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M. digs SST?!: Winnipeg Folk Festival Day 2

M. Ward photo by Taylor Burgess

A handful of songs into M. Ward’s surprisingly electric set, indie folk singer-songwriter Matt Ward said, “We want to thank everybody for their hospitality. It’s a very beautiful part of the world that you live in. This is our first Winnipeg Folk Fest—and it’s quite the thing.” And then they quietly let the first notes of “Post-War,” the title track from his 2006 record, drop.

As humbling as that experience was, interviewing the guy earlier tonight was even more so. When I asked him about the impressive roster he’s worked with (including Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Zooey Deschanel, Jim James, and more) he says that he mainly thinks about making records and making music, and tries to put distractions out of his head. When I asked him what his average day in Portland is like, he says (after taking time to marvel at a large dragonfly) that it includes spending time with friends and family, emailing, calling, playing guitar, going on walks, eating food, and… sleeping. When I asked him to define what today’s boundaries of folk music are, he says, “You know, I don’t really know what that means. I definitely don’t what indie folk means. So I think it’s better for you guys to define it, because you guys are listening to everything that’s out there, and I’m not doing that really.”

What music Ward was into, or at least what has shaped his songs, was playing Beatles songs, and then discovering their influences like the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry (M. Ward concluded their encore tonight with “Roll Over Beethoven”), Little Richard, and the like. What really surprised me was that he cited L.A.’s SST Records as an influence. “When I was growing up, they [released] Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. and the Minutemen, and so discovering them was another huge part of the equation.” His “high school band” Rodriguez were really inspired by Mike Watt, fIREHOSE, and the Minutemen. “We really tried to learn from them, and that was a great experience.”

And what about that other world’s-most-influential band—the Velvet Underground? “I love the Velvet Underground. ‘White Light/White Heat’ comes to mind as one of my favourite songs. My band and I used to cover ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror.’ The way that the records sound, you know, the way they were produced, just is engaging and very interesting. I’m a fan.”

Ward kept singing “Post-War”‘s refrain of “Some lucky night” over and over, noticeably putting a number of the kids at the festival to sleep, and then they switched into “Chinese Translation,” one of his best-known solo tunes—a bafflingly poetic and contently simple tune. So I could go into abstract detail of how Ward’s internalization of non-traditional music make him “indie”… but I’d much rather hit the hay and save myself for day three.

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LOST: The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? // Islands – Return To The Sea


Two albums that I keep side by side on my usually-alphabetical and chronological CD shelf are The Unicorns’ Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? and Islands’ Return To The Sea. They made a pop on the same radio stations paved the way for Broken Social Scene, Feist and Arcade Fire and that like, but then they kinda just… went away. Why? The Unicorns’ sole album was non-stop fun, twisted quirky pop that was never serious. Bent melodies, cheap instruments and toys, happily un-self-consciously weird rock. The Canadian outcast, the underdog hero. Listen to the abrasive, in-the-red synth of “Jellybones” crash into the drums and lift itself into classic rock territory. (Note: not ‘classic rock’.) Same with the recorder solo on “Unicorns Are People Too.” Maybe off-putting to the cool rocker, but if you quit worrying what everyone thinks, it’ll make you grin like a five-year-old on Trix.
After The Unicorns’ break-up, Nick Thorburn was the first to put out new music. Islands’ Return To The Sea sounded like Unicorns post-puberty: more mature, retaining the twisting structures but losing the screeches, squelches and burps that made The Unicorns so… special. It’s like that taking the little kid out of his backyard and showing him the world. “Rough Gem” was the first single off of the album that got some decent airplay on campuses across Canada and became the song that everyone would come out to see. Apparently they don’t even play it anymore. “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Whalebone” gets eerie about halfway through and pulls the rug out, having Busdriver spit rhymes and leaving indie kids wondering what the eff just happened.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that The Unicorns’ Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? is an “overlooked” Canadian album. I mean, they’re no Arcade Fire or Broken Social Scene, but there is a solid cult following for this little band from Campbell River, B.C.
Since it’s release in late 2003, the cult of The Unicorns had already been growing at a steady clip. Costumes at shows, great banter, quirky-ass pop songs; the kids couldn’t get enough. Web sites on social networks had songs posted under various names by band members and side groups (All Makes Parts and Collision, Th’ Corn Gangg, Nick Common et al.) set people off on the hunt for everything this group of pervy popsters had recorded. There’s a good double-album’s worth of Unicorns material (at least!) that didn’t make Who Will (and that’s not even mentioning the limited-to-500 debut they released earlier that same year).
Like all things, they came and went. All you can do now is call up your local campus radio station and bring these wicked albums back up for air. (2003, Alien8, www.alien8recordings.com // 2006, Equator, www.equatormusic.ca) Patrick Michalishyn

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Getting Folked: Winnipeg Folk Festival Day 1

Jayhawks photo by Taylor Burgess

Heading to the Winnipeg Folk Festival on a Wednesday evening sure felt weird—probably because I’m not bro-ing down at the campgrounds right now—however, getting to the fest was really easy with the Winnipeg Folk Festival Shuttle provided by Winnipeg Transit. And though the sun was hot (quite hot) the line-up to get into the fest moved quickly shortly after six o’clock. Remember not to bring glassware or breakables, people.

The opening ceremony was rung in by Dave Courchene from Anishnabe Nation with some assuring words; “Music is universal for all of us. It brings an inspiration of messages which tell of peace. Tonight and through the festival we will see performers using their gifts for a future for our children.” He also talked about how the younger generations cry out, lamenting the people being who are being exploited, a sentiment which was quite a sweet shout-out.

Melissa McClelland then took the stage with her sweetie-pie roots. I was pretty far away, so I couldn’t tell that Luke Doucet was on stage until McClelland cracked a joke that she “married into Winnipeg.” Then it was obvious where the confident stagger that was backing her was coming from.

Despite some claims, my phone didn’t get any reception, so I couldn’t tweet about anything until I got to the media tent. And when I did get there, after submitting interview requests with M. Ward and Mountain Man, (stay tuned for those) I was told that West African afro-blues band of Tuareg rebels Tinariwen couldn’t get their visas, and, thus, won’t be playing the festival. It’s a pretty huge disappointment considering they’re the most hyped and exotic band playing the festival. Then again, maybe you’ll just have to check out Mighty Popo, Omar Souleyman, or Ordo Sakhna instead.

The rest of tonight was filled with the anything-but-exotic Jayhawks (from Minneapolis) and Blue Rodeo (from Toronto). The Jayhawks seemed promising, with their catchy Aughts alt-country, but they didn’t really raise their energy levels above a hearty simmer. As the night went on, the tunes got more and more syrupy (which I thought worked in their favour) and they finally closed their hour-long set with quite their most rocking number.

And to close out the night, Blue Rodeo played the entirety of their best-selling 1993 album Five Days in June. This was likely exciting for anyone who’s heard the band before, but the Blue Rodeo bug hasn’t hit me yet. (Har har har har.) But srsly, folks, they played really tight, and they genuinely seemed excited to be there, which, if I knew their music, would have been the recipe for a perfect show. Beats me why a bunch of Canadians would wax nostalgiac for ’90s Americana though. I’m just not feeling the Winnipeg Folk Festival buzz, yet!

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The Weeknd – House of Balloons


I once read an interview with Canadian author and Broken Pencil editor Hal Niedzviecki where he discussed a void in Canadian art: the reality of the country’s often seedy, dark and filthy urban centers. Why so many tributes to pioneer lifestyles? Why so many albums about canoes? It’s 2011: ignore it however you choose, but you probably lost several high school acquaintances to oxycodone.
Enter the Weeknd. Still shrouded in relative mystery, Toronto artist Abel Tesfaye first emerged anonymously via Youtube, posting tracks from his House of Balloons mixtape over single, slick, black and white images of decadent urban grit – most notably the song “Loft Music,” which in title alone suggests not the Great Canadian Shield, but the bleak claustrophobia of cosmopolitan condo living. “Oo, bar queen… I think you lost your morals, girl, but it’s okay cause you don’t need ’em… In that two floor loft in the middle of the city…” croons Tesfaye. From its lyrical nihilism, to the minimal and genre indifferent production (House of Balloons famously samples Siouxsie and the Banshees and Beach House) to the way Tesfaye has presented himself – grainy photos; mainly communicating via Twitter – House of Balloons is Niedzviecki’s Canada.
The Weeknd is experiencing both hype and kickback from critics, but the is-this-or-isn’t-this-the-evolution-of-R&B drama doesn’t stand up to the fact that HoB will be one of the most interesting, listenable, re-listenable, and real albums to come out of Canada this year, significant in part because of its enormous appeal to both niche fans and mass audiences.
Tesfaye will be on Torontonian Young Money artist Drake’s next album “a bunch”, and will release Thursday, part two to the promised mixtape trilogy of which House of Balloons was the first, sometime this summer. You can download HoB for free from the-weeknd.com, or look up The Weeknd on Youtube. Start with “High for This,” and get converted. (Independent, the-weeknd.com) Kristel Jax

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Moon Duo – Mazes and Mazes Remixed


Moon Duo’s Mazes mixes elements of all of my late-night driving pleasures (Spacemen 3, Can, Eric’s Trip, V.U.’s “Sister Ray”) into a great listen, start-to-finish. The synth and guitar alternate between making the drone and taking the lead, hypnotizing you then smacking your face to get your attention back. The album kicks off with “Seer,” squiggly synths and a three-note synth pattern that carves out a groove for you and vocals that just haze about. Then this guitar solo comes out at you like a laser-pointer through a fog machine. Yee-owch!! The track (despite the ‘late-night’ stuff I mentioned) that got the most ear-play was the track “Mazes” with its cheery summer-crunch vibe.  And, to me, “Run Around” sounds like a Bo Diddley number with Alan Vega on vocals, and “In the Sun,” with its heavily-reverbed vocals, sounds an awful lot like Rick White’s stuff. When I started listening to this album, I had several moments of, “Wow, I know this from somewhere…” Somebody’s created a Frankenstein’s monster of happy-psychedelic music. And if that’s not enough, the first run of this kick-ass album came with a bonus disc of remixes (plus one cover), and for the most part, it’s a pretty fine freebie. Standout remixes are the Psychic Ills’ remix of “Seer,” adding sitar and shruti to great effect, and brings in that eastern tinge that you felt was missing from the album version. Purling Hiss’s remix of “In The Sun” ups the hypno-qualities with the title repeating over itself and some stellar guitar work. There are three major parts which could be their own songs, but layer so well here, creating something that might surpass the original. And the reason I picked up this album: Gary War and his exclusive re-working of “When You Cut.” Completely gutting the song, manipulating individual tracks, then forcing it back together… It’s the oddest and the best track on this bonus disc. Find it before it’s gone. (Sacred Bones, www.sacredbonesrecords.com) Patrick Michalishyn

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Suture – Live Fragments

This CD was recorded over five shows and six months—and a little bit of a warning—the music on this CD is freeform. It isn’t for the faint of heart or mind. But the music on Live Fragments every bit emotionally and cerebrally fulfilling as any other genre. Greg Hanec and Sarah Otsuji use both electronic and acoustic instruments; they electronically manipulate to the point of knotty loops and use their instruments like virtuosos, and drench it all in delay like Bitches Brew. It’s a solid set of improvisations and is highly recommended for putting you in alternative headspaces. The minor disheartenment of this disc is the “Fragments”—some of the tracks fade out to silence prematurely, and fade back in to a different part of the show. Given the post-modern nature of the music, the album could’ve been given a post-modern treatment like Burning Star Core’s Papercuts Theater, which was made up of 40 live recordings and arranged into four non-stop parts. This is totally nitpicking though, and Live Fragments is another find in Winnipeg’s lawless noise scene. (Independent, www.myspace.com/greghanec) Taylor Burgess

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Narwhals are Gnarly! An interview with the Blowholes

Photo by Alicia Jobse

By Kent Davies

Attention buoys and gills! Once in a whale an act comes along that is destined to have bad oceanic puns follow them wherever they go. The all-female garage rock foursome known as The Blowholes have been making waves since forming in early 2009. Their ferocious wailing and catchy guitar work are a tidal wave of fun-filled exuberance that few bands can match. Their debut album features a series of wonderfully strange, rockin’, porpoise-ful numbers about all things under the sea.  Recently Stylus managed to reel in guitarists/vocalists Melody Titus and Alana Mercer to explore the depths of their chart-topping debut album.

Stylus: How did The Blowholes come into being?
Alana Mercer: Julia Ryckman and I had originally had been in The Gorgon and The Blowholes formed in an emergency situation where The Gorgon was unable to play a show. It was basically Leanne Grieves, Julia and I playing covers. We played another show when we were asked to play The Ex-Girlfriends CD release party. We asked Erica Jacobson to fill in and the show was so much fun. After No Fun broke up Leanne brought up, why not make The Blowholes a real band? Erica was in because she wasn’t doing anything and Leanne asked Melody if she wanted to join because we knew her from Space Amazon and the Warrior Queens. When Melody showed up right away we all knew it was going to be awesome.
Melody Titus: I told them I think I have a song or five…
AM: Or 18! I think our album was written three years ago.
Stylus: Local label Transistor 66 put it out. How did you join the family? Continue reading “Narwhals are Gnarly! An interview with the Blowholes”

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Tonstartssbandht – Now I Am Become


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

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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.

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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