Virgin Festival Concert Review

the ticket that never was

Sooo, my long-awaited Virgin Festival turned into a self-proclaimed "free-Fest" when the headlining Tragically Hip had a serious family emergency (hopefully all is well) come up a day before the show. There was an article in that morning's Metro paper about the festival doing a two-for-one deal where people with tickets already could bring along one friend for free, but the real news came around supper time, when they announced the Hip pulling out and a subsequent free concert for anyone wanting to come.

I was personally pretty disappointed about the Hip, because they were the icing on my concert cake, but the fact the concert was going to be free did not sit well with me at the time. Yes, many more of my friends were coming now, but I frankly thought the day would turn into a free-for-all (quite literally) shitfest of basically anyone who was in or around town with nothing else to do on a Saturday. Last word I heard this morning was that 12,000 showed up for the 15,000-capacity Garrison Grounds of the Citadel, so quite a few people took Virgin up on the offer.

I got there around 12:30pm, with the doors opening at 1pm according to the schedule. Sleeping bag in backpack, three subs ready to eat, half-waterproof hoodie on, and cookies for snacking, it was already drizzling while I was standing in line, and I wasn't looking forward to the skies opening up any more during the 8-hour day. Thankfully though, the rain let up before they even opened the gate.

Something that didn't let up however was the 40-something creep in front of me, bucket hat, rain jacket and foul mouth in tow, trying to make friendly with the 20-somethings behind me...then throwing me into it as I was in the middle and all. Between the dirty innuendo, underhanded jabs, and a clinic on how to really shake hands, any time would've been too long standing there, but to make matters worse, they didn't start letting people in until about 1:30pm.

Once we got going though (and I was about...100th in line?) the line was moving quick, so kudos to the logistics planning of the organizers. The bag checks were pretty cursory...they didn't even check inside my wrapped-up sleeping bag, so you could sneak in virtually anything you wanted, and that was quite evident as the day progressed. After the usual patdown, I wandered across the (extremely, and only to get worse) muddy grounds, up to the best view I could find from the hill. Unfortunately, and unlike last summer's SummerSonic concerts, they had a large, like 40-foot structure obstructing the straight-on view of the stage. Because I was there early though, I got that good spot, and a few compliments from my friends about the quality of the view (pointed out here [I was the red dot] as badly as possible because I was too lazy to bring a camera).

Before the actual act reviews, I have to give another kudos, to the stagehands this time and for two reasons. First of all, I've never experienced less of a wait between acts, as the 20-strong crews were going rapid-fire to set up everything quickly, leaving the audience the least restless possible. Secondly...it's like they stole my iTunes library for the between-set music. LCD Soundsystem, Does It Offend You, Yeah?; Interpol, a great cover of "Ready For The Floor" by Hot Chip from a girl-singer I didn't quite recognize, some Vampire Weekend I'm pretty sure, and lots more that I genuinely liked and enjoyed. Combined, both factors made for a much less aggravating wait between shows. But on we go, in order of appearance:

Dog Day

These guys were the show openers, and got on pretty quick after I came in. I have to admit, I watched Dog Day and In-Flight Safety play from the distance of my spot on the hill, texting friends and waiting to meet up with others. I would look up when I heard snippets of songs that stood out, and Dog Day certainly had a few of those, but I can't give a justifiable review as I wasn't up in the crowd and actually giving my full attention to these guys. I can say though, at times I did listen in, they sounded like a more rocking kind of Stars, but mainly due to the fact they had a baby-voiced girl singer pick up some of the melodies.

In-Flight Safety

I've missed two IFS shows so far in the last two years when they were opening for others, but they've intrigued me and I've heard great things, so I made it a point to get there early enough to see these guys. Unfortunately, like I said, I was up on the hill for these guys, and it coincided with when my friends decided to show up, so all didn't go exactly according to plan. I did make a more concerted effort to pay attention to them than Dog Day however, and I do know IFS's big single "The Coast Is Clear," so when they closed their short set (most of the acts were on for 30-40 minutes) with it, I made sure to turn around and block out everything else.

Was it ever worth it. Because of my view from that far back, the song seemed so much "bigger" than it really was, filling the grounds with noise and almost permeating through you. It's dreamy in a way, sounding bended in its rhythms and building up and lifting off like a plane jetting down a runway during the chorus. I think I realized I actually loved this song at the concert yesterday, and that the impetus for that was probably the piano; I'm an absolute sucker for piano, whether it's in a hip-hop song or rock or anything. Pretty sure I got chills.

Arkells

These guys blew my mind, and were actually far and away my favorite act of the day. I'd made sure to check out their stuff before the Festival, as I'd liked what I'd heard from them on CBC Radio 3 and their page on there. The lead singer Max Kerman (second from right and more than full-bearded on the day of the show) was the most energetic of anyone this side of Metric's Emily Haines and Alexei Perry of The Handsome Furs; running all over the stage, interacting with his bandmates authentically, getting the crowd into every song with back stories about song origins, handclaps and implorations (I'm making that word up if it's not real) to sing along to "The Ballad of Hugo Chavez."

Each song was equally filled with energy. It was a rocking set through and through, with ridiculously catchy hooks and the above mentioned sing-a-long qualities to the tunes. Max's voice is instantly recognizable, and the band's melodies sound so good, you wonder where you've heard them before in most cases. I really can't say enough about these guys, but they're the band I'd absolutely jump at getting tickets for for when they come back to Halifax.

Plants And Animals

On the other side of the coin, I really can't say much at all about these guys. I went back up to the hill when they were coming on, and between their white denim pants and jarring changes from lush instrumentals to off-putting lyrical stops, I wasn't any more impressed by them than when I'd similarly done a back-check on their tunes a few weeks ago like I had with Arkells. Nothing stood out then, and nothing apart from their above-mentioned interesting instrumentals stood out at V Fest either. Though they did make a funny crack at thanking the Queen of England for making the show free for everyone that day.

Hey Rosetta!

Between Plants And Animals and Hey Rosetta!, my friends decided to hit up the beer tent, and we couldn't down our drinks fast enough and ended up missing part of Hey Rosetta!'s opener "Red Heart." Thankfully though, there was nothing disappointing in any way about the rest of their set. I've never seen these guys live, and it's taken me a year or two to really get into them, but ever since I missed out on tickets for their show here at the awesome Paragon Theatre (formerly the legendary Marquee Club), I've been itching to catch them live.

Literally smack dab in the middle of the acts performing, they put on a show worthy of a much higher billing (see the lack of prominence even on the lineup?). I'd heard things about them the day of the concert itself ranging from "they're Newfoundland's version of Joel Plaskett" to "their Newfoundland's version of Matt Mays," which isn't exactly a huge range, but still, you get the idea after that. They also supposedly had a big lineup, which on this day included a violinist, a cellist, two or three guitars depending on the song, and the bass of course. All that came together to provide a very full and rich sounding set that they played to a T.

In my opinion, they hit "I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time" right out of the park (Citadel?), with a perfect rendition that was very true to the original. The band members themselves seem to be in a bit of a fluctuation over time, but I was able to dig up this pic, which is only lacking the violinist, who yesterday, looked like possibly the coolest mom in the world (and not the girl from that pic). They're a bit of a strange band, in that the East Indian guy would seemingly be the last fellow you'd imagine as a rock star (and he did great breaking out the acoustic when he wasn't playing the cello), and in the nicest way, the red-headed bassist (centre in the pic above) looked like a loveable dweeb, not a confident rocker and vocalist. The lead singer however (furthest left) seemed to embody his perceived voice perfectly, a sentiment echoed by my other friends who had not yet seen Hey Rosetta! in concert either.

From heart-breaking piano intros to flourishing rock finishes, Hey Rosetta! just killed their set, and brought something great to the table at the Festival that day.

Handsome Furs

Now for the group no one had seemingly heard of. I'd liked these guys from the time I was - again - introduced to them on CBC Radio 3, and they also didn't disappoint. To my chagrin however, I had to make the long and muddy trek to the bathroom between Hey Rosetta! and these guys, and ended up missing a bit of their first song. In a slight of some sort, they had the husband-and-wife pairing set up on the left part of the stage, instead of featured in the middle, and the stagehands seemed to be setting up for the next act throughout their set. But the Lady GaGa of Canadian indie rock (the hot and ready-to-burst-with-energy Alexei Perry) took centre stage with her microphone/synthesizer/keyboard and what were seemingly a variety of foot pedals...the first three implements of which were set up on what was probably the most ragtag large steel table, like you'd find at the local bingo hall.

No matter though. Between Alexei hopping around like Dance Dance Revolution (in a most GaGa-like one-piece with polka-dotted tights) and leading man Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade fame) on well-distorted guitar and lead vocals, Handsome Furs had everyone bobbing up and down. Alexei was enthralling as she was multi-tasking her way to mixing dancefloor-ready drum machine slaps with piercing synth jabs (and beer bottle sips between songs), and occasionally shouting a little somethin' in the mike along to the sad-sounding, but upbeat songs. Another group I can't say quite enough of, but they were certainly one of the pleasant surprises and highlights of the show for me.

They were a little quirky however, but in a good way. They'd both say "thank you" after every song, like we were doing them a favour just by being there. Definitely the other way around, Hansdome Furs. Dan also had the quip of the day, when he introduced one song (I believe "All We Want Baby, Is Everything") by saying he was watching a great documentary the other day, about the dangers of giving robots intelligence...narrated of course, by Christian Bale, and called Terminator: Salvation. The crowd got a good laugh out of that one. Dan also promised that the following act, Dinosaur Jr., would "melt your fucking faces off," but more on that later.

On a funny sidenote, there were those who were less than taken with Handsome Furs...as was evident from the young couples around me in the crowd getting restless and starting the inevitable "it's about half-way through the show, I don't really like these guys, you don't look like you're into them either, let's just randomly make out a few times while they're on" makeout sessions.

The funny part however was that they were equaled onstage by Dan and Alexei...a little grab-ass by Dan between songs, some smooches, a lustful hair-grab of Dan by his wife, and what I can only suppose was a full-on makeout quickie of their own as I was walking away from my spot in the crowd, which I only clued in to after the previously-silent crowd started to cheer for some reason or another. I frankly have no idea how they stood sidestage waiting for Dinosaur Jr. instead of going back to the trailer and getting it on with their own handsome furs.

Dinosaur Jr.

I could do an entire post about this set, but not for all the right reasons. You see, most of what I know about Dinosaur Jr. comes from Pitchfork and Some Songs Considered (check the Blog Roll on the right for links to those great sites), so I have very little personal experience with them live. The song that really turned me on to them was "I Want You To Know," and I've been checking out their older and newer stuff ever since. For a band that's been around since the 80's, that's quite a bit, and you could tell from their set list...which to my extreme annoyance, didn't include "I Want You To Know." As their lead single off new album Farm, you'd think they'd play it, but alas, no.

I'd already heard word lead singer J. Mascis was laid-back and monotone in his vocal delievery, and for all his otherworldy ripping abilites on lead guitar, nonchalant in his performance. Those two facts held quite true, but sadly - and this was a complaint echoed by others I spoke to - J.'s vocals were seemingly just another part of the music. Now that's fine given the distorted noise-rock genre, but there's a certain level where the vocals still have to come through and be distinguishable from the drums, bass and guitar, however distorted it all is. I didn't find that with Dinosaur Jr.'s set.

The other thing I'd read about J. Mascis was that he was the alt-rock answer to Slash, and I certainly can't complain there. He was killing all his solos with ease, but the monotony of the set itself - from the seemingly constant volume of it all to the all-encompassing, just, "noise" (and don't get me wrong, I really like noise rock) - kinda killed the excitement for the concert that Hey Rosetta! and Handsome Furs had so effectively built up for me. The same seemed to ring true for people around me, as I heard murmurs of people complaining about when they'd be done, and the aforementioned "couple-love" again breaking out rampantly.

I don't know if the band was expecting everyone to be into them a little more and disappointed by the lack of crowd participation or cheering, but it's kind of like they were just there for the token appearance. Or maybe that's how they always perform, but I couldn't help feeling like there was something off. By the end, I was disappointed by not hearing my favorite tune, my ears were ringing from the aural abuse, and I was feeling let down by what I expected to be one of the better parts of the show.

Metric

Making up for that however, was the amazing Metric. Again, I'd heard great things about this group, and from what I'd heard myself from them, I could only expect a great show. Most of the people I'd seen and talked to during the day were the most pumped for this act, and the majority of people I could discern who shown up because it had become a free show were there for Emily Haines and all her indie-goddess goodness. I can say quite honestly that the only bad part about Metric came in the 30+ minutes it took them to set up the stage beforehand, easily the longest wait between any of the acts.

Along with that came the yet-unseen concert restlessness that usually accompanies long wait times between shows. There was a girl on someone's shoulders who started to flash everyone (she wasn't that pretty, nor did she have the um, greatest assets) and was received by a good number of cheers from the section she was uh...entertaining. A bit later, she started to make out with another girl who was hoisted on someone's shoulders, and was again met with yells and cheers. She happened to outstay her welcome however, and was soon pelted by everything from bananas to water bottles. She didn't take a hint either, and seemed content to stay up there, to the ridicule and annoyance of everyone in the crowd. Best part of the wait? The red-headed teen guy who got up on his own friend's shoulders and mocked the girl by lifting up his own sweater, to the genuine laughs of the thousands in the audience waiting for Metric to come on.

Now I'm not the biggest Metric fan per se, but I do like them, and I'm a red blooded straight male, so I really can't complain that they're fronted by the sultry and stunning Emily Haines. Strangely enough, I'd have to say Emily seemed like the odd one out from all the lead singers during the day. I can't really explain it, and it's certainly not a knock on her or the band, but they're so big, so popular, such icons in the Canadian music scene, that they almost seemed like they were above us - though in a good way, if that's possible, and certainly not in the same manner Dinosaur Jr. seemed detached from the festivalgoers.

Emily seemed like she was off in her own world, hammering away at her keyboard (though with not quite the same level of the ferocity, splendor or speed Alexei Perry had) and jutting around the stage like she owned the place. She certainly owned the crowd however, and had us eating out of her hand. Cameras were out in full force to capture the best-dressed and best-known act of the day. Between Haines' dancing and perfectly echoed vocals, and the group's soaring choruses and instrumental breaks, it was really something to behold. On the downside, the festival didn't seem to make use of the (intermittently working during other acts) light board extending about 30 feet up from the stage, that would've infused that much more intrigue into the show.

"Gimme Sympathy" was easily the highlight of the show judging from crowd reaction. Everyone seemed to be lost in grandiosity of the song, with head bobbing and body moving galore. There was even a pre-mature and shirtless, mohawk-rocking mosher/headbanger, who in his fervor of literally bowling people over to get closer to the stage, probably forgot it was Metric playing, and not The Offspring quite yet. But it was just that kind of tune.

The whole set killed, with the band's electric mix of synth-infused rock and pop blowing the roof off the place. It was consistent and...hell, by now I'm running out of good words to describe these acts. But trust me, it was kinda mind-blowing, and I'd definitely recommend checking out a Metric show next time they're in town. In between songs, Emily found the time to send out a collective well-wish for The Hip, which was touching and thoughtful (and which I think she was the first to do during the day...dunno what that says) and she also elaborated on some responsibilites our generation had, and something about how hard it would be, maybe a thing about war...I dunno, she was wearing a sparkly unitard and by that point had some pretty hot sex hair going on.

Anyways, Metric rocked it for their also-short set with a majority of stuff off new album Fantasies, with some "Monster Hospital" thrown in (unfortunately no MSTRKRFT remix) and I peaced out after that set, as I've never been an Offspring fan, and knew the initial mosher probably did not bode well for the now-headlining band. Turned out I was justified, as the post-concert bar-stop had stories of friends getting punched in the back, and others accidentally breaking a trampled girl's arm...before one song had even finished. Needless to say, they left pretty swiftly as well.

Overall though, my often-professed ranking for the day of acts I actually saw:

1.) Arkells

2.) (tie) Hey Rosetta!

2.) (tie) Handsome Furs

4.) Metric

5.) Dinosaur Jr.

6.) In-Flight Safety

7.) Dog Day

8.) Plants And Animals

Since I haven't heard official ticket sales numbers (aside from a rep saying they were "strong" in the paper...though not strong enough to prevent a two-for-one deal I guess?) I dunno what the likelihood of the Virgin Festival returning is, but I know providing a free concert isn't too big a worry for Virgin, as that's the concept they're going to soon adapt in the States. I suppose as long as Virgin gets its fair share of advertising and publicity, and the bands get their money, and the fans go home happy, these kinds of festivals can continue to be held. So here's looking forward to Virgin Fest 2010.

And another one of these ridiculously long recaps. Oops.

three? let's make it four

some of my favorite Plaskett-y goodness to keep you going through this one:

Face Of The Earth - Joel Plaskett Emergency

Soooo, happy belated Canada Day. I really haven't been keeping up on here, but forgive me. IRL (in real life) I'm just too busy and having a pretty good time.

Anyways, yesterday marked my fourth Joel Plaskett show. He was playing a free one (and not headlining! wtf? how do you go from opening for Paul freakin' McCartney to not even headlining a Canada Day show in your hometown? go figure) at Alderney Landing, where I saw him play last summer. The barriers put us further back this time around, and the people sitting down from earlier shows in the day put us off the left and near the eight huge speakers on that side, so we didn't exactly have the best seats (stands?) in the house.

Some "fuck-you's" to hand out while I'm on the subject though. If you're old and wearing a jean jacket and sitting on a white lawn chair (that evidently by the end of the show I found out wasn't even yours?), you and your friend might wanna get up and either go to the back and just chill, or get out of the way. But, thank you ever so much for creating a 10-foot circle where no one was going near or around you guys, given the fact you smelled kinda bad and looked just a little more than a tad creepy. And thank you to my choice of standing that left me at some points almost in the laps of said guys.

But it didn't stop there. Token really drunk guy who's having more fun that anyone else is or should be having? You get one. Spraying the rest of your Faxe (yes, piss-like Faxe) beer on everyone around you was a real class act. So was calling over the tween to come and dance, then moseying your way over to the other group of teens (you were at least 19 remember) for the same purpose. You were good for a few laughs though: nothing was funnier than you grabbing the grey-haired man who tossed your then-empty beer can over the rails...and proceeding to seemingly whisper sweet nothings in his ear, and possibly kissing him sloppily on the cheek...more than once it looked like.

Finally, a big "fuck you" to the puddle I was standing near. I was splashed by beat-stomping feet on occasion, and you made me overly conscious of my un-pants-enabled legs for the entire show. Overall, not the most comfortable I've been at a concert...and I've been three-layers-soaked-to-the-bone-for-hours-upon-hours at The Rolling Stones, so well done.

With all bitching aside...the show was actually pretty bitching. Very similar to the set I saw of his at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium last month, in terms of the songs he played, but he mixed up the order a bit. Some of the same banter was there, but he knew he wasn't playing to a captive, seated audience, so he kept it upbeat and succinct.

He sadly doesn't play a lot of Ashtray Rock anymore, which bums me out because that's when I really started obsessing about Joel's music. No "Face Of The Earth," no "Nothing More To Say" (aside from a depressing and acoustic turn he did with his father at the Cohn) and most definitely no "Drunk Teenagers," which I don't suppose he'll play at any more shows, possibly ever. He still plays "Fashionable People," but there's something slightly off about it, and it feels a tad stuffy and forced.

He did play many of his older ones though, and you can tell they're still his live staples; nearly everyone knew the words, and in Joel's loveable way, he joked about him not even having to sing anymore. For fun, the people I was going to the concert with put together a list of songs we thought he would/wanted to see him play, and luckily enough, we went about 7 for 8. He played most of the three-themed songs off his amazing new Three, and Rose Cousins and Ana Egge were there to add their catchy harmonies to the whole affair.

On a side note, the new stuff is admittedly less immediate, but they'll definitely grow on everyone and become great sing-a-longs like his other regulars. My only complaint is that along with the lack of immediacy, there's not much of a "rock" lilt to his music anymore; there's a lot of East Coast influence and everything from saxophone to trumpets, but none of that crunching guitar and soaring choruses. Joel's always been hard to class other than "singer-songwriter," and he became even more of an enigma with the concept-driven Ashtray Rock, but before that you could really hear his rock influences shine through, and he was much easier to pigeon-hole into genres. Now with the 27 songs off Three, he's all over the place, and while it works for most of it, there's definitely some filler in there, and some overall questionable choices of direction.

Back to the show, the closer "On and On and On" was interrupted by the Canada Day fireworks, and you could see people were torn between the band and the sky's sights. Even when Joel and The Emergency wrapped it up, there was a warm moment of them standing there watching the fireworks with the rest of us, bathed in blue light and the surrounding darkness, not rushing off-stage, and though a good five or six feet above us, down to our level of "spectators" at the sight of the colourful bursts of celebration.

The overall feel of the concert was strange, because with the combination of people who had been at the venue for the previous acts and others who were seated during the show, there didn't seem to be that common camraderie between everyone that really fuels a concert-going experience and usually justifies dishing out the dough to see a show instead of relaxing to the artist in the comfort of your own abode. Not one of the better shows I've seen (possibly the worst of the four based on atmosphere alone), but since it's Joel Plaskett, I really can't say anything too bad. The man is immune to my criticism.

...oh, and he could've dragged his poor, earless cat White Fang up on stage and did some Ozzy Osbourne-ish things to it and still would've received a good review from me for one reason: after the show and the fireworks, the crew started setting up for the follow-up act, but Joel stayed there, kneeled down on the stage, and signed autographs (on paper, shoes, phones and whatever else people could find) for a solid half-hour for an ever-increasing throng of fans, most of whom had to be high-school aged.

There were also times when people ran up on stage and had to be tackled and dragged off, with Joel quipping to security mid-song not to hurt them too badly. On another occasion, one particularly brazen girl snuck around the huge set of speakers, right past Peter Elkas and settling beside Joel during his encore, with Plaskett unfazed, commending the girl on her nice choice of shades. So I guess Joel Plaskett = consummate musician...but also, awesome human being. Can't wait for his next show.

I may be a tad inebriated, very sleepy, and might've just snuck into my own house. But that's doesn't mean I can't still type, and that you can't get down with the funk. I have to admit I like a few James Brown songs, but none enough to actually download. Heard this one on CBC Radio 2 Morning on Friday though, and it pretty much set the tone for my day.

James Brown is so raw, and there's something a little primal about this song. "Give me my thang." It doesn't get much simpler than that. The horns and the chanting-like backing vocals, and everything else going on that makes funk so all encompassing and keeps it chugging along without ever overloading the beat, it all works for me. Makes me wonder on the other hand why funk didn't really survive much past its heyday.

My Thang - James Brown

More posts to come soon, I'll acknowledge I've been in a bit of a lull the last few days.

Writing a term paper...

...so knock yourselves out, some of my favorite songs:

Crimewave - Crystal Castles vs. HEALTH

Bodysnatchers - Radiohead

Let's Make Out - Does It Offend You, Yeah?

We swear, we're not stoned right now

...but in this case it might help/explain

Black Moth Super Rainbow. No we're not playing a drinking game where the challenge is to string together three verbs and an adjective. That's the band's name, and this is their mission statement I'm lead to believe:

"Deep in the woods of western Pennsylvania vocoders hum amongst the flowers and synths bubble under the leaf-strewn ground while flutes whistle in the wind and beats bounce to the soft drizzle of a warm acid rain. As the sun peeks out from between the clouds, the organic aural concoction of Black Moth Super Rainbow starts to glisten above the trees."

If that doesn't tell you all that they're about...well, you're probably not alone. I first remember hearing these guys as the lead track on a hypem podcast, one day in the spring when I was working on my surfboard in the garage. Their sound was instantly strange and spanning, ethereal and entertaining, lazy and lovable. Alright, I'm gushing a bit, but these guys make likeable music that seems a little bigger than it really is. You might not have to be high, but tell me this music doesn't take you somewhere.

The vocoder T-Pain's the track out, but instead of being grating here, it adds to the magical quality of the song. The synthesizers (I'm a big fan, have you noticed yet?) are all over the place on this one, with the instrumentals acting like the actual verses, and the words popping in once a while to temper the music - much the opposite of your typical pop song.

The lollygazing way the song progresses makes it the perfect summer track to just sit out on the deck to and soak in the sunshine. Which is a hefty accomplishment for a song called "Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise." To sum up how this song makes me feel personally when I hear it though, it's like running through a field at midnight with a full moon above. Never done it myself, but that's the beauty of music: at least now I think I know how it'd feel.

Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise - Black Moth Super Rainbow

There's nothing quite like these

...to temper my liking for Deerhunter. In my previous post about them, I put up an album cover instead of a band pic. This, sadly, is why.

Lead singer Bradford Cox. Who should really have enough money and fame by now to eat something once a week or so. I could make other jokes too, but I think the pics speak for themselves.

Other blogs post things too

...like theanimalshow.org. I've been listening to some of the tracks in this post and if you're a fan of Girl Talk, you'll be sure to love them (think rapping over Vanessa Carleton on the piano for starters). My personal favorite of the three tracks posted is "If You Wanna."

Personally though, I've never been a fan of multiple-song mashups that keep switching up. I find it's a byproduct (or cause) of our impatient music listening habits, leading to horrible club music consisting of songs being smashed together at their choral climaxes. Not to get preachy or anything.

From Girl Talk to real talk though, this is a mash-up I can get behind:

- plus -

- equals -

Two Weeks of Hip-Hop - Dead Prez vs. Grizzly Bear

Upcoming Concert: The Pack A.D.

The Pack A.D. (previous post / band page) are playing this July 20th at Gus' Pub on North St. in Halifax.

Worth checking out. I'm not gonna lie, I've never been to Gus' Pub and always thought of it as a bit of a dive, but turns out they've hosted quite a few good indie acts.

Quick Hit: Matt & Kim

Jumpy, piano-driven, happy pop music. Plain and simple, with a catchy chorus and thoughtful lyrics. I've always had a fondness for this song, but had forgotten about it til I checked out a link the other day where Bacardi was using this song in one of its ads. That little affectation Matt puts on his voice makes their music that much more interesting.

Daylight - Matt & Kim

Bonus Gimmicky/Funny/This-Actually-Happened Video:

Lesson Learned - Matt & Kim

Et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort

the ever-so-cute Coeur De Pirate

I've been meaning to blog this post for quite a while, because it's a nice little study in remixing. I remember I was browsing hypem.com like I usually do, all the way back in February, when I stumbled on "Comme Des Enfants (Le Matos Andy Carmichael Mix)" by an artist named Coeur De Pirate. It had a long song name, and a strange French-sounding artist, so I quickly filed it under "over-remixed Euro trash." I also remember though that it had an inordinately high number of "loved"s for the popular list, so I figured I'd give it a spin.

What followed was a slow, dark and brooding rendition of heartbreak, set to a bopping synth and dancefloor ready thump. I understand my fair share of French, but I really didn't pay attention to the lyrics, as the soundscape was more than enough to hold my attention for the numerous listens I gave the song over the weeks.

Then - and this is where the specifics get cloudy - one of my best friends and I began to talk about the song or the artist; the exact nature escapes me. But we were driving along one day, and I was playing the remix, and she somewhat jokingly/somewhat seriously said "what the fuck is this shit?" (she's endearingly vulgar). I explained it was Coeur De Pirate, and she replied with "oh hell no it isn't, this is some techno, crazy, stupid shit," then grabbed her phone and played the original version of "Comme Des Enfants." It was light-hearted, bubbly, piano-driven and a pop song in every sense of the phrase, a drastic contrast to the remix I was so enamoured by.

Once I saw this side of Coeur De Pirate, I was instantly struck. As it happens, I work at an office where we're only allowed on cbc.ca in terms of outside internet access, relegating me to listening to podcasts from CBC Radio 3, an all-indie, all-Canadian institution I've somehow been blind to for the last 4 years (ignore the fact I picked up a cool poster they came up with when the site first launched, that then somehow managed to stay up in my room for years without me actually visiting the site). Anyways, before I get off track, it turns out they play Coeur De Pirate, and that she's a bonafide Canadian songstress. Go figure.

Back to the music itself though, I mentioned this was a nice little study of the remix. A lot of remixes just add some drums, some synth, re-arrange some words, and voila, a cheap retake on something that probably wasn't even that great to begin with. I'm not gonna try to guess why this remix made it so big based on the singer herself and any perceived popularity, but musically, it's genius in the way it takes the original and reconstructs it, while retaining virtually only the lyrics themselves.

There's maybe an ode to the piano of the original in the build-up of the remix, but from there on out, it's one extended, dark tilt on an otherwise joyous-sounding song. I say sounding because translated, this song approximates to a love-triangle (somehow explained well-enough by my aforementioned non-French-speaking, Coeur-De-Pirate-loving friend), and CDP being stuck in the middle of it all.

"But he loves me still, and my love for you grows a little bit stronger" is roughly what the chorus amounts to. The jumpy and happy nature of the original does nothing to capture that spirit, but strangely the remix does it perfectly. In my limited experience, I have to say that's one of the few instances in which a remix (not a cover mind you) does a better job of conveying the message of a song than the actual original.

Now for all my talking, it's still up to you to listen and decide for yourselves. You can have it one of two ways: take my path, and hear the remix first, then be surprised by the original; or listen to the original and be envelloped by the immenseness of the remix afterwards.

You can only choose one. Someone tell that to Coeur De Pirate though.

Original: Comme Des Enfants - Coeur De Pirate

Remix: Comme Des Enfants (Le Matos Andy Carmichael Remix) - Coeur De Pirate

The Very Best

...are Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya. And obviously watched a lot of Lion King growing up.

"Dinosaur On The Ark" is one I'll occasionally skip over when I'm driving and listening to my music, simply because it's a bit of a build-up, and I listen to a lot of my music based on the mood I'm in at the time. This one came on at the perfect moment: I hit a long, flat stretch of highway, the sun was just beginning to go down in the sky (nothing quite as dramatic as the album cover above, but nice nonetheless) and there were virtually no cars compared to my usual rush-hour commute.

It's always different hearing music in my car that I'm so used to coming out from my laptop. There's tradeoffs to each of course; the car has better bass and brings out a lot of elements you wouldn't otherwise notice, but obviously there's the windnoise and sub-par acoustics. My laptop on the other hand I got with an upgraded speaker system, and it picks up a lot better on little hints of treble that would otherwise be lost in the wind-shuffle of my car. Either way, I gained a new appreciation for this Very Best song on my drive home today.

There's the slow, rippling-water-and-jungle-rainforest start to this song, that literally sent a shiver through my body when I heard it today. The echo-y tone to Radioclit's voice provides the perfect intro, as he talks about the wasteland of a post-WWIII (don't lose me here) world, then narrows it down to the microcosm of himself and his lover, hoping "our love ain't a dinosaur, floating on, on the Ark." That line really hit me for the first time today, and I had the adequate time to mull it over, seeing as the majority of the song is dominated by Esau Mwamwaya's singing in Malawi's national language of Chichewa; I have no idea what any of it means outside of "Africaaaa," but damn if it's not uplifting.

That's what this whole song is really: a hymn of victory, swashed in swirling (but not necessarily dreamy) bass lines, chord plucking and tribal drumming, rife with Afro-Pop stylings and Western Pop sensibilities. The war and post-apocolyptic visions mentioned at the start are quickly forgotten by the end of this one, and replaced with a newfound sense of hope. Hate to get all deep like that, but that's really what this song means to me. Even if it all dawned on me on a simple drive home.

Dinosaur On The Ark - Esau Mwamway & Radioclit Are: The Very Best