New Blog!

If you're checking this blog to see if I spontaneously decided to start writing again after many, many months, you are eerily prescient. However, I decided to start up a new one for musical writings as well as whatever else I deem worthy of the internet. Check it:

http://superfluism.blogspot.com

Thom Yorke

Alright, I said I'm on vacation, but I couldn't leave without mentioning that Thom Yorke's new solo album just got leaked! It's available for download here, and probably on about 1,000 other websites around the internet.

I've listened to two songs so far... my verdict? Fantastic.

Travel break

I'm on vacation! I'll be back in Canada on July 7th, but until then you can check out my travel blog if you feel so compelled:

Bryce's Travels

Later!

Best ever

Here is my nomination for best band name ever:

Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza

The best part? They are a hardcore metal band.

I been rappin' for about seventeen years, ok?

First thing:
Ratatat just finished a new album! I was a big fan of their first album, which was like a heavily processed downtempo electronica album recorded with tons of guitars, bass and drums. My one complaint would be that a lot of the songs, while very good, had a tendency to sort of blend together. The exception to this is the opening track, Seventeen Years, which sounds like a bunch of robots (Transformers? possibly...) started a band and just TOTALLY rocked out. If you see me driving down the highway with a really intense look on my face, drumming on my steering wheel like a robot, I am probably listening to Seventeen Years.

Ratatat - Seventeen Years

In any case, I'm very interested to hear what their new album "Classics" is going to sound like. It's due out on August 15th.

Second thing:
I'm going on vacation next week to go wander across eastern Europe for a month, so odds are I won't be updating this site for a while. I'll probably be keeping a travel blog though, and if so, I'll post the link here so you can see pictures of me flashing goofy smiles and double thumbs in front of impressive buildings.

News and Tributes

The new Futureheads album is out! And by "out", I mean it's been leaked. This is one album I can download with a completely clear conscience, 'cause there ain't no way I'm not buying this one when it's officially released.

This album's a lot less non-stop-ass-kicking-high-tempo-rock-and-roll than their first. Luckily, that is not to say that they've lost any of their creative spark. The catchy 4-part vocal harmonies and spastic guitar lines are still there, just slightly less frantic.

I've listened through the album 3 or 4 times now, and I've found a new favourite song each time. Here's the current contender, "Face".

The Futureheads - Face

Bizzaro-world

So I just played a show with A Day For Kites, which was fun as usual, with one insane twist. It was a house party, and HAWKSLEY FREAKING WORKMAN was in attendance. Mind you, he didn't stick around for our set, but for a few brief seconds, he totally watched me tune my bass. I'm pretty sure that makes me a big famous rock star by association. Sweet. If only I could've worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation without making some sort of over-excited squealing noise. Alas, next time.

Sigur Ros

I made the trip up to Toronto on Saturday to check out Sigur Ros and, as expected, had my mind completely blown. I managed to snag a couple of third row seats, which means there were exactly two (2) people between me and an Icelandic musical powerhouse.

Seeing Sigur Ros live is as much a show as it is a concert. The lighting and stage setup is all done to enhance the band's epic, massive sound. Their setlist ran the gamut from incredibly sparse, intimate songs with maybe 5 or 6 notes per minute (including one lit by simulated candlelight flickering in sync with the keyboard), to giant crushing rock-outs that are, as far as I can tell, the musical equivalent of the apocalypse. Sigur Ros has completely mastered the art of atmosphere.

Also, due to our amazing seats, I managed to snap a few good photos while I was there.

New Review, Times Two (For You)

I made it to two shows this week, and it just so happened they wound up being pretty much polar opposites.

First show: Hawksley Workman at the Sydenham St. United Church on Tuesday, May 9th. First off, what an amazing venue. I'd never been there before, but it is beautiful. It has semicircular seating, a huge balcony, and fantastic architectural detailing overall. Also, the acoustics were perfect for a Hawksley Workman concert. Vocals echoed and hung in the air for seconds after they were sung, and the piano was deep and clear.

His stage setup was much more sparse than the last few times I've seen him, which featured full band arrangements. On Tuesday night, it was just him and Mr. Lonely (his piano/backup vocals accompanist), which fit the venue just fine. The set was phenomenal, drawing about equally on material from his new album "Treeful of Starling" and his more popular live staples from earlier records. Also, his time was split almost equally between singing and post-song audience chatter.

If this were most bands, I'd probably be a bit upset that potential music time was being filled with stage banter (that, let's face it, is rarely insightful or entertaining), but Hawksley Workman is a strong contender for the single most entertaining stage presence I've ever seen. I would have gladly paid the $20 just to hear him talk all night. He told ridiculous stories about soap and bees and old couples and teachers and Sir John A. MacDonald so elaborate and mesmerizing that it was impossible to tell where the truth ended and where his imagination was spicing things up.

The music itself was fantastic too, especially Tarantulove (one of the best live songs ever) and No Sissies (which was the very first Hawksley Workman song I ever heard, way back in grade 11). He also threw in some great 30-second covers of "Blow At High Dough" (to intense Kingstonite approval) and "The Logical Song". All in all, I'd say it was one of the 5 best concerts I've ever seen (and I'm a bit of an addict).

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Second show: Drums and Tuba at The Elixir on Thursday, May 11th. The Elixir is no match for the Sydenham St. United Church when it comes to otherworldly atmosphere, but I've done my fair share of grooving there, and I had high hopes for Drums and Tuba. I'd seen them twice before, once in first year and once last year. Their last two shows were excellent, mixing jam-band grooving with tuba-playing novelty, abstract-Johnny-Greenwood-esque guitars and crushing drums.

Last night's show, on the other hand, wasn't all that great. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but it really seemed like they'd lost their creative spark. I could count on one hand the number of times their songs actually acheived any sort of unified groove, and their drummer's newfound penchant for singing tended to be too much of a not-so-great thing. You know, it used to be about the tuba, man...

Ah well, 1 for 2 ain't half bad. Actually, it's exactly half bad, but no worries. I've got Sigur Ros tickets for Saturday that I'm pretty confident will push this week's outings to a respectable 2 for 3.