Concert Review: Male Bonding, Sept. 2, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Paul in Concerts, Everything | Leave a comment

Toronto – As I walked into The Horseshoe Tavern for Male Bonding’s Friday night show, I immediately noticed that Dinosaur Jr. was playing over the PA.  This was notable for a couple of reasons – for one thing, Dinosaur Jr. is a great band.  But it was also notable because the London band’s latest album Endless Now was recorded in the same studio and with the same producer as Dino Jr’s Where You Been.  This probably isn’t just a coincidence as Male Bonding’s noisy punk stylings sound like they could have come from some time in the early to mid ’90s.

Also drawing on the musical past were openers Love Inks in the form of a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On.”  I’ll admit that they didn’t quite capture my attention during their brief set, but what I did hear sounded alright.  The headliners sounded quite good as well, but there was a bit of a sameyness to their performance.  Sure, fast paced, grungy, poppy punk songs sound good, but I wouldn’t mind a bit more variation in tone or tempo.  Still, I knew what to expect going in and I got exactly what I expected from the band.  The band showcased songs from their latest album as well as their debut and also showed off a bit of a self-deprecating sense of humour.  “This place is legendary, in case you didn’t know,” said bassist Kevin Hendrick before mentioning a few of the legendary bands that had played there.  “Rolling Stones?  Talking Heads?  Strokes?  Then we came and f*cked it all up.”   The band also claimed that they were “offically not punk anymore” when they came back for an encore.  It’s true, encores may not be very punk, but sometimes you’ve gotta give the people what they want.

Male Bonding – Tame The Sun by subpop

Concert Review: Memoryhouse, Peter, Bjorn, and John, September 2, Lee’s Palace

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Allison in Concerts | 1 Comment
From NXNE

From IKVDK

Friday night marked the first labour day in recent memory in which I didn’t feel a dire need to escape Toronto for the long weekend. There’s something about the last real long weekend in our short summer that prompts a mass exodus–but  the groundswell of Peter Bjorn and John’s popularity since their 2006 breakthrough album Writer’s Block made for a packed house in the first of their two-night engagement at Lee’s Palace.

Fellow Swedes Memoryhouse accompanied them for this part of the tour–Subpop records is releasing “The Years” on September 13, and it’s got some great songs, with a lot of the arrangements able to compete with the best nu-gaze. 19-year-old Vocalist / photographer Denise Nouvion and her partner Evan Abalee are both transplanted Swedes who had lived and studied in Guelph, and are now in Toronto. So considering this is their first real forage into live music performance, it’s hard not to want to be easier on Denise’s sometimes inconsistent vocals. Maybe this exposure with PBJ will help develop their banter and compel them to add some back-up vocals to help out their frontwoman. Instrumentally, they are well on their way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theswedebeat/page9/

As for Peter (the singer/guitarist), Bjorn (the bassist/vocalist), and John (the drummer), clearly a lot has changed as a result of their frequent touring. Like a lot of the better high-energy shows I’ve seen, this one had an “opening” that the band ran out to. In this case it was the opening to A Space Odyssey.

Of the three of them, Peter in particular has become a seductive showman, able to pull off a full cream suit while jumping off speakers and taking a few songs to the floor. It’s not really fair to think of these guys as the one-hit “Whistling Song” wonders (Peter introduced this as the “X-Files” David Duchovny’s theme song from Californication to our bafflement, then jumped into the audience to the song most people probably came to hear). There were a lot of other better moments from their new album Gimme Some (Second Chance brought down the house). Part of what made Friday such a good show is that the band collected the best singles from each of their albums and incorporated it into their setlist. Their second show from Saturday dug a little deeper into their back catalogue but looks like it struck the same balance. If there was only one approach I’d change it’d be extra-long encore tacked onto the end. I’m not a fan of encores in general (it just always feels like a rouse), but think that if they must exist, they should be short.

For some reason, no one has posted the setlist from the first show in Toronto, but this one from the previous night in Detroit seems comparable.

  1. Tomorrow Has to Wait
  2. Move Me
  3. Eyes
  4. Breaker, Breaker
  5. DALD
  6. Amsterdam
  7. Macabre
  8. Young Folks
  9. Second Chance
  10. Objects of My Affection
  11. Down Like Me

Encore:

  1. Stay This Way
  2. NTWA
  3. Coffin
  4. Lies
  5. Lay it Down

Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks by Wichita Recordings

Still Got It Song of the Day: Erasure – When I Start To (Break It All Down)

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Ricky in Song of the Day | Leave a comment

London synthpop band Erasure has been around for twenty five years and fourteen records so to say they know how to pen a pretty song could be considered an understatement. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke has been making catchy music for over two decades now and if this track, off their new record Tomorrow’s World is any indication, they are not about to stop. Simply put, “When I Start to (Break it all down)” is going to be an anthem. This song is what a comeback single should be. The lyrics are inspiring and triumphant and the hook is big – really big. The production is slick and Andy Bell sounds pretty good for an old man.

Amazing song in every sense, check it out.

Concert Review: Glen Campbell, August 31, CNE Bandshell

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Paul in Concerts | 2 Comments

Toronto – Glen Campbell is a bona fide music legend.  When I get a chance to see one of those (whose music I actually like), I take it.  Combine that with the fact that this would be the 75 year old Campbell’s last tour ever due to a recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis and this show was pretty much a must-see for me.  Many others must have had the same thought, as the area surrounding the Bandshell was fuller than I ever recall seeing it before. 

Starting his set off strong with the 1-2-3 punch of “Gentle On My Mind,” “Galveston,” and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” he had the crowd’s attention from the get go. He also had me wondering what else there was left to play, as those are most of the songs I know by him.  The answer? A lot more.  He played a good mix of tunes, practically all of them hits either for him or someone else, including his own “Southern Nights” and “Wichita Lineman” as well as The Everly Brothers’ “Let It Be Me,” Conway Twitty’s “It’s Only Make Believe” and even “Dueling Banjos,” the latter actually a banjo/guitar duel between Campbell and his banjo playing daughter and one of many opportunities which he took to show off his impressive guitar picking skills.  One thing is for certain – this guy can still play.  I suppose you get pretty good after playing with Phil Spector, The Beach Boys and Elvis, not to mention years of solo work and hosting your own TV variety show back in the day.

There’s something impressive and endearing about watching an old school performer with years of experience under his belt.  This show definitely had a “showbiz” vibe about it, not in the sense that it was schticky or smarmy in any way, but just based on the fact that he comes across as an old pro, even with the occasional flub.  Near the end of his set, he played “Rhinestone Cowboy,” probably his best known hit.  Normally, one would expect that to be the end, but he went on the play a few more songs, including a couple from his latest (and presumably final) album Ghost on the Canvas.

I went into this show with an understanding of Campbell’s status and an appreciation of some of his biggest hits, but I really didn’t expect this show to be as good as it was.  This was definitely a nice way for him to go out on a high note and certainly seemed to be appreciated by the fans. 

And just because, here’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” being covered by Radiohead:

Radiohead – Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell Cover) by fernandopso

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