Toronto – You thought we forgot didn’t you? This might be Good Friday, but here at the Chinese blog factory known as The Panic Manual, there are simply no days off.
I love Art Brut. When they first came around in 2005, they sounded so fresh and there was no way you could listen to songs like “My Little Brother” and “Emily Kane” and not sing along. They have a new album out this year, called Brilliant! Tragic!. Produced by Pixies front man Frank Black, this new album sees Eddie Argos attempt a different sort of vocal delivery – singing? I’m not quite sure – it’s more restrained than his usual shouting ways but what remains completely awesome is the memorable lyrics that usually define an Art Brut song.
The first single off this album is called Lost Weekend, which features some of the new Eddie Argos delivery along with a wicked guitar riff. Art Brut now has a song called “Good Weekend,” “Bad Weekend,” and now “Lost Weekend.” Check it out.
They are playing the Mod Club for NXNE on June 17th.
Toronto – “This song is dedicated to you! It’s called The Outsider” jokes Antoine Hilaire halfway through the Jamaica show on Tuesday. The dedication was to an older, balder gentleman who in his enthusiasm for the show, decided to dance on the stage for a few songs, much to equal parts amusement and annoyance of the crowd. The dancing ended when someone in the crowd yelled “Get rid of the old man!” followed by Antoine’s dedication. It was a rather fun moment, which punctuates exactly what a Jamaica show is about: fun.
A two piece band from Paris, Jamaica took the stage shortly after midnight accompanied by a drummer and delivered an hour full of guitar driven indie pop with a dose of humor on the side. From what I have heard, the band had previously sold out the Wrongbar earlier this year but I guess the freezing April weather and midnight midweek start time had people second guessing their decisions to come out. Still, the band was in great spirits on stage as they alternated between hilarious stage banter and playing tracks off their debut record No Problem which came out stateside last week. Having briefly listened to No Problem, I had imagined their tracks to have some sort of electro element to them, maybe some synths here or there. Much to my surprise and delight, the band was purely a guitar driven outfit with the duo delivering a steady dose of hook filled tracks. Tracks such as Short and Entertaining and lead single I Think I Like U 2 are extremely catchy and will draw lazy comparisons to other French pop bands such as Phoenix and Tahiti 80. It all just sounds so effortlessly cool. It’s hard to explain.
Midnight starts on a midweek shows are usually hard to justified (maybe I’m old), but Jamaica more then made up for this with catchy music and some rather hilarious moments at the Drake on Tuesday. Go check them out if they are in your town.
April 21 Chicago, Ill. Schuba’s
April 22 Minneapolis, Minn. 7th Street Entry
April 23 Los Angeles. Calif. Echoplex
April 26 San Francisco, Calif. The Independent
April 28 Portland, Ore. Mississippi Studios
April 29 Seattle, Wash Neumo’s
April 30 Vancouver, BC Fortune.
Toronto – Fergus and Geronimo are a garage pop band out of Denton, Texas who make music that touches on a variety of different genres and takes influence from doo wop and Frank Zappa. They’re named after two characters from an Irish movie I’ve never heard of, so I guess they win obscurity points for that.
While on album they sound quite diverse, live they come across as a more straightforward garage rock band, albeit one with a sense of humour. They’re the kind of band who can play a song about Roman numerals and all the great things they are related to – textbook diagrams, Star Wars prequels, Rocky sequels, and so on. This sense of humour was also responsible for one of the best sales pitches I’ve seen from a band. “Back in America, the land of opportunity, we all work regular jobs so if you’d like to buy a CD or any other counter-cultural artifact, give us your Canadian money. We’ll figure out a way to turn it into real money.” They also made two requests onstage for a place for the band to stay for the night. Ah, the glamorous life of a young touring band.
Overall, they were good but not outstanding. I think in many ways I prefer their album to the live experience (if only for the variety), but they did put on a solid performance and are a fairly tight band. Plus they have a drummer who sings lead on some tracks and that’s always a good thing in my books.
Toronto – “I Love Canada.” So said Sharon Van Etten during her show at The Drake and she said it more than once. It’s a sentiment echoed by many American musicians who come to our fair country, but Van Etten took it a step further, offering up her hand in marriage to anyone willing to give her citizenship while also relocating to New Jersey. I’m sure there was many a concertgoer (myself included) who’d be willing to take her up on that offer. A friend who was at the show put it best: “She’s so endearing.” It’s true. Sharon Van Etten will charm you. Not only is she a great performer whose beautiful voice and strong songwriting are equally impressive, but her stage banter and personality really is so … endearing.
For those not in the know, Van Etten plays a form of mellow (yet intense) and at times slightly sombre folk-rock, though more recently, she’s been augmenting the rock side of her sound slightly. I remarked that if she actually were Canadian, the CBC would be all over her.
A few songs in, Van Etten invited a very pregnant Julie Fader onstage to sing harmonies on several songs. At one point, Fader commented that this was the first time she’d seen Van Etten use a tuner onstage. “Well, I turned 30,” replied Van Etten, adding that she’s trying to do other “adult” type things, like buying dresses (good ones, with pockets) and brushing her teeth regularly. I can attest to the growing importance of dental care as one gets older. I personally try to floss and stuff more often nowadays. Plaque buildup is a bitch, I tell you.
All in all, Sharon Van Etten put on a great show, highlighted by the songs off her latest release, Epic. She also played a cover of late Texas singer-songwriter Blaze Foley’s “Oooh Love,” which she dedicated to anyone in the house with blue eyes. This was the third time I’d seen Van Etten live and she seems to get better every time (although I did enjoy her SXSW set at the IFC House slightly more just because it was more intimate). It’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll see her every time she comes through town from now on.
