Denim on Denim by Library Voices

"Pop as fuck!" That is how Regina eight piece Library Voices describes their music, and their debut full length Denim on Denim exemplifies that. Even though it is full of gang vocals, and more instruments than some acts have in their entire library of music, they never step on each others toes, creating an incredibly rich and vibrant sound. And even though there are more than a couple references to the apocalypse, the whole album is just fun and energetic.

"Drinking Games" kicks off the album, starting out very quiet and subdued, but adds instruments one by one until the whole thing erupts into something impossible not to sing along to. The energy is kept up with the insanely infectious "Insider Trading (On Outsider Art)" and "Haunt This House", both of which overflowing with hooks that will get anyone moving. "Party Like It's 2012" is one of the more obviously apocalyptic on the album, with them urging us to "Do the oblivion shuffle / Do the redemption twist / Do the salvation shimmy" and proclaiming "we'll party like it's 2012 / like they'll be no morning after [...] let's hear it for the rapture!" Another prominent theme on the album is literature, and "Write Me a Myth" is one of the better examples of that.
Mark Hamilton (of Woodpigeon) guests on vocals for the next two tracks, "Bookish", a twist on the age old tale of falling in love with the cute shy girl and another not-quite-love-song "Bodies of Fiction" which is "just another song about love" with a "nameless narrator" that "starts with 'I' and ends with 'we'". They bring the tone down for a moment, with "Model City", whose beauty shows that they can do more than just the energetic pop songs. "End Time" seems like another upbeat song about embracing the end of the world, but when they tell you "but you can live your life fearing death / ... or you can just get on with it" you believe them. But then "Family Night" turns around and warns that the perfect life may not be so perfect -- it's interesting when the song about family life is the darkest on an album full of apocalyptic songs. The anxiety is played up when the end adds layers upon layers of vocals which gets so close to overwhelms the listener, before grinding to a halt and almost stopping dead. The slow end leads into "Balloon Menagerie", another soft and somewhat nervous song, thematically, which features scratch and distortion. The album wraps up "Hello Cruel World", an interesting choice for a closing track. Again, the upbeat track belies the somewhat ominous lyrics, starting with a near-death experience (or perhaps not-so-near?) and coming to a close with the lyrics "Sometimes a man just needs to get away / or think he got away..." and then drawing to an end with the sound of footsteps walking away. It definitely gives a sense of finality to the album.

The other thing about the album that struck me was the packaging/artwork. It is not anything too fancy or elaborate, but it has some nice touches, like the lightning bolt cut out to show the denim-sleeve, or the mini-poster that comes with in. In fact, instead of me describing it, just take a look for yourself. And since the artwork was just this morning nominated for a West Coast Music Award (as well as the album itself, for Independent Album of the Year) I know I'm not the only one to notice it.

No doubt Denim on Denim will remain one of the most fun albums of the year. Catchy hooks. Energetic songs. Clever lyrics. Pop as fuck indeed.


Download Party Like It's 2012

Download Bookish

Download Family Night

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Woodhands @ Biltmore -- 08/06/10

While I wouldn't say I wasn't a fan of Woodhands, they were just one of those bands I enjoyed when I heard come on the radio but never really seemed to explore more. When I first heard about their show at the Biltmore last night, I was undecided if I wanted to go. However, after multiple people told me just how fanastimazing they are live, and urged me to go to the show, I figured I had to give it a shot.

Vancouver five-piece Sex With Strangers was the first band up, and they had a really good energy to them. A moody synth pop sound dominated their robot-obsessed set, though a few of the songs seemed a bit similar-ish. The lead singer had an odd charisma to him, in that some of his banter would have seemed stupid coming from anyone else, but he managed to make it entertaining. He is definitely a good front man for the band. They were a Perfectly Acceptable Opener, especially for Woodhands. Nothing spectacular, that made me want to run over and buy their stuff, but certainly nothing offensive to the ears, either.

But speaking of offensive to the ears, after a lengthy delay between sets, Hot Tub came out. They hit the stage with the three female singers standing atop boxes at the front of stage, towering over the crowd with war paint and crazy costumes & hats. They spent the first few minutes attempting to pump up the crowd -- and trying to get stuff thrown at them -- to mild success, before going into the music. Their website lists them as "punk/crunk/funk", and I guess that is as good a description as any of the sounds that they were making on stage. It was definitely an... interesting set, and one member kept on flashing the crowd, by way of her boob "accidentally" popping out of her leotard after dancing too erratically. But -- much like their whole set -- it just seemed weird and like they were trying too hard.

Finally it was time for Dan & Paul of Woodhands to take the stage, and they started with a crazy intensity right off the bat that never faltered. I was amazed that only two members can create such a rich sound, but Dan did have a full compliment of keyboards, mixers and other trickery to help him out. Including the always awesome keytar. The rest of the night was just a crazy dance party, which even included people getting on stage and dancing behind the duo at a couple of points. Most, if not all of their songs got extended versions (Dan called them remixes, Paul called them "playing our songs different"), with them jamming out to each one. They somehow managed to keep up the incredible energy throughout the set, with Dan even jumping into the crowd to surf for a bit (while singing a few verses of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend", no less). After "closing" with "Dancer", which had the entire crowd singing/yelling along, they came back out for a two song encore, just to make sure that every last person in the crowd was spent.

I would have to say, everyone who was singing their praises was more than right, and they definitely won me over with the show. Next time they are in town, I would absolutely not hesitate to see them again.

In This Together by Wil

From the moment I first saw Wil hit the stage, years ago, I was drawn in. His live show was just so incredible and energetic that I was an instant fan. But while I enjoyed his first album, Both Hands, it seemed to be missing a little piece of what made him so special live. His next album, By December, was a huge step forward, both in his writing and music, and seemed to capture that live quality. So needless to say, I was more than a little excited for his third album, In This Together, hoping it would be as big a leap as Both Hands was from By December.

"Long Kiss Goodnight" opens the album heartbreakingly, lamenting on a ruined relationship with the music matching the emotions that swing between angry and melancholy. The album picks up from there, though, with "Why Ask Why?" slowly building to an explosive climax and the infectiously catchy & roots-driven "Baby Baby" both taking a more positive (or at least less bleak) look at relationships. "The River" -- a song he's been playing live for years now, so it's great to finally have recorded -- has an upbeat tune that belies the dark lyrics. "Cooder Mountain" is another track that just builds and builds; starting somewhat ominously and then piles on the intensity until the end leaves you breathless.
"If You Want Me Too" brings the mood down slightly, as it sounds like it should be a gloomy song, but is actually quite touching, lyrically. The worst least good song on the album is probably "Way Too Long", which isn't really all that bad, just a little... forgettable, not sticking with you like the rest. That is quickly remedied as "Uh Oh!" bursts forth with energy and enthusiasm, though "The Deal" brings the dark intensity back, with another building song, this time about sacrifice.
The moody and longing "Hold Me Tonight" seems has an optimism to it, when Wil begs "hold me tonight / and everything's going to be all right", a sentiment that leads perfectly into "Together", an aptly named song which gives closure both musically and lyrically, assuring you that "the days ahead get better". The combination of the two songs is an excellent way to bring the album to a close, and is a great counter to the opener.

The first thing I noticed about the album is that it does not have that one song on it that was head and shoulders above the rest, like both previous albums had ("Spitfire" and "Honey Pie"), but it is more evenly good. And while I may have been a little unenthusiastic towards the album, at first, the more I have played it, the more intricacies and nuances I find, to the point where I think it might be his best yet.


Download Baby Baby

Download Cooder Mountain

Download Together

Clicky to exchange monies for music

We Are Scientists @ Biltmore -- 07/27/10

Four years. That is how long it has been since We Are Scientists played Vancouver. The Biltmore wasn't even doing shows then! The band, fresh off their wildly successful debut album was in town three times that year, but had not been back since... until last night, for a show at the Biltmore.

First up, though, was Vancouver band Supercassette -- which is a great name. They hit the stage six large, starting out with an instrumental song, very indie-dance-pop with twinges of electronica. They had a fantastic energy, and were pretty damn good, though at times the lead singer was a bit to... over the top in his yelling. Not bad, per se, and not constantly, but questionable at times. But the thing that impressed me most of their set was the dummer. He was fucking intense. Playing on somewhat of a minimalistic kit, he not only broke drum sticks, but managed to break a cymbal in their seond song, playing the rest of the set with it severely cracked. I think I would be interested in checking them out again, especially if part of a good bill.

Up next was Rewards, one of those one-guy-with-a-band-name deals. Aaron Pfenning came out alone with his guitar (and giant pedal boards) but was backed with some audio trickery, in the form of recorded backing instruments. He seemed a bit shy when talking, but when he was playing, he sauntered and strut around the stage, posing for pictures, sitting on the monitors and generally owning the stage. He also employed a few vocal effects, giving some of the songs a bit of an ethereal quality. Or an autotuned quality. Or a Bowie-esque quality. For the last song, the three members of We Are Scientists came out to join him, and the song they played sounded really familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on if it was a cover, if I had heard it before, or if I was just imagining things.
I wish I had been able to pick up an album or something, and I really hope he wasn't serious when he said he may not be back due to the pain in the ass border crossing, because I would be very interested in seeing him live again.

Finally, it was time for We Are Scientists. Back in 06, they were one of my favourite live bands, but four years is a long time, so I wasn't sure if maybe something had changed (well, they had, as all shows I had seen was with the original drummer) and while I was certainly excited, I was also a little wary going in. But it tuns out, I was worrying for nothing; they were as energetic as ever, and still damn funny with the random stage banter. Did you know they couldn't have a fog machine since Vancouver banned them in 1892, due to the werewolf problem? True story. Their banter never seemed forced or rehearsed either, like some bands tend to be, but rather just a couple friends trying to make each other laugh. But their comedic values are just one of the reason they are great live. Brimming with vigor, they started the set ith the new single "Nice Guys" and played for a little over an hour of material spanning all three albums. And the crowd was just going nuts the whole time. People hardly stopped dancing, and most of the songs were sung along to, but "The Great Escape" was definitely the most insane as everyone joined in.
After ending the set with "After Hours", they came back for one more song, "Cash Cow", and promised they would be back soon. A couple of times, especially near the end, they seemed visibly appreciative (and perhaps a little taken aback) by the crowd, so hopefully we convinced them to not wait another four years for a show.

The Wilderness of Manitoba w/ The Mountains & The Trees @ Little Mountain Gallery -- 07/22/10

The more shows I see at Little Mountain Gallery, the more I love it. Despite its residential location, which has caused the neighbours to complain about noise a couple before, it is a great little room which gives off an incredibly intimate atmosphere. One that is perfect for the two acts who played there last night.

First up was The Mountains & The Trees, the pseudonym for Jon Janes, who took the stage alone. Over the course of the set, he played guitar, banjo, harmonica and foot-tambourine (sometimes more than one at once), and one thing that immediately struck me was how great a storyteller he was. Not only through his songs, but between each one he had something to say. A tale about the song, his trip here (driving cross country) and warm welcome to Vancouver, or other stories to engage the audience. The set consisted of his folky songs that, between the slower and melodic songs and quicker, more upbeat ones, never stagnated.

Highlights of the set were "More & More & More", which was inspired by multiple listens of Dan Mangan's Nice, Nice, Very Nice, and his second to last song were he tried something he said he had always wanted to do. Since the crowd was very quiet and attentive, he was able to unplug his guitar and step off the mic for a completely acoustic song, which went over fantastically. He closed the set with "Up & Down", which features not one, but two techniques that I am a sucker for; the first was some looping trickery and the second, playing his guitar with a bow.

While I certainly liked his music before, his live show made me more of a fan, and I would highly recommend catching a show next time you have the chance.

Next was The Wilderness of Manitoba, who played somewhat of an acoustic set. They took the stage with only one mic for the five of them, positioned at the front of the stage, which led to a really cool atmosphere. Also helping was the painting on the wall behind them of what looked like a camp ground in the woods. Which was appropriate, because their whole set felt very intimate, as if everyone was just sitting around a campfire listening to them. They also had a folky sound to them, but one that hinted at an underlying epicness to some of the songs. Songs like "Orono Park", which starts with some soft ooh's, building until the bursting point where it just soars. The guitarist even managed to break a string on his acoustic with their intensity. "St. Petersburg" and "Hermit" were also highlights, both of which being beautiful, slower paced songs.

As much as I would love to see The Wilderness of Manitoba again, and I certainly wish for them to move up to larger venues, I am not sure if any future show will match this one. I just hope they will prove me wrong next time.