2009-03-09

THE MONDAY NIGHT SPECTACULAR
2009-03-09

1. Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby
2. $100 - Nothing's Alright
3. White Rabbit - Sincerity
4. The First Aid Kit - New York City
5. Joel Plaskett - True Patriot Love
6. Laura Barrett - Senior & the Blob
7. Woodhands - Be Back Soon
8. The Magician - NJ vs. NJM
9. Attack in Black & Julie Doiron - I'm A Rock
10. Slow Down, Molasses - Fucking Up
11. The Carousels - Miles Past the Ghost
12. Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize
13. Shotgun Jimmie - Used Parts
14. Pat LePoidevin - Toumba, Texas

We are the harmless sociopaths.

Now, up to this point, almost all the music I've put up here, almost all the music I review has been Canadian, and has been stuff I've seen live. This is not. This is Andrew Bird.

I've finally given his new album, Noble Beast, a chance. Recently his stuff has been a bit disappointing to me. I first heard him as a sometimes-member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and took a peek into his work with his band Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which was the same sort of swing revival music. His last album, Armchair Apocrypha, disappointed me. I'm not entirely sure why. The Bowl of Fire stuff was excellent, aside from The Swimming Hour which bored me... and The Mysterious Production of Eggs was delightful. Maybe it's just a matter of a meh album and then good album and then a meh album and then a good album.

Noble Beast is a good album. Hell, it's a great album. Classically trained violinist doing beautiful indie music, that's what Andrew Bird is up to. Beautiful music, soothing. He has redeemed himself in my eyes. From the onset of Oh No, the first track, I knew that I was in for a treat. He is a gifted songwriter with an obvious love of words, and obscure words at that. From Tenuousness:

"'Tenuous at best' was all he had to say when pressed about the rest of it; the world that is. From proto-Sanskrit Minoans to Porto-centric Lisboans, Greek Cypriots and harbour-sorts who hang around in quotes a lot."

The play with words and sounds! It's not even a lot of nonsense, but to grasp at these relations that don't quite go together, the rhythm and the sound, holy cow, mate, holy cow. An awful lot of the tracks end on cold stops, which I like a lot. The constant wall of sound collapses almost unexpectedly without so much as a cry and the next track begins. Gorgeousness, sheer gorgeousness!

You simply must take a listen. It's unlike most things you've heard, I promise you. This album was released in late January. When you listen, really listen. Listen to those words, listen to all those sounds, those varied sounds all juxtaposed in such a way as never known. This man has a gift, and on this latest album, holy mackerel does it ever work!

Andrew Bird - Effigy
Andrew Bird - Not A Robot, But A Ghost

Words are the only currency left to trade in.

Second disappointing turnout in a row to George's. That's okay, of course. The weather was a little rotten so the turnout is understandable, both times. But nonetheless! More of you cats need to turn out to these things. You're going out on a friday night for this, that, or the other, you ought to come out and for $5 see some fan-fucking-tastic music! Because tonight's music was fan-fucking-tastic. Just putting that out there.

So! When I got there, being the only person there for a while, the start of the night was pushed back slightly. 10:45? 11:00 maybe? Anyway, the night started out with The Bad Arts, a band that sounded more Halifax than Halifax itself, channelling the high-energy alt-rock of their predecessors. I knew the frontman years ago in Saint John, he really seems to have carved out a great performing style for himself. I liked them well enough. Well, who am I kidding? I liked them a lot. For a three-piece, they brought the rock.

Then, after a quick set-up break, Rich Aucoin started his set. Hardly anyone can make me (and everyone, so it appeared) as happy with music. But, it's not just music, is it? It's synthesizers and balloons and old movies projected on to a sheet. It's everything that joy is made of, wholly and entirely. His continuing use of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, even after a cease and desist order was put out, never fails to make me smile. And the music is so damned danceable! Don't believe me? See for yourself. Of course, recordings don't half do justice to the live show. If you ever have a chance to see this man perform, take it. It is an experience unlike any other. His use of the projector, playing old movie clips and How The Grinch Stole Christmas with his music synced up thereto... holy mackerel. Holy. Mackerel.

Rich Aucoin - A.L.I.V.E.
Rich Aucoin - At War With The Cynics (An Opening)

The First Aid Kit then played, again sounding very Halifax. They seemed to me a little generic at first, but through the course of the set they really did grow on me. Now and again, when a refrain would come up in a song, the synth player (I believe her name is Amy) would hold up a brightly coloured sign with the lyrics painted on it. "In Times Like These" or simply "Oh!". They put on a good show, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Not as good as Rich, but still very good, and a lot of fun. They interacted well with the crowd, even though it was awfully small, and just made for an enjoyable end to the evening. All was well.

The First Aid Kit - New York City
The First Aid Kit - Rooftops

Watchmen

As promised, I'm giving a review of Watchmen without giving much away.

I give it a solid 6 out of 10. As a stand-alone movie, it was good. Not the best thing in the world, but good. As an adaptation of the graphic novel, it left a lot wanting. Not so much for things it left out (which was a lot) but for things slightly changed and the presentation, especially creating the characters so fucking one-dimensionally. Uncool. Totally uncool. This is not the actors' faults. The actors were fantastic, the casting was brilliant. The little easter eggs left for fans of the book, too, little details, they were nice to see, but really, who are you kidding? My biggest qualm in terms of absenses was not as may be suspected the squid, but rather something much more small and yet so perfect to the vision of what Watchmen is: the silhouette in the alleyway of the couple embracing, as if imprinted there by a nuclear blast. Completely missing. There was also a tendency to overwork the violence and gore--I don't have to go any farther than Rorschach's first kill for that. Overuse of slow-mo, but from the man who brought us 300, this was not unexpected. Far too much foreshadowing of Veidt's villiany, which was not at all present in the book.

I will give it this: the opening credits were the best opening credits ever I have seen, and the greatest part of the film. I knew then that I would be let down by the remainder.

That is all. Now to the shower!

2009-03-02

THE MONDAY NIGHT SPECTACULAR
2009-03-02

PART ONE
1. Greenbelt Collective - This Hill Used To Be A Valley
2. Jenn Grant - Heartbreaker
3. Constantines & Feist - Islands in the Stream
4. The RAA - Sleep All Day
5. The Superfantastics - Van Gogh
6. New Royalty - Midday Sun
7. Geoff Berner - Fukher
8. Olenka & the Autumn Lovers - Flash in the Pan
9. Jenny Owen Youngs - Hot in Here
10. Pete Samples - And All The Kids Smile
11. The Weakerthans - Left & Leaving

PART TWO
1. Something French - I Am A Microphone
2. United Steelworkers of Montreal - For Love And Your Mother's Sake
3. Boxer the Horse - Snowflake
4. Shotgun Jimmie - Sparkelution
5. The Tom Fun Orchestra - Behind the Fence
6. Ghost Bees - Tear Tassle Ogre Heart
7. Laura Barrett - Deception Island Optimists' Club
8. Wooden Wives - Gonna Hafta Die Blues
9. Wintersleep - Assembly Lines
10. Corey Isenor - Oh No!
11. John Connolly - Miramichi
12. Rich Aucoin - A.L.I.V.E.
13. The Craft Economy - Big Purse, Lil' Dog
14. New Order - Temptation

I flicker off and on and off again.

I'm sorry for not posting a whole lot. We've been hit by a couple of ice storms, and power has been in and out, and sometimes even when we do have power, internet services have been down. On top of this, classes haven't been cancelled, so I've been a mess of busitude. That said, the next concert I'm going to is this Friday... and tomorrow night I'm seeing Watchmen, so I might do a special film review post. This is all just me talking about nothing. So! I'll get my post count up. You just watch.

Sorry about that.

So, I vanished for a week. And a little more. I like to think I was living in a cave, or something similar. I did take in a show, and I'll tell you about it some time. But for now, I have work to do, so here, have some Pete Samples to hold you over until my next post.

Pete Samples - Between Exhales
Pete Samples - And That's The Kind Of Day That Its Been

You can find his two most recent albums for free download at his website.