Chico Trujillo Concert Report

Chico Trujillo at Harbourfront Centre July 5

We attended this concert largely on a whim and because it was free but ended up being surprisingly entertained. Chico Trujillo is a band from Chile who combine contemporary cumbia with elements of ska and progressive jazz, with vocals that have the intensity of hip-hop. They formed in 1999 and have gained a considerable following in South America as well as Europe. For a bit of a primer, check out this concert from Austin, Texas. While that show was more subdued than the Toronto one, it gives a good impression of what the band is about. The show brought out much of Toronto's large Chilean community with Chilean flags and jester hats visible throughout the crowd.

The concert was close to an hour and a half, ending as close to the 11pm curfew as physically possible. They played a range of songs, ranging from the traditional to the modern, often including lengthy improvisational passages. Their singer, known as "Macha", spent much of the show off-stage and would return wearing thick sunglasses and looking a bit wobbly. Despite his apparent intoxication (or because of it), he maintained total command of the crowd throughout the set. He would initiate numerous sing-alongs, clap-alongs and led the crowd in a motion that reminded me of pitching a softball. I was able to enjoy and appreciate most of the songs due to the strong melodies despite my extremely limited knowledge of Castilian. The band was extremely tight and was easily able to negotiate numerous time changes. The crowd was one of the best I have ever seen, singing along to the lyrics and awkwardly dancing throughout the set. At the end of the first set, the crowd seemed like they would not accept the absence of an encore, even when one of the organizers tried to speak. The combination of the excellent band, good songs and an amazing crowd made the show a great experience.

Savages Concert Report

Savages at Mod Club July 16, 2013

Savages brought their potent brand of post-punk intensity back to Toronto last night. This was their second visit to Toronto and my second Savages show, following their brief but punishing set at Lee's Palace for Canadian Music Week earlier this year. Savages are based in London while lead singer Jehnny Beth is a singer and occasional actress from France. They play a heavy version of late 70s post punk that sounds like a combination of Joy Division and early Siouxsie and the Banshees. Their debut album Silence Yourself effectively conveyed the power of their live sets and highlighted their songwriting skills. I didn't take any photos due to the band's desire for the crowd to keep their cellphones away.

At over an hour, last night's show was much longer than their CMW showcase. This allowed them to highlight some of their slower tracks as well as playing tracks that haven't been released yet. The best of the new tracks was a lengthy jam based on a simple and hypnotic groove. All of the tracks played emphasized the groups excellent musicianship. The bass in particular achieved throbbing prominence throughout the set while the guitar offered occasionally overpowering squalls of noise and the drums pushed the punishing rhythms. Jehnny Beth is an amazing performer with dance moves that combine the twitchy enthusiasm of Ian Curtis with the aggression of a boxer. Her singing voice is remarkable, reminiscent of Patti Smith or Siouxsie Sioux but more technically proficient than either.

The best songs on the album were, not surprisingly, also the best songs of the concert. While I enjoyed their album, the songs are really meant to be heard live. "I am here" had a bass line reminiscent of U2s "New Years Day" with a building intensity that culminated with some intense screaming from Beth. "Hit Me" was fast, ugly and almost unreasonably heavy. "Husbands" is their fastest and catchiest track. After claiming that they never play encores, they came back on stage for an excellent rendition of melodic highlight "She Will". While their sound is derivative, their approach is so powerful and convincing that their show feels like an entirely unique experience.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Concert Report

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Echo Beach July 1 2013

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the perfect Canada Day celebration despite their somewhat short set and lack of Canadianness. They blew away the opening band, Maximum Hedrum, who were one of the worst bands I've ever seen. They are an electro-funk group headed by Spike Jonze's brother, Sam Spiegel, who produces the YYYs second album. Other than a slightly amusing song about hugs, their set was filled with lame, one-note jokes and bad songs. Also irritating were their attempts to get the audience hyped about their terrible music. Oh, nepotism!

After that, expectations were fairly low for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. While they have a good live reputation, their new record Mosquito was only so-so with a few really good songs. They opened with a track from that album "Under the Earth", which was a bit low key as an opener. The set improved dramatically with their second song "Black Tongue" where singer Karen O cut loose with her distinctive howl. They had a good mix of songs from their four albums, with the most songs coming from their first album. They played the two songs I most wanted to hear: "Heads Will Roll" and "Date with the Night." The latter song was extended considerably for their second encore. In total, they played sixteen songs, which was a bit brief but still satisfying.

The band was in good form musically. They played about half the songs as the core three-piece of Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase. Nick Zinner is an excellent guitarist with a heavy and unique style while Brian Chase has a powerful drum sound. On the rest of the songs they were joined by David Pajo, formerly of Slint and Zwan. Karen O is a hugely charismatic and energetic performer, despite her limitations as a singer. She gave the mic to members of the crowd to sing along as well as at one point putting the mic in her mouth and down her pants. She wore a huge light on her head for the first few songs. In a subtle nod to Canada Day, she came on stage carrying a little Canadian flag.

2013 so far...

Hi,
Since it's about halfway through the year, it seemed appropriate to write about some of this year's best albums. This year has been notable for a number of great new records by artists that I had previously written off. Also, a few newer artists have impressed me this year with solid efforts. There will be more to come...

David Bowie - The Next Day

Bowie's announcement of his return from quasi-retirement came as a shock to everyone, most of all me. I've been listening to Bowie since before I could speak, so his ten-year absence was particularly baffling for me. In fact, I wasn't the only one who was concerned (check out Flaming Lips' "Is David Bowie Dying?"). When, on his 66th birthday, a new song was released and an album was announced, I was cautiously optimistic. The album, as it turns out, is stunning.

The title track is a powerful opening, with Bowie's rough growl of a vocal and strong apocalyptic imagery. The second track, "Dirty Boys", is a slow, dirty funk track with horns that evoke a junkyard. "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" offers an insightful commentary on celebrity culture. "Valentine's Day" offers a subtly strange narrative about a school shooter with "a tiny face" and "scrawny hands". The finale, "Heat", is an effective appropriate of latter-day Scott Walker's style with a unique spin and the mysterious mantra of "my father ran the prison..." The album has also spawned the two best music video of the year, for "The Stars are out Tonight" and "The Next Day". Prior to this album, Bowie had never gone more than three years without an album. Maybe the absence did him good. I hope it's not as long this time...

The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law

This Welsh trio's debut album, The Big Roar from 2011, was a pleasant surprise. They offered a potent and streamlined version of shoegaze that was heavy on riffs and hooks. While it was a very good album, it was overshadowed by its awesome single, "Whirring". Their second album doesn't have anything quite as stunning as that track but is much more consistent than their debut. The opener, "This Ladder Is Ours", has a great hook and creates a powerful momentum that is carried throughout the album. "Little Blimp" is their most punky and angular track to date. "Maw Maw Song" is huge and epic while parodying their own sense of scale. I saw them in April at the Phoenix and their energy was overwhelming and infectious. I predict further greatness.

My Bloody Valentine - MBV

I was sure this record would never come out and, if it did, that it would be terrible. I was happy to find that the album came out with only a few days warning and surpassed all expectations. Their 1991 album, "Loveless", is generally considered to be an untouchable classics, which may explain why it took 22 years for a follow-up. The sound that they defined has been often imitated which leaves this record sounding current. This is a stranger and heavier album whose merits are not as apparent as its predecessor's. One of the things I like best about the album is that it gets gradually better and more intense as it progressed. By the time the last track, "Wonder 2" is finished, my heart is always racing. That track is a peculiar mix of drum n bass percussion, a catchy vocal, thick guitar noise and something that sounds like an organ. Both Kevin Shields' and Belinda Butcher's vocals have a timeless quality that is as effective now as 20 years ago. Shields' guitar playing has progressed considerably since Loveless and this record contains sounds and textures I have never heard anywhere.

Kanye West - Yeezus

"Hurry up with my damn croissants!" It's hard to say much about this album since so much has already been written about it. After going through Kanye's discography, I feel like I am now fully indoctrinated in the cult of Yeezy. Yeezus didn't impress me much on the first listen but has grown on me since. This album sounds like the future, a bleak future admittedly. Stunning production work from Daft Punk on four tracks, work that far exceeds the quality of their own album released this year. For Kanye fans, his albums form a meta-narrative, describing in painful and uncomfortable detail the artist's life and times. To me, that story is a tragedy of refusing to accept the essential unfairness of the world. As a man who was already abnormally attached to his mother (see "Hey Mama" and "Mama's Boyfriend"), his mother's death from a cosmetic surgery that he had paid for marked a line in his life and work. Listening to his upbeat and optimistic early albums offers a huge contrast with the material recorded after his mother's death. A cruelty and sourness crept into his lyrics that have only grown in the five years since her death.  This album demonstrates this in full force, highlighting his narcissism and complicated relationship with women while stripping everything down to its bare essentials. At the same time, he intermingles this with often unpleasant observations on American racial politics.

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine

A significant contrast to Yeezus, Depeche Mode's new album offers visceral pleasures without requiring any high-level analysis from the listener. This is Depeche Mode's tightest, best-sounding set of songs since Songs of Faith and Devotion. The standard lyrical conceits of oppression, guilt and kinky sex are here in full force but are delivered with such enthusiasm as to still feel fresh. Dave Gahan's voice is an unstoppable force of nature, both seductive and strident. His songwriting contributions, such as "Secret to the End" and "Should Be Higher", offer many of the albums best moments. His songwriting voice is now beginning to rival that of traditional Depeche Mode songwriter Martin Gore. The vinyl version of the album has four bonus tracks that, rather than feeling tacked on, serve to extend the listening pleasure of the album.

Follakzoid - II

This self-described "cosmic music band" from Chile offered one of the best surprises so far this year. I am often wary of groups that revive a particular period in music, in this case German experimental rock of the 1970s, but Follakzoid do it successfully through their full commitment to the music. The "motorik" momentum and mumbled vocals are present but executed with skill and passion. Listen to and buy the album here.

Primal Scream - More Light

I wrote about this album in my beginners guide to Primal Scream. This is still maybe my favourite album this year. I just got the vinyl which makes the album sound just that much better!

Kate Boy in concert

Kate Boy Concert Report
June 9, Wrongbar

This concert is a bit difficult to write about since, while it was a solid performance, it was the briefest concert I have ever been to. The group played for about 35 minutes. Kate Boy are a group of Swedes with an Australian ex-pat for a singer. The group's name refers to an androgynous imaginary fifth member. Despite this odd concept, they deliver fairly poppy electronic music that is reminiscent of The Knife's more song-oriented material. This was my first visit to the Wrongbar and, while it's a small venue, the sound was good and the staging, with a blue light on the front of the crowd, seemed appropriate for the type of music being played.

To date, the group have only released three singles, hence the short set. They presumably ran out of material after playing about seven songs. Unsurprisingly, they played their three excellent singles as well as a few other solid songs that, I imagine, will appear on a debut album at some point.  The singer, Kate Akhurst, was dressed up in her standard outfit of a black baseball cap, black sleeveless top and black leather wristbands. For a singer in a new band, her performance was extremely confident with especially forceful vocals on "The Way We Are". Electronic acts can often be dull performers but this group seemed pretty active throughout with a bass player and several types of live electronic percussion. The variety of drums were prominent throughout, reminding me of some of Peter Gabriel's more percussive material. They ended with their best track, the powerful "Northern Lights", which left the crowd wanting more. Overall, a brief but promising start for a group we'll definitely be hearing more of. Make sure to check out the tracks I linked to above!

Hamster Jams

Hello again,
Exercising is healthy and occasionally fun, but for those of us who gym it can feel like being a hamster running in a wheel. The only difference is that most of us have headphones in our ears while running in place. I have very peculiar music tastes when exercising and I thought I would share some of them. The main requirement for a successful hamster jam is that it be diverting, but it also helps if it is fast and loud.

Peter Gabriel - The Rhythm of the Heat / MIA - Bird Flu
These songs are all about the drums and fit together well. The Peter Gabriel song first came to my attention as a sample of it was used on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. It's a bit of a slow build but the momentum of the track is very motivating. Once the drums hit, it's pretty much a signal to go totally crazy. The MIA song is one of her best and is characterized by heavy drums and some weird kid vocals. I have no idea what the song is about and I think I like it better that way.

Bloc Party - Helicopter
The best song off of their only good album. Awesome opening line: "Note to self...empty." The Bloc Party have one of the best rhythm sections of any contemporary band (something they've forgotten in recent years) and they kill it on this track. Watching them play it live, it looks like their tiny drummer's arms are going to fall off. Unrelenting.

Purity Ring - Fineshrine
A newer duo out of Edmonton, their debut album is uniformly solid but this track stands out for me. Maybe it's because of the use of the word "sternum". The song has a persistent thick groove with a very strong melody. Reminds me of some of the better songs by The Knife. Would love to see them live.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Throw away your Television
One of the best and heaviest Chili songs. All the elements come together on this track for complete awesomeness. While the song has a funky bassline, they manage to give the track a punky feel, especially with Anthony Kiedes' random exclamation of "Oi, oi, oi!" This song also features one of John Frusciante's greatest, effects-laden guitar solos. If you don't feel excited after hearing this, you're not listening right.

M83 - Steve McQueen
Music for running up a mountain at a 90 degree angle. So much kick drum! Anthony Gonzales' unapologetically impassioned and very French delivery makes the overly earnest lyrics work. Would be perfect for an 80s training montage. The video, part of a series about a group of telekinetic children, is pretty great too. Like a less creepy version of Akira.

Delerium - Euphoria (Firefly)
This track was a minor Can Con hit in 1997 but has stuck with me for some reason. Delerium was a couple of Skinny Puppy-affiliated guys attempting middle-eastern influenced dance-pop. Many of their songs sounded like Ray of Light era Madonna knock offs but this one worked somehow. I loved this song even when all I was listening to at the time was mid 90s alternative rock. Their also-excellent track with Sarah McLachlan, Silence, was a bit of a hit as well.

Plan B - Ill Manors
I've always found that British hip-hop is angrier and more intense than its American counterpart and this track is no exception. Plan B is pretty huge in England but is virtually unknown here.  As a rapper, soul singer, producer, director, writer and actor, he has a packed resume. This song and the album by the same name are an odd choice for exercising. The music is powerful and highly motivating but the lyrics about urban poverty, desperate youth and the follies of austerity make for a pretty depressing listen.

A Beginner's Guide to Primal Scream

Hi again,
In anticipation of the release of their excellent new album, More Light, I thought I would write about one of my favourite unappreciated groups, Primal Scream. Now entering their fourth (!) decade as a band, they have been largely ignored in North America and often reviled in the UK as either vapid bar band revivalists or drugged-out electro-anarchist poseurs. Their discography is wildly uneven with some of the best albums of the last few decades and some of the worst. Their live performances are equally uneven. I have seen them twice, in 2000 and 2008, and it was like seeing two completely different bands. I hope I can help shine a light on the world of Primal Scream by providing a bit of background, some choice albums and a few notable collaborators. The Scream have a fascinating career and discography that lie undiscovered by many music fans.

A Bit of Background 
The Scream were originally formed in Glasgow in 1982, influenced by the jangle-pop of The Byrds and the post-punk grooves of Public Image and New Order. At this time, the core members of the group, Bobby Gillespie, Robert Young and Andrew Innes came together. Gillespie and Innes are the only constant in Primal Scream's ever-changing line-up. Singer Bobby Gillespie was a punk who had dropped out of school at age 15 to work at a factory. Gillespie's father was a politically active labour organizer and this influence led to the socially conscious, provocative lyrics that characterize much of Primal Scream's later work. Gillespie was also the original drummer for The Jesus and Mary Chain but left that role to concentrate on the Scream full time. Their early work achieved little mainstream success and was often lumped in with the C86 indie-pop movement of the mid 1980s. Their first two records, Sonic Flower Groove and Primal Scream, did not make a significant impact and are still largely unavailable. Their critical and commercial breakthrough was 1991s Screamadelica, which leads us to our next section.

Some Choice Albums

Screamadelica (1991) - This album is a good starting point for the Scream and one of the key records of the rave era. Here the Scream combined Rolling Stones grooves, cutting-edge (for the time) electronic production and a pleasingly warm, spaced-out vibe to create their first classic album. The opener "Movin' on up" has proven to be one of their most enduring tracks and while being a brilliant song, set the precedent for some of their worst, Rolling Stones-imitating music. The track "Loaded", their first major hit, cemented the notion of Primal Scream as a drug band while introducing a common trend of the band re-contextualizing their older music as it was a remix of the track "I'm Losing More than I'll Ever Have" from 1989s Primal Scream. Production from Andrew Weatherall and the Orb helped to add electronic elements that were new to the band at the time but that they would come back to throughout their career. The album won the first-ever Mercury Prize in 1992 and the band toured the album in full for its twentieth anniversary in 2011.

Vanishing Point (1997) - This was their second great album, following the terrible Give Out but Don't Give Up from 1994 which spawned their biggest hit, "Rocks". They countered the dull revivalism of that previous album by making their strangest album to date, combining dub, hard rock and psychedelia. The album is named after the 1971 car film of the same name. The excellent, propulsive first single "Kowalski" is named after the largely silent but free-spirited hero of the film and has extensive samples from the film. The lengthy, hypnotic track "Trainspotting" was used in the film of the same name. This album also spawned the very solid dub remix album Echodek.

XTRMNTR (2000) - The record that led me to become a Primal Scream fan is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful and significant albums of the last twenty years. This album has a punishing, challenging songs and is their first to have overtly political lyrics. The anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian lyrics are often stream of consciousness but the intent is always clear. This new attitude is best exemplified by first single "Swastika Eyes", which uses a catchy melody and a heavy house beat to criticize Britain's authoritarian tendencies. Profanity-laden track "Pills" likens the artifice of politics to drug-fuelled sickness and paranoia. Elsewhere, the Scream explore avant-jazz ("Blood Money") and motorik grooves (Bernard Sumner collaboration "Shoot Speed/Kill Light"). The most aggressive tracks are Kevin Shields' remix of "If They Move, Kill 'Em" from Vanishing Point, renamed "MBV Arkestra" and his mix of "Accelerator", a straight-up rock track pushed past the breaking point.

More Light (2013) - Their current album and one of the best albums of the last few years. It is their most lengthy album and the extra breathing room allows them to explore ideas fully and let the grooves develop. Working with producer David Holmes allowed them to create their most lush and focused album to date with big arrangements and subtle details that give the album a widescreen appeal. Opening track "2013" is a state of the nation manifesto that sees them reengaging with the political, socially conscious themes that they had largely left behind for the previous decade. This socially conscious message is pervasive throughout the album, especially in tracks like "River of Pain", "Tenement Kid" and "Sideman". Overall, this album has Gillespie's most emotional and direct lyrics to date. The closing track is a surprisingly effective rewrite of "Movin' on up" called "It's Alright, It's OK" that manages to leave this occasionally quite dark album with a hopeful feeling. For more about the process and intent of the album, I recommend this excellent interview with Gillespie from the Quietus.

A Few Notable Collaborators
Primal Scream have worked with many of the biggest names in popular culture, from George Clinton to William S. Burroughs to Kate Moss, some more successfully than others. Here are a few that led to some of their best music.

Gary "Mani" Mounfield - The former Stone Roses bassist worked with the Scream from 1997 to 2011. In the Stone Roses, he helped define the "Madchester" sound with his thick, slippery bass lines. His first collaboration with the Scream, "Kowalski", utilized his style to create a darker, groovier sound that would characterize much of the Scream's work after this point. His bass lines defined great tracks such as "Exterminator", "Swastika Eyes", "Miss Lucifer" and "Uptown". Though he left the band after the Screamadelica tour, his influence is still felt on More Light.

Kevin Shields - As the creative force behind My Bloody Valentine, he helped to redefine the boundaries of what the guitar can do. On "MBV Arkestra" and "Accelerator", he brought the intense and aggressive sound of XTRMNTR to a different level with his mixing and guitar squalls. He toured with the band on and off for the next few years though in a live setting it was not always clear what he was doing and he often appeared sleepy or sedated. He has also contributed to a number of great Primal Scream tracks over the years, including "Deep Hit of Morning Sun" and "2013".

Robert Plant - The legendary Led Zeppelin vocalist was originally recruited through shopping at the same grocery store as Andrew Innes. He first appeared playing harmonica on "The Lord Is My Shotgun" from 2003. Gillespie recruited him for their new album, More Light, as Gillespie felt Plant was the element that was missing from the track "Elimination Blues".  His distinctive melancholy wail adds an element that makes what could have been an average quality blues jam into a classic Scream song.