Live Review: Tom Brosseau

Entering the lavish surroundings of the Bush Hall auditorium, with its glistening chandeliers and circular tables protected by rouge tablecloths, BTA feels more like we've stumbled into an awards ceremony than a gig. Taking our seats, we settle down for an evening of high culture. Proceedings kick off with the charming Gaelic folk of Alasdair Roberts and the neo-classical Essie Jain, leaving us struggling to recall the last time we were in a room containing both a grand piano and a cello.

The main attraction for tonight though is to hear Tom Brosseau showcase tracks from his soon to be released LP, Posthumous Success. Our relationship with this bewitching blues-folk album has unfolded over time ranging from initial indifference to absolute submission by tonight. In person the impact is more immediate, where his uniqueness and eccentricity comes to the fore. Looking terrified on stage, dressed head to toe in blue denim, he appropriately plays "Favourite Colour Blue" early on in the set. Two versions of the song bookend the latest album, although sadly he chooses not to divulge the explanation behind this tonight. The song's most memorable for the subject matter, focusing around a dream involving a certain ex-Nirvana drummer being trapped in chains and forced to drum for Hole. The set is peppered with similarly entertaining lyrics, such as on the biting yet uplifting "Axe and Stomp":

See that one over there thinks he rules the roost / Little devil's got the nerve to call himself bruised / And I'm running around in circles like the world's biggest chump / Oh just wait till I get you between the axe and the stomp

This combination of poignant lyrics with delicate guitar arrangements and Tom's fragile croon lie at the heart of his appeal. As a finale he ventures among us, standing on chair to sing a captivating acoustic Tom Waits cover. With the talent on show tonight, the lyrics to his latest single deserve to be prophetic:

Winds of fortune / Are present every step I climb / I'm ready for the big time

Posthumous Success is released 11^th May on FatCat Records

Tom Brosseau - Favourite Colour Blue

Inbox Wednesday: Army Navy

Introducing Army Navy and their track "My Thin Sides" that caught my attention upon first listen.  Toe-tapping, hip-shifting pop music, it's infectious grooves are sure to tickle any ear.

Los Angeles' Army Navy play pleasing 60's-inspired music, simplistic and sincere.  Band leader Justin Kennedy's CV boasts a side project with Ben Gibbard; in today's indie-cred war, that's pretty solid.

Admittedly behind the times on this one, there's no shame in discovering good music.

Army Navy - My Thin Sides

Army Navy - Saints

Let's Pretend It's Friday Five!

With tracks this great all wrapped up in one simple download, hopefully you'll forgive our tardiness...

Download Here



Golden Silvers - True Romance
These guys have been an ever-presence inside the London hype machine for well over a year, and I finally understand why. This is as close to 80s throwback indie dance perfection as you can get.

Local Natives - World News
This band keep reappearing on the write-ups of those lucky enough to attend this year's SXSW and for once the buzz sounds justified. They've got the harmonies of Fleet Foxes, with the accessibility of Vampire Weekend or Born Ruffians. Oh and they've associated themselves with Simon & Garfunkel which is an instant ticket to success at the moment.

Screaming Lights - GMN
Even though excessive consumption will no doubt rot my teeth, I'm completely hooked on this. When it first caught my ear I was convinced it was the new Pendulum release which probably tells you all you need to know.

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Broken Broken Broken Heart
"Em Are I"hosts by far the most musically palatable creations so far from the New York anti-folker. This is my favourite track due to it's touching emotional insecurity compared with the optimistic soundtrack, epitomised by the handclaps and immediate chorus.

Bill Callahan - My Friend
Bill's latest LP"Sometimes I Wish I Was An Eagle" was my first introduction to the former "Smog" artist. I'm a sucker for gravelly Jonny Cash esque vocals like these and Bill's have a unique quality of making life play in slow motion as I listen transfixed. A remarkable feat.

Friday Five

2009 is shaping up to be a banner year musically. Some selections from noteworthy recent releases:

Fever Ray - Seven
Sure, Sweden's The Knife may currently be "on hiatus", but for me Karin Dreijer Andersson's debut solo album as Fever Ray is The Knife's new album.

Metric - Waves
Although I really enjoyed Emily Haines' 2006 solo effort Knives Don't Have Your Back I've had high hopes for a new Metric LP for almost 4 years now. Released this Tuesday, Fantasies was worth the wait. 'Waves' is not actually on the album itself but was made available as a bonus when ordering from www.ilovemetric.com.

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Cold Spring
Yet another NYC indie rock band, Cymbals Eat Guitars released their debut album Why There Are Mountains independently in January and have since received praise from just about every indie music media outlet and countless comparisons to Modest Mouse and Pavement. They deserve the praise (if not the comparisons) - the album is fantastic.

Junior Boys - Work
Album number three from Hamilton-based electro duo Junior Boys was released on March 24th and after a few cursory listens is standing up pretty well in comparison to 2006's excellent (and Polaris Prize nominated) So This Is Goodbye. 'Work' is easily my favourite track.

Camera Obscura - Honey in the Sun
My Maudlin Career, the fourth album from Glasgow's Camera Obscura, will officially be available on April 20th but unsurprising leaked a few weeks ago. The single (and first track) 'French Navy' has already been getting decent exposure here in the UK and is set for release on Monday. It's stellar, but then the album is filled with highlights including the title track, 'You Told A Lie', and closer 'Honey in the Sun'.

Inbox Wednesday: HotKid

We receive several submissions for Inbox Wednesday everyday and sometimes it's tough to sift through them all.  After listening to a few it's interesting to see what pops out. 

HotKid is one of those groups that stuck out.  Maybe it's the lack of synths, beats, or anything electronic; could it be that we've forgotten what rock sounds like...I think not.  

It seems that it's less common to come across bands this raw.  HotKid is a two-piece; guitar and drums is all they need to make an impact.  After listening to the few tracks forwarded to BTA, I can't wait for the chance to see this group live.

Check out a couple tracks here and their new video shot by Matt Finlin of Finkle Films.

HotKid - Southern Rock

HotKid - The One You Hold

Remix-Acoustic Sunday

Metric's album Fantasies is out on April 7th, the single "Help I'm Alive" is everywhere now.  I have a soft spot for anything that Emily Haines does, especially when it features her and a piano.  Love this version.

Metric - Help I'm Alive (Acoustic)

A Bit Of An Animal

Very rarely I find pieces of art of music that I feel I would be committing a great disservice by assigning words to describing. This is one of them, the video for Animal Kingdom's demo single, "Chalk Stars":



They're signed to a Major and have already supported Snow Patrol so let's enjoy this in its unadulterated form before it gets re-released and incessantly overplayed...

Passion Pit Keeps Canadians Reeling

Passion Pit announced Tuesday that they have cancelled their scheduled Canadian dates.  So, first they were postponed a couple months, now cancelled.  Starting to seem like the boys in the Pit have it out for Canada.  My guess is management forgot that travelling to Canada requires passports and visas.

In the mean time, BTA has the new single of their forthcoming album Manners, due May 18th.  Maybe we should teach Passion Pit some manners, a week's notice is much too short.  This is one disappointed BTA contributor.

Passion Pit - The Reeling

New Music Monday: Black Hat Brigade

Don't know how many of you own the first EP release from Black Hat Brigade, but it's well worth your coin.  I had the pleasure of seeing this very talented group open for the Handsome Furs a couple weeks back and I was impressed.  Energetic and on point, these guys have knotted some tight tracks.

Got my hands on some exclusive tracks from the upcoming Fathers EP as well as a great acoustic version of "Zombie City Shake".  The boys are using the sampler as a way to raise money to finance the release of the EP.  You can contribute here, $5 gets you a sampler and a thank you in the liner notes, $10 gets you the sampler and a pre-order copy of the EP.  Help these good-looking boys out!

Black Hat Brigade - Zombie City Shake

Black Hat Brigade - Zombies (Basement Session)

Friday Five

The Lovely Feathers - Lowiza
Montreal's The Lovely Feathers will offer up their third album, Fantasy of the Lot, in late May through Sparks Music. Their first LP My Best Friend Daniel was one of my favourite albums ever so I've got pretty high hopes for the new material. I've managed to get hold of this track from the new album and so far, so good.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo
Last week's stellar eponymous release from Elvis Perkins in Dearland has been making waves and 'Shampoo' is a testament to the quality of the Mr. Perkins' sophomore effort. Londoners can catch him at the ICA on April 6th.

Black Lips - Let It Grow
While lucky North Americans were able to get their greedy hands on the new Black Lips album last month, we lowly Europeans weren't able to pick up a copy of 200 Million Thousand until this past Monday. It was worth the wait - this shambolic, low-fi romp is one of my top albums of 2009.

Malajube - Ursuline
How did I miss the fact that the second album from Malajube (yet another fantastic Montreal group - this time francophone) has been available for over a month? Thankfully, a recent CBC Radio 3 podcast featuring interviews and live versions of the new material from Labyrinthes got me up to speed. Have a listen to opener 'Ursuline' and check out the aforementioned podcast here.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel
New Bat For Lashes drops on April 6th; this is a fresh cut from Two Suns.

Wizzzard

BTA is very excited to report that Think About Life have news.  This BTA fave has a habit of coming and going with furor.  This week TAL announced that they will be touring with Ratatat from Mar. 21st - Apr. 1st.  Unfortunately there won't be any Canadian dates.  Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal will have to wait until late May.

With this news is the release of their latest video for Wizzzard.  We'll still have to wait until May 26th for the official release of Family

Here it is:

Think About Life - Wizzzard
Uploaded by vazoomy

New Music Monday: Official Secrets Act

BTA first became acquainted with Official Secrets Act early last year supporting Art Brut, when their first impression demonstrated considerable promise. Thanks to our friends at One Little Indian allowing us to preview their debut album, "Understanding Electricity", we now have the opportunity to satiate our curiosity and assess if they've delivered on these expectations.

Without question, they have. This is impressively tight, Xfm-friendly indie-pop throughout with deceptively simple melodies which enhance their accessibility. Lead single, "So Tomorrow" launches us into a frenetic spasm, with angular guitars and vocals that recall some of David Byrne's finest. However, it's "Hold The Line" which provides the album's centerpiece, commendably walking the tightrope to convey warmth without appearing overly saccharine. It's also blessed with the wonderfully endearing opening lines:

I like to watch her do these things / I like to watch her as she sings / And as the world collapses around our ears / I play guitar to Tears for Fears

Before launching into a stream of consciousness descriptive opus of the femme fatale on display. It's these moments where they transcend their influences that ensure the album's longevity.

"Understanding Electricity" is out on 30th March, and the band are touring widely around the UK from the end of the month.

Official Secrets Act - Hold The Line

Friday Five

Here are some tracks rocking my world.

Yeasayer - Tightrope

Yeasayer is such a great band and this track come from the solid compilation Dark Was the Night.  The album was put together in support of the Red Hot Foundation which is an AIDS-related charity.  Great cause and I'm psyched to hear something new from these Brooklyn boys.

Crystal Antlers - A Thousand Eyes

Crystal Antlers' 2008 EP is on regular rotation on my Zune, but this track is huge!  Also anticipating the release of full-length release Tentacles.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Contender

Such feel good music.  The Pains... reminds me of the first time I heard Peter, Bjorn and John's "Young Folks".  I immediately wanted to sing along.

Handsome Furs - I'm Confused

Handsome Furs kinda sounds like Wolf Parade, for obvious reasons, but substitute the prominent keys for sampling.  Really loving the new album Face Control.  Sheer danceable rock music.  If you have a chance to see this group live, DO IT.  Last night I saw them here in Ottawa and it was one of the most energized shows I've seen in a while.

Coeur de Pirate - Le Long du Large

She's Quebec's answer to Adele.  I know she was featured on Perez Hilton and Coeur de Pirate is not for everyone, but I love the feel-good vibe and her voice is cute as hell!

Have a great weekend ladies and gents!

Wolfgang Amadeus Awesome

Good Gawd, can Phoenix ever write a catchy song. The French band's last release, It's Never Been Like That, was one of my favourite albums of 2006 and it appears that LP number four Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is already destined to claim a place in my top picks of this year. Set for release on May 25th (but already leaked online - c'est la vie) Wolfgang's first official single will be the album's first track, "Lisztomania". In the meantime, the band has made the ridiculously awesome track "1901" available for free download at their snazzy new website in both standard and multitrack versions. That's right, kids: it's DIY-remix time. The first of two London shows are now sold out, but tickets for Koko on June 1st are still available here.

La trackliste:

1. "Lisztomania"
2. "1901"
3. "Fences"
4. "Love Like a Sunset"
5. "Lasso"
6. "Rome"
7. "Countdown"
8. "Girlfriend"
9. "Armistice"

Phoenix - 1901
Phoenix - Armistice

Inbox Wednesday: Carly Maicher

This edition of Inbox Wednesday comes with a twist.  I stumbled across this great YouTube video of a family skating on a highway.  The accompanying music struck me and after a bit of googling I came across the promising Carly Maicher.  She's a bleeding edge artist, with a haunting folk feel. 

Excerpt from her bio, "Carly Maicher is a singer/songwriter originally from Manitoba keeping content by hiding out on a tiny fishing island in the middle of the Atlantic sea. She writes songs about dreams of water and waves and playfully sings about abandonment. "

Hope to see more great things from Ms. Maicher.

Carly Maicher - Hibernation

Carly Maicher - Dust

Feb Gig Mix

I've finally emerged, still sweaty, reeking of JD and buzzing from the live music equivalent of the London marathon, which February's gig circuit represented. Following the creed of any self-respecting indie-kid, I've chosen the creation of a mix tape of the highlights as the most appropriate method of marking the accomplishment. And now that it's passed BTA's rigorous quality control procedures (thanks a.m.p.m!), it's deemed worthy of publication. You'll find a few acts here who've previously graced BTA with their presence, as well as a number of new discoveries.

Download it here:
G.R.O. Feb Gig Mix

Tracklisting
1. 4 or 5 Magicians - Ideal Man
2. The Soft Pack - Parasites
3. Favours for Sailors - I Dreamt That I Dreamt That Your Loved Me In Your Dreams
4. Black Daniel - Say Hello
5. Women - Black Rice
6. The Manhattan Love Suicides - Kessler Syndrome
7. The Crystal Stilts - Converging In The Quiet
8. Left With Pictures - Secretly
9. My Sad Captains - Great Expectations
10. S.K.G. - Voodoo Talk
11. White Lies - Farewell To The Fareground
12. Friendly Fires - Jump In The Pool
13. Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost
14. Lights - Box Of Stones
15. First Aid Kit - You're Not Coming Home Tonight

It'll only be up for a week so grab it quick

Let me know what you think, could make this a semi-regular feature if you so decree...

Inbox Wednesday: The O'Darling

This week's featured group is The O'Darling.  Made up of Eastern and Western Canadians, this group has a great jazz-folk thing going.  It's not quite like anything I've heard of late, surely that's what made it intriguing.  

The group's release A Nice EP is buoyed by the excellent multi-instrumental arrangements and the beautiful female vocals.  The tracks are paced, with soft horns and strong strings.  From listening to the release, I get the impression The O'Darling must be a treat to see live.

If you're in Toronto tonight catch The O'Darling at The Concord Cafe.

The O'Darling - Buckets O' Berries

The O'Darling - Bubble

Friday Five

There's plenty of new music to cover, so let's get right to it:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
Could this be my favourite Yeah Yeah Yeahs song yet? Yup, it sure is. The New York City band will release their third album, It's Blitz!, on April 13th. The album's first official single 'Zero' can be heard on their MySpace page.

The Thermals - Now We Can See
I properly fell in love with The Thermals following their 2006 release The Body, The Blood, The Machine so when they recently revealed that their fourth album will be available on April 7th I became feverishly excited. Now We Can See will be the band's first release with Sub Pop and the title track is no disappointment. Sure, it's a bit more pop music than their previous fare but it's still got those trademark scathing lyrics and ludicrously catchy guitar parts.

Beirut - No Dice
Beirut goes electronic? Strangely enough, it works. Those familiar with Gulag Orkestar or The Flying Cup Club will be in for a pleasant surprise. This track is taken from a set of double EPs released last month; March of the Zapotec is straight-up Beirut, but Holland is pure electro bliss.

A.C. Newman - Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer
When not acting as captain of supergroup The New Pornographers Carl Newman records some pretty solid indie rock as A.C. Newman. His second album Get Guilty hit shelves last month and has been well received; this track in particular brings to mind The New Pornographers circa Twin Cinema.

Blackout Beach - Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982
Like his pals from Wolf Parade, Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes and Swan Lake fame has a penchant for multiple musical projects. Mercer released Skin of Evil, the second album under his Blackout Beach moniker, last month and although it's not all to my taste this track currently has me hooked, perhaps due to its weirdness.

Walking On A Dream

The Sydney duo that makes up Empire of the Sun is not to be confused with it's 1987 movie counterpart of the same name. Which oddly enough I am watching on TV as I write this post. Ben Stiller's in it..but he's not very funny so far. And so is Batman! Anyways, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore have created one of the most impressive debut albums I have heard as of late. The production is fantastic with the highlight being the oh so crisp vocals. The ten track album starts off strong with instantly loveable tracks like Walking on a Dream, and We are the People. There is little filler here as each of the other tracks have grown on me with each listen. I think it's safe to say that fans of MGMT, which at this point would seem to be everyone, will thoroughly enjoy this album, which in fact is meant to be a concept album based around the cult film 'The Holy Mountain'. The singles have been all over Australian radio for months and are currently featured downloads on itunes UK, but I'm not even sure if this album has seen a North American release yet. If the Star Wars / Dali-esque album art is'nt enough to peak your interest. Perhaps the video will.




Empire of the Sun - We are the People

Nous Non Plus!

I've had a crush on Nous Non Plus ever since I heard their super catchy ditty "French Teacher". This ahem, 'francophone' band from NY is almost painfully kitsch, with cheesy videos, silly lyrics and even more ridiculous pseudonyms (Céline Dijon and François Hardonne, to name only a few).

While they might seem to be crafting some kind of parody, they are in fact a bona fide band, complete with a messy history (check out their former ensemble, Les Sans Culottes) and multi-talented band members. You can sample their latest album, Ménagerie (2009), right here.

Check out this video for Loli.