There’s a certain charm to the Some Minor Noise‘s sound. They’re not the first duo to make “electro noise-pop” records, but there’s definitely a freshness to the songs on the band’s debut EP that was instantly appealing to me. Their story has a familiar ring: boy who makes experimental electronic music meets girl with decent vocal chops and spiky, effects-laden pop ensues. What sets them apart is the obvious chemistry between Jane Void (girl) and Wayne Doe (boy) and the way her sweet sounds take the edge off his abrasive beats. In a genre as ephemeral as this, it’s not always easy to make a mark for yourself, but Some Minor Noise have what it takes to become a major player. A full album (including the five songs on the Some Minor Noise EP) is due sometime this summer. You can grab the EP on a pay-what-you-want basis via their Bandcamp page now.
Sometimes, the shitty stuff that happens to us happens for a reason. Sometimes, you have to go there to come back, and come back better, stronger, wiser. Sometimes you realize that what you need is time, time to get your head into the right space. Time to find the right words for what you want to say.
Winter holds back everything. Spring relents nothing.
After splitting with Bronx Cheerleader, drummer J. Sauder turned to Venus Sans Fur to scratch his musical itch. his back-to-basics approach couldn’t be any simpler or effective; “Spring Relents Nothing” is a cascade of squalling guitars, practically tumbling over each other to get out in front. They are the sound of an emotional journey, for sure. The journey continues on a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting For The Man”, a sincere tribute to the band he loves, and a signal that Venus Sans Fur is ready to make its own musical mark. He’s doing it all on his own, too; drums, guitar, and loops recorded to 4 track tape, all at his own pace.. Eventually, he’d like to get to a spot where he’ll be able to play the songs live, and says not to be surprised if there’s a musical guest popping up on one of the next tracks. For right now, he’s happy to keep feeding the fire of creativity and calling out “Roll tape” when the spirit moves him.
Time once again for a musical journey ’round the globe with the Music Alliance Pact. By now you should know the drill: Quick Before It Melts joins over 30 other international music blogs to bring you the best their country has to offer each month, then posts the whole she-bang on each others’ site for all to enjoy. I’m very happy to be showcasing The Rest in the May edition, as they’re spending the month slowly revealing their new album, SEESAW song by song (you can catch up on the whole story about The Rest here).
CANADA: Quick Before It Melts The Rest – Always On My Mind
The story of The Rest’s new album, SEESAW, will be one of legend. First, their dear friend and producer Dan Achen passed away suddenly just as they started recording. Then, a month away from finishing the record, a hard-drive glitch deleted everything they’d done so far. It took a black box recovery team six months to retrieve it. Now, more than a year later, it’s here. And it’s stunning. The beautifully hazy Always On My Mind just hints at SEESAW’s orchestral brilliance.
Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the whole 34-track compilation through here.
“Do you remember where we came from?” asks Parlovr on the opening track of Kook Soul, which is a question that can be interpreted in many ways. Do we, the listeners, recall their much-touted previous self-titled LP, and/or have we been waiting for the band’s return these past couple of tumultuous years between records? Are they speaking of a greater collective “we”, referring to the heritage of rock and pop’s golden age? Do they mean an ancestry that can be traced all the way from Jerry Lee Lewis, through The Kinks, and onto this trio from Montreal? Or maybe they mean Montreal itself, and their fellow citizens whose scene has become a thing of legend?
Frankly, I could give a rat’s ass where they’ve come from. I’m much more interested in where they’re going and having them take me with them. Kook Soul may be a record born of frustration over life’s usual tribulations (with love, with record labels, with each other), but it rights the wrongs of the past with brilliant melodies, celebratory modern rock songs, and a joie de vivre that comes through even in their saddest laments. “You Only Want It ‘Cause You’re Lonely” drips heartache with each finger snap before offering up an acerbic middle finger in the chorus. Adding a cheap organ into the mix brings out their inner Elvis Costello on “Now That You’re Gone” before the songs crescendos into a chorus of layered voices that would make Brian Wilson proud. It’s followed by “Married On A Sunday”, a song built on a foundation of found instruments, with sing/shout vocals that scrape the sky. In just two records, the band has already developed a sound and style that can only be called “classic Parlovr”.
That’s precisely what drives my recommendation of this record; it’s sounds like it could have been living in your record collection for over 30 years, a long lost treasure you’ve just recently rediscovered. The irony is that in 30 years time, when you’re scrolling through whatever the digital equivalent of your old record collection is, you’ll find this album, fire up that antiquated mp3 player, and realize that it still sounds as perfect as it did the first time you heard it.
WHAT: On top of announcing a string of solo dates across Southern Ontario later this month, Griffin has made his introspective cover of Wolf Parade’s “Yulia” a free download from his website. You can also pick up his free 2011 EP, Leave Your Love, which was co-produced with Howie Beck.
WHEN & WHERE: Catch Griffin on May 22 in Guelph, ON (eBar); May 23 in Hamilton, ON (Casbah); May 24 in London, ON (APK); May 26 in Kingston, ON (Mansion); May 29 in Waterloo, ON (Starlight)
PREViEW: IndoorShoes preps new releases from Elk and Fiver (One Hundred Dollars' Simone Schmidt)
I might have been a bit quiet about the musical goings on around the Niagara Region lately, but that doesn’t mean everyone else has been. Case in point: the good good folks at IndoorShoes have been putting on a slew of great gigs in and around St. Catharines, even venturing into the Big Smoke for some showcases of our local talent. Things are about to kick into high gear for the label and concert promoter, as they get set to release their first full length disc, the debut album from Elk called Daydreams. The band recently did a showcase for Southern Souls that has me in a tizzy for this new disc. Pre-orders are being taken as we speak for the May 20th release.
Also in the pipeline from IndoorShoes is the debut record from Fiver, the debut solo project from One Hundred Dollars’ Simone Schmidt. The first single, “Two Songs From FIVER” will be released digitally and on 7″ vinyl in the coming months. Schmidt says “I’ve been sitting on a lot of songs I’ve written over the past few years because they didn’t fit with the country band’s musical sensibilities or collaborative practice,” and that Fiver will be “…a project where I can play, produce and release songs in their best incarnation, regardless of genre, no matter who else plays on them.”
To get a sense of just how much great stuff is happening in Niagara, check out the recently launched IndoorShoes Community Record Store, a gathering place where local musicians can hock their wares and help support the scene.
CANADA: 
“Do you remember where we came from?” asks 
WHO: 
PS I Love You
