Rococode CD Release Show @ Electric Owl -- 04/04/12

At the tail end of a cross Canada tour, Rococode comes home for the official CD Release show of their debut album, Guns, Sex & Glory, released a couple months ago. And they brought with them their "band mentor", and another local band who I've been meaning to catch.

Due to another show, though, (seriously, it seemed like everything was happening Wednesday night) I got there part way through Wintermitts set, catching just the last couple songs. The bi-lingual band had a grandiose, orchestral-pop sound, with a stage packed full of instruments; keys, accordion, horns, and more. I caught just enough to know that I definitely want to see them again, hopefully seeing an entire set.

Next up was Ryan Guldemond doing a solo set. Taking the stage alone, he sounded a lot like you'd expect from the frontman of Mother Mother, just a little more on the bluesy and jazz side, with his distinctive voice over some catchy and cleverly written songs. A few he introduced as new, but I'm not sure if they will be eventual Mother Mother songs, or for his own repertoire, and while I didn't catch the name of any of the songs, there were a few I am hoping are released in some form.

And finally, Rococode hit the stage, starting off with the slow build up of title track to their debut album, Guns, Sex & Glory before launching into "Weapon". Seeing a band at the end of a tour can go two ways, either the band is firing on all cylinders having played together so often, or being completely road-weary, and the four members of Rococode were definitely the former; their harmonies were airtight and the insanely catchy power-pop spot on.
They played nearly the entire album, with a few new songs thrown in, highlights being the haunting "Dreams", the definite earworm "Empire", and the closer of the night, the cacophonous "Blood".
I've been able to see Rococode several times in the last year and a half, and they never fail to impress live; continually getting better and putting on great live shows.

setlist
Guns, Sex & Glory; Death of a Payphone; Run Run Run Run Run (Run); EJ; Concentrate On Me; Empire; Dreams; Concentrate On You; The Riot; Ghost I & II; Blood.