I know, I know. It has been a while. But the whirlwind of life just sort of came and spun me away and I sort of kind of maybe forgot about this little project. But with a few close people encouraging me to start this again, i thought. hell, why not. So here it goes again. This song. Oh this song. I’ve listened to Elliott Smith pretty much since I got interested in music. I still remember my old best friend Stevie’s basement as he showed me the acoustic version of Son of Sam, my buzz wearing off, my parents car outside waiting for my little pre-teen self. I went home and started downloading and fell in love almost instantly. Over the next few years the initial love turned into pain and I became regretably quite an unhealthy obsessive Smith listener. (just look into my last.fm page to see this proof) My mother and close friends alike would call or barge in when they saw me/heard me listen to Elliott for hours of repeat and inquire into if i was doing okay. I was sad and he was sad and even if no one could get me, I felt like his words could. So I sat and moped and the music held my hand along the way. I guess its comforting to know youre not the only one in the world with problems at that age. Either way, I grew up with these songs. This specific one ironically sits at the second highest song listened overall on my last.fm. Ironic because this specific song released on his post-humous New Moon was one of my “pain muses.” this song used to kill me. But years later, now that I’m “grown up” these songs leave me with a very strange feeling. I guess it’s a sort of “negative nostalgia.” I remember days I’d rather not remember but its so far ago that I can’t relate to myself back then. It feels like a chapter of my life long written and finished. It still doesn’t feel good, but I think it’s a strong testament when Elliott Smith remains after all these years of change the only artist I can still listen to everyday and love just as much. Tons of things have changed, but I guess part of me is still that little fourteen year old self clinging to his favourite Elliott Smith records hoping for a better morning. Sorry for the rant, hopefully I’ll post again soon!
I have to begin this post by saying this is the most powerful performance I’ve ever seen on the Internet. So please, turn out your lights, give yourself to the full 17minutes of Robert A Lowe aka Lichens. On record, Lichens is a beautiful ambient minimalist experimental journey. His pieces focus on acoustic guitar / piano compositions strung together with gorgeous vocal soundscapes. What is seen however in this performance of “M St r ng W tchcr ft L v ng n Sp r t” is something quite a lot more then just music. It is spiritual enlightenment, musical trances; the creations of a man who is wholly in part of the art he produces. It begins simply with an acoustic guitar and a sample of birds. The guitar line is nothing overwhelmingly special, but it sets the tone perfectly for what is coming. There is instantly a change in the air. There is an ethnic tribal feel, it is most certainty not of modern western origin. About 5 minutes into the video is when for me and for most the real magic begins. As Robert sets down his guitar, he begins a series of vocal loops. Fully improvisational and experimental, he uses his voice as an instrument painting for us a beautiful emotional ride into his soul. The longer he does this, the further he seems to drift into the music and the more the line seems to fade between the performance and himself. By the end the only word that can describe his state is entranced. It looks as if the notes are coming out of him almost without any control. And the end: the sound of a long breath. The audience is speechless, the applause is delayed, and I’m sure you’ll feel just like I did when I first saw this video, just like everyone else in the audience: overwhelmed and touched. I have never seen a man so moved by the music he creates, in fact I can’t even say that he creates it, he simply seems to be a part of it. I think the only to get what I’m saying is to watch this video, and if you get a chance to see him in person, you won’t regret it. His albums “Omns” and “The Psychic Nature of Being” are just as moving, sombre, and spiritual as this performance and should definitely be checked out.
Wow! Two posts within an hour! I guess I’m just trying to compensate for my “time-off”. Some of my friends will see this post and laugh because this is if not the most, one of the most stereotypical songs I could post. But hey, I know a lot of people who have probably never heard of Saetia. SO. Friend, meet Saetia. One of my favourite bands of the 90’s screamo (you read it right, yes, screamo) scene. Reigning from New York, the shortlived (97-99) and yet heavily influencial band is one of the finest testaments to true emotional hardcore music that was thriving in basements and small local hardcore venues of the 90s. Abrasive, harsh, angry, sad, and lyrically superb the song here Venus and Bacchus is probably not like anything you’ve heard before. It starts off slow, quietly flowing in some of my favourite lyrics, “close my eyes, pull my heartstrings” and then blasts off into two minutes of great emotional punk rock. Billy Werner (later vocalist of Hot Cross) has one of the most unique shrill high-pitched screams in the genre, and adds something wholly original to this band. I’m going to say that this music is probably not for everyone. It takes time to understand perhaps, it takes a different sort of “ear” to fully appreciate. But as far as punk rock goes I believe it is extremely important to remember the often-forgotten and ignored bands that poured out their hearts in the 90s to create something they thought - and I think - was true, pure, and honest. Without the use of internet tools such as Myspace and without the attention of the world, these bands created an amazing DIY community all around the US (and now Europe) to keep the music they loved alive. I think that sense of community involvement and DIY ethic is unbelievably crucial in our society where pop culture comes pre-perscribed and we find ourselves isolated and ignored.
So check them out. and while you’re at it, here are the lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/venus_and_bacchus_lyrics_saetia.html
Also, intersting fact. The drummer for Saetia was also the first drummer for popular indie band Interpol.
Again - I realise it has been some time. But school has started up again and thus my time has been devoted to a place other then by my computer - for once. Either way, here is Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) with their very pretty song I Am A Snail, And You Are A Place I Cannot Match. I should start by saying that this particular song by this very interesting band from Fenton, Michigan was stuck in my head for a very, very long time. It was pretty much on repeat for over a week. What stikes first in comparison with other mid-west emo bands of today is their simplicity, gorgeous vocal work, and interesting dynamics. Choosing to play on a lighter side, far removed from the mid-west screamo scene and closer to the indie scene, Empire! Empire! strike up resemblance right away with bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, and yet are able to be unique enough to not be left behind in the barrage of small-local “indie” bands. When I first heard this particular album, “What it takes to move forward” I was convinced that there were two vocalists seeing as there is often a very quiet and sombre voice and also a higher more intense voice. Turns out ofcourse that this all the work of one quite tallented vocalist. The lyrical work is not necessarily anything superbly special, however it’s far from silly. The guitar work is extremely delicate (atleast in this song) and the general musicianship of the entire band is top-notch. They sound tight and never bore; there’s quite a lot going on and it’s not the usual underwhelming” rock” drumming and the songs don’t always follow the general verse-chorus-verse structure. Overall I just think this song is extremely pretty and gets an A+ from me.
The band is Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) and the album is “What It Takes To Move Forward”.
I remember being 16 years old and walking into Toronto’s great venue The Opera House on what you can call a very strange bill. Japan’s “post-rock”, “neo-classical” Mono played a solid hour long opener for metal bands such as Coliseum and High of Fire. Being a few of the only Mono fans there we rushed to the front of the barricades and waited. It’s important to note that majority of the crowd, who I assume had never heard of this band before, were at this point standing around the bar being quite obnoxiously loud. As Mono began to play I knew that I was already in for an intense emotional and near-spiritual ride for the next hour. Seeing them was the first time that I really felt overwhelmingly moved by the music in front of me. During one of their most powerful songs Yearning, I swear I could hear a pin drop in the venue, everybody had gone completely silent. It’s been several years now since that show. I’ve made a point of seeing Mono everytime they have come back to Toronto, and I’ve been moved every singe time. For me, not many bands have the power remotely as close to physically and emotionally move me as this band. On record, in concert, Mono is a beautiful, painfully loud, blissfully quiet, harsh, and yet soothing musical journely in every mesmirizing way that good music should be. Close to their musical-relatives such as Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and the dozens of other guitar-based post-rock but I still maintain that Mono is a distinct category of its own. The band regularly delves into noise-territory and classical-terrority, mixing the two in very interesting ways, creating an interesting dynamic not often heard of before. I really can’t say all that I want to, so just go ahead and listen for yourself. All albums are incredible. A good starter however is You Are There. And if they come to your city, go see them. You won’t regret it.
(By the way I’ve been gone from the country for a while, sorry for the lack of posts)
There’s always been something about birds and super-8 footage that really gets to me. I remember seeing Eluvium open for Explosions in the Sky when I was like 15 and the guy had this perfect, and I mean completely smooth, loop of birds flying in a circle around a smokestack. I think since then I’ve found something mystically calming about birds flying to ambient music. The imagery seems to go hand in hand with the music. I mean last time I checked most if not all members of Silver Mt.Zion have a bird/swallow tattoo somewhere. It’s powerful imagery. The peaceful and graceful flight of a bird just seems to compliment this type of music perfectly. I’ve been quite sick these past few days and my explosive head ache has kept me from listening to anything but music on the more ambient side, and this has let me to re-discover the Swedish duo Tape’s masterpiece album Luminarium. I first heard this album being played at Toronto’s Soundscapes record store and was absolutely stunned by the sheer beauty captured in these minimalist songs. Unlike the other ambient artists I hold highly, Tape does not deal with drones, or with necessarily slow temp piano/guitar material. This duo offers a whole lot more. The backdrop: a simple melody line, something already unique. Repetition: not only in the loop way, but the melody fades in and out, almost at random, reminding me of pieces like Fur Alina by the great Arvo Part. The kick: just as the melody seems to float in and out by random, little sounds creep in every so often. a guitar line here, a drum sample there, electronic beeps sputter around nervously trying to find their place. This album is really a worthwhile trip. It feels organic and warm, it goes where you want it to and sticks with you for a long time after it’s gone. Give it a shot.
It’s a pretty well known fact amongst my friends that 90’s/early 2000’s screamo has been my obsession for a while. Although I’m not willing to go into a diatribe about screamo from this time period, I’ve recently fallen in love with a band by the name of You and I. There’s something about old screamo bands not afraid to use singing as well as screaming to showcase their emotions that really gets to me [Yaphet Kott being by far my favourite example]. This song, 143(jcm), apart from having some really killer lyrics [“take this letter. i live in every word (only to die in silence)], I think this is a great example of what I have fallen in love with. Intricate guitar work, great use of vocals and brutal screaming, dynamics, something you can truly call emotional without it sounding like a sappy and whiny preteen. It’s the change from hardcore being about politics and anger to it reflecting the isolation and loneliness we more often feel as human beings in our world. It speaks to kids easily because every kid gets it. And I totally do. Although You and I isn’t the absolute best early screamo band to start with, I just thought this was important and should be shared. If enjoyed, I suggest checking out like-minded bands such as I Hate Myself, Saetia, Orchid, Yaphet Kotto. I’m sure I will post an entry on all those bands and more in due time, but if you wanna get a step ahead, go right ahead.
ps. what a damn picture. punk rock with a argyle sweater-vest. awesome.
I’ve had the immense pleasure of seeing Sean Nicholas Savage in Toronto several times and have even had the distinct pleasure to share a bill with him and trade merch. Being a quite local-music-scene based artist, finding videos on youtube isn’t very easy, but you’ll get the idea with this. A singer-songwriter from Montreal, Sean Nicholas Savage stands out from the large crowd of acoustic song-writers with his adorable eccentricities and gorgeous song-structures. On record, Sean feels like you’re listening to old melodies that have been with you your entire life. The songs, simple and poetic as music like this should be, are so infectiously catchy that they spark sing-along settings at his live shows. Sean’s heart may also be made of gold as he is one of the kindest musicians I have talked to. I distinctly remember after a show at local venue The Boat, he started a little party outside with his acoustic guitar doing song after song from his repertoire via request from his small group of devoted fans. He often reminds me of songwriters such as Daniel Johnston, where his eccentric presence and voice would you lead you to expect something totally different then what you get; deep and extremely poetic lyrics and gorgeously simple yet haunting melodies. I can’t really compare this man and his music with anyone else so you’ll have to take my word and listen to his free download EP Movin Up In Society. Songs like Gemini Heart, Movin On, and Giant in the Sky feel like songs from the 60s that you’ve heard your entire life. Its really pretty stuff.
Having been old enough to witness and be a part of the emo-explosion that occured in 2004, I saw the emergence of a musical genre that seemed to come out of nowhere and captivate the hearts of teenagers all over North America and later on the entire world. What I did not know at the time was that this certain strain of emo was a heavily popularized and mtv-manufactured version of a very strong and prominent underground movement which thrived in the 90s. Listening to these old emo(tive) bands you can understand what happened and why this idea was butchered by the music industry to make millions. It speaks to kids. Rock music had to this point been about the cool and the hip and the party. I mean they don’t say “sex, drugs, and rock&roll” for no reason. Yet a new strain of this formula came out that appealed and seemed to reach out to the kids who felt isolated, different, alone, and yes, sad. Looking back at one of the quinticential 90s emo bands Mineral and the song posted here “If I Could”, Andy Greenwald, author of “Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo” wrote “the ultimate expression of mid-nineties emo. The song’s short synopsis—she is beautiful, I am weak, dumb, and shy; I am alone but am surprisingly poetic when left alone—sums up everything that emo’s adherents admired and its detractors detested.” Coming from Austin Texas in the mid-90s, Mineral took the indie-emo hybrid created by Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas is the Reason, and perfected its imagine, emotions, and sound. Their two albums, “The Power of Failing” and “End Serenading” are some of the strongest testaments to this strain of emo which you can find. It’s raw, unafraid to appear weak and ugly, yet stands strong and honest. It’s really no wonder kids bought into this and the industry did when they did when teenagers felt even more isolated and confused in post-9/11 conservative America.
In order to describe the music of Toronto’s Picastro, it is necessary to go past language and straight into the realm of emotion. It therefore becomes even more difficult for me to paint out this band’s art to people unfamiliar with the works. Self-classified as sleep-core, this band has the ability to make my heart stop. Haunting, mesmerizing, beautiful, dark, honest, and naked are some of the words I think of first when trying to talk about Picastro. The first time I had the honor of seeing this band, I was left utterly speechless by the end and had a smoke in total silence, trying to take in all that I had seen and heard. Although it is impossible to possibly sum up any band’s sound by just showing you one song, it becomes completely impossible with a band such as Picastro. Picastro forms around singer-songwriter Liz Hysen and features musicians upon musicians including Owen Pallet (Final Fantasy), Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Nick Storring, amongst others on varying instruments from strings to Chinese flutes, bells, and a variety of obscure second-hand finds. Experimental in nature and taking influence from the dark and post-apocalyptic post-rock of Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as many musicians of the avant garde world, Picastro is able to craft a strange, at times uncomfortable, and wholly original atmosphere. Listening to the records with this band is not enough, one HAS TO go see this live.
However, you can start by checking out Whore Luck.
One of my favourite bands and one of my favourite albums.
