Baby Dee has a substantial list of famous (and infamous) professional associations, from Antony Hegarty (of Antony and the Johnsons) to Andrew WK to Will “Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy” Oldham. And while she’s credited her rise in visibility to Antony’s success, listen to her music and it’s clear that high-profile boosters are only a bonus. The richness and complexity of her music are more than enough. Her androgynous voice sounds much like Antony’s, but with measures more clarity and a greater range—her voice soars and dips, resonant and full, accompanied by the whimsical but timeless harp and soulful piano. There are strong echoes of her work in church music (the church she left in the process of her gender and sex transition). The church may not have a place for a transsexual musician/prophet, but it’s as sure thing that her release into the rest of the world has made us all richer. Many of her songs sound like hymns for the new millennium—like “Lilacs,” which lies on a bed of gentle piano and woodwinds. The angel metaphors are perhaps too easy when writing about the harp (just as they have been for Baby Dee’s labelmate and musical cousin, Joanna Newsom). But how can you write about “Black but Comely” without invoking the concept of heaven? The real heaven, a place where all are welcome, love is unconditional and peace abides. Get ready, Winnipeg—a piece of heaven is coming to us on April 20, at the West End, which, as we all know, occupies remains of a church. (Drag City, www.dragcity.com) Jenny Henkelman
Review: Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind EP
On the tails of their coherent 2009 masterpiece Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective continues down their merry path of unbridled, joyful psych. Less abrasive than previous efforts, Fall Be Kind begins with a gentle swaying aural landscape created with teasing sounds and angelic lines like “Let Light In” before morphing into a silly, flute-heavy Putumayo-like folk tune. Their cheekiness continues with “What Would I Want? Sky,” a densely remixed sample of Grateful Dead’s “Unbroken Chain” surrounded with majestic swirls and bleeps and rousing lyrics. “On a Highway” sheds some of the instrumental layers focusing on the lyrics instead, while the final cut on the EP “I Think I Can” is both strange and wonderful—thumping around with primal percussion work, Beach Boys choruses and celestial strings. (Domino, www.myanimalhome.net) Kent Davies
Boats’ Cannonball Run
No doubt Mat Klachefsky and the rest of Boats are having a time at SXSW right now. (Can you smell my jealousy, even despite this above zero weather?) And no doubt the band is playing a boatload of new songs from the upcoming album Cannonballs, Cannonballs. And though we don’t have barbecues accompanied by bands from all over the world, Klachefsky and gang have three new songs up on their MySpace. Klachefsky’s singing in his trademark falsetto on the indie ballad “Smokestack & Lucy’s Magnificent Cabaret” and “Drinking the Lake” is a happy, sunny afternoon kind of track.
And after Boats tour their way back to Winnipeg, they will be releasing Cannonballs, Cannonballs on May 1 at the West End Cultural Centre.
Review: Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
THE BESNARD LAKES
Are the Roaring Night
Three years was maybe a little too long for one of Montreal’s grandest rock bands to follow up their magnificent Are the Dark Horse, but Are the Roaring Night still has all of the touchstones that made the Besnard Lakes’ last album stand out—dreamy harmonies, My Bloody Valentinesque vocals, catchy choruses, and mind-blowing walls of sound. The core of the band is guitarist Jace Lasek and bassist Olga Goreas, a married couple who supply all of the wonderfully interweaving melodies. They own a recording studio in Montreal, and no doubt they’ve used the studio as integral part of Are the Roaring Night. There’s the constant harmonic feedback in “And This is What we Call Progress;” the soundscapes that are “Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 1” and “Land of Living Skies Pt. 1;” and the pristine reverb of “Light Up The Night.” Because of its front and centre vocals, and its thundering conclusion, the lead single “Albatross” is a standout track, but only one of few. However, taken as a whole, Are the Roaring Night is a platter of sounds for your ears, because that’s what the Besnard Lakes designed with in mind. (Jagjaguwar, www.jagjaguwar.com) Taylor Benjamin Burgess
Y▲CHT can Triforce
After interviewing the two core members of YACHT about fringe religions, the abstract (yet identifiable) meaning of triangles, and the punk rock nature of creating your own symbols, I left the Pyramid to meet up with friends, and came back well in time to catch locals Not Animals play to a mostly-seated crowd.
Eve Rice – From Vav Jungle to DJ Beekeeni
By Cindy Doyle
Eve Rice is no stranger to Winnipeg’s music scene. Whether you know her as the electro-charged, sex kitten Vav Jungle or as DJ Beekeeni, if you’ve been to dance parties, various openings or even fundraisers around the city this past year, it is likely that Rice has made you dance at least once. Rice was part of the lineup for Stylus’ 20th birthday bash this past October; this January, Stylus sat down and talked to one of Winnipeg’s most renowned music veterans about her plans for the future and her ideas about making and loving music as we embark on a new decade.
Continue reading “Eve Rice – From Vav Jungle to DJ Beekeeni”
The Pack A.D. – The Pack is Back
By Kent Davies
Maya Miller + Becky Black = the Pack A.D. Much has been said about this bad-ass East Van duo. Their brand of gritty, bluesy garage punk has captivated most critics and scored them legions of fans throughout the world. Beyond a doubt, Becky Black has one of the best voices in Canadian indie rock; her teetering, earth-shattering cries coupled with Maya Miller’s thunderous drumming contains all the emotional punch of a hellfire sermon given by King Kong. Those who were fortunate enough to catch their live show at the Albert on their last tour can attest to the spiritually jarring effect you get when witnessing these women in action. Stylus caught up with the pair as they finished up their latest album in Vancouver.
Ian La Rue and the Condor – Small Chest Muscles, Huge Wingspan
By Jenny Henkelman
“I’m cooking on the tour,” Matt Magura announces between bites of his “Little Tadpole” breakfast at the Toad in the Hole on a Saturday afternoon. “I’ve got a Magic Bullet and a butane stove. I’m going to make fucking curry wraps. Smoothies every morning!” Bassist Louis Levèsque Coté is agreeable to the notion; he and Ian La Rue start discussing the possibility of getting an inverter so that the Magic Bullet and possibly a rice cooker could be operated while the van is in motion.
This kind of creativity is surely inevitable when you have seasoned musicians looking forward to a tour. These guys have been around. When Ian La Rue and the Condor (drummer Magura, Coté, and guitarist Andrew Workman) list their other current and previous bands, the lists are long and overlapping. La Rue and Coté have both done stints in Boats and the Paperbacks, for instance. Workman has played in everything from the Horribly Awfuls to Cone Five.
But this is the first time this particular combination has come about, and that, Coté says, is all because of La Rue. “The Condor wouldn’t be a band outside of Ian,” he says. For La Rue, though, having the Condor behind him is a dream come true. “I’ve been looking forward to making a full band record for my whole life. This is it—kinda like the pinnacle of my career,” he says of the new record, titled A History in Layers. “It was a big move on a couple levels, because I always recorded my own stuff, played all my own stuff. So this is the first time I’ve let someone else record it.”
Continue reading “Ian La Rue and the Condor – Small Chest Muscles, Huge Wingspan”
J.R. Hill Exists; Your Argument Is Invalid
By Taylor Burgess
In his disorderly Wolseley basement named the Mortfell Oktorium Studio, J.R. Hill has been focusing on recording and playing shows here in Winnipeg. “I don’t really wanna go on tour again unless I know that I won’t lose thousands of dollars, because I can’t afford it,” he said.
Guitar pedals, a stuffed monkey, a pink flamingo, cardboard houses and utter amounts of crap looked like they were going to fall off the tin shelves at any minute. “Like in the summer, I lost, like 1,500 bucks. I just finished paying it off last month.” Continue reading “J.R. Hill Exists; Your Argument Is Invalid”
Review: Port O’Brien – Threadbare
PORT O’BRIEN
Threadbare
Over the course of their career, California’s Port O’Brien has pretty much held the same steady course, producing similarly sweet sing-alongs riding on rickety arrangements, unpolished vocals, and campfire aesthetics. On their latest LP, Threadbare, the trio takes a very familiar, if-it-ain’t-broke approach to their songwriting. They only occasionally include some autumnal, Arcade Fire-esque orchestration, but they generally maintain their established formula. Somber, fleeting numbers like “In the Meantime” and “(((Darkness Visible)))” roll at the same quarter-speed pacing you’ve come to expect from a band like this, meditating on themes of loss and mortality—no doubt a result of vocalist Cambria Goodwin’s brother passing away early last year. To that end, Goodwin is far more of a presence across Threadbare, taking on almost half of the lead vocal duty. It’s a nice touch, bringing a diversity to the arrangements that previous releases have been lacking. She manages to pull the album away from what could potentially be clunky, endlessly downtrodden material. However, diversity is something that Threadbare is sorely missing. After the fifth dense, slowly-strummed track, it’s obvious that there is no “I Woke Up Today” to be found here. The only reprieve is the punchy “Leap Year,” the one truly upbeat song out of 13. The uninterrupted slow tread of the album makes it easy for monotony to set in early. Threadbare is more cohesive, thematically and sonically, than the band’s previous efforts, but it’s missing the energetic optimism they’ve had in the past. (TBD, www.tbdrecords.com) Kevan Hannah