Think About Condominiums

The Ottawa contingent of BTA recently witnessed a bit of local history: the alleged final show in the basement of 59 Argyle, the little rock and roll townhouse that could. While the show's close heard several drunken and disorderly cries of protest, it was a good run while it lasted.

It was fitting that Montreal-based Think About Life were there to headline and close out the unique venue's final act, as they're the band above all others that truly embraced the exposed-piping and dust swirling ambiance of this unfinished basement. To a duct-worker it probably wouldn't look too special, but to the 75 (we're guessing) people in attendance on Thursday night, the basement was simply a place to party and enjoy live music, free from really any sort of superficiality.

Shortly after guests were treated to baked goods in the living area upstairs, people headed into the dungeon for Ottawa's Fucked Corpse. Despite snapping a drum pedal, the set was high energy, comedic, and musically tight for the most part. Fucked Corpse is literally the house band, with at least one member to our knowledge living there, and they were fittingly well-received by friends and newcomers alike.

After the set, everybody was ushered upstairs to enjoy some more baked goods while Montreal duo Wax Attic set up their equipment. Once the go-ahead was given, Wax Attic treated the basement crowd (which was beginning to grow) to their own blend of 'psychedelic thrash'. Overall, the set was enjoyable… save one song which lacked the tight rhythmic pattern they displayed throughout the rest of the performance. Oh, and one of the dudes was dressed as a lion mascot, so kudos for not passing out on the fans.

After the final break the anxious crowd rushed back downstairs to be wowed by Think About Life. At this point, most were damp with sweat, the ceiling pipes dripped condensation, and no one could have been happier. The set's highlights included favourites like 'Paul Cries' and new tracks that incorporated some killer sampling (stand-out using an E-40 sample, check the video). Tambourines shook, the swarm rocked back and forth, and at the end of it all, it appeared that the band couldn't have supplied any more energy to the ecstatic crowd.

BTA would like to thank 59 Argyle for providing the city of Ottawa with concert events like no other. Experiencing Argyle reminds you of what going to a show is really about, and that reminder will be sorely missed.

Think About Life - Paul Cries
Think About Life - Serious Chords

- B.A. and mca.

Fortress of Solitude

The first time I saw Think About Life perform it was a sweaty, dingy affair in an Ottawa basement (59 Argyle!), complete with good friends, genuine music lovers, and pizza slices on the house. During their performance and immediately following the show, I noticed that the personality of guitarist Graham Van Pelt was visibly different than that of his fellow members. He did less of the talking and lacked Martin Cesar's swagger as well as the cathartic energy of Matt Shane. Still, one knew that being a part of this band, an off-the-wall, unconventionally spastic electro-rock outfit, must have meant that Van Pelt possessed some unseen quality comparably awesome to the more visible traits exhibited by the dude screaming and the soaking-wet, skinny drummer.

Miracle Fortress is Van Pelt's unveiling party (*though it came out late May, I've been on the road for a while, missing just about every key release of the summer). Five Roses is the masterpiece, and is without question a demonstration of the individual talent he channels subtly into Think About Life. That band's self-titled debut was a summer album for all the writers here at BTA. It reflected the freedom and irresponsibility of the humid months; it was raw, loud, and explosive. Five Roses is a completely different aesthetic, but a summer album just the same. While an early Miracle Fortress song 'Eschatology' re-created the Think About Life style with a little less tumult, the songs on the debut carve out a whole new sound. Like with Panda Bear, the Brian Wilson comparisons have been identified by almost everybody who has gotten hold of this album. The songs on Five Roses are laden with subdued vocal melodies that gradually build towards bright conclusions, all the while sprinkling keyboard and peppery percussion in the gaps to achieve those Wilson-like textures. This is most evident on 'Have You Seen In Your Dreams', where hand claps work alongside vocal echo effects. 'Maybe Lately' develops from start to finish in a very similar way. The standout track of the album is 'Hold Your Secrets To Your Heart', showcasing Van Pelt's strongest singing and a softly pulsing rhythm that hypnotically coasts to the song's end. The first time I heard it I was on the other side of the country in British Columbia, and the astonishment I was feeling from the mountains and natural beauty of the landscape was encompassed perfectly in this one song. I vividly remember making that connection, and not many songs are capable of inducing such peace. It will be an extremely good second half of '07 if this doesn't make it into the top 10.

Miracle Fortress - Have You Seen In Your Dreams (YSI)
Miracle Fortress - Maybe Lately (YSI)
Miracle Fortress - Hold Your Secrets To Your Heart (YSI)

- brad

Think About Dancing

There was a pizza party on Sunday and everyone came out. The whole crew trekked down to 59 Argyle and ate pizza, drank and danced all night. Quebexico came in from Toronto, Ottawa locals Fucked Corpse did their thing, and hot-to-trot Montrealers Think About Life even came to town as the headliners.

"59 Argyle - what the heck is that?", you say. Well, 59 Argyle is kind of an Ottawa legend; located on the corner of Argyle Avenue and Elgin Street directly across from the Ottawa Police Station, not only is the subdivided three-storey a functional house for five but also serves as one of the city's most unique music venues. Plus beers are like $2.

-Andrew W