First Impressions...

Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3

Goodnight Oslo

Yep Roc

There is justice in the world. Robyn Hitchcock is still making music and the world is better for it. If only the world knew. Robyn Hitchcock started making music with the Softboys in 1976. Their album "Underwater Moonlight" (1980) remains a must have for anyone interested in the underground . Hitchcock went on to cut some solo albums in the early 80's and front the Egyptians throughout the 80's. Although his albums have all been critically praised Robyn Hitchcock's musical musings on sex, food and death proved too left of center for the mainstream. In 2006 Robyn put together a group of friends to write a record with for the album that would become Ole Tarantula. Venus 3 were none other than three fifths of R.E.M. as we know it...today. Peter Buck (R.E.M., guitar), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5, Bass), and Bill Reiflin (Ministry, drums). The formula worked and the result was one of 2006's best albums. Goodnight Oslo continues the tradition of writing and recording within a two week period. A process Peter Buck favors and has proven essential. An approach that his mainstay band, R.E.M., had used throughout much of their career, but has unfortunately eschewed throughout much of the 00's resulting in too much time put into producing the albums and left them with music that has been dragged down. He has a point. Goodnight Oslo shares the same energy that made Ole Tarantula such a great listen. 

Throughout the 10 tracks here, guitars jangle, organs pump and harmonies coax you to sing along. Mr.Hitchcock has always had an ear for melody and each track on Goodnight Oslo will slowly imbed itself into that part of your brain that makes you sing songs in your sleep. The incredibly infectious "Your Head Here" lifts a guitar lick from Chris Isaak's Wicked Game to great effect, turning a once solemn love song lead into pure pop jangle perfection. From the same song, the lyric "Ring my chimes, I'm a ding dong daddy!" only provides credence to the often used adjective, "Whimsical" to describe Robyn Hitchcock's lyrical approach. Syd Barrett is also often used a point of reference. His vocals remain a cross between John Lennon and the Monkeys. He has always peppered his sets with covers from his favorite artists from the Byrds to The Beatles To Pink Floyd. These comparisons do no justice to a catalogue that is essentially pure Hitchcock. The album and it's songs were inspired by a trip to Oslo that Robyn took with some friends. The songs seem to be meditations on the passing of time and life and death as interpreted through country floor stompers (Hurry For The Sky), jangle pop (Your Head Here) as well as 70's good vibes as heard on "Saturday Groovers", a song that begs you to clap along. Guests include Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Sean Nelson of Harvey danger and one time Egyptian Morris Windsor. The song "16 Years" stands alone as the darkest song on the album, a song that explores wasted time with an eery Peter Buck guitar lead, picking and building throughout. "I'm Falling" went from the track I would skip for the preferred stomp and skiffle of the following track "Hurry For The Sky", to become one of my favorite tracks on the album. This is typical of Robyn Hitchcock albums. Every song eventually wins you over...the awkward "Intricate Things" and  "Up To Our Necks", a song penned for the latest Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married are no exception. The latter boasting mandolin strums that lay ground to bursts of horns while Robyn Hitchcock declares "Forget yourself and maybe you'll forget me."  Album closer "Goodnight Oslo" washes away the sweetness of the preceeding tracks with a brooding  guitar lead picked by Buck, not heard on an R.E.M. album since the 80's. The song boasts vocal harmonies between McCaughey and Hitchcock on the chorus hightening the peeks of a song that never quite breaks out, but is better for it . The vocal harmonies displayed by this group is proving to be the Venus 3's secret weapon. We can expect great things to come from Mr.Hitchcock and his Venus 3. It's not John Lennon. It's not Syd Barrett. It's Robyn Hitchcock.

First Impressions...

GRAND DUCHY

PETITS FOURS

Cooking Vinyl

Since disbanding The Pixies in 1993, nobody can accuse Charles Thompson IV aka Black Francis aka Frank Black of taking it easy . In this writers humble opinion he has remained one of the hardest working and prolific musical artists today. Having abandoned the songs and sounds that made him the 80's underground rock god in favor of finding what would seem like new identities with each new release. He has released at least one album a year since 1993, except in 1995 and 1997. His solo career has touched all musical grounds from bizarre surf pop to desert rock to country laments. Through every new release it seems Frank Black Francis could not get the world to let go of his former self. As a result he never quite came across as enjoying himself. Enter a divorce and therapy in 2003, a Pixies reunion soon after and a new wife immortalised in the song Violet from Honeycomb in 2003. It is this partnership that has allowed Grand Duchy to materialise. It is safe to say at least on the surface, Frank is allowing himself to have some fun.

Violet is a self confessed fan of 80's music. Frank has said he did his best to destroy the 80's. This combination makes Grand Duchy a guilty pleasure to his sometime fans who couldn't quite get behind his recent soul searching releases. To the ardent fan this is a great addition to a unique catalogue of great music. It should be noted that this is the first time Frank has shared a name and stood as an equal member of a band since The Pixies.

The nine tracks on Petits Fours cover enough ground to make the album and enjoyable and well paced listen throughout, although you can't help that feel that the the project hasn't completely found it's voice yet. Opening song Come On Over To My House sounds familiar enough that it could very well be a left over from  the latest Black Francis release SVN FNGRS if it weren't for an 80's keyboard part and slick production.  Violet takes lead vocals on Lovesick, a song that might be mistaken as a track from the latest Metric album. Her vocals bounce between Emily Haines and Kim Deal throughout the album. "Fort Wayne" has strummy acoustic guitars, Frank singing falsetto " Once I was playing down in Fort Wayne....the kids were swayin', to the rock n roll beat, confused in the wheat from all the doom sayin' " Violet chimes in with a little spoken word in french and some la,la,la's. "Blacksuit" sounds like it could have been written by Robert Smith, or by the Pixies had they been a Cure wanna-be band. The Long Song rides a Pixies baseline if ever there was one, sprawling crunchy guitars are married to distorted synths and a honey sweet lead vocal by Violet. This album is another example of the new life that seems to have been be breathed into Mr.Thompson of late. It seems he has found himself a new partner in life as well as in song, a sentiment best said in the incredibly catchy "Ernesinde",   "I've been waiting for you Baby, since the day that you were born". In his ever expanding catalogue file this one under Pop.

2008: Truths and Recollections

It is appropriate that as I write this I am recovering from the worst bout of the flu I think I've ever experienced. I say this because I haven't felt this awful, or lost so many body fluids since having seen Iggy & the Stooges perform this summer at Montreal's Osheaga Festival. 

As any festival goer knows pace is the trick. Having entered the festival grounds a good six hours before Iggy & the Stooges took to the stage meant a couple of hours of soaking up too much sun with friends, seeing some great bands and of course the suds. Nothing says "I'll regret this tomorrow," like a steady flow of cheap festival beer that has spent the better part of the day in the August sun. 

By the time Iggy & the Stooges walked out on stage I was in what could only be described as the perfect state to see this legendary firestorm of a band perform. Inhibitions having been diluted till they were all but gone had me screaming at the top of my lungs and fists pumping. Although the set list is a bit of a haze, I do remember it revolving mostly around songs from the  album Fun House (1970) and the seminal punk rock blue print The Stooges (1969). To say that Iggy Pop and Co. delivered a sonic Molotov cocktail thrown in the face of all who were there is an understatement. While Ron Ashton's riffs brought to life those bedroom air guitar fantasies, brother Scott on drums and auxiliary member Mike Watt on bass (of The Minutemen fame), kept the songs chugging along at breakneck speed. Iggy not only performed... he danced shimmied and contorted his body onstage like a young man a third his age. With every twitch and vein pumping scream, you could not help but notice that Iggy was sweating pure Rock and Roll. As I watched Iggy climb the equipment and eventually hump the monitors , I could not stop thinking that here is a man roughly my fathers age, shirtless and poised to attack like some sort of punk rock predator looking for his next conquest. Eventually Iggy invited whoever wanted to join him onstage...resulting in a mob of hugs and cell phone camera flashes, transforming the front man into a modern day Pied Piper of sorts. Iggy probably could have led them into the St.Lawrence river and they would have followed.

Upon returning home I spent the better part of the night throwing up and sitting on the can simultaneously (thank god for tiny Plateau bathrooms). Was it hours in the hot August sun? Too many skanky beers and over priced shitty hot dogs? No. Ultimately , I believe The Stooges shook me like a rag doll and then sent me home to lose bodily control.

  Rock 'n Roll has lost one of it's punk rock innovators with Ron Asheton's passing this January 6 2009, I feel very privileged to have witnessed such an awesome spectacle.

2008: Truths and Recollections

R.E.M. , Modest Mouse and The National

June 8th Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto

Ever since coming across the National's breakthrough album Alligator (2005), they have held a space on my virtual cd shelf alongside lifetime favorites R.E.M. There is a similarity between the type of music driving both these bands. The prospect of having your new favorite band open for your all time favorite band, mid-summer at an outdoor venue seemed too good to be true. The National's live show has come a long way since I first saw them supporting Alligator. They came across like a band possessed, playing as though something larger was at stake. The sound coming from the stage provided by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner and brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf, as well as multi intrumentalist Padma Newsome was overwhelming, especially for an outdoor venue. To the spectator, it could well have been their own living room. Matt Berninger commanded the stage while the band provided searing renditions from a set list that seemed to be picked with the idea of winning over all of R.E.M.'s fan base. The National can rock with the best of them, but they can also build a song emotionally, a quality that seemed to fit the sunset and and welcome in the cooler summer night.

R.E.M. has been my favorite band for over 18 years. They are akin to an old friend who gives more than it takes. No relationship in life is perfect and well, people change. The band's last couple of albums were tests of patience for the truest of fans, some wondering was the best behind them? With this years release of Accelerate R.E.M. proved that despite being spun around by Bill Berry's departure in 1998, it has again found it the energy and creativity that made the band a success story of 80's underground. The 2008 Accelerate tour was a celebration of their vast catalogue of music that it has created since 1983, Changing set lists nightly so that no two shows were the same. The band came to the stage playing new material such as "Living Well Is The Best Revenge" and "Houston" resting nicely between the fan favorites such as "These Days" and "Maps and Legends". As the show drew to an end, the band broke out into a stripped down version of "Let Me In ", a song written for Kurt Cobain from the 1995 album Monster, which made for an unexpected surprise. Other surprises came from Jonny Marr of Modest Mouse when he came out to guest on "Fall On Me". Witnessing Peter Buck's Rickenbacher backed by Marr's Rickenbacher made a daydream I probably had in high school come true.

Unfortunately I completely missed Modest Mouse due to an altercation at the beer stand. Apparently buying a beer as a thirty three year old adult in Toronto isn't cut and dry. 

Arcade Fire Miroir Noir

"Hello thanking for calling Neon Bible...."

The latest release from Montreal's Arcade Fire is a visual companion to their last album Neon Bible. Miroir Noir, Neon Bible Archives pieces together short films of Vincent Moon, which were shot between 2006-2007. Those familiar with Vincent Moon's previous work, whether it be the Take-away shows from his website or short films he has done for R.E.M. and The National, will no doubt know what to expect. Dark, grainy fly on the wall scenes unfold throughout the hour and fifteen minute film, offering snapshots of the writing and recording process that took place for their second album Neon Bible, as well as down time and live performances along the way. Although the film reveals a band in the process of creation, it does not reveal all that much. Fans of the band and their music perhaps looking for the gospel as to where these songs come from or perhaps a definitive live concert film, will find no answers here. What they will find however, is a glimpse of a band behind the scenes, playing, and recording what was to become a classic modern album by one of the most driven and artistically creative bands around today. Towards the beginning of the film each band member is depicted falling under hypnosis until all members are are lying on the floor. The footage that follows for the duration of the film plays out like abstract memories, blurred and incomplete, depicting the whirlwind of activity that the band encountered and lived through at home and on the road during that 2006-2007 period, as though it is emerging from their collective subconscious. There are  some great performances throughout the film, impromptu performances in elevators abound, backstage warming up, within their recording studio and of course on various stages doing what the do best, collectively blowing the minds of their fans through performance. One of the best parts of the film are voice messages left for the band through a 1-800 number used during the promotion for the Neon Bible album. Fans praise the band. Non-fans leave harsh messages and of course the lost souls... are just looking for answers. 

         This is the first DVD released by the band and therefore a must have for fans. The film is available as a download in various formats from the Mirioir Noir Website. This means you can immediately watch it on your computer while you wait for the actual copy to be shipped to your address. Downloading the double DVD limited edition with accordion packaging means you'll have to wait to watch that second disc of live performances until it arrives in the mail. Not a bad compromise for those who are torn between download purchases and owning the real deal.

Something here soon....

My carpenter's out and running about talking to the street 
My pockets are out and running about 
Barking in the street to tell what I have hidden there 

-R.E.M. "Life And How To Live It"