[...music...]: 2009-12

2009-12-22

end of the year 2009

i only bought 25 new releases this year.

these are my favourites, in alphabetical order.

asobi seksu - hush
song: me & mary

beirut - march of the zapotec / realpeople holland
song: the shrew

song: my night with the prostitute from marseille

beware of safety - dogs
song: the supposed common

depeche mode - sounds of the universe
song: wrong

dumas - rouge
song: un train dans la nuit

gifts from enola - from fathoms
song: weightless frame

indochine - le république des meteors
song: un ange à ma table

isis - wavering radiant
song: 20 minutes/40 years

matthew good - vancouver
song: fought to fight it

mono - hymn to the immortal wind
song: everlasting light

patrick wolf - the bachelor
song: oblivion

pierre lapointe - sentiments humains
song: les lignes de ma main

placebo - battle for the sun
song: battle for the sun

regina spektor - far
song: eet

thursday - common existence
song: last call

vnv nation - of faith, power and glory
song: the great divide

yann perreau - un serpents sous les fleurs
song: le plus beau rêve

~~~

Labels: other

2009-12-13

thursday @ foufounes électriques

last sunday (dec. 6), thursday played at the foufounes électriques. i had hesitated to attend, since i'd be going by myself. also, i wasn't sure how rough the crowd would be, given the band's hardcore roots, and the fact that the dillinger escape plan were opening.

i went back to listening to "full collapse", and remembered how much i love this album. i can't believe it was released 8 years ago... so i ended up going to the show. i had never been to that venue before. it's small and cozy, with a cool decor, in that industrial kind of way. i really liked it.

the first band to play was endless hallway. this was the skinniest band i'd ever seen. the music was not memorable. they seemed to be trying too hard.

the second band was fake problems. i'm not sure how they fit with the rest of the lineup, since their sound was more rock & roll/garage. these guys had a good sense of humour, and they seemed to be genuinely enjoying their time on stage. it was a fun set that got people dancing.

i checked out their myspace page after the show, and recognized two songs that they played: "the dream team" and "diamond rings".

the next band to play was the dillinger escape plan. i don't know why these guys are opening, since most of the people seemed to be there for them. i had not heard their music before, but had some idea that they were associated with the hardcore genre. good thing i picked a standing spot on the side of the stage. as soon as they started playing, there was a sudden influx of dudes to the center of the floor and the moshing started. i think this was my first time seeing a "real" mosh pit, the kind that looks like a group fight, including some stage diving by the audience and band members.

this was not the kind of music i usually listen to, but i was pretty intrigued; they have some interesting sounds. and i was really impressed at how intense their set was.

by the time thursday played, a lot of people had left. ah well, more standing space then. the crowd was pretty tame for this set, but the band still gave a good performance.

i hadn't followed them for years, so i only recognized a couple of songs from "full collapse", and a few from the newest "common existence". still, i was glad i went to the show; it was fun. my favourite part was when they played "paris in flames" followed by "understanding in a car crash".

setlist (via setlist.fm):
for the workforce, drowning
between rupture and rapture
the other side of the crash
paris in flames
understanding in a car crash
ressucitation of a dead man
friends in the armed forces
at this velocity
division st.
circuits of fever
beyondthe visible spectrum
signals over the air

encore:
jet black new year

i found two videos on youtube, of the first and last songs of the set. pretty good view too.

~~~

hearing damage: the dillinger escape plan set was loud. thursday's was alright, except for a moment during "circuits of fever" when it got so loud i found it unpleasant. the next day, i woke up with some residual ringing in my ears. i know, i am getting old.

~~~

Labels: endless hallway, fake problems, foufounes électriques, shows, the dillinger escape plan, thursday

2009-12-04

dumas - traces

i still have that gift card (for my birthday) from a month ago that i hadn't started spending yet.

earlier this week, i passed by hmv and saw another new album "traces" by dumas. i wasn't expecting this, since i thought his series was done. but the 13 tracks on this album are numbered from 44 to 56, so it was obviously a continuaton. however, the titles were very familar, so i sampled a few songs at the listening station, and realized that these were re-arranged versions of the same songs taken from his last releases. i was confused: was this a compilation, remix album, what?

it turns out that this album contains the final mix of the songs. i guess his previous outputs were kind of like (well produced) demos or something.

i got the cd yesterday, and have listened to it a couple of times.

my favourite track is "un train dans la nuit (café froid, gardénal)". i even like this version better, with the additonal stringed instruments and all:

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, dumas