Review - BCK IN MTL w/ MGMT

Let me set the stage; a concert hall, 2000 seats, and anticipation that filled the air. With all the hype surrounding the show, the audience was thirsty for a Beck fix. Montreal is known for its love of all things Beck, so you can be sure this show was sold out before it went on sale. Luckily, I discovered this interweb classified site by the name of Kijiji. Moreso, the seller only asked for face value since she had made a mistake in ordering 4 tickets as opposed to 2.

MGMT did their thing in warming up the crowd. These guys sound great live, but lack the show aspect. I know they'll learn a thing or two from Mr. Hansen.

Beck's set speaks for itself. It was a good mix of old and new and Beck proved that truly has fun playing. Opening with "Loser" set the night off in style. Not a person was left seated after the first note. 25 song sets are rare, but he pulled it off with ease. In an act of appreciation, he invited the MGMT boys back at the end of his set for 2 covers and "Where it's At". The encore had everyone humming, whistling or singing "NA, NA, nanana NA!" out the door.

Setlist:

Loser
Nausea
Girl
Timebomb
Devil's Haircut
Soul of a Man
Mixed Bizness
Nicotine & Gravy
Guero
Hell Yes
Black Tambourine
Think I'm In Love
Modern Guilt
Orphans
Walls
Missing
Chemtrails
Lost Cause
The 15th (by Wire, cover)
Planet Queen (T.Rex, cover)
The Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix, cover)
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob Dylan, cover)
Where It's At
------------------------------
ENCORE:
Gamma Ray
E-Pro

Beck - Gamma Ray

Friday Five: Weekend Entertainment Edition

So, I was wracking my brain trying to come up with something original or interesting for the Friday Five; this is the result.  Feeling inspired by all the shows I'm going to see in the next few days I decided to feature a track from each artist, off their latest albums.  Here's my schedule for Thursday through Monday: 

Thursday, Oct. 2nd, Chad Vangaalen and Women at Zaphods in Ottawa.  This was an extremely inpressive show.  It's very hard to fill Zaphods on any day at 9:00, but this lineup was able to pull in a very good crowd.  Both acts responded well.   Women put on a lo-fi inspired set with excellent guitar harmonies.  Chad managed to silence the crowd with a banjo during the opening song "Willow Tree".  He proceded to play a headless guitar for the rest of the set.  Chad's live show screamed of Neil Young, who better to emulate than transplanted folk-rock extraordinaire.  By the way, Mr. Young will make his way across North America in the next few months.

Chad Vangaalen - Rabid Bits of Time

Women - Black Rice

Saturday, Oct. 4th, Wintersleep at Barrymore's in Ottawa SOLD OUT.  I like Wintersleep and everyone has told me to see them live.  Any past reviews would be greatly appreciated.  Their last album was solid, so here's a great track from Welcome to the Night Sky, no not THAT song that we have heard a million times.

Wintersleep -Laser Beams

Monday, Oct. 6th, Beck and MGMT at Theatre St. Denis in Montreal SOLD OUT.  I haven't been so excited for a show in AGES.  This anticipation is only intensified by the rumours that this may be Beck's last tour.  I have never seen Beck live, but I'm told that he is amazing.  MGMT produced one of my favourite albums of the past year, so I'm excited to see if MGMT can start the party right.

Beck - Volcano

MGMT - Pieces of What

With that, have a great weekend!  I know I will.

June Grab Bag

Hey, don't get the wrong message - despite the week-long hiatus BTA still loves you, faithful readers. As a reward for your patience we've got a selection of random shiz that we've been rocking over the past month or so:

Weezer - Pork and Beans
Magic Wands - Black Magic
Bo Diddley - We're Gonna Get Married
White Denim - Shake Shake Shake
Wolf Parade - Fine Young Cannibals
My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed
Beck - Chemtrails
Bowerbirds - Dark Horse

- a.m.p.m.

(thanks to tapedeck.org for the image)

That's Why the Arm Came For You

With a few personnel changes and an album cover that leaves us dumbfounded, Islands are ready to drop their second album, Arm's Way. ANTI- will release the sophomore drop about a month from now, but once the leak and buzz machine gets rolling there's not much to keep people from talking. The album begins with "The Arm," a song to rival the incredible opener "Swans (Life After Death)" from Return to the Sea. "The Arm" has a bit of everything you'll find on the remainder of the album. There are lyrics messing about with earnest pleas and nonsensical yammering, a great lead guitar lick, fluttering string arrangements, and most importantly, a balance between them all. A number of the tracks like "Abominable Snow" and "Creeper" have already appeared in set lists on tour, and with no surprise sound great with full production. Newer songs (at least to me) like "Kids Don't Know Shit" fill in the gaps and leave you with a pretty complete recording. With spring taking time off this year and summer leapfrogging into action, this is definitely music for the season. For rabid fans, iTunes released a cover of Beck's "Cyanide Breath Mint" to coincide with "The Arm," which by all sound reasoning should be great, haven't heard it yet though.

Islands - The Arm
Islands - Kids Don't Know Shit

- B.A.