Stylus Magazine -- June/July 2013

S

Stylus

June/July Issue3 2013 Volume24

Production Team

On the Cover

JANEL CHAU lives in Winnipeg and draws and paints for passion. She likes ghoulish art, cartoons, ice cream, and serial killers. Holla at her at j.chau@live.com

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheldon Birnie Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Mazurak Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leif Larsen Advertising Manager . . . . . . . . . . Ted Turner

204-786-9779, outreach@theuwsa.ca

Distributor . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Michalishyn Cover Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Janel Chau Printed by Copy Plus Inc. . . . . . 204-232-3558

Contributors Scott Wolfe Martyna Turczynowicz Janet Adamana Grace Moyer Kristel Jaxx Broose Tulloch Harrison Samphir Andrew Friesen Dwayne Larson Mister Jan Daniel Emberg Alexandre Ilkkala-Boyer Myke Lewis Devin King Dave Skene Stefan Braun Victoria King James Korba Adrienne Yeung Shanell Dupras

Stylus is published bi-monthly by the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association, with a circulation of 2,500. Stylus serves as the program guide to 95.9FM CKUW and will reflect the many musical communities it supports within Winnipeg and beyond. Stylus strives to provide coverage of music that is not normally written about in the mainstream media. Stylus acts as a vehicle for the work of new writers, photographers and artists, including members of the University of Winnipeg, of CKUW and of the Winnipeg community at large. Stylus reserves the right to refuse to print material, specifically, that of a racist, homophobic or sexist nature.

All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus.

All opinions expressed in Stylus are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors. Contributions in the form of articles, reviews, letters, photos and graphics are welcome and should be sent with contact information to:

Stylus Magazine Bulman Student Centre, University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 Phone: 204-786-9785, Fax: 204-783-7080 editor@stylusmagazine.ca www.stylusmagazine.ca Contributions will be accepted in the body of an email. No attachments please. All submissions may be edited and become the property of Stylus. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of Stylus is strongly discouraged without the express written consent of the editors.

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TableofContents Blah, Blah, Blah Events Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CKUWho Groundswell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 CKUW Program Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Live Bait July Talk // Ghost B.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Local Spotlight October // Eagle Lake Owls // Rob Waddell . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Ulteriors James Blake // Phosphorescent // Candle Ea†er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Around the World Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys . . 22 Iconoclast Clutch // Awolnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Root Cellar Jonny Fritz // Leif Vollebekk // Sienna Dahlen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Under the Needle Boy // Youth Lagoon // Powder Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fear of Music [insert band name] – [insert album title] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Features The Wonder Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Haunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Not Enough Fest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Hayes Carll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 SuperFX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A Tribe Called Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

03

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Blah Blah Blah Summer’s here, friends, and the time is right for dancing in the streets! Rip those sleeves off your band t-shirts, grease up the chain on the 10-speed, and get yerselves to some fuckin’ live music! There’s a literal shit-ton bearing down upon us, with festival season cranking up, and the excitement of not freezing to death from exposure to stop us from going completely and utterly buckwild! Yeeeeeeeehaaaawwwwww!!! *** Check the Cavern most Mondays for the Bros Landreth, while Tuesdays are Soul Night down below the Toad *** Wednesdays bring us the Songwriter Explosion at 555 Osborne, while Andrew Neville & The Poor Choices rip it up over at the Rose N Bee Pub *** Thursdays are Draft Night at the Windsor *** Sundays check out the Blues Jam at the Times Change(d) *** Hopefully you’ll be joining us for our Launch Party at the Rose N Bee June 6, featuring music by Hana Lu Lu, Dave Skene, and aband*nthecar; the annual Bands vs Filmmakers goes on at the WECC; and Pitchfork dreamboats Skeletonwitch flip their hair back and forth with Xul and Endless Chaos at the Zoo *** June 7 sees ex-pats Richard Duguay perform at the Cavern, where Chris Walter is launching his latest book, Chasing the Dragon *** June 8 prepare to have your minds melted by Shooting Guns, Satanic Rites, Talon, and Solar Coffin at the Windsor, as Silverstein and The Wonder Years (p. 7) shake the bricks of the Pyramid Cabaret, while over at the Albert Dr Rage & The Uppercuts, Electric Soul, and Hey Pilgrim get grimy, and down at the ol’ Park Theatre, We are the City are throwing an album release party, featuring A Waste Odyssey, and Indicator Indicator *** On Monday June 10 Intronaut, Mouth of the Architect, and Scale the Summit tackle the Zoo *** Wednesday June 12 sees Hooded Fang blast the Windsor a new one, while the Pyramid will be ripped apart by ex-Pretty Girls Makes Graves members The Cave Singers *** Winnipeg Jazz Fest gets cooking June 13, with

its annual Free Opening Weekend at Old Market Square, featuring acts like The Noble Thiefs, The F-Holes, Romi Mayes, Cannon Bros, Boats, Royal Canoe, Maylee Todd, Moses Mayes and more. Can’t beat free! *** Just Piss and Zero Cause get the Windsor rocking Friday June 14, while Arcane Studios on Mulvey hosts the Orange Kids and Usurper at an all ages show, or check out the Ellice Street Fest this weekend *** The Jazz Fest Theatre Series and Club Series both get going Monday June 17 through Sunday June 23. Highlights include Bettye Lavette, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The goddamn ROOTS (!!!), Peanut Butter Wolf, BadBadNotGood, Hollerado, and gosh, just so much more. Check out JazzWinnipeg.com for a complete line-up. *** June 17 Burning Love, Big Trouble in Little China, and Withdrawal shake the foundations at the Windsor, while Pick a Piper rocks the Albert *** The Besnard Lakes will blow minds at the Park with July Talk and Northcote, while Old Man Markley and The Crackling get going at the Windsor on the 18th *** Unknown Mortal Orchestra will blast off for the cosmos from the WECC on June 21 *** Saturday June 22 the Albert returns to its punk roots with local upstarts Hostile Life, New Wave Outlaws, and the McNasties *** June 24 we sees the Ketamines, Zebrassieres, Atomic Don & The Black Sunrise, and the Thrashers get weird at the Windsor, and Halestorm and Age of Days will entertain the Garrick *** June 25, Lauren Mann & the Fairly Odd Folk get folked up down in South Osborne at the Park Theatre *** Wednesday June 26 has buzz-boy Mac DeMarco at the Park with Departures *** June 28 is a big day for Old Folks Home, releasing their new album at Park Theatre, while the annual Marymound Benefit fundraiser gets down at the Pyramid with The Noble Thiefs, The Revival and Sc Mira *** Canada Day Long Weekend will undoubtedly be debaucherous across

the city, with plenty of outdoor fun from everyone’s favourite local bands. I’d just pick a direction, fill up a shoptail in a Folk Fest camping mug, and get into it with a serious, partiotic vengeance *** July 2 sees A Wilhelm Scream, The Flatliners, Such Gold, and Dangercat blow eardrums at the WECC *** Speaking of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, it gets going a little late this year, starting up Wednesday July 10 and running through the 14th. Tons of great bands out at Bird’s Hill, as per usual, but highlights include the Magnificent 7s, Del Barber, Dr John & the Nite Trippers (hiyo!), Lindi Ortega, Leon Redbone, the Milk Carton Kids, The Cat Empire, Sylvia Tyson, and shit, so very much more!

Check out our features on A Tribe Called Red (p.

15) and Hayes Carll (p. 11) in this issue *** July 12 brings Lagwagon/Me First and the Gimmie Gimmie’s Joey Cape to the Pyramid with Scorpios as a tribute to Tony Sly *** If you can make it back from Bird’s Hill, or weren’t bothered, don’t miss Bob Log III at the Windsor July 14 *** If you can shake your festival withdrawal, check out Doghouse Rose at Ozzy’s July 15 *** July 19, check out Cheering for the Bad Guy and Mike Lynch & His Band at the Times Change(d) *** July 21 (hey, that’s my birthday!), catch Mint Record’s Jay Arner at the Rose N Bee *** Hit the Highway and head to Brandon for the Brandon Folk Festival July 26 -28, with beauty acts like Hawksley Workman, Stephen Fearing, Imaginary Cities, Old Folks Home, Shotgun Jimmie, and more *** Jumping Gee Willickers!

Tha’s a lotta happenings! If we’ve missed anything, by golly, we’re sorry, but we’re doing our darnedest over here. Make sure to check stylusmagazine.ca throughout June and July for plenty of special coverage of Winnipeg Jazz Fest, Dauphin Countryfest, Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Brandon Folk Festival, and our weekly Weekenders gig round-ups. See you out in the Wide Open, buckaroos!

GARAGELAND Every Saturday in June 9am-1pm @ CKUW 95.9FM

PRESENTS:

BANDS VS FILMMAKERS III - A CONCERT IN SUPPORT OF CINEMATHEQUE Monday June 6th @ WECC NCRC 2013 June 11th-15th RED JAM SLAM WINNIPEG Tuesday June 11th @ The Gas Station Theatre OPEN CITY CINEMA - WINNIPEG UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL June 14-16th - www.winnipeguff.com ELLICE STREET FESTIVAL Saturday June 15th from Noon-4pm POORBOY RECORD RELEASE Saturday June 15th @ The Cavern THE BESNARD LAKES Tuesday June 18th @ Park Theatre UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Friday June 21st @ WECC HAUNTER ALBUM RELEASE Thursday June 27th @ The Windsor ALASDAIR ROBERTS Monday July 29th @ WECC

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June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

05

ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE MOYER

BY JANET ADAMANA

“I’m nailing shards of hope together to put some-

thing over my head” bellowed a short, bearded young man, whirling around the stage of an empty theatre in Cleveland. The vocalist was surrounded by his band mates and best friends, he had his hoodie up, spewing his heart out into a small silver mic. “You know here it’s always raining, and it happened again, it happened again. . .” I will always remember the day I first heard pop punk band, The Wonder Years, and the moment they changed everything.

A fresh college graduate, in the midst of a chapter of life full of more failed career attempts and confidence-killing moments in one year than most people experience their entire lives. I was metaphorically beaten and on the verge of throwing in the towel on the boxing ring of hopes and dreams. But there was something in those simplistic lyrics, and the way each member standing on stage played their hearts out to it, sweat and spit flying to-andfro, as passion and pep were thrown into each and every note. It picked me up, dusted me off and pumped me full of new found motivation, hope and fearlessness and sent me trekking back towards the sun.

Hailing from suburban life in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, The Wonder Years had humble beginnings as they first came together back in 2005.

What started out as a fun band, singing silly songs like “Bout to Get Fruit Punched, Homie” on their debut album, Get Stoked On It!, has grown into an accidental, yet powerful, pop punk movement full of fire, painful honesty and grit.

“When we write, we just try to write things that are sincere, and I think that’s where that connection comes from,” says Wonder Years bassist, Josh Martin. “It’s not always a cheerful mood, it’s not always something you want to feel but it’s so sincere that we had to get it out.”

Their second, and most notable album, The Upsides, initially released on No Sleep Records in early 2010 and reissued as a “deluxe edition” by Hopeless Records later that year, be-

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gan this progression into what is now known as a trilogy about the battles of growing up.

“The Upsides was kind of what we call our ‘last chance record,’” explains Martin. “It was going to be the last record we were going to release from No Sleep. We hadn’t seen any interest from any other record label, so we thought to ourselves, this was going to be the end of the ride. So we put it all out there and made a record that helped us cope with those early-20s kind of feelings.”

These feelings of fear and hopelessness often felt by those in the state of transition between wanting to stay young and growing up in society’s sense of the term, a very common yet moving theme within

the current pop punk scene.

“You see that theme a lot because a lot of us came from a similar place. Everyone feels this growing up and everyone wants to find their place in the world,” says Martin. “Everyone deals with this, like finishing high school and thinking, am I going to go work? Am I going to go to school? Where am I going to live? And then you finish college and it’s like, now what the fuck do I do?”

The band soon garnered attention from a worldwide audience, embarked on a large-scale tour circuit taking them as far as Australia and the Philippines and released their third and highly-rated album: Suburbia, I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing and even landed a spot on the Vans Warped Tour.

In May, the band released the next chapter, The Greatest Generation.

This record proved more progression and more growth, both sonically and lyrically. “It’s another change but I feel like we do that to challenge ourselves and give the listener something new,” says Martin, “We’re always going to develop our songwriting, make our songs more interesting, and have those impact moments that people care about.”

Although both The Upsides and Suburbia centred around battling depression and finding one’s place, this is about where that fight has taken them, the strength it’s given them and the constant allure of moving forward. Inspired by the popular American term used to refer to those who fought in World War 2, The Greatest Generation, circles around the ambition to be better and to do better.

“Now that we’re older, we want to make sure that we leave a mark with our lives, and not just that we got to live in a van and everything but that we did something positive, and tried to help people.”

Catch The Wonder Years at The Pyramid Cabaret on June 8, 2013 on their first Western Canadian Tour with Silverstein.

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

07

BY STEFAN BRAUN

When I first heard Haunter’s long awaited debut al-

bum Rivers & Rust, I drank a case of beer and used a sewing needle to tattoo a rowboat onto my roommate’s arm. Although I don’t recommend this to every first time listener, it seemed we were doing the album justice. It was the ideal soundtrack for a summer ripe with late nights, good times and bad ideas. The album invokes feelings of a prairie highway, a car filled with friends, the sun on your face, nothing in your head, no clear destinations in mind, but unlimited possibilities.

Those who have seen Haunter perform throughout the last five years will be familiar with many of the songs. The album features the bulk of their catalogue. Be prepared, though; Rivers & Rust showcases a Haunter you have never heard before. Throughout, lead singer Matt Williams sings poetically about friendship, romance, and poor decisions.

It has been no easy feat for the seasoned band to release this album.

Years of discussion around content and production details preceded the actual recording process. According to Matt Williams, “I think if we didn’t sign to Disintegration Records, this album would probably have never come out. With five people in the band it’s incredibly difficult to agree on anything, let alone record an entire album.”

In April of 2012 Haunter went into the Prairie Recording Co. studio and recorded the bulk of their album in a manic two days with engineer Cam Loeppky. The album was com-

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ILLUSTRATION BY MISTER JAN

plete after a few more days of vocal tracking and incorporating additions by Nathan’s Keri Latimer, Shannon Laliberte and Marti Sarbit and Rusty Matas (of Imaginary Cities) at Prairie Recording Co.

and Argyle Studios. “It’s as if you were pregnant for five years and it’s finally out,” comments bassist Marie France Hollier.

The album kicks off with “July, 2005.” Featuring the anthemic urgency and natural delivery that has become the backbone of Haunter’s sound, this song will have you bouncing around in no time. Virtually every song is full of guitar heroics that perfectly negotiate the delicate tightrope between chaos and cliché. Two notable down tempo songs “Our War” (featuring Shannon Laliberte) and “Where I’m Calling From” (featuring Keri Latimer) bring a much appreciated perspective to the album as a whole. Aside from these two songs, the energy rarely abates in this eleven song album.

It may have taken nearly five years to put out their debut album but the band is already anxious to get back into the studio. “Rivers & Rust is such a concise album, I would love to write another album which is completely different,” says Williams. In August, following the album’ release, Haunter has plans for a western Canadian tour in support of the album. The tour will include stops in Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and more. An east coast tour is also in the works.

Rivers & Rust will be available for purchase online or in compact disc form via Disintegration Records on June 27. Come down to the Windsor Hotel on June 27 for the release party featuring the reunion of Right Through and The Mystics. 10$ in Advance or 12$ at the door.

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

09

he first step is always the hardest. You feel like an alien in your own body, adrenaline races to your brain, there’s a sharpening sensation as each nerve flips on, your mind, not knowing what to expect, takes everything in as your heart thumps in your chest like a big bass drum.

Doing anything for the first time is uncomfortable, frightening and exhilarating. Our brain does everything it can to avoid this sensation. We work the same jobs day in and day out, hang out at the same bars with the same friends. Our brain wants order and routine but our heart seeks adventure and new experiences. It makes us take tropical vacations and seek out strange and interesting people. When you add a spotlight to the situation it can be too much stress. So, bands stay hidden away in garages, lyrics collect dust at the bottom of your desk drawer and dreams suffocate under the debris of everyday life.

But what if there was a show in a safe, inviting environment where everybody was playing their first show, and nobody cared about your gender, orientation or experience? Where everybody gets to go up on stage and feel the rush of taking that first step into a new world?

On June 22 at Negative Space the celebration of new acts and new voices will be a reality. Not

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Enough Fest is coming to town, bringing a cavalcade of first time acts playing their very first show and it all came about because Kara Pasey (lead singer of Ghost Hole and volunteer at Negative Space) likes to go on Tumblr.com.

“I spend a lot of time on Tumblr and I came across this group called No More Fiction that put a lot of effort into connecting bands with women and queer people, not binary people with each other [sic] and one of the things they started doing was Not Enough Fest,” said Passey “[It was] started by people in New Orleans, just putting new bands together to support people that maybe needed to start bands. I thought Negative Space would be a really cool place to try it here.”

Negative Space is a venue that has always supported diversity and experimentation. It’s home to Winnipeg’s only Noise Night, the first Saturday of every month, and since the venue was founded it has always been a requirement that to book a show at Negative Space your bill has to have at least one female band member. This policy has done a lot to promote a more diverse musical landscape but by putting on Not Enough Fest, the collective behind the venue is showing that it’s not resting on its laurels.

“With the policy, one of its drawbacks is how

it doesn’t necessarily, productively create environments in which people have access to support or instruments or space. So we’ve been looking for ways of doing that,” said organizer and Negative Space volunteer Doreen Girard.

To kick off Not Enough Fest, Negative Space provided a mixer where people seeking bands could meet up, listen to music and take part in a panel discussion with female musicians that was both inspiring and informative. They are also offering help with practice space and technical know how. The resulting festival will be defined by the acts that are developing and the organizers behind it are keeping their plans for the actual day open to new ideas and new developments as they arise.

“I feel like it has already been successful in a certain way,” Shelagh Allen (organizer/Negative Space volunteer) said when asked about goals for the event and “what would constitute a successful Not Enough Fest?” “Because people feel like they can make a band and maybe the only thing that would make it more successful would be bands coming forward and playing again... I think that would be one step forward toward breaking down barriers.”

Not Enough Fest takes place June 22 at Negative Space. Don’t miss it.

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With festival season bearing down hard upon us, it is with great anticipation that we wait here for some of the world’s best singers, songwriters, and guitar pickers to come pouring in off the Hillbilly Highway and into our backyards. With performances at Dauphin’s Countryfest in June and the Winnipeg Folk Festival in July, Manitobans have no excuse to miss out on Hayes Carll. Stylus caught up with this Texas troubadour over the phone from a tour stop in Tucson, AZ. Stylus: How does your summer look? Are you playing a lot of festivals?

Hayes Carll: Not too heavy. I got a lot of Canadian shows, then some northern US shows. We’ll be playing through the summer and then in the fall I’m going to take a little break to record my new record.

Stylus: On your new record, is it all new songs, or do you have some that have been kicking around for a while?

HC: There’s some that have been around for a while that I just haven’t finished or recorded or whatever.

Then there’s some newer songs that I’ve written recently. I still have to write a couple more songs, though.

I’m not really sure what direction it’s going to take yet. They’re kind of all over the map. So I’m just going to keep on writing and hope the thing will show itself.

Stylus: When it comes to songwriting, your lyrics could be qualified as fairly literate songs. Who are some of your favourite writers that you draw inspiration from?

HC: My favourite writers? Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt.

John Prine. Those were the guys, particularly Kristofferson and Dylan, who were game changers for me. I mean, I always loved country music, but when I discovered those guys I found it could be a lot more than just drinking beer. They really revolutionized the genre. So those are my main guys. Someone like John Prine, I’ve always appreciated his humour and the way he sang and played guitar. That was not beyond the realm of possibility for me [chuckle]. Not something like Mariah Carey, where I will never sound like that. Guys like Kristofferson and Prine, Ray Wylie Hubbard, their songs just really spoke to me. Those were the big guys for me.

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Stylus: Was there a moment in particular that you can remember where you were like, “This is it! I’m going to be a songwriter”?

HC: I remember I was 16 years old, at my girlfriend’s parents’ house. She pulled out a Kristofferson record and put it on. The first song was “The Pilgrim.”

I literally laid down on the floor and had this out of body experience. I’d never heard words put together like that before. I’d always wanted to be a writer, not just songs, but poetry and short stories and stuff.

When I heard that, combined with my love of music, I thought it would be a lot more fun to write a three minute song than a 300 page book. So that sorta gave me my course right there, hearing Kristofferson’s voice.

Stylus: How long was it from that moment to when you put out your first record, Flowers & Liquor, which you just re-released?

HC: Let’s see, six or seven years. I finished high school, went off to college and fooled around with it. But it wasn’t until I got out of school and started playing in earnest. That happened when I was 25, so I guess it must have been seven or eight years.

Stylus: How does it feel rediscovering those songs at this point? Are there some you still play, or some you’ve forgotten about?

HC: There’s a few that I’ll play occasionally. Then there are a few that I had forgotten about. I hadn’t listened to the record for years until we started talking about re-releasing it. I was a little nervous going in, about how it was going to hold up. But a little bit to my surprise, it went pretty well. There are some good songs. I was still pretty much finding my voice as a singer on that record. But I think it holds up pretty well. I’m proud of it, and just want to give people a chance to look at it.

Stylus: Now, you’re playing Winnipeg Folk Fest, and Dauphin Countryfest, which you’ve played before. What are you looking forward to about these Manitoba shows?

HC: Well, they’re pretty drastically different, those two. I’ve done Countryfest, I think this’ll be my fifth time.

I’ve done the Folk Fest. Both of them have a lot of great music, and I have a lot of great friends at both, and a lot of great memories. So, one I’ll just be a little drunker than the other.

Winnipeg Folk Fest is a legendary festival. I just got a ton of friends in Winnipeg, so it’s always great to see them. I’ll probably be using an all local band made up of folks from town there. So that’s always fun, getting to play with your buddies and watching great music. Dauphin, you know that’s a little rowdier. I have some great memories there. It was I think the first festival I ever played in Canada. That’s where I met Corb [Lund] and became friends with him. Had some great late night shows at the stages up there on the hill. So yeah, I’m looking forward to getting back.

Get your camping gear out and head to Dauphin’s Countryfest June 27-30. If you’re not up for a road trip, make sure to catch him at Bird’s Hill Park for the 40th annual Winnipeg Folk Festival July 10-14.

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

13

Taking video games to the next level

BY BROOSE TULLOCH

H ave you ever caught yourself humming a tune from a video game? Or worse, from a level you can rarely achieve? Oh, the humanity! Where will you get your fix? SuperFX has what you need, video game music played on real instruments by live musicians.

The fan friendly band not only plays requests but plays because of requests. After the dissolution of their previous video game band, Mode 7, four of the five members were coaxed by their fans into reforming as SuperFX. Preparing for a late summer album release, SuperFX is playing the Park Theatre on July 19. The quartet is comprised of bassist Rob Burton, drummer Chris Mapes, and guitarists Dario Montanino and Tristan Rivers. Stylus recently sat down with drummer Chris Mapes and asked the questions on everybody’s mind.

Stylus: How would you describe the SuperFX sound? What can folks expect to hear at one of you shows?

Chris Mapes: We are a tribute band to the music of video games, and we try to put our own spin on the songs we play, while remaining true to the original spirit of the music.

We arrange our music to make our band sound as huge as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean being deafeningly loud, but we want to sound like there’s eight of us. Our individual influences are all over the board, but the centre of the Venn diagram would include Pantera, Mute Math, Muse, Dream Theater, Opeth and Thin Lizzy.

Stylus: What about visually?

CM: We make an effort to put on an engaging show. As we are an instrumental band, and there is no lead singer to interact with the audience full time, we tend to move around a bit more and do wacky things to keep things interesting, like playing a guitar solo behind your head or backwards. We also share microphone duties when talking to the audience. We have run synchronized video on a huge screen in the past, and are looking at ways of integrating it back into the show.

Stylus: What’s on the set list?

CM: Generally we try and play what

14 Stylus Magazine June/July 2013

people want to hear, like Mario, Street Fighter 2, lots of MegaMan and occasionally some personal favourites. If the song fits our style and instrumentation, we’re more likely to play it, but we have made special exceptions, like the Halo soundtrack, for instance.

We’ll play anything melodic.

Stylus: Is SuperFX a group of musicians who play video games or gamers that play music?

CM: I think we’ve all been involved with music somehow since roughly the time we started playing games, but we’ve probably dedicated more time towards our instruments and music in general over the years than to gaming. We’re musicians who love and appreciate video games.

Stylus: When did video game music go from

jingles to actual songs?

CM: For us, it’s always been actual music. We spent our childhoods trying to figure out the tunes on our instruments. The awesome music has always been there, but the technology hasn’t been. On the older systems that relied on game cartridges, they relied strictly on programmed music. When systems with CD drives came about, developers started recording actual soundtracks for their games and it became much more practical to record the soundtrack and put the audio on the disc.

Stylus: Has the gaming community been supportive or suspicious?

CM: Pretty positive! We’ve been invited to play a few local events and conventions, and it’s been really very fun. It’s gratifying that we can get the reactions we do when someone recognizes a song we’re playing, or when someone comes up afterwards and says something like, “I always knew that song was awesome; I just had now idea HOW awesome!”

Stylus: Who’s the champion gamer in the band?

CM: It’s pretty even. Everyone has their game or game type that they excel at; Dario is the Street Fighter champ, Tristan is really good at sports games, and I’m kind of a firstperson shooter guy.

Stylus: Do you get many odd or funny requests?

CM: Not as such, but we’ve had multiple calls for Battletoads in much the same way as that one guy at the show will yell SLAYER!!!!

Stylus: Fun music, fun shows; so tell me something fun about the band.

CM: We’re very distractible! Every rehearsal, we tend to go off on a tangent and just jam on a riff that someone brings. It keeps things fresh and fun, it keeps us creative, and by the time we’re done, we’ve written an entire song... that will never be played again!

SuperFX brings the video game tunes to life Friday, July 19 at the Park Theatre. You can also connect with them online at superfxmusic.com.

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BY HaRRISON SaMPHIR // ILLUSTRaTION NICK VaN DOeSeLaaR irst Nations music” is a nebulous term. Who and "Fwhat does it represent?

Is it simply a genre? A style? Or does it embody something more?

Whatever the case, aboriginal artists have certainly remained in the periphery of the modern music industry for some time. Despite the success of figures such as Buffy Sainte-Marie and The Band’s Robbie Robertson, the community has lacked an individual or group with the mass appeal or political tone to bridge the gap between aboriginal and nonaboriginal populations.

That might appear a tall order to some: creating a brand of music that at once honours tradition while reaching out to a world of settlers is no simple task, and requires a certain amount of political impetus to be effective.

But for A Tribe Called Red (ATCR), Ottawa’s three-piece “powwow-step” phenomenon, music and politics are closely associated – one gives life and energy to the other.

Made up of three aboriginal DJ-producers Dan “DJ Shub” General, Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau and Thomas “Bear Witness” Ramon – ATCR emerged from the Ottawa club scene and has since garnered international attention for their ‘90s-influenced EDM that dexterously fuses traditional Indigenous North American singing and drumming with lush beats and synths.

ATCR’s monthly party in downtown Ottawa, dubbed “Electric Pow Wow,” marked the group’s first experimentation with contemporary aboriginal music when they began it in 2007. Its aim was to establish collaboration between the DJ’s and various drum and vocal groups from across the country to showcase First Nations talent and attract swaths of the city’s small urban aboriginal population. Before long, Electric Pow Wow was a huge success.

By 2012, the sounds of ATCR had spread well beyond Ontario’s borders. With the release of the www.stylusmagazine.ca

group’s first record, a 10-track, self-titled disc, the group earned a spot on the Polaris Music Prize long-list, widespread national exposure, and a strong motivation to release more music.

Speaking with Stylus on the phone from Ottawa, Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau reflected on ATCR’s latest project, Nation II Nation, and how it compares to their debut in sound and breadth.

“This time around we had a project,” he said, alluding to the almost happenstance creation of their first album. “We had a specific goal, and a drum label called Tribal Spirit Music who opened their catalogue to us. In return, all the tracks we made credit their drums, and in return those drums get to use the track that we remixed on their album, and sell it however they want. So it’s a great symbiotic relationship that’s beneficial to both sides.”

Tribal Spirit Music is a cooperative aboriginal music label representing acts from across Canada.

Groups such as Black Bear, an Atikameqw singing collective from Manawan First Nation in Quebec, and Smoketrail, an Ojibway troupe hailing from the Alderville First Nation in Ontario, are among six others that appear throughout Nation II Nation’s ten songs.

Musically, ATCR’s second record sounds bigger and features more electronic nuances than its debut.

On a track called “The Road,” mellowed drumming accompanies soft yet futuristic pulsations which escort the listener toward the chanting of Black Bear — a slow, ambient start to what later becomes a clamorous and dance-worthy beat.

This evolution carries over to the group’s political tone, too. Despite Campeau’s assurance that the trio are “just old EDM heads,” something about Nation II Nation is bigger than music itself; it’s ATCR’s determination to change the way you think about aboriginal music, aboriginal people, and aboriginal culture, all while making you get up and dance in the process.

Adorned with First Nations symbols both new and old, even the packaging of the new compact disc reflects the men’s motivations. On the inside cover one can find the group’s manifesto, adjacent to simple yet powerful images of each member’s Certificate of Indian Status.

“After what happened in the last hundred years, the simple fact we are here today is a political statement,” it reads. “As First Nations peoples everything we do is political.”

Indeed, ATCR is bigger than just “powwowstep” and dancing. As the title of their sophomore album suggests, it’s about bringing together voices from across the vast expanse of land that is Canada, and allow listeners to view first nations culture through a different lens.

“The idea behind what we’re doing has always been the same,” confirms Campeau. “To express who we are as people. None of us grew up on reserves, so we’ve been living in limbo between how aboriginal people are ‘supposed’ to be [living] and an urban setting. We never really had a spot . . . and there aren’t a lot of us around.”

Since the release of Nation II Nation, the Tribe has experienced critical acclaim and, as Campeau describes, seen their music met with “extreme ownership” by a multi-generational array of family, friends and community members. What is more, with the political authority of Idle No More spreading throughout the country, Campeau and company are thrilled to be standing at the apex of a powerful social movement.

“It’s our civil rights movement,” he said. “It’s extremely exciting, and it’s not stopping. We have this platform and we can have open conversations, and conduct our civil rights movement properly. It’s been exciting and it’s still happening right now . . . It’s no accident that Idle No More and A Tribe Called Red are happening in the first generation since the closure of the residential schools.”

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

15

Groundswell

Monday Afternoons from 2p.m. to 3p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM or streaming online at www.ckuw.ca

If you have an interest in contemporary classical, or “new music,” chances are you may have heard of Groundswell — a local concert series running September through May. But have you tuned into their weekly radio show on CKUW? “I think having a very varied show is a good reflection of the series,” says Heidi Ouellette executive director of Groundswell, and host of CKUW’s Groundswell Radio, broadcast every Monday afternoon. “‘New Music’ is generally kind of a loaded term,” explains Ouellette, who holds a master’s degree in musical composition from the University of Manitoba. “Another way to say it would be ‘contemporary classical,’ or ‘art music.’ But it encompasses so much more. I would say, what I try to play is what I consider the full breadth of ‘new music.’”

Ouellette’s passion for creative, contemporary “classical” music is evident to anyone who has tuned into her weekly show, which she has been hosting since September 2012.

While she admits that the market for “new music” can sometimes be a bit of tight niche, the appetite for it in Winnipeg is ravenous.

“I think it’s really important to have a show that brings that music to the community,” says Ouellette.

“It’s really interesting music that deserves to be heard.”

“I've always wanted to be a radio host,” she says of her experience at CKUW, “so I’m really living the dream! I never thought I would get to, so this is a really cool opportunity!”

While Groundswell’s 2012-13 concert series has just wrapped up, Ouelette is already excited about next season’s line-up.

“I can tell you next season’s concert series kicks off with the Clearwater String Quartet,” she says, clearly passionate about the new music community in Winnipeg.

“That’s going to be a fabulous concert!”

More information on Groundswell’s concert series can be found at gswell. ca. You can hear Groundswell Radio on CKUW 95.9 FM every Monday between 2 and 3 pm or streaming at www.ckuw.ca

PROOF

16 Stylus Magazine June/July 2013

FA

DOCKET #

4438

IMAGE FILE

PROJECT

2012 U OF WINNIPEG STYLUS

ITEM

CLIENT PROOF DATE

Andrew Dunn, Winnipeg 18 April 2012

PHOTOGRAPHER FILE NAME

KBialous-110323-35.tif LOCATION British Columbia 2012 U OF WINNIPEG HANDBOOK Kamil Bialous 4438_E_2012_Stylus_Winnipeg

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GHOST B.C. LIVE AT GARRICK CENTRE PHOTO BY ANDREW MAZURAK

18 Stylus Magazine June/July 2013

Local Spotlight

PLAGUE/ FLASH OUT split cassette When I went to see UK crust legends DOOM play the Negative Space, I didn’t know how many surprises that night would hold for me. One of the best moments in that sweaty haze of a night was my introduction to this golden cassette tape that looks like an old Bumblebee figure I used to have as a kid. It turned out to hold within it a split between two primo crust’n’crossover bands from right here in Winnipeg: PLAGUE and Flash Out. Both sides are balls to the wall no bullshit Winnipeg style punk/ metal with a fuzzy and extremely fitting mix. PLAGUE’S side consists of three blasting punk tunes that possess similar vibes to 80s Swedish and UK hardcore. The lyrics are anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist and are delivered with a mid-tone rasp that sounds rad on tape. Unfortunately, I have yet to see them live. Unlike PLAGUE, I saw Flash Out absolutely slay earlier that night as openers for DOOM, who they cite as an influence. It was an absolute beast of a set: raw, fast and energetic as all hell. Flash Out are more on the thrashcore/ grind end of the continuum on this tape and it shows in the deep howling vocals, the relentlessly dynamic drums and the sheer riffiness they possess. Case in point “Ode to the Pit” is one of the best mosh songs I have ever experienced live: it was fuckin’ fist-bang mania. They even end the tape with a requisite sub two second grind song “Schleim.” If my experiences at that show and with this tape are any indication Winnipeg’s amorphous punk/ metal underground is in great hands.

If any of this sounds cool to you: go buy this tape, go to their shows, and for god’s sake buy them beers. They deserve it. (UNEASY LISTENING, uneasylistening.blogspot.com) Alexandre Ilkkala-Boyer

www.stylusmagazine.ca

HEAD HITS CONCRETE Hollowed Out Human Husk 7” Punishing. This is the word I use every time I see these guys live and this 7” captures it perfectly. First off, Darcy Bunio is my favourite guitar player in this city, and one of my favourite guitarists ever. His controlled frenzy is mind boggling and awe inspiring. His riffs are fucking amazing. Brad Skibinsky’s drumming is frenetic and dead fucking on. Craig Boychuk’s solid bass skills keep a backbone to everything.

This band is fucking tight. Mike Alexander’s guttural wails always astound me, his lyrics are always thought provoking (aside from his Putrescence work, haha). The lyrics to “Phoenix” are heartbreaking and is as great a tribute to anyone that a person can write. These are great people making great music. The combination of an all out technical assault combined with smart as a whip lyrics and fucking brutal vocals make this the best metal release I’ve heard in quite some time. (Mercy Of Slumber, mercyofslumberrecords.com) James Korba

ROB WADDELL Everything Is From Now On The 11 tunes on Rob Waddell’s third solo disc are sure to be a treat for fans of well arranged folk music and literate lyrics. Rife with reflections on the rural life that Waddell grew up with just off Highway 5 in western Manitoba, Rob’s stories are well constructed and beautifully de-

livered, as though his particular lyrical homestead were located somewhere between John K Samson’s and Fred J Eaglesmith’s. Indeed, the album closer “More Than You Bargained For (the auction sale)” is at once the byproduct of breeding the Weakerthans’ “Everything Must Go” with Eaglesmith’s “Thirty Years of Farming,” and something that only Waddell, the son of an auctioneer, could have come up with.

While the album is solid from start to finish, personal favourites (at present) include “Mary Graham (nee McPherson),” “Spare a Dollar,” and the title track. Do yourself a favour, folkies; pick this album up, and make yourself familiar with Rob Waddell. You won’t be sorry. (Independent, robwaddell. com) Sheldon Birnie

FROM GIANTS This Burden is Light EP From Giants’ new EP This Burden is Light is another addition to the growing body of excellent Manitoba folk.

Recorded at MCM Studies at Canadian Mennonite College, and Private Ear Studios, the debut release from this quartet is complex, questioning, thoughtful and courageous – what I’d like to describe as contemplative tallgrass folk. While the album doesn’t subscribe to one overarching theme or motif, lead singer and lyricist Jaymie Friesen has said that the album focuses on themes of wanting to be healed and wanting to be whole. Undoubtedly, this definitely shines through and creates cohesion in the uniqueness of each song. The opening track, “My Family Will Sing” is a base on which to lift and immerse your ears into the various parts of the album. Jaymie’s vocals and lyrics glide throughout, while the banjo and guitar parts weave together a certain quirky uniqueness, and it all finds depth in the deep cello of Nathan Kraus and drums of Gabrielle Neufeld (closing track “A

Waltz and a Wander” is a personal favorite as well). Titled appropriately, the burden of the album is light itself, a glowing sense of understanding, as well as referring to the weight or lack thereof. Look foreword to the handmade cases (created by band members themselves). (Independent, myspace. com/fromgiants) Victoria King

ALANADALE Hypocritters Hypocritters is, at its heart, a concept album that tells the story of the Hyporitter, a being that Alanadale’s press release describes as “a creative and productive animal pushed and pulled by the many moods that assail her.” Do they succeed in expressing a concept this ambitious in a scant six songs? In my humble opinion, they do. Alanadale creates a deft sonic ecosystem for the titular critter to call home. Each instrument feels like it is a naturally occurring sound created by the world the Hypocritter lives in as opposed to an instrument working in service to the song. In the world of the Hypocritter, an ascending guitar riff is the sound of tiny bubbles floating up, up, up to the surface of some secluded pond, cascading piano is the wind gusting through green leaves and drums are the sound of clouds rolling across the sky. The songs feel organic and subtle, never beating the listener over the head with a concept that could devolve into heavy handed allegory or absurd mess. The lyrics are obscure enough to seem like the secret observations of a small animal trying to makes sense of a world they don’t quite understand. All and all the album makes for a solid Prog-folk album, that doesn’t skimp on the pastoral touches, yet keeps the tempos at a pace that feels invigoration and makes for an energetic listen. (Independent, alanadale.bandcamp.com) Dave Skene

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

19

erally or as metaphor. Or, as in “Good God Damn,” emphasize the words of wisdom, “the things you learn ain’t the things you know.” And with five songs clocking in at just over 16 minutes, it’s welcome respite from all the 15 song epics out there, and well worth repeated listens. (Indie, eaglelakeowls. com) Broose Tulloch

EAGLE LAKE OWLS Eagle Lake Owls Eagle Lake Owls began in Timmins, ON, as an Andy Cole solo project and ended up as a band in Winnipeg with Dominique Lemoine on vocals, trumpet, and glockenspiel, and cellist Nathan Krahn. The trio was recently named by the Uniter as an “artist to watch” and their EP is riding high on the local college radio charts. The five song EP embodies the notion that less is more, with songs that are stripped down to just the folk/bluegrass basics. In the folk ballad “The Northern Wind” Cole and Lemoine’s harmonies are at times breathtaking.

While Eagle Lake Owls are quickly developing their own sound, it’s the lyrics that really set them apart. Wellplaced (and not overused) one-liners that are clever in the same vein as They Might Be Giants allow “Animal Or Man?” for example, to be taken lit-

MULLIGRUB Pre-Grub EP Mulligrub’s Pre-Grub EP has been my go to soundtrack for morning coffee and planning my day. I feel like it has a “spring is finally here” vibe that’s right up my alley. Although the musical presentation works well with blue skies and budding green leaves, the lyrics are confessional, dealing with subjects like coping with depression and heartache. The juxtaposition of sweet melodies and darker subject matter makes for an intoxicating po-

tion that feels anything but hopeless.

Sometimes when people spill their guts in a song it feels like they’re just looking for attention. That kind of “poor me” bullshit always puts me off. With Mulligrub, I feel like there is a reluctance that keeps the songs honest and doesn’t leave me feeling manipulated. It’s almost as if singer/ songwriter Kelly Cambell, could hide from the spotlight she would but the songs aren’t letting her and thank god for that because Cambell has a voice that cuts to the heart. (Independent, mulligrub.bandcamp.com) Dave Skene

ROCK LAKE Rock Lake Yeah, these guys have been making rock music for years now in different bands: The Squareheads, Hot Live Guys, Lonely Vulcans, Lazyhorse, and the The High Thunderers. One time at the Albert, lead singer/guitarist Jan Quackenbush yelled “James Sean Korba!” I turned around and he slapped me in the face. I’m not sure if I’ve ever gotten him back for that.

Regardless, he’s crooning on this shit and I love it. “Easy Street,” “Come Off It,” and the lead off track “Styles of The Day” are great examples of how a front man should sound. His guitar work ain’t too shabby either; he’s a master of melodies and and perfect little solos that fit every song nicely. The band is rounded out by on bass by Daniel “Bangman” Pangman, whose solid bass work drives the songs forward and Joe “I swear he’s broken his neck eight times” Warkentin adds some nice fills here and there and keeps everything together. This is my favorite rock record of this year and I doubt anything will top it.

Maybe a slap in the face? (Eat Em Up Records) James Korba OCTOBER October EP October’s self titled EP wears its influences on its sleeve. Within the first few seconds it’s obvious you’re going on a journey to the blissed out hinterlands of a late 80s post-punk Shoegazerville. This isn’t necessary a bad thing. If you’re into The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, October’s three songs will give

20 Stylus Magazine June/July 2013

you exactly what you are looking for.

Unfortunately, if you don’t dig down tempo washes of reverb and angsty, whisper-soft vocals you probably aren’t going to find a lot on this disc to like. I for one love the influences they are drawing from. The three tracks on this disc make me want to catch this band live and also pique my curiosity as to what they would do on a longer album. Would they use the room to experiment beyond confines of their chosen genre? Or would they continue to stick this close to the work of artists that defined the sound?

Despite enjoying the EP, I can admit that October doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. But it is well worth checking out if you wanna take a trip back in time to a world where the skies are always grey and gettin’ sad was still good fun. (Independent, facebook.com/thebandOctober) Dave Skene

THE BAD NERVES Alienate EP With their debut EP Alienate, The Bad Nerves, give us five anthemic songs about social isolation, alienation and feeling bad. I don’t know if this is intentional, but Alienate could be seen as a mini-narrative, where the protagonist tries to navigate a world lacking in empathy and genuine human interaction. On the title track opener grinding guitars, pulsing keyboards and chaotic drums surround Marc LeNeveu’s screams of “So sick of feeling nothing . . . so sick of feeling small.”

This sets the formula for a prolonged indictment, that is both sonically catchy and relatable. Each of the succeeding tracks follow suit, focusing on different patterns of self destruction.

Like the unfulfilled desire to escape in “I Want to Live with the Aliens,” the anger and rage of “Black Clouds,” or the emotional vampirism of “Parasite.”

If this is indeed a narrative, then it is one that fulfils its dramatic arc by literally ending in disaster with the song “Whiplash,” in which our plucky antihero gets “smoked by a semi” and the story ends in a tangled mess of broken glass and twisted metal. The ultimate fuck you to surviving only to suffer more emotional pain. (Independent, thebadnerves.bandcamp.com) Dave Skene

Ulteriors

JAMES BLAKE Overgrown Post-dubstep is a somewhat nebulous label that has been applied to sounds as disparate as brostep to revivalist UK garage. Yet I feel it best applied to the work of an artist like James Blake, who infuses the rudiments of classic dubstep’s sound (a half-timed tempo, extreme sub-bass heavy mixes, dramatic uses of pauses and drops) with his own musical influences. In Blake’s case, his biggest influences outside the world of “traditional” ‘06‘08 dubsep are ‘60s soul, ‘90s R & B, gospel music, Berlin-techno, and confessional singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Those sonic hallmarks can be found layered all across his latest album, Overgrown.

While I enjoyed Blake’s earliest EPs for the R&S label, his self-titled LP left me wanting. I felt it lacked the vitality of his earlier work. To put it crudely, I found it boring. That is not at all the case with Overgrown. On his latest outing Blake distils and arranges his multiplicity of influences into a smooth, sexy, and exciting kaleidoscopic whole. It is truly of remarkable construction. There are several firsts for the artist on this album, including “Take a Fall for Me,” a glorious collaboration with RZA that has the producer trying his hand at postDilla beat work and succeeds wildly to my mind. Another first is his fourto-the-floor techno banger “Voyageur.” The track begins , as many of his do, with some of his trademark piano samples and vocal chops, only to build to a thumping neon-hued club tune that recalls London’s Night Slugs label. This album won me over in the best way possible. If you’re a fan of James Blake, or any of the sounds referenced herein, give it a listen, you might find yourself enthralled.

(Republic, republicrecords.com) Alexandre Ilkkala-Boyer

www.stylusmagazine.ca

CANDLE EA†ER Nocturne I don’t usually do “full disclosure” because who cares who I’m friends with, but okay, I went to animation school with Candle Ea†er. A few years after we both dropped out, because we’re broke ass punks, C.E. said he’d show up at a dark ambient night I was throwing and I took that with the same tablespoon full of salt that I usually do, but the dude was for real.

That out of a class of 70 6h pencil gripping cartoon fiends we’d both end up hanging around the same spooky corners of the internet and IRL seemed to breach small world and lap onto “whoah, wtf?”

Then this bleak Ontarian goes and makes a lovely album like Nocturne within a visual aesthetic that reads to me as a few years late but works for the guy because his music is solid. I mean, you could take these tracks and chill out while writing essays or hanging with your normal pals. Or you can kill the lights, dress like a vampire and carve dark shit all over scale models of your high school. It just works no matter what the emotional demographic. It’s elegant. I can’t explain how some shit in this life just works but I love it. Never underestimate the people around you. Unless you suck, they’re probably all batshit talented.

(Independent, candleeater.bandcamp. com/) Kristel Jaxx PHOSPHORESCENT Muchacho Matthew Houck, who works under the name Phosphorescent, decided in advance that his seventh album would be laden with more electronic sounds than his previous work. In the midst of writing it, personal crisis struck so he wound up flying down to Mexico to rent a beach hut and finish the songs. This is all worth mentioning to contextualize the acutely personal tone of the album, which cannot es-

cape an attentive listener.

Houck’s stated focus on electronics plays itself into the album through lush accentual flourishes, as from a songwriting perspective Muchacho is rife with the hallmarks of classic pop music. Nearly every track seems to be built around a catchy, simple melody — some come out airy and soaring, while the finest of the more moody ones manage to merge raggedness with ruggedness.

The production of the album is not terribly polished, but that’s no dig because the feel of the songs creates an atmosphere where the occasional thud still comes off well as a complement to the ineluctable fragility of the creative voice behind its songs.

Thematically, the works on Muchacho cover much of the ground one might expect of a writer dealing with great personal upheaval: introspection, yearning, self-doubt, and the resolve to improve oneself. Highlights include a rootsy stomper entitled “The Quotidian Beasts,” the bouncy “Ride On/Right On,” and the muchacho tune “Muchacho’s Tune.” (Dead Oceans, phosphorescentmusic.com) Daniel Emberg

A TRIBE CALLED RED Nation II Nation Call it what you may–EDM, “powwow-step,” or urban electronica–A Tribe Called Red is the new exemplar of First Nations music. Following the release of their self-titled debut, which was longlisted for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize, the Ottawa-based group comprised of Ian “DJ NDN” Campeau, Dan “DJ Shub” General, and Bear Witness is back with its latest project, Nation II Nation. Enlisting the talents of such drum groups as Black Bear (of Manawan First Nation, Quebec) and Northern Voice, the ten track disc showcases Aboriginal musicians from across Canada while pumping out electrifying beats

overlaid with traditional chants and clamorous percussion.

The eclectic sound is influenced by a range of styles including dubstep, hip-hop, and reggae, but possesses at its core a political motivation to bring the sounds of the past confidently into the present. From the futuristic echoes of “Electric Pow Wow Drum” to the rapturous, dance-worthy “Sisters,” Nation II Nation is an exciting trip through the sonic wonder of Aboriginal music; a style and tradition unfamiliar to many inside North America and around the world.

If you feel like grooving, pick up Nation II Nation, if not for its brilliant melding of new and old sounds, then for its contemporary politics and avant-garde generationalism. (Tribal Spirits/Pirates Blend, electricpowwow.com) Harrison Samphir

JON HOPKINS Immunity The brainwave generator is a computer program that uses what are termed “binaural” beats to induce altered states in consciousness in humans, said to mimic the effects of drugs or divine experience. UK producer (and frequent Brian Eno collaborator) Jon Hopkin’s fourth solo album, Immunity, was created with a similar goal in mind. Resulting from experiments with self-hypnosis and a desire to slow brainwave function, this is a techno album that is at once both maximal and minimal. There is a tremendous amount of layering in every track with some novel samples used, like disembodied vowel sounds, the thump of a piano’s sustain pedal and my favourite: sounds of fireworks from the 2012 London Olympics.

As a result, pounding four-to-thefloor rhythms oscillate and lope as new creaks and samples emerge from the London-fog-thick-mix. But this maximal mixdown is contrasted with minimal synth work, which recalls the

June/July 2013 Stylus Magazine

21

minimal techno of Robert Hood and darkly subdued electro (think Fedde LeGrand basslines broadcasting from the center of a k-hole.) In terms of sound design, this album’s a work to behold. As an emotional experience it leaves something to be desired.

Aside from a few choice glitches in the early part of the album, where the bass lines sound like they are tearing themselves apart there are few of the visceral or jarring thrills that I believe are central to a truly special electronic album. While there is little catchiness to be found, this subdued unemotive nature is key to its hypnotism. And hypnotic it is: listen to this in the dark with some good headphones; time will blur and your subconscious will take you to inner places. Give this a spin if you’re a fan of mini-

mal techno, electro, self-hypnosis, psychonautics and sound design.

(Domino, dominorecordco.com) Alexandre Ilkkala-Boyer

LOUD Echo and Flow Loud, an instrumental duo based in Vancouver, has been together since 1996. Echo and Flow is just their sec-

ond album. Feel free to do the math but refrain from getting hung up about it, because after hearing the results it is clear that what many would perceive as a lack of ambition ought to be more readily considered the prioritizing of quality over quantity.

The members are Eileen Kage and Elaine Stef, who play taiko drums and electric guitar respectively. Most music fans probably never even see such a setup, but Loud delivers in full without ever allowing their unusual combination of instruments to suck them into gimmickry. Most of the compositions drip dramatic tension, to the point that it becomes easy to believe they must get steady offers for work on film scores and the like. Stef has a pleasing guitar style, sounding like she was taught how to play by some string

sage on the Mediterranean shore and then got really into the breezy qualities offered by her amplifier. Kage brings a refined drumming style, and the two players are quite adept at leaving one another enough space to put their own signatures on each song.

While the tone of the album may be too close to uniform for some listeners, there are not really any bad tracks.

Of course, though, some stand out above the rest. “A Sea Change” is the most obvious example of the intensity described above, “Slide” manages a neat trick by staying bouncy amidst a plodding rhythm, while “Unsung” is a stellar show of dynamic interplay that I rate as the finest gem of the bunch.

(Independent, taikoelectric.com) Daniel Emberg

Macy Gray, Broken Social Scene, Michael Stipe. In fact, there’s so many famous artists on here that some of them aren’t even mentioned anywhere on the CD itself. For example, Antony gives vocals to one track but isn’t identified anywhere other than the track auto-detect that my car picked up on.

As a whole, it’s an inconsistent album in terms of both style and quality; although with two discs of artists of differing genres, how could it be consistent? There are those songs where artists try to adapt the song to their own modern sound (such as Macy Gray’s “Off to Sea Once More,” which

is a compelling reason to have more Macy Gray songs in the world) and those where they stay true to what a chantey is, such as the Tom Waits and Keith Richards performance of “Shenandoah,” which you can only appreciate if you enjoy Waits at his roughest and most incomprehensible.

So by the same token that there’s a lack of consistency in the performances, there’s also likely at least a couple songs that a casual chantey appreciator can latch on to, like a barnacle to a galleon, or something. (Anti- Records, anti.com) Devin King

“Cyborg Bette,” about an eponymous cyborg vixen. Other themes include werewolves, cowboys, Minority Report-esque time traveling meddlers, and even politics with the band’s most overtly political and satirical song in as many years “Mr Freedom,” which is ostensibly about Republican loudmouth chickenhawks. This panoply of motifs is expressed with trenchant wit and sly lyrics that only a seasoned songwriter can come up with. If all that sounds intriguing to you, let your hair down, strap on your bell bottoms, crank it to 11, and let’s rock! (Weathermaker Music, weathermakermusic. com) Alexandre Ilkkala-Boyer

upright vacuums pack the sucking power you need to get dirt and debris out of even the deepest piles. Many include specialty tools for hard-toreach cleaning jobs right on board in a compact design that makes storage easy.

Why bagless? If you don’t want to guess when it’s time to change the bag, or pay for replacements, the bagless system lets you throw the dirt away every time you vacuum. A clear, easyto-clean cup lets you see what you sucked up before you dump it, and most models have a bottom-release cup that makes emptying clean and simple.

Why Awolnation’s Megalithic Symphony? Because you can vacuum your carpets with it. (Red Bull Records) David Tymoschuk

Around the World

VARIOUS ARTISTS Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys First, we must ask why this exists? It

cannot solely exist for the drunken fratboy poker games it is destined to soundtrack. Simply, it exists because Johnny Depp — driven mad by or drunk on the power of Pirates of the Caribbean — has commissioned this, the second volume of pirate ballads, sea songs and chanteys. Depp’s presence accounts for the number of actors who appear here, from Ricky Jay to Anjelica Huston to Depp himself.

Additionally, you get the musicians who you would expect to appear on a compilation of pirate songs: Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan, Patti Smith, as well as those you wouldn’t:

Iconoclast

CLUTCH Earth Rocker It’s fitting that the ultimate new school dad-rockers, Clutch, have released their tenth album in time for Father’s Day. On their last few records, the stoner rock pioneers have rocked out to a bluesy and funkyroots-rock influenced sound. While they largely continue this sound on Earth Rockers, they add an injection

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of classic heavy metal thunder, which the band attributes to recent tours with Motörhead and Thin Lizzy. Despite the strong heavy metal influence, there is little of the virtuosic soloing traditionally found in the genre.

Rather, the band prefer to lock into some roarin’ grooves and let Neil Fallon’s gruff and soulful vocals soar over the mix. Speaking of groove, there are times when the Maryland outfit’s rhythm section’s breaks veer into GoGo territory, a highly influential dance movement from nearby DC. Think Fu Manchu with less sustain and more bell-bottom rockin’ riddims.

Lyrically the band take what are traditionally suburban middle American working class rock themes and values and flip on their head with a healthy dose of stoner surrealism. As an example, the album’s requisite “womanwho-done-me-wrong-song” is called

AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony Hoover upright bagless, more like it.

Why upright? If your home has more carpet than hard flooring, Hoover

Root Cellar

JONNY FRITZ Dad Country This latest LP from Nashville-based Jonny Fritz (formerly Corndawg) is sure to delight fans of well crafted country songs. Fritz’s sharp wit and dark humour are prominent among 11 of the 12 tracks (the final cut is an instrumental), particularly the gut busting examinations of the grinding reality of touring for a living “Goodbye Summer,” “Ain’t It Your Birthday,” and the decidedly darker “Fever Dreams.”

Fritz also tackles the heartbreak of a crumbling relationship (“Shut Up” and “All We Do Is Complain”), sex as religious experience (“Holy Water”), and suicide (“Have You Ever Wanted

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To Die?”). While Jonny’s lyrics are front and centre, the arrangements throughout Dad Country are all strong and on point, a tasteful mix of classic Nashville and California country sounds. Jonny Fritz is a damn fine songwriter and a brilliant performer.

With luck, Dad Country will be his introduction to a larger audience, and hopefully we’ll see him make an appearance up our way sometime soon.

(ATO Records, jonnyfritz.com) Sheldon Birnie THE MILK CARTON KIDS The Ash & Clay The Milk Carton Kids are reminiscent of old timey folk music like Simon and Garfunkel. That’s not to say they aren’t an extremely talented band in their own right. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan’s voices form a harmony that’s both plaintive and rich, accompanied by earnest, clean acoustics. The title track reminisces about a once proud town that was brought down by financial ruin. While the music definitely nods towards an older era, the lyr-

ics feature themes that are relevant today — love, political unease and aging. While it can be hard to distinguish from their ancestors, the band definitely stands strong in their own right. For lovers of bluegrass and folk, The Ash & Clay is bound to be a hit. (Anti-, themilkcartonkids.com) Martyna Turczynowicz

JOHN JEROME & THE CONGREGATION Ask Not What I Can Do For You, But What We Can Do Together The name of this band smacks of a sequined frontman singing in front of his anonymous players, while the lengthy title of their album underlines the potential of a collaborative approach. At first sniff it may seem a tad disjointed, but a glance at the Moncton-based band’s website reveals that its songwriting process is roughly as follows: Jerome busts out a lick on some instrument or other, the band starts grooving on it, and if everyone is game they work together to convert their spontaneous magic into a memorable, repeatable song.

Chemistry caught wind of the members’ individual affinities, combined it with their collective approach, and the result is a batch of songs with the feel of immediacy. They tend to be carried by a propulsive property, with the pace generally high. My immediate reaction to this album title was that it seemed rather grandiose, so spotting the title “Great Claims of Grandeur” in the tracklist will always strike me as a wink. That song is also the lead single from this, their debut album, and stands as one of the strongest in the bunch. While there are hooks aplenty throughout, “Unconditional Aid” is the song that convinced me it will be worth seeing this band next time they roll through town.

Perhaps the most lyrically telling song is “The Current,” which loads up on fish and swimming references and builds up to a warm idea that, gazed upon from some angles, can make nothing seem better than congregating: “You’re a fish out of water, but

we’re all the same.” Comfort. Community. (Superbob, johnjerome.bandcamp.com) Daniel Emberg LEIF VOLLEBEKK North Americana This album is “after the fact.” After the fact of that night; after the fact of one great encounter with someone or another; completely and totally unforgettable and forgettable. Leif Vollebekk’s North Americana opens (and continues) in a way that reminds me of Tom Waits’ Closing Time: the combination of a harmonica blown as if by a strong gust of wind, and the sounds of a warm, worn saloon piano. Vollebekk’s vocals sound the way a smooth cheek with a five o’clock shadow under the chin feels. His voice bends, waivers, leaps and wanders throughout — one of his many charismatic and endearing qualities, which translates beautifully whether recorded or live.

It all culminates into an album that’s re-jigged Americana folk. Vollebekk plays with a incredibly talented group of musicians on this release, including acclaimed Arcade Fire violinist Sarah Neufeld. As explained in recent interviews, the recording process was done piecemeal, recorded to tape to capture the dynamic and electric energy in the moment. North Americana is the playlist for all your summer nights, whether they consist of bonfires, festival campgrounds or wreaking havoc in hay fields with someone special.

(Outside Music, leifvollebekk.com) Victoria King SIENNA DAHLEN Verglas Dahlen chose the word “verglas,” meaning “ice rain,” as the title for a record meant to invoke images of moments frozen in time. While the record has the haunting beauty often found in winter panoramas, the overall tone is actually quite warm. There is fluidity to the music that makes one think of a soothing, gentle rain, rather than living things locked in ice. The opening number, “Jaded Heart,” is a subdued introduction that contains a subtle momentum like a drive on a prairie highway on a warm summer’s eve.

The music is comprised of a successful combination of jazz, folk, blues, even some hints of rockabilly; the track “Stray” is an excellent example of musical hybridism done right.

Dahlen’s voice, singing in both English and French, is the centerpiece of the record. The backing band does

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an admirable job of creating worlds for Dahlen’s voice to reside and grow and dream within. Her voice is like gentle waves caressing distant shores, bathed in the fading light of the sun.

The highlight of the record is the title track; an odyssey that draws you in and before you know it has unleashed an emotional climax that will leave you drained in the best possible way. ( Justin Time, siennadahlen.com) Myke Lewis STEPHEN FEARING Between Hurricanes When you’re considered one of the best in your field, like Stephen Fearing, expectations are much higher, perhaps unfairly so. At first listen, it’s easy to slough off Between Hurricanes as just another fine Fearing album,

but coming from a less accomplished folksinger, it would be considered a great work of art. All that being said, there are no weak moments on the disc, every song is well-written and performed. Fearing’s down-to-earth baritone voice is the real draw and doesn’t disappoint, ending the album with a gorgeous silky smooth rendition of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain.” One odd thing about singer-songwriters is that they all love the “super slow ballad” to death. “The Half-life of Childhood” and “The Fool” are deep songs that will take your mind places, it’s that the tempo is not rushing to get there. So positioning of them in the middle of album is almost counter-intuitive to those of us with the attention span of a gnat. He quickly brings back the energy with

the very next track, the cheeky shuffle, “Keep Your Mouth Shut.” “Wheel of Love,” with its simple major chord riff and inviting chorus is destined to be one Fearing’s most requested tunes.

It’s what they call an earworm: it’ll get stuck in your head for days, it’s that good. Another fine well-crafted folk album from one of Canada’s masters.

(LowdenProud, stephenfearing.com) Broose Tulloch

NEW COUNTRY REHAB Ghost of Your Charms During the Edmonton Folk Fest last year a friend and I wandered upon a session at a side stage and decided to stop and catch a song or two on the way to something else. We wound up planting ourselves for the next hour because a band we’d never heard of from Toronto, New Country Rehab, was so thoroughly owning the stage that I wound up planning the remainder of my time at the festival around their schedule. Since then I have heard multiple people name the band as their favourite find of 2012.

Their second album, Ghost of Your Charms, makes it easy to believe fans of the folk fest circuit will continue naming New Country Rehab in their “you have to hear this” conversations for a while yet.

As implied by the band name, their ethos is rooted in country but the songs are of breathtaking quality and range, taking an expansive enough view of what “country” is supposed to mean that listeners who identify with a broad range of preferences should find a bunch to enjoy here. There are noticeable parallels with some surprising forms: they are a stomping southern bar band on “Lost Highway,” step into a few breaks that feel like pulsating new wave on “The Bank and The Army,” and “Rollin’” demonstrates the time-honoured traditions of spacey surf gospel music. Fiddler and lead vocalist John Showman enunciates every word with great clarity, and his sharpness is a reflection of the band’s collective identity. They are highly skilled musicians, have created some deceptively sophisticated songs, and even these studio recordings sound like a band of buddies laughing together as they play. (Kelp, newcountryrehab.com) Daniel Emberg

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RORY VERBRUGGE Rory Verbrugge You might recognize Rory Verbrugge as the drummer for Prog-Metal group Jarhead. If so, you should know that his solo album is nowhere near as loud, and features only a cameo appearance by the drums. The five song, self-titled EP is a treatise on how to make a fine contemporary folk album. Starting with the simple lack of artwork, save for the beige linentextured background, song list, and required credits. Verbrugge’s vocals are very pleasant and enjoyable -- not too rich, not too bright — they fit the words and music just right. The songs themselves feature average, Everyday Joes in not so everyday situations that we all can relate to in some way. They cover most of the basic folk story plot lines: religious imagery and parables, unrequited love between a lady and a man on the run, money can’t buy happiness, good-hearted outlaw, and blue collar fights the system. Not the same old, same old, but new light through old windows; a fresh take on timeless stories. And boy oh boy, the finger picking is simple, sweet, and tasty.

(Indie, facebook.com/musicbyroryverbrugge) Broose Tulloch ROGER KNOX & THE PINE VALLEY COSMONAUTS Stranger In My Land In his native Australia, Roger Knox is known as the Koori King of Country or Black Elvis. Black being a casual reference to his Aborigine heritage. In Australia, country music has provided a common ground for the white and Aborigine communities, and developed culturally in much the same way as folk music has in America. Knox’s latest offering, Stranger In My Land features songs written by Aborigine artists, some of which are previously unrecorded folk songs collected in the field like Alan Lomax. The variety of subject matter is similar to a comparable collection American folk protest artists and country music outlaws.

The leadoff track, “The Land Where The Crow Flies Backwards” is about land claims and indigenous rights and has a country rock sound reminiscent of Bobby Bare in late ‘70s. On a Canadian tour of jails, Knox was “shocked” see First Nations being affected by the same issues, and with the same results. His backing band The Pine Valley Cosmonauts is a loose collective anchored by Canada’s The Sadies.

In addition to ensuring the survival of traditional folk songs, Stranger In My Land, also features what is likely Charlie Louvin’s last recording.

(Bloodshot Records, bloodshotrecords.com) Broose Tulloch

Under The Needle

THE BESNARD LAKES Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO Since their first records, the Besnard Lakes have walked a fine line between classic rock guitarwork and near-ambient soundscapes. Though this has often been an advantageous aspect of their style, Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO tends to veer more often into the abstractly gorgeous than the rocking pyrotechnics. In this regard, UFO is a record that requires multiple listens to recognize key elements of each song beyond the ethereal elements.

“46 Satires,” classic Besnard Lakes, with airy vocals guitar solos (and additional instrumentation from Spencer Krug, for all you completists out there). “And Her Eyes Were Painted Gold,” will click into place as the last line “Can you hear the clock?” is sung over and over, locking it in your head for days.

Though not as immediately satisfying as their previous releases, UFO reveals itself to be the natural sound of a band in evolution. More importantly though, it demonstrates how the band is extremely conscious of their skills and have been able to control their sound in very specific ways to create these sonic paintings. It would be altogether too easy to create an ambient, directionless guitar album. Instead, they have harnessed their sound to make something compelling sound effortless. ( Jagjaguwar, jagjaguwar.com) Devin King BORN RUFFIANS Birthmarks After Born Ruffians’s sophomore album Say It received mixed reviews, they took three years off, and some began to wonder if they would ever return. With the release of Birthmarks, Born Ruffians are not only back, but are making a big BANG in

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the process. Recorded in a farmhouse, what goes through my head when listening to this album is “this will be the soundtrack of summer,” with surf rock sounding guitars, and the simplicity that anyone could sing along to. A personal favourite, “6-5000,” begins slowly with a simple guitar lick, short drum kicks, and a story of partying on a beach. The pre-chorus is stripped to be extremely minimal; the guitar drops, voice quiet with an eery keyboard playing in the background.

But this ends quickly and swells up to singer Luke Lalonde shouting passionately, “6! 6! 5! 5! Thousand! Ask them why! Ask them why!” This song — like the the rest of the album — knows how to use volume and their instruments to have quiet moments, loud moments, and passionate moments. Overall Birthmarks sounds well produced, put together, and like the members are simply enjoying life, and this feeling quickly rubs off on the listener. (Paper Bag Records, bornruffians.com) Shanell Dupras

RENNY WILSON Sugarglider The saxophone is schmaltzy. Every connotation derived from each note signifies something cheesy and unappealing. Without that same sax though, Sugarglider might just be like so many other indie-dance albums.

Renny Wilson doesn’t just use the saxophone, it’s used proudly, artfully incorporated into the backbone of songs like “By and By.” Borrowing playfully from the most fun corners of chillwave, funk and disco might be painful for some, maybe a guilty pleasure for others. Hopefully there are those who are able to hear songs like “Come Tomorrow,” and hear the New Order by way of a sunny Alberta and let go of their prejudices.

It’s a great album for letting go, and

an ideal foray into music for Wilson, as it establishes him as someone with a keen ear for sounds that inspire joy (even if the lyrics aren’t joyful) and the feeling of letting go of your inhibitions. As an album, it plays like a well-sequenced DJ mix, with tracks segueing masterfully into each other.

There’s plenty of room here to grow too; to move past the surface-value dance tracks and deepen the emotional resonance of the sounds. But until then, this record is a worthy entrance into the recorded world. (Mint Records, mintrecs.com) Devin King

BOY Mutual Friends How can you critique something you love? German-Swiss duo Boy’s album Mutual Friends is polished pop perfection. Lead track “This is the Beginning” opens up with a low key tempo and confessional lyrics. It’s clear that the ladies of Boy prefer a confessional style of lyrics, which lends the pop beats of the album more depth.

The adorably catchy “Little Numbers” is bouncy, upbeat and perfect for anybody who’s ever had a crush; so all of us. Darker, vampier number “Boris” is a song about a club owner who wants them to do more than sing with their lips “Oh what a cute dress/ baby it’s useless/ isn’t your boyfriend out of town?” only to get told off “You should get out of town, too” are followed by songs about crushes like “Oh Boy.” The most outstanding track of the whole album might be “July,” it brings in trumpets, violins and emotional lyrics. While the opening track speaks of the beginning of a journey, the last one speaks of the end of one.

It’s a perfect finish to the album. The mix of happy pop tunes and more serious songs keep this album interesting, lovers of Regina Spektor or Feist will be all over this album.

(Grönland Records, listentoboy.com) Martyna Turczynowicz

YOUTH LAGOON Wondrous Bughouse Wondrous Bughouse turns out to be a surprisingly appropriate title for the second album from Trevor Powers.

Better known as Youth Lagoon, the 22 year old’s sophomore record is a study in life, mortality and curiosity.

Powers’s first effort, The Year of Hibernation, is quintessentially a bedroom album. Recorded alone in his basement and best listened to through headphones, it offers a heady and haunted look at teenage angst. But where that album was dreamy and sparse, this one offers a slicker, more dense take on things. Drenched in reverb and synthesizers, you get the sense that these tracks are set from the perspective of above — looking down on the world as it churns away.

“You’ll never die, you’ll never die,” Powers chants on “Dropla,” one of the many references to mortality. But for all of the overt callouts to death, the album has a decidedly optimistic feel to it. Like a boy peering through the glass of a bughouse or aquarium, this is a man intoxicated by the simple act of being young and alive. (Fat Possum, fatpossum.com/artists/youthlagoon) Andrew Friesen FAKE SHARK - REAL ZOMBIE Liar Liar, the third album from Vancouver Freak-pop group Fake Shark – Real Zombie, is quite a drastic change from their previous work. While Meeting People is Terrible — released in 2009 — is guitar heavy and just heavy in general, Liar infuses many electronic elements as well as some rapping skillz that don’t seem to make any form of appearance in their previous work.

This album is really a mix of every-

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thing; from “Afterskool Special” being reminiscent of ‘90s style rap, and “Fuck Kevvy” having some Tyler, the Creator type undertones (including the lyrics which state: “life lessons from a halfassed dad. Sorry, still kind of mad”), to even having some bits of their past sound in “Blonde Friends,” with punk infused thick, fast guitars. Liar has at least one piece for everyone, although there some aspects of this album that could use some tweaking. Lyricism is definitely not this band’s forte, with some examples being, “There’s nothing like a little fun after school. There aint nothing like a little sex, fuckin’ and booze. And if you don’t like that, well that’s totally cool. Have fun in chess club you fuckin’ loser,” from “Afterskool Special,” and “Don’t say hello, don’t say hello. Just say goodbye, just don’t say hi. And then just go, go, go, go . . . ,” from “Soon to be Strangers.”

It’s easy to follow, but nothing that could be considered poetry here. The album consists of 18 songs (including one bonus track), but could have easily given its message by the tenth song.

After that point it all tends to blend together and there’s nothing new to hear. Overall, give Liar a shot, but maybe only the first half. (Light Organ Records, lightorganrecords.com) Shanell Dupras PICK A PIPER Pick a Piper Destined to be most recognized as “the side project of the drummer from Caribou,” Pick a Piper follows in the same style of electronic footprint as Caribou. This independent foray (the first physical release, coming after two digital EPs) is a perfectly acceptable record that’s technically proficient but perhaps lacks anything more than that.

There are some exceptions to the rule.

“Once Were Leaves,” which features vocals by Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Braids, feels less driven by conventional song structure. Given the time to pace themselves and give a slight build in the conclusion, looping the vocals and raising the tempo, Pick a Piper show that they perhaps work best when not simply creating dancefloor tracks. “South to Polynesia” gives itself even more time to pace itself and experiment with some additional brass instrumentation. In fact, it’s the middle and latter half of this record that is the most worthwhile, with the more straightforward hits toward the front of the disc.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this record will be when Brad Weber is too close to sounding like Caribou. We know what he’s able to

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do in that capacity; what he shows us here in a more down-to-earth electronic fashion is also interesting, though we don’t necessarily hear enough of it on this release. (Mint Records, mintrecs.com) Devin King GHOSTKEEPER Horse Chief! War Thief!

Ghostkeeper is one of the most exciting bands Canada currently has to offer, and also one of the most difficult to pin down. Using a conventional guitar and drum palette through the lens of rock music, it’s jittery and anxious, but also straightforward and focused. Immediately one is reminded of Pavement, but maybe some sort of version of the band from an alternate dimension where they are forced to create music for despotic overlords (but are still clever enough to write the songs as satire against their ruler).

Which is of course ludicrous. But this is the sort of grand, mythological storytelling that you can expect on this album. There doesn’t seem to be an overarching narrative here, but there is definitely some thought put into these songs — I can’t even do it justice. All I can do is offer this section of the press release; it offers more insight into this Polaris-worthy album than I can provide: “The one great and fierce Horse Chief!

War Thief! Sorcerer and leader of the debaucherous, war crazy, and all consuming band of phantom horses. As living horses they were raised and trained by the most violent of warriors, they witnessed and conspired to the most horrific acts. When their masters betrayed them to their deaths, they were unwilling to leave this earth peacefully. They returned as gigantic spirits with explosive vengeance, stampeding across the land, swallowing anything and everything in their path.” (Saved by Vinyl, savedbyvinyl.com) Devin King

THE BURNING HELL People The latest from these hyperactive troubadours is a treat, both for longtime fans or those who are new to the band.

Dancefloor ready boppers like “Holidaymakers” and “Amateur Rappers” pick up where 2011’s Flux Capacitor

left off, mixing the Burning Hell’s baroque arrangements and Mathias Kom’s incredible lyrical dexterity into textbook cases of weirdo pop magic.

Tracks like the lead-off “Grown Ups” and the reimagined Norse saga “Barbarians” see the Burning Hell expanding their trademark sound into new and exciting directions. This album is getting a lot of attention on the college radio circuit, and for good reason.

Hopefully the band makes its way to Winnipeg soon, as I can only imagine how the album will be reinvented onstage. Yowza! (Headless Owl/ weewerk, wearetheburninghell.com) Sheldon Birnie POWDER BLUE Dream in Black At just six tracks, this LP from Saskatoon’s psychedelic lovelies Powder Blue acts as a satisfying debut, while also wetting one’s taste for more.

Powder Blue commands the ability to lay out heavy grooves while at the same time building an ethereal aural experience. The A side begins with the brooding “Go On Forever,” before cranking it up for the title track, and then slowing it down again for the meditative, and aptly titled, “The Haunting.” The B side gets going

with the rocking “Hot Fire,” complete with soaring vocals, organ swells, and tech glitches that propel you into “All of His Love.” The album closes with the rousing and celebratory “Turn to Dust,” before fading away into the ether. The interaction of the low end, the high flying guitar and synth combo, and dreamy vocals takes the listener on a beautiful trip that’s over all too quickly. Definitely pumped to hear what Powder Blue conjures up next. (Independent, powder-blue.ca) Sheldon Birnie

GOLD & YOUTH Beyond Wilderness Yet another entry into the ever-growing sea of electro-pop, Vancouver’s Gold & Youth at least have the decency to do it well. Firmly rooted in the new wave movement of the 1980s,

POWDER BLUE

PHOTO BY DEVON HANOFSKI

Gold & Youth are reminiscent of Depeche Mode, New Order and even The Cure. Vocalist Matthew Lyall pulls off a damn good Morrisseymeets-Robert Smith impersonation, and the instrumentation sounds like it was done no later than 1985. Amazingly though, nothing sounds contrived on Beyond Wilderness. Gold & Youth don’t sound like they set out to copy anyone, but rather sound truly inspired. There’s an excellent balance of frigid digital drums and warm analog-sounding keyboard textures.

Despite being part of a genre that has generated more throw-away novelty crap than any other in recent years, Gold & Youth display an incredible depth in their songwriting and arrangements. Maybe it’s because they’re not from Brooklyn and can’t rely simply on being cool, or being the latest clever YouTube sensation. Either way, Beyond Wilderness is an excellent record, enjoyable throughout each of its 43 minutes. Hopefully, Gold & Youth will continue to develop as a band while avoiding the pitfalls of their contemporaries and put out pop music that is finally worth listening to.

(Arts & Crafts, goldandyouth.com) Myke Lewis

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for its delectably evocative quality on “You in My Mind.” The disc contains five songs, but on the tracklist they are numbered 1-2-3-4-6. I took a couple of listens trying to decode this seemingly capricious stroke but had to say uncle; sometimes people just do those things. (Independent, amyvankeeken. bandcamp.com) Daniel Emberg V/A

AMY VAN KEEKEN So Long Confident vocal work, deft arrangements, and tasteful restraint mark the sparse debut solo EP from Edmonton musician Amy van Keeken. For a first release, it certainly feels like veteran work, which makes sense given van Keeken’s laudable contributions to such bands as The AwesomeHots and The Secretaries. The standout track here, for me, is “Fire For You,” an emotional song accompanied by guitar and cornet which sounds like that first night each year whereupon a city collectively agrees winter has begun. Given that we have lived to see 2013, van Keeken also scores poetry points upon proving herself able to properly use the word “twittering”

CiTR Pop Alliance Compilation, Vol 3

This compilation from Vancouver’s Mint Records and UBC’s CiTR is a great taste of the Left Coast’s pop scene. With 14 tracks spread over two sides of lovely, limited edition vinyl (complete with hand numbered, recycled DIY silk screened packaging) runs the gamut from lo-fi electro fun (“On/Off ” by Fanshaw) to jangly pop (“1-2-3-4 Get Fucked” by Movieland) to catchy ass punk rock (“In My Socialist Choir” by Korean Gut). Marketed as both a local sampler and a fundraiser for CiTR, this LP is a beauty compilation that only scratches the surface of Vancouver’s vibrant music scene. Could be cool to see CKUW and Stylus pull something similar together for next year’s FUNdrive / Stylus’ 25th An-

niversary? (Mint Records, citr.ca) Sheldon Birnie GROENLAND The Chase The first album from Montreal-based band Groenland sounds nothing like the cold, glacially beautiful country the band is named after, although these orchestral indie pop tracks hold a gorgeousness of a different kind. Violins and ukuleles build a humming, glowing background warmth that lead vocalist Sabrina Halde’s melodies resonate through. Her voice is supple and strong, easily handling lyrics like “No witness standing to tell the story / I look at myself from outside my body/ Out in the open my wound’s still hot / From when I remembered and then forgot” (“Superhero”). The first time I listened to this I was on the bus the morning of an exam, and it put me in such an optimistic place — feeling happy and open and thoughtful. I’m pretty sure my grade owes a lot to this album. I think the thing about The Chase is that it feels incredibly personal, but in the way of an inspiring story, or like joy, which you want to share with everyone. (Bonsound, bonsound. com) Adrienne Yeung

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fear of music [insert band name] – [insert album title]

By Devin King Upon listening to the album for the first time, [insert sprawling and tangentially related personal anecdote that references an aspect of the album but misses the point and is instead just a pseudo-journal entry]. It’s hard not to consider [insert ubiquitous pop culture reference, though it may be a bit of a reach]. When considering this, [insert album title] can be seen as a thoroughly [innovative/regressive] [model/pastiche] of the classic [insert genre] album.

It’s been [insert amount of time] since [band name’s] last album, and that time has a [positive or negative remark] influence this latest release. [Biographical info from the press release that helps frame your opinion.] [Album title] is [arbitrary comparison to one of the band’s earlier albums, or failing that, a contemporary band].

In short, [insert band name] can be described as a mix of [band no one knows] and [obscure hyphenated genre of music] but [verb]-ier. The band employs a number of instruments for this effect, such as the [common instrument] which [comment on the sound, but because you don’t know how to describe it, just use general words like “unique” or “interesting]. In addition, the band also uses [obscure instrument you would have never noticed or been able to identify, but is mentioned in the press release] which is immediately recognizable and brings a uniquely [adjective] presence to the album.

[First track/single] is [adjective] — sets the mood with the [comment on the quality of the production]. In fact, it would be hard to comment on this album without mentioning [name of producer].

[His — probably his, because the music business too often relegates women to objectified lead singers rather than putting them in producing role, not that you’ve chosen to mention that anywhere — name] can be considered nearly a band member with the touches he puts on the album.

For me, [song from album] perfectly reflects my time [as a youth — no option here, just pointing out that you really haven’t listened to music since you were in your late teens; not really listened, you know? So this review is just a sad way of you to des-

30 Stylus Magazine June/July 2013 28

perately reach out to that long lost past, to no avail].

The [insert tempo] highlights what it was like to live in [insert era when you were 19], with all of the ups such as [positive experience] or downs such as [the financial crisis, or heartbreak].

All in all, [title of album] is [hyperbolic remark on the quality of the album — if positive, refer to the Polaris Prize, if negative, refer to Nickelback, even though that’s a pretty over-hashed argument, you’re too tired at this point to think too much any-

way]. [Title of album] represents the [zenth/nadir] of [band name’s] discography. [Closing statement, relating the quality of the record to a contrived, tooclever-by-half pun relating to the band’s name or album title]. *Note that if the album being reviewed is local, then only positive words should be used — you wouldn’t want to offend your base and alienate future interview subjects.

95.9 FM CKUW CAMPUS/COMMUNITY RADIO TOP 30 ALBUMS (Mar. 27, 2013 – May 30, 2013) !=LOCAL CONTENT * =CANADIAN CONTENT re=RE-ENTRY TO CHART

ARTIST

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The Burning Hell Greg Arcade This Hisses Ruth Moody Young Galaxy Yo La Tengo The Bad Nerves Billy Bragg Ingrid Gatin Born Ruffians Rock Lake Depeche Mode Boats Data Romance We Are Wolves Blue Warblers The Abramson Singers Buke and Gase Charles Bradley The Flaming Lips Oh My Darling The Black Angels April Verch David Bowie Stephen Wade Bjork Casimiro Nhussi Nick Fraser Quartet Charles Lloyd/Jason Moran Son Volt

RECORDING

People Ready To Go Anhedonia These Wilder Things Ultramarine Fade Alienate Tooth and Nail 1000 Lives Birthmarks Rock Lake Delta Machine A Fairway Full Of Miners Other La Mort Pop Club Pretty Good Late Riser General Dome Victim Of Love The Terror Venez Danser Indigo Meadow Bright Like Gold The Next Day Banjo Diary Bastards Gweka Towns And Villages Hagar’s Song Honky Tonk

LABEL

Headless Owl Self-Released Transistor 66 True North Paper Bag Matador Self-Released Dine Alone Pipe & Hat Paper Bag Eat ‘Em Up Columbia/Mute Kill Rock Stars Dine Alone Dare To Care Out Of a Paperbag Copperspine Secret City Dunham/Daptone Bella Union Self-Released Blue Horizon Slab Town ISO/Columbia Smithsonian Folkways One Little Indian Self-Released Barnyard ECM Rounder