The emergence of artists that play polyphonic, vocal-led music like Julianna Barwick, Grouper, and now Tonstartssbandht, is a really exciting thing. Now I Am Become is a record that isn’t easily expressed in words, but that’s probably the best thing about it. The all-over-the-place-in-the-best-way nature of these tracks sees the band flying from chaotic, noisy, and kind of abrasive experimentation to glorious Animal Collective (or possibly Beach Boys, or probably both)-inspired hymns. This may be off-putting for some (which is probably why the band made its home on the weirdo/ultra-hip Montreal label Arbutus Records), not easily absorbed, or even understood, until after a number of repeated listens. “Shot To La Parc” nearly demands that you blast it through your headphones to soak it in. Intensely catchy guitar licks blast you from every direction, while vocal chants are shouted from the sidelines and slip easily through the mix. By the time the closer, “Orange Love You,” rolls around, the mood has shifted towards atmospheric. Splashes of soul, blues and gospel float around the room, amidst an ocean of reverb-inflicted vocals and filtered, processed instruments. But even when Tonstartssbandht pushes against the walls of their lo-fi, noise rock, the heat and friction they generate keeps them from ever sounding delicate. This is a rock band, but calling them that wouldn’t be giving them enough credit. Like all great music, Now I Am Become reveals itself slowly, asking you to meet it halfway, and giving only as much back as what’s being putting in. (Arbutus Records, www.arbutusrecords.com/) Kevan Hannah
Ample Hula-Hooping, But Not Enough Fist Pumping: MEME 2011
MEME (Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
@ The Cube in Old Market Square
By Shanell Dupras
Free, good music that you can hear bumpin’ all through The Exchange? Check. An entertaining audience to watch while you tap your feet? Absolutely. Sounds like a great night? Yes, and no. Unfortunately I could not make it for the entire concert, but I did get the chance to see three local acts: JNL, Sisk, and Phaze-M. Keep in mind that these kinds of concerts are hard to review due to how they make their music. It seems difficult for them to mess up their sets unless they accidentally press the power button on their MacBooks.
The first DJ that I saw was JNL. His music had insane bass lines that I couldn’t help tapping my feet and bobbing my head to. With a great beat, always come interesting dancers of course. It was the typical rave dancers: neon everywhere, the constant smell of weed and… free hula-hoops for everyone! Thankfully the dancers were entertaining, because JNL failed to do anything interesting at all. I understand it may be difficult to move around during a set, but even a fist pump would have been exciting. JNL wasn’t the only victim to this though, all three DJs I saw that night were not entertaining to watch at all. Maybe I’m just nitpicking, but concerts should be entertaining to watch, not just to listen to.
Following JNL was DJ Sisk. One great things about these kinds of concerts is set up time in between artists is under five minutes. Sisk was the DJ of the night that could hook me in with extremely catchy melodies that I found myself humming afterwards. Apparently others thought the same since the crowd grew during his set. My only complaint with DJ Sisk is that at times his loud and obnoxious bass lines began giving me a headache from the vibrations.
As it began to get dark, the Cube began to light up in neon colours that complimented the dancers’ outfits. This made it more of a spectacle since the DJs still weren’t moving around at all on stage. By 8:20 Phaze-M had started his set, the neon lights changing to the beat of his songs. His first song had vocal appearances, which was a nice change of pace from the bass oriented songs from JNL and Sisk. Sadly, as his set went on it began to sound more like those two: bumping bass lines with simple, yet catchy, melodies. Which isn’t always bad, just repetitive. At least there was a slight change, right?
I ended up leaving after only three sets because after three hours of bass that could be heard all through the Exchange and beyond, I was beginning to get a headache. Overall, MEME was entertaining, although this music might have been better suited to their club shows, where alcohol may make more people motivated to dance. (Beer gardens just aren’t the same.) The music was worth it, although it is strange to say that I stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the neon coloured dancers.
Battles – Gloss Drop
New York’s Battles are a unique band. Their debut album, Mirrored, was full of ingenuity and things we hadn’t heard before from any of its component parts; even the last Don Cab album that featured guitarist Ian Williams, American Don, which had all the precursors and shades of Battles to come, wasn’t as varied and as multifaceted as the new group. Chalk that up to (now former) band member Tyondai Braxton, whose level of influence over the album’s sound may have been nebulous to first-time listeners, as Williams’ fits of fancy could take him any direction without seeming out of place. Upon hearing Gloss Drop, it is apparent how strong a voice- literally his voice- Braxton had in the band. Maybe not a consciously steering hand, but rather a catalyst for the rest of the band to be more audacious and a little more adventurous than they might have been. Now, without his presence, Battles have sunk into a routine, building a steady albeit unconventional rhythm, intertwining guitar and keyboard riffs, each component player riffing a bit on what’s been previously built, and then tapering out near the end. The riffs and rhythms are interesting, but often overstay their welcome, and as a whole start to blend into each other. The real highlights of the album come when they have a vocalist to play off of, Braxton’s hole being filled with four vocalists in this case: Matias Aguayo, synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan, Kazu Makino of shoegaze veterans Blonde Redhead, and Yamantaka Eye of Japanese noise weirdos The Boredoms. Each of these tracks stands as a more unique, more interesting piece of work than any of the non-vocal tracks on the album, and really illustrate how much a voice can add, or how much the lack of one can detract. (Warp, www.warp.net) David Nowacki
“So… I was at a party last night” by Andrea Cuius and Roland Ellis
Andrea Cuius and Roland Ellis‘ installation (commissioned by poet Sabrina Mahfouz for her solo show Dry Ice) at London’s Wimbledon Theatre is one that dazzles in terms of both artistic concept and technological precision.
The two programmed a set of 30 bare tungsten lightbulbs to coordinate with live sound information from an onstage microphone. A word, sentence, song, or conversation causes the different-sized bulbs to flicker on and off in sync with the sound – I’m reminded of neurons firing in the brain, or metropolis’ million windows glowing on and off at night. Whatever comes to mind, the result is hypnotic and absolutely enchanting.
Found via designboom. Music by Rehab Music.
This Hisses – Super Sibilant
By Scott Wolfe
One of Winnipeg’s most thrilling live acts is releasing their first full-length in July on local family label Transistor 66. I sat down at the Legion in the Exchange District with band members Julia Ryckman, J.P. Perron, and, later on, Patrick Short for some cheap beverages and to exchange a few words with this local trio regarding their highly-anticipated debut.
Stylus: To begin, out of curiosity I have got to know, why This Hisses and not The Hisses?
J.P. Perron: It’s kind of a weird iteration I guess, but not really. There is actually a funny quote addressing that on the new album. [Reads] When attempting to enunciate the group’s moniker, most tend to slur over the words carelessly, gurgling some incoherent mumble. However, such a cavalier introduction to This Hisses is calamitous at best.
Stylus: Brilliant and accurate, as I clearly demonstrated when this interview began.
JPP: Yeah I do that as well just the other day I called us The Hisses. People tend to like it though, however I can imagine that radio announcer would not.
Julia Ryckman: Also, ‘this’ is a word that hisses, which adds to our name.
Stylus: Each of you have been submerged in the Winnipeg music scene before with other acts such as The Gorgon [Julia], Mahogany Frog [J.P.] and Under Pressure and Electric Candles [Patrick Short]. But how did This Hisses come to be?
JR: When The Gorgon broke up, I had some songs I wanted to try and I thought of Pat because we had talked and jammed before. I also wanted to work with J.P. because he had always been my favourite drummer in Winnipeg and I knew he was available because he had just moved back from Montreal. I asked him at a party if he wanted to jam, but he was very guarded. Continue reading “This Hisses – Super Sibilant”
FOUND: Some trance with your dubstep?
In the recent history of dubstep there has been an undercurrent of tracks that mix extremely melodic trance leads and builds with dubstep beats. This banger here is one of them. Produced by an up-and comer named Kid-Alt-Dub from Leicester in the UK, this has been getting a lot of play recently on Plastician‘s Rinse.fm show. (Look up some podcasts if you haven’t heard Plastician spin: it is divine.) Big, big choon right here.
Azari & III grilled by Resident Advisor
Azari & III are definitely becoming one of the most globally-recognized Canadian electronic artists with their throwbacks to house music served with some solid deep dish diva. The Toronto quartet is on Resident Advisor’s Playing Favourites today, where they’re discussing some of their favourite tracks (which, like most classic house tracks, are pretty easy to find on YouTube) and bit about the members’ history.
If you haven’t heard anything from this fabtastic group, here’s the new, not-NSFW video for their “Hungry for the Power,” which was just rereleased with a handful of remixes on Turbo recordings.
MEME Returns with More Int’l Flavour
About to begin its second year, Manitoba’s first electronic music festival is getting ready for four electric days and nights.
Starting tomorrow, June 23 and running until Sunday, the Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition (MEME) features a slew of aural and visual talent. International headliners include Thomas Fehlmann (Berlin, The Orb) and Dandy Jack (Geneva) alongside national and local performers like Hitori Tori (Vancouver) and Winnipeg’s own Venetian Snares and LeBeato. Meanwhile, visual artists Amber Solstice, mrghosty, Rylaan Gimby, and jaymez, among others, will be busy keeping your eyes entranced.
Inspired by Montreal’s legendary Mutek festival, MEME’s free outdoor performances at Old Market Square and club shows are where people have the chance to be exposed to local and international talent they might never hear otherwise. And the festival organizers have injected more international flavour into the festival this year. “A lot of the music is dance music, but a lot of the songs are quite listenable,”says Nathan Zahn, producer and DJ. He’s also excited about the beer gardens and food stalls, which were absent last year. “It’s nice for people to come out on a warm afternoon and enjoy the sun, or in the evening, to come and dance, sit and hang out with their friends.”
The shows at the Zoo, Whiskey Dix and Alive will also be different from your usual club scene. Zahn is enthusiastic about showcasing music that’s not your standard Top 40 and projected visuals which will make for a more immersive experience. International and local VJs promise that MEME will be more than just a music festival. “A lot of them are cutting and pasting from classic TV shows, cartoons. The whole thing about VJing is that it’s not just some people putting on some cool visual show; they’re actually mixing different sources of visuals live, almost improvising,” Zahn explains.
This year’s event also involves two half-day workshops on June 24 and 25 on how to make electronic music, with presentations from performing DJs.
Visit www.memetic.ca to see what you’ll be hearing and where.
Galactic – The Other Side of Midnight: Live in New Orleans
Galactic’s new album, The Other Side Of Midnight left my CD player smoking, with fumes reminiscent of gumbo and sweat. This band is one who is constantly expanding their repertoire from the initial “jam-funk band of choice for the Uptown collegiate stoner set” status to the iconic jazz-soul staple they’ve become. Recorded at Tipitina’s Club in New Orleans, TOSOM features the musical talents of Cyril Neville, Trombone Shorty, Soul Rebels Brass Band and Big Frieda and all adds up to one hot, loud and rowdy New Orleans hoe-down. I’ve never seen Galactic live, but listening to this album makes me feel like I have, and gives a pretty solid idea that it’s more than just a concert, with the obvious intent to party alongside some really rad music. You’ll find an array of fine talents on this album, from sharp guitar and keyboards on “Wild Man” to the mad skillz (so slick he got a ‘z’) of Trombone Shorty on “Cineramascope.” “Garbage Truck” is in dire need of a ska cover, yet as is makes me think of a crazy, perspiring group of Bohemian gypsies, wiggling and romping around an ancient caravan. This album is worthy of consideration for a hot prairie summer. (ANTI-, http://anti.com) Victoria King
TWIN – Sharing Secrets with Strangers EP
TWIN is focused around Dave Fort (Absent Sound) and he’s really prepared to give you the best and worst news as if you’ve never heard it before. He’s spouting off hard truths like on the back half of “Prairie Loon”—like, “Well some friends are gonna die / Some are gonna take their own life / There’ll be no reasons why / And, boy, you’re gonna cry.” The first two songs and the last song, strongly focused on death, are fleshed out with strings and back-up vocals and it makes for a pretty emotional listen—although they’re words of comfort rather than naysaying. Meanwhile, on the other end of the life spectrum, “Fine Clothing” is definitely the album’s cheeriest, urging you to “Sing all of those old songs / Those one your granddaddy used to love.” Given Fort’s electric background, these songs aren’t ripping off traditional folk ballads but instead are thoughtful, spacey progressions backed by all the usual folk instruments which are played by musicians from the community (David Dobbs of Vampires and Ingrid Gatin to name a couple) and other friends who have since become the rest of TWIN. For the moment, the five-song EP stands alone in Winnipeg—Sharing Secrets with Strangers is much more sinister than any other folk being made, and it’s much more heartfelt than any indie rock. (Independent, www.myspace.com/twintwa) Taylor Burgess