Baroque Pop | LovetheMusic

It’s official!! I have a favourite local band, and they are the Brobecks. I had seen them briefly in August when I wandered past a show at Gallivan Plaza, and they had made an impression then (mostly for the bizarre zombie dancing that their fans were doing as I sat smugly at a table). I caught the whole set this time and it’s confirmed: I love the Brobecks, and I think ya’ll should, too.

With a new record just finished and “2nd Boys Will Be First Choice” getting hell of airplay on X96, now’s your big chance to get in on this noise. The somewhat turbulent band line-up seems to have settled on three: Dallon Weekes (vox, bass, keys), Matt Seppi (guitars, keys), and Drew Davidson (drums). The sound is sure to please high school kids who don’t know much better, but they are far from throwaway ear candy. They can be as boppy as the Libertines, emotive as Bright Eyes (well, as emotive, that’s just hyperbolic), and as macabre as your favourite Tim Burton film, sometimes all at once. I was impressed that four+ months later I still recognized the songs they’d played as I was passing through.

I’ve been listening to their new EP a lot, and I’m seriously pumped for this new record. Listen to these two songs from it, then go see them at the SLAMMys Showcase tonight at the Depot. They take stage at 11:30. DO IT!!

The Brobecks on MySpazz

The Brobecks - Small Cuts [3:59m]: Play in Popup | Download

The Brobecks - Visitation of the Ghost [4:12m]: Play in Popup | Download

What Got me Hooked on …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

After I watched the movie Ocean’s Eleven back in the day when it came out, I really enjoyed the end scene by the fountains in which Clair De Lune by Debussy was playing. I liked that particular version of it, so I went searching for it.

In my searches, I came across a song called Clair de Lune by TOD. As still is my habit, I check out random music on accident, because, hey, you never know. Fell in love with the song and became a TOD fan.

Some of their music is so-so, some of it rocks my socks off. Its kind of a trashy art rock. Not typically what I dig, but always loved these guys.

They’ve done several albums, and this track is from one of their first, called Madonna.

Clair de Lune - And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: Play in Popup | Download

The Arcade Freaking Fire.

There is no excuse — none whatsoever — to ever let an Arcade Fire show go by without attending. Reschedule your wedding, it's worth it. It's shamefully possible that you have never heard of the Arcade Fire, or maybe you've been caught in an awkward indie conversation where you've heard of them, but haven't heard them. Let me tell you this: the word 'energy' scarcely describes what it is that the Arcade Fire deliver. Imagine, if you will, ten crazy Quebecoise running around a stage playing instruments including, but not limited to, violin, French horn, xylophone, an aluminum standup bass, accordion, mandolin, and hurdy gurdy. Also hitting pretty much anything available with a drumstick — errant cymbals, a marching tom, motorcycle helmets, the catch-all mics at the front of the stage, the lighting rig, each other. The band loves what their doing so much that you cannot help but be dragged in. Numerous instrument changes, sexy-but-not-slutty dancing, very tasteful multi-media and one of the best groups of concert-goers I've ever associated with. The last two songs before the encore were "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" and "Rebellion (Lies)" and the end of "Power Out' built up to an insane pitch before the opening of "Rebellion" snuck in underneath it all. Amazing. I'll admit it, I only knew about four AF songs prior to the show, but it doesn't matter. I'm including the three songs most necessary to get the most from the show.
So, I don't want to say too much about how awesome the show was because you'll stop believing me, but I would like to say that I don't know how Montreal could have contained all of this. When David Bowie found them and brought them to major label attention, he just may have saved that town from exploding.
I'm sorry, Billy Corgan, but I don't think that even Mellon Collie-era Pumpkins could hold a candle to this show. But I'm still excited to see what you've got.

Here's what my concert-going buddy Dave had to say about it…

Arcade Fire // Myspace // Buy Neon Golden

MP3eesies:

Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Arcade%20Fire%20-%20Rebellion%20(Lies).mp3]

Arcade Fire - Neighbourhood #3 [Power Out] MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Arcade%20Fire%20-%20Neighborhood%20Three%20Power%20Out.mp3]

Arcade Fire - Wake Up MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/The%20Arcade%20Fire%20-%20Wake%20Up.mp3]

The Shins, Gomez - Live Rockin’ Updates!

So I've been to a couple of shows lately and been sadly slothful in my keepings you posted. Let's start with the Shins, in the Venue, Salt Lake City, February 16, 2007. This show was supposed to be opened by Viva Voce, a husband and wife duo from Oregon [via Alabama]. However there was some inclement weather that kept them out, so it was just the Shins, which is just as well, as my party was sadly late, but lucked out and missed none of the rocking. First of all, if you've heard that the Shins are afraid to rock, or if you've heard songs like "New Slang" or "Pink Bullets" and come to the same conclusion, you are mistaken. From the opening song, "Sleeping Lessons" from the new album Wincing the Night Away, you learn the truth of things. The Shins can, and will, rock when required to, and a live setting is perfect opportunity. Seriously, the Shins know when to hold 'em, etc. Other examples of rocking out include, but are not limited to, when frontman James Mercer complained that his voice was starting to sound like Lemmy from Motorhead, without missing a beat playing the bassline of "Ace of Spades"; and of free will playing a verse and chorus of Dio's "Holy Diver". This is rocking out. And they do it well. Also, the playing of "So Says I" should, according to my friend Dave, be played after each song. I think he might be right. It's that good. The following Friday I was lucky enough to partake in Gomez at Suede in Park City. Gomez's opener, Joe Purdy, were kind enough to show up to this one. During their set my party decided that they were a quaint little band of hobos. Fingerless gloves, beards, natty old suits, slide guitar, banjo, etc. They played nice bluesy numbers, some of which involved severely nice lead guitaring. They're good times. Gomez, for those who don't know, have been around for nigh on a decade but their popularity has been largely limited to the Uk. This, I must say, is a shame and a half, for the indie Brit-pop stylings are both catchy and classy. Being around as they have they have also learned how to put on a block-rockin' live show. Highlights include the constant switching of bass-playing duties, watching the percussionist rock out in his corner, and the extended jamming [especially on "How We Operate"]. Lowlights included being in Park City [seriously, that town blows], the drunk fellow yelling for "Shooting Holes in the Sky" between every song for the first quarter of the show, Gomez not taking the stage until after ten resulting in my being way tired during slow jams towards the end of the show. You may note that all these lowlights have to do with Park City and/or Suede, not Gomez. Final Verdicts: All the bands mentioned above are well worth seeing, even if you don't know that much of their music. Also, Park City sucks.