Classic Album Review: Galaxie 500 – On Fire [1989, Rough Trade]

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Allison in Albums, Classic Albums, Everything, Music | Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking a lot about what constitutes musical perfection lately, due in part to our May podcast questioning different writers’ rating conventions.

I have a great deal of difficulty explaining why I love the things I really love. More articulate people take the approach of exploring the minutiae, blow by blow of why they love something. I take the opposite caveman approach of bludgeoning everyone over the head with the fact that something is great. Why I think it’s great doesn’t seem so important. Over the course of about six years, I have attempted on several different occasions to write my definitive be all and end all review of Say Anything, which I can safely say is probably my favourite movie of all time (with Running on Empty a close second, and as I am writing this I’m having the revelation of a lot of good shit being churned out of 1988 and 1989), to no avail. Maybe I’m afraid of manhandling it to the point where I kill it with love. Kind of like if you petted a rabbit to death or something. Think Lenny in Of Mice and Men.

So in thinking about some of the most perfect albums that have ever been recorded, Galaxie 500‘s On Fire naturally came to mind. On Fire is about as dark and emotionally wrought as anything else I love, and there are lots of reasons why I know it wouldn’t appeal to most people I know. Some people might think Dean Wareham’s voice sounds an awful lot likeAdam Sandler‘s, that they are a sparsely arranged three-person show, and that they are the remnants of the ashes of college radio, for many the precursor of dreaded “indie” music. Yet, there are a handful of reasons why, for better or for worse, I think this is one of the best albums of all time. Some things are always universally agreed upon as being great, but for one reason or another I don’t bond with them. I don’t mate with the album, and I can’t imagine being attracted to the band. There are others that don’t seem as praised without exception, but that I fall for in a hard way. I think this is the phenomenon of what a “cult” hit is.  It’s really about a connection, achieving meaningful intimacy with a creation.

In a lot of ways, On Fire reminds me of movies like Last Picture Show, where every protagonist is always trying to figure out a way to run away from life by using a car. You would think that to someone who despises driving (and would be a candidate for Canada’s Worst Driver), a song like Blue Thunder wouldn’t resonate so deeply. You’d be wrong to think so though, because Blue Thunder always hits my pangs of irresponsibility in a big way. The more I acquire commitments, the more I can imagine driving away from them someday. To me, Blue Thunder is all about leaving things behind as a release.

Strange is just as good, and ties for top track in the On Fire story. In terms of lyrical song narrative it probably sounds like something a high teenager might churn out. “Why’s everybody actin funny? / Why’s everybody look so strange? / Why’s everybody look so pretty? / What do I want with all these things? / I went alone down to the drugstore / I went in back and took a Coke / I stood in line and ate my Twinkies / I stood in line, I had to wait” isn’t exactly the sort of stuff Nobel Prizes in Literature are made of. But somehow, this odd little ditty is one of the most beautiful releases I have ever heard. And by the way, drummer Damon Krukowski probably would’ve used the kit he bought from Conan O’Brien when they were all attending Harvard together. For something with arguably downright stupid lyrics, that is pretty incredible.

Another Day features Naomi Yang taking over vocal duties in what is essentially a gentle face slapping to someone complaining about being sad. Everyday is not the same indeed. The arrangements these guys concocted could accompany asininity like Cotton-Eyed Joe or Barbie Girl and it would still sound like a full-on tear-rimming orchestra.  When Will You Come Home? has a guitar solo that slays to the umpteenth degree, and you can’t help but think they have kicked the Velvet Underground‘s ass at this point, a band they were nauseatingly compared to during their heyday.

Before I wrap this up, I want to talk about one last song. Their cover of Ceremony is, quite possibly, my favourite of all time. Dean Wareham always had a knack for excellent covers (their version of George Harrison’s Isn’t It A Pity and later, with Luna Paula Abdul’s Straight Up) that dislodged the originals to the point of evaporation for me. The bit they incorporated with the tambourine firmly establishes them as the most soulful white band to walk the planet of the earth.

Fin.

NXNE Review: My Apology For Being A Concert Douchebag

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Mark in Concerts, North By Northeast | 2 Comments

Toronto – After pioneering some pretty innovative technology on how not to be a concert douchebag (picture link above), it’s with a humble apology that I admit to being just such a douchebag during one show at NXNE this year.

Apparently some types of scotch will turn even the biggest music nerds into concert douchebags

The scene of the crime was C’est What and I was busy chatting with some remarkable people from Malta and New York. One was a successful millionaire who owned a penthouse in the Upper East Side. The other owned and operated her own business training and selling Maltese Falcons. I may have just made that stuff up, but the important thing to note was that the scotch was flowing.

As this was happening, two low-key extremely chill female singer-songwriters in the form of Ghost Bees came on at 12 am. While I was at the back of the room, I had no idea that my voice was projecting up to the front like the clarion call of the beautiful Vuvuzela. At some point mid-set, a young lady approached my guest and I, “Excuse me, did you know that we can hear you way up at the front?” Even scotched up, I was pretty horrified at my behaviour. I mumbled some apology and retreated to the bar area to continue rhapsodizing without disturbing the rest of the show.

Here is an executive summary of the lessons learned:

  • Apparently some types of scotch will turn even the biggest music nerds into concert douchebags
  • A concert douchebag situation may be diffused if dealt with tactfully and in a non-confrontational way
  • My douchebag technology needs updating to reflect loud drunken talking at quiet shows

So to all those Ghost Bees’ fans who wanted to punch me in the nads but refrained, I thank you for staying your fisticuffs. To that tactful young lady that got me to simmer down, I thank you for being tactful and getting me to simmer down. And to everyone else: sorry for being such a douchebag. I promise to stay away from that particular brand of scotch. Scout’s honour!

And here is the rating for my behaviour:

NXNE Review: Elise LeGrow, Erin Hunt, June 18, Harlem Restaurant

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Mark in Concerts, North By Northeast | 1 Comment


Toronto – There have been times at NXNE where I’ve run from one venue to the next in a desperate attempt to see and hear everything that could possibly be seen and heard. This year I decided that my new rule of thumb is no more than two venues per evening. The new plan is to minimize the hopping and get friendly with the locals and the locales. The night began at the Harlem restaurant with some sultry jazz in the form of sultry sultry Elise LeGrow.

Some people are surprised to hear that, although I am huge jazz fan, I’m not typically into the vocalists. While I do have a soft spot for the old greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, much of today’s fare strikes me as more adult contemporary. It’s perfectly innocuous music that features prominently on many a jazz radio station. Listening to a snippet of it can be like having a popsicle on a nice summer day. Too much and it’s more like cotton candy laced with bubblegum and sprinkles all melting together on an uncomfortable humid day with a smog warning in effect. That’s not to say that there aren’t legitimate contemporary jazz vocalists out there; as was evident by the first show of the evening.

Elise LeGrow is a Toronto-based songstress that has both the voice and charisma that evokes the great jazz women of yesterday. She sang a mix of both contemporary songs and classics for a small and appreciative audience at the Harlem. I have to admit her stage presence was so captivating that it was a trying affair to concentrate on the music. While making her way through the set, she bobbed up and down and playfully ran her hands through her hair at all the right times. It was so incredibly distracting that I spent the better part of the hour looking around my environment for some kind of materials that I could use to a fashion a makeshift engagement ring. Did I mention her sultriness?

If there was one thing that I was a little lacking in the performance, it had nothing to do with Miss LeGrow herself. While her band provided some solid backing, I could imagine that the addition of some musical reinforcements would really kick things up a notch. Hers is a stylish and elegant music that is perfectly suited to a classy little downtown restaurant like the Harlem. I wonder what she would sound like if we added the authentic woody thump of real double-bass, and swapped out the electronic keyboard with a baby grand? With that kind of setup, a snifter of brandy, and some arts & craft type ring making materials, I’d be as happy as a kid with cotton candy.

The next set at the Harlem was Toronto-based Erin Hunt and her groove-based funk and R&B band. She started things off with a rendition of Crosstown Traffic. I could tell during from the noodling by the guitarist during the band setup that we were in store for some really groovy stuff. Easily the highlight of this set was the work of guitarist Ricky Tillo who showcased both amazing chops and an excellent sense of rhythm. I wish he could have had more freedom to stretch his legs.

In the previous set, the backing band needed some shoring up to match the talent up front. In this set, it was the opposite dilemma. Erin didn’t have the vocals or stage presence that could captivate the audience. What she did have was a kick-ass band that I would not hesitate to go see in a purely instrumental incarnation. Unfortunately she made a few gaffs that weren’t terribly endearing. She forgot the name of her drummer when introducing the band. Then when encouraging people to stay for the next set, she admitted that she didn’t know what band was following her, but was “sure they were good”. Not the classiest move of the evening.

I’d definitely go see that guitarist again in any other setting though.

Natural Disaster Review: Earthquake, Toronto, East Coast, June 23rd, 2010

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Ricky in Everything | 26 Comments

Toronto – So everyone will probably remember where they were when the G20 Earthquake hit. Me? I was sitting at my desk doing work. Then my monitor started wiggling back and forth and the floor was kinda wonky. I was like “hmm wtf? Earthquake?”. Quickly checking twitter, then facebook, I realized that yes, it was an Earthquake. It’s incredible how slow traditional media is nowadays. The Earthquake was apparently 5.7 and hit some place near Quebec.

Luckily for us, this Earthquake was not of the biggest proportion but yet, it is a bit disturbing because it follows the trend of crazy ass natural disasters happening all around the world in the past decade – Katrina, the tsunami, Heidi Montag, and the Earthquakes that rocked Haiti, Chile, China and other places. I’ve only come to the conclusion that Earth hates us.

This was not my first Earthquake, nor the biggest I’ve experienced. The biggest was the first day I arrived in Tokyo in 2008 and I was checking out the balcony in my hotel room. I got out there, and the balcony starting shaking and my balance was way off. At first I was like “this hotel sucks! the balcony is not working!” and then when i stepped back in, it was still wonky and I was like “am I drunk?” Finally, it was confirmed there was an Earthquake. Crazy stuff.

Where were you when the Earthquake hit?

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