Basia Bulat, Final Fantasy, Grizzly Bear, 9/21/07 @ Lola Festival, London, Ontario

The LOLA Festival is a music and art showcase in downtown London. This is the second year of the festival, and this time around the artwork of Brian Eno (among others) was featured. But I was mostly interested in the free outdoor concert featuring Beach House, Final Fantasy, and Grizzly Bear (again, among others).

I was hoping to catch Beach House, but when I got to the outdoor amphitheater they were nowhere to be seen. Either I had missed them completely, or they never made it. That was disappointing, but there were still a handful of great bands to come.

Local artist Basia Bulat and her merry band of folk music makers took the stage first. At least, she was the first performer I saw. There may have been others before I got there. But anyway, I knew I was in for a treat because there was a celloist and a couple violaists and a flutist (flautist?), and Bulat herself sported a zither.

I found I favored her mid-tempo songs. The slower songs were nice but sleepy, and I wasn't terribly enthralled with the up-tempo ones. But every song in between sounded gorgeous.

Basia Bulat (pronounced BASH-ah boo-LAH, I believe) has a beautiful voice and is a talented guitarist/zitherista. Her songs were usually folky, and sometimes she strayed into Celtic territory. Other times there were tinges of Appalachia in her music. And like a good hodgepodge there was something for everybody to enjoy (granting that everybody likes female Canadian singer-songwriters... and I know that they do). As far as local London talent, she's the best I've seen so far.

Between this set and the next a dance troupe from Montreal took the stage. They did some interpretive dancing, but I was unable to interpret it. It looked like Daryl Hannah's death scene from Blade Runner... if it were half an hour long. I didn't care for it, but I suppose these things are good for the artistic integrity of the community.

Final Fantasy was up next. The only Final Fantasy song I've ever heard prior to that had been a Final Fantasy remix of a Stars song, but the people around me were talking about what a fantastic live show Final Fantasy was.

Final Fantasy is, actually, a one man band consisting of violinist/pianist Owen Pallett. He plays a violin (sometimes a piano) into a sampler, then loops the sample so he can play something else over top of it. The end result is a marvelous piece of dense baroque-pop music that doesn't require guitars or percussion. Aside from being pleasant to listen to, it's also neat to watch.

His last album was called He Poos Clouds, for whatever that bit of information is worth.

Lastly came Grizzly Bear. I was familiar with their type of thick hazey mellow rock 'n' roll, but I couldn't (and still can't) remember how any of their songs go. I just knew that I enjoyed their music, even if I couldn't recall any of it.

When listening to a Grizzly Bear recording you hear instruments not usually associated with a rock band, and the sound gets so distorted and tweaked that it's difficult to identify what it is that's making a particular sound. But when you see them live it all makes sense. A clarinet! A Flute! A zither! Ah, a recorder!

They played a very enthralling set... the feedback and haze and distortion was very absorbing, and they retained the musical hooks to keep it interesting and cohesive.

Also interesting was their choice of a cover song: The Crystals' "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)". Grizzly Bears' style of music doesn't seem to mesh well with that of a girl group, but the song is dark enough and slow enough for Grizzly Bear to warp it into something oddly fantastic.

Due to time restraints they had to cut out their last song (which they apologized profusely for), but I was satisfied with their performance, and indeed the performances of the two bands before. The LOLA festival was a success (at least for that day) and I look forward to next year's line-up.

And for the fair price of FREE there was really nothing to complain about.

1962

I had a social studies teacher who defined the 1950s as an era spanning from 1946 to 1962. During this time life appeared ideal and everything was consistent and bubblegum fun. But thanks to the Cold War and American race issues and other sources of unease there was a dark paranoia-feuled undercurrent to the whole decade. Naturally all this tension resulted in the social clashes (and protest songs) of the 1960s, but this expanded 1950s era yielded some pretty great music. The tunes were generally innocent and full of hero worship, but at the same time wary and untrusting... more and more so as people became sick of social stasis.

So with that in mind, here are some songs from 1962 that I like.


Jay & the Americans - "She Cried"
An honest and tough breakup song. "And when I told her I didn't love her anymore, she cried."
Sha-la-la.


Gene Pitney - "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
From what I gather, Burt Bacharach and Hal David originally wrote this song for the movie of the same name, but for whatever reason it wasn't used. Regardless, this song unfolds like a classic western film. There's a hero, a villain, a showdown, fair maidens, etc.


The Crystals - "He's a Rebel"
Early sixties girl groups are a guilty pleasure of mine. I really can't explain why I like the post-doo-wop pixie-like R&B stylings from groups like The Shangri-Las and The Dixie Cups and The Chiffons and whoever else. But I do, and that's that.
What's really interesting about this song is that this isn't really The Crystals. Producer Phil Spector wanted to record this song (penned by Gene Pitney, as a matter o' fact) as soon as he could, but his Crystals were on the other side of the country. So for a nominal fee he had a local group named The Blossoms record it. The song became a #1 hit and The Crystals became famous. The Blossoms did not.


The Tornados - "Telstar"
I mentioned producer Joe Meek in a previous post. With his outerspace fixation and his knack for electronics he helped craft this catchy little novelty instrumental that quickly became a #1 hit in the United States (The Tornados became the first British band to have a chart-topping song in the States, predating the British Invasion by two years).


Tommy Roe - "Sheila"
Buddy Holly had been such a prolific song-writer that record labels were able to release "new" Buddy Holly albums for years following his 1959 death. Something as trivial as dying couldn't ebb Holly's popularity, and subsequently (at least until the Beatles came along) there were many imitators. Tommy Roe would develop his own style in later years, but his first big hit was obviously influenced by Buddy.

1996

I can't say I remember a whole lot from 1996. That was a Jr. High year, and the sheer awkwardness of Jr. High prevented too much from sticking to my memory banks. I do recall listening to a lot of Oasis, Wallflowers, and a bunch of ska. Five years later my musical priorities shifted and I had to backtrack. So while I can recite to you the lyrics of What's the Story Morning Glory, THESE are the don't-miss tunes of '96 that, tragically, usually were missed.

Ninety Pound Wuss - "Something Must Break"
90lb Wuss did punk the right way: brashly, fastly, and funly. In subseqent years frontman Jeff Suffering led the band down more experimental routes with outstanding but underappreciated results, but with their self-titled Tooth & Nail debut we've got Wuss in all of their punk rawk glory.

Cat Power - "Nude as the News"
My favorite song about Jesse Jackson's lovechild.

Jawbox - "Spoiler"
When you hear about an indie-label band hopping to a major you might assume their next releases will be overproduced and uninspired. But Jawbox's -- in my opinion, at least -- two best albums were released on Atlantic records (though Atlantic didn't really think so; they dropped Jawbox after their 1996 self-titled album because they felt there weren't any marketable singles). So don't be so quick to criticize the "sell outs," unless it actually turns out that their new albums are indeed overproduced and uninspired.

Jeremy Enigk - "Shade and the Black Hat"
There's a thin line between ambitiousness and pretentiousness, but as long as it's perfectly executed it really doesn't matter. Enigk, during Sunny Day Real Estate's first hiatus, recorded Return of the Frog Queen with a 21-piece orchestra. It's initially difficult to imagine his howly octave-too-high voice meshing with classical instruments, but somehow it all sounds completely brilliant and epic (even though the entire album only clocks in at twenty-nine minutes).

The Lassie Foundation - "I Can be Her Man"
Probably leaning more on the pretentious side (after all, who mentions the name of their own band in their very first track in their very first release?), The Lassie Foundation came together in 1996 on the back end of that British pseudo-glam shoegazey thing. The West Coast is too cool for that though, and rather than being all dreary about their rock 'n' roll the Foundation opted to define themselves in a more sweetmellow SoCal manner. Eventually they would dust off their fuzz, but a dozen years ago haze was hip.

MMFRR#6 -- Golden Death

Myspace bands, reaching out to me from beyond Myspace.
I recently got this message via Last.fm. As I read it, here's what the voices in my head responded with:

"Hello"

(Well hello there.)

"sorry to reach out to you seemingly at random, but i was hoping that you might be interested in hearing my music"

(Um, actually...)

"I realize you might have gotten similar inviations from bands in the past that turned out to be awful..I know I have..."

(IT'S AS IF HE'S READING MY MINDZ)

"I think I am doing something at least a bit different and worthwhile though"

(Hopefully!)

"Feel free to send me a message via www.myspace.com/goldendeathmusic or goldendeathmusic@gmail.com if you like"

(Only if I like)

"Thank you so much for your time and for taking a chance"

(You are very welcome, for I have nothing better to do today)

"Sorry again for the spammish nature of this message, but i am really trying to make something happen with the music as i have a daughter on the way!"

(That was a random bit of personal information, but congratulations.)

I hope you are very well

/Michael

Thanks, goldendeath


GOLDEN DEATH... rolls off the tongue like a bouncing football.

(Mr. Golden Death, I presume.)

So we click on over to the Golden Death Myspace page and... whoa. We've got some presentation problems here. Imagine the ugliest outdated pattern you can possibly think of. Now make it your Myspace background. Now spray liquid bleach into your eyes. I guess this is what we call... "Psychedelic."

Psychedelic rock is a peculiar thing. Unless it's 1968, you can't get away with labeling your self as part of a "psychedelic" genre. Nobody listens to anything psychedelic anymore. It carries a kind of antiquated vibe with it and, if anything, the mere word (unless followed by Furs) is fairly repulsing. Oddly, however, listeners do appreciate hints of psychadelia in their music. (Remember Smashmouth's "Walking on the Sun"?) But you really shouldn't ever use that word, even if you mean it.

But what's most disarming about all this psychedelic nonsense, at least in this instance, is that the music is pretty good. The dressy imagery, the effort to present this as something psychedelic, is all a goofy waste of time because the music stands on its own. Granted, it's not my cup o' tea, but if I needed some background music, or I just needed to chill, this would definitely suffice. But what's probably more impressive is that this is home made music. Some guy, some instruments, some computer... the quality of the sound is pretty dang good, as is the quality of the musicianship.

Worth a listen? It is, actually. But once you click on the Myspace link you may have to close your eyes to prevent yourself from barfing all over your computer monitor. One of the songs will start up automatically, and since your eyes are closed anyway just let the music taaaake you plaaaaces. Maaaan.

I rate Golden Death 7 groovies out of 10

1964

This was the big year of the British invasion. (Although The Tornados, a British studio band often utilized by Joe Meek [we'll get to Meek in a minute], reached #1 on the U.S. charts with a quirky instrumental called "Telstar" in 1962, the great influx of English rock 'n' roll bands didn't ship over until 1964.) Naturally The Beatles were leading the charge, and were so overwhelmingly popular that in one particular week in April they held the top five positions on the singles chart, something that's never been done before or since.

I'm not going to spotlight any Beatles songs for two reasons:
1) The Beatles are so insanely popular that everybody in the universe is already familiar with most of their music, especially from the 1963-1965 era. And when you think 1960s rock and roll you think Beatles. As a result, a lot of good music and musicians have been forgotten and overlooked. I'm not knocking on the Beatles -- they're worth every acclamation they receive -- but there were a lot of other things going on.
2) I get the impression that it's not easy to use a Beatles song unless it is fully endorsed. What I mean is, Beatles songs aren't flippantly used. You've never heard a Beatles song on a Time-Life infomercial. You can't stream a 30-second sample on Allmusic.com or Amazon.com or anywhere else. And I'm not about to write Michael Jackson and Sony/ATV music publishing a letter asking them for permission to use "Mr. Moonlight" in my silly little blog.

Hopefully these are just as interesting...

The Honeycombs - "Have I the Right?"
Predating Meg White by thirty years, The Honeycombs featured a female drummer. But what's most notable about this song is the vacant echoey quality of the recording. Joe Meek was an underappreciated music producer and engineer whose ideas of studio sound were way ahead of his time. Using his home studio located above a leather-goods store he would often have different band members play their instruments in different rooms and placed microphones wherever the sound was best (to catch the stomping noises in "Have I the Right?" Meek attached four mics underneath a set of stairs). Meek was also fascinated with outer space and many of the songs he produced have an etheral pseudo-futuristic feel to them. An electronics specialist, he frequently added compressed synthesized sound effects to the music to achieve these results. Joe Meek's tale is an interesting one, and today he's posthumously more popular than the bands whose music he helped shape.

The Dave Clark Five - "Glad All Over"
It's another stomp-o-rific song! There are several things I like about this one. First, there's the leathery vocals of Mike Smith that John Lennon could only dream of having. Second, there's that stupidawesome saxophone (not used as a solo instrument, but more like a gritty bass guitar) that transforms this song from a sing-a-long into a lamp-smashing party tune. Third, everything is delivered so straight-forward that you could almost play all of the instruments with one hand. Primitive, abrasive, AMAZING... I may have to declare The DC5 the kings of frat music.

Terry Stafford - "Suspicion"
As they do today, music folk back then were quick to cash in on flavor-of-the-moments. This explains why there were so many Beatle sound-alikes, but there were also Elvis mimickers too. This is Terry Stafford's only hit song, and it actually was recorded by Elvis in 1962. I much prefer Stafford's subdued version with the wistful woo-hoos and unintrusive brass (what is that, a sax? A french horn? A muted trumpet from upstairs? Somebody help me), and I'm sure it was a welcomed relief for those tired of all them shouty English mophead rascals.

The Shangri-Las - "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"
Of course you can't forget about the girl groups of the 1960s, singing about boyfriends and such. My favorite girl group of the era is the Shangri-Las, who took a different approach to music. They often used spoken word in their music and, either by ignorance or design, bucked traditional song structure (take "Leader of the Pack" for example). This song's whiney verses are almost deterring (though you'd be whiney too if your overseas boyfriend sent you a break-up letter), but if you can hold out until the chorus. Instantly this crybaby song turns into something very haunting and visual. Close your eyes and you'll see beaches, sand, seagulls (!), and a narrator reflecting on it all with bittersweetness.

Bob Dylan - "It Ain't Me Babe"
This is one of Dylan's relatively few obvious songs, in that his lyrics here aren't vague and arcane. However, there's speculation that this isn't just an anti-love song... that perhaps this song carries political and/or social connotations. Regardless, Dylan's sad voice over his hushed guitar (throw that harmonica in there too) results in what's probably the most sincere-sounding song of the decade. The Turtles scored a hit the following year with a bouncy cover, but naturally I prefer the Bob Dylan original.

2006

I really like listening to and talking about the oldies, so I was a little perturbed when the random number generator gave me a 2006. Also disgruntling was the fact that I listened to so much music last year; it took me a long time to just pick five. We may have to revisit this one.


The Fiery Furnaces - "I'm In No Mood"
This is a classic TFF song in that it sounds like two or three tunes rolled into one delicious songburger. Thusly it's completely okay to have two or three favorite parts. And even though this is relatively brief for a Fiery Furnaces song (3:39 instead of, y'know, 9:00) there's a lot going on. One second we're galloping frantically along (I say "we" because listening to The Fiery Furnaces is to become tightly involved with the stories being told), the next second we're lamenting being so drunk last night, the next somebody's talking to us backwardsly. Things slow down, then weeee! off we go again.

Benoit Pioulard - "Triggering Back"
I had forgotten that music is capable of being this amazing. Nevermind that it's by somebody calling himself Benoit Pioulard, which is a terribly pretentious self-moniker for a 23 year-old Michigan native. But his music is dense and beautiful, and as far as this song goes it doesn't get much better. Here his hushed but firm vocals are fused into a haunting cloud of music. There are layers, but one element doesn't take precedence over the others. Even the guitar squeaks are incorporated into the atmosphere of sound. File under: Highly Recommended.

Christian Kjellvander - "Allelujah"
As far as I know (although further research could probably prove me wrong) the only place you can find this song is on a 2006 compilation called Cowboys in Scandinavia: The New Folk Sounds From Northern Europe. Maybe it's those Nordic winters, but whatever inspires these woeful vocals and lamenting guitars absolutely kills me. Think Richard Buckner, but with a different accent. If you're depressed and feel like dying then listen to this song. Your sadness will look like rainbows in comparison.

mewithoutyou - "In A Sweater Poorly Knit"
A brilliant ending to a brilliant album. I am definitely not sorry that mewithoutyou has "softened" their sound over the years. Though Aaron Weis isn't as vocally aggressive as he used to be, the band's songs pack more punches than before. But what sets this tune apart from the other ones on Brother, Sister is the extended conclusion, a two and-a-half minute instrumental outro that not only satisfyingly ends the song, but also rounds off the album.

Veronica Maggio - "Nöjd?"
More Swedes! Maggio, though, is on the complete opposite end of the musical spectrum than Kjellvander. I have no idea what she's singing about here (other than the title, which I think translates to "Satisfied?"), but if there's an English version of this song then I don't want to hear it. I may be above English-sung pop music, but I will listen to Scandinavian pop until my ears bleed.


What were you listening to last year?

1975

Reflecting on music made before I was born is different than looking back at music created during my lifetime. Rather than recalling a certain situation and the social context surrounding a new song, an older song is brought forward into the future and woven into a time and place not initially intended for it. I wish I could be there in, say, 1975 when the world first listened to and responded to a Neil Young song or a Roxy Music song. Instead I have to admire these songs as if they were old paintings, but like old paintings they can still evoke strong emotions and strike inner chords with an audience.

Anyway, here's a bunch of songs from 1975 I like.

Jigsaw - "Sky High"
This song was originally recorded for a kung-fu film, and naturally that translates to 1970s pre-disco awesomeness. Listen to those chick-a-was, that necessary but unnecessary orchestra. Most of my waking hours are spent trying to get this song out of my head.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - "Cortez the Killer"
Most covers suck, but the fact that so many people have more than adequately covered this tune proves how great a song this is, at least on a fundamental level. Historically it's a little... off. But the imagery is fantastic, and the mood is just right. And even though there's seven and-a-half minutes of music to consume, that winding guitar leads you on a journey that somehow sidesteps time. Fade out, already over?

Patti Smith - "Elegie"
In 1975 popular acts of the time included Fleetwood Mac and Glen Campbell, among other -lite favorites. Music for the most part was predictable and safe. So when Patti Smith's Horses was released in November many people's concept of music was chewed up and regurgitated into something completely different. There were other "artsy" acts at the time, even in New York (especially in New York), but somehow Smith's music and persona best inluenced a nation of music-lovers who were tired of the same stale radio rock.
I like "Elegie" because it's the most accessible track on Horses (if her tunes sound strange now, imagine how they must've sounded thirty years ago), it's bare, it's pretty, and it's moody. John Cale of Velvet Underground fame plays bass on this track, too.

Roxy Music - "Sentimental Fool"
Speaking of artsy...
What do you do with two and-a-half minutes of distortion, noise, and feedback? Turn it into something coherant with a bass line, then when that's done with, turn the song into something completely different afterwards. You might hate Bryan Ferry's suaver-than-thou vocals, and the music may sound terribly pretentious, but when that saxophone speaks up you're suddenly listening to something very... cool. The song turns another another corner, plateauing instead of crescendoing, and ends very satisfyingly. Everybody needs to listen to the music of Roxy Music, even just to hate it, but mostly just to awash yourself in it.

10cc - "I'm Not In Love"
Love it or hate it, or privately love it and publicly hate it, "I'm Not In Love" is a terribly interesting song. Upon each listen you're given two choices: 1) pay attention to the lyrics, or 2) pay attention to the music. Lyricaly, the denial in this song is outstanding.

"I keep your picture upon the wall,
It hides a nasty stain that's lying there,
So don't you ask me to give it back."

(See, he's not in love, but obviously he is.)
As far as the music goes... well, synthesizers have a long history of screwing up otherwise good songs. It's hard to restrain so much power when it's at your fingertips. But instead of making cheesy electronics the song's focal point, it's painted onto the background to create a etheral bed comprised of processed (and re-processed) voices saying "aah." The effect is outstanding and a little bit haunting. Then there's that female voice whispering to me that big boys don't cry. I haven't the foggiest idea what that's about, but it works.
Cripes, I could write an entire dissertation on this song.
So anyway, the next time this comes on while you're shopping for clothes at Penneys, pay attention.

MMFRR#5 -- Gosford

If you're having trouble naming your band, try this:
Step 1: Hang a map on the wall. It can either be a world map, a state map, a local map... just as long as it has some cities or street names on it.
Step 2: Throw a dart at it. To eliminate any unintentional favoritism, spin around in circles to dizzy yourself up, and then toss the dart. If darts are unavailable, steak knives are permissible (though be mindful of the large holes this will leave in your drywall).
Step 3: What place name did you hit? Was it Gosford? Congratulations. Now you too are named Gosford.

(a no-holds-barred action movie just waiting to happen)

I'm not quite sure how to approach this band. They've obviously got some talent, and they have the potential to excel at their particular genre. But it happens that their particular genre is nu-mall-metal. So while they're good at what they do, I don't like what they do, even if (especially if) they become the best representation of it.

Thankfully (and this is what puts them a step ahead of most other nu-metalheads) Gosford doesn't infuse their sound with faux-hip-hop elements like rappin' and scratchin'. They take the more traditional song structure route, but maintain those chunky riffs and gravelly vocals that would make mom and pop cover their ears. But aside from being loud (which is a volume issue anyway... just turn the dang stereo down) there isn't anything dangerous about Gosford's music. Just semi-brooding songs about severed loves and inner aaangst.

...Except for "Around the World." Socially conscious nu-metal? Who asked for this? And now that we have it, what do we do with it? It's a shame that the frivilousness of the genre undermines the earnestness of the message.

So anyway, those are my feelings. If you like Linkin Park or Disturbed or Kutless or 12 Stones then Gosford is worth your ear. If you don't then we've both got better things to do.

I rate them 6 AAANGSTs out of 10.