Being a child of the Information Age is strange, damaging and wonderful all at once. Needless to say, in regards to music, the Internet turned me into a sniveling teenage snob with little to no “taste” in music. The ease at how much music was available was staggering to my pimple-ridden brain and often times I missed the gems that were right in front of me. I was unable to appreciate life’s simple pleasures: having fun, tying to get laid, bad-ass guitar licks, etc. Now, being much older and wiser I have shaken loose the shit that once clogged my brain and discovered perhaps the largest gem of all: straightforward, catchy, kick-you-in-the-face rock ‘n’ roll. The Ramones and the Stooges are the most exemplary of this. The new Jolts LP falls into this category perfectly. Read More
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Total War
Demo Tape (Independent)
Review By Sam Risser
Total War sees ex/current members of local hardcore outfits Unlearn, Massgrave and Fear of Tomorrow coming together to execute exactly ten minutes of absolutely raging, Scandinavian-style hardcore. While their ages-old influences (Anti Cimex, Mob 47) probably played through more modest equipment– the availability of insanely loud amplifiers has definitely increased over the past twenty-five years– this tape sounds like warplanes dropping Marshall JCM-900s on top of your head. Recorded and self-released a couple of months ago, the eight tracks delivered here by Total War are like a nightmare made into reality. Relentless buzzsaw riffs are backed up by a rhythm section that chooses to pursue a style like grindcore without slipping into metal territory- the speed is hysteric, but the sound stays firmly entrenched in punk. No blast beats or any of that nonsense here. The Discharge-inspired, haiku-type lyrics do their best to remind you of all the horrors modern life has in store for you (see “Nuclear Meltdown Hysteria”), and the just-learned-to-pick-up-a-guitar solos drive the point directly into your soft, gelatinous grey matter. Are your ears ringing yet? This is no bullshit hardcore punk. I can’t really say much more than that.
Bumbershoot
2011 Preview
By Alec J. Ross
Photo by Steve Louie
The Thrill
With the last long weekend of the summer approaching, there are a number of ways in which we can celebrate that extra day off before going back to work and school. We could dress ourselves head-to-toe in white clothing, possibly sneak in a bocce game, or we could just sit around and lounge on Labour Day. But c’mon people, this is your last long weekend of the summer. Make it memorable. Why not pack yourself into a car and cross over into Washington for Bumbershoot, Seattle’s long-running Music & Arts Festival? Read More
Germany Germany
with Oh No! Yoko & Bed of Stars, August 19 @ Media Club
Review By Fraser Dobbs
The Media Club is one of my favorite places to see music — the friendly staff and its just-small-enough atmosphere makes me feel comfortable and at home every time I go there. It made for the perfect environment to absorb the trifecta of local bands. Read More
Redbird
with Lakefield & Ana Egge, August 18 @ Railway Club
Review By James Olson
Redbird, photo by Steve Louie
Ships
Redbird’s first appearance since the release of their debut EP We’re All Friends and Lovers Until It Falls Apart was met with a full house and a receptive and appreciative crowd. The show got off to a good start, however, with the acoustic folk stylings of Ana Egge, whose admittedly sparse arrangements captured the audiences attention with a quiet magnetism. Between songs, she took time to talk about her interesting, albeit confused citizenship, being a Saskatchewan native who moved to the U.S. as a child, all the while promoting new album, Bad Blood, in a soft spoken and gentle manner. Her between-song storytelling, coupled with her somewhat shy stage persona, put forth the image of a world weary but perseverant country girl. Ana’s countrified blues, a la Joni Mitchell, was soothing and meditative. Read More
Stefana Fratila
with Jonathan Scherk + Sam Beatch, Crystal Dorval & Thomas Weideman, August 17 @ Prophouse Cafe
Review By Christina Gray
Stefana Fratila, photo by Steve Louie
Mes Fantomes Gries
On a hot summer evening in East Vancouver, three opening acts graced the floor of the steamy, antique-filled Prophouse Cafe before Stefana Fratila capped off the night with an anticipated headlining set. Read More
Japandroids
with Bass Drum of Death.
August 27 @ The Waldorf
Review By Shane Scott-Travis
Photo by Jensen Gifford
There were a few times in the thick of the overworked and sweaty dance floor, amidst a sea of plaid, pogoing, mostly-male bodies, that one could easily imagine that the Japandroids’ show was happening in 1995. It’s not that the Vancouver buzz-band were in any way shirking their duties at the Waldorf, though. They’re certainly not slouches in generating a full-sounding and ear-wobbling set, it’s just that their tunes hone in on ‘90s-era alt-rock inanity. Read More »