Quarterly report

I've exhausted my backlog of show photos (unless I start digging through crates, and I don't feel quite up to that at the moment) - so here comes another edition of what I've been listening to of late. Three months into the new year, and a definite theme is beginning to evolve - namely I missed a lot of good stuff last year. Well, better late than never, I guess.


Grizzly Bear at Barrymore's, Feb. 5, 2007

I seem to be on a bit of a pop kick these days. I grabbed a copy of Peter Bjorn and John's Writer's Block at End Hits. I also finally got around to picking up a Decemberists album (I came across a used promo copy of Crane Wife). The Robyn Hitchcock comparisons are certainly justified, particularly on the title track. I bought Grizzly Bear's Yellow House at their super show two months ago and am still enjoying it to an unreasonable degree. Another band whose live show encouraged me to pick up their latest is the Besnard Lakes, Besnard Lakes is The Dark Horse really shows off frontman's Jace Lasek's voice, songwriting skills and production talents.
Animal Collective's Panda Bear got a glowing review for his solo album Person Pitch from the usual suspects for his warped take on the Beach Boys sound. It's good. Not 9.4 good, but consistently engaging.
I've also bought a few CDs from old favourites. Royal Trux is one my favourite bands, and I find myself enjoying Jennifer Herrema's new RTX album Western Xterminator as well. It's less experimental than her Trux stuff but still packs an Accelerator-sized kick with its streamlined update of L.A. hair metal. Jay Reatard's Blood Visions doesn't entertain me quite as much as his Bad Times and Reatards stuff (it leans more toward his Lost Times stuff), but has its moments.
Closer to home I got James McKenty and The Spades' new release, Let It Grow, an appealingly lean and rootsy rock album and Casey Comeau and The Centretown Wilderness Club's Taking Routes EP. I'll surprise no one by saying I like it a lot as well.
As usual I'm listening to a bunch of older stuff as well. I bought a copy of The Congos' classic Heart of the Congos at Sounds Unlikely; I'm not a huge reggae fan but Heart undoubtedly deserves all the applause thrown at it. You may recall I was lamenting the difficulty of finding a good Erkin Koray comp a while ago. But who needs a comp when Korea's World Psychedelia label is busy releasing moderately priced copies of his original albums, to wit Elektronik Turkuler, 2, and the self-titled roundup of his early sides from the Istanbul label. All three albums are amazing. Still on Turkey, Fikret Kizilok's self-titled CD is also a corker. From the same folks I also got a copy of the Mops' Psychedelic Sounds of Japan. Swell. Not so successful is San Ul Lim's 3. They wanted to be Korea's AC/DC, but fell short because they lacked the technological know-how to imitate the Australian group's raunchy sounds. It does have its charms, but isn't hugely memorable. I've also started investigating the Numero Group's soul compilations, starting with the Twinight and Bandit label roundups. The former I like a great deal, the latter is enjoyable but not as consistent to my ears.



Also I'll take this opportunity to remind you that I'm now posting the occasional show picture on Flickr, for those who like their photos without my accompanying babble.

• Show reminder: The Fucking Machines and Montreal's Devil Eyes perform at Babylon; Exclaim throws its Spring Fling at the Capital Music Hall with Champion, Malajube, Chromeo and You Say Party! We Say Die! Vancouver's The Manvils perform at Zaphod's.

Twice as many

It's been about 10 months since I last saw The Polytones. I caught them at Zaphod's, May 27, 2006, but their live shows tend to be few and far between. Catch them when you can, I say. There was a good turn out of friends, fans and doctors for this show.

Lesia Manchulenko reaches for the microphone.



George Jennings. It gets hot up on stage in a jacket.



This shot of Tim MacKinnon looks quite a bit like my last shot of him.



Brenda Bedford in blue.



There was a new song "Which I call Hah!" said Lesia. Here she consults the lyric sheet mid-tune.



More George and Tim!



Lesia offers some percussion assistance.



Singalong action!



Those flowers certainly absorb a lot of flash.



Ben strums, Lesia bends.



Fun with lights. Not quite as effective as when Home played Babylon a while back.



The whole lot!



Polytonic, and possibly polyphonic, action!





I've been taking a few pictures at slower camera speeds. They seem to be turning out well.



Another capital performance.

• Show reminder: Hockey rockers The Zambonis and Meredith Luce play Zaphod Beeblebrox.

General purpose

March 30 I went to Zaphod Beeblebrox to see The Polytones and General Electrik, a band previously unknown to me. I have to say the last time I was so knocked out by a local band I hadn't heard anything from before is when I saw The John Henrys open for Elliott Brood. Like that band they have a brace of strong singers who turn in some effective harmonies. Although there aren't any brothers in this band, they made me think of the Everly Brothers and late-era Split Enz.

I was thinking some of these guys looked familiar, and indeed I have snapped guitarist Chris Thibedeau once before, playing bass last August for the Department of Foreign Affairs.



Donnie LeBlanc adds a few rootsy touches with his Gretsch.



Bassist Mike Campbell can also be seen in the Steve Gardiner Band.



If Steven Jurgutis looks a bit blue, it's just the lighting.



Electrik action!



Rhythm section action!





The whole lot!



I look forward to hearing more.

• Show reminder: If you have a ticket to Tokyo Police Club and Cold War Kids at Zaphod Beeblebrox, today is the day.

Shake it!

Castanets were birthed in Raymond Raposa's travels around the U.S. He recorded a bunch of songs and put them out self-released CD-Rs. Between then and now he's travelled from San Francisco to Brooklyn, NY, acquired a bunch of musicians to help him out and landed on Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label. Some of his band members are also in the Vanishing Voice, the outfit that helps out on some of James Toth's Wooden Wand recordings. Castanets' lineup changes with some frequency I'm told, and on this evening had absorbed a couple of Shapes and Sizes members to form an impromptu rhythm section.

I have little idea who's who, except that this is presumably Raymond.



This may not be the most comfortable way to play keyboards.



You can see the Shapes and Sizers on drums and bass. The guy in front - it can be non other than G. Lucas Crane of Vanishing Voice fame - was grabbing brightly painted tapes out of the box and looping and mixing them.





And Castanet No. 4 at right.



Sitting and singing along action!



Crane trades the looping for tooting.



Shaking action!









I didn't see any castanets actually being played. The audience was about what you'd expect for an unusual band on a Sunday night. Interesting show; next time I hope any local No Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand of the Man and Cerberus Shoal fans will see fit to attend.

An open book

Zaphod's once again hosted an evening of fine independent music. Actually, it was supposed to be something of an Asthmatic Kitty showcase, with Shapes and Sizes and Castanets performing. Books on Books was the opener; they zipped through a quick set, perhaps because they were breaking in a new drummer (not that I could tell - he did a swell job).

Ryan Neeb in the spotlight!



Ryan Hough in another spotlight!



Scott in ... well you get the idea.



You know you've arrived in Ottawa as a percussionist when I get around to taking a horrible photo of you. This is Paul, the new chap.



More literary and spotlit action!



Fuzzy, two-headed action!



More Ryan!





Ditto!



The whole lot!



They're playing Zaphod's again in a few weeks' time (April 27, to be exact) opening for Rock Central Plaza.

• Show reminder: Say Hi To Your Mom, Travel By Owl and Relief Maps perform at Zaphod Beeblebrox. Michael Weston King and Steve Fai play Irene's. Much hooting at the Black Sheep Inn with Carolyn Mark and guests Luther Wright, Jim Bryson and Jenny Whiteley; Kelly Joe Phelps is playing an afternoon show at the same place.