3am Mixtapes: Episode Eighty One: Patio

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best harmonies. Some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Songs For Sitting In A Dark Basement and Drinking Whiskey. 

And given that we had ridiculously warm weather in Vancouver this weekend (which looks like it is continuing) I can't think of a better topic for this week than the Top Six Songs For Chilling on the Patio on a Sunny Day! 

Get a drink with these songs:

"Davey and Clara" by Fans & Motor Supply Co.
"Carry On" by Cœur de Pirate
"The Arp" by Aidan Knight
"Dream Lover" by Destroyer
"Mango" by Highs
"Heaven and High Water" by P'aris

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

3am Mixtapes: Episode Sixty Seven: Opening Riffs

Each week on the 3am Mixtapes podcast, I will share with you the Top Six Songs of a certain subject. The topics can be as general as best French songs, but some might be a little more... specific. Top Six Interconnected Bands. 

This week we take a look listen at some songs that grab you right away, with the Top Six Opening Riffs!

Kick into gear with:

"One Big Holiday" by My Morning Jacket
"Gold Guns Girls" by Metric
"3000 Flowers" by Destroyer
"I Love Not Loving You" by Wide Mouth Mason
"Rock Ranger Record" by Matt Mays + El Torpedo
"Hold Your Fire" by Gay Nineties

Any questions or comments or waffles or criticisms or suggestions for future themes are welcome!

 Subscribe in a reader (Feedburner) | Listen on Stitcher | Direct Download

Destroyer w/ Blackout Beach @ Rickshaw Theatre -- 06/12/14

I've never really been a fan of the Rickshaw Theatre as a venue. The first time I was there the poor sound ruined what should have been an otherwise great show, and the few shows I saw after were not much better. It got to the point where I just avoided going to shows there.
So when Dan Bejar announced a solo Destroyer show -- with Blackout Beach opening as well -- I was conflicted. But I decided to give the Rickshaw another chance, figuring it would be hard to mess up the sound for a single guy with an acoustic guitar. And you know what? It sounded pretty good.


It had been a while since I've seen Carey Mercer in any incarnation, so I was very glad that the Frog Eyes frontman (and Bejar's bandmate in Swan Lake) was opening under his solo alter-ego Blackout Beach. He took the stage with an acoustic guitar, and a bag of tricks in the form of looped beats and plenty of distortion pedals. His incredibly powerful voice drove most of the songs -- a couple times he even stepped off the mic and belted out the words -- with an almost frantic intensity. Never more apparent than in "Three Men Drowned In The River" from his Skin of Evil album.

In contrast to the intensity of the songs, though, his stage banter was light and funny. Part off-the-cuff, with a dash of self-effacing humour, Mercer joked with the crowd between each song, asking things like if the beats were "too techno, or not techno enough?" (they were somewhere in the middle).
He wrapped up the set with a pair of Frog Eyes songs from his most recent album Carey's Cold Spring; "Claxxon's Lament" provided unparalleled emotion, and he wrapped up with the advice "Don't Give Up Your Dreams", his distorted guitar wailing to an ending.


The last time I saw Destroyer, it was the full band at the Vogue Theatre, with the band filling out the rich and lustrous sound of their last couple albums. But this time it was only Dan Bejar, armed with his acoustic guitar, and speaking a word he silenced the din of the crowd just by launching into his first song, "My Favourite Year". In fact, other than some recognition applause and cheers at the start of most songs, the crowd was in an awed silence the entire night, as long as Bejar was playing -- the one memorable occasion being when half the packed show shouted "the fucking maniac" at the appropriate part of "European Oils"

Bejar played a packed set, just shy of an hour and a half which spanned his illustrious career, going back to almost twenty years for the song "Streets of Fire" from We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge all the way up to "Bye Bye" from his newest Five Spanish Songs EP.
Other highlights included the gorgeous and fragile songs like "Chinatown" and "Foam Hands" as well as dramatically stripped down versions of more upbeat tunes, "Your Blood" and "Savage Night At The Opera", and also the aforementioned "European Oils", a personal favourite.

In contrast to Mercer's humour, Bejar didn't say too much between songs (as you would expect) but as the set went on he loosened up and a few times his dry sense of humour came through; joking that a few of his songs were suspiciously similar when stripped down to the acoustic, and proclaiming the last song of the night would be the best (and them promptly feigning a complete loss of self-confidence) before launching into a stunning rendition of "Don't Become The Thing You Hated".
But of course the packed theatre was not done yet, cheering for more as Dan came back out with another couple songs to cap off the night with "Virgin With a Memory" from 2001's Streethawk: A Seduction

And with that he bowed one last time, leaving the audience with one of the better shows I've seen so far this year.

setlist
My Favourite Year; Your Blood; The Chosen Few; Bye Bye; Foam Hands; Light Travels Down The Catwalk; Downtown; Helena; European Oils; Self Portrait With Thing (Tonight Is Not Your Night); Chinatown; Streets of Fire; To the Heart of the Sun on the Back of the Vulture, I'll Go; Farrar, Straus And Giroux (Sea Of Tears); Savage Night at the Opera; Don't Become The Thing You Hated.
(encore) What Road; Virgin With a Memory.

Destroyer @ Vogue Theatre -- 06/29/12

It was an unusually busy night in Vancouver with over half a dozen good shows going on, but ultimately it was an easy choice: the Vogue Theatre for Vancouver's Destroyer, as part of the Jazz Fest. I hadn't seen Dan Bejar and company in a while, and the Vogue seemed like a perfect place for the band to showcase songs from last year's Kaputt.

Opening the night was another local band, Inhabitants, taking the dimly lit stage and, after a moment to set up, launching into a dark and moody instrumental set. With long songs that ebbed and flowed, the four piece created unique and complex sonic soundscapes. There were a few times, though, that it was a bit too cacophonous; where it seemed like the four members were just playing simultaneously and not playing together, and between songs there were awkward pauses and silences before the next. But otherwise it was very interesting and unique, and I am looking forward to seeing them again.

It wasn't long after that the lights dimmed and recorded music started playing to build the suspense before Destroyer hit the stage. Dan Bejar was joined by seven others to round out the band -- including fellow New Pornographers John Collins and Dave Carswell, as well as Black Mountain drummer Josh Wells -- with a wide variety of instruments from the usual guitars, bass, drums, and keys to saxophone, flute, trumpet and space clarinet EWI.
Starting off with an older track, "Your Blues", the set hit songs off the band's last few albums, including the gorgeous "European Oils" from Rubies, but focused mostly on the newest album, Kaputt. They were even joined by Sibel Thrasher, who sang on the album, for a few songs, her strong and soulful voice adding great depth to songs like "Chinatown".
The notoriously introverted Dan Bejar seemed a bit of a reluctant front man; he can be completely captivating when singing, but didn't talk much otherwise -- aside from the usual thanks-you's to the festival, the venue and the opening act -- and he was frequently crouching down when not singing, to let the rest of Destroyer shine. And shine they did, each member of the band on top of their game.
An incredible trumpet solo, run through all sorts of distortion, lead into the hauntingly beautiful intro to "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker" which ended the set. But they were of course back for the usual encore, with "The Temple", and were about to play one more but were having some technical issues, so Bejar proclaimed they would play the "complete opposite song" -- though assured us it was thematically similar -- and ending the night with "Hey Snow White", exploding into swirling guitar and horns.

I've seen Destroyer a few times now, and this was definitely among the best. Bejar has always been an eccentric and enigmatic individual, but when the band comes together and really clicks, they put on an unforgettable show.

setlist
Your Blues, Savage Night at the Opera, European Oils, Chinatown, Blue Eyes, Downtown, Self-Portrait with Thing, Song for America, Rubies, Libby's First Sunrise, Suicide Demo for Kara Walker.
(encore) The Temple, Hey Snow White.

Best of 2011: Albums: Haiku Edition

Okay, so I definitely fell behind this year when it came to album posts and reviews. But that's not going to stop me from subjecting you to yet another Best of 2011 list, which will be my favourite albums of 2011, in -- what else? -- haiku form. It's actually going to be less of a "best of" and more of a "personal favourite". I completely acknowledge that there may have been, technically, better albums this year; but some of those "better" ones I just couldn't get into for some reason *cough*Feist*cough*
So here it is. While the list is not numbered, it is in a vague order of "least-best" to "best", and I've included EPs as well as LPs because why not, that's why.

The King Is Dead by The Decemberists
Back down to basics
Strong songwriting from Meloy
As you would expect

Diaper Island by Chad VanGaalen

Refined and focused
Soaring vocals, instruments
On top of his game

Days Into Years by Elliott BROOD

Suitably toned down
War memorial inspired
Brilliant songwriting

Portage & Main by Portage & Main

A solid debut
Strong folk rock, heartfelt lyrics
Great blend of voices

Eureka by Mother Mother

Infectious and fun
But not without some darkness
Stellar shared vocals

Orchard by Jess Hill

Incredible voice
Beautiful and haunting songs
Mesmerizing folk

Michigan Left by Arkells

A bit more polished
But still more fun rock and roll
A strong follow-up

The Whole Love by Wilco

More adventurous
Bookended with two great songs
Their best in a while

Let's All March Back Into The Sea by The Liptonians

Cacophonous sound
A whole host of instruments
And clever lyrics

Summer of Lust by Library Voices

Energetic songs
Sharp, intelligent lyrics
Pop at its finest

No Bad Days by Wide Mouth Mason

Six years since their last
New bassist Gordie Johnson
Haven't missed a step

We're All Friends & Lovers Until It Falls Apart EP by Redbird

Strong, lovely voice
Coupled with great songwriting
Wonderful debut

Seeds by Hey Rosetta!

Heartbreaking lyrics
Symphonic and grandiose
Complex yet catchy

We're All Dying To Live by Rich Aucoin

Highly ambitious
Perfect, cinematic flow
Brilliantly unique

Apocalyptic Radio Cynic by Sidney York

Insanely catchy
Clever, sexy, sometimes dark
Power-pop with depth

Temporary Resident by Imaginary Cities

Take one stellar voice
One stupendeous musician
For near perfect pop

Kaputt by Destroyer

Rich, dense, and jazz-y
Lyrically ambiguous
Very beautiful

Oh Fortune by Dan Mangan

Darker and more dense
Rich music, poignant lyrics
Exponential growth

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Explosions in the Sky

Crashing crescendos
Breathtaking rises and falls
Far beyond "epic"

High School EP by We Are The City

More going on here
Than most have in a full length
Nearly perfection

Degeneration Street by The Dears

All-star Dears line-up
From the brink of destruction
Better than ever

Lights of Endangered Species by Matthew Good

Full of emotion
Amazingly orchestral
A career highlight

The 2011 Polaris Short List

It's that time again; the people at the Polaris Music Prize have announced the short list of the ten albums in contention for the "best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label". This year the prize money has been bumped up to $30,000, and for the first time each of the other nine albums on the short list will receive $2,000. Any album (more than 30 minutes/8 tracks long) out from June 1st 2010 to May 31 2011 is eligible. 

Past winners have been Final Fantasy, He Poos Clouds (2006) Patrick Watson, Close to Paradise (2007) Caribou, Andorra (2008) Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life (2009) and Karkwa, Les Chemins De Verre (2010) and the big gala announcing the winners goes down on September 19th.

So let's see how this year stacks up, shall we? Here they are, in a vague order of the ones I personally want to win least to most.

House of Balloons
The Weeknd

New History Warfare Vol 2: Judges
Colin Stetson

Tigre Et Diesel
Galaxie

Long Player Late Bloomer
Ron Sexsmith

Creep On Creepin On
Timber Timbre

Feel It Break
Austra

Native Speaker

Braids

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

Seeds
Hey Rosetta!

Kaputt
Destroyer




I think this year I have only listened to half the albums in full, so I can't really give too many opinions so far. The Weeknd is the only one on the list that I have just not liked; "not my thing", maybe. Colin Stetson, I just don't get. I mean, I understand the musicianship behind it, and if there is indeed no looping, it is impressive, but I just can't get into it. Maybe if I listen to the full album I will appreciate it more. Both Timber Timbre and Austra I like okay, but need to listen to more. Braids I want to like a lot more than I actually do. Arcade Fire seems to be the "lock" to win, which is exactly why I think it won't. Polaris has never been predictable in the past, why start now. Hey Rosetta! and Destroyer have both been among my favourite albums this year, so those are my top two picks. It would be great if Hey Rosetta! won, but I would love to see Dan Bejar take it.
If nothing else, it is going to be an interesting couple of months, for debate and music listening. I may revisit this post closer to the date when I have more time to digest the list and listen more to the albums in question.

3 Minute Revelations: Kaputt by Destroyer

Combining my joy of production with my false sense of smug superiority in telling you what you should like* -- and since I've clearly failed at keeping up at full album write ups (the last one being over six months ago... yipes) -- here is another instalment of 3 Minute Revelations**

Slowly but surely, catching up on on 2011 albums. At this rate I'll be done... by this time next year! Anyway, another favourite and, spoiler alert: a good chance of it being on my personal "best of" the year.

Here is the Kaputt by Destroyer

Download

*please note blatant sarcasm.
** subtitle: Kirk Takes Three Minutes of Your Life and Awesomes It Up.

Destroyer @ Commodore -- 03/17/11

I have always felt that Dan Bejar rides that line between genius and insanity, and Destroyer has always fascinated me. Having seen them live a few times before, it's always been a different show -- including one show that was just Bejar solo and acoustic -- and the new album, Kaputt, takes such a different direction that I really wasn't sure what to expect from the show.

First up though, was Blackout Beach, who I was quite excited to see. The band is a solo project of Carey Mercer (who you may better know from Frog Eyes or Swan Lake) and I hadn't seen him play, in any incarnation, in a couple years. The band consisted of Mercer, with a keyboarsist and drummer, so the set was pretty minimal, and a little calmer than his other works. The songs were quite catchy, and nothing you wouldn't expect from Mercer, and even though it was more chill, he had no less energy on stage. Despite a couple lulls between songs, when he was playing, Mercer had a pretty song stage presence, and even stronger voice. A few times he stepped back off the mic and just let loose.
The set was only about a half hour, and it would have been nice to see some more, but it definitely had me wanting to see Frog Eyes again.

After a pretty quick turnaround, it was time for The War On Drugs. They had a more pop-rock sound, that I was actually not expecting from their name, or look. It was pretty catchy, and aside from one misstep at the start of a song, they were quite musically adept, but it didn't really do anything for me. A few of the songs sounded a bit similar, and the lead singers voice didn't really have too much range. It was Perfectly Acceptable Music, but not much more.

And then was Destroyer, as Bejar and the band of eight came out of the fog to take the stage. The band included horns, keys and one member who occasionally playing the trumpet at they keys at the same time.
The set started off with the first couple songs off of the new album, Kaputt, and while there were a few older songs, they focused mostly on that. Because of this, the show was a bit more slow and relaxed, given the albums more jazzy influence. Though not completely mellow, as midway through the set, they launched in to "3000 Flowers", one of my favourite Destroyer songs, and one I have never seen played live. It was, however, a bit odd, with Bejar reading the lyrics off of a piece of paper, but it was an incredible song otherwise. Probably my favourite of the main set, along with the hauntingly beautiful "Suicide Demo for Kara Walker"
And then came the encore, with Bejar joking if we had half an hour to kill, and then the familiar strains of "Bay of Pigs" starting. I was pretty thrilled at that, as I adore the song and I wasn't sure if they'd be playing it live in its 12 minute glory. It wasn't perfect, though; a little bit into the song there was a bit of a mixup, and at least twice Bejar started to crack up while singing -- and a little more of reading the lyrics during a portion of the song -- but those small things really didn't detract from the song too much, and it was still pretty incredible to hear live. I'm just wondering, since this was the first show of the tour, if it was maybe the first time they had played it live.

In all, though, it was a pretty great show. Two songs I did not really expect to hear live, and some incredibly talented musicians sharing the stage.

setlist
Chinatown, Blue Eyes, It's Gonna Take An Airplane, Downtown, Savage Night At The Opera, Certain Things You Ought To Know , Kaputt, 3000 Flowers, Painter In Your Pocket, Suicide Demo For Kara Walker, Song For America.
(encore) Bay of Pigs.

Musical Roots: The New Pornographers

Regular readers (all nine of you) may know I am currently schooling at BCIT, in the Radio Broadcast program. In our second, and final, year we take over the station Evolution1079*. At the station we are given rotating jobs every week, and a couple weeks ago I was tasked with Musical Roots; a 45 minute 'Ongoing History Of New Music' type program, where we take a close look at a particular topic. Because these ran at 11pm on a week when our streaming was down, and because I put a lot of work into these (wrote, voiced, produced... did everything myself) I would like to share it with you, fine reader, as a podcast.

This is the third of four episodes, which will released on a [hopefully] weekly basis in the next month. While the first two were more a chronological history of the featured acts, this one is a little different. This week I take a look at not only The New Pornographers, but also all the things that go to make up the band. All of the various members other bands; AC Newman, Neko Case, Destroyer, Immaculate Machine, Limblifter, Fancey and The Evaporators. And then of course, a look at The New Pornos themselves. The feature is in three 15 minute segments, and that is how I present them to you. In streaming or downloadable options.

I hope you enjoy it, and I would very much welcome any sort of feedback you may have (positive or negative), either commented here or through the emails at: 3amRevelations [at] gmail [dot] com.


Download The New Pornographers Part One

Download The New Pornographers Part Two

Download The New Pornographers Part Three

*If you enjoy this blog and do not know of this station, I suggest you give it a listen. We play a lot of awesome music, and I don't just say this because I am the current music director.

Favourite albums of 2009 (part the second)

In case you missed it, part one is here!
It's only a little late, but I finally got caught up on my backlog of albums from 2009 I wanted to review. I think I did just about every new album I picked up during 09 -- which was over 50! -- so now I might as well post my favourite twenty albums. And yes, that is "favourite", not "best", so while something may be technically "better", these were the ones I liked the most. Also, they are in order of release date, as I am terrible at numbering things.
Were I a more organized person, I would have sat down this long weekend and listened to all 20 albums and come up with something new and exciting to say for each, but with my laziness school term coming to a close, I just didn't have the time, sadly. But I have included links to all the previous reviews I did on the albums, which are still as valid now as they were then.

In A Quiet World by We Are The City (original review)
superb debut

"Fathers" EP by Black Hat Brigade (original review)
an EP with more substance than most full lengths

Dragonslayer by Sunset Rubdown (original review)
this is why SR is my favourite of all Spencer Krug's bands

Nice, Nice, Very Nice by Dan Mangan (original review)
the acclaim is much deserved

Bay of Pigs EP by Destroyer (original review[ku])
more proof of Bejar's musical genius

Monsters of Folk by Monsters of Folk (original review)
could've been messy, ended up awesome

Friends & Total Strangers by The Trews (original review[ku])
live & acoustic, shows their true talent

Vancouver by Matthew Good (original review)
favourite album of the year (surprise)

Islands Disappear by Said The Whale (original review)
possibly perfect power pop

Tic Toc Tic by The Zolas (original review)
insanely catchy


So, what do you think overall? Agree? Disagree? Think I missed something major? Just like to complain? Let me know!

Review-kus.

Originally I wanted to review every album I bought/otherwise listened to this year. Clearly, I've slacked on that. Partially cos there have been a lot of albums that, for whatever reason, I don't feel like writing a full review for. So what I have decided to do is give a few really quick reviews all at once.... in haiku form. Here we go!
And yes, I am trying to finish off the reviews of this years albums as quick as possible, so that's why there has been (and will be) a barrage of album reviews.

Pink Strat by Bahamas
(debut solo LP from Afie Jurvanen, who has played for the likes of Feist, Jason Collett, Hayden, Zeus, The Stills and more)
After supporting
Afie steps in the spotlight
For his time to shine

Download Already Yours by Bahamas

Invisible Republic by Young Galaxy
Some moments it soars
Yet others, not so much
A bit less dreamy

Download Firestruck by Young Galaxy

Armistice by Mute Math
Just like their debut
With more, needless, production
Bit of a let down

Download Backfire by Mute Math

No One's First and You're Next EP by Modest Mouse
A bunch of outtakes
Were left out for a reason
Just seems like filler

Download Perpetual Motion Machine by Modest Mouse

Bay of Pigs EP by Destroyer
Thirteen and a half
Twists and turns and genre shifts
Simply amazing

Download Bay of Pigs by Destroyer