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Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Mother Nature Ain't Got Nothing On Me 
It was a hail of a good time. More tomorrow. Sleep now.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:12 AM
Friday, May 26, 2006
Out of Office Reply Hi. You have reached Hanson at www.myindieworld.com. I'm unable to take your call right now, as I'll be at Sasquatch until Tuesday, May 30th, rocking with Ben, Colin, Neko, Rocky, Sam, James, Andrea, Dave, Sufjan et al. If you leave your name and number, I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:41 AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Way to My Heart One of the reasons I love Saddle Creek is their penchant for adding a personal touch to everything. For instance, my copy of Tilly and the Wall's Bottoms of Barrels came today, along with the usual handwritten note to thank me. They also threw in a Tilly sticker and a Bright Eyes postcard as a bonus, something they always seem to do with every order. Free stuff and handwritten notes are but two of the many reasons I prefer indie labels to the big three/four.
SWAK brings us another doozy: Camera Obscura at The Plaza on July 24th. Twee-tastic!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:15 AM
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
YouTubing: Labour of Love
If you don't count The Simpsons Sing the Blues, the first album that I bought -- a cassette -- was Frente's debut full-length, Marvin the Album. I remember 1994 like it was yesterday: it was after a Saturday afternoon baseball game (which I'm sure we lost), and I got my dad to drive me to the mall so that I can find the album from this band that I heard on the radio.
This music wasn't like anything I've heard before -- just a guitar and this really pretty-sounding voice. After scouring the now-defunct Music World, I had found what I was looking for. And because I was a fiscal conservative at heart, I opted for the cheaper cassette tape, priced at $14.98, instead of the compact disc, which was $16.98. That summer, I listened to Marvin non-stop, not just because it was the only album I had, but also because I loved it to bits.
I'm not really sure which song got me hooked -- their acoustic cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle," a textbook example of an out-of-left-field hit, or their charming, equally acoustic original "Labour of Love." But either way, I'm pretty sure Angie Hart and company were the ones that got me started on the road towards music geekdom. "Labour of Love" had a large role in shaping the development of my musical aesthetic; hell, I'm pretty sure I still know all the words to it.
So it was a delightful surprise when I found the video for it today, floating around on YouTube, begging to be watched. Shot in monochrome, the first (and last) time I saw saw the video on TV was a couple of years after the song stopped getting regular radio airplay, probably on The Wedge. But thanks to the wonder of the interweb, I get to see it again now -- and as many times as I want to. Hooray for Al Gore!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:19 AM
Sunday, May 21, 2006
We're Going Up!! 
At the risk of sounding like an incoherent, manic jack-ass, especially to Leeds supporters:
WATFORD!!! OH HELLS YEAH!! Hells. Fucking. YEAH!! Up, up, up we go!! There's only one Aidy Boothroyd! 3-motherfracking-nil! Watford! Watford! Watford! We barely escaped relegation last year, but we'll be up in the Premiership next year, all thanks to the incomparable football genius that is Aidy Boothroyd. This is bliss distilled, motherfrackers. BLISS! DISTILLED! Like we're freebasing that shit! FUCKS YEAH!!!!!one
Setanta Broadband cut off the feed once the game was over, which is why I'm blogging instead of basking in the glow of promotion glory. Fuckers. And I know: the amount of exclamation marks I used is criminal, but promotion, baby, promotion! This is fucking amazing!!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
9:01 AM
Gold Mine Gutted Wow. I just saw Andy Samberg do an impression of Conor Oberst on SNL for a skit about Neil Young and his new, anti-Bush record. Apparently, Bright Eyes is big enough to be parodied now. Holy shit balls, Batman! And I thought Death Cab on SNL was crazy!
And speaking of SNL, it was Tina Fey's 180th show tonight (counting the days when she was only a writer). From a clip they showed of her back in 2000, one thing is clear: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey now looks better than ever.
I need to sleep now, cos tomorrow morning at 7am, I'll be watching Watford take on Leeds on my computer.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:04 AM
Friday, May 19, 2006
OMGZ!!!eleven For the first time since episode three of this season, I sat down to watch The O.C. tonight. What prompted this return to a place that has brought me so much agony last year for its complete drop-off in quality? A spoiler that seemed a bit too fan-fic-esque to be true. Nevertheless, it transpired, and I have to say that it was less satisfying that I had hoped it'd be. And any chance of my watching it regularly next season was all but wiped out since FOX decided to put it against TV God Aaron Sorkin's new show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, on Thursday at 9pm. I suppose there's always downloading...
Yay! Tomorrow morning on CiTR, I get to hear my favourite radio show again, the wonderful Cute Band Alert. Featuring music in a similar vein to the bands I blog about, it went off the air from CJSF when host Zena became too busy with life, but it's back now -- and at I time when I'll actually be listening to the radio (morning commute). Combining the awesomest radio voice ever with an impeccable taste in music, for my money, Zena is hard to top. So from 8am to 10am on Friday morning, get near a computer or a (Vancouver) radio and tune in to CiTR (streaming at their website and broadcasting at 101.9FM). If you read this blog with any sort of regularity, I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
NP: Haley Bonar - Ransom
posted by Hanson |
12:06 AM
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Truth About Pony Up (Is That They Rule)
I'm surprised at how much I'm loving Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes, the new record from Montreal's Pony Up. Don't get me wrong -- their style of music is right up my alley -- but I had tempered my expectations after hearing a track from it, "Only Feelgood," from some blog. What I heard lacked the chirpy, gleeful, and just-a-bit amateurish charm of their self-titled EP, and it certainly wasn't close to being as fun as their half of their split 7-inch with Ben Lee, "I Heard You Got Action."
The album kicks off promisingly with the slow-building "Dance For Me," which leads into one of the record's strongest cuts, the infectious "The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die)." These two tracks clearly illustrate the maturing of Pony Up's sound, from a band that used to sing about wanting to be Matthew Modine's blow-job queens to one that's less kitschy in their approach. And for the first time, they were even able to pull off a compelling slow song, the album ender, "Lines Bleed." Nice one, girls.
This record sounds a lot tighter than their EP. I'm not sure if it's from the producing, the singing, the playing, or a combination of all three, but it sounds a lot cleaner without being overproduced. This time around, they've mostly ditched the teenage-girlish lyrics that typified their past work, which, after repeated listens, seems like a wise departure. And the melodies! Even catchier and more complex than before, they work just fine with either of the co-lead vocalists, Laura Wills or Sara Moundroukas. It looks as though they didn't miss Camilla Wynne Ingr's defection to Sunset Rubdown after all.
Final verdict: a fine, fine record for all (girl) pop lovers. It's a big leap from their debut EP, though I'm afraid it'll still be trashed by all the tastemakers. I. Smell. 5.1!
Download: Pony Up - The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die)
Download: Pony Up - What's Free is Yours
Download: Pony Up - Lines Bleed
NP: Pony Up - Pastime Endeavour
posted by Hanson |
12:06 AM
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Bleeding Yellow
Tomorrow will be the first time I've ever cheered for Arsenal as they take on Barca in the European Cup Champion's League final, but really, the only football result I care about from now until the World Cup is the one on Sunday. I don't want to jinx anything, but if Aidy can carry the team all the way to the top-flight, he would be a god in my eyes.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:00 AM
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
YouTubing: Whoa Nelly
With her video for her new North American single, "Promiscuous," Nelly Furtado proves that you can make a jaw-droppingly hot video without taking your clothes off. I ran into this recently on one of the music video channels -- or rather, it ran into me, like a freight train burning way too much coal. The tune itself is bouncy and catchy, but I was floored by Nelly herself, by how amazing she looked. I mean, she was always kind of cute, but damn. When she was bouncing up and down beside the drum kit, I think my heart skipped a beat.
So here's a message to all the aspiring Britneys of the world: clothes on, still crazy-hot. Rethink that Mariah-cum-stripper look and learn how to write a beat.
And a side note: representing her hometown of Victoria, BC by name-dropping two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash, that was a nice touch. Heh. I bet Stevo never expected a shout-out in a song -- not from anybody other than maybe The Tragically Hip or The Barenaked Ladies, anyway. Nice one, Nelly. Next time, do Jason Bay.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:57 AM
Friday, May 12, 2006
A Luring Alluring Fox
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I arrived home to a copy of Haley Bonar's new record, Lure the Fox. Knowing that Haley's soothing voice and subtly brilliant song craft will beguile be guiding me through the next workday gave me an immense rush of joy. Sure enough, my longer-than-usual day at the office was indeed improved by the 11 songs found on the record, stylistically similar to the tracks off on Haley's last album, Size of Planets.
Simply put, Haley is a massively underrated talent. In fact, she had trouble finding a label to put out Lure the Fox, but definitely not because of a lack of quality. Just from the few spins today, I'll go out on a limb and declare Lure the Fox to be my favourite non-Jenny Lewis singer-songwriter record of 2006 (so far). Neko, Rocky, and Rose: I love your new records, but Lure the Fox is something else.
Built around a simple aesthetic -- light instrumentation (mostly acoustic guitar) paired with an incredible voice -- Lure the Fox sucks you in with its subtleties. The melodies aren't immediately catchy like, say, Tilly and the Wall. Instead, they slowly dissipate on you tongue, like the flavours of a complex wine. With each listen, the record sounds better, the songs more memorable. Lyrically, it veers away from the well-treaded territory of cliché pap most singer-songwriter pass off as wit. It never tries too hard to be sincere, which is what gives it its raw, personal quality. Tying it all together is Haley's pretty-much perfect voice, which conveys a sense of genuine emotion without over-selling or sounding sappy. You won't find annoying American Idol-esque vocal gymnastics here -- this is just pure, innate genius, baby.
Lure the Fox comes with the highest of recommendation from me. Thanks to CD Baby, you too can pick up a copy of it online. And to whet your appetite, here are a few tracks off the record. Enjoy!
Download: Haley Bonar - Us
Download: Haley Bonar - Give it Up
Download: Haley Bonar - Too Much Nothing
NP: Haley Bonar - Daisy Girl
posted by Hanson |
12:34 AM
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Give Me One Night
Austin was a city of many discoveries, the most satisfying of which was probably Brothers and Sisters, a local band that plays alt-country-pop laced with some sweet, sweet harmonies. I saw them open for the Gris Gris at Emo's, and for my money, they pretty much stole the show.
On their MySpace, they describe themselves as "a family singing along with Larry Jon Wilson's 'Ohoopee River Bottomland', the whole Time Fades Away record, Charlie Rich 'Silver Linings', ABBA's 'Gracias Por La Musica' and The Beach Boys' PARTY all at once." There are at least two things wrong with that statement. First, they're not a real family. Second, that description isn't really helpful at all. If I were to take a stab, I would describe them as being a very poppy country band, or a very countrified pop band, somewhat like The Magic Numbers had they grown up on a southern hippie commune. They have an odd, cult-ish jam-band feel about them, most of that impression coming from the fact that their on-stage configuration features two attractive women tambourinists/backup-singers, a quiet-looking guitarist guy, and a bearded-and-long-haired singer whose name could've easily been Jed.
And while we're on the subject of the back-up singers, one of them was a dead-ringer for Canadian chanteuse Leslie Feist -- a cuter version, in fact. And the other, apparently, looks like Julia Duffy of various crappy sitcoms fame. After their set, I tried to convince Matt to go talk to Faux Feist (née Marie Butcher) and somehow work the word "feisty" into the conversation. He was drunk enough to make it happen, but hey, I had to try.
Pop and country rarely mesh so well without being overproduced or overly cheesy. Brothers and Sisters have done it on their self-titled album, though I can't find a website from which you can purchase it online. In the meantime, here are a couple of MP3s. They're good -- if you don't mind your pop country-fried and topped with chicken gravy. I especially recommend "One Night" -- it's damn catchy, and it'll probably make my year-end compilation mix.
Download: Brothers and Sisters - One Night
Download: Brothers and Sisters - New Life
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:19 AM
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
It's Not Hard to Find a Dave
Dave Bazan is set to release his post-Pedro the Lion solo debut, an EP titled Fewer Moving Parts, on June 13th. It will feature 5 different songs, each recorded twice -- once stripped-down and acoustic, and another, full-on with a band. Dave apparently did all the recording himself, as well as playing all the instruments. Jesus! They don't call it a solo project for nothing. And an "EP" with 10 tracks? Nice.
The tracklisting for Fewer Moving Parts, subtitles and all, is as follows. Yippee! I can't wait to hear "Backwoods Nation" with a full band!
1. Holy War (Making It, Faking It, Breaking It)
2. How I Remember (Don't Cry, I'm Not Gonna Hurt You)
3. Backwoods Nation (Here We Go Again)
4. Fewer Broken Pieces (Precious, Please Make Up Your Mind)
5. Cold Beer and Cigarettes (The Devil Is Beating His Wife)
You can pre-order the EP here, and it will be available online and at his shows only. So far, the only Canadian dates on his latest solo jaunt are T.O. on June 17th and Montreal on June 18th, at Music Gallery and Mile End Cultural Centre, respectively. One wonders if they will be selling the EP at Sasquatch, as Dave's non-solo project, Headphones, will be playing the fest.
Yay. New Dave! Praise the Lord indeed.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:22 AM
Monday, May 08, 2006
An Anathema To Me
Rainer Maria played a short-but-inspired set in front of 50-odd people at The Media Club tonight; about half that many hung around until the encore. It's sad, really. I know the big show in Vancouver tonight was the Sunset Rubdown/Frog Eyes gig scheduled for Richard's, but you'd think they'd have more than a couple dozen fans here in this city after being around for more than 10 years.
While disappointing, this is completely consistent with my theory that Vancouverites are a bunch of buzz-crazy indie yuppies. No, not everyone has to like Rainer Maria; most people who listen to music don't, and that's just fine. But in a metropolitan area with about 2 million beating hearts, you'd think more than 25 people would be into a band the size of Rainer Maria, enough so to stay for the duration of their hour-plus-change set?
This is ridonkculous. This is why bands don't come here (or rather why Vancouver show promoters don't book a lot of medium-size indie bands like Rainer Maria): unless you're cool to listen to, Vancouverites won't give a shit. If Pitchfork, Spin, MOJO, and rest of the tastemakers are into a band (e.g. Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, etc.) -- with or without radio support -- the show sells out in no time. But if a band get bad-to-mediocre reviews for their latest album (e.g. a 4.8 from Pitchfork for Rainer Maria's new one, Catastrophe Keeps Us Together), no one shows up. What's up with that, Vancouver? Will you only go to see bands if it ups your hip quotient?
Bah! This is turning into a bigger rant than I thought. I think I'll stop it here before I piss off all Vancouverites who happen to stumble on to this...
NP: Rainer Maria - Catastrophe
posted by Hanson |
1:19 AM
Friday, May 05, 2006
Shine A Light Both Sunset Rubdown and Cadence Weapon got glowing reviews from Pitchfork today. Too bad I'll be missing both of their upcoming Vancouver shows, the former because of the Rainer Maria show on the same night and the latter because I just saw him in Austin, opening up for Islands. Ah well.
Speaking of Rainer Maria, I finally picked up Catastrophe Keeps Us Together today. I have precisely one work-day to listen to it on repeat before the show.
Ms. Jewel Kilcher released a new record, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, this week. I would have been totally excited -- if this were ten years ago.
I /still/ haven't had time to unpack from Austin, let alone blog (much) about it. Argh. And those emails I owe people -- they're coming!
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
1:15 AM
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
The Boy Is Back In Town
I'm back in Van City after spending most of last week in Austin, TX. A more thorough post will come later, but I had me blast, eating lots of BBQ and even seeing a couple shows at Emo's (pictured above). And the quiz bowl? Finished fifth overall, the best placing ever from a team comprising mostly Canadians! (Though, admittedly, Matt, the lone non-Canadian, did a lot of heavy lifting and ended up finishing 2nd in individual scoring).
Yeah. It's close to 3am Austin time now. Need to get some sleep if I want to be productive at work tomorrow. If you're owed an email, you'll get it in the next 24ish hours. Hopefully.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Hanson |
12:56 AM
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