i'll start the update by listing the shows attended during the remainder of 2011.
sept. 21 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ metropolis
grimes was the opening act:
arcade fire on stage:
i purchased grimes' "halfaxa":
sept. 22 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ place des festival
kid koala played his set dressed in a koala costume. cute!
karkwa was the other polaris-prize-winning act on the bill.
arcade fire played a free show; a zillion people attended.
sept. 23 - [popmontreal] the planet smashers @ club soda
a ska/punk night! east end radicals, the fundamentals, and the creepshow were the opening acts.
the planet smashers were a lot of fun, as always.
i purchased their "life of the party":
oct. 6 - explosions in the sky @ metropolis
opening act was wye oak:
setlist here.
~~~
Labels: arcade fire, cd purchase, club soda, east end radicals, explosions in the sky, grimes, karkwa, kid koala, metropolis, popmontreal, shows, the creepshow, the fundamentals, the planet smashers, wye oak
¶ posted by p.w. at 13:54
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when i paid for it, the cashier remarked that this album is better than the new one. i replied that i didn't know their music too well, that i was checking them out before their popmontreal show. the cashier told me that no joy was opening for them, a band i'd never heard about. he described them as "sound[ing] like sonic youth. a bit too much..."
in the end, fucked up played their show at 1:30am, which was too late (early?) for me, on a school night. the reviews were pretty positive, so i'm disappointed to have missed that.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, fucked up
¶ posted by p.w. at 00:10
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with no artist/album title on the cover, i guessed that it was some kind of indie rock. it turned out to be an album called "fables of the sleepless empire" by a band called unexpect. i looked for some label information, but there was none; ah, a self-release, this band must be *really* indie. it did have the factor logo, so it had to be canadian. i looked at the track listing. songs were on average about 6-7 minutes. i then guessed that maybe this was a post-rock band.
finally, i saw it at the listening station, in the punk/metal section. seems like my guesses were all wrong. i listened to the beginning of the first track. it sounded like symphonic metal. i skipped to the second track. i realized that the female vocals remind me a bit of the birthday massacre and johnny hollow, in that gothic kind of way.
at that moment, an interesting song was playing in the store; it sounded like a metal band with a string section. i asked the cashier what the songs was, and she told me it was off the new unexpect album. she added that they are a 7-piece local band. ah cool. anyway, it was enough to convince me to get the album.
the cashier recommended me their previous album, "in a flesh aquarium", which is a favourite of hers. she said that she likes it because of the circus sounds. that piqued my curiosity. rather than buy it right away, i listened to some songs i found online first. i agree with the cashier, in that "in a flesh aquarium" is pretty good. i ended up returning to the store a few days later to get it.
the music is mostly metal, kind of prog at times. i am not the biggest fan of metal (nor prog either), but unexpect add such an eclectic mix of other sounds that it makes the music very interesting. i don't even mind the typical (male) metal growls that much since they alternate with the (female) ethereal vocals. i really enjoy the touches of piano and violin. i think i hear a tango beat in there somewhere too.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, unexpect
¶ posted by p.w. at 23:59
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the first kiosk i visited was actually from a pawn shop. they had a table with boxes of cd's, selling at $1 each. they were nice enough to place them spine-side up, so i could just read, without having to flip through the boxes. it was mostly stuff i've never heard of, or crappy pop fluff from the past (i.e. one-hit wonders and the like).
but i did find a shrink-wrapped copy of exterio's "l'album monstre 1ère partie: le complot". i vaguely knew that there were a local punk/rock band. eh, at $1, i don't mind getting the cd just to check it out. (it turns out they're the guys who sang "whippet". the lyrics are hilarious.)
then, at marché du disque, i browsed through more boxes on the street. i found anik jean's "trashy saloon". i don't know much about her music, but i do remember liking her version of jean leloup's "je suis partie".
about two years ago, i borrowed a compilation, "le pop en duo" from the library, and loved it. but i couldn't find it at the usual music shops. i did find it online, but from foreign webstores, and the currency exchange rate with shipping fees made it too expensive. what a pleasant discovery, when i found it at marché du disque for $5! and tax-free, since it was during the street sale period.
nice!
~~~
Labels: anik jean, cd purchase, compilation, exterio
¶ posted by p.w. at 18:41
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until a couple of weeks ago, when i came across this time-lapse video, and i realized how beautiful this piece of music is. [aside: the video is wonderfully shot and edited. i liked spotting out scenes from my hometown.]
hmv megastore are having a back-to-school sale. i found the "inception" soundtrack for $10.
my favourite track is the closer.
hans zimmer - time
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, soundtrack
¶ posted by p.w. at 14:31
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i got a chance to check out the original versions of the songs as well. and i must admit, bashung's songs sound a little, um, "dated" to me. i much prefer these modern reworkings. keren ann's is probably my favourite.
keren ann - je fume pour oublier que tu bois
compare with the original.
the québec edition includes two additional tracks, by yann perreau and ariane moffatt. their versions are kind of disappointing.
while at the store, i dug through their bargain bin. and i found nouvelle vague's "3" for $6. nice!
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, nouvelle vague
¶ posted by p.w. at 14:30
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10 years, and not much has changed, they've still got the signature atr sound, the usual lyrics about and "revolution" and "government", etc.
my favourite track is "codebreaker", probably because it sounds so much like stuff from their previous album "60 second wipe out".
atari teenage riot - codebreaker
~~~
Labels: atari teenage riot, cd purchase
¶ posted by p.w. at 14:16
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this must be a great album, since it won a grammy, beating out some more popular nominees... but to be honest, i feel kind of underwhelmed by it. maybe because of all the hype. still, i decided to finally get this album, just to complete my arcade fire discography.
and also because i plan to see them play at popmontreal this year. they're giving a free (outdoors?) show on the second night, as well as playing the metropolis on the first night. from what i heard, the tickets for the metropolis show were sold out in about 4 minutes, despite their efforts to counter scalpers. good thing i was online by 11:59am last friday, refreshing ticketmaster like crazy; i managed to buy a pair of tickets. yay.
~~~
Labels: arcade fire, cd purchase
¶ posted by p.w. at 20:46
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one track in particular stands out to me: the sixtoes remix of "peace", with the addition of stringed instruments, making it a non-electro song. interesting...
depeche mode - peace (sixtoes remix)
i found out that they have done other remixes too.
i also like what trentemøller did with "wrong".
depeche mode - wrong (trentemøller club remix)
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, depeche mode
¶ posted by p.w. at 11:18
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i decided to make an impulse purchase at the store:
the music is kind of proggy, kind of mathy. definitely shows skills.
~~~
Labels: animals as leaders, cd purchase
¶ posted by p.w. at 13:55
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the new patrick wolf album "lupercalia". i had ordered online, and the package includes the ep "lemuralia".
whereas the previous album was a bit dark and gloomy, the general theme of "lupercalia" seems to be about being happy in love... understandable, since the dude got engaged last year. the songs are so light and sweet, it's like cotton candy.
my favourite track is "together". it has an electro feel to it, the alec empire touch.
together:
i wonder if there will be a north american tour...
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, patrick wolf
¶ posted by p.w. at 12:18
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i found vnv nation's "futureperfect" in their 'industrial' section, for $13. since i rarely see their albums for less than $20, i bought it.
the music is nice and light. it's the perfect soundtrack for walking around in the city.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, vnv nation
¶ posted by p.w. at 20:55
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i didn't need to sample the album; i'd buy any music matt good releases.
i like this album. my favourite track is "non populus".
Non Populus by Matthew Good
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, matthew good
¶ posted by p.w. at 10:28
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a few months ago, i got to deftones' "white pony". a pleasant rediscovery, i was surprised at how much of the lyrics i still remember. now, 11 years later, i still love that album. i decided to check out their more recent material; unfortunately, it didn't click.
back in april, on record store day, they released a compilation of cover songs. i found out that they had previously released other covers songs on their "b-sides & rarities" compilation, back in 2003. i gave that a listen. their cover of cocteau twins' "wax and wane" was good enough for me to order the disc online.
cocteau twins - wax and wane
deftones - wax and wane (cover)
other interesting artists/bands covered include sade, the cure, the smiths...
back to my a-z challege: when i got to isis' "wavering radiant", i realized that my favourite track from them is "weight" from the 2002 album "oceanic". i added that disc to my online order (i needed at least two items to get free shipping from amazon).
isis - weight
i've listened to the album in its entirety just a couple of times. i find it a bit difficult to get through.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, deftones, isis
¶ posted by p.w. at 15:24
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the packaging is pretty nice. take a look:
"open" house, with poster, and postcard in the bottom left corner:
house, front view:
house, view from corner:
musically, there are no surprises, they haven't deviated at all from their sound. still, i like it. after a few more listens, i am sure that one of the six tracks will emerge as my favourite.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, explosions in the sky
¶ posted by p.w. at 18:12
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i received the cd in the mail yesterday.
i've listened to this a couple of times by now, and i'm really liking it. overall, it's atmospheric and moody; an "experimental" progression from their previous material. the preview track "magnets caught in a metal heart" is a good example of this newer sound.
thursday - magnets in a metal heart
strangely, "empty glass" makes me think of digital ash-era bright eyes.
thursday - empty glass
i think this will be one of my favourite releases of the year. and "sparks against the sun" is my current favourite track.
thursday - sparks against the sun
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, thursday
¶ posted by p.w. at 21:37
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i got the deluxe edition. the disc comes encased in a box, with a clear cover held onto the box with grommets:
included in the box is a bonus dvd, a zoetrope to assemble...
... and a cherry-flavoured chapstick that serves as the spindle. the zoetrope shows a man struggling with an umbrealla in the wind, in keeping with the umbrella theme of the album artwork.
musically, there are no surprises. pretty much what i expect from this band: gypsy-inspired folk music with americana touches.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, devotchka
¶ posted by p.w. at 21:03
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i found it at hmv.
they were selling it at 2/$30. so i needed to find another item to pair it with. i browsed around and saw gallows' releases. i first heard about the band back when their debut "orchestra of wolves" was released, with positive reviews. although i don't remember what that album sounded like, i do remember liking it. but at the store, it was their sophomore release "grey britain" that was part of the 2/$30 deal. i listened to a few songs, and liked it enough to get it.
i've been listening to this non-stop for the past week or so. in a way, it's the kind of standard punk rock stuff that i like. but what i love about this album are the orchestral parts on the mid-album track "death voices" and on the closing "crucifucks".
gallows - death voices
gallows - crucifucks
those parts are so hauntingly delicate, they contrast with the general aggressiveness of the album.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, gallows, placebo
¶ posted by p.w. at 22:54
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i received the parcel in the mail yesterday.
they threw in a sampler cd, and included a handwritten thank-you note. how nice!
i am still trying to absorb the epicness of mogwai, so i haven't listened to the new bright eyes yet.
february turned out to be a pretty good month for new releases, compared to the very quiet january.
~~~
Labels: bright eyes, cd purchase
¶ posted by p.w. at 16:03
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i got the parcel in the mail on friday.
not only does the deluxe edition include a second disc with a 23-minute track, the packaging is quite nice, bound like a hardcover book.
i've been busy lately, so i only got a chance to listen to the album twice, as background music. at first listen, i was not feeling it. i liked it a bit the second time, discovering some interesting sounds. i'll have to spend some time listening to this album with earphones to really appreciate it.
i haven't listened to the second disc yet. at 23 minutes, the track should be epic.
~~~
Labels: cd purchase, mogwai
¶ posted by p.w. at 15:45
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