Tag: Indie

Categories
Tunes

Best tunes of 2003: #14 The New Pornographers “From blown speakers”

<< #15    |    #13 >>

I’ve said it before and it’ll likely come up again: I was an avid user of Ottawa’s public library services back in the early 2000s.

I didn’t have a lot of money after relocating to Canada’s capital so almost as soon as I updated my drivers license with my new address, I checked out the main branch to start borrowing books. When I discovered they also loaned DVDs and CDs, I started borrowing those as well, often spending hours perusing their virtual shelves on their website for material to request and consume. The three week loan period for CDs allowed for plenty of opportunity to explore and to discover music before making a decision to purchase for the long haul.

I’d previously heard friends talk about The New Pornographers so when I saw the library had one of their albums in their collection, I put in the request and didn’t even have to wait that long for it to arrive at my local branch for pickup. So in this way, “Electric version” was my introduction to Canada’s indie rock supergroup. Of course, I only really googled them for more info after they made a great first impression and I learned then of their background and the various members’ collective experience as part of the Vancouver area music scene. Of their membership, I’d only heard of Dan Bejar (of Destroyer) and Neko Case before, the latter from my friend Tim, who I think was in love with her at the time, and thinking back, he was probably one of the friends that had talked up The New Pornos as well.

“Electric version” was the group’s sophomore record and was seen by those familiar with “Mass romantic” as a tighter and more polished effort, the sound of a real group finding its footing, rather than a collective of individual artists collaborating on a one-off piece, which is what many expected the debut to be. On the followup, there were lots of catchy power pop gems to shake sticks at, but none as immediately captivating as track two.

“Just a contact high, one in every mood I’ve ever declined to fight
One in every single exchange you might find
From blown speakers, time came out magical”

“From blown speakers” is just shy of three minutes and features call and answer guitars and keys, as well as Carl Newman harmonizing with the lovely Neko Case and a plethora of exclamation marks on the snares. It’s an obvious high that we never wanted to come down from.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2003 list, click here.

Categories
Tunes

Best tunes of 2020: #16 Dehd “Haha”

<< #17    |    #15 >>

Dehd recently announced the upcoming release of their fifth studio album, “Poetry”, due out in May. Some very welcome news for fans of their energetic blend of surf, post-punk, and garage rock.

I only came across Dehd with the release of 2020’s “Flower of devotion”, but that was actually their third album, after forming five years earlier. They are the trio of Emily Kempf (bass guitar, vocals), Jason Balla (guitar, vocals), and Eric McGrady (drums), based in Chicago, which surprises me every time I remember this fact. Because for some completely irrational and unknown reason, to me, they sound like they should hail from the UK.

And though I’ve not heard anything prior to it, I felt completely at home with “Flower of devotion” when I first heard it upon its release in July 2020. It felt alive and raw and vibrating with nervous energy, though from all reports it’s shinier and cleaner than its predecessors. It was exactly the kind of music that we needed as we were coming into the first summer of the pandemic, very much like an invitation to go outside and play.

“How does one get here?
When did we cross the line?
When it comes to falling, yeah
I’m falling all the time“

My favourite tune on “Flower of devotion” was track three, right from the very beginning. “Haha” was never released as a single but it certainly sounds like it could’ve been one. It is just over two minutes of jangly guitars, a hopscotch bassline, tongue clucking, and he said/she said, call and response vocals. With its staccato and twitchy chorus but fun feel throughout, it all seems so simple. But sometimes simple is exactly what you need for a perfect pop gem. And yes, that title makes me laugh every time.

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2020 list, click here.

Categories
Live music galleries

Live music galleries: Dum Dum Girls [2012]

(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)

Artist: Dum Dum Girls
When: August 3rd, 2012
Where: Tree stage, Osheaga, Jean Drapeau Park, Montreal
Context: After catching a crazy early afternoon set by a just-breaking-out Of Monsters and Men, at small side stage packed with curious onlookers, I had to bust my butt to get to the next stage over to catch the Dum Dum Girls perform just five minutes later. (These are the joys of musical festivals but one shouldn’t really complain after the last few years we’ve had.) I thought for sure that the L.A.-based, noise rock quartet would’ve already been well into their set by the time I got there, but they were still trying to get the microphones working. Despite their polished appearances and the perceived attitudes that they convey, the band was quite gracious and understanding in the face of all the delays. Once they finally got going though, their performance was beautifully loud and fuzzed out and angst-laden. Personally, I loved it, but there were many others that didn’t appreciate it as much as I did. I started off the set pretty far back because of my late arrival, but managed to get right up near the front by its conclusion. Dum Dum Girls finished their shortened set (eight songs early by their telling) with my favourite “Bedroom eyes” and a brand new track called “Lord knows” (though at the time, I had yet to listen to the recorded track). Technical difficulties aside, I thought Dum Dum Girls’ set was brilliant and definitely would have jumped at the chance see them live again. Unfortunately, they disbanded four years later and that chance never materialized.
Point of reference song: “Bedroom eyes”