Final Fantasy @ the Tranzac

Braved the bitter, bitter cold (and my own cold) last night to catch an act on my to-see list: Owen Pallett a.k.a. Final Fantasy. He was playing the first of two fundraising shows at the Tranzac. Considering the acclaim and indie cred, they could have charged a little bit more than the $8 in advance, but hey, I'm not complaining.

Local band The Silt opened. They started out, well, interestingly. I figured they had created a new genre - lo-fi spaghetti western electronica - but they eventually degenerated into plodding, mournful folk-country-roots dirges that frankly made me want to poke my eyes out. I thought, "Well, with some more practice and a good lead vocalist, these guys could be...competent. Their songwriting is fine enough." They played their instruments well (the drummer even playing bass at the same time), and sang in harmony competently, but otherwise couldn't get it together. At least not for me.

I can't find much about them on the internet, except a piece Carl Wilson wrote for the Globe and Mail in 2000 (?!):

The Silt is turning out to be one of Toronto's natural resources, alongside the likes of Hawksley Workman, with whom they share hummability, flamboyance, classicism, and a willingness to be fey and vulnerable that, at its best, makes audiences giddily nervous.

Six and a half years later, I can honestly say I was not giddily nervous. I'm not sure which band Mr. Wilson saw in 2000, but it wasn't the same one.

The night got better when the Centaurs took the stage. Again, I can't find much about them on the internet except for individual MySpace pages for the drummer, flautist, and keyboardist/vocalist. The drummer denotes himself as being "2-step / Ghettotech / Freestyle", the flautist is "Experimental / Jazz / Jungle", and the keyboardist/vocalist "R&B / Neo-soul / Jazz". Imagine all that mashed together, and that was the Centaurs: trippy Stereolab-ish instrumentals (the vocalist never sang any lyrics) that would have been nothing without the drummer.

The consensus was that the flute was overwhelming; there are only so many kinds of sounds you can get out of a flute, unlike a violin. I felt there needed to be more featured instruments to shake it up a little. A good lightshow would have also improved the experience. Maybe they could hook up with the woman who did the overhead projector visuals during Owen Pallett's set.

Despite two albums and all the building attention, I was surprised that he was still a boy with a violin; I would have guessed that by this time he would have a backing band member or two. It probably explains why he seems to play small, odd little venues. He would be lost by himself in, say, the Mod Club, or even the Phoenix, even though his songwriting is dramatic enough for a large venue. Although I'd be curious to see if he could hold an audience in clubs that size. He certainly had the room hushed last night (save for some guy's bored, drunk, obnoxious girlfriend who kept pawing him and contemptuously stage-whispering in his ear).

I don't know anything about stringed instruments, but I could tell that Pallett is an accomplished technical player, and has a lovely touch. There was a sweetness to his playing that doesn't come through in the recordings. The same could be said of his singing. On the albums he sounds a little self-conscious; live, he really does know how to sing as he knows how to hold back.

I didn't recognize a lot of the songs he played. A quick buzz through the internet reveals that he does plan to release a new album this year, so that's something to look forward to. I'm curious to see whether the songwriting and production progresses. Live and solo, Pallett's sound is limited; on a recording there is the possibility of additional tracks and overdubs. Let's just hope the new album has a less ridiculous title than He Poos Clouds.

Final Fantasy website (which someone really needs to complete/update one of these days)
"This Lamb Sells Condos" on YouTube (likely directed by his friend with the overhead projector)
"Fantasy" on YouTube (a Mariah Carey cover, of all things, but it works)

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Against all odds, I managed to get tickets to the Arcade Fire on May 15. Woohoo! They're crappy seats, but I knew I had to take whatever I could get.

You are the angel that I couldn't kill

I like to be surprised. I like liberal vocal harmonies. I like Mother Mother. I even liked them when they didn't have the extra Mother and band members. But I like Touch Up much better than their self-titled, self-released debut -- even though most of the tracks are the same -- because their new label Last Gang (home to Metric and The Dears) cleaned it up and cut out all the goofy self-indulgent bits that distracted from the strong genre-spanning Tin Pan Alley-like songwriting, interesting harmonies, and distinctive singing.

They play March 9 at the Horseshoe with a bunch of other fine young bands as part of Canadian Music Week. Sadly, I'm probably going to miss it due to another commitment. But I'm sure they'll be back.

Mother Mother website
Mother Mother on MySpace ("Polynesia" is my favourite track)

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I don't think I have a snowball's chance in hell of scoring Arcade Fire tickets today. But I'll still try.

Well it's my birthday too, yeah

The Beatles - "Birthday"
The Sugarcubes - "Birthday"

Happy birthday to Loreena McKennitt, Lupe Fiasco, Billie Joe Armstrong, Taylor Hawkins, and...Paris Hilton?!

Also, Thelonius Monk died on this day in 1982.

(Photo: Nicole Kidman in Birthday Girl.)

Leave it to the birds and the bees and the Viennese

Blossom Dearie - "Down With Love"

(Comic strip from the irresistible Lenore, natch.)

It's alright with me

Yes! Brad Mehldau, the intensely charismatic frontman for Atlanta, Georgia rock quartet The Bukowskis, is putting out a solo album next month. Mehldau’s powerhouse rasp and dynamo stage presence have been compared to Rob Thomas, Bono, Michael Stipe, and Gord Downie.

I just made that up by looking at the photo. But you believed me, didn’t you?

Brad Mehldau is a jazz pianist and composer. I first heard him on Jazz FM; the radio was playing in the background while I read a book, and when he began playing “It’s Alright With Me” my jaw dropped. I had to put the book down.

I sat there for a good 10 minutes (his interpretation on Live at the Village Vanguard runs about 12 minutes, actually) with my mouth open, swearing occasionally with disbelief. Within a month I had a ticket to his solo gig at the Glenn Gould studio and four CDs: Anything Goes, Live at the Village Vanguard, Back at the Vanguard, and Live in Tokyo. I've since added Day is Done, and House on Hill is on my to-buy list.

Many jazz pianists play chords with their left hand, and noodle with their right. Mehldau noodles with both. I love how he takes a standard (anything from Porter to Radiohead to Thelonious Monk) and runs with it, and just when you think he’s gone too far he manages to bring it back round again. His playing is cerebral yet romantic: the precision of a Bach fugue with a sensitive touch. He's Art Tatum without the whimsy, although he still retains his humour.

And I like the expressive way he hunches over the piano. It reminds me of the way I used to play during my misspent youth. He's a pianist's pianist. (There's a naughty joke in there somewhere.)

What blows my mind the most, though, is the tattoo. It’s a big tattoo. On his arm. That thing must’ve taken weeks to heal. Playing piano must have hurt like billio. It just seems a risky and masochistic thing to do for a guy whose upper body is his livelihood.

Anyhow, he rolls into town with Pat Metheny on April 9 and you bet your britches I've got tickets already. I'm not that crazy about Metheny, but any excuse to see Brad Mehldau play again will do.

Brad Mehldau website
Radiohead's "Exit Music" on YouTube

Part 1 and Part 2 of an interview with Mehldau and Metheny on YouTube. What a couple of scruffy-looking dudes. And check out that dragon tattoo.

New Pornographers @ Nathan Phillips Square

They were outstanding. And it was frickin' cold. I'm glad I saw them, and that I have feeling in my toes this morning. That's all I have to say.

New Pornographers website
New Pornographers on MySpace

The Golden Dogs w/ The Yoko Casionos and Paso Mino @ Lee's Palace

Last night was the best $8.50 I'd ever spent in my life. Well, rather, $8.50 x 2 plus convenience charges, beer, and the cost of the Golden Dogs and the Yoko Casionos new albums this morning on iTunes. But it was still the most bang for my buck I'd ever gotten at a concert: three tight, hard-rawkin, power-pop-alt-rock bands in one night. It was a good show, and even better, I did not black out from poor air circulation, as is my habit at Lee's Palace.

I can't find much on Paso Mino online; their website is under construction and I get the impression their current claim to fame is being Jason Collett's backup band. I'm not surprised; they were fantastic players, but still have to work out their sound. They haven't made up their mind between blues-rock, Canadian indie rock, and radio-friendly rock. They've got a lot going for them, though, including a lead guitarist with a distinct, mature, Jeff Martin-like voice. I wish they had rawked out a bit more, but the sensitive, lovelorn crooning probably makes them more popular with the ladies.

Overheard in the ladies' room near the end of Paso Mino's set (I couldn't wait): "Remember when Juan and Stef got kicked out because the staff throught they were screwing in the stall, but they were just exchanging clothes?"

The Yoko Casionos had already scored two points with me even though I'd never heard them before: a) their awesome name and b) they feature a rabbit in most of their photos and artwork. (Sadly they didn't have any T-shirts for sale at the merch table; I would have bought one in a flash.)

Live, I was pleasantly surprised. Very slick, very polished power pop-rock -- although almost too polished, if that's possible. Every song was bright and rich and performed impeccably. I can see them becoming very popular amongst faux-punk teenagers who like Green Day and Billy Talent -- and I actually don't mean that as a backhanded compliment. If their cards are played right, they could attract a huge and lucrative fan base and would be totally deserving of it. (And obviously, others think so, because according to iTunes These Are the New Old Times is distributed by Universal Music.)

Overheard in the ladies' room after their set:

"Aren't --- and Nathan cool?"
"Yeah! I wish they had played at my bat mitzvah!"

I don't think they were referring to any of the band members, but still, that made me feel old.

And finally, the Golden Dogs. I had bought Everything in 3 Parts last year on the sheer catchiness of "Yeah!", liked the rest of the album a lot, but had held off buying Big Eye, Little Eye. I think this was the first time I'd seen a band in which all the members looked like they were about to spontaneously combust. (Except the bassist. He showed admirable restraint. A quick buzz on the web reveals that he's relatively new to the band, so that explains it.)

Highlights: fake vines adorning everything, Christmas lights, the drummer drinking straight from a pitcher of water, the keyboardist swapping out handmade song namecards on a music stand, and a guitarist who looked like he could've been the kid brother of Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys. And how the frontman could rawk out on guitar and lead vocals and chew gum at the same time is beyond me. He's clearly an evolved species.

But really, the Golden Dogs shouldn't hold back so much, y'know? They shouldn't be so uptight and self-conscious. They need to work on being more comfortable on stage. Let loose once in a while. Give it their all.

Paso Mino website (under construction)
Paso Mino on MySpace
Yoko Casionos website
Yoko Casionos on MySpace
Golden Dogs website
Golden Dogs on MySpace
Video for "Never Meant Any Harm" on YouTube (Which makes them seem like a sedate New Wave band, but keep watching. You'll also see the song name placards in the background.)

The bitch said yeah, the bitch said yeah

There hasn't been much to blog about lately because I went for one whole month without buying any new music. I didn't even realize it until I started to feel the strain and stress of a bitterly cold January. I finally got hold of Thom Yorke's The Eraser, but needless to say, it Mr. Yorke's mournful warbling didn't help my mood. It's an excellent album, yet I can't figure out if it's good or bad that it's exactly what I'd expected. I mean, I expected it to be excellent, but I guess I always want to be pleasantly surprised by music and it was anti-climactic to hear The Eraser at last.

The Eraser

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Did you know that customers who bought this item also bought:

Twin Cinema - New Pornographers
Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade
Everything All The Time - Band of Horses
Set Yourself On Fire - Stars
Illinois - Sufjan Stevens

I am not surprised in the least.

I bought Immaculate Machine's Ones and Zeroes on a whim; I'd heard one or two tracks via CBC Radio 3 and they seemed to have the kind of energy I need for these early winter months. Like the New Pornographers, they're infectiously peppy, and have similar male-female vocal interplay. Kathryn Calder even stands in for Neko Case when the New Pornographers tour.

But whereas the New Pornographers have a '60s pop sensibility, Immaculate Machine has its roots in the '80s. That is, the former makes me want to dance like I'm singing backup in a girl group; the latter makes me dance like I'm in the prom scene in a John Hughes movie. In fact, I am convinced that they are the same band, but due to some trick of quantum physics, they are co-existing in the same time and space despite being from alternate universes.

Immaculate Machine website
Immaculate Machine on MySpace

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Cansei de Ser Sexy has replaced Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds as my new guilty pleasure. Any other time of year and I wouldn't have bought the album. In fact, CSS made little impression on me when I saw them open for Ladytron last October, other than they were a cheerfully sleazy low-rent Go!Team. (Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.) One line from "Art Bitch" sums them up perfectly: "I sell my crap and people ask for more."

CSS on MySpace

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Speaking of JT, there was some excitement at work on Tuesday as his tour bus was parked near the office and visible from our windows. That's as close as I want to get to him, even if he is bringing sexy back.