The Dutchess and the Duke were in Toronto last night, performing as a two-piece and playing a pretty good balance of album one and album two. Random observation: rarely have I ever seen a band make so many requests for volume adjustments, which is odd given their relatively straightforward double singer-guitarist set-up. For a solid twenty minutes before their set began, both Kimberly Morrison and Jesse Lortz repeatedly asked to have their vocals/guitars turned up and/or down. During this period, they even managed to play lengthy portions of a few songs -- and the (polite) requests didn't stop there. In any case, it turned out to be a pretty solid show, poor sightlines and bizarrely noisy crowd notwithstanding. Watch the following clip and you'll see/hear what I mean. -- JD
Saturday, November 7th, 2009
The Mod Club - Toronto, ON
After receiving a fair amount of flack for their maligned sophomore effort, Arm’s Way, Islands returned to synthy form with this year’s Vapours. Sporting a ridiculous rhinestone-studded white cape and looking like some seventies-rock-star-from-another-planet (Ziggy Stardust?), frontman Nick Diamonds and his equally bizarre-looking bandmates –- including his Unicorns collaborator Jamie Thompson, returning to the band after a one-album hiatus -– played a stellar show recently at Toronto’s always-decent Mod Club.
I knew Fucked Up borrowed heavily from The Jesus Lizard playbook, but having now seen both bands at the Phoenix on Thursday nights in the last four months, it's shocking just how similar their shows really are. The key difference is the temperament -- and physical condition -- of their respective front men. Whereas FU's Damian Abraham (aka Pink Eyes) is large and friendly, Jesus Lizard vocalist David Yow is unpredictably strange/drunk, wily and physically fit enough to send himself flying through the air at any time.
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Massey Hall - Toronto, ON
While most hardcore indie rock-philes would characterize the international mini-rivalry between Radiohead and Wilco (no, the bands don't appear to be in on this) as a hands-down victory for Radiohead, I'm not so sure. Dismiss them as "dad rock" all you want-- is Paul Thomas Anderson making "dad cinema" because he rips-off Robert Altman? -- Wilco has a musicianship that even Radiohead (with all their computers and robots and whatnot) can't always equal. The argument in Radiohead's defense is that they're more innovative and experimental. Fair enough and, for that reason, their seven studio albums have the slight edge over Wilco's. However, the doom-and-gloom that pervades Radiohead's music makes for live shows that are thrilling, yet somewhat alienating. At a Radiohead show, you bond with the rest of the crowd... over your shared sense of isolation. Wilco's appeal is simpler and more refreshingly direct. While Radiohead is the defining bummer band of its generation, Wilco may be the defining party band.
Wilco's second night at Massey Hall was even better than their first. This may have something to do with the fact that I was sitting in the fifth row, but I also had the good fortune of sitting right in front of a beam, which made my video recordings largely invisible to ushers or the people seated behind me. As a result, I was able to capture two or three complete songs and excepts from a few others. I was on track to get all of "California Stars" during the encore, but then my batteries gave out. I'll post more videos in my review later this weekend, but for now here's the opening of the show -- complete with The Price is Right theme -- followed by "California Stars."
As anyone who's been to Massey Hall recently will tell you, it's incredibly difficult to record video -- or even snap photos -- at this venue. Their hyper-vigilant ushers tend to pounce on anyone who pulls out a camera within seconds. In general, this is a good thing (unless you enjoy staring at a wall of LCD screens), but when you're trying to record video for your website, it can be a bit nerve-wracking. I started this recording thinking I'd get a few seconds of stage banter, but no one asked me to stop, so I kept going until the song was over (a subsequent effort was less successful). Apologies for the poor quality of the video, but I'm in dire need of a Flip upgrade. -- JD
Here's one of the epic new songs Sufjan Stevens unveiled last night at Lee's Palace (this one clocks in at ten minutes). You'll find one of his uncharacteristic new psych/prog flourishes around the 2:20 mark... and another at 4:45. Maybe I'm imagining things, but to my ears, Stevens sounds a bit more Shins-like than usual in this track. It's not clear whether the presence of James Mercer -- or a James Mercer lookalike -- in the audience had anything to do with this. -- JD
CONCERT REVIEW: Wavves
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
El Mocambo - Toronto, ON
Not even the inhumanly high temperature inside El Mocambo could spoil the Tuesday triple-header that began with decent local group The Bitters (opening for Wavves as they did last March at Sneaky Dee's) and psychedelically sublime Cali-rock show-stealers Ganglians. These lively openers were followed by the bratty noise-pop headliner, who made it semi-big this year with two impressively minimalist LPs and lotsa, lotsa touring. When Wavves first visited Toronto in March, the gig was nearly sold out and expectations were exceeded. Six months, one public meltdown and a drummer later, Nathan Williams has re-emerged with a broken wrist, an even more stupidly ironic haircut and a decidedly heavier sound.
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Massey Hall - Toronto, ON
Elvis Costello has taken a lot of heat this year for releasing a mediocre, country-ish strings album (Secret, Profane & Sugarcane), so it was natural to approach this show with some reticence. Tickets went on sale before the album hit stores -- though I've only ever seen it in Starbucks -- so ticket-buyers didn't necessarily know what they were getting themselves into. Once it became clear that Costello and his new band (the Sugarcanes) would be performing their whole set in roughly the style of Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, mild concern seemed like a suitable response. Lucky for those in attendance, these fears were unfounded, as the Sugarcanes' flavorful brand of roots rock turned out to be a perfect fit for Massey Hall. Performing without a drummer, Costello's vocals were even more prominent than usual, emphasizing his estimable skill as a singer, songwriter and interpreter of other people's songs.
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
It goes like this: band rise, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of another band’s early demise. Band hit it unexpectedly, impossibly huge. Band eschews the trappings of mega-stardom to sustain their life. Band ages gracefully with their codified integrity and creativity in tact. For the above reasons, Pearl Jam have been my favorite rock band for half my life. Friday at Toronto’s lovely Molson Amphitheatre was my twelfth great occasion to rock, sing and feel joy in their presence. There are two general schools of thought: Pearl Jam is a band and Pearl Jam is a vehicle for Eddie Vedder. Attending a Pearl Jam concert is like watching those two notions play ping pong.
