[...music...]

2010-04-08

this past easter weekend, i went on a trip to new york city with some friends: gloria, manna, sabine. it was funny how every street i walked on reminded me of some equivalent area in montreal. i guess i really am a montrealer at heart...

this was kind of a girls' trip, with tourist/art/entertainment activities. and of course, shopping. i had prepared a list of music shops in the greenwich/east village area, so i went there with gloria on saturday afternoon, with a couple of hours to spare before seeing a play that evening.

first, there was disc-o-rama, on 8th street near 6th avenue. that place looked kind of sketch. their selection seemed to be more mainstream whatever, but i am sure that if i had the time to carefully browse, i would probably find some gems. but we were on a tight schedule, so we quickly headed for the next shop.

while walking there, we passed by bleeker bob's records on 3rd street, which was not on my list, but we went in to take a look. mostly old/vintage vinyl. and i found some weirdass records, i must say. the cd section seemed promising, but i didn't have the time to browse much.

next, it was generation records on thompson, south of 3rd street. oh wow, i felt like a kid in a candy store who wants to buy everything but only has $5 in her pocket. i spent some time in there, barely listening to gloria as i sporadically jumped from one section to another, frantically browsing. their selection was more rock/indie/punk/industrial and i found so much stuff i wanted. i had to limit myself to releases i can't find back home.

first, i saw mono & world's end girlfriend's collaboration "palmless prayer / mass murder refrain". i don't remember ever seeing it in the montreal shops (if i did, i probably would have bought it already), so i grabbed that. then, i came across the buzzcocks deluxe reissues: "another music in a different kitchen", "love bites", "a different kind of tension". when those were released earlier this year, i had planned on getting them. but at $26 each at hmv, i didn't. there at generation records, those releases were at $17 each; considering the exchange rate is almost one to one, with lower taxes in nyc, it was a really good deal.

afterwards, we headed to other music on 4th street near lafayette. gloria and i split as she went to the strand bookstore. i had another 'squee' moment, since that shop carries mostly indie stuff, almost everything i wish i owned in my collection! the first thing i grabbed was the magnetic fields' "69 love songs", the box set.

on a whim, i browsed the 'international' and more specifially, the 'asia' section. i couldn't believe it, i actually found two albums by carsick cars!!! oh wow, i had found out about this band about a year ago through the internet, when i was bored and googled for some beijing rock. at the time, i downloaded their self-titled debut, never thinking i would ever find a physical copy, at least not on this side of the world. and there, at other music, was both their debut and sophomore release "you can listen, you can talk", for only $15 each, which is cheap considering these are imports.

then, in the bargain section, i saw the zombieland soundtrack for only $3. i got it for my brother since he seemed to have liked the movie. at that price, i don't care if the soundtrack is crap.

as i continued browsing, the clerk from the store saw my stack and chatted me up about carsick cars, saying she was seeing them in a few days in la. oh wow, what a random coincidence! it also turns out that she's their tour manager. then she went to the back and brought out some suggested listening from other bands of the beijing scene. in the end, i only selected ourself beside me's self-titled, since the clerk described them as an all-girl band who are 'rebels', so yeah, i kind of fell for that.

the clerk also suggested snapline, which she described as similar to joy division, but they were unfortunately out. damn, i would have liked to get that. i also asked about p.k. 14, another beijing band i found through the internet. the shop was also out of that. anyways, i should look into mail ordering from them, if shipping isn't too pricey.

for my final destination, i walked towards st. mark's place. but as i passed by cooper square, i smelled food, and i saw that there was a street market. even if not too buy, i am always attracted to street markets, for some reason. of course, i found the music stand, with its tables and rows of discs. it was late afternoon and they were starting to pack. but in the rock section, i did find xiu xiu's "women as lovers" and beach house's "teen dream" for a cheap flat price.

finally, i reached st. mark's place, where i had planned to check out mondo kim's. but i found it replaced by a shiny karaoke bar. uh, ok. instead, down the street, there was another shop called sounds. they seem to have a good rock selection. but this was another shop that required browsing time, and i only had five minutes to spend in there.

conclusion: i love nyc for cd shopping. i only wish i had more time to browse. or maybe not, because i would have spent so much more $$$...

~~~

Labels: beach house, buzzcocks, carsick cars, cd purchase, mono, ourself beside me, the magnetic fields, xiu xiu

2009-10-02

mono @ latulipe

the popmontreal fest is taking place now. last night i went to the mono show at cabaret latulipe. it was my first time seeing them, having missed them every time they were in montreal in the past. i went alone; i can't believe my mom still freaks out about me going to shows by myself.

i went to the venue early, and got a good spot. front and centre.

the opening band was maserati. kind of typical post-rock, but with a touch of prog? i really liked it. i had thought they were loud; but it turned out they were just a warm-up compared to mono.

i'm not too familiar with their material, so not sure what their setlist was. but the highlight for me was definitely "show me the season", especially the drumming at the end. here's a taste from an other show.

i was introduced to mono by a fellow mogwai fan (thanks dude!). since i had missed a couple of the past shows in montreal, i had gotten their dvd "the sky remains the same as ever" as consolation. instead, it made me feel bad, since their live set looks incredibly awesome. this time, i was determined to attend the show (by the way, if i had not left the job, i would have been out of town this week...).

what can i say? on record, mono sound epic. live, the experience is even more intense. their tracks usually start off pretty mellow. then there's the slow buildup, so gradual, that eventually, it becomes a noise explosion and you wonder how it all started.

this band is so cool. as in, their music is perfect for winter, when everything is covered in white. it seemed fitting that i was seeing them live on one of the first cold days of this fall season. they also seem so cool that they're in their own zone on stage. no chit-chat between songs; notice the absence of a mic.

my favourite part was during "yearning", when it all went quiet, then the sudden noise explosion, like getting punched in the stomach, followed by several minutes of aural assault. awesome. i don't know to else to describe it. it's one of those things you need to be there to experience for yourself.

setlist:
ashes in the snow
burial at sea
follow the map
pure as snow
yearning
the battle to heaven
halo
everlasting light

~~~

cd purchases: i got the mono albums that i was missing "under the piapl tree" and "walking cloud and deep red sky...". i also got a maserati album "inventions for the new season".

hearing damage: i was prepared, and bought earplugs for this show. i wore them for about half a song when i remembered why i never wear earplugs at shows: i hate the muffled sound. it's bad, i know, but i'd rather hear everything even if it means letting my ears get blasted.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, latulipe, maserati, mono, popmontreal, shows

2009-05-10

mono, the thermals

on saturday of last week, after having lunch with dad, i walked around downtown, shopping for a mother's day gift; i ended up getting a box of the white bark chocolate from laura secord that mom loves to much.

i saw that cheap thrills finally got the new mono album "hymn to the immortal wind" in stock. i admit, i've already listened to the leak before. again, it's pretty much the same type of epic post-rock expected of mono, except they've included an orchestra on this album.

i also saw that hmv megastore got the new album "now we can see" by the thermals in stock. more indie rock with punk-ish influences.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, mono, the thermals

2009-02-07

old mono

the new mono has leaked, and it sound pretty good. so, while procrastinating at school yesterday, i browsed cheap thrills' online catalog, and saw that they were selling and older mono release "one step more and you die" for only $13.

on my way home from school, i picked it up. a total impulse buy. but i can never have enough post-rock.

it would be nice to collect their other releases as well. perhaps when the currency exchange rate gets better, i will order them at temporary residence; i've had amazing service with them.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, mono

2008-01-18

japan rock

gah, i feel so sick right now. sore throat, coughing, runny nose, headache, body temperature rising and dropping... this feels like a fever.

but surprise, this arrived in the mail today, and it cheered me up:

it was my first time ordering something directly from the label. temporary residence had a sale in december: four envy cd's and a mono dvd as a winter pack; also, buy 5 get 1 free, so i chose a fifth envy cd. since this was a pre-order, they only started shipping the stuff this week. it arrived today, yay! additionally, the lovely people at temporary residence marked the package as 'gift', so there was no customs tax to pay for this shipment arriving in montreal from the united states. very satisfied with my order; the next time they release something i like, i will definitely order directly from them.

the envy cd's i got:
all the footprints you've ever left and the fear expecting ahead
a dead sinking story
compiled fragments 1997-2003
insomniac doze
abyssal [ep]

the first three were out of print, and are now re-released by temporary residence. i first heard about this band after listening to mogwai's "mr. beast", where a member of envy contributes some vocals. at one point, i had gone through a 'screamo' phase, and so i immediately fell in love. i'd say envy is somewhere between post-rock and screamo, as there are highs and lows in the music, as well as emotional screaming vocals. i like that they've included english translations to their japanese lyrics, so i can follow what the songs are about. it's a beautiful mess.

i've just watched a bit of the mono dvd, "the sky remains the same as ever". it is mostly concert footage from their 2006-2007 tour, which included a date in montreal. unfortunately, in was in mid-april 2007, during the finals exams period of my final undergrad semester, and so i missed the show. now, i wished i had attended, because the concert footage seemed quite awesome! they're so intense. i hope they come back...

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, envy, mono

2007-12-26

boxing day!

for the past several years, i've worked on boxing day. this year, now that i am unemployed, i've decided to go boxing day shopping by myself, despite the craziness of the crowds. the weather was really nice today, so i mostly wandered from store to store. none of the specials were appealing to me, which is a good thing, since i am trying not to spend money.

still, at hmv, i grabbed a couple of cd's i wanted. at full price, but whatever. it's the end of the year; i should treat myself.

los campesinos! - sticking fingers into sockets
this is one of those pleasant discoveries i've made this year. this ep is pure pop goodness. i was a bit disappointed to have missed their show earlier this month (opening for broken social scene/kevin drew), so i am finally getting this cd to compensate. very sweet and danceable songs. i can play this on repeat without getting tired of it, and it'll put me in the best of moods.

mono - gone
japanese post-rock. for various reasons, i missed their shows whenever they've played here. so again, i am getting this to compensate. this is a collection of tracks from their ep's. this music is perfect for winter, i find.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, los campesinos, mono

2007-02-20

mono

i recently chatted online with a guy i met at the mogwai show. it turns out he is also going to the explosions in the sky show in march. he suggested that i check out mono, a japanese band i had only heard about. he sent me a link to their myspace, such that i could check out their track "moonlight".

well, that track got me hooked. it is so beautiful, the way it slowly builds up in layers. it got me all into a post-rock kind of mood again, making me listen to all my mogwai cd's back-to-back.

i immediately ordered mono's latest release "you are there", even though i've not heard the rest of the album. the track "moonlight" alone is worth the entire disc.

i finally got it in the mail a couple of days ago. i've been listening to it. the rest of the album is the typical post-rock stuff that i love. still, the closing track "moonlight" is definitely the highlight.

i've found out that they will be playing here in april; and the good news is, it doesn't interfere with my final exams. i will probably end up going, assuming nothing unexpected comes up.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, mono