In sitting down to prepare this review, I heard the news that Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse committed suicide, which is why I’ve been drawn to the parallels between this album (in both name and tone) and that of Linkous’ last project, his collaboration with Danger Mouse and a host of other indie players on Dark Night of the Soul.  Whether dark or roaring, both albums seem to exist in shadowy crevices and alleyways, their songs emitting the only bright light to guide the listener through a midnight maze.

The Besnard Lakes‘ …Are the Roaring Night is not doom and gloom, though: it’s loom and boom.  From the outset, “Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 1: The Ocean” pulses and ripples out of the speakers like a thick fog, enveloping you in a soft cushion of sound designed to heighten the sonic impact of it’s sibling, “Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Pt. 2: The Innocent” which seamlessly flows from its predecessor.  It’s like a slow motion slam dance; you’re trapped on all sides by its immense wall of sound, buffeted back in forth between its beats and rhythms in an ever increasing trance.  Hands down, this pair of tracks are teh best album opening I’ve heard all year.

And it continues, in an unrelenting journey deeper into sound, deeper into dark: the glorious “Albatross”, the epic “Light Up The Night”, and another inspired pair of sibling tracks (“Land of Living Skies” pts. 1 and 2).  …Are the Roaring Night was recorded on a vintage mixing console that may or may not have (depends on who you believe) been used to record Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti; that may or may not explain its classic rock feel and warm tone of sound, but equipment aside, Jace Lasek’s masterful production work outshines his previous best (the ‘Lakes last record, …Are the Dark Horse).  There’s depth and added texture thanks to new instruments (minichord, flutes, 12-string guitars), but it all orbits around the central figures of Lasek and his wife Olga Goreas, whose sweet-as-honey voice tempers the album’s sound and gives it a soul.

Lasek and Goreas may not be the only husband and wife team from Montreal who’ll be getting a lot of face time in the blogs and music world this year, but they’re the first out of the fate and have set the benchmark they other pair will be compared against.

MP3: The Besnard Lakes “Albatross”
Myspace: The Besnard Lakes

Perseverance is one of those often overlooked qualities, because often time it gets confused with stubbornness.  That saddens me actually, to think that a band who stick with what they like and know best might get labelled pig-headed, as opposed to being self-assured and confident in themselves.  Although I don’t know them personally, Paul Boddum and Andrew McAllister of Soft Copy don’t strike me as the stubborn kind, but they’ve been working away at that 90s DIY post-punk sound while others may have taken a slightly different route.  They began together as part of the band Neck, who later changed their name to Christiana; if those names ring a bell, it’s probably because you recognize them from my post last week about the final Wavelength show in Toronto.,  They were one of the first bands–and now one of the last–to play the legendary series.

Boddum and McAllister, along with Wes Hodgson on bass have just released Soft Copy’s second album, Vicious Modernism, a record that reminds me of Sugar, Bob Mould’s 90s power-punk trio.  While Soft Copy are a bit more angular and rough around the edges, they still know how to construct a good pop song and make it work in a setting that’s not so pop-friendly.  A track like “Bad Wiring” teeters on the edge of sounding dated and being a classic post-punk anthem (more the latter than the former), while a song like “First Date” brings the noise and them tempo down a bit and show that Soft Copy have got all corners covered:  they do subtle as well as they do sneering.

Vicious Modernism is another one of those albums that I wouldn’t usually gravitate to, but it’s a refreshing listen and one I thoroughly suggest you look into.  It’s available to buy through Amazon and on iTunes.

MP3: Soft Copy “First Date”
MP3: Soft Copy “Hot Cakes”
Video: Soft Copy “Hot Cakes”
Myspace: Soft Copy

(photo: Chris Marshall)

Anticipation is a slippery slope to try and traverse.  Like mountains rising above the fog, that illicit moment seems untouchable; the distance measured in time rather than kilometers or miles makes getting to the end point slow and arduous, because though we can run a mile in 5 minutes, we can’t move through time at will (yet).  Oddly enough, the much-anticipated debut long player by Zeus, called Say Us, seems to do just that: move through time and space.

This could be due to the fact that “How Does it Feel?”, “I Know” and “Marching Through Your Head” are familiar to anyone who’s been following the band over the last year or so and who already owns the Sounds Like Zeus EP.  The album opens “How Does it Feel?” and my initial response to the titular question is “It kind of feels like I’ve been here before.”  The album’s second track, “Fever of the Time” is also oddly familiar, and I had to do a little digging to find out why:  it’s already in my music library thanks to an Arts & Crafts sampler CD released last year.  So if you’re keeping score, that’s 4 out of 12 tracks we’ve (i.e. me)  already heard before.

Is this such a bad thing?  Not really.  In context of the LP, the songs don’t stick out like sore thumbs; “Kindergarten” easily betters the previously released material and makes the purchase of the record worth it on it’s own.  It sounds like classic Sloan without the nerdy, whiny vocals (you know what I mean, don’t pretend you don’t!).  “The Renegade” showcases the tricks and style they’ve honed as Jason Collett’s backing band all these years, to the point where it’s musical arrangement could easily mistake it for a Collett track.  The playfulness of Zeus’ tinkling toy piano makes sure all these songs stay in that “fun and good times vibe” zone,  but it’s certainly not gimmicky or disposable.

Zeus have kept us waiting for Say Us for a very long time, and anticipation certainly grew in proportion to expectation during that time.  Is it what I expected?  Yeah, but truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting beyond a solid, strong LP.  They’ve confidently delivered a record that a) satisfies all those waiting breathlessly; and b) delivers on the promises of the earlier EP by providing more of the same great songwriting and playing, simultaneously sounding like something from days gone by and very much of today.

MP3: Zeus “Marching Through Your Head”
Myspace: Zeus

(photo: J. Nocito)

It’s been almost a month since Teen Dream was released, and the lack of a mention of Beach House on these pages shouldn’t be taken as a lack of interest on my part.  On the contrary, Teen Dream has been on regular rotation ’round  these parts, but I’ve hesitated putting my thoughts down for fear of being called out as a rookie Beach House fan.  Much like Hot Chip a few weeks back, Beach House have a very active and fanatic fan base, and they’re quick to jump on those who make any error in reporting on the band, or worse, anyone with some criticism.  So before I ventured any thoughts or commentary, I wanted to make sure I got things right.

Getting things right is very much what the duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally do throughout their third release (and first for Sub Pop).  I wasn’t familiar with the single version of  “Used To Be” they released in 2008, so I can’t comment on how the track has been improved upon or sabotaged (depending on your personal stance) but I can’t fathom how the band could have done any damage to the original as this song is by far one of the stands out on the album for me.  Teen Dream eschews a quiet confidence, a humble sense that Legrand and Scally know they’ve hit their stride and are not afraid to hold anything back.  That doesn’t mean that everything has been thrown into the mix.  The arrangements are uncluttered and light, giving Legrand’s sweet caressing vocals room to swim through the swirling organs and dreamlike tapestry of the music.  Their power comes in the negative spaces, the places where another band may have tried to fill the sonic palette with reverb, echoes, effects and flourishes for fear of losing the listeners interest.  Beach House leave blanks for the listener to fill in for themselves, or a place to simply pause and enjoy the experience as it is presented.

Upon initial listens, it doesn’t feel like there’s anything particularly special about the album, from a technical perspective or from a songwriting stance, but as you let each song unfold and experience Teen Dream as a whole, you realize that Beach House aren’t here to impress us with tricks and trickery, they’re here to shower us with their talent and the love of what they do.  “10 Mile Stereo” and “Norway” are just a couple of the tracks that have made me a believer in Beach House, but Teen Dream is an album greater than the sum of its parts.  It’s an early contender for sure, but I’m certain we’ll still be talking about this dream at the end of 2010.

MP3: Beach House “Norway”
Myspace: Beach House
Facebook: Beach House

February has been the strangest of months.  A lot of the new music I’ve been listening to seems to have a decidedly retro flair to it: The Stance , The Pinecones and Yukon Blonde all seem to have classic rock vibe going on, and the same is true of Burlington’s Sandman Viper Command, albeit a more contemporary retro sound.  Where those other band’s seem to take their cues from the 60s and 70s, Sandman Viper Command have a super cool mid-80s garage pop/punk-college rock roughness to them that reminds me of The Replacements on some tracks (like the sparkling “The Best of Plans”).

Everybody See This, the band’s debut album is like a nerve exposed to the elements:  it throbs, pulses and convulses, at turns with agony and heartbreak, at other times euphoric and blissful.  There’s a real variety and complexity to the songs, that move from the down-tempo lament of “Midwest Moses” to the frenetic “Ba Ba Ba” without missing a beat.  “Yo Bobcat” sounds like it could have easily been pulled off by Metallica in another incarnation (if it were louder and more sinister), and is one of the only times I consciously raised my eyebrow and wondered whether it works alongside the rest of the disc.  Sandman Viper Command are better when the play at the new-wave blues of “Oh Yeah, It’s Fusion” and “Mushroom Samba” and luckily the majority of the album fits that mold.

They’ve been compared to Sloan with good reason–they’re a certainly similarity in feeling and energy–but Sandman Viper Command have really staked out their own unique niche in the Canadian music scene.  Certainly they’re a band to watch in 2010, and watch them you can if you’re in Toronto tonight.  They have a show at C’est What tonight and another one on the 23rd at the same venue (as art of their Tuesday night residency there through February).  they’re off to Kingston on the 27th playing with Wax Mannequin, but will be back in the Big Smoke on March 11 for the Audioblood Showcase at the El Mocambo for Canadian Music Week.

MP3: Sandman Viper Command “Oh Yeah, It’s Fusion”
Myspace: Sandman Viper Command