ALBUM REVIEW: Yeasayer - Live at Ancienne Belgique

(Self-Released, 2011)
Review by Michael Bird
                                              

3.5/5

I suspect that one of the reasons Yeasayer’s debut All Hour Cymbals was met with more enthusiasm than follow-up full length Odd Blood is the absence of any real sense of discovery in the latter. Yeasayer had been playing together for little more than a year when All Hour Cymbals hit shelves, and were undoubtedly still refining their sound and exploring what they could do as a group. Odd Blood is a much more streamlined and focused album, but at the expense of loose arrangements, varied instrumentation and a willingness to let songs wander. Live At Ancienne Belgique shows that Yeasayer have arrived at a comfortable middle point between the two albums, at least in their live show.

The performance is taken from a time when Yeasayer were still touring and promoting Odd Blood, so initially the focus is on releases from that album. A little of the oppressive studio click-track feel of cuts ‘Madder Red’ and ‘Rome’ is gone though, and both songs benefit from the looser, livelier atmosphere. There’s a little imperfection in the keys and percussion, giving life to what might otherwise have been a monotonous affair. Straddling the line between acoustic performance and digital texture has always been one of the group’s strengths, but erring on the side of truly live performance is what elevates Yeasayer above their contemporaries in the experimental indie scene.

Singles ‘Ambling Alp’ and ‘2080’ are highlights toward the end of the show, and both are microcosms of the whole Yeasayer live package. Front man Chris Keating ups the delay on his vocals (he seems to control a great deal of what would normally be left to the sound desk from his keys/mixing station) and both guitar and bass swim in effects evoking vintage psychedelia. Again, the effects betray welcome hints of imperfection, wavering tonally from time to time and not always falling into place with the same precision you’d expect from a studio release. Live At Ancienne Belgique captures Yeasayer in an exciting phase, hitting their stride in a performance that emphasises the most enjoyable parts of their first two LP’s and sets the stage nicely for their next release.




The album is available for download here: http://yeasayer.net/xmas/


 

An interview with Alec O'Hanley (TWO HOURS TRAFFIC)

Interview by Sean Sebastian
                                                     

Constantly referred to as one of the most successful independent acts to hail from Canada in recent years, Two Hours Traffic were recently in the country touring their new album Territory. This album marks the band’s third major studio album, under Bumstead Records. However the band’s writing process has remained untouched since their first EP, The April Storm, released in 2003, “[We’re] generally pretty collaborative,” says Alec O’Hanley, guitarist and back-up vocalist, “Usually one of the three of us; myself, Andrew or Liam, will bring a sketch of a song to the group and we’ll all hammer it out from there. We don’t really pigeon hole ourselves to the instrument we play. So there’s healthy discourse,” he adds almost sarcastically, “[The process] can last anywhere from a week to several months”.

Photograph by Scott Munn

The Australian leg of their tour sees them teaming up with Triple J favourites The Jezabels, to play shows at The East Brunswick Club and The Bended Elbow. The two bands met at a Dead Letter Chorus show in 2009, “We had done a little jaunt with Dead Letter Chorus in June. And our manager down here, Jeff Trio, kinda floated their EP around. They showed up at our show in Sydney and we concocted a cultural exchange,” Alec adds with a wry smile.  “And I think it’s panned out rather nicely so far. [They’re] the most polite band we’ve encountered so far”.

The band’s sound lends itself to the sentimentality of popular teen dramas, and the similarity hasn’t gone unnoticed. Their track Limelight featured on an episode of The O.C. in 2006, but the whole ordeal can be quite fruitless, “It can be anti-climactic. I remember our local newspaper back in Prince Edward Island has a piece saying Limelight was gonna be in the O.C. That night we all tuned in and it was just on in the background for like five seconds. You don’t wanna go along with that sort of thing too much,” he says with a laugh.

That said, the soundtrack for The O.C., at the height of its popularity, had a knack for breaking indie acts and this effect can be seen to have touched Two Hours Traffic. Their following album Little Jabs was nominated for the 2008 Polaris Music Award.

But popularity isn’t a quality the band is concerned with, “When Liam and I started the band in high school, we had no idea how long it would persist, or to which heights. We’re still small potatoes in the big scheme of things. We don’t pat ourselves on the back very much”.

Following this tour, Alec plans to knuckle down and start work on the next album, “I’d love to really delve into writing. Get a whole bunch of equipment and bunker down in Prince Edward Island and experiment with the guys. Try to make our masterpiece”.

Alec expects the album to be released later this year.

DUCKDUZZ presents: FELIX WEATHERBOURNE

Written by Sean Sebastian
                                                  

Felix Weatherbourne, standing in the studio he hand-built with his dad, recounts the last year; the gig he played at Falls Festival, “I played in this ‘GeoDome’, it was a little outside the main stages, in this sort of village. It was weird, it had a kind of ‘carnie’ atmosphere. But the dome got packed out and it turned out to be really good.” He also spoke of the untimely break-up of his band, Press Colour, “Some things were said,” he pauses, the faint smile fades from his face, “I mean, I appreciate honesty. It’s a good thing.”  And the origins of his solo music career, “Mountain Man was the first track I wrote. This was in April, 2010. Back then I had no idea how to use any of the equipment I have now.” Influenced by the looping mastery of Jamie Liddell and Reggie Watts, Felix’s music is constructed almost entirely of his own voice. He denounces the use of backing tracks, “it’s like a Britney Spears type of thing. I don’t like that.” So when it comes to playing live, Felix simply creates his songs from scratch.


Check out Felix Weatherbourne playing live at the Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood supporting Signet Mae and Bright Knights on the January 25th.

ALBUM REVIEW: The Walkmen - Lisbon

(released on Fat Possum, 2010)

Review by Kim Larkin
                                            

3/5

Almost every aspect of Lisbon will remind you of another song or band, sometimes just proving that there is something else you could be listening to, including ‘old school’ The Walkmen. Leithauser’s vocal seem to be a combination of Dylan’s pronunciation and the presentation of risky range heard in the Cold War kids. Upon saying that, he does completely hold his own in comparison to the messy music (bringing us back to the garage aspect of The Walkmen). Let me just clarify as messy not being a bad thing, in Victory for example. There’s a pleasant delay to the sound, and it gives off the same charm as any Vampire Weekend song where, regardless of the intentions behind the lyrics, it seems like a decent ‘summer song’; see Woe is me, undoubtably the highlight of the album..

In all honesty, any sentiments presented in the album through the lyrics are lost as focus remains on the music, the melody of Leithauser’s voice turns purely into notes through his elongated vowels and lazy words, as the guitars normally remain quite sharp and almost piercing. There’s something simple and genuine about all the songs, and their earnest sound (yes, including the mariachi horns) will let you forgive the upcoming disappointment and listen to the album a second time (possibly more) without resentment.

While I Shovel the Snow is the main plateux of the album, where nothing seems to be happening, especially in comparison to the momentum in songs from the first half of Lisbon. It’s somewhat of a let down as The Walkmen seem to ignore the contrasting dynamics of songs such as Angela Surf City and Blue as Your Blood, which is what really makes the album. Listening to the last few songs on Lisbon just feels like a poorly staged concert where all the energetic songs are played at the start to get the crowed going, and all the lullabies are played at the end of the to serenade sleepy attendants to their cars. The song Lisbon itself is a big step away from The Walkmen fans knew from their biggest hit The Rat in 2004. It’s a decent song, but not worthy of being deemed the albums title.

Lisbon is a far lighter album than their earlier Bows + Arrows and You & Me, but with the same regal feel expected of The Walkmen and their use of trumpet processionals, vintage instruments and upright pianos. Combining what sounds like garage and folk (unsurprising as Chris Zane, Mumford &Sons producer also produced this album), The Walkmen return to their original roots as members from garage/indie bands Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Recoys. 

WHY YOU SHOULD GO TO BIG DAY OUT

Written by Michael Bird

                                                        

Sure it’s more or less moot at this point, as tickets for Big Day Out 2011 sold out in about 30 seconds, but it’s worth reminding ourselves why Big Day Out remains the Australian festival despite competition from Splendour, Falls, et al.

Where else would you hear:

Australian bands like Silverchair, Grinspoon and Powderfinger time and time again. Even when they’re not touring so much or jet out of the country for most of the year, there are some Aussie bands who have become regulars on the main stages (eventually), and you could pretty much trace the evolution of a band like Powderfinger by taking a look at their BDO shows. You could also trace the evolution of Daniel John’s hair, which is just as interesting. Outside of grassroots festivals, it’s hard to find an event in Australia that continues to showcase Australian rock like Big Day Out.

Political hoo-ha that everyone actually cares about. The infamous flag ban of 2007 ignited debate right across the social spectrum, with political heavyweights getting into it almost as much as the topless steroid guy who debated freedom of expression with you in line at the port-a-loos. Jet performed their set against an Australian Flag backdrop, and while not many people were offended by the flag, Jet’s music remains highly offensive to this day. 

Cedric’s sheep rant. Their truncated 2001 set is well worth checking out on its own merits (seriously, check it out on Youtube, Arc Arsenal is fucking insane), but perhaps the most memorable part of At the Drive-In’s Sydney performance was front man Cedric Bixler-Zavala insulting first the press gallery and then a large portion of the crowd in a bizarre anti-mosh rant. Taking issue with the amount of crowd-surfing that was going on, Bixler gesticulated, made some vaguely racist comments and then bleated like a sheep before the whole band left the stage. Tellingly, teenager Jessica Michalik was killed in the Limp Bizkit mosh later that day, in perhaps the darkest moment for the festival, adding a touch of prophecy to At the Drive In’s set.

YOUNG HERETICS - Purple Sneakers, Melbourne 19/11/2010

Text and Photos by Matthew Hallett
                                                                   

As the crowd gathered in anticipation of what was to come, beverages were consumed and cameras were at the ready. Word seems to be spreading of how amazing Melbourne duo Kitty Hart and Matthew Wright aka Young Heretics really are. As they setup their instruments, they look well-dressed and ready to go, along with the aid of a bass player and drummer; Young Heretics begin playing, their confidence and conviction highly evident throughout the night.

They opened with two new songs, which had more of a rock feel than some of the duo’s usual warped pop songs. The crowd was instantly hooked in, enthralled by what they were witnessing. That’s what is great about Young Heretics; their music contains so many different elements and is so unique that it draws you in. Their sound was a lot larger and more filled-out compared to their debut album ‘We are the Lost Loves’. Yet among all the great sounds and the hypnotisingly-brilliant stage presence (on what was a relatively small stage) the stand out factor was the duo’s amazing ability to harmonise so beautifully, even with the wall of sound from other instruments.

Fans were treated to the emphatic Risk/Loss and the stunning We are the Lost Loves, as well as another new song which Kitty called The Lion King Song announcing this would also be on a future album. Probably the biggest highlight of the night the set closer Bones of a Rabbit, a song that just continues to build, with beautiful harmonies and vocals that soar high into the heavens, taking you on an incredible journey, capped off by the duo’s floor-tom and cymbal attack at the end which was also enthralling to watch.

It was a shame the set was relatively brief because Young Heretics are an incredible live act with a brilliant set of songs, and with a taste of what is to come on album number two, one can truly be excited about what lies ahead for Young Heretics.

PAUL DEMPSEY - The Corner Hotel, Richmond 8/10/2010

Written by Matthew Hallett
Photos by Timothy Casten
                                                        

After spending some time in the US, writing and gigging, Paul Dempsey was welcomed home to an enthusiastic crowd at the Corner Hotel. The show sold out within weeks of going on sale, with patrons clustered together as far and wide as the walls could withhold. Dempsey was greeted by a warm reception upon taking to the stage, a reception that would only get warmer as the night carried on.

The setting was intimate and raw, with Paul using only an acoustic guitar and his captivating voice to showcase his talent and tell stories through song. The atmosphere was almost that of a friend’s party. There was a sense of familiarity and there were no barriers whatsoever between Dempsey on stage and the punters in the audience, with Dempsey regularly making conversation and banter.


There were quite a few hecklers but their comments were either praise or just silly jokes, again making it feel as if it were a mate’s party or something. Dempsey dealt with the hecklers well, often cracking jokes, but then his ability to go from joking and having everybody laughing, to a serious, pensive song within seconds and have the whole crowd captivated so that you could hear a pin drop was sheer brilliance.

Dempsey played all but one song from his solo album ‘Everything is True’, with highlights including Bird in a Basement, Perfectly Numb, Bats and Ramona was a Waitress. It was great to hear these songs in their rawest forms, no doubt bringing the songs back to how they were first conceived – just a guitar and voice. Other highlights included seeing support act Mike Noga (the Drones) play harmonica and sing with Dempsey on Man of the Moment as well as Dempsey doing a cover of MGMT’s Time to Pretend which was well-received by the crowd.

The cheers after each song seemed to become progressively louder as the night went on. Paul played a couple of new songs including We’ll Never Work In This Town Again as well as a brand new track written in the US (could possibly end up on the next SFK album which is a work in progress). Of course there were some Something for Kate songs in the mix such as Kaplan/Thornhill, Asleep at the Wheel, and The Last Minute, and with no setlist Dempsey just played whatever he chose in whatever order.

After one encore Dempsey came back for a second, urging that he is not the ‘former’ Something for Kate frontman and the band is very much still alive and kicking. With this he closed with a stirring rendition of Beautiful Sharks, much to the delight of the crowd who showed Dempsey warmth, love and support throughout the whole night, which Dempsey seemed truly grateful for, and truly grateful to be home.    

  

Saskia Sansom

Mike Noga

SILVERSUN PICKUPS - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne 28/09/2010

Written by Kim Larkin 

Photo by Timothy Casten

                                                

Being far less aquatinted to Silversun Pickups that I should have been, considering I was going to see them play live and everyone hates the fan that doesn’t really know the band, did leave me apprehensive of what I was expecting to see. I knew Lazy eye, and I knew it was at the Corner, (although stereotypical) of my favourite venues, so I thought I knew enough to sufficiently enjoy it. And I was right.

Their first tour in Australia for three years, Silversun Pickups centered the ‘slightly-larger-than-the-other-one’ stage and began their extended set. Kicking off the intimate gig, frontman Brian Aubert lost all timidness after his first reverberating riff, which consumed and bewitched the crowd. The showmanship of Aubert, really the main performer, was an odd mixture of consideration and respect for the crowd, and the ability to walk alongside the stage while strumming like mad, occasionally reaching out for hands to hold and shake. The crowd, already energised from supporting band Papa vs Pretty, were utterly taken by Aubert, the only heckles and shouts being ones of love and admiration (and football finals), to which were not just well received, but were responded to as conversations between band and fan arose.

What can I say? The set was solid. Silversun pickups were professionals and were no suffers of stage fright. It had the same feeling of seeing your friends band play at a gig, expect your mates didn’t have a sold out show and weren't from the US. All those years of the ‘pickups playing in their garage has completely paid off as hearing them live was just like hearing Swoon through super surround sound. The occasional difference being the extended guitar solos, which often led to spontaneous pedal play by Aubert.

The one fault of the night had to be the overuse of distortion. It was like a boiling kettle right next to your head inbetween songs. At first I presumed it was possibly a failure on the sound man’s part, but that was naive of me. It was very apparent that the band chose to manipulate the distortions, and the ringing of the ears became the main souvenir of the night. Not the t-shirt.

But that can be overlooked, because when the room wasn’t swirling in high-pitched, high-voltage, electric squealing, the music was energetic and together and Silversun Pickups made you forget that prior to Lazy Eye (the obvious crowd favourite) blowing your mind, you head was about to implode.