Monthly Archives: October 2015

Built By Snow

25 Sunday Oct 2015

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built_by_snow1With robot imagery, old video game sounds, and plenty of synthesizers, Built By Snow conjure up a period in the 1980s when the future really was now. For instance, the keyboard opening of “Invaders” is pure space travel soundtrack. Blogger NobodySeemsToBeAShip decided to mash the song with Patrick Jean’s award winning short film Pixels and, as you can see, the lyrics eerily fit the images almost perfectly.

               Patrick Jean website

The band self-released just one EP and one album before disbanding. The 2007 EP Noise had a punky vibe but the full-length album MEGA in 2008 delivered a more polished pop rock sound for about the half the record, with the rest branching off into more experimental themes. “All the Weird Kids Know” channels early period Cars as if the band had gone 1980s alternative instead of FM commercial while “Something in 3D,” with its whoo hoo’s and staccato drums, would not sound out of place on any playlist today.  While they have reunited for the occasional live show (most recently earlier this year) there does not appear to be any new material forthcoming, though their lead singer has released two albums as Oh Look Out.

Built By Snow webpage, bandcamp and YouTube page.

Around the dial: Stornaway, Stella Ella Ola, and The Format

20 Tuesday Oct 2015

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30_c_w_450_h_450Stornoway – “I Saw You Blink”  What does this band and the official residence of Canada’s Loyal Opposition leader have in common? They are both named for a small fishing village on a remote Scottish island. And what does that have to do with this English’s band’s music? Not much, apparently. At first listen, this song seems very folky – harmony vocals, acoustic guitars, etc. – but the catchy bass line signals it is something else and as the song goes it becomes less and less folk, particularly with great organ and synthesizer riffs that appear about half way through. The song is from their 2010 debut album, Beachcomber’s Windowsill, which also features “Zorbing” and “Here Comes the Blackout.”

Stornoway website

a3273832733_10Stella Ella Ola – “Summerette”  Stella Ella Ola opened for Ezra Furman at his recent Toronto show and performed a killer set. The whole band sings at different points in most songs and the performance says we’re here to have some fun. This song is from their recent album I Think We Should Hang Out All the Time and oozes a great B52’s party vibe. A must see live band!

 Stella Ella Ola Facebook

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The Format – “Wait, Wait, Wait”  Before Fun broke out as major act with songs like “We Are Young” and “Some Nights” lead singer Nate Ruess had belonged to a different band that had a minor brush with success, The Format. Just as poppy as Fun but with a more restrained performance style from Ruess, The Format released just two albums before calling it quits in 2008. “Wait, Wait, Wait” has all the classic poprock elements: propulsive four piece rock and roll sound with strong hooks. The chorus sounds like the song should be called ‘Don’t, Don’t’ and really delivers on its last line: “I’ll be the last sound that you hear as your eyes close.” The whole first album, Interventions and Lullabies, is worth looking up.

 The Format website

Up in smoke: Jeremy Fisher and Darwin Deez

14 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Poprock Themepark

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Jeremy_Fisher_-_Goodbye_Blue_MondayAlong with drugs, hard liquor and sex, cigarettes are a staple motif of the rock and roll imaginary. But poprock has typically taken a lighter approach to vice. Cigarettes appear as metaphors for both desire and dysfunctional relationships, sometimes in the same song. Jeremy Fisher’s amazing 2007 album, Goodbye Blue Monday, features a great cigarette song where the protagonist likens himself to a cigarette for his intended love: “Light me up and get on with it; I’ll be hard to forget; good or bad I’m just a habit.” Hardly seems like a strong way to sell yourself but Jeremy seems to be privileging results here at any cost. The video below became widely popular, even if the single and its album did not race up the charts the way they should have.

        Jeremy Fisher website

darwin-deezOn “Last Cigarette” Darwin Deez’s lead singer strikes a different pose, alternating between telling himself he’s quitting but then opting for ‘one last cigarette,’ with shifts in focus illustrated with clever wordplay. But is the song about breaking up with somebody or just something, e.g. his cigarettes? I’m not sure – the ambiguity is part of the song’s charm.  In any event, this is a standout track from an already impressive new album, Double Down. The band comes to Toronto December 12 for a show at The Drake Hotel.

Darwin Deez website

Welcome to Tally Hall

07 Wednesday Oct 2015

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14Some music takes a little bit more effort to get into. Tally Hall may be that kind of music for a lot of people. Any given song may go off in multiple directions, often with different sections seemingly just stitched together like a musical patchwork quilt. But coming to Tally Hall is worth the effort. Their two albums contain unusual yet infectious material that really defies categorization. Does the within-song style changes featured in “Good Day” remind me of Queen? Sure, sort of. But that doesn’t really do it justice. The closest band I can think of to compare them to is The Residents, but only because they too were quirky in a ‘performance art’ sort of way.

 

You get the picture from the start of “Good Day,” a song from their 2005 debut album Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum: the robot-like harmony vocals float over a propulsive piano hook, only to resolve into a dream-like interlude that is then interrupted by yet another stylistic change, and so on. To their credit, Tally Hall manage to make shifting musical gears not sound abrupt.

Sacred Beast

H8FPo2011’s Good and Evil (now on a major label – Atlantic), features more of the same quirkiness in songs like “&,” “Turn the Lights Off” and “Fate of the Stars,” but also includes a number of more straight-up pop rock songs like “You and Me,” and “Cannibal.” Somewhere in between are two particularly strong tracks, the 1960s-ish “Sacred Beast” and the story song “Misery Fell.” Tally Hall are a bit off the beaten path but worth the trip. They also produced 10 episodes of a hilarious internet show, all available for viewing on the Tally Hall website.

Six months with Daveit Ferris

05 Monday Oct 2015

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One of the reasons I was keen to start this blog was to be able to feature immensely talented people like Northern Ireland’s Daveit Ferris. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Ferris set himself the task of releasing a song a day for the entire year of 2015. To put this into perspective, even the highly productive Beatles only penned 250 songs over an eight-year period! The back story to this project is that a few years ago Ferris was struck with a life threatening illness.  Upon recovery he vowed to waste no more time and dedicate himself to his creative arts, which includes music and poetry. His 365 Sparks project – presently up to song 214 – is the result.

This post draws from the first six months of the project, focusing on songs that are strong on catchy melody and surprising arrangements. As sole producer, writer and performer, Ferris has to be inventive and he delivers with interesting vocal arrangements, surprising instrument choices, and unconventional song structures. A lot of the songs rely on a strong acoustic guitar backing; indeed, most could survive a solo acoustic treatment with none of their charm diminished. The acoustic guitar anchors “This is the Turning Point” and provides the pock rock swing to “Blues for Blue Eyes,” “Counting Sheep,” and “Your Teeth.” Meanwhile “Don’t” is a beautiful acoustic guitar ballad. “White Lies” channels a 1950s vibe with a toy-sounding piano riff while “Immeasurable” utilizes a magnetic banjo drone in the chorus to completely alter the mood of the song (and the listener).

The songs are available from iTunes, Bandcamp, and Ferris’s own site (the latter at a great package rate).  I’ve enjoyed checking in regularly with Ferris’ site this summer to see what his most recent effort is like: Daveit Ferris website.