Concert Review: Vampire Weekend and The Blow

First, let's talk about The Blow. The Blow is the moniker of a one-woman act hailing out of New York. Her initial stage presence was timid, if not a little self-depreciating. Totally hip cred? Check. I wasn't blown away at first (hur hur hur. I know). I was more captivated by the Ian Curtis-esque dance moves than what she was singing. There was a lot of intentional off-key moments that just didn't resonate. I've seen off-key get used in magical ways that really jar the audience and make a point... but this was like... well, imagine an under-prepared band of 16-17 year olds playing their first gig. It's awkward and lacking in some confidence. You know it could be really enjoyable, but it's just not quiet there yet.

"Chels, you snot!" You may be thinking at this point. "Don't be such a dick!"

But here's where her performance just upped its game. After going on a diatribe about a certain (redheaded, bi, train-wreck) celebrity of certain renown who could not be named, for whom she wrote some tracks, it was like a different person. A different show. Suddenly, I was enraptured! Her minimalist electro-pop grew a spine and spun me onto the dance floor! I was tickled pink by the cutsey lyrics in Parentheses. That was enough to hold my attention: a groove-inducing beat overlayed with casio-rock licks. Absolutely delicious! Following that (and possibly one of my favourites) was this bare-bones track with a foundation of snares driving the beat forward and forward and forward. God love me, I didn't catch the name of it. Dear readers, if you know, please share. Finally, there was True Affection. I thought this track was just made to rock socks. It sounded like it could have been air-lifted from the repetoire of Karin Dreijer Andersson herself. Only love. And applesauce... sorry. Just got back into the groove of non-sequiter awesomeness that was the Blow's performance. Check her out under her other pseudonyms too!

And onto the main act: Vampire Weekend. By now, everyone who hasn't been living underneath a rock has heard something by these guys. Which is great, because I've been a pretty big fan since I first heard M79 in the spring of 2008. So, there's probably little need to tell you about their funky afro-pop meets New York Indie sound. It's insanely catchy, melodic, dancable, and extremely fun. How does this translate to a live audience you may ask? Well, to put it succinctly: perfectly. I mean, how can you go wrong with a set covered in glittery chandeliers? Rainbows? Creepy faces with glowing eyes? Answer: You cannot.

To their credit (and my great happiness), the band played a number of tracks from their freshman release, including M79, Bryn and One (Blake's Got A New Face). The latter turned into a crowd sing-a-long encouraged by Ezra himself. If you listen to the song, you can only imagine how that sounded amplified a few hundred times over!

The encore was a stronger finish than I could have imagined putting together - perhaps why I write about music rather than having a band of my own... The boys rocked out Horchata, Mansard Roof and Walcott for the eager crowd. It was a perfect finish to a perfect night. And as per usual, not close to long enough. Always a good sign.

Vampire Weekend is still touring if you want to check them out (good luck scoring tickets, though)... or grab a copy of their self-titled or Contra from these fine locations.

You Say Party! I Say: Get the Fuck on the Dancefloor

So I scored a couple of tickets to see Vancouver's You Say Party! We Say Die! do an acoustic set at a local radio staion. I was pretty pumped for this intimate set, and YSP!WSD! delivered. Not really surprised. This latest album has me rethinking their genre label of "dance punk". I mean, maybe it was the acoustic set, but it wasn't so dance-y as I remember the first one. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that's a bad thing. XXXX is just a totally grown up sound from their sophomore effort. That being said, hearing dance punk with only vocals, an accompanying acoustic guitar and a tambourine is almost an unsettling experience. Becky's haunting voice turned ethereal and you could see down to the bare soul of the tracks. Pretty Prose over, I Promise.

Laura Palmer's Prom, a song about the a character from Twin Peaks, was absolutely chilling sans synths. I can't stop myself from singing the chorus at random intervals. It's a bit nonsensical ("My heart needs a love-dance"), but it's perfect. It's romantic and melancholy and above all, so yearny! I can't get enough.

Dark Days is highly emotional: Becky looked like she's going to cry during this song. I do the same thing, though, when I'm working hard to hit those lower notes. But you can't really dismiss the fact that a song called "Dark Days" didn't come from somewhere painful. Whatever the inspiration, you can hear it in every single lyric. Not the most danceable track on the album, but one of the most honest. I think it's a YSP! WSD! classic.

So like, my first "interview". Kinda. The below is paraphrased, since I didn't have the foresight to record the convo:

Me: "So last time I saw you guys perform was at Amigo's in Saskatoon a few years back. One of the most memorable things about the show was [Becky's] huge hair. It's pretty short now. Was it traumatic cutting it all off?"

Becky: "The first few days were really tough. I had to keep reminding myself I'd cut it off for a good reason. When it was long, I loved to dance with it, and it really was bad on my neck because it was so heavy. I think everyone needs to cut off all their hair every few years. I can see my features again. It's nice to see them again."

Me: "So what did you find was the biggest difference in writing/recording the material from "Lose All Time" and the new album (XXXX)?"

Derek: "We took a lot longer! Last album, everyone kind of did their own thing. It was all very compartmentalized, with the intention of everyone's individual sound coming through. This was much more of a group process."

Becky: "Definitely. Plus this time around I had  vocal coach. She was with me all the time, even in the studio. It made a huge difference for me."

Thanks guys, for letting me be intrusive. :)

Pick up a copy of XXXX of Lose All Time HERE or on iTunes

In-Flight Safety; or, yet another reason why Halifax is slowly stealing my heart.

This four-piece out of Halifax took me by total surprise. I went to check out a show featuring some out-of-town friends of mine, and In-Flight Safety provided the crowd with some sweet, sweet opening magic. Despite my drunken inability to actually grab an album off the guys before the end of the night (and remember their name. Sorry), I got my hands on a copy of "We Are an Empire, my Dear". And boy, am I glad I did. These guys are def going to be one of those bands I will get really stuck up about having seen play an early show in a small venue after they (inevitably) get huge.

So, I guess, first I need to say thanks to Carlos for the introduction. Yeah, thanks!!!

Now, onto the album. Ahhh, guitar-driven Indie Rock... where have you been hiding for the last year? I feel like I've spent the last 12 months subsisting on electro-pop of varying degrees, neo-folk artists and experimental groups. Relatively speaking, In-Flight Safety is back to the basics. And it's so damn refreshing. This is a generation of old is new again, so it makes sense that musically it'd start to come full-circle.

We are an Empire, My Dear is an album that I want to start harmonizing along with, long before I know what the lyrics actually are (which is probably one part annoying, one part hilarious if you're lucky enough to catch me doing it). It's an album absolutely overflowing with potential singles, and yet enough slower and more introspective pieces to create a good balance. One of my absolute favourites (of the former category) is the track Torches. This song draws you in with gentle tones and soft lyrics that slowly build into a driving guitar riff and poppy harmonies. It's just so damn pretty!

My absolute favourite, however, has to be Model Homes. This piece is gut-wrenchingly emotional. It's such a solid track, that I think an acoustic version might just go and put a tear in this cynic's eye*. It's a little ditty on how the ideal can be just empty and useless symbols that do nobody no good (If you've built a model home/just burn it to the ground.../It's no home/), backed with rich major melodies replete with guitars, piano, and an epic Editors-esque riff to finish off the track. I guess there's some power behind realizing what things in life are actually important. I've quite seriously had it on repeat for the last two days. If you're in the mood for shivers, this track is for you.

And of course, my introduction, Big White Elephant. What else can I say, but 80's synth pop sounds, dancability and the kind of sound Coldplay could have had if they hadn't pussied out on us.

All in all, this album is grandiose, melodic, sweeping, emotional and kind of epic. Without the need for irony, self-abasement, or ostentatious bullshit. I can see these guys following in the footsteps of fellow Halifaxers, The Trews; catchy enough sound to generate a reasonable following (which I don't doubt they're lacking on the East Coast already), appealing enough to get radio play, and original enough that snobby music geeks *cough* will probably be cool with having their albums amongst their collection. Come back to Edmonton soon, guys!

Pick up a copy of their album HERE, or grab a copy off of iTunes! I assure you, I've barely scratched the surface of awesome on this album with these previews... you're going to want to hear the rest.

*I cried during the remake of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". I'm not that much of a hard-ass.

There's a first time for everything: Edmonton's Sonic Boom

A hot Saturday in September was the inaugural Sonic Boom festival in Edmonton. And I have to tell you, it was totally worth having to put up with the usual "first timer" kinks to go check it out. After figuring out where the hell the VIP entrance was, I hunkered down on a spot of wet grass with a piece of shitty pizza and waited for the face-melting rock to start. But it just didn't have the sweet, sweet view I assumed there was going to be, so as The Wet Secrets took the stage, I ventured out to brave the harsh concrete jungle.

The Wet Secrets are some seriously lovely Edmontonian talent, that I saw for the first time when they played at this year's Pride festival. I was instantly in love with their straight-forward story telling, and awesome costumes. The self-proclaimed homo-centric fuzz rockers are 2 parts hilarious and a whole-lot-of parts wicked.

There's something to be said about introducing songs. The "This is a song I wrote after my SO broke my heart and I was depressed for a while" trope is so tired... but when lead singer Lyle Bell leads into a track, people wanna hear it:

"This is song about having a roommate who hides cheeseburgers under their mattress. It's called 'Get Your Own Apartment'"

These guys are totes one of Edmonton's many gems, and I can't say loud enough, go check them out!!

Because all performances were from the main stage, I hunkered back to the grassy, shaded area while band USS got their gear in order. I ended up staying back for this set, but it was easily enjoyable from where I was. USS, to be totally blunt, kind of confused me. I mean, their sound was this intense mish-mash of Glitchy retro hip-hop and Indie rock + break beats and nu-metal vocals. Near the end of their set, up bubbled east coast influences. It was totally all over the map, yet still pretty cool.

I definitely appreciated the Street Fighter lift of "Sonic Boom" (one of Guile's power moves, for those who don't remember), even though it got a little overused. All in all, not my favourite band of the day, but for sure they were fun and energetic.

The next crew to hit the stage was Mississauga's Ill Scarlett. These guys did a great job of getting

the crowd going: I hadn't seen people headbanging in earnest in years, and this is the crew that started the crowd surfing. I've never been much of a fan of Reggae-Pop - I mean, I love Sublime as much as the next girl - but that's pretty much where my love begins and ends, so I can't really say how good or bad they were, since I wasn't paying that much attention. All I know is that the hardcore fans said they phoned this performance in. An unfortunate first introduction.

After locating burgers, corndogs and more beer, I hit the concrete to check out DJ Girl Talk. This was absolutely the most ill-fitting act of the whole day. And I am so glad for it. This mash-up artist brought a sullen crowd to life with and seamless blends of club-worthy dance tracks, oldies, hard rock, and million other genres. The dance pit that ensued brought out the clubbers,

the illicit drugs, and the disapproving looks of mothers

who accompanied their younger teens. I absolutely loved the gimmicky crowd pleasers (rolls of toilet paper attached to leaf blowers? Giant inflated pillows?) and the high-energy. Such a good call. I'd love to see him play again.

Finally, it was time for the band I was really there to see: Metric. Their set was awesome, as

per usual. Emily wore yet another sweet, sweet

dress and encouraged us all to "rock [our] faces off", a request I was more than happy to oblige. Keeping in mind that Sonic (being an E-town radio station) is a little more mainstream than I'm used to, Emily and crew understandably stuck to the newer material. Tracks like "Gimme Sympathy" and "Help, I'm Alive". Was it a little bit of a bummer to not hear "Dead Disco"? Yes. But Metric is like my crack, and I'm generally happy with even a little hit.

Side-note: super duper thanks to Sonic's production Manager, who got my Metric vinyl signed by the band. Legitimately a fan-girl now. Yikes.

Either I was wiped from all the booze and heat and rocking my face off to the prior bands, or Franz Ferdinand was way more boring than I'd have guessed they were. You could see the stream of hispters and cool kids leaving shortly after this performance. Yeah. I'm phoning this one in.


After this, I took off. I missed Alexis on Fire and Billy Talent. You're welcome.

Some small not-band-related, but festival-related notes:

Jason Mewes was the "host" and a serious waste of money. Thanks for the "Stay hydrated" PSAs, Mewes. So disappointing.
The VIP section ended up being a waste of money, as by 4pm, they were letting anyone with a wristband in. Boo-urns.

The festival drew a bigger crowd that Warped Tour did in Calgary this summer (11,000 vs 9,000). That was a little unexpected.

Taking Back Sunday didn't make it. Tear.

The Wet Secrets - Secret March

Girl Talk - Shut The Club Down

Edmonton Folk Fest: Friday Shows

Friday ended up being a short day for me, as I missed some of the acts that played earlier in the evening. Two beers in, however, I found myself couched in front of the iconic Loudon Wainwright III. Yeah, Rufus, Lucy and Martha's Faja. 63 and still rocking hard. While he didn't play my favourites ("Rufus is a Tit Man", "I wish I Was a Lesbian"), his set was replete with his standard humorist-styled songs. He's one of those artists you didn't know you knew: to be expected, as his 21 albums have spanned nearly 40 years and countless movies and TV shows. Perhaps the humorist-folk answer to Nico Muhly. Wainwright had his audience chuckling and singing along for the whole set. It was interesting watching the looks of sudden recognition on people's faces as they made the connection between one of Loudon's songs and something they'd heard before. It was a short performance, but a wonderful warm-up for the rest of my evening. Photo Borrowed from CBC. My camera was dead this weekend.

After another hour in the beer gardens, I got myself situated at the main stage for perhaps the most exciting (and anticipated, for me) show of the entire weekend. Lovely, lovely Miss Neko Case. I think I expected a certain kind of exuberance from Case, as every release I'd ever heard from her had been passionate and full of energy. Don't take this the wrong way, Neko sings with passion in her live show. But she doesn't talk much. Her back-up singer did all the crowd-pleasing speaking stuff for her... Case just focused on blowing us away musically. It was a really interesting dynamic between the two, and, I suppose, not entirely surprising. In addition to Middle Cyclone jems, Neko regaled her crowd with samples from Blacklisted - mon favouri - and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. The live renditions of "The Tigers Have Spoken" and "Deep Red Bells" were most certainly the highlights in an absolutely amazing set. My only complaint is that it was entirely too short. Count me in the line up next time she comes even remotely close to Edmonton (be it with The Sadies, The New Pornographers, or on her own. I will be there).


Friday was short, but intense. And the rest of the weekend would continue at the same pace.

Edmonton Folk Festival: Wednesday

My very first Edmonton Folk Fest was a fabulous experience. Glad I had a seasoned folk-fester take me by the hand for the duration, or I would have been ill-prepared for the bring-your-own-seating, dance barefoot in the grass celebration that the weekend is.

The festival didn't officially get underway until Thursday (august 6th), but there was a kick-off show on Wednesday with the cool premise of creating an endowment fund with the ticket sales from the extra evening. That way, next time Edmonton hits a cycle of economic crap, there would always been money put aside to make sure Folk Fests continue to happen unhindered. Absolutely wonderful approach to festival sustainability.

But how to convince FFsters to shell out even more cash for one more night?

Simple. Give them a line-up of performers that they'd be stupid to pass up.

First on the main stage was East Coast darling Meaghan Smith. I'd never heard the chanteuse, but my roommate assured me it would be love at first sight. And damnit, she was right.

Meaghan managed to earworm my brain right off the hop with the track "Five More Minutes"" a flashback to a childhood where one begged for the privilege to stay up later when the summer nights began to get unreasonably long, and children were tucked away long before sunlight left the skies. It certainly contains more adult connotations for me, as well. It leaves me in the haze of recall of weekday mornings: longing for five more minutes in bed with the person I love. It's a real testament to her versatility that such obvious lyrics can stir up such contrasting memories.

After Meaghan had the crowd pumped up on her sassy neo-50's bluesy crooning, Clevelander Tracy Chapman took the stage. Chapman's liberal-politiking music found fabulous footing in front of Edmonton's folksters (I had to do it...). She delighted crowds with tracks old and new. "Fast Cars" and "Gimme one Reason" were clearly fan favourites, while renditions of songs (which I admittedly had not heard prior) like "Material World" and "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" tended to tug on the heartstrings. I wasn't sure exactly what I had been expecting from Tracy's performance, but I did end up thoroughly enjoying it. She was emotive and sincere... one of the best live solo performances I had seen in some time (Minor spoiler alert: this was just a taste of what was to come for me over the weekend). There's something sexy about a woman in a leather jacket, alone with her guitar.

Headlining the evening was Canada's beloved Sarah McLachlan. Full disclaimer, I've been a fan of Sarah since her '93 release Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - which, much to the chagrin of my family, I played often and played loud. So you can imagine how much anticipation was bubbling inside of me; this would be the first time I'd ever seen what amounts to my musical hero live. She did not disappoint. Her stage banter was warm, friendly, and oft hilarious. She played everything from the iconic Fumbling album, to a brand new track she has yet to release (I can't for the life of me remember the name, though I do know it's an optimistic love song? What?) and everything in between. A consummate professional, she never faltered tickling those ivories, interspersing the set with jokes about breastfeeding her two kids, bringing back Lilith Fair next year (You heard it here first, people) and fond memories of the last Lilith show in Edmonton. There was the expected audience-participation for the live version of "Ice Cream", and slow dances to "World On Fire". Everything I was hoping for. A decade + of high expectations for an artist is a difficult pedestal to perform from - just ask Axel Rose... [too soon?] - but she did it with a poise I will remember for years to come. It was just as magical for me as it was for her.

So I come to close of this gushing and unabashed obsession disguised as a review to say this: my first night at Folk Fest was more than worth the extra 90 bucks. Let's get together and do this again next year.

Meaghan Smith - Here Comes Your Man

Saskatoon's Volcanoless in Canada gets some love on CBC's T.O.D.

Check out the track Mexican Circus (March to the Holly Dome) off their new album "The Way Forward". (which you can grab here, if you love it. And I think you will...)

They'll be at the Regina Folk Festival August 7-9, which I am sadly missing - lousy unemployment. If you have a chance to check it out, do: the line-up is enviable. Then you can tell me all about it, and I can live vicariously through you. It's a win-win, people.