrum, 14th Century" EP). At this point, I can't offer up any useful critical analysis of the new material except that Owen's cherubic vocals, and supple violin technique (with Owen's use of his violin as a melodic instrument as much as a percussive instrument, epecially with his use of a loop pedal) are still expertly on display. Melodically, the new material's a bit more of slow burner for me since nothing's standing out for me at this point, but with time I expect it to reveal its qualities. One comment I do have is that although Owen had an added onstage member with multi-instrumentalist Thomas Gill, while Mr. Gill did have some nice contributions as a background vocalist and whistler, I felt he was hardly neccessity in terms of added instrumentation considering Owen's profiency as a one-man act. That criticism[well, not really a criticism but more like an observation] aside, I can't express enough how joyous I was to see and hear this show. Really, it was a thing of beauty, and if you're going to see him perform at the quite larger Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on April 8, I'm sure that'll be a sight and sound to behold.

Eye has a similarly positive review of the show. Someone's posted the setlist for the show. Aux has video of an interview they had with Owen Pallett.


Photos: Owen Pallett, Diamond Rings @ The Mod Club in Toronto (January 12, 2010)
MySpace: Owen Pallett
Video: Owen Pallett - "E is for Estranged" (live @ The Mod Club, Toronto, 12/Jan/2010)
Video: Owen Pallett - "Lewis Takes Action" (live @ The Mod Club, Toronto, 12/Jan/2010)
Video: Owen Pallett - "Honour The Dead or Else" (live @ The Mod Club, Toronto, 12/Jan/2010)
Video: Owen Pallett - "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" (live @ The Mod Club, Toronto, 12/Jan/2010)
Video: Diamond Rings - "All Yr Songs" (music video)

Bob Mould @ The Mod Club in Toronto (October 5, 2009)

Update[Oct 13/09, 11:50 pm]: review now up, and only a week later!

Kicking off his brief North American tour in Toronto last Monday night at The Mod Club before he heads over to the UK in December was Mr. Bob Mould promoting his new album "Life and Times". I was first and foremost a fan of his through his band Sugar in the 90's and it was only laziness really that stopped me from exploring his Husker Du and solo work with any sort of eagerness. With hopes I'd hear a few Sugar tunes and maybe a familiar Husker Du song or two I eagerly awaited Bob's set.

It's expected that Monday night shows are sometimes a hard sell but I thought that perhaps Mr. Mould would have drawn out a larger attendance. By no means was it empty by the time Bob and his drummer and bassist hit the stage but neither was it sold out. That said, for opener Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson the attendance was sparse. I'd only caught the tail end of Miles' and his band's set, but my impressions of the 25-year old Brooklynite's music are at best vague. A little raggedness in its folk-rock instrumentation? Perhaps a little Bob Dylan influence? I enjoyed the samples on Miles' MySpace much better than the few songs I caught live which for some reason I remember being a bit more plodding. Perhaps next time.

If Mr. Mould proved anything at his show at The Mod Club last Monday night, he's maintained a relevancy with his songs that shall never go out of style. Drawing out to the show fans that visibly were fans of his back in his Husker Du and Sugar days and younger music fans who I'd assume had an appreciation for his old songs and perhaps his newer material, the setlist seemed to be a fair sampler of his work, albeit limited to key parts of his catalogue. It was reasonable to expect that Bob would play a bunch from his new album "Life and Times" which he did, but the rest of the set was limited to selections from his Husker Du and Sugar days as well as "Workbook"-era solo material. Obviously, I'd love the Sugar material which Bob and band performed with a bit more raggedness than on record. Physically, Bob seemed as energetic as ever on stage as he churned out his guitar chords and vigorously sung his lyrics. With less hair on his head[which seemingly has transposed itself now as facial hair] than in his younger days, and with Bob wearing glasses[yes, I know he's been wearing glasses for a while now], he's visibly older but still possessed much of the same energy as I'd ever seen/heard him[which was only in video format] in his younger days. That said, Bob did tone things down a few times picking up the electro-acoustic guitar with a highlight being a stupendous reading of Husker Du classic "Hardly Getting Over It". My favourite Sugar/Bob Mould song ever(and one of my favourite songs ever) "If I Can't Change Your Mind" was initially not on the setlist so it was with utter surprise that instead of ending off the encore with "JC Auto" we instead got "If I Can't Change Your Mind". He's playing it a little faster and scruffier these days but just to hear the song's melody, lyrics and guitar chords was pure joy. Thank you Bob.

And if merch was your thing, you'd not have contained yourself when you saw the quantity of Sugar and solo-work merch(including tapes, CD's, vinyl, t-shirts, and DVD's) that Bob brought for sale. With much of the older items at $5 a pop it was a good opportunity to fill out your Sugar collection or pick up the vinyl.

Photos: Bob Mould @ The Mod Club in Toronto (October 5, 2009)
MySpace: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
MySpace: Bob Mould

The Dears, Lioness @ The Mod Club (April 30, 2009)

concert review: The Dears, Lioness @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - April 30, 2009



I had to do a double-take last Thursday after work when I read the scrolling news on CP24 on the monitors at the College Subway platform that The Dears tour bus had been stolen earlier that day in Montreal. It all sounds like a sly publicity stunt - stolen tour bus on the eve of a tour. At the time, without knowing all the details, it'd all sounded surreal and just knowing that the show at The Mod Club was going to go on was exciting enough. It was hard at the time not to feel like The Dears were soldiering on despite the theft. I only found out the details of the incident after the show - the tour bus was rented and they were fortunate enough to have not loaded their instruments and equipment on before the bus was stolen. OK, so that explained why Murray et al. were so non-chalant about the whole incident. Perhaps, Murray's joke about imagining the culprit making a getaway in the bus should have been a giveaway that their loss wasn't so terrible; I couldn't imagine most indie bands emotionally/practically bouncing back so quickly had they'd had all their instruments and equipment stolen.

An early time slot is not at all befitting to Toronto electro dance-rock trio Lioness but here they were. With the rhythm section of Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris rising from the ashes of Toronto death-disco outfit controller.controller and fiery vocalist Vanessa Fischer of soul-punk's No Dynamics, their combined pedigree does reflect Lioness' resultant output. In some ways, Lioness with their jagged bass lines and disco-rock rhythms, aren't far off from controller.controller but whereas controller.controller vocalist Nirmala Basnayake always sang in a sort of sing-speak, Lioness' Vanessa Fischer has a robustness about it, augmented further by more fleshed out melodies. I was a big fan of controller.controller at the time, and I think that Lioness more than meet up to their high standards, but a pre-9pm (heck, a pre-11pm) time slot is perhaps not the best way to enjoy them. There were pockets of dancing, head-bobbing but not the full-on dance-party that they're probably capable of. One thing's for certain, Dears fan's aren't probably known for dancing.

The Dears have suffered through a few woes over the last several years, first record label troubles then the departure of 5/7's of the band leaving only Murray and Natalia. Fortunately, The Dears have bounced back from such low-points, having found a new label with Dangerbird and also recruiting a capable new backing band. Since "Gang Of Losers", I hadn't really though much about The Dears. Even as their newest album "Missiles" had been released, I hadn't really given it much of a listen and I'd realized that it was based solely on my irrational attachment to The Dears' old membership. Could The Dears' newly-recruited backing band duplicate the alternately anthemic and warmer qualities of The Dears' past albums? Undoubtedly, Murray and Natalia are the heart of the band and if either of them weren't there, it just wouldn't be the same. However, as the live set at The Mod Club last Thursday displayed, the new membership might be hired guns and they are unfamiliar faces but they did a more than admirable job performing both the old and new material.

The show opened quite dramatically with Murray singing("Missiles" track 'Saviour') from within the crowd, unbeknownst to most people until the spotlight shone upon him. From there, Murray jumped up onto the stage as the audience roared with approval. The set focussed on "Missiles" with several tracks each from "Gang Of Losers" and "No Cities Left" also contributed. As the new bandmates settle in, especially as they embark(well, just embarked) on a grueling next few months of touring, I really do have confidence that the new band'll get the job done. I was most impressed with new guitarist Jason Kent's confident guitar work. But as with heart of any band, I was mostly excited to see Murray and Natalia, especially on their duet of '22:The Death Of The Romance'. I also quite enjoyed Natalia's lead vocals on 'Crisis 1 & 2' but most of all because I wasn't used to seeing her sing lead. The older material seemed to spark a higher percentage of spontaneous and or prompted singalongs although perhaps natural given the most recent albums' more introspective tone. Alongside The Dears' older albums, "Missiles" is quite obviously the dark horse. Their Smiths-ian, anthemic qualities may have fallen by the wayside but The Dears continue to provoke and intrigue, even if they're quieter.

Lioness will be performing on MTV Live on May 13 and then will perform at this year's Pride Toronto at the Alexander Parkette Stage on June 28. The Dears will be touring Canada and the U.S. over the next few months.

Photos: The Dears @ The Mod Club (April 30, 2009)

MySpace: Lioness
MySpace: The Dears

Bat For Lashes, Lewis and Clarke @ The Mod Club (April 25, 2009)

concert review: Bat For Lashes, Lewis And Clarke @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - April 25, 2009

Bat For Lashes @ The Mod Club: photo by Michael Ligon


The UK's been a source of some of the most interesting female musical talent for a while now although it seems that over the past several years it's been with increasing frequency. I'd already had the pleasure of seeing Lily Allen live last week at Sound Academy and this past Saturday night at The Mod Club I saw yet another of one the UK's female musical exports, Miss Natasha Khan who goes by the intriguing stage name Bat For Lashes who'd chosen Toronto as the kick-off to her North American tour in support of her second full-length "Two Suns".

Perhaps Natasha has a thing for Pennsylvanian chamber folk-rock outfit Lewis and Clarke as they'd also opened for Bat For Lashes in 2007 at the El Mocambo. Although a generally chatty crowd threatened to mire the vibe, Lewis and Clarke proceeded on with their gentle folk-rock set, expressing their sound with gently plucked acoustic guitar arrangements, delicate cello and stand-up bass, softly played drums, and the soothing vocals of frontman Lou Rogai. There wasn't much deviation from their chamber folk-rock formula from what I recall but in general they did what they did quite well. While there were signs of appreciation from the audience, I think the audience was generally indifferent. But who could blame them for being impatient to see Bat For Lashes.

I have to admit that my aural introduction to Bat For Lashes has been quite recent. While I've never really been a fan of Kate Bush, comparisons to her as well as a deluge of press(both official and blogs) had convinced me to give her 2007 debut "Fur and Gold" a listen and I'm glad I did. Her songs are soaked with dramaticism, dark-toned pop songs that tug at the soul whether acoustic-based(piano, harpischord, autoharp) or augmented with electronic flourishes. It's Natasha's passionate - with - an - ounce - of - pain vocals which utimately hold the melodies together and pull the listener in refusing to let go until your completely engulfed in the each song's emotional resonance. The band opened with "Two Suns" track 'Glass' and as drummer Sarah Jones launched into a solid rhythm, I could feel pulsating waves of sound wash through me. It was an intense feeling. While the pulsating waves of sound subsided to less tangible levels, the set wasn't any less intense because of it. Ash's Charlotte Hatherley took up bass guitar and background vox detail and she especially excelled with the latter while multi-instrumentalist Ben Christophers provided various accoutrements. With the stage decked out with various antique store items like Holy Mary figures, a leg-shaped lamp, angels and a wolf-themed blanket, there was an atmosphere of mysticism, an impression I'd got already from "Fur and Gold"'s album cover. Wolf-howl from Ms. Khan at one point notwithstanding, she was a lot more down-to-earth and less eccentric than I'd expected. She'd even attempted a joke (unfortunately which I hadn't caught, although others had) in response to which some audience members had chuckled which seemed to please her as she humbly responded "aww, they laughed at my joke". It was a nicely varied sounding set ranging from the invading pop of "Horse and I", the danceable "What's A Girl Got To Do", the scintillating electro-pop of "Daniel"(included twice in the set in both a quiet and 'bigger' version), and the tribal-stomp dance-pop of "Sleep Alone". Sensitive, sultry, emotional and charistmatic, as well as being one heck of a songwriter, Ms. Khan has all the makings of success. For sure, next time she won't be playing The Mod Club. While I did attain a certain level of enjoyment from Klaxons' "Myths of the Near" back in 2007, knowing what I know now of Bat For Lashes I can only say that "Fur And Gold" losing out to "Myths of the Near" for that year's Mercury Prize was total robbery.

Photos: Bat For Lashes, Lewis and Clarke @ The Mod Club (April 25, 2009)

Chromewaves and The Panic Manual, both have reviews of and photos from the show. Muchmusic also has a brief review of the show. lyncanthropy has some nice photos from the show too.

MySpace: Lewis and Clarke
MySpace: Bat For Lashes

Glasvegas, Von Iva @ The Mod Club (April 3, 2009)

concert review: Glasvegas, Von Iva @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - April 3, 2009



Over the last few month's Glasgow, Scotland's Glasvegas have been working the promo route, having gone to SXSW, played Letterman and Craig Ferguson, and touring intensively. They finally made it to Toronto for a show at The Mod Club last Friday night. When tickets went onsale, they sold out almost immediately, a good indication that more than a few people were aware of this wonderful band. Melding the sound of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Phil Spector and 60's pop, Glasvegas create a wonderful melodic racket.

Taking the place of Norweigan indie artist Ida Maria who'd originally been scheduled to open was San Francisco trio Von Iva. Working their electro-soul rock from a basis of drums, keyboards and vocals they do bear a bit of resemblance to The Gossip, although stylistically, both visually and musically, they trade in The Gossip's dance-punk angle and play it with a glammier sheen. Even though they're from San Francisco, they sound L.A. / Hollywood to me, if that makes any sense. Perhaps it's not surprising that they've already appeared in a film, the recent "Yes Man" where they played 'Munchausen by Proxy', the band backing Zooey Deschanel's character in the film. Von Iva vocalist Jillian Iva definitely has some vocal chops and she played to the crowd, at one point jumping down from the stage to get all up in the audience's faces. A bit cliched perhaps, and maybe she wasn't aware how stoic Toronto audiences could be, but you can't blame her for trying. Ok, maybe you can.

To put it succintly, Glasvegas' Toronto debut last Friday at The Mod Club was triumphant. With the rain having come down steadily all day, letting up slightly as the day ushered in the night, Glasvegas just seemed like the perfect soundtrack. Their rockabilly greaser fashions, in particular bassist Paul Donoghue wearing a Clash t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoudlers, and vocalist James Allan looking a lot like Joe Strummer, evoked a certain rock n' roll spirit that did carry over into their music. From the opening notes of their 'hit' song "Geraldine" it was pure bliss. Anchoring their melancholy melodies, it was an arsenal of guitar pedals which they used to augment their guitars(Rab Allan) and bass, while the primitive drum rhythms(played competently enough by Caroline McKay) kept things at pace. Guitarist Rab Allan frequently faced into his guitar amp while playing for a desired noisy effect. The lighting, hues of red and blue, and strobe lights which bordered epileptic levels seemed to mirror the frequent audio chaos. However, things did grow calmer when James Allan performed solo, shedding his black leather jacket to reveal a droopy black sleeveless shirt underneath. Whether the music was loud or softer, the crowd (one of the most enthusiastic I've ever seen recently) was along for the ride every step of the way, clapping hands and singing along with enthusiasm. Glasvegas displayed an anthemic streak that I could definitely see them playing larger venues. Even in a venue as intimate as The Mod Club, at the end of the show James proceeded to play up to the audience applause and cheers, and as if he were looking out at a stadium-sized sea of people, he proceeded to point to every part of the venue including the balcony as if he were thanking us one by one for giving them the best show of their life.

Photos: Glasvegas, Von Iva @ The Mod Club (April 3, 2009)

Chromewaves, The Toronto Sun and eye all have glowing reviews of the show.

MySpace: Von Iva
MySpace: Glasvegas
Fan Site: Glasvegas

Junior Boys, Max Tundra @ The Mod Club (March 29, 2009)

concert review: Junior Boys, Max Tundra at The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - March 29, 2009

   Junior Boys @ The Mod Club (Mar 29, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


A cause for celebration at The Mod Club last weekend as it'd been a good two years since I'd last seen Junior Boys live and they were celebrating the release of their recently release third full-length "Begone Dull Care" out through Domino Records. Joining them for the show was labelmate Max Tundra who came brandishing his own poptronics. I consider myself fortunate to have caught the second show of their two night stint at The Mod Club as I'd read that the first show became victim to the venue's early curfew (in order to prepare for the venue's dance party night) and Junior Boys only got so far as to performing only six songs.

UK one-man-band, electro-pop act Max Tundra opened the night definitely on the playful side of things. His music is like a double-syringed shot of adrenaline on one hand meant for dancing (or at least nodding your head incessantly) and on the other hand his playful melodic vocals do grab your ears for listening pleasure. Always seeming to be in constant motion, he worked his way between his mic, keyboards, sampler, melodics, and a few percussive instruments, and when he had the sparest of moments would even throw in a spastic dance move or two. A nod to rave culture on one acid-laced dance track, or ending his set with an electro rendition of The Sound of Music's 'So Long, Farewell' might seem a little campy in retrospect but it was all in good fun. He's like a kid that never grew up - and he's now making a living at it. We should all be jealous.

While the darker-toned electro-pop of "So This Is Goodbye" remains their masterpiece (at least in my opinion), Junior Boy's new album "Begone Dull Care" doesn't fall far behind. But whereas Depeche Mode feels like a strong influence on "So This Is Goodbye" and does even extend to a few tracks on "Begone Dull Care" (especially opening track 'Parralel Lines'), it also seems like the Boys have been listening to more r n'b (listen to 'Hazel', 'Sneak A Picture', and 'The Animator'). While the set lay most heavily on the new album there was also a generous helping from "So This Is Goodbye" as well as a few from their debut full-length. Their live show hasn't changed much with sampler extraordinaire Matthew Didemus noodling about competently but not much else and vocalist/keyboardist Jeremy Greenspan thankfully being more animated for both of them. As I've said before and will say again, their live set does benefit greatly from their live drummer beefing up the songs and giving them more of a band feel. As their live set showed, Junior Boys make music pop music that you can sing as well as dance to[and dancing many did including myself, or at least my version of it], drawing together such disparate music fans like indie, dance and others. Now how's that for unifying?

Photos: Junior Boys, Max Tundra @ The Mod Club (March 29, 2009)

MySpace: Max Tundra
MySpace: Junior Boys
MySpace: Domino Records

Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Feb 12, 2009)

concert review: Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario) - February 12, 2009

Jenn Grant and friends @ The Mod Club(Feb 12, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Prince Edward Island's Jenn Grant is poised to reap the rewards of her hard work of writing and touring over the last few years, releasing a quiet gem of an album "Orchestra For The Moon" in 2007 and with her more than worthy second album "Echoes" just being released through Toronto's Six Shooter Records. She and her band (which includes Kinley Dowling on violin, David Christensen on bass clarinet, Sean MacGillivray on bass and Gary Craig on drums, and "Echoes" producer Jonathan Goldsmith on keyboards a few times) were at The Mod Club last Thursday night for a CD release show and although she quipped that she only was used to see venues that packed back home where most of the attendees have the last name Grant, I was always confident she'd reached this stage in her career. Her star's just taking off when you come to think of it and it's only going to get bigger.

Opening the show was Kevin Hearn whose set with his band Thin Buckle as well as few guests on background vocals and cello(string extraordianaire Michael Olsen) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. While his role in the Barenaked Ladies always seemed to be limited to his multi-instrumental talents, I'd never have guessed that his songwriting abilities were as good as they were on display last Thursday night. Hearn's vocals never registered louder than a gentle timbre but they suited the music just fine as Hearn competently led his technically proficient band through a set of intelligent mid-tempo folk-rock numbers. Although the instrumentation was mostly organic there were sprinkles of electronic sounds. While I wasn't paying enough attention to the lyrics, there seemed to be some wordplay at hand that fit the melodies like a glove. A very authentic-sounding cover of The Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' was a highlight especially during the vocal interplay of the coda as the female background vocalist cooed "what I'd be without you" and cellist Michael Olsen sang "God only knows what I'd be with out you" over and over. Kevin and band ended the set on his song 'Map Of The Human Genome' that featured just a touch of vocoder, a gentle reminder he can have fun too.

As was on display last Thursday, Jenn Grant has become a more confident performer. Though her humbleness and modesty remains, she's traded in some of her nervousness for a very much likable comfort-in-her-own-skin. She skillfully played off some of the audience banter especially that of one overly-enthusiastic individual asking for her to play 'Dreamer' (which we didn't get unfortunately). The evening gown and attire donned by her and her band was a nice touch for the evening's celebration of the new album but also hinted at Jenn's acceptance of her rising star and her willingness to glam it up a bit. The evening was devoted primarily to her new album which was performed just about in its entirety except for her cover of Noel Coward's 'I'll See You Again' which closes the album and is a mere throwaway at less than 10 seconds long. Although her first album "Orchestra For The Moon" has an introspective tone there's more melancholy to be found on "Echoes". 'Heartbreakers' chugged away slowly with David Christiansen's baritone sax in the background while Jenn's desperate 'oh oh's popped up periodically. The acoustic folk of 'Where Are You Now' was guided along with gentle guitar and violin. Jenn's repetition of "keep your head high" on 'Everybody Loves You' sounded absolutely desperate. Jenn's cover of Neil Young's 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' was in a word, heartbreaking.

But all was not dour. 'Parachutes' was a mid-tempo playful pop romp with nice ba-ba background vocals. Jenn jokingly made reference to Dr. Claw with Sean MacGillivray's sinister bass guitar intro to 'I Was Your Woman' a song that found Jenn's vocals aspiring towards a sultrier, jazzier vibe. '(I've Got) The Two Of You' trotted along with an ever-so slight reggae tinge. It was a slight disappointment not to get many of the older material although it was slight consolation that while 'Dreamer' wasn't performed she did give us 'Unique New York' which has a similar urgency to it. Also adding to the evening was Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker who was in the house to perform background vocals on a few songs.

It's been a pleasure to be a fan of hers since that day back in 2005 in Hamilton when she performed as a vocalist for The Heavy Blinkers. With only two albums under her belt now, it really is only the beginning.

Although it'll be an abbreviated set, you can catch her playing a midnight set at the Reverb on March 14 as part of Canadian Music Week.

Photos: Jenn Grant, Kevin Hearn @ The Mod Club (Feb 12, 2009)

MySpace: Jenn Grant
MySpace: Kevin Hearn

You Turned My Head Around

concert review: Dean & Britta, Keren Ann @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), February 9, 2008



I've been quite lax with reviewing concerts lately and it's not because I haven't enjoyed the odd show I've gone to. That's the case with the Dean and Britta/Keren Ann show I caught over the weekend at The Mod Club and enjoyed a lot. Most of what could have been said about the show's already been said by Chromewaves, It's Not The Band I Hate..., and Zoilus but I could throw in my 2 cents also. I'd caught Keren Ann live twice before but this time rather than performing solely acoustic and or solo, she performed with a band(drummer and guitarist/bassist). Balancing the folkiness of her acoustic work with the fleshed out band sound of her more uptempo numbers made for an engaging set overall. It seems that with each return to Toronto the vibe of her set keeps on improving - I couldn't speak for her show at the Rivoli last year which I didn't make it to but I will acknowledge that the cautious approach and awkward banter of her show at The Drake in December 2004 was replaced with an improved confidence for her solo acoustic set at the Horseshoe in March 2005(opening for A Girl Called Eddy) and then this most recent set was the best one yet. The trio configuration was a big help perhaps, keeping things intimate but with the extra band members at hand to add a little oomph when needed. Her guitarist in particular provided most of that added oomph with his textured guitar arrangements and background vocals.

When Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard put to rest the GBV moniker, but continued to record under his own name, it wasn't so much an ending as a new beginning. In all manner of speaking, Robert Pollard was GBV and vice versa. In a similar sense, Luna's disbanding was a short-lived mourning as Dean Wareham(who sonically as well as lyrically was the most identifiable with Luna) continued to record with his girlfriend Britta Phillips under the moniker Dean & Britta. Two albums in to their career as Dean & Britta, first with 2003's "L'Aventura", then last year's "Back Numbers", they sonically resemble Luna's Velvet-y pop songs but add more sophisticated musical influences to the mix like Lee Hazelwood(a touch that's most obvious with male/female vocals, resembling the Hazelwood/Nancy Sinatra collaborations of the 60's). I'd seen Luna live only once - in fact it was their farewell show at Lee's Palace in 2004. At the time Britta was performing with them. I'd never noticed it back then and maybe it was more identifiable during Dean & Britta's set this past Saturday but Britta is hardly sonic wallpaper. Audible fully realized bass guitar arrangements combined with her sweet vocals displayed a versality I never realized before. Further, while Britta's vocals were mostly expressed in sweet, tender tones she could also make her vocals soar like on "You Turned My Head Around". The most enjoyable element of Dean this time was how much more engaging(relatively) he was with the audience, even if it meant expressing that he didn't like the film "Juno". Such a diss was meant as light-hearted banter at best, and it did get a chuckle out of more than a few people. Musically, Dean, Britta and the rest of the band(keyboardist & drummer) ran it pretty tight letting the melodies speak for themselves. While they didn't fulfill the shout-out request for "Anesthesia" they did turn in an intoxicating performance of "Tiger Lily" during the encore, and I'm sure that one Francophone audience member who kept on complimenting them en francais was delighted when they ended off the night/encore with their cover of Gainsbourg/Bardot classic "Bonnie and Clyde".

Check out some of my photos from the show.

MySpace: Dean & Britta
MySpace: Keren Ann

Remember The Good Times

concert review: Cuff The Duke, Land Of Talk @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), November 30, 2007





On a snowy Friday evening over a week ago[on November 30], Oshawa's Cuff The Duke played a CD release show at The Mod Club for their newly released album "Sidelines of The City"[Hardwood Records], and if that show was any indication, then their subsequent hometown two-night stint at The Velvet Elvis must have been barn-burners. Cuff The Duke's Wayne Petti(Guitar, Lead Vocals, Moog, Bass) and Paul Lowman(bass guitar, piano, fiddle, vocals) are the sole original members with new members Dale Murray(Guitar, Pedal Steel, Vocals) and Corey Wood(Drums, Percussion) now joining the fold. It's almost hard to believe that this at-one-time-unknown band who'd I first seen in 2003 at the Horseshoe Tavern(opening for Versus) are now onto their third album and playing to quite-devoted fans. I've been largely ignorant of their debut release(save for their song "Ballad Of A Lonely Construction Worker") and their new album "Sidelines Of The City" but was quite taken with their eponymous-titled second album when it first came out, an equal parts reflection of their country-roots and pop influences. From what I've heard from the new album, the pop-rock influences are more to the forefront and from their show at The Mod Club, the band's as tight as ever. Opening up the show were Montreal trio Land of Talk who for one reason or another I had not seen live up till then, although had really been wanting to see live for a long time. As visceral as their melodic pop rock sounds on record, my impression of the band bashing away was not entirely a correct one - perhaps it's true in relation to the drummer and partially to the bassist, but vocalist/guitarist Elizabeth Powell seemed slightly more reserved than I expected, almost cradling her guitar, although the amplification of her raspy voice and meaty guitar arrangements was more than enough to compensate. The "Applause Cheer Boo Hiss" tunes were fantastic. I think the band played a few new songs, not as immediately grabbing, but hopefully more of a sign of my unfamiliarity of them.

Wayne was as appreciative as could be for the large, devoted(though not sold out) turn out, raising his drink to the crowd. As he did at the HMV instore a few days prior, he gave props to his hometown, in particular with introduction to new song "Rossland Square", the neighbourhood where he grew up. In slight consolation to my disappointment for not getting tickets to the recent Neil Young Massey Hall shows, Cuff The Duke(who coincidentally will be at Massey Hall opening up for Blue Rodeo this coming February) showed their prowess in Crazy Horse-esque like guitar freakouts with which I believe was their new song "By Winter's End". Guitarist Dale Murray was really a standout, effortlessly making the transition between lead and pedal steel guitar, as natural of a musician that you could swear that he'd been part of the band since the beginning. As their eponymous-titled second album was really their breakout, it was those album's songs, mid-to-up-tempo footstompers like "The Future Hangs", "Take My Money And Run", and "Belgium Or Peru", which seemed to connect with the audience the most. On more than one occassion, I think I heard someone yell out "Ballad"(in reference to their song "Ballad Of A Lonely Construction Worker") so when it came up during the encore(especially with it's phrase "Everything will be alright, will be alright...) it was to an appreciative response. And what seems to be the indie-rock cover du jour, The Travelling Wilburys' "Handle With Care"[I've heard Jenn Grant, and Jenny Lewis cover this tune], Cuff The Duke brought up openers Land of Talk for a rousing rendition of the song(I didn't know it at the time but Wayne had the lyrics scribbled on paper just in case). The encore and the night ended off as Wayne invited audience members to come on to the stage as each band member was given the spotlight to display his musical prowess, and when bassist Paul Lowman picked up a guitar and solo'd the heck out of it it was just one of many moments you realize just how talented these guys are.

Here are more of my photos from the show.
Also, I have photos from the band's instore at HMV(on November 28).

MySpace: Cuff The Duke
MySpace: Land Of Talk

Living With The Living

concert review: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Georgie James @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), October 7, 2007



Before Sunday night's show, I'd already seen Ted Leo and The Pharmacists live five times[1,2,3,4,5], and at this point it's almost redundant to even review this most recent one. Let's first say, a Ted Leo show, is a Ted Leo show - it's always a good time. Still continuing with the 4-member line-up he brought to town the last time he was at The Mod Club back in May but now with new bassist Marty Violence(who replaced long-time bassist Dave Lerner who left The Pharmacists this year), Ted and the band were as incendiary as ever, playing many fan-favourites mostly from the last three albums but also reaching back to "The Tyranny of Distance". The encore included Ted's now familiar covers of The Pogues' "Dirty Old Town"(which Ted performed solo) and Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device". It's been 6 times now that I've seen Ted Leo live. A personal best for me. At this point in time, Ted's general set is so overly familiar that I'd wish he'd play some of his less-performed tunes(eg. "The Crane Takes Flight") but otherwise I think I'm going to take a break from seeing him live at least until after he releases a new album.

Openers for the show were Washington, DC pop group Georgie James, who recently released their newest album "Places" through Saddle Creek. The five piece features the frontperson duo of keyboardist Laura Burhenn[who I'd predict could be indie rock's next big girl-crush] and guitarist John Davis. It was an impressive set of sunny pop melodies and girl-boy vocals backed by vibrant(but never twee) rock instrumentation. I'd love to see them again when they (hopefully)come back to Toronto.

My photos from the show over at Flickr.

For further details on the show check out cuttingandwitty.com.

MySpace: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
MySpace: Georgie James

On A Neck On A Spit

concert review: Grizzly Bear, Beach House @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario), September 20, 2007

Sorry for the latesness of this following review. Grizzly Bear with openers Beach House played an early show at The Mod Club last Thursday September 20. It was obvious to me from the get-go that The Mod Club was not an appropriate venue for the show. Given the relative subduedness of both of the acts, Grizzly Bear and their acoustic, experimental psych-folk and Beach House, a duo on electric guitar and electric organ who play languid pop music alternating between desolate and blurry and miasmic, plus the mostly banter-less sets(aside from some polite acknowledgements), it was a show that I couldn't appreciate standing up. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in a more serene venue like The Music Gallery or a more intimate venue like Sneaky Dee's would have been preferable. That said, given my relative unfamiliarity with both bands, except for a few samples I've heard through their MySpaces, I came away from the show for an appreciation for both bands.

Beach House perform music that sounds sad[if not lyrically, probably is], featuring vocalist Victoria Legrand's sombre vocals, and humming electric organ arrangements and guitarist Alex Scally's electric guitar which alternated between slide and fuzzy. The songs maintained a fairly consistent languid pace, beautiful at times(well, many times), and the melodies were for the most part strong, but over the course of an entire set, it was a bit sleepy.

Grizzly Bear fared better with their musically more diverse set. If the melodies weren't so sparkling at times I might have judged some of their more experimental instrumental arrangements as art-school student noodling. Acoustic Simple guitar was at the basis of most of the songs and vocal harmonizing was also creatively utilized but there were also more experimental aspects at times. It was refreshing to see lead vocal duties alternate between Ed Droste, Daniel Rosen, and Chris Taylor. The lush vocal harmonies and creative but never busy musical arrangements of "Knife" were a reminder that Grizzly Bear can, when they want to, create beautiful and interesting pop music.

Check out some photos from the show below. More photos over at my Flickr.





MySpace: Grizzly Bear
Video: Grizzly Bear - "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)" (Crystals cover - live at The Mod Club - Sept 20, 2007)
MySpace: Beach House

- live Grizzly Bear video above courtsey of mazzystarr83

Bomb Repeat Bomb

concert review: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists @ The Mod Club(Toronto, Ontario), May 2, 2007

I went to the Ted Leo and The Pharmacists show last Wednesday(May 2, 2007). I missed first openers Tusks(from Toronto), and caught only a few songs of young Melbourne, Australian trio Love of Diagrams' wiry post-punk but Ted Leo and The Pharmacists' set alone made it an enjoyable evening. The last few times I've seen Ted Leo/Rx it's been as a trio but this time around they were joined by James Canty(of French Toast, Make-Up, Nation of Ulysees) on guitar. The addition of a second guitar resulted in even more blistering versions of songs like "Sons of Cain", "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?", and "Bomb Repeat Bomb". The set list was a good mix of Ted's last four albums("Living For The Living", "Shake The Sheets", "Hearts of Oak", and "The Tyranny of Distance") and included new song "Old Souls Know" plus a few cover songs(The Pogues' "Dirty Old Town" and Chumbawamba's "Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up") during the encore. I've seen Ted Leo live several times and his banter's sort of hit and miss, but this night he had a few zingers - the city of Hamilton, ON got bit twice(poor Hamiltonians, but it was mostly in jest). Ted also said he didn't like the Raptors(but then he said he wasn't necessarily a fan of his hometown New Jersey Nets either, so it's all fair). Eye Weekly and Chartattack reviewed the show so go read their reviews for more specifics accounts on the show. I'm just too lazy at the moment - let's just say, Ted was sweating buckets so you know he was giving it his all. By the way, I've found a new use for my digital camera - I recorded short video clips of each song in the set to help me compile the set list afterwards. I won't bother posting the video clips since they're crappy at best, but the set list is below(and as accurate as I could make it out):

Set List
The Sons of Cain / Dial Up / Me and Mia / Army Bound / Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone? / Old Souls Know / Coleen / The High Party / Annunciation Day - Born on Christmas Day / Bomb Repeat Bomb / Counting Down The Hours / Hearts of Oak / Little Dawn / Bottle of Buckie / Unwanted Things / Biomusicology

Encore
Dirty Old Town / Timourous Me / Walking To Do / Rappaport's Testament: I Never Gave Up (Chumbawamba cover)

MySpace: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
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Upcoming confirmed shows at Harbourfront Centre - Hawksley Workman will play a free show on June 4, Toronto's Do Make Say Think will be there on Canada Day(along with the previously announced, Final Fantasy), and Ninja Tune's The Cinematic Orchestra will perform as part of the Beats, Breaks and Culture festival sometime between July 6 and 8(my guess is that they'll headline on July 7 which is a Saturday night).

Australian outfit Radio Birdman (apparently legendary in their home country) will be touring North America in June and July and will make a stop for a show in Toronto at Lee's Palace on July 6.

Victoria, BC's Immaculate Machine make their return towards the east coast starting at the end of July and will be in Toronto for a show at Horseshoe Tavern on August 1.

Thanks to A Quiet Revolution for pointing me towards video of Jenn Grant performing on Halifax live show Pop In Sessions. Her debut album "Orchestra For The Moon" comes out on May 15 and Jenn will be back in Toronto for a show at Horseshoe Tavern(with Royal Wood and Tanya Davis) on June 15.

Head over to The Musebox to submit an entry to win tickets to Dinosaur Jr.'s upcoming show in Toronto at Phoenix Concert Theatre on June 8. Check out the CBS website for the band's live performace of new song "Almost Ready" on Late Show With David Letterman.

And You Hold Me, Like A Child

concert review: Junior Boys, The Russian Futurists @ The Mod Club(Toronto, Ontario), April 6, 2007



This past Friday The Mod Club hosted a sold-out night of heady, danceable, pop music from Hamilton's Junior Boys and Toronto's The Russian Futurists. I'm assuming the bands are good friends because both bands also played in Toronto last September 2006 at El Mocambo. That time, I'd only caught a few songs from The Russian Futurists' set but my interest had been piqued. This time around, they definitely solidified my respect for their music. The Russian Futurists' Matt Hart wore a ship captain's cap providing a hint to the Futurists' musical eccentricities. With four keyboards, some added guitar, topped off with Matt Hart's idiosynchratic vocals, there was a denseness to the Futurists' sound, like a collision between orchestral, hip-hop and pyschedlic influences. Somehow it all worked. The more I listen to them, the more they remind me of a remixed version of The Flaming Lips. Simplistic as that description is, they are much more than that. The minor disappointment I had during the set was that Matt, at one point, introduced their next song as a 'rap' song although it turned out not to be 'rap' at all.

Things haven't much changed in Junior Boys live show since I last saw them. Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus thankfully still have in tow a drummer for their live shows, adding a much needed boost of energy to their live set. The gentlemen were more casually dressed this time around and gone is the neon "Junior Boys" sign on the wall behind them which they'd featured prominently during their last show at the El Mocambo. A major disappointment for me this time around was that I could hardly hear Matthew's keyboards so I felt a bit deprived of the full glory of songs that featured prominent keyboard licks like in "Like A Child" and "In The Morning". The set was a good mix of songs between "Last Exit" and "So This Is Goodbye". The most sublime moments of the night for me was the sensual beats of "So This Is Goodbye" and Jeremy's smooth-as-butter enunciation of "And You Hold Me, Like A Child" during "Like A Child". It's good to see them making strides with their on-stage comfort level with Jeremy even leading the crowd into some participatory handclapping. If you missed them this time around you'll be glad to hear that according to what Jeremy mentioned during the show, they'll be back in Toronto, again at The Mod Club, with Born Ruffians on June 8 or 9.

My photos from the show to come.

Pitchfork has an audio stream of a Carl Craig remix of Junior Boys' "Like A Child". Not nearly as good as the original.

MySpace: The Russian Futurists
MySpace: Junior Boys
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The Toronto concert season continues to flourish. Toronto's Barzin will be at This ain't the Rosedale Library bookstore on April 24 as part of a book launch for author Rick Crilly - I don't have any details for this, nor know if this is a solo or full band performance. Promoting her new album "Saltbreakers"(to be released on Nonesuch Records on March 26 in Europe and April 10 in North America), Laura Veirs with openers Olympia, WA's Lake will be at El Mocambo on May 12. A few song's from Laura's new album are currently streaming over at her MySpace. Los Angeles' Eleni Mandell with opener Toronto's Justin Rutledge promise a night of quality music at The Mod Club on May 16. The upcoming Beach House/The Clientle show originally scheduled for Lee's Palace has now been moved to El Mocambo on June 4. Sometimes Zero 7 vocalist, but also solo artist in her own right, Denmark's Tina Dico will be in Toronto for a show at The Drake Hotel on June 19. Currently working on a new album, she's also keeping diary of her goings ons - and it's a thoughtful and well-written diary I might add. Looking forward to Canada Day(July 1), Sean Lennon has a show booked at the Phoenix. Edmonton's Shout Out Out Out Out will be at Harbourfront on July 7 as part of the Beats, Breaks and Culture Festival and will also be at the Hillside Festival in Guelph July 27-29.

If you can't wait for the official May 22 release of the new remix album of Stars' songs entitled "Do Your Trust Your Friends?", well then check out BlogJangles who's linked to several other sites which have mp3's of songs from the album.

Neko Case recently appeared on American radio program Sound Opinions. Minneapolis Fucking Rocks links to mp3's of three songs("Margaret Vs. Pauline", "That Teenage Feeling", "Sometimes When I Get To Thinking") that Neko performed on the show live.

Preview some tracks from the upcoming Feist album "The Reminder" over at Discover Feist, where you can also freely download a track["So Sorry"] from the album - however, you'll have to register for the newsletter in order to download the track.

Same Fabric As Fabric

concert review: Under Byen, Frida Hyvönen, Ohbijou (part of Canadian Music Week) @ The Mod Club(Toronto, Ontario), March 8, 2007



It was much nicer to see Ohbijou on a smaller stage, but then heck anything smaller than the Rose Theatre in Brampton when I last saw the band was bound to be better. To be up close and to have their dreamy pop tunes(augmented by strings, horns, guitar, keyboards and Casey's swooning vocals) wash over you is wonderful. There was some interesting percussion like when a member of the band started tapping out rhythms on a what looked like part of an air vent. Thankfully, there was some banter from Casey, even her mentioning that it was International Women's Day and prompting a shy 'woo' from her. I still think the band have to work on expressing more emotion on stage, maybe smile more often, but I guess I can't fault them for concentrating on creating good music. And the rush I get every time I hear "St Francis" in all its orch-pop glory is unsurpassed.



Previous to the show, I'd probably only heard a song or two of Sweden's Frida Hyvönen(her record "Until Death Comes" released through Secretly Canadian) and hadn't given it a second thought but I'll say live, just her and her electric piano, she puts on an entertaining show. Protypically Swedish, she is blonde and leggy and even if she gave off a certain eccentric/flaky vibe, there was no doubt that when she wants to she get's in a zone and expresses a lot of sincere emotion in her vocals and piano playing. The obvious(but also quite appropriate) comparison is Tori Amos, as Frida's vocals/piano playing were infused with a dynamic quality. But if Tori was/has been accused of a certain pretentiousness at least in her vocals, Frida's are far less affected but passionate nonetheless.



Topping off the evening in fine fashion was Denmark's Under Byen(signed to Paper Bag Records) in Canada. There was a smorgasbord[ok, it's a Swedish term, I know] of musical influences in their music that at various times reminded me of Sigur Ros[instrumentation], Bjork[vocals] and trip-hop[rhythms]. I see that me and Eye Weekly's Liisa Ladouceur were on the same wavelength. I wish their vocalist would stand out at the front of the stage though rather than being flanked by the band around her, but it was a interesting setup. The double drumkit setup(with a male AND female drummer) to the right of the stage was spectacular. Overall, the way the vocals, percussion, strings, keyboards, and other instrumentation came together combined with the great screen projections / light effects was simply amazing. According to their setlist, they only played eight songs, but over the course of an hour it was a more than satisfying introduction to the band.

Here are my photos from the entire night.

Check out Chromewaves for his review and photos.

Update: Chartattack graded Under Byen, Frida Hyvönen, and Ohbijou's performances.

MySpace: Ohbijou
MySpace: Frida Hyvönen
MySpace: Under Byen

Here Comes That Feeling

concert review: El Perro Del Mar, The Submarines @ The Mod Club(Toronto, Ontario), March 5, 2007



What is it about Sweden that produces such wonderful pop music? While we all wait for the next Jens Lekman release, his friend/collaborator singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring aka El Perro Del Mar is currently making a name for herself touring North America with the melancholic pop of her self-titled album. Her and her 3 piece band came to The Mod Club in Toronto this past Monday night and enraptured the audience with their sad-eyed take on girl-group pop music.

Opening the show were Los Angeles duo The Submarines comprised of John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard. Electro-pop rhythms met melodic guitar arrangements and girl/boy vocals to produce simple yet satisfying pop songs that I could easily have imagined on pop radio as much as on any indie playlist. With additional instrumentation including melodica and xylophone, there were some interesting ideas in the mix. I couldn't help but feel that even The Mod Club's stage was too big for The Submarines; their music didn't evoke anything more than pleasantness and there wasn't much to the duo's stage presence(aside from the girlish banter of the very cute Blake Hazard). Hey, pleasantness is a start and with a little more edge I could like them even more.

Contrary to the posed, made-up image of Sarah(El Perro Del Mar) that graces her self-titled album, Sarah took to the Mod Club stage casually dressed in a baggy top and black leggings with her hair longer than I'd expected. She reminded me of a young Marianne Faithfull. Her dapper 3-piece band were dressed in dark suits and ties and were seated with their instruments(keyboards/bass/guitar) to Sarah's right as Sarah positioned herself behind her mic which was located on stage on the audience's right. The set was almost entirely devoid of any banter from Sarah so all that was left for the audience to do was wallow in the sombre, pretty, and prissteen atmosphere of the music presented to us. Sarah took to the stage and graced us solo with her first song's gentle guitar strums and her fragile voice, before the band took stage for the rest of the set. It was a sequence that she'd repeat for her encore also. A good portion of the quieter songs could have quite capably been performed solo but the band's presence was most notably felt on more 'uptempo' numbers like with the lush string sound of "God Knows". I'd only recently endeavoured to listen to her music but with the songs seeping into my consciousness, I found most of the songs during the show so instantly familiar. With the set and encore at an hour length or so, it might have seemed brief but I felt it was more than satisfying.

Photos to come. Update: Here they are.

In the press, The Seattle Weekly and The San Francisco Examiner get personal with Sarah.

MySpace: The Submarines
MySpace: El Perro Del Mar