New Video: Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize

Fred Squire as a dentist, dancing zombies, and Julie being altogether adorable--what more could you want?



Courtesy of Stereogum.

Flannelcore!

Halifax's Bloodsport are a fairly recent addition to the Haligonian music scene, making unpretentious rock music under pretentious titles. Their debut 7" EP, "Goodbye to the Holy Mountain" was released last month on From Here To There Records.

The record has been described elsewhere as "shoegaze for punks", clocking in at twelve-and-a-half minutes of music the sort Halifax hasn't produced in a good while. With twenty seconds of feedback kicking us off, "Photos From My Last Trip To Salem" gives a grungy vibe not so much reminiscent of the Seattle scene back in the day, but could certainly draw a comparison to East Coast heroes Eric's Trip. I could create some wild and pretentious genre for them, like "melodic grunge-revival" or "flannelcore", but I won't.

"Swallowing Werewolves", on the B-side, is a great track, sounding like an unconventional, polygamous marriage between Eric's Trip, Boxer the Horse, and Thom Yorke. Go figure, right? But it works, to great effect, and it might just be my choice cut from the record.

Closing off the album is something a little more mellow, and the first time we hear bassist Tara Thorne sing backup to Matt Charlton's vocals, with "Japanese Democracy". Their voices complement each other well, in a manner very suited to the music. It's an altogether ace record, and from what I've heard and read, I can't wait to see these guys live.

CW

You can catch Bloodsport at Sappyfest in Sackville, NB, from July 31st to August 2nd.


This entry can also be found at East Coast Overture. Check it out!

Sappyfest Spotlight #3: The Luyas

So, I've decided to do up a series of posts showcasing Sappyfest performers, quick little writeups of shows I'm damned excited to see. And I guess a couple of them were written by mistake a week or two ago. So, here is number three!

Jessie Stein is probably best known for her being a part of Miracle Fortress's live show, but work apart from that impresses me far more. I'm not sure if I've ever talked about SS Cardiacs on this blog, but it's effectively her solo project, and it's wonderful. Jessie's voice just has this quality to it that I can't put my finger on, but it's something I can't get out of my head for days once I've heard it. And SS Cardiacs' "Noo Noo (In A Foreign Dialect)" is almost always stuck in my head. However, this isn't about SS Cardiacs. This is about the Luyas.

For the Luyas, Jessie is accompanied by Pietro Amato (on the FRENCH HORN and other various instruments) and Stefan Schneider playing the drums. It's a beautiful sound, I wish I could do it more justice. You really just have to hear Jessie's voice, put over top of her guitars and Pietro's french horn and glockenspiel--it's one of the most beautiful combinations of sounds I've ever heard. I never like so give these things genre labels, especially with 'indie' being so broad these days. I would once have called them Montreal indie rock, but those days are done. You'll just have to hear it for yourself--so, here, give it a listen.

The Luyas - Flickering Lights (will likely fail you)
The Luyas - Quelle Horreur

I don't know much about an upcoming album, just some little references to it. Their website looks like it hasn't been updated since 2007, and their last myspace blog was from Pop Montreal in October of last year. But I did hear tell somewhere of a new album being birthed as we speak. So, keep them ears peeled.

Sappyfest happens in Sackville, NB from July 31st to August 2nd, au même temps as the OK.Quoi?! Art festival, starting on the 27th of July.

Mail call!

Today is a good day.

sappyfest addendum numéro deux

Let's talk about Phil Elvrum.

He's been making music that the world's heard for about a decade, now. Let's call it lo-fi magic. and The Microphones and Mount Eerie have put out some of the best of the genre in my opinion (and in the opinion of many others, really).

Most recently, along with Sackville's Julie Doiron and Fred Squire, both ex-Shotgun & Jaybird, he put out an album called Lost Wisdom under the Mount Eerie name, which even ever-more-crotchety-old-man-esque Pitchfork named among its best new music for the year, and gave an 8.3/10 rating. Me, I'd give it a 9. Maybe I'll actually review it sometime. The album is such that in December, when I hosted a Christmas concert in my basement, a song (You Swan Go On) from this few-month-old record was covered. It's a beautiful song, and was a pretty decent cover. Maybe I'll put up that Christmas do sometime, as it's been recorded.

Anyway, Phil is coming to Sappyfest. I am very much hoping he'll take to the stage with Fred and Julie, as I imagine most are. This is just another reason why we can call Sappyfest the little festival that could--with the hype over Lost Wisdom, I'd imagine about now everybody wants Phil to show up.

Oh, this is going to be too good.

sappyfest addendum numero uno

I'd just like to make a quick little addition here.

I am stoked, and I mean absolutely steam engine ready to burst stoked, that Saint John has a representative in the Sappyfest lineup, especially in the form of Mr Adam Mowery. It's been a while since I've seen him perform but I bumped into him last week at one show or another and we discussed the joys and wonders of Sackville.

He's a brilliant musician, and his newest record, Port City Burning, is available a few places around town. I know I saw it at Backstreet Records.

You can also check out his myspace where his featured tracks from an Eric's Trip tribute album and a Superfriendz tribute album can be heard. This kid is something else.

lovers always lose. suck it up.

TODAY saw the initial announcement of the SappyFest #4 line-up, and I have to say it's made today the best day in a long time. You can find the entire lineup as it's been presented at the Sappy Records website but I'm going to go over a little bit of it here, personal favourites and the like.

As the poster says! SappyFest is happening from July 31st to August 2nd in Sackville, NB, at various venues. Last year it was George's Fabulous Roadhouse, the Vogue Theatre, the Sackville United Church, and a mainstage tent on Bridge Street, with some ancillary action going on at Struts Gallery. I can only assume we're going to see the same thing this year, which will be beyond fab. So beyond fab!

So who will you see if you spend the $50 for the early bird weekend pass, available for the next two weeks from TicketPro? Well! First of all, Julie Doiron will be kicking around as she usually is, being one of the driving forces behind the festival (along with Paul Henderson). She'll be playing solo and also with Eric's Trip, who I hope need no introduction. Me, I'm a maritimer who has never seen Eric's Trip, so I am beyond stoked for that show. For those of you who don't know them, try to hunt down their albums Love Tara or Purple Blue, two personal favourites. Sub Pop records, mid '90s; a hard-rocking flannel-wearing good time.

A second headliner of sorts (though it's all pretty communal) is the Dan Bejar vessel Destroyer. Now, I've never seen Destroyer live, but I've been listening to him for a few years now, and I'm mighty excited for that show, too. You might call what he does 'chamber pop' but I'm not really one for using genres to describe what people do. The only real way to do it is by sound. I guess I'm not really cut out to be a music blogger, I love music far too much! But, I digress. Once, I heard Bejar's voice described as sounding like that villain Professor Hinkle from the old Frosty the Snowman TV special. I'd call this description apt. Apt, and hilarious!

I'm awfully psyched about Ohbijou playing. They're an indie pop outfit with lots of strings fronted by miss Casey Mecija. They're second LP, Beacons, has just been released today. Once I get ahold of it, and if I'm feeling particularly industrious, expect a review! I'm not sure when I'll get my hands on it, though. Between the Sappyfest announcement and the new album, today is a great day for Ohbijou fans. Hopefully, though, they don't just stick to new material at the festival! One way or another, though, I'm psyched to finally see them live.

Given their newfound connection to Sackville's Shotgun Jimmie (who is also playing!) it's no surprise that Attack in Black is back for another edition of Sappyfest. It has me wondering, though, will I get to see I'm A Rock, their new duet with Julie Doiron, live on stage? I picked up a 7" at a Shotgun Jimmie show back in December with that track on it, and hell, it's more worn out than any other piece of vinyl I own. Beautiful song, absolutely beautiful.

Speaking of possible duets, $100 are back for another year at Sappy, and now their Simone Fornow has given us a duet with Shotgun Jimmie on his new record, Still Jimmie. The track is called Quicksand, and in my mind it's one of the better tracks on the record. If you look down the blog at my review of that record, I think I've got it posted. Now, I've never seen $100, but this is a regret. Their album is one of my most-played, there's something about Simone's voice that I just can't shake, can't get out of my head. She has, honestly, the perfect voice for the tearful, beerful alt-country these guys put out.

No one else I've spoken with seems as excited about Timber Timbre as I am. Mostly, they just haven't heard of this Taylor Kirk project--but trust me, they will. He's currently on tour out in the West of Canada with Ghost Bees (who I'm hoping are one of the TBA acts... fingers crossed) and I think I'd describe him as a Canadian version of M. Ward. Though his new album (his first on Arts & Crafts) is a bit less folksy and a bit more traditional lo-fi, I'd still love to see him share a bill or even share the stage with Old Man Luedecke.

Oh, did I mention? Old Man Luedecke, one of my favourite concerts from the last year, he's playing once more. The last time I saw him was at the Vogue during the CHMA Stereophonic Fundraiser, when Julie opened for him. There is something so brilliant about this man and his banjo, something about him that can get a theatre full of people clapping and stomping and singing along. An Old Man Luedecke concert is an experience you just can't miss out on, it's one of the most beautiful things you can ever experience.

There are so many more who I want to talk about, but I'm running out of time and this thing is running long. Maybe I'll write an addendum to the post tomorrow. Anyway, be prepared to see Halifax's number one dance party Windom Earle, Stereophonic headliners Wintersleep, the ethereal Laura Borealis, as well as Ladyhawk, Snailhouse, Dog Day, Shapes & Sizes, and oodles more! See, just there, that could be an entire second post. Maybe it will be.

I'll see you all in Sackville.

LEGENDARY Weekend

Just saying.