The last time I saw Ryan Adams I walked out of his double set – to match a just released that day double disc Cold Roses – show at The Warehouse. I had even bought the new disc and listened to it all day before this concert so I could enjoy it. Adams, however, was being an absolute premadona prick to the audience and I left just as the second set start.
Flash forward to this year and I reluctantly take an extra ticket from a friend. This time, however, the recipe is perfect: Adams is off booze, drugs and anything else illicit. His band is one sickingly tight set of musicians. Adams was upbeat and jovial. The set lasted nearly 2 hours. The range of material played included all the good stuff from now and then. Massey Hall equals indescribable magic.What more could a Ryan Adams fan want? How about the entire concert recorded directly from the board, post-mixed and made available for download with Ryan Adams blessing.
November 27 – Neil Young, Massey Hall, TorontoI really do not need to write much here. Watch the variousYouTubes from any of the four night run Neil did at Massey Hall and you’ll know what I mean. I was very very lucky to be given a ticket front row balcony almost centre. He played two of four of my favourites “Heart of Gold” and “Cortez The Killer”. This is remarkable for me considering his own commented he made to a really annoying audience (one of the worst I’ve had to sit with) would not stop yelling out requests: “I don’t know that one but I 600 other songs that all sound the same.”
September 12 – Bill Callahan, Music Gallery, TorontoThe Music Gallery is one of those venues that every good musician should play one day. It’s small, intimate, has beautiful natural acoustics and makes me wish the church I went to as a kid was this cool. Bill brought a band with him. He dressed up nice and fancy. He played a great selection of songs from both his older Smog albums and his latest “solo” effort. His music is so earnest sometimes it hurts but when you see him play it live it’s honestly is comforting.
The Stars (technically) released two albums in 2008. The first was a remix of Set Yourself On Fire entitled Do You Trust Your Friends. The songs were preformed by a plethora of good Canadian bands including this one remixed by the Junior Boys. Other notable tracks were those coved by The Russian Futurists, Final Fantasy, Young Galaxy and Apostles of Hustle.
Unfortunately, their second album, In The Bedroom After The War, was not nearly as good as both the original Set Yourself On Fire and it’s remix. Perhaps their next album should be produced by the Junior Boys based on the strength of this as the perfect blend of Stars-pop meets electro-bliss.
My relationship to Feist’s music has been an on and off soap opera. Years ago when I first met her, she left the bad first impression of a naive girl without originality or aloofness. As I got to know her, via her last album, she occasionally wooed and seduced me by her charms and wit. Now this year with the release of The Reminder I was initially in denial about my feelings but admittedly, after this song, the forever associated iPod commercial and quirky video, I believe I might be smitten.
Yeah, I know: “Hype, hype, hype!” But this song is damn catchy, it’s sickingly cute and it’s incessantly earnest… Not, of course, to downplay Peter, Bjorn & John’s main massively catchy song… or the fact that for three guys from Sweden they put on a solid live show (as I witnessed this year in Austin SXSW). I thought at first this album was a happy accident but expect these guys to grow out the hype and remain a solid pop band. This song is proof they will not be one hit!
Indie folk with a twist of pop. Bill Callahan (aka Smog) released Woke on a Whaleheart which featured a more upbeat perspective than his previous albums. Diamond Dancer combines Bill’s mysterious deep voice with a cheerful almost hoe-down melody in this song of infatuation.
Slacker electro-pop at its best TMS’ latest album The Book of Bad Breaks is chock full of ridiculous lyrics and raunchy synth noises like this song. Night at the Knight School is a prefect example of TMS unique song structure paired with phat sounds and nonsensical lyrics. If you catch them live observe the curiousity of the big red suitcase!
Just one of those Toronto indie-music boys who plays in too many bands to count while drinking 50, wearing tight ironic t-shirts and holding down techie day job.
