The Mad Ones

July in December

2011-12-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

It was raining this morning, and Toronto woke up to gray, darkworkday gloom. On days like these, certain songs have a way of making you feelawake by simultaneously wallowing in the dreariness and nudging away theshadows.

“July,” a song off Youth Lagoon’s debut album, The Year of Hibernation, is one of thosesongs. Trevor Powers—the man behind the moniker—sings in a pillowly falsetto,his voice backed by delicate reverb and gentle keys. The ghostly feel of thesong patiently climbs into an apex of handclaps entwined with a rhythmic stomp-beat. Powers’ vocals hit a passionate stride,bringing the whole song to a close and leaving the listener with an imprint ofsomething beautiful.

I haven’t heard anything else from The Year of Hibernation. But I’d still recommend it based solely on "July." Have a listenfor yourself:

Hiding out in the big city, blinking

2011-12-01T19:23:00.001-08:00

(illustration by Three Trees Studios)

I just watched I am trying to break your heart. It's a documentary about the making of Wilco's magnum opus Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, filmed in beautiful black and white by famed photographer Sam Jones. The aesthetic makes all the studio jam sessions, cutting room arguments and off the cuff interviews seem reminiscent of another great rock and roll documentary by D.A. Pennebaker (it's called Don't Look Back).

The movie reinvigourated my love for Jeff Tweedy's strung-out heart-felt vocals, and Wilco's highly textured musical tapestries. YHF was a breakthrough album for the band, released at a time when the music industry didn't know the first thing about the digital age. It was also before the explosion of the indie-post-rock of band's like Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. My contention is that it likely informed much of the music that was to be released in the following decade (the '00s).

If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's got some great alternate takes of all the best songs from YHF (namely, "Poor Places" and "Kamera"). It also showcases some great live footage of Wilco playing some of their '90s classics (think "Always in Love"). To tweak your interest a little more, here's a clip from the intro, featuring great shots of downtown Chicago (the band's homebase) with Tweedy playing an acoustic version of the album's opener, and title of the movie, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."(There's also a funny little glimpse into what happens with Wilco behind closed doors at the end of the clip. Enjoy.)

Polaris 2011: 'Like every other phony honour'

2011-09-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

(QMI Agency file photo)

Arcade Fire won the Polaris Prize last night. To be honest, as much as I f-ing love their album The Suburbs, and as much as that same album has been praised from all corners of the globe (including receiving a best album nod from the Grammys) I was underwhelmed by the choice.

Maybe the jury (which is made up of over 200 journalists and people with Canadian musical streetcred) felt they needed to follow suit and recognize what is clearly one of the hallmark albums to come out of Canada over the past few years. But despite having explicit guidelines stating the award will go to the album displaying the "highest artistic integrity," I've always felt the Polaris should recognize artists who would otherwise go largely unappreciated, especially amongst more casual listeners of Canadian independent music. In the past they had done so, with wailing punk rock symphonists Fucked Up, intricate sound weaver Owen Pallett (then called Final Fantasy), and electro-math rocker Caribou taking the Polaris home in years past. I know I'm arguing something without a point, since my reasoning simply doesn't fall in line with the aforementioned award criteria (the best album wins. period), but I can't help but ask: Did Arcade Fire really need the win?

Don't get me wrong, I love The Suburbs. I just think Arcade Fire has been given a hell of a lot of recognition already, especially since they were up against some less-reknowned yet still fantastic bands and artists—Destroyer, Colin Stetson, Ron Sexsmith, Timber Timbre, to name a few.

Still, congratulations to Win Butler and the gang from Arcade Fire for the still-blazing success of their highly enjoyable and energetic album cataloguing suburban and post-adolescent ennui. If you haven't heard it yet (yeah right) then go listen to it. Several times.

I don't want to sound too cynical about award shows, but I'm imagining the back-room conversations and speculative emails that have been flying around between smartphones and laptops across the country as jurists deliberated who deserved the award and why. When it comes down to it, who gives a shit? A prize is a prize. At the end of the day, what matters is who's listening to the music and how its affecting them. Any of the albums on the shortlist will give you a million reasons to have chills and remember old flames and ponder the state of the world and the human soul.

In conclusion, I'd like to quote the fictional physicist and former Nobel laureate Boris Yelnikov from Woody Allen's sardonic film Whatever Works: "I was considered for a Nobel Prize in physics... I didn't get it. But, you know, its all politics. It's like every other phony honour."

A ransom note written on the night sky above

2011-09-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in this space for nearly a year. A lot can happen in a year. Moments glide away between other moments, epochs in life move in and move out as naturally as the ocean's tide—and a lot of good music never gets heard.

I'm sorry I've been absent. I've been pursuing different journalistic focusses, topics the established hands of judgment might consider more "serious." But, since I stopped making music podcasts with a sweetheart named Amanda earlier this year, I've felt stunted. Life these days is fast. Often things eclipse too soon, leaving us without the proper time to pause and soak in or consider what it all means.

Music means a lot to me, and I've felt detached from it recently. So, to repair this gnawing monster in my soul, I've decided to come to back The Mad Ones and offer my thoughts on whatever music I'm enjoying in the moment.

So what am I enjoying now? Destroyer, Dan Bejar's provokingly lyrical, sonically eclectic project out of Vancouver. Since 1996, Bejar has been releasing albums alongside his work with the New Pornographers. He's received indie props throughout his career, but mainly for his lyrics ("come on honey lets go outside, you dissolve the world's disorder just by virtue of your grace").

from Merge Records website

But after the release of his latest album, Bejar is finally getting some of the recognition he deserves as a rounded musician. Called Kaputt, it's Bejar's most accessible record to date (maybe that's why it's made the Polaris Prize shortlist). Songs like "Savage Night at the Opera" and "Kaputt" are backed by head-bobbing rhythms that prop up saxophones, synths and bright, ringing guitars. Other songs provide flute solos and female vocalists harmonizing with Bejar's Dylan-esque drawl. The whole project has the feel of a beachy, laidback disco-esque record from the late '70s.

Alongside this enjoyable musical aesthetic, the interesting poetics that have defined Bejar for so long bounce between these instrumental bursts. We hear the urban distress of a thoughtful soul that feels at odds with modernity, the yearning and resignation of a bewildered lover, and some dark—almost seductive—stabs at environmental decline ("winter, spring, summer and fall, animals crawl towards death's embrace").

The whole thing is topped off with my favourite song on the record: "Bay of Pigs." It's an 11-minute electro-psychedelic trip through Bejar's charged brain, where poetic rhythm trumps overt meaning. The listener gets a taste of what's inside Bejar's head. Bob Dylan called them "thought dreams," adding cheekily that if society could see them, they'd put his head beneath a guillotine. For me—and for the hippest judgers of other people's creativity who chose to put Destoyer on the Polaris short list— Bejar's head belongs right where it is, on the west coast of Canada, dreaming up pleasing soundscapes and sequences of words with political undertones and poetic feeling.

Favourite lyric from the album:

A ransom note written on the night sky above
Reminds me what-in-particular about this wine I love

I can twist that to suit my purpose here—and I will: music wrote me the ransom note to remind me what-in-particular about this life I love.

There's some Destroyer songs streaming here.

Gotta Remember the Things You Go Through

2010-10-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

I know I'm probably a late comer on this one (that's what she said), but I'm too jacked to care.

All day, I've been waltzing around London, Ontario with wearing my big headphones and BUMPING an assortment of songs by Apollo Ghosts. If you're also a little behind on your Canadian alternative/independent music awareness, I suggest you spend the rest of the evening/day tomorrow doing the same thing.

Hailing from Vancouver, Apollo Ghosts play a kind of highly enthusiastic, sunbathed rock music. Some of their songs remind me of the Kinks, others of the bright side of Belle and Sebastian. But let it be known, this band needs no influence-based analysis to justify being sought out.

Just take my situation today, for example. At around noon, I slipped into a slight emotional funk, wherein I felt lazy and morose. As a remedy, I thought I'd try listening to some nice music. At the top of my iPod's library – ordered alphabetically – was Apollo Ghosts. I threw on "Coka-Cola Admen." The music smilingly guided me into an afternoon full of energy and enthusiasm.

They've recently released a follow-up EP – called Cedar Street EP – to their much-discussed second full-length Mount Benson. Get your mitts on them here.

Apollo Ghosts are an act worth listening to, if only for their ability to turn your day around with their energy and charm.

Coka-Cola Admen - Apollo Ghosts

Things You Go Through - Apollo Ghosts

Can't Support Ourselves But We'll Support Each Other

2010-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

The name of this album – or rather, it's foundational concept – is meant to express appreciation. It's a collection of eleven songs (plus a twelfth bonus sing-along track pulled directly from the studio room floor) delivered to you, the listener; a token of Jon Janes's humble appreciation for the opportunity to devote his energy to the careful packaging, polishing, and subsequent sharing of his music. Unlike much of the music in the folk-alt-country bracket, Janes' songs don't seem to stray heavily into sombre or forlorn thematic territory. Rather, his instrumental arrangements and vocal melodies carry a distinct warmth, an ever-present sunniness that helps to beautifully deliver the sense of appreciation that exists at the core of this album.

Guided by such sentiments, I Made This For You by The Mountains & the Trees (the moniker adopted by St John's, Newfoundland's Jon Janes) goes down like a candy apple: it's warm, homely folk music coloured with diverse instrumental flourishes that provide a sort of orchestral quality. This musical depth makes what could have been a fairly quaint and honest acoustic record feel more vibrant, more living. Still, songs like "Good Little Town" are strong enough to stand up without multiple layers of horns, percussion, and piano accompaniment, giving the album room to breath and the listener time to reflect on the sentiments aroused by the sound.

With it's extensive list of contributors that complement it's folk-based acoustic palette, I Made This For You does indeed come across as a gift. It may not provide a life-changing musical experience, but the sincerity in the songs undoubtedly leaves the listener with a warm feeling in their chest, smiling quietly as images of helping hands and loving arms flicker between their sounding headphones.

It's like Thanksgiving without the dead turkey or filthy tablecloth.

More & More & More - The Mountains & the Trees

Minimum Wage Lovers - The Mountains & the Trees

Don't Wait For Christ to Come, There's Already Wisdom

2010-07-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

*Appeared in April Issue of Calgary's BeatRoute Magazine

In the world of music, Austin, Texas is renowned as a hub of creativity. Over the years, the town has churned out countless artists with well-honed musical abilities and high degrees of authenticity.

On April 20^th, via Anti Records, a much anticipated, cross-generational collaboration of such artists is was released. One of the unsung heroes of the formulation of modern rock music, Roger Kynard “Roky” Erickson, has teamed up with one of the staple bands of American indie rock, Okkervil River, to produce his first new album in fourteen years. The result is True Love Cast Out All Evil, an album that is wrapped around an implicitly therapeutic feeling; that revolves around the gentle treatment of painful memories, and the remedial power of love and spirituality.

For many listeners who are drawn to the record because of the presence of Okkervil River as Erickson’s studio band, the artist’s life story is shocking, tragic, and inspirational – especially given the personal trauma that he has faced and overcome throughout the years. As a young man in the late 1960s, Roky Erickson and his band, the 13^th Floor Elevators, pioneered various elements of what is now referred to as garage rock. They were also one of the first groups to use the term ‘psychedelic’ to define their brand of music, and have been recognized by a wide range of sources and artists as a heavily influential force in the evolution of rock music.

In the midst of this creative context, Erickson became embroiled in the abuse of drugs, and was eventually arrested for possession of marijuana and incarcerated for three years in the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. There, Erickson is said to have been subjected to experimental treatments as well as electroshock therapy. Afterwards, Erickson remained musically creative, but the experience had a lasting impact on his health and his life more generally.

More recently however, Roky Erickson has reportedly been making significant strides towards physical and mental rehabilitation, and the release of True Love Cast Out All Evil is certainly a part of this process. Produced by Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff, the record combines fragments of recordings both old and new, most interestingly including songs recorded during Erickson’s stay at Rusk State Hospital. Both the album opener, “Devotional Number One”, and final track “God is Everywhere” feature an Erickson with a clear and youthful voice, displaying a striking innocence and sweetness as the crackling sound is delivered over the sonic haziness provided by Sheff in the studio. For the remainder of the album, Erickson’s voice is like that sings like a parched, weathered old hero from the saloons of the Texas Range. This comforting and familiar sort of raspiness is especially evident on songs like “Please Judge”, where Erickson’s voice is front-and-centre in a minimalist and almost ghostly arrangements.

For the most part, one is confronted by two distinct stylistic streams when listening to this album. Firstly, songs like “Be and Bring Me Home,” “Ain’t Blues Too Sad”, and “Bring Back the Past” make use of the qualities of southern country-tinged for their sonic palettes. This musical tendency is really the predominant tilt of the album, giving Erickson room to emotionally provoke the listener by making the experience and sadness of his voice central to the delivery of the songs.

However, the album is at its strongest when both the tempo and volume are raised, as displayed on songs like “Goodbye Sweet Dream” and “John Lawman”. Here, Erickson and Okkervil River deliver on the second stylistic element, which falls squarely in the musical trajectory for which Erickson is considered widely influential. “John Lawman” features grimy echoes of guitar feedback and muscular power chord rhythms that add some welcome diversity and grit to an otherwise relatively sombre record. This allows the album to escape the possibility of being slightly inaccessible because of its length and the weight of its therapeutic melancholy.

That being said, True Love Cast Out All Evil is simply a powerful and moving collection of songs. Throughout the album, Okkervil River’s characteristically dark orientation and occasionally sinister inclinations blend with Erickson’s storied history to profound affect. During the song “Forever,” Erickson is seemingly singing of the intrinsic unity of everything in the universe while displaying his belief in beauty and goodness. When such sentiments are combined with the sounds of gentle strums and the echoing voice of a slide guitar, Erickson’s story becomes a heartwarming tale of perseverance, as well as an exemplary presentation of the soul-saving power of music and love.

Through the pairing of Erickson and Okkervil River, True Love Cast Out All Evil becomes a moving dichotomy of traditional and modern elements of American music. It is one of those rare records that, when listened to in the right frame of mind, is can effortlessly bring one through the most tender and emotive regions along the spectrum of human emotion.

Devotional Number One - Roky Erickson with Okkervil River

Goodbye Sweet Dream - Roky Erickson with Okkervil River

It's All Captured In A Kiss

2010-06-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken on the streets of Toronto by a Globe and Mail photographer on Saturday afternoon, amidst police violence, Black Bloc vandalism and peaceful demonstrations – protests against the injustices of neoliberalism and the geopolitics of governments of the world's richest countries.

I think this picture is a beautiful representation of the passion and courage displayed by the overwhelming majority of protesters. They were ordinary people who put themselves in danger in order to peacefully promote their respective messages and points of view. As a whole, the events of the weekend were emotionally moving, inspirational, provocative, and terrifying.

And it's all captured in a kiss.

Barricade - Stars

Music In Motion: Giant Hand

2010-06-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Ottawa's Kirk Ramsey – who plays haunting folk music under the pseudonym Giant Hand – is hard at work on some new material. Personally, I'm excited as hell, given how much I enjoyed his debut album Coming Home.

Here's a video featuring Ramsey in what appears to be his bedroom, crooning out a new song called "Solemn Little Row." I get the feeling that there's a higher confidence behind his voice now, which adds to the ghostly feel of his sound.

His delivery is hair-raising in it's honesty, and his skepticism of the presence of God in the universe makes his music resonate all the more with our generation of lost souls.

SOLEMN LITTLE ROW - New Unreleased Song by Giant Hand from Giant Hand on Vimeo.

CFCF breathes life with Continent

2010-05-31T11:50:00.001-07:00

As any semi-regular reader of this blog would know, Thomas Foolery doesn't know much about electronic music. My exposure is limited mainly to the work of my friend Kory Wealick, who rocks this kind of shit harder than hell, and to a few visits to DJ'd parties out there in the wicked world.

That being said, I feel like I have the wherewithal to know when music is good; one must simply trust the contagious urge to move your body, or follow the instinctual tapping of the toe when it is sprung into action by a rhythmic ditty.

Montreal's electro-dance beat-maker CFCF, whose real name is Mike Silver, can certainly guide these impulses, and this ability is evidenced well on his most recent release, 2009's Continent. The album is relaxing, deeply rhythmic, and thoroughly enjoyable. Especially when enjoyed through the use of a good pair of headphones, this collection of songs will make your head bob and your eyes close. Who knew electronic music could be so soothing? Silver's myspace page even features an awesome remix of Taken By Trees' "Anna". (he also looks weirdly similar to the current incarnation of my older brother, which is pretty mental)

Take a listen and lose yourself in the swirling mystery of his sound.

Invitation to Love - CFCF

Seattle's Best: Ivan and Alyosha

2010-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

(photo by Jenny Jemenez)

For me, approaching a band like this is like approaching an old friend that you haven't seen in a while. They've got a decidedly Beatles-ish '60s pop feel to their sound, they are from the Pacific North West, and their moniker is drawn from one of Dostoyevsky's most celebrated works, The Brothers Karimazov.

Ivan and Alyosha are a a jangley indie pop duet from Seattle whose sound emanates the same sort of vibes of peace and friendship that are reminiscent of the sort of music coming from Britain and America in the late '60s are early '70s. As demonstrated on their 2009 EP The Verse, The Chorus, the duet specializes in happy, soothing pop arrangements, with lyrics centred around the enjoyment of true love. For example, "Easy To Love" features an instinctive stomp-stomp rhythm and a whistling chorus that surely has the transcendental power to turn many-a-frown upside down.

Looking forward to the full-length debut. I'm sure you are too.

Easy To Love - Ivan and Alyosha

Call it Forgiveness

2010-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Jesus H F my A. I must apologize for neglecting my self-imposed obligations to the Mad Ones. I've been extremely busy of late moving to a new city (London, Ontario) and starting a graduate program (an MA in Journalism). I know that's no excuse, but I'm going to try and make it one regardless. (forgive me?)

In any case, today I've got some time in the afternoon, so I thought I would just quickly touch on one of the albums that has been steadily featured through my earphones and computer speakers as my life has moved even deeper into the depths of Southern Ontario.

First and foremost: the new Broken Social Scene album, Forgiveness Rock Record. After giving it several listens, I think it's safe to say that, as a whole, Forgiveness Rock Record is my favourite BSS album. Yes that's right, I think it's better than You Forgot It In People. Given the fact that it's been five years since their last album, many people assumed that the BSS dream was dead and that instead, we were left with a relatively paltry array of side-projects and loosely associated musical enterprises.

Thankfully, BSS has returned with an album that seems to have perfected the sound towards which they have always strove. That is, the layered chaotic jam session feel that has largely characterized their sound has been refined to a point where their music is highly engaging and accessible. At times, I've often felt that Broken Social Scene has tended to be over-indulgent: they simply got carried away into rambling, drawn-out, sometimes clamourous and overly repetitive jam sessions. But for some reason, songs from the new LP escape this tendency. Many point to how the songs were mainly composed by the groups core songwriters, and that they approached the recording process with a composed methodology in mind, rather than using free-flowing experimentalism in the studio. Regardless of this, there are strong showings from all of the band's members, making the album as a whole simultaneously cohesive and diverse. "World Sick" feels perfectly crafted despite its relative length, where the thought of the forward button doesn't even cross the listener's mind. The record also has some highly melodic and catchy moments, most notably on the contagiously danceable and uplifting "Texico Bitches", as well as "Sentimental X's", which features the incomparably sensual vocals of Emily Haines.

After a five year period in which their future as a solidly unified Toronto-based music collective was questionable, Broken Social Scene has returned with an effort that has blown away all expectations. Despite its relative length (fourteen songs, many over five minutes long), Forgiveness Rock Record never feels cumbersome or repetitive. If by some astronomical twist of bad luck you have yet to hear the album, get your hands on it as soon as are finished listening to the two songs below. It seemed that, given the five years since their last release, Broken Social Scene had left us forever, and that hurt. Let's all be thankful that they've come back with such an incredibly strong and lasting album. Let's "call it forgiveness".

Texico Bitches - Broken Social Scene

Sentimental X's - Broken Social Scene

Why Not?

2010-04-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Let Us Float in the Tears, Let Us Cry From the Laughter

2010-04-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Kristian Mattson – certainly more recognizable under his chosen pseudonym, The Tallest Man On Earth – has recently released his second full-length record. Aptly entitled The Wild Hunt, Mattson's sophomore effort bridles with the familiar sounds and sentiments of American folk music as he has chosen to remain true to the musical palette of his previous recordings. From start to finish, The Wild Hunt feels effortlessly authentic, with the songs seeming to exist outside of much of the contemporary formulations of American folk music. Much like his first album, Shallow Grave, the album is a collection of ten songs with minimalist arrangements, placing Mattson's gravelly vocals and awesome guitar skills at the forefront of the listening experience. More specifically, Mattson's abilities in the area of guitar picking, as demonstrated on such songs as "A Lion's Heart" and (personal favourite) "Love is All", are especially impressive.

As a whole, The Wild Hunt has a much more exuberant feel than its predecessor. With his characteristically energetic strumming patterns, songs like "The King of Spain" and "The Wild Hunt" burst with a playfulness that will surely leave listeners tapping their toes and nodding their heads. Also, given the hefty touring schedule of the past few years, Mattson's vocal range has improved demonstrably. From the outset of the album, which opens with the title track, one hears Mattson cheerily ending his intriguingly lyrical phrases with playful flourishes of his voice. Clearly, he has grown into a confident and exciting performer, as well as a consistent writer of emotive, melodic folk songs. The entire project has the feel of one of those soft, still evenings in mid-Spring where you find yourself walking, all alone, down some dirt road of back-country anywhere; sweetheart on your mind, sigh in your throat, and a gentle nostalgic feeling swelling up from the bottom of your chest.

Love Is All - The Tallest Man On Earth

The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man On Earth

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Sixteen

2010-04-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

(Titus Andronicus)

Here's the sixteenth episode of the The Mad Ones Podcasts. It's got some great new songs, most notably my favourite track from The Tallest Man On Earth's second album and an epic punk-rock anthem from New Jersey's Titus Andronicus. Also, I'm trying (evidently to no avail) to refrain from using the sounds "umm" and "uhhh" that can often be heard as I grasp for something thoughtful to say....Maybe I should just accept it and, as Camus says, learn to live with my ailments rather than struggle to fix them...although I don't like the sound of that, and I'm sure you won't either.

Regardless of my shortcomings as a broadcast personality, I hope that you enjoy the music. It always speaks for itself just fine.

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode 16 (DOWNLOAD)

Betrayal Pt. 2 - Rah Rah

Love Is All - The Tallest Man On Earth

Crazy - The Pack A.D.

A More Perfect Union - Titus Andronicus

The Temptation of Adam (Daytrotter Session) - Josh Ritter

True Love Is Frail and Willing to Break

2010-04-12T10:01:00.001-07:00

Laura Marling's sophomore full-length, I Speak Because I Can, is simply a fantastic listening experience; sometimes bursting with rambling folk rock energy, sometimes subdued, reflective, ethereal, and lyrical. The album opens on an aggressive note, with the song "Devil's Spoke," thrusting ahead with a highland-like rhythm, invoking images of fog between grassy hills while simultaneously raising the tension of the music before the more acoustic and tamed remaining songs. On top of that, the arrangement of songs like "Rambling Man" show a degree of maturity in that they patiently crescendo, displaying a delicacy and restraint that works to great affect within the folk music paradigm. Throughout the album, Marling's voice is clear and beautiful, whether she lets it flutter at the tail-end of her notes, or simply ring through with unrestrained power.

As of this moment, my favourite song on the record is "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)". It is a beautifully delivered song that reflects on the last wisps of passing romance while remaining interestingly defiant in the face of such heartbreak, albeit implicitly. In the midst of such an emotionally heavy song, there is an appealing strain of hope and strength, especially when the song becomes louder in the last few verses, when a chorus of singers joins Marling in bringing the whole thing home. When Marling sings "And I try to be a girl who likes to be used/ but I'm too good for that/ there's a mind under this hat," one can sense in her the presence of the post-love struggle between maintaining a grip on what has passed, and rejecting such feelings in attempts to construct a new future and identity.

I feel like I Speak Because I Can is an album that contains a plethora of themes, both musical and lyrical. It's soft, it's menacing, it's tender, it's cold, and foreboding. It's loyal and respectful of the traditional characteristics of the folk music of both America and the British Isles. It's refreshing and exciting, while at the same time touching on the sad pangs of lost love with an honesty that includes regret, sorrow, and undertones of hope.

Marling will be touring the USA this summer, with a notable stop at Sasquatch Music Festival. For all those Kamloopsians planning a trip down there, I strongly suggest that you find a soft spot in the grass for her performance.

Devil's Spoke - Laura Marling

Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling

"Everything this Society Breeds (Fascism, Racism, Sexism) Must End...."

2010-04-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, Propagandhi – one of the central forces contributing to the formulation of my political consciousness – released a 3 song benefit EP, aptly entitled The Recovered EP. I call the EP's title "apt" because the three songs contained within the EP are unused tracks that were cast aside during the recording of the band's first two albums, How To Clean Everything and Less Talk More Rock. Typical of Propagandhi's politically enraged take on the punk-metal genre, the EP opens with, "What Price Will You Pay?", a song that sees lead singer and guitarist Chris Hannah railing against the innate injustices of the capitalist world order, and the apathy and mis-education of those in its most privileged societies. Nothing unexpected there.

However, that's exactly what makes this EP such a worthwhile listen. It is classic Propagandhi: politically charged, angry as hell, and yet it never takes itself too seriously. On top of that, The Recovered EP includes a song featuring a pre-Weakerthans John K. Samson hammering out a high intensity punk song. What a treat!

You can pick up the EP at the website of the band's Winnipeg-based record label, The G7 Welcoming Committee. The cost is about the same as a Grande Bold Pick of the Day, and ALL proceeds go to Partners In Health, an organization that provides health care to impoverished communities in the Global South. What better way to help out the unfortunate than to buy an iconoclastic punk rock EP made by long-time fighters for the rights and well-being of the politically and economically oppressed?

Gamble - Propagandhi

The Mad Ones Podcast #15

2010-03-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

(Lissie -Promotional Photo)

Another random, insignificant day, another (hopefully) significant podcast. This one doesn't have a theme, and the reason for this is simple. I've fallen off of the podcast train. I used to make these things on a quasi-regular basis, having a fresh supply of genre-based themes in my head, ripe for the plucking. Unfortunately, my imagination is shackled by my post-college indolence, and as a result I quickly ran out of interesting ideas. Therefore, I have decided to make a podcast once a week, every Sunday starting today, but to do so without the weight of creativity on my imaginatively feeble shoulders. Here's the first one, Episode Fifteen, featuring some great music that I've been especially enjoying of late. I hope that it makes you feel the same.

Little Lovin' - Lissie

Sole Brother - Born Ruffians

Goodbye Sweet Dreams - Roky Erickson with Okkervil River

Lust for Life - Girls

Tragic Turn of Events/Move Pen Move - Dan Mangan with Shane Koyczan

Starting As People - Giant Hand

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Fifteen. DOWNLOAD

Music In Motion: Beirut, Plants and Animals

2010-03-24T12:21:00.001-07:00

Well it's safe to say that March hasn't been my most prolific month on the blogosphere. I guess I've been focussed on some other projects and have been sidetracked by the details and preparations of a looming graduate program. Anyways, my sincerest apologies go out to everyone (if indeed there is anyone in this category) who relies on The Mad Ones for new music and other distractions.

Today, I would simply like to get back in the groove by posting a few videos to some great songs. Hopefully you can all dig that.

First off is a video to the song "Nantes" by Beirut, from their 2007 album The Flying Club Cup. The video is of Beirut performing the song in a kind of impromptu style on the streets, complete with wide-eyed passers-by and garbage can drums. I know a video from 2007 is, in the blog world, equivalent to pulling an old tome from the bank-vault of antiquity, but this song/video is just too good for me to give a shit. Dig it deep.

Second, here's the video to the lead single off of Montreal indie rock band Plants and Animals' forthcoming album, entitled La La Land. The song is called "The Mama Papa," and I'm sure that you'll notice, if you're familiar with their previous work, that it's a lot more accessible and catchy than most of the material found on Parc Avenue. La La Land comes out April 20th, and it certainlyis an enjoyable listen.

The Mama Papa by Plants and Animals from Secret City Records on Vimeo.

Once again, I'm sorry for my recent lack of attention towards The Mad Ones. I'm going to try to return to my semi-regular posting habits as soon as possible. Thanks for your continued support and for eternally digging music.

The Road's Become My Lover, Gasoline Fuels My Soul

2010-03-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

Although I have been listening to a few of their songs for months now, it was only today that I was fully floored by the guitar-laden traditional folk songs of Daniel, Fred & Julie. This event, having transpired earlier this afternoon, is thanks to Jim over at QuickBeforeItMelts, who wrote a nice little post on the group today as well. Since then, I've been listening non-stop, and ended up having one of those moments where your veins are on fire with the energy of life and music.

Daniel, Fred & Julie, being comprised of the renowned folk singer-songwriter Julie Doiron, Daniel Romano from Attack in Black, and Fred Squire from Shotgun and Jaybird, is a Canadian folk super-group of sorts. Each of these artists have had successful careers making great music in diverse musical projects, as I am sure most of you are aware. However, don't let the label "supergroup" lead your mind astray. This trio have made an album that is an authentic, minimalist take on the traditional folk genre.

Recorded during the summer of 2009 on a tape-recorder in a Sackville, New Brunswick garage, the album, simply entitled Daniel, Fred, and Julie, is a smooth, refreshing, untampered-with collection of folk songs. Throughout the record, the three musicians strike vocal harmonies that, if listened to in the soft sun of an early March afternoon, are simply heart-swelling. Each song is also guided along with humble guitar picking and strumming.

Their songs are also quintessential examples of traditional folk music; something that is increasingly rare in our post-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot world. Images such as the character portrayed in the song "Runner", with his rambling, lost, lonely, and directionless soul, display their familiarity with the mainstay themes of the genre. So too does their use of the storytelling motif, like on the fantastically tender rendition of "The Gambler and His Bride." Daniel, Fred & Julie have made a stunning folk record that would have fit in and evoked tears in 1930s Dustbowl America, and would certainly also have turned some curly heads in early '60s era of folk nostalgia. Having been released in 2009, Daniel, Fred & Julie is an album that is a welcome and timely collection of songs that contrasts refreshingly with the heavily overdubbed and technologically enhanced character of contemporary music.

The Gambler and His Bride - Daniel, Fred, & Julie

Runner - Daniel, Fred & Julie

Stars Take Shapes Depending On Your View

2010-02-27T09:03:00.001-08:00

Last year, one of my favourite EPs came from Hamilton's Dark Mean. It was called Frankencottage, and it struck me with it's eclectic arrangements and consistently tender delivery. Thankfully, not much has changed on their second EP, entitled Music Box, which is available for free download from the band's website.

Music Box's four songs are simplistically labelled, as if the band couldn't figure out original-sounding names, so they stuck with the little terms that they used to differentiate their songs during band practice. However, don't let that take away from the content and quality of the songs, for just like last year's Frankencottage, Dark Mean's Music Box is an enjoyable and soothing listen. Their music is a smooth blend of sentimental soft rock and modern electronic experimentation. The song "Piano and Beat" is exactly what you would expect: a song centred around a fresh electronically delivered drum beat and a solid riff of guitar chords. On top of that, it crescendoes with typical Dark Mean group, and lyrical repetition, and blasts of trumpet. The rest of the EP displays an even further variance of sound, like the milk-soft harmonica on "Acoustic" and the dungeon-esque banjo riff on "Dark Banjo".

Regardless of the song-specific musical colouring, what makes their sound interesting is the consistency of its effect on the listener. Throughout Music Box, Dark Mean gives off a soft feeling, as though they are sharing a secret or extending a comforting hug to help soothe your sad little troubles. Given this feeling, it seems to me that this EP couldn't be more aptly named. It's all captured on the title track, when singer and principal songwriter Mark Dean soothes his subject's regret with the line: "Stars take shapes depending on your view". In other words, when one is weighed down with sorrow from hard times and lost love, one must find a warm place within themselves in order to be strong enough to carry on with an upraised chin and a slouch-free spine.

Their consistent sincerity stands like a flag-pole in the centre of their sound, and different instruments and arrangements merely swirl around this focal point, making it flap in a different way with each song. The only thing I'm disappointed about is the fact that Dark Mean still haven't released a full-length album. Let's hope that happens soon.

Music Box - Dark Mean

I Get World Sick Every Time I Take A Step

2010-02-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday afternoon, and the air in the city feels clean, imbued with an exhilarating freshness. As I sit here typing away, I can feel the sun's energy warming my shoulder blades. Just now, outside, I heard some kid's jubilant yelp. Maybe he's on a bike ride with his dad or something.

Weird weather for a February day in the cradle of the Great Lakes, but it's 2010, and the world is largely neglectful of its greenhouse gas emissions.

Regardless of the science behind the sun, I am grateful that I can enjoy an open window while I listen to great new music. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to bring everyone's attention to the fact that Toronto prog-rock heroes, Broken Social Scene, are soon to release a new album, their first since 2005. It's called Forgiveness Rock Record, and if lead single "World Sick" is any indication, it is quintessential BSS: frenetic instrumental colouring, varying levels of intensity, with a sort of grandiose quality present throughout. I'm assuming this album is one of 2010's most anticipated releases. I'm happy to be able to make that assumption. In a world where February feels like April and the southern hemisphere is buried in debt and dependence while the most affluent sit drinking imported beer while warming their hands around the Olympic flame, music like this is a welcome addition.

Click the big pink button below, punch in your email, and get a free download of "World Sick".

World Sick - Broken Social Scene

Mumford & Sons @ Lee's Palace (with Sunparlour Players) - February 15, 2010

2010-02-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's a long established cliché for someone to point out that "chicks dig guys in bands" –or that guys dig chicks in bands for that matter– but that doesn't mean that it isn't true. There's something about the way that music creates shockwaves of energetic momentum through a teeming crowd. One gets mesmerized by the performers' contorted faces as they concentrate on their instruments and belt out their lyrics with invigourating passion; lyrics that were most likely written in a poorly lit bedroom with a black ink pen on coffee stained parchments.

Too descriptive and cheesy? Definitely. But the point is that some groups of musicians carry a sort of magnetic draw. They are inherently intriguing for their sound, and their lyrics, and the way that their sound and their lyrics work together to become emotionally provocative and moving for the listener. As demonstrated on Monday night at Lee's Palace, both opening act Sunparlour Players, and headliners Mumford & Sons, carry this capacity. (And, especially for Mumford & Sons, the teeming throngs of girls went absolutely mental)

The opening band, Sunparlour Players, played a highly energetic set of songs pulled mostly from their sophomore release, Wave North, and I really loved their take on heavy, foot-stomping, rhythmic blues. Songs like "North" growing from a steady folkish romp into a cacophony of raucous blues-rock, setting the perfect tone for the night (and, dare I say, perhaps even outdoing the headliners?). And all of this from a three member band with only two members present! They were very impressive and fully worthy of headlining some sold out shows themselves. Don't believe me? Check this out.

Soon afterwards, when Mumford & Sons took the stage, the venue exploded with enthusiastic cheers that didn't let up until they turned the lights on. A sweetheart named Danielle Dawson turned me on to the anthemic folk rock balladry of this English quartet, and for that I am grateful. They sing with a harmony that is reminiscent of those struck by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers. Their subject matter is largely centred around the idea of love, both romantic and platonic, and their lyrics feel heartfelt and genuine. On top of that, songs like "Roll Away Your Stone", "Sigh No More", and "White Blank Page" grow and fluctuate between tender harmonized verses sung over carefully placed banjo plucks and guitar strums, and rousing crescendoes that shook the crowd to the bone. They put on a great show, complete with charming banter ("This is mentalllllll") and an unplugged song that hushed the crowd and clearly demonstrated the prowess of their vocal abilities. Their debut album called Sigh No More has just released in Canada, and I urge you to follow Ms. Dawson's musical tastes and give it a listen. It's well worth the time. Whether you're a girl or a boy or a man or a woman, or even anywhere in between, I'm sure that you will dig this band.

(Songs removed)

Roll Away Your Stone - Mumford & Sons

Music in Motion: Dan Mangan, Hey Rosetta!

2010-02-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

For today's installment of Music in Motion, I thought I would throw up a couple of live performances from some of my favourite Canadian indie rock performers. Both of them have an uplifting quality in their sound. They possess the skill and patience to build a song up to an emotional and sonic crescendo, leaving the listener's arm hairs full of shivering electricity.

First one is Dan Mangan from back in 2007 performing his song "Basket" for a broadcast of the Portland, Oregon radio show, Passport Approved. Great camera work, even greater song. There's also a bit of nice complimentary banter at the end. Dig Ms. Kelsey Bhatti for showing this to me.

Secondly, here's a performance of Hey Rosetta!'s most moving song from their 2008 album Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood), called "New Goodbye", recorded live during their November 2008 Live@theVerge session.

Happy Wednesday to all.

I Think That This is Contentment

2010-02-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since I caught wind of Toronto electro-punk-dance duo Woodhands, their songs have been a staple of my drinking playlists. They possess a sort of sort of sage-like wisdom about the contradictions and peculiarities of night life in a Western metropolis. Perhaps more importantly, they also consistently provide a soundtrack that raises the energy in a room by a significant degree, with their heavy drums, synth-y riffs and unrestrained vocals. Refreshingly, their music is real and largely unfiltered by the array of pre-recorded samples and flashy MacBooks at stage-centre that are more typical to their genre. Woodhands play music from their fingers and arms and vocal chords, making their energy all the more infecting.

With the recent release of their sophomore album Remorsecapade, nothing much has changed, and that's a good thing. The delivery of lead singer and keytarist Dan Werb is raw and crackly, although he also demonstrates the ability to become less outwardly intense, and withdraw into more subdued and reflective tones. With the inclusion of the exceptional percussion skills of Paul Banwatt (also of the Rural Alberta Advantage), the thunderous duo makes music that could, and should, be played to great affect on just about any dance floor.

Listening to their album as a whole, one is taken on an emotional ride akin to a night of drinking and subsequently "hitting the town". For the most part, one is bobbing their head, searching for special partners, yelling with friends, dancing ferociously. Songs like "Pockets" and "CP24" are characteristic of this vibe. However, Werb and Banwatt don't shy away from evoking memories of those stints in a night when drinking has made us a little tired, or the surrounding scene of happy, sweaty make-outs has made us feel a little lonely and out of place. Such feelings are particularly evident on the songs "I Want To Be Together" and "I Should Have Gone With My Friends", when Werb sings out:

I built a way to face this gray morning

While dead awake, I heard your warning

I'm not yours for adoring...

I should have gone with my friends

I should follow them to the end

But I, instead I...

Think that this is contentment

Outside of their infectious energy and raw, emotive power, what makes Remorsecapade interesting is precisely this aforementioned dichotomy. For a generation of largely isolated and directionless young men and women, Woodhands' latest album is a highly relevant and welcome accompaniment to those nights when, for whatever reason, we seek emotional and physical release amongst the neon lights and cascading electronic sounds of the city. Beneath it's aggressive electro-punk surface lies the same dark, sombre undertones that exist in the recesses of our minds as we dance another night away on a poorly lit, impossibly loud, capacity crowded linoleum floor.

Pockets - Woodhands

I Should Have Gone With My Friends - Woodhands

Where Do You Look For This Lamp That's A-Burning?

2010-02-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

Life is a long series of horrors and twisted happenings, where friends are betrayed, loves our lost, and the best of all people receive the worst of all fates. What makes it all worthwhile? Amidst the state of the world, how can we find meaning? How can we find the love we lost with the disappearance of our younger selves?

Sometimes all you need is quiet solitude and sad reflection...

Inspiration...dreams...hope.

Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie - Bob Dylan

When yer head gets twisted and yer mind grows numb
When you think you're too old, too young, too smart or too dumb
When yer laggin' behind an' losin' yer pace
In a slow-motion crawl of life's busy race
No matter what yer doing if you start givin' up
If the wine don't come to the top of yer cup
If the wind's got you sideways with with one hand holdin' on
And the other starts slipping and the feeling is gone
And yer train engine fire needs a new spark to catch it
And the wood's easy findin' but yer lazy to fetch it
And yer sidewalk starts curlin' and the street gets too long
And you start walkin' backwards though you know its wrong
And lonesome comes up as down goes the day
And tomorrow's mornin' seems so far away
And you feel the reins from yer pony are slippin'
And yer rope is a-slidin' 'cause yer hands are a-drippin'
And yer sun-decked desert and evergreen valleys
Turn to broken down slums and trash-can alleys
And yer sky cries water and yer drain pipe's a-pourin'
And the lightnin's a-flashing and the thunder's a-crashin'
And the windows are rattlin' and breakin' and the roof tops a-shakin'
And yer whole world's a-slammin' and bangin'
And yer minutes of sun turn to hours of storm
And to yourself you sometimes say
"I never knew it was gonna be this way
Why didn't they tell me the day I was born"

And you start gettin' chills and yer jumping from sweat
And you're lookin' for somethin' you ain't quite found yet
And yer knee-deep in the dark water with yer hands in the air
And the whole world's a-watchin' with a window peek stare
And yer good gal leaves and she's long gone a-flying
And yer heart feels sick like fish when they're fryin'
And yer jackhammer falls from yer hand to yer feet
And you need it badly but it lays on the street
And yer bell's bangin' loudly but you can't hear its beat
And you think yer ears might a been hurt
Or yer eyes've turned filthy from the sight-blindin' dirt
And you figured you failed in yesterdays rush
When you were faked out an' fooled white facing a four flush
And all the time you were holdin' three queens
And it's makin you mad, it's makin' you mean
Like in the middle of Life magazine
Bouncin' around a pinball machine

And there's something on yer mind you wanna be saying
That somebody someplace oughta be hearin'
But it's trapped on yer tongue and sealed in yer head
And it bothers you badly when your layin' in bed
And no matter how you try you just can't say it
And yer scared to yer soul you just might forget it
And yer eyes get swimmy from the tears in yer head
And yer pillows of feathers turn to blankets of lead
And the lion's mouth opens and yer staring at his teeth
And his jaws start closin with you underneath
And yer flat on your belly with yer hands tied behind
And you wish you'd never taken that last detour sign

And you say to yourself just what am I doin'
On this road I'm walkin', on this trail I'm turnin'
On this curve I'm hanging
On this pathway I'm strolling, in the space I'm talking
In this air I'm inhaling
Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard
Why am I walking, where am I running
What am I saying, what am I knowing
On this guitar I'm playing, on this banjo I'm frailin'
On this mandolin I'm strummin', in the song I'm singin'
In the tune I'm hummin', in the words I'm writin'
In the words that I'm thinkin'
In this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinkin'
Who am I helping, what am I breaking
What am I giving, what am I taking

But you try with your whole soul best
Never to think these thoughts and never to let
Them kind of thoughts gain ground
Or make yer heart pound
But then again you know why they're around
Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down
"Cause sometimes you hear'em when the night times comes creeping
And you fear that they might catch you a-sleeping
And you jump from yer bed, from yer last chapter of dreamin'
And you can't remember for the best of yer thinking
If that was you in the dream that was screaming

And you know that it's something special you're needin'
And you know that there's no drug that'll do for the healin'
And no liquor in the land to stop yer brain from bleeding
And you need something special
Yeah, you need something special all right
You need a fast flyin' train on a tornado track
To shoot you someplace and shoot you back
You need a cyclone wind on a stream engine howler
That's been banging and booming and blowing forever
That knows yer troubles a hundred times over

You need a Greyhound bus that don't bar no race
That won't laugh at yer looks
Your voice or your face
And by any number of bets in the book
Will be rollin' long after the bubblegum craze
You need something to open up a new door
To show you something you seen before
But overlooked a hundred times or more
You need something to open your eyes
You need something to make it known
That it's you and no one else that owns
That spot that yer standing, that space that you're sitting
That the world ain't got you beat
That it ain't got you licked
It can't get you crazy no matter how many
Times you might get kicked

You need something special all right
You need something special to give you hope
But hope's just a word
That maybe you said or maybe you heard
On some windy corner 'round a wide-angled curve
But that's what you need man, and you need it bad
And yer trouble is you know it too good
"Cause you look an' you start getting the chills
"Cause you can't find it on a dollar bill
And it ain't on Macy's window sill
And it ain't on no rich kid's road map
And it ain't in no fat kid's fraternity house
And it ain't made in no Hollywood wheat germ
And it ain't on that dimlit stage
With that half-wit comedian on it
Ranting and raving and taking yer money
And you thinks it's funny
No you can't find it in no night club or no yacht club
And it ain't in the seats of a supper club
And sure as hell you're bound to tell
That no matter how hard you rub
You just ain't a-gonna find it on yer ticket stub
No, and it ain't in the rumors people're tellin' you
And it ain't in the pimple-lotion people are sellin' you
And it ain't in no cardboard-box house
Or down any movie star's blouse
And you can't find it on the golf course
And Uncle Remus can't tell you and neither can Santa Claus
And it ain't in the cream puff hair-do or cotton candy clothes
And it ain't in the dime store dummies or bubblegum goons
And it ain't in the marshmallow noises of the chocolate cake voices
That come knockin' and tappin' in Christmas wrappin'
Sayin' ain't I pretty and ain't I cute and look at my skin
Look at my skin shine, look at my skin glow
Look at my skin laugh, look at my skin cry
When you can't even sense if they got any insides
These people so pretty in their ribbons and bows

No you'll not now or no other day
Find it on the doorsteps made out-a paper mache
And inside it the people made of molasses
That every other day buy a new pair of sunglasses
And it ain't in the fifty-star generals and flipped-out phonies
Who'd turn yuh in for a tenth of a penny
Who breathe and burp and bend and crack
And before you can count from one to ten
Do it all over again but this time behind yer back
My friend
The ones that wheel and deal and whirl and twirl
And play games with each other in their sand-box world
And you can't find it either in the no-talent fools
That run around gallant
And make all rules for the ones that got talent
And it ain't in the ones that ain't got any talent but think they do
And think they're foolin' you
The ones who jump on the wagon
Just for a while 'cause they know it's in style
To get their kicks, get out of it quick
And make all kinds of rnoney and chicks

And you yell to yourself and you throw down yer hat
Sayin', "Christ do I gotta be like that
Ain't there no one here that knows where I'm at
Ain't there no one here that knows how I feel
Good God Almighty
THAT STUFF AINT REAL"

No but that ain't yer game, it ain't even yer race
You can't hear yer name, you can't see yer face
You gotta look some other place
And where do you look for this hope that yer seekin'
Where do you look for this lamp that's a-burnin'
Where do you look for this oil well gushin'
Where do you look for this candle that's glowin'
Where do you look for this hope that you know is there
And out there somewhere

And your feet can only walk down two kinds of roads
Your eyes can only look through two kinds of windows
Your nose can only smell two kinds of hallways
You can touch and twist
And turn two kinds of doorknobs
You can either go to the church of your choice
Or you can go to Brooklyn State Hospital
You'll find God in the church of your choice,

You'll find Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital.

And though it's only my opinion
I may be right or wrong
You'll find them both
In the Grand Canyon
At sundown

Let Them Know the Burden of Your Blues

2010-02-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

London, Ontario native Basia Bulat's sophomore album, released in Canada through Secret City Records, is a stunning achievement, especially in light of the fact that it is the follow-up effort to her Polaris Prize nominated 2007 LP, Oh My Darling. Entitled Heart of My Own, Bulat's second album has an overall feeling that is slightly more fast-paced, ambitious, and energetic. All in all, there's something about her sound that gives me this restless, invigourated feeling, like I've been slapped out of a muggy slumber. The LP crashes open like the swinging doors of a saloon with the driving rhythm of "Go On", and over the course of its twelve songs, Bulat grips the listener with the strength and beauty of her voice.

Heart of My Own rises and falls in tempo and volume as Bulat and her musical entourage seamlessly drift between quiet, acoustic-folk, reflective pieces like "Sugar and Spices", and hair-raising country-tinged choruses, as demonstrated on the song "Gold Rush". The songs are carefully crafted contemporary interpretations of the folk-country bluegrass idiom, with gentle banjo's and strings colouring Bulat's ever present vibrato and guitar chords. On top of this, Bulat's lyrics seem to be swollen with romantic nostalgia, with the singer longingly reflecting on the past, smiling wistfully but pressing on.

Although Bulat sings from the perspective of her own experiences, she does so through a musical medium that is steeped in tradition and, as a result, strikes a chord amongst our collective consciousness. That is, because it is immersed in the folk/country/bluegrass context of her band, Bulat's music takes on an ageless quality. It feels like her music has been around this country for years; as if her voice has been as ever present as the prairie winds. It was here when the country was colonized, when the massacres were made, when gold was struck in the mountains. It was here for the countless breakings of innumerable hearts. Mind you, this all may seem like some hyperbolic stretch. All I am saying is that Bulat's sound transcends the experiences from which it was born by transmitting itself to the listener through a quintessentially North American musical medium, one that is firmly rooted in our collective identity.

Because of all this, Basia Bulat's Heart of My Own makes my toes wiggle with an inexplicable anticipation, and my heart scream with restless wanderlust. I strongly suggest that you grab the album, turn the lights off, and listen to the whole thing by yourself in your room. It's an experience you won't soon regret, and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Heart Of My Own - Basia Bulat

Gold Rush - Basia Bulat

The Mad Ones Podcast #14 - Exciting Stuff

2010-01-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

For the fourteenth episode of The Mad Ones Podcast, I thought I would throw down some of the music that has gotten me so excited about this new decade. There are so many exciting releases around the bend, from Montreal's Plants and Animals to Toronto's Born Ruffians. Although neither of those bands are featured here today, the one's I've chosen are surely central to the feeling that 2010 is going to be a monumentally enjoyable and important year in music. Just download and listen to this podcast. I'm sure you'll catch the same fever of excitement with which I am currently shaking.

The T allest Man On Earth - King of Spain

Yukon Blonde - Wind Blows

Archie Cooper - Drifter (Session 1)

Basia Bulat - Go On

Owen Pallett - Keep the Dog Quiet

Woodhands - Pockets

The Mad Ones Podcast - 14 - Exciting Stuff (Download!)

I Wanna Rock the RPM Between the Reds and Greens

2010-01-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

What can one say about the ubiquitously influential, notoriously poetic, John K. Samson? As he has demonstrated through his work as the central creative force of the Weakerthans, Samson is an exceptional songwriter who possesses a keen ability to handle words in a way that never fails to evoke some sort of emotional response. His use of language in song makes him, if you ask me (and I'm not being hyperbolic), one of the greatest Canadian songwriters ever to put the pen to the paper, or the fingertips to the keyboard. On top of this, his membership for Propagandhi's first two albums gives him some serious credibility among listeners of more fast-paced, politically charged inclinations.

Despite all this talent, Samson has tended to shy away from solo releases. It appears that, for the most part, Samson is content to portray his visions through the Weakerthans' musical projections. I say "for the most part" since John K. Samson has recently released a three-song EP called City Route 85. These three tracks are quintessential Samson, with gentle melodies detailing lonely urban scenes and making use of nostalgic imagery. My favourite song out of the three is "Cruise Night", where Samson sings about the wondrous experience of aimless Sunday drives with a special someone. Classic.

You can purchase the EP, which comes with a cool t-shirt, at this website.

Hope you dig it.

Cruise Night - John K. Samson

I've Seen His Work In the Panes of Cathedrals

2010-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

Before you continue to read this post, I need to confess that, for me, Owen Pallett's latest musical project, entitled Heartland, is an intimidating record to write about. I suppose there are several factors contributing to this feeling. The first and probably most daunting is that I've never fully appreciated the rest of the Final Fantasy catalogue. Admittedly, I've understood the hype, and I've recognized the beauty and talent behind the songs. I've just always had this feeling that Pallett's music was beyond me, that his brain had such a firm grasp on musical theory and the dynamics of sound that my meagre musical understanding was far too inferior to become a true and avid listener. For that reason, writing down my thoughts on his music in a public forum such makes me nervous. However, given the fact that I'm usually never scared to discuss music, my trepidation in writing this post speaks to the awesomeness that is Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy).

That being said, Heartland is a genuinely intriguing and rewarding musical experience. Throughout its entirety, Heartland maintains a highly cinematic feel. The album could easily be played by an orchestra in the pit of some old-world theatre, accompanying the stage movements and scenes of an actors troop. This feeling, I would assume, was Pallett's aim for this album, given that it is built around the concept (as far as I know) of a farmer's life in some imaginary land. In order to get the full listening experience, I would suggest following along with the lyrics as you play the album. Check them out here.

However, that's not the only aspect of this project that makes it such a worthwhile listen. Rather, it's the intricately constructed orchestra of sound, which Pallett has skillfully balanced. The album travels among many peaks and values of varying intensity, yet it is never overbearing or boring for the listener. There are soaring string arrangements and brass sections and piano riffs contrasted against sonar sounding bleeps and cascading percussion. The influence of classical music is clear. I imagine Pallett as some sort of mathematician, carefully jotting down musical formulas and equations, and then turning to his electric violin and various other tools to craft a tapestry of sound out of his calculations. Songs like "The Great Elsewhere" and "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" are two of the songs that demonstrate this intriguing sonic versatility.

Perhaps the most interesting moment comes during the final song of the album, "What Do You Think Will Happen Now?" The song feels like a kind of epilogue to the story contained within the preceding songs, and it is as if the storyteller is personally addressing his listeners with a sort of universalistic unifying message:

Despite discomforts, despite myself, I
I reaffirm my endless devotion
To the belief that we're all of value,
We're all of virtue, and so inclined we
Fill up our cups and toast to each other,

And then later on,

Though we're divided, the force of nature
Will put us all in the ground together

This morning I must get up
To see the world around me.
Right away, what I forgot
In seeing ourselves as words upon a paper.

The sun is up.
My arms are wide.
I am a good man, I am yours.

I'm sure by now you can see Pallett's material is an intimidating force. He is a true artist, striving towards his vision, accented by a plethora of sound and movement with a range of ideas in his head which he expresses throughout, both implicitly and explicitly.

The Great Elsewhere - Owen Pallett

Lewis Takes Off His Shirt - Owen Pallett

How Long We Play This Record's Tattered Side, Afraid to Change the Song

2010-01-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

I often feel as though the term "pop music" carries a negative connotation in the inter-subjective consciousness among the über-cool circles of hipsterdom. Perhaps one can attribute this to the state of mainstream music that catered to the current cohort of twenty to thirty-whatever-year olds when they were all kids. That is, the incessant waves of boy bands and girl bands with their cheesy, mindless dance numbers. Such acts gave "pop" music a lot of baggage. It could even be said that they tainted the term for an entire generation of listeners.

In any case, anybody who is serious about music will know that pop music is more than just the musical creations of the music conglomerates of the '9os. To me, it is a complex and inclusive classification, whose more precise interpretation is highly variable and subject to the intricacies of geographic and cultural context. When it comes to music from North America, the pop music from each decade seems to be of a different flavour, the only constant factor being the widespread identification and inescapable catchiness. The so-called genre is massive in scope, and that's exactly what makes genuine musical forays into it's realm so interesting.

One such foray which has recently caught my attention comes from Vancouver's The Zolas, a dynamic duo that creates piano-driven pop music that includes a wide range of musical influences. Comprising of Zachary Gray at vocals and guitar, and Tom Dobrzanski on piano, The Zolas have recently released their debut-album, Tic Toc Tic, which was produced by Howard Redekopp, displays a diverse range of musical influences. For example, near the end of the song "Cab Driver" Dobrzanski delivers a fiery piano solo that is highly reminiscent of early rock and roll legends like Jerry Lee Lewis. The Zolas have also been likened to a strangely divergent group of specific bands, from Coldplay to the Clash, to David Bowie and Spoon. Comparisons aside, this Vancouver duo has made an album that is highly enjoyable, with tractor-beam choruses (see "Marionettes" and "Marlaina Kamikaze"), and effectively melodic hooks that consistently leave the listener breathless, panting for more.

One song in particular needs to mentioned, for not only is it a great sort of rocking, energetic pop song, but it also includes humourous lyrical content. Called "Body Ash", it is the narrative of a love affair gone stale, in which the speaker, who is of the male sex, expresses his deep sexual frustrations. The song opens like so:

My balls are coals in the bottom of our bed

That sags with the ash of our passion spent

I kick the coals to see if they're still lit

Oh how much more can I take of this?

I don't know how much more I can take of this!

With their clearly demonstrated musicianship, plethora of influences, and consistent, head-bobbing catchiness, The Zolas' Tic Toc Tic is yet another great album from a burgeoning Vancouver music scene. This is the kind of music that should dominate mainstream radio. It soars in intensity, and is constantly shifting between genres and tones in an unpredictable fashion, keeping the listener intrigued. The Zolas are sure to leave you walking away with a smile and a rejuvenated spring in each successive step.

Body Ash - The Zolas

Marlaina Kamikaze - The Zolas

Music in Motion: Massive Attack, Bon Iver

2010-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Music videos are a firmly entrenched fixture of the contemporary music industry. I'm sure a lot of people associated them with MTV bullshit, but I think that the music video is a great medium through which one can experience the beauty and meaning of a song. In light of this little thought of mine, I've decided to create a semi-regular feature here at The Mad Ones. Every once in a while, I will throw together a post featuring some music videos that have augmented the power of the music that they are representing. Hope you can dig it.

What I have here first is a video for the song "Paradise Circus" by Bristol music production group Massive Attack. The song plays with the notion of sin, and the motivations behind such actions. The video is fantastically put together, featuring scenes from the a 1970s erotic film entitled The Devil In Miss Jones, as well as snippets of an interview from the film's lead actress, in which she discusses, among other things, the effect of the camera on her feelings of desire. The whole idea of lust being something that should be repressed, it seems to me, makes sexual actions all the more desirable.It also evokes feelings of sympathy, guilt, and desire, perhaps implicitly exposing some of the contradictions in a society that represses sexuality while simultaneously objectifying women and lionizing a commercialized ideal of beauty. This video plays with these ideas and features a hauntingly smooth song from Massive Attack's forthcoming album, Heligoland. (DISCLAIMER: there are erotic scenes in this video. Be prepared for that.)

Paradise Circus by Massive Attack (HD) from VictorDolittle on Vimeo.

There's no denying the degree of coolness featured in this second video. It features Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and his musical comrades performing "For Emma" a cappella in some sort of strange hallway. One of my friends showed me this one and I felt that it was mandatory to share with all of you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I Can't Believe It's The First Time I Met You

2010-01-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

Friendship is one of the most important bonds of the universe. Relationships based firmly in the tender territories of mutual trust, love, and relentless loyalty carry all of life's beauty and meaning into the core of our hearts. There are people in this world that can strike you immediately, maybe when you catch them smiling out of the corner of your eye, and you're enamoured. Like the marks feet make in the sand, they leave the lasting imprint of their influence pressed in your soul. There are also people with whom you don't strike a bond immediately. With them, friendship flowers out with time, somehow ending up full and ripe and profound.

I'm sure to many of you this may seem like a sappy speech from some poorly written romantic comedy, but you must forgive me, since it comes at the tail end of an amazing weekend full of time spent with some great friends, both old and new. After spending several hours quietly thinking about the value of friendship, I came across a group of recently recorded songs that resulted from the musical collaboration of a group of friends who are members of various different bands. The collection, entitled Novels, consists of five songs created through the conjoining of Born Ruffians' Luke Lalonde, Tokyo Police Club's Graham Wright, Will Currie from Will Currie and the Country French, Dean Marino from Ex-po, and Jason Sadlowski from Jay Sad. The songs are bouncy and melodic, harkening back to a showtunes-y, '60s kind of pop sound. Besides the smilingly accessible nature of the music, the 5-song recording has been released with a warming kind of philosophy. The idea, which is demonstrated here, is that Novels is to be downloaded for free and dispersed generously by willing individuals everywhere. The recording is available for download at the Novels website, where one can also find the step-by-step guide on how to proliferate this music. Here's the deal:

NOVELS won't be sold in CD stores, on the internet, or anywhere else. Instead, we'll give them away, or put them places. Maybe you'll find a copy sitting on a park bench. Maybe a masked man will hand you one as he passes you on the street. Maybe none of these things will happen. But we'll make sure that everyone gets a chance to listen if they want to.

When I listen to Novels, I can't help but imagine the laughs and the smiles, the furrowed, concentrated brows, and the ever-increasing piles of brown-glass beer bottles that defined the scene in which these songs were born. Regardless of what the people at Pitchfork think, or what some decidedly mediocre subjective dribble reads on the internet, it remains that these sounds are simply the result of a collaboration of friends. That in-and-of-itself, gives them enough value for me. Next time you join forces with the loveliest people in your life, take part in the process of sharing this music as you enjoy the mystical and holy depths of your friendships.

This Wouldn't Be the Last Time (from Novels)

No Hard Feelings (from Novels)

Robots Need Love Too

2010-01-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

As the Canadian music media continues to flap its gums about the best music from last decade, I find myself being exposed to new artists and bands with whom I had been previously unaware. One such artist is British Columbia’s melodic folk rocker, Dan Mangan. I’m not sure how, but it wasn’t until mid-December that I finally heard one of his songs. I was immediately drawn in. I find this especially shocking, since Mangan is, not unlike myself, a child of BC’s heavily forested and mountainous interior (Mangan being born way up in Smithers). The song I came across is called “Robots”, one of the strongest tracks from his 2009 album Nice, Nice, Very Nice. The song bursts forth with energy and enthusiasm, coming to a head in the last minute or so with a rousing sing-along refrain espousing the needs and desires of robots to be loved. It’s a sentiment that brims with a kind of playful cuteness, emanating a tender feeling of warmth in the chest of even the coldest, most stubbornly serious listeners.

Similar expressions of fraternity among humankind, and a respect for human dignity seem present in the album as a whole. This seems appropriate, given the fact that the title of the album is pulled from a Kurt Vonnegut poem based on the notion that one ought to perceive the world as being beautiful and inclusive, where humankind are unified in the common elements of their human souls. Vonnegut’s line reads as follows:

Nice Nice Very Nice

We All Fit Together in The Same Device

Over the past several weeks, as I’ve listened repeatedly to Nice, Nice, Very Nice, I can’t help but feel this humanistic notion being implicitly expressed throughout the album’s twelve songs. This makes listening to it a highly enjoyable experience; a heartwarming musical foray for the listener.

Sonically, Mangan’s music has a cross-genre appeal. Songs like “Et Les Mots Croisés” and “Set the Sails” have a bouncy kind of folk pop flavour, with gentle horns, strings and acoustic guitars accompanying Mangan’s husky backwoods voice. However, what really makes this album great is the general up-tempo vibe that is consistently put forth. The song “Sold” contains that instinctual romp-stomp rhythm that is highly reminiscent of the danceable country beats from bands like Elliott Brood or Entire Cities. Mangan’s songs are filled with free-flowing lyricism that’s like well-timed prose placed over smooth melodies and delivered on an anthemic scale at a highly energetic pace. They often seem to be in relentless motion, never settling into a specific mood. Instead, as is demonstrated in songs such as “Fair Verona” and “Basket”, the tone soars and twists between various levels of intensity, consistently achieving emotive crescendos of sound.

I was shocked to discover that Mangan is only twenty-six years old. In my mind I imagined him as a wrinkly, calloused thirty-something, writing songs through the well-worn lens of his acquired wisdom, and singing passionately through smoked out vocal chords. Mangan must be touched by some sort of spirit, able to craft moving music with themes that are melancholic and deeply affecting, while all the while giving one the impression that it all comes through an almost effortless mountain spring of creativity.

Robots – Dan Mangan

Basket – Dan Mangan

There's Whitecaps On the Horizon

2010-01-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

I've never lived by the sea, but I often wish that I did. I imagine myself, somehow with a grizzly beard, sitting on the edge of a lighthouse balcony, storms brewing on the Atlantic horizon, the wind bitting my weathered face as I pack a pipe full of tobacco. It may be a fantasy, but its one that I return to every time I put on Carta Marina, the debut album from Montreal drone-rock trio, Nightwood. The album is centred around oceanic images and themes, and its sound rolls along with an oceanic steadiness and strength. Call back harmonies, tight drumming, and clear cut guitar riffs frame the album, giving it a dark, hypnotic tone. Songs like "Maritimer" and "Sunken Mountains" feature verses that are pieced together line by line, sung back and forth with siren-like mystique between Amber Goodwin and Erin Ross, while drummer Jeremy MacCuish keeps a tight and reliable rhythm, consistently surging behind the dizzying vocals. I am particularly fond of this simple verse from "Sunken Mountains" which strikes me as ominous and apocalyptic, being totally consistent with the rushing tension that characterizes this album:

the peaks are falling

the depths are rising

there’s white caps on the

on the horizon, oh!

After the album's release in October 2009, Nightwood has been promoting their work by touring Eastern Canada and regularly updating their well-kept and interesting blog, which doubles as an arena for discussion on Style & Fashion (check it out). This Winter, they will be touring with the highly reputable Toronto band Modernboys Moderngirls, which is sure to bring Nightwood some more well-deserved attention, as their brand of "stoner-drone-rock" gets introduced to new throngs of people.

If you dig bands like Black Mountain, Pink Mountaintops, or the darker early stuff from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, then I can guarantee that you'll be a fan of Nightwood's music. If you listen to the album through your headphones, you're bound to be entranced; drawn in to the brooding intensity; waiting for the violence of the imminent storm from the lighthouse lookout of your mind.

Here's the recently released video for their song "The Bright Girls of Summer," which finishes off the album with a great crescendo of scattered vocals and pumping noise. It features footage shot during the making of Carta Marina.

Sunken Mountains - Nightwood

The Mad Ones' Top 20 Songs of 2009 - The Podcast

2009-12-31T10:59:00.000-08:00

It started as a countdown from fifty, but we have finally arrived at The Mad Ones' 20 favourite songs from the year 2009. As promised, they are featured below in a special end of the year edition of The Mad Ones' Podcasts. Please feel free to post any grievances you have about my selections, since as I've previously mentioned, they come from nowhere besides the subjective viewpoints of my heart and mind. Hope you enjoy it!

The Mad Ones' Top 20 Songs of 2009 - The Podcast

Download!

Here they are in alphabetical order, as to not spoil the surprise of how I placed them within the Podcast.

Sylvia - The Antlers

2nd 4th World War - Bruce Peninsula

Roosevelt Room - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

Robots - Dan Mangan

Happy Banjo - Dark Mean

Coming Down From the Mountains - Giant Hand

Admit Defeat - Great Bloomers

Sovereignty - Japandroids

Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandroids

Jack Frost - Kalle Mattson

It Ain't Love (feat. Lil Mo) - MSTRKRFT

Make it Gold - Ohbijou

Lisztomania - Phoenix

Vampire - Pink Mountaintops

Frank, AB - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Edmonton - The Rural Alberta Advantage

My Boys - Taken By Trees

Until the Night Is Over - Timber Timbre

My Old Ghosts - The Wooden Sky

Fifty Favourite Songs of 2009 - #35-21

2009-12-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

I think Boxing Day is one of the most hilarious days of the year: nerds lining up for cheap gaming systems, hip chicks sleeping outside retail outfitters; it's a flurry of unrestrained consumerism, fueled by low prices and knee-jerk impulses of demand.

Here's my suggestion to everybody out there: rather than succumb to your supposedly innate desire to possess another flat-screen television, why not plug your headphones into your computer, relax, and get carried away by the second installment of The Mad Ones' Fifty Favourite Songs of 2009. Here's #35-21. The podcast of the top 20 is soon to follow.

Have a happy day.

35)

Cage the Songbird - The Low Anthem

34)

Southern Point - Grizzly Bear

33)

Heartbreaker (feat. John Legend) - MSTRKRFT

32)

Suzanne (live in London) - Leonard Cohen

31)

Rome - Phoenix

30)

Bay of Pigs - Destroyer

29)

Lullaby - Dark Mean

28)

Cliff Jumps - Ohbijou

27)

Kerouac - Chris Hickey

26)

I Knew - Lightning Dust

25)

King Hipster - Little Foot Long Foot

24)

Crabapples - Bruce Peninsula

23)

To Lose Someone - Taken By Trees

22)

River Song One - The Wooden Sky

21)

Heart Sweats - Japandroids

Seasons Greetings From The Mad Ones

2009-12-25T15:55:00.000-08:00

Just a quick hello and Merry Christmas from The Mad Ones. Today is one of my favourite days of the year. It's full of childhood nostalgia and it makes the entire world feel like a cozy, warm pine-fragranced living room. I'm sure everyone out there is thoroughly enjoying the company of their loved ones. Here are a couple gems that are sure to warm your chests more than even the stiffest of stiff rum and egg nogs. Check in tomorrow for the second installment of my Favourite Songs of 2009. Wishing you all the best.

Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan

Last Christmas - Ohbijou

Fifty Favourite Songs of 2009 - #50-36

2009-12-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

As the year (and the decade) winds around its final corner, the time has come to reflect on the sounds that were brought to my ears since January. I think its important to note that 2009 was a year in which the way I listened to music changed drastically. Back in March, out of pure dissatisfaction with the way I was spending the majority of my time, I decided to act on an old idea and start a music blog called The Mad Ones. As a result of this, my listening habits have been forced to change from there original casual and directionless tendencies. Instead, I have had to aggressively seek and listen to new music, and find a way to describe the reasons why I enjoy it. It hasn't been an easy task, but I have enjoyed it thoroughly.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has taken the time to gander at the words that get thrown up on here, and who have enjoyed and identified with the music that I have praised and shared. The Mad Ones is here to stay, so if you can dig it, by all means keep doing so.

Now, in light of the fact that it is List Season in the blogosphere, I have decided to make several lists this month. The first of which is my Fifty Favourite Songs of 2009. This list will come in three installments, and hopefully be completed by Christmas Day. I will begin today with #'s 50 through to 36, follow up tomorrow with 35-21, and finish with a podcast of the top 20.

But wait! Before you get into it below, I want to qualify by stating that I am aware of how arbitrary and ridiculous list making can be. How can you quantify and rate the worthiness of something like a song? What makes a song better or worse? As far as I'm concerned, the answers to such questions spring differently from each subjective interpretation of another's art. Therefore, I don't offer this list boldly as the "Best" songs of 2009, but rather, as the ones to which I was exposed that have made an emotional and thought-provoking impact on me. These are my fifty favourite songs from the past year. I hope that you, sweet reader, can dig them too.

50) Cab Driver - The Zolas

49) What We're Doing - The Danks

48) Albatross, Albatross, Albatross - Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

47) White Shoes - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

46) Help, I'm Alive! - Metric

45) The Deadroads - The Rural Alberta Advantage

44) Big Sun - Phoenix

43) Take a Minute - K'naan

42) Big Bird In a Small Cage - Patrick Watson

41) You Don't Come See Me Anymore (Daytrotter Recording) - Malcolm Holcombe

40) Higher Than the Stars - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart

39) Runner - Daniel, Fred & Julie

38) Hall of Oats - Kalle Mattson

37) Champion Angel - The Low Anthem

36) Xerses - Apostle of Hustle

Legendary Songs Covered on a Cloudless Saturday

2009-12-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

It seems that the season has finally found its way into the streets of Toronto, Ontario. The wind off the lake is biting everyones faces, and the sidewalks are slippery with unsalted patches of ice. What better time to pull on a sweater, have a nice cup of coffee and enjoy two legendary songs, written by poet-musician-messiahs of the 1960s, and reinterpreted for our enjoyment by talented 21st century rock bands?

First up is a song that a friend of mine found on The Hype Machine. It's a fantastic cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" performed magnificently by Metric. Contrasting with their usual synth-accentuated pop-rock sound, the song is tender and beautiful in its unfiltered folksiness. The back-and-forth female to male vocals are the perfect touch to this classic post-romance love song. Dig it.

Don't Think Twice It's All Right (Dylan Cover) - Metric

Next, we have a more lengthy and rhythmic take on Leonard Cohen's musical description of romantic bliss, Suzanne, executed beautifully by Brooklyn's Tigercity. This song never fails to move me and put me in a sad and reflective mood. Imagine the current girl (or boy) or your dreams while you listen to this one with your headphones on. (recorded and written about at Daytrotter. Check it out here).

Suzanne - Tigercity

I'll Come Home When the Ghosts Are Gone

2009-12-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

When it comes to ghostly folk music in Canada, 2009 has been a hallmark year, and Ottawa's Kirk Ramsay, widely known by his stage-name Giant Hand, has been an integral part of the success of this freaky sub-genre. His debut full-length album, called Coming Home, has gained recognition and deserved praise from all the right places, leaving Ramsay, with his apparition-of-Neil Young voice and his Timber Timbre tone, in a position to advance his young career as a singer-songwriter by leaps and bounds in the coming year.

Ramsay's beginnings as a songwriter are intriguing and unique, causing one to believe that this young man has some twisted-up feelings and thoughts which have until recently been bottled up inside his stomach with no avenue for escape or expression. Back in early 2008, Ramsay was deeply inspired by the music documentary called The Devil and Daniel Johnston. After seeing it, he went out into the city to buy his first guitar. He came home and began to teach himself how to play. Apparently after struggling to perfect covers of songs that have already been written, Ramsay simply learned several chords and began to write and play songs of his own creation. Thus Giant Hand was born, and one of Canada's most peculiar and fixating musicians began his work.

Giant Hand's debut LP has ten songs which, for the most part, rely on straight forward chord patterns behind dark vocal melodies that roll along as steadily as a Cross-Canadian freight train. Behind the musical arrangements, hazy sound effects such as the howling winds during "Catacombs" adds to the ghostly ambience of the album. These qualities, along with Ramsay's perpetually wavering vocals, create a context that is enticing in it's originality. It's like his relative instrumental experience has combined with his innate artistry to create an inventive and intriguing sound within a well-populated, and often repetitive, genre of music.

With lyrics like "God is not the author of death" and "I'll come home when the ghosts are gone", Coming Home is full of creepy imagery, and reflections on death and loneliness and love. The concept of home, being a place of everlasting safety, comfort, and belonging, is also prevalent in the album's lyrics. When listening to the album, I get the sense that all the spooky ambience and deathly imagery is a reflection of the world outside of one's "home", a world in which situations are unforgiving and fate deals its cruel twists with a nonchalant meanness. The last song of the album, "Starting as People", brings us back to the only thing that matters: the power of another person to make the outside world, with all it's darkness and scariness, seem insignificant in comparison with the touch of their hand and the warmth of their companionship.

If you ask me, Giant Hand is one of the most interesting musicians to come out of Ottawa in recent years, and Coming Home is among the best albums of the year in Canadian music. Dig it deep, because it's cool as hell.

Catacombs - Giant Hand

Coming Down from the Mountains - Giant Hand

I Could Hold You For A Hundred Years; Take Away Your Greatest Fears

2009-12-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

In the latest podcast to be slapped together and posted up on this webpage, I mentioned the story and influences behind the latest album by Taken By Trees, entitled East of Eden.

This musical project, lead by the Swedish singer-songwriter Victoria Bergsman, seems to me to be in exercise in cross-cultural understanding. Bergsman has used music as a tool to understand a part of the world with which much of the Global North (ie - North America, Europe, and the rich places) have a minimalist, if not skewed understanding. This music was created in a unique creative context, and as a result, it has a deeply intriguing aura. It is also a relevant artistic foray into a certain area of the world, in the sense that Pakistan is a key player in NATO's continued (and recently revamped) efforts to establish a Western-friendly government in neighbouring Afghanistan, and to eradicate the seeds of religious fundamentalism and political extremism along the Pakistani-Afghan border. When the whole of Western society is focussed on this area of the world, mostly through the twisted lens of the media, it is important to have people like Victoria Bergsman enter such places with a genuine desire to understand and feel immersed, rather than observe and report.

In order to get across what Bergsman did to record this album, I'll draw a few passages from her press release:

Victoria Bergsman wanted to travel to record in a mysterious, relatively uncharted area avoiding the usual clinical studio experience which she has always disliked and found to be an uncreative environment. She chose Pakistan. The rhythm, drums and flutes of Pakistani music had long captivated Victoria and this, coupled with a deep admiration for one of her favourite singers Abida Parveen and the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, helped her choose Pakistan as the place to record her new album. Another attractive factor was her interest in Sufi musicians who play in order to enter a trance like state, using music to transport themselves to another time and place.

Arriving in Lahore, Bergsman and her sound engineer Andreas Soderstrom, had to act like a married couple in order to assure for her safety in public. They were able to see and experiences a wide variety of things which are inaccessible in the West. For example:

One day, Malik who had many connections and who was hugely respected in the local community, arranged for Victoria to witness (and actually film) Ashura, (where men and boys purge themselves with whips until they bleed, sometimes to death). Despite all the careful arrangements she still had to be briskly swept away when some people realized a woman was present and began to spit at her.

Again, from the start this was an exercise in cross-cultural understanding, which is fairly unique when it comes to the travels of Western people in the "unknown" portions of the world. The evolution of the "Western" identity has, according to some (like Edward Said), grown up by defining itself against Others. That is, it was largely defined itself by emphasizing its differences to the Orient, and through these differences has justified and laid claim to its cultural superiority (For more on this read Said's Orientalism, or simply watch these videos). Therefore, what I am saying is that this album, rather than trying to typify Pakistan through the eyes of a Westerner (in this case Bergsman), has been created through immersion in the culture of Lahore and the surrounding region. It demonstrates the beauty of Pakistani music, not by studying it at arms length, but by experimenting and working with talented local musicians. I think that this is what makes East of Eden a truly interesting and beautiful collection of songs.

What Bergsman and Soderstom have done is enter into an unfamiliar environment with a genuine appreciation and curiosity for the culture and society into which their entering. They have taken elements of their experience and created an album which is profoundly beautiful, evoking images of life in Lahore: crowded streets, the prominence of Islam, the poverty, the traditions and conventions. Bergsman's vocals are soft and delicate, surrounded by instrumental image-inducing instrumental arrangements. The songs are complete with rhythms and drumming from contributing Pakistani musicians. There are also Sufi flutes that are used expertly throughout the album, particularly at the beginning of "Watch the Waves". To top it all off, the album finishes with a musical interpretation of a Hermann Hesse poem entitled "Bekannelse", which in English means, "Confession".

At the end of the day, East of Eden is a deeply enjoyable album. Listening to it is like taking an escape to the other side of the world, one can almost see the sun glinting off buildings which they've never seen, smell the streets which they've never smelled, and feel the sting of restless curiosity which drove Bergsman to create a album of powerful beauty and relevance.

To Lose Someone - Taken By Trees

Day by Day - Taken By Trees

The Mad Ones Podcast #13 - No Boys Allowed

2009-11-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

This blog is guilty of a lot of things. Among such an exhaustive list, one can point to its shitty grammar, its lame leaps at wisdom, and most importantly, its consistent failings to do any sort of justice to the phenomenal music and artistry to which it is a tribute.

On my subway ride home today, I was listening to Little Foot Long Foot, and I was floored by the feeling that I had under-represented female musicians on The Mad Ones. I'm not sure why or how it has happened, but it's a god-damn shame, since obviously the world is brimming with talented women leading musical projects.

On top of that, there is a distinct lack of woman-ness in my life at the moment. At work, I'm surrounded by clownish frat-boy types (but don't get me wrong, I fucking love those guys!), and at home, "I'm inundated and firmly entrenched in the realm of post-adolescent, testosterone-driven hooliganism (and again, don't take this the wrong way, it's awesome!). Because of this, I felt like the time was right to feature a podcast solely dedicated to music made in the brains of the female variety, and to share my current favourites with the likes of you. Can you dig it? Yes you can, and yes, you shall. These songs are chock full of the full spectrum of sound, as well as with a wide range of interesting and provoking ideas (listen especially close to Taken By Trees and Sarah Harmer). Enjoy.

New Love - Ohbijou

Wondering What Everyone Knows - Lightning Dust

Dandelions In Bullet Holes - Sarah Harmer

Sunken Mountains - Nightwood

Watch the Waves - Taken By Trees

Isolation Blues - Little Foot Long Foot

Download!

Rural Alberta Advantage Brilliant in Humble and Electrifying Performance @ Lee's Palace - November 20, 2009

2009-11-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

To borrow and tweak a phrase from Nils Edenloff of The RAA: the air was unbearably electric that night.

I rolled up to Lee's Palace with a few good friends, ticketless on account of my tendency to be irresponsible and leave everything to the last minute. We showed up early, but there was already a respectable line-up of die-hards standing against the wall along the sidewalk, eagerly anticipating the marquee's stated headliners: The Rural Alberta Advantage. As demonstrated in i(heart)music's annual Hottest Band's in Canada Poll, Nils Edenloff, Paul Banwatt, and Amy Cole, have had a massive year. On Friday night, this momentum and energy was put on brilliant display. After a slight mental struggle, we managed to get into the venue, and Jesus Fuck it was well worth the struggle.

After a great opening set provided by Bahamas, The Rural Alberta Advantage graced the sold-out crowd with one hell of a performance. The slower songs were delivered with all of the poignant emotions that are invoked from their album Hometowns. Particularly, "In the Summertime" and "Sleep All Day" were great chances to sway hips with the mass of engrossed witnesses. When the RAA delved into their slowly widening catalogue of energetic, fervent numbers, the entire place erupted. During "Frank AB" the crowd howled along with the numerous "ooooooo" sections, and during "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge", the band's finishing number, Lee's Palace became a frenetic scene complete with hearty singing along and uninhibited dancing. After seeing them perform live, I've realized that Paul Banwatt is the backbone to the Rural Alberta Advantage's instinctual romp-along energy and tight sonic climaxes. His drumming is stellar as hell (check out "Don't Haunt This Place"), and when it's thrown behind the raspy power of Edenloff and the tender vocals and instrumental additions of Amy Cole, their sound is simply brilliant.

Throughout the whole show, as I often do when I'm amazed by something, I gazed around at the various faces surrounding me in the crowd. Almost without exception (the exception being the usual clowns leaning against walls sending text messages), people were fixated, taking in the lyrics and sounds of the RAA. There is something about this band that is difficult to explain. I think it has to do with the idea behind their music, the importance and beauty of the places where the origins of all of our personal characteristics were nurtured and grown. Because of this their music is highly relevant to the experience of many Canadians: leaving their small to mid-sized hometowns behind, along with the cherished people and memories and tattered romances (More of My Words On the Subject).

On top of this, their stage presence was refreshing and genuine. They smiled and laughed and spoke to the crowd, never giving into any sort of self-indulgent snobbery (which many bands who receive any sort of attention all too often seem to do). In particular, Edenloff, who pens the lyrics to their songs, came across with such humility and genuine appreciation for the crowd, making the show all the more enjoyable.

The Rural Alberta Advantage may just be my favourite band of the moment. Their songs are so moving, so energetic, so relatable and real. They left me with a certain kind of warmth in my belly, a certain appreciation and love for everyone in the city.

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of their next collection of songs, and needless to say, the next time they roll through town, I'm gonna buy my tickets days and days in advance.

The Dethbridge in Lethbridge - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Four Night Rider - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Thunderstorms on the Moon Today

2009-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

If you've been anywhere close to the feeling of young, trailblazing, impassioned love, then you will find elements with which you can readily empathize and understand in the music of Kalle Mattson. Hailing from Sault St. Marie, Kalle Mattson's music flows through a similar stylistic tributary as some of the great melodic country-folk-rock/experimental projects of recent years.

Kalle Mattson, comprising of front-man Kalle Wainio, Rory Lewis, Théan Slabbert, and Jimmie Chiverelli, released their full-length debut album, entitled Whisper Bee, in May of this year, and it been warmly received by many a listener.

Their music is reminiscent of a more lyrically accessible John K. Samson combined with a softer, slightly more tender take on Wilco's melodic sensibilities. Whisper Bee is a bouncy and tender collection of songs, with rocking rambly numbers like "Bomb Threat Blues" being effortlessly complemented by gentle flowing acoustic pieces. The whole project carries a sort of youngness that is as interesting as it is refreshing. Songs like "Mourning Dove" and "A to Z" are alive with a truly honest sense of artistic vulnerability. In other words, there are no barriers or productive twists between the sentiments in the lyrics and the feelings emanated from the sound of the music itself. With each slide of a guitar, and every exhalation of Wainio's voice, Kalle Mattson's music carries an omnipresent, and endearing softness. This is particularly evident on such songs as Jack Frost, which features a simple acoustic guitar riff placed behind the simple sweet lyrics of Wainio's gently flowing, warm water voice. As he sings through your headphones, one gets the sense of being surrounded by a calm aura, surrounded by images of a love that was once everything, and is now longingly reflected upon in a moment of loneliness. Here's the last verse from Jack Frost:

Many years on from this song,

I know how things will be.

You send me post-cards from cities afar,

Would you remember me?

Please remember me.

Sad and simple; charming in their honesty. When these qualities are placed inside of Kalle Mattson's skillfully created melodic folk-rock sound, it makes for a highly enjoyable album with which pretty much anyone can identify. I've said before that I think this type of music is intrinsically therapeutic for the human soul. Whisper Bee opens with a Wainio's voice singing through a radio-like haze, as if he's in outer space, sending us a transmission of his music. The song is called "Doctor Day" and he sings: "Thunderstorms on the moon today, and loneliness was kept at bay." This is fitting, since it seems to me that Kalle Mattson's music carries the believable empathy and tender bounciness of sound that contain the best remedies for the deepest ailments of a lonely heart.

A to Z - Kalle Mattson

Jack Frost - Kalle Mattson

Your Love Will Be Safe With Me (Bon Iver, Revisited)

2009-11-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

The other night something unexpected happened while I was exhaustingly hauling my body up the stairs to my apartment door. As always, I had my iPod in, and was listening to God-knows-what. The point is, as I was approaching the stairs, I heard the church choir torrent from the beginning of Bon Iver's "Lump Sum" flood through the crack beneath the door to pierce through the noise in my earphones. I pressed pause and opened the door. There was my friend (who has recently been struck by a dash of 'hopeless romance') lying on the couch with a rum and coke, eyes-closed, taking in every twist and turn of Bon Iver's well-documented and praised album, For Emma, Forever Ago.

This friend of mine immediately jumped up and began excitedly espousing the reasons for his having listened to the album for seven or eight straight hours. As he spoke, I began to think that he was honing in on one of the most crucial and appealing aspects of the album. That is to say, he identified the reason why this album has been so widely identified with.

His eyes dashed behind his glasses as he spun the wheel of his iPod.

"Man...These songs make me want to experience the kind of love that can make someone feel that kind of pain. The kind of love where, when it's over, you can't help but create something this good," he said with a contemplative excitement.

He really made me think about it, and as I said, I think he's onto something. From start to finish, Bon Iver's music has such a deep-reaching effect, and I think that this is the reflection of his stature as an artist, rather than simply as a great musician.

Art is the output one's imagination and perception takes in life and the world around them and filters it through their creative capacities. Vernon's music does just this. Through it's surges of intensity, tender emotiveness, and trickling ice-water vocals, it presents love, longing, and loss in all its awe-inspiring power. It sparks the nether-regions of the listener's heart, and brings out all the brushed away memories of the peaks, plateaus, and pits of old romances. For Emma, Forever Ago is a beautiful encapsulation of love's power to build and destroy, to mend and to cripple. My good friend hit the nail on the head. He felt the beauty of Vernon's art right in the same place in his chest where Vernon felt the pangs that spawned the music.

PS: One of the bands in which Vernon has worked has just released a new album. Check it out. They're called Volcano Choir (review to imminently follow).

PPS: Look at this for a few minutes

The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver

Blood Bank - Bon Iver

re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Elliott Brood @ The Opera House - October 30, 2009

2009-11-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

It was the night before Halloween. The city was loud, and the sidewalk grates carried the distinct smack of shit from the sewers to the nostrils of the passersby. Bike chains rattled as excited concert goers locked their rides to the posts and railings outside on the street outside of Toronto's Opera House. Headlining was local heart-pounding, sweat-inducing, hard folk-rocking trio Elliott Brood. All present were treated to a frenzied romp of a night.

From start to finish, the guys from Elliott Brood electrified the venue, sending waves of enthusiastic hoots and hollers bouncing around the angles and curves of the old theatre. I wish I could provide an intricately detailed song-to-song, moment-to-moment, hilarious comment/happening-to-hilarious comment/happening account of that night, but I was among the appropriately boisterous and wasted sector of the crowd. I will do my best to recap the highlights that still exist in my post-Halloween brain.

For me, Elliott Brood was at their strongest and most powerful during their renditions of "Oh Alberta" and "Write It All Down For You". Especially during the former, their were noticeable reactions from the crowd, mostly in the form of body sways and throating vocal accompaniment. My personal Brood favourite, from Polaris Short List album Mountain Meadows, was also incredibly enjoyable for me. Overall, seeing these three guys perform their songs live made me realize how hardcore their brand of folk/alt.country really is. It's like they grew up listening exclusively to metal and punk, but in their post-teenage years have attained a deep-rooted affinity for more traditional acoustic, roots and folk music. If this is true, then the result is the raw and frenzied jams that Elliott Brood sets forth with such a seemingly natural ease.

Throughout the show, the Opera House was treated to such good vibrations. It was energetic, enjoyable, and the band kept the crowd highly involved. For example, Casey Laforet sat in his usual chair, stage right, strumming his guitar, providing harmonies, and jibbing in with tenderly comedic inter-song banter. On top of this, during the last few songs of their set, the members of the band passed out several metal pans and wooden spoons, which were subsequently passed throughout the crowd. What followed was a multi-song, venue-wide jam session which really set the fucking place on fire. Finally, as if this were not enough, for two of these songs (including the closer, "I Miss You"), Toronto's The Wooden Sky joined the band onstage to shake tambourines and dance and sing ridiculously. It was the icing on the cake to a phenomenal night of instinctual foot-stomping and contagious energy.

As I biked home, all I could think about was quitting my job and riding my bike to Alberta. Elliott Brood is mental sick.

Mental sick.

Write It All Down For You - Elliott Brood

Oh Alberta - Elliott Brood

I(heart)music's Top Bands In Canada Poll - The Mad Ones' Ballot

2009-10-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to say that I was able to participate in Matthew from i(heart)music's fifth annual Hottest Bands In Canada Poll. Just browsing through the list will give you enough mind-blowing music to make you fake the swine flu for at least week or two.

For the poll, voters were asked to make a list of the ten Canadian bands that they thought have had the best overall year thus far in 2009. Not all of my picks made the list, and I wish some had (specifically, Toronto's folk-rock frenzy, Elliott Brood). Nonetheless, as I said, the list is well populated and impressive. I'm especially ecstatic about how one my of favourite bands of the past 10 months (sidenote: restrictive time frame, could easily be "since 2005"), the Rural Alberta Advantage, ending up placing. Check it all out here!

Here's The Mad Ones' ballot:

10. Timber Timbre (placed 7th)

9. Pink Mountaintops

8. The Rural Alberta Advantage (PLACED 1ST!)

7. Elliott Brood

6. Bruce Peninsula (placed 8th)

5. Chad VanGaalen (placed 5th)

4. Hey Rosetta!

3. Japandroids (placed 4th)

2. Ohbijou (placed 6th)

1. The Wooden Sky (placed 19th)

A thousand thanks to Matthew from i(heart)music for putting this together and allowing me to participate. He's got a great website over in Ottawa; his opinions and tastes are well-informed and wise. I suggest that you all become regular readers of his. Dig it deep.

The Mad Ones Podcast #12 - Music I'm Only Recently Getting Into, But Should Have Dug Long Ago...

2009-10-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've contributed anything to the Mad Ones, let alone a full podcast episode. For this I am sorry, but I do have a quasi-legitimate excuse. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been consumed with a personally procured assignment: to finally "get into" several of those bands and artists that everybody says you HAVE to dig deep. Having been a closed-minded political punk snob throughout my entire high school music listening career, many great acts that some consider to be seminal listening from the early part of this decade escaped by apparently pre-disposed ears. So, recently, instead of scouring the back pages of the blogosphere for great new music, I've been searching the iPod's and music libraries of trusted sources to get some much need exposure to some of the greatest contemporary music with which I am relatively unfamiliar. As a result, I've come up with a podcast featuring a brief sampling of a few bands and individual artists that I must regretfully admit I have only recently been exposed to in depth. Here it is, The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Twelve: Music I'm Only Recently Getting Into, but Should Have Dug Long Ago...

Postcards From Italy - Beirut

New Partner - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

Tupelo - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

The Blankets Were the Stairs - Sunny Day Real Estate

The Place Where We Lived - Hayden

Psalms 40:2 - The Mountain Goats

Download!

Daytrotter Nails It! - The Tallest Man On Earth Session

2009-10-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

In recent months, Daytrotter.com has become one of my go-to sources for great new music. Every day, this site puts out a multi-song session by a contemporary musician or band, which is recorded at the website's studio. Along with the session, Daytrotter wordsmith Sean Moeller puts out an article which regularly features well-thought out metaphors and anecdotal imagery to accompany the recorded sounds. Furthermore, illustrator Johnnie Cluney draws up a great cartoon version of the group or individual artist being featured on any given day. (Oh! did I mention that Daytrotter includes free downloads of every song from every session!) Put it all together and you've got one of the best alternative music websites I've ever been exposed to.

I bring this all up now because I've been struck hard by one of their recent sessions featuring The Tallest Man On Earth, one of my favourite 21st century folk singers. The article speaks lucidly about the artist's search for catharsis in a world wrought with pain, despair, and loneliness. The tracks feature rearranged versions of some songs from The Tallest Man On Earth's 2008 album Shallow Graves. I've thrown up the one that strikes me the deepest in order to not only hook you into the work of this gravelroad-voiced Swedish folkster, but permanently draw you into what's going on at Daytrotter.com. It's stuff like this that, I think, is the future of the music industry. Free downloads for people like me and you, great exposure and artistic legitimacy for the artist, and the coolest job of all time for the people behind the Daytrotter experience. Check it out, and dig The Tallest Man On Earth.

I Won't Be Found (Daytrotter Session) - The Tallest Man On Earth

I Know Where All Sweetness Lies

2009-10-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Beacons, the sophomore LP from Toronto orchestral pop band Ohbijou has been getting a lot of attention in recent months, and justifiably so. The record has this inherently warm tone that remains present through the album's various waves of intensity. This tone derives from lead singer and band leader Casey Mecija's sentiments about the city in which she lives, and what she takes from days spent observing and appreciating the sea of humanity and culture in which she exists. Listening to the album leaves one with a certain feeling of hope and comfort, like enjoying a cup of hot chocolate from underneath a warm blanket in a warm cottage during a treacherous blizzard. Despite the crippling poverty, stories of heartbreak, loneliness, and depression that plague our society, Mecija is able to capture the goodness and beauty in it all. She transforms all that she sees into heartfelt music imbued with genuine love for everything in life. I find the album as a soundtrack to the bright side of things. It's a rejuvenating reminder that, no matter how dark the world may seem at a glance, one can always find beauty and goodness when they look between the lines and take the time to contemplate and appreciate its diverse framework of life stories and unique people.

Throughout the album, Mecija's bouncy, crystal-clear vocals are backed by the ochestral sounds of the bands five other members. With strings, piano, guitars and the like, the songs on Beacons are carried forward, delivering wholehearted lyrics in a seemingly effortless breeze towards the listener's ears. The lyrics are often emblazoned with the sentiment that love is everything; that people and passion and youth and romance are what set life on fire with meaning and joy. Take, for example, lyrics from the song "Cliff Jumps", which are ripe with the Romantic notion that eternal love is the truest, most beautiful thing in this world:

I know how I lost my sight

With one quick glance into blazing eyes

I've seen through dark, pitch black to find

you there

I know where all sweetness lies

In dug up holes where our bodies lie

Entwined by love, oh love entwined

by love

Such songs have such a tender sound thats its hard not to swoon and be consumed, to be moved by their warmth and soothingness. Beacons makes the listener feel relaxed and happy, content to sit and admire the beauty behind all of life's suffering, the endearment behind every good deed, and the passion behind every lover's mistake.

Cliff Jumps - Ohbijou

Make It Gold - Ohbijou

Thunderlove - Ohbijou

Destroyer @ The Horseshoe Tavern - October 3, 2009

2009-10-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last night at The Horseshoe Tavern, Torontonians were treated to an amazing show by Destroyer, the musical project of a man who I know consider to be one of Canada’s most interesting and talented musicians. Dan Bejar, who uses the stage name Destroyer, played one hell of a show. The whole performance came off with an almost comic tone, and yet, it demanded to be taken seriously. And it was taken seriously.

On stage, Bejar moves around and plays his instruments with such an intriguing air of nonchalance. He looks like a homeless Adam Sandler who’s been struck by a God-driven lightning bolt full of poetic inspiration. He strums his guitar with little-to-no regard for the audience or their reaction, and he would end most songs with a complete and sloppy abruptness. The crowd stood transfixed; mesmerized and totally engrossed in the display to which they were bearing witness.

After playing several songs, mostly drawing from his 2008 album Trouble In Dreams, Bejar was joined by a group of talented musicians. What ensued was electrifying. The arrangements were lofty, consistently flirting with the brink of sonic chaos, always to return safely to the confines of musical convention. Bejar would turn towards the drummer and the bassist and hammer out the rhythm on his guitar, while a saxophone and lead guitar would carry the melody to the rafters. Once the band retired backstage after four or five songs, Bejar reclaimed the front and centre position with his acoustic guitar, executing another twenty minutes of poetry-in-motion for the swaying and attentive audience.

Throughout the performance, all I could think of was how he reminded me of Bob Dylan in his mid-twenties, when his lyrical imagery and vocal delivery was at its most psychedelic, vague, and seemingly-possessed juncture. Bejar had the same air about him; he emanated the feeling that he was connected to a deep stream of awareness about life and the way of the world. From behind his lampshade of black curls, Bejar gives the impression that he simply needs to share the sounds that wrack his brain. They just have to get out.

Destroyer has recently released a two-song EP called Bay of Pigs. Dig into it.

Bay of Pigs - Destroyer

Harper Gets By With a Little Help From Yo Yo Ma

2009-10-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up with a strong inclination to write about the live performance that I witnessed last night. It was thought provoking and totally electrifying. I have a lot of words to share on the subject, but before I address them, I NEEEEEED to share this video.

As I sat drinking my Sunday morning coffee, I stumbled upon a news article describing how The Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a surprise appearance at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa to perform the Beatles song "With A Little Help From My Friends" accompanied by the legendary Yo Yo Ma.

I know this sounds totally ridiculous, and it is! The whole thing is really quite strange; from the way Harper timidly walks onstage with a forced confidence, to how the audience laughs uproariously as he starts to sing. Perhaps the craziest thing about all this (besides the fact that our usually robotic Prime Minister is singing the Beatles with Yo Yo Ma) is that he actually doesn't sound that bad. Harper's definitely got decent pipes, and maybe now I can finally move past his archaic views on climate change, his hard-line views on crime and punishment, and his lack of inclination to fortify the social safety net in times of economic hardship......maybe.

A Mountain Is A Mouth Eating Up the Sky

2009-10-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Music is the most powerful imaginative stimulant in the universe. It can take you everywhere, overwhelm you with waves of emotion, and bury your mind's eye in a flurry of mental images. It can bring you up, bring you down, and put you squarely into someone else's shoes.

Some creations can be stark reminders of music's almost religious power; they immediately make the listener feel the transformative effects of the sound. One such album, which I'm sorry to say I recently heard for the very first time, is A Mountain Is a Mouth by Toronto psychedelic folk ensemble Bruce Peninsula.

This expansive ensemble of musicians make sounds with such a transformative potency. It has a quality that makes me feel like I can smell the backcountry air. It's like it was born in the middle of nowhere, and has been beamed to us all of the toilers in the grime of 'civilization' as a stark reminder of the beauty and rawness that is the natural world.

As I sit and listen it, preferably through my headphones, I find myself in the face of a torrent of images. I picture deep dark North Ontario, woods so dark and mysterious, containing the ghosts of an Iroquois Confederacy. The primal-feeling drums on songs like "Crabapples" make my blood beat, they make me want to run barefoot into the forest like an animal. This collection of songs reminds me of little Canadian folk ditties, like the song "Dip Dip and Swing", that we were all made to sing in our safe little elementary school music rooms.

The tone of the album swings from pulse-pounding and contagiously energetic, with its back and forth singing and runaway rhythms, to tender, soft, and reflective minimalist pieces. Songs like "2nd 4th World War" and "Satisfied" hit crescendoes of intensity before they melt like a glacier into a pool of tranquility where songs like "Weave Myself A Dress" and "Drinking All Day" spend their existence.

Bruce Peninsula are playing TONIGHT (October 1st) at the Horseshoe Tavern. If you're anywhere near Toronto, I strongly suggest getting into that building and taking an spiritual and imaginative journey to the forlorn corners of the world, where beauty isn't transient and life is laid out raw and simple, stripped of all it's man-made filters and deviations.

2nd 4th World War - Bruce Peninsula

Crabapples - Bruce Peninsula

Videos: Rah Rah, Chris Hickey, The Rural Alberta Advantage

2009-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today I've been browsing the blogosphere and have come across several videos that I thought were worth sharing with all of you loyal Mad Onesians. The first is a creepy, skin-crawler of a video set to the song "Fuck NAFTA" by Regina's own Rah Rah.

The second is a great video set to the humbling poetry in motion of California singer-songwriter Chris Hickey. Specifically the song is "Kerouac" the lead single from his forthcoming album Razzmatazz.

And finally, here's a little treat from The Rural Alberta Advantage: a simple and sentimental video accompanying their beautiful piano-based emotionally provoking song, "In the Summertime". Hope you guys dig it all.

The Mad Ones Podcast #11 - Urban Angst, Modern Dissatisfaction

2009-09-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

As a self-labeled social democrat, I've always felt a kind of antipathy towards the contemporary capitalist structures of society. All too often, people are lost amidst the struggle to be noticed, get a job, pay the bills, get an education, and find an avenue of opportunity. The imperatives of our economic system relentlessly pressure corporations and businesses to improve their efficiency, drive down wages, reinvest surplus in their means of production, expand and be innovative. As a result, the competition never stops. Industrial jobs are being sent to where the exploitation of workers is more profitable, and the minimum wage service industry is scooping up all the jobless drifters who can't find their passion or direction. These are difficult things to find, and in a society where real opportunity exists in the upper strata of our engrained class structure, many people face difficult odds at a good life with a fulfilling and interesting career. Throw a broken heart, or a stint of hard luck in the mix, and the mountains of one's dreams can begin to seem insurmountable.

Many songs have been written with such themes in mind. For the 11th Mad Ones Podcast, I thought it would be interesting to play songs that delve into this modern condition. Many of them point to the ridiculousness of the entire system; its contradictions, its pointless obstacles. They question the purpose of participating in a system that can, to borrow an idea from Karl Marx, alienate us from ourselves, and from eachother. Have we become nothing more than scrambling pawns, begging people to buy our labour at a lower price than we actually deserve? Are we destined to feel the sting of first world guilt when we consider the pettiness of our trails when they are put up against those in the slums of Mumbai or the agricultural fields of the Global South? Surely there's more to life than buying and selling. Maybe enlightenment and happiness are out there somewhere. Maybe our old mate Kerouac was onto something in his admiration for men like Gary Snyder (Here referred to as Japhy):

We pushed the bike down past the various college hangouts and cafeterias and looked into Robbie's to see if we knew anybody. Alvah was in there, working his part-time job as busboy. Japhy and I were kind of outlandish-looking on the campus in our old clothes in fact Japhy was considered an eccentric around the campus, which is the usual thing for campuses and college people to think whenever a real man appears on the scene -- college being nothing but grooming schools for the middle-class non-identity which usually finds its perfect expression on the outskirts of the campus in rows of well-to-do houses with lawns and television sets in each living room with everybody looking at the same thing at the same time while the Japhies of the world go prowling in the wilderness to hear the voice crying in the dark mysterious secret of the origin of faceless wonderless crapulous civilization. (From Chapter 6 of The Dharma Bums)

Also, these songs often bring up vivid imagery and scenes from modern urban life: gun fights, drunk bums, crooked cops, directionless non-believers, and the like. I hope the songs I've chosen make you question the way the world works, and why it is that we constantly have to be looking for references, using people as networking tools, and padding our resume with half-truths in order to fit a widely held social definition of what a 'good person' should be (Remember to be punctual and tediously organized).

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan

...And We Thought Nation States Were a Bad Idea - Propagandhi

(AntiChrist Television Blues) - Arcade Fire

1913 Massacre - Woody Guthrie

Greater Omaha - Desaparecidos

Lost In the Flood - Bruce Springsteen

Download!

The 2009 Polaris Prize Goes To.....FUCK!

2009-09-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

FUCKED UP - The Chemistry of Common Life

That is correct. As was said today on Quick Before It Melts, I can't wait to see the various ways the media tries to convey this message with out saying or writing the word, FUCKED.

I have to admit, in the months leading up to last night's Polaris Prize Gala, I never even gave this Toronto band a fighting chance. In my mind, (as was made obvious in my prediction), I was anticipating the jury to behave as it had in the past. That is, I was sure they would lean towards the haunting, layered, hazy, and challenging sounds provided by such bands as Patrick Watson, or Chad VanGaalen. If you ask me, past winners Patrick Watson, Caribou, and Final Fantasy all fall into the above description to some extent. As a result, Fucked Up winning this year's Polaris is a bit of a surprise for me. So much so in fact, that I'm relatively unfamiliar with their Polaris-prize winning album The Chemistry of Common Life. Out of the short list, I chose to focus on VanGaalen, and Hey Rosetta!, and Patrick Watson, etc., and merely assumed that a hardcore punk band wouldn't cater to the tastes of the jury. But how fucking fucked up was my fucking head. Fuck!

Whatever you do, don't let the musings of a twisted lonely little blogger affect your opinion of Fucked Up in any way. When it comes to their output, I'm a relative newb. But what I do know is this: Fucked Up have clearly made an incredible album in The Chemistry of Common Life. I know that their brand of hardcore punk is more sophisticated, and lofty in scope and profundity than such a label could ever divulge.

All in all, I'm really happy that the Polaris Prize jury threw the prize money in a different direction this year. It's great for the future of the prize, which has defied my impressions of being weighed down by tight-ass hipster snobbery, and it's great for a band like Fucked Up, who has now garnered far more attention, hype, and praise than their aptly shocking moniker ever could have. Congratulations to Fucked Up!

No Epiphany - Fucked Up

Twice Born - Fucked Up

I Drink Rain and Piss Out Acid

2009-09-21T07:37:00.001-07:00

It's currently 10:30 in the morning. I'm sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee (straight black due to lack of milk), and I'm looking forward to another day of my job search in this sink-or-swin, cut-throat society of ours. As I've been out pounding the pavement for the past couple weeks, I've constantly been having thoughts about whether or not this modern world is inevitably linked to urban dissatisfaction. Maybe it's because, recently, I've been driven to a new level of cynicism, but every person that passes me by or sits next to me on the subway seems depressed. Nobody smiles, everyone's balding. We're all lonesome in Canada's biggest city. The air constantly smells like shit as it carries the sounds of angry car-honks and squealing brakes. Everyone looks the same, listens to the same music on their Ipod Nano's, and eats the same inorganically produced fast-food.

Awareness of this bleak picture of reality can come in and out of one's perspective on life, but when it comes into the front of the mind, when dissatisfaction shows it's mangled face and won't leave you alone, it's endlessly helpful to turn to an album like Eats Darkness, the latest LP from Apostle of Hustle, the post-Broken Social Scene focus of guitarist Andrew Whiteman. Essentially, the album is an aggressive reaction to modern life's inadequacies as Whiteman perceives them. With songs like "Xerses", and "Eazy Speaks", Apostle of Hustle creates the impression that we shouldn't turn the other cheek. If we don't like the endless kilometres of strip-malls, the suburban commutes, the way the streets reek of diarrhea, then we need to fucking do something about it. In the context of the electro-rock-hip hop mixtape feel of the album, this tone of aggression and restless dissatisfaction is powerful and uplifting.

Another interesting thing about Eats Darkness is the inclusion of several short vignettes that include sound loops, spoken word poetry, gun shots, and the like. I think that these scenes enhance the album greatly by solidifying its revolutionary flavour (my favourite has to be "Return to Sender"). The message: don't back down, don't give up. Take in all the darkness of the world and transform it into something useful and positive, even if all you can come up with is white hot anger, at least you'll feel that you're alive.

Xerses - Apostle of Hustle

Eazy Speaks - Apostle of Hustle

When I'm Gone Don't Be Surprised

2009-09-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

A while back, I wrote a post anticipating the release of The Wooden Sky's sophomore album, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. In it, I spoke about how I felt the band had taken a couple evolutionary steps. Namely, they have grown more sophisticated in sound; there is a wider element of experimentation and a deeper profundity to their lyrics.

Now, after having listened to said album on repeat for a few weeks, I'm not so sure what to say. Surely the lyrics are profound and interesting, and the sound is enticing in its moments of raucous intensity, and haunting, sombre, reflective folkiness. But, I think the main point that I need to get across when reviewing this album is that it is SERIOUS. That is, it is serious in that it is the musical brainchild of a group of seriously talented musicians. It is more thoughtful and heavy and (as far as I'm concerned) interesting than their previous record.

The album contain elements from several genres of music from traditional American folk to choral opera-like rock arrangements. During songs like "Oslo" or "An Evening Hymn", the Wooden Sky-esque electric guitar picking takes the listener to a quiet place where they can contemplate emotional scenes from their own lives. The entire album has a ghost-like tone; at times it feels like the listener is sitting in a church pew, at others they are alone in their bedroom, haunted my the emotions being poured through their stereo speakers. For me, the most moving song comes at the end of the album, and I think it's there that the general theme of the album becomes the most clear. The song is called "River Song One" and it's a beautifully constructed metaphor for betrayal, weakness, and loss. The album is about moving on from the past, and about confronting a crisis of faith in the existence of love in the world around us. Take these lines from "River Song One":

We both lay there shaking, our hands in the river

Saying 'I'm sure we were born just to die'

When the water rushed in I gave into my sins

And found my own way to higher ground

Where I watched as the water took hold of your body

From high on my hill of retreat

And you smiled up at me amongst the bodies and trees

And I didn't sleep for a week after that

Sung over a simple piano-based melody, this song captures feelings of guilt and betrayal with a sharp poignancy. It is the perfect example of what makes If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone a fantastic album. The song-writing is honest, emotive, and heartfelt, and the sound and musical arrangements bring out all the lyrics imagery and feeling in a way that hammers on the listener's heart.

Call If You Need Me. - The Wooden Sky

River Song One - The Wooden Sky

Check out this sick and twisted live performance of "The Late King Henry", which also appears on If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. These guys are phenomenal. Everybody who digs music needs to get into this.

Are You Alone Tonight?

2009-09-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

Any regular reader of this blog will probably be able to ascertain that I have a strong affinity for soft, honest, twang-ridden folk music. Acoustic guitars, harmonicas, banjos, thoughtful lyrics; these are the things that probably strike me the deepest when it comes to music. For this reason, when I come across a song such as "The End" by Pennsylvania's own Peasant, I feel some kind of rush of blood behind my nostrils.

Hailing from small-town Pennsylvania, Peasant (really named Damien DeRose) has a particularly heart-felt delivery in his songs. This delivery comes almost exclusively from the shaky falsetto of his voice. It squeaks out of the speakers like a sharp wind and vibrates up to your ears with a sort of whiny clarity. When it is combined with his honest and straight-forward lyricism, and the simple accompaniment of soft shakers and distortionless guitar riffs, "The End" becomes a painful reflection of one's own pangs of loneliness and dissatisfaction. The song transcends the artist's own experiences and inspirations to touch listeners and take on the experiences and thoughts that populate their lives.

"The End", along with the song "Thinking" was released earlier this month by Paper Garden Records as a prelude to the 2010 release of Peasant's full-length LP entitled Shady Retreat. If these songs are any indication of what's to come, which surely they must be, then Shady Retreat may just be one of the most exciting things to look forward to for a lonely blogger with an irrepressible fondness for honest, emotive poetry in motion.

The End - Peasant

The Mad Ones Podcast #10 - Toronto

2009-09-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

A thousand apologies for the lack of blogging on my part; I've been in the process of wrapping up my sweet summer spent in beautiful and eternally glorious Kamloops, British Columbia. As it happens, I've also moved out east to Toronto with the hopes of landing some gainful and fulfilling employment, while at the same time getting out to a hell of a lot more live shows that can be featured on The Mad Ones. Here's my first post from Toronto, a podcast featuring a bunch of Torontonian artists whom I would love to check out while I'm here. Hope you can dig it.

I'll be getting back into the swing of things soon, and I'll try to start being a good (....?....) blogger again.

The Ballad of the RAA - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Thunderlove - Ohbijou

Foxes Mate For Life - Born Ruffians

Gold Gun Girls - Metric

Xerses - Apostle of Hustle

River Song One - The Wooden Sky

Download!

The Mad Ones Podcast #9 - Cover Tunes

2009-08-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

While I was in the shower today, I found myself humming along to the song "Panama" by Van Halen (which has enjoyed a recent resurgence in favour among the aimless masses due to it's appearance in the film Superbad). As the chorus came closer to the front of my mind, I broke out into full-blown singing. The point of sharing this little tid-bit of my day is that it got me thinking about cover songs, for I have recently come across a fantastic and subdued cover of this very song while scouring the blogosphere. As far as I'm concerned, cover songs are a necessary component of any serious musicians repertoire. They reveal some of their deepest influences, and they can also showcase the ability to transform a recognizable song into something completely different, transcending the boundaries of musical genre and challenging the listener to think about something familiar in a new light. With this in mind, give a listen and a download to the latest podcast, complete with a few of my current favourite cover songs.

Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division Cover) - Broken Social Scene

Panama (Van Halen Cover) - Rock Plaza Central

Corrina, Corrina (Bob Dylan Cover) - Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

New York, New York (Frank Sinatra, et al. Cover) - Cat Power

Desperado (The Eagles Cover) - Johnny Cash and June Carter

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Fleet Foxes Cover) - First Aid Kit

Download!

The Greenbelt Collective: An Archetypal Indie-Pop Orchestra

2009-08-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, my family and I, being reunited as a whole for the first time in a long while, went on a trip down to Vancouver to dig life and visit our Grandma. While in the big city, my older brother and I had the chance to gather a few friends and waltz on down to East Hastings to see some live music in an endearingly grungy little hovel called the Funky Winkerbean. There, I bore witness to a very interesting and energetic set by a local band called The Greenbelt Collective, and I would like to share my thoughts on their music with The Mad Ones' readers.

After hearing a couple generic yet talented folk singers and one intriguingly passionate blues rock duo, I was blown away by the immense scope of The Greenbelt Collectives' sound. It was a shame, since the earlier acts had driven out most of the crowd, but their music made an impact on me nonetheless. At first they reminded me of a younger less experimental version of Broken Social Scene. The band had so many members that I can't even begin to guess how many people shared the stage that night. There was a trumpet, a guitar, a bass, drums, keyboards, several vocalists, tambourines, and several dancing bodies. These guys are an archetypal indie orchestra: A wide variety of instruments that playing catch with the melody, and simultaneous singing that largely ignores the nuances of harmony to smack your ear-drums with a beautiful consonance. So much was going on, and the music remained cohesive, energetic, and contagiously danceable. If it weren't for the shitty turn-out, I'm sure the set would have been much longer and the night, a lot sweatier. However, make no mistake, this band doesn't make the kind of music that would start a grimy sort of lose-your-shit type of dance party; they are more akin to the type of band that garners a large group of beat-swayers and striding couples.

Named after their noble efforts to garner and protect small-time artists and musicians in their local community, The Greenbelt Collective have an honest, energetic indie pop sound that is heartwarming and fun. In anticipation of the release of their latest LP, General Meeting, the Collective has been touring and playing prolifically to spread the goodness that is their music. You'll dig it deep when they're at a live setting near you!

The Greenbelt Collective - General Meeting

OBJECTIVE ADJECTIVE - A Brief Step Away From Music To Get Real For A Minute

2009-08-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Obviously, this is a music blog, but today, I want to bring a particular project in thoughtful writing to everyones attention. A good friend of mine who now lives in San Diego has started an exceptionally well-written and interesting blog. It can be found HERE! (www.objectiveadjective.com)

(link also in the links list on the side there)

My friend, who goes by Justine on the blog, is a extremely articulate and well-read young woman, who has much to say on many topics. Whether it be on the topic of consumerism, politics, or women's rights, Justine can write thousands of words espousing her well-balanced and even-headed perspective. My personal favourite from her blog thus far is an essay she wrote discussing how Marxism as a theory has been generally demonized in American society. She lucidly describes how this prevents a real understanding of both history, and the evolution of political thought and ideology, for many people living South of the border (the Canadian border that is...).

Objective Adjective is sure to be a sensation. With great writing and sharp insight, this blog is definitely worth being chalked up on your Favourites Bar. Keep the enlightenment coming Justine!

PS: Fuck it, here's some music!

The Only Good Facist Is A Very Dead Facist - Propagandhi

Propaganda - Dead Prez

Forever Young - Bob Dylan (with the Band)

Chris Hickey's Tribute to our Buddhist-loving Alcoholic

2009-08-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

It is painfully obvious that much of the spirit and tone of this blog is inspired by the work of beat-poet and novelist Jack Kerouac. It's how he captures the restlessness and wonder of early adulthood, how he pin-points the sad beauty and humanity that exists in the underbelly culture of America, that has really spoken to generations of people like me.

I mention this because last week, I received an email containing an mp3 of a song entitled "Kerouac" by a veteran Los Angeles folk singer named Chris Hickey. Hickey has been involved in the creation of music for upwards of thirty years, producing independent solo-albums and having been involved with bands such as Spoiler, Show of Hands, and Uma. His song-writing has been likened to the legendary Bob Dylan, and, from what I have heard, his music has a kind of accessible simplicity that places the lyrics at the forefront of his songs.

Due out in September, Hickey has completed a new solo album called Razzmatazz. In an age so often defined by heavy production and endless layers of synths and guitar work, the 16 songs on this album are refreshing in their honest purity. Featuring simply Hickey and his guitar, all of the songs were writing over a period of three weeks and recorded in Hickey's "bedroom on a hand-held recorder."

The song "Kerouac" is a prime example of what is to be found on Razzmatazz. The lyrics roll along the melody in a way that is reminiscent of a more subdued "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Here's a little taste of the chorus:

Paradise Overnight On The Road On A Scroll

Kerouac in the back, Moriarty magic act

Neil Deal at the Wheel

On the Road Overload

Good times fun and frolic

Buddhist-loving alcoholic

It's a humble tribute to the massive influence that Mr. Kerouac has had on intellectual culture in America. Clearly, Hickey is familiar with Kerouac's catalogue of work, and wants to immortalize his gratitude in song. The result is a playful and intriguing piece of music that leaves the listener wanting to hear the remaining 15 songs on the album.

Razzmatazz can be purchased here! "Kerouac" is a prime introduction to the type of folk music that this veteran song-writer is capable of creating. I strongly suggest getting into Hickey's music, for it is as beautiful, moving, and sad as a simple gift from your little brother on Christmas Day.

"I salute you. I am grateful. May I realize the path to enlightenment."- Chris Hickey

Kerouac - Chris Hickey

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Eight - Special Guest Edition: Folk Music With Kelsey Bhatti

2009-08-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Folk Music.

With special guest Kelsey Bhatti.

This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie Cover) - Bob Dylan

Furr - Blitzen Trapper

Talkin' Union - Pete Seeger

Simple As It Should Be - Tristan Prettyman

Kerouac - Chris Hickey

Where Do My Bluebirds Fly? - The Tallest Man On Earth

Mr Tambourine Man (Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1966) - Bob Dylan

Download!

Some Hearts Bleed; Our Hearts SWEAT!

2009-08-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night, and it seems like the city is in a partying mood. I just received a phone call from a friend informing me of his desire to have a "HUGE night". I also just walked over to the local liquor store to pick up a 12 pack for my little brother. The Thompson Valley is full of smoke, and all anyone seems to want to do is get obliterated. Rather than resist this phenomenon, I think it would be rather appropriate to help everyone out by bringing some high intensity, get-your-party-pants-on type of music. In fact, what I'm referring to is a streaming video of a live set from way back in February by Mad Ones favourites, Japandroids. Recorded at the Cobalt in Vancouver, the video features the two piece band doing what they do best. It's the perfect sound track to a pre-drink full of such hooliganisms as beer shotgunning, flip-cup, beer pong, King's Cup etc.

Japandroids are raw, passionate, angsty, and smart, and thus far this year, they've been on a fucking tear. Their latest album Post-Nothing has exploded in popularity. They've been touring across the continent all summer, and their momentum shows no signs of slowing down. As far as I can tell, this two-piece garage rock ensemble is injecting some much needed, true, balls-to-the-wall rock and roll into all of our lives. Check out the Cobalt set on their website HERE!

I hope somebody out their gets drunk to this tonight.

Party On.

Dig Japandroids.

Burn On British Columbia.

Burn On.

Like A Cut Down Tree I Will Rise Again

2009-08-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows that it takes time to recover from heartbreak, that is, everyone who has actually experienced it. In an instant, as you walk home down a dark empty street, your whole world has gone askew. You're physically ill. You feel drunk off the air. You get home and you crumble to tears in the shower. You'll be distant and unreachable for weeks, months, even years. Heartbreak is a life altering phenomenon, and as a result, it's surrounding emotions and drawn out aftermath have been the subject matter for countless generations of artists in every creative field. Everyone can identify with these themes, even if my description may seem hyperbolic and pathetic.

When it comes to the lyrical content and auditory tone of Noah and the Whale, romance and love being lost have consistently been dominant. However, what I find interesting about their new album is how it documents the waves of emotion that follow a jarring break off with a loved one. Entitled, The First Days of Spring, the album takes the listener on a journey of images and sound, from the point of disbelief and agony, to hope for new love and/or rekindled love, and then finally, to the first day of spring (this being a metaphor for the turn away from the past and towards the future that allows one to let go of the love they lost and move on with their lives).

The general tone of the album is rather sombre, yet it is highly soothing in a way. The way lead singer Charlie Fink moans the lyrics through his soft baritone is comforting in a way. It's as if to say: "I've been there man, I know it's rough, but it's going to be okay."

Even when the lyrics are at their most depressing points, the surrounding music provides a context that seems to slowly lift the listener to emotional recovery. A great example of this is how the song gains strength as Fink drops into the verse:

Spring can be the coolest of months

Yet bringing in new life, promising so much

Like the pledge that you gave

When you said you'd always love me

And we both know by autumn

We're like the colour of leaves

The redeeming nature of this album is reminiscent of such great break-up albums as The Weakerthan's Left and Leaving, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, or Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy. After the massive success of their debut album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, Fink and his band could have made an album that drove for the more pop-laden folkishness that they can create with astounding expertise. Instead, they chose to follow their hearts and create an album with a sound that perfectly coincides with the experiences that, I would assume, they were going through and were therefore dominating their minds.

The First Days of Spring is a stirring album to listen to. It takes you so many places as it plays from start to finish. So many significant scenes from your life flash before the eye in your mind. People come and go in all of our lives, and it's important to always remember that the Spring is always waiting to burst forth at the end of winter, no matter how long, dark, and cold it has been.

Our Window - Noah and the Whale

My Door Is Always Open - Noah and the Whale

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Seven: Cheer Up

2009-08-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

There are some days when no matter where you are, what you're doing, and how the weather is behaving, you will feel like a sentimental bag of sawn off dicks. I guess I had one of those days today, and am therefore leaning on music to make me feel like myself again. This one is dedicated to "every hung up person in the whole wide universe".

Abraham Lincoln - Best Friends Forever

All I Want Is You - Barry Louis Polisar

Happy Banjo - Dark Mean

Honey Blanket - Great Bloomers

New Goodbye - Hey Rosetta!

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Demo Version) - Bob Dylan

(Don't Tremble) - The Low Anthem

Download!

I Never Wanted You Dead

2009-07-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago I happened to stumble upon a gig at a bar in a Kamloops bowling alley in which The Wooden Sky were playing. These guys rocked the house, playing songs from their album When Lost At Sea. Their sound was way bigger than the venue in which they were showcased, and yet, they performed with an air of graceful humility that made them all the more endearing to me. Since seeing The Wooden Sky in that place and time, I have grown to love all of their creative output. That is, I became a massive fan of their album When Lost At Sea. They play a fantastic brand of folk, rock and alternative country all melded together behind lead singer Gavin Gardener's powerful rasp-ridden vocals. From start to finish, When Lost At Sea is both captivating and entertaining, complete with great lyrics and skilled storytelling.

In light of all this, I've been eagerly waiting for any sort of whispering about a new album from The Wooden Sky. Finally, my prayers have been answered. Due to come out on August 25th, The Wooden Sky are to release their sophomore LP, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone.

Recently, the Canadian music blogosphere has been abuzz about this news, and the band is gaining the sort of attention I've always felt they deserved. One song in particular, called "Something Hiding For Us in the Night" (posted below) has been tossed around a lot as the hype has been mounting. Based on this song, I feel like their sound has evolved to become slightly more atmospheric and presented in a more modern fashion than the straight ahead folk rock/country approach of their previous effort. The song has a kind of ghostly feeling in which Gardener's vocals poke through the mist and fog created by the steady drum beat and guitar. It seems to be more of a complex piece of music than most of the songs on the previous album, and this complexity is used intriguingly as the sound wavers in intensity throughout the duration of the song.

Based on what I have heard from the new album, The Wooden Sky's music still conjures up those feelings that make one what to lean back and appreciate the world around them, to contemplate their position in life, or to simply enjoy a midsummer sunset from a thoughtful backyard perch. This type of music falls squarely into that which I perceive to be most worthwhile, and so I am advising everyone from far and wide to somehow listen to this album as soon as they can.

Something Hiding For Us In The Night - The Wooden Sky

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Six: Rub My Belly

2009-07-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

This week, due to my lack of energy, I've decided to put together a bunch of songs that are both soothing and enjoyable. Hopefully you can fall asleep to this.

Mississippi (Unreleased Version) - Bob Dylan

Radio Cure - Wilco

None of the Above - The Weakerthans

Barricade - Stars

Furr - Blitzen Trapper

We're All In This Together - Old Crow Medicine Show

Download!

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Five: The Punk Show

2009-07-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

Today, while driving around these summery Kamloops streets, I popped in an old CD of mine that was full of the punk rock of my high school years. Propagandhi, Lagwagon, NOFX, Good Riddance, Bad Religion, and the likes. I found myself slapping the steering wheel and felt the fire of political passion that has recently been absent from my chest. It also brought me back to those old high school days of being terrified to talk to girls and also feeling lost in the world (maybe not much has changed). This music is so youthful in its angst and perspective, it brought me back to the recesses of my memory in which all of these experiences are kept. So, on account of this incident, I've decided to have a little punk show this week. Hope you all enjoy it!

Back to the Motor League - Propagandhi

Flies First Class - Good Riddance

9/11 For Peace - Anti-Flag

American Jesus - Bad Religion

Bob - NOFX

Beer Goggles - Lagwagon

My Very Own Flag - Less Than Jake

Through Your Teeth 2001 - Layaway Plan

Start Wearing Purple - Gogol Bordello

Download!

Do Not Cry A Million Lakes

2009-07-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

American folk music has always had a flair for the vulgar, a tendency to speak from the perspective of the everyday individual. It's had a penchant to portray ramblers and gamblers and outlaws as the heros who stick it to the greedy and fight for the freedom and dignity of the toiling masses of the working class and the impoverished. I feel like such themes are among the most poignant and emotionally stirring that can be set to music. This type of music aims to capture that buried goodness that exists at the centre of our hearts. It speaks to the goodness that is possible in a "sink or swim" world. Classic fables of the underdog, and the perseverance of good over evil.

The reason why I mention all of this is because I recently was introduced to the fantastic collection of modern folk songs that make up Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, the latest LP to come from Rhode Island band The Low Anthem. These guys fit right into the tradition that I'm talking about. Their lyrics are painfully aware of the troublesome world in which me live, and they use the ideas of Charles Darwin as a method of implying that this realm is a merciless place, where justice is elusive and the strong dominate the weak. However, flowing through the heartfelt sound of the record are verses of hope and love and goodness. The Low Anthem have created an album that fits into that eternally confusing place between the innate goodness and innate evil of humankind. Their songs meander out of the speakers with an unmistakeable air of sorrow. One might even call life "nasty, brutish, and short." And yet, as I said, the silver lining remains around each tale of the downtrodden or the heartbroken. The song also "Ticket Taker" emanates these sentiments with a soft power.

They say the sky’s the limit

But the sky’s about to fall

Down come all them record books cradle and all

They say before he bit it

That the boxer felt no pain

But somewhere there’s a gamblin’ man

With a ticket in the rain

Beyond their incredibly interesting lyrical content, The Low Anthem have a highly versatile sound, setting them apart from the thousands (maybe millions) of modern-day folkers attempting to make an impact in the hearts and minds of their listeners. Some songs, such as "Cage the Songbird" have a haunting Simon-and-Garfunkel-esque type sound, with falsetto vocals over sweet sounding guitars and harps. However, songs such as "Champion Angel" and "The Horizon is a Beltway" give the album more diversity and allow the listener to remain engaged and even be surprised by the change in tone. The singer's voice changes from it's smooth clearness to a hearty rasp, giving such songs an edgy rock feel.

Oh My God, Charlie Darwin by The Low Anthem is deep as the depths of Hell. It has several layers in which the listener can indulge. One can focus on the romantics of "On the Way to Ohio", the sorrows of "Charlie Darwin", or the straight ahead romping rhythm of "Omgcd". Whatever sound one takes a liking to, amidst the contrasts of lyrical bleakness and uplifting poetics, one is sure to find that tragically misunderstood underdog, struggling in his chains behind the gates of the seventh layer of Hell. The devil; the personification of evil with whom we can empathize because of the nugget of human complexity buried in his heart that simultaneously allowed him to exercise free will and be damned for all eternity.

Ticket Taker - The Low Anthem

Champion Angel - The Low Anthem

On A Night Like This

2009-07-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

First thing's first, I was unable to do my podcast last night. It was a massive and irresponsible mishap for which I am deeply ashamed. However, I'm not going to skew the schedule by throwing up some kind of desperate hail mary attempt at podcast redemption, especially since it's a quiet, soothingly friendly, and orange-tinged Kamloops summer night. There's no need to sweat about stuff like that on a night like this. Night's like this call for a couple beers, some time spent outside, perhaps some comfortable conversation. It's the kind of night that makes me imagine I'm a dusty footed local, strolling the assumedly lazy streets of musical Kingston (Jamaica! not Ontario). In my dusk time daydream, I'm passing by little clubs, out of which is pouring the music of Jimmy Cliff, then Bob Marley, and then, as if I'm slapped in the face, the single blast of a trombone flies out into the street. The drums accentuate the off-beats, the melodies are accessible and the rhythm makes me want to dance. Ska music. Tonight calls for some discusson of Ska.

Tomorrow night Kamloops, BC will be treated to the R&B oriented ska of Regina band Skavenjah. These guys have been together since 1992, but they can still start a party at any venue lucky enough to showcase them. I'm sure they'll even join the party once the last note is sung, or the last beat is banged. Their live show is famous for it's energy, and much of it has been captured on their latest release, One More Night With You - Live. There music is uplifting in the sense that it is fresh, given the overwhelming focus on dance pop, or variations of orchestral and experimental folk-country-rock stuff that has dominated the music scene of late. And Skavenjah aren't just a new take on an old style. There music is very much situated in the ska that came out of those Jamaican streets in the 1950s and 1960s. On sweet summer nights, when the air is just right, it's music like this that can really speak to peoples thoughts and feelings. If you're in Kamloops, check out Skavenjah tomorrow night at the Blue Grotto.

Also check out how they sound (and look...) live here.

The Short List: Thoughts and Predilections

2009-07-09T19:32:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday July 7th, the forty album's nominated for the Polaris Prize were trimmed down to ten. They are:

Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows

Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life

Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels

Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs

K'naan - Troubadour

Malajube - Labyrinthes

Metric - Fantasies

Joel Plaskett - Three

Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane

Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms

Upon seeing the short list on Tuesday, my first impressions were rather positive, since a number of Mad Ones favourites are featured in the list. These include Hey Rosetta!, Elliott Brood, and K'naan. One can take a look in this blog's archives to find that I have a great appreciation for all three of these albums, and am therefore happy to see them on the short list.

The second thing I felt as I scrolled up and down the list was surprise. I fully expected Woodpigeon and Timber Timbre to crack the short list (although, this expectation is based solely on my general impressions of the jury's musical slants and preferences, which in turn are based on next to nothing). I was also surprised that Metric's latest album Fantasies was included on the list. My surprise here has nothing to do with Metric or my perceptions of the album's worth (which, for the record, I dig). Rather, I assumed that the panel of music experts would lean away from an album with such widespread and mainstream appeal.

Finally, my thoughts turned to disappointment. Some bands that made the long list probably didn't stand a chance, but some of them sure as hell deserved to be in the 'top ten'. One such band is Japandroids, with their album Post-Nothing. The album is raucous, intense, and deeply passionate. It possesses the spirit of a young man slowly losing his youth and preparing to turn and face the ruthless tyranny of time. I think it's a prime example of a full-length album as an art form. Another stinging point that I see in the short list is the total dominance of bands from Toronto and Montreal, which make up 7 out of the 10 albums nominated. Is this truly a Canadian prize? I suppose the inclusion of Joel Plaskett and Hey Rosetta! bode well for the Maritimes, but what about the West? With the exception of Calgary's Chad VanGaalen, there are no albums on the list by artists hailing from anywhere West of Southern Ontario! The mother fucking West wants in!

Regardless of this, I suppose my general impressions of the short list are mixed. I agree with a lot of what Matthew at i(heart)music thought about it, but I don't feel as critical towards it. The short list showcases some of Canada's greatest music to be released over the past year. In terms of musical content, some of the choices may not be as alternative or "risky" as some people may want, but I think it is a good sample of some of Canada's best and most recent musical output.

That being said, here are the albums on the Short List to which I have a particular liking.

Elliott Brood - Mountain Meadows

The album is pure, barn-burning intensity. I'm dying to see these guys live, because everyone everywhere has nothing but praise for their performances. From what I've heard, I believe that Mountain Meadows has captured that on-stage energy for which Elliott Brood are famous. Just have a listen and experience it for yourself. It is mandatory that songs like the one posted below be played LOUD!

Chuckwagon - Elliott Brood

K'naan - Troubadour

Global in scope, this is an album with cross-class appeal. That is, the scope of it's content speaks to each and every human being on the planet, from Khartoum to Kentucky. The beauty of K'naan's work is that it comes from an underdog perspective without treading into overly political territory. We'll leave that noble duty to the Propagandhi's and Anti-Flag's of the music world.

Fatima - K'naan

Hey Rosetta! - Into Your Lungs

I've been listening to this album constantly for weeks. It's all about the highs and lows of the human condition: love, loss, loneliness, doubt, and faith. The twelve song LP has a kind of arena rock tinge to it, with its epic crescendos and subdued intervals. This is what gives them the ability to send shivering lightning through the veins of their listeners. Listening to this album is a moving experience. It's rare that I truly enjoy every single song on an album, but when it comes to Into Your Lungs, I can just lay on my bed, double click the first song on iTunes and let the whole thing play until I hear the crash of lightning and rain that violently brings it all to a close. If I were the brains behind the Polaris Prize Selection Committee, Hey Rosetta!'s Into Your Lungs would be the victor.

There's An Arc - Hey Rosetta!

Well those are my top three picks from the short list. I want to end this post with a prediction: Chad VanGaalen's Soft Airplane is going to win the 2009 Polaris Prize. Mark my words.

The Mad Ones Podcast Episode Four: Sweet Summertime

2009-07-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Summertime is settling in on British Columbia. Air conditioners are rumbling throughout the neighbourhoods, kids are playing late night pranks, and everyone is enjoying each other in the sunshine. This weekend I went to visit some good friends in Victoria and realized that I needed to make my next podcast about the sweetness of the summertime. Hopefully as you listen to Episode Four, you'll think of lemonade and Summer Lovin'. Enjoy it.

In the Summertime - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Your English Is Good - Tokyo Police Club

I Need a Life - Born Ruffians

Beer - Reel Big Fish

Sunshine - Atmosphere

Dandelions In Bullet Holes - Sarah Harmer

Okkervil River Song - Okkervil River

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend

Download!