Battles On by The Ghost is Dancing

One of my favourite things in music is to be surprised. Be it an opening band, a song on the radio, or a spontaneously bought CD, few things can match that feeling of surprise or discovery. I mention this because not too long ago I was listening to CBC Radio 3 and a song came on by a band I hadn't heard of before, The Ghost Is Dancing. The song was their single, Battles On, and I was immediately taken by it; so much so that I decided, on the strength of that one song, to pick up their album of the same name. After a bit of a kerfuffle -- the Sonic Unyon website didn't have it for sale, despite being released... then the email I sent the support was undeliverable... so I e-mailed the band directly, and fine folks they are got it sorted out from their end and I was able to purchase one -- I got my grubby little paws on the album, and wow. Just wow. It would be easy to liken this six piece from Toronto to bands like Arcade Fire or Hey Rosetta!, perhaps... and while they may have a similar grandiose sound to them, that is not an apt comparison at all. The Ghost is Dancing has a unique sound of their own.

From the instant the album opens with Dream of a Failed Architect, you're drawn in by their lush and rich sound and insanely catchy hooks. It is a perfect opening song and tells you exactly what is to come in the next 48 minutes. The energy doesn't relent for Battles On, the aforementioned first single and song that initially won me over. Both songs start out powerful then do nothing but build to a climactic finish. In fact, that is a trait that many songs on the album share. Rogues & Heroes brings things down a notch, starting calm and peaceful before exploding with soaring guitars and anthemic horns, which leads perfectly into This Thunder & Stick Together, another pair of songs that start out modest then climb to great heights.
The next track, Louis Riel, one of my favourites from the album, sees singers Jamie Matechuk and Lesley Davies harmonizing perfectly with calm verses and launching into epic choruses, in a song that almost leaves you breathless. (Besides, who doesn't love songs referencing historic Canadian figures?) The piano driven Strange Times gives you a much needed rest, and is a song I can't help but call Sigur Rós-ian in its beauty. Battles Off is, as you might expect from the title, a nice companion to Battles On and Was A Universe provides the proverbial calm before the storm.
The storm being Flashing Pictures; with a musical ebb and flow, it exemplifies the bands sound in one epic eight & a half minute song. The song rises and falls, crammed full of so many ideas that by the end of it you may not even realize it was one song. Yet somehow it never collapses under its own weight, all transitions seem perfectly natural and never jarring. As the song comes to a majestic end, you might feel as if that is all, but somehow the band still has more to give. Old Children is musically opposite, with the light piano and almost haunting voice of Davies driving the first half, then slowly rising to a climax.
And then the albums closer... Without Friends. I can not say enough about this song. It begins slowly with just Matechuk and some light instruments, but at the cue "without friends I'd die" it absolutely explodes with everyone joining in, and for the rest of the song it's a chorus of group vocals, emphasizing the point. The song is incredibly powerful and uplifting, and full of more emotion in two and a half minutes than some bands manage to put into a whole album. It is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs, not just of the year, but of all time ever.

And in the end, those are perfect ways to describe the album, and the band, overall. The music is beautiful and uplifting with lyrics that are full of hope. The cliché about indie music is that it is full of a bunch of sad sack whiners, but nothing could be further from the truth here. There is joy here, an optimist. A sense that, despite hardships, if you battle on, if you "don't give up on the fight", and, of course, with your friends, everything will be all right.


Download Battles On

Download Louis Riel

Download Without Friends

Clicky to exchange monies for music

Sam Roberts Band @ Deer Lake Park -- 08/03/09

What better way to spend BC day than at the beautiful Deer Lake Park with some terrific music? I certainly can't think of anything better.

This was the third time seeing Hamilton Ontario's Arkells live, and they just keep getting better every time. Starting off with the albums lead track, Deadlines, their all-too-short set consisted mostly of songs from their debut album, Jackson Square. They did, however, throw in one song which I think was new, and probably called something like Strong Country Boy, if the chorus is to be believed. Songs like The Ballad of Hugo Chavez and No Champagne Socialist sounded awesome like, but one of the highlights of the set would have to be John Lennon, which is one of my favourite song of theirs. It was phenomenal, with a fantastic instrumental interlude, of sorts, mid-song, and the band going nuts. They closed the set with their first single, Oh, The Boss Is Coming which would have brought the roof down, had it not been an outdoor venue. Through their whole set they managed to keep up an incredibly high energy, with it only building in enthusiasm until the end.
I managed to keep track of the setlist, which was:
Deadlines, Pullin' Punches, The Ballad of Hugo Chavez, No Champagne Socialist, Strong Country Boy(?), John Lennon, Blueprints, Oh, the Boss is Coming!

Next up was Vancouver's own Mother Mother. I admit, while I like their singles (some more than others), I am don't know if I would consider myself a fan of the band. They're good, for sure, but they seem to be a little, I dunno... over hyped? That being said, I did enjoy their set. With infectious chords and near-perfectly harmonized melodies, a great stage presence and a knack for catchy indie-folk-pop, they put on a damn good show. Singles like Body of Years were pulled off flawlessly, but it was songs like Wrecking Ball and O My Heart, the ones that are a little more... harsh and raw, that I liked better. I don't think the set made me want to run out and get their new album, as it was pretty much what I expected it to be, but I am definitely interested in seeing how the band progresses and wouldn't mind seeing them again.

Then finally, straight out of Montreal, Sam Roberts Band. Compared to the show earlier this year, I think I liked the setlist for that one better, but overall this was a much better show. Possibly due to the setting, as Deer Lake park is a beautiful venue. He kicked off with Detroit '67, which got everyone into it, but it wasn't til a few songs in that everyone really got jumping with Sam leading everyone in a chorus sing-along of Where Have All The Good People Gone?, which had a really awesome extended intro and ending. Most of the set was focused on his more energetic material, with the majority being from the new album (which is to be expected) Though he did break out the odd mellower song, like Lions of the Kalahari & Uprising Down Under (a song that, I still maintain, will never be as good live as the album version, if only for the lack of Matt Mays) and -- aside from the obvious singles -- he did delve as far back as his first EP, The Inhuman Condition, for This is How I Live.
Brother Down was another massive sing-alone which had everyone yelling out the chorus before the set "ended" With A Bullet.
When they came back out, they kept up the same zeal as the rest of the set, playing the last two singles they hadn't played, Them Kids & Don't Walk Away Eileen. Those were followed by the last song of the night, the same one he closed the show earlier this year with. Mind Flood. The song, perhaps my favourite Sam Roberts song, runs about 8 minutes on the album, but was stretched into almost 16 minutes of insanity, swirling, psychedelic sounds, and, well, there is no better way to describe the song as a Mind Flood. It was quite the spectacular display and, again, heightened by the beauty of the venue.
I was also able to keep tabs on their setlist, and so:
Detroit '67, Love at the End of the World, The Resistance, Where Have All the Good People Gone, Lions of the Kalahari, Fixed to Ruin, This is How I Live, Hard Road, Up Sister, Bridge to Nowhere, Uprising Down Under, Brother Down, With a Bullet.
(encore) Them Kids, Don't Walk Away Eileen, Mind Flood.

I kind of wished they had swapped Arkells & Mother Mother, as I like the former better than the latter and would have liked them to have a longer set... but that minor complaint aside, it was a superb night of music. And what is it with Sam Roberts and his knack for choosing awesome tour mates. Of the three times I've seen him (not counting arts crappy fair), he has played with the following bands: Jets Overhead, The Stills and Broken Social Scene; The Stills again; and now Arkells & Mother Mother. I can't wait to see him again, if only to see who else he brings.

Rained Out Parade.

A free show. With Vince Vaccaro, Leeroy Stagger & Wide Mouth Mason. On the beach. Sounds all sorts of awesome, right? Well, it should have been... had it not been for the damn rain. It was on the roof of the Bathhouse at English Bay, which right away was an awkward set up. The bands were up playing on the roof, while everyone was standing down on the ground & the beach, so the "stage" was high up above everyone. So much so that you couldn't see anyone not at the edge of the roof. Like, say, the drummer. And you would think the promoters, planners or whomever would have looked at the forecast and thought "Hey, it might rain. Maybe we should have a backup plan instead of just leaving everything out in the open!" But no. It was kind of ridiculous.

Vince Vaccaro was first out at 630. I've been hearing Vaccaro for years now, and have always been interested to see him live, but I've just never got the chance, until now. Though, since he was scheduled for a short set, he only ended up playing for 20 minutes or so, getting 4 or 5 songs in.
The few songs, which included what is probably his most well known song, Heart & Hands, made for a good set, and got at least a few of the random people on the beach into it.

Then the rain really started coming down, with the thunderstorms starting up. They covered all the equipment in tarps and stood around for a while... before the rain eased up a little, or enough for Leeroy Stagger to go on. Though since he went on twenty minutes late, he got his set cut way short, only playing three songs. Which was incredibly lame. Though he did introduce the rest of his band as The Wallflowers, and I am pretty sure he said on drums was Ian Browne, so that was kind of cool. If only I'd been able to actually see him. Or hear more than three songs.

After his set, the rain came back, with a vengeance, and lightning flashing in the sky every few minutes. Eventually, they got the brilliant idea to cram everything under the one tent-thingie they had up on the roof for Wide Mouth Mason to play. Again, you'd think they would have more than the one....
Going on late, their set was cut short too. They only played a handful of songs, mostly just the singles and more well known songs. And, of course, some which were quite appropriate, like This Mourning ("And I'll sing to the rain is gone"), Rained Out Parade and Midnight Rain.

I don't blame any of the musicians for this, as they did they best they could under the circumstances. I blame the promoters and organizers for their complete lack of preparedness and ability to look at a forecast. Or up at the doomy looking clouds in the sky. Though, it made for a few cool moments, where a band would be playing and you see a bolt of lightning shoot across the sky behind them.
Ultimately, though, it was still somewhat of a disappointment. I'd been wanting to see both Vaccaro and Stagger for a while, so that was a crushing defeat. I'm just glad WMM will be back in October (for the show that was supposed to be in June, but was postponed) and hope the others will be back soon.

Calm Awaits by Black Diamond Bay.

When The Dears lineup collapsed after recording Missiles, I was wondering, as I am sure many other were, what would happen to some of the other members. Most notably, guitarist Patrick Krief.
Well, Black Diamond Bay is what happened. After putting out an EP under the name Krief, he assembled a band for live shows, but after touring for a while, he decided they "couldn’t justify not having a name for that sound." Joined by Krief's cousin, Andre Bendahan on bass and Roberto Piccioni on keys, the band also includes another ex-Dear, drummer George Donoso III.
It would be easy to liken the album to The Dears; to call Krief the "white Murray Lightburn"; to pass them off as a side project or spinoff band. Especially since half the band is former members. And under the guidance of a lesser musician, maybe that would be the case. But Patrick Krief has stepped up and proven himself to be as good a song writer as he is a guitarist.
The ten tracks on Calm Awaits are moody & layered when they need to be, yet at other times, a swirling sonic wall of guitars. And with the occasional jazzy and/or blues influence, their sound seems to be ever evolving, even throughout the coarse of a single album. Though there is always a natural flow, with songs growing as you would expect them to. Never disjointed or out of place.

The album starts off calm, and maybe a little ominous, with Mother's Arms, which builds to controlled ending before What We Want kicks things up a bit and Brothers In Exile erupts out of the speakers. Blue Mace slows things down again as a superb piano and strings number and leads to the heartbreaking and emotional First Time I See You Again. New Soldier keeps up the energy while Calm Awaits starts off soft and delicate then just completely loses it and explodes at the end. Weekend War is another song that just keeps getting more and more intense until the explosive finish. Murcury is another beautiful, piano driven one, which climaxes in a fantastic guitar solo and which would have made an excellent album closer, if The Wrath of Your Darkness didn't follow with its moody and almost dark, yet somehow just a little optimistic, finish.

The odd thing about the album, though, it that it is less a compliment to their live performances and more a contrast. While on stage they are a little more raw and visceral, the album is a bit more... delicate. It takes the time to explore the lush arrangements, and has a few more instruments & guest stars. Like Liam O'Neil (of The Stills) and Evan Cranley (of Stars & Broken Social Scene) on horns. This doesn't make either the live show or the album any better or worse than the other, just... different. In the end, Calm Awaits is a fantastic debut album, and may even end up in the running as one of my favourites of the year.



Download Brothers In Exile

Download First Time I See You Again

Download Murcury

Clicky to exchange monies for music

The Decemberists @ The Vogue -- 07/21/09

What a week this has been. The Decemberists show is the last of five concerts in six days! The Hazards of Love has been on of my favourite albums of the year so far, and I was really excited on how they were going to present the show.

The opening band for the night was Blind Pilot, also from Portland. A good choice in opening bands, as they had the same kind of indie-folk-pop sounds as The Decemberists. The set started out a bit slow, but ended up being really quite good. With wide array of instruments, including cello, harmonium (i think that's what it's called...), giant xylophone, banjo & mandolin, they had a rich and deep sound, and seemed to channel, at times, everyone from Damien Rice to Neko Case to The Shins, but adding their own originality and flair to each. They had a decent stage presence, even though the lead singer was a little soft spoken between songs, and there were a few times between songs they almost seemed a little awkward, but seeing as they're still a fairly new band, I am sure they'll get better in no time. I will definitely have to keep an eye ear out for them in the future.

And then, time for The Decemberists! Their set was split into two parts; for the first they came out and proceeded to play the entire Hazards of Love album front to back. If you know of the album (or, perhaps read my prior review?), there is a story spread across the songs, like a "folk-rock opera", and so it made perfect sense to play it in its entirety. Everything on the album was recreated near-perfectly, with a few variations or flourishes thrown in here and there and guest vocals Shara Worden and Becky Stark were there not only for their singing parts, but also playing backup instruments. It was, quite simply, an amazing sight and performance. The album is pretty epic on it's own, but seeing it live like this, the whole way through, was incredible and so very powerful. From the soaring vocals in The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All), the Worden's chilling vocals in The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid (her voice is, by the way, absolutely phenomenal live), the hectic everyone-drumming thumping of The Rake's Song, to the beautiful ending of Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned), it was superb. The only thing that was odd was that they used a prerecorded bit, from the album, for the kids voices in The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)... but that makes sense as I'm sure they don't want a childrens choir or something every night just for that one part.

When they finished the album, they took a short intermission, and then were back out to play the second half of their show; another hour or so! While the first half, the full album, was really tight and no chatter or anything, the second half was a lot looser and more fun and playful. Playing songs from their older albums (though, only one from The Crane Wife, which made me a sad panda), there was a fair amount of goofing around, too. At one point Colin Meloy led the whole theatre in a round, splitting the crowd into four groups, with each singing different parts. (wait, no, a round is everyone singing the same part at different times. What is it called when everyone is singing different parts at once?) and at another he had everyone sing a part, then slowly get quieter, and slowly getting louder. Think Twist & Shout. It makes no sense when I am trying to explain it, but it was pretty neat live.
At one point, near the end, Meloy started talking about the worst song he has ever written, prefacing it with a hilarious self-deprecating bit about how terrible and "douchy" it truly is, then playing a little bit of the song, Dracula's Daughter, before going launching into O Valencia!. They ended the set with a cover (what did I say yesterday? "[playing covers] is a practice I think all bands should partake in. Live covers are always fun.") of Crazy On You (Heart) with Worden & Stark coming back out to sing it. It was an insane cover and would have been an awesome way to end the show...
But wait! There's more! Coming out for the encore, Meloy did a song by himself, then was joined by half the band for The Mariner's Revenge Song, while the other half walked through the crowd with drums and cymbals. And then, half way through the song, they paused for Meloy to introduce a play in one act, with the band members in the crowd acting out the Norwegian discovery of Vancouver as Meloy narrated. It may sound silly, as I am not giving it nearly enough justice, but it was awesome and hilarious and just a fantastic way to close out the show.

I don't know if I can say it has been one of my favourite shows this year, but that is less a slight on the show, and more a testiment to how awesome other shows have been. This is right up there, at least in my top ten performances of the year so far. (To put that in perspective, I have seen just about 60 bands play so far this year, with about two dozen shows). Hopefully it is not another three years before they are back in town.